Health advice For The Whole Family

  Dr. Sarah Connors HBSc, Naturopathic Doctor
  • Home
  • About
    • Bio
    • What Is Naturopathic Medicine?
    • Therapies
    • Conditions Treated
    • House Calls
    • Fees
  • Doula Services
  • Healthy Family Blog
  • Seratauga Weight Solution
  • New Moon to Mama Moon
  • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Video And Audio
  • Contact
  • Body Bliss

Are You In Sugar Overload?

10/6/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
Trick or treat! Give me something sugary to eat!
 
Halloween is just around the corner, which means the annual influx of extra treats into the house that are laden with sugar! Now I am not saying we need to do away with sugar altogether. In fact, if we had no sugar at all we would have some serious problems on our hands. However, we aren’t lacking sugar, we are drowning in it.

The rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and various other serious health problems are on the rise. Stats Canada has estimated about two thirds of Canadian adults and one third of children are overweight or obese.  A major contributor to these health issues is poor eating habits, especially excess sugar. To further compound the problem, even when people are trying to make healthy choices it isn’t easy to do so. Presently, there are 56 different names for sugar, and manufacturers are not required to group them together on nutrition labels.
Why do we need to worry about sugar?

Sugar in the blood is not a bad thing on its own.  In fact, without this important fuel we wouldn’t last very long. However, like most things, in the right amount we stay healthy, but when we have too little sugar or too much, that’s when problems arise. Our main method of procuring this fuel is eating and drinking. Anything we consume, our body breaks down into it’s most basic building blocks, glucose, which is sugar, being one of them. Once broken down, the body shuttles the glucose to where it’s needed. If you’re playing a game of tag, then you’re going to need glucose for your muscles. If you’re studying for a big test, then you need glucose for your brain. The blood is simply the highway system in your body that transports the glucose (along with many other things) throughout the body until it reaches it’s final destination.
This is fine when we have a good balance of fuel coming in, but what happens if there’s too much?  When we have too much sugar in our blood, it needs to be stored away for when it’s needed, so the body converts the sugar into glycogen. However, like any storage unit we can only put so much away.  So what happens with the excess that doesn’t fit? This is where problems can start. An important hormone that helps keep sugar in balance is insulin. Whenever sugar is detected by specialized cells in the pancreas, insulin is released. Think of insulin like a key to a door, in order for sugar to enter into most cells they need the key (insulin) to unlock the front door and let them in. Insulin is vital to making sure that we do not become hyperglycemic (too much sugar) or hypoglycemic (too low sugar).  Conditions like Type II diabetes result from the cells becoming insensitive to insulin. Think of a toddler who keeps asking for the same thing over and over again, eventually you get tired of hearing them so you start to tune them out or stop responding to them altogether. Diabetes is probably the most well known to be affected by blood sugar levels, but it’s not the only one. Other conditions that are affected by blood glucose levels include: PCOS, ADD/ADHD, Autism, certain cancers, and so on. We don’t have time to go into all these conditions today, the point I want to make by mentioning them is that the correct balance of blood sugar is very important to our overall health and influencing various health conditions.
Picture
Picture
What can we do?
 
Eating Well
 We know that balance is important, but what are some easy and crucial things we can do to improve our blood sugar balance. One, you may have guessed, is being mindful of what you eat! Proper nutrition is really a cornerstone of good health. Start with eating a diet focused on good whole foods, which includes 5-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, whole grains (complex carbs), good proteins and healthy fats. Then avoiding excess sugar, like soft drinks. Did you know that there can be as many as 6-10 tbsp of sugar in 1 can of pop?

