Between 1990 and 2015, cancer death rates in the US have declined by about 25%. That's a big number and certainly very welcome news. The decline was seen across the board but most notable for lung, breast, prostate and colon cancers.
According to CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the reasons for this decline in death rates are advances in early detection and diagnosis, improved treatment options and changes in lifestyle and lower smoking rates.
While the specific impact varies with the type of cancer, "lifestyle factors including smoking, the typical high-fat, refined-sugar diet and physical inactivity account for the majority of cancer", according to the National Institutes for Health. The majority of cancers. Last I checked, most of us have 100% control over what we eat and whether or not we smoke. Maybe we should exercise it.
26 April 2019
23 April 2019
Five Popular Coffee Myths
In the USA, 64% of everyone age 18 and over drink at least one cup of coffee a day. That makes it big business. In 2016, the worldwide coffee market had revenue of just over $100B, representing consumption of 500 billion cups of coffee every year. As a commodity, the value of coffee is second only to petroleum. Unsurprisingly, this leads to an enormous amount of marketing misinformation and urban legend around the ubiquitous beverage.
Here are 5 popular things we all know about coffee that just ain't so.
1. Dark roast coffee has more caffeine than lighter roasts.
All coffee contains the same amount of caffeine by weight. By
volume - the way most of us measure our coffee - darker roasts
actually have a lower caffeine content than more lightly roasted
beans.
2. Dark roasted beans have a richer, more complex flavor than
lighter roasts.
According to coffee expert and blogger Denver Wilkenson, "When
it comes to the roast of your coffee, while a great deal of it simply
has to do with personal taste, don’t believe mass marketing that
says the dark roast is the ultimate expression of quality coffee.
It’s not. Dark roast simply means that the coffee bean has been
roasted to a higher temperature and typically for a longer period
of time. This causes all of the flavor molecules stored within the
coffee beans-both the good and bad flavors-to be burnt away. By
roasting so dark, the end consumer (you) can’t tell whether it’s a
good bean or a bad bean because all the natural flavors have
been turned to charcoal.
This is not to say that dark roasts are worse that light. But the
fact is that worldwide, only about 10% of coffee beans produced
are of "excellent" quality. The other 90% are good, average or
poor. Dark roasting disguises this inconvenient fact while
marketing converts it into a benefit. So it goes.
3. Decaf is bad for you.
This myth arises because when decaffeinated coffee was first
developed the caffeine was chemically removed using benzene,
a petrochemical now known to be carcinogenic. This is no
longer the case. Manufacturers now use water, methylene
chloride and ethyl acetate in vastly smaller amounts.
4. Coffee is bad for your heart.
While unsure what the exact mechanism of action may be,
recent reviews of multiple studies of coffee consumption have
reached the exact opposite conclusion. Otherwise healthy
people who consume a moderate amount of coffee - 3 to 5
cups a day - have a 15% lower risk of a cardiovascular event
than non-coffee drinkers.
5. Coffee will help you lose weight.
The idea that caffeine aids in weight loss comes mostly from
(surprise!) manufacturers of weight loss supplements. There
are no independent clinical studies that show any relationship
at all between weight loss and caffeine (let alone coffee)
consumption.
The takeaway? Consumed in moderate amounts, coffee is not bad for you and in fact may have some small health benefits. Dark or light roast, regular or decaf seems to make no difference, so choose the kind you like and enjoy it.
Here are 5 popular things we all know about coffee that just ain't so.
1. Dark roast coffee has more caffeine than lighter roasts.
All coffee contains the same amount of caffeine by weight. By
volume - the way most of us measure our coffee - darker roasts
actually have a lower caffeine content than more lightly roasted
beans.
2. Dark roasted beans have a richer, more complex flavor than
lighter roasts.
According to coffee expert and blogger Denver Wilkenson, "When
it comes to the roast of your coffee, while a great deal of it simply
has to do with personal taste, don’t believe mass marketing that
says the dark roast is the ultimate expression of quality coffee.
It’s not. Dark roast simply means that the coffee bean has been
roasted to a higher temperature and typically for a longer period
of time. This causes all of the flavor molecules stored within the
coffee beans-both the good and bad flavors-to be burnt away. By
roasting so dark, the end consumer (you) can’t tell whether it’s a
good bean or a bad bean because all the natural flavors have
been turned to charcoal.
