Thirty years ago, Dr. Dean Ornish came up with a radical but simple idea that threatened the very foundation of our whole conception of disease.
He believed that heart disease, cancer, and any chronic illness could actually be reversed with diet and lifestyle changes.
Medication and surgery can slow and treat disease. But Dr. Ornish’s lifestyle program could actually reverse and undo the damage.
This was medical heresy.
But he had the courage to suggest that if you eat a high-quality, nutrient-dense, plant-based diet , get regular exercise, practice stress management such as yoga and meditation, and connect to a community, you can reverse heart disease and unclog your arteries.
Unfortunately, all people heard was “cut out all fat.” He was misrepresented and misunderstood. People missed the WHOLE point of his work.
What Dr. Ornish thought and then proved has the potential to change medicine as much as the discovery of antibiotics or vaccines. If only people would have listened to him then, we would not be in the healthcare mess we are today.
He proved that diet and lifestyle work BETTER than medication or surgery.
Thirty years ago, Dr. Ornish told us WHAT to do in his book “Reversing Heart Disease.” And he proved that it worked.
Now, in his new groundbreaking book, “The Spectrum,” he tells us WHY it works and how to personalize your diet and lifestyle to match your needs and your genes.
The secret of reversing disease, he shows us, is changing your genes. And that doesn’t mean wearing Levi’s instead of Gap jeans, or picking new parents, or splicing in some new recombinant gene into your genetic code to unclog your arteries or reverse cancer growth.
It means recognizing that absolutely everything you do interacts with your genes and literally changes the way they are “read” or expressed.
Health is the result of your genes expressing themselves well.
Disease is the result of poorly expressed genes.
The way that food talks to your genes and controls your health is called nutrigenomics. The quality of the food you choose to eat is probably the most important thing you do every day to control your genes.
How and what you eat determines which genes are turned on and off.
It matters whether you eat whole, real food, or processed, high-sugar, and high-fat food.
It matters whether your diet contains phytochemicals or toxic chemicals.
And it matters whether the way you eat balances your blood sugar or causes swings in blood sugar.
In “The Spectrum,” Dr. Ornish explains how and why the choices we make everyday influence our health through our genes.
The future of medicine, he says -- as I also explained in my book UltraMetabolism -- is personalized medicine.
There is no one-size-fits-all diet or lifestyle. It depends on you.
And in “The Spectrum,” Dr. Ornish explains how to customize your diet and lifestyle to match your genes and your needs.
He shows you how to identify your risks, look at your current state of health, and then match your approach to those needs.
If you were a 25-year-old athlete with no family history of heart disease, your approach would be different from a 65-year-old man who has type-2 diabetes and has had two heart attacks.
The whole idea of good and bad food (with a few exceptions such as trans fats) is outdated.
As Dr. Ornish explains, there is a spectrum of choices for being healthy and feeling well. A little chocolate or a few cookies or some great ice cream is not what’s going to kill you or make you sick.
It is the overall way we eat and live.
And remember, there is no such thing as junk food. There is junk and there is food. So eat real food and you will be fine.
Dr. Ornish does an amazing job of explaining that all nutritional science is pointing to basically the same thing. The media and the food industry contribute to nutrition confusion (and often paralysis) to make headlines or sell their products.
But Dr. Ornish gets beyond all the low-fat, low-carb, high-carb, high-fat blah, blah, blah about this or that diet.
He says what we all know -- that we evolved to eat a whole, real, unprocessed, nature-made diet. And in that there is a spectrum of choices that can promote health and well-being. What we need to eat is what we have been eating for 150,000 years.
Dr. Ornish also talks about “exercise-omics” and “stress-omics”, or how your genes are also controlled by exercise and stress.
Scientific research has shown that your emotions actually control how your genes work.
Think negative thoughts, live in anger and hostility, and you will turn on disease genes. Live in forgiveness, kindness, love, and community and you will turn on anti-aging, disease-reversing genes.
Dr. Ornish was the first researcher and practitioner of functional medicine, more than 30 years ago.
He just didn’t know it.
He was the first to suggest and then to prove that dealing with the causes of illness is far more effective, and far cheaper than conventional treatment -- not only to prevent disease but to reverse it.
Functional medicine is a system of addressing the underlying causes of illness by understanding the interaction between your genes and your environment.
In talking about his own compelling and groundbreaking research, and in reviewing the pioneering work of others in this field, he gives us both an understanding and a roadmap for preventing and reversing disease.
He gives us a way to feel well now, increase energy, lose weight, improve mood, feel more connected to your own life’s purpose and meaning, and even have better sex
The two qualities I see most in Dean are courage and compassion. These are rare qualities in our fear-based, homogenized society.
He knew that for this program to be accessible for everyone, it must be reimbursed by insurance.
So he went to Medicare to have them fund a demonstration project based on his previous published research in major medical journals. He was told he first had to have the approval that it was safe.
He asked, safe in comparison to having your chest split open or balloons blown up in the arteries, or taking medications that damage the liver and muscle, cost billions of dollars, and are largely ineffective?
No, they told him.
He needed a letter from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute saying it was safe to eat fruits and vegetables, walk, meditate, and quit smoking!
Due to his persistence -- and the truth -- his program is now approved.
He is giving away his model of care for heart disease FREE to allow people to access it, and to create a research collaboration across the world to further our understanding how and why food is the best medicine.
The only thing on I disagree with Dean is that this is NOT alternative medicine.
This the best medicine for the problem -- the most effective and the least expensive, with scores of positive side effects including energy, vitality, weight loss, and improved mood and mental functioning.
He presents his story with wit and humor, keen intelligence, and a treasure of tools for successfully implementing his ideas.
These tools include clear nutrition guidance, guided meditations by his wife Anne (with an additional DVD included), an exercise prescription, and more than 100 wonderful, delicious life-giving recipes by a master chef.
So, bravo Dr. Ornish!
I encourage everyone to buy this book now. And buy one for everyone one you love. It is the gift of life.
You can pick up a copy of this book now by going to Amazon: www.ultrawellness.com/spectrum
Now I’d like to hear from you…
Have you read Dr. Ornish’s books?
Did you believe that it is possible to reverse chronic disease?
What results have you noticed?
Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
To your good health,
SK
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Truly Vibrant Health & Energy Begins with Transformation pH Balance
Did you know that the pH of your body affects every aspect of your health? pH levels regulate, effect, and control practically everything in nature, including your body.
When your body is pH balanced, it is full of vitality. You’ll find that you have increased energy, mental clarity, and you’ll even notice that your skin has regained that healthy glow.
pH balance of the body can be simply summarized as your internal balance of Acid and Alkaline.
As a matter of course, everything living on good old planet earth must remain in a pH balanced state for the ecosystem to function as designed.
Science proves that fish in our oceans and lakes can only survive in properly balanced environments; trees in our forests can only grow in properly balanced soils; and people can only stay healthy if the body has a balance between its levels of Acid and Alkaline … what we refer to as the Optimal pH Zone
Alkaline By Design, Acidic By Function
The fluids, the blood and all the delicate tissues in your body must remain Alkaline for us to experience truly Vibrant Health. However, since practically every metabolic process from breathing, to digestion, to the production of energy, all create acid as a by-product, your body is always working to maintain the yin/yang balance between Acid and Alkaline.
When you become too Acidic, thus out of pH balance, your body becomes stressed and vulnerable to a whole host of health problems. You may experience low energy, fatigue, excess weight, poor digestion, aches and pains, and even more serious disorders.
