Stents, defibrillators, and other profit-making opportunities 16. April 2006 William Davis (2) As a practicing cardiologst, every day I receive a dozen or more magazines or newspapers targeting practicing physicians, not to mention the hundreds of letters, postcards, invitations to "talks", etc. that I receive. All of these materials share one common goal: To get the practicing cardiologist/physician to insert more of a manufacturer's stents, defibrillators, prescribe more of their drugs, etc. This is a highly effective and profitable area. Pfizer's Lipitor, for instance, generated $12.2 billion just last year alone. This kind of money will fund an extraordinary amount of marketing. I'm on the www.heart.org mailing list, a website for cardiologists. I'd estimate that 90% or more of their content is device-related: discussions of situations in which to insert stents, the expanding world of implantable devices, the ups and downs of various drugs. Rarely are discussions of healthy lifestyles, exercise, nutritional supplements, part of the dialogue. How can you protect yourself from the brainwashed physician, flooded with visions of all the devices he can put in you, all the drugs that can "cure" your disease? Simple: information. Be better informed. Ask pointed questions. The idiotic lay press tells you to ask a doctor about his education. That's not generally the problem. Some of the best educated doc's I know are also the most flagrantly guilty of profiteering medicine. Ask your doctor about his/her philosphy about the use of medications, devices, etc. If their word is God, take it or leave it, run the other way.
Will radiation kill you? 16. April 2006 William Davis (4) Several people have asked me lately if radiation is truly dangerous. These conversations were sparked by an editorial comment made on a column I wrote for Life Extension Magazine's April, 2006 issue on "Three ways to detect hidden heart disease". Among the methods that were discussed in this piece was, of course, CT heart scanning. Anyone who is involved with CT heart scans Quickly recognizes the spectacular power of this test to uncover hidden, unsuspected heart disease, literally within seconds. In 2006, there's really nothing like it for the every day person to have hidden heart disease detected and precisely quantified. Yet, the "rebuttal" to my article claimed that the broad use of heart scans was only my personal view and that, in truth, radiation kills people.NONSENSE! If an ovarian cancer is discovered by a CT scan of the abdomen, is that unwise use of radiation? If pneumonia or lung cancer is discovered on a chest x-ray with minimal radiation exposure, have we performed a disservice. Of course not. In fact, these are often lifesaving applications of radiation. Can radiation be used unwisely with excessive exposure? Of course. The 64 slice CT angiograms are just an example of this. Dr. Mehmet Oz announced on Oprah recently that this was a test to be used for broad screening of women for heart disease. This is wrong. The radiation required for a full 64 slice CT angiogram test is truly excessive for a screening application. You wouln't want to get breast cancer from your mammogram, would you? The radiation from a 64-slice CT angiogram is similar to that of a heart catheterization in the hospital--too much for screening. This is not to be confused with a CT heart scan for a calcium score performed on a 64 slice device. I think this can be performed with acceptable radiation exposure. Think about what would happen, for instance, if you had your heart disease undetected, had a heart attack, and went to the hospital? During your hospitalization, you'd likely get five chest x-rays, a heart catheterization, perhaps one or more nuclear imaging tests, maybe even a full CT scan (with far more radiation than a screening heart scan). The amount of radiation of a heart scan is trivial compared to what you obtain in a hospital.So take it all in perspective. The low level of radiation required for a simple heart scan (not an angiogram) does not by itself substantially add to your lifetime risk of radiation exposure. It may, in fact, save your life or reduce your life long exposure to radiation.
