Category Archives: Uncategorized

Men, Your Gonads May Need More Zinc

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Comments Off on Men, Your Gonads May Need More Zinc

Dennis Mangan notes a series of scientific articles suggesting that zinc deficiency may be an important cause of male hypogonadism. This could lead to low libido, low sperm counts, and low testosterone levels. Pay attention and talk to your doctor if you’re having virility issues.

Comments Off on Men, Your Gonads May Need More Zinc

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Higher Blood Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Against Death

Posted on April 2, 2013 | 1 comment

…so how do you raise your omega-3 level?  Eat cold-water fatty fish, as recommended in my Advanced Mediterranean and Ketogenic Mediterranean diets.  A quote from the New York Times Well blog:

The lead author, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, said that the most beneficial levels could be achieved by consuming an average of 400 milligrams of omega-3s a day — the equivalent of weekly consumption of about 3.5 ounces of farmed salmon, 5 ounces of anchovies or herring, or 15 to 18 ounces of cod or catfish.

Read the rest.

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

I Appreciate It When Products or Services Are Labelled as “Integrative Medicine”: Straight Away I Know It’s Quackery

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Comments Off on I Appreciate It When Products or Services Are Labelled as “Integrative Medicine”: Straight Away I Know It’s Quackery

Harriet Hall at Science-Based Medicine writes about and defines Integrative Medicine:

First it was called various names like folk medicine, quackery, and unproven/untested treatments, then all of those (the less rational right along with the more rational) were lumped together under the umbrella term “Alternative Medicine,” then it became “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” (CAM), and now it has been re-branded as “Integrative Medicine.” The term is designed to make unscientific treatments seem more acceptable to science-based doctors. “Integrative Medicine” is a marketing term, not a meaningful scientific category. It is a euphemism for combining Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) with mainstream medical practice, unproven with proven, magic with science.

Read the rest.

Comments Off on I Appreciate It When Products or Services Are Labelled as “Integrative Medicine”: Straight Away I Know It’s Quackery

Posted in Uncategorized

Coffee May Contribute to Longevity on Greek Isle of Ikaria

Posted on April 1, 2013 | 1 comment

…along with the Mediterranean diet, socializing, low stress, plenty of sleep, gardening, and lots of walking.

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Medicare To Let Lawyers Decide If They’ll Pay for Sex-Change Operations

Posted on April 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Medicare To Let Lawyers Decide If They’ll Pay for Sex-Change Operations

Good grief.

Comments Off on Medicare To Let Lawyers Decide If They’ll Pay for Sex-Change Operations

Posted in Uncategorized

Vegetables and Fruits May Not Be As Nutritious Now As In the Past

Posted on April 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Vegetables and Fruits May Not Be As Nutritious Now As In the Past

Vegetables in particular.  Here’s the 2009 abstract from the journal HortScience:

“Three kinds of evidence point toward declines of some nutrients in fruits and vegetables available in the United States and the United Kingdom: 1) early studies of fertilization found inverse relationships between crop yield and mineral concentrations—the widely cited ‘‘dilution effect’’; 2) three recent studies of historical food composition data found apparent median declines of 5% to 40% or more in some minerals in groups of vegetables and perhaps fruits; one study also evaluated vitamins and protein with similar results; and 3) recent side-by-side plantings of low- and high-yield cultivars of broccoli and grains found consistently negative correlations between yield and concentrations of minerals and protein, a newly recognized genetic dilution effect. Studies of historical food composition data are inherently limited, but the other methods can focus on single crops of any kind, can include any nutrient of interest, and can be carefully controlled. They can also test proposed methods to minimize or overcome the diluting effects of yield whether by environmental means or by plant breeding.” 

Read the rest, if you dare.

Comments Off on Vegetables and Fruits May Not Be As Nutritious Now As In the Past

Posted in Uncategorized

How Common Is Starvation Mode as an Explanation for Stalled Weight Loss?

Posted on March 31, 2013 | Comments Off on How Common Is Starvation Mode as an Explanation for Stalled Weight Loss?

Melanie Thomassian, RD, has a great post on the over-diagnosed “starvation mode” theory that many folks use as an explanation for a stall in their weight loss journey. Rather than a starvation-induced reduction in metabolic rate, there’s usually another issue, such as under-estimation of calorie consumption or poor compliance with the weight loss plan.

Read the rest.

Comments Off on How Common Is Starvation Mode as an Explanation for Stalled Weight Loss?

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Wine Consumption Falling Precipitously in France

Posted on March 30, 2013 | Comments Off on Wine Consumption Falling Precipitously in France

…according to BBC News.

In 1980 more than half of adults were consuming wine on a near-daily basis. Today that figure has fallen to 17%.

The article quotes Denis Saverot, editor of La Revue des Vins de France magazine:

“Just look at the figures. In the 1960s, we were drinking 160 litres each a year and weren’t taking any pills. Today we consume 80 million packets of anti-depressants, and wine sales are collapsing. Wine is the subtlest, most civilised, most noble of anti-depressants. But look at our villages. The village bar has gone, replaced by a pharmacy.”

Read the rest.

 

Comments Off on Wine Consumption Falling Precipitously in France

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged ,

For Observant Jews, Is a Low-Carb Passover Possible?

Posted on March 21, 2013 | Comments Off on For Observant Jews, Is a Low-Carb Passover Possible?

It is, according to Laura Dolson at About.com.  Passover starts March 21.

Comments Off on For Observant Jews, Is a Low-Carb Passover Possible?

Posted in Uncategorized

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Kill Almost 200,000 Annually

Posted on March 21, 2013 | Comments Off on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Kill Almost 200,000 Annually

…according to a Harvard-affiliated Ph.D. How could that be?  SSBs contribute to obesity, which in turn leads to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.

Reducing consumption of SSBs was one of the major points in the American Heart Association’s 2010 guidelines for reducing heart disease.

Read the details at MedPageToday.

Comments Off on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Kill Almost 200,000 Annually

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,