Recent Posts
- Moms' Obesity Harming Babies
- Mayo Clinic Says "Hold the Mayo"
- Children of the High Fructose Corn
- Chiropractic: Safe Sex More Dangerous than Neck Cr...
- Weight Loss Surgery Not a Magic Bullet
- Why your favorite wine is a plant-killer ...
- Expensive fuel helps curb obesity?
- The Start of the Juice Fast
- Does green tea cure cancer?
- Is the obesity epidemic a lie?
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Sunday, June 29, 2008
Mayo Clinic Says "Hold the Mayo"
I'm actually getting ready to pour myself a cup of coffee before I head out for a morning run. It's a beautiful day here and I can sneak out before it gets too hot. It's been a phenomenal week. With my focused nutrition and training, I've shed 12 pounds the past 4 weeks and lost over an inch from my waist. My running has been improving steadily so I look forward to getting back into some races and targeting another marathon.
What's new?
Weight Loss Resolution for the Conference of Mayors?
WHEREAS, there's a lot of overweight people out there, WHEREAS, bicycling is a physical activity that may help promote fat loss, BE IT RESOLVED, that there is an interesting resolution you can read right here.
Our Children Need Help
A Happy Meal isn't so friendly anymore ... did you know that because of poor diet and lack of exercise, "diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents; about 151,000 people below the age of 20 years have diabetes." That's disturbing because for the most part some smart decisions can create this from happening. This is a summary of the report from the CDC.
Mayo Clinic Says Hold the Mayo
One of the world's most respected health organizations now has their own diet: The Mayo Clinic Diet. This might sound familiar if you've read Lose Fat, Not Faith: "Mayo Clinic's approach to weight loss is not a diet. It's a lifestyle that can help you maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime." (I wonder why they call it a diet and then tell us it's not a diet?). Their pyramid is one of the best I've seen (notice that there are fruits and vegetables at the base, then it goes up from there). I'm excited to see others not only simplifying the message and focusing on healthy, natural balance, but also integrating concepts such as goals and mindset.
Be an Organic Insider
Organic can be confusing, especially when it comes to "organic" vs. "cage-free" vs. "free range." Use this article to help decipher what those labels really mean.
The Cholesterol Scare: Millions of Victims Strong
This weekend we had a terrific class at the local recreational center. I gave some nutrition advice and my wife and daughter taught how to make healthy meals in 10 minutes or less. We had "tunalini" which is tuna mixed with canneloni (a type of bean) and some olive oil and red wine vinegar, we marinated berries in balsamic vinegar, and made some high protein, high fiber pasta with vegetables. As part of my talk, I discussed cholesterol and what a deceptive scam it truly is. When a student asked about more details, I asked a simple question: "When you were put on your cholesterol-lowering medication, how much time did your doctor spend discussing the lifestyle changes you could make in order to have a natural, positive impact on your condition?" Of course the answer was that there was no real discussion — only when the patient indicated they were opposed to the medication and wanted to know if they could get off it, the reply was "most people don't make the choices they need to and therefore must stay on it." But what's amazing is that those choices were never discussed!
I've written about this before but wanted to share this article that goes into more detail about the $6 billion dollar cholesterol scam.
Labels: adolescent diabetes, cholesterol, diabetes, diet, mayo clinic, organic, weight loss
posted by Jeremy Likness | 7:59 AM | 0 comments
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Children of the High Fructose Corn
High Fructose Corn Syrup has been getting a bad rap. Many people have blamed it on the current issue with obesity. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal described how the corn industry is launching a 30 million dollar campaign to help address the "many untruths" related to the sweetener.
