I didn’t want to write about protein powder or the health benefits of apples today but I did want to briefly touch on an issue that I have been passionately researching for over a year. A full lenght article would take days to write and hours to read so this is just an intro to the idea of pharmaceutical integrity and what that means for you, the consumer/patient.

Few people are unaware that pharmaceutical industries lobby Doctors. We have all seen the shelves of samples and the posters and the calendars and the mugs and notepads in our Doctor’s offices. I have also worked closely to the legislative side of the health industry in Alberta and know that Big Pharma also puts on conferences and meetings to educate the Doctors on the newest developments, in particular, areas of medicine which they, no doubt, have the answer to in the form of a drug.

In fact, in some cases all of the information provided to Doctors and legislators regarding vaccines or other drugs comes directly from the pharmaceutical companies. And they do all of their own safety research and provide reports which, are not peer-evaluated by a third party group for accuracy, relevance and factuality. The information is also protected from being forcibly released to these peer groups in the interest of protecting the company’s profits. This is a very biased and very dangerous way of determining the safety and efficacy of a product. Not only that, but because of the profit reason, the FDA (I don’t know if Canada does this too) has been known to not report serious side effects of certain drugs.

Alive magazine has an article in their September 2006 issue called Bad Science, Could it be what ails you? that addresses the impact that funding can have on study outcomes or rather the interpretation of those outcomes. They are basing their article on a book written by a researcher (epidemiologist John Ioannidis) who stated that as much as more than half of research findings may be wrong. 

The article makes such claims as “almost 16 percent of the scientists said they modified a study because of pressure from funders” and that ”in January 2006 CBC’s The National aired a three-part program exposing Dr. Chandra’s long-term pattern of scientific fraud and financial deception.” There are also references to studies that were said to lean to one conclusion but once peer reviewed were obviously leaning the other way. The article is available here: http://www.alive.com/4770a12a2.php

Big Pharma will spend billions of dollars making sure they inform you and your physician about their new products. It is a business. Adults see ads on TV, their Doctor’s offices and in magazines. They then think that they have adult ADD, or erectile dysfunction or IBS and ask their Doctors for a prescription. The Doctor obliges and starts a stream of unnecessary prescriptions. The worst part is that some of these diseases, like IBS, have actually been created by Big Pharma. Do you stay up at night thinking about work? Do you frequently go to the bathroom? You need drugs!

I had a Doctor prescribe me something for my asthma once. I don’t have asthma! I refused to take the drug until I had an asthma test confirming that I actually had asthma. The result of that test was, of course, negative. Did that deter my Doctor from attempting to give me drugs I didn’t need? NO! Or when I was pregnant I used to go in to my OB’s office and for every little complaint I had she had a prescription. I tore ALL of those up. I had a little bit of nausea for pete’s sake! Why was she prescribing me drugs for a bit of nausea?

In the movie Thank You For Smoking there is a line that the main character uses: “How would Big Tobacco benefit from the death of [cancer boy]? It’s in our best interest to keep him alive and smoking.”

It runs similarly for Big Pharma. It’s in their best interest to keep you sick (or thinking you are sick) for the rest of your life. Their business is selling drugs not enhancing health! That is why one in four visits to Canadian emergency rooms are attributed to side effects related to prescription drug use. One in four people in Canada that show up at the emergency room are being damaged by their “life-saving” drugs. 1.

Big Pharma is not an industry with much integrity. To emphasize that point there are a growing number of Doctors who are taking a “No Free-Lunch” pledge. This is a promise that they will not accept free-lunches or any other gifts from pharmaceutical industry representatives. They will instead base their prescription decisions on third party research and lower prices. When Doctors give you those free samples (which come directly from the companies) they are trying to get you to use the newest and most expensive drugs, instead of the similar, cheaper generic ones!

To show you the lack of integrity present in this industry I have combined a list of examples and their resources. Okay. I know most are from the National Post as I used to be a subscriber but it’s not like they aren’t reputable.

1. Medicine sending thousands to hospital 25% of admissions due to side effects. National Post Nov 1/06 -drug side effects in proper dosages and wrongfully administered drugs (drug names sound and are spelled similar etc.)

2. The politics of health “Profit Before People”-Jason Watkin (president of Biomedica Laboratories) -states that Big Pharma will rush products through safety trials to beat the competitor. They put profit above people’s safety.

3. National Post, Dec 12/07, page A12 has two good articles. ‘Unusual’ amount of allergic reactions to mumps shot put end to inoculations  and  Study links diabetes drugs to heart failure.