Your body becomes pH imbalanced and overly Acidic primarily as a result of one or all of the following:
• Ingestion of Acids (acidic diet)
• Creation of Acids (toxicity and stress)
• Improper elimination of Acids (mineral depletion)
The good news is that if you’ve suffered the negative impact of an overly Acidic body, you can regain your health – you can regain balance – you can regain your life … starting today!
The process of rebalancing your body begins with proper diet and nutrition. This includes eating alkalizing foods, hydrating properly and integrating proper nutritional supplementation.
Have a Great Xmas and a PH balanced New Year
When your body is pH balanced, it is full of vitality. You’ll find that you have increased energy, mental clarity, and you’ll even notice that your skin has regained that healthy glow.
pH balance of the body can be simply summarized as your internal balance of Acid and Alkaline.
As a matter of course, everything living on good old planet earth must remain in a pH balanced state for the ecosystem to function as designed.
Science proves that fish in our oceans and lakes can only survive in properly balanced environments; trees in our forests can only grow in properly balanced soils; and people can only stay healthy if the body has a balance between its levels of Acid and Alkaline … what we refer to as the Optimal pH Zone
Alkaline By Design, Acidic By Function
The fluids, the blood and all the delicate tissues in your body must remain Alkaline for us to experience truly Vibrant Health. However, since practically every metabolic process from breathing, to digestion, to the production of energy, all create acid as a by-product, your body is always working to maintain the yin/yang balance between Acid and Alkaline.
When you become too Acidic, thus out of pH balance, your body becomes stressed and vulnerable to a whole host of health problems. You may experience low energy, fatigue, excess weight, poor digestion, aches and pains, and even more serious disorders.
Your body becomes pH imbalanced and overly Acidic primarily as a result of one or all of the following:
• Ingestion of Acids (acidic diet)
• Creation of Acids (toxicity and stress)
• Improper elimination of Acids (mineral depletion)
The good news is that if you’ve suffered the negative impact of an overly Acidic body, you can regain your health – you can regain balance – you can regain your life … starting today!
The process of rebalancing your body begins with proper diet and nutrition. This includes eating alkalizing foods, hydrating properly and integrating proper nutritional supplementation.
Have a Great Xmas and a PH balanced New Year
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Did you know almost everybody's diet is extremely low in alkaline minerals ... even if you eat a moderately alkalizing diet? That's right! In this edition of Transformation Ph Balancing Guide we are going to walk through some numbers to illuminate this very issue.
Let's say you ate the following "alkalizing diet" in a given day:
Breakfast
Bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, fat-free yogurt and a glass of fresh squeezed carrot & apple juice.
Lunch
Steamed rice with vegetables and a small salad
Dinner
Spelt pasta with canned tomato sauce and a salad
Here's the "rough" breakdown of the minerals you'd be getting in our "Sample Diet":
Potassium 2500 mg's
Sodium 1500 mg's
Calcium 605 mg's
Magnesium 272 mg's
Manganese 4.7 mg's
Iron 16 mg's
Also note, that because conventionally grown produce is typically grown in mineral depleted soil, the amounts of minerals just listed could be far less!
According To The National Academy Of Sciences, here’s what your body "Actaully Needs":
Potassium 4700 mg's
Sodium 1500 mg's
Calcium 1000 mg's
Magnesium 420 mg's
Manganese 2.3 mg's
Iron 8 mg's
Many nutritional and medical professionals choose these recommended allowances as more "healthy" than the AUSDA's Recommended daily allowances.
So, even by eating this alkalizing diet, you'd be deficient in the following alkaline minerals by the following amounts:
Potassium 2200 mg's
Calcium 395 mg's
If you ate like most Australian, these mineral deficiencies would be even more staggering! Not only that, your diet should contain at least 3 times as much potassium as sodium. If it does not, then the balance between the water inside your cells and the water outside your cells is off. Your cells become dehydrated when this happens. Most Americans exceed 2000 mg’s of sodium in a day - so the amount of potassium required to maintain proper cellular ion balance is a whopping 6000 milligrams!
As you can see, it's not difficult to become mineral imbalanced and thus pH imbalanced.
When this happens, your body lacks the basic elements to combat damaging acids inside your body, and acidification begins!
This is why it is so important to supplement your diet with Juice Plus. It contains the perfect balance of minerals to keep your cells functioning properly and to help combat acids that can wreak havoc in your body.
To find out more Email me sean@creatinglifestylesthatwork.com
Yours in Health
SK
Let's say you ate the following "alkalizing diet" in a given day:
Breakfast
Bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, fat-free yogurt and a glass of fresh squeezed carrot & apple juice.
Lunch
Steamed rice with vegetables and a small salad
Dinner
Spelt pasta with canned tomato sauce and a salad
Here's the "rough" breakdown of the minerals you'd be getting in our "Sample Diet":
Potassium 2500 mg's
Sodium 1500 mg's
Calcium 605 mg's
Magnesium 272 mg's
Manganese 4.7 mg's
Iron 16 mg's
Also note, that because conventionally grown produce is typically grown in mineral depleted soil, the amounts of minerals just listed could be far less!
According To The National Academy Of Sciences, here’s what your body "Actaully Needs":
Potassium 4700 mg's
Sodium 1500 mg's
Calcium 1000 mg's
Magnesium 420 mg's
Manganese 2.3 mg's
Iron 8 mg's
Many nutritional and medical professionals choose these recommended allowances as more "healthy" than the AUSDA's Recommended daily allowances.
So, even by eating this alkalizing diet, you'd be deficient in the following alkaline minerals by the following amounts:
Potassium 2200 mg's
Calcium 395 mg's
If you ate like most Australian, these mineral deficiencies would be even more staggering! Not only that, your diet should contain at least 3 times as much potassium as sodium. If it does not, then the balance between the water inside your cells and the water outside your cells is off. Your cells become dehydrated when this happens. Most Americans exceed 2000 mg’s of sodium in a day - so the amount of potassium required to maintain proper cellular ion balance is a whopping 6000 milligrams!
As you can see, it's not difficult to become mineral imbalanced and thus pH imbalanced.
When this happens, your body lacks the basic elements to combat damaging acids inside your body, and acidification begins!
This is why it is so important to supplement your diet with Juice Plus. It contains the perfect balance of minerals to keep your cells functioning properly and to help combat acids that can wreak havoc in your body.
To find out more Email me sean@creatinglifestylesthatwork.com
Yours in Health
SK
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Juice Plus+® is the only daily supplement I personally take
Each morning I put a scoopful of Juice Plus+ Complete® into my fruit and soy yogurt smoothie. Every day I take my Fruit and Veggie Juice Plus+® Capsules, and dole out Juice Plus+® to our kids in the form of chewables (soft) and capsules according to their age and taste. Then I go to my office and recommend the Juice Plus+® Children’s Health Study to the families in my dieatain practice.
Do I feel passionate about this product? Yes! Here’s why.
In April of 2003 I had a blow to my life I had a mild heart attract I was 140kg on every med under the sun and was not happy with my life I had a great wife and thank god still do. I then realized that all major diseases for that matter are influenced by diet; I was determined not to let my medical problem repeat itself. So I began devouring medical literature on the connection between diet and health. During the year following my weight loss and heart attack I read volumes about nutrition, subscribed to every nutrition journal I could find, put together a collection of over 500 file folders about food, and became what my friends tagged a “health nut.” About three months into my new style of eating I noticed some amazing changes. My energy level skyrocketed, prompting my wife Kate to call me “Zip.” We stepped up our Exercise and started to see the weight fall off me and my wife my mind was working better, too. I just plain felt good all over – mind and body – and finally learned what it is to experience real well-being. Too bad I had to get sick in order to learn to eat right instead of eating right to keep from getting sick.
