Many popular diets claim almost magical properties which help you lose faster and without any effort. I've always said that losing weight is a simple but difficult formula - eat less than you burn! This is very difficult because your body does not want to do that!
In a recent study researchers looked at 48 different diets in over 7,000 obese individuals. To no ones surprise the diets lowest in calories such as the Atkins low carb diet and the Ornish low fat diet were most effective. Every diet worked as long as it was followed.
My recommendation is a sensible low carb diet with regular exercise
Unlike most drugs and foods, there is very little regulation in the supplement industry. Furthermore, the claims they make range from outrageous to magical; without any real evidence. Just like you should not believe everything you read in the Internet (did I just destroy my credibility?) without researching it properly (that's better), don't believe everything the supplement industry tells you.
Several years ago in my practice I had a patient who developed severe liver failure and required a transplant. The only thing we could tie this to was a diet tea from Brazil.
In a recent study researchers found that liver injury related to herbal and dietary supplements has more than doubled in the past 10 years, (according to an analysis of data from a U.S. liver injury network published in Hepatology).
They found that liver damage from non-bodybuilding-related supplements required liver transplantation more often than injury from conventional drugs (13% vs. 3%); there were no cases of liver transplantation associated with bodybuilding supplements.
If you read my posts and blogs you know that I do not believe there is any evidence that supplements help anything. I still stand by that!
I had previously reported that the epidemic of low testosterone is, in my belief, a product of aggressive drug company marketing. And testosterone is a dangerous drug associated with cancer and heart disease.This apparently has not stopped many from using it, so, in an unusual turn of events, an FDA advisory panel voted on Wednesday to limit the use of testosterone replacement therapies to men with medically related low testosterone — for example, due to a genetic condition or malignancy.
If the FDA adopts this recommendation, then any other use would be "off-label" making the physician liable for any side effects. Of course this could simply be a way for big Pharma to insulate itself by saying they don't recommend off label use (even when they do!).
In any case, more negative publicity may help deter the over use.
Although I try to comment on controversial issues or important breakthroughs, there are many of us out there who suffer from two conditions which are not really dangerous but irritating.
These are toenail fungus, which, even with treatment recurs over 70% of the time; and of coarse hair loss with aging.
Toenail fungus was only effectively treated with oral medication, which had liver side effects and had a very high recurrence rate. Now some new reports show that certain new (and very expensive) topical creams have high cure rates. These prices will surely come down in 10 or so years. As well, there are some centers that offer laser therapy for this disorder. And it seems to work, with 50% cure and 90% having some response. But does it come back - maybe.
Hair loss is a big business, from Rogaine and Propecia; which work marginally, to hair transplants. Now researchers may be one step closer to a real treatment. I did not call it a cure, since hair loss is a normal aging process!
Researchers have discovered, that dormant hair follicles can actually start growing hair again. They did this by exposing the "old" follicles to young skin. They found that there are agents which diffuse form this young tissue to rejuvenate the old hair cells. Unfortunately this experiment was in mice and is very preliminary. But if they find away to get these rejuvenating chemicals into bald men; well maybe you won't recognize me!!
Many people believe that raw milk (unprocessed
and unpasteurized) is healthier for you than pasteurized milk. No
matter what you read, this is absolutely untrue and potentially
dangerous.
Louis Pasteur helped develop
this technique which prevented many dangerous and fatal techniques. It
involves heating milk to a temperature that kills most of the dangerous
bacteria; so their levels are safe. This technique does not kill all the
bacteria, so milk can spoil if left out of the refrigerator.
How about some perspective. If you believe we should be drinking raw cow's milk, rather than processing it to remove unhealthy bacteria, then, using that same logic we should only eat raw meat. And raw chicken. And raw fish (all the time, not just with sushi). Raw snails! The list goes on. Indeed, "logically" when man evolved 5-10,000 years ago we did eat raw meat when fire was not invented. Of course we did get parasitic and bacterial diseases; but again, with the raw milk logic... On the other hand cow's milk (goat milk, etc) was NOT a natural part of our diet until until goats and cattle were domesticated. So why drink milk at all?
Pasteurized milk has the same nutritive value as "raw" milk. If you want
the extra fat and particles in milk buy non-homogenized milk.
Fresh milk, within minutes of milking the cow, may be safe, but there is
no reason to drink it. Remember also, cow's milk is made for baby cows.
Listerosis is a serious bacterial disease, especially in pregnancy
where it frequently leads to fetal death, even in the absence of
maternal symptoms. Raw milk used to be the main source before
pasteurization.
Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats
that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. This raw,
unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E.
coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne
illnesses.
These harmful bacteria can seriously affect the health
of anyone who drinks raw milk, or eats foods made from raw milk.
However, the bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to people
with weakened immune systems, older adults, pregnant women, and
children. In fact, the CDC analysis found that foodborne illness from
raw milk especially affected children and teenagers.
Pasteurization is a process that kills harmful bacteria by heating milk
to a specific temperature for a set period of time. First developed by
Louis Pasteur in 1864, pasteurization kills harmful organisms
responsible for such diseases as listeriosis, typhoid fever,
tuberculosis, diphtheria, and brucellosis.
• Pasteurizing milk
DOES NOT cause lactose intolerance and allergic reactions. Both raw milk
and pasteurized milk can cause allergic reactions in people sensitive
to milk proteins.
