Weight Gain & Artifial Sweeteners

How can a zero calorie soft drink cause weight gain? Isn’t Equal, Truvia, Splenda, Sweet n Low, etc supposed to help us stay thin? Won’t fewer calories result in weight loss?

The answer is “NO”, not if your body is preparing for calories that do not arrive. Has your mouth ever “watered” with the smell of food? If not, google “Pavlov’s dogs” and you will learn that the digestive process begins in the mouth. Enzymes in our saliva break down food in response to vision, smell and taste. Taste buds detect sweet and alert other parts of the digestive system; “INCOMING” or “SUGAR”! The release of insulin lowers sugar levels and this hormone also promotes fat storage. What happens when the insulin is elevated, but there is no increase in glucose?

Zero calorie, artificial sweeteners have no glucose so the release of insulin causes low glucose or hypoglycemia. Symptoms such as fatigue, irritability and carbohydrate cravings ensue. Glucose is fuel for the brain and the body interprets hypoglycemia as a threat to survival. In response to the threat an “eat out of the ice cream container” or “whole bag of chips” type of hunger begins to ensure that the real calories arrive. After the brain uses the glucose that it needs, the rest goes into storage. The next time you reach for the pink packet, consider that this “storage facility” is your abdomen, hips or thighs!

I truly appreciate the feedback! thanks and be well,
Caroline MD

6 Sunblock Tips To Avoid Skin Cancer

In the Spring I plant my garden, buy my kids new crocks and throw out last year’s sunblock. I commit myself to some light reading, namely environmental working group’s 1700 sunblock product review, to learn about all of the chemicals that I do not want touching my children, patients or self. My thoughts about the sun with some input from EWG, www.ewg.org:

1) Pick block with both UVA and UVB protection: damaging sun rays can lead to skin cancer, skin related disorders, and yes…wrinkles.

2) Block does not block all rays: Shade or protective clothing is good.

3) Need a gorgeous tan? Try a chemical free bronzer or spray tan. Warning, this would require a 2nd trip to the EWG website.

4) Reapply, reapply, reapply; nothing lasts forever.

5) Choose a block with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, EWG lists it as the safest active ingredient.

6) Avoid sunscreens with vitamin A aka retinyl palmitate or retinol. This ingredient combined with the sun may actually be cancer promoting to the skin.

My summer pick….Livestrong SPF 30 water resistant. For the above reasons, because it supports cancer research and because Lance is cool. There are other great products, but remember to do the research or let me do it for you!

Be Well,.
CarolineMD

P.S. A few days after writing this EWG came out with their top 128 sports and beach sunblocks http://bit.ly/izuU3p.

Supplements: What to Take and What to Trash

Approximately 80% of Americans take over the counter supplements. I recommend calcium, vitamin D3, omega 3 fatty acids and a multivitamin to many of my patients and as a mother, caregiver and health care advocate, I am obligated to check on the quality of products. I subscribe to Consumer labs, www.consumerlabs.com, and for a reasonable fee, they provide lists of products that they have tested for quality. Consistently, 30% of supplements are “not approved” for one of three reasons:

1) Less of the ingredient than claimed
2) Too much of the ingredient (above recommended limit)
3) Contaminated due to poor manufacturing practices or lack of quality controls during production

Third party testing has found lead in calcium, mercury in fish oil, chalk fillers and “bed pan” vitamins. The later name came from the nurses who knew which brands did not stand a chance of being digested.

We are often told that our supplements should not contain fillers, binders or artificial colors. A pharmacist friend told me fillers and binders come under the names rice flour, xanthum gum, corn starch, lactose and other sugars. Coatings and artificial colors may include acrylic resin, (yuck like the nails?), titanium dioxide, and iron oxides.

A do it at home test for bed pan vitamins: get a glass of warm water and add a little vinegar. Drop in your vitamin and if it does not dissolve in 15-30 minutes take it to the trash.

The other source that I use is Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements written for health care providers, www.nutrisearch.ca. Warning, this is not an easy read for most. Of course, the limitation to all third-party testing is the number of supplements on the market because they cannot all be tested.

If you have a great resource please share the information with me. This week I am inviting you to clean out your pantry and send me the brand and names of your supplements! I will do your research and let you know what to take and what to trash.

be well,
Caroline Abruzese Read the rest of this entry »

Commentary: Patient & Physician Disconnect

A former presidential speech writer said of all there is to fear, a politician disconnecting from people topped the list. I have a similar fear for primary care doctoring. We want doctors who will listen to us, provide explanations, answer questions, advocate for us and serve as our quarterback to ensure continuity of care. We want time, more than the average 6 minutes per patient. We demand this from other professionals so why not the person who safeguards our health? The cost of health care and insurance is high and yet, when it comes to our PCP, we don’t feel we are getting value, the type of care we want or need.

Primary care doctors are exasperated, wanting to get off of the treadmill of having to see 25 plus patient a day because the first 15-20 just cover the overhead. They are running to hospitals to become employed and fear that private practice is no longer an economically viable option. Not wanting to use patient time addressing “non clinical issues” or engaging in “politics”, there is very little dialogue as to why or how we can make changes. Worst of all, there is a pervasive feeling of helplessness among those charged with helping who feel that they cannot change the system, the insurance companies or the government.

What are the causes? What are the solutions?