Some food additives are worse than others. Food Matters suggests these as the top ones to avoid:
Artificial Sweeteners Aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet and Equal, is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined. The sweetener Acesulfame-K has been linked to kidney tumors. All artificial sweeteners are bad news.
High Fructose Corn Syrup High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) increases your LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels and contributes to the development of diabetes.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Is used as a flavor enhancer. It is an excitotoxin, a substance that overexcites cells to the point of damage or death.
Trans Fat Numerous studies show that trans fat increases LDL cholesterol levels and increases your risk of heart attacks, heart disease and strokes.
Common Food Dyes Artificial colorings may contribute to behavioral problems in children and lead to a significant reduction in IQ.
Sodium Sulphite This is a preservative used in processed foods. People who are sulfite sensitive can experience headaches, breathing problems, and rashes. In severe cases, it may cause death.
Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite This common preservative has been linked to various types of cancer.
BHA and BHT Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) are preservatives that affect the neurological system of your brain, alter behavior and have the potential to cause cancer.
Sulphur Dioxide Sulphur additives are toxic and in the U.S., they have been prohibited in raw fruit and vegetables. Adverse reactions include bronchial problems, low blood pressure, and anaphylactic shock.
Potassium Bromate This additive is used to increase volume in some breads. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and even small amounts can create problems for humans.
If you've ever read the ingredients lists on packaged foods, you know that there's a lot more in food these days than in the past. Virtually every processed food now contains a long list of preservatives, colorings, flavorings, emulsifiers and more -- and unless you're shopping at a natural specialty store, gone are the days when a loaf of bread contained just a few ingredients. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definition, a food additive is "any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result -- directly or indirectly -- in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food." There are currently more than 3,000 food additives added to foods in the United States; ideally, you should steer clear of all or most of these, but if you're just getting started the 10 listed above are an excellent starting point of additives to remove from your diet as soon as possible.
What are You Really Eating?
When you purchase a package of cheese, you expect it to contain milk and salt … bread you'd expect to contain flour, yeast, etc., and when you pick up a can of beans, you may think it only contains beans. In reality, cheese is commonly laced with preservatives and colorings. Bread contains high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and sometimes trans fats. And even canned beans typically contain additives including corn syrup, coloring and sweeteners, along with being packaged in a can that probably leaches BPA from its lining. If you're like most Americans who spend 90 percent of their food budget on processed foods, you're eating your share of these additives and then some … which is concerning when you begin to look into their potential effect on your health: Cancer, Hormone Disrupters, Behavior Problems and Lowered IQ.
Processed Foods Depend on Additives
When foods are processed not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the texture, natural variation and flavors are lost also. After processing, what's actually left behind is a bland, uninteresting "pseudo-food" that most people would find entirely unappetizing. Food manufacturers must add back in nutrients, flavor, color and texture to processed foods in order to make them palatable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives. Most commonly, additives are included to: slow spoilage, prevent fats and oils from becoming rancid, prevent cut fruits from turning brown, fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals (which are lost during processing) and improve taste, texture and appearance
When reading product packages, some of the most common food additives to watch out for:
Sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K), etc.), FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2, monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract.
The Simplest Way to Avoid Food Additives?
Ditch the processed foods. Swapping your processed food diet for one that focuses on real, whole foods may seem like a radical idea, but it's a necessity if you value your health. When you put the history of food into perspective, it's actually the processed foods that are "radical" and "new." People have thrived on vegetables, meats, eggs, fruits and other whole foods for centuries, while processed foods were only recently invented.
The frozen food business didn't begin until the mid-1920s when the General Seafoods Company began selling crudely frozen fish fillets, and fast food restaurants didn't get a foot hold until after World War II. TV dinners didn't even come around until the 1950s … before that it was a home-cooked meal or no meal at all. If you rely on processed inexpensive foods you will simply exchange convenience and short-term cash savings for long-term health miseries.
When it comes to staying healthy, avoiding processed foods and replacing them with fresh, whole foods is the "secret" you've been looking for.
If you have any questions about food additives, please ask us. We can let you know about allergy elimination, this treatment can help to reduce or eliminate food sensitivities along with other allergies such as animal and outdoor allergies.
Sources: Food Matters, mercola.com, 4/17/11
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
No Whey! Protein Improves Heart Health.
A whey protein rich ingredient may improve blood vessel function in healthy individuals, reports a new randomized, double-blind study. Two weeks of supplementation resulted in a 1.5 percent improvement in blood flow. According to the researchers, the whey protein-derived ingredient may work via an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity. ACE inhibitors work by inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure. Whey protein, a by-product of milk and cheese production, was promoted for its health benefits as early as 420 B.C. At that time, Hippocrates, also known as “the Father of Medicine,” recommended whey to his patients.
These days, evidence continues to mount in favor of whey, often referred to as the gold standard of protein.
The Many Health Benefits of Whey Protein
Whey protein, which is available as a protein powder, has been linked to a variety of health benefits, such as:
• Helping your pancreas-produced insulin work more effectively, which helps maintain your blood sugar level after a meal.
• Promoting healthy insulin secretion.
• Helping to promote your optimal intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals needed for your overall wellness.
• Supporting your immune system, as it contains immunoglobulins.
• Helping you preserve lean body tissue (particularly during exercise) as it delivers bioavailable amino acids. Ingesting protein within a half hour after exercise helps increase lean muscle mass. I use the whey protein as a vanilla shake or with fruit mixed in it.
• Maintaining blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range.
This latest study adds to the last benefit listed above, as it found that supplementation with the whey-derived peptide NOP-47 had a positive impact on vascular function in healthy people. Blood flow in the arm improved by 2.7 percent per minute following whey protein supplementation, but did not change for those in the control group who took a placebo. Whey has also been shown to benefit colicky babies, and may help prevent at-risk infants from developing allergies.
Whey Protein’s Impact on Your Insulin Levels
Previous research has shown that whey protein appears to allow the insulin produced by your pancreas to work more effectively, thus lowering your blood sugar level after a meal. This is important as research suggests lowering your blood sugar levels after meals may be more beneficial for your health than lowering fasting blood sugars.
As you’re probably aware of already, improving your insulin secretion and metabolism of glucose is imperative for optimal health. This is one of the foremost reasons for avoiding sugars and grains, as overconsumption of grains and sugary foods has a negative impact on both, and is a prime factor in developing type 2 diabetes.
If you or someone you know has pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, it's important for you to use every tool available (as long as it does you no harm) to normalize your blood sugar levels. It appears whey protein can help, but the effects will be far more substantial if combined with exercise. Also remember that although high-quality whey protein can be an excellent addition to your diet, it should not be used in place of proper diet and exercise, the two mainstays of diabetes management.
Take Quality and Source Into Account
If you are interested in adding whey protein to your diet -- a smart move for the reasons noted above and much more -- I urge you to be very cautious of which brand you choose, as there can be extreme variations in the quality of the whey.
Most whey products contain whey protein derived from pasteurized, commercial dairy sources. When selecting a whey product, I strongly recommend making sure it’s made from raw, grass-fed milk, in order to obtain all of its immune-enhancing benefits.
In addition, I want to reiterate that I promote supplements to complement your healthy diet, NOT as total meal replacements. And that holds true for whey protein supplement as well.
But if you’re on the go a lot, a high quality whey protein supplement can be more beneficial, and is a far better choice than most other nutritional bars and processed convenience snacks. So when you use whey protein, chose a product that is from New Zealand to ensure less use of pesticides and herbicides. Chose a product that is cold processed to maintain as much of the nutrition and digestive enzymes as possible.
My favorite whey protein product is Dream Protein. You can call our office to get it or order it online at www.FirstShake.com/3556. They do offer free sample packets if needed.
Sources: NutraIngredients, Nutrition Journal, mercola.com; 3/23/11
These days, evidence continues to mount in favor of whey, often referred to as the gold standard of protein.
The Many Health Benefits of Whey Protein
Whey protein, which is available as a protein powder, has been linked to a variety of health benefits, such as:
• Helping your pancreas-produced insulin work more effectively, which helps maintain your blood sugar level after a meal.
• Promoting healthy insulin secretion.
• Helping to promote your optimal intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals needed for your overall wellness.
• Supporting your immune system, as it contains immunoglobulins.
• Helping you preserve lean body tissue (particularly during exercise) as it delivers bioavailable amino acids. Ingesting protein within a half hour after exercise helps increase lean muscle mass. I use the whey protein as a vanilla shake or with fruit mixed in it.
• Maintaining blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range.
This latest study adds to the last benefit listed above, as it found that supplementation with the whey-derived peptide NOP-47 had a positive impact on vascular function in healthy people. Blood flow in the arm improved by 2.7 percent per minute following whey protein supplementation, but did not change for those in the control group who took a placebo. Whey has also been shown to benefit colicky babies, and may help prevent at-risk infants from developing allergies.
Whey Protein’s Impact on Your Insulin Levels
Previous research has shown that whey protein appears to allow the insulin produced by your pancreas to work more effectively, thus lowering your blood sugar level after a meal. This is important as research suggests lowering your blood sugar levels after meals may be more beneficial for your health than lowering fasting blood sugars.
As you’re probably aware of already, improving your insulin secretion and metabolism of glucose is imperative for optimal health. This is one of the foremost reasons for avoiding sugars and grains, as overconsumption of grains and sugary foods has a negative impact on both, and is a prime factor in developing type 2 diabetes.
If you or someone you know has pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, it's important for you to use every tool available (as long as it does you no harm) to normalize your blood sugar levels. It appears whey protein can help, but the effects will be far more substantial if combined with exercise. Also remember that although high-quality whey protein can be an excellent addition to your diet, it should not be used in place of proper diet and exercise, the two mainstays of diabetes management.
Take Quality and Source Into Account
If you are interested in adding whey protein to your diet -- a smart move for the reasons noted above and much more -- I urge you to be very cautious of which brand you choose, as there can be extreme variations in the quality of the whey.
Most whey products contain whey protein derived from pasteurized, commercial dairy sources. When selecting a whey product, I strongly recommend making sure it’s made from raw, grass-fed milk, in order to obtain all of its immune-enhancing benefits.
In addition, I want to reiterate that I promote supplements to complement your healthy diet, NOT as total meal replacements. And that holds true for whey protein supplement as well.
But if you’re on the go a lot, a high quality whey protein supplement can be more beneficial, and is a far better choice than most other nutritional bars and processed convenience snacks. So when you use whey protein, chose a product that is from New Zealand to ensure less use of pesticides and herbicides. Chose a product that is cold processed to maintain as much of the nutrition and digestive enzymes as possible.
My favorite whey protein product is Dream Protein. You can call our office to get it or order it online at www.FirstShake.com/3556. They do offer free sample packets if needed.
Sources: NutraIngredients, Nutrition Journal, mercola.com; 3/23/11
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Foods That You Should Eat More Often.
It's impossible to talk about health without coming back to the basics, namely food. The state of your physical health is the result of what you put into your body, and how you live your life. Unfortunately, the financial situation of most people is strained these days, to say the least. But that doesn't mean you can't maintain good health through your diet.
It's a common misconception that buying pre-packaged processed foods is less expensive than eating fresh and cooking from scratch, but don't fall for this notion. When you consider the nutrient value of fresh versus processed-to-death denatured foods and the subsequent health consequences of each choice, it's quite clear that you can eat well and improve your health and still not spend a fortune.
Kale - It's loaded with vitamin C, vitamin B, and calcium, and costs just over a dollar a bunch.
Winter Squash - It's just a few dollars a pound, it's a good source of vitamin B6 and folate.
Sweet Potatoes - They're full of fiber, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin C.
Adzuki Beans - Adzuki beans contain some of the highest levels of protein of any variety of beans, and they also contain high levels of potassium, fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and manganese.
Black Beans - These are a good source of folate, dietary fiber, manganese, protein, magnesium, vitamin B1 (thiamin), phosphorus, and iron.
Sunflower Seeds - Raw sunflower seeds contain 76 percent of the RDA for vitamin E.
Almonds - Almonds are good for heart health and loaded with vitamin E.
Unpasteurized grass-fed milk -- Raw organic milk from grass-fed cows contains both beneficial fats and bacteria that boost your immune system. An great source of vitamin A, zinc, and enzymes, raw organic milk is not associated with any of the health problems of pasteurized milk such as rheumatoid arthritis, skin rashes, diarrhea and cramps.
Whey protein -- Even if you don't have access to raw milk, you can use a high-quality, cold processed whey protein derived from the milk of grass-fed cows to receive much of the same health benefits. Whey protein contains beta-glucans and immunoglobulins, which protect your immune system and support your body's natural detoxification processes.
Fermented foods -- Boost your immunity by adding traditionally fermented foods. The most healthful fermented food is kefir -- an ancient cultured, enzyme-rich food full of friendly microorganisms that balance your "inner ecosystem" and strengthen immunity. Other good fermented foods include natto, kimchee, miso, tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut, and olives.
Raw organic eggs from free-range chickens – Many people are deficient in, especially high-quality protein and fat. A single egg contains: Nine essential amino acids. Six grams of the highest quality protein. Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin, internal organs and muscles. They are also the major components of your immune system and hormones. Lutein and zeaxanthin for your eyes. Choline for your brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems and naturally occurring B12. As long as you have a good source for fresh, organic eggs, you need not worry about salmonella if you choose to eat them raw.
Grass fed beef -- Grass-fed beef is very high in vitamins A, B12 and E, omega-3 fats, beta carotene, zinc and the potent immune system enhancer CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Many organically raised cows are fed organic corn, which you don't want. However, most grass-fed cows are raised organically.
Coconut oil -- Besides being excellent for your thyroid and your metabolism, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin – a compound also found in breast milk that strengthens a baby's immunity. Its medium chain fatty acids, or triglycerides (MCT's) raise your body's metabolism and fight off pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. Additionally, coconut oil may serve as a natural treatment for Alzheimer's disease, as MCT's are also a primary source of ketone bodies, which act as an alternate source of brain fuel that can help prevent the brain atrophy associated with dementia. Choose an organic coconut oil that is unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and does not contain GM ingredients.
Berries and Raspberries – They rate very high in antioxidant capacity compared to other fruits and vegetables and are also lower in sugar. Other good fruits include cranberries, which have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, and decrease total cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels in animal studies. Unsweetened cranberry juice has also been traditionally used to successfully treat urinary tract infections.
Broccoli – This humble vegetable is indeed a superfood with near miraculous powers of healing and disease prevention. It contains the highest amount of isothiocyanates, a cancer-fighting compound, of all the crunchy vegetables. Isothiocynates work by turning on cancer-fighting genes and turning off others that feed the disease. Other vegetables containing isothiocyanate include: Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, watercress and horseradish. Research has shown that eating cruciferous vegetables can significantly reduce your risk of breast, bladder, lung and prostate cancer. Best of all, you don't need to eat massive amounts of these veggies to take advantage of their health benefits. Studies have shown that just 10 spears a week (5 servings) can make a difference in your health.
Chlorella – A superfood if there ever was one, chlorella is a single-cell freshwater algae that acts as an efficient detoxification agent by binding to toxins (most of which promote chronic inflammation), such as mercury, and carrying them out of your system. The chlorophyll in the chlorella helps you process more oxygen, cleanses your blood and promotes the growth and repair of your tissues.
Tea – As for beverages, clean pure water is a must for optimal health, but if you want another beverage, a good choice with added health benefits is high quality herbal teas. Matcha tea is the most nutrient-rich green tea and comes in the form of a stone-ground powder, completely unfermented. The best Matcha comes from Japan and has up to 17 times the antioxidants of wild blueberries, and seven times more than dark chocolate. Tulsi is another tea loaded with antioxidants and other micronutrients that support immune function and heart health.
Source: Planet Green, January 11, 2011; mercola.com
It's a common misconception that buying pre-packaged processed foods is less expensive than eating fresh and cooking from scratch, but don't fall for this notion. When you consider the nutrient value of fresh versus processed-to-death denatured foods and the subsequent health consequences of each choice, it's quite clear that you can eat well and improve your health and still not spend a fortune.
Kale - It's loaded with vitamin C, vitamin B, and calcium, and costs just over a dollar a bunch.
Winter Squash - It's just a few dollars a pound, it's a good source of vitamin B6 and folate.
Sweet Potatoes - They're full of fiber, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin C.
Adzuki Beans - Adzuki beans contain some of the highest levels of protein of any variety of beans, and they also contain high levels of potassium, fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and manganese.
Black Beans - These are a good source of folate, dietary fiber, manganese, protein, magnesium, vitamin B1 (thiamin), phosphorus, and iron.
Sunflower Seeds - Raw sunflower seeds contain 76 percent of the RDA for vitamin E.
Almonds - Almonds are good for heart health and loaded with vitamin E.
Unpasteurized grass-fed milk -- Raw organic milk from grass-fed cows contains both beneficial fats and bacteria that boost your immune system. An great source of vitamin A, zinc, and enzymes, raw organic milk is not associated with any of the health problems of pasteurized milk such as rheumatoid arthritis, skin rashes, diarrhea and cramps.
Whey protein -- Even if you don't have access to raw milk, you can use a high-quality, cold processed whey protein derived from the milk of grass-fed cows to receive much of the same health benefits. Whey protein contains beta-glucans and immunoglobulins, which protect your immune system and support your body's natural detoxification processes.
Fermented foods -- Boost your immunity by adding traditionally fermented foods. The most healthful fermented food is kefir -- an ancient cultured, enzyme-rich food full of friendly microorganisms that balance your "inner ecosystem" and strengthen immunity. Other good fermented foods include natto, kimchee, miso, tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut, and olives.
Raw organic eggs from free-range chickens – Many people are deficient in, especially high-quality protein and fat. A single egg contains: Nine essential amino acids. Six grams of the highest quality protein. Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin, internal organs and muscles. They are also the major components of your immune system and hormones. Lutein and zeaxanthin for your eyes. Choline for your brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems and naturally occurring B12. As long as you have a good source for fresh, organic eggs, you need not worry about salmonella if you choose to eat them raw.