Let me preface by saying two things ... first, it is processed foods in general, including foods with other sugars, that I believe is the culprit, and more guilty than the manufacturers is the people who choose to invest in and consume these junk foods. Second, am I the only one who finds it disturbing that there are 30 million dollars laying around to try to convince overweight and obese Americans that it's OK to consume foods laden with this processed sugar (many of our children who are given "fruit juice" by well-meaning parents are really drinking fruit-flavored High Fructose Corn Syrup concoctions, for example)? Where is the 30 million dollar "eat broccoli because it's incredibly healthy" campaign?
The Center for Science in the Public Interest wants the Corn Refiner's Association (CRA) to come clean. The CRA claims in their campaign that HFCS has "the same natural sweeteners as table sugar." As you may have read in my article, The Sugar Coated Truth, sucrose is a sugar that occurs naturally in nature. HFCS does not occur anywhere in nature. The deceptive labeling that the FDA allows makes it possible to call something "natural" as long as it derives from natural ingredients. What is the "natural" process to obtain HFCS? First, you must have an association like the CRA in order to refine it. Then, that association which has 30 million to spare on campaigns convincing you that their product is perfectly normal and healthy must take corn starch, use chemicals and/or enzymes to break the corn starch down into other molecules, then add another enzyme to further convert portions into fructose.
While the article above states that "the harmfulness of HFCS is an urban myth" some urban mythologists have conducted studies that suggest otherwise ... consider this: "The 2002 UCD study reported on animal testing that showed how fructose consumption contributed to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and elevated triglyceride levels - three of the core symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Other metabolic syndrome symptoms include excessive abdominal fat, high C-reactive protein level, and low HDL cholesterol. Three or more of these symptoms put a patient at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease." Forget the animals ... In Can Fruit Make You Fat? found that overweight people "given large doses of fructose were more likely to put on weight around the stomach than those given glucose." While its not clear from the summaries, it appears the subjects were given pure fructose as opposed to whole fruit. While fruit is high in fructose, I suspect it is also packaged with other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that change its overall impact as compared to the highly refined, processed sugars found in foods.
Again, not to say that HFCS by itself is "evil" ... it's refined sugars and processed carbohydrates that are sinister, and HFCS just happens to contribute to a large extent. If you'd like to read a well-rounded article with some good facts about why we should be very guarded about the multimillion dollar "highly refined and processed corn starch added to all of your food is good thing" campaign, read this article about fructose dangers.
(By the way ... to put this in perspective, the multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry "only" spent $168 million lobbying in 2007 ... that's only about 5 times what the corn refiners are investing to push their own special product down our throats).
Don't be a Poser
As many know, I do a bit of running and will be doing a bit more as I work up to my first ultramarathon (a race longer than the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles). A friend of mine pointed me to PoseTech website as a source of information. This is a very interesting running technique that attempts to focus not on the right running shoe, nutrition, or training regimen, but proper running form. An interesting concept and read ... I may look into integrating some of those concepts into my own training.
Don't McDiet
Recently someone received a lot of press for going on a diet and losing a lot of weight eating only at the restaurant with the golden arches. The American Institute for Cancer Reasearch cashed a reality check by stating the diet was a crash-and-burn program that couldn't be maintained in the long term. You can probably lose weight on the "insert your food here" diet (imagine, just one bowl of ice cream per day) ... the question is, are you shooting for a lovely corpse, or should overall health factor into what you eat as well?
Grandma's Cigarettes
Here's an interesting blog post about the old argument, "But grandma used to eat lard and smoke a pack of cigarettes a day" used to say we're OK eating junk from a can or box and lifting the remote instead of weights.
Ditch the Shakes for a Cranberry Smile
The New York Times ran an interesting article called Real Thought for Food for Long Workouts. It essentially asked whether we really need all of our bars, shakes, and gels to workout for long periods of time. A few doctors who know what they're talking about (they don't just research muscle physiology and kinesiology in the lab, but actually participate and for example won the Ontario trail running series three years in a row) claim that nothing but water and natural, whole foods is all that is needed.
No matter how much we try to engineer, nature just seems to have figured it out already!
