HealthBeat News

Author: Wellness Club

  • But I Only Use Organic Natural Sugars!

    What About The “Good Sugars?”

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    We recently wrote about some of the ways that food makers try to fool consumers into believing that their products are “low carb” when they are really nothing of the sort. In Low Carb Lies Dr. Myatt explains how a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate – no matter what sort of creative math is used to make it look otherwise.

    At The Wellness Club we are constantly receiving questions from folks who want to know what we think of their pet sugar – since after all, it is being described on the label as being “organic” or “all-natural” or “wholesome” and we all know that anything described by these terms must be good for you, right?

    Not really. Sugar is sugar is sugar – no matter what fancy name it is given in order to sell it.

    Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who fall for these labeling gimmicks and are putting their health (and their families health – especially their kids) at risk. Most parents know that allowing their child to pour sugar on breakfast cereal is a bad idea that usually results in a hyperactive kid – so is “all-natural organic dehydrated cane juice” a healthy alternative? Nope, it’s just sugar by a fancy moniker and it will have those kids bouncing off the walls just like sugar by any other name!

    The people who really suffer from this deception are those whose very lives may depend on their avoiding sugar. Think cancer – here is an excerpt from a letter we recently received:

     

    “You advise that consumption of sugar is a no-no for someone with cancer. I eat a lot of fruit which of course is high in sugar, I know there are different types of sugar: glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, etc, so my question is which can I consume without feeding the cancer?”

     

    Whew! This is a really good question – and far more complicated than it might seem at first blush.

    That’s right – we do caution our cancer patients that sugars are a no-no.

    This is because cancer cells are generally ill-equipped to get their energy from anything other than monosacchrides (simple sugars such as glucose, fructose, and galactose).

    Most cancer cells do not do well with ketones, which the rest of the body considers to be a fine energy source. Without energy, the cancer cells starve – they may cease to grow and may become more vulnerable to the body’s own healthy immune responses which “clean up” aberrant and damaged cells.

    On the other hand, providing cancer cells with a simple, ready energy source such as fructose, glucose, galactose or mannose is like throwing gasoline on a fire – and in our experience it almost always results in an explosive growth of cancers.

    Sugars are simple carbohydrates.

    The “sacchride” is the basic unit, and sugars include monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides and the oligosaccharides.

    In practical terms, most carbohydrates are converted by our bodies to glucose, fructose, or galactose. Monosaccharides include fructose, glucose, galactose and mannose. Disaccharides are found mostly as sucrose (cane or beet sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and maltose.

    So, in the “real world” of reading “Nutrition Facts Box” labels, which sugars are OK? The brief answer is “NONE OF THEM!”

    The longer answer is more complicated – there are certain “sugars” and “sugar alcohols” that are not readily absorbed by the body and generally do not get used by the body as an energy source. These are often used in “low carb” products.

    Other forms of sugars function as insoluble fiber and are found in good, low carb fiber supplements.

    Interestingly, even these forms of sugars, though not useable for energy, are still carbohydrates and contribute to the carbohydrate count on the label. This is where the “Effective Carbohydrates” calculations come into play – but that is an article for another HealthBeat!

    What should you be watching for when you look at “Nutrition Facts Box” labels?

    The first clue is the carbohydrate count. Next, look for “sugars” – if they are present they’ll be listed. Don’t be fooled by food manufacturers who may try to bamboozle or impress you by listing their sweeteners by different names – often trying to make them sound “natural” or “organic.”

    Some of these may include:

    • cane molasses
    • cane juice
    • cassava
    • Demerara
    • dextrose
    • d-glucose
    • Florida Crystals
    • Jaggery
    • Muscovado
    • Panela (or pilloncillo)
    • Steen’s cane syrup
    • Sucanat
    • Turbinado sugar
    • sugar beet molasses and sugar beet syrup
    • Jallab
    • Pekmez
    • Amazake
    • barley malt syrup
    • brown rice syrup
    • corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup
    • malt
    • Mizuame
    • agave syrup
    • birch syrup
    • maple sugar and maple syrup
    • palm sugar
    • honey
    • sweet sorghum and sorghum syrup
    • natural brown sugar
    • molasses
    • sago

    That’s quite a list, and many of those sound very healthy indeed – but in truth they are all just sugar by another name.

    The starches – corn starch, tapioca starch, rice, wheat, potato, arrowroot and many more – are also metabolized promptly into sugars, so watch for these as well!

    For those who don’t already know, Dr. Myatt’s Super Fast Diet is the premier anti-cancer, health-restorative, weight-loss diet available today.

  • Health Secrets of Living Legends: Don Laughlin Interview Part I

    Health Secrets of Living Legends: Don Laughlin Interview Part I

     

    By Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark

     

    The average life expectancy for American men is 75.7 years, for American women 80.8.

