What would it be like if you had time to just “be”? Time you could spend reflecting on who you are? What would your life be like if you were not under any pressure to have to do anything in particular?

I don’t know, either. But I’m about to find out. I’m going to change the direction of my life and possibly turn it upside down. I don’t know whether or not I’m going to like these changes. I just know it’s time to make them.

Life is filled with changes. We enjoy some of them more than others, but like them or not, they happen. Change is not the same as transitions.

“Change can come at any time, but transitions come along on their own time schedule when one chapter of your life is over and another is waiting in the wings to make its entrance,” says William Bridges, the author of several best-selling books on the subject. Transitions are a time for us to let go of the past and embrace the future. Sometimes we don’t recognize that we’re at a transition and that our life is about to change.

We all go through transitions: from childhood to adolescence, teenager to adult, preschool to kindergarten, high school to college, and raising children to empty nest syndrome.

Birth, marriage, divorce, health issues, or a new job are types of transitions that cause stress or anxiety. So is retirement. Once a chapter in your life is over it’s time to step into the unknown and look forward.

That’s where I’m at in my life right now. I’ve decided it’s time to make a major transition. It’s time to move from working on Women’s Health Letter every day to stepping into the unknown. Some call it retirement. I call it a change in activity.

Retirement can be extremely stressful. We go from being what convention calls “productful” (having a job) to retirement which is an unstructured environment. Often people do not know how to handle their new found freedom.

It’s important to give yourself permission to enjoy retirement and not feel that your self-worth is in any way compromised by not working. It is okay to pursue other interests that you previously did not have time for. We need to give ourselves permission to just “be.”

For me, that means I’ll have time to visit family and friends, do more charity work, garden, spend more quality time with friends, and do anything else I want to do. It’s an exciting time for me, but I have to be honest. I’ll miss writing Women’s Health Letter. And I’ll miss working with the folks at Soundview Communication, the company that publishes the newsletter.

I’ve been writing Women’s Health Letter for over 20 years. I started by writing an article or two each month. Then I took over full time in 1997. It’s been a wonderful journey. I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of you through the years. And I hope I’ve helped many of you walk your journey in a healthier way.

I know many of you were helped by the groundbreaking information I discovered on calcium. Too many women take far too much calcium, but when I exposed the Calcium Hoax (and wrote a book about it), it helped many women avoid the brittle bones caused by overdosing on calcium.

I was also the first newsletter writer to talk about the need for more iodine. My work with Guy Abraham, MD – the father of modern iodine research – put iodine back on the map for the medical community. But you were the first to read about it in these pages.

I also was the first to tell you about the dangers of systemic inflammation and how it can lead to many health problems. And that’s just a few of the groundbreaking stories you heard first in these pages. Others included light and color therapy, probiotics and healthy digestion, and dangerous electromagnetic fields.

As I make this transition, I’m going to do what we all should do when we take that next step. I’m going to take the time to reflect on years past and those accomplishments. But I’ll spend a lot more time thinking about what can be done by moving on to other interests. Transitioning to retirement is not the end, but a new beginning….

It’s also a new beginning for Women’s Health Letter. I’m so thrilled that my good friend Janet Zand, OMD, Lac will be taking over as editor. She is the perfect person to continue bringing you groundbreaking information on women’s health. You probably already know Janet, as I’ve talked about her for years. In fact, I have relied on much of her information for decades. She is a board certified acupuncturist, a doctor of oriental medicine, and the formulator of my favorite skin care kit, Système 41.

Janet is a nationally respected author, lecturer, natural health practitioner and herbal and nutraceutical products formulator who has helped thousands of people achieve better health. She’s also “Hollywood’s Best Kept Health Secret,” as In! Magazine describes her. That’s because of her “A”-list clientele of movie stars, rock stars and professional athletes. While she can’t disclose who these stars are, maybe she’ll tell you some of their stories. She has some great stories – I’ve heard many of them.

It’s a real honor to have Janet coming in behind me. She really knows her stuff. And you’ll love what she has to offer you for healthier living. I’m leaving you in great hands.

As I start this new endeavor, I’m taking many wonderful memories of you and your stories. I would love to hear from you. Please send me an email at [email protected], and tell me your story.

Creating the Best Diet for Your Health

Alice, a young friend of mine, called me recently, confused. “I don’t know what to eat any more or which foods to feed my family,” she said. “There are so many different diets out there, and each one sounds like it’s the best one for us. Right now we’re eating an allergy-free vegetarian diet with no dairy, corn, soy, or gluten.

“We’re not eating any processed foods, although at times I’m tempted. They take less time to fix, and there are some pretty healthful foods available these days like the organic, gluten-free frozen foods from Amy’s Kitchen (www.Amys.com), and prepared foods based on rice and quinoa.

“I feel very good on this diet and lost a lot of weight, but it is extremely limiting – and boring. Also, it contains no animal products or dairy, which I think I may need to get sufficient protein, and food preparation is time-consuming. I worry that our daughter, who’s eleven, may not be getting enough calcium and protein at a time in her life when she’s building strong bones. And another thing: it’s hard to figure out what to eat when we travel or meet friends for a meal, which we tend to do frequently.

