Healthy by Nature radio show this week: Doctor of Natural Medicine, John Hache, is a pioneering expert in the use of micro-current therapy for health. This area of energy medicine is fascinating and holds so much promise, not only for relief of pain and symptoms, but actual correction of problems. Non-toxic, non-invasive, highly effective and easily personalized, it offers a pleasant contrast to the scary headlines about drug side effects and lethal medical errors to which standard treatments are subject. Devices by Dallas company Avazzia are widely valued by integrative practitioners and some of them are even available for home use.  Click here to find podcasts, show archives and ways to listen nationwide. For questions during the show call 1-800-281-8255.

Local DFW event: “Micro-current for Pain Relief”. There will be demonstrations and drawings (you could be one of the subjects to get pain relief). Saturday, Jan 28, 10:30-1:30 at the HealthWorks Center.
 

CARB HAPPY?

Paula Deen has stirred up a hornet’s nest. I’ll let you decide if it is wrong for a celebrity chef to continue to promote unhealthful foods on TV for 3 years after she had been diagnosed with diabetes and to only come clean after she landed a lucrative endorsement deal with a drug company. (By the way, the drug she promotes, Victoza® is scary stuff. It is linked to thyroid cancer and other side effects such as severe inflammation of the pancreas, which could be fatal.) It annoys me that most all of the pundits fault her use of fat, but never mention her heavy use of carbohydrates-especially starch and sugar. Strong evidence blames refined carbs as a cause of weight gain, diabetes and other health problems. I was amazed that, for example, her recipe for a sweet potato casserole called for 2 cups of sugar. Given that sweet potatoes are, by definition, already sweet, that dish must taste not so much like a vegetable but rather like dessert.

A moderate low-carbohydrate diet improves blood sugars levels, lowers cardiovascular risk factors and reduces waistlines. Over 6 months the scientists also found that compliance wasn’t a problem. LINK.

Even intermittent carb restriction helps. Researchers in the UK found that restricting carbohydrates just two days a week was more effective than a low calorie Mediterranean diet and resulted in blood sugar improvements, weight loss and reduction in breast cancer risk. On the low-carb days the women could eat as much meat and fat as they wanted. LINK.

Increased carbohydrate intake increases the risk of breast cancer returning. Of the carbs, starch had the greatest effect. LINK

Replacing carbohydrates with protein is good for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this study of women with PCOS, one group got 40% or more of their calories from protein and the other group 15% or less. (Fat intake for both groups was 30% of calories.) Researchers concluded: “Replacement of carbohydrates with protein in ad libitum [Latin for “at one’s pleasure”] diets improves weight loss and improves glucose metabolism by an effect that seems to be independent of the weight loss and, thus, seems to offer an improved dietary treatment of PCOS women. [I added the italics.] LINK

    BOTTOM LINE: I could go on and on, but you probably get the idea that reducing the starch and sugar in our diets is a good thing. (Hmm…listening Ms. Deen?) Read my article about the foods that cause an unhealthy spike in blood sugar and those that don’t. In it I also explain Glucaloe, the best product I’ve found for helping the body deal with the carbs we can’t avoid. Study subjects, besides normalizing blood sugar, also lost significant body fat. Last week’s guest, Harvey Diamond, made a good case for enzymes (Slender GR) that help offset carb damage and help us lose weight.

What if you paid for something but weren’t allowed to look at it? As taxpayers we fund a lot of medical research. That research helps answer health questions now and stimulates new research. Does it seem fair that you might have to pay to see the results of these studies? Medical journals are profit-making businesses and managed to get the government to keep these studies a secret property for a year before becoming public. Now they have legislators pushing to give them the rights to privacy for these publically-funded studies forever and sell you and other scientists the right to look at a study. Learn more and take action.

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My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book: Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2012 Martie Whittekin, CCN