Monday, December 14, 2009
December's (and final) NYR - A Must-See Film of 2009
Ready Or Not! It's your last 2009 Earth Shattering/Life Enhancing New Year's Revolution!!
Go to your local video store and rent FOOD INC. It's a documentary film produced by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlooser and features Michael Pollan
I can't stress enough how out of hand the commercial food industry has gotten in the past decade. Where and how our food is grown and processed has been kept a secret from us long enough. Enough to have done a lot of damage to our body's systems and cost us a fortune in health care costs. The film explains why the E.coli virus has become a huge problem in our food supply. How cheap and subsidised (also genetically modified) corn is in practically every food in our supermarkets. Even if you don't eat processed and packaged food you'll get corn in your beef since this cheap grain is feed to cows to get them as fat (resulting in disease) as quickly as possible (as profitable to the growers as possible).
The excuse of not having enough money for quality food will catch up to you in the long run. (pay now or pay your doctor and hospital later)
Because we subsidize corn, we can grab a $99 cent hamburger for lunch so we then spend more on luxury items that are beyond our means but this comes at a tremendous cost to our health and to the environment as well. A cow that is fed corn and lives on a commercial feedlot not only lives a horrible life but contributes to methane gas now known to be a huge contributor to green house gas emissions. Healthy cows fed grass (their natural diet) in a pasture don't produce anywhere close to same amount of methane gas. They don't have the potential of getting and spreading E.coli bacteria and they offer us more much more nutrition depending on the quality of soil the grass is grown in. Our choices create better health for the cow, ourselves and the environment. Our doctor's and hospitals are overloaded enough!
Cast your vote for improved food every time you shop!
Once enough of us votes for clean healthy food by our supermarkets' (hopefully in Co-Ops and farmer's markets) choices we will create the change needed in our commercial food supply. Seek out your local farmers that raise grass fed beef, free-range chickens and eggs and stock up your freezer to save money. Value home-cooked and prepared meals over time spent shopping in the mall. The food industry lobby in Washington D.C. is very strong and works hard to protect the sky high profits it's small group of growers make from the current system in place. The only way they would change their practices is if we stopped frequenting fast food restaurants, gave up on 'corn-filled' packaged food and drinks and purchased only grass-fed & free-range.
Be a force for change!
I know this film will leave you feeling outraged and there are many ways you can get your voice heard. I highly recommend becoming a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation. You can go to their website (I have it posted in my links) to access a wealth of information from getting your voice heard in Washington and congressional updates to expert nutritional advice. Also becoming a subscriber to Dr. Mercola's e-newsletter on his website (see my links) hooks you up to the latest in wellness products and information.
sCongratulations on the changes you have made to improve your health and environment in 2009! Wishing you an even better 2010!
In health and happiness,
-Lisa Mitchell
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
November N.Y.R. - Need To Lose Weight? Never Cut Calories!!
If you want to permanently loose weight don't follow a Calorie-restricted Diet!!
You've likely tried some sort of calorie-restricted diet plan since there are currently over 2,000 diet books to choose from. Do people simply eat too much? Nope. The reason obesity is becoming epidemic isn't how much we eat, it's what and when we eat. The great news is that you don't have to starve or punish yourself with hours in the gym to lose weight. HOWEVER, you do need to learn how to eat right in order to bring your body back into balance so that it will function at an optimal level.
Restricting Calories can over-stress your body
By restricting calories, important hormones and enzymes are disrupted. Skipping meals elevates stress hormones followed by releasing stored glycogen from the liver into the blood to raise your blood sugar. If this stress signal is repeated, (yo-yoing between high and low blood sugar) your body is not in an ideal state for losing weight. Eating too many carbs or not enough of the right foods keeps insulin levels high (the body thinks: famine! store energy!) and extra calories can get stored in fat cells. Inactive muscles adds to the problem and you become progressively insulin resistant. A red flag for insulin resistance is fat accumulating in the middle of your body. From there, muscles and fat cells become progressively less sensitive to insulin, blood sugar rises forcing the pancreas to overwork. Eventually, you'll become a Type II diabetic!
This whole process keeps you in a 'fight-or-flight' mode that will leave you tired. Inevitably, people use coffee, soda and sweets to compensate for the energy deficit. Then your adrenal glands get exhausted and chronic fatigue symptoms could result.
