Thom Hartmann is my favorite talk show host. He is brilliant and is a strong voice for progressives (and just plain rationals) in the country. He was in town a few weeks ago for an event called "The Great Debate 2" where he sparred with a conservative talk show host. At that event, I got to meet him and gave him a copy of my book.
I just learned from the Melissa, the woman who drives him to and from the airport when he is in town, that he is often inundated with book when he comes to town. Most of the time, he does not have time to read them. Well apparently he read mine and took it back home with him. He even sent a text to Melissa asking her to thank me for the book and telling her that he liked it. That makes me feel pretty happy right now.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Cutting through the confusion about Organic foods
I believe this article is from Men's Health, authored by Maria Rodale I found it here
1. Americans are very confused about what organic is and is not, and why organic matters. The majority of Americans think foods with the word "natural" on them are better and safer than "organic." And yet there are no governmental safety standards for using the word "natural." Natural, in fact, means nothing. But it's a happy word, so food companies slap it on anything they can to make their products sell better.
The proliferation of other labels: "beyond organic," "locally grown," "humanely raised," "free range" and "sustainable" adds to the confusion. And when people are confused (and frankly, many times even when they are not confused), they revert to their primary emotional driver of decisions, which is most often price. So they choose the cheapest food rather than the safest for the planet. That confusion plays right into the hands of the chemical food industry.
2. The organic industry must focus on clearing up that confusion and communicating why organic food is so important and the safest food you can buy. We, in the organic industry, have spent most of our time and energy trying to prove that organic is more nutritious, when instead, as Kanthe Shelke from Corvus Blue (a nutritional technology think tank) told us, we should be focusing on "what organic does not have." Organic foods do not have neurotoxin pesticides, endocrine disruptors, herbicides and other chemicals, which some doctors and scientists believe might play a role in everything from diabetes and obesity to infertility, autism and cancer -- especially childhood leukemia
The medical studies that support these seemingly inflammatory hypotheses do exist, and they are not getting picked up by the media. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has even issued a call for a moratorium on GMO foods because it has seen evidence of liver, kidney, and digestive failure as well as infertility and accelerated aging (hello, Hollywood, are you listening?). But it's almost too late already, since over 75 percent of all processed (non organic) foods in America already include GMOs. The tragedy of this statistic is that the pollen from these plants has been unleashed into our environment and can't ever be reined back in.
For any environmentalist to not be a raving organic supporter is outrageous. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by agricultural runoff all the way down the Mississippi, existed even before the BP oil gusher -- and this year it is the largest it has ever been. A giant dead zone is what the whole world is headed for if we don't stand up and do a better job of educating the American public. Colony collapses affecting our bees, frog mutations and amphibian declines, jaw deformities in the wildlife of our national parks (which yes, use chemicals like crazy), and the melting polar caps can all be attributed to agricultural chemicals.
Finally, here's what organic does not do: destroy the soil, which destroys the carbon-capturing capability of our planet, which destroys our atmosphere and causes global warming. Numerous studies have shown that chemical agriculture destroys soil structure, leading quickly to desertification and even more quickly to way too much carbon dioxide leaching into the atmosphere. Yes, it's complicated. But we can't keep living on this planet if we don't start understanding this and paying attention to it soon.
3. If we are going to save the world, we will have to unite and work together instead of fighting among ourselves. One thing is true about Americans, if you believe what you see in the TV ratings, we prefer arguing to action. But there comes a time when all that philosophical hot air (left and right, mind you) needs to take a back seat to true responsibility.
What does that mean for the organic world? We actually have enough scientific evidence to know that modern organic farming is our best shot at long-term survival for all, so now it's time to unite and focus on what is most important. The vegetarians need to get along with the omnivores. The locavores need to draft a peace treaty with the fair traders. Slow foodies will need to hang out a bit more with the fast foodies. Those who support their local, small family farmer will have to learn to appreciate industrial organic, which feeds a lot of people without creating tons of toxic waste. And we all need to start singing from the same songbook.
"Inconsistency is the hobgoblin of ineffective communications," one speaker at the summit said. And while we have each been singing our own songs and marching to the beats of different drums, chemical companies -- including Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, Pioneer, Cargill, ADM and DuPont -- have been making huge profits with the financial and legislative support of our government. But here is the good news: Despite all our stumbling and well-meaning confusion and the worst economic times since the Great Depression, the organic industry grew 5.3 percent in 2009. The USDA Certified Organic label is still the strongest, safest and most trustworthy label available to consumers and is backed up by independent testing. Many of the longtime leaders who spoke at the summit have already exceeded their expectations of success.
