The simple answer is no. You have to consider your objective for going on a diet. Is it to lose weight, or is it for other medical reasons. In my case, I was diagnosed with some hardening of the coronary arteries. Not obstructive, so no cause for surgical action.

So, I asked the doctor what kind of diet I should be on? Maybe a vegan or vegetarian diet. Our local supermarket has a dietitian on staff who said a Mediterranean diet would work best for me.

So, cut out processed food, eat less red meat, more fish, make sure I eat more fruit and vegetables. Most importantly, she considered my then current diet and said that I was not getting enough fiber. A lot of gluten-free breads don’t contain any or enough fiber. So, now it is time to eat oatmeal every day. A few weeks later, I have lost 12 lb, and feel good – apart from the pain in my lower back, but that is another story!

I think the key thing is not to lose weight too quickly, and make sure you check with your doctor before you start going on a crazy diet! Also, try and find a dietitian who can provide guidance and point out where in your store the good stuff can be found. Once you have done that, find some good diet recipe books and get cooking!

Last night I made an awesome dish that contained beans, mushrooms, vegetables, onions, soy sauce – only took me a short time to produce, but even less time to eat it!

My career has been mostly in the medical communication editing area. Helping physicians write great articles about a topic that interests them and getting those articles published. Unfortunately, that meant that I spent a lot of time sitting at a desk. The result is that my spine has developed problems that make it painful to stand or walk for extended periods. The low back pain can extend down one or both legs.The pain can vary between mild and severe. More severe pain needs more aggressive treatment and can even be a medical emergency.

The orthopedic physician I saw said that the treatment is ‘minor’ surgery on my spine to relieve the pressure on the nerves. Since when has any surgery on the spine been minor? A quick review of the information that is available on the Internet suggests that there are risks that the surgeon doesn’t want to talk about. My sister-in-law is a nurse who spent some time working on an orthopedic ward – she said that she has seen side effects that I don’t want any part of. So, I want to explore alternative treatments.

• Sleeping – sleep on my side, with a small pillow between my knees. This seems to help, although I usually wake up with the pillow somewhere else
• Surgery – the orthopedic doctor suggested ‘minor’ surgery to relieve the pressure on the nerves in my spine. When has spinal surgery ever been ‘minor’?
• Chiropractic adjustments – my chiropractor has changed his method of adjustments based on the MRI that I have cysts between the lumbar 4th and 5th vertebrae
• Spinal extension – also called inversion therapy. I don’t have an inversion table (paid link – see end of post) like this, but I do have an exercise machine that allows me to lie upside down at an angle of about 30 degrees. I only need to do it for about 5 minutes each day
• Infrared heating pad – very helpful for me. It allows me to sit and apply the heat for an extended period
• Pain relief – I have been lucky to not need to take anything stronger than ibuprofen. Opioids are suggested to help, but the risk of addiction, and other effects, have been well reported. So I choose not to go that route

So, having synovial cysts (or any kind of back injury) can be very painful. It can stop you from enjoying life. You must get professional medical advice before trying any ‘alternative’ treatment. However, there are treatments that do work (I am slowly getting better) and are therefore well worth considering after appropriate medical consultations.

Note: I may receive small compensation from any paid links included in my posts. I do not endorse any of the items linked unless specifically stated – please do your own research to identify the best product for your needs.

Here’s another story suggesting that antibiotics may not be good for us: they may prevent some anticancer drugs from working. This can be added to the reasons why I posted about here. This was another study in mice, but they tested anticancer drugs in animals that had been treated with antibiotics, or not. The animals that had not received the antibiotics responded to the anticancer drugs better than those that had received them. More reasons to take probiotics after a course of antibiotics? I wonder if anyone is researching the effects in humans? I think it is quite likely.

I have written before about the dosage of vitamin D that I should be taking, and the toxicity of vitamin D, but here is a new study from the University of Kentucky that indicates that levels of vitamin D that are too low may be associated with brain damage.

The researchers studied animals, so it remains to be seen whether the same effects would be seen in humans. However, I do know that I feel better when I have been able to spend at least some time in the sunshine, so maybe there is a bit of truth here?

Read the rest of this entry

This post started off with doing some research on PubMed on what studies have actually been conducted into what supplements I might need. The result was total confusion. Some studies say that vitamins may prevent this or that, while other studies say that the same vitamins cause this or that. So, I ended up totally confused. I trained as a pharmacist, and have learned a bit about the macro- and micronutritional needs of my body over the years, so I can only imagine how confused everyone else must be.

A few years ago now I started taking vitamins produced by a company called USANA. I like these because they are produced in a FDA-certified facility, and are backed by a lot of research. I also like them because they have kept me healthy even though I have had a lot of stress in my life. The range of products they have is impressive, but a little while ago they introduced a True Health Assessment that allowed me to assess just what products I needed. Whether I take them or not is up to me, but at least I have a good starting point. The really good thing about the True Health Assessment is that it is free. The products are not, and I do have to say that if you decide to order products after your assessment, I will receive a commission (thank you!). Read the rest of this entry