Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Pre - Diabetes!

Hey, another great article on diabetes - please read!


Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes Now Strikes One in Four Americans
The number of Americans with diabetes has grown to about 24 million people, or roughly 8 percent of the U.S. population.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, indicates an increase of about 3 million cases since over just two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have a condition called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease. Diabetes results from defects in insulin production that cause sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
Sources:
Physorg.com June 25, 2008
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Dr. Mercola's Comments:
I have been interested in diabetes for many years and actually did three months of an endocrinology rotation at Cook County Hospital during my residency, 25 years ago. I was even going to specialize in it after I completed my residency, but decided to pursue general family medicine instead.
Interestingly, most of my paternal relatives (my dad included), have, or have died from, diabetes. In the late 90s I made the mistake of believing in Dr. Dadamo’s work in Eat Right for Your Blood Type. I since realized that it is a flawed theory based on incorrect presumptions. However, at the time I thought it made sense, so I tried it on myself.
I am blood type A, so I switched to a high grain diet and changed my high intensity aerobic type exercises to walking like he suggested. Well, in a few short weeks my fasting blood sugar rose to nearly 130. This told me two things. The first was that I had diabetes, and the second was that Eat Right for Your Blood Type is a flawed theory that helps some, but can really harm and damage others.
Once I understood insulin physiology better and changed my diet and exercise, nearly ten years ago now; my fasting blood sugar is almost always around 90 or lower. This is far below the 125 required for a diagnosis of diabetes.
My personal experience with diabetes and review of the literature made it VERY clear to me that virtually every case of type 2 diabetes is 100 percent reversible.
And let me guarantee you, the cure for type 2 diabetes has NOTHING to do with giving insulin. Giving someone insulin with type 2 diabetes is one of the WORST things that can be done. Any physician doing this is suffering from profound ignorance of insulin physiology.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of physicians are still seriously confused about this issue, which is why most doctors cause diabetics to D. I. E.
Diabetes Epidemic Continues to Worsen
The latest statistics on diabetes in the U.S. are sad indeed, and in my opinion, they are a very clear sign that conventional medicine has it all wrong, and their standard recommendations – both in terms of medication and nutrition -- are incorrect.
At best, they simply do not work. At worst, they’re aggravating your problem and speeding up the deteriorating disease process.
By some estimates, diabetes has increased more than 700 percent in the last 50 years. What does this tell you about the advice you’ve been given and the direction you’ve been led in by conventional medicine?
There’s no doubt in my mind that if government agencies and the medical community would do the right thing; i.e. stop catering to the greedy demands of the industries of sugar, grain and pharmaceuticals, and start issuing recommendations that actually promote health rather than deteriorating it further, this modern epidemic would be curbed in fairly short order.
The 2007 Stats on Diabetes
The latest statistics on diabetes indicate that the U.S. now has as many as 24 million people with diabetes, or 8 percent of our total population.
Juvenile-onset (type 1) diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, with adult-onset (type 2) accounting for the remaining 90 to 95 percent.
However, a closer look shows that the situation is more bizarre than that, because the average of 8 percent includes all age groups, including children under the age of 10, where the disease rate is still very low.
When you look at the numbers of adults aged 20 and over, the incidence rate is almost 11 percent. And when you look at seniors aged 60 and up, the prevalence is over 23 percent! That’s pretty incredible.
(Add to that the fact that the average senior (65+) is on 28 pharmaceutical drugs and it’s no wonder so few people live more than a decade past their retirement…)
The statistics are even more grim when it comes to the prevalence of pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose).
Almost 26 percent of U.S. adults over the age of 20 are pre-diabetics, and more than 35 percent of seniors, 60 and older. In total, that’s 57 million Americans walking around with pre-diabetes, in addition to the 24 million that have already crossed the line.
According to the population clock on the U.S. Census Bureau’s web site, the U.S. currently has just over 304,554,800 people. So, by my calculations we’re looking at a total of just over 26.5 percent of the entire U.S. population having either pre-diabetes, or some form of diabetes.
Wow.
Folks, this is no accident. These kinds of statistics clearly show that we’re actively being led astray.
You must understand and accept that aside from the juvenile-onset variety (which is relatively rare), type 2 diabetes is 100 percent preventable AND reversible by some fairly simple lifestyle changes, all of which are outlined and discussed in detail in my Total Health Program.
Many of the conventional recommendations for treating diabetes are simply wrong, and I discussed the reasons why in this previous article. If you missed it, or need a refresher, please review it again.