Are you using bogus supplements? 16. April 2006 William Davis (0) I consider nutritional supplements an important, many times a critical,part of a coronary plaque control program. But use the wrong brand or use it in the wrong way, and you can obtain no benefit. Occasionally, you can even suffer adverse effects. Take coenzyme Q10, for instance. (Track Your Plaque Members: A full, in-depth Special Report on coenzyme Q10 will be on the website in the next couple of weeks.) Take the wrong brand to minimize the likelihood of statin-related muscle aches, and you may find taking Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, etc. intolerable or impossible. However, take a 100 mg preparation from a trusted manufacturer in an oil-based capsule, and you are far more likely to avoid the inevitable muscle aches. (Though, of course, consult with your doctor, for all it's worth, if you develop muscle aches on any of these prescription agents.)Unfortunately, you and I often don't truly know for a fact if a bottle from the shelf of a health food store or drugstore is accurately labeled, pure, free of contaminants, and efficacious. One really great service for people serious about supplements is the www.consumerlab.com website. They are a membership website (with dues very reasonable) started by a physician interested in ensuring supplement quality. Consumer Lab tests nutritional supplements to determine whether it 1) contains what the label claims, and 2) is free of contamination. (I have no reason to pitch this or any other site; it's just a great service.) They recently found a supplement with Dr. Andrew Weil's name on it to have excess quantities of lead! What Consumer Lab does not do is determine efficacy. In other words, they do a responsible job of reporting on what clinical studies have been performed to support the use of a specific supplement. However, true claims of efficacy of supplement X to treat symptom or disease Y can only come with FDA approval. Supplements rarely will be put through the financial rigors of this process. If you're not a serious supplement user, but just need a reliable source, we've had good experiences with:--GNC--the national chain--Vitamin Shoppe--also a national chain --www.lifeextension.com or www.lef.org--A great and low-priced source, but they do charge a $75 annual membership that comes with a subscription to their magazine, Life Extension (which I frequently write for) and several free supplements that you may or may not need. Again, I'm not pitching them; they are simply a good source.--Solgar--a major manufacturer--Vitamin World--Nature's Bounty--SundownThere are many others, as well. Unfortunately, it's only the occasional manufacturer or distributor that permits unnacceptable contamination with lead or other poisons, or inaccurately labels their supplement (e.g., contains 1000 mg of glucosamine when it really contains 200 mg). I have not come across any manufacturer/distributor who has systemtically marketed uniformly bad products.
It really helps to have someone to lean on 16. April 2006 William Davis (0) Among my patients are several husband and wife teams, both of whom have heart disease by some measure. Several couples, for instance, consist of a huband who's received a stent, survived a heart attack, or has some other scar of the conventional approach. The wives generally have a substantial heart scan score in the several hundred range. There are a few couples for which the roles are reversed: wife with bypass, heart attack, etc. and husband with a substantial quantity of coronary plaque by CT heart scan. From them all, however, I've learned the power of teamwork. When both wife and husband (or even "significant other") are committed to the effort of controlling or reversing heart disease risk, the likelihood of success is magnified many-fold. Everything is easier: shopping for and choosing foods, incorporating supplements in the budget, taking vacations with a healthy focus, following through and sticking with your program. Several of the couples have succeeded in obtaining regression of plaque for both man and woman. Both have reduced their heart scan scores and, as a result, dramatically reduced the potential for future heart attack and procedures. Unfortunately, I will also see the opposite situation: One spouse committed to the program but the other indifferent. They may say such things as "You can't control what happens in the future." Or, "There's no way you can get rid of risk for heart disease. My doctor says it's hereditary." Or, "I've eaten this way since I was a kid. I'm not changing now for you or for anybody else." Such negative commentary can't help but erode your commitment to health. Most of us recognize these sorts of comments as self-fulfulling and self-defeating. What should you do if you have an unsupportive partner? Not easy. But it really can help to seek out a supportive partner, whether it's a friend, relative, or other significant person in your life. Of course, not everybody can find such a person. Perhaps that's another way our program can help. I'd like to hear from anyone who does obtain substantial support of someone close, or if you are struggling to do so.
