Plastic bags have become a subject of huge debate in 2008 but why is everyone so interested?

The reason why plastic bags are finally hitting the headlines is that they are bad not just for our health but for the environment. Around 13billion plastic bags are given free to UK shoppers every year and these bags can take between 400-1,000 years to break down, and like all forms of plastic they do not biodegrade. Instead they photodegrade, breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate soil, waterways and oceans, entering the food chain when ingested by animals.

 

Many plastic bags end up as waste on our beaches, streets and parks. When a plastic bag enters the ocean it becomes a harmful piece of litter. Many marine animals mistake plastic bags for food and swallow them, with painful and often fatal consequences. Nearly 90% of floating marine litter is plastic.

 

Fortunately, a number of shops are limiting the number of plastic bags they give out or making customers think twice by charging for them. And now with increased awareness we can all do our bit by refusing plastic bags in shops, and trying to recycle or reusing the ones we do have. You can also buy a woven cotton “eco-shopper” bag and keep it with you for when you need to go to the shops.

Q: Every few months I feel really low and exhausted for a few weeks. It eventually passes but I want to know what I can do to make it go away or prevent it happening again without resorting to antidepressants.

A:  There are a number of reasons why you may feel low periodically and this can include exhaustion – both physical and mental – lack of sunlight, nutritional deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances, hormone imbalances, an imbalance of bacteria in your bowel and lack of quality sleep. Depression is also a possibility so if none of the measures suggested below work I suggest you visit your doctor to discuss your condition.

 

To get to the bottom of this I suggest you start by evaluating your diet. Are you eating healthily? If you eat a lot of refined and processed food, chocolate, sweets and crisps this will make you feel low because it will make your blood sugar levels swing and you won’t have the nutrients you need to feel healthy and happy. If you drink alcohol I suggest you cut down immediately because alcohol is a well known depressant. It can also use up your B vitamins which are needed for good brain function. In addition to eating a healthy diet I suggest you take a good multivitamin mineral supplement, making sure it contains good levels of the B vitamins including folic acid.

 

It is also incredibly important that you make sure you cut down on saturated and transfats found in most animal products, which can trigger weight gain, poor concentration and fatigue and then increase your intake of foods rich in mood boosting omega 3 essential fats, such as oily fish, nuts and seeds. One component of omega 3, called DHA, is vital for helping to build neural pathways in your brain and for proper brain function so try to eat oily fish such as organic salmon two times a week and if you don’t eat fish use linseeds (flax).  For a while take a supplement of either fish oil or linseed oil at the same time as improving your intake from the diet.  (I use Omega 3 Plus in the clinic, which contains 500mg of DHA in two capsules as well as over 700mg of EPA – see the Resources Page.)

 

If you smoke, quit because smoking prevents healthy blood flow to your brain. A live, natural organic yogurt every day will help to prevent toxicity in your bowel and if you feel heavy and tired because of constipation be sure to eat enough wholegrains, fruit and vegetables to get things moving again. 

 

If the weather has an effect on you try not to stay indoors. Even if the sun isn’t out natural daylight is important for regulating your sleep patterns and for boosting your mood. You may also want to invest in a light box and have daily half hour sessions at home because the special light mimics the sun, encouraging feel good hormones.

 

And finally, aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. Research has shown that exercise is one of the best ways to beat depression and boost mood and wellbeing.  Studies have shown that St John’s Wort can be help for mild to moderate depression and so may be worth trying but this herb must not be taken if you are also taking antidepressants and you would need to check if you are taking other medication as there are a number of contraindications with St John’s Wort.  (see a good strength St John’s Wort on the Resources Page.)

Q: I’m planning to get pregnant in the next year and want to do all I can to boost my fertility. I’m a coffee lover and drink endless cups of coffee a day. I know that I need to cut down on the amount of coffee I drink but is it still okay to drink one or two cups?

A: Researchers have found that caffeine can have a negative affect on female fertility. Some studies have shown that women who drink coffee find it three times as difficult to conceive as those who don’t. Others found that more than 300 mg a day (2 to 3 cups) may be associated with miscarriage and increase the risk of stillbirth around 80%.  Even drinking as little as one cup of coffee a day can also decrease your fertility and halve your chances of conceiving according to another study. In another, drinking three cups of decaffeinated coffee per day was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage and additional research suggests that caffeine consumption compounded the negative affects of alcohol consumption on female fertility.  Men aren’t immune to the effects of caffeine on fertility either and studies indicate that problems with sperm health seem to increase the more cups of coffee men drink a day. This may be because caffeine has a diuretic effect (makes you want to go the toilet more) and this can deplete the body of vital fertility boosting nutrients such as zinc and calcium.

 

Caffeine is found in regular coffee, black tea, green tea, some soft drinks, chocolate and many over-the-counter drugs e.g. those for headaches. Tea contains tannin as well as caffeine and tannin limits the absorption of important minerals so if you drink tea with your meals you are preventing vital nutrients from being absorbed in your digestive tract. I would suggest that a couple avoids caffeine completely if they are struggling to get pregnant.

 

Caffeine is a stimulant and it is also quite addictive so if you start to cut back from four or five cups a day to one or even none you may find that you experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea, muscle cramps and tiredness. That’s why I suggest that you cut back slowly over a few weeks by doing the following:

 

• Make one cup at a time instead of a whole pot.
• Buy a dainty cup and get rid of your jumbo size mug
• If you’re at a coffee shop order a small one.
• To ease withdrawal symptoms cup back gradually over a two to three week period. Lower your intake by drinking grain coffee or diluted or week period with smaller amounts of regular coffee.
• Consider trying grain coffee available at health food stores or the health food section at your supermarket.
• Start cutting back during the weekend or on holiday when it is less busy and you are less stressed.
• Brew some chamomile tea – often used to ease stress – and take lots of warm baths, walks and naps to get you through the withdrawal symptoms if you are cutting back
• Drink good-for-you beverages such as water, fruit juice, vegetables juices and herbal teas.
• Decaffeinated options for tea and coffee aren’t really a good choice as we have no idea how many chemicals are involved in the decaffeination process but you can use them just in the weaning process to get you off the caffeinated drinks.  Begin by substituting decaffeinated coffee for half of your total intake per day and then gradually change over to all decaffeinated.  Then, slowly substitute other drinks, such as herbal teas and grain coffees.  You should, ideally, eventually eliminate decaffeinated coffee as well because coffee contains other stimulants (theobromine and theophylline) which are not removed when the coffee is decaffeinated.
• And finally, experiment with herbal teas. I recommend roasted herbal roots such as barley, chicory and dandelion and lemon grass, peppermint, ginger root, rosehip, apple, hibiscus, clover flower, nettles and chamomile can be nourishing and satisfying without the depleting effects of caffeine.