A Fasting Fiasco?

When Mike and I decided to fast for one-day a week in March we assumed it would be easiest monthly challenge yet, however the opposite has turned out to be true! So far we have attempted to fast for the last three Sundays in a row, and we still have next Sunday to go, in order to complete the challenge.

The first Sunday went well, however since then we have not been 100% well. The second Sunday was right after my dad had returned home from hospital and I was completely emotionally fatigued; from both daily hospital visits and the difficulties that arose around his return home (cue second family crisis in the same week).

So I must admit I was pretty half-hearted about the fasting by Sunday. I had been fine preparing more juices for breakfast and lunch hunger pangs, but by dinner time the emotional NEED for a hot meal was nearly overwhelming. I definitely would have broken down in tears if I hadn't been able to eat dinner. So Mike and I opted for a light healthy dinner of steamed rice and vegies, with a little home-made satay sauce for taste. Simple and absolutely delicious.

Yesterday was the third Sunday of the month and again we failed in our attempt to fast for the day, this time because Mike is sick with the flu. He had been coughing, sneezing and sweating profusely with fever since Saturday afternoon so we agreed it might not be the best time to tax his system with a fast.

We still did our best and had juice and water for most of the day (he didn't have much of an appetite anyway) but by late afternoon he was hungry so I made us the comfort-food my mum always made me when I was sick, "boiled eggs and soldiers". If I had better will power I would have just made some for Mike and not myself, but I'm not that strong.

So next Sunday is our last chance to do the full 24-hour fast and attempt to find any physical, mental or emotional benefit. I'll report back once the month is finished!

Home-made juices

Animal testing alternatives

The fact that animals are still tested on for 'scientific research' astounds me in this modern era. I stumbled across this article this morning which asks us to challenge the flippant use of animals in experiments and I was impressed by its simplicity.

As usual our allowance of these experiments constitutes complicity; in other words, bad things happen when good people do nothing. I've blogged before about using your money to not fund animal experimentation; but often where it is obvious we don't need to torture animals for cosmetics it is less obvious when referring to medical research.

The article referred to above talks about mice used in Alzheimers research, and the research I protest most vehemently against is animals used in cancer research. Why? Do I love animals more than people? No.

My father has myeloma and I would move the earth to find a cure for his cancer, but what I won't do is unnecessarily torture millions of animals. That's the point, the experiments are ALL null and void. Pointless.

"Not only is animal research harmful to animals, it is also potentially harmful to people. Animals do not get the same diseases as we do, and different species react very differently to drugs and procedures. Drugs that are shown to be safe in animals have often later proved to be dangerous in humans, while valuable cures and treatments can be missed if they fail in animal tests."1

So what is the alternative? Dr Hadwen's Trust is one that I know of, and I'd like to hear about more. We live in a very technological era where A LOT is known about the human body. Computer labs are the medical research labs of the future: they can test theoretical results faster, more accurately and more objectively than humans can. Computer research can lead us to more advanced knowledge prior to human testing than animal research too, so not only does it save the lives of millions of animals, it improves the outcomes of scientific medical research for all of us.

If we lived in a world where computer research was the norm instead of animal research, perhaps I could hope for a cure for cancer in time for my father; sadly, at the moment, it seems a long way off.

1 http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/experiments//2503//

“Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals and the answer is: 'Because animals are like us.'

“Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: 'Because the animals are not like us.'

“Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction.”

—Prof. Charles R. Magel

Working hard to stay healthy

A lot of people are sick right now - the usual winter cold has gone around the office and a lot of people on the train each day are coughing or sneezing. I'm not feeling too bad; I've just had a few days of those annoying symptoms: headache, stiffness, tiredness which make you feel run down.

I often do get sick when there's too much to do - it's the body's way of saying SLOW DOWN! By forcing you to bed for a few days. I'm getting better at reading the early symptoms and avoiding the crash, so am currently dosing myself up to keep the lurgy at bay.

My daily pharmaceutical routine has become: after breakfast take two lysine tablets (to keep cold sores away), a multivitamin and a vitamin C. I usually eat pretty healthy but I'm making sure I'm getting a good variety of vegetables right now (I can't eat a lot of fruit, I'm fructose intolerant).

After lunch I'm taking two ibuprofen to tone down the headache; then after work I'm going for a short run followed by electrolytes to keep up my salts, two more lysine tablets and finally a 'shot' of liquid iron supplement. This is a lot of drugs for me!

Usually I don't take supplements - unless I'm feeling run down, but I don't mind taking the maximum doses when I need them.

Do you have any 'fight the flu' routines or recipes that keep you healthy? 

Stress and the modern day fight/flight

As part of my recent studies in animal anatomy I’ve been learning about the nervous system. Something that peaked my interest was the fight/flightresponse and it’s affects on humans in the modern era. 

To summarize the fight/flight response, when an animal is put in a dangerous situation (for example a predator is approaching) hormones are released in the brain which affect the body in a myriad of ways, including the following:

•          blood pressure increases
•          heart and respiration rate increase
•          digestion slows or stops

That all seems pretty helpful if you have to run or fight for your life, but in the modern world humans don’t face predators on a day-to-day basis, yet our fight/flight responses kick in most days anyway. Why? Stress.

That heart-racing feeling you get when the deadline is looming or the paperwork is piling up, is your fight/flight response: your body actually wants to bolt away. And maybe the best thing to do is let it (well, at least to walk away calmly).

We all know stress makes us sick but what you may not be aware of is just how quickly or how sick stress can make you. After an initial boost in immune response (thought to aid any injuries received during the fight or flight) the body’s immunity is suppressed, so if your stress continues for hours or days then your immune system is not working and you are far more prone to infections. Having your digestion stop working causes its own set of issues, from diarrhea to mild malnutrition as you stop being able to gain the nutrients from the food you are eating.

Most people are aware that stress also stops you sleeping or wakes you up at night; this is due to the increased heart rate and the fact that your body can’t tell the difference between stress when you are awake and stress when you’re dreaming. Even those stressful dreams you have create the same hormonal secretions in the brain that cause the symptoms described.

I’ve only touched on the physiological (body) effects but the psychological (mental) effects and behavioural effects are just as serious. As your mind spins you’ll be less able to concentrate and may even experience forms of anxiety, depression or anger. Behavioural effects come into play when we self-medicate to alleviate the symptons: over eating or using drugs and alcohol to ‘relieve stress’ are common reactions.

So what can we do? Take that walk your body is expecting; if you TRULY can’t get away long enough for a 5 minute stroll then walk to the kitchen for a glass of water. At least the change of environment will help clear your head and the water will aid hydration (helping any digestion issues you may be subconsciously having). Lastly, breathing exercises are awesome for training your brain you aren’t about to be eaten by that pile of work, so will alleviate the symptoms.

What stresses you out, and what do you do to relieve stress?