Why is Diabetes Such a Dangerous Disease?
Diabetes has become so common that many don’t even bat an eyelash anymore. It’s almost as if diabetes has become “ok.” Just take your meds and you’ll be fine.
Not so!
Aside from the potentially deadly side effects of diabetes drugs, which I’ve covered in previous articles, the additional health complications that diabetes fosters are multiple, and quite serious, including:
Heart disease and stroke – Death from heart disease and risk for stroke is two to four times higher among people with diabetes
High blood pressure – 75 percent of diabetics have high blood pressure (130/180 mm Hg or higher)
Blindness -- Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20 to 74 years
Kidney disease – Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure. In 2005, more than 45,700 people began treatment for end-stage kidney disease in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and another 178,700 were living on chronic dialysis
Nervous system disease -- About 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage such as: impaired sensation or pain in hands or feet, poor digestion, carpal tunnel syndrome and erectile dysfunction
Amputations – In 2004, 71,000 lower limb amputations due to diabetes were performed in the U.S.
Dental disease -- Almost one-third of people with diabetes have severe periodontal disease
Pregnancy complications -- Poorly controlled diabetes before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy among women with type 1 diabetes can cause major birth defects in 5 to 10 percent of pregnancies, and spontaneous abortions in 15 to 20 percent of pregnancies
Putting a Price Tag on Diabetes
There’s yet another updated study that warrants mentioning here: the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) study on Economic Cost of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2007.
The total estimated cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2007 tallies up to $174 billion. This includes $ 116 billion in excess (read: unnecessary) medical expenditures, and $58 billion in reduced national productivity.
Having diabetes not only plunders your health, but your pocketbook too. People with diagnosed diabetes incur an average medical expense of $11,744 per year, almost 2.5 times higher than those who do not have diabetes.
Follow the Bread Crumbs
The concept that diabetes is NOT a blood sugar disease is one that I keep striving to make well-known. As you can see by the numbers above, understanding the TRUE underlying cause of diabetes has the potential to save hundreds of thousands, even millions, of lives.
Type 2 diabetes is a disease caused by insulin resistance and faulty leptin signaling, both of which are regulated through your diet.
Until that concept becomes well-known in both the medical community and by the public at large, the misconception about what diabetes is and the appropriate way to treat it will continue to be promoted.
Conventional treatment that is focused on fixing the symptom of elevated blood sugar, rather than addressing the underlying disease, is doomed to fail in most cases. Treatments that concentrate merely on lowering blood sugar while raising insulin levels can actually worsen rather than remedy the actual problem of metabolic miscommunication. It just trades one evil for another.
Since most treatments for type 2 diabetes utilize drugs that either raise insulin or lower blood sugar, the tragic result is that the typical, conventional medical treatment for diabetes contributes to the additional diseases and the shortened lifespan that diabetics experience.
For the last 50 years or so, Americans have followed the dietary recommendations of a high complex carbohydrate, low saturated fat diet.
As an example, WebMD; one of the most visited medical information sites on the web, states that people with diabetes, who also have abnormal cholesterol levels, would be well advised to follow a diet that calls for 50 to 60 percent of your daily total calories to be in the form of carbohydrates.
That’s absurd.
They also state that table sugar is okay, as long as you readjust your medications to compensate appropriately (i.e. take more drugs to increase your fat cell storage capacity). Using toxic artificial sweeteners in lieu of sugar also gets the green light.
Folks, many of these recommendations are not based on what’s nutritionally healthy. They’re based on industry lobbying – just like the USDA’s Food Pyramid, which is fraught with industry conflicts of interest.
The proof is in the pudding as they say, and concomitant with the standard nutritional recommendations the incidence of diabetes and obesity has skyrocketed, and has become one of the worst epidemics the world has ever seen.
Eating a high "complex" carbohydrate, low saturated fat diet for health and longevity has been shown to be wrong. Minimal common sense would say to try something else.
How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic
Getting appropriate and regular amounts of exercise, and adopting an eating plan that emphasizes good fats, and reduced non-fiber carbohydrates and starches as outlined in my Total Health Program, can place you on the right path. Doing so will greatly improve and even reverse type 2 "insulin resistant" diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, many other chronic diseases of aging, all without the use of potentially dangerous drugs.
Related Articles:
How to Finally Make Type 2 Diabetes Disappear Nutritional Typing Prevents and Cures Diabetes The Diabetes Conundrum: What Physicians are Teaching You may be Killing You

What's In the Milk You Drink?

