Beware of the following heart-disease and herbal supplement interactions according to the Mayo Clinic:
Ginseng with Warfarin (decreases the drug's effectiveness), Antidiabetes meds (increases chances of having dangerously low blood sugar levels), and Digoxin (interfers with Digoxin test results by leading to false, increased levels)
Hawthorn with Digoxin (increases the drug's effect)
Ginkgo Biloba with Aspirin (increases risk of bleeding), Warfarin (decreases the drug's effectiveness), and Antidiabetes meds (increases chances of having dangerously low blood sugar levels)
Saw Palmetto with Warfarin (increases risk of bleeding)
Echinacea with Statins (increases risk of liver damage)
Garlic with Aspirin and Warfarin (increases risk of bleeding)
Showing posts with label Cholesterol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cholesterol. Show all posts
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Good Calories Bad Calories
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes clearly explains one of the key points I make with all my clients. You need to understand, despite what we are told (unless of course you are with me), all calories are not created equal. The type of food the calories are from is critical. Taubes provides the scientific evidence linking refined carbohydrates and particularly sugar not only diabetes, but heart disease as well. He also shows the lack of any true evidence that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease. The book gives the history, the "science", and the poltics behind these food "controversies". This book will be eye-opening to many, and should be required reading in our medical schools!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Pioneers of Nutrition: Dr. Weston A. Price
I am often asked by my clients or after a group presentation, “So, what do you eat?” My answer - I follow the dietary guidelines of Weston Price. Which of course leads to the next question, “Who is Weston Price?”
Weston A. Price was a pioneer in the world of nutrition. Through my next couple of articles I will introduce you to several more of these pioneers who have had great influence on the nutritional practices that I follow and teach.
So, who is Weston Price? He was a dentist from Cleveland, Ohio who lived from 1870-1948. Back in the early 1930s he began to notice an increase in cavities and crooked teeth in his patients. Whether you know it or not, dental caries (cavities) are one of the most basic forms of disease that is common in many humans. And, teeth come in crooked and/or crowded due to deformed dental arches due to not enough space in the mouth for the teeth to come in correctly.
His mission – to discover what was causing the degeneration in dental health he was witnessing. Coincidently, he repeatedly heard stories of isolated peoples in distant lands who supposedly had no cavities and perfectly straight teeth. If this were so, then what he was experiencing in his practice could possibly be the result of nutritional deficiencies and not inherited genetic defects (the prevailing thought of the time).
Over the next ten years he traveled around the world to every continent (except Antarctica). And what did he find? When native people ate their traditional foods – sure enough – there were no cavities and they had perfectly straight teeth. However, here’s what makes the study fascinating. This was a time when our Western processed foods were just beginning to creep into these native cultures. “Foods” such as canned milk and vegetables, white flour, and sugar were being introduced to those natives who wished to “modernize.” This is critical because it allowed the same genes to be analyzed based on the nutritional quality of the diet. What he found was that as the native people adopted a Western diet, they had more cavities and crooked, crowded teeth. The more they abandoned their native diet, the worse their teeth were. His travels are documented in his classic book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. It contains many pictures and stories about what he encountered along the way.
The next question was – how did these diets differ? What was in the native food that was not in the Western food? Since he traveled all over the world he saw a wide variety of diets. There were Eskimos that ate almost exclusively animal products; there were others who ate more grains and vegetables. As a side note, he did not find any native diet that was strictly vegetarian; they all relied upon some animal foods for survival.
He took samples of their foods and brought them back to the United States to be analyzed. What he found was that the diets of the isolated peoples in comparison to that of the American diet of the day contained at least four times the water soluble vitamins, calcium and other minerals, and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins from animal foods such as butter, fish eggs, shellfish, organ meats, eggs, and animal fats! Certainly not the foods your cardiologist will tell you to eat!
The specific nutrients in these foods are the fat soluble vitamins A and D, along with one that wasn’t yet identified. Price called it “Activator X”, which we now understand is vitamin K. These fat soluble vitamins are vital to health as they act as catalysts for mineral absorption and protein utilization.
