January 5th, 2011 by DrCharles in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, Research
Tags: Artificial Hormones, Canned Tomatoes, Corn-Fed Beef, Coupon Foods, Eating Healthy, Farm-Raised Salmon, Fast Food, Food and Nutrition, Good Food Choices, Healthy Diet, Mircowave Popcorn, Nonorganic Apples, Nonorganic Potatoes, Peanut Butter, Processed Foods, rBGH-Free Milk, rBST Milk, The Examining Room of Dr. Charles
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A patient reading a copy of Prevention in the waiting room brought to my attention an interesting article entitled “7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Plate.” I would have to agree that these seven commonly eaten foods should be avoided, so I’ll rehash them here, along with three more of my own choosing to flesh out a New Year’s 7 + 3 = Top 10 list.
The lead into the article implores the reader to recognize that “clean eating means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing.” Michael Pollan, the regarded author of The Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food, puts it even more simply: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
So here are the food items to avoid, in no particular order:
1) Canned Tomatoes – The resin that lines the corners of tin cans usually contains bisphenol-A, a compound found to produce estrogenic effects in the body, linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and possibly neuro-developmental problems like ADHD. Tomatoes get picked on because their acidity increases the leaching of BPA into the food. Perhaps citrus foods and other acidic canned goods would have the same concerns.
2) Corn-Fed Beef – If you’ve ever watched the documentary Food Inc., you’ve probably been disgusted and appalled by the supply chain that brings meat to our tables and fast food restaurants. Bloated cows are being fed corn and soybeans, heavily subsidized crops controlled by Monsanto, to the detriment of their health. Eating their meat passes on the lower nutritional value to us, and perpetuates an immoral system of CAFO’s and cow concentration camps. Grass-fed beef, especially free range, is higher in vitamins, minerals, and has a healthier fat profile (better omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratios). Bison tends to be grass fed, free-range, and of a superior nutritional quality. Eat Wild can help you find local farms that raise animals properly and often need your support. Think of the higher cost returning dividends on your health and as a charitable support of a good cause. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Examining Room of Dr. Charles*
January 5th, 2011 by Elaine Schattner, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Adult Brain, Alternative Medicine, Annals Of Internal Medicine, Brain Circuitry, Closed-Minded Doctor, Cognitive Fitness, Cognitive Health, Common Cold, Dr. Elaine Schattner, Dr. Oliver Sacks, Echinacea, General Medicine, IBS, Infectious Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Medical Lessons, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NCCAM, Neurology, Open-Minded Doctor, Open-Mindedness, Placebo Effect, PLoS Medicine, PLoS ONE
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Three recent stories lead me to my opening topic for the year: The value of open-mindedness. This characteristic — a state of receptiveness to new ideas — affects how we perceive and process information. It’s a quality I look for in my doctors, and which I admire especially in older people.
Piece #1 — On the brain’s maturity, flexibility and “cognitive fitness”
For the first piece, I’ll note a Dec 31 op-ed piece that appeared in the New York Times: This Year, Change Your Mind, by Dr. Oliver Sacks, the neurologist and author. In this thoughtful essay, he considers the adult brain’s “mysterious and extraordinary” power to adapt and grow: “I have seen hundreds of patients with various deficits — strokes, Parkinson’s and even dementia — learn to do things in new ways, whether consciously or unconsciously, to work around those deficits.”
With appropriate and very-real respect, I question Sacks’ objectivity on this subject — he’s referred some of the most outstanding (i.e. exceptional) neurological cases in the world. And so it may be that his careful reports are perfectly valid but not representative; for most of us, the adult brain’s capacity to establish new circuitry for language learning or music appreciation may be limited. What his stories do show is that unimaginably strange things happen in our brains, at least occasionally. And maybe we should just accept that and take notes (as he does so carefully), and keep an open mind. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medical Lessons*
January 5th, 2011 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Book Reviews, Opinion, Research
Tags: Cardiology, Cell Biology, Cervical Cancer, Cloning, Diabetes, Dr. Toni Brayer, Endocrinology, Everything Health, First Human Cell Line, Gene Mapping, Genetics, Heart Disease, HeLa Cells, In Vitro Fertilization, Infectious Disease, IVF, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Medical Research, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology, Oncology, Polio Vaccine, Rebecca Skloot, Science In Medicine, The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks
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If you like science, true history, and an engaging story, pick up the new book by journalist Rebecca Skloot, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and prepare for a great read. I knew nothing about the young black woman whose cells were taken back in 1951 by a scientist at Johns Hopkins Hospital and how those cells have revolutionized modern cell biology and research.