4. Cholesterol drugs don’t help ‘bulk’ of takers:study  by Sharon Kirkey National Post (Don’t have the date on this one) -states that cholesterol lowering drugs don’t reduce the number of deaths in women and ONLY show an improvement in high risk men.

5.Class action to be launched over painkiller (oxycontin), National Post Sept 19/07

6. Vitamin C Overstatement – Student ‘blown away’ as science project results in fine for juice giantsNational Post A3, March 28/07 -this is related because GlaxoSmithKline (Big Pharma) was the manufacturer of this juice called Ribena in New Zealand which grossly overstated the Vitamin C content in the juice.

7. Another painkiller pulled off the shelves -Prexige National Post, Oct 5/07

8. Health Canada orders label change on Tamiflu to mention suicides National Post March 28/07 -gross side effects (psychosis)

9. The number behind the meds National Post, Oct 4/06 -How Big Pharm will manipulate data to make their products look favorable.

10. Pharmacy pamphlets omitting key information National Post, A4 -side effects not always listed -excuses: people don’t read them anyways.

11. Three provinces halt use of TB-test liquid after patients in Nova Scotia have allergic reactions. National Post -improper testing before releasing to the public. On the same page is an article about Medication mishaps avoidable.  

12. Study likely spells end for anti-bleeding drugYahoo News June 14/08 -This one is a doozy. Ok. So Bayer has this drug called Trasylol. They are facing a lawsuit because Trasylol led to excessive deaths and the company hid the evidence of harm. These bad results are supposed to end the production of the drug because numerous studies have shown that the incident of death post-surgery (which is what the drug is for) is increased with this drug. The FDA  says that the studies that didn’t show a higher risk were very flawed. Bayer says that they are waiting for results from a Canadian study. 

13. FDA stresses birth defect risk with Roche (and Novartis) drugYahoo News June 16/08 -Some of the problems were birth defects, permanent problems with the brain and nervous system, plus, some of the patients were taking the drug CellCept for stuff it wasn’t approved to treat (like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis).

14. Drug-research spending second to marketing:study CTV.ca News Staff. -Big Pharma is spending more on selling drugs than they are spending on research and development. That doesn’t make me feel confident in their product.

About hospitals in Canada:

• Medicine sending thousands to hospital 25% of admissions due to side effects. National Post Nov 1/06 -drug side effects in proper dosages and wrongfully administered drugs (drug names sound and are spelled similar etc.)
• One in 10 receives wrong meds in hospital CTV.ca Aug 14/07 How does that happen in a place full of health professionals?
• To Tell the Truth: The Ethical and Legal Implications of Disclosure of Medical Error by Michael Waite (Stones Fontaine Carbert lawyer in Calgary) -He talks about the implications to hospitals etc. about reporting fault in incidents resulting in death or harm (think administering the wrong drugs) and says that it is very uncommon for a hospital to admit fault to their patient.
• The truth about hospital Ottawa Citizen -”Almost 14,000 people die annually from in-hospital errors.” That is more people dying that people who die from car accidents, HIV and breast cancer combined!

So now that you know this, how can you protect yourself?

Well I own a Pharmaceutical Compendium. Mine is from 1993 and should probably be upgraded but they are very expensive. These books contain a list of ALL the drugs approved for use at that time. It includes information on research, side effects, instructions for use and much more. I never fill a prescription for myself or my family without reading into it more. Remember how I said that I was prescribed a drug (Advair) for my “asthma?” Well it turns out that Advair is a much more dangerous drug for asthma than the alternatives. It states that right in the package insert that came with my free sample. I was outraged. They don’t even know that I have asthma for sure and they are prescribing me a product that is meant to be used as a last line of defense because it is more dangerous than the other drugs. Nice!

I especially like the list of recalled products for the year. It’s very eye opening when something that you or your friend or neighbour was taking is now deemed unsafe for public use.

So to recap, to protect yourself and your family you can become informed. Look into the diseases that you are told you have and make sure that the side effects listed in reference books actually match what you are experiencing. My husband was misdiagnosed once before.

If you agree with the Doctor’s diagnosis then become informed about the drug s/he is prescribing for you. If the possible side-effects make you uncomfortable you can ask to be prescribed something else.

Ask yourself if you need the drugs? Do you have a mild allergy (or a cold or whatever) that could go without drugs? Can you treat it naturally with supplements, vitamins, herbs or perhaps even with your diet?