Five foods that can booby trap your heart disease prevention program 14. April 2006 William Davis (0) There are several foods that commonly come up on people's lists of habitual foods that are truly undesirable for a heart disease prevention program. Curiously, people choose these foods because of the mis-perception that they are healthy. My patients are often shocked when I tell them that they are not healthy and are, in fact, detrimental to their program.I'm not talking about foods that are obviously unhealthy. You know these: fried foods, greasy cheeseburgers, French fries, bacon, sausage, etc. Nearly everyone knows that the high saturated fat content, low fiber, and low nutritional value of these foods are behind heart disease, hypertension, and a variety of cancers. I'm talking about foods that people say they eat because they view them as healthy--but they're not. Here's the list:1) Low-fat or non-fat salad dressings--Virtually all brands we've examined have high-fructose corn syrup as one the main ingredients. What does high fructose corn syrup do? Triggers sugar cravings, makes your triglycerides skyrocket (causing formation of abnormal lipoproteins like small LDL), and causes diabetes. The average American now ingests nearly 80 lbs of this evil sweetener per year. You're far better off with olive, canol, grapeseed, or flaxseed based salad dressings. 2) Breakfast cereals--If you've been following these discussions, you know that the majority of breakfast cereals are sugar. They may not actually contain sugar, but they contain ingredients that are converted to sugar in your body. They may be cleverly disguised as healthy--Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, etc. 3) Pretzels--"A low-fat snack". That's right. A low-fat snack that raises blood sugar like eating table sugar from the bowl. 4) Margarine--Forget this silly argument about which is worse, butter or margarine. Which is worse, strychnine or lead? Both are poisons to the human body. Who cares which is worse? Fortunately, there are now healthy "margarines" like Smart Balance and Benecol that lack the saturated fat or hydrogenated fat of either. 4) Bananas--Bananas are not all that intrinsically unhealthy. The problem is that people will say to me, "Oh sure, I eat fruit. Two bananas a day." What I hear is "I don't really eat fruit with high nutrient value, fiber, and reduced sugar release. I reach for only bananas which yield extreme sugar rises in my blood and are low fiber." Aren't they high in potassium? Yes, but there are better sources. Cut back if you are a banana freak. Why the mis-perceptions? A holdover from the low-fat diet days and marketing from food manufacturers are the principal reasons. Of course, foods are meant to be enjoyed, but be informed about it. Choose foods for the right reasons, not because of some cleverly-crafted marketing campaign.
Breakfast of champions? 12. April 2006 William Davis (1) I spend time every day educating or reminding patients that breakfast cereals are not health foods. I see jaws drop in shock when I tell them that, in my opinion and despite the marketing claims, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, and the like do not yield health benefits. In fact, they do the the opposite: dramatically raise blood sugar and trigger an adverse cascade of events that eventually leads to diabetes and heart disease. Why the health claims in advertising? Because these products contain insoluble fiber, the sort that makes your bowels regular. Yes, your bowels are important to health, too. But the benefits end there. Breakfast cereals are a highly refined, processed food that are not good for your plaque control program. What they are is a highly profitable, multi-billion dollar business, deeply entrenched in American culture ("They'rrrre grrrrrreat!"--Tony the Tiger; "There's a whole scoop of raisins in every box of Post Raisin Bran!" Bet you remember them all.)I find it particularly upsetting when I see the stamp of approval from the American Heart Association on some products. Gee, if the Heart Association says it's good for you, it must be true! Don't you believe it. The American Heart Association relies on corporate donations, just like any other charity. If you must eat breakfast cereals, refer to www.glycemicindex.com for a full database of glycemic indexes. You can look up a specific product and it will list its glycemic index, or sugar-releasing properties. You should try to keep glycemic Toggle navigation Home Blog Home Archive Join Now Log in Is shock therapy the answer to “cure” obesity? 