Chronic pain and Fibromyalgia

I had a fall down my bottom step on the weekend. With my son on my hip, I contorted my body to ensure his safety. Who knew bodies could twist like that?! At first, I was sure it was my knee that I needed to be concerned about. The next day, I discovered that it was EVERY muscle in my back and neck that I needed to be concerned about!


While my husband and I were driving into Barrie, I was very uncomfortable. He kept asking me if everything was okay. I began to appreciate my chronic pain and fibromyalgia patients in a whole new way.


I am certainly not trying to equate one painful weekend of mine to the suffering that my patients have endured. But I really felt the need to comment on some of my insights.


The biggest one was how difficult it was to enjoy my family and the activities we were doing. It was only grocery shopping and the like, but I was very distracted by how sore I was. My son wanted to be picked up to look at things or show me something down an aisle and I could not do it. It took the fun out of it, for all of us.

That was another big ah-ha for me. It must be so hard on the families of these patients. My husband only had to deal with a couple of days of my being apathetic. Some of these patients feel that disconnected everyday for years! I'm sure that their families miss the lively people they were before the pain set in.

I love cooking and being creative in the kitchen - but not this weekend. I had zero imagination for colourful, healthful meals. No wonder that these patients find dietary changes so hard to make despite the importance of a healthy diet to manage the inflammation.

There are many treatment options for fibromyalgia and chronic pain. If you, or someone that you know is suffering, I encourage you to seek help. Treatment needs to go beyond pain meds that can leave you feeling even more groggy and disconnected.

Often, fibromyalgia and chronic pain are symptoms of an overstressed system. Some people end up with high blood pressure, others end up in pain. It's not a disease that exists 'only in your head'. That pain is real, and it requires real treatment. When left untreated, it can lead to a whole host of emotional disorders like depression, insomnia and anxiety.

Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton ND

Whole food diet update - two weeks in

Hello All. So it's the 15th of the month and I figured that was as good a time as any for an update.

It's been a lot easier than I was expecting! I eat the same breakfast everyday, my granola. A cup of that lasts me well until lunchtime. My lunches tend to be salad, only because it's really easy. It's a big salad with anything in my fridge. Dried fruit or chopped up apple, nuts and seeds and some cheese. I buy a variety of cheeses to change up the flavour as well. Not bored yet! I have a snack of nuts and fruit at some point as well. I eat all of this on my own so my family is not really affected at all.

Supper is when we eat as a family as much as possible. I am trying out new recipes but am aware that I have to introduce things slowly. I figure that Brendan can try out one new thing per week. So that leaves the rest of the week as meat, rice or potato, and veggies (which is what we ate most of the time before anyway!). Could be BBQ, could be stir fry, braised meat is a one-pot wonder...lots of variety.

My energy is amazing! I'm never hungry - in fact today I had to remember to eat lunch. And, I've lost 2 lbs. Not bad!!

The challenges are keeping good food on hand, and preparing as much as possible beforehand. If I'm making one salad, I might as well make three. I put 1/4 cup of nuts into snack ziplock's and keep them in the freezer so that they are easy to grab as I run out. And of course, dealing with the sad eyes of my husband when he says "man I could really go for pizza tonight!".
Anyway, I'd say that so far, so good.

I signed up for a Running Room program today. I used to run but since I got pregnant (two and a half years ago!) I've been unable to get back to it with any consisitency. Figured that I would start at the beginning again and do the Learn to run program on Monday nights. It will be so nice to get back into the groove again. Can't wait until August 2nd!

Yours in health,

Kerri Fullerton ND

Quick and healthy dinner

I got home later than usual last night and didn't have supper prepared. I did however, have a recipe on my computer for stuffed tomatoes that I found on http://www.vegetariantimes.com/.

This will become a staple for sure! It took about 5 minutes to put everything together, then I popped it in the oven for 30 minutes while my son had his bath and got ready for bed.

