Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Swine flu has everyone freaked! I guess the news that piggy flu hit all 50 states and was declared the first pandemic of the 21st century scared people silly. That’s why some officials at the U.S. Health and Human Services Department envision a scenario where vaccinating kids in school is logical. What a pay day for drug companies! Here are Dr. Fuhrman’s thoughts on this:

We don't know yet if this swine flu is really a significant risk enough to our country and the world to generate and distribute a vaccine for it in this time frame. It may even be gone by then.

But for sure, it has generated a great marketing opportunity for the drug companies and vaccine manufacturers and it is likely that as large numbers of children and adults become vaccinated, the people harmed from the inoculations will likely be greater than those harmed by the flu.

We have to wait and see how virulent and potentially dangerous this turns out to be. For now, it has not developed into anything that warrants such a dramatic intervention.

Via DiscoveryNews.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

As you can see, lots of people have shaped up and reclaimed their health. Like Trulie, she slimmed down and today she looks great and loves her fruits and vegetables. Now take Mildred, healthy eating and better living lowered her cholesterol and gave her newfound energy:

Early in the program, my number one goal was to choose to regain lost health and proper weight by losing excess fat, pounds and inches. Lowell also chose to be free of digestive problems.

After being on the plan for approximately a year and a half I think it’s safe to say it’s been successful. Praise the Lord! Neither of us takes any prescription drugs. I have reached my goal of 40 pounds and have lost 13 inches in my waist. Now my goal is to maintain and continue a healthy lifestyle.

Over a 15 month period, my total cholesterol went from 199 to 172, triglycerides from 138 to 69, HDL 35 to 40, LDL 136 to 118, TC/HDL 5.6 to 4.3, glucose 131 to 97, blood pressure 148/90 to 132/78 and weight 149.4 pounds to 117.6 pounds. When I started on the plan, my weight was 152 pounds. It’s now 112…continue reading.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

I’m a huge Howard Stern fan and I love sidekick Artie Lange. He’s hilarious, but very unhealthy. Artie’s a recovering drug addict and heavy drinker. He’s obese, smokes and loves cupcakes and fast food. Now, Artie knows he’s a mess and is trying to get better, but for some reason he is always worried about his liver, it’s a running joke, but I was curious. So, I asked Dr. Fuhrman what liver health might mean for somebody with Artie’s past:

The leading cause of death for obese people is heart disease, not liver failure. But, the problem is they can suffer tremendously with heart failure, circulatory impairment, swollen legs, infections and pain before they die.

Abnormalities on a "liver function" blood test occur because dying and injured liver cells give off enzymes as they die into the blood stream. Fortunately the liver is a forgiving organ and can regenerate and heal itself before something like cirrhosis sets in.

Nevertheless, if your habits are so poor to injure your liver you have most likely also damaged other organs.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (3)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

• Listen up. If you’re a heartbreaker, you might as well be a killer. Printed in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers determined broken heart syndrome, the weakening of heart muscles usually due to intense stress following a relationship breakup, might be responsible for 67% of women admitted to a Rhode Island hospital who underwent emergency cardiac catheterization; via EurekAlert!

• But a bad relationship isn’t good either. Presented at the recent American Psychosomatic Society in Chicago, women in bad marriages may have increased heart risks. Experts studied over 300 middle-aged women who had been married for more than 20 years with each couple filling out relationship questionnaires and undergoing lab tests. Results revealed women with a lot of marital strife were more likely to have things like metabolic syndrome, hypertension, high cholesterol and more; Reuters reports.

• Maybe getting high will help you deal with a crumby marriage. A new study in The Journal of Clinical Investigation reveals an active ingredient in marijuana kills brain cancer cells. Testing of two patients with "recurrent glioblastoma multiforme" a fast moving brain cancer showed tetrahydrocannabinol or THC eliminated cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells intact; from HealthDay News.

• Speaking of bad habits, research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims people in the United States consume twice the recommended amount of salt, heightening risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart attacks. Nearly 70% of adults are high-risk and would benefit from a reduction of salt in their diet; Reuters explains.

• Now, onto to bad food! Federal health investigators believe U.S. food manufacturers and distributors are unable to pinpoint the suppliers or recipients of their products, despite federal regulation requiring them to do so. When contacted, one-quarter of food facilities were not aware they are supposed to be capable of tracing their supplies; The New York Times investigates.

• The 2 million pounds of salmonella-pistachios seem to have been found by accident. Two weeks ago, a private firm voluntarily hired by Kraft Foods Inc. discovered the contamination, immediately prompting the recall. A company representative said if this testing hadn’t been conducted nobody would have found out until someone got sick; via The Associated Press.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

According to a new report, Americans spent $2.2 trillion on health-related costs in 2007, roughly $7,500 per person. Illustrated in Health Affairs, health spending accounted for 16.2% of U.S. gross domestic product in 2007. And at 6.1%, this is the slowest growth rate since 1998. Researchers attribute the broader use of cheaper generic drugs for the decline; Reuters reports.

What did you expect? More active, healthier living! Now, with healthcare expenses raging into the trillions, it’s no wonder why politicians, like New York’s Governor David Paterson, are proposing taxes on hurtful foods, like soft drinks. And in this video New York’s Health Commissioner, Richard F. Daines, MD explains how the soda tax would work. Just ignore the stuff about milk.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (2)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Editor’s Note: Someone from Dr. Fuhrman’s member center couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw a young child being served alcohol at Thanksgiving dinner. Dr. Fuhrman responds.

• Member

"My nephew is 22 months old. And at dinner his uncle poured red wine into his cup for him to drink. It was a decent-sized serving. The child's mother is very lazy about nutrition and didn't care at all if her son drank wine. He drank it all and became very flushed in the cheeks and was obviously feeling the effects, based on his behavior. They thought this was funny and harmless.

I know this is a no-brainer, but they think that such small amounts are no big deal. I want to be able to say convincingly that yes, a little bit can hurt! I didn't see anything about this in your book, which I assume is because it's so painfully obvious and shouldn’t needed to be covered."

• Dr. Fuhrman

"It is a crime to serve alcohol to a young child and is considered child abuse. This is not funny because many children each year are admitted to the hospital in a coma from one drink. Their small bodies and underdeveloped livers do not metabolize alcohol well and respiratory depression, hypoglycemia, unconsciousness and death can ensue. One in five admissions for childhood alcohol consumption report significant brain damage that could have permanent negative effects.

Parents need to be vigilant at parties. They need to keep an eye on their young children so they don't inadvertently pick up an alcoholic drink, thinking it is soda, which is bad enough. Adults who give alcohol, marijuana and other drugs to children should be reported. When this occurs the child is usually removed from the home and placed in protective custody.

Print this out and give it to the people who witnessed this. You are not helping anyone by letting this happen in front of you and the whole lot of you could have spent the night in jail if anyone anonymously called the police. I would have knocked the cup out of the toddler's hand. Maybe you should invite me over at your family's next get together."

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (3)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

A new study in the British Medical Journal claims quicker FDA approval for drugs and sophisticated marketing may put people at risk of dangerous side-effects. Drugs approved closer to deadline were more likely to be withdrawn or given stronger warning labels later on. And advertising masks the lack of long-term testing for a drug's rarer complications; Reuters investigates.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link