3 Summer Slim Down Tips~Dr. Phil Wazny

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

I am frequently asked questions involving weight loss and how to accomplish that goal in a safe, effective and permanent fashion. Aside from fatigue and pain, weight loss is probably the most common complaint my new patients have and when you look at the statistics, it’s not surprising. Recent data suggest that 68% of the adult American population is “overweight” or “obese.” These statistics are quite frightening, especially because being overweight not only affects your self-esteem, but it has profound effects on all areas of your health. From diabetes to heart disease to a shorter lifespan, being too heavy is not good for you, but there is something you can do about it! There are practical solutions you can take to get control of your weight and start feeling great. Here are three simple steps you can start using today!

Portion Control is the Name of the Game

Previous weight loss wisdom led us to believe that all you had to do was be calorie deficient to lose weight. In other words, if you burn more calories in a day than your body consumes and needs, you will lose weight. It’s actually a little more complicated than that, and understanding exactly how many total calories your body needs in a day is quite helpful in determining how many calories you need to eliminate everyday to achieve your weight loss goal. There are a number of ways to determine this number, which is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR), including a number of online calculators like the one you’ll find at www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ and www.health.discovery.com/centers/heart/basal/basal.html .

Unfortunately food portions have grown over the past few decades to sizes that most experts believe are the major cause of the overweight epidemic our country is facing. But again, there are steps you can take to get portions under control. Once you’ve determined your BMR, limiting your portions needs to be the first step you take to losing weight. I recommended the following three specific steps to easily get portions back to healthy levels.

1. Pack up your leftovers before you sit down to eat.

This rule applies whether you are at home or at a restaurant. For most of us, when presented with a healthy portion of food on our plates, it is relatively easy to finish that meal. The trouble, however, starts when your plate is empty and there is more easily accessible food sitting right in front of you (or in the kitchen). If you fill your plate with a healthy portion then store the leftovers before you sit down to eat, getting seconds becomes more difficult. By causing you to make an extra effort to get that second helping, you’re consciously reminded to “second-think” your desire for potentially unnecessary calories.

Along these same lines is avoiding the idea that you have to “clean your plate” at each meal. Studies show that 25% of Americans eat everything they are served, no matter the portion. You’ll be more successful if you eat a healthy portion and save the rest for another meal than if you overload your body.

2. Make “small” your default.

This rule also applies whether you’re at home or a restaurant, but is particularly important when eating out. I highly encourage folks to always order the smallest size of any item (except salads and veggies). So, order a 6-inch sandwich instead of the 12-inch; the single breast instead of half-a-chicken; or the smallest cut of meat on the menu as opposed to the 8+ ounce size. Also, share the main meal with your companion, but make sure that each of you have your own side of vegetables, broth based soup or salad. You want to eat lots of non-starchy veggies; on average they contain much more fiber than other foods. Fiber acts as a natural “filler” within the stomach and can more quickly signal the brain that you’re full. We’ve mentioned the free e-book, The Full Plate Diet, before; it is a great reference resource and can be downloaded at www.fullplatediet.org/access-free-book/ .

So, in general, “small” is the rule. Remember, calories that you have not yet purchased cannot end up being measured on your bathroom scale. When eating at home, use a salad plate as your dinner plate. With less real estate on your plate, you have built in portion control.

3. If you’re still hungry, give it time.

There are times when you clean your plate and you still feel a little hungry, but hold off, don’t head back for seconds just yet. It takes about 10 minutes after eating “enough” food for the molecules released from the stomach to signal the brain that you’re full. Obviously this 10 minute-lag means you may still “think” you’re hungry, when in fact your stomach is satisfied. I recommend that once you’ve eaten your correct portion size, you take a break from eating and have a lively conversation, let your brain have some time to catch up to your stomach’s signals.