Labels: high fructose corn syrup, hill running, mcdonald's diet, sugar, sweetener, workout shakes
posted by Jeremy Likness | 5:39 AM | 0 comments
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Chiropractic: Safe Sex More Dangerous than Neck Cracking?
HowCast.com is a great site like YouTube that focuses specifically on "how to" videos. Obviously, this is a great venue for Lose Fat, Not Faith and Lizzie Marie Cuisine to reach out to consumers. Will you help support us by viewing these videos, rating them, and sharing them with others? I'll continue to post more ...
How the Fish Saves Fat Loss
It looks like science is finding a way to back up the claims that as we lose weight, it becomes more difficult for us to continue losing weight and ultimately keep it off. Leptin is a hormone that regulates energy intake and expenditure and has a tremendous impact on metabolism. In a recent study it was found that low leptin levels undermine weight loss — the levels fall as you drop weight and therefore your metabolism slows and it becomes more difficult to maintain the rate of weight loss. Not to worry however ... something I've recommended for years, fish oil supplements, have been shown to help elevate leptin levels.
Safe Sex More Dangerous than Cracking Necks?
The news in Canada is a major lawsuit against chiropractors there. A woman received a neck manipulation (a similar one to what I receive three times a week) that allegedly ruptured an artery, led to multiple strokes, and left her paralyzed. The headlines have been proclaiming that cracking necks destroys lives. Another website describes how neck manipulation is Chiropractic's Dirty Secret. This one estimates that there are 147 strokes caused by this manipulation every year.
Am I going to tell my chirpractor to stop manipulating my neck? NO!
Why not? Because there are more factors and variables than meets the eye. You see, I've received numerous personal benefits from my chiropractic manipulations. Despite the fact that the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine is being added to the highly reputable PubMed repository of online journals, some people claim that their studies are "biased" because they're done by chiropractors. Hmmm ... the odd thing here is that no one seemed to complain when the dairy industry conducted their own studies touting the weight loss benefits of dairy, or the fact that most research we receive on pharmaceuticals are funded by ... gasp ... the pharmaceutical industry.
The Centers for Disease Control released their report on causes of death in 2005. That year, an estimated 2,653 died from complications due to medical and/or surgical care ... that's nearly 1 in 100,000 who didn't just suffer, but actually died due to medicine going wrong. Compare that to 147 incidents of suspected stroke ...
The General Osteopathic Council of Britain addresses the issue of upper neck manipulation. The begin by saying if a person is not qualified, DON'T DO IT. They continue by stating that "Neck manipulations, whether osteopathic or chiropractic, are exceptionally safe when done by trained and experienced professionals. For example, a woman in the UK has more chance of dropping dead from using the contraceptive pill than suffering a stroke (or worse) from a neck manipulation."
A stroke is damage to the brain due to the interruption of the blood supply either by a small clot or a narrowed/overstretched blood vessel. The causes of stroke are highly unpredictable and often occur through sudden extreme "end of range" positions. Chiropractic aside, these include:
- Tilting your head back to have your hair washed at a salon
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Turning your head to look out of the rear window of your vehicle
- And so on...
So it's not tough for me to decide that I will continue to receive the benefits from visiting my chiropractor despite the continued attempts of traditional (read: American Medical Association, a for-profit organization, sanctioned) medicine to claim it's quackery. After all, the odds of a British woman dying from oral contraceptive are 1 in 1,000,000 ... my odds of suffering a stroke from a neck manipulation are 1 in 1.46 million. It looks like safe sex is more dangerous than cracking your neck.
Weight Loss Surgery Reduces Cancer Risk?
