Originally Posted: June 24th, 2008
So much talk nowadays about weight! What’s the big deal? You and me, –that’s the big deal. We’re too big. And we know that of all the ‘anti-aging’ techniques now professed, calorie restriction is the only proven success for living longer. But here’s the cookie,-I mean kicker. What are the facts we need to know about our own personal weight and weight loss program? Glad you asked.
Firstly, what’s your ideal weight. Not the ‘Men’s Health’/’Glamour’ magazine view but the weight that will best allow you to avoid diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke. Here’s the ‘back to basics’ down and dirty formula. For women, give yourself 100 pounds for being 5 feet tall and then add 5 pounds for each inch of height over 5 ft. (So if you’re 5ft. 4in., your ideal weight is 120 pounds). Increase this by 10% if you’re large framed and decrease it if you’re small framed. For men, use the same formula but start with 106 pounds for 5ft and add 6 pounds for each inch over 5 ft of height.(If you’re 6 feet, you’re ideal weight is178 pounds).
Now that you know your ideal weight, for example 150 pounds, multiply it by 12 to find the number of calories to take in each day to maintain that weight. For 150 pounds, it requires 1800 calories. You can multiply your ideal weight by 10 if your not active or by 14 if your exercise daily.
What are the best calories to take in for reaching or maintaining your ideal? I’ll save that for our next chat. I can’t weight!!
Originally Posted: July 6th, 2008
The Lion. How majestic, regal, and powerful. Clearly the ‘king’, the lion appears to be the equivalent of superman/woman for the jungle. The lion fears nothing, and because of it’s stature, the lion has no stalkers (other than man!). And yet, eventually it too dies. But from what?
Interestingly, the lion dies from starvation. Yup, this massive and formidable beast dies because it can no longer eat! How can that be you might ask? Well you won’t find the answer in the category ‘animals for $200′ on ‘Jeopardy’. But it all comes down to……..flossing! You see, lions live their lives on a diet of red meat. There are no vegetables or bone in their diet. Oh yeah, and no flossing or regular dental visits. The result is gingivitis –an infection of the gums–and loss of teeth. Without teeth, the lion now becomes the wimp of the jungle. Did I mention that lions don’t share? So the wimp now goes hungry….til death do him part.
Now I’m not turning this into the ‘animal channel’, but there’s an obvious lesson here for us. Floss? Yes, you’re gonna hear it again from me. Twice yearly dental check ups? You bet. Now for the wisenheimer who’s thinking, ‘heck, I’ll just get dentures’, there’s more to the story. The mouth is a portal for infection and disease entrance into the body. Excellent dental hygiene correlates with excellent health and a powerful immune system. So grab that floss and toothbrush and fend off the lion’s legacy.
Originally Posted: July 16th, 2008
So I was sitting in the playground with my daughter the other day, and this woman approached me with an all too common question. She said, “Hey, you’re that anti-aging doctor. What’s the secret to living longer?” “That’s easy”, I said. “Don’t die!”.
Now that may sound smart-alicky, but I then went on to explain that the biggest killer of women today is….., yup, heart disease. Years ago, we physicians were taught that women were essentially immune to heart disease. And we believed it! We couldn’t have been more ignorant. I can’t imagine the number of unsuspecting women, back then, who were told they had ‘heart burn’ but they were really having angina or real organ heart pain. Let’s put a raging end to that ‘upset stomach/heart pain’ myth now and forever.
Some of the classic symptoms of cardiac disease in women, differ from those in men. And though there are some overlaps, here are some of the major warning signs for women who may have underlying heart disease.
Women can present with: Acute breathlessness, Sudden profound fatigue or loss of energy, Dizziness or blackouts/fainting, Jaw or neck pain–particularly left sided, Pain in the left arm-shoulder or elbow, Abdominal pain-nausea-unexplained discomfort or nausea, Dull diffuse aching or pain in the chest. (Right sided pain can also portend cardiac disease.)
So the two take home points are that ‘heart burn’ can actually be “heart” burning pain. Don’t be lulled into the antacid trap. And lastly, don’t hesitate. Go ahead and ‘waste the doctor’s time’,–please! Early evaluation of heart disease is critical to, ………..yup, Staying Alive!