10. August 2014 Lisa G (0) The next obesity “fix” may be hitting the market known as "VBLOC therapy”. This implanted device delivers intermittent electrical "blocking signals" to the intra-abdominal vagus nerve. According to the manufacturer, the device "reduces sensations of hunger and produces satiety leading to weight loss.”Seems to me like another classic case of conventional healthcare proposing surgery or medications to address the obesity epidemic. Pharmacologic treatment and bariatric surgery have been offered for years to win the battle of the bulge. As a registered dietitian, who years ago begrudgingly counseled patients prior to undergoing bariatric surgery, I have seen countless people re-gaining all (if not more) of the weight lost after the first year of surgery. Same goes for pharmalogical interventions, such as Phentermine. Sure it worked in the short-term. But in every single case, when the medication was stopped, as it is not FDA approved for long-term use, the weight came creeping back.My take on the releasing a significant amount of weight does not require going under the knife. How about this instead? Address the cause of increase hunger and appetite. This is a crucial missing link for many undergoing surgery or using medication(s) as a “solution”. Not addressing the cause of increased hunger and ravenous eating behaviors precipitously results in rebound weight gain. Rather than sending an electrical pulse to a nerve in the stomach, maybe the FDA should consider a Cureality-based nutrition program that is wildly successful stimulating a “side effect” of weight loss. Wheat elimination offers a surgery-free option that reduces hunger and insistent drive to eat every few hours, thanks to freedom from gliadin driven appetite stimulation. Weight loss is common experience due to reduced hunger and subsequent intake. Give it a try. What else do you have to lose, but some love handles?--Lisa Grudzielanek, MS,RDN,CD CDECureality Nutrition & Health Coach Are Your Beauty Products Toxic? 10. August 2014 Lisa G (0) As a nutritionist and self-care advocate, I am very careful about what I put in my body. Health benefits experienced through proper nutrition are well understood. We avoid highly processed foods, wheat-based products, and sugary snacks because we know that are “unhealthy” for us. But what about what we put on our skin?An important piece of the health and wellness puzzle is not only what is on the end of our fork but on our toothbrush, slapped on our bodies and rubbed into our hair. Skin is the largest organ and what we place on it on a daily basis penetrates the skin, enters the fat stores and contributes to the toxicity and adiposity of our bodies. According to the Environmental Working Group, the average woman uses 12 beauty products per day, containing about 168 ingredients. Yikes!I’ve often held a high suspicious that endocrine disruptors such as parabens, triclosan, fragrance, and other punitive chemicals are a key suspect in the root cause of my endocrine disruption. Interestingly, scientific evidence is now emerging to support this suspicion.A few months back, I took a look at my hair, skin, and cosmetic products. I was shocked and horrified. Parabens, an estrogen-mimicking preservative linked with endocrine disruption, was in dozens of products. It reminded me of how I felt on that day years ago when I threw out all the products in my kitchen that contained wheat. What are parabens not in? Why was it in so many products?In our next episode of Cureality Connections we will discuss key skin and beauty product chemicals to avoid along with other steps to take to attain beauty from within.--Lisa Grudzielanek MS, RDN, CD, CDE Top 3 Strength Training Exercises for Runners 28. July 2014 Amber B (0) First and foremost, if you’re a runner and you’re not strength training you need to start. This in and of itself could be an entire blog article. But here I go with the synopsis. Strength training will indirectly help you run longer and faster. Strength training exercises can improve your running mechanics, so that you run more efficiently. Efficient running mechanics will lead to less wasted energy with each step and less injuries. Think about it. You will take 80 to 90 steps per foot each minute you run. If you have muscular imbalances that lead to joint mobility or stability issues you will move through an improper range of motion with each step. When you run for 30 minutes you take 2700 steps with each foot for a combined 5400 steps. That could be 5400 steps of feet rolling in, rounded shoulders, wasted side to side movement or just pure pain. Needless to say, when you are an endurance athlete it’s important that each step and every workout is adding to improved performance not to injury or fatigue. The key to becoming a better runner is consistency. For most runners, injuries are the biggest disrupter of consistent training. Runners get a few good weeks or months of training, and then they are injured. That means time off, loss of motivation, and a decrease in fitness. Strength training with proper form 2 to 3 times a week will reduce the onset of injuries and improve your running form. Here are my top 3 strength training exercises for runners. Bulgarian Split SquatYou will need a bench, chair or stepper to perform this exercise. Start by doing this exercise with just body weight and then progress. The progression could include holding dumbbells, kettlebells or a barbell. You can also make this exercise explosive. Place the to top of your back foot