Parachuting Cats

Parachuting Cats

In Borneo in the early 1950s, the World Health Organization (WHO) was faced with the problem of Malaria.  They found an answer that was short and simple… and wrong!  They sprayed DDT throughout the area, killing the mosquitoes that carry the disease.  As the mosquito population declined, the incidence of malaria declined.  Everyone declared the program a success!

Soon, they had a new problem; the roofs of houses were collapsing.  It seems that the DDT had also killed wasps.  The wasps had been eating caterpillars.  Without the wasps, the caterpillars proliferated.  And they ate the thatch on the roofs, so the roofs collapsed!

Yet, the WHO found it also had a worse problem: the DDT was now in the food chain.  Geckos ate the poisoned insects and cats ate the geckos.  When the cats died, rats flourished.  The WHO was now faced with an outbreak of rat-borne diseases, sylvatic plague and typhus, which it created itself!  The solution was to PARACHUTE CATS into Borneo!

The lesson?  The cause of problems could be solutions to other problems that were not thought through well enough.  All things interact, often in ways we don’t understand.  But at the same time, if we understand interactions better, our solutions will go further than we might initially have thought.  The solutions can then beget even more solutions, not problems.

“More than 2 million Americans become seriously ill every year from toxic reaction to correctly prescribed medications taken properly, and 106,000+ die from those reactions.”

                                                                                                Journal of the American Medical Association

“The solution to good health lies in eliminating interference from the body, not creating it.”

Want a Simple and Safe Answer to Allergy Problems?

Although allergies are a problem almost everywhere (I even know someone who has allergies to the pollen of desert plants), the San Antonio area is Allergy Central.  We have so many common allergens in our environment that some of us are suffering allergies at all times of the year.  We have one really "hot" allergy season, which is Mountain Juniper (commonly known as Cedar) coming soon to sinuses near you!.



Most allergy sufferers use the over-the-counter medications to control their symptoms.  Certainly, when the symptoms are severe this is the course of action to take; however, this is not without risks.  I am amazed when watching at the drug commercials the side effects, or toxic effects, that are listed.  Anti-depressants, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, may cause erectile dysfunction.  Seems like that would make the depression worse!

Allergy medications can cause drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, upset stomach, blurry vision, dry mouth/nose/throat, difficulty urinating, stomach problems, nasal dryness or irritation, nosebleed, throat irritation, headache, nausea, vomiting, coughing, and fungal infections!  Eek!  I am not saying that you should never take medications; I am trying to illustrate that pharmaceuticals have dangerous side effects.  If we can avoid them, we should. So, how do we avoid them?

The allergic response is an overreaction of the immune system to a foreign protein.  If your immune system considers, for instance, cedar pollen to be a potent threat (when it's not), then it launches a full-on attack on the proteins in the pollen.  In this offensive, the immune system releases, among other chemicals, histamine.  And that is a chemical that makes you feel awful!

So, the key is to desensitize your immune system to the pollen.  How do you that?  Interestingly, this is done by exposing your immune system to low levels of the pollen, much like with a vaccine but without the risks.  This can be done in one of two ways.  An Allergist/Immunologist can give you a series of allergy shots.  This normally requires repeat injections and repeat office visits to monitor progress.  This is expensive and time-consuming.

Equally effective and also FDA approved is a homeopathic allergy spray.  This has low levels of pollen in it as well as having remedies for the symptoms.  With no known side effects, this is convenient, inexpensive, and safe.  You can find these sprays in many places, including our office.

These approaches are most effective when administered before the allergic response starts.  You probably know what time of year you normally have allergies.  Come in a month or more before you expect it to begin and we can get you started on a therapy that will help you Live Healthy, Stay Active, and Fulfill Your Dreams!

Eating Less and Exercising More Is NO Way to Lose Weight, cont'd

Last month, we discussed the effects of Estrogen Dominance and Elevated Cortisol.  As you'll recall, the main sign of Cortisol Dominance is a large belly and this condition can also cause many other conditions including heart disease, Estrogen Dominance, insomnia, osteoporosis and accelerated aging.  (For more information, please see last months blog entry.)

So, what do we do about Elevated Cortisol?  First, let's look at what causes it, and that is stress.  "Well", you might say, "considering my life there's not much I can do about that!"  And to a great extent, that would be a true statement.  Unless we want to give up all of our aspirations in life and go live in a cave in a mountain or in a hut on an uncharted island, we are going to have stress in our lives.  And even there, we would be stressed about finding something to eat, not getting eaten, keeping warm or cool, have a clean source of water, etc.  Stress is a natural part of the human condition.  How we deal with stress will make all of the difference in the world!

