YourHealthMatters

Is Splenda™ Safe?

Splenda™ has become a major sweetener apparently because it is so safe. It is used as the sweetener in more than 4,000 products. BUT, there has been little or no objective evidence of the risks of this sweetener. Until now, that is. A Duke University pharmacologist has reported on his 12 week study of Splenda™ given to rodents. at doses equivalent to what the FDA has approved for us.

He found the following:

a) increased body weight in the test subjects;

b) disruption and reduction of beneficial intestinal bacteria such as acidophilus and bifidobacteria;

c) an elevation of some intestinal proteins that could interfere with absorption of nutrients and medications.

His study was denounced by you know who but is that surprising.

I wonder if this is just the beginning.

Do I drink or eat Splenda™ flavored products. Nope, Never Have, Never Will.

drBob

9 Pillars of Weight Loss

Here is a new free report posted on Life Extension Foundation http://www.lef.org/lpages/pillar  which discusses the 9 areas that need to be addressed for successful weight loss. I am going to discuss each of these areas in a series of post in the next week. In the meantime you can download this excellent report if you wish.

This report is tied to an exciting new product just introduced by LEF for weight loss. I have been recently taking this supplement on a trial basis and I am impressed.

The 9 areas only cover nutritional issues, not the mental attitudes needed for successful long-term wegiht loss. I will address this as well in coming posts. Regaining and maintaining health is always better with mind-body changes.

drBob

Point - Counterpoint on Fructose

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is one of the most commonly sweeteners in our foods and drinks. It is cheap, readil,y available and supports our farms. But is it really good for humans?
Here are two views recently found on our Web.
1. The AMA recently supported fructose as healthy but it may have some political goals.
View what they did at www.sleekURL.com/?fructose1

2. In contrast read what Dr. Joe Mercola has written about a media push to try and improve the image of fructose in the public eye.
Read what he wrote at www.sleekURL.com/?fructose2

Now that corn is being funneled into ethanol plants, the price of corn will go up and maybe we will see another sweetener appear at a lower cost.

High carb intake can raise your risk of high cholesterol, diabetes and raise your inflammatory symptoms. I encourage my patients to remove HFCS from their diets.

drBob

Change Your Brain Chemistry - Part 3

In my continuing series on managing your brain chemistry for best health, it's time to talk about the neurotransmitter that relaxes and calms you the most, GABA,  or gamma-aminobutyric acid. GABA is our natural tranquilizer for helping calm our over-reactions to stressful events by inhibiting our excitatory catecholamines, the cats I wrote about in Part 2. Often with chronic stress we get depleted of GABA and then we feel excess anxiety, nervousness and are more irritable. The usual drug approach to help these feelings is to take a Valium-like drug, many of which have been developed over the past 30 years. Any generic drug name ending in "pam" is likely related to Valium or diazepam and a member of this GABA-mimicing family of tranquilizers. These drugs do not increase your storehouse of GABA molecules however. They merely enhance your GABA receptor activity, so you feel as if there is more GABA function. Taken chronically they can also produce depression and sedation.

Other symptoms of GABA deficiency may include periodic rapid heart beat, chronic insomnia, short temper, and alcohol cravings.

There are at least 10 different known types of GABA receptors in our brains, so the drugs developed to help GABA problems target one or more of these receptor types. These drugs include, Topamax, Neurontin, Lyrica, Depakote, Lamictal, Tegretol, Dilantin, Ambien, Lunesta, Valium, Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Halcion, and Restoril. The last 8 in this list, all members of the Valium family, are highly dependency-producing and addicting.The first 5 are all used for various neurological problems arising from GABA malfunctions in different parts of the brain, including seizures, depression, neuropathic pain, fibromylagia pain, migraine, and bipolar disorder. They are very useful drugs and non-addicting.

To boost GABA from our diet we need foods rich in glutamine, a naturally occurring amino acid. The brain coverts glutamine into GABA. Foods to include in your diet to increase your glutamine intake include organ meats such as liver, nuts, legumes, cantaloupe, oranges and reishi mushroom. Avoid simple sugars, carbonated drinks, aspartame and alcohol, all of which deplete GABA or counteract its effects.

GABA can be taken as a supplement and works quickly if dissolved in the mouth. I often recommend a product called GABA-Calm and use this myself to boost GABA when needed. I also recommend GABAMax, a product containing taurine and glycine as well as GABA. These two amino acids also stimulate GABA production in your brain. GABAMax also includes 5HTP for increasing serotonin levels.