There are also websites where you can look up drug information as well:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DrugHerbIndex

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html

For more information on Pharma lobbying see: Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease and Pushing Drugs http://www.freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=197

I am going to wrap this up now. I hope you learned something and will use this information to help you make better choices for you and your family. The only person who is invested in your health is you! 

I found this article on a vegan forum I frequent today. There is a whole breed of people who occupy themselves by going onto forums to get everyone rilled up. You know who I am talking about. Those that go on vegan forums to say that they had the most delicious pigeon steak today! You know…Jerks.

Anyways, someone posted this link as a reason not to be vegan: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4087977.ece 

The story is about a 12 year old vegan girl who has the spine of an elderly woman because of a lack of Vitamin D through her childhood diet. The parents will likely be brought to social services for neglecting the needs of their child. Included in the article was also a story about a 10 month old girl who died because her parents were feeding her nothing but breast milk, raw fruit, juice and nuts. They are awaiting a sentence for her murder and are facing jail time.

The forum was a flurry of outrage. Some of the responders complained about how the media is constantly victimizing vegans and how the media never misses an opportunity to bash vegans yet they never talk about obesity and other carnivorous problems.

Well, none of that is true. The truth is there are bucket loads of news stories about those very things. It is true that the media will always be biased towards the dairy industries (who are strong lobbyist and valuable advertisers with lots of government support), but there is no real persecution there. Many associations (like the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the diabetes one) have supported vegetarian diets as a way of reducing these diseases and maintaining a healthier weight.

The article was quite harsh about vegan diets but  I think it did more good than harm. The families described in these incidents are “hardliners.” Probably leaning towards the raw food movement. This is ABSOLUTELY inappropriate for infants and children. Children need a diet higher in fat than adults do and they need decent sources of protein (not derived from walnuts). It’s great to have ethics, but at what cost?

In the article is this quote: “A spokesman [of a vegan association] said: “I would suggest that it is not the vegan diet itself \ but the parents.” “

I agree with this.

I think that a vegan diet can be healthy for children but it requires planning. In this pregnancy I had started drinking milk but couldn’t bring myself to keep it up after I started thinking about what was in the milk. I read that vegan moms have a higher risk of having a baby with hypospadias (a minor penis deformity) as a result of the phytoestrogens in soy products. So I am cutting way back on soy. I am trying to make sure that we aren’t getting more than one serving of a soy product per day.

My kids are on an all natural multi-vitamins and I also use a vegan friendly Essential Fatty Acid supplement (Udo’s Oil 3.6.9) in their diet. I try to make sure that they are getting the best go at life without compromising my ethics too much. My boys are, afterall, my number one priority. 

And it seems to be working. They are bright and alert. They are as big and active as their peers and they have strong immune systems.

I see this article as an education for myself as a parent. To continue to evaluate their diet. Or rather, a confirmation that I am on the right track.

To see a more balanced look there is also this news clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYX18NGTwls This is a CNN news clip that does a good job of showing how a vegan diet reduces your carbon foot print and lowers you overall caloric intake without reducing the tastiness of your meals.

Anyways, here is to moderation and vegan chocolate cake!

OK, why am I talking about sex? With the exceptions of the last “philosophical” entry I have mostly just talked about artificial sweeteners, chemicals in make-up and issues that are food related. But, sex is a noteworthy topic for many reasons. For starters it’s exercise, it’s good for your mood and your health, it helps to build intimacy in mature and committed relationships, it’s empowering and it’s fun!

I want to be upfront about how this entry is meant to be construed. It’s not meant to be advice/inspiration for every bimbo seeking to impress her date. I am dedicating this blog entry to wives and long-term partners. I certainly won’t offer ideas for positions or techniques here (but can find some resources for that in my recommended reading section). I want to talk about the health benefits of sex. These benefits are the most pronounced in marriages/long-term committed relationships. While I am sure you can have passionate sex outside of a marriage you will never experience the real freedom of sex, the kind that can be found in unions that are as committed as they are in a marriage. The trust and love in those unions will allow you both to push frontiers and experience new and exciting things. This entry won’t be crass. I promise!

