The case for eating what we want
2014 June 19. | Szerző: shannon
Society has an eating disorder.
Food may be central to our health, but what we eat, how much, and when is endlessly discussed, debated and politicised. We’re eating too much, or not enough, and our attempts to become healthier are often misguided as we too readily place our trust – and our money – in diet books, celebrities, and proponents of pseudoscience.
But what would happen if we started ignoring the food and diet debates and started trusting ourselves?
In response to the well-documented failure of low-calorie diets to help people lose weight in the long-term; the potential for dieting to lead to disordered eating; and the physical and psychological harm that yo-yo dieting can cause, some people are turning to a dietary approach known as ‘intuitive eating,’ or IE.
It’s a way of eating based on three simple principles – eating when hungry; stopping when full; and eating anything unless medical reasons forbid it. Individuals are encouraged to abandon dieting behaviours such as restraint and conscious control of food intake, and are instead encouraged to listen to internal cues for hunger, fullness and the types of food the body needs to feel nourished.
Because there are no rules with IE, a lot of the backlash associated with breaking a diet is lost, says dietician and a doctoral candidate in Public Health Prevention Science at Kent State University in the US, Julie Schaefer. She led a study published in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recently that reviewed health interventions that promote eating by listening to internal cues.
“Intuitive eating is associated with body appreciation, optimism, and life satisfaction,” she says. “We found individuals who undergo an IE intervention improve body satisfaction, depression, self-esteem, and anxiety.
“Resolving this psychological distress and mental struggle with food and body image is a big step for individuals who struggle with these issues.”
You may be thinking that IE sounds pretty much like ‘normal’ eating. And this is sometimes what IE is called.
The problem is, so many of us don’t know how to eat normally anymore. We are pressured to clean our plates; are triggered to eat by visual cues and smells; endure societal pressure to achieve a certain body type; are too busy and stressed to eat our meals without distractions; and we are constantly told that certain foods are bad, making them more tempting.
“That all interferes with our ability to recognise and respond to internal cues to eat when hungry and stop when full, to view food as health-promoting and enjoyable rather than weight-reducing or weight-gaining agents, and to respect and accept our bodies rather than belittle and criticise them,” Ms Schaefer says.
Dr Nina Van Dyke, director of the Social Research Group at Market Solutions in Melbourne, works with academic research institutes, not for profit organisations and research companies to help them better understand health attitudes and behaviours.
She is lead author on a study conducted alongside Charles Sturt University and published last year in Public Health Nutrition that examined the peer-reviewed literature on relationships between IE and health.
Over the past few decades, ‘normal’ eating has meant following whatever the latest popular diet is, be it cutting out carbs or demonising fat, she says. And while IE isn’t a license to eat as much chocolate and cake as you want, it does encourage those who practice it learn to appreciate that what their body really wants is healthful, nourishing foods most of the time.
“I think the point in calling it ‘intuitive eating’ is to remind us that how and what we eat is better off coming from within us rather than from without,” Dr Van Dyke says.
Her research found IE probably works best for people who have switched their focus away from weight and towards becoming healthy, and those who had truly given up on dieting. In other words – being skinny isn’t the end game but being healthy is.
But like all ways of living, she says IE may not be for everyone, with more research needed to understand who most benefits and how.
Dr Van Dyke’s focus groups found women in particular often ate dinner at times that worked in around their children’s commitments and eating preferences, making IE difficult. People with medical conditions that require them to eat in certain ways, who have hormone imbalances that interfere with their hunger and food cravings, or who have severe eating disorders and difficulties trying to eat intuitively on their own, may also not be suitable for IE.
“This doesn’t mean one can’t shift in an IE direction – but these factors certainly can be barriers and one may need to consciously make changes in order to shift,” Dr Van Dyke says.
“And obviously it won’t work for people who are convinced that this is the next diet that will be the one that turns them into Kate Moss.”
5 reasons herbal products may not be really safe after all!