“I’m concerned about not getting enough protein because I read in another book that children and people who exercise a lot need to get plenty of protein. And my husband and I work out regularly. But, like I said, I feel good on this diet, and I lost a lot of weight on it.”

To add to her confusion, Alice’s best friend, who has a strong influence on her decisions, swears by a program that consists primarily of lots of expensive dietary supplements. They’re designed to increase energy and cleansing. She’s trying to get Alice on these supplements. But some of these products contain as many as 50 or more ingredients. Many of them are in very small amounts.

Another problem I see with her friend’s program is that shopping and meal preparation takes a lot of Alice’s time. And when I took a close look at this diet, I was struck with how many different sweeteners it contained. It includes fructose, sugar, honey, fruit, brown rice syrup, and molasses. A high-sugar diet feeds inflammation, and inflammation is at the core of many chronic illnesses.

Alice went on to say, “I really respect and trust you. Can you help me decide what I should and shouldn’t be eating? I want to be as healthy as possible without spending all of my time shopping and preparing food.”

These two programs were only two out of dozens of possible diets for Alice to consider. There was the high-fat diet and a low-fat diet. A diet high in carbohydrates and low in protein, and the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet.
There was a diet low in sodium and the Mediterranean diet, which was low in red meat, sugar, and saturated fats and high in produce, and nuts. And all claimed weight loss and help with chronic illnesses.

Using Alice’s two dietary programs as a starting point, let’s take a look at beginning to plan a healthful diet that can work for everyone in your family. It doesn’t have to be complicated – or confusing.

Few nutritional programs work for everyone because men, women, and children have different needs. Some of these needs can be met by your diet, while others may be better served with supplements. Here are a few things to consider in creating your food plan.

Begin with the basics

Your diet should have sufficient protein and healthful fats, and be low in sugars. This combination will leave you satisfied. Once you have built this basic foundation, you can add other foods and supplements.

Sugars: Be patient with yourself. Take your dietary changes a step at a time. Begin by reducing or eliminating sugars. They’re among the most dangerous foods you can eat. Why? Because, as I said earlier, sugars feed inflammation, and inflammation is at the core of most chronic illnesses including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, viruses, and bacterial overgrowth.

You may find that the more sweets you eat, the more you crave. When Alice ate her friend’s high supplement and snack diet, the amount of sugars in her diet cancelled out many of that diet’s benefits. Bottom line: You can’t be healthy or get healthy on a high sugar diet.

Protein: Being a healthy vegetarian is possible, but it takes work and food preparation is time-consuming. Being a healthy vegan (no animal products including eggs, dairy, and honey) is even more difficult. If you are drawn to either of these diets, make sure you’re getting enough high-quality protein. All the information you need may be found in one of two books: The New Becoming Vegetarian or Becoming Vegan. Both are written by my Canadian friend, Vesanto Melina, MS, RD, and Brenda Davis, RD (Healthy Living Publications). These diets give you limited options when you eat out. Make sure that the program you choose will give you sufficient protein.

If you eat animal proteins, keep their amount low and buy the best quality fish, chicken, or beef you can find. Limit it to one serving a day.

How much is enough? In general, men need more protein (56 grams/day) to maintain muscles and reduce sugar cravings than women (46 grams/day). And children, like your daughter, need still less – around 34 grams/day. One diet does not fit all.

In fact, many of the benefits from Alice’s vegetarian diet and supplement program were cancelled out, by her high sugar intake. I predict that eating fewer sugars and more beneficial fats will be the cornerstone of tomorrow’s nutrition.
One way to boost your daily protein intake is to make a smoothie with protein powder that’s low in sugar for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon snack. You and your daughter may use a soy protein powder, which has a mild protective estrogenic effect. But your husband doesn’t need more estrogen. He may opt for a dairy-based protein powder. Note that a drink made with Advanced Protein Powder (800-791-3395) contains 15 grams of protein.

Fats: Fat-free diets have become popular lately, but they’re not healthful and your body can’t make these fats. You need to get them from your diet and supplements. However, not any old fats will do.

Omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory and may be found in seafood, nuts, and seeds. Omega-6 fats are pro-inflammatory and are high in meats, and vegetable oils. Most diets contain too much of the omega-6 fats and too little of the omega-3 fats. The more omega-6 fats you eat, the more omega-3 fats you need.

Your brain needs both omega-3 and omega-6 fats, but they need to be in the proper ratio (1:1). The major source of omega-3 fats is seafood, nuts, and seeds. To insure that you’re getting enough of the right kinds of fats, I suggest you take one or more fish oil supplements a day. By following these simple guidelines, you can eat a very healthful diet, lose some weight, and live a very healthy lifestyle. Just remember to keep your life simple and your carbohydrates complex.