And depending upon how closely you read the preceding paragraphs, what are some of the key nutrients missing? They happen to be ones we often hear today we don’t get enough of are we are deficient – calcium and vitamin D!
So, does this way of eating work? Well, it has proven successful for me and many of my clients. Following the guidelines we have lowered our cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increased our energy, and lost weight. But, I have an even wider audience. Recently I attended the annual conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation. I have referred to their excellent web site in the past (www.westonaprice.org). The conference had over 1200 attendees. Statistics for our general population show that 75% of adults are over weight (25% of them being classified as obese). At this conference, my quick visual assessment was that maybe 5% were over weight. Plus, when I talked to other attendees they all told the same stories of weight loss, improved digestion, and overall better health!
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Weston A. Price was a pioneer in the world of nutrition. Through my next couple of articles I will introduce you to several more of these pioneers who have had great influence on the nutritional practices that I follow and teach.
So, who is Weston Price? He was a dentist from Cleveland, Ohio who lived from 1870-1948. Back in the early 1930s he began to notice an increase in cavities and crooked teeth in his patients. Whether you know it or not, dental caries (cavities) are one of the most basic forms of disease that is common in many humans. And, teeth come in crooked and/or crowded due to deformed dental arches due to not enough space in the mouth for the teeth to come in correctly.
His mission – to discover what was causing the degeneration in dental health he was witnessing. Coincidently, he repeatedly heard stories of isolated peoples in distant lands who supposedly had no cavities and perfectly straight teeth. If this were so, then what he was experiencing in his practice could possibly be the result of nutritional deficiencies and not inherited genetic defects (the prevailing thought of the time).
Over the next ten years he traveled around the world to every continent (except Antarctica). And what did he find? When native people ate their traditional foods – sure enough – there were no cavities and they had perfectly straight teeth. However, here’s what makes the study fascinating. This was a time when our Western processed foods were just beginning to creep into these native cultures. “Foods” such as canned milk and vegetables, white flour, and sugar were being introduced to those natives who wished to “modernize.” This is critical because it allowed the same genes to be analyzed based on the nutritional quality of the diet. What he found was that as the native people adopted a Western diet, they had more cavities and crooked, crowded teeth. The more they abandoned their native diet, the worse their teeth were. His travels are documented in his classic book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. It contains many pictures and stories about what he encountered along the way.
The next question was – how did these diets differ? What was in the native food that was not in the Western food? Since he traveled all over the world he saw a wide variety of diets. There were Eskimos that ate almost exclusively animal products; there were others who ate more grains and vegetables. As a side note, he did not find any native diet that was strictly vegetarian; they all relied upon some animal foods for survival.
He took samples of their foods and brought them back to the United States to be analyzed. What he found was that the diets of the isolated peoples in comparison to that of the American diet of the day contained at least four times the water soluble vitamins, calcium and other minerals, and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins from animal foods such as butter, fish eggs, shellfish, organ meats, eggs, and animal fats! Certainly not the foods your cardiologist will tell you to eat!
The specific nutrients in these foods are the fat soluble vitamins A and D, along with one that wasn’t yet identified. Price called it “Activator X”, which we now understand is vitamin K. These fat soluble vitamins are vital to health as they act as catalysts for mineral absorption and protein utilization.
And depending upon how closely you read the preceding paragraphs, what are some of the key nutrients missing? They happen to be ones we often hear today we don’t get enough of are we are deficient – calcium and vitamin D!
So, does this way of eating work? Well, it has proven successful for me and many of my clients. Following the guidelines we have lowered our cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increased our energy, and lost weight. But, I have an even wider audience. Recently I attended the annual conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation. I have referred to their excellent web site in the past (www.westonaprice.org). The conference had over 1200 attendees. Statistics for our general population show that 75% of adults are over weight (25% of them being classified as obese). At this conference, my quick visual assessment was that maybe 5% were over weight. Plus, when I talked to other attendees they all told the same stories of weight loss, improved digestion, and overall better health!
