Continuing the journey to a healthier version of me.

A lot of changes since the last time I posted in this blog. I've been through a pregnancy, and since then my daughter is past the 1-year-old mark. Yet a lot of health issues still remain, but I will focus on one thing that is my major project in the present: to lose weight. I have been generally feeling okay since giving birth late last year, but the hardest part to manage is my diet and exercise. Being a working parent doesn't make it any easier. But there shouldn't be any excuse in making efforts to be healthy, and live a healthy lifestyle. I've gained a whopping 30 kilos in the past 15 years. I was a tiny person coming out of high school, and I am a beached whale when I look at photos in the past days. I need to lose weight. It's not a matter of choice, it's a matter of life or death. A growing waistline is associated with increased risks of cardio-vascular disease and a host of other illnesses I'm not even going to begin researching and linking to right now. So here it is. Time for a change. Or changes as the case may be.

Herbal tonic

For two weeks now, I have been taking the herbal tonic concocted for me by my naturopath. She told me that the components in a tonic can be individualised according to a person's needs. Here I share the components in my tonic, and some information I found online about them:

1. Paeonia. The indication for peony is as a uterine relaxant, hence helping relieve pain and dysfunction associated with the menses. Other indications of note are nourishing the blood and relaxing general spasms in the body.

http://www.globalherbalsupplies.com/herb_information/paeonia.htm

http://www.nzwellness.com/herbs/peony.html

2. Chaste tree. Boosts progesterone. In this manner, it promotes regulation of the menstrual cycle.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/chaste-tree-herbal-remedies.htm

http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chaste_tree.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Endometriosis-and-Chaste-Tree-Berry&id=1991444

3. Schisandra. Liver tonic. Aids in battling stress and exhaustion.

http://www.smart-publications.com/liver_disorders/schisandra.php

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_245/ai_111496970/

4. False unicorn root. Ovarian tonic. Another herb that is used for treating dysmenorrhea.

http://www.purplesage.org.uk/profiles/falseunicornroot.htm

http://www.herbateka.org/herbs/unicorn.html

5. Ginger. Digestion and circulation. Also aids in normal blood clotting.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_n7_v58/ai_18453777/

http://www.womens-health-symmetry.com/ginger.html

6. Liquorice. Bowel health. I was also told it was meant to make the overall taste of the tonic tolerable for me. Also generally for asthma and auto-immune disorders. Most important of all, taking care of the bowel as for the increased meat intake I will be having, to prevent bowel cancer.

http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=454

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/03/29/liquorice-could-be-key-to-beating-bowel-cancer-115875-21238551/

Within a few days of drinking the tonic, I've been able to stop drinking coffee in the mornings altogether. I find more energy during the day. Also find myself feeling lighter during the day, and relaxed during the night. Right now I am on my third week on it, and I will meet with my naturopath again next month for possible revision to the quantities in the tonic. But I imagine that the components will remain pretty much the same.

A focus on some needed nutrients

I admit I struggle with my food intake. I acknowledge that I must be even MORE aware of what I eat, and be more especially aware if I am getting enough of the required nutrients that I need.

The main reasons I can think of that give me trouble about my diet are two-fold:

(1) Making plans and setting aside time. When I can, I make weekly plans for what to eat, and I know that when I do this it helps. But there would be weeks when I either forget to plan, or I put off doing so and run the risk of not having enough time to shop or cook. That spells certain disaster.

(2) Food I like, and don't like. I'm not an extremely picky eater, but there are some food I am not used to eating. And sometimes habits are just stubborn, and when it comes to food, there is a taste that needs to be acquired. Anyhow, this is an excuse I have in my head, for I know I can easily acquire a taste when I will to do so. After all, taste is all about brain signals!

So it is very usual that I won't get what I need from what I am actually eating. That's where taking supplements and incorporating superfoods into the diet come in. In our session, Dr S and I talked about how I should tackle the deficiencies that we know I have, and other ways to improve nutrition.

Iron

For instance, I know that I have chronic anaemia for as long as I can remember. In 2007, while confined in the hospital, it became worse as I was told I needed a blood transfusion before I can be discharged, just so that the charts would show the right amount of iron levels. I opposed this for a time as I didn't like the idea of another person's blood in my veins (There is a risk, and it would be my first time to have one), so I was given double my usual (325mg to 650mg) iron supplement dose for a few days. But I succumbed eventually and had the transfusion after a third resident showed me that my levels were dangerously low and they were all very concerned. Quite the drama, don't you think?

(1) Supplements. I take a 325mg tablet each day. I was told to take more before since I needed it badly. Now that I'm going to force myself to get iron from other sources this should be all right now. I hope to take a smaller dosed tablet later on. Iron overdose is associated with constipation in the short term, as well as some cancers and parkinson's in the long term. Don't want to overdoit now!

(2) Plant sources. So as I said, I usually take iron supplements, but I ought to eat more iron-rich food. Some vegetables rich in iron (like lentils, lima beans, broccoli, etc) are good. I can tolerate these food, but I can't consume a bucket of lentil soup for the life of me in one day. So there has to be other sources other than plants.

(3) Animal sources. It's good to know that our bodies are fast to absorb animal-derived iron, like from beef parts and animal liver. I don't consume enough of either. I like beef, but it takes a while to cook. For this reason, I usually order beef out when I'm in a restaurant or cafeteria, assuming that I am happy with how they prepare it. As for liver, I'm not really a fan. One dish I know I can tolerate chicken liver is when it is in chopseuy. I'd have to ask my mom to teach me a recipe of liver with onions in soy sauce that I remember being able to eat.

One reason why we, especially those who are anaemic, need to be more aware of iron-rich sources (food/supplements) is that the body absorbs only about 10% of the actual iron that we consume.