     

    Many still alive at this age are not really “living.”  Instead, the majority are plagued with chronic illness, pain and disease. Much time is spent shuffling from one doctor to the next, swallowing handfuls of drugs (some just to ease the side effects of other drugs,) and worrying about how to pay for all this “health care” they believe they need.

    But not all American seniors live like this. Some not only “survive,” they thrive.

    There are a number of Americans who, at age 80+,  are more robust and healthy than many people half their age. We call them “Living Legends,” and they put younger Americans to shame in terms of mental and physical health and fitness.

    What are their secrets? How do these octogenarians stay healthy and fit? And what can we learn from their example?

    Over the next year or so, Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark will attempt to meet and interview a select list of these successful, healthy seniors and bring their health secrets to you, our HealthBeat readers.

    Recently, we spoke with our first Living Legend, Mr. Donald J. Laughlin. You’ve probably heard of him even if you don’t know you have.

    How many people have a city named for them and are alive, well, and a driving force behind their own thriving business and that of the entire local economy? For that matter, how many octogenarians still fly their own airplane and more impressively, their own helicopter?

    Don Laughlin is one such Living Legend. We chatted with him last week in his Riverside hotel and casino in Laughlin, Nevada just after we enjoyed the Nutcracker ballet that he brought in from Anaheim, California to perform.

    Don Laughlin is the man for whom the city of Laughlin, Nevada is named. He is the man behind Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort Casino in Laughlin. Shucks, the entire idea and major driving force behind this town is Don Laughlin. You can learn more about his founding of Laughlin and his business acumen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Laughlin.

    But we wanted to know about his health secrets, not his business secrets. At an age when many Americans are losing their ability to drive their car, Don Laughlin not only holds a FAA Airman Certificate (pilot’s license), he regularly flies his helicopter, his jet airplane, or his light plane, allowing him to keep a busy schedule that would overwhelm many women or men half his age.

    At the age of eighty, Don looks, talks and acts like a healthy sixty-something. He is a normal weight and moves with a lightness and grace that bespeaks fitness. His mind is razor-sharp, his voice clear and manner confident. You’d be hard-pressed to guess his real age if we hadn’t just told you.

    How does he do it? He revealed a few of his health tips in the chat we had with him.

    First, he eats “real food” whenever possible and eats sparingly. That means he only eats when he is hungry and stops eating before he is full.

    He enjoys an occasional glass of wine, but says “everything in moderation.” Everything, that is, except perhaps flying and successful business-building!

    He exercises 15 minutes every day “like a religion,” and every day means seven days a week. He is not some sort of exercise fiend; he does not do aerobics to exhaustion or run marathons – he does some simple weight and resistance exercises – things like push-ups.  Looking at him, you’d be surprised to see what those 15 daily minutes of exercise can accomplish.

    Don is a self-confessed workaholic and night-owl, but he makes a point of getting adequate sleep every night, though he admits that this can be a challenge given his busy schedule. “Sometimes it’s just hard to wind down and relax enough to get to sleep” he admits.

    Does he take supplements? You betcha! Prescription drugs? Rarely.

    His advice for long life? “Don’t do stupid things!” People who talk on the cellphone while driving, step off a curb into traffic without looking, or take dangerous drugs for thrills just make him shake his head in dismay.

    Perhaps most importantly, he keeps a sharp mind with his business dealings and a positive outlook – a healthy, active mind is a significant part of his healthy life.

    Our chat with Don Laughlin was necessarily brief. It was 10 o’clock in the evening and he was making the rounds of his hotel as he does every night.  But he invited us to talk further with him on a return visit to Laughlin. We look forward to doing just that, and we will report back to you – our readers – with more of his health secrets. We hope to grab “Part II” of the Don Laughlin interview – complete with current picture – later this month. We know it will inspire you.

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark

  • Candida: A Diagnosis Often Missed, Sometimes Overdiagnosed.

    Candida: A Diagnosis Often Missed, Sometimes Overdiagnosed

     

    A recent question to the Wellness Club went as follows:

     

    Hi Dr.Myatt,
    I just wanted to know whether stool test is enough to find out whether I have candida overgrowth because I seem to be suffering from most of the symptoms.
    Thank you.

     

    We get a lot of questions like this – and unfortunately, health is rarely so simple (despite what Big Pharma and Big Medicine would like you to believe!). Sure, there are tests – but how to know which test, and then how to know what to make of the results of the test? This is tough enough for many doctors – and almost impossible for most laypersons.