Hey There - good afternoon - check out this article!! I posted the website so you could see the U Tube videos.



http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/12/did-you-know-all-the-drugs-in-your-milk.aspx?source=nl

Dairy products from cows treated with Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST) could sharply increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, especially in children. The chemicals are already banned in most industrialized nations, and it was approved in the United States on the backs of fired whistleblowers, manipulated research, and a corporate takeover at the FDA. This film (split into two parts above) includes footage prepared for a Fox TV segment that was canceled after a letter from Monsanto's attorney threatened "dire consequences."
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Dr. Mercola's Comments:
When it comes to defacing your food supply, you can count on Monsanto to be there front and center. In my estimation they are easily one of the world’s most evil companies, and I do not say that lightly.Monsanto has a long history of fraud and deception. From covering up the toxicity of PCBs and Agent Orange to now producing and patenting GM seeds in an effort to control the world’s food supply, this company is lacking in even the tiniest shred of integrity.So it should come as no surprise that earlier this year The American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology, or Afact, came out defending their right to use rBGH. This so-called grass-roots organization even went so far as to try and stop milk labels from being allowed to say they contain “no artificial growth hormone.”Why is this not surprising? Because Afact was organized, marketed and promoted by none other than Monsanto. Why Might You be Concerned About rBGH in Your Milk?Samuel Epstein, MD, a scientist at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, is one of the top experts on cancer prevention. He is frequently called upon to advise Congress about things in our environment that may cause cancer, and he has written eight books, including one of the best books on the topic, Got (Genetically Engineered) Milk? So when Dr. Epstein began speaking out against rBGH in milk, the so-called “crack for cows,” I listened. For starters, Dr. Epstein points out that rBGH milk is “supercharged with high levels of a natural growth factor (IGF-1), excess levels of which have been incriminated as major causes of breast, colon, and prostate cancers.” But that’s not all. "This milk is qualitatively and quantitatively different from natural milk," states Dr. Epstein. "In addition to the issue of increased IGF-1 levels, these differences include:
Contamination of milk by the GM hormone rBGH
Contamination by pus and antibiotics resulting from the high incidence of mastitis in rBGH-injected cows
Contamination with illegal antibiotics and drugs used to treat mastitis and other rBGH-induced disease
Increased concentration of the thyroid hormone enzyme thyroxin-5'-monodeiodinase
Increased concentration of long-chain and decreased concentration of short-chain fatty acids
A reduction in levels of the milk protein casein." Are You Drinking rBGH Milk?You very well may be, as no labels are required. This is despite the fact that nearly every American wants it labeled, but the government, as usual, bowed to industry lobbyists and, amazingly, does not require this on the label.However, as increasing numbers of people and dairies choose to avoid rBGH, you can find labels that say “rBGH-free” or a similar variation. Organic milk is also rBGH-free.This is certainly preferable to milk that contains this dangerous hormone … but I still don’t recommend drinking any milk, organic or otherwise, that is pasteurized.You can avoid both the risks of rBGH and pasteurization by only drinking raw milk that comes from a small farmer you know and trust. This is the only way to drink milk if you’re interested in protecting your health.Looking at the bigger picture, though, this issue is really about much more than milk. It’s about protecting your food supply from all sorts of manipulation -- from rBGH and pasteurization to genetically modified crops as a whole. A key way you can begin to do this is by avoiding GM products that come from companies like Monsanto -- and there are many of them. To gain some insight into how best to protect your health from manipulated foods, I recommend exploring the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT). Jeffrey Smith, leading spokesperson on the dangers of GM foods (who was featured in the videos above), founded the IRT in 2003 to warn the American public about this menace. Discover the hidden hazards of GM foods for yourself, and find a non-GMO shopping guide, at Jeffrey's Web site: ResponsibleTechnology.org.
Related Articles:
More Dairies Eliminating Monsanto's Dangerous Hormones BGH: Monsanto and the Dairy Industry's Dirty Little Secret Could Wal-Mart Cause the End of Growth Hormones in Milk?

