The Hemp Connection:
constipation

This is the final installment of this series, but probably the most important one to understand. Weight fluctuates. Even when you eat exactly as you've been advised to. Even if you weigh and measure everything out. It just does. And it's not 100% tied to what we eat. We cycle as humans, and those cycles are reflected in our weight.

We weigh more in the evening than we do in the morning. Of course we do, there's food in our bellies, and there's water we've drunk! In the morning we're dehydrated and hungry. So it is counterproductive to weigh in the morning as well as the evening and assume that any conclusion that the evening weight reflects how much fat we've gained or lost…is logical. I can't stop you from doing that…but I can tell you it isn't a scientific…or self-esteem promoting…technique.

If you have lost your menstrual cycles, it's important to remember that as they return, they will affect your weight. Your weight can fluctuate between 1 and 10 lbs. throughout the month. Every woman is different in this respect. Part of that is fluid, and many women (unfortunately, myself included) experience constipation as part of their PMS. It just happens, and it's a reflection that your body is working just as it should.

I used to notice when I worked more exclusively with eating disorders, that weights would often cycle a couple of months before the period actually returned. It was kind of like the reproductive system was ramping up and taking running starts at menstruating, and eventually got there. Since my clients didn't have the period to validate that this internal process was what was happening, it was hard for them to live with the temporary weight shift.

So in addition to, as I mentioned in the last post, being sure you compare a Monday weight to a Monday weight, etc., you may do best to compare a Monday weight from week one of your four week cycle to the Monday weight from four weeks earlier.

Most of my clients actually notice that they lose waist inches before they lose real weight. That's a really good sign the rest will follow. But you are going to have to look up from your scales and focus on the more important information in order to see that for yourself.

If you're addicted to getting on and off the scale multiple times in a day, perhaps you should hand your scale to a friend for safe keeping. It's not the most accurate indication of how you're doing with your nutrition plan. Really, all it's telling you is how hard the earth has to use gravity to keep you from floating off into space. Really? Really. Maybe it's time you gave up your astronaut fantasy and focused on what is important.

If your mood is stabilizing, your hormones are cycling, your cravings are dissipating, and your energy is better, that's what matters most. Take care of that…and the rest will follow.

I've been working all week with a client who has been TKO'd by broccoli. She's a broccoli lover. And right now, there are a lot of other foods that don't get into the day because she's not quite sure they're safe. So, while we work on that, she's been leaning pretty heavily on broccoli as a food.

The last few weeks she's been complaining about feeling bloated, which is common when someone whose food choices have been limited starts to expand their menu.

The situation reached a break point the other day when she had back and gut pain so severe she was rolling on the floor. The symptoms sounded enough like developing appendicitis that we decided an urgent care visit was in order.

Turns out, the problem was twofold: excessive gas and constipation.

The gas is likely related to the broccoli consumption. It's just a food that produces gas. And gas won't go anywhere if there isn't anything propelling it through the system.

The constipation is likely due to such a long history of limiting food intake, and the intestines quite literally forgetting how to process food.

So when you overdo one food that really shouldn't be eaten if your intestines aren't healthy…when your intestines aren't healthy…you just might find yourself rolling on the floor wishing someone was there to drive you to Urgent Care.

The moral of the story is, there's no such thing as a good food. Even a good food, when eaten in excess, can be a bad food for your health and your comfort.

PCOS is one of those problems where you can develop significant food fears. Is this going to make me gain weight? Is this going to raise my blood sugar? Is this going to make my acne worse? Is this going to interfere with my fertility?

PCOS is also a syndrome which, for recovery, is completely dependent on ridding yourself of that mentality, that some foods are good and others bad. Your body will respond best to a variety of foods eaten in moderation.

Broccoli is probably ok 2 or 3 times a week, in 1/2 cup portions. But on those other days…why not carrots or beets or spinach or green peppers?

If you do this right, you should be gradually increasing your food repertoire, not narrowing it down to a handful of choices.

Before the bathroom humor starts popping into your head, I want to say that I’m quite serious about this one. As a psychologist, over time, it is typical for people to feel quite comfortable telling me virtually anything that might be perceived as shameful, embarrassing, or humiliating. Confidentiality and acceptance are key to successful therapy, and creating an atmosphere that invites disclosure is important – if I don’t know what’s REALLY going on, how can I help you?

