This severe form of mental health problem is suffered by one in a hundred people. There are many causes, the majority of which can be alleviated by nutrition. It is strongly advised that you see a nutrition consultant who can run tests to determine whether biochemical imbalances may underlie this condition. Nutrients that can help include folic acid, essential fatty acids and megadoses of niacin. These do not help all sufferers, and can make certain types worse – hence the need for testing. Often there is an underlying glucose imbalance and allergies.
Diet advice
Cut out or at least avoid sugar and refined foods. Cut down on stimulants -tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, cigarettes and alcohol. Experiment for two weeks without wheat or dairy products.
Supplements
• Multivitamin
• 2 × Vitamin C 1,000mg
• Multimineral with zinc, magnesium, manganese and chromium
• Extra folic acid, niacin or essential fatty acids are best tried only under supervision
What it does: Antioxidant properties help to protect against free radicals and carcinogens, reduces inflammation, stimulates immune system to fight infections, promotes a healthy heart, required for male reproductive system, needed for metabolism.
Deficiency Signs: Family history of cancer, signs of premature ageing, cataracts, high blood pressure, frequent infections.
Best food sources: Tuna, oysters, molasses, mushrooms, herrings, cottage cheese, cabbage, beef liver, courgettes, cod, chicken.
Optimum daily amount: 100mcg a day (50mcg from a good diet; 50mcg from a supplement).
Shingles is an unpleasant illness (characterised by tingling or pain followed by small blisters on the body or face) is caused by the chickenpox virus varicella-zoster, itself a variant of the herpes virus. It usually affects older people; in young adults it may mean a weakened immune system.
Supplements
To treat shingles, supplement 3g of the amino acid lysine away from food and 3g of vitamin C; also take two 2,500mcg vitamin A (retinol) supplements two times a day.
This is slightly higher than what’s recommended in pregnancy so, if there’s any chance of your being or getting pregnant, do this for one month only. While you have the infection, it’s a good idea to limit foods rich in arginine, the amino acid that feeds the virus. These include beans, lentils, nuts and chocolate.
An inflammation of the sinus and nasal passages, sinusitis often leads to sinus infections. Contributory factors are nasal irritants such as exhaust fumes, cigarettes, smoky places, dust and pollen; allergies, often to dairy products and wheat, which are mucus-forming; plus a weakened immune system. Too much alcohol, fried food or stress, or lack of sleep and overeating all weaken the immune system. Vitamins A, C and zinc, among other nutrients, help boost immunity. Essential fats are also needed to control inflammation.
Diet advice
Eat lightly, but do eat – lots of essential foods such as the best organic fruit and vegetables (baby vegetables, just sprouted), plus seeds. You do need protein (from quinoa, seeds, nuts, fish, tofu, quorn and so on) but avoid mucus-forming foods such as milk, eggs and meat.
Also inhale tea tree oil or olbas oil, in the bath or by holding it under your nose (be careful not to irritate the skin too much), to stop your nasal passages from blocking. Tiger balm is good on the chest. Drink homemade ginger and cinnamon tea (five slices of fresh ginger root and one stick of cinnamon in a thermos with 1/2 pint of boiling water) or cat’s claw tea to boost the immune system.
Supplements
• 2 x Multivitamin and multimineral
• 2 x Antioxidant complex
• 2 × Vitamin C 1,000mg (3g every four hours only when infected)
• 2 × Vitamin A 7,400iu (2,270mcg) when infected, or a glass of carrot juice
• 2 × Zinc 15mg
* Echinacea 15 drops in water three times a day
For some sufferers the major problem of insomnia is waking up in the middle of the night; for others it is not getting to sleep in the first place. Both can be the effect on the nervous system of poor nutrition or too much stress and anxiety. Calcium and magnesium have a tranquillising effect, as does vitamin B6. Tryptophan, a constituent of protein, has the strongest tranquillising effect and, if taken in doses of 1,000–3,000mg, it is highly effective for insomnia. It takes about an hour to work and remains effective for up to four hours. While tryptophan is non-addictive and has no known side effects, its regular use in not recommended – it is better to adjust your lifestyle so that no tranquillising agents are needed.
Diet advice
Follow a diet avoiding all stimulants. Do not eat sugar or drink tea or coffee in the evening. Also, do not eat late. Eat seeds, nuts, root and green leafy vegetables, which are high in calcium and magnesium.
