If you still have your ovaries, you will continue to produce oestrogen. Without a uterus, however, you will have no periods, so you won’t be aware of the irregular and unpredictable winding down of periods that heralds the natural menopause. Eventually, your ovaries will start to produce less oestrogen, and you will begin to notice the typical menopausal signs, such as hot flushes. This will probably happen up to two years earlier than it might have done if you hadn’t had a hysterectomy because it is thought that the uterus may release certain hormones which control levels of oestrogen, and without a uterus these oestrogen-controlling hormones are no longer produced. Many quite young women stop producing oestrogen within two or three years of a hysterectomy, even though they still have their ovaries.

If you had just one ovary removed (a unilateral oophorectomy) you may continue to produce some oestrogen. If you had both ovaries removed (a bi-lateral oophorectomy) you will no longer produce any oestrogen; this operation produces an instant menopause. For this reason, ask the surgeon who performs your hysterectomy to discuss with you beforehand whether he will remove the ovaries, and if so, why. Many surgeons remove them at the time of the hysterectomy to ensure that they won’t become cancerous in later years. This is a valid medical point, but to remove otherwise healthy functioning ovaries can cause severe menopausal symptoms after the operation. If you have this operation before the normal menopausal age, the loss of oestrogen can produce a striking and rapid appearance of menopausal symptoms. These symptoms are so severe that it is almost certain that you will be prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) straight away. If you are not, ask for it, and be prepared to keep taking it until about five years or more past what would have been your normal menopausal age, that is until you are about 55, or longer if you get on well with it. The sudden fall in oestrogen also increases the risk of developing the serious bone disease osteoporosis.

A premature menopause – whether natural or surgical -is one which occurs before about the age of 45; some doctors say before 40. If you have a premature menopause you have a greatly increased risk of developing osteoporosis and also arterial diseases that could lead to heart attacks and strokes, and you should seriously consider taking HRT from the time your premature menopause or hysterectomy or oophorectomy occurs, and be prepared to take it until you are about 55. The National Osteoporosis Society reports that of women aged 60-65 who have osteoporosis, a disproportionately high number had a premature menopause.

*5\42\4*

Infections and surgical procedures are common causes of adhesions, which are filmy or thick strands of scar tissue that bind organs together. Adhesions can develop between the uterus, ovaries, bowel, bladder and rectum because of their proximity in the abdomen. Pain can occur any time that adhesions are stretched, for example during movement, a pelvic examination, sexual intercourse, passing urine or a bowel motion. If adhesions are constricting the ovary, pain may occur only, or mainly, during ovulation; if constricting the bladder, the pain may be intense when the bladder is full, easing as the bladder empties. Adhesions can also result in infertility by constricting the Fallopian tubes, covering or displacing the ovaries, or impeding the movement of sperm and egg or interfering with the growth of embryos. Ironically, while hysterectomy is sometimes successful in overcoming pain caused by adhesions, hysterectomy itself may be responsible for severe adhesions that result in long-term pain and intestinal obstruction.

The diagnosis of pelvic adhesions in a woman relies mainly on her history of infections or surgery and the nature of her pain. The diagnosis is usually confirmed by laparoscope although ultrasound can be useful in revealing adhesions surrounding the ovaries or bowel. If laparoscopy is performed in the presence of extensive adhesions it can result in puncture of the bowel, so great care must be taken with this technique and alternative methods (such as a mini-laparotomy) may have to be considered. (A mini-laparotomy entails a small incision through the abdominal wall to allow inspection of the internal organs. It is like a mini-Caesarean section.)

It is possible to remove adhesions without going to the lengths of hysterectomy in most women, and one of the most useful techniques is laparoscopic surgery. The laparoscope or viewing tube (for inspecting the internal organs) is used in conjunction with fine forceps which can hold the adhesions steady or break them with a blunt action, scissors to cut the adhesions, lasers to vaporise them, or high frequency electrical currents that produce heat and destroy them. In order to minimise adhesion formation, it is important that your surgeon is gentle and careful in his or her handling of the tissues, that techniques are used to prevent bleeding, and that solutions or

special membranes to reduce adhesion formation and other complications are used in the abdomen.

*20\198\4*

In 1963 Kleitman postulated that the rhythmic recurrence of REM sleep is only a part of a biological rhythm which is continuous in both sleep and wakefulness. He called this the basic rest activity cycle (BRAC). In 1967 Franz Halberg, a scientist working in the USA, named such cycles the ultradian rhythm, which is also known as the 90 minute cycle or the REM/NREM cycle.

