Last week, I discussed the importance of taking charge of your own health and promised to provide tips for maintaining your well-being. Now, let's explore some habits that might lead to poor health. If you want to be unhealthy, make sure you…
Read MoreOne of the first things I tell my new patients is that I work for them; they are the boss. It always brings a smile to their face. I am awed by a plumber who can install the entire household system, but I will not allow him/her to boss me around or take advantage of me, and the same goes for my doctors. I am awed by their skills, but I know where to draw the line. Don’t stand for poor treatment from anyone. This post covers what you should expect from your medical provider, your legal rights, and what to do if you don’t get the care you deserve.
Read MoreMany individuals who suffer from chronic pain often attribute their discomfort to the weather. However, there is no clear scientific evidence to support this belief. This is mainly due to the challenge of obtaining a large dataset of patients frequently recording their pain symptoms during various weather conditions. But things have changed. A study called “Cloudy With a Chance of Pain” used a unique way of collecting data to see if weather correlates to pain. They have the best data to date on the subject. Their findings were surprising.
Read MoreThe driving force behind our high-carbohydrate grain-based diet and aversion to meat goes back to the eighteen-hundreds. The story centers around the religiously driven temperance movement that later spawned a new religion that cornered the nutrition sciences and industry. This post covers some of the little-known history.
Read MoreHealth experts and doctors have long touted the benefits of grains, with rice being a particularly healthy option. They also caution against consuming too much fat, particularly saturated fat. In recent years, low-carb-high-fat diets like keto have gained popularity because they reverse high blood sugar and blood pressure and improve BMI. This has led many to question the traditional belief in high-grain, low-fat diets. According to the PURE study, there is a connection between the amount of fat and carbohydrates consumed, cardiovascular risk, and mortality. The results will surprise you.
Read MoreA famous paper from 1970 enticed children with a marshmallow and told them they would get an extra one if they waited for their treat. This study did not track the children into adulthood. Later on, the data was reviewed by additional researchers who contacted the children to see how they fared in life. They determined that the kids who waited longer were the more successful ones. Another study was done more recently that debunks the idea that willpower equates to success. I will decipher what is happening in this post and try to get to the the truth.
Read MoreMany commercial food establishments have switched from plastic to paper straws to help the environment, and it has come to light that they contain substances known as PFAS. Alarmingly, PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are causing some concern because they don't break down easily and can negatively affect people and the environment. A recent study conducted in the Belgian market analyzed 39 different straw brands made from five materials: paper, bamboo, glass, stainless steel, and plastic. The findings showed that PFAS was detected in almost all types of straws except stainless steel. The highest frequency of PFAS was found in paper and bamboo straws. As PFAS can take hundreds to thousands of years to break down, these findings suggest that using such straws may contribute to human and long-term environmental exposure to PFAS. This post will cover the concerns over PFAS and discuss possible alternatives.
Read MoreAfter repeated conversations with me, a close relative in his late 50s decided to try the carnivore diet. He immediately began to feel better than he had ever felt. The carnivore diet is ultra-low-carb, similar to the ketogenic diet, which often raises LDL and total cholesterol. He has lost 22 pounds, lowered his BMI from 25.8 (overweight) to 22.8 (normal), lowered his blood pressure from 110/70 to 100/66, has more energy, lowered his triglycerides from 106 to 71 (lower is better), raised his HDL from 47 to 79 (higher is better), lowered his VLDL by 1/3, rid himself of chronic foot and hip pain, and he has no more leg cramping. As we will see later in this post, these changes indicate inflammatory, metabolic, and cardiovascular health improvements.
At the same time, he raised his LDL from 69 to 192 and his total cholesterol from 137 to 285, which made his doctors panic. Later in this post, we will see that LDL levels below 105 cause twice the amount of death. Despite this, his doctors have ignored nine positive changes and stressed two that, as we will see in this post, have little relevance in their ability to predict cardiovascular disease. What kind of a world do we live in when doctors fret when their patients become healthier? Read on if you are curious.
Read MoreI talk a lot about proper facial development to ensure adequate breathing. This post covers the subject and links to most of my other posts about achieving proper craniofacial respiratory complex growth. I have mentioned things like allergies and sinus problems as factors affecting breathing but have never stressed how important it is to address them. This post will cover the main ENT-related problems associated with poor breathing, especially at night when sleeping.