This is not to say that dark roasts are worse that light. But the
fact is that worldwide, only about 10% of coffee beans produced
are of "excellent" quality. The other 90% are good, average or
poor. Dark roasting disguises this inconvenient fact while
marketing converts it into a benefit. So it goes.
3. Decaf is bad for you.
This myth arises because when decaffeinated coffee was first
developed the caffeine was chemically removed using benzene,
a petrochemical now known to be carcinogenic. This is no
longer the case. Manufacturers now use water, methylene
chloride and ethyl acetate in vastly smaller amounts.
4. Coffee is bad for your heart.
While unsure what the exact mechanism of action may be,
recent reviews of multiple studies of coffee consumption have
reached the exact opposite conclusion. Otherwise healthy
people who consume a moderate amount of coffee - 3 to 5
cups a day - have a 15% lower risk of a cardiovascular event
than non-coffee drinkers.
5. Coffee will help you lose weight.
The idea that caffeine aids in weight loss comes mostly from
(surprise!) manufacturers of weight loss supplements. There
are no independent clinical studies that show any relationship
at all between weight loss and caffeine (let alone coffee)
consumption.
The takeaway? Consumed in moderate amounts, coffee is not bad for you and in fact may have some small health benefits. Dark or light roast, regular or decaf seems to make no difference, so choose the kind you like and enjoy it.
11 April 2019
5 Painless Ways to Cut Back on Sodium
Most of us struggle to keep our daily consumption of sodium within the recommended 2,300mg. According to the CDC, the average American is getting 3,136mg daily and a large part of the problem is that most of that - 71% - does not come from our salt shakers. It is mostly hidden away in the prepared foods and restaurant meals that we eat.
Even if you take pains to choose healthy foods, this hidden sodium can add up pretty quickly. Bread and baked goods, canned foods, salad dressings and many other regularly consumed foods contain far more sodium than we imagine.
Here are 5 steps that you can take to cut back without resigning yourself to bland, tasteless meals.
1. Cut back gradually, not all at once.
Start switching to lower sodium versions of the products you
already use, and adding just a but less salt to your meals. You
may not even notice and, if you do, your taste will adjust
surprisingly quickly. Example: I am a big V-8 fan. When I made
the switch to the "low sodium" version, it tasted a little flat and
watery. But within 2 weeks it tasted fine. Now if I try the regular
version, it tastes like sea water it is so salty. Start slow and as
your taste adjusts, cut back a little more.
2. Learn the language.
Food labeling is designed to confuse and mislead you. Learn the
language so that you know what you are getting. Read the
nutrition facts label, and remember that everything is listed "per
serving" so check the serving size. Here is how to decode the
marketing babble.
"Low Sodium" means a serving contains 140mg or less of
sodium.
"Salt/Sodium Free" means less than 5mg per serving.
"No Salt Added" means just that. None was added during
processing. It does not mean the product contains no sodium.
"Reduced Sodium" means there is 25% - 50% less sodium than
is found in the regular product. So a canned soup that may
have 800mg of sodium will still be providing 400mg to 600mg
in its "reduced" version.
3. Compare options.
It pays to compare sodium content across - and even within -
brands. It can vary by as much as 100%.
4. Rinse canned foods.
Yes, rinse them. Canned beans and vegetables can be very
high in sodium. By rinsing them in a colander under water
you can reduce the sodium constant by as much as 40%.
Obviously this is a poor strategy for soups and sauces.
5. Don't use any salt in cooking.
Instead of adding salt for flavor, try different herbs and
spices. Garlic, oregano, basil, dried peppers, curries,
turmeric and cumin all add a lot of flavor with no sodium.
If you sometimes think that markets and food companies deliberately try to mislead you, that is because they do. But with a little knowledge and a little effort, you outsmart them. Remember, its your health, not theirs.
Even if you take pains to choose healthy foods, this hidden sodium can add up pretty quickly. Bread and baked goods, canned foods, salad dressings and many other regularly consumed foods contain far more sodium than we imagine.
Here are 5 steps that you can take to cut back without resigning yourself to bland, tasteless meals.
1. Cut back gradually, not all at once.
Start switching to lower sodium versions of the products you
already use, and adding just a but less salt to your meals. You
may not even notice and, if you do, your taste will adjust
surprisingly quickly. Example: I am a big V-8 fan. When I made
the switch to the "low sodium" version, it tasted a little flat and
watery. But within 2 weeks it tasted fine. Now if I try the regular
version, it tastes like sea water it is so salty. Start slow and as
your taste adjusts, cut back a little more.
