Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Most of us have heard the terms, "anti-oxidants" and "free radicals," but if we're honest, most of us don't really know what they mean. It's important to know, because, as they say, knowledge is power.
When we understand what's going on inside our bodies on the cellular level, that knowledge will motivate us to make the correct choices.
On the cellular level, there are certain chemical reactions that are normal and natural....within reason. But when our behavior becomes excessive, all sorts of dangerous stuff happens to our body. God made our bodies perfectly, but we have to do our part. In other words, we must eat the right foods, exercise enough, sleep enough, drink enough water, and have inner peace (found only through Jesus).
If we eat too much junk food, don't move enough, become sleep deprived, get dehydrated, and live stressed-out, it's no wonder our bodies start to break down. We understand the principle of car maintenance, about how we have to get the oil changed, tires rotated, fuel in the engine, etc., why is it that we discount the need to keep the various aspects of our body maintained?
One of the normal functions of our inner body is the radicalization of oxygen molecules. Because of what's been in the news recently, most of us understand that when something is "radicalized" it is changed into a super-charged form. So it is with oxygen molecules. They become radicalized when they become electrically charged. Then their name is changed to "oxygen-free radicals," or "free radicals" for short.
Now, in the right balance, free-radicals are good, because they are used by the immune system to fight bacteria and ward-off illness. But the problem is, most of us have way, way too many free-radicals and the end result is destruction.
That is not a term to be understood lightly. Free-radicals destroy, a little or a lot, some of the most important foundations of our health, such as our cell membrane and our DNA. This free-radical overload has a name: it's called "oxidative stress."
Oxidative stress is the root cause for whole host of health issues, not the least of which is cancer. And, oh, by the way, oxidative stress makes you look old, in case you're most interested in how you appear to others than about your inner health! So no matter what your motivation, oxidative stress, the excess of free-radicals, is something each and every one of us should be trying to avoid.
The good news is we have an enormous amount of control over our own oxidative stress, because the build-up of free-radicals that cause it is spawned by lifestyle choices.
Oxygen molecules become radicalized by:
- UNHEALTHY FOODS,
- TOXIC ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS,
- TOO MUCH ALCOHOL,
- SMOKING AND SUN EXPOSURE.
First, let's look at what foods cause radicalization of oxygen:
SUGAR: This stuff is poison. Even all-natural honey and raw sugar, but especially high fructose corn syrup. The reason we should avoid it all is because of the amount of sugar we consume. It's estimated the average American consumes 150 pounds of sugar per year.
God obviously intended us to consume some sweets, otherwise He wouldn't have given us honey and sugar. But clearly, it is not in His plan for us to consume these horrific amounts. If we shoot for a no sugar diet, we will probably end up consuming an acceptable amount, when you consider the occasional piece of birthday cake, etc. Think very small amounts, very sporadically.
REFINED CARBOHYDRATES: These are foods that, as far as our body is concerned, turn into sugar once we eat them. These are foods like white bread, white pasta, white bagels, english muffins, flour tortillas, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, breading on any kind of meat or vegetable, etc.
TRANS FATS: Again, POISON. Trans fats are the most dangerous, disgusting food we can consume. Because, unlike sugar and refined carbohydrates, our bodies are completely ill-equipped to metabolize trans fats.
You see, trans fats can not be found in nature. They are manufactured in a lab. They benefit food manufacturers who want to increase their profits by prolonging the shelf-life of their foods and make them more appetizing, which they do, in spades.
But at what cost? The second highest of all (behind your spiritual health) prices to pay: your physical health. Trans fats are also known as HYDROGENATED oils, because they are manufactured by infusing an oil with hydrogen. Just like high fructose corn syrup and other sugars, trans fats are in nearly every processed food. Check the list of ingredients. Run for your life if you see the word, "hydrogenated" because that's your red flag signalling trans fat.
OMEGA-6 FATS: Although Omega-6 fats are technically good, we consume way, way too many of them and that causes big trouble. Omega-6 fats are actually considered an essential fatty acid. That's how necessary they are to our good health.
But it's important to understand that another essential fatty acid is Omega-3 fats. God made us to consume these two essential fatty acids in equal, or near equal amounts because they literally compete with each other. Sadly, the average American consumes 20 times more Omega-6 fats than Omega-3 fats, and that gross imbalance is what is so destructive to our bodies.
