Re: Die Words In Our Language

July 25, 2012

I forwarded your note. was having oral surgery so don't know how she

is feeling.

I had to make her laugh because she was so stressed.

So I pointed out that we have so many die words in our language.

There is diabetes and dialysis to name a couple.

So I asked, why don't they have live-abetes or live-alysis?

She started to laugh so hard it sounded as if it came all the way from her

big toe. I knew she would go through the dental work just fine.

Lora

Three Foods to Fight Metabolic Syndrome

>

>> The following is rather a long article, but I thought it was very

>> revealing and informative. I hope you find it helpful.

>

>> Three Foods to Fight Metabolic Syndrome

>

>> by Dr.

>

>> Abdominal fat accumulation is the most easily identifiable sign of

>> metabolic

>

>> syndrome, but it's by no means the only one. Metabolic syndrome, also

>> called

>

>> Syndrome X and " insulin resistance syndrome, " is loosely defined as

>> having any three of the following: abdominal obesity, high

>> triglycerides, high fasting blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, or

>> low HDL cholesterol.

>

>> Individually, these conditions are problematic, but even more troubling

>> in

>

>> combination; you should be aware that in addition to an " early warning

>> sign " of diabetes, metabolic syndrome can also be an indication of

>> impending heart

>

>> disease. In fact, many people discover they are diabetic only after

>> they experience a heart attack. One Swedish study revealed that as many

>> as 40 percent of those patients who were admitted with acute myocardial

>> infarction (heart attack) were diabetic but didn't know it.

>

>> Abdominal Fat Is Just the Beginning

>

>> It's been well documented that having a pear-shaped body (smaller waist

>> but

>

>> larger hips) is healthier than having an apple-shaped body (more fat at

>> the

>

>> waist). But what complicates matters slightly is that not all abdominal

>> fat is

>

>> created equal.

>

>> Fat can develop in three different compartments of the abdominal region:

>

>> abdominal (stored between the skin and the abdominal wall), visceral (in

>> and

>

>> around the internal organs), and retroperitoneal (the back and sides or

>> what we commonly refer to as " love handles " ). Fat in each of these

>> areas has its own metabolic reaction, as well as its own contribution

>> to disease.

>

>> Researchers, however, have recently discovered that the amount of

>> visceral fat

>

>> is probably the best indicator of your risk for diabetes and heart

>> disease. The

>

>> relationship makes sense when you consider that the veins of the

>> internal organs drain into the liver and visceral fat is the only type

>> that shares this circulation.

>

>> The liver connection is what makes excess visceral fat so dangerous

>> because it

>

>> can contribute to non-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Obviously,

>> much of the fat accumulation problem originates in the diet (i.e., too

>> much highly refined sugar and carbohydrates and too little fiber and

>> fresh produce).

>

>> When you eat sugar, flour, or other refined carbohydrates, some of the

>> digested sugars are used for your immediate energy needs. Any excess is

>> converted to fat or fatty molecules called triglycerides, which are

>> stored in fat cells for later use.

>

>> Excess triglycerides in the blood are transported by the " good "

>> cholesterol, the HDL form. HDL " attaches " to the triglycerides and

>> tries to lower blood levels by taking them back to the liver. If you

>> have low levels of HDL cholesterol (below 40 mg/dL for men and below 50

>> mg/dL for women), if your diet is high in refined carbohydrates, or if

>> you're diabetic, you may experience abnormally high triglyceride levels

>> (equal to or greater than 150 mg/dL). While normal amounts of

>> triglycerides are essential for good health, elevated triglycerides and

>> other blood fats are associated with higher risk for diabetes and heart

>> disease.

>

>> There are good fats and bad fats. In simple terms, the most harmful

>> types of fat are the tiny droplets that can accumulate in the liver,

>> organs, and other tissues in the abdominal area. They are responsible

>> for creating a condition called insulin resistance (which is when cells

>> in the body become resistant to the effects of insulin). In other

>> words, insulin's effect is reduced and higher levels are required for

>> it to have any effect.

>

>> Resisting the Call

>

>> Insulin plays a key role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and

>> proteins. It even helps regulate cell growth in the body. One of

>> insulin's many jobs is to

>

>> " open " the walls of muscle and fat cells and cause them to remove

>> glucose from the blood. This process is one of the ways your body

>> controls blood sugar levels.

>

>> Insulin acts sort of like the policemen you see on the television show

>> COPS. To

>

>> lower blood sugar levels, it knocks on the door of muscle and fat

>> cells. When the cells become more resistant to insulin, the body

>> requires that the pancreas send out more insulin to get the job done.

>

>> As resistance continues to build, more and more insulin is needed to

>> knock

>

>> down the door. Eventually, when the pancreas can't produce enough

>> insulin,

>

>> the blood sugar levels begin to rise. At first this increase in glucose

>> happens just after meals. Later, it stays high even during the fasting

>> state-which is when you have a diagnosis of diabetes.

>

>> The increase in insulin also triggers the constriction of blood vessels

>> and

>

>> promotes clotting, leading to high blood pressure and restriction of

>> blood flow

>

>> to the heart, which can trigger a heart attack. Basically, anything you

>> can do to increase the efficiency of insulin and/or decrease your

>> body's need for the

>

>> hormone will improve your health and extend your life

>

>> Diet, Exercise, and Three Metabolic Syndrome Fighters

>

>> Unsurprisingly, the best places to start are cleaning up your diet and

>> getting

>

>> regular exercise. At the very least, you should be getting around 25

>> grams of

>

>> fiber in your diet each day. This is best obtained through whole grains

>> (bran

>

>> cereals are excellent fiber sources), berries, nuts, legumes, fruits

>> with the skin

>

>> and pulp, raw vegetables, et cetera. Avoid fried and processed foods,

>> in favor of whole foods, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and lean

>> protein.

