Rooted in Health : BLOG

When we started trying for a baby five years ago, was so excited.  I knew that it likely wouldn’t happen on the first try (and deep down I knew that it wouldn’t happen easily at all) so the first few months were a bummer but I picked myself up and carried on.

By the time six months and a year rolled around, the day that I got my period was horrible. It felt like I was losing a child every
month. I was angry and sad.  I was jealous of every woman who was pregnant (and it seemed like everywhere I went I saw a
pregnant women!).  I had to feel the anger, but get out of it quickly so that we could try again that month.  It was a tricky balance between trying to stay positive, and not getting my hopes up too high in case of disappointment.

I remember the last two weeks of my cycle being torment.  I would analyse every single body sign or symptom.  It is pms or is it
pregnancy?  Again, trying to stay positive, but knowing inside that this wasn’t the month.

As I watch my current patients going through it and remember my own experience I can’t help but wonder if I’m up for that again.  As I write this my body slumps, my eyes well up and I feel exhausted.  It was like I was trying to live in this place of non-feeling.  Don’t be too sad, don’t be too excited – just don’t feel and maybe I’ll be alright.  It’s not living.  It’s existing.

How will I manage this time?  At least this time I will have Patrick to look at.  He can remind me that my life is full of joy every day.  The size of my family does not determine my level of happiness or fulfillment. I will have to remember to come back and read this if things don’t go as planned.

Kerri

Many people eat emotionally at night.  After supper, when things quiet down, work and other distractions are done for the day, we’re left to be with ourselves.  That is something that most people with weight issues avoid.  To feel feelings of anxiety, loneliness, self-pity, anger and overwhelm is just not on the list of fun-ways-to-spend-the-evening.
This is why night time snacking is one of the most challenging times.  If you pause and ask yourself “am I hungry”?  Most often the answer will be no.

But then what?  You know that you’re not hungry but you also know that you’re not comfortable.  What you want to do is change your state physically and emotionally.

You can distract yourself.  Call a friend, go for a walk, do a puzzle, go to bed…the list is endless.  While effective in the short-term (taking yourself away from eating), it doesn’t get to the root of the problem.

All humans feel lonely, anxious, angry, and sad.  What if you could learn how to ‘be’ lonely, anxious, angry, and sad without feeling like you’ll lose yourself in the feeling?

This is where mindfulness comes in.  Being conscious. Feeling your feelings – good and uncomfortable –knowing that while they won’t always feel good, they will pass.

This I can guarantee.  A feeling felt will pass.  A feeling suppressed will last.  You won’t stay in any feeling forever. Humans get bored and move on.  We won’t feel happy all the time either.  Even that gets old.

Check out Jon Kabat-Zinn.  His Mindfulness for Beginners is a great place to start.

Kerri

This is the most filling and delicious granola.  You can modify it to meet your tastes.  A must try!

Preheat the oven to 325®

In a large bowl, combine the following:

• 6 cups rolled oats
• 2 cup almonds (chopped if you’re up for it!)
• 1 cup walnuts (chopped are easy to buy)
• 2 cups sunflower/pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup ground flax
• ½ cup oat or rice bran
• 1 cup sunflower/canola oil
• 1 ½ Tbsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Optional (but recommended): ¼ cup maple syrup

Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet or baking pan.

Bake about 20 minutes, stirring granola occasionally, until evenly toasted.

Let cool and then toss in large bowl with:

• 2 cups dried fruit mixture (raisins, dates, cranberries, apricots, currents, etc.)

Store in airtight container.

Makes 12 cups.

Serving size is ½ – ¾ cup.

This was a surprise ‘obstacle’ for me.  We spent two years trying last time.  It was gruelling and it sucked.  But I learned a lot through the process.  That learning has brought a lot to my practice.  My infertility patients know that I can relate to much of what they are going through.  I’m part of the club so they trust me.