So now, together, we are all standing on a precipice. We can all work together to build the road to the other side (where the water is pure and clean, the children are healthy and strong, the air and soil and forests alive and thriving). Or we can continue to go our separate ways, each one thinking his own path is the best path, and creating a web of meandering, poorly marked trails that lead in circles going nowhere fast.
The first step is supporting the USDA Organic Label, supporting certified organic farmers, buying certified organic foods, and not being embarrassed or apologetic for using the word "organic." The scientific evidence exists to prove it is safer and healthier for everyone and the environment. Now it's time for action. It's time to demand organic, support organic, buy organic, and protect and defend organic. It's our best hope for a healthy future for us all.
Maria Rodale is CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc., and the author of "Organic Manifesto."
1. Americans are very confused about what organic is and is not, and why organic matters. The majority of Americans think foods with the word "natural" on them are better and safer than "organic." And yet there are no governmental safety standards for using the word "natural." Natural, in fact, means nothing. But it's a happy word, so food companies slap it on anything they can to make their products sell better.
The proliferation of other labels: "beyond organic," "locally grown," "humanely raised," "free range" and "sustainable" adds to the confusion. And when people are confused (and frankly, many times even when they are not confused), they revert to their primary emotional driver of decisions, which is most often price. So they choose the cheapest food rather than the safest for the planet. That confusion plays right into the hands of the chemical food industry.
2. The organic industry must focus on clearing up that confusion and communicating why organic food is so important and the safest food you can buy. We, in the organic industry, have spent most of our time and energy trying to prove that organic is more nutritious, when instead, as Kanthe Shelke from Corvus Blue (a nutritional technology think tank) told us, we should be focusing on "what organic does not have." Organic foods do not have neurotoxin pesticides, endocrine disruptors, herbicides and other chemicals, which some doctors and scientists believe might play a role in everything from diabetes and obesity to infertility, autism and cancer -- especially childhood leukemia
The medical studies that support these seemingly inflammatory hypotheses do exist, and they are not getting picked up by the media. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has even issued a call for a moratorium on GMO foods because it has seen evidence of liver, kidney, and digestive failure as well as infertility and accelerated aging (hello, Hollywood, are you listening?). But it's almost too late already, since over 75 percent of all processed (non organic) foods in America already include GMOs. The tragedy of this statistic is that the pollen from these plants has been unleashed into our environment and can't ever be reined back in.
For any environmentalist to not be a raving organic supporter is outrageous. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by agricultural runoff all the way down the Mississippi, existed even before the BP oil gusher -- and this year it is the largest it has ever been. A giant dead zone is what the whole world is headed for if we don't stand up and do a better job of educating the American public. Colony collapses affecting our bees, frog mutations and amphibian declines, jaw deformities in the wildlife of our national parks (which yes, use chemicals like crazy), and the melting polar caps can all be attributed to agricultural chemicals.
Finally, here's what organic does not do: destroy the soil, which destroys the carbon-capturing capability of our planet, which destroys our atmosphere and causes global warming. Numerous studies have shown that chemical agriculture destroys soil structure, leading quickly to desertification and even more quickly to way too much carbon dioxide leaching into the atmosphere. Yes, it's complicated. But we can't keep living on this planet if we don't start understanding this and paying attention to it soon.
3. If we are going to save the world, we will have to unite and work together instead of fighting among ourselves. One thing is true about Americans, if you believe what you see in the TV ratings, we prefer arguing to action. But there comes a time when all that philosophical hot air (left and right, mind you) needs to take a back seat to true responsibility.
What does that mean for the organic world? We actually have enough scientific evidence to know that modern organic farming is our best shot at long-term survival for all, so now it's time to unite and focus on what is most important. The vegetarians need to get along with the omnivores. The locavores need to draft a peace treaty with the fair traders. Slow foodies will need to hang out a bit more with the fast foodies. Those who support their local, small family farmer will have to learn to appreciate industrial organic, which feeds a lot of people without creating tons of toxic waste. And we all need to start singing from the same songbook.
"Inconsistency is the hobgoblin of ineffective communications," one speaker at the summit said. And while we have each been singing our own songs and marching to the beats of different drums, chemical companies -- including Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, Pioneer, Cargill, ADM and DuPont -- have been making huge profits with the financial and legislative support of our government. But here is the good news: Despite all our stumbling and well-meaning confusion and the worst economic times since the Great Depression, the organic industry grew 5.3 percent in 2009. The USDA Certified Organic label is still the strongest, safest and most trustworthy label available to consumers and is backed up by independent testing. Many of the longtime leaders who spoke at the summit have already exceeded their expectations of success.