The hypothesis concerning the 90 minute cycle is as follows. We know that each sleep cycle consists of REM and NREM stages and that each sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. This is believed to be a basic biological rhythm innate in our state of awareness. The 90 minute cycles go right round the 24 hour clock. Every 90 minutes there is a window of a few minutes duration during which a person feels sleepy and can fall asleep. This is why some insomniacs, if they miss the sleep window, may find it hard to fall asleep until the arrival of the next window 90 minutes later. This 90 minute cycle appears to be REM-stage related, and, during the window, other REM-related phenomena may be noted, such as day dreaming, penile erection, or just poor concentration.

Much research was conducted to demonstrate the existence of the ultradian rhythm. Extensive work was carried out on cats and monkeys to chart the activities of these animals in relation to their EEG recordings. It was found that, during the awake state, fluctuations in their activities correspond with the stage in the REM/NREM cycle.

However, the most convincing experiments were carried out by La vie and Scheson in 1981. They tested human subjects in the sleep laboratory. The subjects were instructed to close their eyes and to fall asleep if they could during a 5 minute period of darkness occurring every 15 minutes over 12 hours. It was demonstrated that EEG recordings of stage 1 sleep were evident every 90 minutes but not at other times during the experiments. It was also demonstrated that, when these subjects were sleep-deprived and were very sleepy, their ultradian rhythm disappeared. In other words, when one is very sleepy, one- can fall asleep at any time irrespective of the 90 minute window of the ultradian rhythm. It is also now apparent that this 90 minute cycle is not exactly 90 minutes but can vary from 60 minutes to 130 minutes, with a mean of 90 minutes.

The present controversy over this 90 minute cycle is, when a person falls asleep, how are the cycles relating with each other between the awake state and the sleeping state? Most researchers favour the suggestion that, when a person falls asleep, the first period of NREM sleep or the first sleep cycle appears to reset the 90 minute cycle for the rest of the 24 hours. Also there seems to be a phase reversal after this first NREM sleep. After falling asleep, the brain activity of each REM stage is highly aroused with dream experience. However, during the awake state the 90 minute windows which are REM-related are of low arousal.

*20\174\4*

We all have varying degrees of intelligence. But the extent to which we can use our intelligence depends very much on another factor, the integration of our personality, the way in which the different aspects of our mind work as a unity.

Those of us of less intelligence and less well-integrated minds find many ordinary everyday tasks quite difficult, while other more gifted people do these things naturally and easily without giving the matter any particular thought. The less gifted among us are therefore under a constant stress which others are not. As a result they remain tense, and at the same time are usually unable to see the cause of their tension.

Of course, this situation is relative. A highly intelligent person who is doing a job requiring exceptionally high intelligence is relatively in the position of being a dullard, and he experiences the same tensions as a dull person does in a less exacting job. Similarly, the intellectually backward individual may learn to live a useful and happy life as long as he can work and live in an environment which is not too demanding for him.

A disparity of intelligence between husband and wife may be a constant source of tension, especially when the wife is the more gifted one. Unless she is a very perceptive woman this disparity will lead her into a dominant role in the household which is likely to clash with her husband’s masculinity and so produce further tension.

*45\57\2*

My first confrontation with biological methods of treatment for arthritis was at Brandals Health Clinic located in Sodertalje, a little idyllic suburb town, a few miles south of Stockholm, Sweden.

Alma Nissen, directress of the Brandals Clinic, met me at the railway station. For the past 12 years I have followed the work of Alma Nissen through the Swedish magazine Tidskrift for Halsa (the Magazine for Health) which has published many remarkable cases of arthritis cures accomplished at Brandal. Mrs. Nissen, after curing her own arthritis a few decades ago, has dedicated her whole life to helping thousands of other arthritis sufferers.

A fortyish-looking, dark-blonde, slim, elegant lady stepped from her station wagon, warmly greeted me with “Valkommen” opened the back door, and threw my heavy bags in. Then she walked around the car and opened the door for me, which made me feel rather old at 50. Imagine my surprise when I found that she is 70! And not a grey hair on her head! There was no doubt in my mind that whatever her “method” is, it certainly works for her!

