The Hemp Connection [Search results for military] 

Last week Dr. Doug Bibus honored us with a webinar on the science behind his blood omega-3 testing. His statistics regarding the many correlations between poor omega-3 status and health problems were profound. What particularly got my attention was how this issue may, in some interesting ways, be singling out military families.

Dr. Bibus shared that omega-3 fatty acids have become the subject of intense interest with the Department of Defense, given the fact that military suicides doubled between 2005 and 2008. If you think about it, the majority of deployments during this time have been to Iraq and Afghanistan, where seafood is not a staple on the menu.

Have you ever seen or eaten a military ration (aka MRE?). Many moons ago, my neighbor found some at a military surplus store, and for fun, we organized a dinner party around them.

Just look at that photo to the left. It is what our military eats, day in and day out. I don't see any omega-3's and I do see sugar and pro-inflammatory fats. The focus of these meals, understandably, has been to provide a concentrated source of calories (1250 per meal and 36% fat on average) in a small volume. And that need for calories has been a great dumping ground for surpluses of corn and soybean oil, industries subsidized by our own government.

Expose yourself to that kind of diet, stress, and sleep deprivation, day in and day out, for months on end…it's no wonder the incidence of suicide skyrocketed. I'm glad the DOD has decided to start to figure out how to fix it.

Zoom back over to Virginia Beach and San Francisco, where inCYST seems to have strong pockets of interest. As I sat there and listened to Dr. Bibus talk about the mental health aspects of omega-3 deprivation on our military, I couldn't help but wonder if these infertility pockets are somehow related.

These military couples aren't just dealing with infertility. They have very short windows of opportunity to do something about it. And if the hubs is coming home omega-3 deprived, it's likely not going to be something that's going to resolve, even with supplementation, in his short time at home.

Because those MRE's are so high in calories and fat, and because omega-3 health is all about ratios, it's going to take a pretty high dose of fish oil to overcome that imbalance.

Seems to me that one of the very best things any infertile couple also managing a military deployment might do…is be sure that somehow, some way, omega-3 fats are a priority. It's going to take the military awhile to figure out how to reconfigure those MRE's, let alone politically negotiate all that subsidized surplus pro-inflammatory fat out of them. You don't have to, and you shouldn't…wait for that. Be sure you figure out how to get your fish oil to your loved one.

For his peace of mind and your future family.

Just sayin'

Several years ago I hosted an inCYST professional training in Los Angeles. In the weeks before the event, I'd been chatting on the phone with a young woman from several thousand miles away, who decided to come and participate. The whole time we chatted on the phone, I had assumed she was a dietitian, coming down to represent the medical clinic at her military base, as a trip funded by that employer. It was not until she came and we met, that I realized, she had come to attend our conference to learn more about her own personal diagnosis. And it was not until the second day of the event, when I asked her if she would like to be our"practice patient" and tell her story, did I receive one of the biggest gifts of my career. It was only when this sweet, deliberate woman got up in front of our audience, that we learned she had been deployed to Iraq. And once she realized we really wanted to hear her TRUE story, that she started to share some of the experiences she had had during that time. And if that was not enough to get our attention, she also shared how nearly impossible it had been for her to get anyone on her military health care team to take her seriously when the stress of that deployment began to take its toll on her health. Despite everything she had been through, and despite what seemed obvious to everyone in that room…that part of her problem was directly related to the sacrifice she had so willingly given us…her employer did not want to recognize this and give her appropriate care. She even had to pay all of her own expenses to come to our event. In all the years I've attended conferences and hosted conferences, I've never witnessed a quieter audience. This group of medical professionals, used to having a lot of answers for a lot of things, sat there humbled, frustrated, I'm guessing a little embarrassed that they had so much in their own lives, while someone else who had given so much in order for them to have all that…was being given so little in return. I call this experience a gift, because it heightened my awareness of what our military sacrifices on our behalf. It's not just time away from family, a limb, a delayed college entrance. It's dignity in the health care they receive. I left feeling very angry about what seemed to be a reluctance to acknowledge the mental health toll military service takes. And a feeling that we seem to be ok with using young men and women until the pressure begins to affect them, then we quietly set them out on their own with no resources for putting themselves back together. We do see quite a few military personnel and families of military personnel, likely due to the stresses of these military lives. I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your gift to us. Without what you fought for, none of us in this network would have the luxury of doing what we do. And you have provided us with a purpose over and above educating about women's health. I want to make you a promise. When we get up and running, and start doing research, I will be sure that the issues, concerns, and needs of your community are a major part of what we advocate for. It's not just something we think of on this weekend. It's a huge part of what drives us to do what we do, every single day of the year. Thank you for your service. It is, and will always be, an honor to work to serve you.