Counting Calories approach is seriously flawed
50-70% of all the calories you consume are used to generate the heat and life energy to keep your cells working! Another 5-15% is needed for digestion and elimination. Another variable is the X-Factor or your daily activities and individual body functions based on genetic, hormonal and environmental factors. If you follow fad diets or eat incorrectly for your metabolic type, your blood sugar balance is disrupted, energy production is inefficient and your cells must slow down because your meal is causing stress on your body instead of aiding in smooth operations.
Without the right mix and adequate fuel, you drastically increase your chances of slowing your metabolism and becoming fat.
The link between when you eat and your health
For most, particularly women wanting to restore or elevate their metabolic rate, breakfast should be the largest meal of the day, comprising as much as 25% of your daily calories. All breakfast meals must contain proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the correct ratio for your metabolic type. A proper breakfast provides staying power and energy. Snacks between meals that constantly reassure your body that energy and nutrition are on board often results in an elevated metabolism.
Constantly hungry?
If you are constantly hungry and have gained weight from eating too much you may really be thirsty. In his book, Your body's Many Cries For Water, Dr Batmanghelidj explains that hunger pangs are frequently a symptom of dehydration. Drinking water gives you energy and aids in digestion, enzymatic actions and energy production throughout the body. You are also less likely to consume soda and pick-me-up foods that throw off your blood sugar and cause stress on the body.
Here's what you need to do to lose weight:
1. Eat right for your metabolic type and never diet! (see my May NYR post for info)
2. Eat regularly to satisfy hunger. Consume slightly smaller main meals and include snacks to elevate your metabolic rate.
3. Eat high-quality food
4. Drink plenty of water. Half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
5. Move! Start and maintain an exercise program or take the stairs and walk often.
6. Go to sleep by 10:30pm. Disrupting your sleep/wake cycles puts more stress on your body and increases weight gain because of hormonal imbalances (see August NYR post for info)
7. Give away or recycle your diet books!!
You've likely tried some sort of calorie-restricted diet plan since there are currently over 2,000 diet books to choose from. Do people simply eat too much? Nope. The reason obesity is becoming epidemic isn't how much we eat, it's what and when we eat. The great news is that you don't have to starve or punish yourself with hours in the gym to lose weight. HOWEVER, you do need to learn how to eat right in order to bring your body back into balance so that it will function at an optimal level.
Restricting Calories can over-stress your body
By restricting calories, important hormones and enzymes are disrupted. Skipping meals elevates stress hormones followed by releasing stored glycogen from the liver into the blood to raise your blood sugar. If this stress signal is repeated, (yo-yoing between high and low blood sugar) your body is not in an ideal state for losing weight. Eating too many carbs or not enough of the right foods keeps insulin levels high (the body thinks: famine! store energy!) and extra calories can get stored in fat cells. Inactive muscles adds to the problem and you become progressively insulin resistant. A red flag for insulin resistance is fat accumulating in the middle of your body. From there, muscles and fat cells become progressively less sensitive to insulin, blood sugar rises forcing the pancreas to overwork. Eventually, you'll become a Type II diabetic!
This whole process keeps you in a 'fight-or-flight' mode that will leave you tired. Inevitably, people use coffee, soda and sweets to compensate for the energy deficit. Then your adrenal glands get exhausted and chronic fatigue symptoms could result.
Counting Calories approach is seriously flawed
50-70% of all the calories you consume are used to generate the heat and life energy to keep your cells working! Another 5-15% is needed for digestion and elimination. Another variable is the X-Factor or your daily activities and individual body functions based on genetic, hormonal and environmental factors. If you follow fad diets or eat incorrectly for your metabolic type, your blood sugar balance is disrupted, energy production is inefficient and your cells must slow down because your meal is causing stress on your body instead of aiding in smooth operations.
Without the right mix and adequate fuel, you drastically increase your chances of slowing your metabolism and becoming fat.
The link between when you eat and your health
For most, particularly women wanting to restore or elevate their metabolic rate, breakfast should be the largest meal of the day, comprising as much as 25% of your daily calories. All breakfast meals must contain proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the correct ratio for your metabolic type. A proper breakfast provides staying power and energy. Snacks between meals that constantly reassure your body that energy and nutrition are on board often results in an elevated metabolism.
Constantly hungry?
If you are constantly hungry and have gained weight from eating too much you may really be thirsty. In his book, Your body's Many Cries For Water, Dr Batmanghelidj explains that hunger pangs are frequently a symptom of dehydration. Drinking water gives you energy and aids in digestion, enzymatic actions and energy production throughout the body. You are also less likely to consume soda and pick-me-up foods that throw off your blood sugar and cause stress on the body.