Grass fed beef -- Grass-fed beef is very high in vitamins A, B12 and E, omega-3 fats, beta carotene, zinc and the potent immune system enhancer CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Many organically raised cows are fed organic corn, which you don't want. However, most grass-fed cows are raised organically.
Coconut oil -- Besides being excellent for your thyroid and your metabolism, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin – a compound also found in breast milk that strengthens a baby's immunity. Its medium chain fatty acids, or triglycerides (MCT's) raise your body's metabolism and fight off pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. Additionally, coconut oil may serve as a natural treatment for Alzheimer's disease, as MCT's are also a primary source of ketone bodies, which act as an alternate source of brain fuel that can help prevent the brain atrophy associated with dementia. Choose an organic coconut oil that is unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and does not contain GM ingredients.
Berries and Raspberries – They rate very high in antioxidant capacity compared to other fruits and vegetables and are also lower in sugar. Other good fruits include cranberries, which have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, and decrease total cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels in animal studies. Unsweetened cranberry juice has also been traditionally used to successfully treat urinary tract infections.
Broccoli – This humble vegetable is indeed a superfood with near miraculous powers of healing and disease prevention. It contains the highest amount of isothiocyanates, a cancer-fighting compound, of all the crunchy vegetables. Isothiocynates work by turning on cancer-fighting genes and turning off others that feed the disease. Other vegetables containing isothiocyanate include: Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, watercress and horseradish. Research has shown that eating cruciferous vegetables can significantly reduce your risk of breast, bladder, lung and prostate cancer. Best of all, you don't need to eat massive amounts of these veggies to take advantage of their health benefits. Studies have shown that just 10 spears a week (5 servings) can make a difference in your health.
Chlorella – A superfood if there ever was one, chlorella is a single-cell freshwater algae that acts as an efficient detoxification agent by binding to toxins (most of which promote chronic inflammation), such as mercury, and carrying them out of your system. The chlorophyll in the chlorella helps you process more oxygen, cleanses your blood and promotes the growth and repair of your tissues.
Tea – As for beverages, clean pure water is a must for optimal health, but if you want another beverage, a good choice with added health benefits is high quality herbal teas. Matcha tea is the most nutrient-rich green tea and comes in the form of a stone-ground powder, completely unfermented. The best Matcha comes from Japan and has up to 17 times the antioxidants of wild blueberries, and seven times more than dark chocolate. Tulsi is another tea loaded with antioxidants and other micronutrients that support immune function and heart health.
Source: Planet Green, January 11, 2011; mercola.com
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Dr. Dan continues Advanced Rating in Activator Technique
Dr. Dan Thibodeau continues Advanced Proficiency Rating in Activator Technique.
Pheonix, Arizona: Activator Methods International has announced that Dr. Dan Thibodeau of Appleton, Wisconsin has continued his Advanced Proficiency Rating in the Activator Methods Instrument Adjusting Technique for the 2011 calendar year. Such an acheivement is a reflection of his commitment of time and energy to complete the rigorous continuing education program. This designation puts Dr. Thibodeau in an elite class of Chiropractors who are expertly trained in the world's number one instrument adjusting techniques. He is the only Activator Proficiency Rated doctor in Appleton.
Dr. Thibodeau has been practicing at Beck - Thibodeau Chiropractic in for 11 years. He graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1989 and specializes in treating patients with this gentle technique that is proven through clinical trials to provide relief for numerous ailments.
Pheonix, Arizona: Activator Methods International has announced that Dr. Dan Thibodeau of Appleton, Wisconsin has continued his Advanced Proficiency Rating in the Activator Methods Instrument Adjusting Technique for the 2011 calendar year. Such an acheivement is a reflection of his commitment of time and energy to complete the rigorous continuing education program. This designation puts Dr. Thibodeau in an elite class of Chiropractors who are expertly trained in the world's number one instrument adjusting techniques. He is the only Activator Proficiency Rated doctor in Appleton.
Dr. Thibodeau has been practicing at Beck - Thibodeau Chiropractic in for 11 years. He graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1989 and specializes in treating patients with this gentle technique that is proven through clinical trials to provide relief for numerous ailments.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Drug Companies Lying, Cheating and Bribing.
Prescription drugs continue to be dangerous.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals will pay $442 million dollars in penalties for marketing an epilepsy medicine for unapproved uses and then bribing and paying kickbacks to medical doctors to prescribe it and five of its other drugs.
Johnson & Johnson continues to have legal troubles as it conducts a phantom recall by circumventing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and buying up its defective painkillers Tylenol and Motrin so no one would know. Congressmen say there is “too cozy” of a relationship between the FDA and Johnson & Johnson.
GlaxoSmithKline agrees to pay $460 million dollars to resolve lawsuits regarding its diabetes drug Avandia. It turns out the drug can cause heart attacks and strokes in diabetics – the very things it is supposed to prevent. The company is facing 10,000 lawsuits with a worse-case scenario of payments of about $500,000 dollars each. Avandia, with $3 billion in annual sales is still in the air as the FDA decides whether to pull it completely off the market.
Pfizer was fined $2.3 billion dollars for illegally marketing drugs. Yes that’s $2.3 billion dollars. Federal prosecutors called the drug maker a “repeating corporate cheat” for bribing medical doctors to sell their drugs.
Some physicians continue to prescribe estrogen despite the fact that it has caused an estimated 17,500 cases of breast cancer every year. Most women have quit these prescriptions, with a resultant dramatic drop in breast cancer cases. The first such drop in cancer incidence since the war on cancer began over 30 years ago.
Conclusion: So in today’s times, drug maker fines and penalties for fraud, cheating, bribing and lying are now running in the billions of dollars.
Sounds like just another day at the pharmaceutical office, business as usual.
Source: Health Alert; September 2010 and December 2010
Novartis Pharmaceuticals will pay $442 million dollars in penalties for marketing an epilepsy medicine for unapproved uses and then bribing and paying kickbacks to medical doctors to prescribe it and five of its other drugs.
Johnson & Johnson continues to have legal troubles as it conducts a phantom recall by circumventing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and buying up its defective painkillers Tylenol and Motrin so no one would know. Congressmen say there is “too cozy” of a relationship between the FDA and Johnson & Johnson.
GlaxoSmithKline agrees to pay $460 million dollars to resolve lawsuits regarding its diabetes drug Avandia. It turns out the drug can cause heart attacks and strokes in diabetics – the very things it is supposed to prevent. The company is facing 10,000 lawsuits with a worse-case scenario of payments of about $500,000 dollars each. Avandia, with $3 billion in annual sales is still in the air as the FDA decides whether to pull it completely off the market.
Pfizer was fined $2.3 billion dollars for illegally marketing drugs. Yes that’s $2.3 billion dollars. Federal prosecutors called the drug maker a “repeating corporate cheat” for bribing medical doctors to sell their drugs.
Some physicians continue to prescribe estrogen despite the fact that it has caused an estimated 17,500 cases of breast cancer every year. Most women have quit these prescriptions, with a resultant dramatic drop in breast cancer cases. The first such drop in cancer incidence since the war on cancer began over 30 years ago.
Conclusion: So in today’s times, drug maker fines and penalties for fraud, cheating, bribing and lying are now running in the billions of dollars.
Sounds like just another day at the pharmaceutical office, business as usual.
Source: Health Alert; September 2010 and December 2010
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Chiropractic Saves 40% on Care.
A new study finds that care for low back pain initiated with a chiropractor saves 40% on healthcare costs when compared with low back pain care initiated through a medical doctor, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) announced recently.
The study, featuring data from 85,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries, concludes that insurance companies that restrict access to chiropractic for low back pain treatment may inadvertently pay more for care than if they removed such restrictions.
Published in the well known Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), the new study looked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s intermediate and large group, fully insured population over a two year span.
Comments:
- Why would insurance companies want to pay more for low back pain care?
- Why did Canada drop all Chiropractic care from their government paid national health care several years ago?
- If 80% of the entire population has back pain at least once in their life, that would cost insurance companies and or the government a lot more money.
- Why not embrace Chiropractic care as a lower cost alternative to expensive medical care for low back pain!
Source: American Chiropractic Association, Chiropractic Economics; 1/20/2011
The study, featuring data from 85,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries, concludes that insurance companies that restrict access to chiropractic for low back pain treatment may inadvertently pay more for care than if they removed such restrictions.
Published in the well known Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), the new study looked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s intermediate and large group, fully insured population over a two year span.
Comments:
- Why would insurance companies want to pay more for low back pain care?
- Why did Canada drop all Chiropractic care from their government paid national health care several years ago?
- If 80% of the entire population has back pain at least once in their life, that would cost insurance companies and or the government a lot more money.
- Why not embrace Chiropractic care as a lower cost alternative to expensive medical care for low back pain!
Source: American Chiropractic Association, Chiropractic Economics; 1/20/2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Don't Get Sick This Winter!
Bacteria present naturally in your body and sometimes found in food could keep cold and flu viruses at bay. According to a study, young children who drank a mixture of such bacteria, known as probiotics, had fewer colds, needed fewer antibiotics, and missed fewer days of school. Researchers have already shown that probiotics can benefit those who are ill, and the bacteria are thought to boost the immune system's response to invaders.
For most of you reading this, cold and flu season is here, and with it comes the yearly push urging you to get a flu vaccine to stay healthy. If you take nothing else away from this article, let it be this: you have at your disposal tools to bolster your immune system and drastically reduce your risk of colds and the flu. You do not need a vaccine to do this. In fact, a vaccine could easily make your health worse. One of these “tools” is good bacteria, or probiotics.
Eighty percent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, so--it makes perfect sense that probiotics would be very effective at warding off cold and flu viruses Remember, a robust immune system is your number one defense system against ALL disease, and in order to keep your immune system in top working order you must have a healthy balance of good to bad bacteria in your gut (the optimal balance is about 85 percent “good bacteria” and 15 percent “bad”). The researchers in this new study actually found quite significant benefits among 3- to 5-year-old children who received either a single strain or combination of probiotics twice a day for six months.
Compared to the placebo group, the single and combination probiotic groups had reduced fever by 53 percent and 73 percent respectively, decreased coughing by 41 percent and 62 percent, and reduced runny noses by 28 percent and 59 percent.
Why are Probiotics so Important?
In many cultures, probiotic-rich food and drinks, such as the fermented superfoods natto, kefir, lassi (an Indian yogurt drink) and sauerkraut, are an integral part of the daily diet. If you eat a diet rich in fermented foods like these that have NOT been pasteurized (pasteurization will kill the probiotics), then you will likely enjoy great digestive, and immune system, health. However, if you find yourself strongly drawn to processed foods or rely on mostly cooked foods, as is commonplace in the United States, the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract will have a hard time staying optimal.
This is most unfortunate because this ratio between the "good" bacteria and the other bacteria is one of the critical factors determining your optimal health, as the good bacteria are essential for:
• Proper development of your immune system; Protection against over-growth of other microorganisms that could cause disease; Digestion of food and absorption of nutrients
The probiotics in your gut also play a role in helping numerous bodily functions, such as:
• Digesting and absorbing certain carbohydrates; Producing vitamins, absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins; Keeping bad bacteria under control; Preventing allergies.
Sugar is also an incredibly efficient fertilizer for growing bad bacteria and yeast in your gut, so if you indulge in a lot of it you’re fueling the bad bacteria rather than the good. Likewise, stress, pollution, and taking antibiotics can further upset the balance in a negative way. Since helpful bacteria are increasingly absent in most people’s diets, it is important to purposely include foods that contain live probiotic bacteria in your diet, or take a probiotic supplement -- especially since flu season is here.
Here’s What You Need to Know to Avoid the Flu This Year
Now is the time to start making healthy changes that will keep you virtually immune to cold and flu viruses. If you follow the tips I recommend, you can easily sail through each and every winter (and fall, spring and summer) without so much as a case of the sniffles.
How do I know this?
Follow these simple guidelines.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of seasonal flu viruses. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds. In fact, the largest study yet of the association between vitamin D and respiratory infections found people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu.
• Eat plenty of probiotic-rich fermented foods, or take a high-quality probiotic supplement to support your digestive and immune system health.
• Avoid or Limit Sugar. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately and a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness.
• Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight off cold and flu viruses.
• Reduce Stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.
• Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads.
• Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats, which is crucial for maintaining health.
• Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people.
Also, be careful not to overdo it. Washing your hands too much can actually remove much of the protective layer on your skin and increase your chances of acquiring an infection.
Source: mercola.com, ABC News, Reuters; January 2, 2011
For most of you reading this, cold and flu season is here, and with it comes the yearly push urging you to get a flu vaccine to stay healthy. If you take nothing else away from this article, let it be this: you have at your disposal tools to bolster your immune system and drastically reduce your risk of colds and the flu. You do not need a vaccine to do this. In fact, a vaccine could easily make your health worse. One of these “tools” is good bacteria, or probiotics.
Eighty percent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, so--it makes perfect sense that probiotics would be very effective at warding off cold and flu viruses Remember, a robust immune system is your number one defense system against ALL disease, and in order to keep your immune system in top working order you must have a healthy balance of good to bad bacteria in your gut (the optimal balance is about 85 percent “good bacteria” and 15 percent “bad”). The researchers in this new study actually found quite significant benefits among 3- to 5-year-old children who received either a single strain or combination of probiotics twice a day for six months.
Compared to the placebo group, the single and combination probiotic groups had reduced fever by 53 percent and 73 percent respectively, decreased coughing by 41 percent and 62 percent, and reduced runny noses by 28 percent and 59 percent.
Why are Probiotics so Important?
In many cultures, probiotic-rich food and drinks, such as the fermented superfoods natto, kefir, lassi (an Indian yogurt drink) and sauerkraut, are an integral part of the daily diet. If you eat a diet rich in fermented foods like these that have NOT been pasteurized (pasteurization will kill the probiotics), then you will likely enjoy great digestive, and immune system, health. However, if you find yourself strongly drawn to processed foods or rely on mostly cooked foods, as is commonplace in the United States, the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract will have a hard time staying optimal.
This is most unfortunate because this ratio between the "good" bacteria and the other bacteria is one of the critical factors determining your optimal health, as the good bacteria are essential for:
• Proper development of your immune system; Protection against over-growth of other microorganisms that could cause disease; Digestion of food and absorption of nutrients
The probiotics in your gut also play a role in helping numerous bodily functions, such as:
• Digesting and absorbing certain carbohydrates; Producing vitamins, absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins; Keeping bad bacteria under control; Preventing allergies.
Sugar is also an incredibly efficient fertilizer for growing bad bacteria and yeast in your gut, so if you indulge in a lot of it you’re fueling the bad bacteria rather than the good. Likewise, stress, pollution, and taking antibiotics can further upset the balance in a negative way. Since helpful bacteria are increasingly absent in most people’s diets, it is important to purposely include foods that contain live probiotic bacteria in your diet, or take a probiotic supplement -- especially since flu season is here.
Here’s What You Need to Know to Avoid the Flu This Year
Now is the time to start making healthy changes that will keep you virtually immune to cold and flu viruses. If you follow the tips I recommend, you can easily sail through each and every winter (and fall, spring and summer) without so much as a case of the sniffles.
How do I know this?
Follow these simple guidelines.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of seasonal flu viruses. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds. In fact, the largest study yet of the association between vitamin D and respiratory infections found people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu.
• Eat plenty of probiotic-rich fermented foods, or take a high-quality probiotic supplement to support your digestive and immune system health.
• Avoid or Limit Sugar. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately and a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness.
• Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight off cold and flu viruses.
• Reduce Stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.
• Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads.
• Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats, which is crucial for maintaining health.
• Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people.
Also, be careful not to overdo it. Washing your hands too much can actually remove much of the protective layer on your skin and increase your chances of acquiring an infection.
Source: mercola.com, ABC News, Reuters; January 2, 2011
Monday, November 29, 2010
How Processed Foods Are Killing Us!
Carlos Monteiro, a professor at the University of São Paulo, believes that "the big issue is ultra-processing." The most important factor when considering food and nutrition is neither nutrients nor foods -- it's what is done to foods and the nutrients contained in them before they are purchased and consumed. Monteiro makes it clear that most foods and drinks are currently processed to some extent -- even fresh apples are washed and sometimes waxed, and drinking water is filtered. But ultra-processed foods are too common, they are depleted of nutrients and they provide little more than calories.
According to the Atlantic:
"The purpose of ... ultra-processing is to create: durable, accessible, convenient, attractive, ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat products ... Monteiro argues: 'the rapid rise in consumption of ultra-processed food and drink products, especially since the 1980s, is the main dietary cause of the concurrent rapid rise in obesity and related diseases throughout the world.'"
Comments:
I wholeheartedly agree with Carlos Monteiro. Americans currently spend upwards of 90 percent of their food budgets purchasing processed foods, which offer very little in terms of nutritional value and instead typically contain ingredients that will actually cause you harm. Monteiro maintains that "consumption of ultra-processed food and drink products, especially since the 1980s, is the main dietary cause of the concurrent rapid rise in obesity and related diseases throughout the world.” What makes processed foods, or as Monteiro calls them "ultra-processed foods," so devastating to your health?
Lots of Calories for Little Nutrition
If you eat a fast-food burger, you can easily take in close to half of your daily caloric requirements. Add in fries and a soda and you may be nearing an entire day's worth of required calories. But in that one meal, which is designed to be eaten quickly, you have not received the vitamins, minerals, live enzymes, micronutrients, healthy fats or high-quality protein that your body needs to thrive. When these types of foods are consumed day in and day out, for months and years on end, what you end up with is a calorie-dense diet that is not giving you the nutrients you need to stay healthy. On a diet like this, you will likely gain excess weight while your body is literally starving for healthy nutrients. With nearly 7 out of 10 Americans being overweight, and 1 in 4 being affected with diabetes or pre-diabetes, the heavily processed standard American diet, SAD, is clearly in dire need of a radical overhaul.