Why was I feeling so good? The answer seemed clear: I was putting the right fuel into my body that made it run better. I was going to do everything I could to keep my health up and not let the weight and heart attack every reoccur. Talk about motivation! During my quests for what constitutes good health I devoured books and articles about supplements and discovered that one of the secrets of good health is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables that contain thousands of disease-fighting chemicals called “phytonutrients.” I call them “phytos” for short. The same phytos that help keep the plants healthy help keep our bodies healthy. Even thousands of years ago Hippocrates said, “let food be thy medicine.” As I studied the parade of supplements out there, I concluded that whatever supplement I take must have good science and make good sense.
That’s how I came across Juice Plus+®. It had good science behind it and made good sense – a whole food based supplement! Whole foods, a bunch of the healthiest fruits and vegetables, juiced and dried at low temperatures, removing the water and most of the sugar, salt and bulk. These nutritious juice powders are then put into capsules and chewables! Intrigued by this concept of packaged phytos, I realized that my life depended upon eating the right foods and taking the right supplements. So, I did my life-saving detective work. While visiting the company where Juice Plus+® is made I saw firsthand the care and quality that went into this product. In examining their independent research I discovered that researchers had measured the blood levels and found that disease-fighting “phytos” go way up after taking Juice Plus+® – and they had published their results in a peer-reviewed medical journal. This was a vital discovery since it’s not what’s on the package label that’s important, it’s how much gets into the body. Finally I grilled the company executives. They were honorable people. The combination of good science, good sense, and a reputable company convinced me that this would be my supplement of choice.
Since taking Juice Plus+® daily and following an overall healthy eating and exercise program I have not even had so much as a cold, The parents of children who are sick a lot often thank me: “Since my children have been taking Juice Plus+® they haven’t been sick as often. And then they tell me about their weight how they have been able to maintain a healthy weight” Juice Plus+® is now the only whole food based supplement I take. I’m pleased to recommend the joy of taking Juice Plus+® to everyone who takes their health seriously
I am very excited about Juice Plus+® and have seen the benefits in myself and my children. Start your family on Juice Plus+® today and see the benefits over a lifetime!
To Your Good Health,
SK
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Blood pressure control with medication does not prevent heart attack, stroke, or death
One in 3 adults in the Australia has hypertension. In those over the age of 55, more than 50% have hypertension, which is a significant risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Sixty-nine percent heart attack sufferers and 77% of stroke sufferers have blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg.1 Many organizations recommend that blood pressure be kept below 130/80 in order to prevent heart attack and stroke. However, a meta-analysis of 61 studies has concluded that risk for heart attack and stroke begins to increase when blood pressure is elevated above 115/75.2
The INVEST study involved 22,576 hypertensive participants aged 50 years or older. This particular portion of the study focused on participants that had both diabetes and coronary artery disease, in addition to hypertension . Subjects were given anti-hypertensive drugs (either a calcium channel blocker or a beta-blocker), and were placed in one of three groups according to their level of blood pressure control: tight control (<130), usual control (130-139), or uncontrolled (>139). Incidences of heart attack, stroke, and death were recorded over an 8-year period. Scientists found no differences in any of these outcomes between tight and usual control groups.3,4
This is a classic example of treating the symptom rather than the cause. Of course heart attacks and strokes were not prevented – one specific symptom, blood pressure, was addressed with medication, but the patients already had heart disease and diabetes, and they did not eliminate the toxic diet style that was the initial cause of these conditions. Therefore, their heart disease continued to progress.
Blood pressure can be kept under control naturally. High blood pressure is almost non-existent in non-Westernized populations.5-7 Salt and added sugars are significant contributors to elevated blood pressure, and these must be minimized. Reducing salt consumption alone has the potential to save millions of lives.8 A diet of whole plant foods also provides a favorable ratio of potassium to sodium. another important factor in blood pressure regulation.9
Most importantly, a diet based on natural plant foods does not merely address the problem with blood pressure; by maximizing protective nutrients, it reduces every risk factor for heart disease – LDL cholesterol, inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, etc. – a high nutrient diet is the most comprehensive preventive measure.
Also remember that anti-hypertension medications have plenty of side effects, including fatigue, headaches, and lightheadedness, plus increased risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias and diabetes. 10-12 In fact, excessive blood pressure lowering with medication can be dangerous, especially for the elderly, because it can prevent adequate blood flow to the heart leading to cardiac arrthymias and sudden cardiac death.13 Dietary modifications and exercise can radically prolong your life, not only are they much safer than drugs, but they also prevent dementia, cancer and other diseases simultaneously. If you have not read it already, please read my book Eat For Health, so you can more fully understand some of these basic concepts to take back control of your health destiny. Drugs don’t do it.
References:
1. Auustralian Heart Association. High Blood Pressure - Statistics. Statistical Fact Sheets - Disease/Risk Factors 2010 August 26, 2010]; Available from: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1261003279882FS14HBP10.pdf.
2. Lewington, S., et al., Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet, 2002. 360(9349): p. 1903-13.
3. Cooper-DeHoff, R.M., et al., Tight blood pressure control and cardiovascular outcomes among hypertensive patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease. JAMA, 2010. 304(1): p. 61-8.
4. Schwenk, T., Blood Pressure Control in Patients with Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease: No benefit for lowering BP to <130/80 mm Hg, in Journal Watch General Medicine. 2010.
5. Murphy, H.B., Blood pressure and culture. The contribution of cross-cultural comparisons to psychosomatics. Psychother Psychosom, 1982. 38(1): p. 244-55.
6. Cooper, R., et al., The prevalence of hypertension in seven populations of west African origin. Am J Public Health, 1997. 87(2): p. 160-8.
7. He, J., et al., Body mass and blood pressure in a lean population in southwestern China. Am J Epidemiol, 1994. 139(4): p. 380-9.
8. He, F.J. and G.A. MacGregor, Reducing population salt intake worldwide: from evidence to implementation. Prog Cardiovasc Dis, 2010. 52(5): p. 363-82.
9. Cook, N.R., et al., Joint effects of sodium and potassium intake on subsequent cardiovascular disease: the Trials of Hypertension Prevention follow-up study. Arch Intern Med, 2009. 169(1): p. 32-40.
10. Swaminathan, R.V. and K.P. Alexander, Pulse pressure and vascular risk in the elderly: associations and clinical implications. Am J Geriatr Cardiol, 2006. 15(4): p. 226-32; quiz 133-4.
11. Mitchell, G.F., et al., Pulse pressure and risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation. JAMA, 2007. 297(7): p. 709-15.
12. Elliott, W.J. and P.M. Meyer, Incident diabetes in clinical trials of antihypertensive drugs: a network meta-analysis. Lancet, 2007. 369(9557): p. 201-7.