For starters let’s look at sex from a chemical point of view. The act of sex, especially orgasm, is a cocktail of hormones. Rising and falling. It drives the interaction, the action and allows everything to flow as it should. The hormonal benefits of sex (for both sexes) include: reduced stress overall, relaxation, elation, better mood and more intimacy in a relationship. Statistically speaking, happily MARRIED people have the best health of any other demographic. So there is something to be said for the overall health and happiness that comes from being in a strong, loving, supportive union (not only that but people who are married tend to earn more money too). Sex can also help build that intimacy that makes marriage so wonderful. Another perk, especially for the ladies, is that the exercise and resulting sweat can help clear your pores, resulting in more beautiful skin.

Any kind of exercise will help keep you healthier. But sex has the added bonus of giving you exercise (cardiovascular benefits), relaxing you (making you tired and satisfied), strengthening intimacy (making you happier) and reducing stress (mostly hormonal I believe). The way to reap the most out of these benefits is to be in a loving, non-judging relationship.

There is a sense of taboo among women (the only women who have ever discussed sex with me are my sister and mother). I don’t think it’s healthy or appropriate to chat about sex with strangers but women would benefit from finding a safe haven to share ideas and ask questions. The idea of sex being dirty is unfair. The places we often hear about sex (comedians, movies etc.) are dirty but the act is actually very spiritual and sacred. That’s why we need a place to empower each other that isn’t dirty. Lou’s books are great for that. Even good girls want good sex.

To empower yourself to be a great partner will bring new levels of passion to your passion play. Men have a tendency to try to please in the bedroom and women can tend to be more passive. Being more aggressive shows him that you are into it, and while that is a turn on for him it is also an indicator of love. Women gauge affection very differently than men. I feel loved when my husband tells me so or takes out the garbage without me nagging or if he hugs me and kisses me. But he on the other hand, gauges much of your attraction and love for him through the act of sex. So, in a healthy marriage, you would want him to feel loved. Being proficient in the bedroom will give you more confidence to grab the bull by the horn so to speak. And he will certainly not resent you for experimenting with him in the boudoir to familiarize yourself with a new concept!

The better the sex becomes, the more you will want to have it. I think that that too is a hormonal thing. After a while you start feeling newlywed again. It’s a great feeling to be so excited and to desire to be so close to someone you love and have loved for years.

I don’t believe in things that demean women. We don’t allow porn in our home. I want my husband to think about me when we…you know. I don’t need anything to make me feel inadequate or self-conscious in our sex life. It’s also exciting to know that he seeks his fulfillment only in me and that notion encourages me to oblige.

If there is ANYTHING that makes the other partner uncomfortable, it is hands off for sex-play. So if porn, or toys or certain positions make you uneasy, then they are a no-go! You will only enjoy sex and feel safe in it if you are respected, protected and honoured. You should never feel pressured to do anything you think it too dirty or whatever.

I am now going to share a couple good ideas for date nights (for others you’ll just have to buy Lou’s books):

* Here is one of my favorites: You make/pick up a whole variety of finger foods: grapes, spread and crackers, fancy cheese, button mushrooms etc.  and serve it up on a tray. You serve juice or wine or whatever you want in a wine glass or a flute. Then you eat the entire meal in bed. Make sure that the food you eat is bite-sized food as to not make a mess in your bed. The part that sucks about going out for a date is that by the time you get home and bring the babysitter home it’s late and you just want to sleep. If you have a date in your room you are already half-way to your intended destination (with energy to spare). Even if you have to pick your kids up from a relative or a sitter afterwards.

* Try surprising the other partner when they don’t expect it with something you’ve never done before. The excitement of your sneaky plot will tantalize you and the surprise will excite him. 

Just to do my vegan plug (as I try to make all my blog entries relate to health and vegetarian issues): Veg*ns (both sexes) apparently taste and smell better and have lower incidences of erectile dysfunction. In fact, Lou Paget (see books below) states that if there are problems with erection that a diet change may cure all that ails him (in this area anyways).

I would feel irresponsible without at least touching on the topic of protection. I am hoping that those of you who are in long-term relationships will already have this one figured out but for those of you who are reading this blog that haven’t, you need to be educated. I read on Yahoo News that one in four people in New York City have an STD now! Come on people, be responsible. I am also fiercely anti-abortion and even if I weren’t, I would still urge you not to use abortion as birth control! The side effects (especially emotional) are well documented and it may make you prone to miscarriage when you actually want to have a baby! Be smart! If you’re going to have sex before marriage be protected!