Here's another example of why it's so confusing to live healthy, because the marketing messages keep getting confused as health alerts. Recently, the media has gone crazy over the fact that weight loss surgery has been shown to reduce cancer risk. Sounds like a great reason to look into it, right? The first, and obvious, thing to note is that rate loss surgery still has a rather large mortality (death) rate associated with it, and weight loss even WITHOUT surgery can also lower risk from certain diseases. But the more interesting part was mentioned in this Wall Street Journal blog post that asked, Does Weight Loss Surgery Lower Cancer Risk?. The answer was that ... well, most patients are SCREENED for cancer risk and not operated on if they are at risk. Hmmm ... it's sort of like my local pool admitting only people with dark tans and low risk of skin cancer, then claiming that sunshine exposure isn't bad for the skin after all.
America No Longer Most Obese
Americans no longer have to bear the burden of being the most overweight and obese nation on the planet. Apparently, the honor has been passed over to Australia, with over 9 million overweight and obese individuals. This comes on the heels of previous cries that obesity figures had been exaggerated.
More Breakfast, Less Weight?
We've often heard that breakfast is the most imporant meal of the day. I've always advised clients to take breakfast seriously, because it literally is the first opportunity to "break the fast" of the previous night's rest. I've seen this many times: low-carb dieters get excited at losing a ton of weight "out the gate" but they can rarely sustain it. A recent study found that when someone follows a quality, balanced program — and focuses on breakfast — they lose more weight (specifically from fat) in the long run. Read more on why breakfast may be the key to weight loss.
Stop Blaming Genes for Shrinking Jeans
Look, I've been saying this over and over. The "I'm genetically programmed to be fat" excuse just doesn't hold water. I don't care if it makes it harder for you than that annoying freak of nature who does nothing but eat fast food and ice cream, never exercises, and still walks around shirtless with a six-pack showing. We'll check in on his health a few decades later because second to smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise will claim hundreds of thousands of lives regardless of whether they have washboard abs. Moreso than simply genetics, lifestyle can lead to insulin resistance. I'm guessing the converse is true as well ...
The Bribes Doctors Take
Wouldn't it be nice if we actually knew what Doctors were being paid for pushing drugs down our throats? Fortunately, many physicians ARE concerned first and foremost with our health and wellbeing, and may actually consider the healthy, drug free approach before jumping to the conclusion that you must be medicated. For others, however, those steak dinners may make prescriptions a little more irrestiable ... Majority of Americans Support Legislative Action to Disclose Pharmaceutical Company Gifts to Physicians. (Like the case CNN.com reported about a physician being paid between $1,500 to $2,500 per patient placed into a special trial ... interesting, I wonder how much they offered to compensate the patients?)
Enjoying my Healthy Lifestyle
Wow, this isn't REALLY a headline but I thought I'd throw in that I'm having a blast. I'm on my second week of a challenge and have stuck to my guns. I've had NO processed carbs AT ALL except for my allotted "splurge meals" (two per week). That means anything carbohydrate for me is fruit, vegetable, or whole carbohydrates like corn, barley, oats, etc. I'm not even eating whole grain bread. The result? Down over 10 pounds and several points body fat, most of the fat is leaving while the lean mass stays. I'm doing three resistance training sessions and three cardio sessions per week.
If you receive my weekly newsletter, can you take a moment to respond to a special poll? If not, won't you sign up?
That was a lot of updates for today ... so until next time,
Labels: breakfast, fish oil, insulin resistance, neck manipulations, weight loss surgery
posted by Jeremy Likness | 5:14 PM | 0 comments
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Weight Loss Surgery Not a Magic Bullet
More on Obesity: Epidemic or Not?
There is an interesting twist to the entire obesity argument in this blog entry (click here to read) — in a nutshell, the author agrees that more people ARE getting obese, but the question is this: if you are overweight, but eat well and train consistently, are you truly at risk for health issues? I tend to agree, that there is a vast difference between being sedentary and eating poorly vs. being overweight. In the former, you might not even BE overweight, and can still have your health at risk, while in the latter, some research suggests an overweight person who exercises is still 2 1/2 times less likely to suffer a heart attack than a person of "ideal" weight who doesn't lift a finger. Interesting.