The Brandals Clinic is beautifully located on the shore of the Baltic Sea and is surrounded by majestic woods. An ideal natural setting for rest and contemplation with a “back-to-nature” atmosphere. It is an old three-floor villa with a huge sitting room featuring a TV, grand piano, other musical instruments, library, and a collection of crutches and prostheses left here by grateful patients who didn’t need them any more. The clinic has facilities for accommodation and treatment of 30 patients. At the time of my visit—July, 1966—it was filled to capacity.

Alma Nissen’s Own Story

“Tell me, how and why did you become interested in arthritis and what prompted you to open this clinic?” This was my first question when we met at a smorgasbord table in the dining room at Brandal.

“Twenty-five years ago I was so incapacitated by arthritis that I was practically bedridden. After trying all the available medical treatments, consulting dozens of doctors, and several fruitless stays in hospitals I was becoming progressively worse. My hands and fingers were stiff and in constant pain. I could not bend myself, walk, or even turn myself in bed. In addition, I had a chronic ovary inflammation and constant migraine. I was suffering from a bad case of insomnia with resulting nervous exhaustion. I also was chronically constipated…

“I felt hopeless. Nobody could help me. I could not see my way out of the indescribable suffering I had to endure. But my spirit was strong and wouldn’t give up. I was not willing to accept my lot as a bedridden invalid for the rest of my life. With the typical Scandinavian sisu and perseverance I rebelled against my fate. I wanted to live, become healthy again…

“A book by a British physician, Sir Robert McCarrison, gave me new hope and become the turning point in my life. It opened my eyes to the relation between nutrition and health. I started to experiment with myself. I changed my diet. I fasted. I drank fresh vegetable juices and broths made with cooked vegetables. I drank herb teas. I took enemas and utilized colonic irrigation to cleanse my intestines of accumulated toxins and wastes. I read all I could on the nature-cure methods and picked up ideas here and there. I met the famous Danish raw-diet pioneer Dr. Kristine Nolfi, M.D., and read and studied her book The Living Foods. I also took heat treatments and hydro-baths. I must admit, I didn’t have faith in much of what I did, but desperate as I was, I was willing to try anything.

“Imagine my surprise, when I started to feel better and better! The stiffness in my joints started to disappear. I slept better; pain gave way, and after just a few months I was, to my and everybody’s amazement, completely cured!

“This was 25 years ago and I never had a sick day since. No traces of arthritis… Would you like to see how flexible and elastic my body is?”

With this she took her shoes off and gave me a gymnastic demonstration which many a young athlete would be proud to equal

“But I do have visible evidence of my former arthritis. The toes on my feet were so deformed and the joints so fused together, that they never have straightened out completely. Look at them!

“When damage is so extensive that joints are completely destroyed and fused together, nothing can restore them, not even biological methods. But in the great majority of cases, even with deformation, but of shorter duration, the complete restoration of health is possible.

“Now, when I cured myself I was so overjoyed with the discoveries I made that I wanted to share them with others and help as many as I could. I visited Dr. McCarrison and he advised me to open a clinic and help other arthritics regain their health.

“Encouraged by the enthusiastic endorsement of this great scientist, I transformed my seven-room apartment in Copenhagen to an arthritis clinic. Patients came from everywhere. They were brought in on stretchers; they came supported on crutches; they came in wheelchairs. And after four to eight weeks on my simple regime they left the clinic on their own feet, without wheelchairs and crutches. The grateful patients spread the news of their cures and a long line of patients were waiting to come in under my care.

“My arthritis therapies and extraordinary results became widely publicized in the press. The Norwegian Medical Association invited me to present a lecture on my therapies before the leading medical authorities of the country and the students of the Oslo Medical School. Well-known rheumatologists such as Prof. Olav Hanssen, Dr. V. G. Kofoed, Professor Roald Opsaht and others attended and took part in the discussions.

“My fame spread to Sweden and a wealthy benefactor offered the Brandal, a beautiful estate with a large villa, for my disposition, to be used as a rheumatic clinic. I accepted gratefully. That was 13 years ago. During these years we have helped thousands of arthritis sufferers…”

My First Day at Brandal

My first day at Brandal was mostly spent walking in the huge, shady woods, which surround the estate, and listening to Mrs. Nissen tell of her work.

At 5:00 P.M. the bell rang and called all for dinner. I found about half of the patients in the living room, the other half in the dining room. Those in the living room were the “fasting” patients, who were served fruit juice or vegetable broth.

