Andrea Cannas-Integrative Nutrition

03/02/2025

Top 4 ways I've seen stress manifest in my clients in 2024.

1. Teeth grinding
2. Unable to switch off
3. No drive
4. Substance abuse

Many realise that stress is a trigger of their health concerns but few take a moment to understand what we actually mean by stress.

Stress is primarily regulated by stress hormones produced from your adrenal glands. Each and every one stressor adds to the body's stress load (in research terms allostatic load ).

While transient stress to the adrenals is important for our day to day functioning and activities, sustaining a high stress load for a long time hyperstimulates the stress response and can affect various aspects of health; from your sleep, energy, metabolism and overall cognitive performance.

Its about recognising which individual factors define your own stress load and differentiating them between emotional stress, physical stress, work stress and chemical stress. Its about clustering them into things you can immediately control and things you can't control right now(i.e. your job, a toxic relationship🤷‍♀️).

Its about working on buildind your resilience to the biological effects of stress which can be worsened by nutrient deficiencies, biochemical imbalances and inflammation.

For me, there was something about some morning stretching, the sound of the sea breeze and a screens-free activity that made me realise the beauty of tranquility. Maintaining this has been at the top list of my priorities for 2025 💫

What helps you stay on top of stress?

- my inactivity on this platform is one of my many small stressors 😅

01/02/2025

▫️Diet and lifestyle changes should go hand in hand with any medicative treatment to reduce the long-term side effect profile.

▪️Antidepressant prescription rates in Cyprus are increasing. There has been a modest increase in depression prevalence in young Cypriot adults aged under 45 years, particularly in young women.

▫️Nutritional therapy is not a quick fix, but it is a sustainable solution that allows you to understand how your body behaves and what it needs to function optimally.Whether it's adjusting your diet and lifestyle to complement your new treatment, correcting nutritional or biochemical imbalances, eliminating inflammatory triggers or addressing digestive problems.

▪️The effects of improved nutrition, particularly with nootropics and vitamin blends, as well as lifestyle changes, can support compliance to treatment and have empowering effects on people's confidence and self-esteem during treatment.


🫴🏼full-text blog on my website.

15/02/2024

Something that really resonated with me recently are the 3 key core principles of Evidence-Based Medicine: Scientific Evidence, Clinical Accumen , and Intuitive Insight.

These are 3 core values that I bring into my practice as a clinician.

Let me ask you a question.

You have a lady sitting in front of you who is convinced there is something wrong with her child, and as a health professional, you say, 'you can't prove that because there is no evidence'. A mother has the ability to have an intuitive insight to be able to protect her child. But traditionally, we have been ignoring people's intuitions and their unique needs and circumstances.

Through the narrow one-size fits all approach, we have learned to treat our body systems in isolation, which has led to segregated thinking on how we view our health. We overlook the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and social factors that influence health.

It is important to look beyond surface-level symptoms and delve into the deeper, often multifaceted causes of illness in order to provide more effective and sustainable solutions for those experiencing health challenges. It's our responsibility to consider people's intuitions, balance them with what is known, and work WITH them to support their needs and preferences in a collaborative and non-prescriptive approach.

What do you think?

02/02/2024

The journey varies for each woman with painful periods (in medical terms, dysmenorrhea). Pain can come in intense cramping or radiating back pain. Whether it's a primary issue or secondary to another health condition, pain management may include:

▫️Changing what you eat
▪️Cutting down on foods that are pro-inflammatory
▫️Making tweaks to your lifestyle
▪️Introducing anti-inflammatory or antioxidant agents, natural painkillers, or nutrients that support ovarian function

Maybe it's time to focus on your gut health, coping mechanisms, or blood sugar. There are various factors at play, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. It's about finding what works best for you.

Give my tips a go! I'd be keen to hear how you get on 😊

Questions?

**Disclaimer : All recommendations are scientifically proven. However, individual health varies, so online advice isn't a substitute for personalised medical guidance. Consult with a qualified practitioner for tailored advice on your concerns or conditions.

02/02/2024

🥱 💤 Falling asleep on your desk soon after lunch?
Looking for that caffeine or sugar fix to keep you going?

If you deal with fatigue, irritability, and mood fluctuations, impaired glycemic control could be a contributing factor.

Disruption in the regulation of blood sugar levels can give rise to a spectrum of metabolic issues. This dysregulation significantly impacts various processes, influencing insulin sensitivity, glucose uptake by cells, and overall energy metabolism.

Patients with blood sugar highs and lows may have mood symptoms that are either driven by inappropriate pairing, portions and timing of foods, digestive issues, food intolerances as well as a high stress load.

**Disclaimer: Individual health varies, so online advice isn't a substitute for personalised medical guidance. Consult with a qualified practitioner for tailored advice on your concerns and conditions.

19/01/2024

▫️Whether it's changing your diet and habits, introducing exercise, assessing nutrient or biochemical imbalances, identifying inflammatory triggers, and restoring gut health. When facing antidepressant side effects, it's vital to consider tailored solutions.

▪️Antidepressant prescription rates in Cyprus are increasing. There has been a modest increase in depression prevalence in young Cypriot adults aged under 45 years, particularly in young women.

