Sugar’s have an adverse affect on our health.  Here are some health issues that sugar creates in your body.  Due to blood type some people might see effects greater in some categories that others. These health effects of Blood-Sugar, Weight Gain, Increase in Free Radicals, etc. generally make us more susceptible to the flu, colds, cancer, etc. Therefore it is vital to understand the effect of sugars in our bodies and how by avoiding them can increase our quality of life. Read the rest of this entry »

HOME-COOKED MEALS VS CONVENIENCE FOODS
With the arrival of convenience foods in the 1950s and fast food in the 1960s, Americans were offered a cheap and convenient alternative to home cooking. It also began the American love affair with high-fat, salt-laden meals accompanied by soft drinks. Today more than 90 percent of Americans get less than two daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

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Before the industrial revolution, the human diet was still largely plant based. It consisted of foods that could be hunted (rabbit, fish, deer, etc), gathered (nuts, seeds, berries, etc) or grown (grain, vegetables, farm animals for meat, milk, and eggs). Foods were unprocessed and eaten while fresh.  However, with the industrial revolution a major shift began to take place. The population shifted from farms to factories and began to rely more on buying food than providing their own. Food was now grown, shipped, stored, prepared, and eaten. Food became a commodity, subject to mechanization and automation.

• Processed Foods – We all are familiar with refined flour: excessive processing has created this ‘new food’ that is actually highly deficient in valuable nutrients as the best parts of the grain was lost – the germ, the bran, and the fiber.
• Depleted Soil – In order to put nutrients back into the soil, techniques such as crop rotation and soil fertilization with organic matter (compost, manure, lime, etc) were used. Today, synthetic inorganic fertilizers are used which contain fewer and fewer nutrients to replenish the soil, eliminating nutrients vital to humans. Hence, we are seeing widespread deficiencies in trace minerals among our patients.
• Early Harvest – Most foods were ripened on the tree or vine before being picked or harvested.  These vine-ripened foods absorbed more nutrients from the soil. Today foods are often grown far from the point of sale. To preserve freshness, crops are picked before they are ripe or forced to ripen quickly under unnatural conditions. Other crops are sprayed, gassed, and fumigated in order to delay ripening during shipping. Either way, we are missing out on those last stages of ripening which allow for the formation of more vitamins and absorption of minerals.
• Chemical Warfare – The use of insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides on most of the crops grown in America has led to many insidious health problems. Traces of many carcinogens (cancer causing agents) in the food and water supply are derived from chemical insecticides.  Heavy metals, such as Mercury, Arsenic and Lead are often found in those chemical agents and hence end up in our foods.

Nutrition Basics Part 1

In your lifetime, you will consume approximately 70,000 meals and from that you will eliminate about fifty tons of waste products. The foods you choose to eat in those meals can either build up your health or tear it down. The food choices you make, whether they are good or bad, accumulate over time. The choices you make affect how you feel, what diseases you may or may not get, and consequently even your health care cost.

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Hypothyroidism is an under active thyroid which results when the thyroid is under functioning, usually due to lack of iodine. The thyroid is the body’s thermostat. It regulates how you burn energy. If the body is not metabolizing properly, the system slows down, fatigue sets in and weight stays on. Symptoms are numerous, including chronic fatigue, cold hands and feet, extreme mood swings, depression, excessive menstrual flow, severe headaches, rapid weight gain, cracked heels, thinning of lateral one-third of eyebrows and poor memory. Additionally, coarse, brittle hair often with accompanying hair loss, constipation and dry, scaly skin are other common symptoms. Much of the current heart disease is caused by unrecognized hypothyroidism. Cholesterol levels increase and metabolism slows down in hypothyroidism. It causes poor circulation (arteriosclerosis), impaired immune function with vulnerability to infections and mental confusion.

Causes of Hypothyroidism
Fluoride in our water directly interferes with thyroid function Estrogen Dominance is cause by petrochemicals, fuel exhaust we breathe, estrogenic hormones in meat and chickens, plastics, propylene glycol, sodium laurel sulphate (foaming agents) in skin care products, herbicides and pesticides. These potent ‘fake’, estrogen-like substances block the production of thyroid hormone and greatly magnify the incidence of estrogen dependent cancers. Most males and females in developed nations have estrogen dominance.

Antibiotics, chlorine from our water purification systems, fluoride, and NSAID drugs used for arthritis all kill the healthy bacteria in the intestinal tract. This results in overgrowth in the intestines of Candida, fungi, mycoplasma, and anaerobic bacteria (Yeast syndrome).

These dangerous organisms release powerful neuro-toxic sub- stances into the bloodstream that damage the hypothalamus often resulting in multiple endocrine disorders including an under-active thyroid gland.

Mercury released from dental amalgams is toxic to the thyroid gland. Lack of iodine on our soil and diet leads to decreased thyroid hormone production diagnostic x-rays injure the thyroid gland (dental, neck spine)

Diagnosis and Treatment
Here is how the thyroid works: the brain releases TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to cause the thyroid to make T4 (inactive ver- sion) which is then sent to each cell of the body. In the cells it is converted to the active version called T3, which regulates the cells’ metabolism. With low T3 the ‘octane’ for the cells is missing and a person feels tired and sluggish (see symptoms).

