July 15th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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I read an interesting series of articles about improving nutritional status in the US and Britain. First, the New York Times reports that trendy Manhattan bars are offering vitamin-fortified cocktails – fresh, organic fruits and/or veggies are muddled with vodka martinis to create a “healthy” alternative to your typical beverages. I’m skeptical – given the volume of fruits and veggies recommended for a healthy diet, you’d have to drink a whole lot of vodka martinis to get the vitamins you need in a day. Probably better to go for a fruit salad.
The British are still debating the utility of a “fat tax” as a way to discourage people from eating food high in refined sugar, flour or unhealthy oils. So far the government’s position is that taxing non-nutritive food is too controlling (creates a “nanny state”), and that people will just find an unhealthy alternative to the taxed foods. Interestingly, some research suggests that if all unhealthy foods were taxed, and healthy foods were made less expensive, thousands of heart attacks and obesity-related conditions might be avoided each year. However, this study has been received with much skepticism.
And a new British study also showed a surprising similarity between middle class and lower income eating habits. Both groups ate equally poorly, though the lower income group was more likely to smoke and engage in less physical activity. The similar eating habits came as a surprise, as it had been incorrectly assumed that the lower income group had a substantially poorer diet.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
July 7th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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There is a new diet pill undergoing testing in Italy. The pill expands in your stomach, suppressing
appetite by giving you a false sense of fullness, sort of like those dehydrated
sponges that expand dramatically when you get them wet.
On the surface it sounds as if this pill might be a
reasonable approach – but there are 2 big problems:
- This
method (filling the stomach to give a sense of fullness and reduce eating)
has been tried before and has failed to produce the desired result. Back in the 1980’s scientists attempted
to use an inflated stomach balloon (Garren Bubble) to suppress hunger. Unfortunately it didn’t work, and put
people at high risk for gastric ulcers and other dangerous side
effects.
- There
is a serious risk of bowel obstruction with this pill. Once the tablet dissolves in stomach
acid, the cellulose condenses to produce a bezoar (rock like substance)…
the pill’s contents can then become wadded up like a rubber tennis ball
and not pass through the gut safely.
In fact, the pill could cause a fatal obstruction.
So, as we continue on our quest for the magic pill to cure
our obesity epidemic – we must reject yet another valiant effort. Sorry folks, it’s back to good old diet and
exercise for most of us.
*Many thanks to Dr. Brian Fennerty who discussed this pill’s
safety with me in a recent interview.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
June 20th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Expert Interviews
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There has been a lot of buzz about the new diet pill,
Alli (Orlistat). Gastro Girl and Dr. Val
decided to interview the incoming president of the American College
of Gastroenterology, Dr. Brian Fennerty, about the weight loss drug. He had lots of interesting things to say –
check out these 6 podcast links:
1. Who is a good candidate for Alli?
Answer
2. What should patients know about Alli?
Answer
3. What about oily stool?
Is that a worrisome side effect?
Answer
4. What about people with IBS?
Can they take Alli?
Answer
5. Is there a link between Alli and colon cancer?
Answer
6. What’s the bottom line about Alli?
Answer
Would you like to see more podcasts with experts on this blog? Let me know!
P.S. Want to see what another expert is saying about Alli? Check out James O. Hill, PhD’s blog post.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
May 29th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips
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Here’s a copy of the Press Release, for those interested…
As an experienced June bride myself, I can tell you that
your wedding may be one of the happiest times of your life, but for a number of
reasons, health problems can crop up on and around this special day. But with some advance planning,
you can make sure that you and your guests remember the day for the right
reasons, and not the wrong ones.
1. Beat the Heat – Many June weddings are
planned months in advance (at a cooler time of year), when the prospect of
being outdoors is inviting. But when
June arrives, wedding guests find themselves spending hours exposed to peak sun,
heat, and humidity. And since weddings
often involve older relatives and younger children, the risk from sun and heat
exposure is higher than many expect. If
you’re getting married outdoors, keep an eye on the heat, especially for your
oldest and youngest guests. Have
sunscreen and plenty of water available.
Consider moving older guests to a shaded area. To recognize the signs of heat exhaustion, visit:
Recognize
symptoms and find treatments for heat exhaustion.
2. The Size is Right – Many brides buy
their wedding dress a size smaller, with ambitious plans of weight loss – or
perhaps the dress fit well when it was bought, but run up to the wedding (with the related stress),
has led to a slight weight gain. Either
way, too many brides try crash dieting in the days and weeks before the wedding
to squeeze into that gown – and find failure, anxiety, and health problems. If you want to lose weight for your wedding,
start in advance, and stick with a healthy, safe weight loss plan. Crash diets are fittingly named:
you smack into a wall and find yourself worse off than before. Brides also should keep an ear tuned to
bridesmaids engaged in crash dieting, and try to talk their friends out of such
bad habits. Find
smart strategies for healthy weight loss.