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Butter vs. Margarine – What’s the Truth?
This past week I gave several nutrition talks about the foods you should include in a healthy diet. I was astounded by the looks I received from quite a few people when I stated that butter is good for you and margarine is not. I also noticed that most of the folks who gave me that look were in their 50’s and 60’s, precisely the group of people who have been pounded with the message that margarine is good for you. In this article I hope to set the record straight and explain why butter is good for you and why margarine is bad for you.
Why butter is good for you:
The proponents (and manufacturers) of margarine have spread the word that butter is a saturated fat and saturated fat causes heart disease. I don’t have the space here to get into the details, but let me say this – there are many doctors, nutritionists, and scientists who do not believe this, including myself. If you want to learn how this theory became the accepted norm despite those who do not agree I’d encourage you to read Gary Taubes’ Good Calories Bad Calories, Dr. Uffe Ravnskov’s The Cholesterol Myths, or visit the Weston Price Foundation web site www.westonaprice.org.
That being said, there is a general consensus that we need some saturated fat in our diet. Butter is a healthy saturated fat, particularly when it is organic, and even better when it comes from a grass fed cow. It is high in the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Without proper vitamins we can not utilize the minerals we ingest, no matter what level we eat. Vitamins A & D are essential for growth, healthy bones, proper development of the brain and nervous systems, and for normal sexual development. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and vitamin K is important for bone building and blood clotting.
Butter also has CLA (conjugated linolenic acid) that helps fight weight gain and butyric acid which is anti-viral and anti-cancer. For those with an allergy to the dairy protein casein, ghee (clarified butter) is an equally healthy option.
Why margarine is bad for you:
What may get lost in the discussion of whether or not butter is good for you, is the fact that margarine is definitely harmful to you. The bottom line is that margarine is made with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. That means trans-fats. One fact that everyone who talks about nutrition agrees on is that trans fats cause cancer. (The other fact is that sugar is bad for you.)
A major problem we run into is that food labeling, particularly trans fat labeling is very deceiving. Basically, food manufacturers abuse the FDA labeling rules. According to FDA guidelines if products have less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving it can be labeled as zero grams of trans fat. The typical serving size is one tablespoon – that’s not all that much. One manufacturer, Smart Balance, has created an advertisement to show it has the least amount of trans fats compared to other brands. They conclude that of all the leading brands theirs stands out as it is “the closest to zero grams trans fat nature allows.” Quite the statement. They admit there is trans fat; trans fat causes cancer; but hey, it is as close as we can come. Sounds like a cigarette company telling us to smoke just one cigarette each day, because that is as close to zero as you could come!
Another basic problem with margarine is that it is made from a variety of vegetable oils which are polyunsaturated fatty acids. When exposed to heat and oxygen – both during manufacturing and later in cooking at high temperature – “free radicals” are created. These are the villains that damage our cells and tissues causing cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Our body knows the truth:
A summary of the biological facts concerning saturated fats and trans fats: saturated fats are essential for healthy cell membrane function, trans fats interfere with it; saturated fats enhance hormone production, trans fats interfere with it; saturated fats suppress inflammation, trans fats encourage inflammation; saturated fats raise “good” cholesterol, trans fats lower “good” cholesterol; saturated fats help insulin receptors, trans fats inhibit them; saturated fats enhance the immune system, trans fats depress it. So as you can see, from a biological perspective we need saturated fats and not trans fats.
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Why butter is good for you:
The proponents (and manufacturers) of margarine have spread the word that butter is a saturated fat and saturated fat causes heart disease. I don’t have the space here to get into the details, but let me say this – there are many doctors, nutritionists, and scientists who do not believe this, including myself. If you want to learn how this theory became the accepted norm despite those who do not agree I’d encourage you to read Gary Taubes’ Good Calories Bad Calories, Dr. Uffe Ravnskov’s The Cholesterol Myths, or visit the Weston Price Foundation web site www.westonaprice.org.
