Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Worth the Risk?

Is Taking Hormone Replacement Therapy to Manage Menopausal Symptoms Worth the Risk? What Are Your Other Options?

As women approach menopause, some are not plagued with the well know symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, poor sleep, excitability, depression, poor concentration, fatigue, and some are to the point of distraction.

All of the symptoms are caused, at least in part, by the hormonal changes that are occurring during this phase of a woman’s life.

To deal with these problems many women’s physicians suggest going on hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
It is well known that HRT increases the risk of blood clots, strokes, and various cancers like breast, ovarian and uterine. Therefore, there is little to lose and much to gain by first trying natural alternatives that are supported by clinical evidence, before running the risks associated with HRT.

The natural medicines that seem to work best for many women are:

Black Cohosh 20 mg twice per day
Chaste Tree Extract 400 mg/day
Fermented Soy Foods – i.e. Tempeh, Miso, Natto. ( I am not in favor of soymilk, soy protein, or pill forms of soy isoflavones) *
Vitamin E succinate 800 IU per day
Maca – 2000 mg/day

Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

*Read about the possible dangers of consuming non-fermented soy products – Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story

NOTE: “Headaches in women, particularly migraines, have been related to changes in the levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone before, during and after a woman’s menstrual cycle.

FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT MIGRELIEF+M & HORMONE RELATED MIGRAINES

MIGRELIEF+M – A BREAKTHROUGH FOR HORMONE & MENSTRUAL MIGRAINES, PMS & PCOS.

Benefits of 15 Minutes of Moderate Exercise a Day

JUST 15 MINUTES OF MODERATE EXERCISE A DAY CAN EXTEND LIFE BY THREE YEARS

30 minutes a day to exercise doesn’t sound so difficult until you try to do it and struggle finding the time. Then the mindset is, well if I can’t do the 30 minutes, I may as well not do anything because it’s not going to help anyway.

The really good news is that researchers from Taiwan’s National Health Research Institute studied 416,000 participants over a 13 year period during which their health records and level of physical activity was monitored and recorded. Their findings were that only 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise, like brisk walking, was enough to increase life expectancy by 3 years compared to people who didn’t put in the 15 minutes a day.

It turns out the first 15 minutes yields tremendous benefits and in addition to increasing life expectancy by 3 years, the active group had a 10% reduction in cancer risk as well. This info should encourage everyone to get out there and reap the benefits of just putting in 15 minutes a day.

EVERYONE CAN DO THAT AND IT’S EXCITING!

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

How to Lose Weight for Disease Prevention

What You Need to Know to Lose Lots of Weight, Avoid or Control Diabetes and Lower the Risks of Heart Disease and Even Cancer

You are probably aware of the alarming percentage of Americans that are overweight or even obese. In no small way, the amounts of sugar that have crept into our diets from sources like sugary beverages, cereals and desserts, have not only rendered us over-weight but under-healthy with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance increasing like never before.

Articles and dieticians often speak about the blood sugar raising ability of the different kinds of carbohydrates in various foods that we may choose to eat. Carbohydrates can be simple sugars like sucrose (which is a combination of glucose and fructose) or fructose (which is the sugar found in fruits that has its own set of issues) or complex carbohydrates like starches (which are just long chains of glucose attached to one another) and finally dietary fiber (which is indigestible by our bodies, so, therefore, does not raise blood sugar).

Glycemic Index

The term that helps us to understand how much carbohydrates are in foods and raise blood sugar, is called “glycemic index”, (GI). GI is calculated by taking 50 grams of a specific carbohydrate found in a food and measuring how much it raises blood sugar compared to 50 grams of pure glucose.

So for example, if the glycemic index of a carbohydrate in carrots was 78 this would mean that 50 grams of it raised blood sugar, 78% of how much the same amount of glucose raised blood sugar.

Foods with a GI below 55 are considered low GI foods. GI’s between 55-70 are considered intermediate GI foods and foods with a GI above 70 are considered high GI foods.

This is important information, but you need to know and understand that sometimes even the best of intentions can go awry.

By this I mean, knowing the GI of a particular food is only part of the story. This is because “quantity counts”! You will recall that I mentioned above that GI is calculated by comparing how much an equal amount of a carbohydrate in a food (50grams) raises blood sugar compared to 50 grams of glucose.

The GI of any particular carbohydrate found in a given food is a number that is a percentage relative to glucose. What it doesn’t tell us, is how much of the carbohydrate is actually in a given-sized serving of the food.

