The best way to save money on healthcare is not to get sick. There are things we cannot predict and come from nowhere, but many cancers and diseases are exacerbated by what we eat and how we live.

SignatureMD concierge doctors see examples daily of people doing their best to not invite illness into their lives,and have compiled a great list of foods associated with a lower cancer risk that also help ward off obesity, depression and diabetes.

So many of our blogs center on wellness prevention, and for good reason: The preventive care you elect today keeps the doctor away! Save for wellness checkups and baseline tests, our team of excellent physicians want you to have a long life expectancy with a high quality of life that sees you squeeze the most from this mortal coil. Live well, be well and prosper.

SignatureMD has compiled a list of foods associated with a lower risk of getting cancer. While that’s positive news, remember that there are no guarantees. But thinner active people who eat fresh foods tend to feel better, look better, enjoy sex longer and do well overall.

Many causes of cancer are environmental, largely from tobacco, excessive sun exposure and workplace hazards such as chemical solvents and fumes. Avoidance is the best prevention strategy according to our concierge physicians.

Daily, we recommend you include:

1. Wine and/or Grape Juice

Grape juice and Red wine have high concentrations of the chemical resveratrol from the grape skin — is anti-cancer and pro-heart, at least in moderation.

Excessive alcohol is toxic and is associated with liver, breast and stomach cancers. Somewhere there is a balance, though, with resveratrol contributing in some unknown way to suppress metabolites associated with cancer growth. More and more researchers have become comfortable in recent years in recommending a glass of wine a day to prevent cancer and promote a healthier circulatory system.

2. Cruciferous Vegetables

George W.H. Bush may have hated broccoli, but he should be eating it. Cruciferous vegetables are those in the mustard or cabbage family, and the list includes broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens and kale. These veggies are loaded with miracle compounds diindolylmethane, sulforaphane and the element selenium.

3. Green Tea

Hot tea washes down grease. Chinese people eat greasy foods but thwy wash the grease through with hot tea. Try it when you eat a fatty meal, have hot tea, up to a half-gallon of green tea a day, cold or hot,. Green tea has epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and catechins, which whip the tar out of cancer cells. EGCG retards cancer growth. It works. Switch over from coffee drinks. The most potent green tea comes from Japan; and Asian supermarkets carry many varieties, with the best brands being in boxes with letters you can’t read. Note also that black teas lose healthy catechins in the fermentation process; and decaffeinated teas lose catechins in the washing process.

4. Sun and Sardines: Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a proto-hormone that blocks cancer growth. Many studies on humans have shown vitamin D is instrumental in reducing the risk of colon and breast cancer and improving the survival rates of lung cancer. The way to get it is through sunlight or diet. There are few vegetarian sources other than eggs and UV-irradiated mushrooms. Your best bet comes from catfish, salmon, sardines, or mackerel.

5. Folate

Leafy green vegetables, asparagus, beans, peas and lentils are all generally high in folate. B9 or Folate is part of the vitamin B-complex family, which as a whole has cancer-preventive properties. The cancer-folate relationship is complex. People with diets low in folate seem to have higher rates of cancer. Diets high in folate don’t necessarily prevent cancer, but they certainly give you a good chance to fight it off. The lack of folate might enable cancer to get the upper hand, allowing mutations to occur unchecked.

6. Dark Green Vegetables

This category of vegetables overlaps the cruciferous family and includes chard, spinach and beets (by virtue of the leaves, but the red root is healthy, too). These vegetables contain beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin — all powerful antioxidants that can block early cancer development. They are also high in folate. Best yet, Swiss chard in particular is extremely easy to grow in pots. It’s the plant that keeps giving: You can clip off leaves for months upon months as new ones keep shooting up.

7. Spice it: Ginger and Turmeric

Ginger and turmeric are powerful anti-inflammatory properties and can slow cancer growth. Turmeric, the spice that forms the base of most curries, is from a root in the ginger family. The active ingredient is curcumin, which can kill cancer cells quickly, albeit in a test tube. Ginger and turmeric do come in a pill form for the cooking chalenged. Better to eat in a meal.

8. Beans and Lentils

Beans and lentils contain numerous phytochemicals that slow or prevent damage to the DNA, the basis of cancer. The added benefit comes with the fiber, associated with lower risk of digestive cancers such as colon cancer. The tricky part is de-gassing them. Buy some beano and learn how to To prepare beans that are gas free, first you must stop buying canned beans. Canned beans are cooked in the can, in all of their Raffinosed glory, trapping all of the offending sugar in the can for you to consume, and later, project. To avoid eating these sugars, you must take advantage of the fact that sugar is water soluble, and, that’s right. Soak it out.

For best anti-flatulence results, it’s best to put your beans in a pot and cover them with water overnight, letting them soak with the top on. However, if you’re impatient or simply poorly prepared, you can do a quick soak on beans that will remove sugar almost as effectively as an overnight soak.

To do an overnight soak, place the beans in a pot, cover them with water, and bring the pot to a rolling boil. Let the pot boil for two minutes, then turn the heat off. Put a top on the beans and let them soak for at least an hour. After they have soaked, you should notice a frothy substance floating on top of the water. This is, among other things, that raffinose sugar of which we are trying to rid ourselves.