Supplements
• 2 x Multivitamin and multimineral
• Vitamin B6 100mg with zinc l0mg
• Calcium 600mg and magnesium 400mg
• Vitamin C 1,000mg
• 2 × 5-HTP 100mg (only if absolutely necessary)
Cigarettes are carefully and insidiously designed to be addictive. Nicotine is just one of the chemical in cigarettes which act as powerful stimulants that mess up your blood sugar balance. Each time your blood sugar levels fall, you get a craving.
But help is at hand.
Diet advice
One of the most effective nutrients at helping to stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings is the mineral chromium, so supplementing 200mcg chromium each day helps. Vitamin C helps protect you from the cancer-causing toxins in cigarettes: supplementing just 2g of vitamin C a day cuts your risk of cancer by a third if you smoke, and helps detoxify your body while you quit.
While you are quitting, and for one month afterwards, supplementing 50mg of niacin (vitamin B3) a day also helps reduce cravings. Niacin dilates blood vessels and helps get toxins out of cells. (As a consequence, you may harmlessly blush up to 30 minutes after taking it).
Sore throats can be a sign of streptococcal infection or allergy, both of which weaken your immune power. Antibiotics don’t work well for sore throats, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. Over 700 patients with sore throats were given either antibiotics for seven days, or after three days if symptoms persisted, or nothing. Regardless of the group they were in, there was no difference in the number of people feeling better after three days or the overall length of illness.
Due to the overuse of antibiotics there are now antibiotic-resistant strains of streptococci bacteria.
Supplements
A better strategy is to boost your immune system by supplementing cat’s claw and echinacea. In addition, take 1 to 3g of vitamin C a day (the higher amount may make your bowels loose, so adjust as necessary). Zinc lozenges also help, while ginger tea can soothe the throat, as well as being anti-inflammatory.
There is plenty you can do nutritionally to prevent stomach ulcers, rather than simply relieving the symptoms. First get your doctor to check you for the bacterium Helicobacter Pylori, which is the cause of many ulcers.
If this is ruled out, think about what you’re eating. It’s largely a myth that stomach ulcers are caused by too much acid, because the body is well designed to protect itself from its own digestive juices.
The problem arises from eating and drinking foods that irritate the digestive tract, a condition that is then aggravated by stomach acid.
Diet advice
So start by cutting back on likely irritants (alcohol, coffee, spicy foods or wheat). Reduce the amount of protein-rich foods (such as meat and cheese) you eat, as these are acidic.
Supplements
Vitamin A and glutamine are important for healing ulcers and omega-3-rich fish oils help reduce any inflammation. Chewing deglycyrrhirised liquorice tablets 20 minutes before a meal can also help to soothe ulcers.
Stretch marks often appear during the pregnancy. A stretch mark is a tear in the collagen fibre of your skin, so while these nutrients can’t necessary repair it, they can help increase skin elasticity and tone, and prevent any further stretch marks developing.
Supplements
Up your intake of vitamins A (to a maximum of 3,000mcg when pregnant), C, E and the mineral zinc, which are all key for skin health.
For already existing stretch marks, applying vitamin E oil directly to your stomach and areas where any stretch marks appeared, will also help to condition our skin and reduce the appearance of existing marks. Just prick a vitamin E supplement capsule with a pin, and rub the contents directly into the skin. Alternatively, use a strong vitamin E cream.
Also, make sure you have a good intake of essential fats, preferably by eating a tablespoon of ground seeds every day and supplementing 1,000mg of omega-3 fish oil containing EPA and DHA (essential in pregnancy for maximising brain development in the growing foetus).
Cutting out sugar is important, as it plays havoc with your blood sugar and can lead to degenerative diseases such as Type II diabetes.
Begin by cutting sugar out completely, and start substituting fresh fruit as sweetener for other foods, such as your breakfast cereal, and as snack (best with a small handful of nuts). In due course you will find yourself losing your sweet tooth. One day you’ll discover that you simply don’t need any sweetness beyond the natural flavour of fruit, wholegrains and the like.
To help the process along, it is a good idea gradually dilute fruit juice and go easy on the dried fruit. If you absolutely have to sweeten something, I’d use fructose, as this is a natural fruit sugar that does not have a disturbing effect on your blood sugar. You can buy this in any healthfood store. In time, you’ll be astonished at your former need for supersweetened food, and you’ll have the energy and sense of wellbeing that balanced blood sugar gives.