Alternative Medicine and Crohn's Disease
Finally! There is now a study being conducted to examine alternative treatments for Crohn's disease. The article reports that almost half of people suffering try "natural" or alternative remedies, but cites that there are not many studies to support whether or not these treatments are effective.
Tasty Food Helps us Lose Weight?
There is an interesting article that foods altered by adding artificial flavors called "tastants" may help overweight people shed extra weight. Dr. Alan Hirsch says, "This approach uses natural physiology to help people lose weight." Supposedly the people with the additives felt full faster and lost 30 pounds over a trial period as opposed to 2 pounds from a control group. The study is intriguing but why do we keep insisting on altering our foods? Let's make this artificial, add this chemical, create this pill ... all for a good cause, right? How about just eating wholesome, healthy, natural foods? It's interesting that people will acquire a taste for coffee, beer, and wine, but when it comes to healthy foods, instead of trying to acquire a taste, we'd rather strive to have it added from a test tube. I've got a more novel idea: why not take the bland foods typically associated with weight loss, and instead spice them up naturally with recipes like the ones my daughter teaches at LizzieMarieCuisine.com?
Weight Loss Surgery Not a Magic Bullet
I have known a few people who have tackled weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, that's all they tackled. They refused to really transform their eating habits or exercise, and so they end up slowly gaining the weight back ... and what's worse, eating a half cookie instead of a whole one because your stomach is smaller doesn't help improve overall health one whit. Doctors at Duke University Medical Center now caution that weight loss surgery not a magic bullet for diabetics. So much for the angle of hype that the rapidly growing weight loss surgery industry tried to heap on us ... the worse underhanded advertising in my opinion is the ones that play on health fears — for example the dairy industry convincing you that there product is the only way to prevent osteroperosis or helps you lose weight (consumers often think this is a health message from the government instead of a multimillion dollar advertising campaign from the dairy industry).
Here is the "money paragraph" from the above article:
"We're a culture of quick-fix people," he adds. "Everybody loves the idea that diabetes is gone the day after surgery. But we know that an important mechanism in place when the operation fails over the long term is poor behavior. High-fat junk food and sweets, grazing or constant eating between meals, lack of exercise, those are major contributors to failure, and failure causes recurrent diabetes. If it were purely a metabolic effect, one could argue that the metabolic effect should still be present."
I agree!
Fat Loss Myths
Here's a short, but sweet, article about workout myths.
Are Detox Diets Magic Cures?
As I wrote about in my own article about How to Juice Fast, I don't believe these are miracle cures and certainly shouldn't be used specifically for weight loss. However, these programs do have their place and it's great to see some more balanced articles about detox diets (click here).
Safe Exercise in the Heat
It's summer ... while we've had a reprieve here in Georgia (it's been nice, staying the 80s for the most part), it can be hot, hot, hot, and your exercise should incorporate this fact. Read about how to keep cool and stay fit. I also have an article about proper hydration on the site called The Long Haul.
That's it for now ... off to do my next cardio session!
Warmly,
Labels: crohns, detox diets, obesity epidemic, weight loss surgery
posted by Jeremy Likness | 5:50 AM | 0 comments
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Why your favorite wine is a plant-killer ...
My Father's Day gift? A hike with my daughter up a local mountain ... we hiked about three miles together and I enjoyed a nice apple on the summit. It was a fun time and we're planning on cooling off in the pool later.
This is my seventh day eating squeaky clean ... five days of juice fast, followed by mostly raw foods. Today I had two whole eggs, two egg whites, and barley for breakfast, snacked on an egg and some raw nuts during the hike, then ate a lunch salad with hard-boiled eggs, chickpeas, spinach, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. It's a great zone to be in because even though I am allowing myself two "splurge" meals I haven't really WANTED to splurge! I have NO cravings for ice cream, chocolate, sugar, or any of that nonsense. And you know what? I don't feel like breaking that feeling by even having a small bit ... if I don't need it, and don't desire it, why force the issue? This is exactly what I prayed for before beginning the fast.