What we really want to know and monitor in order to lose weight and avoid diabetes or insulin resistance and the diseases like obesity, heart disease, and cancer, they can lead to, is the absolute, real-life amount of increase in blood sugar, eating a specific sized portion of a given food will cause. Not its relative percentage compared to 50 grams of glucose.

Percentages can be very deceiving. I could say that I save 30% of my income. This is an impressive percentage but if I earn $10,000 a year, it is $3,000.

On the other hand, I could save only 10% of my income but if I earn $100,000, the savings is $10,000, more than 3 times greater in absolute dollars.

Well, the same thing applies to GI, it is a percentage, it does not tell you the absolute increase in blood sugar a given sized portion of a specific food will cause. It doesn’t do this because it doesn’t take into consideration the absolute amount of the carbohydrate, actually found in the food.

This is where the concept of glycemic load comes in. (GL) Knowing and monitoring the GL, which you can get from charts on the internet and one sample is provided below, of the foods you eat will get you far down the path to a much slimmer and healthier you.

The GL of a food is calculated from its GI times the actual amount by weight of the carbohydrate that is present in a given sized portion divided by 100.

Think about it, if a food has a glycemic index of 20 that is very low! 50 grams of it only raises blood sugar by 20% of what an equal weight of glucose raised blood sugar. What if the weights are not equal?

What if you eat 5 times the amount by weight of that food, so instead of 50 grams, which is the weight used to calculate GI, you eat 250 grams (a little more than ½ of a pound)? Well then your blood sugar would raise the same amount as eating 50 grams of glucose because 5X20= 100.

Glycemic load gives you real-life, very valuable blood sugar information about the size of the portions of each food you choose. It enables you to limit portion sizes so that you control blood sugar and really establish a powerful regimen under which you can lose substantial amounts of weight while avoiding diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many other chronic diseases.

Avoiding the effects of too much sugar in the body is very anti-aging as well. Both your internal organs and your skin will benefit tremendously.

Below is a sample chart of the glycemic load of certain foods. Additional charts can be found on the internet just Google glycemic load.

I advise you to try to average no higher than 50 in your GL food choices. So if you choose to splurge and eat a dessert with a GL of 80 try to offset it with an equal number of calories of a food with a 20 GL while keeping your total calories in the 2000 calorie per day range if you are a woman of average physical activity. (As low as 1500 for faster weight loss) For men, the caloric intake, depending upon muscle mass and physical activity should probably be in the 2400-2800 calorie per day range. (Around 1800-2000 for faster weight loss)

