Archived News of the Week

Weight, Supplements, pH and a Recipe

Regarding Weight

"Never mind, dear, we're all made the same, though some more than others." Noel coward

Just let it go. I mean stressing about losing that extra 10 pounds. If you can't- literally- "let it go," then don't make yourself crazy obsessing over that bit of flab around your middle or the bigger butt than you had in high school or the fact that you are two sizes larger than you think you ought to be. The current opinion is that weighing less is better, but it's not very much fun because in order to do this you must regularly eat 30% less for a very long time - like your whole life.

Another more manageable way to do this is to fast for 12 hours four days a week i.e. this means that four days a week, you don't eat from, say 7 at night to 7 in the morning. This is doable. Others say that taking resveratrol mimics calorie restriction. This cutting back on calories is called CRON or calorie restriction with optimum nutrition. CRON was researched and developed by a geriatric specialist, Roy Walford, who had practiced what he preached for years, but he died at 83 of ALS - hardly a blue ribbon in longevity circles. But, hey, he looked really young and groovy.

Walford discovered that thin rats live longer than fat rats and I guess that this concept is true for humans as well. However, some studies show that this fact is debatable. If this CRON restriction is a bit much for you as it is for me, just follow the good healthy principles of eating and exercise regularly and you will lose weight naturally over the course of 6 months to a year and you will get bright-eyed, energetic and slim and probably live to be a ripe and happy old age rather than a cranky and hungry old age hiding extra food under your mattress and stealing the extra rolls from Denny's, "just in case."

Regarding Supplements

"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well." Julian of Norwich, 1342-1416, Mystic Nun

Yes, I certainly believe in the efficacy of supplements. Appropriately given, they are most powerful. Simply put, we get sick either because of an excess of something that's not good for our body or a deficiency of something that is crucial to our body. The two often go hand in hand. The way we usually treat is this; We find out what's making you unhealthy, we get rid of the bad guys with the appropriate detox supplements and lifestyle changes and then we start building your body up with good supportive nutrition. Very often, a toxic person will be throwing hundreds of dollars worth of supplements at their toxic body in an effort to feel better, but they are not absorbing any of the wonderful nutrition. They just end up having very expensive urine. So, generally, we detox first and build up later. It's the principle of not wanting to put clean water in a dirty glass.

Some supplements are therapeutic in that they are designed to assist an organ or a system that is unable to do its job properly, or to rid you of gut dysbiosis (parasites, bacteria, yeast etc.) that is compromising your health. It may take a season or two or even longer to rid you of toxins and subsequently rebuild your organs and systems and in some cases, some sort of support will always be necessary. Remember, it took you a long time to get sick and your really can't expect to get well overnight. An old naturopathic maxim is this: It will take you one month for every year you haven't felt well to get your health back.

Supplements are not all alike. In fact, many are contaminated with poor-quality and even toxic ingredients. They may contain lead or mercury and are filled with, well, "fillers" which means that a 500 mg capsule may, in fact, have only 100 mg of said ingredient and a lot of stearates and other fillage. Dietary supplements are not standardized in the U.S., so an herb from one company may be completely different in quality and potency than another company. United States companies are also not required to list the country of origin of the ingredients, so even though it says "made in the USA", the ingredients may be from, let's say, China. Or they may be from other (third world) countries which use toxic pesticides and the herbs are grown in contaminated soil.

But, I have learned over the years what companies are up front and truthful and which companies actually use pure herbs and in the right amount. I research the companies I deal with, I talk to the reps and the advisors and I have seen over the years how certain companies perform and how well they muscle test on a consistent basis and with most patients. I also take the newer supplements myself just to test them out. What I do for you is sort of like what President Obama's special "taster" person does for him: He (or she) tastes every morsel that goes into the President's mouth just to check for poison. (Want that job?)

I am confident  and you can be confident - that any supplement I suggest to you will actually be what it says it is on the label, that the company that makes it is reputable and not fly-by-night and most of all, this supplement will not harm you. And yes, these better supplements are more expensive. They just have to be. You pays for what you gets and that's all there is to it.

Remember the Madoff scam? It looked mighty good with all the money pouring in but his clients (and our government) put their fingers in their ears and sing-songed "la la la la la" and finally when they were forced to remove their fingers from their ears, they were dead broke. I don't want you to innocently depend on a certain supplement to do an expected job for your health and then find it to be a dud and your health bankrupt. If things seem too good to be true, they usually are.

Regarding pH and Acid/Alkaline Balance

There is so much controversy over this, it's ridiculous. And what I tell you, someone else would vehemently disagree with. But, what I think is this: Different parts of our bodies require a different pH. For example the stomach requires a very acid pH, around 2.3 while the small intestine requires a more alkaline one. So, across the board, there is no ready answer about pH. I think if you just eat lots of fruits and veggies you will be fine. Here's an easy way to do this: Your food plate should be about 2/3 veggies and fruits and 1/3 protein. Another good rule - if you are a meat eater - is to have your meat portion about as big as the palm of your hand. Please ask me for a chart on the acid/alkaline balance of foods if you are interested. (Read "Holiday Energy Levels and Some Talk about pH" in my Archived Hot News Section)

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