Stress increases cortisol and that causes sugar imbalance.  That, in turn, will cause carb craving.  Then we eat comfort food.  That's not good.  So, the key then is to relax and replenish.  If you have no problem with alcohol, I recommend 1 - 2 standard 5 ounce servings of wine at the end of the day to help relax.  Note that I am not recommending more than two!  Getting drunk every night is not the solution, and that will lead to alcohol addiction, or alcoholism.  If you have a philosophical or physical problem with alcohol, such as spiritual beliefs, sulfur allergies, or alcoholism, then I recommend either meditation or herbal remedies.  Valerian is a great calming herb, and the better the product the better the effect.  We offer a high quality Valerian Complex in our office, and there are good products available elsewhere.

If anxiety is an issue, indicated by rapid pulse, increased sweating, and difficulty with mental focus, I find that Valerian also helps.  Additionally, multi-mineral supplements with help, as will daily consumption of calf fries.  Now, if eating calf fries is not your thing, then find a product with that in it, or at least a similar effect.  We have available a multi-mineral product with the essence of calf fries available in a capsule that you can't taste. It is called Min-Chex.  If insomnia is an issue, then either increase your consumption of calf fries or use a product that is highly concentrated in that essence in it, such as our Orchex capsules.

Finally, when under great stress your body will use more vitamins.  While any vitamin supplement is better than none, the synthetic vitamins have toxic effects.  For that reason, more and more manufactures are producing whole food vitamins.  These are naturally-sourced and non-toxic.  We carry a line of whole food supplements if you are interested.

Next time we will talk about Estrogen Dominance.  See you then!

Eat Less and Exercise More Is NO Way to Lose Weight

So, we've all heard it: to lose weight you have to burn more than you eat.  Or: Eat Less, Exercise More.

Phooey!  We've been trying that for about 20 years and our population is more obese than ever!  It simply doesn't work.  I wholeheartedly endorse regular exercise, and I will go deeper into that in a later post.  The numbers tell the story.  From 1960 to today, adult obesity has soared from 13% to 66%!  Eating less and exercising more simply does not work.  In fact, eating less is often counterproductive.  One of my patients was down to 800 calories per day, exercising one hour daily and still gaining weight.

What we are learning is that hormones have everything to do with total body weight and its distribution.  We all know that thyroid is involved in weight gain, but it is often the secondary problem.  The primary problems most often are cortisol and estrogen.  These are complex areas of discussion and we will discuss them in more depth in the following weeks.  But let's glance at them first.

Let's look at cortisol first.  This is the main stress hormone and it gets you ready to run or fight.  It decreases thyroid function and causes heart disease, anxiety, elevated estrogen, insulin resistance, osteoporosis, insomnia, accelerated aging, lowered immune system and increased abdominal fat.  So, if you have a big belly, you probably have high cortisol levels. 

High estrogen levels, called "Estrogen Dominance", effects both men and women.  In fact, by age 55 the average male will have more estrogen in his body than his wife!  High estrogen causes salt and fluid retention, low blood sugar, thyroid problems, exhaustion, irritability, mood swings, sweet cravings, breast pain and swelling throughout the month, sleep disturbances, headaches and weight gain especially to the buttocks.  So, if you have a big butt and swollen, tender breasts, you probably are Estrogen Dominant.

Next week, in the second part of our three part series, we'll look at the effects and treatment of High Cortisol.

Healthy and Fun Date Night

I apologize for being so long in getting back to this blog.  Time just got away from me.

I promised tips on a healthy date night.  So, let's reflect on what we've talked about already.  We've learned to eat more vegetables and meat and less dairy and grains.  We learned that fried chicken is not as bad as the press it gets, but don't eat it everyday.  And we learned about the glycemic index and eating foods that don't spike your blood sugar quickly.

What about eating at a restaurant?  First of all remember the 80/20 rule.  Make 80% of your food choices good choices and then have fun with the other 20%.  I recommend looking at this weekly.  If you eat 21 meals in a week, then make good choices with 17 of them and then you can make some questionable choices with the other 4.