2. Learn the language.
Food labeling is designed to confuse and mislead you. Learn the
language so that you know what you are getting. Read the
nutrition facts label, and remember that everything is listed "per
serving" so check the serving size. Here is how to decode the
marketing babble.
"Low Sodium" means a serving contains 140mg or less of
sodium.
"Salt/Sodium Free" means less than 5mg per serving.
"No Salt Added" means just that. None was added during
processing. It does not mean the product contains no sodium.
"Reduced Sodium" means there is 25% - 50% less sodium than
is found in the regular product. So a canned soup that may
have 800mg of sodium will still be providing 400mg to 600mg
in its "reduced" version.
3. Compare options.
It pays to compare sodium content across - and even within -
brands. It can vary by as much as 100%.
4. Rinse canned foods.
Yes, rinse them. Canned beans and vegetables can be very
high in sodium. By rinsing them in a colander under water
you can reduce the sodium constant by as much as 40%.
Obviously this is a poor strategy for soups and sauces.
5. Don't use any salt in cooking.
Instead of adding salt for flavor, try different herbs and
spices. Garlic, oregano, basil, dried peppers, curries,
turmeric and cumin all add a lot of flavor with no sodium.
If you sometimes think that markets and food companies deliberately try to mislead you, that is because they do. But with a little knowledge and a little effort, you outsmart them. Remember, its your health, not theirs.
25 March 2019
Fiber, Fiber Everywhere and What Are We to Think?
Fiber is everywhere these days. You can't walk down a supermarket aisle without "High Fiber!", "Improves digestion!" or "100% MDR of Fiber!" shouting at you from every shelf. And its no longer just cereals either. Yogurt, ice cream, bread, pastries, cookies and even candy now all boast about their fiber content. Is it fact? Or food industry fiction?
What is fiber anyway? And why does it matter?
"Fiber is a group of indigestible carbohydrates than are not broken down - digested - in the stomach or small intestine," says Nicola McKeown, a nutrition scientist at Tufts University near Boston. Among its many health benefits adequate fiber improves digestion, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, helps regulate fluctuations in blood sugar and helps us loose weight. The recommended daily fiber intake is 38g for men and 25g for women. The typical American gets about 15g per day. Supplements and fiber added to foods seem like a good way to close the gap. But are they?
A 2002 National Academy of Sciences study grouped nutritional fiber into two broad categories: Intact and Processed. Intact fiber is that found in fruits, whole grains, vegetables and plants. Processed fiber is extracted from plants or formulated in a laboratory. Under current labeling rules, either type of fiber is listed as just "fiber".
Not all fiber is alike, nor does all fiber have the same health benefits. "They (fibers) don't all do the same thing," explains McKeown, "any more than all vitamins or minerals do the same thing."
With intact fibers this is generally not an issue because fruits, beans, whole grains and vegetables all contain a mixture of different fibers. With processed fibers that is not the case. "Some may have no health benefits at all," says McKeown. "Food producers add fiber for a variety of reasons, and that sometimes gives the food a health halo."
A more useful breakdown of fibers is insoluble, soluble, viscous and fermentable.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, and it isn't broken down by the gut and absorbed into the bloodstream. It adds bulk to waste in the digestive system, which helps keep you regular and prevent constipation (as well as any related problems, like hemorrhoids).
Soluble fiber, on the other hand, will dissolve in water and so can enter the bloodstream. It helps control blood sugar and lower cholesterol.
Viscous fiber absorbs water to form a gel-like substance inside the digestive system. It helps soften stool so it can slide through the GI tract more easily and it also binds to substances like cholesterol and sugar, preventing or slowing their absorption into the blood. It may also boost the population of good bacteria in the gut, which is linked to improved immunity and anti-inflammatory effects.
Fermentable fiber is broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. (Think gas.) This promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, aids in the absorption of certain minerals and lowers acidity.
Most processed fibers are soluble, non-viscous and fermentable. As such they are the least likely to provide any significant health benefits.
So where does this leave the person who just wants to eat a healthy diet? Health experts set dietary fiber targets assuming the consumption of fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains that all contain a mix of different fibers, not on cookies and candy to which a single processed fiber may have been added as an afterthought.