That being said, there is a general consensus that we need some saturated fat in our diet. Butter is a healthy saturated fat, particularly when it is organic, and even better when it comes from a grass fed cow. It is high in the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Without proper vitamins we can not utilize the minerals we ingest, no matter what level we eat. Vitamins A & D are essential for growth, healthy bones, proper development of the brain and nervous systems, and for normal sexual development. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and vitamin K is important for bone building and blood clotting.
Butter also has CLA (conjugated linolenic acid) that helps fight weight gain and butyric acid which is anti-viral and anti-cancer. For those with an allergy to the dairy protein casein, ghee (clarified butter) is an equally healthy option.
Why margarine is bad for you:
What may get lost in the discussion of whether or not butter is good for you, is the fact that margarine is definitely harmful to you. The bottom line is that margarine is made with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. That means trans-fats. One fact that everyone who talks about nutrition agrees on is that trans fats cause cancer. (The other fact is that sugar is bad for you.)
A major problem we run into is that food labeling, particularly trans fat labeling is very deceiving. Basically, food manufacturers abuse the FDA labeling rules. According to FDA guidelines if products have less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving it can be labeled as zero grams of trans fat. The typical serving size is one tablespoon – that’s not all that much. One manufacturer, Smart Balance, has created an advertisement to show it has the least amount of trans fats compared to other brands. They conclude that of all the leading brands theirs stands out as it is “the closest to zero grams trans fat nature allows.” Quite the statement. They admit there is trans fat; trans fat causes cancer; but hey, it is as close as we can come. Sounds like a cigarette company telling us to smoke just one cigarette each day, because that is as close to zero as you could come!
Another basic problem with margarine is that it is made from a variety of vegetable oils which are polyunsaturated fatty acids. When exposed to heat and oxygen – both during manufacturing and later in cooking at high temperature – “free radicals” are created. These are the villains that damage our cells and tissues causing cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Our body knows the truth:
A summary of the biological facts concerning saturated fats and trans fats: saturated fats are essential for healthy cell membrane function, trans fats interfere with it; saturated fats enhance hormone production, trans fats interfere with it; saturated fats suppress inflammation, trans fats encourage inflammation; saturated fats raise “good” cholesterol, trans fats lower “good” cholesterol; saturated fats help insulin receptors, trans fats inhibit them; saturated fats enhance the immune system, trans fats depress it. So as you can see, from a biological perspective we need saturated fats and not trans fats.
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Cholesterol - Why Your Body Needs It
We often hear warnings about eating foods that contain cholesterol. We are told eating these foods will lead to cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. From this we often form the conclusion that cholesterol is bad. In fact, we are told there is “good” cholesterol and “bad” cholesterol. Yet, the simple truth is that cholesterol is an essential component of human biochemistry - our body requires it and uses it continuously.
Cholesterol is used to manufacture cell membranes. Cell membranes determine what gets in and out of our cells. Without cholesterol cell membranes will not function correctly. When this occurs we have damaged cells. With damaged cells comes a variety of diseases, particularly cancer.
The greatest concentration of cholesterol is in the brain and nervous system. The nerve cells have cholesterol rich membranes. This allows the electrical currents of the nervous system to signal and travel effectively. Our brain and nervous system will not work properly without sufficient cholesterol.
Cholesterol is the base material for hormones – among these are our sex hormones and our stress handling hormones. These include: pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol. Their roles include: stress handling; reproduction; energy production; maintaining stable blood sugar levels; body repair and regeneration; healthy brain function, mood, cognition, and memory; and maintaining overall strength, stamina, and vitality.
Because our body requires cholesterol, it has a system in place to manufacture it. This occurs in the liver. If we did not need cholesterol, our body would not make it. The cholesterol in our blood is being delivered to where it is needed. Cholesterol is delivered to the adrenals, ovaries, testes, and peripheral tissues via low density lipoproteins (LDLs) where it will be used to manufacture hormones. Cholesterol is returned to the liver via high density lipoproteins (HDLs) where it is broken down and made available for later use by the body.