13. Messerli, F.H., et al., Dogma disputed: can aggressively lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease
source please go to http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/blood-pressure-blood-pressure-control-with-medication-does-not-prevent-heart-attack-stroke-or-death.h
The INVEST study involved 22,576 hypertensive participants aged 50 years or older. This particular portion of the study focused on participants that had both diabetes and coronary artery disease, in addition to hypertension . Subjects were given anti-hypertensive drugs (either a calcium channel blocker or a beta-blocker), and were placed in one of three groups according to their level of blood pressure control: tight control (<130), usual control (130-139), or uncontrolled (>139). Incidences of heart attack, stroke, and death were recorded over an 8-year period. Scientists found no differences in any of these outcomes between tight and usual control groups.3,4
This is a classic example of treating the symptom rather than the cause. Of course heart attacks and strokes were not prevented – one specific symptom, blood pressure, was addressed with medication, but the patients already had heart disease and diabetes, and they did not eliminate the toxic diet style that was the initial cause of these conditions. Therefore, their heart disease continued to progress.
Blood pressure can be kept under control naturally. High blood pressure is almost non-existent in non-Westernized populations.5-7 Salt and added sugars are significant contributors to elevated blood pressure, and these must be minimized. Reducing salt consumption alone has the potential to save millions of lives.8 A diet of whole plant foods also provides a favorable ratio of potassium to sodium. another important factor in blood pressure regulation.9
Most importantly, a diet based on natural plant foods does not merely address the problem with blood pressure; by maximizing protective nutrients, it reduces every risk factor for heart disease – LDL cholesterol, inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, etc. – a high nutrient diet is the most comprehensive preventive measure.
Also remember that anti-hypertension medications have plenty of side effects, including fatigue, headaches, and lightheadedness, plus increased risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias and diabetes. 10-12 In fact, excessive blood pressure lowering with medication can be dangerous, especially for the elderly, because it can prevent adequate blood flow to the heart leading to cardiac arrthymias and sudden cardiac death.13 Dietary modifications and exercise can radically prolong your life, not only are they much safer than drugs, but they also prevent dementia, cancer and other diseases simultaneously. If you have not read it already, please read my book Eat For Health, so you can more fully understand some of these basic concepts to take back control of your health destiny. Drugs don’t do it.
References:
1. Auustralian Heart Association. High Blood Pressure - Statistics. Statistical Fact Sheets - Disease/Risk Factors 2010 August 26, 2010]; Available from: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1261003279882FS14HBP10.pdf.
2. Lewington, S., et al., Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet, 2002. 360(9349): p. 1903-13.
3. Cooper-DeHoff, R.M., et al., Tight blood pressure control and cardiovascular outcomes among hypertensive patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease. JAMA, 2010. 304(1): p. 61-8.
4. Schwenk, T., Blood Pressure Control in Patients with Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease: No benefit for lowering BP to <130/80 mm Hg, in Journal Watch General Medicine. 2010.
5. Murphy, H.B., Blood pressure and culture. The contribution of cross-cultural comparisons to psychosomatics. Psychother Psychosom, 1982. 38(1): p. 244-55.
6. Cooper, R., et al., The prevalence of hypertension in seven populations of west African origin. Am J Public Health, 1997. 87(2): p. 160-8.
7. He, J., et al., Body mass and blood pressure in a lean population in southwestern China. Am J Epidemiol, 1994. 139(4): p. 380-9.
8. He, F.J. and G.A. MacGregor, Reducing population salt intake worldwide: from evidence to implementation. Prog Cardiovasc Dis, 2010. 52(5): p. 363-82.
9. Cook, N.R., et al., Joint effects of sodium and potassium intake on subsequent cardiovascular disease: the Trials of Hypertension Prevention follow-up study. Arch Intern Med, 2009. 169(1): p. 32-40.
10. Swaminathan, R.V. and K.P. Alexander, Pulse pressure and vascular risk in the elderly: associations and clinical implications. Am J Geriatr Cardiol, 2006. 15(4): p. 226-32; quiz 133-4.
11. Mitchell, G.F., et al., Pulse pressure and risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation. JAMA, 2007. 297(7): p. 709-15.
12. Elliott, W.J. and P.M. Meyer, Incident diabetes in clinical trials of antihypertensive drugs: a network meta-analysis. Lancet, 2007. 369(9557): p. 201-7.
13. Messerli, F.H., et al., Dogma disputed: can aggressively lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease
source please go to http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/blood-pressure-blood-pressure-control-with-medication-does-not-prevent-heart-attack-stroke-or-death.h
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Plant foods alter gene expression to curb inflammation
Inappropriately high levels of inflammation contribute to many of the chronic diseases of the modern world. Inflammation plays an important role in the development of atherosclerotic plaque, and inflammatory mediators have been shown to fuel tumor growth. [1] Certain characteristics of the Western diet are known to have pro-inflammatory effects – the high content of omega-6 fatty acids, for example, due to excessive oil and animal products, leads to overproduction of inflammatory molecules. Also, obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. Fat tissue produces a great number of both hormones and inflammatory molecules, and obesity-associated inflammation is said to be the link between excess body fat and chronic disease.
Eating more plant foods and fewer animal products and oils is advisable to avoid these pro-inflammatory effects. Omega-3 fatty acids, in contrast to omega-6 fatty acids, are known to have anti-inflammatory effects. Fruits and vegetables are known to be protective against chronic disease due to their low calorie density and high quantity of micronutrients and antioxidants, and have been associated with reduced circulating inflammatory molecules. A recent study showed that fruit and vegetable consumption alters circulating levels of inflammatory molecules by affecting gene expression in circulating white blood cells, limiting the production of inflammatory molecules by these cells.
Young adults reported their usual food intake, and the researchers correlated this to a number of inflammatory markers in blood, as well as expression of a number of pro-inflammatory genes in white blood cells. The subjects were divided into groups based on their quantity of fruit and vegetable consumption, and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and TNFα) were 40% lower in the group with the highest (vs. lowest) fruit and vegetable consumption. Moreover, expression of four pro-inflammatory genes (ICAM1, ILR1, TNFα, and NF-κB1) were significantly lower in the circulating white blood cells of the high fruit and vegetable consumers. [3] C-reactive protein and plasma homocysteine are known risk factors for heart disease, and NF-κB is a key promoter of atherosclerosis development.[4]
This data suggests that plant foods have anti-inflammatory effects that have not yet been discovered.
We cannot underestimate the importance of high-nutrient foods. Our genes are inherited, but the expression of those genes is modified by our environment. Food components interact with our genes to affect the state of our health, and this study suggests that high-nutrient foods drive gene expression patterns that reduce inflammation and therefore risk of chronic disease.
References:
1. Sgambato, A. and A. Cittadini, Inflammation and cancer: a multifaceted link. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2010. 14(4): p. 263-8.
2. Hajer, G.R., T.W. van Haeften, and F.L. Visseren, Adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity, diabetes, and vascular diseases. Eur Heart J, 2008. 29(24): p. 2959-71.
3. Hermsdorff, H.H., et al., Fruit and vegetable consumption and proinflammatory gene expression from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in young adults: a translational study. Nutr Metab (Lond), 2010. 7: p. 42.
4. Kutuk, O. and H. Basaga, Inflammation meets oxidation: NF-kappaB as a mediator of initial lesion development in atherosclerosis. Trends Mol Med, 2003. 9(12): p. 549-57.
Eating more plant foods and fewer animal products and oils is advisable to avoid these pro-inflammatory effects. Omega-3 fatty acids, in contrast to omega-6 fatty acids, are known to have anti-inflammatory effects. Fruits and vegetables are known to be protective against chronic disease due to their low calorie density and high quantity of micronutrients and antioxidants, and have been associated with reduced circulating inflammatory molecules. A recent study showed that fruit and vegetable consumption alters circulating levels of inflammatory molecules by affecting gene expression in circulating white blood cells, limiting the production of inflammatory molecules by these cells.