So drastically cut back on Omega-6 fats and make a effort to increase your Omega-3 consumption. Unfortunately, that's tough to do. The proliferation of Omega-6 fats in our food supply and the lack of Omega-3s is staggering. Omega-6s are found in vegetables oils, such as corn oil, which is in, you guessed it, processed foods.
So if a food product or restaurant brags about "no trans fats" you can bet they replaced the trans fat with an Omega-6. Olive oil is neither a trans fat nor an Omega-6, so it's a good choice as long as you don't get it too hot...make a salad dressing of 3 parts olive oil, one part vinegar, then add whatever else you want like herbs and mustard.
By the way, most store-bought salad dressings are loaded with Omega-6s. For high temperature cooking, use coconut oil, which is fabulous in so many ways (see other blogs). Omega-3 fats are really only found in cold water fish, like salmon. So make sure to take fish oil supplements, enough to consume 750 mg of DHA daily. Some foods convert to Omega-3s, such as walnuts, flax, and chia seeds, but not all of our bodies convert them well.
So now that you know how to stay away from foods and activities that lead to the radicalization of oxygen molecules, stick to activities and foods that have the opposite effect. That is anti-oxidants. Topping the list: organic vegetables. Exercise vigorously daily. You may need to work-up to this, and like the sugar rule, if you aim high, what you actually end up doing is still in a very good range.
And most importantly (oh, I buried the lead, shame on me!) develop your relationship with Jesus. Spending time in His word, spending time in prayer and spending quiet time just listening to him is invaluable to your health. He instructs us to do these things because they first and foremost lead to eternal rewards, but also rewards here in this life.
Monday, June 03, 2013
Most of us look for opportunities to save money whenever possible. We sometimes wonder if the extra expense to buy organic is actually worth it. Then there are those of us who are committed to buying organic but find ourselves in a grocery store that does not offer an organic version of what we are looking for. What to do?
Thanks to the good folks at Calton Nutrition, there is an easy solution to the organic food dilemmas. They call it "The Fab 14" and "The Terrible 20."
"The Fab 14" are the fruits and vegetables that are okay to eat even if they are not organic - that is to say, even if they are conventionally grown. Examine the list closely and you will probably see why these items pose the least amount of risk to your health. Many of them have thick rinds, so the pesticides don't penetrate into the part of the food that we eat.
So save a buck or two by purchasing these items grown conventionally and don't worry about it.
- Onions
- Pineapples
- Avocado
- Cabbage
- Sweet Peas (frozen)
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Watermelon
- Mushrooms
Now for the other list, "The Terrible 20" which is a compilation of the foods that are most affected by pesticides and cause the greatest amount of risk to your health if eaten after being grown conventionally. So by all means, make every effort to purchase organic versions of the foods below or skip them entirely.
- Apples
- Celery
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Nectarines
- Grapes
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Blueberries
- Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Kale/Collard Greens
- Sweet Corn
- Hawaiian Papayas
- Zucchini
- Yellow Crookneck Squash
- Cherries
- Hot Peppers
A good idea might be to print these two lists and keep them in your purse or wallet to have handy when you are shopping. Or better yet, download the wallet-size version of the lists from Calton Nutrition.
And while you're there, check out the other information on the site. You can also learn everything you need to know about which foods to eat and which ones to avoid in the book, Rich Food, Poor Food, by Jayson and Mira Calton.
Friday, May 24, 2013
As we get ready to enter another summer season, we can look forward to warmer weather and longer days. But alas, as a melanoma survivor, it is not wise for me to spend hours on end in the bright sunshine the way I once did. Oh well, I can look forward to heaven, where the weather will always be gorgeous and we don't have to worry about getting skin cancer or even protecting ourselves from it.
Yes, I admit I was foolilsh in my younger years, even going so far as regularly using tanning beds. So learn from my mistakes so you don't end up with skin cancer the way I did. Remember, most of the damage to our skin occurs in our younger years but doesn't present itself in the form of cancer until many years later.