Need some help getting the conversation going? I find great discussion topics from odd news stories around the world (www.reuters.com/news/oddlyEnough) and from a wonderful game called Table Topics, which are cards that present great conversation starters whether sitting down with the family or at a dinner party (www.tabletopics.com). Questions like, “What trip would you like to take most in your lifetime?” and “If you could be a superhero, which super power would you choose to have?” can not only keep you from going for seconds too early, but can also bring you closer together as a family or group. When dining alone, take a break from eating and read your favorite book or go for a short walk for 10-15 minutes before heading for seconds. If after this time you are still hungry, go for more veggies or treat yourself to a bowl of berries for dessert (more fiber!).

HMGG Tip~Eat organic, non-processed, and chemical free food. Your body processes this type of food much quicker and easier.

These three simple steps are a great way to kick-start your diet. Want to learn more? Join me on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 when I will be presenting a 90 minute long seminar at the Mustang Library here in Scottsdale, Arizona on weight loss. You will leave the seminar with concrete lifestyle changing steps you can take every day to decrease your waistline and improve your health. I look forward to seeing you there!

Contributing Naturopath
Dr. Phil Wazny NMD
Integrative Healthcare

Natural Pediatrics: 5 Proven Solutions to Keep Your Children (infant to 18yrs) Healthy and Hearty, Part 2~Nutrition

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Practical Tips to Getting Kids to Healthy Foods

“Ewww! I don’t like vegetables!” Unfortunately I hear this comment all too often from the many children in my practice. On the one hand it’s not terribly surprising: infants start out eating very sweet-to-the-taste breast milk or formula and then are expected to simply switch over to more bitter tasting vegetables somewhere between 6 and 12 months. On the other hand, it is universally understood that vegetables are a necessary healthy addition to a child’s diet and can open a world of fresh and delicious flavors to their developing palates. Are there ways to help children enjoy vegetables and other foods that are good for them but are not commonly asked for? Read on and I’ll share a few of my secrets.

Kids need somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 calories a day to maintain healthy tissues, proper hormone production, a healthy immune system and to produce enough energy to keep up with their active lifestyles. Unfortunately, many children have unhealthy sources of calories, which can lead to illness, fatigue and developmental delays. Major culprits include the sweet and less-than-nutritious food choices that are all too available and inexpensive. A recent study showed that a child’s daily exposure to mass media (i.e., TV, radio, Internet, etc.) contains “food of some sort” in the message 1/3 of the time. Of that time, a significant amount was devoted to cereals and sweets. So it’s little wonder that children are frequently asking for unhealthy snacks, but especially sweets. Delaying a child’s exposure to sweets for as long as possible will prevent his/her taste buds from becoming accustomed to sweet foods. In fact, research has demonstrated that consistent exposure to non-sweet foods will improve a child’s desire for non-sweet foods—in other words, if kids are not exposed to sweets on a regular basis, their taste buds will not miss the sweet taste when not found in the good foods that they do eat.

A wonderful mantra within the field of parenting is “lead by example.” Kids who see their parents eat in an unhealthy way are much more likely to eat poorly themselves. If children see their parents eating healthy foods, studies show children are much more likely to eat healthy foods. I often recommend the “Just One Bite” suggestion that I was given years ago. The rule states that your child must have at least one bite of everything on her plate, which will gradually allow her to discover that some foods aren’t so bad. At first you might have a little trouble enforcing the rule, but be persistent and your child will stop fighting it. I promise. Plus, it’s a great way to introduce a new food every 3-4 days and get kids to try new foods on a regular basis. Be sure to not force your child to eat more than one bite, but insist on at least one. Recent studies suggest that it takes upwards of 17 exposures to a food before a kiddo will potentially like and ask for it. Most parents try 3-4 times, at the most, and give up. I recommend that parents be persistent and for children that can actively participate in food choices and preparation, get them involved! The next time you take the kids to the grocery store, allow them to pick out any fruit or vegetable from the produce section they want and help them prepare it.

Many small children love dipping their food and this can be a great way to get kids to eat something (i.e., raw vegetables) that they typically won’t eat plain. Try hummus, natural (unsweetened) peanut or almond butter, unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon, black bean dip or yogurt. All of these dips, in addition to being great tasting, also provide a number of healthy ingredients including protein, fiber and good fats.