Read MoreMost people, whether they consider themselves vegan, omnivores, or carnivores, will agree that processed food should be avoided. I have some bad news; plant-based meat is highly processed. It has gained a place in the market because of the bad press meat gets, none of which is deserved. Additionally, plant-based foods are promoted as the healthiest food choice. This post will discuss the processed nature of plant-based meat versus the benefit of including meat in our diet. I will only discuss three ingredients for brevity. I will conclude by explaining what JERM means.
Read MoreBrushing twice and flossing once daily is a smart idea if your diet contains processed carbohydrates. Toothpaste always comes along for the ride on our brushes. Did you ever stop and wonder how necessary it is? I have. I say no. I will explain my rationale in this post.
Read MoreIt has been dogma that we need eight hours of sleep. Furthermore, the research shows that we don't get nearly that much. In fact, we miss the mark by almost one to two hours each night. Then comes summer, when we typically sleep one less hour than in winter. For those of us trying to maximize sleep, this all sounds disconcerting. I have encouraging news about newer sleep research that has shed some light on how much sleep we should get each night, especially in the summer.
Read MoreIt's quite common for people to chip their front teeth, but the good news is that fixing them doesn't take long. Most people don't want to wait when they chip a front tooth, so I make sure to fit them in as soon as possible to ease their worries. Unfortunately, there's more to the story. Allow me to elaborate.
Read MoreI love concise quotes that convey deep wisdom. This post contains seven gems that could help change your mindset. Here they are in no particular order
Read MoreAs summer progresses, I find myself spending more time outdoors and have naturally acquired a slightly darker complexion than during the colder months. While at the beach with family, we discussed our varying abilities to tan. Some of us had yet to achieve a noticeable tan, while others were well on their way. We all agreed that with more time in the sunshine, we would soon have a deeper tan. It made me curious about the science behind tanning and why our skin changes color in the first place.
Read MoreA recent study found that lean people's brains respond to nutrients differently than obese people. Specifically, the obese people's brains did not respond as quickly to the presence of nutrients. Sadly, when the obese people lost weight as part of the study, their brains still did not recognize they had eaten as quickly as the lean group, explaining why diets only result in temporary weight loss. I will go over the particulars of the study in this post and what it might mean in practical terms.
Read MoreIn reviewing the literature regarding vitamin E this week, I found that most scientific papers touted its health benefits because it is the most powerful fat-based antioxidant. Many health issues, such as cancer, aging, arthritis, and cataracts, have been associated with oxidation. Vitamin E is promoted to help prevent or delay these chronic diseases linked to oxidation. And so it goes for all vitamins; only their upsides are promoted, and it is assumed that there are no downsides. Unfortunately, ample evidence shows that vitamins oftentimes don't help and can hurt, hence my belief that our nutrients should come from whole foods, not vitamins and supplements. This post will cover some of the data.
Read MoreI grew up on the shore, fishing on the bay and ocean, so I have always loved to eat seafood and spend time on the beach. I spent the Memorial Day weekend on a local barrier island and was surprised to see an oyster vending machine outside a market. We purchased a box, ate half of them raw, and cooked the other half on the grill. I had never seen anything like it and was very impressed with the concept. I eat oysters every chance I get, Oysters are one of the most nutrient-dense foods, and in this post, I will talk about the incredible oyster and why you should include them in your diet.
Read MoreI have always preferred the warmer months to the colder, darker ones. Since I was a teen, I noticed I had less energy in the cooler, darker months and was sleepier. A few decades later, I noticed that I became less lean in the cooler months. No one would notice my condition because my energy levels are adequate and the extra weight is minimal, but I can see the seasonal difference in my body composition. My energy increases, and my leanness returns when the days lengthen, and it gets warmer. My transition to my more energetic, leaner self took longer this year. As always, I looked for a reasonable explanation for why I tend to gain some winter season weight, and why it stayed longer this year. This post will cover a few reasons for seasonal body compositional transitions and factors that can alter the normal process.
Read MoreBringing a new baby into the world is an exciting but exhausting experience. It can be difficult to find time to reconnect with your partner after welcoming a new bundle of joy. In this guest post, Emily Graham presents some tips and tricks that will help make this transition easier and help you two rekindle the romance. Emily Graham is the creator of Mighty Moms. She believes being a mom is one of the hardest jobs around and wanted to create a support system for moms from all walks of life. On her site, she offers a wide range of info tailored for busy moms -- from how to reduce stress to creative ways to spend time together as a family.
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