I joined the “eating” patients in the adjoining dining room, where the huge, festive table, decorated with flowers and candles, was filled with colorful and delicious lactovegetarian courses. It was a smorgasbord at its best! The table was laden with at least ten kinds of different salads of fresh, organically grown vegetables; cottage cheese with cummin; baked potatoes, sauerkraut, tomato soup, soybean puree, buttermilk, whey cheese, whole grain bread, and fresh butter. Some guests, just off fast, were advised to avoid certain dishes, mostly bread and cooked foods, but others, including yours truly, enjoyed the whole colorful palette of appetizing “rakost.”

After dinner everyone assembled in the living room—Salongen -to watch TV. The favorite Swedish show, 10,000 Crown Question, was on and everyone sat in a state of hypnotized attention waiting for the answers of the competing “experts.” It reminded me of our TV in the mid-fifties and the famed scandals of the $64,000 Question.

When the 10,000 Crown Question was followed by the Andy Williams Show, that was enough for me, and I left the Salongen for my room and a good night’s sleep.

The “Miracles”

The next morning developments followed in a fast tempo, which prompted me to use the word “miracle” in the subtitle above.

A little Danish woman, who had depended on her crutches for years, left them behind and walked through the hall outside of my room without them. This was her eighth fasting day. She never needed the crutches again.

Another lady from Gothenburg reported that the pain in her joints disappeared on the second day of her fast and that on the fourth day she was able to leave her crutches.

On a big, sunny balcony I met several patients trying to cutch as much as they could of the warm, life-giving sun—in a country where sun is so scarce.

A young girl of approximately 20, was rolled onto the balcony in a wheelchair. She had been afflicted with arthritis for seven years and was a complete invalid. Her hands were grotesquely deformed. She could not move or lift her legs. She came to Brandal in a wheelchair and was still in a wheelchair. But she was already feeling much better, her pain was gone. She was determined to continue fasting for a few more weeks in the hope that she might leave her wheelchair there.

I also met a 43-year-old woman from Stockholm. She had been ill with arthritis for 14 years. For 14 long years she visited hospital after hospital, took drug after drug. You name it— she’d had it: gold injection, cortisone, Imagon, Butazolidin, etc. The best arthritis specialists in the country from Sodersjukhuset and the famous Karolinska Institute in Stockholm treated her until finally they all gave up, admitting that they could do nothing more. She had come to the clime just five days before and started fasting immediately.

“I am so happy. It is unbelievable!” she said to me with enthusiasm. “In just four days all pain is gone. I could not straighten this leg before—look at it now! It is completely straight. After 14 years of pain and suffering-it is just unbelievable! It’s a miracle!”

As I walked on the balcony among all these sunbathing men and women, this word “miracle” lingered in my mind. In this clinic alone—and the little country of Sweden has at least half a dozen other clinics with similar biological methods of treatment—thousands of hopeless arthritis sufferers were helped; most of them to a complete recovery. Crippled, deformed, doomed to lifelong invalidism, labeled by official medical authorities as incurable, they had come there as a last resort. After a few weeks of simple biological treatments, without fancy drugs and injections, they walked away happy and grateful restored to complete health. Is this a miracle?

*1\176\2*

The medical name for these is syncope. Many of us have experienced one or more syncopal attacks, very often at school. In syncope, consciousness is disturbed or lost, not because of a paroxysmal discharge of cerebral nerve cells, but because the cerebral nerve cells are silenced by inadequate supply of oxygen through arterial blood.

When a man stands up, his brain is about 15 inches (38 cm) higher than his heart; when he lies down, the two organs are at the same level. When he stands up, therefore, the arterial pressure has to increase so that blood flow to the brain remains unchanged. Normally, this is accompained smoothly by a combination of increased heart rate and by constriction of the blood vessels in the abdomen and legs. Experience informs us of examples of a breakdown in this mechanism. The most familiar is the extreme slowing of the heart-rate produced in some sensitive people by the sight of blood or in response to pain. This cardiac slowing is mediated through the vagal nerve, and the name vasovagal attack is often given to such an episode.

The contraction of leg and thigh muscles during walking normally drives venous blood back to the heart. If venous return is insufficient because of immobility—for example, a soldier at attention on parade, or a young girl in assembly at school—then syncope may occur. Such syncope seems to be socially infectious—once a girl or soldier has slumped, others may follow in the next few minutes.