Just about the absolute worst thing you can do to yourself, as far as your skin is concerned, is spend time in a tanning bed. Don't believe what anyone tells you if they claim those cancer coffins are okay in any way, shape, or form. Run, don't walk away from tanning beds.
Now that doesn't mean all fake tans are bad. Quite the contrary. The spray-on ones are perfectly safe, as are the creams and lotions. The problem with those is that the product tends to rub-off on your clothes, so use caution if you are wearing light-colored clothing.
Remember that the worst sun of the day is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. So try to schedule your activities before that window or after. But don't get a false sense of security. Just because you are not out at the time of the brightest sunlight, you still need sun protection.
The best protection is.....SHADE. Wear a big, floppy hat,big sunglasses with wide arms on the sides, clothing that covers as much skin as possible, and sit under an unbrella or other shelter when possible.
Besides that, use sunscreen.
Wonderful news! You don't have to spend a fortune on sunscreen in order to protect yourself. In fact, the opposite is true! According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, three out of the top four brands are cheap-o store brands.
The highest score was earned by Target, for the Up and Up Sports SPT 50. In the No. 2 spot, none other than Wal-Mart's Equate Ultra Protection Sunscreen SPF 50. Coming in at No. 4 was Walgreen's Continuous Spray Sports SPF 50.
In case you're wondering, third place went to Coppertone Water Babies 50 lotion. Even though that's not a store brand, it's till relatively inexpensive.
So the good news is you don't have to spend a fortune on fancy sunscreen, but you should buy some fresh every season. If you're like me, you still have sunscreen bottles hanging around the house that are from the 1990s. Get rid of them. They're expired and won't protect you like fresh.
So once you buy your nice, new sunscreen, and still have plenty of money left over, make sure you APPLY THAT SUNSCREEN OFTEN! The biggest mistake people make is just applying it as they begin their day in the sun and then forget about it. You need to re-apply after being in the water and also just every couple of hours.
So to end this post on a downer, sorry, let me caution you about how to recognize skin cancer. This is what may have saved my life. You see, when you have a cancerous mole, it grows DOWN....deep into your skin, then down further to your lymphnodes at which time it can travel to any part of your body and grow there.....like your liver or whatever.
So by all means, get familiar with your moles and be on the lookout for anything suspicious. If you get the cancer removed before it's already gotten too deep, you'll be okay. Like most cancers, if not all, catching it early is crucial.
Go see the doctor if you have a mole if it is any of the following:
- ASYMMETRICAL
- BORDERS ARE UNEVEN
- COLOR IS BLACK OR UNEVEN
- DIAMETER IS LARGER THAN A PENCIL ERASER
- IF IT CHANGES.
My red flag was a mole that changed I noticed it was bigger than it used to be.
I hope you have a safe and enjoyable summer. God bless you!
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
A disturbing report from the Centers for Disease Control reveals that Americans are consuming an alarming amount of ADDED sugar...a whopping 13 percent of our total calories come from added sugar, which is a terrible commentary and certainly explains why, as a whole, our society struggles with weight.
As the name implies, added sugar is a sweetener that has been put into the product. In contrast, some foods, such as fruit and milk, contain natural sugar.
What's interesting about the results of the study is that most of the added sugars we consume come from food, not beverages. Up until now, most healthcare experts assumed the added sugars we consumed were mostly in the form of sodas, sports drinks, and fancy coffees. Now it appears those drinks make up one-third of the added sugars we consume, when the other two-thirds come from food.
Another interesting discovery from the research is that most of the food we eat that contains added sugars we consume at home, as opposed to at a restaurant. What is the significance of that? It means we purchase these awful products at the grocery store and bring them into our homes.
We have to turn this ship around!
The astonishing amount of sugar the average American consumes may be to blame for more health problems than we even know, at this point. Certainly we know that sugar causes inflammation, which is the root of a whole host of diseases, not the least of which is heart disease and cancer.
Of course, too much sugar makes us fat and leads to diabetes. Furthermore, sugar, and it's evil twin, trans fat, have been linked to Alzheimer's Disease, Autism, ADD and ADHD and autoimmune diseases.
The list goes on, because if too much sugar causes deadly inflammation, which is linked to a wide array of health hazards, then sugar is the culprit for most of our health problems.