So now, together, we are all standing on a precipice. We can all work together to build the road to the other side (where the water is pure and clean, the children are healthy and strong, the air and soil and forests alive and thriving). Or we can continue to go our separate ways, each one thinking his own path is the best path, and creating a web of meandering, poorly marked trails that lead in circles going nowhere fast.
The first step is supporting the USDA Organic Label, supporting certified organic farmers, buying certified organic foods, and not being embarrassed or apologetic for using the word "organic." The scientific evidence exists to prove it is safer and healthier for everyone and the environment. Now it's time for action. It's time to demand organic, support organic, buy organic, and protect and defend organic. It's our best hope for a healthy future for us all.
Maria Rodale is CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc., and the author of "Organic Manifesto."
Saturday, October 9, 2010
I was quoted in Medill Reports article
This report was published here on Medill Reports. The article follows:
by Kirsten Tellam
Julie Segall pushes a needle into the flesh between her thumb and forefinger.
“It’s not like they go in that far,” says Segall, a licensed acupuncturist, as she demonstrates the correct way to insert an acupuncture needle.
Forget the needles of horror films and nightmares: the needles used in modern acupuncture are flexible, solid, disposable and “the width of one or two of your hairs,” Segall explains. And contrary to the popular misconceptions of acupuncture, Segall uses not hundreds but on average only 12 needles per treatment.
Originating in China roughly 5,000 years ago, the most frequently studied form of acupuncture involves “penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation,” says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Jason Bussell, president emeritus of the Illinois Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, says acupuncture helps with more than just pain relief.
“Acupuncture and herbs are the medicine of China,” he says. “Not the pain relief of China, but the medicine of China. A common misconception is acupuncture’s just for pain. But it’s been used to treat everything in China.”
Segall founded the Healing Ground Center for Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Northbrook about seven years ago. She explains acupuncture is driven by the body’s inherent search for balance.
“Chinese medicine is based on the philosophy that in all of us we have this life-force called Qi,” Segall says. “And it travels along 12 primary pathways in the body called meridians. And as long as there’s balance between these meridians, then the individual’s healthy. But when imbalances occur—which can happen to any of us because of stress or environment or something inherent from your family members—your body throws out a symptom.”
Acupuncturists diagnose the root of that symptom by taking the client’s regular pulse, where she says she can feel all 12 meridians, six per wrist, depending on the amount of pressure and finger position she uses. Then she can determine where to insert the needles.
“Based on which meridians we put the needles on, which points on the meridians we put the needles in, it helps either calm the meridian down if that path is too strong or nourish it if it is too weak,” Segall says. “And once the body has restored its balance it does its own healing work.”
Juliet Berger-White, an acupuncture client from Chicago, says balance restoration is what makes acupuncture so effective.
“Unlike anything else I’ve tried, acupuncture really seems to be the thing that allows the body to rebalance,” says Berger-White, 37. “The effects can come as you’re getting off the table.”
Segall agrees, noting the importance of balance for women in particular.
“Women in particular, I think, strive for balance,” she says. “So I think that’s one reason why women gravitate more toward this type of work than men.” Segall notes her clientele is 90 percent women.
“I see adolescents. I see girls starting with their first periods,” Segall says. “I see women who are in their 70s and 80s for aches and pains or insomnia or whatever their issues are. I see women through menopause. So through the whole lifespan.”
Jeanne Poorman of Chicago says acupuncture helped her with the discomforts of menopause and aging.
“Acupuncture changed my life,” says Poorman, 57. “As people get older, I think for women especially, you start to have more physical issues, not even menopause issues. You start getting arthritis. You have pain where you never had pain before. And it’s really helped me with hot flashes. During menopause, to help with some of the symptoms.”
Bussell notes the different term for menopause used in Asia.
“In China and Korea they refer to it as a ‘second spring,’” says Bussell, who practices at A Center for Oriental Medicine in Wilmette. “Menopause is a non-event in Asia.” He says this is the result of a lifelong healthy diet coupled with regular acupuncture and herbal treatments that are more characteristic of Asian lifestyles.
Segall says regular acupuncture treatments can help women with “PMS, anxiety, depression, menopause—so hot flashes, migraines.” She also works with couples on improving fertility.
Berger-White notes she delivered all three of her children without using pain medication by receiving acupuncture treatments while in labor.
“I think there are definitely benefits for acupuncture in labor,” she says. “It helps grab on to what our bodies want to do and move it along.”
But as with acupuncture, Segall strives to find a balance in all things, including forms of medicine.
“I think Western medicine and Eastern medicine go beautifully together,” she says.
