- Anti-inflammation Diet
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The Skinny on Type 2 Diabetes: Part 1 of 2
According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 21 million people in the United States have diabetes. The vast majority of these people, about 90-95%, have type 2 diabetes (aka adult onset diabetes). Many millions more are “pre-diabetic” and, if left on their current course, will surely become diabetic. What a bummer! Not only is it a serious health threat, diabetes is also expensive. In 2002 the medical costs associated with diabetes were $132 billion. That’s billion with a “B”...Read the rest of this article »
The Skinny on Type 2 Diabetes: Part 2 of 2
Hold on to your hats. I’m back on my soapbox... Last month I began our discussion of type 2 diabetes with a focus on insulin resistance. This month, let’s examine some other aspects of this disease. Blood sugar levels in the body are controlled by a delicate dance between the pancreas and the adrenals. The adrenal glands sit atop our kidneys and, among their other duties, produce a hormone called cortisol. This hormone increases in response to stress, inflammation...Read the rest of this article »
Is Laughter the Best Medicine?
“If you don’t learn how to laugh at troubles, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you grow old.” –Edward W. Howe Everyone loves to laugh. In fact, we love laughing so much that there are entire industries built around it. Slapstick movies, sitcoms and comedians are all designed to provoke laughter. It’s no secret: laughing simply feels good. But does laughter have any lasting effects on our health? In a word, yes. The value of humor in...Read the rest of this article »
Straight Talk: How Important is Calcium, Anyway?
As we age, the need for calcium is even more important. The skeleton is used as a calcium reserve, and has been designed to be drawn upon in times of reduced intake or excessive loss of calcium. These withdrawals are then replaced during times of adequate intake. Calcium is stored as bony tissue, not in bone, which is a popular misconception. The body maintains only as much bone as it needs to support current mechanical loads. So if you’re...Read the rest of this article »
Too Much or Too Little: Get the Right Amount of Salt for a Healthy Diet
The average amount of salt in the American diet is twice the necessary DV (daily value). A key to eating healthy is choosing foods lower in sodium and salt, which is a mixture of sodium and chloride. The current DV is less than 2,400 mg of sodium a day. That is one teaspoon of salt! Too Little Salt A diet low in sodium may put people with chronic illness or the elderly at risk for hyponatremia. Hyponatremia, also known...Read the rest of this article »