My reccomended reading list:

By Lou Paget:

The Big O: How to Give Them, Have Them and Keep Them Coming. http://www.amazon.ca/Big-O-Have-Them-Coming/dp/0767907485/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213881164&sr=8-1

365 Days of Sensational Sex: http://www.amazon.ca/365-Days-Sensational-Sex-Paget/dp/0340832622/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1213881164&sr=8-1

Any of her other titles. She is, in my opinion, the guru of sensational, tasteful sex! She makes it her goal to empower women to feel confident in this arena and has strenghtened many LONG, long-term relationships!

For a spiritual view on sex:

Sacred Sex: http://www.amazon.ca/Sacred-Sex-Spiritual-Celebration-Marriage/dp/1578564611/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213881363&sr=1-9

I spent over an hour with a Facebook friend discussing the ability of people to shape the future. Can we change things that have been prophesied?

OK. This really comes from the idea of all these different religions and beliefs declaring that 2012 is a crucial time in our future history. A time when we enter a different age that will redefine the world we live in. I don’t know that I believe in this but I find myself a little worried about what could happen if they are right.

What does this redefinition look like for us? I have no idea. So it makes me wonder if trying so hard to oppose political corruption and stop global warming, which, even as a naturalist and environmentalist, I don’t really believe in, even matters. If we are running out of time and these outcomes have been decided ahead of time, is there anything we can do? There was an article a couple weeks back about how Mars and Jupiter are experiencing the same rates of global warming that we are without the pollution and greenhouse gases.

It’s like the idea of God giving us free will but Him knowing everything that will happen to us. How can it be free will if it’s pre-determined? How can our destruction be written in the God’s book if we have the ability to stop our governments from uniting us for the sake of profit, or, the environment from engulfing us? These are some of the spiritual questions that I am encountering in my journey.

I have decided that Que Sera, Sera. Whatever will be, will be. I will do my best to help the environment by conserving water, recycling, buying natural cleaners etc. But I won’t burden myself trying to stop the inevitable. What good can come from stressing and being angry over things I have no control over.

So should we admit defeat and surrender ourselves to everything? Should we live selfishly because there is no point in caring about the environment and animals and whatever?

I don’t think so. I still continue to try to make a difference with my time here. I try not to pollute water supplies with harsh chemicals and contaminate my kids with pesticides and I try my best not to add to our waste problems by making sure I recycle everything I can. I hate cleaning out peanut butter jars but I feel guilty if I am lazy and throw them away.

So what can we do? We can LOVE!

What is love? I don’t know. Poets and philosophers have debated this issue since the dawn of free thought I am sure, and alas, love is indescribable. It is a feeling, yes. It is also an action. I think of love as an action even more than a feeling. I am passionately in love with my husband and he with me yet it’s not his feelings that make me feel loved but rather his actions. The way that he cares for me. I love my children too but it’s the actions that leave them cared for. The hugs, playtime, meal times and even discipline.

How do we show love to others? We take care of them. We treat them as we would like to be treated. We take care of their environment. We try not to cause pain and suffering.

For vegans it is respecting all life forms. From plants, animals, children and even fetuses. We respect the living and the non-living as well. We share. We give. We love.

There will always be things that we cannot control. Things we won’t understand but love will conquer all. Love will make our circumstances tolerable. Love will make us stronger as individuals and united with others. Love will redeem us. 

Not only that but loving is good for your health. Being scared, angry and stressed will only make us sick and distracted. It will make us easier to manipulate. It has long be a political tactic to keep the masses fearful of everything. Loving and being loved will make you happy. You can change your world. You can change yourself. You can’t necessarily stop anything larger than that but that’s OK. You can be happy. You can be healthy. You can have peace. You can love!

Today I decided to please my husband by doing something I do about once or twice a year. I agreed to play a video game with him. While we were playing he noticed that I can’t help but sway my arms, as if I am willing the character to move with a higher intensity than the controller offers itself. He commented that I’d likely be more suited to a Wii.

I thought that he was probably right and that anything that would allow me to move around more would be easier on my body. I have the physical bones and tissues of an 85 year old woman (not confirmed by anyone btw) and sitting still playing video games is so hard on me. I rarely ever do it but ya know. So we went out and bought a Wii.

Wow! Was it fun!

The game Wii Sports came with our console. It’s so great. You can play tennis against each other as well as golf, boxing, baseball and bowling. It’s quite a sensitive system and you are literally controlling the intensity and angle and everything of the ball, racket, club, whatever.

You’re basically on your feet the whole time. We played for about two hours and now that I am resting I feel tired and sore. Just like I do after a work out.