I lightly sauteed some zucchini and summer squash in some olive oil and salt to have as a side dish - presto! Healthy, filling, and most importantly, tasty.

for 4 stuffed tomatoes, you will need:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed


• 1 cup corn kernels (frozen or fresh)


• 3 green onions, sliced


• 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (divided in two)


• 1/2 tsp cumin


• 1 tsp chili powder


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 4 large tomatoes

1. cut the tops off the tomatoes (about an inch worth) and spoon out the centre.


2. chop the centres of the tomatoes and put into a medium sized bowl.


3. add the beans, corn, onions, 1/2 the cheese, cumin, chili powder and salt


4. mix well


5. spoon the mixture into the hollow tomatoes and top with the remaining cheese.


6. place in lightly oiled shallow pan


7. bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Yours in health,

Kerri Fullerton ND

Suncreens - what you need to know

We should all be concerned about what we put on our bodies everyday. I have to admit though, I didn't pay that much attention until I became pregnant. Then, I was concerned about what I was absorbing and possibly passing on to my unborn child. Once Patrick was born, I then had to decide what I was willing to put on his little body everyday.

My sister-in-law directed me to the Environmental Working Group's website years ago. She was having issues with skin sensitivities and wanted a way to find out what products were safest. I linked it to my website because of how often I refer to it.

Here is their latest sunscreen report. Take the time, it's worth the read.

Our June newsletter will have an expanded article about sunscreens. If you're not getting it, sign up now!

Summary of Findings | Environmental Working Group

Posted using ShareThis

Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton ND

Vaccination poll by Today's Parent

I need to do a little rant here - surprise, surprise, it's about vaccinations again.

When I was directed to the Today's Parent Poll to share my opinion about vaccinations, I was expecting to fill out a survey. But instead, I found three choices: for, against, don't know what to do.

Come on!!! When those results get posted, they will be slanted. What about all those parent's who educate themselves and decide that some vaccinations are appropriate while others are not? What about those parent's that realize that sometimes vaccinations are the right choice and that for some kids, they are not?

What's my point? Be careful when you read results from such polls. Make sure that you know what the questions are before you interpret the results.

Choosing whether or not to vaccinate your children is a complex issue. It is not a simple, for or against question.

Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton ND

Polyps, colon cancer, and omega 3's

Omega 3 fatty acids (specifically EPA) reduces the risk of precancerous intestinal polyps.The particpants taking the EPA had 22 percent less polyps, and the polyps they did have were 30 percent smaller.
The sutdy was performed on people with an existing genetic predisposition, so it is not clear if it would have the same effect on a population without the predisposition.

Another round of applause for fish oils!

Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton ND

PAP tests

Today was another PAP clinic day. I met a lovely young women, who is not a patient of mine. Her medical doctor didn't want to do a PAP for her and because she has a family doctor and is over 20, she couldn't get it done at the Community Health centre.

If you or someone you know needs a PAP done, please let them know that we do a PAP clinic at Rooted on the third Wednesday of every month from 9-12:00. The test is done by me, a registered Naturoapthic Doctor, and your results will be provided to you to take to any healthcare practitioner that you choose. The cost is $35 with $5 going to the Women's and Children's Shelter here in Barrie.

Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton

Ask for a copy of your results

I just had an experience with a patient that makes this post seem pertinent. She had her blood work done at the same time as her physical two years ago. When I asked her about the results she said, as most patients say, "they didn't call me so I guess everything was fine". We faxed over a release of records to obtain a copy. What we discovered, was that she has been anemic for two years, didn't know it, and wasn't being treated for it.

Please understand that I am not ranting about how bad doctors are these days! They are very busy, and have a lot of paper shuffled across their desks everyday. It will happen, by laws of statistics, that something will get missed once in a while.

This post is meant to encourage you to prevent your results from being the ones that get overlooked. Ask for a copy of your results. That way, you know they will be looked at.

Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton ND

Are you getting it 5-10 times a day?

Canada's Food Guide recommends getting 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Personally, I recommend aiming for 11 per day. But is that reasonable? How can it be done?

Three fruits: one with breakfast, two servings as snacks. (1/2 cup of fruit, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, one piece of fruit).
Eight vegetables: do a four cup salad at lunch and two cups of cooked veggies at supper (1 cup lettuce/greens, 1/2 cup cooked or raw veggies)
Not so bad eh? Building you meal around your veggies instead of the piece of meat usually helps.

