Sunday 28 April 2013

Interesting article on the need for carbohydrates for female hormonal health

Taken from the December edition of Paleo Magazine


"Carbohydrates for Female Hormonal Health

By: Stefani Ruper
Paleolithic dieters often gravitate towards low carbohydrate diets, and not without good reason. Low carbohydrate diets (<50 g/day) are largely beneficial for people who have historically eaten the Standard American Diet. A low carbohydrate diet is a quick way to lose weight, a means by which to mitigate diabetes and sharpen insulin sensitivity, and a potent appetite suppressant in the short term.1 Low carbohydrate diets can also be therapeutic for cancer, migraines, and chronic infections or psychological disorders.

On the other hand, low carbohydrate diets can act as significant metabolic stressors, in particular, often causing negative effects on women’s hormonal health. The more restriction a woman undertakes-restriction of calories, restriction of energy, or restriction of macronutrients, for example-the more her body responds by shutting down hormonal activity. This is even more potently the case for women who are athletic and/or normal weight.

The hormonal shut-down that sometimes accompanies low carbohydrate diets does not of course apply to every woman. Many women, especially overweight women, undertake low-carbohydrate diets and experience great energy, life, and liberation from symptoms of their previous lifestyles. But women who experience infertility, hypothyroid symptoms, irregular or absent menstrual cycles, sleep and or mood and mental health related issues may find significant relief from adding carbohydrates (>100g/day) back into their diets.

There are two primary mechanisms by which carbohydrates promote female hormonal fitness.

Thyroid health

Hypothyroidism affects nearly 10 percent of American women. Ninety percent of this population has Hashiomoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune thyroid condition. The remaining 10 percent suffer poor thyroid health via other mechanisms. One such mechanism is poor conversion of T4 (the inactive form of thyroid hormone) into T3, the active form. Outside of this population, there remains many more women who do not have clinically-low hypothyroidism, but who suffer low thyroid symptoms as an effect of poor T4 to T3 conversion.

This is in part because glucose is necessary for the conversion of T4 to T3. Many paleo dieters are aware that the liver is capable of producing its own glucose via gluconeogenesis. This process, however, can become taxed over time. Even the most efficient gluconeogenesis does not, in many women-especially women who are stressed, who practice caloric restriction, who fast, or who are recovering from poor nutrition, dieting, or disease-consistently produce enough glucose for optimal thyroid and hormonal function.

Regularly ingesting glucose assures that a woman’s liver does not have to work overtime. This helps the body function more efficiently and less stressfully in general, but it also specifically optimizes thyroid activity. Thyroid activity is crucial for reproductive function. Without thyroid hormone, the reproductive system does not have enough energy to produce hormones and to perform reproductive function. For this reason, hypothyroidism is strongly correlated with hormone disorders such as PCOS and hypothalamic amenorrhea. Moreover, hypothyroidism is implicated in mood disorders, skin conditions and in weight gain, among other things. Because of these multiple factors, many women, contrary to popular paleo belief, in fact lose weight once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.

One powerful and well-studied benefit of thyroid effects on reproductive health is the resumption of menstruation in women who have both low thyroid issues and polycystic ovaries. Clinical research studies have shown time and time again that if these women correct their thyroid function, either with T3 supplementation or with natural interventions such as a higher carbohydrate diet, their cysts diminish and they begin menstruating more regularly.

Glucose intake signals to the hypothalamus a “fed” state

From a low-carbohydrate diet perspective, insulin is a metabolic demon that needs to be avoided at all costs. And in some ways, it should be. Chronically elevated insulin levels can lead to diabetes and other sorts of metabolic disturbances. But insulin spikes, the type of insulin action that occurs with regularly eaten meals that can contain a wide variety of macronutrient ratios on the other hand, are well-tolerated. They are so well-tolerated, in fact, that they play an important role in ensuring female reproductive function.

When insulin levels spike, leptin levels spike right alongside them. Leptin is a crucial hormone. It rises both with fat stores and with ingestion of carbohydrates. What this means is that its primary role is to signal to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain which controls activity of the adrenal and pituitary glands, that a woman has access to sufficient energy resources. Without leptin, a woman’s brain thinks she is starving. The first action the brain then takes is to shut down hormone production in the pituitary glands. With depressed hormone levels, ovulation and menstruation do not occur. Worse however, is the fact that without sufficient hormone production, even more problems can dogpile on top of infertility. These include acne, depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Different macronutrients have different effects on leptin spiking. Since leptin works in tandem with insulin, leptin levels do not rise in response to fat at all, and respond very little to fatty meals. Protein triggers leptin secretion, to an extent, but only carbohydrates have a significant leptin-elevating effect. Studies have shown on multiple occasions that a woman’s average leptin levels increase in parallel with the amount of carbohydrate she eats.2

Which carbohydrates to eat, and how

All whole carbohydrate foods-vegetables, fruits, white rice and starchy tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro and cassava-are free of the toxic effects of the Standard American Diet.