In other news ...
"High blood pressure. Soaring blood pressure. A fatty liver. Dangerously elevated insulin levels."
Thus begins the Time article titled, Overweight Children: Living Large that covers in detail the trend of obesity in the U.S. and the fact that it is now impacting more children than ever before (despite the news that the rate of increase is slowing, it still doesn't change the percentage of children who are obese and overweight).
I love the quality of Time's articles ... when you're done with that one, check out the one that epxlains why It's Not Just Genetics and then How America's Children Packed on the Pounds.
Pesticides in your wine?
It's disturbing news, especially for someone like me who loves a good red wine. Apparently, a recent study found that pretty much every bottle of European wine contains pesticides — some as many as ten different types.
Sleeping the Weight Off
Last week during my juice fast, I got plenty of sleep. I also lost plenty of weight. While that's obviously due to the restricted calories, the sleep didn't hurt. According to one study, sleep can aid weight loss. I'm not surprised, because stress seems to be a key factor in preventing weight loss and more sleep correlates to lower stress levels.
An Apple a Day Keeps Slow Metabolism at Bay
Recently it was discovered apple pectin may protect against metabolic syndrome, as well as positiviely impacting cholesterol and other health markers, too. But we've known an apple a day was important long before the scientists proved it, didn't we?
Sun Exposure Fights Cancer?
We've heard that too much sun can cause cancer, but short exposure of just 10 minutes a day may help prevent cancer by helping the body produce Vitamin D.
American's Live Longer ... Than Themselves?
The life expectancy in America is increasing ... recently it has risen to 78 years. That means we're getting better ourselves each year ... but when you compare America to other countries, we're still a dismal 31st place. It is interesting that with all of our "modern medicine" and "advanced healthcare" and of course Hollywood diets, we are still more obese and die sooner than those other countries that don't allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise on prime time TV (and how on earth DO they get away with drinking wine and eating cheese all the time?). Let's face it ... we're doing things wrong here, and Americans need to step it up. Look, your bones won't crack if stop drinking milk and it doesn't help you lose fat, those are just advertisements supported by the government not because they are concerned with your health, but because they need you to drink the subsidized dairy. Yes, you hear about these horrible food shortages and how prices of agriculture are supposedly increasing because corn is being used as an alternative fuel, but on the other hand they are still shoving it down your throat by throwing high fructose corn syrup in just about everything we eat.
Here's an interesting experiment to try ... why not go on a dairy and corn strike for 2 months? It may seem near impossible with the amount of whey and corn that is in every product these days, but if you are up for the challenge, cut dairy and corn out, spend 8 weeks, and report back. I won't be surprised if you find the solution to the obesity epidemic on your own without going on a low carb diet or training for a marathon.
So THAT's Why it Eden, Not Adam
A recent study analyzed the impact of fructose, the sugar specifically found in most fruit, on triglyceride levels in men and women. Men's triglyceride counts skyrocketed 71 percent, while women's only increased 16 percent. This doesn't mean you need to ditch your fruit, however. If you look closely, they weren't just fed fruit, the subjects in this study were "overloading on fructose" and I'm not sure what "overload" means, exactly ...
Labels: juice fast, metabolism, pesticides, sleep
posted by Jeremy Likness | 3:18 PM | 0 comments
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Expensive fuel helps curb obesity?
I've had quite a few people inquire about what a juice fast is, why I would do it, what the benefits are, etc. So I will be writing an article hopefully in the next day or so to post and answer all of your questions! It is NOT the same as a "Master Cleanse" and I don't do it directly for weight loss ... stay tuned.
