The Standard American Diet (SAD) is a detriment to our personal health and a burden to the entire "health" care system. Our diet consists of processed foods, refined sugars, genetically modified foods, artificial additives, antibiotic and hormone-laden meats and the list goes on and on. The "food" that so many people consume each day couldn't really be classified as food. We live in a society that is full of obese-starving people. People are malnourished, despite their excessive BMI. Parents send their children to school after consuming a high-sugar cereal that is popular, eating a school lunch that is highly processed and non-nourishing, and then grab fast food at night...and we wonder why there are behavior problems and ADHD that is so rampant.
Consumption of the SAD diet leads to three things: (1) oxidative stress; (2) systemic inflammation; and (3) activation of NFKB (nuclear factor kappa B). This oxidative stress and chronic systemic inflammation affects how all of our cells communicate with one another. It can lead towards hormone imbalances. It can lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction with associated gut dysbiosis, which turns into gastrointestinal inflammation, into leaky gut, into recirculation of toxins, into more inflammation and so on and so on. This vicious cycle is at work in so many of the "walking wounded" that conventional medicine looks at and calls "normal".
I recently had a patient recount to me that they were told by their medical doctor that they should just "learn to live with their pain", that it is "just normal". What a lie so many are being fed! If that's normal...I don't want to be normal! :)
We can have a direct impact on our health. We must educate ourselves, we must make healthy choices day in and day out. Basically just follow the Magnificent Seven (courtesy of Dr. Robert Rakowski) (1) Eat Right; (2) Drink Right; (3) Move Right; (4) Sleep Right; (5) Think Right; (6) Talk Right; (7) Poop Right.
Next time your doctor looks at you and says "it's normal" or "there is no evidence for that"...introduce him to the volumes of research that is readily available. One great starting reference is the Textbook of Functional Medicine published by the Institute of Functional Medicine. This well-referenced text shows the science behind healthy living and "alternative" ways of health, that really shouldn't be considered alternative.
Visit www.pubmed.com yourself. This site provides an index of all medical literature where you can search and read abstracts of scientific literature.
Don't know where to start? Try this...just start by increasing your clean water consumption each day and shooting for five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Most Americans eat less than one serving each day! The number one vegetable is potatoes. Why? You guessed it because of french fries and potato chips. The number on fruit? Tomatoes...yep, for the ketchup. Pretty "SAD" isn't it?
Make small changes in your diet, pretty soon you will be eating better, feeling better and living better.
What are some tips you have to eat and live better? Leave a comment below and share!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Blog Repost from Dr. David Brownstein
I am copying below an informative blog post from Dr. David Brownstein. I would encourage you to subscribe to his blog updates. He has some good information and you can see that there is a definite, concerted effort on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry to prevent natural medicine from being adopted in the conventional health care system.
You can visit his site by going to https://www.drbrownstein.com/homePage.php
Another Nail In The Coffin for Cholesterol-Lowering Medications
How many studies have to be done which show a drug is a failure before doctors will stop using it? It is a very interesting question in light to the news headlines today about the block-buster cholesterol drug Zetia (Zetia is also part of the drug Vytorin).
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM. 2009;361) released a study today (11.16.09) which showed Zetia, a drug that brought in over $3.5 billion for Big Pharma Merck in 2008, causes more harm than good. In fact, this study compared Zetia to the b-vitamin Niacin and its effects on atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries. The authors of the study reported that the Niacin-treated group had showed a 2% decline in buildup of the carotid arteries while those treated with Zetia had no effect. Furthermore, there were fewer heart attacks in the niacin-treated group (2) as compared to the Zetia group (9).
You might guess that Zetia must have raised cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. Wrong. Zetia lowered both cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol more than the niacin-treated group. What is going on here?
What happened in this study is explained in my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do. Cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are not bad chemicals. They are necessary agents for the body. Chemically blocking their absorption (the mechanism of Zetia) is a recipe for disaster.
This study is another nail in the coffin of the cholesterol=heart disease hypothesis. You must educate yourself about the mechanism of action of the most commonly prescribed drugs in order to make an appropriate decision if taking that drug is right for you. Thirteen million prescriptions for Zetia were written in the U.S. in 2008. This is a travesty. This is a drug that not only does no good, it causes harm. This drug should be removed from the market. If you are on Zetia or Vytorin I suggest you ask your doctor to reevaluate your situation.