Here's what you need to do to lose weight:
1. Eat right for your metabolic type and never diet! (see my May NYR post for info)
2. Eat regularly to satisfy hunger. Consume slightly smaller main meals and include snacks to elevate your metabolic rate.
3. Eat high-quality food
4. Drink plenty of water. Half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
5. Move! Start and maintain an exercise program or take the stairs and walk often.
6. Go to sleep by 10:30pm. Disrupting your sleep/wake cycles puts more stress on your body and increases weight gain because of hormonal imbalances (see August NYR post for info)
7. Give away or recycle your diet books!!
Friday, October 2, 2009
October N.Y.R. - Fats: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Unsaturated Vegetable Oils Can Be Toxic???!!!
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/unsaturated-oils.shtml
This month I am providing a link to a critically important article written by Dr. Ray Peat on unsaturated vegetable oils. This is going to change what you may have considered to be so-called 'Healthy Oils' and this guy has done the research and has the science to back this up. So many recent articles and publications promote EFA's without consideration of rancidity, the formation of harmful free radicals and oxidative damage. We're talking hormone imbalances and immune system damage so this is definitely worth your while to read!!!
Let me introduce you to your new little friend......coconut oil. You're going to live a long, happy and healthy life together!
In Health And Wellness,
Lisa ;-)
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/unsaturated-oils.shtml
This month I am providing a link to a critically important article written by Dr. Ray Peat on unsaturated vegetable oils. This is going to change what you may have considered to be so-called 'Healthy Oils' and this guy has done the research and has the science to back this up. So many recent articles and publications promote EFA's without consideration of rancidity, the formation of harmful free radicals and oxidative damage. We're talking hormone imbalances and immune system damage so this is definitely worth your while to read!!!
Let me introduce you to your new little friend......coconut oil. You're going to live a long, happy and healthy life together!
In Health And Wellness,
Lisa ;-)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Scientific Fact: Perception (beliefs) create your biology (physical health)
Scientific breakthroughs in the last 10 years will rewrite future textbooks. Just listen to Dr. Bruce Lipton's explanation in my video bar and you will be convinced. (whole lecture is in 7 parts) It's not the nucleus of the cell that powers life...it's the proteins around it that are affected by signals from your environment. Can't blame your heredity or genes for how your life will unfold. Dr. Lipton completely changed his thoughts about how life worked after this discovery became evident. His book is 'Biology of Belief'' and after you read it you realize you are not longer a victim of your circumstances (but instead you have created and continue to create your life from your perceptions/beliefs. Did you think life was random chance?? There is scientific evidence now of this....it's not a 'new-age' theory of how life works.
What you believe about yourself and the world around you has more of an effect on your health than optimum nutrition. Wow...reason enough to make this an very important focus in your life huh?
What you believe about yourself and the world around you has more of an effect on your health than optimum nutrition. Wow...reason enough to make this an very important focus in your life huh?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
September N.Y.R. - Burn Your Bra and Trash Your Antiperspirant?!
Come On Now.......My Bra and/or Antiperspirant Could Cause Cancer????
Well, yes, there is research that shows that the wrong selection of either of these can result, over time, in serious health problems...even cancer. Many physicians and researchers agree that a tight fitting bra can restrict lymph drainage contributing to the development of breast cancer. According to Dr. John McDougall, MD, constricting bras have been implicated in the rise of often painful (sometimes precancerous) benign lumps and cysts.
Far Worse For Your Health Is The Underwire Bra!
As described by Dr. John D. Andre, ND, "under your breasts are two important neurolymphatic reflex points and if a women keeps metal under wire on top of these points, that WILL mess up the functioning of the associated circuits: Liver, Gallbladder and Stomach. Bottom Line: It will make her sick, slowly and quietly." The medical anthropologists and authors of Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras, found in their research that overall women who wore their bras 24-hours a day compared to women who didn't wear a bra at all was a 125-fold difference. They also determined that the link between bras and breast cancer was 3 times greater than between breast cancer and cigarette smoking. Japanese researchers found that wearing underwire bras lowers women's melatonin levels by 60%. This hormone is involved in the regulation of your sleep cycles and melatonin has anti-cancer activities, is a powerful antioxidant and prevents DNA damage.
Check Your Deodorant for 'Aluminum'
"Aluminum is a common ingredient found in antiperspirants to stop skin sweating and may be linked to breast cancer", a study by British scientists found. Researchers found aluminum deposits in the outer breast tissue of women with breast cancer who had undergone mastectomies. Aluminum is not normally found in human body. (Some sunscreens also contain aluminum). Other studies also suggest that aluminum on skin tissue may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease and skin cancer
What You Need To Do: Healthier Options Are Available
If you feel the need for underwire, consider taking a look at BraMakersSupply.com or your local fabric store for swapping our your metal wire for plastic wire (only $2 per pair). If your breasts are on the smaller side look for wire-less styles of bras that come in many styles including ones with extra padding.
