Heart Disease: An Equal Opportunity Destroyer
Did you know Heart Disease kills 29,000 Americans every day? About one every 39 seconds!
“..Individuals with insulin resistance or diabetes in combination with one or more of risk factors ( poorly controlled blood sugars or out of normal range, high blood pressure, obesity, lack of physical activity, smoking and abnormal cholesterol ) are more likely to fall victim to heart disease or stroke..”
I know what you are thinking…” not me “…
My wake up call happened a few years ago when a functional medicine practitioner gave me the bad news.
I expressed my frustration to the doctor that I had a very difficult time losing weight. In 2008, I weigh 187 pounds and I wanted to lose at least 30 pounds. A weight that I thought I could maintain.
I had tried every pill popping supplement at GNC. I had tried the South beach diet, Atkins diet, blood type diet….every diet in the market, every diet book on weight loss….and, though I may have lost a few pounds initially, I would regain it back….quickly.
Today, most health professionals in a traditional medical practice do not address weight issues or obesity concerns. And very commonly pre-diabetes or weight control problems are not a commonly explored educational part of our training as general practitioners. Even then we are taught to follow the food pyramid nutrition protocol.
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Intuitively, I thought that I had a metabolic disorder that was causing me to have serious struggles losing weight. It was obvious that following the recommended food pyramid was not helping me reach my weight goals.
So, I went to see an Anti-aging Regenerative & functional medicine practitioner who ran a battery of preventative blood tests. These tests measure your hormonal imbalances, inflammatory markers and fasting insulin levels.
The results: my insulin fasting levels were high (>17) and my fasting blood sugars were> 90. A condition that placed me as a pre-diabetic or Insulin Resistance. My body fat: 48%. I had no other medical conditions. I was a young 34 years old, athletic, gym-goer….what was wrong?
I felt perfectly well. I never had to take any prescriptions for any chronic illness. In fact in our family because there is an overall concern for any of us developing diabetes my parents set a great example of living healthy. We all went to the gym six out of seven days, ate lean and green foods and even cut down on occasional wine drinking for fear that the excess calories could jeopardize our weight loss goals. We followed what we thought were common sense rules.
So it was without a doubt on that day when another doctor was telling me with a concerning tone that I was pre-diabetic I thought:” You can’t be serious “….” but I go the gym on a regular basis…I eat healthy…. ”
Doctor: “Do you have heart disease in your family?” (he asked)
Me: “Yes….We have Diabetes and heart conditions on both sides of my family “….” Both grandmothers, Grandfather, and now Aunt Kattia….”
Doctor: “You have high inflammatory markers as a result of your pre-diabetic state and your aerobic heart oxygen capabilities are suboptimal ”
And then it hit me like a tons of bricks….my years of being overweight had resulted in the gradual development of insulin resistance….and it was my inherent metabolic disorder of insulin resistance that had caused me to develop excess body fat and a virtual impossible journey to lose weight…”
It all made sense now. The reason it was challenging for me to lose weight was because I was Insulin Resistance. So that any starchy carbohydrates, processed foods or food allergens I consumed would cause a spike in my insulin. The daily spikes in insulin were the result of my pancreas working hard to normalize circulating blood sugars. Because my muscle and liver cells were inherently “resistant” to insulin (hence the name)…my body was in a state of glucose starvation.
So my pancreas worked harder and harder to produce more insulin in an effort for my muscle and liver cells to utilize the glucose it needed. This inherent resistance of major organ cells to utilize glucose would cause insulin to deposit the excess glucose in fat cells…And that perpetuated a vicious cycle….of high inflammation,damaged blood vessels, reduced aerobic heart capability, high insulin, starved cells, excess body fat, hunger cravings and….difficulty losing weight and heart disease”.
Did you know these particular tests are not commonly done at your local physician’s office? Instead, the common trend is to wait until your blood sugars are severally abnormal and for you to manifest symptoms of diabetes so that another set of tests are performed to confirm what is obvious….Diabetes.
As a result of my extensive fellowship training in the field of Anti-aging Regenerative & Functional Medicine, I have ended my struggle with weight loss. My insulin resistance is under control using medical foods and low glycemic meals. My body fat is now 30.8 %. I perform regular detoxification programs. I have no more hunger cravings or sugar addictions. I know now that my lifestyle habits of eating lean and green foods and exercising are now working for me, not against me, and that I can now focus on other ambitions and projects knowing that my health is optimum.