Another helpful trick is to have either protein or fat with each meal. Not only do they help you feel more full for longer, they also modulate the rush of sugar coming into the body. If we’re looking at a curve of blood sugar levels, this is what happens if we have sugar by itself, a big spike and then decline about an hour to a few hours later. This is why people who have a chocolate bar for their afternoon snack feel like they have lots of energy and focus for the first hour or so after, but end up feeling more tired later on when their blood sugar plummets. If you eat fat or protein with your other foods, it helps to temper this spike in blood sugar so you don’t have a huge increase and subsequent decrease of blood sugar and corresponding energy levels.
Picture
Picture
Exercise
Two, is exercise! We’ve all heard time and time again how important exercise is for our health and this is no exception. Even a short 20-30 min moderate pace walk most days of the week can make a big difference. For many other reasons, it’s good to balance out cardio and resistance training accordingly, but I want to just touch on why walking is enough to do a lot of good. There are receptors in our muscles call Glut 4 receptors and they are seriously hungry for sugars. Think of turning on the vacuum, and how that powerful vortex just sucks up all the dirt in site in no time, but if it’s switched off and in the corner it’s doing you no good. When Glut 4 receptors are activated, they suck up sugars much like the vacuum, but only when activated. The quads, these big muscles on the front of your legs, house a lot of Glut 4 receptors. Research shows even just 30 secs of squats will significantly activate Glut 4 receptors in the quads and can drop glucose levels by almost a full point on the glucose monitor.
Stress Less!
Finally, get your stress under control as best as you can. As many of us know, too much stress isn’t good for our health, and stress is very integral to blood sugar levels. If we have heightened stress, then our body is preparing for fight or flight mode. If you decided to run, you’re going to need fuel on the ready to help you run away from that threat. That’s fine if we were still running away from saber-tooth tiger, or a tiger in general, but the problem is most situations that cause us stress these days, we can’t simply run away from. Use meditation, use exercise, use whatever strategies necessary to moderate your stress, because all that free sugar floating around in your bloodstream not being used is going to eventually lead to problems.
Picture
Blood sugar levels have a story to tell about our health, and every choice you make with your diet and lifestyle habits writes that story. Make sure you make the right choices for you: eat right, exercise and modify your stress. Your family and your future self will thank you for taking steps to ensure that your blood sugar story is writing about a long and healthy future.

Have questions about how you and your family can reduce your sugar intake? Ask me about it by emailing me through the 'contact me' section or give me a shout at the office. I'm here to help you achieve your best possible health.

Note: Talk to your Naturopathic Doctor today about getting assessed and treated if needed, and as always talk to your health care provider before beginning any new medication or supplement. This information is not meant to replace the advice/guidance of a medical professional, nor should it be acted upon by individuals unsupervised by the appropriate healthcare provider.


References:
Silverthorn, D.U. 2010. Human Physiology An Integrated Approach. Fifth Edition. Pearson International Edition.
Stats Canada. 2016. Obesity in Canada: A Whole-of-Society Approach to a Healthier Canada: http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/421/SOCI/Reports/2016-02-25_Revised_report_Obesity_in_Canada_e.pdf
WebMD. Fit Jr. (2016). Just a Spoonful of Sugar Adds Up: http://fit.webmd.com/jr/food/pdf/pdf-sugar-adds-up

2 Comments

STRESS!!!!!

4/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Do you consider yourself to be stressed?
Based on the stats, most of you do!

In 2010, slightly more than 1 in 4 Canadian workers described their day-to-day lives as highly stressful. This proportion is about the same as reported earlier in the decade. Persistently high levels of stress among so many in the workforce presents a challenge to both employers and to the health care system.

Over time, employers lose produc­tivity to stress through absenteeism, reduced work output, and increased disability claims. Mental health problems alone are estimated to cost employers about $20 billion annually and account for over three-quarters of short-term disability claims in Canada.
What Does the Stress Response Look Like?
 