• Raw milk DOES NOT kill dangerous pathogens by itself.
• Pasteurization DOES NOT reduce milk's nutritional value.
• Pasteurization DOES NOT mean that it is safe to leave milk out of the
refrigerator for extended time, particularly after it has been opened.
• Pasteurization DOES kill harmful bacteria.
• Pasteurization DOES save lives.
The Dangers of Listeria and Pregnancy
Pregnant women run a serious risk of becoming ill from the bacteria
Listeria which can cause miscarriage, fetal death or illness or death of
a newborn. If you are pregnant, consuming raw milk - or foods made from
raw milk, such as Mexican-style cheese like Queso Blanco or Queso
Fresco - can harm your baby even if you don't feel sick.
Okay to Eat
• Pasteurized milk or cream
• Hard cheeses such as cheddar, and extra hard grating cheeses such as Parmesan
• Soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, and
Mexican-style soft cheeses such as Queso Fresco, Panela, Asadero, and
Queso Blanco made from pasteurized milk
• Processed cheeses
• Cream, cottage, and Ricotta cheese made from pasteurized milk
• Yogurt made from pasteurized milk
• Pudding made from pasteurized milk
• Ice cream or frozen yogurt made from pasteurized milk
Unsafe to Eat
• Unpasteurized milk or cream
• Soft cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert, and Mexican-style soft
cheeses such as Queso Fresco, Panela, Asadero, and Queso Blanco made
from unpasteurized milk
• Yogurt made from unpasteurized milk
• Pudding made from unpasteurized milk
• Ice cream or frozen yogurt made from unpasteurized milk
In a recent study reserachers discovered that 1
in 200 users of osteoperosis drugs like Foasamax (Aldentronate) develop
osteonecrosis of the jaw; a condition where your jaw bone melts away
and your teeth fall out. I know several
dentists who will not do implants on any patient taking this drug; and I
have a cousin who lost all his teeth when he apparently was needlessly
prescribed these medicines.
Thinning of the bones, or
osteoperosis, is a big watch word these days. One of the major reasons
is the marketing by big drug companies.
Read how Merck created a market for this drug and, in my opinion, induced its over use. This article is worth reading and can apply to many new drugs:
http://www.npr.org/2009/12/21/121609815/how-a-bone-disease-grew-to-fit-the-prescription
It is true, that in elderly individuals, especially those who have
trouble getting around, a hip fracture can result in an extended
hospital stay and even premature death from other conditions. But that
does not mean all of us need treatment.
The actual
recommendations are based on many factors including history and bone
density, There is an on-line tool that you can use (if you understand
it)
http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX/tool.aspx?country=9
It calculated the risk of a fracture over the next 10 years and gives
the recommendations for treatment> For example in a 60 year old
female treat at about a 4% risk and in an 80 year old at a 15% risk.
However, the intense marketing campaign has resulted in many people
being over-treated! And losing their teeth!!
The loss of teeth
is actually much worse than the minimal risk. Be sure that your
physician is not treating borderline osteoperosis without doing the
proper assessment.
Family dinners often get lost these busy days
as we often are running around and on our mobile devices. However in
some homes this is an important daily event.
Now an interesting study shows that these get-togethers seem to moderate much of the negative mental health effects of cyber-bullying.
About 19,000 teens completed a survey of cyber-bullying. Those who were
exposed to this type of bullying were up to five times more likely to
develop substance abuse and mental problems. However having family
dinners four times a week made it seven times less likely that those
children who were bullyed would have these effects.
An
editorialist concluded: "The relatively simple parenting behavior of
regularly eating dinner together ... may provide more opportunities for
youth disclosure of bullying events."
Regardless of the way
this helps, clearly a strong family bond is an important factor in
mental stability. At our house, fortunately, my wife was always
insistent that we eat dinner together without distraction. Another
example of "Mother Knows Best"
Many articles have been written about ways to
prevent cancer. If we tried everything we would be afraid of eating or
doing anything.
Simple changes, such as smoking cessation, are very obvious. Not so clear is the effect of weight, or body mass index, on risk of cancer.
In a recent study, British researchers looked at 160,000 cancers in
over 5 million people. After separating out smoking (the highest risk)
they found a 40% increase risk in uterine cancer and 10% in other
cancers in patients who were overweight or obese.
Once again, proper diet, exercise and appropriate weight are the best ways to live!
Probably
There is a condition know and arterial dissection, which, when it affects the arteries in the neck (carotid) can lead to a stroke even in a young person. This is fortunately very uncommon.
However, when it starts the first symptom is often neck pain. A good medical history and exam will usually point a physician in the right direction, but there have been many cases of patients going first to chiropractors. Although there are many trained to look for this, there are also many who go ahead and perform neck manipulation without proper evaluation. This has been associate with many strokes as the maneuver often makes the dissection worse very abruptly.
In some other cases, not associated with the typical pain of early dissection, younger patients have had strokes very soon after neck manipulation. Not the best way to diagnose this type of illness.
Before consulting a chiropractor for neck pain I would recommend you get properly evaluated. Patients with sudden onset of severe neck pain should be investigated for dissection before undergoing neck manipulation; a good chiropractor should be aware of this.