Young adults reported their usual food intake, and the researchers correlated this to a number of inflammatory markers in blood, as well as expression of a number of pro-inflammatory genes in white blood cells. The subjects were divided into groups based on their quantity of fruit and vegetable consumption, and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and TNFα) were 40% lower in the group with the highest (vs. lowest) fruit and vegetable consumption. Moreover, expression of four pro-inflammatory genes (ICAM1, ILR1, TNFα, and NF-κB1) were significantly lower in the circulating white blood cells of the high fruit and vegetable consumers. [3] C-reactive protein and plasma homocysteine are known risk factors for heart disease, and NF-κB is a key promoter of atherosclerosis development.[4]
This data suggests that plant foods have anti-inflammatory effects that have not yet been discovered.
We cannot underestimate the importance of high-nutrient foods. Our genes are inherited, but the expression of those genes is modified by our environment. Food components interact with our genes to affect the state of our health, and this study suggests that high-nutrient foods drive gene expression patterns that reduce inflammation and therefore risk of chronic disease.
References:
1. Sgambato, A. and A. Cittadini, Inflammation and cancer: a multifaceted link. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2010. 14(4): p. 263-8.
2. Hajer, G.R., T.W. van Haeften, and F.L. Visseren, Adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity, diabetes, and vascular diseases. Eur Heart J, 2008. 29(24): p. 2959-71.
3. Hermsdorff, H.H., et al., Fruit and vegetable consumption and proinflammatory gene expression from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in young adults: a translational study. Nutr Metab (Lond), 2010. 7: p. 42.
4. Kutuk, O. and H. Basaga, Inflammation meets oxidation: NF-kappaB as a mediator of initial lesion development in atherosclerosis. Trends Mol Med, 2003. 9(12): p. 549-57.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Meat and Butter Diet
My clients have asked me do I agree with a vegan diet and is it healthier and will it lead to a longer life compared to someone who eats a small amount of animal products, such as a little fish or eggs in their diet. But I am arguing that as the amount of animal products increases in a diet-style forcing natural plant foods off the plate to become a smaller percentage of total caloric intake, the modern diseases that kill over 80 percent of Australians (heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes) will occur in greater and greater likelihood in every genetic type. I have review of over 200 articles in the scientific literature supports the conclusion that animal products if consumed should be held to a maximum of ten percent of total caloric intake, reduced from 40 percent in Australia today and certainly significantly reduced from 60 percent on the Zone and South Beach diets and 80 percent of total caloric intake on the Atkins type diets, and somewhere in between these level on Dr. Mercola's high protein type diet. Dr. Mercola's recommendation are somewhat similar to the Weston Price Foundation, another group that advocates a diet rich in meats based on distorted science and old scientific views that have been disproven by the preponderance of the evidence. The difference is that the Weston Price Foundation does not use a questionnaire to determine if you are the type that deserves a diet rich in high saturated fat animal products, they just teach that everybody is healthier eating a diet chock full of animal products.
Dr. Mercola and the Weston Price Foundation flood the internet with their saturated fat is good for you message. They produce articles with supposedly scientific references that quote the same bunch of people (each other), ignore a ton of modern reputable research, or distort what was said in the study, claiming saturated fat is okay and not related to heart disease. They all use the same distorted logic that it is the consumption of trans fats that are responsible for heart attacks, not saturated fats. They didn't inform the reader that the reason trans fats are bad is because they have been processed to saturate their carbon bonds so they behave in the body as saturated fats. Because trans fats are bad or worse, does not make saturated fats good. It is similar to the twisted logic of the Weston Price crowd who present the work of this dentist who traveled around the world showing that populations who did not eat processed foods had good teeth, to argue that because some of these cultures ate lots of animal products that must mean diets rich in animal products are good. Because processed foods, sugar, corn syrup and white flour are bad, does not make a diet high in animal products lifespan promoting. Weston Price used some very short-lived people as examples of good health, just because their teeth looked good. Fortunately, we know more today than we did in the early 1900's. We know which foods contain the full spectrum of nutrients that resist aging and we know that the diseases that afflict modern civilization are not the consequence of aging; they are the consequence of nutritional ignorance. And we also know that saturated fat raises cholesterol and is an important cause of heart disease, but not the only cause. Too bad so much nutritional ignorance is promoted on the internet, in books and in the media; it only leads to more people being confused.
Quoting Dr. Mercola's website:
Some of you might be watching your weight and be rather hesitant to add butter into your diet. Have no fear. About 15% of the fatty acids in butter are of the short and medium chain varieties which are NOT stored as fat in the body, but are used by the vital organs for energy.
Once you get into these high zones of animal product intake there is no genetic type that is not going to have their health damaged by such a high consumption of animal products. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence in the scientific literature to support this (about 1500 references alone in the book, Eat To Live), but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Dr. Mercola's comment on the studies linking meat to colon cancer is to protect yourself with high quality grass-fed beef or high quality butter. I remember once a patient told me that they can't get lung cancer because they use high quality tobacco, farmed without pesticides, that's a good one!
People who are fixated to their rigid views, especially addicts will look to rationalize their behavior even if the excuse can't withstand scientific scrutiny. Dr. Mercola has to overlooks all the data that shows that it is not merely the barbequing of meat, processed or commercial meats that are linked to heart attack and cancer it is other important features that are also present in grass-feed beef.
Let's review a few of these scientific studies on colon cancer to illustrate:
Chao A. Thun JT. Connell CJ. Et al. Meat Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer JAMA. 2005;293:172-182.
This study concludes that examining meat consumption over many years prior to the diagnosis of cancer illustrates that prolonged high consumption of red and processed meat increases (more than doubles) the risk of colon cancer. In this study even two to three ounces of red meat or processed meats a day increase risks significantly.
Sesink AL; Termont DS; Kleibeuker JH; Van der Meer R Red meat and colon cancer: dietary haem-induced colonic cytotoxicity and epithelial hyperproliferation are inhibited by calcium.Carcinogenesis. 2001; 22(10):1653-9
Hughes R; Cross AJ; Pollock JR; Bingham S Dose-dependent effect of dietary meat on endogenous colonic N-nitrosation.Carcinogenesis. 2001; 22(1):199-202
These two studies go into the mechanism via which red meat promotes colon cancer. Since red meat contains no fiber, it remains in the gut much longer than fiber-filled foods. They describe the biochemical effects of this slower transit time, including heightened exposure to red meat's nitrogenous metabolites. In other words, red meats' slower transit time in the bowel promotes prolonged exposure to these carcinogenic compounds (naturally occurring N-nitroso compounds) when a larger percentage of the diet is made of animal products rather than plant materials. Another important mechanism reported was the high haem content of red meat, because dietary haem increased cytolytic (cell-killing) activity and colonic epithelial proliferation, thus explaining why red meat is more colon cancer promoting compared to fish or chicken.
Heart disease also occurs not just because of the processing of meats or the fact that beef is grain fed and not grass fed, but because of other intrinsic properties of animal foods, and the fact that we require a significant exposure to a full symphony of natural antioxidants and phytochemicals in unprocessed plant matter that we are not getting as animal products increase and the percentage of vegetation decreases.
