Archive for September, 2009

WEIGHT LOSS

Weight loss support for many people comes in the form of pre-packaged portioned controlled serving. Others who try to achieve weight loss by calorie restriction alone, are not only setting themselves up for the yo-yo diet syndrome, but for hormone and immune imbalances. For actual results that are meaningful to both the waistline and health status, it will take more than cutting calories. Without taking in to account the foods, or so called foods effect on your body, you are groping in the dark for an answer to weight management.

FOOD

All food has an affect on your body functions, and it also responds to various substances in dramatic ways. It is significant that weight has started to climb for Americans with the introduction of certain synthetic substances in the food chain. The change in the our food supply has been seen as part of the problem of expanding waist lines. Artificial sweeteners, and high-fructose corn syrup have a role both the expanding waist lines, and the development of diabetes.

MSG

A team of scientist in the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Madrid had discovered that (MSG) produces a massive 40 present larger appetite when given to rats. The scientist think the additive affects an area of the brain, and then prevents proper functioning of the body’s appetite control mechanism.

People who consume foods with large quantities of MSG feel hungrier after eating. Food companies use this additive for good reason, it expands their bottom line. MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in much of our pre-packaged foods. It is found is many soups, salad dressings, sausages, hot dogs, canned tuna, and frozen entrees etc. MSG is found in ingredients such as Hydrolzed Vegetable and Autolyzed Yeast Extract. Most diet plans allow or have processed food.    

DIET PLANS                                                                                           

Many of the main stream diets, and weight loss plans. allow and encourage food with some of these and other additives. They definitely will get repeat business, as people lose, and than gain back their weight. People who use these diets, are many times repeat offenders. One of the reasons is these diets set you up for failure. They are based on faulty science, the premise is less calories in will produce weight loss. In all attempts to lose weight there has to be an understanding of the metabolic forces at work.

CUTTING CALORIES

Cutting calories has put weight on in some individuals. Starving to lose weight is disastrous, and that is what many people do. Nutritional needs for the individual is the front line of stabilizing weight over the long haul. What feeds and nourishes the cells will help the body normalize weight. How each individual reacts to different food is the new science of weight loss. At the forefront of this science is Metabolic Balance, by supplying you with a personalized nutritional road-map, and private coaching, it is by far the safest and most effective way to reaching your goal weight. Weight loss support from Metabolic Balance supply’s the missing link that is needed to achieve and sustain your ideal weight.

METABOLIC SYNDROME

Metabolic syndrome is the plague of the 21^stCentury. It affects more lives than any infectious agent so far. It is as potentially destructive, and it now affects the old and young alike. The question should be is how we arrived to this point. It is now as American as apple pie, even thought recent surveys from places as far as away as Maori shows that 32% of the population has this syndrome. In the Pacific the estimate is 39%, and 16-40% of New Zealanders of European descent suffers from this.

CONDITIONS

The metabolic syndrome includes high cortisol levels, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, fatigue, and the “spare tire” around the middle. This syndrome causes a fat gain, especially in the belly, and widens the waist. This predisposes a person to diabetes and heart disease. The diagnosis to start is usually pre- diabetes, borderline high blood pressure, raised triglycerides, and higher than normal cholesterol. This is a drug companies dream, and your nightmare. You are now what I call a recyclable patient.  

The conditions related to metabolic syndrome are Insulin resistance, obesity, Glucose intolerance, elevated triglycerides, low HDL the good cholesterol, predominance of small dense LDL cholesterol particles. These are the ones that line the arteries, the large fluffy particles of LDL cholesterol go thought and are not a major cause of problems.  Also, Hypertension, Oxidative stress, and inflammation are part of the syndrome. These are possible indicators of a predisposition to some serious chronic conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, gout, and asthma.

COSTS

Having the risk factors for metabolic syndrome raises the cost for the patient’s care.  It is estimated the cost is about twice as high on average when there is a risk factor for diabetes in people that have metabolic syndrome.

DIAGNOSING

Here is the fun part; there are no well-accepted criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome. The criteria proposed by The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) are the most current used criteria.