You can visit his site by going to https://www.drbrownstein.com/homePage.php
Another Nail In The Coffin for Cholesterol-Lowering Medications
How many studies have to be done which show a drug is a failure before doctors will stop using it? It is a very interesting question in light to the news headlines today about the block-buster cholesterol drug Zetia (Zetia is also part of the drug Vytorin).
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM. 2009;361) released a study today (11.16.09) which showed Zetia, a drug that brought in over $3.5 billion for Big Pharma Merck in 2008, causes more harm than good. In fact, this study compared Zetia to the b-vitamin Niacin and its effects on atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries. The authors of the study reported that the Niacin-treated group had showed a 2% decline in buildup of the carotid arteries while those treated with Zetia had no effect. Furthermore, there were fewer heart attacks in the niacin-treated group (2) as compared to the Zetia group (9).
You might guess that Zetia must have raised cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. Wrong. Zetia lowered both cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol more than the niacin-treated group. What is going on here?
What happened in this study is explained in my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do. Cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are not bad chemicals. They are necessary agents for the body. Chemically blocking their absorption (the mechanism of Zetia) is a recipe for disaster.
This study is another nail in the coffin of the cholesterol=heart disease hypothesis. You must educate yourself about the mechanism of action of the most commonly prescribed drugs in order to make an appropriate decision if taking that drug is right for you. Thirteen million prescriptions for Zetia were written in the U.S. in 2008. This is a travesty. This is a drug that not only does no good, it causes harm. This drug should be removed from the market. If you are on Zetia or Vytorin I suggest you ask your doctor to reevaluate your situation.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Think You're Not Toxic?
Scientific American
Greenwire - December 2, 2009
Tests Find More Than 200 Chemicals in Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Study commissioned by environmental group finds high levels of chemicals in U.S. minority infants By Sara Goodman
U.S. minority infants are born carrying hundreds of chemicals in their bodies, according to a report released today by an environmental group.
The Environmental Working Group's study commissioned five laboratories to examine the umbilical cord blood of 10 babies of African-American, Hispanic and Asian heritage and found more than 200 chemicals in each newborn.
"We know the developing fetus is one of the most vulnerable populations, if not the most vulnerable, to environmental exposure," said Anila Jacobs, EWG senior scientist. "Their organ systems aren't mature and their detox methods are not in place, so cord blood gives us a good picture of exposure during this most vulnerable time of life."
Of particular concern to Jacobs: 21 newly detected contaminants, including the controversial plastics additive bisphenol A, or BPA, which mimics estrogen and has been shown to cause developmental problems and precancerous growth in animals. Last month, researchers reported that male Chinese factory workers exposed to high levels of the chemical experienced erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems.
"BPA is a really important finding because people are really aware about its potential toxicity," Jacobs told reporters. "This is the first study to find BPA in umbilical cord blood, and it correlates with national data on it."
Jacobs said the study focused on minority children to show that chemical exposure is ubiquitous, building on 2005 research on cord blood from 10 anonymous babies. That study found a similar body burden among the babies. This is the first study to look at chemicals in minority newborns.
"Minority groups may have increased exposure to certain chemicals, but here we didn't focus on those chemicals," Jacobs said. "The sample size is too small to see major differences, but we want to increase awareness about chemical exposures."
Leo Trasande, co-director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said the findings, while preliminary, show that minority communities are often disproportionately affected by chemical exposure. Trasande was not involved in the EWG study.
"Presently, minority communities suffer from a host of chronic disorders, and disproportionate chemical exposures may contribute significantly to the origins of the disparities that exist," Trasande said.
Both he and Jacobs said the findings add momentum for the call to revamp the Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA, the law regulating the more than 80,000 chemicals on its database. They released the report on the same day that a Senate panel is scheduled to discuss the government's strategy for managing the tens of thousands of chemicals in the marketplace with an eye toward overhauling TSCA.
TSCA does not require most chemicals to be tested for safety before they are approved for widespread use. Because of this, Trasande said, less than half of the 3,000 high-production volume chemicals on the marketplace have toxicity data, and less than one-fifth have toxicity testing data on the effects on developing organs.
"These results are alarming for their implications of health impacts on children," Trasande said.
Another challenge facing chemical regulators is understanding how the different chemicals interact together, which is particularly significant given the number of chemicals found in people.