A fun little feature of the Wii is that you can customize your own character (under the Mii application) choosing hair, skin tone, nose, lips, everything.  Then you can use your virtual self to play the games.

Anyways, the point of this post isn’t to brag about our new game system but rather to tell parents that if you are going to invest in a game system, not only is the Wii far less expensive than the XBOX 360 or the PS3, but this is the only game console that will not contribute to childhood (or adulthood) obesity. As far as I am aware the games all require a greater physical involvement than any other system offers. The remotes and nun-chucks are designed to be swung and thrust and used in ways that give the player a workout.

Plus, the accessories are cooler too. Light swords and steering wheels? C’mon! That’s cool even for a self-proclaimed non-gamer like myself.

I realize my posts are getting less and less frequent. Now that I covered the topics that I feel most passionate about I have to think about what topics I’d like to cover, and often research them, a little more.

I thought I would talk about Fatty Acids. Omega 3, 6 and 9 Fatty Acids are considered essential because our bodies do not synthesize them and must be provided with a constant supply of them. These are often forgotten in the shuffle of trying to eat healthy and that is unfortunate as they are a crucial to optimal health. This is the only supplement (besides my normal vitamins) that I insist on my family taking.

Prescription for Natural Cures states that some of the benefits of having a proper balance of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are: brain and retina development (imagine how important this is for the developing fetus or child), balanced mood, hormone synthesis, regulation of pain and inflammation, better immune function, proper circulation, better kidney function, better nerve transmission, and increase in energy levels and better skin, nails and hair! And Udo Erasmus (author of Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill) adds underweight, overweight, PMS, digestive difficulties, poor memory and concentration, blood sugar imbalances and fatigue/exhaustion to that list.

The signs of a deficiency (also from Prescription for Natural Cures) are dry and cracked skin, dandruff, irritability, soft brittle nails, excessive thirst, dry eyes, poor wound healing, frequent urination and “chicken skin” on the back of the arms (I can only assume that that is pimple-like-bumps on the skin).

And there are certain problems that have been associated with deficiency in these essential fatty acids. These include: ADD/ADHD, arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular problems (stroke, heart attack), cancer, depression, diabetes, eczema, hair loss, hypertension, lupus and schizophrenia.

I don’t think that supplementing with EFAs will eliminate these problems but it may help to keep them from swinging to the extremes (keeping them more balanced).

One of the greatest sources of these EFAs is fish oils. Not only are these un-vegetarian they are also disgusting. Luckily there are plants that offer some of these EFAs.

Omega 3: flaxseeds, walnuts, green leafy vegetables, canola oil (carefully processed), Brazil nuts etc.

Omega 6: sunflower, safflower, corn, sesame oils, evening primrose oil and borage oils. 

Omega 9: olives, almond oil, avocado, peanuts, pecans, cashews and macadamia oils.

Since getting a balanced diet (2:1:1) of these is difficult you may want to consider a supplement. There are many options out there but caution must be used when buying these. Heat and light damages EFAs. Therefore, do not use EFAs in cooking and always store them in your fridge.

The oils come in two formats. Oil in gel capsules or oil (directly in a bottle). You can either swallow them (with water) in a gel capsule or you can blend the oil into smoothies or other colder recipes. 

The other consideration is how the EFAs have been processed. As I said, heat and light damage the oils so if you are buying oils that aren’t cold pressed or processed in a way that preserves the fragile EFAs then you are not gaining anything from these supplements. They don’t usually tell you on the label that the food was processed in a way that reduces the health of the product, so how do you shop properly?

Well in the case of EFAs I stick to one brand. I buy Udo’s Oil. The product is the best in the market for EFAs. The oils are processed in a way that saves them from heat, light, oxygen and chemicals. The EFAs are well preserved, organic and vegan friendly! It says on the bottle that it is a blend of flaxseed oil, sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, coconut oil, evening primrose oil, rice germ and bran oil, soy lethicin (an emulsifier (often associated with processed foods)), oat germ and bran oil, mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E, antioxidant). Another little perk is that the Omega 3.6.9 blend of Udo’s always comes in a glass bottle so you don’t have to worry about toxins leaching from the plastic into your oil. 

There are recipes for helping you to incorporate the non-capsulated oil into your meals. I usually just put mine in my smoothie but if you don’t drink many smoothies and prefer the oil over the capsules you can try putting it in corn chowder, oatmeal, pasta, as part of a salad dressing etc. Be creative just don’t put it in until it has cooled so you don’t destroy the EFAs.