    Even though your local shopping mall may have almost as many walk-in whole-body CAT scan offices as they do tanning salons, our medical diagnostics have not yet evolved to the level of the “Medical Tricorder” wielded by the famous Dr. “Bones” McCoy in the old Star Trek TV Series. “Bones” would wave this marvelous warbling testing gadget over his patient and it would give him an instant and accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

    Real life in today’s world is not so easy – too bad – and today’s physician must be skilled in interpreting and helping patients to make sense of test results.

    Dr. Myatt has this advise for Rimsha:

    Hi Rimsha:

    A person can have a yeast overgrowth that might not show up on just a stool test.

    For a more complete look, I’d recommend both a stool yeast test AND a Candida antibody test:

    Candida stool test:
    http://drmyattswellnessclub.com/medicaltests.htm#CANDIDA

    Candida antibodies test:
    http://drmyattswellnessclub.com/medicaltests.htm#CANDIDA ANTIBODIES

    Low-level overgrowth of Candida yeast species can cause a wide variety of health problems, but yeast may not be found in a stool specimen. This is because the yeast may have invaded elsewhere in the body, such as in the urinary tract, sinus passages, vagina or elsewhere.

    The Candida antibodies test uses a drop of blood to evaluate for an immune system reaction to Candida. It assesses IgG, IgA, IgM immunoglobulins to yeast as well as Candida antigen. A positive finding indicates past or present Candida infection and may allow Candida yeast reactions to be found when stool and vaginal specimens are negative or inconclusive.

    If these two tests don’t point to a yeast overgrowth (as they may not), then other things need to be looked at. Learn more here http://drmyattswellnessclub.com/candidiasis.htm but here’s the “short course.”

    Candidiasis: The Elusive Diagnosis

    The diagnosis of Candidiasis is often overlooked in conventional medicine.

    Many doctors say they “Don’t believe in Candidiasis,” even though there is ample scientific evidence to document the condition. It is difficult to say exactly why this condition is ignored by conventional medicine in spite of the vast scientific evidence, but I offer you my theories for such conventional medical ignorance:

    • The symptoms of Candidiasis are widespread and can mimic many other diseases. There is no definitive lab test that confirms the disease. This makes correct diagnosis difficult.
    • Some “holistic” practitioners diagnose everything as Candidiasis, thereby missing other important diagnoses. This has given the problem of Candidiasis a “pop diagnosis” reputation among many physicians. As a result, non-holistic doctors are then reluctant to recognize true cases of Candidiasis.
    • One of the primary causes of Candidiasis is the overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics, steroids, birth control pills and other drugs. To acknowledge Candidiasis as a disease is to also acknowledge a problem often caused by drugs!

    Hope this helps!
    In health,
    Dr. Myatt

  • Low Carb Lies

    Low Carb Lies

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    Hi All Fellow Low-Carb / Ketone Zone Dieters:

     

    It is the “dream” of most Ketone Zone dieters to replace high-carb foods like breads and pastas with low carb, or low effective carb, foods. Manufacturers know this and so they pander to our carb cravings.

    As a result, there are a number of fake and “pseudo low-carb” foods available. Low-carb dieters beware!

    []First, two important facts you should know:

    1.) The government (FDA) requires a “nutrition facts box” (label) on all foods. Such required labeling looks like the example to the right:

    2.) No government agency including the FDA verifies the accuracy of these nutrition labels.

    Does anyone see a problem with this besides me?

    Food producers must list a nutrition facts box but nobody checks the facts?

    That’s as crazy as depending on Big Pharma’s own studies, without independent (outside) verification before drugs are approved.

    Yet both are true.

    Low carb claims aren’t regulated by any government agency. There are many definitions of what counts as a carbohydrate for the purpose of a low-carb diet.

    There is “absolute carbs” (my term) which is the total number of carbs listed in the nutrition facts box.

    But some carbs, like psyllium, flax seed, etc. have a high indigestible fiber component. They don’t have much, if any, impact on blood sugar or insulin levels. So various diet authors have devised additional definitions of what constitutes a carbohydrate.

    The Dr. Myatt definition of carbs is “effective carbs” (as described above) which is total carbs (absolute carbs) minus fiber. ONLY fiber.

    There is the Atkins definition of “net carbs” (absolute carbs minus fiber, sugar alcohols and a bunch of other exceptions) and various other “how to count carbs” ideas. As such, you won’t find these numbers inside the nutrition facts box; they will be “outside the box” (all puns intended), elsewhere on the label.

    So… “net carbs” and other definitions are whatever the product manufacturer claims they are.

    Furthermore, even the Myatt definition (absolute carbs minus fiber, which is the most strict of the ways to count carbs that impact sugar levels definitions), is subject to error. That is because some manufacturers “claim” a fiber count that is felonious. Again, no government agency verifies or oversees the accuracy of these “facts boxes.”

