Hi all
I just want to tell you why I am such a big believer in Omega oils and vitamin D.
I apologise in advance if I am preaching - I just want to share!!!
My son has a Primary Language disorder, Semantic/ Pragmatic disorder, which puts him within in the Autistic Spectrum - this meant that his language didn't develop properly (he has problems understanding and using language) and this has impaired his learning and social skills.
12 years ago i attended a conference by the charity AFASIC which supports children with communication difficulties. One of the speakers was a scientist from Oxford or Cambridge(can't remember which). She and her team had revisited some very old research that had been done in America looking at the benefits of fish oils. What I remember her telling us was that this early research had looked at children who were not developing well and noticed they often had very dry skin (amongst other problems) and introduced big doses of fish oils into their diet. For some reason the benefits shown from this trial didn't go forward, probably because there were no financial benefits for drug companies in this type of research.
Anyway, this oxbridge team had redone some trials which involved splitting a class of children into 2 groups and giving one half Omega oil supplements and the other a placebo. Very quickly it emerged that the children on the omega oils had improved concentration, were sleeping better, behaviour improved and skin dryness reduced etc.. The parents of the children on the placebo quickly demanded to have their children on this magic substance.
I immediately went home and put the entire family on Omega oils. My son was definitely less anxious, slept better and, I know, progressed in he is learning more positively. However the biggest surprise was my daughter, who lacked concentration and was slightly dyslexic, made a very marked improvement.
Since then, Omega oils have become the norm - often added to all kinds of foods and the benefits for all ages and ailments have been proved. Yes, you can get Omega oils from various food sources but it is often difficult to get enough.
My other vitamin passion is Vitamin D. 4 years ago I was teaching a dance class for adults and I had 2 GPs who attended my class. After one class, a discussion emerged about feeling really tired all the time and both GPs told us that following a research paper they read in the BMJ they now prescribed Vitamin D as a first line treatment for fatigue. They often had patients who came in, particularly in winter, complaining about constant fatigue and, when they did tests, these patients were deficient in Vit D!! The only really good source of Vitamin D is sunlight and the constant use of sunscreens means many of us are getting little or no Vit D absorption! We need 15-20mins of direct sunshine, without sunblock, each day to get our Vit D dose.
I do worry about the premise that you can get everything you need from a sensible diet as we know that, particularly in winter, many food stuffs are far from fresh. The way we store and cook our food has a major impact on the nutritional value of many foods. In fact, frozen vegetables often have more nutrients than those bought from the fresh veg areas in shops.
I have tried a vast array of herbal & homeopathic remedies for menopause and other conditions with absolutely no benefit but I do believe the right supplements can help our body help itself. Through episodes of extreme stress this is particularly important.
I do worry about the nutritionist that charges and uses some, highly questionable, diagnosis techniques. Common sense should prevail. There is some good information out there and balance is the key word.
I know the foods that upset me and I know I don't necessarily eat everything I should (I'm a fussy eater) but I try to be sensible. As we get older we must eat less or the pounds will pile on. The discipline of taking exercise is very difficult, having a dog that makes you walk is very helpful but not everyone can keep a dog.
We shouldn't obsess, just try to get the balance right.
This forum is such a wonderful way to support each other - I am learning so much. DG x
