Fibromyalgia Support for Surrey and Sussex

Our Ted knows what's good for him
He eats one every day
They give him all the things he needs
To keep the doc at bay

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression : According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS : Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure : This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power : 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation : High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers : One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn : Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness : Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites : Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves : Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers : The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal = Affective Disorder (SAD) : Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress : Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance, helps with muscle cramps, When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes : According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

I have recently come across some interesting information about vitamin D. It is from various sources so I have put the references at the bottom of this item. The first thing I saw was a headline in huge letters that said: ‘SURPRISE PAINKILLER! This was in the Nature’s Best leaflet (they supply vitamins and minerals). It said that the aches and pains that are sometimes blamed on fibromyalgia or stress could be as a result of vitamin D deficiency.

Then I discovered that Dr Michael Holick MD, PhD, who is the Director of the vitamin D research lab at Boston University, has written a book on the subject. He too states that lack of vitamin D can cause far more problems than those of aches and pains, and that deficiency may be misdiagnosed as CFS or FMS. He also says that there is increasing evidence to show that vitamin D has a role in the prevention of some cancers, type 1 diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Since the main source of the vitamin is sunlight, there is an increased lack of vitamin D absorption when people spend too much time indoors or slather themselves in sun block. All that is needed is 5 to 10 minutes of sun exposure to the face, arms and legs, three times a week. They use the sun cream so that the skin doesn’t get burnt.

A further article that I found on the website below takes the subject further: It recommends not to shower for 30 to 60 minutes after sun exposure to give time for the body to absorbs the vitamin D producing oils. The chlorine in swimming pools can remove these oils too. The incidences of skin cancer most frequently occur in those who sunbathe infrequently and intensely and get sunburnt rather than tanned.

I was surprised to see that lack of vitamin D may be indicated in Sjogren’s Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis, Crohn’s disease, again CFS and FMS, peripheral neuropathy, infertility and breast and prostate cancer, suppressed immune system. The same article states that low fat dieting can cause low vitamin D content because the vitamin is found in fat and dairy produce.

It seems that Vitamin D is a more effective anti oxidant than vitamin E, it helps to regulate the immune system and can be helpful to those who suffer each winter from SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder). It can give increased energy, help you lose weight and put an end to sugar cravings. (Wow!).

Vitamin D aids the absorption of magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. It can be found in cod liver oil, salmon, herring, butter, eggs, shellfish, fortified breakfast cereals, kippers, tripe, organ meats, lard and the skin and fat from certain land animals. If any of these don’t appeal (and most don’t for me!), then take supplements preferably with magnesium and calcium, or else – get out there in your bikinis and bathers girls and boys!

And here is the disclaimer - at FMS for Surrey and Sussex we are not advising you to do or take anything, we are simply passing on information that we come across that may or may not be useful.

References:

The UV Advantage Dr. Michael Holick co-authored with Mark Jenkins. Published by Simon & Shuster

If your body could tell you what it wants, here's what it would say: "I want magnesium." And how does your body love magnesium? Let me count the ways.

WAY NUMBER ONE: MAGNESIUM MAKES YOUR BRAIN WORK BETTER

A recent laboratory study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reveals that an adequate amount of magnesium is necessary to maintain the "plasticity" of synapses - the connectors that move information from neuron to neuron in the brain. In this case, plasticity refers to the ability to change. When synapses are flexible to change, learning and memory are enhanced.

The study hasn't been published yet, so details about the exact methodology will have to wait. But according to a report released by the MIT News Office, the researchers believe their results confirm that cognitive function is stunted when magnesium is deficient, but clearly improved when magnesium intake is abundant.

Other conditions that have been associated with a magnesium deficiency include depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder.

WAY NUMBER TWO: MAGNESIUM GIVES YOU ENERGY

Researchers with the USDA Agricultural Research Service recruited 10 postmenopausal women to participate in a three-phase diet and exercise study. During phase one (35 days), the women followed a controlled diet that delivered an adequate amount of magnesium. (The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for women is 320 mg daily. For men; 420 mg daily.)

In the second phase (93 days), each subject consumed a diet that contained less than half the RDA for magnesium. In the final phase (49 days) the subjects returned to a diet with adequate magnesium. At the end of each phase, subjects took exercise tests, as well as physiological and biochemical tests.

Results showed that when magnesium intake was low, exercise increased heart rate and required more oxygen compared to exercising when magnesium intake was adequate. Also, when magnesium levels in muscles were low, more energy was required and subjects tired more easily compared to subjects with adequate magnesium levels.

WAY NUMBER THREE: MAGNESIUM STRENGTHENS YOUR BONES

Scientists have already shown that magnesium increases bone density in postmenopausal women, so researchers at Tel-Aviv University in Israel used an animal study to test magnesium as an osteoporosis preventive agent.

A group of female rats were divided into two groups to receive either a diet with adequate magnesium or a magnesium deficient diet. Over a one-year period, urine samples were collected every three months and a blood sample was taken from each rat at the end of the year. Bone samples from the thighs and vertebrae of each rat were also analyzed for bone density.

Results showed that bone density was significantly higher in the rats that received adequate magnesium in their diets. Microscopic examination of the bones revealed signs of osteoporosis in only the rats that received inadequate magnesium. Also, less force was required to break the bones of these rats compared to the bones of the rats that received proper amounts of magnesium.

Over the past week I just happened to come across the three studies mentioned above. But these are by no means the only ways that the body puts magnesium to good use.

Magnesium intake has been shown to help heart muscle cells relax, reduce blood pressure, and even lower homocysteine levels. No surprise then that magnesium deficiency has been linked to elevated heart disease risk. But about half of all Americans don't get an adequate intake of magnesium. And to complicate the situation, many factors contribute to magnesium depletion. High stress and menstruation can take their toll on magnesium levels, while a heavy intake of starches, alcohol, diuretics and some prescription drugs (such as antibiotics) can increase urinary excretion of magnesium.

Magnesium is naturally present in green leafy vegetables, avocados, nuts and seeds, and whole grains, but usually only in small amounts, so you'd need to eat a wide variety of these foods regularly to get all the magnesium you need.

In the e-Alert "Mind Over Matter" (5/27/05), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., offered these guidelines on magnesium supplementation: "I've always recommended 500 mg/day, since absorption of most forms isn't that great.

"My limit for oral magnesium is that which causes any loosening of the stools, and there's always a distinct dose that will do it. I'm careful to warn people not to go over that limit for the simple reason that food is moved through the GI tract too quickly with too much magnesium, and that cuts down on absorption of nutrients (both from foods and supplements). However, that amount is usually between 400 and 1500 mg/day.

"Now, bear in mind that that's ELEMENTAL magnesium. In a supplement, such as magnesium oxide, the tablet that is sold as a 400 mg tablet only has 241.3 mg of elemental magnesium. So, when you take a '400 mg' tablet, you aren't getting 400 mg of magnesium anyway. Plus, even the label says you can take 2 per day, or 800 mg."

Whatever way you choose to get it, you can be sure that your body will love a daily supply of magnesium.

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