Processed Foods are Addictive
Fast food is available just about everywhere, including in hospitals and schools, and processed foods make up the majority of foods at your supermarket. They are marketed aggressively to kids and adults alike, and are manufactured using specific synthetic ingredients and other tricks to get you to eat more, crave more, and keep coming back for more.
I find it interesting that most people know that fast food and processed foods are "not good for you," yet most still choose to eat it. This is in large part due to the intensive advertising campaigns coupled with the habit-forming nature of these foods. On average, just one serving of a typical children's breakfast cereal equates to more than 90 percent of the daily sugar intake for girls aged 9 to 13. Even infant formulas and jarred baby food contains excessive amounts of sugar and high fructose corn syrup -- hooking babies on the unnatural taste of processed foods as soon as they're out of the womb! In one study of rats fed a diet containing 25 percent sugar, they became anxious when the sugar was removed -- displaying symptoms similar to people going through drug withdrawals, such as chattering teeth and the shakes. The researchers conducting the study found a link between opioids, your brain's 'pleasure chemicals,' and a craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods. It is thought that high-fat foods stimulate the opioids, as when researchers stimulated rats' brains with a synthetic version of the natural opioid, the rats ate up to six times their normal intake of fat. Further, long lasting changes in rats' brain chemistry, similar to those caused by morphine or heroin use, were also noted. According to researchers, this means that even simple exposure to pleasurable foods is enough to change gene expression, which suggests an addiction to the food. It's easy to forget that the processed, packaged foods and fast food restaurants of today are actually a radical change in terms of the history of food production. Many people have no idea that the frozen food business didn't begin until the mid-1920s and fast food restaurants didn't get a foot hold until after World War II.
Dangerous Food Additives
Eating processed foods is in no way the same as eating pure, unprocessed foods, in taste, nutritional value or the way they interact with your cells on a biological level. Processed foods often have little nutritional value and are chemically altered to increase the appeal to your taste buds, so they can override your body's signals that would otherwise tell you it's time to stop eating and try something else. They are also loaded with additives that are harmful in their own right, such as:
1.Fructose - Now the number one source of calories in the US, fructose diminishes your feelings of fullness because it does not stimulate a rise in leptin, one of the most powerful hunger- and fat storage regulators in your body. Fructose also reduces the amount of leptin crossing your blood-brain barrier by raising triglycerides. Leptin resistance, in turn, is perhaps one of the most significant factors underlying human disease. For example, it plays a significant if not primary role in the development of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself. Additionally, whereas glucose suppresses ghrelin (also known as “the hunger hormone,” which makes you want more food), fructose, again, does not. Fructose also increases your insulin levels, interfering with the communication between leptin and your hypothalamus, so your pleasure signals aren’t extinguished. Your brain keeps sensing that you’re starving, and prompts you to eat more. For the sake of your health, I strongly advise keeping your fructose consumption below 25 grams per day, but this is virtually impossible if you eat a lot of processed foods.
2.Genetically Modified (GM) Ingredients - Some 75 percent of processed foods contain GM ingredients, which are being increasingly linked to serious health problems. Just last year the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) reviewed the available research and issued a memorandum recommending that all doctors prescribe non-GMO diets to all patients because they are causally linked in animal feeding studies to: Infertility, Immune system problems, Gastrointestinal problems, Organ damage, Dysfunctional regulation of cholesterol and insulin, Accelerated aging. One of the first steps to avoiding GM ingredients is to cut back on processed foods in your diet.
3.MSG - Monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer, is added to thousands of processed (canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners, chips and much more) and restaurant foods. MSG is so popular because it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny. However, it is also an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees -- and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.
4.Food Additives - More than 3,000 food additives -- preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients -- are added to foods in the United States. While each of these substances are legal to use, whether or not they are entirely safe for long-term consumption -- by themselves or in combination -- is a different story altogether. Many of them, such as sodium nitrate, BHA, BHT, aspartame, Blue 1, 2, and potassium bromate, have been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Others are estrogen-mimicking xenoestrogens that have been linked to a range of human health effects, including reduced sperm counts in men and increased risk of breast cancer in women. Studies have also shown that a variety of common food dyes, and the preservative sodium benzoate -- found in many soft drinks, fruit juices and salad dressings -- cause some children to become measurably more hyperactive and distractible. Meanwhile, E-numbered food dyes (such as tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104) and allura red AC (E129) do as much damage to children's brains as lead in gasoline, resulting in a significant reduction in IQ. Fortunately, when you avoid processed foods you’ll also automatically avoid virtually every one of these toxic food additives.
If You Only Eat Processed Foods, You're also Missing Raw food!
I believe it's wise to get as much raw food in your diet as possible. For starters, processing foods at high temperatures destroys naturally occurring enzymes. Enzymes are proteins -- catalysts to speed up and facilitate reactions in your body. In fact, some biochemical reactions will not even occur without these enzymes (you have about 1,300 of them). Processed foods are also devoid of biophotons, the smallest physical units of light, which are stored in, and used by all biological organisms -- including your body. Vital sun energy finds its way into your cells via the food you eat, in the form of these biophotons. They contain important information that controls complex vital processes in your body. The biophotons have the power to order and regulate, and, in doing so, to elevate the organism – in this case, your physical body -- to a higher oscillation or order. This is manifested as a feeling of vitality and well-being. The more light a food is able to store, the more nutritious it is. Naturally grown fresh vegetables, for example, and sun-ripened fruits, are rich in light energy. The capacity to store biophotons is therefore a measure of the quality of your food -- and processed foods contain zero light energy.
Ditching Processed Foods Can be Easy
Eating fresh, whole foods is the "secret" to getting healthier, losing weight and really enjoying your food, but many believe it's next to impossible to eat nowadays without processed foods. Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough have tackled this issue head-on in their book Real Food Has Curves, which is a great starting point to "relearn" the basics of how to enjoy and prepare real, healthy food. Many people are under the mistaken impression that cooking from scratch is an extremely complicated affair that takes lots of time and costs more than they could possibly afford. More often than not, this is simply not true. Once you get the hang of it, you'll find you can whip up a healthful meal from scratch in the same amount of time it would have taken you to drive down the street to pick up fast food. Of course, you'll be far more satisfied when you eat your home-cooked meal, both physically and mentally. Finding the time, and the financial resources, to make healthy meals for your family can be challenging, but please don't use these as excuses to exist on processed food. Your health, your energy levels, your appearance, your mood and so many other factors -- will improve when you eat the foods your body was designed for. Returning to a diet of locally grown, fresh whole foods is really the only way to reach optimal health. A major leap forward would be to strive for a diet of 90 percent non-processed food and only 10 percent from other sources.
Final Words of Wisdom:
Please remember that someone has to spend some time in the kitchen to prepare your meals, whether it is you, your spouse, a relative, friend, or a chef. If you ignore this basic principle you can be strongly assured your health will suffer. It is no mystery that when noon comes around you will likely want lunch. So why not figure out what that will be the night before you go to sleep. Seek to make a habit of knowing what you will eat the next day so you can be prepared and won't have to rely on fast food or junk food.
Source: www.mercola.com, 11/22/10
Please contact me at DrDan1221@yahoo.com or 920-954-1002 with questions or comments.
According to the Atlantic:
"The purpose of ... ultra-processing is to create: durable, accessible, convenient, attractive, ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat products ... Monteiro argues: 'the rapid rise in consumption of ultra-processed food and drink products, especially since the 1980s, is the main dietary cause of the concurrent rapid rise in obesity and related diseases throughout the world.'"
Comments:
I wholeheartedly agree with Carlos Monteiro. Americans currently spend upwards of 90 percent of their food budgets purchasing processed foods, which offer very little in terms of nutritional value and instead typically contain ingredients that will actually cause you harm. Monteiro maintains that "consumption of ultra-processed food and drink products, especially since the 1980s, is the main dietary cause of the concurrent rapid rise in obesity and related diseases throughout the world.” What makes processed foods, or as Monteiro calls them "ultra-processed foods," so devastating to your health?
Lots of Calories for Little Nutrition
If you eat a fast-food burger, you can easily take in close to half of your daily caloric requirements. Add in fries and a soda and you may be nearing an entire day's worth of required calories. But in that one meal, which is designed to be eaten quickly, you have not received the vitamins, minerals, live enzymes, micronutrients, healthy fats or high-quality protein that your body needs to thrive. When these types of foods are consumed day in and day out, for months and years on end, what you end up with is a calorie-dense diet that is not giving you the nutrients you need to stay healthy. On a diet like this, you will likely gain excess weight while your body is literally starving for healthy nutrients. With nearly 7 out of 10 Americans being overweight, and 1 in 4 being affected with diabetes or pre-diabetes, the heavily processed standard American diet, SAD, is clearly in dire need of a radical overhaul.
Processed Foods are Addictive
Fast food is available just about everywhere, including in hospitals and schools, and processed foods make up the majority of foods at your supermarket. They are marketed aggressively to kids and adults alike, and are manufactured using specific synthetic ingredients and other tricks to get you to eat more, crave more, and keep coming back for more.
I find it interesting that most people know that fast food and processed foods are "not good for you," yet most still choose to eat it. This is in large part due to the intensive advertising campaigns coupled with the habit-forming nature of these foods. On average, just one serving of a typical children's breakfast cereal equates to more than 90 percent of the daily sugar intake for girls aged 9 to 13. Even infant formulas and jarred baby food contains excessive amounts of sugar and high fructose corn syrup -- hooking babies on the unnatural taste of processed foods as soon as they're out of the womb! In one study of rats fed a diet containing 25 percent sugar, they became anxious when the sugar was removed -- displaying symptoms similar to people going through drug withdrawals, such as chattering teeth and the shakes. The researchers conducting the study found a link between opioids, your brain's 'pleasure chemicals,' and a craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods. It is thought that high-fat foods stimulate the opioids, as when researchers stimulated rats' brains with a synthetic version of the natural opioid, the rats ate up to six times their normal intake of fat. Further, long lasting changes in rats' brain chemistry, similar to those caused by morphine or heroin use, were also noted. According to researchers, this means that even simple exposure to pleasurable foods is enough to change gene expression, which suggests an addiction to the food. It's easy to forget that the processed, packaged foods and fast food restaurants of today are actually a radical change in terms of the history of food production. Many people have no idea that the frozen food business didn't begin until the mid-1920s and fast food restaurants didn't get a foot hold until after World War II.
Dangerous Food Additives
Eating processed foods is in no way the same as eating pure, unprocessed foods, in taste, nutritional value or the way they interact with your cells on a biological level. Processed foods often have little nutritional value and are chemically altered to increase the appeal to your taste buds, so they can override your body's signals that would otherwise tell you it's time to stop eating and try something else. They are also loaded with additives that are harmful in their own right, such as:
1.Fructose - Now the number one source of calories in the US, fructose diminishes your feelings of fullness because it does not stimulate a rise in leptin, one of the most powerful hunger- and fat storage regulators in your body. Fructose also reduces the amount of leptin crossing your blood-brain barrier by raising triglycerides. Leptin resistance, in turn, is perhaps one of the most significant factors underlying human disease. For example, it plays a significant if not primary role in the development of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself. Additionally, whereas glucose suppresses ghrelin (also known as “the hunger hormone,” which makes you want more food), fructose, again, does not. Fructose also increases your insulin levels, interfering with the communication between leptin and your hypothalamus, so your pleasure signals aren’t extinguished. Your brain keeps sensing that you’re starving, and prompts you to eat more. For the sake of your health, I strongly advise keeping your fructose consumption below 25 grams per day, but this is virtually impossible if you eat a lot of processed foods.
2.Genetically Modified (GM) Ingredients - Some 75 percent of processed foods contain GM ingredients, which are being increasingly linked to serious health problems. Just last year the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) reviewed the available research and issued a memorandum recommending that all doctors prescribe non-GMO diets to all patients because they are causally linked in animal feeding studies to: Infertility, Immune system problems, Gastrointestinal problems, Organ damage, Dysfunctional regulation of cholesterol and insulin, Accelerated aging. One of the first steps to avoiding GM ingredients is to cut back on processed foods in your diet.
3.MSG - Monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer, is added to thousands of processed (canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners, chips and much more) and restaurant foods. MSG is so popular because it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny. However, it is also an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees -- and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.
4.Food Additives - More than 3,000 food additives -- preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients -- are added to foods in the United States. While each of these substances are legal to use, whether or not they are entirely safe for long-term consumption -- by themselves or in combination -- is a different story altogether. Many of them, such as sodium nitrate, BHA, BHT, aspartame, Blue 1, 2, and potassium bromate, have been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Others are estrogen-mimicking xenoestrogens that have been linked to a range of human health effects, including reduced sperm counts in men and increased risk of breast cancer in women. Studies have also shown that a variety of common food dyes, and the preservative sodium benzoate -- found in many soft drinks, fruit juices and salad dressings -- cause some children to become measurably more hyperactive and distractible. Meanwhile, E-numbered food dyes (such as tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104) and allura red AC (E129) do as much damage to children's brains as lead in gasoline, resulting in a significant reduction in IQ. Fortunately, when you avoid processed foods you’ll also automatically avoid virtually every one of these toxic food additives.
If You Only Eat Processed Foods, You're also Missing Raw food!
I believe it's wise to get as much raw food in your diet as possible. For starters, processing foods at high temperatures destroys naturally occurring enzymes. Enzymes are proteins -- catalysts to speed up and facilitate reactions in your body. In fact, some biochemical reactions will not even occur without these enzymes (you have about 1,300 of them). Processed foods are also devoid of biophotons, the smallest physical units of light, which are stored in, and used by all biological organisms -- including your body. Vital sun energy finds its way into your cells via the food you eat, in the form of these biophotons. They contain important information that controls complex vital processes in your body. The biophotons have the power to order and regulate, and, in doing so, to elevate the organism – in this case, your physical body -- to a higher oscillation or order. This is manifested as a feeling of vitality and well-being. The more light a food is able to store, the more nutritious it is. Naturally grown fresh vegetables, for example, and sun-ripened fruits, are rich in light energy. The capacity to store biophotons is therefore a measure of the quality of your food -- and processed foods contain zero light energy.
Ditching Processed Foods Can be Easy
Eating fresh, whole foods is the "secret" to getting healthier, losing weight and really enjoying your food, but many believe it's next to impossible to eat nowadays without processed foods. Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough have tackled this issue head-on in their book Real Food Has Curves, which is a great starting point to "relearn" the basics of how to enjoy and prepare real, healthy food. Many people are under the mistaken impression that cooking from scratch is an extremely complicated affair that takes lots of time and costs more than they could possibly afford. More often than not, this is simply not true. Once you get the hang of it, you'll find you can whip up a healthful meal from scratch in the same amount of time it would have taken you to drive down the street to pick up fast food. Of course, you'll be far more satisfied when you eat your home-cooked meal, both physically and mentally. Finding the time, and the financial resources, to make healthy meals for your family can be challenging, but please don't use these as excuses to exist on processed food. Your health, your energy levels, your appearance, your mood and so many other factors -- will improve when you eat the foods your body was designed for. Returning to a diet of locally grown, fresh whole foods is really the only way to reach optimal health. A major leap forward would be to strive for a diet of 90 percent non-processed food and only 10 percent from other sources.
Final Words of Wisdom:
Please remember that someone has to spend some time in the kitchen to prepare your meals, whether it is you, your spouse, a relative, friend, or a chef. If you ignore this basic principle you can be strongly assured your health will suffer. It is no mystery that when noon comes around you will likely want lunch. So why not figure out what that will be the night before you go to sleep. Seek to make a habit of knowing what you will eat the next day so you can be prepared and won't have to rely on fast food or junk food.
Source: www.mercola.com, 11/22/10
Please contact me at DrDan1221@yahoo.com or 920-954-1002 with questions or comments.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Want a Good Night's Sleep?
Sleep is one of the great mysteries of life. We still don’t understand exactly why we sleep—although we are learning more about it every day. We do know, however, that good sleep is one of the cornerstones of health. Six to eight hours per night seems to be the optimal amount of sleep for most adults, and too much or too little can have adverse effects on your health. Sleep deprivation is such a chronic condition these days that you might not even realize you suffer from it. Science has now established that a sleep deficit can have serious, far reaching effects on your health.
For example, interrupted or impaired sleep can:
• Dramatically weaken your immune system
• Accelerate tumor growth—tumors grow two to three times faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions
• Cause a pre-diabetic state, making you feel hungry even if you’ve already eaten, which can wreak havoc on your weight
• Seriously impair your memory; even a single night of poor sleep—meaning sleeping only 4 to 6 hours—can impact your ability to think clearly the next day
• Impair your performance on physical or mental tasks, and decrease your problem solving ability
When your circadian rhythms are disrupted, your body produces less melatonin and has less ability to fight cancer, since melatonin helps suppress free radicals that can lead to cancer. This is why tumors grow faster when you sleep poorly.
Impaired sleep can also increase stress-related disorders, including: heart disease, stomach ulcers, constipation and mood disorders like depression.
Sleep deprivation prematurely ages you by interfering with your growth hormone production, normally released by your pituitary gland during deep sleep. Growth hormone helps you look and feel younger. One study has even shown that people with chronic insomnia have a three times greater risk of dying from any cause. Lost sleep is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to disrupting your health. Poor sleep can make your life miserable, as most of you probably know. The good news is, there are many natural techniques you can learn to restore your “sleep health.” Whether you have difficulty falling asleep, waking up too often, or feeling inadequately rested when you wake up in the morning—or maybe you simply want to improve the quality of your sleep—you are bound to find some relief from the tips and tricks below.
