Fish oil

[John W.]

Are fish oil capsules considered "fish" (i.e. non-fasting food) during the Great Fast?

[Irene]

Are fish oil capsules considered "fish" (i.e. non-fasting food) during the Great Fast?

Well, John, not that I know anything, but the point of fasting although it is to purify us, is also to abstain from those things that are pleasures, those things that bring our mind down to earth and away from that which is spiritual. I have just been re-reading a book on St John of Shanghai where he poured his desert into his soup and ate - what to us is a very unappetising mix, because, being saintly he didn't care about taste he only cared about things heavenly, like praying for others.

Fish on fish days is definitely a great pleasure to me, but a spoonful of cod liver oil - yuck.

In my opinion, I would say, fish oil capsules are definitely not something you take for pleasure, what are they used for? ... the health of the heart or something? So, I wouldn't count them as fish. Maybe if you were taking them for a reason of vanity, say they gave you lustrous locks or skin like a baby then that would be (might be) different.

[Robert Hegwood]

If I'm not mistaken such capsules are often encased in gelatin...and again if I'm not mistaken most of our gelatin is derived from boiled pig skin and other sundry body parts. If so that does put an interesting wrinkle on such things.

[Irene]

If I'm not mistaken such capsules are often encased in gelatin...and again if I'm not mistaken most of our gelatin is derived from boiled pig skin and other sundry body parts. If so that does put an interesting wrinkle on such things.

OH! so the paracetamol and other pain tablets I take in the gel caps are made from that, :( it never occurred to me. I think I'll be trying the plain ones in future. Maybe John can go for the teaspoon of cod liver oil instead, then he'll definitely know there is no pleasure in it.

[Effie Ganatsios]

We also usually take one codliver oil capsule a day. I don't think that medicine in any form is prohibited when fasting. Codliver oil is a good source of Vitamins A and D - of course the sun is our number one source for Vitamin D - but during winter codliver oil capsules are beneficial. They also have some Omega 3 oils.


I don't believe medicine of any form is prohibited during fasting.
Illness of itself is a form of fasting and your priest will be able to tell you just what you have to do during fasting periods. So, it is best to ask him.

Yesterday, I heard a member of the Synod say that the last 7 months of ArchBishop Christodoulos' life have been his "ticket" or path into heaven (my words). I'm not 100% sure of the words but this is what he meant I believe i.e. the suffering blessed Christodoulos went through was beneficial to his soul.

Illness has some positive sides. It makes us think hard about the basic things in our lives. If we allow it to, it will cleanse our souls and make us humble. It will draw us closer to God. Again, only if we allow it to.

[John W.]

Maybe if you were taking them for a reason of vanity, say they gave you lustrous locks or skin like a baby then that would be (might be) different.

Okay you pegged me. It's for my lustrous locks. Oh well, at least I 'll have a month of shiny highlights before the Fast.

[Irene]

Okay you pegged me. It's for my lustrous locks. Oh well, at least I 'll have a month of shiny highlights before the Fast.

:) just don't go overboard, I'll suffer from envy. :)

[Nina]

There are some other oils of plant origin, which are rich in omegas. However I do not know if this oil is allowed during Lent by your spiritual father...

If you want to have hair that will make Irene as green as a pea with envy :) you can put some olive oil on them half hour before shampooing and eat lots of avocados etc.

[Nina]

Are fish oil capsules considered "fish" (i.e. non-fasting food) during the Great Fast?

I just talked with a friend who is health conscious and Orthodox, and I was told that you may replace Fish oil with Krill oil during fasting (of course with the blessing of your spiritual father, if you need to do so). Krill, he said is not considered fish. However research about it and also consult your spiritual father to make sure that it does not fall under the category of oil since there are 'no oil' days in fasting. But if you have blessing you can do it.

My friend said that Krill oil is purer and more powerful and has no mercury like fish does. However since we both are not authorities in this field, please research it. Another alternative is flax seed oil. These are very good for the health of the heart, brain etc. Also I have no idea about the ingredients of the gelatin, but my friend said that if you search on line about Krill oil with words like vegan, pure, whole (as in whole foods market or wild oats) etc. you will get more information and can decide on the brand and call the company that produces it to make sure that they do not use the pig skin for producing the gelatin. Pig skin is gross for me and I never knew that usual gelatin is produced in such way, so thank you Robert for the info.

About hair: I was joking above about oil and avocados. Hair, is genes. Really. Although the state of the hair and nails in a person indicates the general health of that person.

However what Irene said is so true. I often do things out of my vanity, but if it is for health purposes it is another story.