Normally blood returns to the heart from the legs smoothly through the chest and abdomen. During prolonged coughing, or straining while trying to pass a stool, the pressure within the chest is greatly increased, preventing venous return to the heart. What the heart is not getting back, it cannot put out, so this sequence of events again may result in impaired blood-flow to the brain, and syncope.

If the blood vessels in trunk and legs are pleasantly dilated in a hot bath or nice warm bed, suddenly getting up—for example, to answer the telephone—may cause syncope. This may also happen in older people, when they get out of bed at night to pass urine. The situation is more complex in this case because we know that, at the onset of urination, there is a reflex dilatation of blood vessels in the legs. This so-called ‘micturition syncope’ affects men more than women, not only because they more often have to pass urine at night (because of prostatic enlargement) but because they pass urine standing up.

Syncope may occur in association with certain diseases. For example, in diabetes the nerve fibres controlling the heart rate and the diameter of blood vessels may be diseased, and the normal adjustments to blood pressure to posture may fail to occur. There are other rare diseases of the brain in which a similar failure to control blood pressure occurs. One, which bears some similarity to Parkinson’s disease, is known as the Shy-Drager syndrome after the two American neurologists who first described it.

A much more common cause of syncope, however, is medication. Many people take tablets to control high blood pressure. One effect of some of these drugs is to cause syncope on standing up. Some antidepressants, such as imipramine (Tofranil), do the same.

How does the neurologist or paediatrician decide that his patient’s blackouts are due to syncope rather than epilepsy? Again, all depends upon the story. The first clue is the circumstances in which the blackout, occurred. If it happened at the scene of a road accident, or during a horror movie, syncope is very likely. A common story is for a man to faint while attending his wife’s delivery. Syncope virtually never occurs lying down, so if loss of consciousness happens then, a seizure is more likely. Very occasionally, vagal slowing of the heart can be so profound that syncope does happen lying down. For example, one of our patients was a woman who was so terrified of dental treatment that she lost consciousness due to syncope even if the dentist started treating her with the chair tilted back almost to the horizontal position.

The next point is the occurrence of pre-syncopal symptoms. Blood flow to the brain is reduced in syncope often for many seconds before consciousness is lost. During that time, the nervous system makes desperate attempts to constrict other blood vessels in order to elevate the central pressure. The constriction of blood vessels in the skin results in pallor, and the associated discharge of the vegetative (non-voluntary) nervous system causes nausea and sweating. The person therefore feels and looks cold, pale, and clammy.

Other points which help distinguish syncope from seizures include limpness, rather than rigidity and/or convulsions during the period of unconsciousness, and usually no incontinence during the event. Recovery of full consciousness and orientation is much more rapid after syncope than after a seizure, following which there is usually a period of confusion. Recovery after syncope often rapidly follows assumption of the horizontal position, whether the person falls, or is placed like this, so that the head is on the same level as the heart. This is nature’s safety mechanism whereby cerebral blood flow is restored. Occasionally the safety mechanism cannot operate—the position of a hand-basin or lavatory may prevent the limp body falling to the floor. Sometimes the sufferer is supported in a vertical position by well-meaning but ill-advised friends or bystanders. In these cases, cerebral blood flow may fall to such extremely low levels that incontinence, twitching, or a full-blown seizure may occur. This should be regarded as an ‘anoxic seizure’ rather than a seizure caused by epilepsy.

As an example of the difficulties that this unusual sequence of events can cause, one of us was asked to see a young nurse. Three days after a straightforward appendicectomy, she got up for the first time to go to the ward lavatory. She felt faint as she walked there, and therefore left the door ajar. She felt fainter still as she was sitting on the seat, straining to open her bowels. Before losing consciousness she called another nurse for help. This girl seeing her colleague about to tumble off the seat, held her up to prevent injury. The resulting cerebral anoxia caused an anoxic seizure. An incorrect diagnosis of epilepsy had been made, and her continued employment as a nurse was under threat.

Syncope in adolescents—usually girls—can be very troublesome, and occasionally injury occurs. Physique and life-style seem irrelevant, so the usual advice to take plenty of fresh air and exercise is probably useless. Much more important is to tell the young person to lie down at once if she feels the onset of typical pre-syncopal symptoms. Fortunately recurrent episodes are rarely troublesome for more than a year.