Originally Posted: July 28th, 2008
How did I spend my weekend? Well, I just finished an article on sugar and the glycemic index. I know, I know,–I’ve gotta get a life! Nontheless, I finished the article thinking that the reader would be very confused by all of this. There must be a better way. So here’s what I’ve come up with.
If you’re just getting started with this Glycemic Index stuff and weight loss, here’s the ‘hooked on phonics’ version from me. Firstly, the glycemic index measures individual foods by the way they raise your insulin and sugar levels after consumption. We use 100 as the high (but alcohol can actually be as high as 119!). So a brownie ala mode would be 94 and broccoli would be less than 10 for 1/2 cup. Where should your healthy glycemic index be for the carbohydrates that you eat? Glad you asked. Items should be 65 or lower on the scale. Meats are not listed since they’re proteins. Another example would be cheerios at 74 versus Fiber One or All-Bran at 30. Books on the glycemic index are replete in bookstores or go to www.mendosa.com.
Staying on the under 65 rule for six days is truly weight reducing and delicious as well. Hey, what about day 7, you might ask? Go ahead and try that brownie ala mode,–but how about eating just half of it.
So the down and dirty guide is this: Low G.I. (<30) are peanuts, all berries, cherries, grapefruit. The foods with G.I. of 30 to 50 are apples, grapes, pears, yogurt, tomato soup, peas, beans, oatmeal, whole grain rye or whole grain wheat bread. The 50 to 80 G.I.’s are potato chips, orange juice or any juice, and some pasta’s. The high G.I. foods are cornflakes, rice, Grapenuts, bananas, white bread, ice cream.
Well, you get the picture. Enjoy! Sweeten up your life, but keep the speed limit on your sugar under 65!
Originally Posted: August 8th, 2008
I always like memorial day. It makes us take even a moment, to remember those who have served and died for us. But here’s the point. Men and women are serving and dying for us every day. I have promised to make every day a ‘memorial’ day -if only for a moment- to stop and remember. I promise to not just see the new tally of deaths in Iraq, and move on quickly to the sports page. I promise to stop and recall; to remember as well, those sweating, those wounded and those rehabilitating–in a response to serving in harm’s way for us. I have a good friend, Ted, who is serving at the War College in Rhode Island. When he leaves, he will be piloting in harm’s way again. Guess who is serving with him? His wife and family. They have had to make the numerous moves, new schools, new friends and good-byes over and over again.
I know that this is a ‘wellness’ blog and you’re wondering what the above has to do with wellness. Well here goes. In the ‘Jeopardy’ game of wellness, choose gratitude for $1000. That’s the daily double for the day. One cup of gratitude for our health, friends, air, food, mind, family (yes, even crazy uncle hank!) and especially ……. the Teds and Sharas serving for us– will add more health to your heart than a bypass!
Oh yes,….and thank you!
Orignially Posted: August 18th 2008
Remember that old admonition, “you are what you eat?” Well, in many ways, that is absolutely true. Yeah, yeah, we know that, doc. But here’s a little pearl that you didn’t know. With certain illnesses, such as asthma or allergic rashes on the skin, they can be induced by and exacerbated from a poorly functioning G.I. tract. (tummy and intestines) Of course, one of the big offenders is sugar. Not only does it aggravate the G.I. tract, but it sustains unnatural flora such as yeast.
The inflammation that ensues shows its nasty head as a rash or chronic asthmatic cough. How about recurrent nasal/sinus inflammation? Yup, look to the G.I. tract. This is also very important when looking at children. Chronic gunky (that’s medical terminology!) noses in young children is not sinusitis. For the most part, their sinuses aren’t fully formed. It does represent a chronic inflammatory state usually in their adenoids (an area in the very back of the nose).
So what can you do? Let’s do the obvious first. Treat the rash topically. Even rubbed in baby oil oftentimes suffices. To clean a G.I tract, think about a 2 month course of ‘probiotics’. What!? Yeah, it’s one of those fancy names that just means a replacement of normal G.I. flora. It comes as a powder or liquid and totally tasteful. Try going to www.LEF.organd consider their products. During the probiotics and hopefully long after, cut out processed sugar completely. (yes, that includes brownies). Increasing soluble and insoluble fiber is also a must. You can do this forever, if you like. Products like ‘Fiber Choice’, ‘metamucil’, and Inulin are absolutely great choices. Just remember to ‘rash’-un your portion.(Sorry, I couldn’t help myself)