Reduce your health risks now. Learn more about personalized physician supervised preventative programs and the science behind functional medicine.
Americans catch an estimated 1 billion colds each year
And by this time of year, as weary cold sufferers line up at local pharmacies, it may not sound surprising that Americans spend at least $4.2 billion annually on over-the-counter cough and cold medications — and even more on alternative therapies.
Yet here’s the dirty little secret about the common cold:
Nothing cures it. Nothing makes it go away faster.
And there’s little evidence that popular treatments really do much to relieve symptoms.
“In a nutshell, there’s nothing that works,” says Aaron Glatt, a doctor and spokesman for the Infectious Disease Society of America. “There’s a tremendous industry out there, and some people really swear by them. But there really aren’t great studies to show any benefit.”
Research has found that some therapies — from echinacea to humidifiers, vitamin C, zinc, vapor rubs and Neti pots — have little to no measurable benefit, say pediatricians Rachel Vreeman and Aaron Carroll, authors of Don’t Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health.
For other folksy favorites — such as chicken soup, garlic, honey or hot tea — there’s just not enough data to tell, Vreeman and Carroll says. That’s partly because big drug companies don’t tend to spent much money to research products, such as honey and tea, that people can buy anywhere.
“When it comes to over-the-counter therapies, they’re pretty cheap, so people will buy them anyway,” Carroll says. “But if they don’t work, you shouldn’t be surprised.. .. But it’s all about symptom relief. So if tea makes you feel better, go ahead. If a warm blanket and a pillow makes you feel better, do it.”
In some cases, however, even over-the counter drugs can have serious side effects. The Food and Drug Administration has warned not to use zinc nasal products — touted to prevent and treat colds — because of concerns that it can make people lose their sense of smell.
In children, cough and cold remedies are not only ineffective, but can be harmful, Vreeman and Carroll says. That’s why manufacturers no longer sell these drugs for kids under 4.
Since colds go away on their own after about a week, improving a little each day after symptoms peak, it’s easy for people to believe that their medicines — rather than time — should get the credit, says James Taylor, a pediatrics professor at the University of Washington. And cold sufferers are so desperate for help, studies show, that even placebos can make people feel better about one-third of the time.
USA TODAY asked experts to summarize the evidence for some of the most commonly used remedies.
•Decongestants
In the lab, these over-the-counter drugs look like a winner.
Decongestants shrink dilated blood vessels in the nose, which should provide relief for that stuffed-up feeling, says Elizabeth Funderbunk, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.
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In the real world, however, their effects are modest at best.
A single dose of a nasal decongestant reduces adults’ symptoms by 6% according to a 2007 Cochrane Systematic Review. Additional doses reduced symptoms by 4%.
To reduce the risk of side effects, it’s best to take the lowest dose possible — such as found in nasal sprays, says Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group.Even then, people shouldn’t use nasal sprays for more than a few days, because overuse can actually increase congestion. Wolfe also advises avoiding products that treat multiple symptoms, because they typically provide way more medication than people really need.
•Vitamin C
Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling popularized the idea of taking vitamin C to prevent colds.
But a review of studies with a total of 11,000 people found that taking 200 milligrams or more of vitamin C a day didn’t reduce the chance of getting a cold, and it reduced the duration of a cold only by a matter of hours. The only people who got any protection against colds were those whose bodies were under extreme stress, such as soldiers in sub-arctic conditions, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.
•Echinacea
Scientists have been intrigued by echinacea because of laboratory studies suggesting that some constituents of this herbal folk remedy decrease inflammation, while others appear to boost the immune system.
But improving immunity in a human being is far more complicated than in a petri dish, says Wendy Weber, a program officer at NCCAM. She notes that there are three species of echinacea that are used medicinally, and concentrations can vary from bottle to bottle.
Three studies found by NCCAM concluded that echinacea was no better than a placebo for treating or preventing a cold. While doctors continue to research echinacea, Weber says there isn’t yet enough research to prescribe it. And although echninacea is the most commonly used herbal supplement in children, studies also show it can slightly increase kids’ risk of rash.
•Zinc
While a 2007 research review found that zinc nasal gel helped improve cold symptoms, the Food and Drug Administration now warns people to avoid them, because of concerns that the products can make people lose their sense of smell.