"What we're finding are complex mixtures of chemicals that sometimes have similar toxicities," Jacobs said. "There's an increased recognition that mixtures are a problem. ... It's very difficult to evaluate, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We should also try to decrease the toxicity of individual chemicals."
Note from Dr. Sefcik:
I think it is important to understand that eliminating toxins from our body, reducing the toxic load, and avoiding unnecessary exposure is paramount to a healthy body. Not only should detoxification be a focal point in a therapeutic intervention for disease, but also a pillar in a foundational wellness program. Our family takes measures to detoxify every single day. The research is very clear...detoxification is important. However, be aware there are many unscientific claims regarding detox programs. There are many dietary fads that are out there, as well as claims from everything to magnets to foot baths to foot pads. It is important to have some objective lab testing pre and post detox to ensure that you are not making your problem worse. More questions? Send them via email or call the office for a phone consultation. Take charge of your health!
Greenwire - December 2, 2009
Tests Find More Than 200 Chemicals in Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Study commissioned by environmental group finds high levels of chemicals in U.S. minority infants By Sara Goodman
U.S. minority infants are born carrying hundreds of chemicals in their bodies, according to a report released today by an environmental group.
The Environmental Working Group's study commissioned five laboratories to examine the umbilical cord blood of 10 babies of African-American, Hispanic and Asian heritage and found more than 200 chemicals in each newborn.
"We know the developing fetus is one of the most vulnerable populations, if not the most vulnerable, to environmental exposure," said Anila Jacobs, EWG senior scientist. "Their organ systems aren't mature and their detox methods are not in place, so cord blood gives us a good picture of exposure during this most vulnerable time of life."
Of particular concern to Jacobs: 21 newly detected contaminants, including the controversial plastics additive bisphenol A, or BPA, which mimics estrogen and has been shown to cause developmental problems and precancerous growth in animals. Last month, researchers reported that male Chinese factory workers exposed to high levels of the chemical experienced erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems.
"BPA is a really important finding because people are really aware about its potential toxicity," Jacobs told reporters. "This is the first study to find BPA in umbilical cord blood, and it correlates with national data on it."
Jacobs said the study focused on minority children to show that chemical exposure is ubiquitous, building on 2005 research on cord blood from 10 anonymous babies. That study found a similar body burden among the babies. This is the first study to look at chemicals in minority newborns.
"Minority groups may have increased exposure to certain chemicals, but here we didn't focus on those chemicals," Jacobs said. "The sample size is too small to see major differences, but we want to increase awareness about chemical exposures."
Leo Trasande, co-director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said the findings, while preliminary, show that minority communities are often disproportionately affected by chemical exposure. Trasande was not involved in the EWG study.
"Presently, minority communities suffer from a host of chronic disorders, and disproportionate chemical exposures may contribute significantly to the origins of the disparities that exist," Trasande said.
Both he and Jacobs said the findings add momentum for the call to revamp the Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA, the law regulating the more than 80,000 chemicals on its database. They released the report on the same day that a Senate panel is scheduled to discuss the government's strategy for managing the tens of thousands of chemicals in the marketplace with an eye toward overhauling TSCA.
TSCA does not require most chemicals to be tested for safety before they are approved for widespread use. Because of this, Trasande said, less than half of the 3,000 high-production volume chemicals on the marketplace have toxicity data, and less than one-fifth have toxicity testing data on the effects on developing organs.
"These results are alarming for their implications of health impacts on children," Trasande said.
Another challenge facing chemical regulators is understanding how the different chemicals interact together, which is particularly significant given the number of chemicals found in people.
"What we're finding are complex mixtures of chemicals that sometimes have similar toxicities," Jacobs said. "There's an increased recognition that mixtures are a problem. ... It's very difficult to evaluate, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We should also try to decrease the toxicity of individual chemicals."
Note from Dr. Sefcik:
I think it is important to understand that eliminating toxins from our body, reducing the toxic load, and avoiding unnecessary exposure is paramount to a healthy body. Not only should detoxification be a focal point in a therapeutic intervention for disease, but also a pillar in a foundational wellness program. Our family takes measures to detoxify every single day. The research is very clear...detoxification is important. However, be aware there are many unscientific claims regarding detox programs. There are many dietary fads that are out there, as well as claims from everything to magnets to foot baths to foot pads. It is important to have some objective lab testing pre and post detox to ensure that you are not making your problem worse. More questions? Send them via email or call the office for a phone consultation. Take charge of your health!
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