Category Archives: Cynical Trials

World Mental Health Day Mandala

Take Care of Yourself on World Mental Health Day

In the UK, one in every 4 people will be diagnosed with a mental health condition like depression or anxiety at some point. But caring for your mental health doesn’t begin and end with a diagnosis! Just like your physical health, your mental wellbeing can fluctuate from day to day, and there are plenty of self-care activities you can enjoy regularly to keep your mental health in peak condition.

1 – Take A Long Soak

bath taps mental health day long soakFor many, this is the ultimate definition of taking some ‘Me Time’. Smartphones and tablets have led to a world where we’re more connected than ever. Connecting digitally means we’re constantly sharing our time – and ourselves – with the online community. A bathtub is the perfect place to lock your phone and the whole rest of the world outside.

But there’s more! There are also benefits to laying down in warm water (not boiling hot, as this can put your body under stress). Being in this position predisposes you to relaxation by overriding your body’s fight-or-flight response, the survival instinct which is essential to getting us out of life-and-death situations. Because your body is at ease, your mind is reassured that you are in no immediate danger, and it slows production of the hormones which get us ready for a fight!

A good night’s sleep is increasingly being linked to good physical and mental health, and a bath also happens to be a great way to get ready for a restful night.

Have you ever noticed that feeling when the night draws in, you start to feel a little bit chilly and your thoughts turn to snuggling up under a nice warm duvet? ‘Cooling off’ is a part of our natural sleep cycle, and a drop in body temperature triggers the production of sleep hormones. So warming your body artificially in the bath and allowing it to cool down again is a cheeky shortcut to a blissful sleep. If you are having trouble sleeping, taking a warm bath at bedtime could be a good alternative to lying in bed, fretting and watching the clock.

2- Colouring In

It’s fair to say that the trend for adult colouring in has really taken off. You can’t venture into a bookstore or newsagent without being overwhelmed by a huge choice of colouring books. Surprisingly, colouring books for adults were being prescribed by renowned Psychiatrist Carl Jung in the early 1900s.

I must confess, I tried some colouring in for my Cynical Trials project, but before I could write up my thoughts, I wanted to try another page. And another. And now I’m on my second book. What is it that’s got me hooked?

colouring pencils world mental health dayWell, for someone who spends their working life on Social Media, it is great to have something to do with my hands which doesn’t involve scrolling, clicking or typing. Inside and outside of work, social sharing has become second nature to me, so it’s liberating to spend time on a project which I have no intention of showing to anyone. There’s something gratifying about completing a complex design, or finding an unexpectedly juicy colour combination, and the consequences of ‘getting it wrong’ or ‘messing it up’ are virtually non-existent.

Like bathing, colouring in helps to mute the brain’s ‘fight or flight’ response, giving you a reprieve from the stress hormones which insist you better update your status or check your emails. But perhaps better still, colouring in doesn’t ‘switch off’ your brain, but forces you to focus. Considering the colour, balance and aesthetics of your piece requires gentle concentration, and could be particularly beneficial to anyone who has a tendency to ruminate on negative thoughts or unpleasant memories.

3 – Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help

However mentally strong you are feeling, the above suggestions or any self-care ritual could help to improve your sense of wellbeing. But what if they don’t?

For a huge number of people (one in 11 in the UK), self care activities like the ones above are not enough. It might be time to speak to your GP if:

  • Your low mood has lasted for more than 2 weeks
  • You are finding it difficult to complete day-to-day tasks at work or at home because of your mental health.
  • If you’ve had any thoughts about harming yourself, or thought that your loved-ones are better off without you.

world mental health day depression feels likeLong-term low mood disorders like depression and anxiety happen because of a chemical imbalance; the brain produces serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’, but reabsorbs it before you feel the benefits. This is a medical condition, and is not something which you have to just ‘put up with’. After speaking with you, and getting a full understanding of your situation, your GP might recommend a course of medication called an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) to help increase the serotonin level in your brain.

Speaking to the Doctor about your mood can be daunting, but if you would take medication for a physical condition like a migraine, diabetes or asthma, there’s no reason to view this any differently.

For more hints, tips and suggestions about self care, visit http://tinybuddha.com/blog/45-simple-self-care-practices-for-a-healthy-mind-body-and-soul/

If you are concerned about your mental wellbeing but feel uneasy about seeking medical help, this article is well worth a read https://themighty.com/2016/02/myths-about-mental-illness-medication/

Cynical Trials – Tea Tree Oil and Me

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ARGH!

I thought that spots were a problem I could put to bed along with my teenage years, but lo and behold! Here I am, a 30-year-old woman with a zit. Not just a spot. A ZIT.

spot on philtrum

It’s squatting right on my philtrum – the ridges running from my nose to my top lip – and it really, really hurts! As the day goes on, it keeps building up more and more pressure, and I have to resist the urge to touch (or even worse, squeeze) the thing. Fortunately, my colleagues in Covance volunteer recruitment are much too polite to say anything. Maybe it doesn’t look as bad as it feels?