*36\188\2*

Apart from meow, woof, moo, baa, oink, squeak, and heehaw, their body language says that CMO is great. In fact, we’ve never seen a failure with an animal. Absolutely never! Be it horse, dog, cat, goat, hamster, or potbellied pig, we have yet to hear of any arthritic animal that has not responded well to CMO. For more details, refer to the chapter on animals.

One health food store owner told us this funny tale. As he was telling one customer about the wonderful benefits of CMO (98% success rate with his particular clients), another customer who was overhearing the conversation butted in. He related how he had heard one of Dr. Sands’ radio interviews and consequently bought CMO for his father. But his father refused to take the capsules, or any other form treatment for that matter.

Now that family also has an old but much-loved dog who, three months earlier, had just sort of given up on things. He just laid himself down by the door and refused to budge from that spot. He ate there, he slept there, and even did all his business there, forcing a rather annoying cleanup job on the family several times a day.

Well, rather than let those costly CMO capsules go to waste, the son decided to give them to the dog. In just a few days, the man said, that dog was up on its feet again and scampering around like it had many years before. But, despite it all, the son complained, he still can’t get his father to take the capsules.

*57\142\2*

Symptoms: poor appetite, vomiting, constipation, irritability, slow development, aggressive behavior, seizures, personality changes, clumsiness, paleness, fatigue, weakness.

Home care

Discourage your child from putting nonfood objects into his or her mouth and swallowing them.

If your home was built before 1950, have the paint and plaster tested for lead content.

Watch for changes in your child’s behavior.

Precautions

-    Check your home and yard for possible sources of lead.

-    Scraping, sanding, and other tasks involved in remodeling an older building may release lead into the air. Such a location should be avoided by infants, small children, and pregnant women until the work is completed.

-    A person who works in an occupation that involves exposure to lead should take steps to avoid bringing lead-containing dust into his or her home on work clothes.

-    Sources of lead poisoning can include artist’s pigments, exhaust from cars, soil around buildings on which lead-based paint was used, city air, and improperly glazed pottery.

Lead is a heavy and dense metal that, in the human body, acts as a poison. Microscopic particles of lead can enter the body if a person swallows something that contains lead or inhales air contaminated with lead. The metal then accumulates in the blood and in body tissues. The most serious effects of lead poisoning are on the brain and nervous system. It can also damage the digestive system and the kidneys.

Before 1950, lead was an ingredient in paint, plaster, and putty, and most cases of lead poisoning occur when a small child eats fragments of lead-based paint that have peeled off a wall or have been left in the soil around a house. Today, house paint does not contain lead, but the metal is found in many other places. Some of the sources of lead poisoning include artist’s pigments, exhaust from cars (some petrol contains lead), soil around buildings that were once painted with lead-based paint, and the air in cities where lead may be used in industry and where the exhaust from many cars is concentrated. Also, lead is found in high-acid food and drinks (for example, orange or tomato juice) that have been stored in lead-containing pottery that was not properly glazed.

Lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to the brain, especially in cases where the symptoms are severe. Such damage may not occur if the problem is quickly identified and treated. However, a child who has had lead poisoning may take as long as a year to recover completely. Lead poisoning occurs most often in children under five. It is most dangerous if the child is under two years old.

*143/84/5*

This is the worst kind of fat. We are continually being told that to reduce our risk of heart disease we must reduce our fat consumption, especially saturated fat. In its place we are encouraged to consume vegetable oil and vegetable margarine.

Just because vegetable oil comes from vegetables and is cholesterol free does not mean it is healthy for our heart. The main problem with vegetable oil is how it is processed. Modern manufacturing techniques process the oil in a way that exposes it to high temperatures, oxygen, light and chemical solvents. This damages the fragile essential fatty acids in the oil, and creates many toxic components, including trans fatty acids. When these same oils are used to manufacture margarine, even more toxic by-products are created, and because the oil has been hardened, more trans fatty acids are usually created.

The harmful effects of trans fatty acids include:

Lower HDL “good” cholesterol.

Raise LDL “bad” cholesterol.

Raise lipoprotein (a).

Inhibit insulin binding, promoting obesity, Syndrome X and diabetes.

Interfere with various enzymes, including delta-6-desaturase, needed for essential fatty acid metabolism.

Promote cancer.

Promote the development of fatty liver.

Promote inflammation in the body by stimulating the release of inflammatory cytokines.

