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Conflicts of Interest Rampant Among FDA Advisors, Study Shows

conflict-medical-decisionsIt should be obvious that patients need unbiased advice when it comes to making decisions that can impact their health.

With that in mind, it stands to reason that physicians and scientists with financial ties to the drug industry should not be permitted to participate in broad policy and public health recommendations. But this is exactly what happens, and it happens more or less routinely…

 

01 May 2015

Pre-Workout Nutrition: How to Maximize (or Jeopardize) Your Chance to Burn Fat

hydrationI’d like to set the record straight regarding pre-workout nutrition. This is a tricky topic that requires a short biological and science overview, so bear with me.

A growing body of research indicates that nature selects underfed species for extended life-span and vice versa – it shortens the life expectancy of overfed species. Humans are no exception. The human body evolved to thrive under nutritional stress…

 

01 May 2015

WARNING: If You Do This Common Type of Exercise – Stop Now and Replace it With Interval Cardio…

hqdefault (7)Have you tried doing standard cardio workouts faithfully, yet found you still haven’t reached your fat loss goals? I believe that interval cardio, is the 30-minute fat loss solution! I have used it almost exclusively for my personal fitness routine for the last 14 years. Most of my clients perform their interval workouts on a treadmill.

Because it works so well for me, I have had 95 percent of my personal training clients use it too, with great success…

 

01 May 2015

Experimental GMO Drug-Making Crops Grown with Little Oversight

gmo-corn-fieldFrom a regulatory perspective, GM crops are considered to be “substantially equivalent” to their non-GM counterparts. This means, that they are essentially the same, with no meaningful differences for your health or the environment.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has (so far) not required labeling of GM foods because they are deemed to be “substantially equivalent” to non-GM foods. It is also due to substantial equivalence that no oversight or long-term safety testing has been required of GM crops.

 

01 May 2015

Recipe For Health: Cold Tomato Soup

gazpacho-tomato-soupIf you have planted tomatoes in your garden this year, you may have realized, too late, that you planted more than you need. Late summer is also a perfect time to snag great deals on tomatoes at farmer’s markets, where you may be able to pick up a half-bushel of freshly grown tomatoes for a fraction of the cost at your supermarket.

The question then is, what should you do with all of these tomatoes? If you’ve grown tired of eating them in salads or whole, like an apple, as a snack, making homemade tomato sauce is one of the best uses of large amounts of tomatoes…

 

01 May 2015

Why So Many Mixed Messages on Mammogram Benefits?

mammographyEarlier this year, one of the largest and longest studies of mammography to date — involving 90,000 women followed for 25 years — found that mammograms have no impact on breast cancer mortality.

Over the course of the study, the death rate from breast cancer was virtually identical between those who received an annual mammogram and those who did not, while 22 percent of screen-detected invasive breast cancers were over-diagnosed, leading to unnecessary treatment. The researchers concluded “the data suggest that the value of mammography screening should be reassessed.”

 

30 Apr 2015

US Soda Makers Pledge 20 Percent Calorie Cut by 2025

soda-calories

The soda industry is a $75-billion market,1 an industry that reached its greatest heights in the US during the 1980s and 1990s, when Coca-Cola began pushing larger drink sizes and “upsizing.” Fountain drink sizes grew more than 50 percent by 1990, and in 1994, the 20-ounce plastic bottle was introduced in the US.

As people drank more and more soda, rates of obesity and diabetes soared, and while the soda industry still denies to this day any connection, research suggests otherwise.

 

29 Apr 2015

How To Keep Your Brain Young

brainAre forgetfulness and “senior moments” inevitable parts of aging? Many medical professionals (including the doctor in CNN’s news brief above) say it’s perfectly normal to start having memory lapses by the time you reach middle age.

I disagree. In fact, if you notice memory lapses, you may want to seriously consider making some immediate lifestyle changes to help reverse, or at least minimize further damage that might lead to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

 

28 Apr 2015

Grief Can Weigh on Immune System in Older Folks, Study Says

old-man-grievingExperiencing the loss of a loved one takes a heavy toll on your emotional health, but it doesn’t stop there. The extreme stress that results during bereavement affects you physically, too, and can manifest as both chronic disease and acute illness.

Stress plays a major role in your immune system, and can impact your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, brain chemistry, blood sugar levels, and hormonal balance…

 

27 Apr 2015

Endurance Exercise Can Damage Your Teeth—Here’s How…

endurance-exerciseAccording to dental professionals, endurance athletes are at greater risk for dental problems than non-athletes, courtesy of their fitness regimen. Why would that be so?

As it turns out, there appears to be two primary culprits contributing to this phenomenon: consuming large amounts of sports drinks, and breathing improperly during training, causing dry mouth.

Either of these can wreak havoc with your oral health, and the risks are amplified when you add them together.

 

26 Apr 2015