So your first line of defense is to get enough dietary fiber from various plant sources. If you do choose to supplement (I do) make sure you know what you are getting. If the label makes it confusing, difficult or impossible to figure it out, be suspicious and try something else.
What is fiber anyway? And why does it matter?
"Fiber is a group of indigestible carbohydrates than are not broken down - digested - in the stomach or small intestine," says Nicola McKeown, a nutrition scientist at Tufts University near Boston. Among its many health benefits adequate fiber improves digestion, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, helps regulate fluctuations in blood sugar and helps us loose weight. The recommended daily fiber intake is 38g for men and 25g for women. The typical American gets about 15g per day. Supplements and fiber added to foods seem like a good way to close the gap. But are they?
A 2002 National Academy of Sciences study grouped nutritional fiber into two broad categories: Intact and Processed. Intact fiber is that found in fruits, whole grains, vegetables and plants. Processed fiber is extracted from plants or formulated in a laboratory. Under current labeling rules, either type of fiber is listed as just "fiber".
Not all fiber is alike, nor does all fiber have the same health benefits. "They (fibers) don't all do the same thing," explains McKeown, "any more than all vitamins or minerals do the same thing."
With intact fibers this is generally not an issue because fruits, beans, whole grains and vegetables all contain a mixture of different fibers. With processed fibers that is not the case. "Some may have no health benefits at all," says McKeown. "Food producers add fiber for a variety of reasons, and that sometimes gives the food a health halo."
A more useful breakdown of fibers is insoluble, soluble, viscous and fermentable.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, and it isn't broken down by the gut and absorbed into the bloodstream. It adds bulk to waste in the digestive system, which helps keep you regular and prevent constipation (as well as any related problems, like hemorrhoids).
Soluble fiber, on the other hand, will dissolve in water and so can enter the bloodstream. It helps control blood sugar and lower cholesterol.
Viscous fiber absorbs water to form a gel-like substance inside the digestive system. It helps soften stool so it can slide through the GI tract more easily and it also binds to substances like cholesterol and sugar, preventing or slowing their absorption into the blood. It may also boost the population of good bacteria in the gut, which is linked to improved immunity and anti-inflammatory effects.
Fermentable fiber is broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. (Think gas.) This promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, aids in the absorption of certain minerals and lowers acidity.
Most processed fibers are soluble, non-viscous and fermentable. As such they are the least likely to provide any significant health benefits.
So where does this leave the person who just wants to eat a healthy diet? Health experts set dietary fiber targets assuming the consumption of fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains that all contain a mix of different fibers, not on cookies and candy to which a single processed fiber may have been added as an afterthought.
So your first line of defense is to get enough dietary fiber from various plant sources. If you do choose to supplement (I do) make sure you know what you are getting. If the label makes it confusing, difficult or impossible to figure it out, be suspicious and try something else.
15 January 2019
Don't Worry Though, Climate Change is Just a Theory
I spend most of my time here talking about our individual, personal health and well being. But what good is that if we make our planet sick?
"Our planet is rapidly changing, and what we are witnessing is unlike anything that has occurred in human, or even geological, history. The heat-trapping nature of CO2 and methane, both greenhouse gases, has been scientific fact for decades, and according to NASA, “no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response”. Evidence shows that greenhouse gas emissions are causing the Earth to warm 10 times faster than it should, and the ramifications of this are being felt, quite literally, throughout the entire biosphere.
Oceans are warming at unprecedented rates, droughts and wildfires of increasing severity and frequency are altering forests around the globe, and the Earth’s cryosphere – the parts of the Earth so cold that water is frozen into ice or snow – is melting at an ever-accelerating rate. The subsea permafrost in the Arctic is thawing, and we could experience a methane “burp” of previously trapped gas at any moment, causing the equivalent of several times the total amount of CO2 humans have emitted to be released into the atmosphere. The results would be catastrophic.
Climate disruption also brings with it extreme weather such as hurricanes and floods. For instance, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to an increase in the frequency of severe major rain events, such as Hurricane Harvey over Houston in summer 2017, which dropped so much rain that the weight of the water actually caused the Earth’s crust to sink by 2cm.
Earth has not seen current atmospheric CO2 levels since the Pliocene epoch, some 3m years ago. Three-quarters of that CO2 will still be here in 500 years. It takes a decade to experience the full warming effects of CO2 emissions. Even if we stopped all greenhouse gas emissions, it would take another 25,000 years for most of what is currently in the atmosphere to be absorbed into the oceans.