Regarding antiperspirants, less problematic than antiperspirants are deodorants. They neutralize the smell of sweat but do not stop sweating. Check out your health food store for aluminum-free deodorants (paraben-free as well). Remember that what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream eventually.
Smart Choices
Life is all about choices and to me this is a pretty easy one to make when it comes to prevention against one of the leading types of cancer among women. Make a meaningful change that can help you have a healthier body and life.
Well, yes, there is research that shows that the wrong selection of either of these can result, over time, in serious health problems...even cancer. Many physicians and researchers agree that a tight fitting bra can restrict lymph drainage contributing to the development of breast cancer. According to Dr. John McDougall, MD, constricting bras have been implicated in the rise of often painful (sometimes precancerous) benign lumps and cysts.
Far Worse For Your Health Is The Underwire Bra!
As described by Dr. John D. Andre, ND, "under your breasts are two important neurolymphatic reflex points and if a women keeps metal under wire on top of these points, that WILL mess up the functioning of the associated circuits: Liver, Gallbladder and Stomach. Bottom Line: It will make her sick, slowly and quietly." The medical anthropologists and authors of Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras, found in their research that overall women who wore their bras 24-hours a day compared to women who didn't wear a bra at all was a 125-fold difference. They also determined that the link between bras and breast cancer was 3 times greater than between breast cancer and cigarette smoking. Japanese researchers found that wearing underwire bras lowers women's melatonin levels by 60%. This hormone is involved in the regulation of your sleep cycles and melatonin has anti-cancer activities, is a powerful antioxidant and prevents DNA damage.
Check Your Deodorant for 'Aluminum'
"Aluminum is a common ingredient found in antiperspirants to stop skin sweating and may be linked to breast cancer", a study by British scientists found. Researchers found aluminum deposits in the outer breast tissue of women with breast cancer who had undergone mastectomies. Aluminum is not normally found in human body. (Some sunscreens also contain aluminum). Other studies also suggest that aluminum on skin tissue may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease and skin cancer
What You Need To Do: Healthier Options Are Available
If you feel the need for underwire, consider taking a look at BraMakersSupply.com or your local fabric store for swapping our your metal wire for plastic wire (only $2 per pair). If your breasts are on the smaller side look for wire-less styles of bras that come in many styles including ones with extra padding.
Regarding antiperspirants, less problematic than antiperspirants are deodorants. They neutralize the smell of sweat but do not stop sweating. Check out your health food store for aluminum-free deodorants (paraben-free as well). Remember that what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream eventually.
Smart Choices
Life is all about choices and to me this is a pretty easy one to make when it comes to prevention against one of the leading types of cancer among women. Make a meaningful change that can help you have a healthier body and life.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
August N.Y.R. - Important Health Factor: Sleep/Wake Cycles
What The Heck Is A Circadian Cycle?
Well, it's a natural physiological cycle of about 24 hours that persists even in the absence of external cues. In other words, your natural sleep/wake cycle that we lived by for thousands of years before our world of bright light at the touch of a switch. Whenever light stimulates your skin or eyes, regardless of the source, your brain and hormonal system think it's morning. Your hormonal system naturally releases an activating hormone cortisol. This activates the body and prepares it for movement, work combat or whatever may be necessary for survival. As the day progresses, the levels of cortisol decrease and the body increases it's growth and repair hormone or melatonin.
Natural Sleep/Wake Cycle
As the sun rises, our cortisol levels rise and peak between 6:00am and 9:00am. They drop a little but remain high through midday. From 12:00pm on, cortisol levels begin dropping significantly, especially as the sun goes down. We start to wind down as the sun sets and should fall asleep by about 10:00pm. Physical repairs mostly take place when the body is asleep, between about 10:00pm and 2:00am. After 2:00am, the immune and repair energies are more focused on psychogenic (mental) repair, which lasts until we awaken about 6:00am.
Effects Of The Disruption Of Your Sleep/Wake Cycle
Disrupted cycles prevent the normal release of melatonin, growth hormones, and important immune factors, cutting into your immune system's valuable repair time. People who work graveyard shifts commonly have a laundry list of nagging musculoskeletal injuries, and increased incidence of headaches, a sagging personality and even neurological disorders. Excessive production of cortisol leads to adrenal fatigue which presents itself in any number of ways including chronic fatigue syndrome, viral infections, bacterial and fungal infections and headaches.