Dr. Mercola and the Weston Price Foundation flood the internet with their saturated fat is good for you message. They produce articles with supposedly scientific references that quote the same bunch of people (each other), ignore a ton of modern reputable research, or distort what was said in the study, claiming saturated fat is okay and not related to heart disease. They all use the same distorted logic that it is the consumption of trans fats that are responsible for heart attacks, not saturated fats. They didn't inform the reader that the reason trans fats are bad is because they have been processed to saturate their carbon bonds so they behave in the body as saturated fats. Because trans fats are bad or worse, does not make saturated fats good. It is similar to the twisted logic of the Weston Price crowd who present the work of this dentist who traveled around the world showing that populations who did not eat processed foods had good teeth, to argue that because some of these cultures ate lots of animal products that must mean diets rich in animal products are good. Because processed foods, sugar, corn syrup and white flour are bad, does not make a diet high in animal products lifespan promoting. Weston Price used some very short-lived people as examples of good health, just because their teeth looked good. Fortunately, we know more today than we did in the early 1900's. We know which foods contain the full spectrum of nutrients that resist aging and we know that the diseases that afflict modern civilization are not the consequence of aging; they are the consequence of nutritional ignorance. And we also know that saturated fat raises cholesterol and is an important cause of heart disease, but not the only cause. Too bad so much nutritional ignorance is promoted on the internet, in books and in the media; it only leads to more people being confused.
Quoting Dr. Mercola's website:
Some of you might be watching your weight and be rather hesitant to add butter into your diet. Have no fear. About 15% of the fatty acids in butter are of the short and medium chain varieties which are NOT stored as fat in the body, but are used by the vital organs for energy.
Once you get into these high zones of animal product intake there is no genetic type that is not going to have their health damaged by such a high consumption of animal products. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence in the scientific literature to support this (about 1500 references alone in the book, Eat To Live), but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Dr. Mercola's comment on the studies linking meat to colon cancer is to protect yourself with high quality grass-fed beef or high quality butter. I remember once a patient told me that they can't get lung cancer because they use high quality tobacco, farmed without pesticides, that's a good one!
People who are fixated to their rigid views, especially addicts will look to rationalize their behavior even if the excuse can't withstand scientific scrutiny. Dr. Mercola has to overlooks all the data that shows that it is not merely the barbequing of meat, processed or commercial meats that are linked to heart attack and cancer it is other important features that are also present in grass-feed beef.
Let's review a few of these scientific studies on colon cancer to illustrate:
Chao A. Thun JT. Connell CJ. Et al. Meat Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer JAMA. 2005;293:172-182.
This study concludes that examining meat consumption over many years prior to the diagnosis of cancer illustrates that prolonged high consumption of red and processed meat increases (more than doubles) the risk of colon cancer. In this study even two to three ounces of red meat or processed meats a day increase risks significantly.
Sesink AL; Termont DS; Kleibeuker JH; Van der Meer R Red meat and colon cancer: dietary haem-induced colonic cytotoxicity and epithelial hyperproliferation are inhibited by calcium.Carcinogenesis. 2001; 22(10):1653-9
Hughes R; Cross AJ; Pollock JR; Bingham S Dose-dependent effect of dietary meat on endogenous colonic N-nitrosation.Carcinogenesis. 2001; 22(1):199-202
These two studies go into the mechanism via which red meat promotes colon cancer. Since red meat contains no fiber, it remains in the gut much longer than fiber-filled foods. They describe the biochemical effects of this slower transit time, including heightened exposure to red meat's nitrogenous metabolites. In other words, red meats' slower transit time in the bowel promotes prolonged exposure to these carcinogenic compounds (naturally occurring N-nitroso compounds) when a larger percentage of the diet is made of animal products rather than plant materials. Another important mechanism reported was the high haem content of red meat, because dietary haem increased cytolytic (cell-killing) activity and colonic epithelial proliferation, thus explaining why red meat is more colon cancer promoting compared to fish or chicken.
Heart disease also occurs not just because of the processing of meats or the fact that beef is grain fed and not grass fed, but because of other intrinsic properties of animal foods, and the fact that we require a significant exposure to a full symphony of natural antioxidants and phytochemicals in unprocessed plant matter that we are not getting as animal products increase and the percentage of vegetation decreases.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Fanciful Folklore Is No Match for Modern Science
Though my studies I have come across Weston A. Price and there web site states that “people with high cholesterol live the longest,” and that it is a myth that “for good health, serum cholesterol should be less 180 mg/dl,” adding, “There is no greater risk for heart disease, even at levels as high as 1,000 mg/dl.” This doesn’t jive with every respected scientific authority in the world and is utterly ridiculous in light of thousands of respectable studies.
WAPF correctly points out that processed foods, sugar, corn syrup, and white flour are harmful, but nutritional deficiencies caused by “junk foods” are not remedied by a diet high in meat and butter, animal products that are devoid of plant-derived phytonutrients, which promote health and slow the “aging” process. By contrast, the saturated fat in meat and butter raises cholesterol and is one of the significant causes of heart disease.
Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, is a smorgasbord of woefully outdated and potentially dangerous advice. For example, “If you cannot get your family to eat organ meats when served as such, there are plenty of ways to add them to their food without their knowledge…Poached brains can be chopped up and added to any ground meat dish, as can grated raw liver.” Even if it were not so clearly known that animal products in general need to be strictly limited in the diet, common sense should tell us not to eat the brains of animals in light of what is know about Mad Cow disease and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Nourishing Traditions is full of bad science and illogical reasoning and its appeal is dependent on people’s ignorance about nutrition. Fallon and Enig perpetuate long-held nutritional myths by referencing the same people who started the myths in the first place.
Nutrition is a complicated subject, and it takes familiarity with a comprehensive body of scientific studies and articles to devise recommendations to prevent disease and promote longevity. Science is not perfect, but evidence builds on prior studies, and ongoing research attempts to test each hypothesis and check validity in an unbiased manner. Today, we have a comprehensive body of knowledge with over 15,000 articles written since the 1950s documenting the link between a diet high in saturated fat and low in fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and beans and the increased risk of cancer and heart disease.
While Nourishing Traditions has over 200 references, many are antiquated, with poor observations. For the most part, the authors reference their own articles and those of other Weston A. Price Foundation authors. Only fourteen of the references are from peer-reviewed journals published in the last ten years, and for most of those fourteen, the authors misrepresented what was stated in the articles. By contrast if you read the book Eat to Live you find that it contains over 1,000 medical references to peer-reviewed medical journals
Yours in Health
Sean Kirsten
WAPF correctly points out that processed foods, sugar, corn syrup, and white flour are harmful, but nutritional deficiencies caused by “junk foods” are not remedied by a diet high in meat and butter, animal products that are devoid of plant-derived phytonutrients, which promote health and slow the “aging” process. By contrast, the saturated fat in meat and butter raises cholesterol and is one of the significant causes of heart disease.
Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, is a smorgasbord of woefully outdated and potentially dangerous advice. For example, “If you cannot get your family to eat organ meats when served as such, there are plenty of ways to add them to their food without their knowledge…Poached brains can be chopped up and added to any ground meat dish, as can grated raw liver.” Even if it were not so clearly known that animal products in general need to be strictly limited in the diet, common sense should tell us not to eat the brains of animals in light of what is know about Mad Cow disease and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Nourishing Traditions is full of bad science and illogical reasoning and its appeal is dependent on people’s ignorance about nutrition. Fallon and Enig perpetuate long-held nutritional myths by referencing the same people who started the myths in the first place.