It's estimated that 80 percent of all of our health problems are the result of poor lifestyle choices. That means if we ate a great diet, exercised a lot, got enough sleep, didn't smoke, effectively managed stress, avoided environmental toxins, didn't abuse drugs or alcohol, practiced biblical sexuality, obeyed the traffic rules, etc., then 80 percent of our health problems would disappear. Most of the time we are not victims when we fall ill, but rather it is the consequence of poor choices.
Just think of how much healthier we'd be if we stopped eating sugar! As I mentioned above, some foods naturally contain sugar, so we should first begin by eliminating added sugar.
Boy, oh boy, is that a tall order. If you take the time, and you should, to read the list of ingredients on the items in the grocery store, you will be utterly shocked to learn that some type of sugar is added to almost everything...even things that don't really seem sweet, like bread and pasta sauce.
In general, it's the processed foods that are the worst. Food manufacturers know that we humans adore the taste of sweet and will eat more of any product that tastes sweet. Furthermore, certain sugars, like high fructose corn syrup, are cheap, so it's an inexpensive filler, from a manufacturing standpoint.
Eliminating (or at least reducing) your added sugar intake is easy to understand, but difficult to do. Nevertheless, it is one of the best things you could possibly undertake, and therefore, well worth the effort.
The first step is to look at what you are putting into your body. STOP DRINKING ANYTHING SWEET and switch to water.
Now focus on the food. Check the list of ingredients, not the labels, the LIST OF INGREDIENTS, of everything you plan to purchase at the grocery store. Don't put anything into your cart if it contains high fructose corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, malt syrup, pancake syrup, fructose sweetener, liquid fructose, anhydrous dextrose, crystal dextrose and dextrin.
Beware of healthy sounding sugars, like honey or pure cane sugar. They sound healthy, but they're still sugar. Watch out for ingredients that end in "ose" that are often sugars manufactured in a lab. Rule of thumb: if you don't know what it is, it's probably bad for you.
You will find that 99 percent of everything you pick up contains added sugar. The best plan of attack is to shop the perimeter of the store, especially the produce department. The middle aisles are the ones that are loaded with processed foods. Cookies, crackers, cereal, snacks, soda....POISON!
If you don't think you like vegetables, probably the reason is because you fill up on sugar and other carbohydrates and literally spoil your appetite for healthy food. So the good news is, if you don't purchase and eat sugar, you will find that fresh vegetables are more appealing.
Although temptation is everywhere, nobody is forcing us to consume all the added sugar we do. It's our own free choice what we put in our bodies. We must exercise self-control and avoid added sugars or we will suffer the deadly consequences.
Monday, April 29, 2013
More than 200 children die every year because someone backed-over the child with a car. Tragically, usually that "someone" is their own parent. It's almost too horrible to imagine.
Every week in the United States about 50 children are back over by a vehicle, 48 are treated in emergency rooms, and at least two children die. That totals about 17,000 children who are injured by back-over incidents, but who, thankfully, survive.
The wonderful organization called Kids And Cars, headed by Janette Fennell is trying to do everything possible to prevent these tragedies. She gathered together with parents of children killed in backover incidents at a Capitol Hill press event, along with Democrat Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Republican Rep. Peter King. They all want the Obama administration to release a rear visibility rule for motor vehicles. This would mean rearview cameras would be standard equipment for all motor vehicles.
If you haven't ever driven a car with a rearview camera, or been a passenger in one, let me tell you, they are fantastic. What a lifesaving piece of technology. They are especially valuable in trucks and SUVs, because the likelihood is ever greater in those vehicles that the driver might not see a youngster behind the vehicles as it is backing out. Currently rearview cameras are optional equipment. But since they so very clearly can save a child's life, the push is on to make them standard.
The truth is, this safety rule was passed a long time ago, way back in February 2008. At that time, the timetable was three years. The rule should have been issued in February 2011. So what's been done? Nothing.
"It is clear from so many other actions that President Obama has the safety of our children as a top priority. We urge the President to take one simple step today and issue the rear visibility rule," Fennell said. "These unacceptable and unnecessary deaths and injuries from backover incidents must stop."
Joan Claybrook, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated, "Rearview cameras are available and affordable."
She went on to say every day of delay puts children at risk.
