Archive for September, 2010

Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

On average, Americans only consume three servings of fruits and vegetables each day. And that’s a crying shame. Study after study reveals that people who regularly eat five-plus servings of nature’s bounty enjoy several health benefits. Want to decrease your risk of stroke by 26 percent? Eat five or more servings per day. Want to lose weight? Focus on eating more fiber-rich vegetables. Want to combat free radical damage that can lead to a variety of health concerns? Load up on antioxidant-rich fruits.

You see where this is going. If you want to get healthier, you need to follow Mom’s advice and eat those veggies (and fruits). If you can make them organic, all the better. The following are 10 easy ways to incorporate more of these healthful foods into your daily routine.

1. Drink a glass of Low-Sodium V8 Juice with breakfast. (At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, this is the only “juice” that you’ll find on the tables.)

2. Eat an apple or a pear for a snack or before a meal to help fill you up so you’ll eat less.

3. Instead of a sandwich at lunch, have a salad with lots of colorful veggies. If you must have the sandwich, go open-face and pile it high with tomatoes, lettuce, onion, sprouts, olives, and peppers.

4. Freeze a bunch of grapes and enjoy them as an afternoon treat or as “dessert.”

5. Make a berry smoothie using plain, non-fat yogurt, ice, and a little stevia or xylitol as a sweetener.

6. Top your fish dishes with mango salsa.

7. Try a grilled portabella mushroom for dinner.

8. Add extra frozen veggies to canned or homemade soups or other dishes.

9. Dip snap peas, baby tomatoes, carrots, celery, or broccoli florets in hummus for a tasty and healthy snack.

10. Add blueberries, cranberries, or strawberries to your salads.

There you have it. If you have tips of your own for upping your vegetable and fruit intake, I’d love to hear them. Send your comments to testimonials@whitakerwellness.com.

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Healthy Tips for Dining Out

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Going out to eat can be a real treat. You don’t have to cook, you can opt for dishes you wouldn’t normally make at home, and it’s nice to get out every now and again. But if you’re not careful, you may be getting a whole lot more than you bargained for.

For instance, did you know that a typical restaurant meal contains around 60 percent more calories than homemade meals? Or that more than three-quarters of the 4,000 mg of sodium we eat daily comes from restaurant fare and processed foods? Couple these unhealthy statistics with the fact that most portions found in a single restaurant dish could serve two, three, even four people and you’ve got a real problem.

The good news is it is possible to eat sensibly at your favorite restaurant. Here are a few healthy tips for dining out.
 
* Don’t go into a restaurant when you are starving. Try eating a small snack
   beforehand to take the edge off.
* Drink a full glass of water before you eat your meal. Studies show that this 
   simple step helps you feel full so you eat less.
* Many restaurants serve chips or bread as a starter. Send these away from
   the table to avoid temptation.
* Ask questions about how food is prepared and request substitutions.
* Choose  items that are grilled, sautéed, baked, or broiled as opposed to 
   breaded or fried. Instead of creamy, rich side dishes or starch-riddled rice
   and potatoes, ask for steamed vegetables.
* Order all dressings and sauces on the side and use sparingly.
* Share an entrée or immediately upon receiving your meal ask for a to-go   
   container and place half the portion in the box for later.
* Just say no to dessert.

I hope you put these tips to good use. Feel free to pass this information along to family and friends so they too can stay healthy while dining out.

Bon Appétit!

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Practical Tips for Preventing Colds and Flu

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Fall is fast approaching, and with it cold and flu season. Here are a few practical tips for staying healthy this autumn and year-round.

1. Wash Your Hands
Microbes can enter your system when an infected person in the vicinity coughs or sneezes. More commonly, however, you bring them in yourself by touching the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose, or eyes after coming into contact with a contaminated person or item such as a glass or towel. That’s why it’s important to wash your hands regularly.

It sounds like a no-brainer but you’d be amazed at how many people are just plain lousy at hand-washing. In a study by the American Society for Microbiology, almost everyone—92 percent—claimed to wash their hands in public restrooms, but only 77 percent actually did. And it’s often a haphazard rinse. You really need to lather up and scrub for a full 20 seconds. Use good old bar or liquid soap and avoid antibacterial products. Antibacterials contain triclosan, an agent known to increase risk of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.” More than three-quarters of liquid hand soaps contain triclosan, so read labels carefully. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are another viable option.

