wellness weekly

Volumetrics: When I refer people to Barbara Rolls books regarding Volumetrics I am encouraging people to learn about a concept and to apply that concept to the way that they eat. I wanted to take a moment now to clarify. Volumetrics is NOT a diet or a meal plan. It is not at all like Atkins or Weight Watchers. Volumetrics is a concept. I only hope that you will buy or borrow the book and see what Dr. Rolls is referring to. I am not an expert on her program though I explain it this way. It is about eating foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories. It is a way to eat more without eating more. It is healthful and satisfying.

Supplements in Disguise: It is no secret that I do not endorse pills. I have long spoken out against taking most supplements when the research on the particular vitamin or nutrient is based on EATING the food that contains it. Some medications have substantial research behind them and FDA regulation. There are some medications that are truly necessary for health. Aspirin is one of those. It helps with pain and fever and even helps to prevent heart disease or heart attack. The problem for Bayer, the number one aspirin producer, is that it couldn’t just leave well enough alone. Bayer has received a warning letter from the FDA in regards to claiming that two of its products can offer health benefits beyond that scientifically proven and beyond which Bayer has received FDA approval to market. These products are for heart health and for bone health. They each add something to aspirin. Calcium for the bone health and phytosterols for the heart. The phytosterols are what in foods have been found to lower cholesterol levels. The bottom line here is that aspirin is for a specific medical indication and the rest of this is bunk and it is illegal for Bayer to claim or market otherwise.

C Reactive Protein: I have to come back to this issue because I was quick to talk about it when research first began appearing four or more years ago that said increased levels of inflammation were associated with heart attack and stroke risk. Blood protein levels were and probably still are additional indicators of cerebral or cardiovascular disease risk like high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I remember learning the level of CRP which indicated an increased risk and even having my doctor check my CRP though I had no other risk factors. It was of course at the ideal level. Except maybe the level itself is not the issue as a recent report might imply. This study of 50,000 persons which was led by Dr. Borge Nordestgaard in Denmark does not claim that high levels of CRP are not indicative of a problem only that it is not THE problem. The problem is atherosclerosis or plaque buildup which does lead to heart attack and stroke. The concern is that some drug companies latched on to the first studies and planned products that would reduce the levels of CRP, but CRP is an indicator that needs to be taken seriously and suppressing IT would lower your risk of heart attack if you still have a raging case of plaque buildup. The best thing for us is to eat well and exercise so that we do not develop atherosclerosis in the first place.

Colon Cancer: Did you know that the second leading cause of cancer death is colon cancer? The leading cause of cancer death for women is breast cancer and the cancer that may cause the most deaths (but not the highest cancer incidence) is lung cancer. I do not at this moment know the leading cause of cancer death for men (bet it is lung or colon). Anyway, colon cancer can be associated with what one eats or doesn’t eat, weight and smoking. One way to detect it is the ever dreaded colonoscopy. I have been following the press on the virtual colonoscopy or CT colonography because I very much do not want to have the old fashioned tube down into your intestine test! It is all a matter of time for me, seven years left! The problem these days is not so much with accuracy and even the insurance issue may soon resolve itself, the problem will be what to do if the CT scan does find a polyp. If a polyp is found under the standard test it can be removed immediately, not so for the other. There is not a consensus on how to handle this as of yet, especially if it is a small polyp that doesn’t necessarily warrant removal. At this point though, the recommendation on frequency is beginning at age 50, the CT every five years and if normal the colonoscopy would be repeated in ten.

Exercise: I am near completion in my reading of the Activity Guidelines for Americans and just read about the impact that regular, moderate activity can have on cancer recurrence and even the course of cancer. It is positive of course. Specifically noted in this report were breast and colon cancer. Exercising can reduce the chance for disease, disease recurrence and treatment complications. It can also help prevent the survivor of cancer from getting another chronic disease or cancer. Exercise is hands down the best tool you have for preventing disease, increasing longevity and improving the quality of all of your life years. Not to mention what it can do for your mood. (next week I will talk about MET)

Breast Cancer: I also read this week that persons who are thin and who exercise vigorously may have lower levels of estrogen which at least in the case of breast cancer, can be protective. A study found significantly less cases of breast cancer in that particular population.

Diabetes: News you may have seen this week. The rates of diabetes are staggering, especially so in Florida. The increase in new cases of type 2 is related to the increase in weight that this country has seen. The medications to treat diabetes are innumerable (well almost) and costly. Actually, the newer medications are the problem with regard to cost. Older meds are especially helpful when a person is mindful of what they eat and engages in regular and moderate to vigorous physical activity. Avandia is a newer drug which costs as much as 200 dollars MORE than the standard first line drug. Along with the extra cost of Avandia, are side effects so significant that some are calling for its removal from the market. Best thing to do here is prevent the disease, which means addressing the causes of obesity. Second best thing is to try to catch the disease before it progresses and treat it with diet and exercise. Thirdly, use medications that do not cost a fortune and do not cause more problems!

Headline Reaction: I saw the headline regarding the results of a study that I did not read. I have no idea about the validity or the methodology, but I shuddered none the less. The headline suggests that children who receive Zoloft and counseling have less anxiety and or depression. AACK>< Sorry, but again these medications may be necessary but they come with such a real cost and to begin using them on a young and developing body is in my opinion, the wrong thing to do, or at least it should be the last thing we do.

Fish Farms: Jeez, I have to take my mother’s sentiments into consideration at this point. Maybe you read too much and maybe you tell us too much. My Mom thinks I scare people sometimes. Well, I just read an article I knew better than to read. It is an article about cod farming that was in the WSJ this week. IA guy my very age, an entrepreneur, is hoping to create a vast cod farm that can produce millions of this fish a year. He wants cod to be the new salmon. Farmed Cod, they say, will fetch a higher price than wild cod. The opposite is true of Salmon. This has to do with time to market. Anyways, there are many issues with fish of both environments. Pollutants are a significant issue that is not erased on farms, remember, ground water! In reading the article though, I learned details of catching, slaughtering, other uses, and preparing for market that make me wonder why I eat fish. I would like to do more research on farmed versus wild cod though because if memory serves me right, cod is a low mercury fish that does have a decent ratio of omega 3 and 6.

Happy weekend and for goodness sakes, stop eating that left over candy!