As a health and medical psychologist, I gather more than the usual amount of medical information from my clients. Many of them are dealing with PCOS, infertility, diabetes, and other endocrine conditions that can result in bowel irregularities. Anxiety often results in diarrhea, as do irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and related conditions. Thyroid disorders also alter bowel functioning. Cancer treatments affect regularity. And the list goes on and on.

What I usually hear is a client bringing up the issue by saying, “Um, you probably don’t want to really hear about this, but, um, I’m having this um, problem with, um, diarrhea… ” As they trail off, I reassure them that I’m used to hearing this stuff, and I actually want to hear it. Truly, I have heard it all in this department. This is an enormous relief to the client, who has often been too embarrassed to tell one of her doctors about it. Because I see the client weekly, there’s a much higher level of trust than with a doctor whom she seems every few months.

This information is helpful to me diagnostically, because I instantly know a great deal more about what’s driving stress and anxiety (if you’re prone to sudden loose stools, it can contribute to social anxiety and fear of leaving the house, for example). It helps me normalize certain behaviors or symptoms, and be alert to other things that might be troubling the client. Quite often, we are so used to having irregularities in our bodies – food cravings, random menstrual cycles and the like – that bowel irregularities get overlooked. When you can’t get pregnant, you’re generally not overly concerned with chronic constipation, right?

When a client is able to trust me with this type of information, I actually feel honored. I’m not a medical doctor; I can’t perform diagnostic procedures or prescribe medication to remedy the problem. But I truly do want to know every aspect of my clients, up to and including the quality and frequency of their bowel movements. I can make referrals to medical doctors who can help. And there are psychological treatments that are effective for bowel disorders, and of course for reducing stress and anxiety.

On a more interesting note, there’s a strong gut/bowel and brain connection. A significant percentage of our neuro-transmitters are produced in the gut – around 85% of the serotonin, for example. So, if you’re experiencing cramping, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation, not only may you have a medical disorder, but it may be contributing to depression, anxiety, or other psychological conditions. In a nutshell, that’s why I want the full scoop on your poop – so I can help you as comprehensively as possible!

Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She specializes in counseling women and couples who are coping with infertility, PCOS, and related endocrine disorders and chronic illnesses.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. HOUSE or her practice, or obtain referrals in the Los Angeles area, please visit her website at www.drhousemd.com, or e-mail her at Gretchen@drhousemd.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd.

I got started on a series recently about agave nectar, and then had to put it down to attend to other business projects. Today I wanted to focus on an aspect of agave nectar that may be one of its most important nutritional contributions.

A disclaimer must be included before I continue. This information is only going to be helpful if the agave is consumed in conjunction with the guidelines as described in my earlier post. If your diet is high in sugar, it is NOT a license to simply switch to a different sweetener and use ad libitum.

Agave contains compounds known as fructans, which researchers in Mexico recently reported may help prevent osteoporosis by increasing intestinal calcium absorption. These same researchers, based at the National Polytechnic Institute, Guanajuato, Mexico, have suggested that these same fructans"may be beneficial in diabetes, obesity, stimulating the immune system of the body, decreasing levels of disease-causing bacteria in the intestine, relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of colon cancer".

Fructans do their job by functioning as"prebiotics"--they provide nutrition for the healthy bacteria in the colon.

These bacteria have been reported to change the way fat is absorbed, leading some researchers to suggest that agave may have some weight loss-enhancing qualities (again, when used according to the guidelines for upper limit of intake. A calorie is a calorie, regardless of where it comes from).

Fructans are simply long, non-digestible chains of fructose. It explains why the fructose content of agave nectar is so high. However, it appears to be in a different chemical form than that of simple fructose. If you're familiar with the differences between simple sugar, complex carbohydrate, and fiber…fructans, the way fructose is packaged in agave, is a soluble fiber. It's not digested or absorbed, and because it stays in the large intestine, it promotes the growth of beneficial, disease-fighting bacteria.

If you are still skeptical, and I don't blame you, given the plethora of conflicting information on the Internet, I would recommend measuring your own triglycerides before using any agave nectar. Then re-check those levels 3 months later to see if there is a difference.

It is important on this blog that we get it right…so if you take the challenge and you DO experience elevated triglycerides, I'd love to hear from you. That is important information to share.