One of the markers is central obesity which means a waist circumference for men of at least 40 inches or more, and women a waste of 35 inches or more. The HDL which is considered the good cholesterol has to be for men less than 40, and for women less than 50, Then you need to have a fasting glucose 100 or higher, and blood pressure 130/85 or greater.

Here is the problem and where the costs are, these patients are routinely checked for weight, waist circumference, blood glucose, lipoproteins, and blood pressure. The guidelines are to treat risk factors such as cholesterol, hypertension and high glucose levels. Also, according to the guidelines the physician has to choose anti-hypertensive drugs carefully because different agents have different effects on insulin sensitivity.

The American Heart Association states it needs more studies to understand the relationship between metabolic risk factors and the efficacy of drug therapy in people who have the metabolic syndrome. It is also stated that the safest and most effective treatment is to lose weight and increase activity levels.

GUIDLINES

Metabolic syndrome is a troubling diagnosis for a number of reasons. The guiding numbers keep changing, what was a normal reading for glucose, now is a danger sign. Blood pressure readings, and cholesterol levels guidelines keep dropping; again what was once normal is now pre-disaster. Next we will be going for the pre, pre-diabetic. This is where a fasting glucose reading of 85 or over, puts you on a watch list for a possible tendency to having full blown diabetes. It also helps if you can name a family member that had or has the condition.

LARGE PROBLEM

Medicine looks and expects to find the boogie-man every where. You do not have to be in the medical profession to see we have a large scale problem. Our eyes are not deceiving us; we are an overweight nation, getting larger by the day. Common sense seems to be missing, metabolic syndrome, is a new disorder according to the medical profession. Obesity is a disease of the mouth, which does need to be addressed, not by pills, fad diets, or by drawing a food pyramid.

NUTRITIONAL ANSWERS

The only methods that work are the ones that address your nutritional needs. Weight control without regard for your personal nutritional needs, may help you temporarily lose a few pounds. It is a method that will fail in the long term.

With all kinds of food stuffs on the shelves that have never been consumed on a regular basis before, we are now in uncharted territory. To be able to loss weight and stay healthy is going to be a challenge, which will become more complex over time. Our individual nutritional needs are not a multi-vitamin away.

Autoimmune Diseases are on the rise. Currently allopathic medicine offers very little in the way of effective treatment. Tissues targeted by autoimmune disease seem to share low levels of oxygenation. Electromagnetic therapies, have achieves some remarkable success in symptomatic relief, and reversal. Tesla often produces durable symptomatic relief in six months time or less.

Cell energy is an important ingredient in any chronic condition; in autoimmune conditions it is crucial. In allopathic medicine the adage life is energy is overlooked. In many autoimmune conditions there are toxins, and parasitical involvement. Toxins and parasites lower cellular energy. The lower cellular energy may be what enabled the parasitic problem to take hold.

The energetic compromise of the cells by the pathogens and their toxic byproducts protect the invaders, and propagates the decline in vital cell energy. The best interventions will be the ones that restore the cellular energy. Western modalities at best may suppress symptoms; at worst it can suppress the immune system.

We are back to the premise that cells are batteries, and recharging helps the cells to perform their job. The body needs to detoxify which means eliminating pathogens and toxins. Nutrition plays a large part in building up the immune system. Energetic therapy supports detoxification, and cell function. The cell functions because of the energy infusion. Now the host’s immune system is enhanced, healing can take place.

The body is build to last for the time it is in use. Health seems out of reach to a large portion of the population. The body needs dependable support. All the scientific progress proves the answer to health is elusive. It is not in a test, procedure, or pill. The unusual attitude of modern medicine is if they do not have the answer there isn’t one. They do not see or get the picture that the aftermath of their treatment is not robust health. I wonder if this is how the medical profession perceives established procedures performance.

Medicine is on autopilot, what is available now is a stock pile of drugs, orthopedic devices, crutches, and more tests. So far they have gotten health out of the hands of the patient, and into institutional settings. Autoimmune conditions are no different; allopathic medicine has not purged the world of this condition, the case numbers keep going up. We are in turbulent times, and medicine is not delivering what is required to make a difference.