After the pot has soaked for an hour, dump the water out of the pot. You can use a colander if it makes it easier to keep the beans from going into the sink. Pick out anything foreign you see, any twigs or nasty looking beans should be removed. Nasty looking beans can often have nasty things which will also give you bad gas. Rinse the remaining beans.

To cook the beans, put them back in the pot and cover them with water. Don’t add salt until the beans are done cooking.

9. Chocolate

Women know: Chocolate is magic Reach for a dark chocolate bar with at least 70-percent cocoa (often spelled cacao), preferably more. The closer to its bitter cacao bean state, the better. One again we see those antioxidants and therapeutic polyphenols and catechins, (also found in tea), that seem to offer protection against heart disease, stroke and cancer, according to studies of South Americans who consume the cocoa bean generously.

10. Berries

Strawberries whiten teeth. Blueberries are magical antioxidant pills from nature. Most berries contain ellagic acid and other polyphenol antioxidants that inhibit tumor growth. Don’t get too caught up in one kind of berry and the “best” polyphenol with a name you can’t pronounce. Focus on a variety of seasonal berries and add them to plain, no-fat high protein Greek yogurt.

Bonus: Daily Drink to add to your Diet

Greek yogurt or Tofu are wonderful bases to mix most of the items mentioned in this anti-cancer food list into a smoothie. You can add flaxseed, wheat germ and vegetables along with berries, kiwis, bananas, peeled carrots or any combination you happen upon. Juicing green veggies with carrots, apples and ginger is brilliant too and a great way to get your superfoods in a fast meal. Invest ina quality mixer like Breville or Vitamix and drink your nutrients!

If you juice carrots-use that carrot pulp for a vegan crust for pizza (made with nut cheese) check this step-by-step recipe here: http://mrscrazykneese.blogspot.com/2011/02/carrot-crust-pizza.html

SignatureMD believes that health is your first wealth, and your diet is one of the most important elements to preserve and promote this, next to what the genetic cards have dealt you in this life.

Our doctors counsel families on a multitude of subjects, and invariably all roads lead back to what a person eats, and how they move their bodies and how stress is managed and happiness cultivated to create the best environment for each person to prosper.

Concierge care is really personalized management, and in its delivery, creates the optimal situation for you to save money and not worry about missing benchmark tests to make sure if anything is awry, your doctor is on top of it immediately. It’s a rejigging of healthcare dollars spent that actually saves you money and  gives you peace of mind.

Knowledge is power. There is a real threat in the food banks in the USA, as GMO, or genetically modified foods are now more common than ever.

Seed Company Pioneer Hi-Bred added a gene from Brazil nuts to soybeans to boost the nutrition in soy. These “improved” soybeans were found to trigger anaphylaxis and other allergic responses in humans with a Brazil nut allergy. The project ended in the 1990s.

Then In 1997, The Scottish Crop Research Institute published (sources below) disturbing research showing that ladybugs laid fewer eggs when they fed on aphids that had eaten genetically modified potatoes, and their life expectancy was cut in half. The ladybugs did not eat the potatoes, but had fed on another organism that had, and suffered the ill effects.

GMO engineers may wish to make pest-resistant crops, increase yields, or make fruits firmer so they break down more slowly. Everything comes at a price.

According to the USDA Economic Research Service (sources below), in 2011 approximately 81 to 86 percent of all of the planted acres of corn in the country were genetically modified, as well as 87 to 90 percent of all soybean planted acres.

Other foods that are either directly GM or affected by genetic modification include rice, soybeans, honey, sugar cane, canola, tomatoes, potatoes, flax, papayas, summer squash, animal proteins, vegetable oils, and dairy products. Even many hard cheeses are made with genetically created rennet.

The worst of it is that we may not know what we are eating is modified, as the labeling of genetically modified foods is not currently required by law in the United States unless they contain elements of a highly allergenic food like peanuts.

According to the University of Florida, as much as 60 to 70 percent of consumable products in American food stores contain genetically modified ingredients.

Monsanto, the agricultural biotechnology behemoth is responsible for the Roundup Ready seed, these genetically engineered seeds that are meant to prep crops for another Monsanto product, Roundup Herbicide.

Monsanto promised farmers that use these Round Up Ready seeds that they will not need to till soil to control weeds, but rather only need to spray crops with the company’s pesticide. The company claims increased yields and reduced costs associated with crops. This trickery with nature has led to herbicide-resistant superweeds.  To cure this new problem, Monsanto suggests using more herbicide, which will ultimately compound the issue and lead to more toxic residues of herbicides in our food supply.

Roundup also has been linked to a worldwide decimation of frogs, which naturally control pests without chemicals.

Companies like Monsanto reportedly are buying up the world’s supply of seeds for crops like corn, potatoes, and soybeans. Monsanto is patenting the seeds and suing farmers for piracy if they save them from their harvest to replant the following year. So the farmers must purchase seeds every year, a practice that raises the price to farm such crops. These types of practices are crimping the business of the conscientious small farmer, who just can’t afford to keep up with the huge industrial farming operations. Big Agra affects our health and drives down entrepreneurial small farmers trying to sell a healthy product.

Potential health risks of GM crops include higher levels of pesticides in foods and higher concentrations of allergens.