Vitamin C

Another thing I learned from being a long-time *taker* of iron supplements is you have to take it with Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in the uptake of iron.

Ms S advised me to check that the Vitamin C I am taking is Ascorbic acid or Sodium Ascorbate, and NOT Calcium ascorbate. The Calcium buffer in Calcium ascorbate makes it less acidic, as some dislike the "acidic" taste of the other forms of Vit C. But this doesn't help much, as the acidity IS necessary for the uptake of iron.

Good to know that I've been taking Ascorbic acid for the longest time.

Folate and Iodine

I've not taken a multivitamin for a long time, perhaps 5 years or more. But even then, I had not bothered to check how much of each mineral/nutrient was in the capsules or tablets, and how much of it I really needed. Ms S advised me to find a multivitamin that contains at least 400mcg of folate or folic acid, as well as some amount of Iodine.

The folate, I learned later, combats the risk of colon cancer. I found this to be an important concern on my end, as I'll be increasing beef in my diet as a source of iron. Other than this, folate will also help maintain/improve reproductive capacity. Very important indeed.

Iodine will take care of the thyroid function. In the early diagnosis of my condition, I had been told to keep an eye out for my thyroids, as one doctor actually thought I had a swelling at one point. Another doctor expressed concern that I might have a predisposition to goiter, as my grandmother has it.

Most of the iodine I know I am getting comes from fish and seafood. I love seafood, but I eat little of it aside from fish. The complication is that I am allergic to shellfish, shrimp and its derivatives. The intolerance is much less worse than when I was younger now, and I can take a small serving, which makes this less of a worry. But fish, I get a lot of, so that's good. And let's not forget the iodized salt! (Thanks Shelley!) If you gotta use salt, may as well be iodized.

I did my multivitamin hunt already, and found one. That's another post in itself. I'll continue in a future post about some superfoods and the herbal tonic she concocted for me.

A first session: an introduction

There is a lot for me to learn, and one thing I will never claim is to be an expert in anything about health. Homeopathy/naturopathy included. (I'll have to talk about the difference between the two in the future.) Most of the things I say here come from other places. In the next series of posts, I'll share some notes I've made from meeting with my naturopath, as well as some things I've picked up before and after.

My first appointment with Ms S (the naturopath) was like any GP appointment. Started out with a medical history, including those of what I know from my immediate family, and on to even my parents' siblings. Fortunately she has studied my records from since I arrived in Sydney, so she only need clarify some of these. She works closely with my surgeon from 2006, Dr J, so I'm happy that she knows what he knows.

A large part of the reason why I came to see her is described in a previous entry. Because of the recent symptoms I described to her, she became concerned that I might need another surgery by mid-year this year. We agreed to make a plan and time-frame on a course of action that will help alleviate the symptoms, and also slowly get me out of the pill regimen.

I'll cut up the things we talked about into a series of posts, and see how far it goes.

What led me to today.

Yesterday, I met with a naturopath for the first time. Why? Well let me take you through a little background-er.

Endometriosis, Surgery and Managing Pain

For a long time, I had been suffering from chronic pain, brought about by endometriosis. I've had, so far, 2 surgeries. The experiences I had in these two occasions are colourful stories in themselves, and I'll leave that for another day. Enough for now to say that they were very helpful to get rid of the nasty cells in my uterus and thus significantly improve my lifestyle.

Since my last surgery I had been taking the contraceptive pill. I've tried at least 3 brands: Microgynon, Yasmin and Norimin. Changing brands was necessary to find out the *right* combination of hormones that would give the most *bearable* side-effects.

Aside from this, lifestyle changes were in order. I enrolled in a gym-health group to motivate myself to be more active. I participated in walking and running marathons. I took up yoga and went to pilates class. I took the stairs every chance I got.

In terms of diet, it is a struggle to maintain a constant check on what I was eating, especially living alone. There was a challenge to acquire the needed food on a budget, as well as setting time aside to prepare the *right* food. The personal training in the gym helped a bit and provided general information about food that exists in the places I shop usually, and what these contain and what to watch out for.

Today, a pattern is emerging

At present, it is now 2 years after my most recent surgery. I am noticing that I am getting symptoms similar to before that 2nd surgery, which makes me concerned now that I am developing a 2-year pattern. You see, my 2nd surgery was also 2 years after my first one. I was told before that fibroids (uterine tumors) are bound to reoccur.

So I've set a time now to speak with my surgeon-gynecologist in late April. He told me last year to see him again if I either (1) experience similar symptoms as before, or (2) I plan to get pregnant. And well, both are possibly true.

I asked him about my options that would allow me to stop taking the pill to manage my pain. He had since prescribed me a strong painkiller. He told me I can stop the pill anytime and take the painkillers when I experience pain. I tried this for a time, but it was really hard. And I wasn't comfortable bombarding myself with this medicine. I smelled like it sometime, I didn't enjoy it at all. And I wasn't feeling good at all, in general.

A door opens to naturopathy

Fortunately for me, my surgeon has a team of people who study and practice care for women's health. He set up a clinic outside the public hospital (where I was treated) and I met some of them that time. He introduced me to their resident naturopath then.

I have heard about homeopathy before. One podcast I listen to faithfully from the journal Nature, featured a dispute going on in the UK about Diplomas in Homeopathy. Even back in the Philippines, every Filipino would likely have heard about home remedies, most of which are traditional, or emerged from faith and anecdotal evidences.

While I won't say that I am a supporter/believer (yet?) of alternative medicine, I do support the idea of supplementing medicine/healthcare with natural *methods*.

So I met with the naturopath yesterday, for the first time. I'll write next about what emerged from that meeting.