Category Archives: anti-aging

How Do I Select a Protein Powder?

Leave a reply

In general, most protein powders readily available to consumers are filled with unnecessary sugars and even artificial sweeteners.   Essentially, most are packaged foods and contain a lot of junk – including ingredients that you wouldn’t find in your grandmother’s pantry, can’t pronounce and wouldn’t grow in your own garden.

Look for the following qualities in your protein powder:

  1. Opt for plant-based protein powders made with hypoallergenic ingredients such as hemp, rice or pea (or even a combo). Specifically, avoid whey protein (a common ingredient in many health store protein powders) unless you are certain that you tolerate dairy.  Most whey protein is denatured and sweetened and thus, biologically ineffective.  If a product has whey in it, be sure to look for “whey protein concentrate” and avoid whey in its isolate form.
  1. Low toxicity. Ensure your protein powder is third party certified stating the product is low in heavy metals and toxic residue.  You can verify your protein powder is high quality by looking for a GMP label certifying that the product was manufactured in a facility adhering to proper industry production standards.
  1. Pure and Simple. Protein powder doesn’t have to come all dazzled up with extra reinforcements such as probiotics, green or red plant powders, vitamins, fats or super nutrients.  Often, product manufacturers make the consumer feel like they are getting greater value by listing a whole bunch of additives.  The truth is that the minute amount and the quality of these added ingredients makes them  ineffective.
  1. There should be only one ingredient in your protein powder – the source of protein.  There should be no additional sweeteners or flavorings.  This is easier said than done.  If all you can find is sweetened powders, then look for one that uses REAL sugar as the sweetener.  When reading the label, look for these ingredients:  real vanilla (or chocolate), and real cane sugar.  Avoid products that list “natural flavoring,” high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or sucralose.  Additionally, avoid any ingredient that ends in “ol” such as –  sorbitol, maltitol, erythritol or xylitol.  Bottom line – a little added sugar is fine but again – keep it real!

Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD.

How Cancer, Diabetes, and Other Health Concerns Can Be Addressed by Changing What You Eat

Leave a reply

Adapted from Heather McClees

WHO recommends that we eat 9 to 13 servings of vegetables and fruit daily. A serving equals 1/2 cup, cooked, or 1 cup uncooked. A cup being 250ml capacity. Another blogpost, ‘What should I eat’ explains serving size with illustrations.

Why should we eat so much of vegetables – preferably organic?

Simple, because we can avoid the following chronic illnesses. That’s it. No medicines, no costly investigations, no fear of illness. Safe and low cost, low maintenance.

1. Cancer

Let’s start with a biggie, shall we? Plant-based nutrition is now something the American Cancer Society promotes as the smart way to go. A whole foods, plant-based diet is full of all the right foods to fight cancer right where it starts: at the cellular process where what you eat is literally what you become.

2. Diabetes

Another biggie to tackle is Type 2 diabetes. That doesn’t mean those with Type 1 should ignore the research either. A plant-based diet can normalize blood sugar levels due to the high amounts of fiber and reduce inflammation, weight gain, and arterial plaque that comes from diabetes and is now promoted as the way to eat by many medical organizations.

3. Obesity

Plants like whole grains, beans, greens, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and fruits all promote a healthy waistline, heart, and fill you up so you’re never hungry and resort to unhealthy eating patterns. A plant-based diet has helped people all over the world lose weight, and has been shown to be the most effective at helping individuals overcome food addictions and overeating.

4. Heart Disease

Whole grains lower cholesterol and clear the arteries, beans and legumes do the same while providing protein and antioxidants, and veggies, leafy greens, and fruits all contain powerful antioxidants such as vitamins and minerals for the heart. Nuts and seeds also contain healthy fats that happen to be free of cholesterol and that are also rich in anti-inflammatory protein and beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. Studies have confirmed that a diet high in whole foods, plant-based fibers reduces cardiovascular disease and has even been found to completely prevent and reverse heart disease.

5. Chronic Inflammation (Arthritis, Gout, Joint Pain)

Greens,vegetables, herbs, seaweeds, some fruits and grains, and raw nuts and seeds are some of the best foods to eat to combat inflammation.