The amount of carbohydrate that is appropriate for each woman to eat is of course particular to her own life, history, and preference. Women recovering from high stress or from highly restricted diets may need significant carbohydrate intake in order to recuperate thyroid and hypothalamic function. Women who are overweight probably need less.

At minimum, however, 100 g/day is a good and safe starting point from which women can experiment.

All this being said, what is most important for health is nourishment and adherence to paleo, non-toxic foods, not given macronutrient ratios or orthodoxy. Carbohydrate restriction may be appropriate in some cases, but in many it is not, and in others still, carbohydrates are vital. In all cases, it is safe, important, and potentially life-saving to experiment with them. Nourishment is the name of the game. For some of us, carbohydrates may play an important role in being on the winning team.

Footnotes

1 I refer to you the work of Dr. Stephan Guyenet at wholehealthsource.blogspot.com for more information.

2 Without question the most important source of leptin in the blood is fat cells. Carbohydrates can help raise leptin levels, but they cannot make up for the metabolic damage of having too little body fat or ingesting too few calories."

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Saturday 27 April 2013

Guilt


I wonder if anyone else feels guilty when they get sick. The past year while I was struggling with being ill and not knowing why (at the worst if feels like I have full blown flu, at the best a lingering cold but without the sneezing). I kept thinking "what am I doing wrong" "should I be eating better, exercising more? Less?" I work as a yoga teacher and have always been active. I ate fresh and organic, I didn't drink or eat junk food, so I kept thinking why. It didn't help much that people loved saying "god you are always ill" when I was at my worst and couldn't hide it. NOTE - saying that to anyone struggling with their health is the least fucking useful thing EVER. They know they are ill, they hate being ill and you can guarantee its not through choice. They also may well have something serious going on that shock horror they haven't told you.

I have not told anyone other than my direct family and two friends that I am waiting for a diagnosis for an auto immune disease. I don't want to talk about it, especially until I know which one it is, until I have a label. Even then I will want a chance to start figuring it out first.

Then as well as the "you are always ill" brigade there are the "oh you probably need to do ....." Then tell you some amazing homeopathic thing or something fucking obvious that you did 3 years ago like giving up fizzy pop. The underlying message being "you could choose to not be ill" "I did this and never caught a cold again" this is more well intentioned than the previous. But again have you considered that they may have something serious that they haven't told you or don't want to tell you. In fact this brigade is one of the reasons I don't talk about being sick to people I know. It's not polite to tell someone to fuck off to their face. I had a dear friend who had cancer and was told to her face that it was probably her fault for having too acid a diet, that she needs to eat an alkaline diet. That that had read on facebook that so wine ate alkaline and cured their cancer, oh and also on facebook was a miracle fruit that was "guaranteed" to cure cancer but the corrupt drug companies didn't want us to know. Sure because they wouldn't just turn it into a really expensive pill and make billions. She fought as hard as she could and later died leaving a young family behind her. I guess that was her fault.

That I think is why I feel guilty at being sick, because people can't cope with the idea that sometimes shit just happens. That good people clean living folk get ill and it's nothing they have done to deserve it. It scares the shit out of them.

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Gluten free fair today

Wonder if I will find anything fab and fascinating! Yesterday was a fairly good day I not only practiced yoga but found energy for Kettlebells. I'm back at work in two weeks which I'm rather dreading. I had hoped to sort out my flagging energy levels far better by now. I guess I was rather optimistic thinking I could fix an auto-immune disease in a month! Hey nothing wrong with optimism though.

I don't feel as fab today but I suspect is due to a row with husband last night sparked by me thinking he was being too hard on the teen. I'm not sure stress is much help right now, however I'm not sure it's avoidable with an Aspergers teen and Aspergers husband.


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Thursday 25 April 2013

Yoga Simbha sequence

I had planned on practicing Primary today, but when I reached the mat I realised my elbows hurt too much for a whole load of jump backs. So instead I practiced Matthew Sweeneys Simbha sequence. I kept it quite gentle, there were a few positions I omitted, the deepest back bends, the lotus back bends I modified to lotus each side lean back chest open. I really like this sequence actually, especially the variation on the Surya Namaskar and the standing leg balance the transition from Utthita padhagustasana to Natajarasana is quite lovely.