My worst fears are confirmed when I get home to my son, who immediately points to it and says ‘Mummy, have you hurt yourself?’. Nothing like the honesty of a 3 year old.

I’m not too worried, though. Having worked in skincare for several years before arriving at Covance, I have a go-to product which I rely on for just such emergencies – tea tree oil!

Not to be confused with the stuff of builders’ brews, tea tree oil comes from an Australian shrub, smells a little bit like Olbas Oil, and is sold on its antibacterial and antifungal properties. For many years, I’ve trusted it to kill the bacteria which bring me out in occasional spots, but I also like to know that I can add some to the bath in case of random itches and rashes. I even used it to try and clear out that icky bout of sinusitis I had a few years back, using a bowl of hot water as a makeshift steam inhaler.

So, when I dab it with a tea-tree soaked cotton bud, I am pretty confident that my spot is history.

distillation essential oilBut then again… I have to wonder if I’m being a little too credulous? Sure, it has worked for me in the past – or at least, I believe it has – but if it’s really so effective, then why are we still developing antibiotics and anti-fungal drugs at Covance? Perhaps my faith in this essential oil is just the placebo effect at work?

I really hope this isn’t true, so before too long I’m on the internet searching for some solid evidence of tea tree’s credentials. Both Web MD and the NHS recognise that tea tree ‘may’ have antibacterial or anti-fungal properties. ‘May’ have. Why the uncertainty?

Digging deeper, I learn that the oil has shown promising bug-fighting abilities in vitro, but the evidence gathered so far is not strong enough to warrant the huge expense of clinical testing. One small review from the US found that 12 months of treatment with tea tree oil cured a fungal nail infection in 18% of participants. From my standpoint, this looks fairly inconclusive. While 18% is better than 0%, it’s not exactly miraculous.

Clinically, my most trusted remedy is in limbo.

But wow, that doesn’t stop its enthusiasts from singing its praises! I stumble across a blog listing ’20 Amazing uses for Tea Tree Oil’, and I am staggered that the author recommends oil pulling with a mixture of tea tree oil and water, or using it to make your own toothpaste. Firstly – yuck! It’s pungent stuff, and I can only imagine how awful it must taste. Secondly, no one should know how it tastes because like all essential oils it is toxic if ingested, and should never be used orally!

essential oil tubesNow I’m wishing tea tree oil could be clinically tested, so that I’d know once and for all whether it actually works and so that it could be labelled with proper guidelines for usage rather than these potentially harmful old-wives-tales being disseminated.

The next morning, I wake to find that my ‘zit’ has calmed right down and dried right out. It’s a shadow of its former self. Would it have dried out overnight without the tea tree? Maybe. It’s hard for me to say because it has been years since I went to bed with a spot and didn’t apply some. And guess what? I’ll carry on doing it, because I’m happy with the results, I’m not poisoning myself by taking it orally, and science has yet to prove that it doesn’t work. Call me superstitious if you like!

Have you ever tried using tea tree oil medicinally? I’d love to hear about it!

lemon International Clinical Trials Day Scurvy

Cynical Trials: Detoxing (for Dummies?)

You’ve all heard this story ad nauseam. Christmas is a time to indulge and overindulge, and millions of people spend the early part of January trying to atone for all that merriment and undo the damage done by weeks of booziness.

wineAs I floundered my way through a quiet New Year’s Eve in the Yorkshire Dales, feeling sluggish, a bit bloated and rather achy all over, I thought – like millions of others probably did – ‘I need a change and a fresh start.’ I didn’t relish the thought. Then it occurred to me ‘I can write a blog about it!’ and I was suddenly much more resolute about my resolution!

Before the New Year’s festivities began, I started researching detoxes – how could I do one? What would it do for me? And what are all these toxins I’m purportedly full of, anyway?

One very enthusiastic site told me that a detox would help to cleanse my bloodstream by ridding the liver of impurities. It listed some tell-tale signs that my body might be crying out for a good detox-ing, including:

  • Unexplained fatigue
  • Irritated skin
  • Low-grade infections
  • Puffy eyes/ dark circles
  • ‘brainfog’ or an inability to maintain concentration

Wow! That pretty much describes me… it’s a pity I haven’t detoxed sooner! How do I get started?

The website listed a few things which I should cut out of my diet… including solid food for the next 3 – 5 days. Now, hold on – as keen as I am to lose a few pounds, gain a bit of energy, and write an entertaining blog post, fasting just feels like crossing the line to me. Over the last 30 years I have got to know my body pretty well, and taking on a ‘juice cleansing’ diet just feels like setting myself up for failure, and unleashing a very grumpy version of myself on my family. I read on, and decide to turn the web’s advice into a gentler plan which I actually stand a chance of following.