Climate disruption is progressing faster than ever, and faster than predicted. Seventeen of the 18 hottest years ever recorded have occurred since 2001. The distress signals from our overheated planet are all around us, with reports, studies and warnings increasing daily. Worst-case prediction made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about the rise in temperatures, extreme weather, sea levels and CO2 levels in the atmosphere have fallen short of reality. Countless glaciers, rivers, lakes, forests and species are already vanishing at a pace never seen before, and all of this from increasing the global mean temperature by “only” 1C above the preindustrial baseline. Some scientists predict it could rise by as much as 10C by 2100. A study led by James Hansen, the former director of Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, warned that the rise we have seen so far has already caused unstoppable melting in both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
Mountaineering in today’s climate-disrupted world is a vastly different endeavour from what it used to be. Glaciers are vanishing before our eyes, having shrunk to the lowest levels ever recorded, and are now melting faster than ever. Seventy per cent of the glaciers in western Canada are projected to be gone by 2100. Montana’s Glacier National Park will most likely not have any active glaciers by 2030. The Matanuska Glacier’s ancient ice is already rapidly vanishing. Dramatic changes are occurring even in the planet’s highest and coldest places. Even Mount Everest is transforming, as thousands of glaciers across the Himalayas are likely to shrink by up to 99% by 2100. A child born today will see an Everest largely free of glaciers within their lifetime."
- Dahr Jamail, Reporter
"Our planet is rapidly changing, and what we are witnessing is unlike anything that has occurred in human, or even geological, history. The heat-trapping nature of CO2 and methane, both greenhouse gases, has been scientific fact for decades, and according to NASA, “no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response”. Evidence shows that greenhouse gas emissions are causing the Earth to warm 10 times faster than it should, and the ramifications of this are being felt, quite literally, throughout the entire biosphere.
Oceans are warming at unprecedented rates, droughts and wildfires of increasing severity and frequency are altering forests around the globe, and the Earth’s cryosphere – the parts of the Earth so cold that water is frozen into ice or snow – is melting at an ever-accelerating rate. The subsea permafrost in the Arctic is thawing, and we could experience a methane “burp” of previously trapped gas at any moment, causing the equivalent of several times the total amount of CO2 humans have emitted to be released into the atmosphere. The results would be catastrophic.
Climate disruption also brings with it extreme weather such as hurricanes and floods. For instance, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to an increase in the frequency of severe major rain events, such as Hurricane Harvey over Houston in summer 2017, which dropped so much rain that the weight of the water actually caused the Earth’s crust to sink by 2cm.
Earth has not seen current atmospheric CO2 levels since the Pliocene epoch, some 3m years ago. Three-quarters of that CO2 will still be here in 500 years. It takes a decade to experience the full warming effects of CO2 emissions. Even if we stopped all greenhouse gas emissions, it would take another 25,000 years for most of what is currently in the atmosphere to be absorbed into the oceans.
Climate disruption is progressing faster than ever, and faster than predicted. Seventeen of the 18 hottest years ever recorded have occurred since 2001. The distress signals from our overheated planet are all around us, with reports, studies and warnings increasing daily. Worst-case prediction made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about the rise in temperatures, extreme weather, sea levels and CO2 levels in the atmosphere have fallen short of reality. Countless glaciers, rivers, lakes, forests and species are already vanishing at a pace never seen before, and all of this from increasing the global mean temperature by “only” 1C above the preindustrial baseline. Some scientists predict it could rise by as much as 10C by 2100. A study led by James Hansen, the former director of Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, warned that the rise we have seen so far has already caused unstoppable melting in both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
Mountaineering in today’s climate-disrupted world is a vastly different endeavour from what it used to be. Glaciers are vanishing before our eyes, having shrunk to the lowest levels ever recorded, and are now melting faster than ever. Seventy per cent of the glaciers in western Canada are projected to be gone by 2100. Montana’s Glacier National Park will most likely not have any active glaciers by 2030. The Matanuska Glacier’s ancient ice is already rapidly vanishing. Dramatic changes are occurring even in the planet’s highest and coldest places. Even Mount Everest is transforming, as thousands of glaciers across the Himalayas are likely to shrink by up to 99% by 2100. A child born today will see an Everest largely free of glaciers within their lifetime."
