• Archives

  • Oct8

    Two Ways to Improve Your Flu Immunity: D3 and Vaccines

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, Drug Food Safety, Vitamins and Supplements, Wellness and Health

    Earlier this month, I got a flu shot. I also took 2000IU of vitamin D3.  Some people see this as redundant.  Not me.

    The recent news that pregnant women who get flu shots protect their fetuses and themselves meshes perfectly with the recent news that vitamin D3 is more of a (helpful) steroid hormone than a vitamin. Too little vitamin D means more fatal infections.

    Almost two thirds of the U.S is deficient in vitamin D. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Some scholars believe Vitamin D deficiency is the “seasonal stimulus” for flu epidemics.  In fact, 2000 IU daily prevented nearly 100% of the flu in an excellent RCT study of post-menopausal women.

    Epicurious asked me for a list of flu-fighting foods: I came up with six (actually six categories):

    Quercetin Powerhouse Produce, Vitamin D–Rich Foods, Chicken Soup, Green Tea, Yogurt/Kefir, and Chilies.

    But even these foods should be used in addition to vitamin D3, and a flu shot.

    The more people learn about the relationship between what they eat and their personal health, the fewer medications and devices they are likely to need, and the less disease they are likely to have.

     

  • May17

    Personal Food Revolution #4: Tired, Gassy and Moody? Could It Be Gluten?

    Posted in: Common Conditions, Wellness and Health

    One of the best ways to help people transform their lives and create their own food revolution is to write my patients’ stories: this is #4 of 7.*

    Terri is a 38 year old who traces her tummy problems back to high school. She has had off and on again fatigue, cramping, gas, bloating and mood swings. She has seen 11 doctors, and been told she is a “diagnostic dilemma” and has “atypical bowel syndrome.”

    Terry has celiac disease, an auto-immune reaction to gluten. Celiac is caused by—and can be cured by—what you eat.

    Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley but is often hidden. Spelt and triticale have wheat, millet does not. Most blue cheese and soy sauce are off limits.

    The medicine? Savory, gorgeous gluten-free pasta, nuts, vegetables, meats, seasonings and even beer. They can heal and reverse insomnia, depression and osteoporosis in people with celiac disease.

    Terri re-discovered cooking and began to cure herself.

    She filled herself with the best ingredients—for her. Food became a joy, because she tasted it fully and didn’t overeat. And it changed her life.

    Off gluten, she felt better than she had in 40 years. She gained muscle strength, dropping to a size 8.

    Terri’s case inspired Gluten Free Quiz (www.glutenfreequiz.com) a free self-assessment of your risk for celiac disease.

    *adapted from my ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine.

     

  • May12

    Herbal Supplement Sales Up! But Most Supplements Are From Food, Not Herbs.

    Posted in: Wellness and Health

    Herbalgram published 2009 herbal supplement sales, and the industry is going gangbusters, with nearly $250 billion in sales last year.

    What’s especially interesting to me is that nearly all the top herbal supplements sold are not herbs. Herbs are leaves. Spices are nearly everything else in a plant (bark, flowers, seeds, root). And plants are food: vegetables, nuts, legumes, fruits.

    For the natural foods sellers, the most popular single herbal supplements were aloe, flaxseed oil, wheat grass and barley grass (the latter two are one category, and are the only herbs).

    For mass market sellers, the top-selling herbal singles were cranberry, soy, saw palmetto, garlic, and echinacea. None of these are herbs, even as extracted.

    I think herbal and dietary supplements can do good, and high quality preparations for memory, weight and immunity can help.

    And I also think that food mostly belongs on your plate, as recipes, meals and snacks (putting a snack on a plate makes it feel more substantial, so you eat less and enjoy it more).

    If people knew how to cook with cranberry, soy and garlic, or what to do with flaxseed oil other than chug it, they’d be far ahead of the supplement industry. And way ahead on their health.

     

  • May10

    Pesticides and Cancer: Basic Recommendations

    Posted in: Cancer, Environmental Health

    Anyone who has been in gardening store knows the smell of synthetic artificial pesticides…it wafts into your nose and head as you are walking down the aisle towards the potting soil. That’s herbicide Roundup Ready, and its ilk, and there are now weeds and other plants that are resistant.

    Read More

     

  • Dec8

    Here's a Quick Way to Find Out if YOUR Water is Safe for Your Health

    Posted in: Cancer, Environmental Health, Wellness and Health

    The NY Times piece today describing “illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria” in over 20 percent of tap water in the U.S. has people wondering: is my tap water contaminated? Is my health in danger?

    And could it have caused cancer/asthma/birth defects/obesity in my family or neighbors?

    A quick way to find out: click on your state on the EPA map.

    The Times reports “a system could deliver tap water that puts residents at a 1-in-600 risk of developing bladder cancer from arsenic, and still comply with the law.” Great!

    One answer: Filter, filter, filter.

    I use a Brita Filter Pitcher because it needs new Brita cartridges only every 2 months; my Mom, always ahead of the curve, uses a Pur Pitcher and Pur Replacement cartridges. every 40 gallons.

    Missing: the source of contamination. The fix is personal, not just public. That’s true for most personal health.

    Take your leftover household chemicals, paints and electronics to a hazardous waste disposal site. Pharmaceuticals too: trace concentrations of antibiotics, seizure meds, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in 24 major drinking water systems. Learn about drug take-back.

    What do you do with Rx drugs? And to keep Your water safe and clean?

     
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