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.)

Most of us know about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast for weight management but now scientists have proved that not only is breakfast important for those who want to lose weight, the bigger the breakfast the better.

Researchers from the Hospital de Clinicas in Caracus, Venezuela, looked at how breakfasting habits affected the weight of almost 100 young, obese women. They found that those who ate around half of their daily calories first thing lose more weight in the long term than those who start the day with a small breakfast. And they are less likely to pile the pounds back on again. It is thought that eating a meal packed with healthy protein and whole grains helps cut cravings for sweet and starchy foods later in the day as well as boosting metabolism, or fat burning.

 

This study isn’t the first to make a link between a healthy, hearty breakfast and weight loss. Earlier this year a study of thousands of British women and men found that those who ate the biggest breakfast put on the least amount of weight over a five year period. Researchers concluded that skipping breakfast starves the body of nutrients and prompts it to store more of lunch and dinner as fat, whereas consuming more food at breakfast gives the body time to digest food more efficiently.

Embarrassing as it sounds all women suffer from constipation from time to time. Although constipation is not recognised as a serious condition women who feel constipated feel bloated, sluggish and miserable. And to make matters worse sufferers often experience painful bowel movements and an increased risk of haemorrhoids (piles) through straining.

To understand what causes constipation you need to understand what is going on in your digestive system. When you eat, food is ground up in your stomach into a liquid which passes into your small intestine so that nutrients can be extracted. After that it moves on to your colon where the water is removed and stools are formed. When too little water is extracted as it passes through the colon you will suffer from diarrhoea but if too much water is extracted the stool becomes hard and inflexible and you will suffer from constipation.

 

Women tend to suffer from constipation more than men and the reasons for this include hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and dieting. Other causes include not eating enough fibre, not drinking enough water, not getting enough exercise, and high levels of stress. Any change in daily routine, such as going on holiday when eating patterns and the drinking water alters can cause constipation.  Constipation can also be caused by a ‘lazy colon’ that does not contract properly, food allergies that can cause the bowel motion to change and prescription drugs or neurological disorders that slow down the movement of waste materials through the colon. But perhaps one of the most common causes is the fast pace of modern living and lack of time.

 

Some people have an ideal time of day to have a bowel movement but if they are on a train or driving or in a business meeting they are forced to ignore the urge and this can cause constipation. In addition, not giving your body enough time to digest your food properly so you can have a healthy bowel movement is just as important as eating enough naturally high fibre foods (not refined bran), drinking plenty of water and getting exercise. With a lot of women leading increasingly busy lives, time is something most of us don’t have enough off so instead of making time to deal with constipation we reach for laxatives instead as a quick fix solution. I don’t recommend laxatives because although they can encourage a bowel movement they can lead to dependency, deplete your body of vital nutrients and can damage nerve cells in your colon and interfere with its ability to contract properly. I also don’t recommend them because most women who think they need laxatives don’t need them at all.

 

Bowel movement frequency varies for a number of reasons, including age, diet and differences in your body rhythm. Some women go twice a day but it is healthy to go at least once a day.  A healthy stool is medium brown and leaves the body easily with no straining or discomfort. It should have the consistency of toothpaste and there should be little gas or odour.

 

You may not know this but in 1990 the British Medical Scale published a scale called The Bristol Scale which is a list of the consistency of different kinds of bowel motion:

 

1. Separate hard lumps, like nuts

2. Sausage shaped, but lumpy

3. Like a sausage or snake, but with cracks on the surface

4. Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft

5. Soft blobs with clear-cut edges

6. Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool

7. Water, no solid pieces

 

You are aiming to have a bowel motion that is a no. 3 or 4, anything other than that on a regular basis is not healthy and needs to be rectified. 

 

It is important to bear in mind that chronic constipation can be a symptom of something more serious than a busy schedule or lack of time. It can be a symptom of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), a bowel disorder that makes the lives of as many as one in five women a misery with its symptoms such as abdominal pain, flatulence, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and depression. If you are diagnosed with IBS you will need a treatment plan but for common cases of constipation without the accompanying symptoms of IBS the following tips will spell relief.

 

Natural ways to prevent and treat constipation

 

Go for fibre: A high fibre diet made up of lots of five servings a day of fresh fruits and vegetables and three to six servings of whole grains increases the bulk and softness of your stools so that they can pass more easily through your intestines. You should aim for around 30 g of fibre a day. Start the day with a no added sugar, high fibre cereal, like soaked muesli or porridge and a piece of fruit, take dried fruit to work as a snack, have a sandwich at work on whole grain bread or rye, snack on vegetables as a snack and then have legumes and plenty of raw and cooked vegetables for dinner.  If you aren’t used to eating this much fibre you may find that you get gas. To avoid this increase your fibre intake gradually over a period of several weeks and make sure you chew well. 

 

Add linseeds –  Sprinkle 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of linseeds on to your morning breakfast cereal or better still soak one tablespoon (15 ml) of whole linseeds overnight in water and swallow first thing. 

 

Iron problems:  If you think that your iron supplement is to blame consider a less constipating alternative or try to do without the supplement and choose more iron rich foods such as raisins, beans and dried apricots. (The iron supplement I use in the clinic is called Iron Complex and is made with an organic form of iron, iron citrate, so does not cause any changes in the bowels – see the Resources Page).

 

Drink plenty of water: Six to eight glasses of pure water a day is ideal. Keep coffee, colas and tea with caffeine to a minimum. Coffee depletes your body of vital nutrients and makes you urinate more and tea contains tannins which can trigger constipation.

 

Ditch saturated fat and sugar: Avoid red meat, cheese, refined sugar, chocolate, pastries and biscuits and anything made from white flour because these low fibre high fat and/or high sugar foods are notorious for causing constipation.

 

Get up and go: If you exercise regularly your bowel movements will become regular because any kind of movement improves bowel transit time. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day of aerobic activity such as brisk walking, swimming or dancing.

 

Time out: The reflex that causes your bowels to move typically comes about 20 minutes after a meal so even if you don’t feel the urge, sit on the toilet. This is a great way to retrain your bowels.

 

Don’t wait till you get home: If you don’t like using public toilets carry paper seat covers in your bag so that when the urge comes you can pay attention and visit a ladies’ room as soon as possible.

 

Prune juice: This quick fix naturally remedy seems to work well for almost everyone. Drink eight ounces of prune juice in the morning. A glass of lemon juice diluted in water drunk first thing in the morning has a similar effect on your bowels.

 

Supplementation with magnesium and vitamin C may have a mild laxative effect on the body.

 

A good probiotic such as BioKult (see the Resources Page) can also help promote a healthy environment within the colon and give you regular and comfortable bowel motions. 

 

Peppermint has a long history of helping relax the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and can be taken as a tea or in supplement form (see the Resources Page). 

 

Fibre supplements: Ideally you should get all your fibre from food but if you need to take supplements to quite literally move things along try psyllium husks.  (See the Resources Page)  Avoid laxatives because they can damage your bowels with regular use and make your colon too ‘lazy’ to contract, but if you must take them use them cautiously and only as a last resort when natural treatments have failed.  

 

Meditate, do yoga, go for a walk. Do things that will allow you to reduce your stress levels and help your body to relax. This can help relax your colon and encourage a bowel movement.

 

And finally, take your time when you are eating. Don’t gulp your food down. Chew it slowly and put your knife and fork down between bites to give your digestive system a chance to work its magic.

 

Note: See your doctor immediately if you notice bleeding, abdominal pain or have constipation for more than three weeks as there is potential for more serious problems like cancer, especially if you are over the age of 40.