When you’ve tried a few of these suggestions, but still have some trouble, you might consider a tastier preparation of “not-so-tasty” foods. There are a few great cookbooks out there including The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious cookbooks, which can be ok for very young children who developmentally cannot understand healthy choices, but I typically do not recommend this approach for children who can be active in the decision making process.

Family meals together are another important aspect of getting kids to eat a healthy diet. There have been numerous studies touting the benefits of eating together as a family, including less obesity in both parents and their children. In addition, a Columbia University study found that kids who ate less than twice a week with the family were three times more likely to try marijuana, two times more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.

Healthy nutritional choices for children need to be paramount to ensure they get the nutrients, vitamins and co-factors their developing bodies need. As parents, we have the opportunity to be nutritional leaders for our children by leading by example, offering creatively fun and healthy food choices and being actively involved in their dietary needs, both at the dinner table and at the grocery store. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun in buying, preparing and eating food—it can be some of the best memories you’ll both have!

Contributing Author and Naturopath
Dr. Phil Wazny NMD
Integrative Healthcare

H2O Facts and Fallacies

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Do you know there is a hot, new nutrient out on the market? This one can help reduce your seasonal allergies. It works wonders on heartburn. It improves your skin, regulates your bowels and can help you lose wei.ght. It can even reverse arthritis symptoms. It can even lower your blood pressure. You may not believe it, but you already have some of it at home right now….WATER!

So often the simplest things are the most critical. One I try to bear in mind is good hydration. Probably 1/4 of the time when I review someone’s lab tests I’ll see various signs of short or long term dehydration. It’s a big deal and the crazy thing is those who need it the most often do not feel thirsty.

Water Facts and Fallacies:

#1- Fallacy: Your body is 70% water just like the surface of the earth.

Fact: According to Guyton’s Physiology, the standard medical text for how the body’s functions work, we start out as infants in the low 60% range but get to the low 40% range as we age. Most adults are around half. You know how we get shorter with age? That is primarily loss of intervertebral disc space in our spines from dehydration.

Tip: Urine color is the simplest indicator of hydration. Here’s a good picture of urine colors, 1-3 represent good hydration, higher numbers mean you’re dried out. If your computer screen gets wet while doing this test, don’t blame me!

#2 – Fallacy: Distilled water leaches minerals out of your body.

Fact: You can absorb minerals from water but water enters your body from your small intestines and leaves through your kidneys and stools. It has no means of taking anything out that you already had.

Tip: Purified water is best for day to day use. I recommend home reverse osmosis systems for the simplest, most economical way to get pure drinking water. Be sure filters are changed at least twice each year or per schedule. Our family has rented a unit from Arizona Water Rentals for well over a decade, the rental cost is about the same as annual filter costs and they do all the work. Filters are a little better but don’t take out pesticides and solvents.

#3 – Fallacy: When you’re exercising you should avoid cold water since your body can’t absorb it.

Fact: Here’s a case where you can trust your instinct. Which would you drink first on a hot day? The absorption rate is the same regardless of the temperature. And drinking cold water lowers your core body temperature which improves your performance and heat tolerance.

#4 – Fallacy: Spring water comes from high mountain springs.

Fact: Unless it says “purified by distillation” or “reverse osmosis”, it is tap water with a picture of a mountain. Do you buy bottle water? Take the time to watch ‘Tapped’. Bottle water is a disaster for your health since it is unregulated and full of toxic plastic by products, and it is a source of huge amounts of pollution and carbon. Learn so much more by watching Tapped the Film.

Tip: Drink your water from glass or stainless steel containers. Avoid plastic. Trace amounts of plastic residue have been shown to promote breast and prostate cancer, cause thyroid disease and disrupt male and female fertility.

#5 – Fallacy: If you drink when you’re thirsty, you’ll get enough water.