According to studies (sourced below) Chinese scientists recently found small pieces of rice RNA in the tissues of people who consumed genetically modified rice.

In 2003, a study showed that GM soy altered digestive enzymes in mice.

SignatureMD concierge doctors urge patients to be aware of where their food is sourced from, and avoid canned, bagged and boxed packaged processed foods, and strive for farmer’s Market produce that is certified organic. Also to buy organic grains from crops less likely to be GM, such as quinoa and millet.

A vegan/vegetarian life is proven healthier for all, as it is virtually impossible to know what ranchers feed their livestock unless you know for sure the beef is grass fed, not corn fed.

Better yet, they encourage families fortunate to have a bit of land to plant their annual vegetable gardens and make it part of a family activity. The results are rewarding for the mind and the body.

SOURCES:

1. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199603143341103
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/291105.stm
3. http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/biotechcrops/extentofadoptiontable3.htm
4. http://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/gm-foods.php
5. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs084
6. http://www.newscientist.com/geneticallymodified-superweeds-not-uncommon.html
7. http://www.sourcewatch.org/Monsanto_and_the_Roundup_Ready_Controversy
8. http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/11-0189.1
9. http://www.mindfully.org/GE/GE4/Seeds-Of-Doubt-USA17sep02.htm
10. http://www.nytimes.com/saving-seeds-subjects-farmers-to-suits-over-patent.html
11. http://www.nature.com/cr/journal/v22/n1/full/cr2011158a.html
12. http://www.arizonaadvancedmedicine.com/articles/genetically_modified_foods.html
13. http://pubresreg.org/index.php?id=68&option=com_content&task=view
14. http://www.nafwa.org/6829-doctors-warn-avoid-genetically-modified-food.html

Ticks are a real problem for many communities this spring and summer. SignatureMD concierge doctors know one of the worst diseases that often go unchecked is Lyme disease, a truly debilitating illness that can be prevented with extra care.

Due to the warm spring, ticks have been generally more active this year, according to the CDC.

Ticks are vile little blood sucking arachnids – the same family that includes scorpions, spiders, bed bugs and mites. The bug has four stages of life, and adults can get to a half inch in length.

Some common species of ticks include the American dog tick, the lone star tick and the deer tick. The American dog tick can carry diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, while the deer tick can spread Lyme disease.

Tiny ticks can feed slowly and can go unnoticed for a lengthy period of time while drinking your blood. Ticks cannot fly but live in wooded areas or among tall grass and weeds. They creep into camp bedding and can attach easily on a day hike if you are not vigilant.

If a tick attaches itself to your body, the best way to remove it is by grasping the tick with tweezers as close to your skin as possible, and gently, but firmly, pull it straight out.  Their secretions may carry disease so try never to touch them.

SignatureMD Recommends:

If you are hiking on trails, walk in the center of the trail to avoid grass and brush. Examine all clothing and skin frequently for ticks when outdoors.

When outdoors away from home, the CDC recommends wearing long-sleeved, long-legged, light-colored clothing. Tuck pant legs into socks to refuse ticks an entry point. Spray clothing and any exposed skin with a product containing 20% DEET. Clothing and other gear, but not skin, can be treated with Permethrin, which will kill ticks and mosquitoes on contact and should last through several washings. Check carefully for ticks after being outdoors.

If you have pets, examine them for ticks carefully. Talk to your veterinarian about using tick collars and sprays. As with all pest control products, be sure to follow directions carefully.

If you have an unexplained rash or illness with a fever following a tick bite, you should see your doctor immediately.

At home, keep your yard mowed and maintained free of weeds. Clear out areas where lawn and tree debris gathers. Ticks thrive in moist, shady areas and tend to die in sunny, dry areas. Locate compost piles away from play areas or high traffic. Separate them with pea gravel. Don’t position playground equipment, decks and patios near treed areas. Eliminate leaf litter and brush by cleaning it up around the house and lawn edges, mow tall grasses and keep your lawn short.

Landscape with plants and shrubs that are not attractive to deer and/or install physical barriers to keep deer out of your yard (They love roses). Check with your local nursery to determine the best choices for your area.

Professional pest control agents utilize both barrier sprays that can kill live ticks on the spot as well as “tick tubes.” Strategically placed, “tick tubes” prompt field mice to incorporate tick-killing material in their bedding, effectively eliminating hundreds of tick nymphs found in each mouse nest.

Be aware that Lyme disease may be spreading, according to a study released in February in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. It showed a clear risk across much of the Northeast, from Maine to northern Virginia; a high-risk region in the upper Midwest, including parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois; and “emerging risk” regions including the Illinois-Indiana border, southwestern Michigan and eastern North Dakota.

Lyme disease causes flu-like symptoms including fever, chills and achy joints, and often a distinctive bull’s-eye rash. Most people recover quickly when treated early with antibiotics, but untreated infections can cause more serious conditions like Bell’s palsy, arthritis and neurological problems.

Other ways to help prevent Lyme disease, according to the CDC, include bathing after being outside, to help spot ticks or wash of ones that haven’t attached yet; checking outdoor gear and pets for ticks; and running clothing through a hot dryer for an hour to kill any ticks.