Watch Out For
Stimulants - Reaching for caffeine, sugar and tobacco when you get tired in late afternoon excites your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) triggering the release of cortisol. Extending this release throughout the day cuts into your psychogenic repair time. Caffeine, for example, has a half-life of 6hrs so if you have caffeine at 4:00pm, you will still have 1/2 the mg of it in your blood stream at 10:00pm.
Electromagnetic Pollution - Low frequency electromagnetic energies like power lines, electrical circuits in your walls, electrical appliances and TV's can disrupt your natural sleep/wake cycles.
Entrainment - You can be synchronized to a dysfunctional schedule in as little as 7-21 days. If you stay up past midnight long enough and your internal body clock will become trained to wait until midnight to start reducing cortisol output and increasing melatonin production.
What You Need To Do
Go to sleep by 10:30pm !! Minimize your exposure to bright lights for at least 2 hours before going to bed. Sleep in a room that is completely dark. Avoid stimulants after lunch. Eat right for your metabolic type especially at dinner. Drink plenty of water since the body is stressed once dehydrated and will produce stress hormones. Getting some type of exercise during the day will generally help you sleep better at night. Unplug all electrical appliances in your bedroom including TV's, clocks and lights. Also avoid using an electric blanket (read 'Sleep, Biological Rhythms and Electromagnetic Fields' by Chris Maund in the articles section of the website: http://www.chekinstitute.com/.
Well, it's a natural physiological cycle of about 24 hours that persists even in the absence of external cues. In other words, your natural sleep/wake cycle that we lived by for thousands of years before our world of bright light at the touch of a switch. Whenever light stimulates your skin or eyes, regardless of the source, your brain and hormonal system think it's morning. Your hormonal system naturally releases an activating hormone cortisol. This activates the body and prepares it for movement, work combat or whatever may be necessary for survival. As the day progresses, the levels of cortisol decrease and the body increases it's growth and repair hormone or melatonin.
Natural Sleep/Wake Cycle
As the sun rises, our cortisol levels rise and peak between 6:00am and 9:00am. They drop a little but remain high through midday. From 12:00pm on, cortisol levels begin dropping significantly, especially as the sun goes down. We start to wind down as the sun sets and should fall asleep by about 10:00pm. Physical repairs mostly take place when the body is asleep, between about 10:00pm and 2:00am. After 2:00am, the immune and repair energies are more focused on psychogenic (mental) repair, which lasts until we awaken about 6:00am.
Effects Of The Disruption Of Your Sleep/Wake Cycle
Disrupted cycles prevent the normal release of melatonin, growth hormones, and important immune factors, cutting into your immune system's valuable repair time. People who work graveyard shifts commonly have a laundry list of nagging musculoskeletal injuries, and increased incidence of headaches, a sagging personality and even neurological disorders. Excessive production of cortisol leads to adrenal fatigue which presents itself in any number of ways including chronic fatigue syndrome, viral infections, bacterial and fungal infections and headaches.
Watch Out For
Stimulants - Reaching for caffeine, sugar and tobacco when you get tired in late afternoon excites your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) triggering the release of cortisol. Extending this release throughout the day cuts into your psychogenic repair time. Caffeine, for example, has a half-life of 6hrs so if you have caffeine at 4:00pm, you will still have 1/2 the mg of it in your blood stream at 10:00pm.
Electromagnetic Pollution - Low frequency electromagnetic energies like power lines, electrical circuits in your walls, electrical appliances and TV's can disrupt your natural sleep/wake cycles.
Entrainment - You can be synchronized to a dysfunctional schedule in as little as 7-21 days. If you stay up past midnight long enough and your internal body clock will become trained to wait until midnight to start reducing cortisol output and increasing melatonin production.
What You Need To Do
Go to sleep by 10:30pm !! Minimize your exposure to bright lights for at least 2 hours before going to bed. Sleep in a room that is completely dark. Avoid stimulants after lunch. Eat right for your metabolic type especially at dinner. Drink plenty of water since the body is stressed once dehydrated and will produce stress hormones. Getting some type of exercise during the day will generally help you sleep better at night. Unplug all electrical appliances in your bedroom including TV's, clocks and lights. Also avoid using an electric blanket (read 'Sleep, Biological Rhythms and Electromagnetic Fields' by Chris Maund in the articles section of the website: http://www.chekinstitute.com/.
Nighty Night!!
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