Nutrition is a complicated subject, and it takes familiarity with a comprehensive body of scientific studies and articles to devise recommendations to prevent disease and promote longevity. Science is not perfect, but evidence builds on prior studies, and ongoing research attempts to test each hypothesis and check validity in an unbiased manner. Today, we have a comprehensive body of knowledge with over 15,000 articles written since the 1950s documenting the link between a diet high in saturated fat and low in fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and beans and the increased risk of cancer and heart disease.
While Nourishing Traditions has over 200 references, many are antiquated, with poor observations. For the most part, the authors reference their own articles and those of other Weston A. Price Foundation authors. Only fourteen of the references are from peer-reviewed journals published in the last ten years, and for most of those fourteen, the authors misrepresented what was stated in the articles. By contrast if you read the book Eat to Live you find that it contains over 1,000 medical references to peer-reviewed medical journals
Yours in Health
Sean Kirsten
Friday, October 1, 2010
Deadly Dietary Myths
Though my journey I have warned my clients about adopting fad diets such as The Atkins Diet, The Zone Diet, and Eat For Your Blood Type because the scientific data is so clear about the fact that eating more than a few small portions of animal products each week is associated with a host of serious diseases.
Conclusive scientific warnings notwithstanding, people continue to flock to diets like these because a) they reinforce existing bad habits, and b) numerous organizations encourage this behavior. One of the more influential of these organizations is the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF).
The Weston A. Price Foundation is named in honor of a Cleveland dentist, author of the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. In the 1930s, upon observing that a large number of his patients had poor dental health, Dr. Price traveled to remote regions of the world and found that people in those areas who were still eating diets consisting of unprocessed foods had healthier teeth than his patients, who were eating large amounts of processed foods. He concluded that poor dental health was the result of nutritional deficiencies.
WAPF is a relatively small non-profit with a modest budget, but its leaders and members have been very effective in advocating a meat-centered diet, with lots of butter and whole, raw milk. Unfortunately, although some of its recommendations are laudable (such as the admonition to avoid highly processed foods, and the warning that most popular vegetarian and vegan diets are not ideal), many others are entirely out of step with modern nutritional science. They promote a range of irresponsible and potentially dangerous ideas, including:
• Butter and butter oil are “super foods” that contain the “X factor” discovered by Weston Price.
• Glandular organ extracts from animals promote the health and healing of the corresponding human organs.
• Poached brains of animals should be added to other ground meats for better nutrition.
• Raw cow’s milk and meat broth should be fed to newborns who don’t breast-feed, rather than infant formula.
• Regular ingestion of clay (Azomite Mineral Powder) has detoxifying effects because the clay particles remove pathogens from the body.
• There are benefits to feeding sea salt to infants and babies.
• Fruits and vegetables should be limited in children’s diets.
There are plenty of organizations offering woefully out-of-date and inaccurate dietary advice, so I do not want to give the impression that WAPF is alone in this regard. But there is limited space in a single newsletter, and a review of some of the WAPF recommendations offers an opportunity to point out examples of nutritional misinformation readily available in books and on the Internet.
How to Feed Your Baby
WAPF advocates a severely deficient and dangerous diet for infants and children that has the potential to cause a lifetime of medical problems, reduced brain function, and an early death from cancer. Infants have their best chance of developing normally when they consume breast milk from well-fed mothers. But contrary to a plethora of scientific studies indicating that breast milk should be the only food for the first six months of life, Sally Fellon, founder and president of the WAPF and coauthor (with Mary Enig) of the book Nourishing Traditions, says that pureed meat (including organ meats) is an excellent early food for babies.
What does WAPF recommend?
One WAPF baby formula mixes cow’s milk with heavy cream and other oils, while another is made from cow’s liver, beef broth, whey powder, and various oils. It is well established in the scientific literature that a diet high in saturated fats and low in fruits and vegetables in early childhood is the leading cause of adult cancers. Infants fed cow’s milk instead of breast milk or formula do not get sufficient iron, vitamin C, linoleic acid, or vitamin E, and take in excessive amounts of sodium, potassium, and protein,which can lead to dehydration and kidney damage. For many years, the American Academy of Pediatricians has warned against the use of any whole cow’s milk during the first year of life after it was found that infants given cow’s milk developed iron deficiency and occult (silent) bleeding of the digestive tract.1 The resultant iron deficiency seen in children raised on cow’s milk in early childhood leads to long-term changes in behavior and loss of intelligence that can not be reversed even with correction of the iron deficiency later on in life.2 In other words, permanent brain damage can occur from the feeding of whole cow’s milk to babies.
Good Intentions Gone Awry
How can an organization offer nutritional advice so out of step with the world’s scientific literature? Part of the blame can be placed at the feet of those who remain loyal to some of the original observations of Weston Price rather than his original intent.
When Dr. Price traveled to remote areas, his intent was to find healthful solutions for his dental patients. When we look back with 70 years of scientific hindsight, we can see that his examinations and conclusions were flawed.When he touted the health of primitive peoples, he was not aware of their short life expectancy and high rates of infant mortality, endemic diseases, and infection.
It can be argued that few scientific researchers in the 1930s would have understood the complexity of multifactorial causation of health, disease, and longevity, and Price should not be held to today’s higher standards. But the same cannot be said for his followers today.To advocate eating a diet high in saturated fat is to ignore all of the nutritional research—especially of the past 40 years—that links this diet to shorter life spans and higher rates of heart disease and cancer is unconscionable. 1. Kazal LA. Prevention of iron deficiency in infants and toddlers. Am Fam Physician 2002; 66(7): 1217-24.
Conclusive scientific warnings notwithstanding, people continue to flock to diets like these because a) they reinforce existing bad habits, and b) numerous organizations encourage this behavior. One of the more influential of these organizations is the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF).
The Weston A. Price Foundation is named in honor of a Cleveland dentist, author of the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. In the 1930s, upon observing that a large number of his patients had poor dental health, Dr. Price traveled to remote regions of the world and found that people in those areas who were still eating diets consisting of unprocessed foods had healthier teeth than his patients, who were eating large amounts of processed foods. He concluded that poor dental health was the result of nutritional deficiencies.
WAPF is a relatively small non-profit with a modest budget, but its leaders and members have been very effective in advocating a meat-centered diet, with lots of butter and whole, raw milk. Unfortunately, although some of its recommendations are laudable (such as the admonition to avoid highly processed foods, and the warning that most popular vegetarian and vegan diets are not ideal), many others are entirely out of step with modern nutritional science. They promote a range of irresponsible and potentially dangerous ideas, including:
• Butter and butter oil are “super foods” that contain the “X factor” discovered by Weston Price.
• Glandular organ extracts from animals promote the health and healing of the corresponding human organs.
• Poached brains of animals should be added to other ground meats for better nutrition.
• Raw cow’s milk and meat broth should be fed to newborns who don’t breast-feed, rather than infant formula.
• Regular ingestion of clay (Azomite Mineral Powder) has detoxifying effects because the clay particles remove pathogens from the body.
• There are benefits to feeding sea salt to infants and babies.
• Fruits and vegetables should be limited in children’s diets.
There are plenty of organizations offering woefully out-of-date and inaccurate dietary advice, so I do not want to give the impression that WAPF is alone in this regard. But there is limited space in a single newsletter, and a review of some of the WAPF recommendations offers an opportunity to point out examples of nutritional misinformation readily available in books and on the Internet.