FOOD LIST	RATING	FOOD GLYCEMIC INDEX
BAKERY PRODUCTS
*Poundcake	Low	54
Danish pastry	Medium	59
Muffin (unsweetened)	Medium	62
Cake, tart	Medium	65
Cake, angel	Medium	67
Croissant	Medium	67
Waffles	High	76
Doughnut	High	76
BEVERAGES
Soya milk	Low	30
Apple juice	Low	41
Carrot juice	Low	45
Pineapple juice	Low	46
Grapefruit juice	Low	48
Orange juice	Low	52
BISCUITS
Digestives	Medium	58
Shortbread	Medium	64
Water biscuits	Medium	65
Ryvita	Medium	67
Wafer biscuits	High	77
**Rice cakes	High	77
BREADS
Multigrain bread	Low	48
Whole grain	Low	50
Pita bread, white	Medium	57
Pizza, cheese	Medium	60
Hamburger bun	Medium	61
Rye-flour bread	Medium	64
Wholemeal bread	Medium	69
White bread	High	71
White rolls	High	73
Baguette	High	95
BREAKFAST CEREAL
All-Bran	Low	42
Porridge, non-instant	Low	49
Oat bran	Medium	55
Muesli	Medium	56
Mini Wheats (wholemeal)	Medium	57
Shredded Wheat	Medium	69
Golden Grahams	High	71
Puffed wheat	High	74
Weetabix	High	77
Rice Krispies	High	82
Cornflakes	High	83
CEREAL GRAINS
Pearl barley	Low	25
Rye	Low	34
Wheat kernels	Low	41
Rice, instant	Low	46
Rice, parboiled	Low	48
Barley, cracked	Low	50
Rice, brown	Medium	55
Rice, wild	Medium	57
Rice, white	Medium	58
Barley, flakes	Medium	66
Taco Shell	Medium	68
Millet	High	71
DAIRY FOODS
Yogurt low-fat (sweetened)	Low	14
Milk, chocolate	Low	24
Milk, whole	Low	27
Milk, Fat-free	Low	32
Milk , skimmed	Low	32
Milk, semi-skimmed	Low	34
*Ice-cream (low-fat)	Low	50
*Ice-cream	Medium	61
FRUITS
Cherries	Low	22
Grapefruit	Low	25
Apricots (dried)	Low	31
Apples	Low	38
Pears	Low	38
Plums	Low	39
Peaches	Low	42
Oranges	Low	44
Grapes	Low	46
Kiwi fruit	Low	53
Bananas	Low	54
Fruit cocktail	Medium	55
Mangoes	Medium	56
Apricots	Medium	57
Apricots (tinned in syrup)	Medium	64
Raisins	Medium	64
Pineapple	Medium	66
**Watermelon	High	72
PASTA
Spaghetti, protein-enriched	Low	27
Fettuccine	Low	32
Vermicelli	Low	35
Spaghetti, whole wheat	Low	37
Ravioli, meat filled	Low	39
Spaghetti, white	Low	41
Macaroni	Low	45
Spaghetti, durum wheat	Medium	55
Macaroni cheese	Medium	64
High	92
ROOT CROP
Carrots, cooked	Low	39
Yam	Low	51
Sweet potato	Low	54
Potato, boiled	Medium	56
Potato, new	Medium	57
Potato, tinned	Medium	61
Beetroot	Medium	64
Potato, steamed	Medium	65
Potato, mashed	Medium	70
Chips	High	75
Potato, microwaved	High	82
Potato, instant	High	83
**Potato, baked	High	85
Parsnips	High	97
SNACK FOOD & SWEETS
Peanuts	Low	15
*M&Ms (peanut)	Low	32
*Snickers bar	Low	40
*Chocolate bar; 30g	Low	49
Jams and marmalades	Low	49
*Crisps	Low	54
Popcorn	Medium	55
Mars bar	Medium	64
*Table sugar (sucrose)	Medium	65
Corn chips	High	74
Jelly beans	High	80
Pretzels	High	81
Dates	High	103
SOUPS
Tomato soup, tinned	Low	38
Lentil soup, tinned	Low	44
Black bean soup, tinned	Medium	64
Green pea soup, tinned	Medium	66
VEGETABLES & BEANS
Artichoke	Low	15
Asparagus	Low	15
Broccoli	Low	15
Cauliflower	Low	15
Celery	Low	15
Cucumber	Low	15
Eggplant	Low	15
Green beans	Low	15
Lettuce, all varieties	Low	15
Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened	Low	15
Peppers, all varieties	Low	15
Snow peas	Low	15
Spinach	Low	15
Young summer squash	Low	15
Tomatoes	Low	15
Zucchini	Low	15
Soya beans, boiled	Low	16
Peas, dried	Low	22
Kidney beans, boiled	Low	29
Lentils green, boiled	Low	29
Chickpeas	Low	33
Haricot beans, boiled	Low	38
Black-eyed beans	Low	41
Chickpeas, tinned	Low	42
Baked beans, tinned	Low	48
Kidney beans, tinned	Low	52
Lentils green, tinned	Low	52
Broad beans	High	79

*High in empty calories **Low-calorie and nutritious foods

Making small adjustments to your daily eating habits can reap large rewards including increasing your lifespan.

To the best of health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Control These 4 Things and You Could Live Longer

CONTROL THESE 4 THINGS AND WOMEN CAN LIVE 15 YEARS LONGER AND MEN 8.5 YEARS LONGER

The results of a long-term study carried out in the Netherlands and published in the respected American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that if we control 4 specific factors we can live 8.5 years for men and a whopping 15 years for women longer than people who don’t control these factors.

The 4 factors are:

Not Smoking
Nutritional Pattern: Eating Mediterranean Diet Type Foods
Physical Activity for at least 30 minutes a day
Body Weight- keeping Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 to 25.

The study started in 1986 and included over 120,000 men and women from ages 55-69. It studied the risk of premature death in people who both controlled these 4 factors and those who didn’t.

Women who controlled these factors had the same risk of premature death as women who were 15 years younger but didn’t. To put it another way, a 55 year old women who controlled these 4 factors had the same risk of premature death as a 40 year old woman, who didn’t.

A 65 year old man who controlled them had the same risk of premature death as a 56.5 year old man who didn’t.

The exciting implication of this research is that for those of you who really want to lose weight and want to do it properly, 3 of the 4 life extending factors will automatically be incorporated into your weight loss regimen: Exercise, nutritional pattern and reduction of BMI. (The 4^th factor, smoking, though obviously recommended, is a separate personal decision).

To calculate your BMI divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches times itself and multiply that amount by 703.

For example, a woman who weighs 140 lbs and is 5’4” (64 inches) the calculation would be:

140 divided by 4096 (which is 64X64) = .03418 X 703 = 24 which is the BMI and in the acceptable range.