>

>> As important as diet is to controlling metabolic syndrome and reducing

>> your

>

>> risk for disease in the future, high-intensity exercise seems to

>> specifically target that most-damaging visceral fat, according to

>> researchers. Diet alone helps reduce the subcutaneous fat (the fat

>> between the skin and the abdominal wall), but that fat is less harmful

>> than that visceral fat within and surrounding the internal organs.

>

>> As you focus on sticking to a healthy diet and keeping up with regular

>> exercise,

>

>> try to up your consumption of the following three substances to aid in

>> your

>

>> battle against metabolic syndrome (and the heart disease and diabetes

>> waiting

>

>> for you down the road):

>

>> .Grapefruit

>

>> .Cinnamon

>

>> .Cayenne pepper

>

>> Grapefruit

>

>> Not long ago, many doctors were telling their patients on prescription

>> medications to curtail consumption of grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

>> I thought the idea was absurd at the time, and I still do. Instead, the

>> focus should be on helping these patients curtail their drug use. The

>> problem is that eating grapefruit or drinking the juice increases the

>> absorption of certain drugs by as much as 200 percent-particularly

>> blood pressure-lowering medications and the popular (but dangerous)

>> statin drugs used to lower cholesterol levels.

>

>> Researchers have now discovered that the group of compounds called

>

>> furanocoumarins is responsible for this increase in absorption. Surely

>> I'm not the only one who sees the irony in eliminating a nutritious

>> food such as grapefruit-which could help reduce cholesterol oxidation,

>> increase weight loss subsequently lowering blood pressure, and help

>> prevent diabetes-so one can continue to utilize a pharmaceutical

>> band-aid that, in the long term, may well increase one's risk of dying.

>> I realize that eating a grapefruit with every meal won't solve all

>> these health problems, but it can certainly be an integral part of an

>> overall program that will address the underlying causes and not just

>> mask symptoms with drugs.

>

>> At the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, researchers recently

>> studied the

>

>> effects of grapefruit and grapefruit juice on body weight and metabolic

>

>> syndrome. A total of 91 obese patients received one of the following

>> three times a day before meals: half a grapefruit with a placebo

>> capsule; 8 ounces of

>

>> grapefruit juice and a placebo capsule; grapefruit capsules and 7 ounces

>> of

>

>> apple juice; or placebo capsules and 7 ounces of apple juice.

>

>> After 12 weeks the fresh grapefruit group lost a total of 3.52 pounds.

>> The

>

>> grapefruit juice group lost 3.3 pounds. The grapefruit capsule group lost

>> 2.42

>

>> pounds and the placebo group lost 0.35 pounds. Grapefruit is not only a

>> delicious way to help lose excess weight, it also appears to be a

>> diabetic's (or potential diabetic's) best friend. While the grapefruit

>> users in the above study saw significant weight loss, they experienced

>> an additional benefit: a substantial reduction in blood glucose (blood

>> sugar) and insulin levels. So, if you have signs of metabolic syndrome,

>> ramp up your grapefruit intake (unless you're taking a contraindicated

>> medication).

>

>> Cinnamon

>

>> Research on cinnamon shows it can safely and effectively boost insulin

>> sensitivity. Cinnamon contains a group of flavonoids called Type A

>> procyanidins, which have been shown to mimic the effects of insulin.

>> These

>

>> flavonoids not only help transport glucose into our cells, but they

>> promote the

>

>> synthesis of glycogen as well.

>

>> Research has shown that one to three grams of whole powder can reduce

>> fasting glucose levels anywhere from 18 to 29 percent in type 2

>> diabetics. Interestingly, cinnamon maintains its positive effects on

>> blood sugar for at least 12 hours. In one study when cinnamon was given

>> to individuals up to 12 hours before a glucose tolerance test, levels

>> of their blood glucose were 10 to 13 percent lower than in individuals

>> given a placebo.

>

>> Ordinary cinnamon powder, just like you can buy in bulk at your local

>

>> supermarket, is by far one of the easiest and least expensive methods to

>> help

>

>> control your blood sugar levels. (I'm aware that there's been some

>> controversy

>

>> over the fact that what you buy in the grocery isn't " true " cinnamon, but

>

>> instead the bark of a plant called cassia. In fact, all the research

>> showing

>

>> benefits for blood sugar has been done using cassia.)

>

>> Cayenne Pepper

>

>> Like cinnamon, cayenne pepper has also shown promise as another

>> inexpensive " poor man's insulin. " Researchers in Tasmania, Australia

>> sent me details of their work in which they tested the effects of

>> combining cayenne pepper with meals. The study revealed that even one

>> meal with the pepper had an immediate effect, but it only lasted for a

>> short period. They compared several different scenarios, but the most

>> effective program by far at mitigating an insulin surge following meals

>> involved taking about 4 grams of cayenne pepper with each meal.

>> Individuals who followed this program produced about one-third less

>> insulin. The greatest benefits were seen in the obese participants.

>

>> I don't know how practical it is to take 4 grams of cayenne pepper with

>> each

>

>> meal. Obviously, most people would need to take this in capsules (except

>> for

>

>> those meals of boiled crawfish where the pepper flows rather freely over

>> the

>

>> " bugs " ). However, by using cayenne pepper occasionally, and cinnamon or

>

>> grapefruit at other times, you might be able to help head off future

>> health

>

>> problems associated with metabolic syndrome.

>

>>

July 25, 2012