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

12 Food Additives to Avoid!

Hello All,
Often I am asked about food additives. The biggest thing I am strict on with my nutritional programs is to ensure my clients understand that they need to be looking out for themselves. Don't assume that what ever you are buying from the commercial industry is healthy and that THEY have your health in their best interest! I will tell ya NOW that the food industry does not care the least about whether or not you are losing weight or are disease free! they care about how much money they will generate from you buying their product via how effective their commerical was on TV or magazine ad. SO please don't be ignorant to the facts and remember just because it's not listed on the box doesn't mean it's not hidden in your food. I am also an advocate of MAKING your own food and buying WHOLE FOOD. Whole food is what mother nature produces and offers us! Veggies, nuts, meat, fruit, seeds etc............I could go on. Okay, take care and keep healthy!

Lisa


12 Food Additives to Avoid
Including something new in a food isn’t always a good idea, especially when it comes to your health. Here are 12 additives to subtract from your diet:(Please understand these are not my assessments, but those by MSN Health and Fitness. My comments and recommendations are in my comment below.)1. Sodium Nitrate (also called Sodium Nitrite)This is a preservative, coloring, and flavoring commonly added to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef. Studies have linked eating it to various types of cancer.
2. BHA and BHT
Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene are used to preserve common household foods. They are found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils. They are oxidants, which form potentially cancer-causing reactive compounds in your body.
3. Propyl Gallate
Another preservative, often used in conjunction with BHA and BHT. It is sometimes found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum. Animals studies have suggested that it could be linked to cancer.
4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. It can cause headaches and nausea, and animal studies link it to damaged nerve cells in the brains of infant mice.
5. Trans Fats
Trans fats are proven to cause heart disease. Restaurant food, especially fast food chains, often serve foods laden with trans fats.
6. Aspartame
Aspartame, also known by the brand names Nutrasweet and Equal, is a sweetener found in so-called diet foods such as low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks. It may cause cancer or neurological problems, such as dizziness or hallucinations.
7. Acesulfame-K
This is a relatively new artificial sweetener found in baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts. There is a general concern that testing on this product has been scant, and some studies show the additive may cause cancer in rats.
8. Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6
Five food colorings still on the market are linked with cancer in animal testing. Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, added to candy and beverages, has been linked to bladder cancer. The widely used yellow 6, added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy, has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.
9. Olestra
Olestra, a synthetic fat found in some potato chip brands, can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and gas. Olestra also inhibits healthy vitamin absorption from fat-soluble carotenoids that are found in fruits and vegetables.
10. Potassium Bromate
Potassium bromate is used as an additive to increase volume in some white flour, breads, and rolls. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and even small amounts in bread can create a risk for humans.
11. White Sugar
Watch out for foods with added sugars, such as baked goods, cereals, crackers, sauces and many other processed foods. It is unsafe for your health, and promotes bad nutrition.
12. Sodium Chloride
A dash of sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, can bring flavor to your meal. But too much salt can be dangerous for your health, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
Sources:
MSN Health and Fitness

Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Americans spend about 90 percent of their food budget on processed foods, which contain a staggering number of artificial food additives, preservatives, colors and flavor enhancers. That your health suffers as a consequence of this assault should come as no surprise.
To review each of the mere dozen mentioned here could fill several books, and would still only be the tip of the iceberg. As you may already know, I wrote an entire book just on artificial sweeteners, called Sweet Deception. The book is currently out of print as we sold out of the last edition, but we hope to have it back in print by the fall.
However, when it comes to food additives, perhaps one of the most important aspects is the health ramifications they have on your children.
New Study Confirms What Astute Parents Have Known for Years
The issue of whether or not food additives such as artificial colors contribute to behavioral problems in children has been disputed for many years. Fortunately, this may soon change.
A carefully designed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the journal The Lancet last year may have finally shifted the tide (for a free PDF of the full study see this link).
It concluded that a variety of common food dyes, and the preservative sodium benzoate – found in many soft drinks, fruit juices and salad dressings – do cause some children to become measurably more hyperactive and distractible.
The seven ingredients tested in the study included:
Sodium benzoate (E211)
Sunset yellow (E110)
Quinoline yellow (E104)
Carmoisine (E122)
Tartrazine (E102)
Ponceau 4R (E124)
Allura red AC (E129)
The results of this study have already prompted the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) to issue an immediate advisory to parents, warning them to limit their children's intake of additives if they notice an effect on behavior.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the U.S. has not issued any similar warnings.
The worst behavioral responses from the additives were seen in the three-year-olds, compared to the older children in the study. But even within each age group, some children responded very strongly, and others not at all, indicating there are individual differences in how well your body can tolerate the assault of artificial additives. One theory is that the additives may trigger a release of histamines in certain sensitive kids.
Still, I believe that food additives such as preservatives, sweeteners and colorings should be avoided as much as possible, regardless of whether they have a marked effect or not as they clearly have no redeeming nutritional value, and can carry major long-term health risks.
Food Colors May be as Damaging as Lead in Gasoline on Children’s Brains
Another recent article, published in the British magazine The Independent on April 5 2008, reported that artificial food colors (but not the preservative sodium benzoate) are now set to be removed from hundreds of products in the UK because the results of the study mentioned above also indicate that the E-numbers do as much damage to children's brains as lead in gasoline, resulting in a significant reduction in IQ.
The lead author, Professor Stevenson, and his three colleagues have stated:
"The position in relation to AFCs [Artificial Food Colors] is analogous to the state of knowledge about lead and IQ that was being evaluated in the early 1980s ... Needleman [a researcher] found the difference in IQ between high and low lead groups was 5.5 IQ points ... This is very close to the sizes obtained in our study of food additives."
Officials at the British FSA are advising the food industry to voluntarily remove the six food dyes named in the study by the end of 2009, and replace them with natural alternatives if possible.
True to form, the food industry claims the additives are used in a mere “handful” of products, but the website ActionOnAdditives.com has already identified more than 1,000 food products that contain them – most of which are targeted at children.
BEWARE -- Already Banned Food Additives Still Found in Children’s Medicines
Another thing you need to be aware of, as a parent, is that when an ingredient is banned for use in food, it is not automatically banned for use in other areas such as medicine.
According to an expose’ by the British Food Commission last year, food additives that have already been banned for use in food and beverages are still used in a majority of pediatric over-the-counter medicines.
Their survey found that ALL BUT ONE medicine out of 41 contained an additive that had been banned.
The additives found in these drugs included:
Synthetic azo dyes
Maltitol and sorbitol
Benzoate and sulphite preservatives
Chloroform
The justification for using these toxic compounds is what you'd typically expect from an over-the-counter pharmaceutical trade group: Unlike foods, additives in medicines are used in small quantities and are only taken for a short time.
Does that make you feel any better?
This is just one more reason why it’s so important to question what your doctor or any other health professional may prescribe or recommend for your child, no matter what side of the counter it comes from, as many pediatric drugs can certainly be harmful, if not downright toxic to your child’s health.
Sugar and Salt
White sugar is named in the list above but I would have to disagree and identify high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as far more problematic than white cane sugar. HFCS is the number one source of calories in the U.S. and causes far more damage than white sugar.
Salt is another challenge, as it can and is a health food for many, but it needs to be the right type of salt. Nearly all commercial salt is highly processed and heated to very high temperatures and has many additives added, which are also potentially toxic. So it would be wise to avoid processed foods with conventional salt added.
However, unprocessed salts, like unrefined sea salts and Himalayan salt can be an important part of a healthy diet. Personally, it is uncommon for a day to go by in which I don’t use Himalayan salt. I am a protein nutritional type and tend to do better with high quality salt.
For more information about the hazards of other food additives mentioned in the article above, please see my list of Related Articles.
Related Articles:
Should Salt No Longer Be Generally Recognized as Safe? One Woman's Astonishing Experiment With Aspartame The Shocking Dangers of MSG You Don’t Know