3. Sober Dialing – While many people don’t
think of drunk driving as a “health issue,” drinking and driving is one of our
county’s leading preventable causes of death.
A healthy wedding is one where the guests get home safe and sound. Wedding planners should ensure that everyone
has a designated driver, arrange with a cab company to have a certain number of
cabs available at the end of the evening.
Or you can arrange for transportation to take guests back to their
hotel. That way no one has to worry
about drinking and driving. And make
sure you have plenty of non-alcoholic beverages for any guests who have alcohol
dependency issues.
4. Celebrate with a Healthy Meal –
Everyone wants to treat their guests to a wedding meal to remember – but make
sure it is remembered fondly. If you’re
holding your wedding outside, make sure that food, like potato salads and
shrimp, are properly cooled or kept on ice. I know of a wedding where five of the guests got food poisoning from
this type of mistake.
And consider a lighter, healthier meal:
your guests will appreciate the chance to celebrate with you (without
needing to go on a diet the next week), and will find themselves feeling less
weighed down during the celebration. Learn
about food poisoning and how to handle food safely.
5. Get the Glow – Every bride wants to
look perfect on her wedding day. But
that “glowing, radiant” skin can’t be had via makeup: healthy choices make a big difference. Try to keep your stress under control to
avoid an
acne breakout. And drink plenty of
water on the day before and the day of your wedding to keep your skin looking
great and your body feeling great. Check
here for more information on the importance of staying well-hydrated.
6. Dealing With Family Issues – Weddings
pose challenges not just to physical health, but emotional well-being,
too. Unresolved family
issues have a not-so-funny way of erupting at a wedding, exacerbated by the
stress of the event and intensified by the gathering of relatives who may
not often encounter one another. Ask a
trusted relative to try to resolve these disputes before the wedding day, and if
you suspect they may nonetheless erupt at the wedding, have a “designated
diffuser” – a relative who can soften family conflicts or at least keep them
from ruining the celebration.
7. Take Care of Yourself – You can’t have
a “healthy” wedding with an “unhealthy” bride.
Schedule some time to do things that help you relax. Yoga, massage, a day trip, hiking or reading
a good book are all great ways to de-stress.
Learn
about other stress management tips.
As you prepare for your upcoming event, make sure you are getting 7-8
hours of sleep per night. Being
well rested can help you avoid feeling irritable and anxious and can reduce
your chances of becoming ill.
8. Countdown
…Check-up — Maybe it’s not romantic,
but a comprehensive physical exam is a
good idea for couples preparing for marriage.
Before you ask someone else to
say that they will love you “in sickness and in health,” you owe it to them to
know just where on that spectrum you stand. Together you can plan to support one another
in long term, healthy lifestyle goals. Get a complete check up a few months
before the wedding, so you can understand and address any health issues before
you are at the altar. Both women
and men
need complete and regular physicals.
9. A
Healthy Honeymoon – Ok, you’ve made it all the way through the wedding in
good health, and now comes “the fun part:” the honeymoon. But a surprising number of brides and grooms
wind up too sick to enjoy this first taste of wedded bliss. Key tips:
make sure you don’t overindulge in food and drink at the wedding; plan
for the honeymoon like you would any other trip (with sunscreen for warm places
and precautions about drinking safe water and eating safe food); and make sure
you’ve had all necessary vaccinations well in advance of the wedding so you
aren’t suffering from vaccine side effects on wedding day. Learn
more about health and travel.
10. Waiting to Exhale – Take a deep breath
and remember that in the end, marrying the person you love is more important
than having a perfect ceremony or reception.
The wedding is just the start of the marriage – and hopefully, not the end. The happiest and healthiest wedding is the
one that leads to a happy, healthy marriage. Check out some great
tips for keeping your marriage strong long after the wedding’s over.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
April 30th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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I had an eye-opening conversation with Dr. Jim Hill
today. He told me that Denver’s
Metro Mayors (Denver’s
metropolitan area is actually composed of 37 cities and towns!) are competing
with one another to see who can get their inhabitants the most fit and thin.
Why would they be so aggressive about fitness and good
health? Because they say that large
corporations considering investing in Denver
(where they’d build factories or large office buildings) know that setting up
shop in areas where the population has a lower BMI means that health insurance
costs will be lower.
That’s right my friends.
Being thin can lure investors! It
makes sense that a corporation seeking to avoid the skyrocketing costs of health
care would want to create facilities where new employees are likely to have
fewer medical issues. And BMI is a good
surrogate marker for health… so there you have it.
Do you see this approach to wooing investors as a form of discrimination
or just good business sense?
Either way, I’m going to get on the treadmill later.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