One of the most heartbreaking testimonials came from Ellen Adams of Ponte Vedra, Fla. Her husband accidentally backed-over their daughter and killed the little girl. He just couldn't handle the guilt. He committed suicide.
She said, "People kept asking me, after my daughter was backed over and killed, and my husband subsequently committed suicide, why I didn't have a nervous breakdown? My response was easy...who would be left for my son? I urge the President to protect other families from these preventable tragedies."
Kids And Cars urges all adults to heighten their awareness before they engage a vehicle into reverse; especially when children are present. Young children are impulsive and unpredictable; still have very poor judgment and little understanding of danger.
In addition, young children do not recognize boundaries such as property lines, sidewalks, driveways, or parking spaces. Toddlers have established independent mobility between the ages of 12-23 months, but the concept of personal safety is absent. Backovers are often the predictable consequence of a child following a parent into the driveway and standing behind their vehicle without their parent's knowledge.
Backovers can happen in ANY vehicle because all vehicles have a blind zone; the area behind a vehicle you cannot see from the driver's seat. The danger tends to increase with larger vehicles.
It's always best to look carefully behind the vehicle before you get in and again before you put the car in gear to back up. Remember to back up slowly, and pay attention to your mirrors.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Every one of us knows someone who died of a heart attack. But so many of us are really not that familiar with what a heart attack really is. More to the point, would you know it if you were having a heart attack? Would you be able to recognize if someone else were having one?
Heart attack symptoms are sometimes vague, particularly among women. The most obvious symptom is, of course, chest pain. But heart attack pain is not limited to just the chest, but can also include pain to any part of the upper body, including stomach pain. It can even be that stomach pain is the only pain a person experiences. Sometimes when a person is having a heart attack, they find it difficult to catch their breath. Other symptoms include dizziness and cold sweats.
Some of the more subtle heart attack symptoms that are commonly overlooked include indigestion and nausea. If a person feels fatigued for no apparent reason, it might be because they are having a heart attack. Believe it or not, pain in the head is also a sign that someone is having a heart attack...pain like a headache, or trouble with the neck or jaw.
If you are with someone who is experiencing one or more of these symptoms, the first thing you should do is check to see if the person is breathing. Also check for a pulse. Then raise the person's legs 18 inches off the ground to allow blood to flow toward the heart.
If the person is not responsive, call 9-1-1.
Then start chest compressions. They're easy! Don't be afraid! And best of all, you might save a life. Most people who have a heart attack at home or at work or in a public place die because nobody administered CPR in time. Usually if you wait until EMTs arrive, it's too late.
All you have to do is put the heel of your hand on their chest, between the breasts. Then link your other hand on top of it. Next, simply push down hard and kind-of fast. Most of know the old disco song, "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees. Get that song in your head and push down on the person's chest to the beat of Stayin' Alive. That translates into about 100 beats a minute. This is called "hands only CPR" and doubles a heart attack victim's chance of survival.
Now that you know what to do, here's what you DON'T want to do: Do not leave the person alone. No matter how much they try to convince you that that are fine, or will be fine, don't let them talk you out of calling for medical help. And finally, don't wait to see if the symptoms will go away. They might not go away, they might get worse, and every second counts. Don't wast time. Call 9-1-1.
Heart attacks can be illusive and confusing because the symptoms are often vague. So keep in mind the wide variety of ways heart attacks can present themselves. Hopefully, you will never need to perform "hands only CPR," but if you do, dial 9-1-1 and think...two hands, push down hard to the beat of Stayin' Alive.
Monday, April 08, 2013
One of the best things you can do for your health is to take a fish oil supplement each and every day. Fish oil contains Omega-3 fats, which are essential to the proper function of our bodies. It keeps us from getting sick by strengthening our immune system, it makes us smart, keeps us thin, and even improves our mood!
Sadly, however, there are very few sources of Omega-3 fats. Coldwater fish are the best. That means fish like salmon, sardines, and blue fin tuna. It's tough to actually eat those fish on a regular basis, so fish oil capsules each day take the worry out of making sure you're getting your Omega-3s.