What if I don’t have any trouble getting pregnant next time?  You’re thinking “Kerri, are you serious?  You’re now worrying about NOT having trouble getting pregnant?”  Yes, I am serious.  Will I get kicked out of the club? I already have some friends that are having trouble getting pregnant don’t even want to hear about us ‘talking’ about trying again. They feel like they are being lapped.  So already I’m losing some of my sounding boards and I haven’t even pulled the goalie yet!

What about my patients?  How will they react if they’ve been seeing me trying to get pregnant and I beat them to it?  Will that part of my practice disappear?  I love working with couples trying for babies.  There is so much joy and learning and satisfaction in that for me.

The infertility subculture is a bit like the fat subculture.  You’re in the club if you can commiserate about the struggle. But if you succeed in losing weight (or getting pregnant) then you’re ‘one of them’ and not liked anymore.

I am a people pleaser.  I have been my whole life.  It’s only in the last few years that I’ve started realizing how much my people pleasing interferes with my life.  Clearly this is one of those times.  Part of my fear of pulling the goalie is that I won’t fit in anymore.  Sad, I know, but true nonetheless.

It’s not a fear that I can know consciously and then still let it get in my way.  I have to just notice when it pops up and carry on striving for my dreams.  I know that my practice will fill up with the right people at the right time. I know that my friends will come and go and that relationships will evolve as they need to be.

Kerri

Here is a study that suggests that by practicing yoga during the two weeks leading up to menses that cramps can be reduced.

Om

Cobra, Cat and Fish Yoga Poses for Dysmennorrhea

Ninety-two young women (aged 18-22 years) with primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to a yoga or control group. The yoga group was asked to practice Cobra, Cat and Fish poses during the Luteal phase of their cycles.  No intervention was practiced during the first menstrual cycle. The yoga group practiced yoga for the next two cycles and the control group did not receive any intervention. The Visual Analog Scale for pain was used to access intensity and duration of pain. In the yoga group,  there was a significant difference in pain intensity and duration post-intervention compared to pre-intervention and to the control group.

J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2011 Aug;24(4):192-6. Epub 2011 Apr 21.

Effect of three yoga poses (cobra, cat and fish poses) in women with primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized clinical trial.

People with excess weight don’t overeat because of being too hungry.  The issue is that we eat when we’re not hungry.  We believe that food will make us feel better. At the very least, food will make us feel different.  When this pattern has been followed long enough, the feelings of hunger get confusing.

Do you know what it feels like to be hungry?

If your answer is no, then I challenge you to learn.  For three consecutive days, only eat when you’re hungry.  That may mean that you don’t eat at regular meal times.  You may be surprised to see how long it takes for your body to give your hunger pangs.  Don’t worry, they will come.  The second day they will be really clear. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.

Hunger cues range on the scale from 1-10. One is not hungry at all.  Ten is ravenous and not comfortable.  In fact, it can feel like you’re going mad.  Ideally, you will eat when you hit a six.

Keep a chart/log of when you eat for a month.  Write what time it was, where you were on the hunger scale, where you were, what you were feeling, and what you ate.  Don’t try to change anything, just keep track.  This is not to judge and shame yourself; this is to bring light to your patterns.

So often we are trying to change things before we know what the patterns are.  Once you see the patterns, you’ll know where you’ll need to intervene. Gently giving yourself what you really need.

The only problem that food corrects, is hunger.

Kerri

This breakfast was inspired by a Tim Horton’s cookie.

I’ve been wanting warm breakfasts since the temperature dropped.  Toast can only happen so many times per week.  Sausages are delicious but cannot be routine.  So here is my new favorite to replace my beloved Granola (I will post that recipe next week).

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups milk

1/2 cup each: unsweetened shredded coconut, raisins, chopped almonds and oat bran/rice bran

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

pinch of salt

Pre-heat the oven to 400.  Grease a baking dish (9X9) with olive oil or canola oil

Mix all of the ingredients into a bowl.  Pour into the baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Delicious!

It’s easy to forget that fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are often dropped into the same category as ADHD.  What I mean by that is that some doctors and even more lay persons don’t believe in them.

This is where the medical world meets the moral world.  Sadly, when it comes to conditions that cannot be diagnosed through a blood test or an imaging study, then for some people it’s not real.  It’s where we get into the idea that it’s all in your head.