Stay Healthy!

Triclosan – Do You See This Word in Your Home?

Leave a reply

Triclosan is an antibacterial compound added to soap, toothpaste and household cleaning agents, in the belief that disinfecting our surroundings is good for health.

Yes it is. But there’s a BUT.

Routinely disinfecting our body and surroundings may actually cause far more harm than good in the long run.

Not only does it promote the development of drug-resistant bacteria, but antibacterial compounds such as triclosan have also been linked to a number or harmful health effects, especially in young children.

Triclosan has been linked to:

  • Allergies
  • Thyroid dysfunction
  • Hormone disruption
  • Weight gain
  • Inflammation leading to disease

Most recently, triclosan was found to aggravate the growth of liver and kidney tumors.

Besides hand soaps and products specifically marketed as antibacterial, triclosan can also be found in a number of other household and personal care products, including cutting boards, toys, acne cream, and even toothpaste.

images (1)

At present, Colgate Total is the only triclosan-containing toothpaste sold in the US, but it’s a best-seller—chances are you have a tube in your bathroom right now. If you do, consider this: if triclosan can cause serious health problems when used topically, using it in your mouth is likely even worse, as chemicals are readily absorbed into your oral tissues.

Colgate claims its product is safe, of course, citing a Cochrane Review as supporting evidence. However, the authors, Philip Riley and Thomas Lamont, specifically noted that the studies did not allow them to assess any long-term side effects.

Warm water and a mild soap is really all you need to scrub off the germs. Even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that “there is currently no evidence that [antibacterial soaps] are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water.”

Proper Hand Washing Techniques

In one recent study, only five percent of people washed their hands in a way that would actually kill infection and illness-causing germs. So, to make sure you’re actually removing the germs when you wash your hands,

  • Use warm, running water and a mild soap (avoid antibacterial soap)
  • Work up a good lather, all the way up to your wrists, scrubbing for at least 15 or 20 seconds (most people only wash for about 6 seconds)
  • Make sure you cover all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers, and around and below your fingernails
  • Rinse thoroughly under running water
  • In public places, use a paper towel to open the door to protect from germs on the handles. Avoid hot air hand driers, they encourage growth of bacteria by fostering a warm, humid environment.

images

Keeping Yourself and Your Home Clean, Safely

It is highly advisable to ditch all chemical disinfectants, including antibacterial soaps, laundry detergents, and bath and kitchen cleansers, in favor of more natural alternatives.

Coconut oil also has potent disinfectant properties, and can be used to disinfect wooden cutting boards. Sunlight is another powerful disinfectant.

Truly, there’s no need to expose your family to dangerous chemical disinfectants. As an added bonus aside from the health benefits, using natural cleansers is much less expensive than commercial varieties.

Be Informed. And Be Healthy.

 

Why an Integrative Medicine approach to Illness

Leave a reply

I have been involved with Integrative Medicine (IM) since 8 years now, including it in my Gynecology practice, and since almost a year now I am practicing it full time. I have given away my laparoscopy equipment, since I am thoroughly convinced about the potential, the results and the logic of an Integrative approach to healing.

Anyone who is following my blog, or has knowledge about the subject, knows that the approach is very simple – get the body into balance so that it can heal itself.

Once the body is in balance, it can recover. Illness can recede, paving the way to good health. Without any side effects. Contrast with the traditional approach, which I practised for 30 years. Never could we claim to reverse chronic conditions, only control them, often at the cost of possible damage to other organs from side effects of the synthetic medicines.

images

It is self evident that, even someone who chooses to follow the traditional route to treating illness, will benefit from adopting IM principles. After all, we are what we eat so it follows that if we eat well, our nutritional status and therefore our immune status, is optimum. And if immune status is optimum, no illness can come close, be it a respiratory infection, or diabetes, or even cancer.

That is the reason everyone – ‘normal healthy’ individuals, or persons taking traditional treatment for any illness – cardiovascular disease, acne, cancer, anything – will always benefit from following IM principles. It can only help faster and more complete recovery. There is NO downside.

Just BeHealthy. And StayHealthy!

 

Image Courtesy Google