2014 May 15. | Szerző: shannon
Herbal products derived from plants are widely used in several countries, especially India and they continue to gain popularity among consumers. But consumers need to know that there are very few valid medical studies on the herbal products which are actually safe. It is difficult identifying chopped, processed herbs or plant mixtures, variability in the toxic constituents of a plant, nomenclature, adulteration and establishing the chronic toxic potential of a plant.
1. When it comes to herbal medicines, there are a lot of contaminants that can make their way into a product – heavy metals may find their way into the plants through the water used in irrigation or the soil in which the plants grow.
2. Microorganisms grow better in the presence of organic matter obtained from plant and animal sources and they can contaminate the product. There may be pesticide residues that have found their way into the plant material and then, into the product.
3. Sometimes, improper storage may lead to chemical degradation of one of the components in the herbal formulation and toxic substances may be produced.
4. Occasionally, an unscrupulous manufacturer may add in a less expensive substitute for a particular herb. This substitute may have similar physical appearance to the herb prescribed in the recipe, but it will obviously interfere with the product’s ability to elicit the desired therapeutic effects.
5. It is common knowledge that most herbal remedies take longer to act as compared to allopathic medicines; so an unprincipled manufacturer may resort to mixing in allopathic medicines into a herbal product in order to make it appear fast-acting and increase its popularity. Sometimes, inadvertent adulteration can occur because of confusion in the vernacular names of some plant sources.
Over time, drug regulatory authorities have woken up to the need for standardisation of herbal products. Recognising that close to 80% of the world’s population still relies on traditional systems of medicine for their healthcare needs; the World Health Organization has specified guidelines to be followed by manufacturers to ensure they make pure herbal products of good quality. If there is one myth this discussion has cleared up, it is this – ‘herbal’ should not be read as a synonym for ‘safe’. Only when the manufacturer of a herbal product is deeply committed to providing quality medicines will we have the confidence to consume such products without any qualms.
Is flouride good for your teeth?
2013 November 11. | Szerző: shannon
Frederick McKay, a young dentist, noted that those who lived there had very low rates of tooth decay, although they did have higher rates of a condition called fluorosis, characterised by a brown staining of their teeth.
Analysis of the local water supply showed that fluoride levels there exceeded 2mg per litre, a relatively high concentration compared to other areas. However, the observed resistance to tooth decay got dentists wondering whether it would be possible to harness the positive effects of fluoride (reduced decay) without incurring the brown discolouration effect, by simply adding fluoride to the water supply in concentrations less than 2mg/l.
Subsequent analyses clearly showed that addition of fluoride to drinking water at 1 mg/l achieved just that, and, based on this evidence, several countries including Ireland moved to fluoridate water on a statutory basis.
Fluoridation was not initially welcomed in Ireland. One woman, Gladys Ryan, took her case to the High Court and then to the Supreme Court. In a lengthy case, the legislation for fluoridation which had originally been signed into law in Dec 1960 finally came into effect on Jul 15, 1964 when the case was dismissed.
The nationwide implementation of fluoridation in the years that followed heralded a dramatic improvement in the dental health of the population, a benefit which persists today. Studies showed reduced rates of tooth decay among people in the Republic of Ireland compared to those in the North where fluoridation was not introduced. However, despite clear evidence of its benefits, controversy continues.
It has been claimed that people exposed to fluoride in their drinking water are at greater risk of osteoporosis and cancer. Neither of these claims stand up to scrutiny. In fact, the literature shows that there’s absolutely no increased risk of either osteoporotic bone change or cancer at water fluoridation levels less than 2 mg/l.
pink bridesmaid dresses | http://www.kissydress.co.uk/princess-prom-dresses
To put this in context, Ireland fluoridates its water at a level of 0.7mg/l. The only adverse effect of fluoridation at this level is mild dental fluorosis, which occurs with greater frequency in children living in fluoridated water areas, including Ireland. While this may be a cosmetic concern, most research shows that it is not “aesthetically objectionable” and is harmless to the structural integrity of the teeth.