Optimizing Your Sleep Sanctuary
1. Sleep in complete darkness, or as close to it as possible. Even the tiniest bit of light in the room can disrupt your internal clock and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin. Even the tiniest glow from your clock radio could be interfering with your sleep. Close your bedroom door, and get rid of night-lights. You may want to refrain from turning on any light at all during the night, even when getting up to go to the bathroom. Cover your windows—I recommend using blackout shades or drapes. All life evolved in response to predictable patterns of light and darkness, called circadian rhythms. Modern day electrical lighting has significantly betrayed your inner clock by disrupting your natural rhythms. Light signals your brain that it’s time to wake up and starts preparing your body for ACTION.
2. Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees. Many people keep their homes and particularly their upstairs bedrooms too warm. Studies show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is quite cool, between 60 to 68 degrees. Keeping your room cooler or hotter can lead to restless sleep. When you sleep, your body’s internal temperature drops to its lowest level, generally about four hours after you fall asleep. Scientists believe a cooler bedroom may therefore be most conducive to sleep, since it mimics your body’s natural temperature drop.
3. Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs). These can disrupt the pineal gland and the production of melatonin and serotonin, and may have other negative effects as well. To do this, you need a gauss meter. You can find various models online, starting around $50 to $200. Some experts even recommend shutting off your circuit breaker before bed to kill all power in your house.
4. Move alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your bed. If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from your bed as possible, preferably at least 3 feet. Remove the clock from view. It will only add to your worry when you stare at it all night... 2 a.m. ...3 a.m. ... 4:30 a.m.
5. Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on your body to be suddenly jolted awake. If you are regularly getting enough sleep, an alarm may even be unnecessary. You may want to try a sun light alarm clock, it combines the features of a traditional alarm clock (digital display, AM/FM radio, beeper, snooze button, etc) with a special built-in light that gradually increases in intensity that simulates a natural sunrise. It also includes a sunset feature where the light fades to darkness over time, which is ideal for anyone who has trouble falling asleep.
6. Reserve your bed for sleeping. If you are used to watching TV or doing work in bed, you may find it harder to relax and drift off to sleep, so avoid doing these activities in bed.
7. Consider separate bedrooms. Recent studies suggest, for many people, sharing a bed with a partner (or pets) can significantly impair sleep, especially if the partner is a restless sleeper or snores. If bedfellows are consistently interfering with your sleep, you may want to consider a separate bedroom.
Preparing for Bed
8. Get to bed as early as possible. Your body (particularly your adrenal system) does a majority of its recharging between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into your liver, which can further disrupt your health. Prior to the widespread use of electricity, people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as most animals do, and which nature intended for humans as well.
9. Don't change your bedtime. You should go to bed and wake up at the same times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up in the morning.
10. Establish a bedtime routine. This could include meditation, deep breathing, using aromatherapy or essential oils or indulging in a massage from your partner. The key is to find something that makes you feel relaxed, then repeat it each night to help you release the tensions of the day.
11. Don't drink any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed. This will reduce the likelihood of needing to get up and go to the bathroom, or at least minimize the frequency.
12. Go to the bathroom right before bed. This will reduce the chances that you'll wake up to go in the middle of the night.
13. Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan needed for your melatonin and serotonin production.
14. Also eat a small piece of fruit. This can help the tryptophan cross your blood-brain barrier.
15. Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. These will raise your blood sugar and delay sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you may wake up and be unable to fall back asleep.
16. Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When your body temperature is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating slumber. The temperature drop from getting out of the bath signals your body it’s time for bed.
17. Wear socks to bed. Feet often feel cold before the rest of the body because they have the poorest circulation. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night waking. As an alternative, you could place a hot water bottle near your feet at night.
18. Wear an eye mask to block out light. As discussed earlier, it is very important to sleep in as close to complete darkness as possible. That said, it's not always easy to block out every stream of light using curtains, blinds or drapes, particularly if you live in an urban area (or if your spouse has a different schedule than you do). In these cases, an eye mask can be helpful.
19. Put your work away at least one hour before bed (preferably two hours or more). This will give your mind a chance to unwind so you can go to sleep feeling calm, not hyped up or anxious about tomorrow's deadlines.
20. No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even completely out of the house. It’s too stimulating to the brain, preventing you from falling asleep quickly.
21. Listen to relaxation CDs. Some people find the sound of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest, to be soothing for sleep.
22. Read something spiritual or uplifting. This may help you relax. Don't read anything stimulating, such as a mystery or suspense novel, which has the opposite effect. In addition, if you are really enjoying a suspenseful book, you might be tempted to go on reading for hours, instead of going to sleep!
23. Journaling. If you often lay in bed with your mind racing, it might be helpful keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed.
Lifestyle Suggestions That Enhance Sleep
24. Reduce or avoid as many drugs as possible. Many drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, may adversely affect sleep. Check with your doctor.
25. Avoid caffeine. At least one study has shown that, in some people, caffeine is not metabolized efficiently, leaving you feeling its effects long after consumption. So, an afternoon cup of coffee or tea will keep some people from falling asleep at night. Be aware that some medications contain caffeine (for example, diet pills).
26. Avoid alcohol. Although alcohol will make you drowsy, the effect is short lived and you will often wake up several hours later, unable to fall back asleep. Alcohol will also keep you from entering the deeper stages of sleep, where your body does most of its healing.
27. Make certain you are exercising regularly. Exercising for at least 30 minutes per day can improve your sleep. However, don't exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. Studies show exercising in the morning is the best if you can manage it.
28. Lose excess weight. Being overweight can increase your risk of sleep apnea, which can seriously impair your sleep.
29. Avoid foods you may be sensitive to. This is particularly true for sugar, grains, and pasteurized dairy. Sensitivity reactions can cause excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, bloating and gas, and other problems.
30. Have your adrenals checked by a good natural medicine clinician. Scientists have found that insomnia may be caused by adrenal stress.
31. If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, get checked out by a good natural medicine physician. The hormonal changes at this time may cause sleep problems if not properly addressed.
32. Increase your melatonin. Ideally it is best to increase levels naturally with exposure to bright sunlight in the daytime and absolute complete darkness at night. If that isn’t possible, you may want to consider a melatonin supplement. In scientific studies, melatonin has been shown to increase sleepiness, help you fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep, decrease restlessness, and reverse daytime fatigue. Melatonin is a completely natural substance, made by your body, and has many health benefits in addition to sleep.
***In Conclusion: Ask one of the doctors at Beck-Thibodeau Chiropractic about getting your adrenal glands or hormones checked. We can also advise you on supplements to aid in sleeping. We have helped many patients with these types of problems.
Source: www.mercola.com – October 10, 2010
For example, interrupted or impaired sleep can:
• Dramatically weaken your immune system
• Accelerate tumor growth—tumors grow two to three times faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions
• Cause a pre-diabetic state, making you feel hungry even if you’ve already eaten, which can wreak havoc on your weight
• Seriously impair your memory; even a single night of poor sleep—meaning sleeping only 4 to 6 hours—can impact your ability to think clearly the next day
• Impair your performance on physical or mental tasks, and decrease your problem solving ability
When your circadian rhythms are disrupted, your body produces less melatonin and has less ability to fight cancer, since melatonin helps suppress free radicals that can lead to cancer. This is why tumors grow faster when you sleep poorly.
Impaired sleep can also increase stress-related disorders, including: heart disease, stomach ulcers, constipation and mood disorders like depression.
Sleep deprivation prematurely ages you by interfering with your growth hormone production, normally released by your pituitary gland during deep sleep. Growth hormone helps you look and feel younger. One study has even shown that people with chronic insomnia have a three times greater risk of dying from any cause. Lost sleep is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to disrupting your health. Poor sleep can make your life miserable, as most of you probably know. The good news is, there are many natural techniques you can learn to restore your “sleep health.” Whether you have difficulty falling asleep, waking up too often, or feeling inadequately rested when you wake up in the morning—or maybe you simply want to improve the quality of your sleep—you are bound to find some relief from the tips and tricks below.
Optimizing Your Sleep Sanctuary
1. Sleep in complete darkness, or as close to it as possible. Even the tiniest bit of light in the room can disrupt your internal clock and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin. Even the tiniest glow from your clock radio could be interfering with your sleep. Close your bedroom door, and get rid of night-lights. You may want to refrain from turning on any light at all during the night, even when getting up to go to the bathroom. Cover your windows—I recommend using blackout shades or drapes. All life evolved in response to predictable patterns of light and darkness, called circadian rhythms. Modern day electrical lighting has significantly betrayed your inner clock by disrupting your natural rhythms. Light signals your brain that it’s time to wake up and starts preparing your body for ACTION.
2. Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees. Many people keep their homes and particularly their upstairs bedrooms too warm. Studies show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is quite cool, between 60 to 68 degrees. Keeping your room cooler or hotter can lead to restless sleep. When you sleep, your body’s internal temperature drops to its lowest level, generally about four hours after you fall asleep. Scientists believe a cooler bedroom may therefore be most conducive to sleep, since it mimics your body’s natural temperature drop.
3. Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs). These can disrupt the pineal gland and the production of melatonin and serotonin, and may have other negative effects as well. To do this, you need a gauss meter. You can find various models online, starting around $50 to $200. Some experts even recommend shutting off your circuit breaker before bed to kill all power in your house.
4. Move alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your bed. If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from your bed as possible, preferably at least 3 feet. Remove the clock from view. It will only add to your worry when you stare at it all night... 2 a.m. ...3 a.m. ... 4:30 a.m.
5. Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on your body to be suddenly jolted awake. If you are regularly getting enough sleep, an alarm may even be unnecessary. You may want to try a sun light alarm clock, it combines the features of a traditional alarm clock (digital display, AM/FM radio, beeper, snooze button, etc) with a special built-in light that gradually increases in intensity that simulates a natural sunrise. It also includes a sunset feature where the light fades to darkness over time, which is ideal for anyone who has trouble falling asleep.
6. Reserve your bed for sleeping. If you are used to watching TV or doing work in bed, you may find it harder to relax and drift off to sleep, so avoid doing these activities in bed.
7. Consider separate bedrooms. Recent studies suggest, for many people, sharing a bed with a partner (or pets) can significantly impair sleep, especially if the partner is a restless sleeper or snores. If bedfellows are consistently interfering with your sleep, you may want to consider a separate bedroom.
Preparing for Bed
8. Get to bed as early as possible. Your body (particularly your adrenal system) does a majority of its recharging between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into your liver, which can further disrupt your health. Prior to the widespread use of electricity, people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as most animals do, and which nature intended for humans as well.
9. Don't change your bedtime. You should go to bed and wake up at the same times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up in the morning.
10. Establish a bedtime routine. This could include meditation, deep breathing, using aromatherapy or essential oils or indulging in a massage from your partner. The key is to find something that makes you feel relaxed, then repeat it each night to help you release the tensions of the day.
11. Don't drink any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed. This will reduce the likelihood of needing to get up and go to the bathroom, or at least minimize the frequency.
12. Go to the bathroom right before bed. This will reduce the chances that you'll wake up to go in the middle of the night.
13. Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan needed for your melatonin and serotonin production.
14. Also eat a small piece of fruit. This can help the tryptophan cross your blood-brain barrier.
15. Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. These will raise your blood sugar and delay sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you may wake up and be unable to fall back asleep.
16. Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When your body temperature is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating slumber. The temperature drop from getting out of the bath signals your body it’s time for bed.
17. Wear socks to bed. Feet often feel cold before the rest of the body because they have the poorest circulation. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night waking. As an alternative, you could place a hot water bottle near your feet at night.
18. Wear an eye mask to block out light. As discussed earlier, it is very important to sleep in as close to complete darkness as possible. That said, it's not always easy to block out every stream of light using curtains, blinds or drapes, particularly if you live in an urban area (or if your spouse has a different schedule than you do). In these cases, an eye mask can be helpful.
19. Put your work away at least one hour before bed (preferably two hours or more). This will give your mind a chance to unwind so you can go to sleep feeling calm, not hyped up or anxious about tomorrow's deadlines.
20. No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even completely out of the house. It’s too stimulating to the brain, preventing you from falling asleep quickly.
21. Listen to relaxation CDs. Some people find the sound of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest, to be soothing for sleep.
22. Read something spiritual or uplifting. This may help you relax. Don't read anything stimulating, such as a mystery or suspense novel, which has the opposite effect. In addition, if you are really enjoying a suspenseful book, you might be tempted to go on reading for hours, instead of going to sleep!
23. Journaling. If you often lay in bed with your mind racing, it might be helpful keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed.
Lifestyle Suggestions That Enhance Sleep
24. Reduce or avoid as many drugs as possible. Many drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, may adversely affect sleep. Check with your doctor.
25. Avoid caffeine. At least one study has shown that, in some people, caffeine is not metabolized efficiently, leaving you feeling its effects long after consumption. So, an afternoon cup of coffee or tea will keep some people from falling asleep at night. Be aware that some medications contain caffeine (for example, diet pills).
26. Avoid alcohol. Although alcohol will make you drowsy, the effect is short lived and you will often wake up several hours later, unable to fall back asleep. Alcohol will also keep you from entering the deeper stages of sleep, where your body does most of its healing.
27. Make certain you are exercising regularly. Exercising for at least 30 minutes per day can improve your sleep. However, don't exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. Studies show exercising in the morning is the best if you can manage it.
28. Lose excess weight. Being overweight can increase your risk of sleep apnea, which can seriously impair your sleep.
29. Avoid foods you may be sensitive to. This is particularly true for sugar, grains, and pasteurized dairy. Sensitivity reactions can cause excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, bloating and gas, and other problems.
30. Have your adrenals checked by a good natural medicine clinician. Scientists have found that insomnia may be caused by adrenal stress.
31. If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, get checked out by a good natural medicine physician. The hormonal changes at this time may cause sleep problems if not properly addressed.
32. Increase your melatonin. Ideally it is best to increase levels naturally with exposure to bright sunlight in the daytime and absolute complete darkness at night. If that isn’t possible, you may want to consider a melatonin supplement. In scientific studies, melatonin has been shown to increase sleepiness, help you fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep, decrease restlessness, and reverse daytime fatigue. Melatonin is a completely natural substance, made by your body, and has many health benefits in addition to sleep.
***In Conclusion: Ask one of the doctors at Beck-Thibodeau Chiropractic about getting your adrenal glands or hormones checked. We can also advise you on supplements to aid in sleeping. We have helped many patients with these types of problems.
Source: www.mercola.com – October 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Was a Farce?
The H1N1 flu was actually no more serious than most seasonal strains, according to a new study. H1N1 virus disproportionately affected children and young adults, but the symptoms and risk of complications were similar to those of seasonal influenza viruses. For the study, researchers compared the H1N1 pandemic flu with the seasonal H1N1 flu, as well as the H3N2 seasonal flu. H1N1 pandemic flu was not linked to substantially more hospitalization or pneumonia compared with either H1N1 seasonal flu or H3N2 seasonal flu.
Reuters reports:
“This year, it is doubtful H1N1 pandemic flu will be noticed ... most people are now immune to this strain, because it spread so far and wide.”
What a difference a year makes. It was around this time last year that swine flu hysteria was sweeping across the United States and much of the world, and one of the largest, most inappropriate and unnecessary vaccine campaigns was launched. We were told by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the president of the United States that H1N1 swine flu was deadly and millions might die worldwide. The terrifying, deadly pandemic that health officials had been expecting for over half a century was knocking at our doorstep … only it never materialized. It didn’t take long for the truth to come out -- that the swine flu was not only no more dangerous than regular flu but it was FAR less dangerous. Nevertheless, government agencies remained steadfast in their urgings to get vaccinated.
Swine Flu is a Mild Virus, and the Pandemic was a Fake
Now we have even more evidence of swine flu’s mild nature, as a new report in JAMA found that serious complications were no more likely in adults and kids with swine flu than they were in those with regular seasonal flu. This is an important finding to further solidify that the 2009 swine flu pandemic will likely go down as one of the most massive cover-ups in American history … but it is really not new information. Within a week of Australia reporting that the swine flu virus appeared to be 40 times less lethal than originally feared, the World Health Organization (WHO) instructed countries to simply stop lab confirming suspected H1N1 cases, which meant that any and all flu-like symptoms were reported as pandemic influenza, padding the statistics. It was only June 11, 2009 when WHO raised its swine flu pandemic alert from a 5 to a 6. By this time the swine flu virus was already showing itself to have mild symptoms, quick recovery time, and low incidence of death among the vast majority of H1N1 patients throughout the world.
Yet all the drug companies needed to begin shipping out their profitable new H1N1 vaccine across the world was for the swine flu to be kicked up one notch, from a phase 5 to a phase 6 pandemic … and that is exactly what they got.
Suspicious?
That’s putting it mildly considering the very same scientists, who advised the WHO on their decisions were paid consultants with the drug industry. Even before this revelation, the Council of Europe, European Parliament, and even the WHO itself had launched investigations to determine exactly what role the drug companies played in the swine flu debacle, and how deeply Big Pharma's tentacles reach into the World Health Organization. In a motion asking the council to investigate the declaration of H1N1 as a pandemic, these members accused pharmaceutical companies of faking the pandemic and farming it out to the world, so they could fill their pockets with the proceeds. This so-called pandemic was never a pandemic in the true sense. Despite rampant misrepresentation of the facts, last year's flu season turned out to be one of the mildest in recent years!
The Swine Flu May be a Memory … but the Vaccine is Still Here
The flu vaccine that’s being widely promoted in the United States this year is a combination vaccine that contains a type A and type B seasonal flu strain as well as the pandemic H1N1 type A swine flu strain of influenza. This is despite the fact that many Americans have now been exposed to H1N1 swine flu and have some natural immunity to it. But while the swine flu is mild for most people, the vaccine has been causing a host of reactions in both children and adults. According to Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center, a special government committee has been created to investigate last year's H1N1 monovalent H1N1 swine flu vaccine for signs that it may be associated with a higher rate of certain kinds of reactions. What the committee found out provisionally is that there were three signs of trouble with the H1N1 swine flu vaccine used last year.
