 If corn, peas, and green beans are your favorite vegetables, you're in trouble. Those are grains and legumes, not vegetables; and they are carbohydrate heavy. It's time to learn to love veggies. In our experience, most patients are not consuming nearly enough vegetables and fruits. While a vegetarian diet isn't necessary to be healthy, we should all try to increase our fruit and veggie intake. Here are 5 tips to pump up the produce in your meals:
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Stop blaming mom and dad for passing along bad genes and start looking at your own health habits, because you control your health more than your genes do. It's the start of a new year and a fresh start to improve your health. You can choose to believe that you can't control you health and continue down the road of declining health and more medication every year...or you can empower yourself with the latest science. Human genetics have barely changed in thousands of years, yet our health problems have skyrocketed in only decades. What's really going on? If genes haven't changed, what has?
As scientists gain a better understanding of genetics, they are learning more about how our habits actually control the function of our genetics. They have discovered that most health conditions are not the result of bad family genes. They come from bad habits. Our habits actually switch genes on and off, leading to increased risk of health problems or health improvement. This area of research is called epigentics; studying factors that control DNA. The infographic below helps simply explain how this occurs. Researchers studying epigentics have seen how smoking, diet, and exercise switch genes on and off. A stressful lifestyle or other environmental factors can also switch genes on and off. Are you switching on good genes or bad genes? Think about this: A young man with bad habits switches his genes to "unhealthy" mode and then passes them on to his first son. Then the father wises up with age, improves his health habits, and switches his genes back to "healthy" mode. He has a second son and passes these "healthy" genes on to him. The genes could theoretically be the exact same in both children, but the genes in the first son are switched to cause more health problems than the genes in the second son. Now consider: The first son could potentially take up good health habits to switch his genes back to "healthy" mode, while the second child takes up bad habits and makes his genes worse. Take control of your health for you and your children The bottom line is: You control your health. You also control the health of your children and grandchildren by switching on bad and good genes and passing them down. You are not an innocent bystander of your inherited genetics. Don't accept bad health and try to medicate your symptoms under control. Take control of your health with good habits. Watch for our helpful tips for these 5 major causes of health problems to control your genes: diet, exercise, posture, sleep, and stress.
 Past cautions about the use of cough medicine in children and antibacterial soap have recently turned into strong warnings to avoid these products due to harm and lack of benefit.
FDA: No Antibacterial Soap At the beginning of the month, the FDA came out with a ban on marketing antibacterial soaps for consumer use. The popularity of these soaps has grown over the years with consumers thinking they are protecting themselves from dangerous germs. The FDA's report found no evidence of benefit from these antibacterial products over regular soap. Over time, there could be harm from using these products on a regular basis. Common antibacterial chemical triclosan has been found to accumulate in the body and has been linked to various health issues due to its interference with hormones. AAP: No Codeine (Cough Medicine) for Children Not much later, the American Academy of Pediatric released a report warning against the use of codeine in children (commonly found in cough syrup). The report confirmed prior studies that found an increased risk of harm to children under 18 when taking codeine products. Some children's bodies convert codeine into morphine so quickly that they effectively overdose, experiencing life-threatening breathing problems. The risk was especially high with those children who already have difficulty breathing before taking the medicine. Furthermore, research has found mixed pain-relieving benefit and no evidence of cough-relieving benefit to the medication - the main two reasons it's used. With cold and flu season approaching, it's important to follow healthy habits to keep your family healthy. Regular hand washing with regular soap is a good idea, along with a healthy diet and activity levels. Supplements or herbs can also help minimize issues and support a healthy immune response, without the side effects and risks. And while a clean environment is good, an antiseptic/sterilized environment is not, so let the kids get dirty once and awhile. What's really going on at the local farm you drive by at 55 mph? Or that farm thousands of miles away that produced the meat you're eating for dinner? The difference can be astounding, as explained in two books: The Meat Racket and Gaining Ground. As doctors, we often discuss the negative health impacts of poor farming choices such as feeding cattle grain and antibiotics in confined feedlots, injecting them with hormones, and using muscle growing medications like Zilmax; using any means to produce more meat faster. These practices don't only occur at the expense of the animal and our health from eating it; there's an increasingly negative impact on the family farm. America's industrial farming system has caused a steady economic decline in rural America that will only be reversed when we consume more local, quality meat and produce.
Gaining Ground tells the story of a young farmer in the mid 1990s trying to find his way naturally raising livestock outside of the industrial farm system, while attempting to save the family farm. He blazes a trail for a new (but really old, traditional) way of farming in a world that has forgotten cattle are made to eat grass, not corn. Forrest discovers that pigs aren't animals that like to live in filth. They are amazing soil tillers in search of bugs, roots, and anything edible, leaving behind the ingredients for a lush restored pasture once allowed to move on to a new patch of land.