The most recent controversy concerned a suggested increased risk of fluorosis among infants fed formula — milk made with fluoridated tap water. Again, even if this did occur, there is no robust evidence that it would have any long-term adverse effect on the child’s dental or general health.
It’s important that these unsubstantiated adverse effects are discussed in the correct context. While most of us think about dental health as a purely aesthetic issue, this is far from the truth.
Dental decay and tooth loss are associated with significantly increased risk of death after surgery, as the exposed gums create a potential entry route for serious infection. I, like many clinicians, am in the unfortunate position of experiencing this first hand, having had post-surgical patients in my care die of such infections.
While those who assert the supposed “hazards” of water fluoridation are entitled to their opinion, the facts speak for themselves. The data shows us that water fluoridation has yielded considerable public health benefits, and that it does not present any danger to human health.
Sports Acupuncture Scores Points
2014 June 30. | Szerző: shannon
Acupuncture has caught the attention of many sportspersons, who have greatly benefitted from this therapy. Having practiced acupuncture for 32 years, I had the opportunity of treating some well-known sportsmen.
Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh came to me in March 2013, with a history of migraine headaches, which he had since 2007. He used to take frequent medications for relief. The headaches were accompanied by blurring of vision and pain around his eye ball. His trigger would often be empty stomach, causing wind and then headaches. He has had problems of acidity, gas and wind since past four years. He also had a disturbed sleep pattern. He has had nasal allergies since a young age accompanied with urticaria. Another problem which had taken a toll on his career was his severe left-side neck stiffness with pain radiating from the neck to the left shoulder, upper arm, left upper back and left wrist. He also had recurrent episodes of low back pain radiating to his legs, causing him to miss matches.
All these problems were treated concurrently with acupuncture. I used a combination of body acupuncture and ear acupuncture points to great effect. Today, he has recovered and is fighting fit. To quote Yuvi, “The best part of this therapy is that it is safe, drugless without any side-effects and I have made a significant recovery. I feel the therapy should be made more popular so that more sportspersons can benefit from it.”
Another famous polo player Navin Khanna took acupuncture treatment for his recurrent tennis elbow and got fully cured.
According to Matt Callison, a faculty member at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and licenced acupuncturist in San Diego, California, traditional Chinese medicine has been extremely helpful and a growing trend in athletics. Amercian football team San Francisco 49ers’ players Steve Young and Jerry Rice have been treated with sports acupuncture. Canadian speed skater Kevin Overland received sports acupuncture to help him earn a bronze medal in the 1998 Olympics. As a sports acupuncturist, Callison has been treating athletes for 11 years.
Pacific College uses acupuncture to help rehabilitate post-operative injuries, sports injuries and athletic performance by increasing range of motion, muscle strength and tissue healing potential. Callison reported that the most common injuries he treats athletes for are muscle contusions and tendinitis. These injuries typically require two sports acupuncture treatments a week, with a varied recovery time depending on the injury.
Oriental medicine and sports medicine techniques focus on proprioception—muscles’ awareness communicating to the central nervous system. Injury can disrupt this communication, thus hindering balance. Acupuncture is one of the quickest ways to restore muscle balance. Acupuncture is used at specific sites, the muscle spindles are reset, and then that balance is reawakened.
Sports acupuncture consists of the gentle insertion and stimulation of thin, disposable sterile needles at strategic points near the surface of the body. When you insert a sports acupuncture needle to a motor point region, it changes the awareness that the muscle reports to the central nervous system. Over 2,000 sports acupuncture points on the human body connect with 14 major pathways, called meridians. Chinese medicine practitioners believe that these meridians conduct qi, or energy, between the surface of the body and internal organs. It is qi that regulates spiritual, emotional, mental and physical balance. When the flow of qi is disrupted through poor health habits or other circumstances, pain and/or disease can result. Sports acupuncture helps to keep the normal flow of this energy unblocked and “fine-tune the bio-electric system”.
unique prom dresses | kissydress strapless prom dresses
Oldal ajánlása emailben
X