We've been doing some business with companies working with nopales (prickly pear cactus pads). I'd seen a lot of research suggesting that nopales are good for quite a few health issues, particularly blood glucose.

We started selling Ibitta's products a couple of months ago and I was amazed at where the orders were coming from — Memphis, Philadelphia, not simply Arizona and California like I'd expected! I finally called one customer to see why she'd ordered it. Apparently her mother had been bugging her to try it as it is a popular Mexican supplement for weight loss. When her mother finally gave her a bag, she felt it couldn't hurt to try it. She noticed that when she stirred a couple of spoonfuls of Pinalinaza into a glass of water and drank it before a meal, it helped her appetite. And over a couple of months she lost 20 pounds.

Another woman with PCOS, in military basic training, wrote:

I just wanted to give you an update. Although I knew that Nopales was used…in my Hispanic heritage, I didn't know that it would help me out with my sugar so much!! I ordered the products that you hosted on this site (Pinalinaz … a, etc…) and can't wait to start them! In the mean time, I am eating nopales I bought from the local store. For one week, I've eaten them in the morning every other day. I lost 3 pounds and during that week I was only able to walk for exercise as the week was too busy. I have kept track of my sugar and the nopales has regulated it so much so that now I am falling into a Hypoglycemic instead of Diabetic. I am determining how I can balance it, however this is an awesome break through for me. I was doing the military basic training for two months and only lost 5 lbs because of PCOS. Now that I incorporated nopales, the stubborn sugar is being removed!! I can't wait for shipment!! This is a big breakthrough for me, it is extremely hard for me to digest the sugar and the nopales are doing something right!!

Last Friday, I gave a presentation on PCOS at the local Indian Health Service Hospital here in Phoenix. One of my clients made a big batch of nopales salad for everyone to try. It was lunchtime about an hour and a half later, and several people noted that they weren't really very hungry.

There is research to support these testimonials. A 2007 study reported that 85 g nopales with a meal reduced the glycemic index of the meal. Way back in 1991, researchers reported that nopal had a glucose-lowering effect.

For the non-native eater, the prospect of de-stickering a cactus pad, not to mention what to do with the cactus once that's done, likely keeps many people from trying it. In Phoenix, we have a company, Oro Verde Products, that sells ready-to-prepare cactus pads as well as chopped nopales ready to add to your recipe. It's popular in salads, stews, and scrambled eggs. I've even heard of some people juicing it if they have a powerful blender. Check Oro Verde's website for information and recipes.

Ibitta's products are nice because they're powdered and mixed with flax. I've used them on my oatmeal, in smoothies, in vinaigrettes, and breadings. I even made a vanilla cheesecake with the hibiscus (Jamaica) flavored variety in the crust. They're very versatile and more user-friendly in the typical American kitchen.

These we do carry in the store, if you're interested in ordering.

If you live in Los Angeles, look for Nopatillas, a tortilla made with nopal. This would be super easy to include in breakfast burritos, lunch wraps, etc.

Wherever you are, however you eat it, be sure to try nopales. They could be a great way to help control your blood glucose.

Bacardi-Gascon M, Dueñas-Mena D, Jimenez-Cruz A. Lowering effect on postprandial glycemic response of nopales added to Mexican breakfasts. Diabetes Care.2007 May;30(5):1264-5. Epub 2007 Feb 26.

Frati AC, Gordillo BE, Altamirano P, Ariza CR, Cortés-Franco R, Chávez-Negrete A, Islas-Andrade S. Influence of nopal intake upon fasting glycemia in type II diabetics and healthy subjects. Arch Invest Med (Mex). 1991 Jan-Mar;22(1):51-6.