Just because the BMI is in the “healthy, acceptable” range, this doesn’t mean that a lower BMI wouldn’t be aesthetically more pleasing to some women.

If the woman in the above example experienced healthy weight loss and dropped to 120 lbs her BMI would be:

120 divided by 4096= .0293 X 703 = 20.6 the new BMI.

In a subsequent article, that will be released within the next few days, some eating and exercise hints that make losing weight simpler and less of a challenge, will be discussed.

Best Health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Growing Up On The Farm May Not Be The Healthy Environment It Seems To Be

Researchers from Massey University in Wellington New Zealand studied the death records of thousands of patients and found that those who had parents who were either poultry or cattle farmers died of cancers of the blood like non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma at 3X the rate of people who didn’t grow up on these kinds of farms.

The researchers think that exposure to multiple kinds of animal viruses early in life weakened the immune systems of the people and made them more susceptible to these kinds of cancers of the blood.

For those of you who did grow up on farms with poultry and or cattle on them, though even at 3X times the risk, the absolute risk of contracting these kinds of cancers is still small…..but, it does make sense now that this information is available, to call it to the attention of your physician, and let him or her know about these findings.

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Wine and Sunburn Prevention?

DOES RESVERATROL PREVENT SUNBURN? WAY TOO MUCH HYPE AND WAY TOO LITTLE PROOF!

The compound called “Resveratrol” is found in grape skins, some berries like blueberries and also peanuts. This has been the subject of dozens of animal studies.

Some of these studies have shown benefits in animals, (mostly mice) ranging from it being anti-aging, preventing heart disease, reducing risk of diabetes and reducing the risk of certain cancers (but possibly increasing the risk of estrogen sensitive cancers like breast cancer).

The latest sensationalized claim discussed work done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that found that when a liquid solution containing resveratrol was placed on the skin of hairless mice, they were protected when exposed to UV sun rays.

Here is yet another animal claim for this compound that has no support that the same thing happens in humans. Research is littered with literally thousands of studies that worked in animals but failed in humans This doesn’t mean that resveratrol will not eventually show some success in humans for at least some of the health claims that have been established in animals.

As a matter of fact, a human study just recently completed in Australia, found that blood flow through the brachial artery in humans increased significantly as doses increased from 30 mg per day to 270 mg per day of trans-resveratrol. The artery opening increased allowing more blood flow, which is referred to as FMD (flow mediated dilation).

This is a good thing, but caution is necessary. This was a very small study and secondly it was sponsored by the manufacturer of the resveratrol.

I applaud manufacturers who sponsor studies on the products they create, but it is necessary to get confirmation of their results from independent researchers, who also study larger groups of people.

So I wouldn’t be rushing out to purchase some new resveratrol containing sun products that will inevitably be developed to put on your skin, until the safety and results of doing so in humans is confirmed.

Regarding taking trans-resveratrol as a dietary supplement, I find there is very little evidence (except possibly for people who have estrogen sensitive cancers or a familial risk of these cancers) that trans-resveratrol will do any harm.

Whether or not it will yield any benefit or be a waste of money, is a question that, at this point, cannot be answered.

Curt Hendrix M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Does Your Personality Dictate How Much You Weigh?

This recent study examined what trait can add or detract to your dress size or the size of your jeans.

It’s interesting to learn which personality characteristics tend to create weight gain or loss in people.

Read Article: http://www.consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=654995

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

WHEY PROTEIN – Better For Weight Loss and Appetite Suppression

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Human Nutrition published in the Journal of Nutrition a study demonstrating the superiority of whey protein versus soy protein for weight loss and reducing appetite.

90 overweight men and women were put on the same diets except that one group consumed 50 grams of whey protein in a shake twice a day, another group consumed 50 grams of soy protein twice a day and the third group consumed 50 grams twice a day of a carbohydrate containing shake.

The carbohydrate group gained weight, the soy protein group stayed the same and the whey protein group not only lost weight, but abdominal fat as well.

In addition, the whey protein group had much lower circulating levels of ghrelin, a hormone that makes us feel hunger. It is also known that whey protein supports the immune system. Protein intake is an important part of staying slim and maintaining shapely muscle mass.

Whey protein, not soy protein is the source to use.

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Health Risk to Adolescents Exposed to 2nd-Hand Smoke

Newly Discovered Health Risk to Adolescents Exposed to 2nd-Hand Smoke

It is estimated that at least 50% of adolescents are exposed to second hand smoke. A recently completed medical study by the New York University School of Medicine found that a significant percentage of adolescents are experiencing hearing loss because of their exposure to the smoke.