And here's another disappointment: many, many fish are MIS-LABELED! That's right. So if you think you're eating fish that's high in Omega-3 fats, you might not be. A recent study revealed that restaurants, grocery stores, and fish markets sold fish that was labeled one type, such as blue fin tuna, when actually, after DNA testing, it was revealed that the fish was in fact, a different type of fish, such as tilefish (which is banned in the United States because of its high mercury content!).
What should we do about this? The way to avoid eating the wrong fish when you think your purchased the right fish is two-fold.
Number one: know what the skin of the fish you want to eat is supposed to look like. You can search "google images" for that information. Therefore, whether you're in a restaurant or at the store, look at the skin of the fish to make sure it's the fish they say it is.
This requires a bit of courage if you're at a restaurant, because you'll have to ask your server to see the skin of the fish, which may require him/her to go back to the kitchen and hunt down the skin, which might be a lot of trouble. That means you risk secret retaliation from an unhappy server....ever heard of a "sneezer?"
The other way to make sure the fish you're eating is what they say it is, is by only ordering salmon or ocean trout. These two fish have such unique appearances, no other fish can masquerade as salmon or ocean trout. The survey of mis-labeled fish encompassed major cities across the United States, but the most disturbing findings were in San Francisco and New York City, where a whopping 60-percent of the sushi that was labeled "tuna" was actually a different type of fish.
When shopping for fish oil supplements, look at the label. Get fish oil pills that have the amount of EPA and DHA listed separately. This will most likely be listed per pill. Make sure you get at least 1,000 milligrams of DHA each day. That means you'll have to do some basic math. For example, I take fish oil capsules that each contain 260 milligrams of DHA. That means in order to get by daily 1,000 milligrams of& DHA, I need to take 4 capsules each day.
My daughter Ashley, who is exceptionally beautiful, brilliant, and funny, is now living on her own in The Big Apple. In a move of maturity beyond her 23 years, she recently bought a bundle of vitamin pills and has been taking them faithfully ever since. But I had to laugh when I actually saw these pills with my own eyes on a recent trip to visit her. They're GUMMY VITAMINS! In other words, candy disguised as vitamins. They all contained a bunch of sugar and very little actual vitamins. For example her fish oil vitamins each contained just 75 milligrams of DHA. So that means for her to get enough DHA she would have to eat more than 10 each day!
Naturally, she said the reason she likes the gummy vitamins is because the standard type of fish oil capsules are unpleasant to take. She is correct. But I reminded her, and remind myself each morning, that it is LESS TROUBLE taking the big pills than the trouble we face if we do not take them....the lesser-of-two-evils, so to speak. And I pointed out that we need to toughen-up a bit! After all, there are women her age fighting terrorists in Afghanistan as we speak, so with that in mind, surely we can muster the strength to take big vitamin pills.
Some people, because they are vegan or vegetarian, refuse to consume fish or fish oil capsules. These people prefer to get their Omega-3s from plant sources, such as flax, walnuts or green vegetables. Unfortunately, the truth is, those people may not be getting the Omega-3s that they think they are because those are foods that, at best, are CONVERTED to EPA and DHA, and a great many people do not have bodies that efficiently perform this conversion. I would strongly suggest that vegans and vegetarians re-think their objection to consuming fish oil capsules. After all, Jesus advocated eating fish!
So for better health, guaranteed....take your fish oil. But make sure you're getting the real deal, make sure you're getting enough, and make sure to do it each day! Among other benefits too numerous to list, perhaps topping the list is the fact that fish oil reduces inflammation, which according to the latest research is responsible for heart disease, cancer, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, even depression and wrinkles.
And coming in a close second, DHA feeds your brain, which is mostly fat, after all. So if someone calls you a "fat head," take it as a compliment! That means you're smart!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
It was very painful for me to witness the destruction of a young and beautiful friend. Her body and mind were being attacked by a cruel predator that was finally diagnosed as Lyme Disease.
She was a vivacious hair stylist by trade. The symptoms began when she began experiencing numbness in her feet, a huge problem for a person who stands all day. The numbness became so bad that she had to stop working. Since she couldn't work, she could not longer afford housing, and moved back home with her parents.
Then it got worse. She began experiencing memory loss and other cognitive dysfunction, most often referred to as "brain fog." She spent months seeing different doctors and receiving several different diagnoses ranging from depression to lead poisoning.