[Father David Moser]

Just a note on fasting and health. The mother of one of my parishioners was visiting her daughter for an extended period of time. While she was here, the archbishop visited our parish. Now the mother, V.G., is from Russia and puts a lot of stock in traditional remedies and concoctions for her health. She approached Vladyka with a question about these remedies. She has a tonic that she drinks every morning for her health and so she asked Vladyka if it would be breaking the fast if she drank her tonic before coming to Church to receive the Holy Mysteries. Now even though this was a "folk remedy" of dubious effectiveness (and the contents of which is somewhat repugnant to western sensibilities) he told her that she could indeed take her tonic in the morning before receiving the Mysteries as long as it was for health reasons. This instruction is actually pretty universal - that we can take things (like capsules of fish oil) which might normally appear to be breaking the fast, if it is as a medicine. Thus capsules of fish oil - no matter what the capsules are made of and no matter what fish the oil comes from - when taken as medicine would generally fall under that category. However, as with all such things, one should ask one's priest for a blessing to undertake this exception to the routine.

Fr David Moser

[John W.]

Just a note on fasting and health. The mother of one of my parishioners was visiting her daughter for an extended period of time. While she was here, the archbishop visited our parish. Now the mother, V.G., is from Russia and puts a lot of stock in traditional remedies and concoctions for her health. She approached Vladyka with a question about these remedies. She has a tonic that she drinks every morning for her health and so she asked Vladyka if it would be breaking the fast if she drank her tonic before coming to Church to receive the Holy Mysteries. Now even though this was a "folk remedy" of dubious effectiveness (and the contents of which is somewhat repugnant to western sensibilities) he told her that she could indeed take her tonic in the morning before receiving the Mysteries as long as it was for health reasons. This instruction is actually pretty universal - that we can take things (like capsules of fish oil) which might normally appear to be breaking the fast, if it is as a medicine. Thus capsules of fish oil - no matter what the capsules are made of and no matter what fish the oil comes from - when taken as medicine would generally fall under that category. However, as with all such things, one should ask one's priest for a blessing to undertake this exception to the routine.

Fr David Moser

Bless, Father.

Dear Fr. David, thank you. I was just kidding earlier about my lustrous locks. Actually my hair has a very lovely sheen no matter what I eat or don't eat. I take the fish oil because my "good cholesterol" levels are low. I will consult Father before the Fast.

Nina, thanks for the tip on the krill oil. I'll look for it!

John

[Nina]

Actually my hair has a very lovely sheen no matter what I eat or don't eat.
John

Yep. Genes.

[Effie Ganatsios]

Yep. Genes.

Or perhaps a sage or rosemary last rinse?????

[Olga]

... or egg white. (eek!)

[Nina]

Or perhaps a sage or rosemary last rinse?????

Actually mix that with honey. :) But no. Genes do not get altered this way. I know this for sure. :)

[Effie Ganatsios]

off subject

I friend of my son's is losing his hair and he came to me for some dried rosemary and sage so that he could make a herb infusion and rub the liquid into his hair.

I asked him about his father's hair and he told me his father was bald............................

Genes......... Rosemary and sage will make your hair shiny and beautiful but they won't make your hair grow.

effie

[Nina]

My aunt uses sage against some gray hair that started coming out for her and she said it helps a bit.

Rosemary makes the hair stronger also.

I do not know about shine, but my sister in law has naturally very shiny hair and her sister uses all these things to make her hair shine a bit more (since she did not inherit that gene from their family) and it does not help. She also uses vinegar and cold water to close the cuticles at the end since it is said that it helps to make hair reflect the light more, but her hair luster is never there. But of course for the moment it will help the hair because it nurtures them and it is maintenance. I wonder if my sister in law will use all these methods too if her hair will shine even more. I will suggest it to her :).

[Paul Cowan]

I asked him about his father's hair and he told me his father was bald............................

The hair gene comes from the mother's side of the family. Not the father. I am living proof as I am the only man in my entire family with hair. Even my younger brother is almost bald now. I am the but of reversed jokes. They are all just jealous.

[Effie Ganatsios]

Paul, if that is indeed true, then there's hope for his hair!!!

I have noticed that a lot of young men have thinning hair. I was told that this phenomenon is due to the stress that young men experience here concerning jobs, etc.

Effie

[Olga]

I have noticed that a lot of young men have thinning hair. I was told that this phenomenon is due to the stress that young men experience here concerning jobs, etc.

Probably not, Effie. Hair loss in men is overwhelmingly in the genes. Psychological factors are peripheral in most cases, in other words, a man will lose his hair no matter what he does or doesn't do, if genetic and hereditary factors say so. When you and I were young, bald men, or those with thinning hair wore hats, or did the dreaded "combover" to hide the lack of hair.

[Effie Ganatsios]

My nephew's doctor told him that his hair loss was due to stress. He has just finished a treatment that lasted a couple of months but with no results that I could see.

I gather there might be a number of reasons that men lose their hair. The number one reason would be their genes I suppose but other factors might also play a part e.g. vitamin deficiency, stress etc.

Thank God we're women and don't have that problem, at least not to the extent that men have it.

Effie

[Olga]

There are some specific conditions such as the alopecias which can lead to dramatic hair loss (in women as well as men, I might add), and which can be triggered by high-level stress. I was referring to generic "male pattern baldness", from which pre-menopausal women are largely immune. But then, men have the advantage of being able to go grey more gracefully than many women, though there are some encouraging signs that more women in western countries are abandoning the hair dye and going grey openly (the actresses Helen Mirren and Judi Dench are great examples).