To give my liver a break, I should avoid cigarettes and alcohol. So far, so good – I will continue not to smoke, and as an occasional drinker I’m sure I can meet the challenge of a Dry January. I should also cut out refined sugars and saturated fats – I lock away the last remnants of Christmas feasting and vow to reach for fruit if I’m feeling peckish between meals.

And then there’s the real kicker. I will need to go without caffeine.

Okay. I can do this. I CAN do this… can I?

At times like this, I always think of our clinical trial volunteers – study restrictions mean they have to go days, sometimes weeks at a time without so much as a decaf. Hats off to you – it would be an absolute deal-breaker for me, and I’m inspired that so many of you are ready to do this without any hesitation!

The website also implies that my detox will be improved by taking a vitamin supplement or drinking some sort of herbal tea, and seeing as I’m bereft of tea and coffee, I decide I’ll go for the latter option. On New Year’s Day, I’m scanning the supermarket shelves and I discover that one of my preferred brands sells a Detox Tea – hurray!

milk thistleMy new tea contains lemon, verbena and milk thistle. Regular readers of the blog will know that I don’t shy away from drinking strange beverages, and this combination doesn’t sound half bad, so I’m not worried. Until I brew a cup and drink it.

Ew.

I’m quite a regular drinker of herbal teas, and I know that I like both lemon and verbena, so I guess it must be the milk thistle that adds that ear-waxy aftertaste. Steeling myself, I drink to my health, and manage to polish off three cups before I go to bed.

On 2nd January, I wake up with a headache. It’s the kind of headache I associate with needing a strong cup of coffee. ‘Good!’ I think over the loud throbbing. ‘The caffeine is leaving my system.’ I sip some more detox tea over breakfast, and use Google to find out a bit more about my acrid new friend, Milk Thistle.

A company which sells health supplements suggests that it may help with symptoms of indigestion and stomach upsets, but is at pains to point out that this assertion is ‘based on traditional use only’. In other words, it has not been proven effective in clinical trials. I’m interested to learn that it is also traditionally used to treat toadstool poisoning, but once again I’m unable to find any studies or examples of this treatment being used effectively. As I delve further, one site tells me that milk thistle should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding, while another argues that it’s a great supplement for new mothers, and aids quicker milk production. I’m liking the stuff less and less.

The afternoon wears on, pain is blossoming through my head, and I’m still reading about detoxes. In a Guardian article, Dr Edzard Ernst shuts down the very idea of detoxing, stating ‘There is no known way… to make something that works perfectly well in a healthy body work better’. He argues that the only time when detoxing is a valid concept is if you are an addict purging drugs from your system.

What am I trying to get out of my system? Certainly nothing as harmful as an opiate or narcotic. Ernst goes on to say ‘If [toxins] were named, they could be tested before and after to measure effectiveness’ – it’s a compelling point, when I have read so much about toxins and they haven’t been named on a single site.

While I’m on Google, I do one last search for ‘how do I treat a caffeine withdrawal headache’. The consensus is that I should have some caffeine. Ha ha.

Instead, I opt to go back to bed for a few hours. When I wake up with a head just as achey as before, I am worried. I’m not at all prone to headaches, let alone ones which are so intense for so long. The pounding is made worse by anxious thoughts which rush through my brain… what if this isn’t related to my detox? What if I’m coming down with something? Or worse?

cuppaDeciding that enough is enough, my Mum nips into the kitchen and returns with 2 paracetamol… and a large, steaming mug of tea. Yep. I retoxed. And it felt great. Whether it was the pills or the caffeine that did it, my headache quickly subsided and it hasn’t been back since. And I think that maybe that’s because I’ve allowed myself just one cup of tea or coffee each day this week.

Did I do the right thing? Would pushing through the pain barrier and sticking to my detox have made all the difference to me? Maybe I should have gone the whole hog and tried a juice cleanse? I would love to hear what you think, but based on what I’ve read and how I’m feeling… I regret nothing!

Turmeric Milk Spices Cynical Trials Covance

Cynical Trials – Turmeric Milk Continued

[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Hi, I’m Ruth! I’m not a Scientist, just a regular girl sharing her adventures in modern day remedies! My dabblings in quackery do not constitute a Clinical Trial, and (legal bit!) the opinions in this blog are my own and do not represent Covance.
It has been one day since I first tried to shift my cold with a turmeric milk recipe I found on the internet. And I still have a cold.
Not deterred by the fact that my first cup of turmeric milk tasted exactly like a Thai broth (including solid lumps of vegetable matter), I make a few adjustments to the recipe and hope that my second cup will be the one which defeats this virus.