Finally a physician specializing in infectious disease diagnosed her correctly: Lyme Disease. Sadly, however, her Lyme Disease had progressed so far that she would be permanently handicapped as a result.
Her story is a warning for all of us to look for signs of Lyme Disease. If we find it early enough it is very easy to treat. My friend, on the other hand, was unaware of the signs.
A person gets Lyme Disease when they are bitten by a tick that has it. Ticks live in temperatures over 45 degrees. So if you are outside on a day that is that warm or warmer, check yourself, your family and your pets for ticks every day.
Ticks like "creases" so pay particular attention to the groin area, armpits, under the breasts, and other places that ticks might like to hide. Also make sure to check the scalp.
If you see a tick, don't panic. It takes 36 to 48 hours for a human to become infected. Make sure you get that tick out, though. The way to do that is to get a pair of tweezers, not the kind with ridges at the tip, the kind that are flat at the tip, and grab the tick's head, which will be partially submerged in your skin.
Remember, when a tick bites you, it keeps its head in your skin and just keeps sucking your blood (disgusting!). Pretty soon its body will get all swollen with your blood, so make sure you DO NOT GRAB ITS BODY, but rather its head, right up next to your skin. Gently pull it out. Don't try to suffocate it with lotion, or burn it with a match in order to get it to pull its head out on its own.
Once you get the tick out, watch the area. Go to the doctor if you see a rash. Usually it's a "bulls-eye" rash, but not always. That rash might occur anywhere from three to 30 days after you've been bitten. Also watch out for other symptoms such as headaches and aches in other parts of the body, such as joints and lymph glands.
If you do have Lyme Disease, it can be easily treated in its early stages with antibiotics. The key is catching it early.
Ways to prevent getting Lyme Disease are pretty common sense, such as:
• Dressing appropriately: Wear enclosed shoes and clothes with a tight weave. Also wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks on your clothes more easily.
• Scan your clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks when you're outside. • If you're in a wooded area, try to stay on cleared, well-traveled trails.
• Use insect repellant containing DEET on skin or clothes if you intend to go off-trail or into overgrown area.
• Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls (havens for ticks and their hosts).
• Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.
• When you first go inside, dry your clothes on high for 20 minutes to kill any unseen ticks.
• Take a shower and shampoo your hair, but understand, that will remove any crawling ticks, but will not removed attached ticks.
Enjoy the great outdoors, but remember to be on guard for ticks and Lyme Disease. Early detection means no anxiety. It's only when we ignore the signs and symptoms that we have problems.
Monday, March 11, 2013
By now, most of us have seen grass-fed beef in the grocery store meat department, or have at least heard of it in passing. It is glaringly more expensive than the traditional, grain-fed beef, so we wonder if eating grass-fed beef is worth the extra expense.
I would say yes, it is worth the cost. Most of us don't have any extra money to spare. In fact, most of us have less to spend than we did before, thanks to higher gas prices and the overall sluggish economy. And even those rare folks who do have extra cash to spare, nobody likes to waste it on things we don't need.
Nevertheless, I believe grass-fed beef is one of those items that is essential, if you are a meat eater at all. Those of us on a budget need to simply cut costs elsewhere in order to afford grass-fed.
Where can one cut costs? Lots of places. Let's not talk about overall budgets, that would take all day. Instead, let's just focus on the grocery budget.
The best way to cut costs is to stop purchasing beverages. Tap water is all we need to drink. Juices are loaded with sugar. Any vitamins you get from juice are better consumed in fresh, raw fruits or, better yet, vegetables. For example, spinach is a much better source of vitamin C than orange juice because spinach has more fiber and is lower in sugar.
When it comes to other beverages, they are no-brainers. Soda? Don't even get me started. You know that stuff is just empty calories. Even diet soda is bad because those artificial sweeteners don't do anything good for you. In fact, there is reason to believe they make you gain weight because they create a craving for sweets. When it comes to beverages, you don't even need bottled water, just fill up a reusable container with tap water. You don't even need to purchase coffee or tea if you work in an office. Most places offer it for free, so just wait until you get to work.
Aside from beverages, you can find extra grocery money for grass-fed beef by eliminating purchases of sweets and convenience foods. Also, you can eliminate restaurant and fast-food purchases.