SOURCES:
1. CDC Lyme site: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/
2. American Lyme Disease Founndation: http://www.aldf.com/

The brain fog that many women have when menopause approaches is very real, according to a study published today in the journal Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society.

The findings by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the University of Illinois at Chicago were conclusive, and confirmed the changes that are happening in the brain as women hit menopause.

“The most important thing to realize is that there really are some cognitive changes that occur during this phase in a woman’s life,” said Miriam Weber, Ph.D., the neuropsychologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

“If a woman approaching menopause feels she is having memory problems, no one should brush it off or attribute it to a jam-packed schedule. She can find comfort in knowing that there are new research findings that support her experience. She can view her experience as normal.”

Generally anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of women during this stage of life report forgetfulness and other difficulties that they view as related to poor memory.  Women who reported memory difficulties were also more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. The team did not find any link between memory problems and hormone levels.

SignatureMD doctors understand that menopause isn’t a sudden event, but a complicated transition that takes years and begins as young as 35 in some people. There is a whole body approach to managing the symptoms so you can pass through this hormonal change as comfortable as possible. A personalized game plan after a thorough physical exam and blood work will help your doctor map out a detailed plan of action to tackle the worst issues associated with menopause, including hot flashes, sleeplessness and low libido.

There are several ways to get through the tough years, including Hormone therapy (HT) -  the only government-approved treatment in the United States and Canada for relief of menopausal symptoms. HT is also approved for the prevention of osteoporosis. Today, clinicians prescribe much lower doses for much shorter terms (3-5 years) than earlier.

SignatureMD concierge physicians counsel patients regarding the three benchmark stages of natural menopause:

Perimenopause, is the span of time between the start of symptoms (such as erratic periods) and 1 year after the final menstrual period.

Menopause, confirmed 1 year (12 months) after the final menstrual period.

Postmenopause, all the years beyond menopause.

There are two basic types of HT:

For women with a uterus, progestogen must be prescribed along with estrogen to protect her against uterine cancer.  ET – estrogen-only therapy. Estrogen is the hormone that provides the most menopausal symptom relief. ET is prescribed for women without a uterus due to a hysterectomy.

EPT – means combined estrogen plus progestogen therapy. Progestogen is added to ET to protect women with a uterus against uterine (endometrial) cancer from estrogen alone.

The delivery of HT products include systemic products circulate throughout the bloodstream and to all parts of the body: An oral tablet, patch, gel, emulsion, spray, or injection and can be used for hot flashes and night sweats, vaginal symptoms, and osteoporosis.

Local (nonsystemic) products affect only a specific or localized area of the body. They are available as a cream, ring, or tablet and can be used for vaginal symptoms.

The most conservative approach is to begin HT with the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time for each patient.

The benefit-risk ratio is favorable for women who initiate HT close to menopause (ages 50-59, typically) but becomes riskier with time since menopause and advancing age.

Benefits of systemic HT (estrogen with or without progestogen) shows that it effectively helps such conditions as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats, and bone loss. These benefits can lead to improved sleep, and sexual relations, and quality of life.

HT is recommended at the lowest effective dose for the shortest time period. The real concern about hormone safety is with long-term use of systemic ET or EPT.

As a result of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial in 2002, the US Food & Drug Administration and Health Canada require all estrogen-containing prescription therapies to carry a “black box” warning in their prescribing information about the adverse risks of HT. Although only two products were studied in the WHI, Premarin and Prempro, the risks of all HT products, including “natural” bioidentical and compounded hormones, should be assumed to be similar until evidence shows otherwise.

Most of the risk of breast cancer is associated with EPT. Both ET and EPT have been associated with stroke and an increase in blood clots in the veins. These risks are higher in women over age 60.

SignatureMD Mid-Life Menopause Game Plan

Exercise
You must make physical activity a priority. Hike, walk, bike, gym, cardio, Yoga, Pilates and combines as many of these as you can fit around your schedule.  Sneak physical activity into the day by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away in parking lots, and walk in place while watching TV. It takes about 60 minutes of physical activity every day just to prevent weight gain, not to mention lose weight, so get up and get going. Women should be physically active for 30 minutes per day most days of the week.

Mental Motivation
Goal setting, organizing and journaling daily are tools to help you stay on track for exercise, chores, and all the things you need to keep track of. With the fog of menopause, this is a wonderful fail-safe to keep you on top of everything you have to do. It will give you peace of mind too.

Diet
This is the time in your life to jettison the bad stuff and eat vegan or vegetarian. You will be reborn when you eliminate as many animal products as you can from your diet – oils and fats too. Try juicing green vegetables with an apple, carrots, ginger and other veggies and fruits, be adventurous. Try to get sugars down to negligible amounts, and eschew coffee for teas in all varieties. You will be shocked at how good you feel, and you will shake your head when you see a twenty-something choking down a super-sized fast food meal.

Use it or Lose it
Sex, it’s important, the activity keeps your internal sexual organs in good stead.  Experiment, explore what can help and make the intimate part of your life a top priority.

SOURCES:

1: www.menopause.org
2: NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The epidemic of Type 2 Diabetes is reported to be solvable with Bariatric surgery.