In a recent NVIC video update, Fisher explained:
"One was Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which we know has been associated with influenza vaccine since 1976 when the first swine flu vaccine was used.
There is [also] a sign of a blood disorder called thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia is when your blood cannot produce enough platelets. It's an autoimmune type reaction.
The other is Bell's palsy. That's a facial paralysis. It's a neuroimmune reaction.
The government is saying they don't know if these are true signals or not, but there were some red flags that were raised."
Sweden and Finland also recently sounded the alarm because young patients suddenly developed narcolepsy after being vaccinated with the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. France, Germany and Norway have also started counting cases, and the EU has launched an investigation. Earlier this year, Australia suspended use of its seasonal flu vaccine for children under the age of 5 back in April after detecting an abnormal number of side effects within 12 hours of vaccination, compared to previous years. The vaccine contained three strains of influenza, including the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. Side effects included high fevers and seizures. Despite outstanding questions about the safety of this year’s seasonal influenza vaccine containing the reactive H1N1 swine flu component, including warning signs from Australia and Europe about seizures and other neurological complications, the United States is now moving into the 2010-2011 flu season using a flu vaccine that may be very reactive.
"I am concerned," Fisher says. "We have over 300 million people [in the US] who… are supposed to get this influenza vaccine. And we have a very aggressive push by the media and others who are following the lead of the government, so we could have a bad situation."
Source: Business Week 9/7/10; JAMA 9/8/10; FoodConsumer.org 9/8/10
Reuters reports:
“This year, it is doubtful H1N1 pandemic flu will be noticed ... most people are now immune to this strain, because it spread so far and wide.”
What a difference a year makes. It was around this time last year that swine flu hysteria was sweeping across the United States and much of the world, and one of the largest, most inappropriate and unnecessary vaccine campaigns was launched. We were told by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the president of the United States that H1N1 swine flu was deadly and millions might die worldwide. The terrifying, deadly pandemic that health officials had been expecting for over half a century was knocking at our doorstep … only it never materialized. It didn’t take long for the truth to come out -- that the swine flu was not only no more dangerous than regular flu but it was FAR less dangerous. Nevertheless, government agencies remained steadfast in their urgings to get vaccinated.
Swine Flu is a Mild Virus, and the Pandemic was a Fake
Now we have even more evidence of swine flu’s mild nature, as a new report in JAMA found that serious complications were no more likely in adults and kids with swine flu than they were in those with regular seasonal flu. This is an important finding to further solidify that the 2009 swine flu pandemic will likely go down as one of the most massive cover-ups in American history … but it is really not new information. Within a week of Australia reporting that the swine flu virus appeared to be 40 times less lethal than originally feared, the World Health Organization (WHO) instructed countries to simply stop lab confirming suspected H1N1 cases, which meant that any and all flu-like symptoms were reported as pandemic influenza, padding the statistics. It was only June 11, 2009 when WHO raised its swine flu pandemic alert from a 5 to a 6. By this time the swine flu virus was already showing itself to have mild symptoms, quick recovery time, and low incidence of death among the vast majority of H1N1 patients throughout the world.
Yet all the drug companies needed to begin shipping out their profitable new H1N1 vaccine across the world was for the swine flu to be kicked up one notch, from a phase 5 to a phase 6 pandemic … and that is exactly what they got.
Suspicious?
That’s putting it mildly considering the very same scientists, who advised the WHO on their decisions were paid consultants with the drug industry. Even before this revelation, the Council of Europe, European Parliament, and even the WHO itself had launched investigations to determine exactly what role the drug companies played in the swine flu debacle, and how deeply Big Pharma's tentacles reach into the World Health Organization. In a motion asking the council to investigate the declaration of H1N1 as a pandemic, these members accused pharmaceutical companies of faking the pandemic and farming it out to the world, so they could fill their pockets with the proceeds. This so-called pandemic was never a pandemic in the true sense. Despite rampant misrepresentation of the facts, last year's flu season turned out to be one of the mildest in recent years!
The Swine Flu May be a Memory … but the Vaccine is Still Here
The flu vaccine that’s being widely promoted in the United States this year is a combination vaccine that contains a type A and type B seasonal flu strain as well as the pandemic H1N1 type A swine flu strain of influenza. This is despite the fact that many Americans have now been exposed to H1N1 swine flu and have some natural immunity to it. But while the swine flu is mild for most people, the vaccine has been causing a host of reactions in both children and adults. According to Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center, a special government committee has been created to investigate last year's H1N1 monovalent H1N1 swine flu vaccine for signs that it may be associated with a higher rate of certain kinds of reactions. What the committee found out provisionally is that there were three signs of trouble with the H1N1 swine flu vaccine used last year.
In a recent NVIC video update, Fisher explained:
"One was Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which we know has been associated with influenza vaccine since 1976 when the first swine flu vaccine was used.
There is [also] a sign of a blood disorder called thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia is when your blood cannot produce enough platelets. It's an autoimmune type reaction.
The other is Bell's palsy. That's a facial paralysis. It's a neuroimmune reaction.
The government is saying they don't know if these are true signals or not, but there were some red flags that were raised."
Sweden and Finland also recently sounded the alarm because young patients suddenly developed narcolepsy after being vaccinated with the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. France, Germany and Norway have also started counting cases, and the EU has launched an investigation. Earlier this year, Australia suspended use of its seasonal flu vaccine for children under the age of 5 back in April after detecting an abnormal number of side effects within 12 hours of vaccination, compared to previous years. The vaccine contained three strains of influenza, including the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. Side effects included high fevers and seizures. Despite outstanding questions about the safety of this year’s seasonal influenza vaccine containing the reactive H1N1 swine flu component, including warning signs from Australia and Europe about seizures and other neurological complications, the United States is now moving into the 2010-2011 flu season using a flu vaccine that may be very reactive.
"I am concerned," Fisher says. "We have over 300 million people [in the US] who… are supposed to get this influenza vaccine. And we have a very aggressive push by the media and others who are following the lead of the government, so we could have a bad situation."
Source: Business Week 9/7/10; JAMA 9/8/10; FoodConsumer.org 9/8/10
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Key Factor In The Rise of ADHD?
Close to 1 million children in the United States have potentially been misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -- simply because they are the youngest, and therefore the most immature, in their kindergarten class. These children are significantly more likely to be prescribed behavior-modifying drugs such as Ritalin. Such inappropriate treatment is particularly troubling because of the unknown impacts of long-term stimulant use on children's health.
According to Science Daily:
“It also wastes an estimated $320 million-$500 million a year on unnecessary medication -- some $80 million-$90 million of it paid by Medicaid”.
Comments: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) seem to have become the catch-all designations for children who do not “behave well,” and as this study shows, this personal observation may have some merit. As of 2006, at least 4.5 million American children under the age of 18 were diagnosed with ADHD, according to CDC statistics. The study above, published in the Journal of Health Economics in June, determined that about 20 percent of these children have likely been misdiagnosed. That’s nearly one million children in the US alone. The study found that many of the youngest children in any given grade level are perceived as exhibiting “symptoms” of ADHD, such as fidgeting and inability to concentrate, simply because they’re compared to more mature classmates.
How Do You Diagnose ADHD? ADHD involves a cluster of symptoms that include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviors. There is no definitive diagnostic tool, such as a brain scan, to determine if you have ADHD. There’s only subjective evaluation, and, for better or worse, teachers can play a significant role in this evaluation. The term ADD has largely been replaced with ADHD, as it describes two of the most common symptoms of the condition, inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior.
Most children display a combination of these two traits, and may also show the following symptoms:
• Frequent fidgeting or squirming
• Feels restless or often runs and climbs excessively, or leaves his or her seat in the classroom when not appropriate
• Has difficulty playing quietly
• Talks excessively, interrupts often, and may blurt out answers to questions at inappropriate times
• Always seems on the go
• Has difficulty waiting his or her turn
As you can see, many of these “symptoms” could describe most children at one time or another! Therefore, only those who struggle with inattention and hyperactive or impulsive behaviors around the clock are candidates for the ADHD label. Children who display these symptoms at school but not at home or with friends are not considered to have ADHD. Likewise, with children who display symptoms at home but not at school.
Is it ADHD, or Just Immaturity? Since this behavioral disorder is so easily misdiagnosed, and the ramifications of a diagnosis so severe, it’s essential that you become actively involved and pay close attention to your child’s developmental progress. The drugs prescribed for this condition are quite dangerous, and can lead to addiction and long-term health complications, including death. Drugs really should be a last resort, and not a knee-jerk consequence of immature or “poor” behavior. The study found that the youngest students were 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the oldest in the same grade. And when you take into account the maturity level, and in large part normal behavior of a 6 versus a 7-year old, you can easily see why.
Science Daily writes:
“… the "smoking gun" of the study is that ADHD diagnoses depend on a child's age relative to classmates and the teacher's perceptions of whether the child has symptoms.
"If a child is behaving poorly, if he's inattentive, if he can't sit still, it may simply be because he's 5 and the other kids are 6," said Elder, assistant professor of economics. "There's a big difference between a 5-year-old and a 6-year-old, and teachers and medical practitioners need to take that into account when evaluating whether children have ADHD."
In addition, it’s important for parents to remain in charge and make their own assessments known, as the study also concluded that,
“ A child’s birth date relative to the eligibility cutoff also strongly influences teachers’ assessments of whether the child exhibits ADHD symptoms but is only weakly associated with similarly measured parental assessments, suggesting that many diagnoses may be driven by teachers’ perceptions of poor behavior among the youngest children in a classroom.
These perceptions have long-lasting consequences: the youngest children in fifth and eighth grades are nearly twice as likely as their older classmates to regularly use stimulants prescribed to treat ADHD.”
What Causes ADHD? There are a number of theories to explain the rise in ADHD diagnoses, including:
• Sugars and Grains. Children who consume highly processed foods loaded with high fructose corn syrup and fruit juices tend to have a higher rate and severity of these symptoms. While organic whole grains are superior to processed ones, many children with ADHD do not respond well to most grains, especially wheat.
• Genetic factors -- Some scientists are now aiming their research at finding genes that may make a person more susceptible to this disorder
• Environmental toxins -- A 2006 study found that a mother's use of cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs during pregnancy could increase the risk for ADHD. Exposure to lead and mercury may also cause ADHD symptoms, and pesticides and the industrial chemicals polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have also been named as potential culprits.
• Allergic reactions -- Chemically-sensitive people may exhibit ADHD symptoms when exposed to something as simple as clothing washed with perfumed and chemical-laden soap. Permanent press or stain-resistant products also contain chemicals that can initiate ADHD-like reactions in sensitive individuals.
• Processed food additives – Certain food dyes and other additives may cause ADHD-like symptoms. These chemicals have a particularly pernicious synergy if they are combined with sugars such as fructose.
• Increased number of childhood vaccinations – One 2007 survey found a strong correlation between rates of neurological disorders, such as ADHD, and childhood vaccinations. Vaccine adjuvants have also been associated with ADHD-type neurological problems.
• Fluoridated water
• Emotionally unstable home environments Stress is the frequently unappreciated and overlooked variable that can easily worsen ADHD. If the parents are having trouble in their relationship this can easily influence the child’s behavior.
• Increased rates of birth interventions. This can result in birth trauma and lack of oxygen in the newborn, which significantly increases the risk of developmental delay.
But the key factor, I believe, is nutrition, or rather lack thereof.
We know the food choices of most children and adults are incredibly poor. How can you possibly expect a child to have normal behavior if he is fed refined grains, sugars, processed foods loaded with chemicals and genetically engineered ingredients, and juices and sodas instead of pure water? Add to that the substandard amount of vegetables in most people’s diets -- up to 90 percent fewer than what is required for health -- an overabundance of highly processed, damaged omega-6 fats and a deficiency of omega-3 fats, and behavioral issues are not far behind. You simply cannot have a healthy functioning brain when the proper ingredients to develop or maintain a healthy brain are not being given!
The ADHD “Epidemic” is Creating a Generation of Drug Addicts Once a diagnosis has been made, the conventional approach typically involves drug therapy. Commonly prescribed drugs include: Ritalin®, Concerta®, Adderall® or Strattera®
These products, with the exception of Strattera®, all contain different formulations of methylphenidate, a powerful psychostimulant drug that is in the same class as cocaine. Please understand that just because these drugs are by prescription does NOT make them safer than their illegal “street drug” counterparts.
Methylphenidate behaves similarly to highly addictive drugs. Ritalin, for example, has the same pharmacological profile as cocaine, yet its effects are even more potent. Using brain imaging, scientists have found that, in pill form, Ritalin occupies more of the neural transporters responsible for the “high” experienced by addicts than smoked or injected cocaine. In essence, we have created a large body of new drug addicts, priming them for addiction from an extremely young age. This is a particularly painful thought when you consider that, in all likelihood, nearly one million children are being drugged simply because they act their age! And even more children are likely receiving addictive drugs when what they really need is proper nutrition. It’s also worth mentioning that, like antidepressants, some ADHD drugs have been linked to an increased probability of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Strattera®, which contains atomoxetine hydrochloride, carries this warning. Hallucinations, increased aggressive behavior, heart attack and stroke are also possible side effects of ADHD drugs.
Ritalin Use in America is Out of Control U.S. pharmacists distribute five times more Ritalin than the rest of the world combined, according to Dr. Samuel Epstein’s Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC). In all, 60 percent to 90 percent of U.S. kids with attention deficit disorders are prescribed this powerful drug, which amounts to 3 percent to 5 percent of U.S. children and teens on Ritalin.
By definition, Ritalin stimulates your central nervous system, leading to side effects such as:
Increased blood pressure, Increased heart rate, Increased body temperature, Increased alertness and Suppressed appetite
Research has also linked Ritalin with more severe health problems such as cancer.
Natural Ways to Relieve ADHD Symptoms It is my sincere hope that people will begin to realize that drug therapy should be a very last resort, after all other options have been exhausted – especially when it comes to behavioral problems such as ADHD. Before you consider drugs, please consider implementing the following strategies first, in addition to making sure that your child is assessed in an age-appropriate manner:
• Eliminate most grains and sugars from your child’s diet. Grains and sugars both tend to cause allergies in sensitive individuals. Even organic, whole grain can cause problems in many children so it would be wise to give them a grain holiday and see if their behavior improves.
• Replace soft drinks (whether diet and regular), fruit juices, and pasteurized milk with pure, clean non-fluoridated water.
• Increase omega-3 fats by taking a high quality animal-based omega-3 oil. Research has confirmed that something as simple as animal-based omega-3 fat can improve the symptoms of ADHD more effectively than drugs like Ritalin® and Concerta®. In my view, krill oil is the best option for this. It contains essential EPA and DHA in a double chain phospholipid structure that makes it far more absorbable than the omega-3s in fish oil.
• Minimize your use of processed fats, especially trans fats as they disrupt nerve cell intercommunication.
• Avoid processed foods, especially those containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, which may trigger or worsen symptoms.
• Clear your house of dangerous pesticides and other commercial chemicals. Pesticide exposure has been linked with ADHD.
• Avoid commercial washing detergents and cleaning products used on clothes, and replace them with naturally derived cleaning products with no added perfumes, softeners, etc.
• Spend more time in nature. Researchers have found that exposing ADHD children to nature is an affordable, healthy way of controlling symptoms.
***In Conclusion: Ask one of the doctors at Beck-Thibodeau Chiropractic about getting your child under chiropractic care, relieving their possible allergies with Allergy Elimination or checking for any nutritional problems. We have helped many kids in the past with ADD and ADHD symptoms.
Source: Science Daily; Journal of Health Economics; mercola.com - September 1, 2010
According to Science Daily:
“It also wastes an estimated $320 million-$500 million a year on unnecessary medication -- some $80 million-$90 million of it paid by Medicaid”.
Comments: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) seem to have become the catch-all designations for children who do not “behave well,” and as this study shows, this personal observation may have some merit. As of 2006, at least 4.5 million American children under the age of 18 were diagnosed with ADHD, according to CDC statistics. The study above, published in the Journal of Health Economics in June, determined that about 20 percent of these children have likely been misdiagnosed. That’s nearly one million children in the US alone. The study found that many of the youngest children in any given grade level are perceived as exhibiting “symptoms” of ADHD, such as fidgeting and inability to concentrate, simply because they’re compared to more mature classmates.
How Do You Diagnose ADHD? ADHD involves a cluster of symptoms that include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviors. There is no definitive diagnostic tool, such as a brain scan, to determine if you have ADHD. There’s only subjective evaluation, and, for better or worse, teachers can play a significant role in this evaluation. The term ADD has largely been replaced with ADHD, as it describes two of the most common symptoms of the condition, inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior.
Most children display a combination of these two traits, and may also show the following symptoms:
• Frequent fidgeting or squirming
• Feels restless or often runs and climbs excessively, or leaves his or her seat in the classroom when not appropriate
• Has difficulty playing quietly
• Talks excessively, interrupts often, and may blurt out answers to questions at inappropriate times
• Always seems on the go
• Has difficulty waiting his or her turn
As you can see, many of these “symptoms” could describe most children at one time or another! Therefore, only those who struggle with inattention and hyperactive or impulsive behaviors around the clock are candidates for the ADHD label. Children who display these symptoms at school but not at home or with friends are not considered to have ADHD. Likewise, with children who display symptoms at home but not at school.
Is it ADHD, or Just Immaturity? Since this behavioral disorder is so easily misdiagnosed, and the ramifications of a diagnosis so severe, it’s essential that you become actively involved and pay close attention to your child’s developmental progress. The drugs prescribed for this condition are quite dangerous, and can lead to addiction and long-term health complications, including death. Drugs really should be a last resort, and not a knee-jerk consequence of immature or “poor” behavior. The study found that the youngest students were 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the oldest in the same grade. And when you take into account the maturity level, and in large part normal behavior of a 6 versus a 7-year old, you can easily see why.
