Equipping People To Make Sense Of What They Are Told
The Role of Nutrition -In today’s society daily pressures can create an overburdening
stress. During such stress, some individuals may tax their body’s ability to generate
a stress response, leaving that individual wide open for autoimmune conditions.
Women, in particular, are more at risk, which is evident by the disproportionate
number having fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and so
on.
Stress plays havoc with the hormonal system by stimulating the adrenal glands to
produce chemicals such as adrenalin; noradrenalin and cortisol. When the body is
under continued stress these hormones are perpetually pumping into the bloodstream
which may weaken the immune system and cause an inflammatory response.
A diet high in refined products (sugar, white flour and products made from these
ingredients), stimulants such as caffeine, tea, coffee and chocolate alcohol and
cigarettes, may create the same effect in the body.
A growing body of evidence suggests that diet plays an important role in the pathogenesis
of autoimmune diseases and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Although there
is a long way to go before the diet-disease connection can be considered “proven”
there is reason to believe that a few basic dietary changes may have potential to
help reduce chronic inflammation within the body and improve overall health as well.
As a Nutritional Therapist my role is to look at a person’s overall diet and lifestyle
and work with the individual to find out which nutritional factors are affecting
their general health and well-being.
Educate the individual in simple and easy understandable terms giving them guidance
and advice as to why certain foods within their diet may create an inflammatory response
and how some foods and nutrients can be beneficial.
Ideally looking at ways of reducing the ‘stress’ load within the body and lifestyle
and encourage the client to make simple and specific changes which may help improve
their overall health condition.
The Intestine and Immune Connection.
60% - 70% of the immune system is located in the intestines as a vast network of
lymph tissue known as GALT -gut associated lymphoid tissue.
Friendly bacteria within the gut interface with lymph tissue priming the immune system
for contact with other bacteria. They help the body to learn how to respond to bacteria
without having to suffer an infection. Probiotics help prevent infection from other
micro-organisms related to food borne illnesses such as salmonella.
The large intestines are inhabited by trillions of bacteria. These bacteria are composed
primarily of acidophilus and bifida-bacterium species. Without probiotics we would
be extremely vulnerable to food-borne illnesses.
Eating a diet high in sugar, refined and processed foods and saturated fat may prevent
friendly bacteria from growing and thriving, increasing the unfriendly bacteria within
the gut, which may inhibit the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
Being deficient in these key nutrients may weaken the immune system in general.
The fibre from fruit, vegetables and whole grains along with proteins such as fish,
chicken and turkey help promote the growth of friendly bacteria.
The Role of Nutrition in MS -Maintaining a good dietary regime can be difficult
for those who are experiencing disease symptoms.
Difficulty’s occur such as:
Dry mouth.
Swallowing difficulties
Pain
Depression
Eating can become a burden for some leading to weight loss to such a degree that
their general health becomes endangered creating a downward spiraling circle of ill
health adding to the problems being caused by the disease they have.
Input needs to be well balanced and attuned to the individual.
Some foodstuffs can be detrimental to the health of those suffering from a disease,
while other foodstuffs can provide a beneficial support.
Texture and temperature should be considered and are as important as the ingredients,
matching a persons likes and dislikes.
Tart but not spicy foodstuffs that encourage increased saliva flow may assist those
with dry mouth problems.
Soft and moist foodstuffs can be helpful for people with swallowing problems such
as that which may be experienced by MS people.
Difficult to digest foodstuffs should be avoided by those who have gastrointestinal
problems and a sensitive digestive system exacerbated from their disease problems
or from any treatments being administered.
A large plate full of foodstuffs can appear daunting to those with compromised eating
difficulties,small portions throughout the day can prove to be more appealing.
Dehydration is a problem for many, however avoid drinking to much fluid with your
meals, it dilutes the digestive juices in the tummy and solidifies fats slowing digestion
and making it less efficient.
Great care has to be taken for those with swallowing problems. It is possible for
foodstuffs to become diverted into the lungs causing choking and may lead to aspiration
pneumonia.
A good dietary regime is about your health. Providing your body with essential nutrients
through good dietary practice is an essential part of maintaining a healthy body
and enabling it to combat any problems a disease presents to it.
You must proceed with extreme caution when considering taking up a dietary plan and
a regime of supplements it is not that simple and what works for one person will
not necessarily work for another. Every individual is unique, therefore there can
never be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment regime. For you to strive to achieve any
targets you must have personal commitment and a willingness to take responsibility
for your health. You need to vary your intake of potentially beneficial nutrients
to determine your optimum levels.
Inflammation caused by the actions of inflammatory related diseases becomes a serious
problem and the important part that diet plays in combating inflammation is not well
understood. It takes time and commitment for anybody to obtain useable information
about the complex role of food exercise, stress and health. Some foodstuffs have
an inflammatory action in the body while other foodstuffs have an anti-inflammatory
action and the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory action of foodstuffs may also be
influenced by how they are combined.
Very little is known about the inflammatory properties of most foodstuffs and the
use of Inflammation Factor Ratings (IF rating) lists may help you compile an anti-inflammatory
diet lifestyle instead of following set pattern diets that may not of been specifically
created as an anti-inflammatory diet.
Inflammation is not only an MS matter it is also a wellness matter. Dampening down
inflammation will benefit you whatever disease or diseases you may be suffering from.
However inflammation is your body’s natural reaction to remove injurious stimuli
and to initiate the healing process.
Without inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal. It when inflammation
becomes uncontrolled or is mediated by the ongoing actions of a disease that will
cause tissue damage and progressive destruction of the tissue will compromise the
survival of the organism.