2. Flush Microbes Out
Another method of staving off infection is to wash germs out of the eyes and nostrils before they have a chance to enter your body. One way to do this is with facial dips. You simply fill a basin with warm water, add a special solution, and submerge your face in the water for a few seconds. (Clenzology makes a line of reputable products; however, an alternative is to use only warm water.) Another option is to cleanse the nostrils with salt water with either a saline nasal spray or a neti pot, a small container with a spout that allows you to gently pour water into your nostrils. Neti pots have been used for centuries, and saline nasal sprays were shown in a study of college students to reduce colds.

3. Boost Your Immunity
It goes without saying that living a healthy lifestyle boosts immune function. This includes regular exercise, a healthy diet, adequate sleep, stress management, and a good daily multivitamin and mineral supplement. But there are additional supplements you should take during flu and cold season to strengthen your defenses. Vitamin C is indispensable. It increases the number and function of microbe-fighting white blood cells as well as the production of interferon, which helps prevent viral infections. I recommend taking a minimum of 1,500 mg a day, in divided doses, at this time of year.

Though vitamin C is a must-have, there is another supplement that you shouldn’t be without this season: vitamin D. Ensuring that you have an adequate blood level of vitamin D may be your best protection against all types of “bugs” this winter. That’s why you need to beef up your intake now. The most predictable way to do this is to take vitamin D3 supplements—enough to bring your blood level up into the optimal range of 50–80 ng/mL. (For most adults, this requires about 5,000 IU per day.) To make certain your levels are in the proper range, ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) test.

I hope you are able to put these tips to good use. Feel free to share this information with your friends and family. You know what they say—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Diet, Exercise, Immune System, Nutritional Supplements, Prevention, Vitamins, Wellness | No Comments »

Serious Pain Relief—Without Pills

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

In a study published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine, researchers from the University at Buffalo (State University of New York) revealed that prescription opioid painkillers such as Oxycontin, morphine, and codeine are potential gateway drugs. An alarming number of people who were legitimately prescribed these medications after surgeries or injuries turned to street drugs such as heroin once prescriptions ran out because the illicit drugs were easier to get a hold of and more effective.

Folks, extended use of oral drugs to relieve pain just doesn’t make sense. Chronic use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding, and are responsible for as many as 16,500 deaths per year in this country alone. “Safer” COX-2 inhibitors are somewhat easier on the GI tract, but they are linked to increased risk of heart attack and death from cardiovascular causes. Tylenol (acetaminophen) can damage the liver, especially when used in conjunction with excess alcohol. And as this study illustrates, opiates are addictive with a significant potential for abuse.

Topical drug application, however, is another story. This delivery system has two major advantages over the oral route. First, you’re able to target the affected area, so you get faster relief. And second, systemic absorption is minimal, so you don’t have to worry about these dangerous side effects. The topical drugs we’ve had the most success with at the Whitaker Wellness Institute are ketamine, an anesthetic that curbs pain, and ketoprofen, an NSAID that reduces inflammation. They’re mixed into creams that patients simply rub into the painful area several times a day. I also like to throw in a little dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to help with absorption. (This certainly isn’t a requirement, but in my experience, DMSO just seems to make the topical drugs work better. I recommend a 70 percent concentration for topical use.)

I’ve personally used this therapy successfully for low back pain, and we’ve had positive reports from patients suffering with sciatica, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sprains, and strains. The best-studied application, however, is for relief of neuropathic pain—deep, often intense pain caused by damage to or dysfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system.

I’m not suggesting that topical pain relievers are a slam-dunk for all difficult pain syndromes, but I can tell you that we’ve had good results at the clinic. Furthermore, the relative safety of this therapy warrants a trial for most everyone with neuropathic or musculoskeletal pain. Most physicians are unfamiliar with the topical use of ketamine and other painkillers. If you’re suffering with acute or chronic pain, I recommend that you talk to your doctor about the benefits of this safe, effective therapy. If he’s not open to prescribing these topical medications, find a doctor who is.

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Posted in Back Pain, Chronic Pain, Dangerous Drugs | No Comments »