What is Type 2 diabetes? It’s is a disease that causes high blood sugar levels. Over time, this can lead to blood-vessel damage in the eyes, kidneys, heart and nerves. Almost 26 million Americans have diabetes, and as many as 95% of those have type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a really important health-care issue in this country. It’s a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and the prevalence of the disease is going up.

Significant risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, however, not everyone who has the disease is overweight.

Respected Bariatric Surgeon Carson D. Liu, MD, FACS, FASMBS, says, “I know that weight loss with surgery can reverse diabetes, but it has to be done within 7-9 years of diagnosis. After that, it’s difficult to cure their diabetes as the pills destroy the islet cells and patients become insulin dependent.”

Dr. Carson Liu is a very well known and respected Hollywood/Los Angeles Bariatric surgeon. He is professionally in agreement with SignatureMD concierge physicians who promote wellness lifestyle changes to be proactively on guard from preventable diseases like diabetes.

Medication alone does little to improve the long-term health of diabetes patients. Dr. Liu promtes lifestyle and dietary changes which he feels are absolutely necessary to improve overall health, which starts with maintaining a healthy weight, eating foods that support good health and staying physically fit.

Dr. Liu counsels patients to avoid highly-refined foods like white sugar, white rice and pasta and swap with organic raw vegetables, lean proteins and nuts to help improve symptoms and control weight.

The news that patients receiving bariatric surgery are showing near instantaneous improvements in their glycemic control is now reinforced by two recent reports presented today at the ACC, and simultaneously published in the NEJM which support these claims.

Both reports conclude that Bariatric surgery is superior to drug maintenance therapy as a treatment for diabetes.

The authors of the second study reported that all patients treated surgically were able to discontinue all their diabetes medicines within fifteen days of their operation. Almost all of the surgically-treated patients remained free of diabetes after two years, while none of the medically-treated patients were free of the disease.

The authors also reveal that gastric banding procedures is safer and sees improvement in diabetes and correlates more directly with the patients’ weight loss.

SOURCES:

1. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200225?query=featured_home
2. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200111?query=featured_home

Ask any heart surgeon, your arteries are akin to plumbing. Would you pour bacon fat down your kitchen sink? Expect a clog and a plumber’s bill. Same for your arteries and veins. Pour animal fats into your stomach, expect to be venally catheterized if you are lucky, or suffer a heart attack if you are not.

The subject of heart disease, the #1 killer of people in the USA today, is front and center thanks to some new findings that give warning to predisposition to heart disease overall.

Inflammation is a body’s natural reaction to some harmful substance, and can be a good thing—if only continued for short periods of time. The problem occurs when certain parts of the body are frequently or constantly inflamed. Then, instead of being beneficial, the inflammation can turn deadly.

In the case of your veins and arteries, cholesterol is used by the body to coat the arteries and protect them from inflammation. The downside is restricted blood flow and chunks or dangerous pieces of this coating to break off and cause attacks or strokes in the brain.

Diet is a crucial factor, and SignatureMD concierge doctors have blogged extensively about the correct way to eat and what to look for in past articles. Our new diets of low-carb, artificially sweetened, omega-6 oil rich foods actually create this dangerous inflammation in the arteries. The worst offenders are the simple carbohydrates found in processed foods (these turn to sugars very quickly), refined sugar, and omega 6 oils (oils that when out of balance produce cytokines, the inflammatory molecules).

According to the American Heart Association, blood sugar is controlled in a narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that injure the blood vessel walls. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off the inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, you are effectively sandpapering the inside of your delicate blood vessels.

The ideal fat ratio is more omega 3 fats than omega 6. Omega 6 fat is used because it gives a longer shelf-life to food.

Omega-3 is vital for weight loss and heart health, according to SignatureMD doctors. Especially for those who experience a lightheaded rush when going from lying down or sitting to standing up. This tell-tale drop in blood pressure is known as orthostatic hypotension.

In new research from the University of North Carolina, 12000 patients’ blood pressures were measured when they were lying down and after they stood up. Orthostatic hypotension was defined by whether a person’s systolic blood pressure (the number on top) fell by 20 points or more after standing up, or if the diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) fell by 10 points or more.

People with orthostatic hypotension were 1.34 times more likely to develop heart failure than patients without, and the risk grew to more than 1.5 times if the patient also had high blood pressure to begin with. The link was stronger in people ages 45-55 compared with those who were 56-64 years old.

This study is published in the March 20 issue of the journal, Hypertension.

The recommended treatments include lifestyle changes, such as diet overhaul, drinking lots of water and avoiding alcohol, compression stockings or even statin medication.

Today it was reported that Vitamin E, long believed to be a magic bullet for heart health, is not effective.  Researchers studied a group of nearly 40,000 women aged 45 and older for an average of about 10 years.

The women took 600 international units (IU) of vitamin E or a placebo every other day.

During the study, 220 episodes of heart failure were diagnosed. The results showed that taking vitamin E supplements had no impact on the women’s risk of developing heart failure.

So, with all this information on dizzy spells and Vitamin E being ineffective, what can you do to protect your heart that will work?

SignatureMD doctors made a short list of easy dietary changes that can greatly impact your health:

1. GREEN = LEAN

Juice greens, Fresh fruits and vegetables are complex-carbohydrates. Please minimize starchy foods like white potatoes and white breads. The healthiest food is vegetable based, so eat colorful fruits, squash, vegetables and help stop internal inflammation so your natural healing process can take over.

