Friday, April 28, 2006

When are you going to sleep?

More sleep could extend your life, but are we getting enough? Could the lack of sleep be killing us?

We should be sleeping 7-8 hours per day and if we are getting less than 5 hours or more than 10 hours of sleep, we are not doing well either, according to experts.

True recovery from sickness and stress requires relaxation and sleep. I wonder how we can ensure that, while catching up on all our favorite TV programs, movies, work, and the miriad of other things "modern" people do.

Maybe that's why we are sick.

Image credit: www.pims.math.ca/pi/cartoons.html

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Natural Products for Diabetes

There are pros and cons regarding the use of pharmaceutical medications for treating diabetes. Likewise, there are positives and negatives regarding the use of natural products. It comes down to a personal decision based on how informed the patient is.

I have had a very bad experience with doctor-prescribed fortamet (actually I was given an over dose that nearly killed me). It turned out to be a blessing though, because I went on to find something that gave me more than I'd bargain for - without the side effects.

Don't turn up your nose on natural products that help with any medical condition though. They are not as quick-acting (some may use the word'effective') as drugs, but they are safer, generally.

I just read an article citing the effective use of natural products for diabetes, especially in combination: fenugreek, prickly pear, gymnema, gineng, and so on. You should read my experience of using one natural product that gave a surprizing result in only 10 days. I'm still enjoying that result today.

REFERENCE:
Shapiro K, Gong WC, "Natural Products Used for Diabetes", in J. Am Pharm Assoc (Wash). 2002 Mar - Apr; 42(2):217-26

Monday, April 10, 2006

Choosing healthy foods

How easy is it to choose only the healthiest foods? Honestly, you have to have guts to defy the beck and call of your tastebuds, the hungry lion in your stomach, and the tease of media advertising.
I try everything possible, including making a low glycemic food list from which I pick items for my meal planning. I plan to extend it as I discover more healthy foods that are easily available AND that I would like to eat at least once a week.

It takes determination to choose health over enjoyment. Eating is enjoyable, and the advertisers of icecream, candy, snack bars, sugar and fat-laden eats know it is difficult to make a good choice when your tastebuds are lobbying for them.

Choosing healthy foods to eat everyday is a purposeful decision each of us has to make for ourselves. We either live to eat or eat to live.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Three food stories

This morning I happened to pick three related news stories to browse. Just look at these headlines (from FoxNews.com): Do you see heredity at play here or is it lifestyle?

To the first, my answer is this: You control what you watch; be selective and let the advertisers know you don't appreciate their tricks.

Secondly, avoid the overfeeding/under-nourishment syndrome. For example, let the calves drink the cows' milk and the little baby boys and girls their mama's.

And lastly, here's your chance to make the prophecy not come true for you.
You can always do something about what's controlable. Proper diet and exercise is the definitive answer to avoiding being overweight. I know it works!

Sunday, April 02, 2006

No carb food is no food

There are many people who are trying to lose weight by keeping carbohydrate intake to a minimum. In the extreme cases, some think that no-carb food will help them lose weight quickly. Truth is, it will.

However, as I mentioned in my recent article, if we remove one food group from our diet it spells mal-nutrition. Carbohydrates are especially important because they are our main source of energy.

For the diabetic, no carb food is no food. In fact, the ADA recommends 45 to 60% of our calories should come from carbs. Don't buy the "no carb" or even the "low carb" idea if you are diabetic.