Science Daily writes:
“… the "smoking gun" of the study is that ADHD diagnoses depend on a child's age relative to classmates and the teacher's perceptions of whether the child has symptoms.
"If a child is behaving poorly, if he's inattentive, if he can't sit still, it may simply be because he's 5 and the other kids are 6," said Elder, assistant professor of economics. "There's a big difference between a 5-year-old and a 6-year-old, and teachers and medical practitioners need to take that into account when evaluating whether children have ADHD."
In addition, it’s important for parents to remain in charge and make their own assessments known, as the study also concluded that,
“ A child’s birth date relative to the eligibility cutoff also strongly influences teachers’ assessments of whether the child exhibits ADHD symptoms but is only weakly associated with similarly measured parental assessments, suggesting that many diagnoses may be driven by teachers’ perceptions of poor behavior among the youngest children in a classroom.
These perceptions have long-lasting consequences: the youngest children in fifth and eighth grades are nearly twice as likely as their older classmates to regularly use stimulants prescribed to treat ADHD.”
What Causes ADHD? There are a number of theories to explain the rise in ADHD diagnoses, including:
• Sugars and Grains. Children who consume highly processed foods loaded with high fructose corn syrup and fruit juices tend to have a higher rate and severity of these symptoms. While organic whole grains are superior to processed ones, many children with ADHD do not respond well to most grains, especially wheat.
• Genetic factors -- Some scientists are now aiming their research at finding genes that may make a person more susceptible to this disorder
• Environmental toxins -- A 2006 study found that a mother's use of cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs during pregnancy could increase the risk for ADHD. Exposure to lead and mercury may also cause ADHD symptoms, and pesticides and the industrial chemicals polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have also been named as potential culprits.
• Allergic reactions -- Chemically-sensitive people may exhibit ADHD symptoms when exposed to something as simple as clothing washed with perfumed and chemical-laden soap. Permanent press or stain-resistant products also contain chemicals that can initiate ADHD-like reactions in sensitive individuals.
• Processed food additives – Certain food dyes and other additives may cause ADHD-like symptoms. These chemicals have a particularly pernicious synergy if they are combined with sugars such as fructose.
• Increased number of childhood vaccinations – One 2007 survey found a strong correlation between rates of neurological disorders, such as ADHD, and childhood vaccinations. Vaccine adjuvants have also been associated with ADHD-type neurological problems.
• Fluoridated water
• Emotionally unstable home environments Stress is the frequently unappreciated and overlooked variable that can easily worsen ADHD. If the parents are having trouble in their relationship this can easily influence the child’s behavior.
• Increased rates of birth interventions. This can result in birth trauma and lack of oxygen in the newborn, which significantly increases the risk of developmental delay.
But the key factor, I believe, is nutrition, or rather lack thereof.
We know the food choices of most children and adults are incredibly poor. How can you possibly expect a child to have normal behavior if he is fed refined grains, sugars, processed foods loaded with chemicals and genetically engineered ingredients, and juices and sodas instead of pure water? Add to that the substandard amount of vegetables in most people’s diets -- up to 90 percent fewer than what is required for health -- an overabundance of highly processed, damaged omega-6 fats and a deficiency of omega-3 fats, and behavioral issues are not far behind. You simply cannot have a healthy functioning brain when the proper ingredients to develop or maintain a healthy brain are not being given!
The ADHD “Epidemic” is Creating a Generation of Drug Addicts Once a diagnosis has been made, the conventional approach typically involves drug therapy. Commonly prescribed drugs include: Ritalin®, Concerta®, Adderall® or Strattera®
These products, with the exception of Strattera®, all contain different formulations of methylphenidate, a powerful psychostimulant drug that is in the same class as cocaine. Please understand that just because these drugs are by prescription does NOT make them safer than their illegal “street drug” counterparts.
Methylphenidate behaves similarly to highly addictive drugs. Ritalin, for example, has the same pharmacological profile as cocaine, yet its effects are even more potent. Using brain imaging, scientists have found that, in pill form, Ritalin occupies more of the neural transporters responsible for the “high” experienced by addicts than smoked or injected cocaine. In essence, we have created a large body of new drug addicts, priming them for addiction from an extremely young age. This is a particularly painful thought when you consider that, in all likelihood, nearly one million children are being drugged simply because they act their age! And even more children are likely receiving addictive drugs when what they really need is proper nutrition. It’s also worth mentioning that, like antidepressants, some ADHD drugs have been linked to an increased probability of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Strattera®, which contains atomoxetine hydrochloride, carries this warning. Hallucinations, increased aggressive behavior, heart attack and stroke are also possible side effects of ADHD drugs.
Ritalin Use in America is Out of Control U.S. pharmacists distribute five times more Ritalin than the rest of the world combined, according to Dr. Samuel Epstein’s Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC). In all, 60 percent to 90 percent of U.S. kids with attention deficit disorders are prescribed this powerful drug, which amounts to 3 percent to 5 percent of U.S. children and teens on Ritalin.
By definition, Ritalin stimulates your central nervous system, leading to side effects such as:
Increased blood pressure, Increased heart rate, Increased body temperature, Increased alertness and Suppressed appetite
Research has also linked Ritalin with more severe health problems such as cancer.
Natural Ways to Relieve ADHD Symptoms It is my sincere hope that people will begin to realize that drug therapy should be a very last resort, after all other options have been exhausted – especially when it comes to behavioral problems such as ADHD. Before you consider drugs, please consider implementing the following strategies first, in addition to making sure that your child is assessed in an age-appropriate manner:
• Eliminate most grains and sugars from your child’s diet. Grains and sugars both tend to cause allergies in sensitive individuals. Even organic, whole grain can cause problems in many children so it would be wise to give them a grain holiday and see if their behavior improves.
• Replace soft drinks (whether diet and regular), fruit juices, and pasteurized milk with pure, clean non-fluoridated water.
• Increase omega-3 fats by taking a high quality animal-based omega-3 oil. Research has confirmed that something as simple as animal-based omega-3 fat can improve the symptoms of ADHD more effectively than drugs like Ritalin® and Concerta®. In my view, krill oil is the best option for this. It contains essential EPA and DHA in a double chain phospholipid structure that makes it far more absorbable than the omega-3s in fish oil.
• Minimize your use of processed fats, especially trans fats as they disrupt nerve cell intercommunication.
• Avoid processed foods, especially those containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, which may trigger or worsen symptoms.
• Clear your house of dangerous pesticides and other commercial chemicals. Pesticide exposure has been linked with ADHD.
• Avoid commercial washing detergents and cleaning products used on clothes, and replace them with naturally derived cleaning products with no added perfumes, softeners, etc.
• Spend more time in nature. Researchers have found that exposing ADHD children to nature is an affordable, healthy way of controlling symptoms.
***In Conclusion: Ask one of the doctors at Beck-Thibodeau Chiropractic about getting your child under chiropractic care, relieving their possible allergies with Allergy Elimination or checking for any nutritional problems. We have helped many kids in the past with ADD and ADHD symptoms.
Source: Science Daily; Journal of Health Economics; mercola.com - September 1, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
What if you had a Mastectomy by mistake!
In 2006, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an influential breast cancer survivors' organization, released a study, which estimated that in 90,000 cases, women who received a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (D.C.I.S.) or invasive breast cancer either did not have the disease or received incorrect treatment. Advances in imaging technology over the past 30 years have meant that pathologists must render opinions on ever smaller breast lesions. Discerning the difference between benign lesions and early stage breast cancer is a particularly challenging area of pathology. Diagnoses of D.C.I.S. have a history of confusion, differences of opinion, undertreatment, and overtreatment.
According to the New York Times:
"There is an increasing recognition of the problems, and the federal government is now financing a nationwide study of variations in breast pathology, based on concerns that 17 percent of D.C.I.S. cases identified by a commonly used needle biopsy may be misdiagnosed.
Despite this, there are no mandated diagnostic standards or requirements that pathologists performing the work have any specialized expertise, meaning that the chances of getting an accurate diagnosis vary from hospital to hospital."
Comments:
Upon receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, most women are afraid and even frantic to do whatever it takes to fight and remove the cancer. In the conventional medical arena, typically this means full or partial mastectomy, drugs and radiation. Imagine going through a surgery, having one or both of your breasts removed along with receiving debilitating radiation treatments and toxic drugs, only to be told that you never had cancer. The diagnosis was a mistake.
Mammograms Often Lead to Unnecessary Biopsies and False Positives
In the conventional medical community the long-held advice was for women to get a mammogram every year or two after age 40. This was recently updated by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to starting at age 50, which caused an uproar among many women who feared a decrease in mammograms would put their lives at risk from breast cancer, or that insurance companies would stop covering the procedure until a woman reaches age 50. What was overlooked, however, was the reason WHY the Task Force decided to trim their mammogram recommendation. The prior advice was given in 2002, before a host of new research came out showing the problems of overdiagnosis and false positives. If a mammogram detects an abnormal spot in a woman's breast, the next step is typically a biopsy. This involves taking a small amount of tissue from the breast, which is then looked at by a pathologist under a microscope to determine if cancer is present. The problem is that early stage cancer can be very hard to diagnose, and pathologists have a wide range of experience and expertise. There are no diagnostic standards and there are no requirements that the pathologists doing the readings have specialized expertise.
Dr. Shahla Masood, the head of pathology at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville, told the New York Times:
"There are studies that show that diagnosing these borderline breast lesions occasionally comes down to the flip of a coin."
Just How Often are Early Breast Cancer Diagnoses Wrong?
A federal government study is now trying to determine just that, but estimates suggest that 17 percent of D.C.I.S. cases found through needle biopsy are misdiagnosed. The New York Times also reported on several other concerning findings about the frequency of misdiagnosis:
• A 2006 study by Susan G. Komen for the Cure estimated that in 90,000 cases when women were diagnosed with D.C.I.S. or invasive breast cancer, they either did not have the disease or they got incorrect treatment due to a pathologist error.
• A 2002 study at Northwestern University Medical Center found that nearly 8 percent of 340 breast cancer cases "had errors serious enough to change plans for surgery."
• Dr. Lagios, a pathologist at St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, reviewed nearly 600 breast cases in 2007 and 2008 and found discrepancies in 141 of them.
The Times states, "Dr. Lagios says that based on his experience, microscopic core needle biopsies of low-grade D.C.I.S. and benign lesions, called atypical ductal hyperplasia, or A.D.H., may be misread 20 percent of the time." So many women have unnecessarily undergone mastectomies, radiation and chemotherapy after receiving false positives on a mammogram or biopsy is a sad testimony to the state of cancer diagnosis and treatment in conventional medicine today.
More Reasons Why You Might Think Twice About Mammography and Biopsies
False positives aside, a mammogram uses ionizing radiation at a relatively high dose, which can contribute to the development of breast cancer. Mammograms expose your body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray, which we know poses a cancer risk. Mammography also compresses your breasts tightly, which could lead to a dangerous spread of cancerous cells, should they exist. Should you end up getting a breast biopsy, that too can have detrimental consequences. Needle biopsies, which are widely used, may accidentally cause malignant cells to break away from a tumor, allowing it to spread to other areas of your body. And according to a study from the John Wayne Cancer Institute, it appears that a needle biopsy may increase the spread of cancer by 50 percent compared to patients who received excisional biopsies, also known as lumpectomies. Mammograms also carry a first-time false positive rate of up to 6 percent. False positives can lead to expensive repeat screenings, exposing you to even more radiation, and, as discussed earlier, can sometimes result in unnecessary invasive procedures including biopsies, unnecessary surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and more. Just thinking you may have breast cancer, when you really do not, focuses your mind on fear and disease, and the extreme stress can be damaging.
A Safer, More Reliable Option
Most physicians continue to recommend mammograms for fear of being sued by a woman who develops breast cancer after he did not advise her to get one. But I encourage you to think for yourself and consider safer, more effective alternatives to mammograms. The option for breast screening that I firmly believe makes the most sense and should not only radically reduce misdiagnosis but find cancers earlier is called thermographic breast screening. Thermographic screening measures the radiation of infrared heat from your body and translates this information into anatomical images. Your normal blood circulation is under the control of your autonomic nervous system, which governs your body functions.
Thermography uses no mechanical pressure or ionizing radiation, and can detect signs of breast cancer as much as 10 years earlier than either mammography or a physical exam. Whereas mammography cannot detect a tumor until after it has been growing for years and reaches a certain size, thermography is able to detect the possibility of breast cancer much earlier. It can even detect the potential for cancer before any tumors have formed because it can image the early stages of angiogenesis -- the formation of a direct supply of blood to cancer cells, which is a necessary step before they can grow into tumors of size. Rather than subjecting yourself to mammograms for unreliable, and dangerous breast screening, thermography offers you the opportunity of earlier detection of breast disease than has been possible through breast self-examination, doctor examination, or mammography alone. Annual thermograms allow you to map changes in your body's heat patterns over time. They can alert you to any deviations from your norm. Mapping your health annually helps you detect changes, often before disease develops. Thermograms benefit all women. They may be particularly useful for young women who want to monitor their breast health before the recommended age of 40 or 50. Actually, your breast cancer prevention should start as early as possible, which is why I recommend making thermography part of your annual health prevention regimen.
If You're Diagnosed With Early Stage Breast Cancer …
In the event you do receive a mammogram and/or a biopsy and are diagnosed with D.C.I.S. or another form of early stage breast cancer, always get a second, and possibly third and fourth, opinion. I cannot stress this enough, as the false positive rates are just too high and the diagnostic criteria too subjective.
Before you make any decision on treatment, and definitely before you decide to have surgery or chemotherapy, make sure your biopsy results have been reviewed by a breast specialist who is knowledgeable and experienced in the field.
Breast Cancer Prevention Musts
A healthy diet, regular physical exercise, appropriate sun exposure and an effective way to manage your emotional health are the cornerstones of just about any cancer prevention program, including breast cancer.
But for breast cancer, specifically, you can take it a step further by also watching out for excessive iron levels. This is actually very common once women stop menstruating. The extra iron actually works as a powerful oxidant, increasing free radicals and raising your risk of cancer.
So if you are a post menopausal woman or have breast cancer you will certainly want to have your Ferritin level drawn. Ferritin is the iron transport protein and should not be above 80. So if it is elevated you can simply donate your blood to reduce it.
Further, the following lifestyle strategies will help to further lower your risk:
• Improve Your Insulin Receptor Sensitivity. The best way to do this is make sure you have an optimized exercise program. Most of us need about five to eight hours of exercise every week to optimize our insulin receptors. Make sure you just don't do cardio, but include some type of resistance exercises like free weights, cords or stretchy bands.
Although I did not mention stretching and flexibility work, such as yoga, it is a very important part of your exercise program. It will not affect insulin receptors but it will help prevent you from getting injured and stopping your other exercise.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. This will come naturally when you begin eating right for your nutritional type and exercising. It's important to lose excess weight because estrogen, a hormone produced in fat tissue, may trigger breast cancer.
• Get plenty of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats, such as those from krill oil or fish oil. Omega-3 deficiency is a common underlying factor for cancer.
• Avoid drinking alcohol, or limit your drinks to one a day for women.
• Breastfeed exclusively for up to six months after having a baby. Research shows this will reduce your breast cancer risk.
Source: New York Times, Mercola.com - July 19, 2010
Contact me at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
According to the New York Times:
"There is an increasing recognition of the problems, and the federal government is now financing a nationwide study of variations in breast pathology, based on concerns that 17 percent of D.C.I.S. cases identified by a commonly used needle biopsy may be misdiagnosed.
Despite this, there are no mandated diagnostic standards or requirements that pathologists performing the work have any specialized expertise, meaning that the chances of getting an accurate diagnosis vary from hospital to hospital."
Comments:
Upon receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, most women are afraid and even frantic to do whatever it takes to fight and remove the cancer. In the conventional medical arena, typically this means full or partial mastectomy, drugs and radiation. Imagine going through a surgery, having one or both of your breasts removed along with receiving debilitating radiation treatments and toxic drugs, only to be told that you never had cancer. The diagnosis was a mistake.
Mammograms Often Lead to Unnecessary Biopsies and False Positives
In the conventional medical community the long-held advice was for women to get a mammogram every year or two after age 40. This was recently updated by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to starting at age 50, which caused an uproar among many women who feared a decrease in mammograms would put their lives at risk from breast cancer, or that insurance companies would stop covering the procedure until a woman reaches age 50. What was overlooked, however, was the reason WHY the Task Force decided to trim their mammogram recommendation. The prior advice was given in 2002, before a host of new research came out showing the problems of overdiagnosis and false positives. If a mammogram detects an abnormal spot in a woman's breast, the next step is typically a biopsy. This involves taking a small amount of tissue from the breast, which is then looked at by a pathologist under a microscope to determine if cancer is present. The problem is that early stage cancer can be very hard to diagnose, and pathologists have a wide range of experience and expertise. There are no diagnostic standards and there are no requirements that the pathologists doing the readings have specialized expertise.
Dr. Shahla Masood, the head of pathology at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville, told the New York Times:
"There are studies that show that diagnosing these borderline breast lesions occasionally comes down to the flip of a coin."
Just How Often are Early Breast Cancer Diagnoses Wrong?
A federal government study is now trying to determine just that, but estimates suggest that 17 percent of D.C.I.S. cases found through needle biopsy are misdiagnosed. The New York Times also reported on several other concerning findings about the frequency of misdiagnosis:
• A 2006 study by Susan G. Komen for the Cure estimated that in 90,000 cases when women were diagnosed with D.C.I.S. or invasive breast cancer, they either did not have the disease or they got incorrect treatment due to a pathologist error.
• A 2002 study at Northwestern University Medical Center found that nearly 8 percent of 340 breast cancer cases "had errors serious enough to change plans for surgery."
• Dr. Lagios, a pathologist at St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, reviewed nearly 600 breast cases in 2007 and 2008 and found discrepancies in 141 of them.