The HeLa (named after HEnrietta LAcks) cells were taken as she lay dying on the “colored” ward at Johns Hopkins Hospital of aggressive cervical cancer at age 30. Everyone who studies basic cell biology has heard of HeLa cells because they were the first human cell line to be successfully grown in culture and they are alive today. HeLa cells were sent to researchers all across the globe and have been used to develop the polio vaccine, viruses, cloning, gene mapping and in-vitro fertilization. Billions of the same immortal HeLa cells are used by researchers fighting cancer, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and diabetes. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
January 5th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in News, Opinion
Tags: ABMS, American Board of Medical Specialties, Board-Certified Doctor, Board-Certified Specialist, Disciplinary Action, Dr. John Di Saia, Dr. Roger Gordon, Florida Department of Health, Good Medical Decision Making, Healthcare Decision Making, Informed Healthcare Consumer, Informed Healthcare Decisions, Informed Patient, Lauderhill, Lidvian Zelaya, Liposuction, Medical Malpractice Settlements, Patient Death, Plastic Surgery, Risk of Complications, Strax Rejuvenation and Aesthetics Institute, Surgery Deaths, Truth in Cosmetic Surgery
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From the Chicago Tribune:
A 35-year-old woman who wanted to resculpt herself for the new year with liposuction and a buttocks enhancement is dead from apparent complications of plastic surgery, her husband and lawyer said Thursday. Miami customer service representative Lidvian Zelaya died Monday, hours after the operation began at Strax Rejuvenation and Aesthetics Institute, a busy cosmetic surgery practice in Lauderhill. Zelaya went to Strax to have fat suctioned from her back and belly, and to have the material injected into her backside, family representatives said. She chose Strax because she got a good deal. Aronfeld said the operation was to be done by Dr. Roger L. Gordon. He was disciplined by the state in connection with two plastic surgery deaths in 2004.
This is getting ridiculous. Liposuction deaths have been frequent in the media as of late. And this surgeon, Roger L. Gordon, M.D., is a real, board-certified plastic surgeon as per the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
Then again, plastic surgery IS surgery and therefore has risk associated with it. Was this an unfortunate accident or something else? How can a potential patient choose well to limit the risk of cosmetic surgery? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
January 5th, 2011 by AnthonyKomaroffMD in Opinion, Research
Tags: acesulfame, Artificial Sweetener, Aspartame, Calories, Diet, FDA, Harvard Health Letter, Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, neotame, Saccharin, Stevia, Sucralose, Sugar, Weight Gain
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When sugar-free beverages first became available, I was skeptical that they could really taste as good as “the real thing.” I quickly changed my mind. In fact, it seemed to me that the sugar-free versions actually tasted better than “the real thing.”
It seemed like a no-brainer. Sugar-free beverages had no calories and tasted better—maybe there is such a thing as a free lunch. Obviously, many people who also wanted to lose weight made the same switch. Were we right about artificial sweeteners?
Although short-term studies suggest that switching from sugar to no-calorie sweeteners can help, other research suggests it may actually promote weight gain. Writing in the December 2011 Harvard Health Letter, noted obesity researcher Dr. David Ludwig explores the possible connection between sugar substitutes and weight gain.
The FDA has approved six calorie-free sweeteners: acesulfame, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, Stevia, and sucralose. They are Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
A patient reading a copy of Prevention in the waiting room brought to my attention an interesting article entitled “7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Plate.” I would have to agree that these seven commonly eaten foods should be avoided, so I’ll rehash them here, along with three more of my own choosing to flesh out a New Year’s 7 + 3 = Top 10 list.