So now that you've found the money for grass-fed beef, here's why you should buy it.
The main reason is because grass-fed beef contains Omega-3 fats. As you probably know by now, Omega-3 fats are desirable ones, and sadly, the ones that are most deficient in our diets. Omega-3 fats are non-existent in grain-fed beef. It is critical that we reduce our consumption of Omega-6 fats and increase our consumption of Omega-3s.
Why? Because even though both of these fats are essential for good health, the trick is to consume them in equal amounts. Tragically, most Americans consume 20 times more Omega-6 fats than Omega-3 fats, and this imbalance leads to deadly inflammation. So wherever possible, reduce your Omega-6 consumption, and increase your Omega-3 consumption....such as by taking a fish oil supplement...and eating grass-fed beef!
In addition to Omega-3s, grass-fed beef is also higher in B-vitamins, beta carotene, vitamin E, vitamin K and magnesium, calcium and selenium.
So that's what grass-fed does have. A big reason to eat grass-fed is for what is does not have, as well. Cows that eat only grass are not pumped with antibiotics or growth hormones, which I believe are harmful to our health.
Apart from a health standpoint, grass-fed beef is also better for the environment and the animals are treated more humanely.
So even though it's more expensive, grass-fed beef is worth the cost! You can fund this added expense by eliminating your purchases of items you don't need...such as beverages, sweets, and convenience foods.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The New England Journal Of Medicine just published a very reliable study that a diet high in fat, good fats, is better for your heart than a low-fat diet. The study looked at nearly 8,000 people for five years. The people who followed the Mediterranean Diet had a whopping 30 percent fewer heart problems than the people who followed the low fat diet.
Many people are not at all surprised by these findings. The medical community is increasingly embracing the idea that heart disease is caused by inflammation, and that inflammation is largely brought-on by eating too many carbohydrates, a hallmark of the low-fat diet. When Americans began embracing the low fat diet 20 years ago, we started eating carbohydrates in the place of fats.
Low fat food manufacturers often make up for the lack of fat by increasing the amount of sugar in their products. And people, instead of eating fats, opted for low fat food items like white bread, pasta, bagels, crackers, cereals, tortillas and so on, which all turn into sugar when you eat them. In fact, eating white, refined grains is, to your body, just like eating pure table sugar. All this causes inflammation, which leads to heart disease.
On the other hand, the Mediterranean Diet is rich in fats, but they are the good kind of fats. The bad fats are trans fats, also known as hydrogenated oils. The other kind of bad fats are Omega-6 fats. Those are vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil and the like.
The American diet is loaded with trans fats and Omega-6 fats because those two types of fats are in processed foods. But the Mediterranean Diet is very heavy in the wonderful, healthy Omega-3 fats. In fact, the cornerstone of the Mediterranean Diet is olive oil. Other good fats play a prominent role in the Mediterranean diet such as nuts, avacados and fish. The Mediterranean diet is rich with vegetables and salads.
The benefits of the Mediterranean Diet are not just observed in this most recent study. In fact, the people who live in Mediterranean countries are living proof that their diet is superior to most others. People in that region who follow that diet and who exercise and do not smoke have markedly lower cardiovascular disease than people in America.
Our country is the best in the world, to be sure....but our diet is arguable the worst! We could learn a thing or two from the Mediterraneans when it comes to eating. Topping the list: eating olive oil every single day, and a lot of it, say, four tablespoons. One thing to keep in mind about olive oil is that you don't want to heat it. Heating it causes oxidation, which is bad for you.
So an easy way to incorporate olive oil into your diet without heating it is to do what the Mediterraneans do, put it on a salad! Since bottled salad dressings usually contain harmful Omega-6 fats, whipping up your own olive oil dressing at home is clearly a much better choice.
Just whisk together 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar and add salt and pepper. If you'd like, you can add other spices, like garlic or herbs, a dab of dijon mustard is good, too. Another way to incorporate olive oil into your daily life without heating it is to add it to roasted vegetables after they are finished cooking, or drizzles over fish after it has finished cooking.
So when it comes to heart health, and really overall health, stay away from carbohydrates like refined grains and sugar, which cause inflammation and opt for healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, fish and avacados instead.