My turmeric milk recipe #2

1 cup semi-skimmed milk
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon mixed spice
1 tablespoon honey
1cm chunk root ginger, scored but not chopped, removed before drinking*
1 pinch black pepper**
Absolutely NO coconut oil

*one of the most unpleasant things about my last attempt was hitting all the little chunks of chopped ginger in the bottom of my mug.
**This also gave the milk a funny texture, but I have read that the piperine in black pepper helps your body absorb the turmeric, so I kept it in!

Feeling a bit sorry for myself, I take the milk up to drink while I have a nice soak in the bath. This time, what I taste is really rather good! The texture is a huge improvement; the honey is a welcome addition that makes it feel like a sweet, comforting treat rather than a cupful of curry sauce. Once again, I quickly feel that the pain in my throat is soothed and I can breathe more easily – and it’s not long before I’m ready for bed!

Cynical Trials bed cold fluBut sadly, the effect is only temporary. In the morning, I wake up with a really fuzzy head (fuzzier than usual!), a stuffy nose and worst of all, some serious bouts of sinus pain. Last December I got sinusitis for the first time – it was so painful that I couldn’t sleep without having a hot water bottle balanced on my face! – so as the day goes on and the pain becomes a little more persistent, I get a little concerned that I might be heading that way once more. At the earliest opportunity, I leap into bed, taking with me another variation on the recipe:

 

My turmeric ‘milk’ recipe #3

1 cup boiling water
1 sachet lemsip
1 teaspoon turmeric

 

As I glug this down, I realize that I’ve become very accustomed to the earthy taste of turmeric, and soon after I am sound asleep.

This morning I feel great! So I’m still a little snuffly and sneezy, but there’s no pain when I talk anymore and my head is wonderfully clear. With the help of turmeric, I have whipped this cold into shape in 3 days. Hmmm. 3 days – that’s a pretty standard duration for an ordinary cold, isn’t it?

And here’s the rub… it’s impossible for me to say whether the turmeric did help me beat the virus, or whether it had simply run its course. Maybe without the turmeric drinks I would have ended up with another hideous case of sinusitis? Perhaps this home remedy did help me to avoid the worst of my winter cold? But these are questions I’ll never be able to answer.

And even if my cold was cut short, can turmeric take all the credit for this? Although I had a turmeric drink every night, I did use other methods to try and relieve my symptoms. A hot, steamy bath may have played a role in clearing my head. Honey is renowned for helping with sore throats, so that may have been the ingredient which made all the difference. Or who knows – it might have been the lemsip!?Hot Lemon drink Cynical Trials

I can see now why we have such strict conditions for our volunteers while they’re on study. Even a slight change – like taking a medication, consuming caffeine or eating significantly more or less than usual – may affect the performance of the study drug or the outcome of a study. During my cold, I chopped-and-changed the recipe for turmeric milk to suit myself – as anyone is free to do with a homemade home remedy. And because my attempt to cure my cold was not as rigorous as a real clinical trial, it was also not as conclusive.

Covance Cynical Trials Turmeric Chopping Board

Cynical Trials: Turmeric Milk

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Hi, I’m Ruth! I’m not a Scientist, just a regular girl sharing her adventures in modern day remedies! All opinions are my own, and do not represent Covance. My dabblings in quackery do not constitute a Clinical Trial!

It’s a Sunday night, and I am full of cold. Well, not quite full of it – I have that swollen, sore, itchy feeling in the back of my throat, the roof of my mouth and behind my nose which tells me it’s in the post. My sinuses feel inflamed.

The good news is I’ve been reading up on a natural ingredient which helps with inflammation! Continue reading

Vita Coco Featured

Cynical Trials: Oil Pulling… is it really all that swish?

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Hi, I'm Ruth! I'm not a Scientist, just a regular girl sharing her adventures in modern day remedies! All opinions are my own, and do not represent Covance. My dabblings in quackery do not constitute a Clinical Trial!

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Herbs

Cynical Trials – My Mission Statement

[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Ruth The BraveHi, I’m Ruth! I’m not a Scientist, just a regular girl sharing her adventures in modern day remedies! All opinions are my own, and do not represent Covance. My dabblings in quackery do not constitute a Clinical Trial!

You may have read a blog I wrote a while back about how I accidentally tried my first ever Bulletproof Coffee. The whole experience got me thinking about how important clinical testing is in proving whether a product, be it a manufactured drug or an all-natural tonic, actually works. And that got me to thinking – how many trusted home remedies are out there? And of those trusted remedies, how many are scientifically proven to work?

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Grass Fed Butter

What’s the Buzz About Bulletproof Coffee?

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Have you heard about bulletproof coffee? When I tried my first cup of this trendy new beverage I’d only heard very little – and a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

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