Dubai princess ‘taunted over how long she will be captive’
Text claim that guard gave Latifa a stopwatch
DUBAI’S missing princess was taunted by a guard who gave her a stopwatch to count down her time in captivity, it is claimed.
Princess Latifa, reportedly abducted more than two years ago, said she was told by the woman she could be held in the villa complex for another 12 months.
Friends of the 35-yearold say that she is being imprisoned in Dubai by the powerful ruler of the emirate – her father Mohammed Al Maktoum.
David Haigh, a human rights lawyer representing Latifa, received the texts about the stopwatch last year.
He wants her to be brought to the UK and says she has been denied medical care by alleged captors.
Mr Haigh added: “When I received the message about the timing device and the picture from Princess Latifa, I was devastated.
“I knew it meant they planned to keep her there for a long time. I also realised it was part of a cruel game, part of a long programme of torture.
“People need to realise how dangerous this situation is and that Latifa urgently needs help and support.” Latifa wrote: “Guard woman told me to prepare to stay one more year and got me this [the stopwatch] to make the time go faster.” Below the text was a picture of a yellow electronic counter still in its plastic packaging.
She also drew a diagram of the sprawling building she is said be held in – believed to be yards from Dubai’s tourist beaches popular with British celebs. It shows her small room is on the first floor of the main villa building behind trees and gates, not far from blocks on either side where on-site police are based. In videos filmed last year from the bathroom and released last week, Latifa claimed the villa has been converted into a jail, with bars on the windows. She said she is not allowed outside.
Friends of the Princess state that she was kidnapped by her father’s elite commandos from a yacht while sailing in the Indian Ocean in 2018.
The United Arab Emirates embassy in London said last week that Princess Latifa is “being cared for at home, supported by her family and medical professionals”.
Going through the menopause is no fun. And it is estimated that 13 million women in the UK are perimenopausal or menopausal – that’s one-third of the female population. In a survey by Women’s Health Concern, 95 per cent of those questioned said they’d try alternative therapies before hormone replacement therapy, despite its proven benefits.
It’s not an opinion shared by experts. “HRT should be the number one go-to treatment for all symptoms of the menopause,” says Dr Anne Henderson, consultant gynaecologist and author of Natural Menopause.
“Simply replacing oestrogen, one of the hormones that naturally decrease during menopause, is a simple, immediate and accessible solution.
“The benefits can be remarkable while also providing valuable protection to the bones and heart.”
But HRT may not be suitable for women with a history of breast, womb or ovarian cancer, blood clots or hypertension. And confusion over its safety has made many women wary.
Luckily, there are plenty of natural ways to help with symptoms too.
Brain fog
Everyday stress, lack of sleep and general fatigue all affect mental function, believes Dr Henderson.
“The game-changer is declining oestrogen, which affects every area of the brain. Women in my menopause clinic say they rely on post-it notes and memory prompts.”
They also talked of a “loss of nouns” – an inability to find the right word.
Diet: Explore foods high in phytoestrogens, the chemical compounds found in many plant-based foods that mimic oestrogen.
Eat more vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and kale, unrefined carbs and add flaxseeds to cereal.
“Switch to soya milk and brown rice to bump up your intake of phytoestrogens,” suggests Dr Henderson.
Supplements: A. Vogel Menopause Support (£14.99 for 60 tablets; health stores and pharmacies) contains fermented soya isoflavones to support low oestrogen levels, and magnesium for fatigue and muscle tension, hibiscus to reduce fluid retention, and vervain to help calm the nervous system.
Address your sleep: “Use a sleep cycle app to work out what triggers are affecting your sleep so you can fix them,” she advises.
Exercise is vital: Research shows it can improve memory and slow cognitive decline associated with ageing, releasing chemicals that can help you focus.
Aromatherapy: Use bergamot essential oil in a diffuser to help clarity.
Mood and anxiety
“Anxiety, low mood and tiredness are now the top three referral criteria to my clinic,” explains Dr Henderson.
“Low oestrogen levels have a direct impact on the limbic system in the brain that deals with emotions.”
And because progesterone has a natural sedative effect – it’s known as the calming hormone – when levels fall we may feel more overwhelmed and easily stressed, anxious and edgy.
CBT: Cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective talking therapy available on the NHS. It can help women understand how thought patterns contribute to stress so they can better calm the body and mind. There are resources available online at nhs.uk.
Move more: Exercise is vital for boosting feel-good serotonin levels.
tudy found that women who had ntary lifestyles were more likely to rience severe menopausal ptoms. Yoga is beneficial because hysical movement combined with hing and meditation helps with s and sleep. erbs for mood: “St John’s Wort is a and tested supplement for low d,” says Dr Henderson. e herb is believed to improve the ion of brain neurotransmitters and n’t have the side-effects of convenl medication. Discuss it with your s it can interact with medication. y Hyperiforce (£11.99 for 60 tablets; pendent pharmacies).
eadaches
women who regularly experienced monal headaches around the time eir period, HRT is the most tive treatment,” explains Dr derson. “For those who didn’t really r with headaches until then, yle changes make a big difference.” rink more water: Women underestimate the amount of fluid lost during hot flushes and night sweats. Many also tend to drink less if they also have urinary issues, such as stress incontinence, setting up a vicious cycle.