Fact: Your thirst is unfortunately a poor indicator of hydration. If you lose as little as 3% of your body’s fluids your thirst can become unreliable. Look at your urine color and plan to consume 1/2 to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight daily. This is 3-5 quarts for most of us.

#6 – Fallacy: You get lots of fluid from coffee, tea, juice, soda, etc.

Fact: Caffeine is a diuretic, you pee out more than you get. Sugar makes fluid absorb poorly. If you’re still drinking soda I don’t know what to say, but I’ll still try to help

Tip: You can help your water intake by consuming herbal teas and soups.

Tip: Most who are well hydrated need to urinate at least every few hours. I’ve known about a dozen people who bragged about their ability to thrive in Arizona on little water intake and how they urinate only once or twice a day. All but one went on to have massive kidney stones. The other, I hope I’m wrong, but I think he’s next.

# 7 – Fallacy: When you run, bike, hike in the heat, you need to consume as much water as you can.

Fact: Here’s a tricky one. We can lose water at an amazing rate when we’re out sweating in the heat. Unfortunately we can’t absorb it as quickly. If we take it in too fast, it stays in our intestines. This can case us to get cramps, diarrhea and dangerously low sodium levels. No matter how hard we sweat, we can absorb no more than 22-28 ounces per hour. Do not go under or over this when out in the heat. If you’re active for more than an hour you’ll need electrolytes with this, that’s another topic. Easiest solution is Endurolytes caps or powder by Hammer Nutrition. We stock it and so do REI and most bicycle shops.

Tip: Don’t use tap water for cooking or making coffee or tea. Use purified water.

Tip: Run your water for 10 seconds before showering; most wastes concentrate in your water lines when they sit overnight.

Guest Post by:

Dr. Alan Christianson, NMD, is founder and president of Integrative Health clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. Integrative Health offers a fresh approach to living well by using a novel formula for science-based natural medicine. The team of physicians discovers the cause of each patient’s troubling symptoms and protects their long-term health and quality of life.

Dr. Christianson’s primary focus is diagnosing hidden cases of thyroid disease and assisting those already diagnosed to resolve hypothyroid symptoms including weight gain, fatigue and hair loss.

Currently, he is co-authoring ‘The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid’, for Penguin publishers, due for publication in mid-2011.

You can purchase Stainless Water Bottles at Reuseit.com.

Detoxification~Spring Clean Your Body

Friday, April 16th, 2010

It seems as though every television station, magazine, and Internet ad you see talks about “Detoxing” and “Cleansing,” but does this really work? Do you even need it? Are these plans safe? And how do you separate MYTH from FACT when everyone is trying to sell you their version of the latest and greatest detox plan? Well I’m going to give you the truth, and a simple cleanse protocol that I recommend to my patients.

Eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water and exercising keeps your body detoxified all year long. However, if you are not always perfect at following these rules it is a great idea to do an annual detoxification. Spring is a great time to cleanse your body of all the pollutants you are exposed to and bad foods you’ve consumed during “sugar season” which starts with the Fall holidays and runs through the Spring holidays. Along with excessive amounts of sugar, consuming too much caffeine and alcohol can clog your liver making you feel sluggish and irritable.

Five subtle (or not so subtle) signs that you need to detoxify your body are:

Acne
Allergies
Headaches
Fatigue
Irritability/lack of mental clarity

We are exposed to toxins every day in the foods we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. We can limit our exposure to toxins, but we cannot avoid them completely. “Body burden” is the term used to refer to the build up of toxins in our bodies. The best way to support your body is to eat a clean, healthy diet, get good quality exercise, drink plenty of RO water, and periodically detoxify to reduce your toxic body burden.

Avoid processed foods that come in a box or a can. They are usually filled with chemical additives and preservatives designed to enhance the flavor and extend the shelf-life. Since these chemicals cannot be broken down and used nutritiously, the body must either eliminate then through our skin, stool and urine or store them in our adipose tissue (fat) and brain cells. The more toxins that are stored in our fat cells, the more unattractive our skin looks. Classic signs of unhealthy skin include cellulite, wrinkles, and acne. When your skin looks unhealthy, you look unhealthy!

