Making that New Year's Resolution? Is loosing weight at the top of your list?
The good news is that you will have lots of choices for losing that weight.
The bad news is that most of those choices are bogus!
You see each diet book and Internet marketer will have a "magic formula".
Sometimes it will be a "magic" diet composition - low fat diets, low carb diets, high protein diets - or don't eat protein and carbohydrates together.
Despite all of the hype that you will hear, weight loss is solely dependent on the difference between calories in and calories out.
There is no "magic diet formula", no "magic diet composition" and no "magic diet food". Calories rule!
The diet doesn't have to be weird to be successful. In fact the diet is most likely to succeed if it includes foods that are familiar to you. However, if you're a "meat and potatoes" person, a vegetarian diet is not likely to be successful for you. Plus we are all different. Some of us will lose weight successfully on one diet. Other people will be more successful on a different diet. That means the diet that worked so well for your friend may not work at all for you.
Intrigued? Find out more next week.
"Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart."
- Sarah Ban Breathnach
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Colon Cancer
At my physical, I received from my doctor the paperwork to schedule my first colonoscopy. I asked my doctor, why is 50 the benchmark for a colonoscopy? He explained that if there is no colon cancer history in the family, that it is consider middle age and young enough to prevent colon cancer. If there are polyps, then the surgeon removes the polyps, and reduces the chances of the polyps developing into cancer cells.
I'm not looking forward to it, but feel positive as I do so many things to prevent colon cancer.
What are those "things"?
Prevention is the cure!
I'm not looking forward to it, but feel positive as I do so many things to prevent colon cancer.
What are those "things"?
- Eat healthy 80% of the time. Eating protein, fiber, water (half my weight in ounces)
- Knowing that eating chocolate, white sugar, white flour and alcohol fuels stress
- Exercise
- Use whole food supplements, including a probiotic (which gets the good bacteria into the colon)
- AND a unque immune booster which helps to produce Interferon, naturally
Prevention is the cure!
Monday, November 30, 2009
You're never too young
I work with an all girls amateur hockey team. They think at 11 and 12 they are invincible, just like we did at their age. They are healthy. But what about prevention to injury and illness/disease? With hockey being an extremely physical sport, it is necessary to do everyting possible to be healthy and have a strong body.
According to Dr. Stephen Chaney, there was a study conducted at the Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago, IL
The women, ages 17 to 35, were divided into two groups with one group receiving daily supplements containing 2,000 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D, and the other group receiving placebo pills.
The scientists in charge of the study said "What really surprised us is that calcium/vitamin D supplements made a significant difference in such a short period of time. Frankly, we were not sure we would see any statistically significant results in only eight weeks."
For example, the study may also have implications for nonmilitary athletic populations, such as high school track and field athletes, in whom stress fractures also occur frequently.
The lead investigator concluded: "It appears that supplementation with calcium and vitamin D provides a health-promoting, easy and inexpensive intervention that does not interfere with training goals."
So are you too young for supplementation? I don't think so! Dr. Stephen Chaney.
Want to know which supplements are right for you? Call Mary Beth at 810-813-3308 for your complimentary Personal Nutrition Consultation.
According to Dr. Stephen Chaney, there was a study conducted at the Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago, IL
The women, ages 17 to 35, were divided into two groups with one group receiving daily supplements containing 2,000 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D, and the other group receiving placebo pills.
The scientists in charge of the study said "What really surprised us is that calcium/vitamin D supplements made a significant difference in such a short period of time. Frankly, we were not sure we would see any statistically significant results in only eight weeks."
For example, the study may also have implications for nonmilitary athletic populations, such as high school track and field athletes, in whom stress fractures also occur frequently.
The lead investigator concluded: "It appears that supplementation with calcium and vitamin D provides a health-promoting, easy and inexpensive intervention that does not interfere with training goals."
So are you too young for supplementation? I don't think so! Dr. Stephen Chaney.
Want to know which supplements are right for you? Call Mary Beth at 810-813-3308 for your complimentary Personal Nutrition Consultation.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Take care of yourself first
Does that sound selfish? Let's think about it. If we teach our kids to put themselves last, and everyone else first what does that say? If we are sick, who takes care of our spouse and children?
We lead by example. When we are healthy, we can take care of our family.
My mom taught me at pre-teen/teenage years a good diet. Limit my: simple carbs intake, sweets, white milk vs chocolate milk, and other simple things. What she didn't know about was to supplement our diet. That we can't get everything we need from food. Also, back then people didn't realize the horrible affects of aspertame. She used Nutrasweet as her primary sugar, thinking that it was better than natural sugar as it had less calories. Unfortunately, aspartame and other artificial sweetners have been linked to neurological problems such as memory loss. It is a mind set too. People know diet pop has only 1 calorie, so they feel they can eat more food, which actually increases calories. Artifical sweetners slow down the metabolism. Both cause weight gain. If you are using artifical sweetners, you may want to reconsider and use natural sugars such as Sugar in the Raw, Stevia, or Xylobrand.