Diagnosis
Hypothyroidism is traditionally diagnosed with a blood test analyzing TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels. An elevated level may indicate a sluggish thyroid. However, many times the other important and much more accurate indicators of hypothyroidism are not checked – these are Free T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) and Free T3( active version). In addition, a complete lab test should include levels of TPO (an indicator of possible auto-immune disease in which the body attacks its own thyroid) and RT3 (Reverse T3). Elevated RT3, often in conjunction with low T3 (Wilson Syndrome), indicates that our body is in ‘Hibernation Mode’. This slows down the body’s metabolism and causes any excess calories to be stored as fat. Hence, we gain weight easily and permanent weight loss becomes just about impossible.

So a truly COMPLETE THYROID PANEL should consist of: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, TPO Antibodies, RT3.

Problems with traditional thyroid testing:
There are 3 problems with the current traditional approach:

1. Many patients are treated with medications such as Synthroid/Levoxyl/Levothroid (levothyroxine) and still feel unwell; because these products only contain T4 hormone, they have no T3. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people can not convert the T4 to the active form of thyroid which is T3.
2. The so-called "normal range" of TSH is far too high: Many patients with TSH’s of greater than 2.0 (not the traditional 4.5) have already classic symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism (see above). If your TSH is above 2.0 there is a strong chance your thyroid gland is not working properly.
3. There are a significant number of individuals who have great TSH levels, but their Free T3 (and possibly the Free T4 as well) will be below normal. These are cases of secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism. A TSH test alone is not an accurate test of all forms of hypothyroidism, only primary hypothyroidism.

Treatment
Various options are available:

1. Supplementation with Iodine for mild cases or prevention.
2. Compounded T3 or T3/T4 combination to your body’s exact needs. Pharmaceutical versions only have set dosages but ‘one size simply does not fit all’!

Want to learn more about your thyroid’s current state of health? Schedule your appointment with Dr. Howton – a specialist thyroid disorders. Radiant Clinic’s comprehensive thyroid panel is covered by most insurance plans. The cash price of $145 for this comprehensive thyroid panel is available to clients with no insurance or high deductibles. Combine thyroid and adreanal dysfrunction treatments with HCG Weight Loss and Bioidentical Hormones to lose weight and keep it off!

Under-eye puffiness can also result from fluid retention, which ironically can be exacerbated by dehydration, so making sure you’re drinking enough water every day might help reduce that swollen look.

You can also try the old potato trick, which seems to work better than cucumbers. Potatoes contain catecholase, which is actually used in some cosmetics as a skin lightener. Placing a half-moon slice of potato underneath each eye for about 20 minutes while you’re resting can help reduce the swelling and brighten dark under-eye circles.

Another key to maintaining a youthful appearance and brighter, clearer skin is regular exercise, though not in excess, as excessive exercise can also cause wrinkles.

Last, but certainly not least, a good night’s sleep and properly addressing emotional stresses are essential keys to maintaining or regaining your optimum physical appearance.

A review article in the July 19, 2007 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine makes a compelling argument for Americans to supplement with more vitamin D.

The authors point out that between 40% and 100% of elderly people in the United States and Europe have insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D. They also highlight disturbing findings that even children and young adults who supplement with 400 IU/day of vitamin D and consume vitamin D containing foods often suffer from a vitamin D insufficiency.

The authors show meticulous data showing that far higher doses of vitamin D are needed and that it is the amount of vitamin D in one’s blood that determines disease risk reduction rather than how much is actually swallowed.

The authors have calculated the rates of carious diseases affected by vitamin D status and have come up with the following startling numbers:

• 78% reduction in Type 1 diabetes in children taking 2,000 IU /day of vitamin D in the first year of life

• 200% increase in Type 1 diabetes in vitamin D-deficient children

• 22% reduction in Type II diabetes in those taking 800 IU/day of vitamin D plus calcium

• 72% reduction in number of falls in elderly people taking higher-dose vitamin D

• 30-%0% more cancers in vitamin D-deficient people

• 42% reduction in multiple sclerosis in women taking more than 400 IU/day of vitamin D

Conclusion: Government-based recommendations of 200 IU/day for children, 400 IU/day for those aged 51-70 years, and 600 IU/day for those over 70 are horribly outdated.

Vitamin D status can be assessed by having one’s blood tested. Optimal levels are considered to be in the range of 30-50 ng/ml (75-125 nmol/L) of 25-hydroxyvitmain D in the blood.

A meticulous study in a group of men to determine how much orally supplemented vitamin D is required to increase vitamin D blood levels revealed the following data over an eight-week time period:

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Are you confused about the vast selection of nutritional supplements out there? How do you know which ones are
right for you?

Find out your nutritional deficiencies with our cutting-edge AND affordable nutritional lab test. This extensive test will analyze all nutritional parameters:

• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Amino Acids
• Essential Fatty Acids
• And many more

It even checks for harmful toxins such as mercury and lead. Once we have determined your specific nutritional requirements we then custom compound your supplements in daily nutrition packs – one pouch has all you need and they are shipped to your doorstep! Read the rest of this entry »

If vitamin D only reduced cancer risk, then it would be well worth supplementing with 1,000 IU/day and higher (depending on your level as determined by a blood test).

An abundance of recent studies however, has uncovered a myriad of other diseases that vitamin D helps prevent. One interesting report showed that elderly people with higher vitamin D levels suffered far fewer falls and were less frail. This finding alone points to potentially huge reductions in nursing home confinements along with less suffering and mortality, if every American adult took 1,000 IU/day of vitamin D.

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