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22
Jan
Jan
Sirsasana
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| Start by practicing against a wall. Kneel down in front of a wall. Interlace your hands. Place your elbows a shoulder width apart on the floor and then place the outer edges of your interlaced hands on the floor, touching the wall. Place the crown of your head on the floor, inside your hands. | |
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2
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Raise your hips and straighten your legs. Pull your upper back away from the wall, press your forearms down and lift your shoulders away from the floor. |
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4
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| Come up, one leg at a time. | Place your feet but not your buttocks on the wall. To avoid compressing your neck, secure a strong base: continue raising your shoulders up and pressing your shoulder-blades in toward your chest. Touch the inner edges of your feet together and stretch your legs up. |
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5
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Gradually move away from the wall, a few inches at a time until you can balance without support. Don’t be in a hurry to do this. Work diligently and methodically to develop strength and balance. |
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20
Jan
Jan
A Truly Anti-Aging Nutrient in Red Wine and Grape Juice
Resveratrol first came to public attention when the researchers noted that people in France have less heart disease but eat so much fatty food, and called it the French Paradox. Could it be the red wine? And what in the wine: Resveratrol!
Resveratrol is a powerful, antioxidant phenol that is found in grapes. The highest concentrations are found in red wine, but purple grape juice, the skin of young unripe red grapes, and grape seeds also have significant amounts. It’s also found in small amounts in peanuts.
Resveratrol has been shown to have anti-aging effects and to boost athletic performance (in mice, rats and primates). It also is anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and helps promote weight loss, is anti-infl ammatory, has cholesterol lowering abilities, and increases insulin sensitivity. Studies also show that Resveratrol may also lower the risk of colon cancer and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Current research shows that resveratrol’s powerful protective effects come from its ability by activating a group of genes called sirtuins (also called silent information regulator proteins, specifically SIRT-1 and SIRT-2. ) Sirutins protect our DNA, extend life span, protect our cells from radiation, and speed up cellular repair.
It’s not known what the optimal amount of resveratrol is, but based on animal research, most of us would benefit from between 5 mg daily for prevention, and 40 to 150 mg daily therapeutically. Although many more studies on people need to be done, there doesn’t seem to be any negative effects from taking these amounts daily. Based on the French Paradox studies, drinking one glass of red wine daily can be protective. A glass supplies about 1 mg of resveratrol.
This may be a supplement you’d like to try, you may look for it in a multivitamin, or you may want to drink your one glass of wine daily, or drink more purple grape juice, or eat the seeds you find in your grapes.
The Pearl: Resveratrol is just one more reason to put more colorful food into your daily diet.
19
Jan
Jan
Is it safe for me to eat eggs?
For many thousands of years, humans have enjoyed eggs, probably one of nature’s most convenient and nutritious foods. Many feel that eggs are one of nature’s perfect foods as they are one of the few foods containing all the essential amino acids. With these, our bodies can make whatever non-essential proteins they need.
Eggs are relatively low in calories and contain many other healthy nutrients, including vitamins B12, C, D, E, and K, as well as the minerals iron and zinc. They’re also a rich source of choline, important for brain functioning in particular but actually essential for the functioning of all cells. They are also a rich source methionine, which is important for detoxification function and the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are helpful for eye function
In spite of the egg’s reputation for increasing cholesterol–one of the most common medical myths–research has shown that humans do not increase blood cholesterol levels by eating cholesterol. Yes, you read correctly there is little or no connection between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol.
We increase cholesterol by eating refined processed flour, sugars and fats. When you eat refined and processed grains, sugar or drink soda or juice, these are converted into sugar and then your liver converts them into fat, including cholesterol. So your liver makes most of your cholesterol.
What types of eggs are best? The content of the egg is dependant on what was in the chicken that laid it. Mass produced eggs from caged hens eating processed grains treated with antibiotics and pesticides will produce eggs with a completely different composition of fatty acids than free range chickens eating organic feed. These are two different foods. Choose organic, free range, preferably heirloom eggs.
A Caveat: I have observed over the years that some people develop an allergy or sensitivity to eggs if they eat them daily or very frequently. In fact a new study supports consuming eggs in moderation after finding no evidence that eggs increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (1).
References:
1) Djoussé L, Gaziano JM. Egg consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Physicians’ Health Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 87, No. 4, 964-969, April 2008.
My Doctor told me I should be on statins even though my cholesterol is normal, what do you think?
Since the article in the NYT in November 2008, about the Jupiter study in the New England Journal of Medicine which suggested that millions of healthy people could benefit from taking statins, even if they don’t have high cholesterol, I have been asked countless of times what my thoughts are about the subject.
Well, here they are….
I think this rush to put everyone on statins is CRAZY!
While statins (like Cresor and Lipitor) may save lives in patients with serious heart problems or who have had a heart attack, the benefits for anyone else are minimal at best. Although the investigators reported a 50 percent decrease in heart problems from the statin users, in reality the number went from 1.8% in the placebo group to 0.9% for statin users. So the risk was very low to start with and if read correctly, the risk was reduced by less than 1%. Even the New England Journal editorial concluded that treating 120 people with statins for about two years would only prevent one heart attack or stroke. The last three sentences could be could clearer. I don’t quite get the jump from 50 percent to less than 1 percent.
In addition, the five-year Jupiter study was stopped after two years, because of the “overwhelming success” (normally studies are stopped because of adverse effects). But the adverse effects of statins are cumulative over time, so there was not enough time to see what the long term effects of these drugs are. Even in this short two-year period there was a 20% increased risk for diabetes from taking Crestor, the statin used in this study.
The good news from the study is that doctors will now measure the CRP, C Reactive Protein, which is a measure of inflammation in the body. The acknowledgement that there are other factors in heart disease apart from cholesterol, in particular inflammation, which need to be addressed is a big step forward factor.
Using statins to decrease inflammation is missing the point. Changing your diet, exercising and taking certain supplements like Vitamin D and Fish oils much more effective in decreasing inflammation.
Interestingly, the lead investigator of this Jupiter study, Dr. Paul M. Ridker, by some strange coincidence is the co-inventor of the CRP test……hmmmmmm