In a 2007 review of the research, only one of four high-quality studies found that a zinc product — a nasal gel — helped to improve cold symptoms. But before you stock up, consider this: The Food and Drug Administration in 2009 warned consumers not to use any intranasal zinc products because of concerns that it can make people lose their sense of smell. While zinc lozenges may not cause any lasting damage, they taste so awful that they can cause nausea, say Carroll and Vreeman. Also, the 2007 review found that they didn’t work.
•Honey
Generations have turned to hot tea with honey to soothe a sore throat.
One study, in which children over age 2 were given up to 2 teaspoons of honey before bedtime, found that honey did help reduce coughing. But Weber notes that researchers need to confirm these findings with additional studies. She says honey should never be given to children under age 1 because of the risk of botulism. And while many people like honey cough drops, Weber notes that they can a choking hazard to babies and toddlers.
•Eucalyptus oil and vapor rubs
In a recent study in Pediatrics, children with cough and cold symptoms improved the most when their parents rubbed their chests with Vicks VapoRub, a strongly scented gel made with camphor, menthol and eucalyptus oil, compared with those given a placebo.
But it’s hard to know if Vicks really deserves the credit, says Daniel Frattarelli, a doctor and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Because VapoRub smells so strong, parents could tell if they were using the real thing or a placebo, even though researchers did their best to “blind” parents to which treatment they were using. Still, there were no serious side effects, so Frattarelli says the study, funded by manufacturer Procter and Gamble, suggests that VapoRub seems safe.
•Nasal saline (such as Neti pots), humidifiers, hot steam
Even many doctors tell patients to treat congestion with devices such as Neti pots, which flush out the nose with warm, salty water; with humidifiers or by taking steamy showers.
While these treatments seem safe and helpful, there’s also no data that they work, Glatt says.
When using a humidifier, Santa suggests using cool mist, rather than hot steam, which can scald small children.
“I’m not aware of any studies showing a humidifier can help (children) to sleep” when congested, Glatt says. “But I’m never going to argue with a parent who tells me that it does.”
Starting the year on the right foot
For centuries, Chinese have looked to feng shui to help keep their lives balanced. Feng shui aims to improve and harness the flow of positive Chi (energy) and harness it favorably. Feng shui has also been assimilated into Filipino culture as a venue for healthy living.
As we usher in the year of the Golden (Metal) Rabbit today. Feng shui experts give their forecasts for the coming year. Read below, find and discern the path you wish to take to make this New Year a lucky one.
For people born in the year of the Ox, Dragon, Tiger, and Snake it will be a good one. They will enjoy good fortune as opportunities come their way. They should keep their mind focused and if they do, they are most likely to reach their goals.
Individuals born under the year of the Tiger, Rabbit, Snake and Horse are advised to take precaution with regard to health concerns as stress as sickness may hinder their progress this year. Charms and crystals promote and improve physical, mental and spiritual health. Brass Wu Lou with eight immortals and the jade bracelet are said to counteract bad health.
Medical practitioners firmly believe that practicing any form of alternative medicine should be accompanied by expert advice. And there is nothing wrong with applying feng shui principles to enhance wellness.
Healthway Medical believes that it is important to put a high premium on one’s.
“Healthway has been consistently campaigning toward an active and healthy lifestyle, “says Carmie De Leon, vice president for sales and marketing.
The clinic offers HealthCheQ Gold, an executive checkup in partnership with Nurture Spa. Its packages include complete laboratory and imaging studies, a comprehensive physical evaluation, and special examinations combined with an anti-stress activity in a spa. It is a medical checkup that people look forward to.
The packages offer personalized convenience, quality hygienic medical procedures, online appointment or scheduling, results within 72 hours, quality hard-copy report for future reference, pampering experience from Healthway’s sister company (Clarity Aesthetic Medical and Dental Center), chauffeured service from Healthway Clinic to Nurture Spa Village in Tagaytay, and a choice of overnight wellness experience.
It also offers medical cards that can now be even personalized; Healthway card, Alagang Healthway, Junior Privilege and Platinum card. They all contain a medical package that fits the budget. “And as an advocate of this campaign, we encourage everyone to have their health check and to eat and live healthy. Let’s all start the year right by being healthy and welcome the Chinese New Year with a smile,” De Leon said.