I’ve posted before about how mental health is not all in your head.  They are real medical conditions that require real interventions.  The same is true for FM and CFS.

It gets sticky because of the type of patient it tends to affect most.  Women are more affected by these conditions than men.  That instantly puts it on the softer side of a diagnosis.  Maybe they are just too sensitive and need to suck it up.  It also affects women who tend to be more sensitive to begin with.  Let me be clear – I DO NOT see this as a liability as a person.  It does seem to pre-dispose these people to illness though.  Let me explain my version of why.

Sensitive people are those that are VERY aware of the feelings and needs of others.  They are also more gravely affected by criticism.  Everything is personal to them.  They live to please.  Discord of any kind is intolerable to them.  These are the most nurturing people you will ever meet.

The issues begin when their nervous systems just can’t do it anymore.  It is exhausting being that aware all the time.  Imagine living in an arcade – way too much stimulation.  Just like anything else, a break is required every now and then.  People who learn how to disengage can often continue to be sensitive people because their nervous systems get some down time.  Those who don’t learn strategies to disengage, well they are the ones who get sick.

Sick shows up for these people in a variety of ways.  Some end up so tired of caring that they end up being some of the most angry people you will meet.  Don’t be fooled – they still only want love and appreciation.  It’s just that they cannot take it anymore.  Sometimes they turn to addictions – drugs, sex, alcohol, food, gambling – anything to pull them out of the agony for a little while.

For others sick shows up as the inability to get out of bed.  CFS is that deep exhaustion when the thought of taking off the covers is too much.  With FM the body puts these people in so much pain that they have to stop.  Unfortunately, while their bodies take a break by not moving, their minds are still going full tilt. And now, they are embarrassed and confused.  Why can’t I get myself going?  They are so used to taking on the world, and now they can’t.

This is the vicious cycle of these conditions.  Depression and anxiety also get into this. They feel terrible but can’t name why.  It’s real physical pain and it’s compounded by feelings of guilt and worthlessness.  Add to it a bunch of doctors and society that don’t recognize the pain and it’s tragic.

Stressful situations and events make these conditions worse.  stress makes any condition worse but these people are even more so affected.  Their nervous systems are exhausted.  So that fun  night out of dinner and a show can take them a week to recover from.  You might think, ‘well, just sleep more then’.  Most of these patients would kill to sleep.  Insomnia is a key feature of many of the ‘mental health’ disorders.  If they could sleep, they would get the deep recovery that can only come from sleep.

If you are someone experiencing CFS or MF, don’t despair.  With the right support through counselling, nutrition, supplements, and medication, you can get well.  I’ve helped many people over the years.  It’s such a gift to see them get their lives back.

If you are someone who knows someone with one of these conditions, I urge you to look into it more.  These are medical conditions like any other.  These people need your support not your judgements.

Kerri

The impact that caffeine has on fertility increases into your thirties.  It decreases fertility and increases miscarriages.  The risk of infertility is 55% higher in women who drink just one cup of coffee per day.  100% higher for women drinking 1.5 – 3 cups of coffee per day, and 176% higher in women who drink more than three cups of coffee per day.

(Dulgosz L, Brachs M B 1992 Coffee reduces fertility.  Epidemiologic Reviews 14:83)

So coffee is out.  Tea is still in though. One thing at a time.  I only gave up coffee the two weeks before Christmas.  I do drink about  or 5 black teas each day though.  Better than coffee, not better than no caffeine.

I will gradually switch back to red roobios tea as it is naturally decaffeinated and I quite enjoy it.  At this point in time, I cannot say that I will end up entirely caffeine free.  I can imagine getting down to 1 or 2 cups of tea per day though.  This may just be another one of my ‘can’t-entirely-exclude-it-or-I-will-need-to-have-it’ things though.  What can I say, I like to be bad.  I spend my days worrying about what everyone else thinks of me and what I can do to be liked and loved.  I rebel by abusing my body with bad things.  Twisted.

Kerri