Forrest's farming adventure is both funny and insightful. Mistakes are made and lessons are learned. His story allows us to appreciate our local farmers' endless (not always profitable) work to provide us with high quality, healthy food for our families. The increase in farmers' markets and local farms selling directly to customers is evidence of consumers demanding better and farmers answering the call. More farmers out there are trying to provide our families with food that contributes to our health rather than wreaking havoc on it. All we have to do is buy it.  Test your knowledge. Name this common grocery store item based on its ingredients...
water corn syrup high fructose corn syrup hydrogenated vegetable oil less than 2% sodium caseinate natural and artificial flavor modified food starch xanthan and guar gums polysorbate 60 sorbitan monostearate sodium polyphosphates beta carotens hint: contains milk (you saw that in the ingredient list right?)... hint: most people probably think the first ingredient is milk... Have you figured it out? It's Cool Whip! Yuck. Wouldn't you rather just whip up heavy whipping cream?  I can taste the whale blubber now Eskimo populations filling up on fatty fish and whale blubber have historically been know for low rates of heart disease. It caused confusion for proponents of a low fat diet, but recent research has further confirmed the health benefits of fat consumption over carbs.
Why did Eskimo heart disease rates skyrocket? While historic data documented low heart disease in Eskimos, later 1970s research on Eskimos actually found higher rates of heart disease, comparable to modern populations. What happened? Carbs. A recent review of Eskimo diet and health trends found a clear link between increased sugar and carbohydrate consumption during the 1900s and increased heart disease in Eskimos. Between 1855 and 1970, Greenland Eskimos increased their carb consumption from 2-8% of their diet to 40% of their diet and heart disease rates rose. The Eskimos ate less of their traditional whale blubber and more bread, biscuits, potatoes, rice, flour, beer, and sugar cubes. Don't pass the potatoes. Pass the whale blubber.
Scientists suspect the fetus is most susceptible to acetaminophen during periods of brain development during the second and third trimester. With around half of the women in this study taking acetaminophen during this development period, this has the potential to be a major public health problem that has been overlooked by doctors and mothers.
While some medications are clearly linked to birth defects or other development problems, it is difficult to determine if other meds thought to be safe really cause no harm to the developing fetus. The best guarantee is avoiding medication whenever possible. Aches and pains during pregnancy should first be relieved with safe and effective chiropractic treatment or other non-drug conservative care options. Not only has chiropractic treatment been found to safely relieve pain during pregnancy; it's also been linked to an easier shorter labor. That's good news for mom and baby.  The National Obesity Forum and Public Health Collaboration recently released diet recommendations contrary to long-standing government recommendations -- Eat Fat & Cut Carbs. These non-profit groups recommend governments cut ties with the food industry to make better dietary recommendations to help address the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes around the world.
"The roots of obesity and type 2 diabetes are firmly embedded in the food environment. Legislative efforts to encourage less consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks will help significantly reduce the burden of diet related disease which now contributes to more disease and death globally than physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol combined." "The role of poor dietary advice has been ignored for too long. Specifically, the 'low fat' and 'lower cholesterol' message have had unintended disastrous health consequences....[resulting] in increased consumption of low fat junk food, refined carbohydrates and polyunsaturated vegetable oils." NOF & PHC recommend the following 10 messages be used to help educate the public: 1. Eating fat does not make you fat 2. Saturated fat does not cause heart disease 3. Processed foods labelled "low fat", "lite", "low cholesterol" or “proven to lower cholesterol” should be avoided 4. Limit starchy and refined carbohydrates to prevent and reverse Type 2 diabetes 5. Optimum [added] sugar consumption for health is ZERO 6. Industrial vegetable oils should be avoided 7. Stop counting calories (calorie focused thinking has damaged public health) 8. You cannot outrun a bad diet 9. Snacking will make you fat (Grandma was right!) 10. Evidence based nutrition should be incorporated into education curricula for all healthcare professionals These are great messages to consider when feeding your family. If any don't make sense to you, schedule a consult with our doctors or attend our next class on nutrition.
Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of nutrients in addition to fiber that benefit the whole body. Try to include at least a serving of a whole fruit or vegetable in each meal and snack you eat. Let fruits and vegetables give your lungs (and whole body) a boost.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life whenever possible. Any mothers struggling with breastfeeding are encouraged to use resources that will help them. Breastfeeding is the best way to start a child on a healthy path.