    Many examples of so-called “low carb” products actually raise blood sugars in all of the patients I’ve seen and myself included FAR beyond what their “label claim” would lead one to believe. In addition to my own experiments and patient observations, I have also included links to others who have tested the “net carb” count with real-life experiments.

    Two examples of this effect (only two of many – I’m not picking on these two in particular!) are:

    Dreamfields pasta:
    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/dreamfields-president-mike-crowley-we-stand-behind-the-nutritional-claims-of-our-product/10785
    and
    Julian Bakery Bread:
    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/jimmy-moore’s-n1-experiments-julian-bakery-smartcarb-breads/10900
    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/jimmy-moore%E2%80%99s-n1-experiments-retesting-julian-bakery-smartcarb-breads-alone/11059

    What to do?

    1.) Use “real food” (not pre-packaged products, which often contain a bunch of chemicals anyway). “Real food” nutrition data is more highly verified than packaged product claims.

    2.) Use a website like www.nutritiondata.com to look up the nutrition data for any given food. These data are taken from USDA food tables and are much more accurate than manufacturer claims.

    3.) Verify. If you are on a low carb or ketogenic diet, test the effect of any questionable food by measuring your ketones and/or blood sugar levels.

    4.) Look for The Ketone Zone Diet Phase I: Super Fast, out in ebook form in a few days, if you want to jump-start your 2012 weight loss / health rejuvenation plans.

  • Monolaurin: Miracle for the Immune System?

    Could This Be The Newest Breakthrough For Improving Immunity?

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Hardly a day goes by without breathless news reports telling us in glowing terms about the latest breakthrough in the fight against disease or against ageing. We know; we get them all – in our email, in magazines, in newsletters.

    One major glossy “natural health” magazine is a perfect example – each month it presents us with a plethora of articles, all describing the newest medical and scientific breakthroughs. Interestingly, each of these articles is invariably followed by multi-page advertisements for whatever “breakthrough” supplement the preceding article discussed…

    We can understand the interest that these articles generate – they certainly sound marvelously scientific and well-researched, and the reader can hardly help but to want to try the new miracle product.

    Fortunately, many of our readers get a “sober second opinion” before investing their hard-earned money in the “Break-Through du Jour” – they ask Doctor Myatt.

    David recently wrote to ask about a substance being touted to improve immunity:

     

    Subject: monolaurin
    Message: Wondering if you have any thoughts on the supplement monolaurin especially Lauricidin (brand) vis immune function? 
    Thank you

     

    Dr. Myatt offered this information to David:

     

    Hi David:

    Monolaurin (lauric acid) is a fatty acid found in coconut and human milk.

    It has antimicrobial properties in vitro (test tube). It is currently used as a food preservative.

    I can find no credible or significant human studies to show that it works in vivo (in people) the same way it works in a test tube or outside the body. I also find no proof that it has any positive effect on the immune system.

    There are many substances that are far more well-researched to improve immunity. There are also many substances better proven for their anti-microbial effects.

    Therefor, I do not yet use this substance in clinical practice and reserve judgement until I see some good studies which confirm its efficacy.

    Hope this helps!
    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

     

    So, there we have it: Another “breakthrough” waiting to be actually proven to be as wonderful as the advertising copy that has been written to sell it.

    That is not to say that lauric acid is without merit – it is found also in Coconut Oil which has many proven health benefits, including immune system activation from the medium chain triglycerides (MTC’s) found in it.

    Dr. Myatt does not believe that the “magic” is all about the concentrated lauric acid that is being marketed as a supplement though – like many herbs and supplements, the “magic” is in the synergy of the many other additional components found in coconut oil.

    Isolating and concentrating the lauric acid appears (for now) to be little more than an attempt to take a page from the Big Pharma Playbook – creating something new, not really found in nature, and,most importantly, not available anywhere else. Also from the Big Pharma Playbook is the marketing which suggests it to be a “one-pill solution” for any number of health concerns – including immunity.

    Dr. Myatt does believe that Coconut Oil is an important addition to the diet, and she has done the research to back up that belief. She uses it herself for cooking and in recipes and offers it to her patients and customers – you can learn more about Coconut Oil here.

    Anyone interested in immune system support and immune enhancement would do well to check into Dr. Myatt’s Immune Support –  a daily immune-supporting supplement with scientifically researched and proven ingredients.

    Did you know that Dr. Myatt makes a bold – some say crazy – guarantee to those who use her Immune Support and Maxi Multi Daily Optimal Dose Multiple Vitamins? She actually guarantees (money-back!) that folks faithfully taking both those supplements won’t get the flu!

    Learn more about Immune Support and it’s fully medically and scientifically referenced benefits here.

    Learn more about Dr. Myatt’s Crazy “No Flu For You” Guarantee here.

    Learn more about Maxi Multi Daily Optimal Dose Multiple Vitamins here.