When we have high LDL levels this indicates cholesterol is on the move. So where is all this cholesterol going? Why is it needed? Here are two significant reasons that our body is producing cholesterol. First, cholesterol is found in the damaged areas of arteries, where along with other substances it forms the plaque associated with heart disease. However, cholesterol is the body’s repair substance. Without cholesterol in the blood stream, tears and irritation in the arteries would lead to aneurisms and ruptures. How do these arteries get damaged? A significant amount is due to fluctuations in blood sugar levels along with hormone surges to keep blood sugar levels constant. This damage occurs over time. This is why heart disease and diabetes are considered degenerative diseases – they occur over time.
Second, many of us are in a chronic stress response – we are stressed out. In order to handle stress our body requires cortisol. This is one of the hormones manufactured from cholesterol. For our body to have the cortisol it needs to handle stress, it must make cholesterol, so it can ultimately make cortisol.
What does this tell us? There are two keys to lowering cholesterol – diet and stress reduction. Diet does not necessarily mean eating foods low in cholesterol, it means eating foods in such a way as to keep our blood sugar levels constant. We must look at our complete intake of all dietary factors – carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Stress reduction and stress management means learning relaxation techniques to consciously change our patterns and stop the chronic stress response.
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. He is an expert in the field of Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction. His office is in Thiensville, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Cholesterol is used to manufacture cell membranes. Cell membranes determine what gets in and out of our cells. Without cholesterol cell membranes will not function correctly. When this occurs we have damaged cells. With damaged cells comes a variety of diseases, particularly cancer.
The greatest concentration of cholesterol is in the brain and nervous system. The nerve cells have cholesterol rich membranes. This allows the electrical currents of the nervous system to signal and travel effectively. Our brain and nervous system will not work properly without sufficient cholesterol.
Cholesterol is the base material for hormones – among these are our sex hormones and our stress handling hormones. These include: pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol. Their roles include: stress handling; reproduction; energy production; maintaining stable blood sugar levels; body repair and regeneration; healthy brain function, mood, cognition, and memory; and maintaining overall strength, stamina, and vitality.
Because our body requires cholesterol, it has a system in place to manufacture it. This occurs in the liver. If we did not need cholesterol, our body would not make it. The cholesterol in our blood is being delivered to where it is needed. Cholesterol is delivered to the adrenals, ovaries, testes, and peripheral tissues via low density lipoproteins (LDLs) where it will be used to manufacture hormones. Cholesterol is returned to the liver via high density lipoproteins (HDLs) where it is broken down and made available for later use by the body.
When we have high LDL levels this indicates cholesterol is on the move. So where is all this cholesterol going? Why is it needed? Here are two significant reasons that our body is producing cholesterol. First, cholesterol is found in the damaged areas of arteries, where along with other substances it forms the plaque associated with heart disease. However, cholesterol is the body’s repair substance. Without cholesterol in the blood stream, tears and irritation in the arteries would lead to aneurisms and ruptures. How do these arteries get damaged? A significant amount is due to fluctuations in blood sugar levels along with hormone surges to keep blood sugar levels constant. This damage occurs over time. This is why heart disease and diabetes are considered degenerative diseases – they occur over time.
Second, many of us are in a chronic stress response – we are stressed out. In order to handle stress our body requires cortisol. This is one of the hormones manufactured from cholesterol. For our body to have the cortisol it needs to handle stress, it must make cholesterol, so it can ultimately make cortisol.
What does this tell us? There are two keys to lowering cholesterol – diet and stress reduction. Diet does not necessarily mean eating foods low in cholesterol, it means eating foods in such a way as to keep our blood sugar levels constant. We must look at our complete intake of all dietary factors – carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Stress reduction and stress management means learning relaxation techniques to consciously change our patterns and stop the chronic stress response.
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. He is an expert in the field of Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction. His office is in Thiensville, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
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