Did you know that only 3% of the American population eats according to the Food Pyramid Guide. Design your own balanced diet. A great place to start is http://www.mypyramid.gov/. A well balanced diet is a great prevention against the flu, cancer, lupus, etc.
Want additional help from a live human being? Mama Bear Productions offers Personal Nutrition Consultations. If you want a reliable source, someone who has your best interest in mind, with 10 years of experience in the nutrition field, call Mary Beth Potrykus at 810-813-3308 for your free Personal Nutrition Consultation. Consultations are confidential and are available in person or on the phone.
To your health and happiness,
Mary Beth
We lead by example. When we are healthy, we can take care of our family.
My mom taught me at pre-teen/teenage years a good diet. Limit my: simple carbs intake, sweets, white milk vs chocolate milk, and other simple things. What she didn't know about was to supplement our diet. That we can't get everything we need from food. Also, back then people didn't realize the horrible affects of aspertame. She used Nutrasweet as her primary sugar, thinking that it was better than natural sugar as it had less calories. Unfortunately, aspartame and other artificial sweetners have been linked to neurological problems such as memory loss. It is a mind set too. People know diet pop has only 1 calorie, so they feel they can eat more food, which actually increases calories. Artifical sweetners slow down the metabolism. Both cause weight gain. If you are using artifical sweetners, you may want to reconsider and use natural sugars such as Sugar in the Raw, Stevia, or Xylobrand.
Did you know that only 3% of the American population eats according to the Food Pyramid Guide. Design your own balanced diet. A great place to start is http://www.mypyramid.gov/. A well balanced diet is a great prevention against the flu, cancer, lupus, etc.
Want additional help from a live human being? Mama Bear Productions offers Personal Nutrition Consultations. If you want a reliable source, someone who has your best interest in mind, with 10 years of experience in the nutrition field, call Mary Beth Potrykus at 810-813-3308 for your free Personal Nutrition Consultation. Consultations are confidential and are available in person or on the phone.
To your health and happiness,
Mary Beth
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
B Vitamins and Breast Cancer
The following information is from Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University via Dr. Stephen Chaney.
Today we're going to look at a study called the "The Women's Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study".
I've already told you that in the same study vitamin E reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 23% for those women with a previous history of cardiovascular disease (Cook et al., Arch. Intern. Med., 167: 1610 - 1618, 2007).
Today I'm going to talk about the results of another part of the study - the effects of B vitamins on the risk of invasive cancer, particularly breast cancer, in women.
In this portion of the study 5442 female health professionals received a daily vitamin pill containing
2.5 mg of folate, 50 mg of vitamin B6 and 1 mg of vitamin B12 or a placebo and were followed for an average of 7.3 years.
The headlines that you may have seen said "B vitamins do not prevent total cancer or breast cancer in women".
But, once again, the headlines did not tell the whole story.
In the women who were 65 years old or older, B vitamin supplementation reduced the risk of total invasive cancer by 25% and the risk of breast cancer by 38%. So the headlines could just as well have said "B vitamins reduce the risk of total cancer and breast cancer in older women".
But I guess that wasn't deemed to be newsworthy.
Dr. Stephen Chaney, PhD
How you can get all B vitamins, is simple. Click here.
Today we're going to look at a study called the "The Women's Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study".
I've already told you that in the same study vitamin E reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 23% for those women with a previous history of cardiovascular disease (Cook et al., Arch. Intern. Med., 167: 1610 - 1618, 2007).
Today I'm going to talk about the results of another part of the study - the effects of B vitamins on the risk of invasive cancer, particularly breast cancer, in women.
In this portion of the study 5442 female health professionals received a daily vitamin pill containing
2.5 mg of folate, 50 mg of vitamin B6 and 1 mg of vitamin B12 or a placebo and were followed for an average of 7.3 years.
The headlines that you may have seen said "B vitamins do not prevent total cancer or breast cancer in women".
But, once again, the headlines did not tell the whole story.
In the women who were 65 years old or older, B vitamin supplementation reduced the risk of total invasive cancer by 25% and the risk of breast cancer by 38%. So the headlines could just as well have said "B vitamins reduce the risk of total cancer and breast cancer in older women".
But I guess that wasn't deemed to be newsworthy.
Dr. Stephen Chaney, PhD
How you can get all B vitamins, is simple. Click here.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
An aspirin a day
Another popular myth has been busted!