Acupuncture helps women find balance
by Kirsten Tellam
Oct 07, 2010
“It’s not like they go in that far,” says Segall, a licensed acupuncturist, as she demonstrates the correct way to insert an acupuncture needle.
Forget the needles of horror films and nightmares: the needles used in modern acupuncture are flexible, solid, disposable and “the width of one or two of your hairs,” Segall explains. And contrary to the popular misconceptions of acupuncture, Segall uses not hundreds but on average only 12 needles per treatment.
Originating in China roughly 5,000 years ago, the most frequently studied form of acupuncture involves “penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation,” says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Jason Bussell, president emeritus of the Illinois Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, says acupuncture helps with more than just pain relief.
“Acupuncture and herbs are the medicine of China,” he says. “Not the pain relief of China, but the medicine of China. A common misconception is acupuncture’s just for pain. But it’s been used to treat everything in China.”
Segall founded the Healing Ground Center for Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Northbrook about seven years ago. She explains acupuncture is driven by the body’s inherent search for balance.
“Chinese medicine is based on the philosophy that in all of us we have this life-force called Qi,” Segall says. “And it travels along 12 primary pathways in the body called meridians. And as long as there’s balance between these meridians, then the individual’s healthy. But when imbalances occur—which can happen to any of us because of stress or environment or something inherent from your family members—your body throws out a symptom.”
Acupuncturists diagnose the root of that symptom by taking the client’s regular pulse, where she says she can feel all 12 meridians, six per wrist, depending on the amount of pressure and finger position she uses. Then she can determine where to insert the needles.
“Based on which meridians we put the needles on, which points on the meridians we put the needles in, it helps either calm the meridian down if that path is too strong or nourish it if it is too weak,” Segall says. “And once the body has restored its balance it does its own healing work.”
Juliet Berger-White, an acupuncture client from Chicago, says balance restoration is what makes acupuncture so effective.
“Unlike anything else I’ve tried, acupuncture really seems to be the thing that allows the body to rebalance,” says Berger-White, 37. “The effects can come as you’re getting off the table.”
Segall agrees, noting the importance of balance for women in particular.
“Women in particular, I think, strive for balance,” she says. “So I think that’s one reason why women gravitate more toward this type of work than men.” Segall notes her clientele is 90 percent women.
“I see adolescents. I see girls starting with their first periods,” Segall says. “I see women who are in their 70s and 80s for aches and pains or insomnia or whatever their issues are. I see women through menopause. So through the whole lifespan.”
Jeanne Poorman of Chicago says acupuncture helped her with the discomforts of menopause and aging.
“Acupuncture changed my life,” says Poorman, 57. “As people get older, I think for women especially, you start to have more physical issues, not even menopause issues. You start getting arthritis. You have pain where you never had pain before. And it’s really helped me with hot flashes. During menopause, to help with some of the symptoms.”
Bussell notes the different term for menopause used in Asia.
“In China and Korea they refer to it as a ‘second spring,’” says Bussell, who practices at A Center for Oriental Medicine in Wilmette. “Menopause is a non-event in Asia.” He says this is the result of a lifelong healthy diet coupled with regular acupuncture and herbal treatments that are more characteristic of Asian lifestyles.
Segall says regular acupuncture treatments can help women with “PMS, anxiety, depression, menopause—so hot flashes, migraines.” She also works with couples on improving fertility.
Berger-White notes she delivered all three of her children without using pain medication by receiving acupuncture treatments while in labor.
“I think there are definitely benefits for acupuncture in labor,” she says. “It helps grab on to what our bodies want to do and move it along.”
But as with acupuncture, Segall strives to find a balance in all things, including forms of medicine.
“I think Western medicine and Eastern medicine go beautifully together,” she says.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Early detection is not prevention
Just to be clear, Mammograms do not prevent cancer. They can prevent the spread of cancer, but the procedure itself does not constitute prevention. The best is to live in balance, avoid environmental and emotional toxins, feed yourself well, etc. Early detection is good, but prevention is better.
Friday, September 17, 2010
debunking food myths
Cooking foods destroys essential enzymes, therefore raw foods are better.
“Raw foods are unprocessed so nothing’s taken away; you don’t get the nutrient losses that come with cooking,” says Brenda Davis, R.D., co-author of Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets (Book Publishing, 2010). But the claim by some raw-food advocates that eating raw boosts digestion by preserving “vital” plant enzymes, Davis explains, just doesn’t hold water. “Those enzymes are made for the survival of plants; for human health, they are not essential.” What about the claim by some raw-foodistas that our bodies have a limited lifetime supply of enzymes—and that by eating more foods with their enzymes intact, we’ll be able to spare our bodies from using up their supply? “The reality is that you don’t really have a finite number of enzymes; you’ll continue to make enzymes as long as you live,” says Davis. Enzymes are so vital to life, she adds, “the human body is actually quite efficient at producing them.”
