February Is American Heart Month

Happy heart month--and not just because Valentine's Day is coming up.

February is American Heart Month, and there is no better time to start thinking about your heart than right now! It is always there for you and in return you need to treat it right. Heart disease is a condition that usually does not manifest until a person's fifties, but can take decades of bad habits to create. Right now you can stop and even reverse the negative effects on your heart and cardiovascular system through corrective eating and regular exercise.

The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine has come up with some recommendations that can be found on their website: http://pcrm.org/health/diets/ffl/newsletter/february-is-american-heart-month

Furthermore, Dr. Dean Ornish developed a protocol that proved combative against heart disease using a low-fat vegetarian diet, required moderate exercise, no smoke, and prescribed stress management techniques. If you are interested in living a long, happy, and healthy life, then made sure you protect your heart with these preventive measures before symptoms occur. 

If you are concerned with your current state of health, or have goals of increasing your health, consider working with a health coach to achieve these goals. 

Why Exercise Matter so Much!

We hear it all the time that we should eat better and exercise more. The sound of that prescription can start to grade on you, as it can just seem so generic, but the truth is that those are the basic principals to starting healthy. And exercise is one that the diet industry tends to not want to talk about. So here is a short list of why you should be exercising.

• Your DNA can change
• Stress Reduction
• Boosts endorphins, leading to a better mood
• Protects you from Diabetes
• Better Concentration

So next time you are trying to talk yourself out of exercising, just think of these great reasons. It might just even just extend your life, or at least make it more enjoyable. 

Source Material from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/benefits-of-one-workout_n_4618547.html

Eat to Live Diet

Usually I will publish research here from leading institutions to keep track of new findings; however, sometimes the best research is from the experiments you conduct yourself. With the New Year in full swing I decided to try my own experiment, which would help me work towards my resolutions this year: getting my diet in check and losing weight--an on-going battle with my genes and cultural upbringing.

The first full week of January of 2014 my husband and I began a new diet and challenge with the Eat to Live diet. I had hear about Fr. Fuhrman's research and outcomes from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, where I am enrolled in a certification program to become a health coach. I then forgot about it for almost 8 months when I came across the book again on my honeymoon. When we returned home I bought the book, and we have now been on the diet for 2 weeks.

Dr. Fuhrman has a 6-week diet plan as a transition into the "life plan." I have found it to be one of the simplest and clearest set of guidelines out of any diet I have ever tried. Here are the basic guidelines:

• Eat at least 1 cup of beans / day
• Eat at least 1 lb. of green leafy vegetables / day
• Eat at least 4 fruits / day
• Limit starchy veggies or grains to 1 cup / day
• Limit nuts to 2 ounces / day
• Limit caffeine to 1 cup of coffee / day or less
• no oils, sugar, processed foods, salt additives, alcohol

While it has been difficult as times over the last two weeks, suck as meeting friends at a bar that where in town, it has also been rewarding. To date I have lost 6 lbs. over the last 2 weeks. My skin also looks cleaner and I just generally feel good. My birthday is 1 week shy of the 6 weeks, so I will be breaking the diet a week early, but I can already see a future eating this way for both my immediate goals, and for long term health. 

I would encourage everyone to jump in and take this 6-week challenge!

The JAMA(Journal of the American Medical Association)Report

The JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association) released a new report finding that most heart attack and stroke survivors do not adapt healthier lifestyles. More than 600 people from urban and rural countries were apart of a recent study that looked at people recovering from Cardiovascular Disease. The study aimed to see whether participates would make lifestyle improvements. Sadly,  only 2/5th of people improved made improvements. The low income countries were less likely to improve their diets to meet these demands of the body; however, higher income earning countries did not do much better. Only 4% of all participants in all countries were able to follow all 3 areas of recommendation, which include quitting smoking, improved diet and increased exercise.

From a behavioral point of view it is easy to understand that individuals that have held these negative patterns for so many years will have a very hard time changing these deadly patterns. The health field's biggest challenge will be finding new ways to encourage people that diet and exercise will not only save their life, but are actually fun. 

Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJAMAReport

Dental Hygiene

After a recent visit to the dentist I realized that I know so little about alternative dental practices. As I was confronted with doing a deep cleaning, I was wondering how did this happen, and was there a cheaper way to solve this problem? I have found all of these helpful, but have not tried the oil pulling yet. I would love to hear if anyone else have found them useful. 

Here are 6 ways to maintain oral hygiene:

Oil pullingThis simple process involves rinsing your mouth with a tablespoon of coconut oil for approximately 15 minutes, and then spitting out the oil.  The reason it is called “oil pulling” is because the antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal components of coconut oil literally pull out any unhealthy microbes that may be hiding in your teeth and gums. This leaves your teeth looking whiter, feeling cleaner, and having decreased oral inflammation. It can even improve your sinus congestion! Just make sure not to swallow the toxin-filled oil when you’re done rinsing.

Tongue cleaningIf you’ve never heard of this apparatus, it is basically a U-shaped wire with rubber grips that is used to scrape the surface of the tongue to remove any unfriendly residue. Along with brushing, this will help to remove any toxins that may be lingering in the mouth. If you consistently have a white coating on your tongue, consider taking probiotics to control internal yeast.

Salt water rinseRinsing the mouth with a combination of warm water and pure quality sea salt (such as Himalayan sea salt) is a great way to lower inflammation after a dental procedure because it helps to soothe the soft membranes of your gums. It also has the effect of alkalizing your oral pH balance, which deters the proliferation of unwanted microbes.