GABA is associated with theta waves in your brain and anything that helps you increase your theta wave production will be calming and relaxing. You can learn techniques for calming and relaxing yourself in any situation without taking GABA supplements so often. I'm very impressed with my own results from using Dr. Brian Alman's 5 Minute Stress Reduction & Peak Performance Program. I have it on my iPod and listen to at least one 5 minute track soon after awakening most mornings.

This isn't a typical stress management program. Brian is a gifted coach who has helped 1000's over the last 25 years who, like you and me:

* Need help managing stress & obtaining peak performance
* Don't have the time for hours and hours of CD's, DVD’s and reading
* Want quick results that LAST without working hard

So If You...

Are out of balance,  and feeling stressed?
Or...
Are looking for an "edge" to obtain more in your life?
Or...
Like most of us, want to drop stress & perform better?

Then click here to read more about this effective program and purchase it today.

drBob

What Does Your Food Cost?

What does an average American family spend on food in a week? What do people in other parts of the world spend on food and what do they eat?

On Dr. Mercola's wonderful website he has posted pictures from a book called "Hungry Planet" that show what is spent on food around the world. The differences were eye-opening to me as were the appearance of the families themselves. Here's a glimpse into the world for all of us to explore.

Happy Independence Day to all my American readers and be thankful for your Independence and Freedom that has been  and maintained for us over many years by so many of our country-men and women.

Here's the link to the pictures of What The World Eats

drBob

PS - take a close look at the food selections. Which family had the most bottles of Coca-Cola in the background? Which families had no processed foods at all in their diet?

Before, During & After Pregnancy

Although I do not include obstetrics in my practice anymore, I know that good health is essential for an expectant mom and for her unborn child.

Two books have impressed me and I recommend them to you and any family member who is expecting or raising a family.

First in 2003 Dr. Dean Raffelock, a good friend of mine, wrote The Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Recovery. This is the ONLY book I know that discusses the amazing and challenging changes in hormones and metabolism that pregnancy and the postpartum period brings to mothers. The book has many case studies from Dean's practice that show how common problems for mom can be traced to nutritional issues that aggravate the hormone changes. I do treat women who are having problems with hormones, fatigue, brain imbalances,etc after delivery and this is a must-read for those patients. It has always helped them understand what happened and then manage the changes. It's an excellent book for a first expecting mom as well as moms planning more pregnancies. Check out Dr. Raffelock's website www.pregnancyrecovery.com for additional information. He also has formulated an excellent set of supplement formulas for moms for pregnancy and postpartum recovery.

This month Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist with a broad understanding of brain health at all ages, published his book Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten. This details diet and supplements issues for the growing child that will promote brain maturity and help avoid such problems as ADD/ADHD. One idea I did not know concerns gluten. Gluten sensitivity is a growing problem in North America and Dr. Perlmutter states that introducing gluten to a baby between 4 and 6 months is a way to minimize the chance that gluten sensitivity will develop. Then he writes that gluten sensitivity can be one of the causes of the brain changes that can lead to ADD. The book is full of diet ideas and ways to limit exposure to toxins in the environment for babies and growing children.

With two young grandsons I found this book very helpful and have made sure our daughter Carrie has a copy to read. She has used Dr. Raffelock's book as well.

drBob

Here are links to see and purchase these books at Amazon.com -

The Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Recovery

Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten

Top Ten Mayo Foods

A Mayo Clinic dietitian  (Link)  has released his list of the top ten best foods chosen for their healthy characteristics:  apples, almonds, blueberries, broccoli, red beans, salmon, spinach, sweet potatoes, vegetable juice, and wheat germ.

Could you make a regular diet of these foods? While I generally agree with his choices, I wish he had addressed the broader basis for picking healthy foods. In the past few years it has become obvious that chronic inflammation plays a major role in most chronic diseases, especially vascular disease, heart disease, arthritis, allergy, obesity and recurring infections. The above foods contain anti-oxidants which can help reduce chronic inflammation. There are many many other foods which also contain healthy anti-inflammatory compounds. He's right about one pick - Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon has the highest amounts of anti-oxidants of any food.

If one were to eat the above ten foods regularly, but still eat lots of sugar, trans fats and other food known to promote free radicals in the body, then the ten foods would be wasted.

To begin using mostly food rich in anti-oxidants in your meals to reduce chronic inflammation, I highly recommend the following three books -

The Fat Resistance Diet by Leo Galland, MD   (See at Amazon.com) 

The Sonoma Diet by Connie Gutterson  (See at Amazon.com)

The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan by Monica Reinagel  (See at Amazon.com) 

I have enjoyed preparing recipes from all three books in recent months and especially in the first two books, I have been able to purchase all ingredients right here in Liberal. In selecting recipes to use in your daily life, it's very important to have the ingredients readily available.

drBob