I'm sure that you have heard this one before.
Many doctors advise their patients to take a baby aspirin every day to reduce their risk of heart attack.
Is this good advice?
Probably not, accordingly to a new study done by Dr.
Gerry Fowlkes of the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Edinburgh Scotland.
In a study that he presented at the most recent meeting of the European Society for Cardiology in Barcelona Spain he and his colleagues followed 3,000 men at very high risk for developing heart disease for an average of eight years.
Half of the group was randomly assigned to take an aspirin every day and the other half was given a placebo.
At the end of eight years there was no difference in the rate of heart attacks or stroke - or risk of death from any cause - between the two groups.
In other words, an aspirin a day did not decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke and had no discernable health benefits in this study.
Even worse, there were 34 major bleeds in people taking the aspirin compared to only 20 in people taking the placebo.
And if you looked at internal bleeding that was so serious that it required hospitalization, the risk was almost double for the aspirin users compared to the placebo users.
The conclusion of this study was that for otherwise healthy people the risks of taking aspirin outweigh the benefits.
The scientists cautioned that for people who have already had a heart attack the benefits of taking an aspirin a day might outweigh the risks.
But I would encourage you to investigate natural alternates rather than relying on a drug to reduce your risk of heart disease.
For example several recent clinical studies have shown that as little as 500 mg/day of omega-3 fatty acids, whether from fish or from supplements, can reduce the risk of a second heart attack in someone who has already had one heart attack by 30-40%.
And, of course, the Landmark study showed that people who have used the Shaklee supplements for 20 years or more have 1/3 the incidence of angina, heart attack, stroke or congestive heart failure as do people using other company's multivitamins or no supplements at all.
Information was provided by Dr. Stephen Chaney
For information on Shaklee products, click here.
I'm sure that you have heard this one before.
Many doctors advise their patients to take a baby aspirin every day to reduce their risk of heart attack.
Is this good advice?
Probably not, accordingly to a new study done by Dr.
Gerry Fowlkes of the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Edinburgh Scotland.
In a study that he presented at the most recent meeting of the European Society for Cardiology in Barcelona Spain he and his colleagues followed 3,000 men at very high risk for developing heart disease for an average of eight years.
Half of the group was randomly assigned to take an aspirin every day and the other half was given a placebo.
At the end of eight years there was no difference in the rate of heart attacks or stroke - or risk of death from any cause - between the two groups.
In other words, an aspirin a day did not decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke and had no discernable health benefits in this study.
Even worse, there were 34 major bleeds in people taking the aspirin compared to only 20 in people taking the placebo.
And if you looked at internal bleeding that was so serious that it required hospitalization, the risk was almost double for the aspirin users compared to the placebo users.
The conclusion of this study was that for otherwise healthy people the risks of taking aspirin outweigh the benefits.
The scientists cautioned that for people who have already had a heart attack the benefits of taking an aspirin a day might outweigh the risks.
But I would encourage you to investigate natural alternates rather than relying on a drug to reduce your risk of heart disease.
For example several recent clinical studies have shown that as little as 500 mg/day of omega-3 fatty acids, whether from fish or from supplements, can reduce the risk of a second heart attack in someone who has already had one heart attack by 30-40%.
And, of course, the Landmark study showed that people who have used the Shaklee supplements for 20 years or more have 1/3 the incidence of angina, heart attack, stroke or congestive heart failure as do people using other company's multivitamins or no supplements at all.
Information was provided by Dr. Stephen Chaney
For information on Shaklee products, click here.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Swine Flu--Shot or Not
If you are questioning whether you should get the Swine Flu Shot(s), yes doctors recommend two shots, here is reliable advice from a friend of mine, Dr. Stephen Chaney. Take a moment to read this valuable information and then decide.
The concern of the British and US governments is based solely on the fact that a similar swine flu vaccine killed more people than it helped in the US in 1976.
Shortly after swine flu vaccinations started in 1976 people started coming down with Guillian-Barre Syndrome. By the time vaccinations were halted 10 weeks latter, 500 people had developed the disease and 25 people had died - more than were killed by the virus itself.
It was estimated that one in 80,000 people who were given that swine flu shot developed Guillian-Barre Syndrome, compared to the one in a million who develop the disease when given most seasonal flu shots.
However, I want to emphasize that there is no direct evidence that the current swine flu shot increases the risk of Guillian-Barre Syndrome more than the regular seasonal flu shots. The British and US governments simply view their warning letters to neurologists as a reasonable precaution under the circumstances.
In short, the risk of developing Guillian-Barre Syndrome or some other serious complication (miscarriages and sudden death are the other complications of most flu vaccines) from the swine flu shot is probably very, very small. It may be no greater than the one in a million chance of developing the disease that is associated with most flu vaccines - but it is not zero.