FlossingBrushing alone can’t always remove the tiny food pieces that get caught in the crevices of your teeth, so flossing is a daily must in order to prevent cavities, remove plaque, and promote clean healthy gums.

Remove any mercury fillingsIf you have any silver fillings in your mouth, they are likely made of mercury, an unsafe metal which has the potential to cause a wide range of illness symptoms in the human body. Find aspecially-trained holistic dentist who is qualified and equipped to remove the mercury safely, then follow with a gentle cleanse that includes natural detoxifying foods, like cilantro!

Get regular check-upsSeeing your dentist twice a year for cleanings is one of the best ways to catch the symptoms of an unhealthy mouth early, and keep your pearly whites looking and feeling their best.

Source: http://blog.integrativenutrition.com/2013/03/6-ways-to-maintain-dental-hygiene-the-holistic-way

Women in Health and Sciences

Did you know that today nearly half of all medical student graduates are women? Last month the National Institute of Health celebrated Women's History Month by recognizing 50 women that have lead the way in health and sciences. Check out the great slide presentation at the address below.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/50-women-in-health_n_2879370.html?1363615993&utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008#slide=2232262

Sugar Cravings

I struggle with sugar cravings, so I'm always looking for ways to beat them. I came across an extensive list recently that I thought was worth sharing. Some of these suggestions I have tried, and they work great, while others are completely new to me. Let me know if you find anything that works for you.

Source: http://www.drfranklipman.com/20-ways-to-get-sugar-out-of-your-life/

1. Eat regularly. Eat three meals and two snacks or five small meals a day. For many people, if they don’t eat regularly, their blood sugar levels drop, they feel hungry and are more likely to crave sweet sugary snacks.

2. Choose whole foods. The closer a food is to its original form, the less processed sugar it will contain. Food in its natural form, including fruits and vegetables, usually presents no metabolic problems for a normal body, especially when consumed in variety.

3. Have a breakfast of protein, fat and phytonutrients to start your day off right. Breakfast smoothiesare ideal for this. The typical breakfast full of carbs and sugary or starchy foods is the worst option since you’ll have cravings all day. Eating  a good breakfast is essential to prevent sugar cravings

4. Try incorporate protein and/or fat with each meal. This helps control blood sugar levels. Make sure they are healthy sources of each.

5. Add spices. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings.

6. Take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D3.Nutrient deficiencies can make cravings worse and the fewer nutrient deficiencies, the fewer cravings. Certain nutrients seem to improve blood sugar control including chromium, vitamin B3 and magnesium

7. Move your body.  Exercise, dance or do some yoga. Whatever movement you enjoy will help reduce tension, boost your energy and decrease your need for a sugar lift.

8. Get enough sleep. When we are tired we often use sugar for energy to counteract the exhaustion.

9. Do a detox. My experience has been that when people do a detox, not only does it reset their appetites but it often decreases their sugar cravings. After the initial sugar cravings, which can be overwhelming, our bodies adjust and we won’t even want the sugar anymore and the desire will disappear.

10. Be open to explore the emotional issues around your sugar addiction. Many times our craving for sugar is more for an emotional need that isn’t being met.

11. Keep sugary snacks out of your house and office. It’s difficult to snack on things that aren’t there!

12. Don’t substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar.  This will do little to alter your desire for sweets. If you do need a sweetener, try Stevia, it’s the healthiest.

13. Learn to read labels. Although I would encourage you to eat as few foods as possible that have labels, educate yourself about what you’re putting into your body. The longer the list of ingredients, the more likely sugar is going to be included on that list. So check the grams of sugar, and choose products with the least sugar per serving (I teaspoon of sugar is roughly equivalent to about 4 grams). Become familiar with sugar terminology and recognize that all of these are sweeteners: agave, corn syrup, corn sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, honey, cane sugar, cane crystals, fruit juice concentrates, molasses, turbinado sugar and brown sugar.

14. Sugar in disguise. Remember that most of the “complex” carbohydrates we consume like bread (including whole wheat), bagels and pasta aren’t really complex at all. They are usually highly refined or act just like sugars in the body and are to be avoided.

15. Scare yourself straight. While I won’t say our national love affair with sugar is all in the mind – there is a strong physical component to sugar addiction – one way to kick off your sugar-free journey is to re-frame the way you think about sugar. Treat it like an illicit drug, a kind of legal form of heroin, a dark force to be avoided, and a substance whose use leads to physical ruin. Next, take a look at CBS’s 60 Minutes “Is Sugar Toxic?” story – it’s a potentially life-changing report for anyone who needs just a bit more inspiration to help them kick sugar.

And if you have acute sugar cravings, try these:

16. Take L-Glutamine, 1000-2000 mg every couple of hours as necessary. It often relieves sugar cravings as the brain uses it for fuel.

17. Take a “breathing break”.  Find a quiet spot, get comfortable and sit for a few minutes and focus on your breath. After a few minutes of this, the craving will pass.

18. Distract yourself.  Go for a walk, if possible, in nature. Cravings usually last for 10-20 minutes maximum. If you can distract yourself with something else, it often passes. The more you do this, the easier it gets and the cravings get easier to deal with.

19. Drink lots of water. Sometimes drinking water or seltzer water can help with the sugar cravings. Also sometimes what we perceive as a food craving is really thirst.

20. Have a piece of fruit. If you give in to your cravings, have a piece of fruit, it should satisfy a sweet craving and is much healthier.