Healthy Living News & Tips

Research now report that the risk of obesity starts in the mother's womb before birth.

In a story that's rocking the pharmaceutical world, a study published in PLoS Medicine, a respected medical journal, reports that antidepressant drugs made little difference in treatment when compared to a placebo.

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One of the few purely 'whole food' companies in the market today, WholeFoodFarmacy, has been granted Organic Certification on three of their popular foods, Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi and Coco Cherry Phi.

Organic certification means that all ingredients are sourced from foods that are grown naturally and free of pesticides and chemicals.

WholeFoodFarmacy is a great example of how food companies can encourage healthy living habits and provide products that support their vision. The company believes strongly in the benefits of whole foods and only supplies products that are minimally handled and contain only whole food vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and natural grains. Here's a little more directly from their mission statement:

"The ingredients to health, happiness, vitality, and longevity are no secret. Every major non-profit health organization in the world has been offering the same advice for many years. Eat more fruits and veggies, drink more water, exercise on a daily basis, lose weight if you need to, don't smoke, avoid toxins, & reduce stress.

To that end, we have combined delicious, healthy foods, with convenience and affordability. Our salon quality personal care items offer superior results without the toxic chemicals.

Nothing short of a consumer based, grass roots return to healthy choices and lifestyles can steer our children, and future generations, in a healthier direction."

They plan to continue the Organic Certification of the balance of their products and provide only the best foods available.

Personally, my family enjoys the foods and many of the natural personal care products. In fact, one of their 13 day programs, the Tri-Decathlon, helped many family members, friends and readers lose excess weight, regain their health and their tastes for a more natural, whole food diet. I often recommend these programs to those looking to make an improvement in their health, be it losing weight, overcoming a health issue or just wanting to improve their diet.

The reason these foods work is because you eat only whole foods for the 7 or 13 days and your body regains its natural taste for fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and natural grains. They are conveniently packaged and the program is easy to follow (eat as much as you want!). Once you lose the 'addiction' to the Standard American Diet (SAD) of fats, clogging dairy products, heart un-healthy meats and processed and junk foods that a majority of Americans (and now becoming the world) eat, you regain your body's natural taste for what nature intended. You start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables in combination with the WholeFoodFarmacy foods and snacks. In this way, changing your habits is much easier since you are not fighting with the taste addictions (cravings) that cripple many diet efforts and makes it much easier to regain your health, your optimal weight and just feel better all around. The foods are convenient, mostly uncooked, tasty and made from all natural whole foods, nothing else.

And regardless of the fact the New Year is upon us when many of us look to make healthier choices, any time is a great time to take back your health, your body and continue a path to your best health for life. You only have one, why wait?

Visit the WholeFoodFarmacy for more information.

To your best health!

Mark Idzik

What's the best way to lose weight?

According to this woman, it was easy. All she did was change one thing.

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With the 'flu' season upon us, we're being told to get a flu shot, now available in almost any store, church or even airport you visit during the season.

But should you get it?

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The real cost of obesity is not necessarily to the person themselves, but to society in general. One of the main costs are in the increases in insurance premiums due to increased costs insurance companies incur by paying claims of patients that are overweight and have health challenges as a result of being obese. Dr. Nayer Khazeni puts it well recently writing in the San Francisco Chronicle:

"Today, cutting across all income groups, obesity remains a dangerous medical condition and a national public health crisis, costing Americans $100 billion in health care expenditures and more than 400,000 premature deaths each year. A number of studies have now demonstrated links between obesity and a host of medical conditions, including depression, gastroesophageal reflux, sleep apnea, gout, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, pulmonary hypertension, blood clots, dementia and several cancers (endometrial, breast, pancreas, kidney, esophageal, multiple myeloma, lymphoma, prostate, liver and colon).

A July 2007 study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimates that 75 percent of American adults and 24 percent of American children will be overweight or obese by 2015. During my residency, patients weighing more than 325 pounds used to be transferred from the hospital to local zoo scanners for imaging. Even with newer machines that accommodate larger patients, radiologists need to use high levels of radiation to acquire images because of increased body mass. Scanners designed for patients weighing as much as 615 pounds are in the works."

And the costs to the insurance companies are passed on to everyone, not just those filing claims, everyone shares the costs. A study in the respected journal 'Health Affairs' reported that "estimates reveal that the public sector is responsible for financing nearly half of overweight- and obesity-attributable medical spending." So those covered by insurance plans that never file a claim, are healthy and use the insurance for emergencies (as I believe it was originally designed and ought to be used) end up paying higher premiums along with those that file more often due to health issues like obesity. Those that are healthy pay up to half of the 100 billion a year in extra medical expenses attributed to obesity.

But the costs to society don't stop there.

There are also costs to local, state and national governments to provide access to those that are obese, who are also sometimes handicapped. There are costs to private companies to provide equal access and accommodations to both employees and clients. Health insurance premiums and more.

The American workforce is also losing it's edge from this crisis. With obesity increasing, workers become less productive, use more sick days, work less and cost their employers in more time and money than other employees.

And who benefits from this crisis?

Well, health insurance companies continue to raise premiums (and profits), doctors and other health care providers are busier than ever, drug companies are salivating at the prospect of creating more drugs to 'help' with a 'magic pill' and the list goes on.

Can you see why this is truly a 'crisis' that effects more than just the one obese individual?

And let's not forget, obesity is a direct result of poor diet and lack of activity.

Let me know what you think.

To your best health!

Mark

Glenn Beck, host of the Glenn Beck Show on CNN and radio personality, has released a video where he shares his recent planned surgery experience that "went horribly awry". Unfortunately it appears there were problems and
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