That’s a lot of stressed out people! We talk about stress, at least in passing quite often, but what does the ‘Stress Response’ look like? Here’s how our brains interpret stress:

  1. A stressor is sensed by the body, sending a signal to the brain, which sounds the alarm for the body that something is happening.
  2. This signal is sent to the hypothalamus otherwise known as the ‘master gland’, which then activates the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS has control over most major organs: lungs, heart, stomach, glands and blood vessels.
  3. The ANS is further broken down into two branches: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. The Sympathetic is often referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ response, whereas Parasympathetic is responsible for ‘rest and digest’.
  4. When we’re stressed, the ANS is going to trigger the Sympathetic branch, releasing noradrenaline, which results in enhanced muscular strength, increased heart rate and breakdown and use of sugar and fat for energy.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Hundreds of years ago this was a good thing because this increase in energy would allow us to run away from a threat like a hungry tiger trying to eat us. However, today’s stressors are often not so easy to run away from, like an angry boss yelling at us.  The underlying problem here is that the brain doesn’t distinguish between your boss and the tiger. To your brain, they’re both the same thing.
 
Think of revving up the engine of a racecar in anticipation of the start flag dropping, and then just before it drops, the blocks are stuck under the wheels so when you hit the gas you’re stuck in place. So you’re spinning your wheels, getting nowhere, but you’re still using gas and burning rubber. What do you think this will result in? Well eventually you’re going to run out of gas or your tires will be so worn down their practically non-existent. In terms of your body, eventually your adrenaline will run out and your body will crash, in extreme circumstances this is what we would call burnout.
 
Even before we reach burnout, we’re still doing considerable damage to our bodies. Another troublesome hormone that’s upregulated at this time is cortisol. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function, increased blood pressure, increase risk for mental illness, and lower life expectancy.
What Can We Do About It?
 
Keeping this in mind, what can we do to change this for the better? We can’t eliminate stress altogether, a little bit of stress is a good thing. However, the problem starts when this crosses over into distress, when stress is no longer tolerable or manageable.  This is when we need to put strategies in place that help to minimize the experience of negative stress.
5 things that can help keep stress under control:

1. Exercise: A little bit of cardio goes a long way. Just 20-30 minutes of activity most days of the week pays huge dividends. If running or working out at the gym isn’t your thing that’s ok, any form of activity that activates the muscles: walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi, etc. will have similar benefits in this respect.

2. Meditation or prayer: Simply taking a few deep breaths engages the Vagus nerve, which triggers a signal within your nervous system to slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure and decreases cortisol. The next time you feel yourself in a stressful situation that activates your ‘Fight-or-Flight’ response take 10 deep breaths and feel your entire body relax and decompress.
 
3. Social interaction: Researchers at Johns Hopkins established that elevated levels of cortisol in adolescence change the expression of numerous genes linked to mental illness. In effect causing severe mental illness in those teens predisposed to it. However, when these same teens interacted with their peers in a social context, their cortisol levels dropped, as did their risk for mental illness.
 
4. Sleep: Getting enough sleep every day means that cortisol levels rise and fall in sync with your circadian rhythms, which is the overall function of your body in a 24 hour period. When you lose sleep, or are sleep deprived on a regular basis this can have a detrimental impact on your cortisol levels and hence your overall stress.
 
5. Laughing: They weren’t kidding when they said that laughter is the best medicine. Dr. William Fry, an American psychiatrist who has been studying the benefits of laughter for the past 30 years, has found links to laughter and lowered levels of stress hormones.
 

Now, these are by no means the only things that can help decrease stress. Other important factors like your diet and lifestyle, such as allowing yourself to relax and do things you enjoy, can have a huge impact as well. If you find that dealing with stress from day to day is truly too overwhelming for you, it might be a good idea to speak with a trained professional, like a counselor or your Naturopath. However you deal with stress, make sure it’s a strategy that works for you, because at the end of the day the only one who can control your stress levels, is you!



Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Note: Talk to your Naturopathic Doctor today about getting assessed and treated if needed, and as always talk to your health care provider before beginning any new medication or supplement. This information is not meant to replace the advice/guidance of a medical professional, nor should it be acted upon by individuals unsupervised by the appropriate healthcare provider.
0 Comments

    Sarah Connors

    I am a Naturopathic Doctor and Doula providing care in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. I have a passion for helping people with their health issues and improving the birth experience for Moms, and their babies. I also have a life long love affair with soccer, curling, and the alto saxophone.

    Archives

    November 2020
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    September 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All
    Allergy
    Anxiety
    Birth
    Colic
    Depression
    DIY Remedies
    Doula
    Exercise
    Family Health
    Food
    Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorders
    Heart
    Holidays
    Hormones
    Hygiene
    Illness
    Immune System
    Kids Health
    Liver
    Mental Health
    Naturopathic Medicine
    Nutrition
    Postpartum
    Recipes
    Season
    Seasonal Affective Disorder
    Skin
    Sleep
    Stress
    Toxins
    Vitamins And Minerals

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Rural Royalty, manu flickr2010, Ryan Dickey, wocintechchat, huskyte77, paulswansen, Black Room Photography, harum.koh, Emery Co Photo, JeepersMedia, BrownGuacamole, wellnesswildflower, JeepersMedia, vastateparksstaff, colindunn, seelensturm, /\ \/\/ /\, 50mm.za, The Simpsons (Lee, Shirley, Luke and Rachel), AGRONAUTI, aivas14, Jonathan Rolande, winnifredxoxo, juhansonin, osseous, nan palmero, Theo Crazzolara, brianfagan, TP studio, wuestenigel, torbakhopper, anka.albrecht, Michael Stern, [-ChristiaN-], franchiseopportunitiesphotos, terren in Virginia, nateOne, barnimages.com, Dun.can, wuestenigel, @lattefarsan, amandabhslater, aphrodite-in-nyc, nutritionaldoublethink, Anne Worner, donnierayjones, mikecogh, angeloangelo, Rob.Bertholf, getaiwan, Lida Rose, matsuyuki, SurFeRGiRL30, marcoverch, amsfrank, mdaltry, nutrition education, Mike Prince, Edsel L, Neighborhood Nini, philipp.alexander.ernst, Mediocre2010, homethods, quinn.anya, Gamma Man, katerha, Eric Kilby, National Institutes of Health (NIH), rcmd_cfdfw_5_2, curtis palmer, Ray in Manila, frankieleon, Airsoftpal.com, byzantiumbooks, cchana, Brian Legate, Matt Lavin, BradHinton, monpetitchouphotography, wuestenigel, alexisjordanlewis, ByEPhotos, erix!, RLHyde, return the sun, quinn.anya, mliu92, frankieleon, loudista, Lyn Lomasi, upslon, derrickbrutel, cchana, National Institutes of Health (NIH), watts_photos, marcoverch, derrickbrutel, francesbean, weegeebored, Airsoftpal.com, Etwood, wu_135, shixart1985, Ingrid Taylar, VeritasFotografie, BioDivLibrary, emmanuelmorales1, Thanks for 1.5 Million Views!!, Will Merydith, reader of the pack, RoxyHobbs, Khanelle Prod' Medias, storyvillegirl, agromonitor, Arenamontanus, six:eleven, cote, SweetOnVeg, nenoirenediaz, lucianvenutian, markhillary, anotherlunch.com, inkknife_2000, archibald jude, rawtrigger, Imaginary Museum Projects: News Tableaus, Pavel P., Courtney Emery, Thien Gretchen, physiognomist, bark, Michigan Municipal League (MML), alberth2, Merelymel13, neofob, Care_SMC, Parker Knight, B*2
  • Home
  • About
    • Bio
    • What Is Naturopathic Medicine?
    • Therapies
    • Conditions Treated
    • House Calls
    • Fees
  • Doula Services
  • Healthy Family Blog
  • Seratauga Weight Solution
  • New Moon to Mama Moon
  • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Video And Audio
  • Contact
  • Body Bliss