Toxins affect our internal health as well as our external health. Allergies are a sign of increased toxic body burden. When we are consuming foods laden with chemicals and pesticides, our immune system gets overwhelmed and cannot deal with common airborne allergens. All the toxins circulate in our blood cause headaches and fatigue. They can also make us irritable which affects our relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and clients. Making healthy lifestyle choices positively affects our performance in all areas!

Eating a clean diet means consuming raw and organic foods whenever possible. The Environmental Working Group has a fantastic website that lists the fruits and vegetables which are highest and lowest in pesticides. Go to www.ewg.org to learn more. When consuming animal products make sure they are free range or grass fed and hormone free. By reducing the toxins in our food, we reduce the toxic burden that our bodies must process and eliminate.

Eat high fiber foods like brown rice bran and ground flax seeds to avoid being constipated and keep your intestinal track clean, helping your body lower its toxic burden. If you suffer from constipation, the toxins that you should be eliminating stay in the digestive track too long and may be reabsorbed back into the bloodstream. This increases your total body burden, affects your digestive and nervous systems, and makes you feel really sick with headaches, nausea and fatigue. Overall colon health is crucial for successful elimination of toxins. Colonics are a great way to eliminate constipation and restore normal bowel function. I recommend them as part of any cleanse regiment whether you are constipated or not.

Exercise is good for you for so many reasons! It improves circulation, aids in weight loss, reduces stress, strengthens your muscle and bones, and stimulates your liver to detoxify. You should be getting 45-60 minutes of good quality exercise 4-5 days a week. If you are doing a cleanse program, I recommend light forms of exercise such as gentle forms of yoga or walking, otherwise, I want to see you sweat!

What cleanse program should you choose?

There are a lot of cleanses out there from water fasts to colon cleanses. Talk to your doctor before starting any cleanse, especially if the cleanse directions include stopping medications. Here is a simple cleanse protocol that I often recommend patients follow for two weeks:

1. Remove all wheat, dairy, caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners and alcohol from your diet – they clog up your colon and liver

2. Increase fiber in your diet – it binds to toxins, helping you eliminate them

3. Drink plenty of reverse osmosis or spring water – water flushes toxins out of the body

4. Apply castor oil packs over the liver every other day – they detoxify and heal the liver (instructions below)

5. Take good nutritional supplements, such as a multivitamin, B complex, fish oil, and probiotics – they support your body as it cleanses and heals

Note: If you drink a lot of caffeine it is best to cut your intake in half each day until you get down to the equivalent to just a quarter cup of coffee a day prior to starting this program as opposed to stopping caffeine cold turkey. This will lower the chance of you getting a “caffeine headache” and make you more compliant to the “no caffeine” rule.

After two weeks, patients definitely notice the benefits of this Detox protocol and often ask if they can continue this eating program. And my answer is “absolutely!” There is no need to continue the castor oil packs, but the rest of the “cleanse” is a great way to care for your body.

Benefits of detoxification that you may experience include:

weight loss
more energy
improved sleep
improved digestion
clearer, younger looking skin

So do your “Spring Cleaning” and look and feel great!

Instructions for Castor Oil Pack:

1. Buy castor oil at any local Health Food Store
2. Get a cloth about the size of a wash rag – ideally it should be wool, but that can be hard to find. Use a cotton cloth if necessary.
3. Fold the cloth in half, then half again. Then pour a generous amount of the oil on the cloth.
4. Place the cloth, oil side down, over your liver.
5. I recommend putting a piece of saran wrap over the cloth because castor oil is very thick and messy and can stain clothes.
6. Put a hot water bottle over the saran wrap and cloth and leave for 45 minutes to an hour. Some people may need a towel between the hot water bottle and the saran wrap in case the hot water bottle gets too hot. Then they can read a book or watch TV while they sit there.
7. I recommend doing these every other night for the two weeks they are detoxifying, but they are very safe and effective and can be done at any time.
Guest Post: Dr. Ann Lovick, NMD, specializes in comprehensive women’s health care. She focuses on the diseases and conditions that affect women throughout their life, providing natural and effective treatments and prevention strategies. Dr. Lovick is also an educator, football fan, and triathlete. She can be reached at www.integrativehealthcare.com and 480-657-0003.