2. OMEGA MAN 3

Chia seeds, salmon and flaxseed are loaded with Omega-3 oils. A small spoon full of chia can help you tip the balance to the healthy omega-3 side. The best part is, there’s no flavor. You can add these seeds to anything to get your daily amount of omega-3. They’re also full of b-vitamins, more calcium than milk, and more magnesium than broccoli…all with the taste of whatever you’d like!

3. FRUITY, GRAINY AND NUTTY

Buy a bag of plain Almonds. This super nut deliver rich source of cholesterol-lowering sterols. Apples can block LDL oxidation, resulting in an 8 percent drop in levels. Apples – and their skins – contain soluble fiber, the kind that scrubs artery walls clean.

Similar to the resveratrol in grapes, pterostilbene, an antioxidant found in blueberries, can stimulate liver cells to better break down fat and cholesterol, according to USDA scientists.  Also, Whole Grains cut your risk of heart disease by about 15 percent, as fiber acts like a scrubbing pad on the inside of your artery walls, cleaning out the bad cholesterol before it has a chance to stick around. Whole grains are also packed with fiber that will aid your digestion.

4. LEGUMES (fancy for BEANS)

Learn to love veggie patties based on soy beans and black beans. Red meat won’t be missed, and the flavor selections for veggie burgers are so large now, you won’t get bored. Dr. Praeger’s Spinach patties make excellent breadless “buns” to eat a veggie burger with all the toppings. Experiment, lose weight and help your ticker too. 

5. FISH FISH GET YOUR WISH

Two weekly servings of fatty fish, like salmon, can lower LDL by 20 percent. Tufts University scientists found that, in high enough quantities, the omega-3 fatty acids from fish devoured cholesterol molecules in the bloodstream and shrank the size of remaining LDL particles by 12 percent.

SOURCES:

1. American Heart Association http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Nutrition-Center_UCM_001188_SubHomePage.jsp

2. WebMD  www.webmd.com

3. Hypertension. March 20 issue  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08957061/20/3

The Foundation’s Sleep Care Center members host events in their local communities throughout the week, providing sleep education and screening to the public.

SignatureMD concierge doctors understand how important a good night’s sleep is to all patients, and have offered us seven sleep tips regarding myths and facts about that all-important shut-eye.

Snoring isn’t Harmful.

Although snoring may be harmless for most people, it can be a warning for a life threatening sleep disorder called sleep apnea, especially if it is accompanied by severe daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea has pauses in breathing that prevent air from flowing into or out of a sleeping person’s airways. People with sleep apnea awaken frequently during the night gasping for breath. This can strain the heart and cardiovascular system, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Snoring on a frequent or regular basis has been directly associated with hypertension. Obesity and a large neck can contribute to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be treated; men and women who snore loudly should consult a physician immediately.

Sleep Cheating

Get the required seven to nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. When you skimp on sleep, you accumulate a sleep debt that can be difficult to balance out if it becomes too big. The resulting sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, negative mood and behavior, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road.

Fight the Nodding Off

Car trips often have people nodding off while at the wheel, a scary notion for us all on the road.  Turning up the radio, opening the window, or turning on the air conditioner are effective ways to stay awake when driving. If you’re feeling tired while driving, the best thing to do is to pull off the road in a safe rest area and take a nap for 15-45 minutes. Caffeinated beverages can help overcome drowsiness for a short period of time. However, it takes about 30 minutes before the effects are felt. The best prevention for drowsy driving is a good night’s sleep the night BEFORE the road trip.

Teens Need More

Teens need the most sleep. According to sleep experts, teens need at least 8.5 – 9.25 hours of sleep each night, compared to an average of seven to nine hours each night for most adults.

Their internal biological clocks also keep them awake later in the evening and keep them sleeping later in the morning. Try and lobby for your school district to begin classes later in the morning, when a teenager’s body wants to be asleep. As a result, many teens come to school too sleepy to learn, through no fault of their own.

Falling Asleep

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2002 Sleep in America poll, 58 percent of adults in this country reported at least one symptom of insomnia in the past year. When insomnia symptoms occur more than a few times a week and impact a person’s daytime functions, the symptoms should be discussed with a doctor or other health care provider.  Most experts agree that if you wake in the middle of the night and do not fall back asleep within 15-20 minutes, you should get out of bed, go to another room and engage in a relaxing activity such as listening to music or reading. Return to bed when you feel sleepy. Avoid watching the clock. The best medicine is proper diet and exercise, turning off stimulating TV and using your bed for sleep and sex only, not another home office or TV viewing room.

Daytime Sleepiness

Excessive daytime sleepiness means several things. Not getting enough nighttime sleep, suffering narcolepsy or sleep apnea. Not getting enough exercise and bad choices in diet. Research has also shown that insufficient sleep impairs the body’s ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of diabetes. More and more scientific studies are showing correlations between poor and insufficient sleep and disease. Examine your sleep patterns and consult with your SignatureMD concierge physician to see what could be the cause.