I didn't hold for as long as Matthew probably intended and my whole practice took and hour and a quarter. At the moment though gentle practice that can be consistent is more important than killing myself one day and spending the rest of the week in bed exhausted.

Today's gluten free, paleo style lunch was a grilled chicken breast, quinoa, asparagus and carrot.

I am going to use my valkee light device. It may help to make me feel a lot brighter as I am not getting much daylight. Of course if it turns out I have Lupus or mixed connective wotist with Lupus symptoms then the light could trigger an bout of feeling awful. It is I guess an experiment of sorts.


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Better today, yoga time!

I'm feeling much better today. The past few days I went back to gluten free Paleo style eating which seems to help. I still don't feel like an energiser bunny but will be able to get on the mat and shake my yoga tail. I have learned my lesson, no sugar binges! I realise that with whichever connective tissue thing I have it won't cure it, but it will I hope make day to day life liveable.

Right Primary Series Ashtanga time (or at least as far as I can get through lol)

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Just about made it through the day

Well today I managed the grand success of taking the kids to and from school, a few loads of washing and cooking dinner. The rest of the day was spent in a collapsed heap reading a book on Paleo. I think it is partly my fault, I had a massive chocolate binge on Monday and now I feel like utter shite. I feel the two are connected. That is annoying as I like chocolate. But I like yoga and having enough energy to get through a day more!

I have an appointment to see the rheumatologist on the 13 th of may to try to figure out what the hell is going on, the gp was quite funny when he made the referral he said "remember of the people who have this test come back positive 5% are perfectly healthy" ok that's reassuring so 95% aren't? And if I was perfectly healthy by would I feel ill which is why I came to you in the first place and you ran blood tests? Funny man


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Friday 19 April 2013

Knackered


Bed...sleep...zzzzzzzzz

Stupid husband falling into doors late at night then snoring loudly

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Thursday 18 April 2013

Yoga, yoga, yoga

The past two days have been great, which bizarrely makes me nervous in case I'm having a couple of good days before I feel ill again. I am however hoping that the dietry changes are making a real difference.

I realised about a week ago that I had not actually been gluten free, that I had still been having small amounts in herbal tea (four or five of the yogi teas have gluten).

Anyway I'm not going to knock it, yesterday I did an hours power yoga practice (with power yoga on demand) and today Primary series. The weird thing is I feel stronger and more flexible. It's hard to explain, I've always exercised as it made me feel better afterwards, but during I would feel like I was swimming in mud some days. My body felt so heavy, but it was always that way so I just thought that was the way it was. Today and yesterday I felt light, when my arm was over my head in uttitha parsvokonasana it was as it was weightless. In Baddha Konasana both knees came down to the ground with no effort, I have never I think gotten my knees to the ground without an assist.

It's as if I am able to engage all my muscle fibres and all my nerve endings.

Dear imaginary friends, keep your fingers crossed this is an improvement and not just a couple of good days followed by a crash.


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Monday 15 April 2013

Goddmitt

My elbow joints really, really hurt. There was me hoping to do some Primary Series tomorrow


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Food stuff

So far I have only been eating natural foods since I gave up gluten, meat, veg, naturally gluten free grains, cheese, eggs, fruit. I guess I kinda went sugar free too then really. But my mum brought me round some Mrs Crimbles bake we'll slices and well it would have seemed rude to say no. They are actually rather nice, I may well have to buy a box or two. Although I am generally trying to avoid sugar as that can increase inflammation along with spuds, tomatoes and mushrooms? No idea why but anything that might help I'm a trying.


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Bit Ropey

Woke up feeling a bit ropey to be honest, but managed to usher all three kids out the house with everything they need none the less. The boy starts a new school today (he had to leave the last one due to bullying) so fingers crossed that goes well, the teen has his music GCSE performance, lets just say that going by how much he has practiced I am not hopeful! The girl is just thrilled to be back at school. I limped through about 40 mins of yoga after they left, but HOLY SHIT my elbows are killing me today. Thankfully I'm not teaching today. In fact I have quite a quiet few weeks. A lot of my Pilates and yoga students are farmers or part of the industry so they are lambing and calving. Yup I am a yoga teacher with possible Rheumatoid Arthritis, that's a joy isn't it!