Avoid potential triggers: Alcohol and coffee can increase the sensitivity of the blood vessels in the brain and central nervous system.
Feverfew: This herb contains a range of biochemicals that can reduce migraine frequency and discomfort. Try Healthspan Feverfew Migraine Relief Capsules (£14.95; healthspan.co.uk).
Increase magnesium levels: US researchers found that up to half of migraine sufferers had low magnesium levels. Taking a supplement has been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. Try Nature’s Aid MigraEeze (£9.95; naturesaid.co.uk).
Hair thinning
About 40 per cent of women will experience hair loss during and after the menopause. Oestrogen promotes hair growth so falling levels can alter the texture of hair, leaving it finer and drier, while androgens, the collective term for male hormones, can lead to finer head hair but excess facial hair.
Diet: Lack of iron and protein in your diet can also affect hair growth.
Increasing your intake of lean protein, calcium from dairy products and iron (green leafy veg, dried apricots, cashews, whole lentils and chickpeas) can help. Cut back on caffeinated drinks which deplete iron stores.
Hot flushes and night sweats
Hot flushes go hand in hand with night sweats and are the most common symptom.
Oestrogen has a direct effect on the brain’s thermoregulatory centre so, when levels fall, you are more sensitive to changes in body temperature.
Herbal help: Sage leaf can help rebalance the brain’s sweat-regulating mechanism. Steep leaves in boiling water for five minutes then drink hot, or chill and add to fruit juice.
A. Vogel Menoforce (£13.99; independent pharmacies) containing fresh herb extract of sage leaf, is shown to reduce severe hot flushes by 79 per cent after eight weeks.
Diet: Spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine can be a trigger. Eating a diet rich in soya is believed to be one reason why Asian women experience fewer hot flushes.
Manage stress: CBT can help manage stress, which can also trigger hot flushes.
Weight gain and bloating
Falling oestrogen levels can alter the way we store fat. Combined with the natural ageing process of a slower metabolism and declining muscle mass (sarcopenia), this is why many women complain of a thickening middle and a “flat” bottom. “Symptoms like aching joints, low mood and self esteem, and fatigue mean you’re less likely to exercise, which adds to the problem,” says Dr Henderson.
“The reduction in progesterone can reduce the motility of the gut, slowing everything down, leading to bloating that tends to feel like persistent PMT.”
Diet: Eat wholesome, high-fibre, unprocessed foods and cook from scratch. Reassess your portion sizes and cut down on alcohol, which contains a lot of sugar but no nutrients.
Try the FODMAP diet to combat bloating:
“Work out which foods make symptoms worse – often refined carbs and gluten – and avoid them,” advises Dr Henderson.
Vaginal dryness
Surveys suggest as many as 80 per cent of women entering menopause experience vaginal dryness.
As oestrogen levels fall, the vaginal tissues produce less natural lubricant and lose their elasticity and strength, becoming more fragile and sensitive.
Lubricate: Topical HRT treatments (a cream or pessary) deliver oestrogen directly to the vagina so it doesn’t have the same associated risks as HRT.
“For a natural alternative, I recommend the Yes, Yes range of vaginal lubricants (yesyes.org), which are hypoallergenic, pH-balanced and organic,” adds Dr Henderson.
Take a supplement: Menopause Support also helps with dryness.
Joint pain and leg cramps
Collagen reduction affects joints as well as the skin, so women may experience the effects of wear and tear while dehydration and muscle loss can trigger leg cramps, says Dr Henderson.
We start losing muscle after the age of 30 but this accelerates as we age, which has implications for weight, fitness, bones, joints and muscle fatigue.
“The key thing women can do to protect muscle mass is strength training with hand weights and/or resistance bands,” urges Dr Henderson, who recommends using tutorial videos online for 20 or 30 minutes, incrementally increasing the weights over time.
Keep stiffness in check: Aerobic exercise is essential, as is keeping a healthy weight to prevent stiffness and swelling. Low-impact activities like cycling and walking are easier on joints than running, while swimming takes off the weight load completely.
Yoga can strengthen muscles and reduce aches and pains.
Herbs such as devil’s claw or sigesbeckia can help as they have anti-inflammatory properties similar to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, but without the risk of gastric complications. Try Phynova Joint & Muscle Relief (£19.99; Boots).
Magnesium is linked to greater bone density in women and can help soothe muscular and joint pains. Eat almonds, raw spinach, wholemeal bread and yoghurt, and consider a supplement.