Eggs are bad for your heart
Eggs do contain a substantial amount of cholesterol in their yolks—about 211 mg per large egg. And yes, cholesterol is the fatty stuff in our blood that contributes to clogged arteries and heart attacks. But labeling eggs as “bad for your heart” is connecting the wrong dots, experts say. “Epidemiologic studies show that most healthy people can eat an egg a day without problems,” says Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University. For most of us the cholesterol we eat doesn’t have a huge impact on raising our blood cholesterol; the body simply compensates by manufacturing less cholesterol itself. Saturated and trans fats have much greater impact on raising blood cholesterol. And a large egg contains only 2 grams of saturated fat and no trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends limiting cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg daily—less than 200 mg if you have a history of heart problems or diabetes or are over 55 (women) or 45 (men). “That works out to less than an egg a day for this population—more like two eggs over the course of the week,” notes Kris-Etherton.
Carbs will make you fat
Contrary to the theories of the low-carb/no carb manifesto, Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution, first published in 1972 (and the similar books that followed), there’s nothing inherently fattening about carbohydrates, says Jean Harvey-Berino, Ph.D., R.D., chair of the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Vermont and co-author of The EatingWell Diet (Countryman, 2007). “It’s eating too many calories, period, that makes you fat.”
There’s no question that loading up on sugary and refined-carbohydrate-rich foods, such as white bread, pasta and doughnuts, can raise your risk of developing health problems like heart disease and diabetes. But if you cut out so-called “good-carb” foods, such as whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, you’re missing out on your body’s main source of fuel as well as vital nutrients and fiber. What’s more, for many people, a low-carb diet may be harder to stick with in the long run.
When a handful of major studies recently compared low-carb diets with low-fat diets and other approaches to losing weight, notes Harvey-Berino, they found that in the first few months, those following the low-carb diets tended to lose slightly more weight. “That’s because low-carb diets are more restrictive,” she explains. “Anything that limits your choices will help you lose weight initially.” But after a year or as much as three years, weight-loss differences between the diets tend to even out. One recent report noted that although there was a greater weight loss initially, low-carb dieters tended to regain more weight by the end of three years when compared with low-fat dieters.
But Harvey-Berino acknowledges that low-carb eating can help many people manage their weight—especially if you’re “one of those people who has a hard time staying in control when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods.” No matter how you slice it, the best diet is one you can stick to, she adds. “If you can stick with an Atkins-like regimen, then go for it.”
You must fast or detox periodically to cleanse the body
The truth: Your body has its own elegantly designed system for removing toxins—namely, the liver, kidneys and spleen. There isn’t any evidence that not eating—or consuming only juice—for any period of time makes them do this job any better. Source: Keith-Thomas Ayoob, Ed.D., R.D., of Albert Einstein College of Medicine
This info was taken from the Huffington Post article that was culled from Eating right magazine's article by By Joyce Hendley
I don't agree with everything in the full article, but I do agree with the info I posted here.
“Raw foods are unprocessed so nothing’s taken away; you don’t get the nutrient losses that come with cooking,” says Brenda Davis, R.D., co-author of Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets (Book Publishing, 2010). But the claim by some raw-food advocates that eating raw boosts digestion by preserving “vital” plant enzymes, Davis explains, just doesn’t hold water. “Those enzymes are made for the survival of plants; for human health, they are not essential.” What about the claim by some raw-foodistas that our bodies have a limited lifetime supply of enzymes—and that by eating more foods with their enzymes intact, we’ll be able to spare our bodies from using up their supply? “The reality is that you don’t really have a finite number of enzymes; you’ll continue to make enzymes as long as you live,” says Davis. Enzymes are so vital to life, she adds, “the human body is actually quite efficient at producing them.”
Eggs are bad for your heart
Eggs do contain a substantial amount of cholesterol in their yolks—about 211 mg per large egg. And yes, cholesterol is the fatty stuff in our blood that contributes to clogged arteries and heart attacks. But labeling eggs as “bad for your heart” is connecting the wrong dots, experts say. “Epidemiologic studies show that most healthy people can eat an egg a day without problems,” says Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University. For most of us the cholesterol we eat doesn’t have a huge impact on raising our blood cholesterol; the body simply compensates by manufacturing less cholesterol itself. Saturated and trans fats have much greater impact on raising blood cholesterol. And a large egg contains only 2 grams of saturated fat and no trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends limiting cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg daily—less than 200 mg if you have a history of heart problems or diabetes or are over 55 (women) or 45 (men). “That works out to less than an egg a day for this population—more like two eggs over the course of the week,” notes Kris-Etherton.