Nutrition Detective

Discovered: A Simple Way to Prevent a Stroke That Will Cost You Nothing

Most remedies and preventive measures for serious illnesses are expensive, complex, hard to find, or all of the above. But occasionally it’s cheap and available. Such is the case with one method of stroke prevention that Linda told me about. She’s a previously healthy 52 year-old woman who found this very helpful.

Early one morning without warning, Linda had a stroke. Usually, she slept through the night. But on this particular day, her husband, Doug, found her standing in the middle of their living room unable to move or speak.

Linda had always been careful to never drink liquids after 8:00 at night because she didn’t want the urge to urinate to wake her up. But on this morning she was awakened with a severe headache. Linda managed to walk as far as the living room on her way to getting something for her headache when her body shut down. She was lucky that her husband found her as soon as he did.

Doug didn’t wait to call 911. He rushed Linda to a nearby hospital. There she was indeed diagnosed with having had a stroke. The doctors immediately gave her intravenous fluids and magnesium. The magnesium was to help her heart relax. You may have heard me say many times over that calcium causes muscles to contract, while magnesium causes them to relax. And since the heart is a muscle, magnesium is often the first nutrient given to someone who has had a heart attack or a brain attack. A brain attack is just another name for a stroke.

The nurses gave Linda intravenous fluids for possible dehydration – a common condition when a stroke occurs. In fact, Linda’s stroke may have been caused by dehydration and avoided by getting in the habit of drinking more liquids.

As we age, we become more susceptible to dehydration. All our body functions slow down, and our sense of thirst becomes less acute. So does our body’s ability to conserve water. The result is that we often forget to drink as much water as we need. This is especially true for women in nursing homes or those who are living alone. It also applies to anyone with a cold, sore throat, or fever. Instead of waiting until you’re thirsty, get in the habit of drinking a little water whenever your mouth feels dry. It can help thin your blood.

When you’re dehydrated, your blood becomes thicker and puts pressure on blood vessel walls. This changes the dynamics of how blood vessels function.

If you’re dehydrated and have a stroke, like Linda, you are likely to have a worse short-term outcome than if you were well hydrated at the time of your stroke. Last year, researchers at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference evaluated 168 stroke patients and found almost half of those who were hospitalized were dehydrated.

Strokes are more common in the early morning than at other times. This makes sense. We don’t tend to drink liquids after we go to bed for fear of interrupted sleep. So in the morning, many of us are dehydrated.

Mona Bahouth, MD, a stroke researcher at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, notes that “Previous studies suggest that about 60% of people are dehydrated at the time of stroke. Perhaps there is opportunity for intervention for this group of patients using simple hydration strategies.”

We may find that the best way to prevent a morning stroke is to drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up followed by frequent sips throughout the day. The price is certainly right, and the results could save your health.

LETTERS

Q: I’ve heard for years that we should eat foods low in cholesterol. Now I’m hearing in the news that dietary cholesterol, like eggs and butter, are not only safe to eat, it’s beneficial. What’s going on? Is cholesterol dangerous? Is it safe? I’m confused. – J. McN, Albany, NY

A: Cholesterol is not only safe, it’s necessary. You need it for a number of reasons. To begin with, it’s needed to make sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone. And you need cholesterol to utilize vitamin D – one of the most important nutrients for healthy bones, nerves, muscle tone, insulin production, immunity, and many other functions.

You also need sufficient cholesterol to repair damaged cells, and as we get older more of our cells become damaged. Nature has a way of dealing with this: our cholesterol levels get higher. But this isn’t due to the foods we eat. Only 15% of our cholesterol comes from our diet. Most cholesterol rises as we age because we need more of it – not less. In fact, low cholesterol diets can contribute to leaky gut and other digestive problems.

For those over 70, it’s much more desirable to have high cholesterol than low. A study out of Yale University found that seniors with low cholesterol died twice as often from a heart attack as those with high cholesterol. The small percentage of cholesterol that is harmful comes from processed foods. Avoid these and you’ll be fine.

Q: I just read your article on sugar, not salt, being a major contributor to high blood pressure. I’m curious. I consume only six teaspoons of sugar
a day in my coffee. That is all. I eat a very low calorie diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Why would my blood pressure be over 140/70? I am 68 years of age and I have a good amount of energy and mobility. – A.D., Glassboro, NJ

A: The World Health Organization (WHO), the American Heart Association, and other groups recommend that we limit our intake of sugars to six teaspoons a day. You say that’s all you consume, but this is not the case at all. All forms of sugar count toward these six teaspoons, including the sugars in “lots of fruits” that you say you eat every day. When you add them up, you’re most likely getting a huge amount of sugars.

They also include other forms of sugar like honey, alcohol, fruit juices, and the sweeteners in prepared foods like salad dressings, soups, and breakfast cereals. If you start reading labels and adding up all of these sugars, I think you’ll be shocked at how much you’re actually eating.

I suggest you begin by finding a substitute like Stevia or Xylitol for the sugar in your coffee. They won’t affect your blood pressure or blood sugar. Next, limit your fruit to two pieces a day. If this doesn’t help lower your blood pressure, it may be due to genetics or other causes.