on. If you are having a hard time with balance, flex your back toes and place them on the bench. Stand in a staggered stance about 2 to 3 feet wide. This should allow your knee to bend while keeping your knees behind your front toes. Inhale as you begin to bend both knees. Focus on your back knee pointing straight down toward the ground and your body weight in your front heel. Keep your front kneecap inline with the 3rd toe of the front foot. Exhale as you straighten both knees to come back up to standing. Start with 10 repetitions on each leg and progress to 15. Calf LowersUse a stair or a stepper to perform this exercise. Start by doing this exercise with just body weight. The progression would include holding a dumbbell in one hand. Place the ball of your foot on the stair while holding on to the wall or railing. Rise up on the ball of your foot as high as your heel will go. Make sure you have weight evenly distributed on all of your toes and that you are not rolling onto one side of your foot. Slowly, lower you heel back to the starting position. Try counting 3 to 5 slow counts to ensure you really focus on lowering part of the movement. Do 10 reputations on each foot to start. Work up to doing 20 reputations on each foot. Band or Cable RowHow many runners do you see hunched over logging long miles. This exercise is for improved running posture, which can lead to improved respiration. To perform this exercise, use a band or a cable. This exercise can be done with both arms or with just one arm. Stand in a staggered stance with relaxed knees. Make sure your ribs on stacked on top of your hips to ensure good posture. Grab the handles of the band or the cable in the thumbs up position. Start the movement by protracting the shoulder blades.Then bend the elbows straight back so that your biceps are close to your rib care. Keep your knuckles forward. To release, begin to straighten your elbows and bring your shoulders back to the starting position. Start with 10 repitions and work up to 20. To increase difficulty, use a more difficult band or more weight on the cable system. Here’s to improving your running mechanics so that you can train more consistently. Can’t wait to hear about the PR at your next race. How did Cureality get its start? 27. July 2014 William Davis (0)
Is shock therapy the answer to “cure” obesity? 10. August 2014 Lisa G (0) The next obesity “fix” may be hitting the market known as "VBLOC therapy”. This implanted device delivers intermittent electrical "blocking signals" to the intra-abdominal vagus nerve. According to the manufacturer, the device "reduces sensations of hunger and produces satiety leading to weight loss.”Seems to me like another classic case of conventional healthcare proposing surgery or medications to address the obesity epidemic. Pharmacologic treatment and bariatric surgery have been offered for years to win the battle of the bulge. As a registered dietitian, who years ago begrudgingly counseled patients prior to undergoing bariatric surgery, I have seen countless people re-gaining all (if not more) of the weight lost after the first year of surgery. Same goes for pharmalogical interventions, such as Phentermine. Sure it worked in the short-term. But in every single case, when the medication was stopped, as it is not FDA approved for long-term use, the weight came creeping back.My take on the releasing a significant amount of weight does not require going under the knife. How about this instead? Address the cause of increase hunger and appetite. This is a crucial missing link for many undergoing surgery or using medication(s) as a “solution”. Not addressing the cause of increased hunger and ravenous eating behaviors precipitously results in rebound weight gain. Rather than sending an electrical pulse to a nerve in the stomach, maybe the FDA should consider a Cureality-based nutrition program that is wildly successful stimulating a “side effect” of weight loss. Wheat elimination offers a surgery-free option that reduces hunger and insistent drive to eat every few hours, thanks to freedom from gliadin driven appetite stimulation. Weight loss is common experience due to reduced hunger and subsequent intake. Give it a try. What else do you have to lose, but some love handles?--Lisa Grudzielanek, MS,RDN,CD CDECureality Nutrition & Health Coach