Since I was diagnosed with hypothyroid, I've been doing quite a bit of research. The problem is that diagnosis of this condition is difficult because not every agrees what the "proper" levels are. Some even believe lower levels like the ones I had are actually normal and part of the regular variance between individuals. Here is a great discussion with lots of information about hypothyroidism.
In an interesting twist, it looks like belly fat may impact your liver function, according to this article.
Are you tired of high fuel prices? According to this article from Australia, high fuel prices may help fight obesity. It's an interesting twist.
The other day, I reported a controversial study that claimed a decline in energy (exercise, etc) was not responsible for the obesity epidemic. I had a hard time swallowing it, and now I follow up with this analysis that says exercises DOES still combat obesity. Whew. Seems like the balance has been restored.
On my last note, "speaking of exercise," have you ever wondered how you can possibly burn those extra calories when you're stuck behind a desk or in a cubicle all day at the office? Your answer just might be here ... why not ask your boss to get you one of these?
Until next time,
Labels: belly fat, exercise, hypothyroid
posted by Jeremy Likness | 7:32 AM | 0 comments
Sunday, June 08, 2008
The Start of the Juice Fast
12 weeks seems to be a common timeframe for getting into a program and seeing recognizable results. I believe a large part is the cycle ... the first 4 weeks are really what it takes to form a habit but are too soon to see tangible results. The next 4 weeks prove you are committed and let you make the tweaks you need to keep seeing success, and the final 4 weeks are when you start to really notice dramatic changes.
Apparently the formula works ... for example, a recent study found that diabetics who followed a 12 week weight loss program kept most of it off the following year.
While I'm going to still perform some exercise during this period (mainly my Jangle routine, I have to wonder about a recent study that suggests we are no more sedentary now than years ago. The study says that despite our technologically advanced lifestyle, we still burn the same energy today on average as people did 20 or 30 years ago and even before the industrial age.
I for one have a hard time believing this ... and would love to hear your thoughts.
Well, it looks after so many years of the dominance of the American Medical Association (AMA) over who can practice medicine, one state is taking a stand. The AMA has been so successful with its sales and marketing that most people don't realize this corporation (yes - corporation, not government entity or non-profit organization, but a for-profit entity) has managed to sway and influence the legal system in the United States to the extent that most people believe its sanctioned doctors are the only ones qualified to practice health.
The truth of the matter is that many organizations existed in the mid-1800s with differing believes about the practice of medicine. The AMA managed to grow the most successfully and has imposed its views on us since. I believe chiropractic medicine is the first major non-AMA group of health practioners to successfully challenge the monopoly and demonstrate that there are other forms of care.
Now the state of Minnesota passed a law to give official recognition to the practice of naturopathic medicine and even allows these practioners to call themselves "doctors."
While it is a major step, it also has opened the floodgates to debate over who is qualified and even what "naturopathic" medicine really is or means.
At any rate, I'm back to my highly-controversial "juice fast" ... enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Warmly,
Labels: holistic medicine, juice fast, weight loss program
posted by Jeremy Likness | 4:07 PM | 0 comments
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Does green tea cure cancer?
While people still continue to debate whether being overweight in and of itself is dangerous (in fact, some even claim the obesity epidemic is a myth — although the if you read the linked article, you have to ask "doesn't it just mean some people are willing to drive farther for their fix?"), a recent study discovered that body fat cells contain a mechanism to fight inflammation. The problem is that excess body fat may cause this mechanism to backfire, triggering chronic inflammation and increasing the risk of various diseases often associated with overweight.
As someone diagnosed with hypothyroid and learning about the disease myself, I found this press release about health data intriguing. While it is more a hook to invest in the aggregate data, the interesting statistics make great bait. What I found very interesting was the percentage of people with hypothyroid, and especially the number on medication to treat it who still show hypothyroid conditions in their blood markers. I'm curious to see how my very small dose over the past few weeks has impacted my own levels while I diligently research alternatives to traditional medicine to treat the condition as well.