Brain Rest

The body rests during sleep; however, the brain remains active, gets “recharged,” and still controls many body functions including breathing. When we sleep, we typically drift between two sleep states, REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM, in 90-minute cycles. Non-REM sleep has four stages with distinct features, ranging from stage one drowsiness, when one can be easily awakened, to “deep sleep” stages three and four, when awakenings are more difficult and where the most positive and restorative effects of sleep occur.

Even in the deepest non-REM sleep, our minds can still process information. REM sleep is an active sleep where dreams occur, breathing and heart rate increase and become irregular, muscles relax and eyes move back and forth under the eyelids.

SOURCES:

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sleep and Public Health Web site http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/

2. Institute of Medicine’s Report, Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2006/Sleep-Disorders-and-Sleep-Deprivation-An-Unmet-Public-Health-Problem.aspx

3. National Center on Sleep Disorders Research http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/index.htm

4. NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement on Manifestations and Management of Chronic Insomnia in Adults http://consensus.nih.gov/

Now researchers have found that by stimulating the brain with an electrical current can actually improve memory, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The study, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, was designed to further the theory and data from animal studies that stimulation deep in the brain improved memory recall. The test group of seven volunteers with epilepsy who already had electrodes implanted in their brains to detect seizures, and found that memory improved when the electrodes were turned on during tasks.

What we found here was a particular golden gate, a small area in the entorhinal cortex, where stimulation has a striking effect on memory. This is an area of the brain which is critical in transformation of experience into lasting memories.

- Itzhak Fried | Lead Researcher and Professor of Neurosurgery at UCLA

The findings have implications for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The volunteers had varying memory strength and all improved when the electrical stimulation was turned on, Fried said. The tasks depended on spatial memory, a key component of everyday living such as finding your car in a parking lot and remembering where you stashed the keys, he said.

The hippocampus, a key area of the brain that converts short-term experience into long-term memory, is one of the first areas where destruction from Alzheimer’s disease occurs. However, the electrical stimulation by tiny electrodes did affect the patients when it occurred at the entorhinal cortex, which leads to the hippocampus.

SignatureMD doctors are aware of the growing concerns for mental deterioration and recommend some other ways to shore up the memory loss and even enhance it.

Early Onset Dementia happens in patients younger than 65. Today’s lightening fast information slog of the Internet, TV, Radio and print is so intense, we forget that not even a hundred years ago, people only absorbed a fraction of the information we process daily. Our brains have not had time to evolve and adapt, and many times people confuse oversaturation and exhaustion with worrisome symptoms.

An analogy many can understand is the more data that you store on a computer hard drive, the longer it takes the computer to sort and find the particular file. Your brain sorts and sifts through an enormous library too, and as you get older, you have a huge library up there, so it takes you a little more time to find the “source” and then the particular nugget of information you need.

Our brains are comprised of millions of specialized cells, and needs good nutrition and the ability to eliminate waste. This means circulation is vital for the brain, or any organ, to function at its best.

So how do we get more blood circulating to the brain? The first way is simply by reversing gravity.

The force of gravity is simply the downward pressure that has a dramatic influence on the fluids of your entire body. Therefore, the hardest place for your heart to pump blood to is your brain. Your arteries (carotid) and biggest sets of veins (jugular) are designed to accommodate a large volume of blood flow to and from your brain.

Aging and gravity make it harder for you to get good circulation to all of your extremities – especially your brain.

A simple way to help is by inversion and slant boards, some doctors recommend reducing the size of your pillow that you use in bed, and elevating the foot posts of your bed, at least two inches on each side. Also Yoga and exercise are crucial to keep that brain bathed in a healthy circulation of oxygen-rich blood.

SignatureMD concierge doctors counsel patients to always eat a food program that is loaded with organic fresh foods, and also to take good supplements and make sure to move vigorously daily to stimulate the blood flow.

Source:
02/09 New England Journal of Medicine

 
You are what you eat. Cliché but true, as the venerable publication Nature published their findings on the global consumption of sugar which creates a cascading effect of chronic diseases that are at epidemic levels around the world.

The causative effects of ill health from diet are more the fault of excess sugar in the diet than simply carrying extra weight.

Nature researcher Lustig and his co-authors – public health experts Laura Schmidt and Claire Brindis – say that their studies show 20 percent of obese people have normal metabolism and no ill health effects resulting from their weight, while 40 percent of normal-weight people have metabolic problems that can lead to diabetes and heart disease. They contend that sugar consumption is the cause.

Excessive sugar alters people’s biochemistry, making them more vulnerable to metabolic conditions that lead to illness, while at the same time causing you to crave even more sweets.

“The gestalt shift is maybe obesity is just a marker for the rise in chronic disease worldwide, and in fact metabolic syndrome, caused by excessive sugar consumption, is the real culprit,” said Schmidt, a health policy professor who focuses on alcohol and addiction research.

Dr. Carson Liu, a renowned Bariatric surgeon in Los Angeles, told Monsters and Critics (Link: Alec Baldwin sheds 30 pounds; Top bariatric surgeon weighs in on benefits) that a diagnosis of pre diabetes is a wakeup call for most people to lose weight.

According to Dr. Liu, “Early stages of pre diabetes or diabetes is completely reversible with diet and exercise. Most people with adult onset diabetes who understand the consequences will know of a relative with diabetes and its devastating consequences.”