Are Your Beauty Products Toxic? 10. August 2014 Lisa G (0) As a nutritionist and self-care advocate, I am very careful about what I put in my body. Health benefits experienced through proper nutrition are well understood. We avoid highly processed foods, wheat-based products, and sugary snacks because we know that are “unhealthy” for us. But what about what we put on our skin?An important piece of the health and wellness puzzle is not only what is on the end of our fork but on our toothbrush, slapped on our bodies and rubbed into our hair. Skin is the largest organ and what we place on it on a daily basis penetrates the skin, enters the fat stores and contributes to the toxicity and adiposity of our bodies. According to the Environmental Working Group, the average woman uses 12 beauty products per day, containing about 168 ingredients. Yikes!I’ve often held a high suspicious that endocrine disruptors such as parabens, triclosan, fragrance, and other punitive chemicals are a key suspect in the root cause of my endocrine disruption. Interestingly, scientific evidence is now emerging to support this suspicion.A few months back, I took a look at my hair, skin, and cosmetic products. I was shocked and horrified. Parabens, an estrogen-mimicking preservative linked with endocrine disruption, was in dozens of products. It reminded me of how I felt on that day years ago when I threw out all the products in my kitchen that contained wheat. What are parabens not in? Why was it in so many products?In our next episode of Cureality Connections we will discuss key skin and beauty product chemicals to avoid along with other steps to take to attain beauty from within.--Lisa Grudzielanek MS, RDN, CD, CDE
Top 3 Strength Training Exercises for Runners 28. July 2014 Amber B (0) First and foremost, if you’re a runner and you’re not strength training you need to start. This in and of itself could be an entire blog article. But here I go with the synopsis. Strength training will indirectly help you run longer and faster. Strength training exercises can improve your running mechanics, so that you run more efficiently. Efficient running mechanics will lead to less wasted energy with each step and less injuries. Think about it. You will take 80 to 90 steps per foot each minute you run. If you have muscular imbalances that lead to joint mobility or stability issues you will move through an improper range of motion with each step. When you run for 30 minutes you take 2700 steps with each foot for a combined 5400 steps. That could be 5400 steps of feet rolling in, rounded shoulders, wasted side to side movement or just pure pain. Needless to say, when you are an endurance athlete it’s important that each step and every workout is adding to improved performance not to injury or fatigue. The key to becoming a better runner is consistency. For most runners, injuries are the biggest disrupter of consistent training. Runners get a few good weeks or months of training, and then they are injured. That means time off, loss of motivation, and a decrease in fitness. Strength training with proper form 2 to 3 times a week will reduce the onset of injuries and improve your running form. Here are my top 3 strength training exercises for runners. Bulgarian Split SquatYou will need a bench, chair or stepper to perform this exercise. Start by doing this exercise with just body weight and then progress. The progression could include holding dumbbells, kettlebells or a barbell. You can also make this exercise explosive. Place the to top of your back foot on. If you are having a hard time with balance, flex your back toes and place them on the bench. Stand in a staggered stance about 2 to 3 feet wide. This should allow your knee to bend while keeping your knees behind your front toes. Inhale as you begin to bend both knees. Focus on your back knee pointing straight down toward the ground and your body weight in your front heel. Keep your front kneecap inline with the 3rd toe of the front foot. Exhale as you straighten both knees to come back up to standing. Start with 10 repetitions on each leg and progress to 15. Calf LowersUse a stair or a stepper to perform this exercise. Start by doing this exercise with just body weight. The progression would include holding a dumbbell in one hand. Place the ball of your foot on the stair while holding on to the wall or railing. Rise up on the ball of your foot as high as your heel will go. Make sure you have weight evenly distributed on all of your toes and that you are not rolling onto one side of your foot. Slowly, lower you heel back to the starting position. Try counting 3 to 5 slow counts to ensure you really focus on lowering part of the movement. Do 10 reputations on each foot to start. Work up to doing 20 reputations on each foot. Band or Cable RowHow many runners do you see hunched over logging long miles. This exercise is for improved running posture, which can lead to improved respiration. To perform this exercise, use a band or a cable. This exercise can be done with both arms or with just one arm. Stand in a staggered stance with relaxed knees. Make sure your ribs on stacked on top of your hips to ensure good posture. Grab the handles of the band or the cable in the thumbs up position. Start the movement by protracting the shoulder blades.Then bend the elbows straight back so that your biceps are close to your rib care. Keep your knuckles forward. To release, begin to straighten your elbows and bring your shoulders back to the starting position. Start with 10 repitions and work up to 20. To increase difficulty, use a more difficult band or more weight on the cable system. Here’s to improving your running mechanics so that you can train more consistently. Can’t wait to hear about the PR at your next race.