The Times states, "Dr. Lagios says that based on his experience, microscopic core needle biopsies of low-grade D.C.I.S. and benign lesions, called atypical ductal hyperplasia, or A.D.H., may be misread 20 percent of the time." So many women have unnecessarily undergone mastectomies, radiation and chemotherapy after receiving false positives on a mammogram or biopsy is a sad testimony to the state of cancer diagnosis and treatment in conventional medicine today.
More Reasons Why You Might Think Twice About Mammography and Biopsies
False positives aside, a mammogram uses ionizing radiation at a relatively high dose, which can contribute to the development of breast cancer. Mammograms expose your body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray, which we know poses a cancer risk. Mammography also compresses your breasts tightly, which could lead to a dangerous spread of cancerous cells, should they exist. Should you end up getting a breast biopsy, that too can have detrimental consequences. Needle biopsies, which are widely used, may accidentally cause malignant cells to break away from a tumor, allowing it to spread to other areas of your body. And according to a study from the John Wayne Cancer Institute, it appears that a needle biopsy may increase the spread of cancer by 50 percent compared to patients who received excisional biopsies, also known as lumpectomies. Mammograms also carry a first-time false positive rate of up to 6 percent. False positives can lead to expensive repeat screenings, exposing you to even more radiation, and, as discussed earlier, can sometimes result in unnecessary invasive procedures including biopsies, unnecessary surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and more. Just thinking you may have breast cancer, when you really do not, focuses your mind on fear and disease, and the extreme stress can be damaging.
A Safer, More Reliable Option
Most physicians continue to recommend mammograms for fear of being sued by a woman who develops breast cancer after he did not advise her to get one. But I encourage you to think for yourself and consider safer, more effective alternatives to mammograms. The option for breast screening that I firmly believe makes the most sense and should not only radically reduce misdiagnosis but find cancers earlier is called thermographic breast screening. Thermographic screening measures the radiation of infrared heat from your body and translates this information into anatomical images. Your normal blood circulation is under the control of your autonomic nervous system, which governs your body functions.
Thermography uses no mechanical pressure or ionizing radiation, and can detect signs of breast cancer as much as 10 years earlier than either mammography or a physical exam. Whereas mammography cannot detect a tumor until after it has been growing for years and reaches a certain size, thermography is able to detect the possibility of breast cancer much earlier. It can even detect the potential for cancer before any tumors have formed because it can image the early stages of angiogenesis -- the formation of a direct supply of blood to cancer cells, which is a necessary step before they can grow into tumors of size. Rather than subjecting yourself to mammograms for unreliable, and dangerous breast screening, thermography offers you the opportunity of earlier detection of breast disease than has been possible through breast self-examination, doctor examination, or mammography alone. Annual thermograms allow you to map changes in your body's heat patterns over time. They can alert you to any deviations from your norm. Mapping your health annually helps you detect changes, often before disease develops. Thermograms benefit all women. They may be particularly useful for young women who want to monitor their breast health before the recommended age of 40 or 50. Actually, your breast cancer prevention should start as early as possible, which is why I recommend making thermography part of your annual health prevention regimen.
If You're Diagnosed With Early Stage Breast Cancer …
In the event you do receive a mammogram and/or a biopsy and are diagnosed with D.C.I.S. or another form of early stage breast cancer, always get a second, and possibly third and fourth, opinion. I cannot stress this enough, as the false positive rates are just too high and the diagnostic criteria too subjective.
Before you make any decision on treatment, and definitely before you decide to have surgery or chemotherapy, make sure your biopsy results have been reviewed by a breast specialist who is knowledgeable and experienced in the field.
Breast Cancer Prevention Musts
A healthy diet, regular physical exercise, appropriate sun exposure and an effective way to manage your emotional health are the cornerstones of just about any cancer prevention program, including breast cancer.
But for breast cancer, specifically, you can take it a step further by also watching out for excessive iron levels. This is actually very common once women stop menstruating. The extra iron actually works as a powerful oxidant, increasing free radicals and raising your risk of cancer.
So if you are a post menopausal woman or have breast cancer you will certainly want to have your Ferritin level drawn. Ferritin is the iron transport protein and should not be above 80. So if it is elevated you can simply donate your blood to reduce it.
Further, the following lifestyle strategies will help to further lower your risk:
• Improve Your Insulin Receptor Sensitivity. The best way to do this is make sure you have an optimized exercise program. Most of us need about five to eight hours of exercise every week to optimize our insulin receptors. Make sure you just don't do cardio, but include some type of resistance exercises like free weights, cords or stretchy bands.
Although I did not mention stretching and flexibility work, such as yoga, it is a very important part of your exercise program. It will not affect insulin receptors but it will help prevent you from getting injured and stopping your other exercise.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. This will come naturally when you begin eating right for your nutritional type and exercising. It's important to lose excess weight because estrogen, a hormone produced in fat tissue, may trigger breast cancer.
• Get plenty of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats, such as those from krill oil or fish oil. Omega-3 deficiency is a common underlying factor for cancer.
• Avoid drinking alcohol, or limit your drinks to one a day for women.
• Breastfeed exclusively for up to six months after having a baby. Research shows this will reduce your breast cancer risk.
Source: New York Times, Mercola.com - July 19, 2010
Contact me at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Are you making a Fat Storing mistake before exercising?
Some scientists argue that if you want to get rid of more fat, you should skip pre-workout eating. Several studies suggest exercising while your body is low on food may be a good way to trim excess fat. In a recent study, researchers found that cyclists who trained without eating burned significantly more fat.
According to USA Today: "Muscles usually get their energy from carbohydrates ... if you haven't eaten before exercising, your body doesn't have many carbohydrates in reserve. That forces it to burn fat instead."
As you can tell from reading the USA Today article above, there's plenty of controversy on this issue. There's general agreement that exercising on an empty stomach will help burn more fat, but that's about where the general consensus ends. Some experts believe it's a bad idea because exercising vigorously when you're blood sugar is low could lead to dizziness and poor performance. Others warn that exercising while hungry can lead to overeating afterwards.
I believe the best approach is to use some common sense and listen to your body. A number of individual factors can play a role, such as your age, when you last ate, whether or not you're pregnant, taking medications, your medical history, level of fitness, and the type of workout you engage in. For example, if you feel weak or nauseous while exercising on an empty stomach, you may want to at least eat a small meal before exercising.
But first, let's look at the science behind this theory.
There's actually quite a bit of evidence supporting the theory that you'll burn more fat if you don't eat prior to your workout. USA Today mentions several such studies.
How Fasting Forces Your Body to Shed Excess Fat
All fat burning processes in your body are controlled by your sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The SNS is inherently activated by exercise and lack of food. The combination of fasting and exercising maximizes the impact of cellular factors and catalysts, which force the breakdown of fat and glycogen for energy. So yes, training on an empty stomach is actually a very effective way to force your body to burn fat. It's also important to realize that eating a full meal, particularly carbohydrates, will inhibit the SNS and reduce the fat burning effect of your exercise. Instead, eating lots of carbs activates your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), which promotes energy storage—the complete opposite of what you're aiming for.
Keep in mind, though, that the majority of the "fuel" used during most exercise is not coming from the food you have just eaten. If you're working out at a moderate to high intensity, you're using glycogen and fat that is stored in your muscles, liver, and fat cells. Typically, we have enough of that stored fuel to last for one to two hours of intense to very intense work, or three to four of moderate intensity. So having said this, if you are consuming a high quality diet, eating every three to four hours, your body may not need anything to eat before you begin your workout. But, some people do have a hard time exercising without eating something first. Typically these people are more sensitive to changes in their blood sugar levels, which can decline during the first 15-25 minutes of their workout. It is this decline in blood sugar that causes dizziness, faintness, nausea or lightheadedness. This is especially true if you exercise first thing in the morning.
What to Eat Before Exercise to Really Boost Fat Burning
The flip side of fasting prior to exercise, however, is reduced performance. Fortunately, there's another, perhaps even more efficient way to boost fat burning without fasting. Another recent study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, demonstrated that consuming whey protein (20g protein / serving) 30 minutes before resistance training boosts your body's metabolism for as much as 24 hours after your workout. It appears as though the amino acids found in high quality whey protein activate certain cellular mechanisms, which in turn promote muscle protein synthesis, boost thyroid, and also protect against declining testosterone levels after exercise. In practical terms, consuming 20 grams of whey protein before exercise and another serving afterward will most likely yield the double benefit of increasing both fat burning and muscle build-up at the same time. Again, not everyone will need to eat something prior to exercise, but if you do, whey protein is one of your best bets.
How to Select a High Quality Whey Protein
Whey protein is a by-product of dairy, so for starters you'll want to make sure the whey you're buying is derived from organic, grass-fed, non-hormonally treated cows. It should also be minimally processed in order to preserve beneficial components. Most commercial whey products are derived from pasteurized dairy and processed with heat and acid, which destroys most of the whey's fragile molecular structure. Many of them also contain artificial sweeteners, which come with their own set of health hazards. And contrary to popular belief, artificial sweeteners actually sabotage your weight loss efforts by impairing your ability to regulate your appetite naturally.
The Dream Protein that we offer in our office comes from New Zeeland so it contains no pesticides or herbicides. It is also cold processed to preserve all of the healthy nutrients and enzymes that are naturally available in the whey protein. Ask your doctor if you are interested in this great product.
You can also order it online at www.FirstShake.com/3556 to get it shipped anywhere. They offer free samples at the website.
Source: June 18, 2010; USA Today
Contact me if you have any questions at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com
According to USA Today: "Muscles usually get their energy from carbohydrates ... if you haven't eaten before exercising, your body doesn't have many carbohydrates in reserve. That forces it to burn fat instead."
As you can tell from reading the USA Today article above, there's plenty of controversy on this issue. There's general agreement that exercising on an empty stomach will help burn more fat, but that's about where the general consensus ends. Some experts believe it's a bad idea because exercising vigorously when you're blood sugar is low could lead to dizziness and poor performance. Others warn that exercising while hungry can lead to overeating afterwards.
I believe the best approach is to use some common sense and listen to your body. A number of individual factors can play a role, such as your age, when you last ate, whether or not you're pregnant, taking medications, your medical history, level of fitness, and the type of workout you engage in. For example, if you feel weak or nauseous while exercising on an empty stomach, you may want to at least eat a small meal before exercising.
But first, let's look at the science behind this theory.
There's actually quite a bit of evidence supporting the theory that you'll burn more fat if you don't eat prior to your workout. USA Today mentions several such studies.
How Fasting Forces Your Body to Shed Excess Fat
All fat burning processes in your body are controlled by your sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The SNS is inherently activated by exercise and lack of food. The combination of fasting and exercising maximizes the impact of cellular factors and catalysts, which force the breakdown of fat and glycogen for energy. So yes, training on an empty stomach is actually a very effective way to force your body to burn fat. It's also important to realize that eating a full meal, particularly carbohydrates, will inhibit the SNS and reduce the fat burning effect of your exercise. Instead, eating lots of carbs activates your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), which promotes energy storage—the complete opposite of what you're aiming for.
Keep in mind, though, that the majority of the "fuel" used during most exercise is not coming from the food you have just eaten. If you're working out at a moderate to high intensity, you're using glycogen and fat that is stored in your muscles, liver, and fat cells. Typically, we have enough of that stored fuel to last for one to two hours of intense to very intense work, or three to four of moderate intensity. So having said this, if you are consuming a high quality diet, eating every three to four hours, your body may not need anything to eat before you begin your workout. But, some people do have a hard time exercising without eating something first. Typically these people are more sensitive to changes in their blood sugar levels, which can decline during the first 15-25 minutes of their workout. It is this decline in blood sugar that causes dizziness, faintness, nausea or lightheadedness. This is especially true if you exercise first thing in the morning.
What to Eat Before Exercise to Really Boost Fat Burning
The flip side of fasting prior to exercise, however, is reduced performance. Fortunately, there's another, perhaps even more efficient way to boost fat burning without fasting. Another recent study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, demonstrated that consuming whey protein (20g protein / serving) 30 minutes before resistance training boosts your body's metabolism for as much as 24 hours after your workout. It appears as though the amino acids found in high quality whey protein activate certain cellular mechanisms, which in turn promote muscle protein synthesis, boost thyroid, and also protect against declining testosterone levels after exercise. In practical terms, consuming 20 grams of whey protein before exercise and another serving afterward will most likely yield the double benefit of increasing both fat burning and muscle build-up at the same time. Again, not everyone will need to eat something prior to exercise, but if you do, whey protein is one of your best bets.
How to Select a High Quality Whey Protein
Whey protein is a by-product of dairy, so for starters you'll want to make sure the whey you're buying is derived from organic, grass-fed, non-hormonally treated cows. It should also be minimally processed in order to preserve beneficial components. Most commercial whey products are derived from pasteurized dairy and processed with heat and acid, which destroys most of the whey's fragile molecular structure. Many of them also contain artificial sweeteners, which come with their own set of health hazards. And contrary to popular belief, artificial sweeteners actually sabotage your weight loss efforts by impairing your ability to regulate your appetite naturally.
The Dream Protein that we offer in our office comes from New Zeeland so it contains no pesticides or herbicides. It is also cold processed to preserve all of the healthy nutrients and enzymes that are naturally available in the whey protein. Ask your doctor if you are interested in this great product.
You can also order it online at www.FirstShake.com/3556 to get it shipped anywhere. They offer free samples at the website.
Source: June 18, 2010; USA Today
Contact me if you have any questions at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The 9 Worst Places for Your Health
MSNBC lists some surprisingly bad locations for your health, and the best places to optimize it:
1. Worst place to keep your toothbrush -- the bathroom sink. There are 3.2 million microbes per square inch in the average toilet bowl, and all of those germs are propelled out every time you flush, settling on the floor and the sink. Keep your toothbrush behind closed doors in the medicine cabinet or a nearby cupboard.
2. Worst place to stash sneakers and flip-flops -- the bedroom closet. Shoes track in allergens and contaminants. Leave your shoes by the front door.
3. Worst place to fall asleep -- under piles of blankets. Being overheated can keep you from sleeping. Let your feet stick out from under your blankets.
4. Worst place to cool leftovers -- in the refrigerator. Placing hot leftovers directly in the fridge can cause uneven cooling and possibly food poisoning. Leave food to cool on the counter for up to an hour after cooking, or divide it into smaller containers that can cool faster before refrigerating.
5. Worst place to sit on an airplane -- the rear. The tail of the plane is where you'll get the bumpiest ride. Sit as close to the wing as you can.
6. Worst place to set your handbag -- the kitchen counter. Tests have showed up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch on purse bottoms. Put your bag anywhere except where food is prepared or eaten.
7. Worst place to use a public bathroom -- the stall in the middle. The center stall has more bacteria. Pick a stall all the way left or right.
8. Worst place to keep medicine -- the medicine cabinet. The temperature in a bathroom can get well above the recommended storage temperatures for many common drugs. Keep medicine somewhere cool and dry, such as the pantry.
9. Worst place to use headphones -- on an airplane, train, or subway. You're probably turning the volume up too high if you're listening to headphones in a noisy environment. Listen wherever you don't have to blast your music to enjoy it, or consider using noise-canceling headphones.
Sources: MSNBC; June 8, 2010
Contact me if you have any questions or comments.
920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com
1. Worst place to keep your toothbrush -- the bathroom sink. There are 3.2 million microbes per square inch in the average toilet bowl, and all of those germs are propelled out every time you flush, settling on the floor and the sink. Keep your toothbrush behind closed doors in the medicine cabinet or a nearby cupboard.
2. Worst place to stash sneakers and flip-flops -- the bedroom closet. Shoes track in allergens and contaminants. Leave your shoes by the front door.
3. Worst place to fall asleep -- under piles of blankets. Being overheated can keep you from sleeping. Let your feet stick out from under your blankets.
4. Worst place to cool leftovers -- in the refrigerator. Placing hot leftovers directly in the fridge can cause uneven cooling and possibly food poisoning. Leave food to cool on the counter for up to an hour after cooking, or divide it into smaller containers that can cool faster before refrigerating.
5. Worst place to sit on an airplane -- the rear. The tail of the plane is where you'll get the bumpiest ride. Sit as close to the wing as you can.
6. Worst place to set your handbag -- the kitchen counter. Tests have showed up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch on purse bottoms. Put your bag anywhere except where food is prepared or eaten.
7. Worst place to use a public bathroom -- the stall in the middle. The center stall has more bacteria. Pick a stall all the way left or right.
8. Worst place to keep medicine -- the medicine cabinet. The temperature in a bathroom can get well above the recommended storage temperatures for many common drugs. Keep medicine somewhere cool and dry, such as the pantry.
9. Worst place to use headphones -- on an airplane, train, or subway. You're probably turning the volume up too high if you're listening to headphones in a noisy environment. Listen wherever you don't have to blast your music to enjoy it, or consider using noise-canceling headphones.
Sources: MSNBC; June 8, 2010
Contact me if you have any questions or comments.
920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Diet Tricks That Really Work
The tricks that follow are actually not “tricks” at all but rather smart lifestyle strategies that will propel your body toward its ideal weight, naturally:
Avoid corn syrup - Science shows that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is bad news. One study showed that rats who drank HFCS sweetened beverages gained significantly more weight than rats consuming the same amount of calories in sugar.
Keep away from junk food -- it's addictive - Junk food can affect your brain in ways similar to drug abuse.
Structure meal times - Long stretches without food make people crave energy-dense snacks, which can make healthy choices difficult.
Satisfy your body -- especially at breakfast - A protein rich breakfast leaves you less hungry for the rest of the day. Some fat in the meal can help, too.
Favor foods closer to nature - Favoring whole fresh foods over processed ones will naturally optimize the healthiness of your food choices.
Change your environment - Altering your food environment -- whether this means using smaller plates or keeping seconds out of immediate reach -- can help you lose weight.