That means that if you've been good all week, then eat what you want when you're at the restaurant.  But, there are good choices you can make at the restaurant as well.  You could get baby back ribs with coleslaw and mac and cheese.  Or have a side salad with black beans. BBQ is always a healthy choice, but potato salad and dessert have to be weighed against what else you've eaten that week.

Remember that pasta is a low GI food.  So, Italian food is a good choice.  Be careful, though, because many Italian restaurants will serve a pound of pasta on the plate.  That's actually four servings.

If you want a hamburger, try to pick a side besides french fries.  Sweet potato fries are a better choice, but they are still a high GI food.  Yet, if you've done well all week, then have the fries, too.  The same thing goes with fried chicken.  Try to choose a side besides potatoes.

So, by following these simple suggestions, you can have a healthy and fun date night!

Next week, come back and learn how to

Lose Weight without Eating Less and Exercising More

Give Your Fried Chicken a Date

We have learned about Deadly Whites and questionable food choices.  Today, let's look at what good food choices would be.

First, let's look at a measurement called the Glycemic Index (GI), a techinical term for how fast a food will raise your blood sugar.  Our bodies have to maintain our blood sugar between 70 and 140.  If it rises above 140 it can damage the brain and nervous system.  Of course, our bodies don't want that to happen, so the pancreas produces insulin to bring the sugar level back down.  Insulin removes the sugar from the blood and stores it as FAT.  

That means our goal in controlling body weight must be to control insulin production.  If we control insulin production, then we control fat production.  To do that, we need to avoid foods that spike blood sugar, which brings us back to the GI.

The GI rates foods against a standard food that is given the value of 100, and that food is pure glucose.  Baked white potatoes have an index of 111, higher than glucose.  Yes, white potatoes spikes your blood sugar faster than pure glucose does!  So if you are like most Americans and the Deadly Whites predominate your diet, then potatoes are first to go.

White rice has an index of 89 and though lower than glucose it is higher than sugar.  It needs to be limited to the 20% side of the 80/20 rule.

Not on the list of Deadly Whites but equally bad is High Fructose Corn Syrup, or Corn Sugar, which is a term used in an attempt to separate their product from the bad press that it's deservedly getting.  It is made from genetically modified corn, what I call a Franken-food.  It has an index of 87 and that is higher than table sugar.  

White flour, which is made from wheat, has an index of 80.  If you are trying to control weight, then white flour and "wheat flour", which is white flour with food coloring and "dietary fiber" added, are things that need to go.

Next on the list would be sugar with its index of 80.  Of course, this means that doughnuts are definitely off the list for our daily breakfast!

What CAN we eat?

This chart can show you what's ideal

I have AWESOME news!  Pasta is a LOW GLYCEMIC FOOD!!!  Substitute potatoes and rice with pasta, but no more than one serving per day.

Next week we will discuss

Have a Normal and Healthy Date Night

Go Ahead, You CAN Eat That Fried Chicken

Last week I wrote that avoiding grains, rice, sugar and potatoes is one of the keys to healthy eating. These foods are what I call the Deadly Whites.

So, am I saying that you should restrict yourself exclusively to grilled meat and vegetables?  Not really.  I recommend the 80/20 rule, which means that if you make good food choices 80% of the time your body should be able to handle bad food choices the other 20% of the time.  So, if you eat three times per day then you will eat 21 times in a week.  If in that week you eat 17 good meals, your body can handle 4 questionable meals.

Now, that does not mean that you can eat chocolate sandwiches with mashed potatoes 4 times a week!  But using the above information to your benefit, you can have comfort food.  Don't eat all four of the Deadly Whites at the same time or even on the same day.  That rules out pancakes, syrup, hash browns and Rice Krispies for Saturday breakfast, but you can have the pancakes and syrup! And Sunday afternoon, you can have fried chicken and mashed potatoes!  Then mid-week you could have some ice cream or eat Chinese food and enjoy the rice.

You might say, "Wait, Doc.  Did you say fried chicken?  What about all that grease?"  I'm so glad you asked.  You see, if properly prepared it will not have that much grease infiltrating the meat.  If the oil is hot when the chicken is dropped into it, the heat will immediately sear the breading and seal out the oil.  As the meat heats, the water in it begins to boil and the meat is steamed in its own juices.  The meat must be removed from the oil within 60 seconds of when the steam stops rising from the oil or the oil will infiltrate the meat.  So, if you eat chicken that is dried out and greasy, put it down, walk out the door and never go back!

So, come back next week and learn

How to Get Control of Your Western Appetite