Here is my favorite stir fry recipe. Makes it easy and tasty to get 2 cups of veggies in!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
1 cup brown rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
340g skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp canola oil
6 cups broccoli florets, rinsed (any combination of veggies works well)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.
2. Make the marinade: mix the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set the bowl aside (you can do this step before you go to work!)
3. heat a large deep skillet or wok over med-high heat. Add the canola oil and stir-fry broccoli until bright green, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and the marinade. Stir-fry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and remove from heat.
5. Garnish with cashews and serve immediately with the rice.
makes 4 servings.

Bon Apetit!!
Kerri Fullerton ND

Really? Another HPV vaccine.

I know that I'm biased when it comes to vaccines, but with still looming safety issues about Guardasil, Health Canada has approved another HPV vaccine.

At a price tag of $400 and a need for three doses, no one knows if it's any better than Guardasil. Really, is this the best way that our health care system can offer the best care?

Yours in Health,
Kerri

Cleanse Recall

Just found out that a cleanse is being recalled. Check out the Health Canada bulletin here.

It's a Complete 7 Day cleanse that wasn't approved for sale in Canada.

Wheat free Zucchini muffins

Trying to reduce the risk of allergy development, we have been concious to rotate Patrick (and our) grains. We eat Kamut bread, use alternative flours in our home baking, buy wheat free/gluten free waffles. By reducing the frequency that we are exposed to each grain, we reduce the risk of becoming sensitive to it.
Here is a muffin recipe that I use a lot! You can swap out the zucchiini for any other veggie or fruit (like bananas of course!).

Recipe:

In large mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients:
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

Then add:
one egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a separate small bowl, combine the following ingredients:
1 cup barley flour
1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Add a 1/2 cup of walnuts.
(if I using pumpkin, I add raisins and walnuts; if I use bananas I add frozen raspberries and almonds).

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Enjoy!!

Our first trip to the ER

My son, Patrick, who is 15 months old had his first emergency this weekend. Little boy vs. coffee table - coffee table won this time. He's fine, of course. They are resilient little creatures. Mom and Dad however, not as resilient.

I got my first real challenge to the "we chose not to vaccinate" decision. It made me appreciate how truly difficult it must be for people to make this choice. We were instantly treated differently, and the conversations became dominated by the "we're really concerned about tetanus here..."

Let me say this - I appreciate that the doctors and nurses in the ER were doing what they truly believed to be in Patricks best interest. They were doing due diligence and educating us on what they thought was best.

Let me also say that the decision to or not to vaccinate is a conversation best had with the patients regular MD, who has all of the pertinent family history to advise on such a matter. Despite my explanations (which are, lucky for me, "good" ones even in the medical world) they continued to push. I cannot imagine how hard that would have been for people who are not as well versed in medicine as I am.

This post is not meant to blast the doctors. This is meant as a little rant about how sad it is that parents cannot make informed decisions in the best interest of their child without strangers poking their noses in it.

Yours in Health,
Kerri

Substituting eggs

When someone can't eat eggs anymore, baking becomes a nightmare! Does that mean that they can't have pancakes and muffins anymore? No way.

Here are some easy ways to use ingredients you already have to replace eggs in your favorite recipes.

When there is only one egg in a recipe, it's in there as a binder.
Try using 1 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp warm water or 3 Tbsp of pureed fruit instead.

When there are two to three eggs in a recipe, it's there as a leavener.
Try using 1 heaping tsp baking powder, 1 Tbsp oil, and 1 Tbsp warm water instead.

Happy baking!

Kerri

Eggless Banana Bread

Delicious and moist, this is a recommended recipe for anyone!

Mix the following ingredients into a small bowl:
1 1/2 cup flour (I use 1 cup barley flour and 1/2 cup arrowroot flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Mix the following ingredients into a large bowl:
1 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar (less is still very tasty!)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup milk (almond milk works well too)

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

Freezes really well so I always make two loaves!!

Enjoy

Kerri