Carbs will make you fat
Contrary to the theories of the low-carb/no carb manifesto, Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution, first published in 1972 (and the similar books that followed), there’s nothing inherently fattening about carbohydrates, says Jean Harvey-Berino, Ph.D., R.D., chair of the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Vermont and co-author of The EatingWell Diet (Countryman, 2007). “It’s eating too many calories, period, that makes you fat.”
There’s no question that loading up on sugary and refined-carbohydrate-rich foods, such as white bread, pasta and doughnuts, can raise your risk of developing health problems like heart disease and diabetes. But if you cut out so-called “good-carb” foods, such as whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, you’re missing out on your body’s main source of fuel as well as vital nutrients and fiber. What’s more, for many people, a low-carb diet may be harder to stick with in the long run.
When a handful of major studies recently compared low-carb diets with low-fat diets and other approaches to losing weight, notes Harvey-Berino, they found that in the first few months, those following the low-carb diets tended to lose slightly more weight. “That’s because low-carb diets are more restrictive,” she explains. “Anything that limits your choices will help you lose weight initially.” But after a year or as much as three years, weight-loss differences between the diets tend to even out. One recent report noted that although there was a greater weight loss initially, low-carb dieters tended to regain more weight by the end of three years when compared with low-fat dieters.
But Harvey-Berino acknowledges that low-carb eating can help many people manage their weight—especially if you’re “one of those people who has a hard time staying in control when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods.” No matter how you slice it, the best diet is one you can stick to, she adds. “If you can stick with an Atkins-like regimen, then go for it.”
You must fast or detox periodically to cleanse the body
The truth: Your body has its own elegantly designed system for removing toxins—namely, the liver, kidneys and spleen. There isn’t any evidence that not eating—or consuming only juice—for any period of time makes them do this job any better. Source: Keith-Thomas Ayoob, Ed.D., R.D., of Albert Einstein College of Medicine
This info was taken from the Huffington Post article that was culled from Eating right magazine's article by By Joyce Hendley
I don't agree with everything in the full article, but I do agree with the info I posted here.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Atkins increases mortality from all causes
I find it so amusing when people tell me that white rice is bad for us. They learned that from Dr. Atkins and, although most people know that his diet plan is a failure, many still hold on to this misconception. Today, an article from Dr. Dean Ornish, published at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-dean-ornish/an-atkins-diet-increases-_b_707005.html reports a study that showed the Atkins diet increases mortality (death rates) from all causes. Yet another resason to stop following all the latest fads and stick to what has worked for millenia. It's all in my book, "The Asian Diet: Simple secrets for eating right, and being well. The text of the article from Dr. Ornish follows. I agree with just about all of what he says, but he too lumps white rice in with white flour and white sugar; where it does not belong. If white rice makes people fat, or if it leads to nutritional deficiciencies, then why don't we see those things in the billion plus people in Asia who have white rice every day?
###############################
A major study was just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine from Harvard. In approximately 85,000 women who were followed for 26 years and 45,000 men who were followed for 20 years, researchers found that all-cause mortality rates were increased in both men and women who were eating a low-carbohydrate Atkins diet based on animal protein.
However, all-cause mortality rates as well as cardiovascular mortality rates were decreased in those eating a plant-based diet low in animal protein and low in refined carbohydrates. Although this plant-based diet was called an "Eco-Atkins" diet, it's essentially the same diet that I have been recommending and studying for more than 30 years.
In many debates with Dr. Atkins before he died, I always made the point that it's important to look at actual measures of disease, including mortality, not just risk factors such as HDL cholesterol. This is the first study that examined mortality rates in those consuming an Atkins diet, and it confirms what I've been saying all along: an Atkins diet is not healthful and may shorten your lifespan.
Dr. Atkins and I agreed that the American diet is too high in refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white flour and concentrated sweeteners) which promote a variety of chronic diseases. That's why people often lose weight on an Atkins diet when they restrict their intake of refined carbohydrates.
However, the answer is not to replace refined carbohydrates with animal protein such as beef, pork rinds, bacon and sausage, which Dr. Atkins claimed were good for your heart. I'd like to be able to say that they're good for your heart, but they are not. It's much more healthful to replace refined carbohydrates ("bad carbs") with healthy carbs instead.
It's not low-fat vs. low-carb. An optimal diet is high in healthy carbs such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains (including whole wheat, brown rice), legumes, soy products, nonfat dairy and egg whites in their natural forms and some good fats such as the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil and salmon. It's low in unhealthy carbs such as sugar, white flour, white rice, white flour pasta and low in saturated fats and animal protein.