▫️Nutritional therapy is not a quick fix, but it is a sustainable solution that allows you to understand how your body behaves and what it needs to function optimally. The effects of improved nutrition, particularly with nootropics and vitamin blends, as well as lifestyle changes, can support compliance to treatment and have empowering effects on people's confidence and self-esteem during treatment.


🫴🏼Check out my new blog for a fruitful read- link in comments!

18/01/2024

Navigating the dynamic period of 18-30, characterised by independence and autonomy as an emerging adult, is a life stage full of transitions and changes. During this time of ongoing brain maturation, we develop skills in reasoning, decision-making and emotional regulation. Throughout this stage, integrating nutrition and lifestyle medicine becomes essential for both physical and mental wellbeing.

Whether you're building connections or deepening relationships, optimising mental fitness through mindful lifestyle choices, and nourishing your body with whole diverse nutrition may set the foundation for a healthy life 💙

Here are some tips, keeping in mind its not an exhaustive list!

Does this resonate with you? Feel free to comment below!

15/01/2024

Navigating birth control choices? 🌺

Check out my new blog online: link in the bio.

Depression risk is highest in the initial two years of starting birth control pills, especially among teens even after discontinuation.
doi:10.1017/S2045796023000525

Oral contraceptives may lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals crucial for mental health. The longer you are on the medication the higher the extent of nutrient deficiencies. Proactive testing, like a complete blood count and nutrient lab testing can help you keep on track.

A complementary supplement regimen should focus on B vitamins, folic acid, vitamin E and C, magnesium, zinc and selenium to correct for deficiencies and support any side effects.

Disclaimer** Stopping the pill without a suitable alternative increases the risk of unintended pregnancy.Individual health varies, so online advice isn't a substitute for personalised medical guidance. Consult with a qualified practitioner for tailored advice in your concerns.

The risk of depression later in life is 17% higher among teenagers and young women aged over 20 years who use oral contraceptives. How can this be prevented?

13/01/2024

Optimising your thyroid medication. How?

☕️ Caffeine can reduce levothyroxine (T4) absorption by about 30%, so spacing them out prevents interference.
▪️ Wait for 1 hour after taking levothyroxine before that coffee fix.

🥛 Calcium forms an insoluble complex with levothyroxine, preventing absorption.
▫️Avoid calcium-rich foods (dairy and dairy products) and supplements around your medication; separate by 4 hours.

🚭 Smoking, both active and passive, negatively affects thyroid hormones.
▪️ Minimise or quit smoking for better thyroid health.

What are your morning rituals? Are these tips old news or brand new discoveries? Comment below!


Remember, these recommendations provide a general guide, and individual responses may vary. Always consult with a healthcare professional for personalised advice tailored to your specific health needs and conditions.

04/01/2024

The journey varies for each individual with an underactive thyroid. It could include:

▫️Changing what you eat
▪️Cutting down on foods that are pro-inflammatory
▫️Making tweaks to your lifestyle

Maybe it's time to focus on your gut health, microbiome, or blood sugar. There are various factors at play, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. It's about finding what works best for you.

**Disclaimer : Individual health varies, so online advice isn't a substitute for personalised medical guidance. Consult with a qualified practitioner for tailored advice on your concerns or conditions.

03/01/2024

✋️ 🧊 Feeling unusually cold during the winter period?

If you deal with persistent depression, anxiety, or other mood-related issues, undiagnosed hypothyroidism could be a contributing factor.

Insufficient thyroid hormone levels can lead to various brain-related symptoms, as these hormones play a crucial role in the proper functioning of key brain areas such as neuron health, neuroglia (brain immune cells), and the blood-brain barrier.

Patients with thyroid hormone deficiency may have mood symptoms that are either driven by blood sugar highs and lows, inflammation, autoimmunity, food intolerances, digestive issues and intestinal permeability.

**Disclaimer: Individual health varies, so online advice isn't a substitute for personalised medical guidance. Consult with a qualified practitioner for tailored advice on your concerns or conditions.

31/12/2023

Whether it's a competition, a wedding, or a holiday, most people adopt eating behaviours and lifestyle decisions for a short-term focused goal rather than embracing new habits as part of a long-term sustainable change.

This can perpetuate a vicious cycle followed by ongoing restrictive food plans, extreme diets and exercise schedules that might not be suitable, frequently self-medicating as a 'quick-fix' solution or trying sponsored "healthy" supplements and non-scientific treatments.

While short-term goals focus on immediate health benefits, long-term sustainable change considers your overall wellbeing and healthspan (the length of time you are healthy - not just alive).

How many times do you evaluate your experience to a food, an action or behaviour? For instance, have you ever asked yourself:

- How well you are digesting your meal?
- Why you feel wired and tired at night?
- What's triggering your painful menstrual cramps?
- Whether fasting is suitable for you?

There are many factors that finetune our health and lifespan. But it is the integrated functioning of our body systems that determines our health and healing. For example how our gut communicates with our brain as well as connections between gut-skin, gut-immunity, stress-hormones. You can support all these different body systems using natural personalised solutions.

When you understand how your body systems interconnect and what you can do for yourself, you will feel more empowered and be more likely to succeed in sustainable health changes.

Time for constructive New Year's Resolutions 🌟