I'm hoping to keep enough energy after sorting the tip the kids left the house in to walk to collect the younger two from school. It's not far, only about 15 mins but some days that seem like miles away. It is so sunny though it would seem a shame to miss what might be our one day of daylight. Then I will probably have just about enough energy left to feed them before crawling into bed...rock n roll like! It would help a great deal if the teen contributed to, well anything but his idea of helping is doing fuck all then asking for food to eat whilst on the x box. Such a help ;-)

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Sunday 14 April 2013

To read or not to read

Having gone back to blogging as an outlet through this I find myself plodding through Ashtanga blogs once again. Years ago I had an Ashtanga blog, I love yoga, I still do. Up until about a year ago I was rocking some pretty fun arm balances. At the moment though all exercise is a creaky, groany thing. Which is ok. It's not the end of the world. BUT I have to face the fact I may never "progress" in asana again. This looks very much like an auto-immune disease in which case my yoga would become about staying mobile and healthy and progress would no longer be measured in lifts and jump backs but in good days vs bad. Is reading the Ashtanga blogs a form of re-immersing myself in a community in which I have met some amazing people? Or is it a way of torturing myself?


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Another side effect of going gluten free

I have stopped being hungry, not all together in a weird starve myself way. But I no longer feel the need for anything in between meals. Just before a meal I am pleasantly hungry, but if you told me I had to wait an hour or so I wouldn't chew your arm off. Towards the end of a meal I feel pleasantly full without clearing a plate. Interesting really.


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Achy day


It's been about three weeks since I had a flu type episode, I have to admit I'm quite nervous that I'm going to somehow trigger one. I have no idea what actually is going on, therefore no idea what triggers it, if anything. I'm keeping a journal of what I'm eating, doing etc in case anything significant stands out as a trigger. But it could be food, oversleeping, under sleeping, overdoing it anything! Anyway yesterday I woke up feeling relatively human so offered to take my mums dog for a walk (a large enthusiastic German Shepard) I took her and my my two younger kids on a woodland walk which is one of my favourites. I am very blessed to have stunning countryside on my doorstep. My motto right now is carpe diem. Should I feel human I damn we'll get out there and do something. It's only a two and a half mile walk slightly hilly walk but gosh do I feel achy and tired today. My hips and knees feel quite sore. I don't feel fluey just tired so to ease the aches I did a short yoga practice, Matthew Sweenys abridged moon sequence, which helped my back but not really the joints. It does seem like the most likely diagnosis is going to be Rheumatoid Arthritis, which would suck.

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First two weeks gluten free


Here is the weird thing after going gluten free

Within 4 days :-
6 pounds lost, it was clearly all water as my hands, ankles, feet and abdomen changed shape. By the end of the 4 days my rings all needed re-sized and my feet had gone down by half a size. By the way I'm not over weight I'm an English size 10 and was unaware that I had been gathering this extra water.

The sock trenches that had been left in my ankles every evening due no doubt to the edema were gone. They were trenches as well!

Within a week:-
The blepharitis I had been diagnosed with a few years ago, which was not serious but was irritating was gone (sore red itchy eyes)

Within two weeks:-
My poop had changed colour (TMI I know) but I hadn't even noticed that for the past however long it been yellow. Now it is a more regular shade.



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Going gluten free

After having the result and realising that I would be waiting a while for an appointment I decided to do everything I could to help my own body. I began by reading a number of books on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and other connective tissue diseases. Then I took the advice that appeared in all of them but was not contradicted by one disease. For example one book claims high doses of vitamin C help RA another claims it can trigger Lupus. As I have yet to receive a diagnosis I have to be cautious. One piece of advice that appeared over and over was quit gluten, so I have. In fact I have gone to the hygiene levels a celiac would (I believe if you want to give something a shot give it 100%)


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Saturday 13 April 2013

What the f**k is wrong with me

I have been feeling like crap on off for ages now. It comes out of the blue, this awful feels like flu but without the sneezing and coughing thing. Completely knocks the stuffing out of me for up to weeks at a time. I finally went to the doctors and explained what had been happening for the past year, maybe longer. I'm not sure I can remember feeling energetic in a long time, but that may be perception. He glazed over and I could tell he wanted to pass it off as hormones, being a parent yada yada. Anyway he took some blood tests and one came back high the Rheumatoid factor which indicates some kind of connective tissue disease. Oh joy!

I need to see a specialist to figure out exactly what is going on. In the meantime I'm going to do everything I can to give my body the correct environment it needs to heal.


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