The extent of their exposure to second hand smoke can be measured by determining the levels of continine, a nicotine derivative in the blood.

Though the hearing loss occurred throughout all frequencies, it was most affected in the mid-range speech frequencies, which can impair learning.

The level of hearing loss increased as the continine blood levels increased. Therefore, it is very important for parents to limit their children’s exposure to second hand smoke, as much as possible.

The authors pointed out that this type of hearing loss is not something the children would notice on their own, without testing.

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Anti-Depressants and Long Term Sexual Dysfunction

It is commonly known to healthcare professionals that patients on SSRI antidepressant drugs can develop sexual dysfunction problems, a condition known as Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction.

It has always been assumed that this dysfunction would resolve upon discontinuation of the drugs, which is not necessarily the case.

A recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine was performed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. The study describes several cases of previously sexually healthy men, who after taking SSRI drugs for as little as 4 months and in one case, 2 years, developed what seems to be permanent sexual dysfunction involving erectile dysfunction, lack of libido, orgasmic dysfunction and genital anesthesia, after discontinuing the drugs.

Other causes of sexual dysfunction like diabetes, low testosterone and/or increased prolactin were ruled out.

Women are known to experience lubrication difficulties, orgasm difficulties, and painful sex (dyspareunia).

Men and women, with minor depression problems, who are concerned about these sexual dysfunction risks, should discuss with their physician other options for dealing with the issue.

For men and women who would like to try a natural ingredient for depression, I suggest discussing with your physician, taking 15 mg. of saffron petals twice a day. A double blinded, medical study found it to be as effective as Prozac for mild to moderate depression.

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

U.K Study Reveals 20% Increase in Cancer Rates

Extra fat on our bodies leads to higher levels of circulating insulin and estrogen, both of which can significantly increase the risk of cancer.

Fat cells known as adipocytes, use insulin to remove sugar from the blood and store it as fat inside of themselves. When we are overly fat, the receptors on the fat cells can become insensitive to the effects of insulin (they don’t respond well to it and thus require much more of it to work to keep blood sugar at safe levels). This is known as hyperinsulinemia. In addition, fat cells also produce estrogen, so when we are overly-fat, we are producing too much insulin and estrogen both of which can lead to heart disease, blindness and cancer.

This recent study shows the impact on cancer rates in the UK due to the worldwide epidemic of over-weight and obese people.

For more information click on the link below.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/18/cancer-diagnoses-in-middle-age?cat=world&type=article

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

FOODS WITH UNHEALTHY AMOUNTS OF SALT

Recently the U.S. Department of Health recommended that total daily sodium consumption be kept to no more than 1500 mg. per day for people over age 50 and 2300 mg. per day if you are 50 or below.

The average person consumes over 3500 mg. of sodium a day.

Too much salt can cause bloating and increase blood pressure both of which can strain our hearts and lead to heart failure.

Sausages are high in sodium

Top 10 High Salt Foods

Hot Dog – 1300 mg
Sausages 1200 mg
Cheese Nachos – 1250 mg.
Soy Sauce (1 tbsp) – 1000 mg.
Canned Soups – 600 – 1000 mg.
Processed Meats; 3 oz Corned Beef – 1700 mg …. 3 oz. Dried Beef 4000 mg.
Wheat Flakes – 800 mg.
Canadian Bacon – 2500 mg.
Bouillon Cubes – 5000 mg.
Processed Cheese 1200 mg.

Archives

Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Worth the Risk?

Is Taking Hormone Replacement Therapy to Manage Menopausal Symptoms Worth the Risk? What Are Your Other Options?

Benefits of 15 Minutes of Moderate Exercise a Day

How to Lose Weight for Disease Prevention

Glycemic Index

Control These 4 Things and You Could Live Longer

Growing Up On The Farm May Not Be The Healthy Environment It Seems To Be

Wine and Sunburn Prevention?

DOES RESVERATROL PREVENT SUNBURN? WAY TOO MUCH HYPE AND WAY TOO LITTLE PROOF!

Does Your Personality Dictate How Much You Weigh?

WHEY PROTEIN – Better For Weight Loss and Appetite Suppression

RECOMMENDED READING: Calorie Restriction = Weight Loss & Longevity

Health Risk to Adolescents Exposed to 2nd-Hand Smoke

Newly Discovered Health Risk to Adolescents Exposed to 2nd-Hand Smoke

Anti-Depressants and Long Term Sexual Dysfunction

U.K Study Reveals 20% Increase in Cancer Rates

FOODS WITH UNHEALTHY AMOUNTS OF SALT