Skinny Secrets of Hormones

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

What’s going on? You’re taking all the right steps; eating healthy foods and being consistent with your exercise routine, but the scale just won’t budge. Why?

The honest-to-goodness biggest culprit? Your hormones may need some fine tuning.

Good nutrition (proteins, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains), is key to helping your body make the hormones you need. If your body cannot make hormones, then it cannot be in balance. If it’s not in balance, you’ll be wearing your fat jeans for longer than you’d like.

So focus on adding foods with good fats such as salmon, walnuts, and avocados to your diet. Pair these good fats with dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and asparagus. And snack on vitamin-rich fruits such as blueberries and bananas to give your body the nutrients it needs to stay in balance.

So which hormones does your body use to stay in balance and help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight?

1) Thyroid hormones – It produces hormones that control how your body converts calories into energy. When they are too low the calories turn straight to fat leaving you tired and heavy. Weight gain can be an indicator of an under-active thyroid gland or hypothyroidism. When the thyroid gland is under-active, your metabolism is not burning as many calories as it normally would. You also do not have as much energy, which can make it harder to get out and exercise. Other indicators of thyroid problems include dry skin, brittle nails, achy joints, and constipation. To help your thyroid be sure to take a multivitamin with 100-200 mcg of iodine and 200 mcg of selenium. Iodized salt and brazil nuts are also great sources of these thyroid friendly minerals.

2) Adrenal hormones – They produce cortisol – a hormone that is elevated in stressful situations. The crazy thing is that either too much or too little of this can cause weight to hang on. Some of us lead such stressful lives that our cortisol levels are always high. Eating fast food and simple carbs stress your adrenals, which increases your cortisol levels. This can lead to weight gain, especially around the mid-section.

Conversely, if you are not producing enough cortisol, you may have trouble getting out of bed in the morning or you may not have enough energy throughout the day much less exercise. When you’re tired and sluggish, you tend to crave sugar and simple carbs because they give you quick energy. Ironically, the sugar and simple carbs deplete the adrenal glands making you even more tired and sluggish. Your adrenals are happy when you are! Take time for fun and rest. Try to be consistent about what time you eat your meals, sleep and wake up. Eating smaller meals every several hours can also help if they are week.

3) Reproductive hormones - Whether you are male or female, the right balance of sex hormones is important for more than your libido. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are all key in keeping extra weight off. Adrenal problems can affect the synthesis of sex hormones. The adrenals produce large amounts of DHEA, which is converted to testosterone and estrogen. Stressed adrenal glands produce too much DHEA and depleted adrenal glands don’t produce enough. Weight gain may be a symptom of too much estrogen or too little progesterone in women or not enough testosterone in men. Testosterone helps maintain lean muscle mass. And low levels are also linked to lack of motivation in men. If you think these are waning, exercise is the best home remedy. Don’t expect hours of plodding on the treadmill to help. Train at high intensity for shorter bursts and challenge yourself with fewer repetitions of heavier weights.

Listen, it’s difficult to obtain and maintain hormone balance without lifestyle modification. Every one of us needs to manage stress in our lives, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. Make sure that you’re getting proper nutritional supplementation including adrenal and thyroid support. When your body is in balance nutritionally and hormonally, then it can balance itself physically.

Skinny jeans anyone?

Guest Post by: Dr. Ann Lovick, NMD, specializes in comprehensive women’s health care. She focuses on the diseases and conditions that affect women throughout their life, providing natural and effective treatments and prevention strategies. Dr. Lovick is also an educator, football fan, and triathlete. She can be reached at www.integrativehealthcare.com and 480-657-0003.

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