 Snow shoveling doesn't have to cause back pain We've been lucky so far...but it's just a matter of time before the snow blows in and these snow shoveling tips can help you avoid injury. We frequently see snow shoveling injuries this time of year, but most can be avoided by keeping in mind a few simple tips:
Warm up first - shoveling can be a major workout so prepare for it like one. Start with gentle movements and stretching to warm up your muscles for a few minutes. Minimize lifting & throwing - heavy lifting and twisting the body is the perfect recipe for injury. Push the snow out of the way as much as possible. If lifting is needed, keep if light and use those knees. Often & easy wins - try to make frequent lighter cleaning passes rather than waiting for the snow to stack a foot deep. Take a break when it's too much - there's no medal for finishing this marathon without stopping. Do some now, rest, and come back later. Avoid ice skating - wear boots or shoes with a good grip. Frozen ground or ice does not cushion a fall very well, and you need stable footing to shovel snow. Consider your equipment - maybe it's time for a snow blower, or maybe you just want a more ergonomic shovel. Now you can make the winter season a healthy one. Try these tips next time you're shoveling snow, or give us a call when you didn't: (330) 492-1010. 11/17/2015 Research Roundup: Animal Antibiotics Hurt Kids, Bad Medicine, and Healthy Eating Improves Health!Read Now Enjoy the latest research on health care and healthy living:
American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) Says No to Antibiotics in Animal Feed Feeding livestock antibiotics to artificially boost growth is big business and America's Pediatricians are finally saying that's enough. MedPage reported on the AAP's announcement discouraging use of antibiotics in animal fed due to the potential harm for children. While 7.25 million pounds of these drugs are sold for use in humans, more than 32.2 million pounds are sold for use in animals -- animals that often have no active infection. The overuse of antibiotic medication in children was also briefly addressed: "Clinicians bear some responsibility for this problem because we ourselves are not always prudent in our use of antibiotics...Unfortunately, too many people still prescribe antibiotics for colds or sore throats without having an appropriate bacterial diagnosis. So, since clinicians are part of the problem, they can be part of the solution." For your family's safety, choose meat that has been raised without antibiotics or other chemicals. And avoid antibiotic use for common colds, runny noses, and sore throats that are caused by viruses that cannot be killed with antibiotics. Medical Errors Still Alarmingly High Forbes recently reported: "A disturbing new study, published in the October 2015 issue of Anesthesiology, found that medication errors occurred in nearly half of all surgical procedures. Additionally, the study found that one-third of all errors resulted in adverse drug events or harm to patients." The study reviewed surgeries performed at a Harvard-affiliated hospital "considered a leader in patient safety." Clinicians weighing in on the study felt this actually underestimates the number of medical errors. This follows research estimating deaths due to preventable medical errors at 400,000 per year in the United States. Furthermore, these estimates seem to only consider hospitalized medical care, not accounting for other medical treatment. It's always important to recognize the significant risks associated with even "non-invasive" or "minor" medical care, utilizing safer conservative care first whenever possible. Now Some Good News: Americans Are Eating Better And Reducing Disease Don't let us mislead you, researchers still conclude the diet of Americans is "poor". However, an analysis of diet trends (from 1999-2012) found small signs of improvement with a big payoff: 1.1 million fewer premature deaths, 8.6% fewer cardiovascular disease cases, 1.3% fewer cancer cases, and 12.6% fewer type 2 diabetes cases. Good job Americans - now keep going! You're apparently drinking fewer sugary beverages and eating more fruit, but you haven't increased your veggies. Get those veggies in and keep cutting the sweets and carbs. Eat real unprocessed food and get moving!
In the US and Canada, about 90% of canola is genetically modified to withstand heavy doses of herbicidal chemicals used to kill weeds. As "superweeds" develop resistance to chemicals, these herbicides are being used in higher quantities. Still sound healthy? Consider using olive oil or coconut oil instead.
 While soft drink companies continue to promote sugary drinks as a reasonable part of a healthy diet, studies continue to show significant health risks for kids and adults drinking them.
A recent study of children ages 8-15 years old looked at how drinking sugary beverages affected their triglyceride (blood fats) and cholesterol levels over 12 months. Researchers found a significant worsening of triglyceride and cholesterol for those consuming more sugary drinks. Another recent study analyzed over 40,000 men to determine whether sweetened beverages increase the risk of heart failure. Sweetened beverages for this study included soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and drinks with artificial no-calorie sweeteners. When researchers ruled out other causes, they found that sweetened beverages significantly increased the risk of heart failure. Don't be fooled by marketing. You can't outrun or out-exercise regular consumption of sweetened beverages. Start reducing your intake today. Alternatives to consider include kombucha, coconut water, soda water with lemon, or good-old-fashioned water. Cut out sugary drinks for a week and feel the difference - then  Eat a healthy homemade meal From its beneficial effect on diabetes to reducing weight gain, a recent study confirmed that eating more homemade meals is good for your health. Researchers "analyzed data from nearly 58,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study and more than 41,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and followed for up to 36 years."
Results showed a significant health benefit from eating homemade meals instead of eating out. "People who ate about two homemade lunches or dinners each day — or about 11-14 meals a week — had a 13 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to people who ate less than six homemade lunches or dinners a week." There was also significantly less weight gain over the years for those eating more homemade meals. With the holidays coming soon, it's time to get cooking. Homemade meals help you take control of what your family is eating, and avoid hidden junk that often sneaks into packaged or processed foods. The more home-cooked meals you eat, the better. Cooking at home can help you maintain healthy weight, avoid diabetes, and help with a variety of other health conditions. |
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October 2024
Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor. This blog is not a doctor and will not diagnose or treat your problems.
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