The message that many studies -- including one in the Annals last month -- have been giving the public and health professionals is that the Atkins diet is no worse for your heart than a plant-based diet, but all these studies examined only risk factors such as HDL, not measures of disease or mortality. That's why this new study is so important. (The Annals recently published my letter to the editor that expressed these concerns, which I appreciate.)
A recent study reviewed in The New England Journal of Medicine found that an Atkins-type diet "promotes atherosclerosis (heart disease) through mechanisms that do not modify the classic cardiovascular risk factors" such as HDL. Other studies also showed this.
Your body makes HDL to remove excessive cholesterol from your body. Eating a stick of butter will raise HDL, but butter is not good for your heart. Pfizer discontinued a study of its drug, torcetrapib, which raised HDL but actually increased risk of heart attacks.
Conversely, a whole foods plant-based diet that's also low in refined carbohydrates may reverse coronary heart disease and beneficially affect the progression of prostate cancer and even improve gene expression despite reductions in HDL.
Finally, what's good for you is also good for our planet. Livestock consumption causes more global warming than all forms of transportation combined. It takes 10 times more energy to produce animal-based protein than plant-based protein.
It's not all or nothing. You have a spectrum of choices. What matters most is your overall way of eating and living. If you indulge yourself one day, eat healthier the next. To the degree that you move in a whole foods, plant-based direction, the better you're likely to feel and the healthier you're likely to become.
Dean Ornish, M.D.
Medical Editor, The Huffington Post
Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute
Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
###############################
A major study was just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine from Harvard. In approximately 85,000 women who were followed for 26 years and 45,000 men who were followed for 20 years, researchers found that all-cause mortality rates were increased in both men and women who were eating a low-carbohydrate Atkins diet based on animal protein.
However, all-cause mortality rates as well as cardiovascular mortality rates were decreased in those eating a plant-based diet low in animal protein and low in refined carbohydrates. Although this plant-based diet was called an "Eco-Atkins" diet, it's essentially the same diet that I have been recommending and studying for more than 30 years.
In many debates with Dr. Atkins before he died, I always made the point that it's important to look at actual measures of disease, including mortality, not just risk factors such as HDL cholesterol. This is the first study that examined mortality rates in those consuming an Atkins diet, and it confirms what I've been saying all along: an Atkins diet is not healthful and may shorten your lifespan.
Dr. Atkins and I agreed that the American diet is too high in refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white flour and concentrated sweeteners) which promote a variety of chronic diseases. That's why people often lose weight on an Atkins diet when they restrict their intake of refined carbohydrates.
However, the answer is not to replace refined carbohydrates with animal protein such as beef, pork rinds, bacon and sausage, which Dr. Atkins claimed were good for your heart. I'd like to be able to say that they're good for your heart, but they are not. It's much more healthful to replace refined carbohydrates ("bad carbs") with healthy carbs instead.
It's not low-fat vs. low-carb. An optimal diet is high in healthy carbs such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains (including whole wheat, brown rice), legumes, soy products, nonfat dairy and egg whites in their natural forms and some good fats such as the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil and salmon. It's low in unhealthy carbs such as sugar, white flour, white rice, white flour pasta and low in saturated fats and animal protein.
The message that many studies -- including one in the Annals last month -- have been giving the public and health professionals is that the Atkins diet is no worse for your heart than a plant-based diet, but all these studies examined only risk factors such as HDL, not measures of disease or mortality. That's why this new study is so important. (The Annals recently published my letter to the editor that expressed these concerns, which I appreciate.)
A recent study reviewed in The New England Journal of Medicine found that an Atkins-type diet "promotes atherosclerosis (heart disease) through mechanisms that do not modify the classic cardiovascular risk factors" such as HDL. Other studies also showed this.
Your body makes HDL to remove excessive cholesterol from your body. Eating a stick of butter will raise HDL, but butter is not good for your heart. Pfizer discontinued a study of its drug, torcetrapib, which raised HDL but actually increased risk of heart attacks.
Conversely, a whole foods plant-based diet that's also low in refined carbohydrates may reverse coronary heart disease and beneficially affect the progression of prostate cancer and even improve gene expression despite reductions in HDL.
Finally, what's good for you is also good for our planet. Livestock consumption causes more global warming than all forms of transportation combined. It takes 10 times more energy to produce animal-based protein than plant-based protein.
It's not all or nothing. You have a spectrum of choices. What matters most is your overall way of eating and living. If you indulge yourself one day, eat healthier the next. To the degree that you move in a whole foods, plant-based direction, the better you're likely to feel and the healthier you're likely to become.
