Q: My hair and nails are very dry and brittle and snap easily. Could an alternative remedy help?

A: You can think of your hair and nails as a barometer which can reflect the condition of your health in general. So if your hair and nails are under par, it’s possible that your diet, lifestyle and stress levels could do with some attention. Get a check up with your doctor as it can also be a sign of underactive thyroid. Essential fatty acids (found in oily fish, nuts and flaxseeds) play a part in keeping hair and nails strong and healthy, so boost your intake. Keep your iron levels up by eating plenty of greens, pulses and dried fruit. Snacking on nuts and seeds helps maintain high levels of fatty acids, zinc and protein – all important for healthy hair and nails – and you may also want to take a vitamin B complex supplement. Brittle nails can suggest a calcium or vitamin A deficiency, so try to eat at least six portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The herbs burdock and horsetail can help to condition and enhance nail and hair growth.

Q: What’s healthier: boiling or steaming?

A: Steaming, wins hands down. Vitamin C and B group vitamins are water soluble, so they’re lost from vegetables during boiling. When steaming is done properly with a tight fitting lid it really helps cut this reduction of vitamins. Vitamin C and many B vitamins are also damaged through exposure to heat. The longer the exposure the fewer the nutrients that remain in the final dish. And as steaming tends to cook vegetables more quickly, it wins on that front too.

Q: What would you suggest for helping to lower cholesterol before resorting to statins?

A: Last month we looked at the difference between cholesterol and fat – and that is important because we know that only about 20% of cholesterol comes from your diet and your liver produces the other 80%. Your body needs cholesterol and so does your brain because it helps to release neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) like serotonin, a feel-good neurotransmitter. As with anything in Nature you don’t want too much cholesterol, but it is also just as bad to have too little. Ideally your total cholesterol should be lower than 5 and a value between 4 – 5 is ideal. Statins can take cholesterol levels to as low as 3 and it is thought that a level lower than 4 can increase the risk of depression and even suicide. 

 

So what can you do to help yourself? You are aiming to do three things: 

 

• Firstly, to alter the type of cholesterol you produce, so you are increasing HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol). You do this by increasing exercise, reducing stress and introducing foods containing garlic, soya and Omega 3 essential fatty acids – such as oily fish and linseeds (flaxseeds). 
• Secondly, to remove excess cholesterol from your body. Do this by increasing the amount of soluble fibre (found in oats, beans, fruits and vegetables), which binds to the cholesterol and stops it being re-absorbed.
• Thirdly, to remove foods that may interfere with the production of cholesterol – e.g. alcohol, caffeine and added sugar. Alcohol because it stresses the liver, which is where cholesterol is produced. Caffeine and added sugar because they are stimulants that encourage the over production of stress hormones, which are made from cholesterol.  So the more stress hormones your body has to produce, the more cholesterol it has to produce because the stress hormones are made from cholesterol.

To make the process faster, as well as addressing what you eat and drink, add in a few supplements over three months and then get your cholesterol checked again. Add in garlic (preferably Aged Garlic), Omega 3 fish oils, plant sterols (e.g. Lestrin) and granules of lecithin (which help to lower cholesterol and raise HDL, good cholesterol). If you need help getting these supplements then go to the Resources Page.