How to avoid trans fatty acids in your diet

The easiest way to do this is to avoid foods that state the words “vegetable oil” on the label. You can assume that this term means highly processed, poor quality, refined vegetable oil. The term “hydrogenated vegetable oil” usually means that the product contains trans fatty acids.

Vegetable fat usually means fully or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and should be avoided also.

Another problem with the term “vegetable oil” is that you don’t know which vegetable oil in particular has been used. In Australia it is often cottonseed oil that is used in vegetable oil blends (such as cooking oil and I margarine), fried or baked foods and snack foods. Cottonseed oil is very unhealthy; you can read about it in chapter twelve.

If you eat takeaway fried foods, you are guaranteed to be consuming large amounts of rancid, oxidized fats rich in trans fatty acids. In many restaurants cheap vegetable oil and margarine are used. The word “butter” on the menu usually means margarine because it is cheaper and has a longer shelf life. Always ask about the type of fat that your food is being cooked in. Extra virgin olive oil, butter and unrefined coconut fat (not copha) are the healthiest options.

The nutrition panel of many foods now lists the trans fat content of the food. At this time, Australia does not have a stance on what level of trans fats can be safely consumed. However, according to the USA, there is no 1 safe level of trans fat intake; they should be entirely avoided. By the end of 2005, the Heart Foundation will only allow its tick on margarines that contain one percent or less of their total fat content as trans fats. This is half the maximum level allowed by the government of Denmark.

*46/53/5*

Breads

Organic whole meal bread is best and health food shops and supermarkets stock some good ones such as Shipton Mill. Some breads contain either sugar or dextrose and/or flour improvers, so read the labels carefully. If the flour improver is ascorbic acid, that’s OK as it is a form of vitamin C. Whole meal pitta bread makes a nice change but do check the label for undesirable ingredients.

Flavourings

Avoid over-processed, commercially-produced flavourings. Instead, choose from ginger, garlic, fresh and dried herbs, lemon juice, sea salt, Lo-salt, miso (soya bean paste), mustard (check for added sugar, chemicals, etc), and arrowroot for thickening to make gravies and sauces.

Soya sauce is good on rice, in salad dressings and sauces, as well as Chinese stir-fries. Choose organic where possible and avoid any makes which contain monosodium glutamate. There are also a number of ready-made salad dressings with no sugar or chemicals, but do check the labels.

Sweeteners

It is better to rely on the natural sweetness in foods rather than using artificial sweeteners. For example, if you are making cakes, try carrot and raisin or banana cake. However, if you do want to add a sweetener, use maple syrup, concentrated apple juice, barley malt, date syrup and honey.

When buying honey, avoid those which are ‘blended’ or the ‘produce of more than one country’, as they are often heated to temperatures as high as 71°C (160°F) which destroys their goodness. With maple syrup, if the label says ‘flavoured’ beware: if it is not the real thing it could contain sugar and chemical flavouring.

Beans/Pulses

Beans make a good base for many healthy dishes, especially if you are trying to stay off meat to improve your fertility. They are great added to salads, soups and casseroles, and you’ll find them a useful and economical addition to your culinary repertoire.

Most beans (not lentils) need to be soaked, some overnight, before cooking. Alternatively, you can buy organic beans in tins from most supermarkets which have a little salt added to them but no sugar.

Houmous, which is made from chickpeas, can be bought ready-made from most supermarkets and is a good source of protein and essential fatty acids.

Meat

Meat is high in saturated fat so you should try to cut down on it. Of all meat, poultry is the healthiest choice and several supermarkets now sell organic, free-range or corn-fed birds, all of which are preferable to the usual mass-produced birds. However, apart from saturated fat, meat also contains growth hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals given to many animals reared for human consumption.

In addition to its adverse effects on fertility, these is also a possible link between the consumption of red meat and bowel cancer. The Government has therefore suggested that our intake of red meat should be less than 90g (3.2oz) a day.

Fish

Fish has low saturated fat levels and is very nutritious. It’s best to grill or poach fish, rather than fry it. Oily fish is particularly good, as it contains high levels of essential fatty acids, so you can enjoy mackerel, tuna, salmon (eat the bones), sardines and anchovies. Fresh is best but frozen or tinned are acceptable.

Eggs

Buy organic free-range eggs. You want organic as well as free-range. ‘Free-range’ only implies that the hens, unlike their battery cousins, have been given a certain amount of freedom but they can still be fed on ‘junk’.

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