Now let's turn to the issue of effectiveness. There are several things that you should know about the effectiveness of the swine flu shot.
In the first place, there has been an active debate in the scientific community as to whether one shot or two shots will be required to give adequate protection against the swine flu.
Some scientists still think that two shots would be the better option. However, stocks of swine flu vaccine are limited so the recommendation is probably going to be for one shot so that as many people can be immunized as possible.
Secondly, you should know that the swine flu vaccine offers no protection against the seasonal flu and vice versa. Since both strains of flu will be around this fall & winter you need to be vaccinated against both if you really want to avoid the flu.
Finally, there is an interesting age distribution in regard to the susceptibility to the swine flu. It turns out that it is the young people who are most susceptible to the swine flu.
Those of us who are over 50 were apparently exposed to something similar to the current swine flu virus in the past, so we have some residual immunity.
That's important because it turns out that the swine flu virus is no more deadly than the usual seasonal flu virus. What that means is that the age group that is most susceptible to the swine flu is also the age group for which the swine flu is most likely to be merely a 3 to 5 day inconvenience.
The bottom line is that most immunizations make great sense from a public health perspective and for high risk individuals, which is why they are so strongly supported by the medical community.
However, for healthy individuals with strong immune systems and no pre-existing diseases the risk-benefit ratios are a not so clear cut. Sometimes the risks can outweigh the benefits.
That brings me to the last question - should you get a swine flu shot?
If you are a healthy individual that is a very personal decision, and I won't presume to make it for you. I've just given you some facts that you may not have known about to ponder as you make that decision.
For people who are at risk for developing severe complications from the swine flu itself (young children, pregnant women, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and people with pre- existing diseases like diabetes) this is a decision that you should make in consultation with your physician.
To your health!
Dr. Stephen Chaney, PhD
The concern of the British and US governments is based solely on the fact that a similar swine flu vaccine killed more people than it helped in the US in 1976.
Shortly after swine flu vaccinations started in 1976 people started coming down with Guillian-Barre Syndrome. By the time vaccinations were halted 10 weeks latter, 500 people had developed the disease and 25 people had died - more than were killed by the virus itself.
It was estimated that one in 80,000 people who were given that swine flu shot developed Guillian-Barre Syndrome, compared to the one in a million who develop the disease when given most seasonal flu shots.
However, I want to emphasize that there is no direct evidence that the current swine flu shot increases the risk of Guillian-Barre Syndrome more than the regular seasonal flu shots. The British and US governments simply view their warning letters to neurologists as a reasonable precaution under the circumstances.
In short, the risk of developing Guillian-Barre Syndrome or some other serious complication (miscarriages and sudden death are the other complications of most flu vaccines) from the swine flu shot is probably very, very small. It may be no greater than the one in a million chance of developing the disease that is associated with most flu vaccines - but it is not zero.
Now let's turn to the issue of effectiveness. There are several things that you should know about the effectiveness of the swine flu shot.
In the first place, there has been an active debate in the scientific community as to whether one shot or two shots will be required to give adequate protection against the swine flu.
Some scientists still think that two shots would be the better option. However, stocks of swine flu vaccine are limited so the recommendation is probably going to be for one shot so that as many people can be immunized as possible.
Secondly, you should know that the swine flu vaccine offers no protection against the seasonal flu and vice versa. Since both strains of flu will be around this fall & winter you need to be vaccinated against both if you really want to avoid the flu.
Finally, there is an interesting age distribution in regard to the susceptibility to the swine flu. It turns out that it is the young people who are most susceptible to the swine flu.
Those of us who are over 50 were apparently exposed to something similar to the current swine flu virus in the past, so we have some residual immunity.
That's important because it turns out that the swine flu virus is no more deadly than the usual seasonal flu virus. What that means is that the age group that is most susceptible to the swine flu is also the age group for which the swine flu is most likely to be merely a 3 to 5 day inconvenience.
The bottom line is that most immunizations make great sense from a public health perspective and for high risk individuals, which is why they are so strongly supported by the medical community.
However, for healthy individuals with strong immune systems and no pre-existing diseases the risk-benefit ratios are a not so clear cut. Sometimes the risks can outweigh the benefits.
That brings me to the last question - should you get a swine flu shot?
If you are a healthy individual that is a very personal decision, and I won't presume to make it for you. I've just given you some facts that you may not have known about to ponder as you make that decision.
For people who are at risk for developing severe complications from the swine flu itself (young children, pregnant women, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and people with pre- existing diseases like diabetes) this is a decision that you should make in consultation with your physician.
To your health!
Dr. Stephen Chaney, PhD
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