How to Feed Your Baby
WAPF advocates a severely deficient and dangerous diet for infants and children that has the potential to cause a lifetime of medical problems, reduced brain function, and an early death from cancer. Infants have their best chance of developing normally when they consume breast milk from well-fed mothers. But contrary to a plethora of scientific studies indicating that breast milk should be the only food for the first six months of life, Sally Fellon, founder and president of the WAPF and coauthor (with Mary Enig) of the book Nourishing Traditions, says that pureed meat (including organ meats) is an excellent early food for babies.
What does WAPF recommend?
One WAPF baby formula mixes cow’s milk with heavy cream and other oils, while another is made from cow’s liver, beef broth, whey powder, and various oils. It is well established in the scientific literature that a diet high in saturated fats and low in fruits and vegetables in early childhood is the leading cause of adult cancers. Infants fed cow’s milk instead of breast milk or formula do not get sufficient iron, vitamin C, linoleic acid, or vitamin E, and take in excessive amounts of sodium, potassium, and protein,which can lead to dehydration and kidney damage. For many years, the American Academy of Pediatricians has warned against the use of any whole cow’s milk during the first year of life after it was found that infants given cow’s milk developed iron deficiency and occult (silent) bleeding of the digestive tract.1 The resultant iron deficiency seen in children raised on cow’s milk in early childhood leads to long-term changes in behavior and loss of intelligence that can not be reversed even with correction of the iron deficiency later on in life.2 In other words, permanent brain damage can occur from the feeding of whole cow’s milk to babies.
Good Intentions Gone Awry
How can an organization offer nutritional advice so out of step with the world’s scientific literature? Part of the blame can be placed at the feet of those who remain loyal to some of the original observations of Weston Price rather than his original intent.
When Dr. Price traveled to remote areas, his intent was to find healthful solutions for his dental patients. When we look back with 70 years of scientific hindsight, we can see that his examinations and conclusions were flawed.When he touted the health of primitive peoples, he was not aware of their short life expectancy and high rates of infant mortality, endemic diseases, and infection.
It can be argued that few scientific researchers in the 1930s would have understood the complexity of multifactorial causation of health, disease, and longevity, and Price should not be held to today’s higher standards. But the same cannot be said for his followers today.To advocate eating a diet high in saturated fat is to ignore all of the nutritional research—especially of the past 40 years—that links this diet to shorter life spans and higher rates of heart disease and cancer is unconscionable. 1. Kazal LA. Prevention of iron deficiency in infants and toddlers. Am Fam Physician 2002; 66(7): 1217-24.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Acid v Alkaline – why all the fuss?
Everywhere you look these days, from magazines to health journals, there seems to be debate about acidic food versus alkaline-producing food. Could an alkaline diet assist with weight loss? Could it even help prolong your life? Recent studies suggest it could, on both counts.
Connell University has found that the absence of alkaline-giving nutrients makes people prone to various degenerative diseases, including the US’ top two killer diseases – cardiovascular problem and cancer. Scientific studies have also shown that systemic weight gain or obesity results from the imbalance. If we could only eliminate cardiovascular-related diseases, then that immediately translates to an additional 9.78 years to a person’s life span, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
What happens when we are out of balance?
If the pH balance is disrupted, the body reacts by trying to restore equilibrium, which leads to serious losses of essential minerals that make you feel sluggish and prone to catch various degenerative diseases in your later years.
The secret for optimal health using alkaline diet is not in eliminating all acid-producing foods in our diet, but rather in creating balanced acid and alkaline producing foods mix in our meals. This essentially means that you do not need to starve yourself to stay in shape. A generous mix of acid and alkaline producing food is what you need to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
And in this day and age of consumerism when what you consume is likely to be acid-rich meat and carbohydrates, then it helps that you veer your diet towards healthy alkaline producing food products consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Connell University conducted studies back in 2003 on cancer cells and test tube tests revealed that cancer cells and tumors thrive and grow in a more acidic environment. When the level of acid is lowered, tumors grow much more slowly. If this occurs in the test tube, it stands to reason that cancer cells in the body would also be detrimentally affected by an overall alkaline environment. It would also make sense that if the body’s pH is acidic, then the growth of cancer cells and tumors would be encouraged. By eating mostly foods that make the body’s pH more alkaline, there would be less of a chance for cancer cells to develop and grow. So, by adjusting the diet, it is actually possible to create a less hospitable environment for cancer cells, thus improving a person’s chances of good health.
All study material sourced form Cornell University and the US Notational Center for Health
Office of the Vice Provost for Research
222 Day Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-7200
Connell University has found that the absence of alkaline-giving nutrients makes people prone to various degenerative diseases, including the US’ top two killer diseases – cardiovascular problem and cancer. Scientific studies have also shown that systemic weight gain or obesity results from the imbalance. If we could only eliminate cardiovascular-related diseases, then that immediately translates to an additional 9.78 years to a person’s life span, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
What happens when we are out of balance?
If the pH balance is disrupted, the body reacts by trying to restore equilibrium, which leads to serious losses of essential minerals that make you feel sluggish and prone to catch various degenerative diseases in your later years.
The secret for optimal health using alkaline diet is not in eliminating all acid-producing foods in our diet, but rather in creating balanced acid and alkaline producing foods mix in our meals. This essentially means that you do not need to starve yourself to stay in shape. A generous mix of acid and alkaline producing food is what you need to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
And in this day and age of consumerism when what you consume is likely to be acid-rich meat and carbohydrates, then it helps that you veer your diet towards healthy alkaline producing food products consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Connell University conducted studies back in 2003 on cancer cells and test tube tests revealed that cancer cells and tumors thrive and grow in a more acidic environment. When the level of acid is lowered, tumors grow much more slowly. If this occurs in the test tube, it stands to reason that cancer cells in the body would also be detrimentally affected by an overall alkaline environment. It would also make sense that if the body’s pH is acidic, then the growth of cancer cells and tumors would be encouraged. By eating mostly foods that make the body’s pH more alkaline, there would be less of a chance for cancer cells to develop and grow. So, by adjusting the diet, it is actually possible to create a less hospitable environment for cancer cells, thus improving a person’s chances of good health.
All study material sourced form Cornell University and the US Notational Center for Health
Office of the Vice Provost for Research
222 Day Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-7200
Friday, September 10, 2010
Kids and Calcium
Most of the adults we are talking to are receptive these days to reducing or eliminating the dairy consumption in their diets. However, there is a lingering concern for children, since the dairy industry has been brainwashing people for years about the value and the necessity of milk for building bones.
First, exercise is a much more important factor than calcium in building bone health. A recent report in Pediatrics found that inactive teens had lower bone density by the age of 18 than active teens. The researchers also concluded that calcium consumed from milk or any other source, for that matter, had no effect on bone density. In other words, children develop bone as a result of movement, not food, and that is why teaching kids a sedentary lifestyle is so dangerous.
Additionally, other nutrients are needed for calcium utilization, such as Vitamin K, Vitamin C and potassium. These nutrients are abundant in citrus fruits, tomatoes, peppers, bananas, potatoes, green vegetables, beans, soy foods and fruits and vegetables in general. And, the calcium found in many of these plant foods is absorbed twice as well as the calcium in milk.
We teach in our program that the more milk you drink and animal protein you eat, the more calcium is drained from the bones. Yale researchers documented this fact in a recent study that looked at hip fracture rates in 16 countries. Those with the highest meat, fish, egg and dairy consumption had the most bone breaks. A Harvard study of 78,000 women showed that those who got the most calcium from dairy products actually had more broken bones than women who got little or no calcium from dairy products.
So, the bottom line is that milk does not do a child's body good any more than it does an adult body good! To find out more email or call to book in a one on one consult
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