Enjoy your food - Food that is eaten mindlessly is neglected food. When you pay attention, you are satisfied in a deeper way.
Virtually the only healthy way to lose weight and keep your weight at a healthy level is to eat right and exercise -- not by starving yourself and putting in 3-hour workouts a day for three weeks, but by adhering to healthy lifestyle principles for a lifetime.
More Strategies:
Eat Slowly and Savor Your Food - Chewing your food twice as long as you normally would instantly help you control your portion sizes, which naturally decreases calorie consumption. Another benefit of chewing longer is that your food is digested better. The majority of your digestive enzymes are actually in your mouth, not in your stomach. Therefore, chewing your food longer allows it to be broken down better. You’re also likely to find that you actually enjoy the taste of the food more and feel more satisfied.
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism last year found that people given identical servings of ice cream on different occasions released more hunger-regulating hormones when they ate it in 30 minutes instead of five. So although the serving size remained the same, they felt fuller after savoring the ice cream compared to when they wolfed it down.
In another study from 2008, subjects also reported feeling fuller when they ate slowly. Interestingly, they also ended up consuming about 10 percent fewer calories when they ate at a slow pace as opposed to when they were rushing.
A third study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that eating quickly, and eating until feeling full, tripled subjects’ risk of being overweight.
So just by making a conscious effort to slow down when you eat, you may find you need to eat less to feel satisfied. This means you’ll also want to avoid eating on the run, in the car, while standing up or while you’re distracted with another task.
Cook Your Food from Scratch - If your diet consists of fast food, restaurant meals and processed food, it will be difficult to lose weight and also to be healthy. Even though this is frequently the most convenient, least expensive and best tasting option, if you regularly engage in this choice you are simply begging for trouble. - Even the healthiest restaurant meals are typically loaded with calories. According to a registered dietician and representative for the American Dietetic Association, restaurant meals average between 1,000 to 1,500 calories, and because they’re served in gigantic portions, you’re likely to eat more than you would at home. The end result is that eating out often means you’re typically eating low-quality food at a premium price, a lose-lose situation for both your health and your waistline. Many Americans have made eating out a way of life. In 2008, the average U.S. household spent close to HALF of its food budget on meals eaten away from home, according to The Survey of Consumer Expenditures for 2008. If you want to be optimally healthy, you need to put some time into preparing your meals. This way, you can prepare your meals with unprocessed, high-quality food, you control the portion sizes, and you can enjoy your food in an atmosphere that is calming and not rushed.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast - Skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain, plain and simple. On the other hand, studies have shown that eating breakfast can have beneficial effects on:
• Appetite
• Insulin resistance
• Energy metabolism
One study found that obesity and insulin resistance syndrome rates were 35 percent to 50 percent lower among people who ate breakfast every day compared to those who frequently skipped it. This is true of teenagers too, who tend to be about five pounds heavier than their peers if they skip breakfast. So you want to be sure to eat breakfast, but while you’re at it make certain that you’re not simply eating sugary cereal or refined carbs (bagels, pancakes, toast, etc.). Instead, your breakfast should absolutely include a healthy source of protein, such as eggs, to keep you energized throughout your day.
More Metabolism-Boosting Weight Loss Essentials - Listen to your hunger, and eat a healthy meal or snack when hunger calls. Implement a well-rounded exercise regimen that includes strength training to build muscle (for every pound of muscle that you gain, your body burns 50-70 calories more per day), as well as interval training, which has been demonstrated to significantly increase fat loss
Remember, the idea is not to deprive your body or starve yourself into a size 2. The goal is to establish a healthy relationship with food, one that will keep you satisfied, nourished and slim, all at the same time.
Sources: Live Science, mercola.com; June 10, 2010
Please contact me if you have any comments or questions at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com.
Avoid corn syrup - Science shows that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is bad news. One study showed that rats who drank HFCS sweetened beverages gained significantly more weight than rats consuming the same amount of calories in sugar.
Keep away from junk food -- it's addictive - Junk food can affect your brain in ways similar to drug abuse.
Structure meal times - Long stretches without food make people crave energy-dense snacks, which can make healthy choices difficult.
Satisfy your body -- especially at breakfast - A protein rich breakfast leaves you less hungry for the rest of the day. Some fat in the meal can help, too.
Favor foods closer to nature - Favoring whole fresh foods over processed ones will naturally optimize the healthiness of your food choices.
Change your environment - Altering your food environment -- whether this means using smaller plates or keeping seconds out of immediate reach -- can help you lose weight.
Enjoy your food - Food that is eaten mindlessly is neglected food. When you pay attention, you are satisfied in a deeper way.
Virtually the only healthy way to lose weight and keep your weight at a healthy level is to eat right and exercise -- not by starving yourself and putting in 3-hour workouts a day for three weeks, but by adhering to healthy lifestyle principles for a lifetime.
More Strategies:
Eat Slowly and Savor Your Food - Chewing your food twice as long as you normally would instantly help you control your portion sizes, which naturally decreases calorie consumption. Another benefit of chewing longer is that your food is digested better. The majority of your digestive enzymes are actually in your mouth, not in your stomach. Therefore, chewing your food longer allows it to be broken down better. You’re also likely to find that you actually enjoy the taste of the food more and feel more satisfied.
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism last year found that people given identical servings of ice cream on different occasions released more hunger-regulating hormones when they ate it in 30 minutes instead of five. So although the serving size remained the same, they felt fuller after savoring the ice cream compared to when they wolfed it down.
In another study from 2008, subjects also reported feeling fuller when they ate slowly. Interestingly, they also ended up consuming about 10 percent fewer calories when they ate at a slow pace as opposed to when they were rushing.
A third study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that eating quickly, and eating until feeling full, tripled subjects’ risk of being overweight.
So just by making a conscious effort to slow down when you eat, you may find you need to eat less to feel satisfied. This means you’ll also want to avoid eating on the run, in the car, while standing up or while you’re distracted with another task.
Cook Your Food from Scratch - If your diet consists of fast food, restaurant meals and processed food, it will be difficult to lose weight and also to be healthy. Even though this is frequently the most convenient, least expensive and best tasting option, if you regularly engage in this choice you are simply begging for trouble. - Even the healthiest restaurant meals are typically loaded with calories. According to a registered dietician and representative for the American Dietetic Association, restaurant meals average between 1,000 to 1,500 calories, and because they’re served in gigantic portions, you’re likely to eat more than you would at home. The end result is that eating out often means you’re typically eating low-quality food at a premium price, a lose-lose situation for both your health and your waistline. Many Americans have made eating out a way of life. In 2008, the average U.S. household spent close to HALF of its food budget on meals eaten away from home, according to The Survey of Consumer Expenditures for 2008. If you want to be optimally healthy, you need to put some time into preparing your meals. This way, you can prepare your meals with unprocessed, high-quality food, you control the portion sizes, and you can enjoy your food in an atmosphere that is calming and not rushed.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast - Skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain, plain and simple. On the other hand, studies have shown that eating breakfast can have beneficial effects on:
• Appetite
• Insulin resistance
• Energy metabolism
One study found that obesity and insulin resistance syndrome rates were 35 percent to 50 percent lower among people who ate breakfast every day compared to those who frequently skipped it. This is true of teenagers too, who tend to be about five pounds heavier than their peers if they skip breakfast. So you want to be sure to eat breakfast, but while you’re at it make certain that you’re not simply eating sugary cereal or refined carbs (bagels, pancakes, toast, etc.). Instead, your breakfast should absolutely include a healthy source of protein, such as eggs, to keep you energized throughout your day.
More Metabolism-Boosting Weight Loss Essentials - Listen to your hunger, and eat a healthy meal or snack when hunger calls. Implement a well-rounded exercise regimen that includes strength training to build muscle (for every pound of muscle that you gain, your body burns 50-70 calories more per day), as well as interval training, which has been demonstrated to significantly increase fat loss
Remember, the idea is not to deprive your body or starve yourself into a size 2. The goal is to establish a healthy relationship with food, one that will keep you satisfied, nourished and slim, all at the same time.
Sources: Live Science, mercola.com; June 10, 2010
Please contact me if you have any comments or questions at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Silent Epidemic -- Legal Prescription Drug Abuse
Not a lot of attention is paid to prescription drug abuse. But nearly 20 percent of Americans have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. Three quarters of those may be abusing prescription drugs. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions written increased by 61 percent. In that same period, the number of prescriptions written for opiates increased by almost 400 percent.
The Baltimore Sun reports:
“According to a report ... by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for poisoning by prescription opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers jumped 65 percent from 1999 to 2006. One-third of new addicts report that their first drug experience was with prescription drugs.”
Remember the Reagan-era anti-drug ads, “Just Say NO”? Well, since then, street drugs have taken the backseat to a far greater threat – prescription drugs, especially pain killers. Contrary to the popular belief propagated by the drug industry, taking prescription drugs is a health RISK – not a healthy treatment to a health problem. This backwards ideology has created a nation of extremely sick people, and a whole new generation of drug addicts. In fact, prescription drugs are now the preferred “high” for many, especially teens, as they are typically used legally, which eliminates the stigma of being a “junkie.” And even if you don’t have your own prescription, drugs of all kinds can be found in the nearest medicine cabinet in most homes.
If you don’t believe drugs have become extremely easy to get a hold of, take a look at the latest drug use statistics from the Kaiser Health Foundation.
-The average American, aged 19 to 64, now takes close to 12 prescription drugs!
-The average senior typically fills over 30 prescriptions every year, and even children, between the ages of 0-18, are taking an average of close to 4 prescriptions annually!
This brings up yet another problem, which is the increased health risk of mixing multiple drugs. Both of these issues – prescription drug abuse, and drug overuse – have a major impact on the health, well being, and longevity of the American population, as well as our health care system.
The Baltimore Sun quotes R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, as saying:
"With drug use accounting for tens of billions of dollars per year in health care costs, and drug overdoses ranking second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death, the nation needs to discard the idea that enforcement alone can eliminate our drug problem."
Reflect on this for just a moment…
Drug use accounts for tens of billions of dollars per year in health care costs… That’s tens of billions of dollars IN ADDITION TO the close to one TRILLION dollars those same drugs cost our health care system in the first place! This is about as close to insanity as you can get when thinking that “more and better drugs” are the answer to our nation’s failing health... Folks, it’s time to wake up from our collective slumber and cease to fall prey to this predatory type of “health care.”
Please, if you take only one fact away from this article, let it be the importance of thinking twice before taking a prescription drug. It is your body, not your doctor’s and not your pharmacist’s, so it is up to you to make the decision of what drugs to take, if any. Be SURE you are aware of the risks of any medication prescribed to you, and weigh them against any possible benefit. Then you can make a well-informed decision of whether it’s a risk you’re willing to take.
And as always, keep striving to Take Control of Your Health so that you require fewer doctor visits, and drugs, to stay in top condition.
Sources:
The Baltimore Sun April 21, 2010; Mercola.com
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr. Dan Thibodeau at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com
The Baltimore Sun reports:
“According to a report ... by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for poisoning by prescription opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers jumped 65 percent from 1999 to 2006. One-third of new addicts report that their first drug experience was with prescription drugs.”
Remember the Reagan-era anti-drug ads, “Just Say NO”? Well, since then, street drugs have taken the backseat to a far greater threat – prescription drugs, especially pain killers. Contrary to the popular belief propagated by the drug industry, taking prescription drugs is a health RISK – not a healthy treatment to a health problem. This backwards ideology has created a nation of extremely sick people, and a whole new generation of drug addicts. In fact, prescription drugs are now the preferred “high” for many, especially teens, as they are typically used legally, which eliminates the stigma of being a “junkie.” And even if you don’t have your own prescription, drugs of all kinds can be found in the nearest medicine cabinet in most homes.
If you don’t believe drugs have become extremely easy to get a hold of, take a look at the latest drug use statistics from the Kaiser Health Foundation.
-The average American, aged 19 to 64, now takes close to 12 prescription drugs!
-The average senior typically fills over 30 prescriptions every year, and even children, between the ages of 0-18, are taking an average of close to 4 prescriptions annually!
This brings up yet another problem, which is the increased health risk of mixing multiple drugs. Both of these issues – prescription drug abuse, and drug overuse – have a major impact on the health, well being, and longevity of the American population, as well as our health care system.
The Baltimore Sun quotes R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, as saying:
"With drug use accounting for tens of billions of dollars per year in health care costs, and drug overdoses ranking second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death, the nation needs to discard the idea that enforcement alone can eliminate our drug problem."
Reflect on this for just a moment…
Drug use accounts for tens of billions of dollars per year in health care costs… That’s tens of billions of dollars IN ADDITION TO the close to one TRILLION dollars those same drugs cost our health care system in the first place! This is about as close to insanity as you can get when thinking that “more and better drugs” are the answer to our nation’s failing health... Folks, it’s time to wake up from our collective slumber and cease to fall prey to this predatory type of “health care.”
Please, if you take only one fact away from this article, let it be the importance of thinking twice before taking a prescription drug. It is your body, not your doctor’s and not your pharmacist’s, so it is up to you to make the decision of what drugs to take, if any. Be SURE you are aware of the risks of any medication prescribed to you, and weigh them against any possible benefit. Then you can make a well-informed decision of whether it’s a risk you’re willing to take.
And as always, keep striving to Take Control of Your Health so that you require fewer doctor visits, and drugs, to stay in top condition.
Sources:
The Baltimore Sun April 21, 2010; Mercola.com
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr. Dan Thibodeau at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com
Saturday, May 1, 2010
11 Simple Ways To Avoid Burnout
Schedule regular social activities - Remember when you used to spend time with people you didn’t work with? You watched movies, ate meals, played games, and went on trips. You were active and you had fun! Regain some of that emotional fulfillment by contacting some old friends and scheduling regular activities.
Follow a fitness plan - If you want to avoid burnout, resurrect that New Year’s Resolution and figure out what it takes to get you exercising on a regular basis. Apart from all the physical benefits of exercise, you’ll enjoy the mental satisfaction of knowing that you’re taking good care of yourself again.
Pursue a hobby - Pick a hobby that has little or nothing to do with what you spend most of your week doing and pursue it with passion! A hobby that uses an entirely different skill set can provide your heart and mind with a satisfying break from the weekly grind and set you on a good path for increased productivity.
Volunteer - Nothing brightens the soul or warms the senses like giving to another for no reason other than to give. If you’re feeling run down by life, seek out somebody less fortunate than yourself and work to help them.
Write a manifesto - Have you forgotten what you want out of life? It’s easy to lose track of time and even easier to forget about what makes us glad to be alive. What can you do to bring back that focus? Take a day or perhaps an entire weekend and write a manifesto, a declaration of purpose, for yourself.
Ask for help - Whether your struggle is with a particular part of a project or with something general, like time management, asking for help will get you to a solution faster than you could ever hope to alone. If you want to avoid burnout, you’ll need to swallow your pride on occasion and reach out for help.
Make others laugh - You’ll find it hard to be glum and entertain unhappy thoughts when the people around you are excited and happy to be near you.
Make an escape list - An “escape list” is a list of everything you’d need to do in order to escape a situation that’s driving you nuts. In a work context, your escape list might include things like turning in a final presentation or asking for a raise.
Embrace a morning ritual - Are you starting your day on the wrong foot by waking up late, rushing about, and skipping out the door at the last minute? Try slowing down your morning instead.
Stop making excuses - Once you’ve given up on blaming others you’ll start seeing more of the good in your life.
Be accountable - The trick is find somebody you can trust to give the down and dirty on what you’re trying to do and how you’re moving forward. For best results, have your accountability partner NOT be a relative or somebody you’re dating. They typically won’t have the capacity for objective review of your progress. People who love you will often make excuses for you, and you want to avoid excuses at all costs.
Sources: Lifehack, Mercola.com, May 01 2010
Contact me at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
Follow a fitness plan - If you want to avoid burnout, resurrect that New Year’s Resolution and figure out what it takes to get you exercising on a regular basis. Apart from all the physical benefits of exercise, you’ll enjoy the mental satisfaction of knowing that you’re taking good care of yourself again.
Pursue a hobby - Pick a hobby that has little or nothing to do with what you spend most of your week doing and pursue it with passion! A hobby that uses an entirely different skill set can provide your heart and mind with a satisfying break from the weekly grind and set you on a good path for increased productivity.
Volunteer - Nothing brightens the soul or warms the senses like giving to another for no reason other than to give. If you’re feeling run down by life, seek out somebody less fortunate than yourself and work to help them.
Write a manifesto - Have you forgotten what you want out of life? It’s easy to lose track of time and even easier to forget about what makes us glad to be alive. What can you do to bring back that focus? Take a day or perhaps an entire weekend and write a manifesto, a declaration of purpose, for yourself.
Ask for help - Whether your struggle is with a particular part of a project or with something general, like time management, asking for help will get you to a solution faster than you could ever hope to alone. If you want to avoid burnout, you’ll need to swallow your pride on occasion and reach out for help.
Make others laugh - You’ll find it hard to be glum and entertain unhappy thoughts when the people around you are excited and happy to be near you.
Make an escape list - An “escape list” is a list of everything you’d need to do in order to escape a situation that’s driving you nuts. In a work context, your escape list might include things like turning in a final presentation or asking for a raise.
Embrace a morning ritual - Are you starting your day on the wrong foot by waking up late, rushing about, and skipping out the door at the last minute? Try slowing down your morning instead.
Stop making excuses - Once you’ve given up on blaming others you’ll start seeing more of the good in your life.
Be accountable - The trick is find somebody you can trust to give the down and dirty on what you’re trying to do and how you’re moving forward. For best results, have your accountability partner NOT be a relative or somebody you’re dating. They typically won’t have the capacity for objective review of your progress. People who love you will often make excuses for you, and you want to avoid excuses at all costs.
Sources: Lifehack, Mercola.com, May 01 2010
Contact me at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
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