Dean Ornish, M.D.
Medical Editor, The Huffington Post
Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute
Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Sunday, September 5, 2010
*A Clarification On The Evidence For Acupuncture’s Efficacy*
*ACUPUNCTURE’S RIGHTFUL PLACE IN HEALTHCARE*
*A Clarification On The Evidence For Acupuncture’s Efficacy*
On August 25th, Steven Salzberg posted a blog, published by Forbes.com,
titled "Acupuncture inflitrates the University of Maryland and NEJM." *This
posting is full of highly transparent techniques to misinform the public
about a proven form of medicine that, along with other forms of oriental
medicine, serves over a billion people worldwide.* Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (AOM) is a low-cost, safe, and effective form of holistic medicine
that has evolved over millennia into its current form today. In the U.S.
alone, thousands of highly trained, licensed practitioners treat millions of
patients each year with AOM.
In his blog, Mr. Salzberg states that most scientists believe that
acupuncture does not work. It is quite interesting that Mr. Salzberg is
focusing on *scientists* and not on *doctors* when it comes to healthcare. *
Fact*: According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (NCCAM), numerous surveys show that of all the complementary and
holistic medical practices, of which there are many, *acupuncture enjoys the
most credibility in the medical community*. There is a growing field of
medical doctors practicing acupuncture or referring patients to AOM
practitioners.
Next, Mr. Salzberg goes on to say that most studies are done poorly and that
real needles are just as (in)effective as "sham" needles. *Fact*: Over 500
clinical trials measuring the efficacy of acupuncture have been conducted in
the past three decades. At least fifty systematic reviews of these trials
(as profiled in the Cochrane Library) have been completed by researchers
from credible institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic, resulting in
substantial evidence that acupuncture is more effective than sham
acupuncture and that *acupuncture is very effective in treating chronic
pain, fatigue, anxiety, arthritis, headaches, chemotherapy sickness, and
infertility*, among other ailments.
At the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM), we
believe that articles like Mr. Salzberg's perform a damaging disservice to
the American public. As a society, we need new and creative solutions to
confront our healthcare crisis and improve the overall health and wellness
of our citizens. This requires integrating the best from both eastern (AOM)
and western (allopathic) approaches to improve how we *prevent* and
*treat* pain
and illness, and realize optimal health and healing. *We applaud the
University of Maryland and its Center for Integrative Medicine for their
leadership and outstanding work.**
*
Christian M. Ellis
Executive Director
American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
*A Clarification On The Evidence For Acupuncture’s Efficacy*
On August 25th, Steven Salzberg posted a blog, published by Forbes.com,
titled "Acupuncture inflitrates the University of Maryland and NEJM." *This
posting is full of highly transparent techniques to misinform the public
about a proven form of medicine that, along with other forms of oriental
medicine, serves over a billion people worldwide.* Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (AOM) is a low-cost, safe, and effective form of holistic medicine
that has evolved over millennia into its current form today. In the U.S.
alone, thousands of highly trained, licensed practitioners treat millions of
patients each year with AOM.
In his blog, Mr. Salzberg states that most scientists believe that
acupuncture does not work. It is quite interesting that Mr. Salzberg is
focusing on *scientists* and not on *doctors* when it comes to healthcare. *
Fact*: According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (NCCAM), numerous surveys show that of all the complementary and
holistic medical practices, of which there are many, *acupuncture enjoys the
most credibility in the medical community*. There is a growing field of
medical doctors practicing acupuncture or referring patients to AOM
practitioners.
Next, Mr. Salzberg goes on to say that most studies are done poorly and that
real needles are just as (in)effective as "sham" needles. *Fact*: Over 500
clinical trials measuring the efficacy of acupuncture have been conducted in
the past three decades. At least fifty systematic reviews of these trials
(as profiled in the Cochrane Library) have been completed by researchers
from credible institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic, resulting in
substantial evidence that acupuncture is more effective than sham
acupuncture and that *acupuncture is very effective in treating chronic
pain, fatigue, anxiety, arthritis, headaches, chemotherapy sickness, and
infertility*, among other ailments.
At the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM), we
believe that articles like Mr. Salzberg's perform a damaging disservice to
the American public. As a society, we need new and creative solutions to
confront our healthcare crisis and improve the overall health and wellness
of our citizens. This requires integrating the best from both eastern (AOM)
and western (allopathic) approaches to improve how we *prevent* and
*treat* pain
and illness, and realize optimal health and healing. *We applaud the
University of Maryland and its Center for Integrative Medicine for their
leadership and outstanding work.**
*
Christian M. Ellis
Executive Director
American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
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