Apparently green tea is popular to use as a cure for breast cancer. The problem is that while it is the most commonly used "alternative treatment," there is no evidence to suggest it actually works (along with vitamins, soy, and omega-3). Unfortunately, the green tea industry isn't as well funded as the pharmaceutical industry and probably won't be conducting many clincial trials on the topic (but I'm sure if Big Pharma can spin something prescription out of the leaf, they'll jump all over it).
For news of someone who's alternative approach apparently IS helping impact his cancer in a positive way, read about how this man's natural regimen appears to be curing his prostate cancer.
Speaking of "alternative medicine," I've long been a fan of Vitamin C supplementation. I believe it is the perfect example of why the USRDA (United States Recommended Daily Allowance) is so misleading. Most people mistake the RDA for a "recommended" amount to take. What they don't realize is that RDA is an incomplete sentence ... it should be RDAFS (recommended daily allowance ... FOR SURVIVAL). In other words, it is often set as the minimum amount with a small cushion to prevent certain illnesses or disease. This is important because it has nothing to do with the tolerable upper limit (maximum amount you can safely take) — I often have people tell me they are concerned because they are exceeding the RDA — and it really has no connection with what may be optimal for good health.
Vitamin C is metabolized or created in the bodies of all mammals except humans. If you look at the amount of Vitamin C created in mammals compared to their body weight, we are grams behind the curve. I try to take in at least 2 - 3 grams per day. Some people call these "mega-dosing" while I call it "good health insurance." Check out this finding that daily Vitamin C supplementation may reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 5 percent.
Speaking of an alternative approach ... after having a good, long conversation with my wife, I've decided it's time to cleanse both my body and my mind next week and embark on a juice fast. I look forward to journaling it. It's NOT with a goal of weight loss, but with a goal of helping me get cravings under control and clear my thoughts to focus on a more strict nutrition regimen afterwards.
I'm looking forward to it!
Until next time,
Labels: alternative medicine, cancer cure, green tea, hypothyroid, protein, vitamin c
posted by Jeremy Likness | 8:51 PM | 0 comments
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Is the obesity epidemic a lie?
In other interesting news, most health coaches for years have agreed that it is important to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. We base this on the connection between insulin and blood sugar management and weight gain. It appears that poor management of both insulin and blood sugar can lead to weight gain, so it makes sense to look to the population who is most aware of their own blood sugar levels (diabetics) and emulate their dietary preferences. A recent study has confirmed this, finding that irregular eating leads to a greater risk of insulin resistance. This leads to what has been referred to as "metabolic syndrome" and could be a major contributor to weight gain. If we take this a step further, diets that help prevent Type 2 Diabetes are probably going work the best for losing fat and keeping it off as well. Several studies suggest that the Mediterranean Diet helps protect against diabetes — if you really break it down, it gets back to the basics of whole, natural foods and getting plenty of healthy fats. While the focus seems to be olive oil, I suspect any number of healthy fats used liberally would work quite as well.
Let's face it: weight loss is hard, permanent weight loss is even harder. There are many theories related to why this happens. While it is common to blame everyone but ourselves (the government for not regulating things like nutrition facts, the restaurants for offering larger portion sizes, the economy for its cruel joke that healthier foods are often more expensive) ... it appear our own bodies play an important role in the conspiracy to keep us overweight. Read this news story that covers why it's hard to maintain weight loss.
I had the ideal "weight loss" activity yesterday. A friend with his two girls came over and the ladies headed to the pool. We jogged about 5 miles and then jumped in and cooled off. Not only was it nice to cool down right after the run (it was 90 degrees while we were jogging) but the pool seemed to help me recover better as well.
Today is a rainy day but it never rains in my downstairs gym so I look forward to hefting some weights down there after this blog is written. So, on that note, have a fantastic Sunday!
Warmly,
Labels: obesity epidemic, weight loss
posted by Jeremy Likness | 11:17 AM | 0 comments
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