Did you know that Americans eat and drink roughly 22 teaspoons of sugar every day – triple what they consumed three decades ago – and most people aren’t even aware of the various ways sugars sneak into their diets.

The killer carbohydrates are processed refined breads and cereals and other processed foods. The devil is in the terminology of sugar: High Fructose corn syrup, sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolyzed starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey.

The removal of those sugars out of the American food culture is going to require a massive shift in how foods and beverages are made in the United States.

The Nature researchers contend that the Food and Drug Administration needs to remove sugar from the list of foods “generally regarded as safe,” meaning they can be used in unlimited quantities.

SignatureMD concierge doctors understand the toxicity of sugar in diet, and how to counsel those looking to change their eating habits.

And just like alcohol and tobacco, sugar is an addictive substance that should be highly regulated, according to many doctors and scientists.

The news of sugar toxicity links to the ongoing problem of obesity, which is now thought to be infectious.

In addition to the sugar report, Nature also published findings that mice engineered to have a particular immune deficiency developed fatty liver disease and got fatter when fed a Western-style diet.

The twist? The immune-deficient mice were put in the same cage as healthy mice, the healthy mice started to come down with symptoms of liver disease, and they got fat.

Nature researchers believe the microbes in the stomachs of the mice as “bad,” disease-associated bacteria increased 1,000-fold in mice with immune problems. The fat mice literally gave the healthy skinny mice their bad microbes, making them fat.

“We could make a mouse fatter just by putting it in the same cage as the other mouse,” Nature reports.

Scary implications, but the good news is unlike mice that eat other mice’s feces, humans do not eat each other’s waste. The researchers believe this might be the way the mice are “catching” the obesity predilection.

“This is a very thought-provoking study that underlines the role of the bugs that we all carry inside us in determining our susceptibility to liver disease and its complications,” said Dr. Jasmohan Bajaj, an associate professor of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Virginia Commonwealth University, who was not involved in the Nature study.

The bottom line?

Caveat emptor: Be aware of your ingredients and look at labels, and be aware of your environment, stress levels and exercise levels to optimize the benefits of a cleaner healthier diet.

Sources:
1. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/03/obesity-could-be-infectious/#ixzz1ldao2vbj
2. http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/1833-bacteria-yogurt-carbs.html
3. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/01/BA891N1PQS.DTL#ixzz1ldV1fTvz

This is a common misconception, that buying into a “Concierge Care” plan is solely reserved for the rich, and for middle-class people it is an unrealizable benefit. This is completely untrue in today’s medical insurance market.

Let us explain how you can rethink your traditional path to a doctor.

Most people work at a job where benefits of some sort are provided. But over years, shouldering the cost of the health premium has fallen more on the employee, as actual benefits and payouts have decreased. Many are stripped of healthcare so the company can survive to keep them employed. Then there are the enormous numbers of self-employed and small business people who have to pay exorbitant costs in individual plans that offer little. Those who face unemployment get the joy of COBRA where the costs of their premiums are so high, many cannot continue to pay for health insurance.

Just having an insurance card or even a doctor doesn’t mean you have good access to health care. We already know the average family spends $17,000 annually paying for health insurance premiums. By electing to sign up for a high deductible PPO Health Plan (premium costs plummet) that keeps catastrophic/hospitalization coverage in place for anyone in the family, and portioning out $1,500- $2,100 annually for your own private doctor through the SignatureMD network of physicians, you are guaranteed a complete executive exam (a value of $1,100 in itself) and numerous wellness and baseline tests without waiting or worrying you have to pay out of pocket for these preventative checkups.

By taking yourself out of the HMP/PPO traditional route where doctors are burdened by too many patients and little time to really pay attention, you are eliminating the stress of paying a premium you dare not use for fear of a rate hike, or additional doctor bills.

The best part about partnering with a primary care physician in the SignatureMD network is the enhanced access factor: You can reach your doctor directly at anytime and be seen on your schedule. SignatureMD concierge care doctors work with your insurance plan, delivering same-day appointments, give their patients cell phone numbers, and promise to arrange consults quickly with good specialists to arrange MRIs (even on the weekends).

SignatureMD doctors have streamlined their practices to be able to accommodate their partner patients on their schedule. No patient is left behind when a private doctor’s practice converts to concierge medicine.  For those patients who decide not to take the concierge medicine option, basic medical services are attended to by a team of nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other medical professionals, who are all supervised by the senior SignatureMD physician.

The time, stress and money saved adds up to peace of mind and more efficient usage of your allotted medical budget.  With a realignment of the money you already spend on healthcare, concierge care fees you invest in are not only tax deductible, but are an affordable safeguard to ensure your family is never left hanging in the wind waiting on tests or answers to any issues you are facing.

Ultimately, the truth of the matter is that people don’t like waiting for medical care and stress levels from being ignored or shunted in an overloaded queue of patients add up to even more distress for a patient and their anxious loved ones.

Concierge care gives you a greater focus on prevention and care coordination, a life changing improvement for those with chronic medical problems like rheumatoid arthritis, depression, MS, diabetes and heart failure, for whom close personalized management can reduce their hospitalization rates.