Beals beats Chronic Fatigue

[Guest guest]

The flash is back: alternative nutrition helps actress

Beals beat Chronic Fatigue

by LeClaire, Better Nutrition, March 2004

Beals has enjoyed a healthy career in show

biz for the past 2 decades. The diverse performer has

worked alongside stars such as Denzel Washington,

Hoffman and Faye Dunaway--but the accomplished

actress didn't always enjoy perfect health along the

way.

While Beals was physically fit, she was also

physically ill during the late 1990s. That's when the

thespian endured a non-publicized health challenge

that would forever change the way she viewed

nutrition.

Daunting Diagnosis

Beals was diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus and

chronic fatigue syndrome, which drained the Flashdance

star's energy levels for months. Beals also suffered

from thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid gland

that contributes to fatigue. She even tested positive

for lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that can

affect various parts of the body and typically causes

achy joints, arthritis and fatigue.

" I went to one of the top endocrinologists in New

York, and he couldn't figure out how to help me, " says

Beals, who has since fully recovered her stamina. " The

doctor told me I was fluctuating so rapidly between

two poles that he didn't know what to give me and

suggested that I see an alternative doctor. "

A weary Beals took the doctor's advice and sought out

alternative approaches to fix her fatigue. The first

step was shunning sugar and weaning herself from

wheat, an experience Beals reckons is similar to the

experience of withdrawing from drugs. She admits that

she was " unpleasant to be around " during that time,

but the bigger disappointment was her lack of

recovery.

" I went to Vancouver to do a film, and I was still

really tired all the lime, " says Beals, who was

starting in a Paramount TV film series called

America at the time. " I thought to myself, 'How am I

going to get through this?' "

Life-Changing Results

She was pondering this question in a hotel lobby in

Canada when sire saw a book on a coffee table that

offered her some hope. That book was Eating Alive by

Dr. Matsen. Matsen proclaimed the body's natural

ability to heal itself by attaining homeostasis, or

balance. His theory' is that our bodies are wise,

self-adjusting organisms capable of monitoring and

correcting imbalances, fighting invaders and repairing

damage. So when homeostasis reigns, the body is

healthy, but when there is imbalance, the body is

prone to sickness and disease. According to Matsen, it

boils down to digestion.

" I started reading Dr. Matsen's book in the hotel

lounge, and I thought, 'Wherever this doctor is in the

world, after this movie, I'm going to see him' "

explains Beals. As fate would have it, Dr. Matsen was

in Vancouver, and she booked his next appointment.

Three weeks later, she was feeling like herself again.

" I completely changed the way I ate, and I also took

supplements, " she says. " It was amazing. That

experience made it so clear to see how the digestive

system is such a huge key in wellness and health. "

Healthful Lifestyle

The health challenge was a turning point in Beals'

attitude toward nutrition. She still avoids sugar,

wheat and caffeine, three of the culprits responsible

for her ailments. She has substituted these things

with healthier options such as oats, fruits and green

teas. Beals no longer eats as stringently as Dr.

Matsen recommended because her digestive system began

working so well that her metabolism skyrocketed, and

she was losing weight too quickly.

But her nutrition habits aren't the only filing that

Beals has changed over the years. Her fitness

philosophies have also evolved since her Flashdance

days when she was 19 years old and dancing in torn

sweatshirts and legwarmers. Beals' maturity is

displayed in both her acting roles and her exercise

routines.

" When I was younger, I enjoyed being strong, and I

loved it when my heart was very strong, but I think it

was also about submitting to the cultural idea that if

you're a 22-year-old woman, you have to look a certain

way. I'm not into that anymore. But I do appreciate it

when my clothes fit. "

When it comes to exercise, Beals likes variety. One

staple of her fitness program, however, is yoga,

because she believes stretching helps muscles work

more efficiently. She's also a big believer in

cross-training. Hiking with her dogs, running on the

beach, doing Pilates and skating also bold periodic

places in her activities, but swimming is her current

aerobic activity of choice because it's fun, quiet and

stimulates right-left brain integration.

Better Nutrition

Of course, the actress, who now stars in the Showtime

Original Series, The L Word, has had to make her share

of fitness and nutrition sacrifices during her career.

The slender Beals gained 20 pounds for her leading

roles in both Devil in a Blue Dress and A House

Divided. While she says losing the weight " wasn't a

problem " after Devil in a Blue Dress, shedding the

pounds after A House Divided proved more difficult.

" It was hard. It was really, really hard, " she admits,

noting that she tried several different diet regimens

at the time.

Eventually, she returned to the diet prescribed by Dr.

Matsen, which relies heavily on food-combining

theories. She also started running 3-4 miles along the

Malibu beach near her Los Angeles home almost every'

day with her dog. The diet and exercise helped her

lose the first 10 pounds in 6 weeks. The next 5

pounds, however, were a little bit more stubborn.

Beals eventually conquered the extra weight by running

2 hours a day for several weeks, and says she kept the

last 5 pounds on because she felt more comfortable at

that weight.

" For me, staying in shape means having some kind of

cardiovascular ability and flexibility, " says Beals.

" But being in shape doesn't mean that I have to be a

size 4 or a size 6 anymore. For me, it's more about

being healthy. "

Looking Forward

Beals has always been about being healthy and fit.

Growing lip with two brothers, she says being adept at

sports was a " matter of survival. " But Beals isn't

hung up on age any more than she is on weight. As she

enters her 40s with a new husband and two

stepchildren, she isn't longing for the days of her

youth and hopes other women aren't either.

" There's no point in wishing for something that you

can't have, " she says matter-of-factly. " I would

recommend meditating. I think that's the single most

important thing that I do. More than stretching, more

than the way I eat, there's something about

understanding who you truly are. The essence of

everyone is so beautiful that it's startling. "

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