- Dahr Jamail, Reporter
07 January 2019
TV Drug Ads: Caveat Emptor
Television ads for prescription drugs - you know the ones: happy people living full active lives because they take some pill and then all the warnings read in 3 seconds at the end - are so ubiquitous and silly that they are increasingly the butt of jokes. But suppose the commercial addresses a health concern that you deal with or are concerned about? Can you rely on what you are being told by Big Pharma's Big Marketing department?
The first thing to remember is that there is very little education in a TV drug ad. They are not designed to give you the facts but to appeal to your emotions and motivate you to go and ask your doctor to prescribe their drug for you. Companies are required by law to disclose risks and side effects associated with the drug. But they cram the disclosure in at the end and read it so fast that does anyone ever really hear it? Not only that, but the amount of time devoted to disclosing these issues has dropped from 26% to 16% since 2016. In other words, you are given almost no opportunity to hear and understand the risks, let alone remember them. And this is deliberate.
Here are some things that you can do to protect yourself from this misleading and deceptive advertising:
Be Very, Very Skeptical
The legal risk of outright lies is probably enough to ensure that these commercials contain none. But remember there is an entire industry devoted to manipulating your desires and emotions and these ads do so powerfully. Pay attention and be especially aware of whether you are being given facts or just watching happy people being happy. At best these ads only offer some of the information you would need to make a good choice for yourself.
Do Your Own Research
Don't rely on the information presented in a commercial to guide your decision. Look into it yourself and use a more reliable source than a pharmaceutical company's marketing department. A good place to begin is on the National Institutes of Health's drug information page: DrugInfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal .
Enlist Your Doctor and/or Pharmacist
In order to pay the enormous cost of television advertising, most drug companies have cut back on the number of direct sales reps and educational support that they provide to doctors. Some doctors may have little more information than the same TV commercial you saw. Still your doctor is familiar with your health condition and is in a position to provide you with additional information and advice.
Don't forget about your pharmacist. He or she is an expert on drugs and is far more likely than your doctor to be up to date on the latest developments in pharmacy, as well as any potential risks, side effects or interactions with drugs you may already be taking. Ask. Few do and the pharmacist is very happy to help.
And don't lose sight of this very important consideration - your diet, exercise routines and emotional health can often make a bigger difference, more safely, than any drug. Don't expect a TV drug commercial to highlight this inconvenient fact.
The first thing to remember is that there is very little education in a TV drug ad. They are not designed to give you the facts but to appeal to your emotions and motivate you to go and ask your doctor to prescribe their drug for you. Companies are required by law to disclose risks and side effects associated with the drug. But they cram the disclosure in at the end and read it so fast that does anyone ever really hear it? Not only that, but the amount of time devoted to disclosing these issues has dropped from 26% to 16% since 2016. In other words, you are given almost no opportunity to hear and understand the risks, let alone remember them. And this is deliberate.
Here are some things that you can do to protect yourself from this misleading and deceptive advertising:
Be Very, Very Skeptical
The legal risk of outright lies is probably enough to ensure that these commercials contain none. But remember there is an entire industry devoted to manipulating your desires and emotions and these ads do so powerfully. Pay attention and be especially aware of whether you are being given facts or just watching happy people being happy. At best these ads only offer some of the information you would need to make a good choice for yourself.
Do Your Own Research
Don't rely on the information presented in a commercial to guide your decision. Look into it yourself and use a more reliable source than a pharmaceutical company's marketing department. A good place to begin is on the National Institutes of Health's drug information page: DrugInfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal .
Enlist Your Doctor and/or Pharmacist
In order to pay the enormous cost of television advertising, most drug companies have cut back on the number of direct sales reps and educational support that they provide to doctors. Some doctors may have little more information than the same TV commercial you saw. Still your doctor is familiar with your health condition and is in a position to provide you with additional information and advice.
Don't forget about your pharmacist. He or she is an expert on drugs and is far more likely than your doctor to be up to date on the latest developments in pharmacy, as well as any potential risks, side effects or interactions with drugs you may already be taking. Ask. Few do and the pharmacist is very happy to help.
And don't lose sight of this very important consideration - your diet, exercise routines and emotional health can often make a bigger difference, more safely, than any drug. Don't expect a TV drug commercial to highlight this inconvenient fact.
02 January 2019
Welcome to 2019
Hard as it may be to believe, another year has gotten behind us and taken its place in history. This is the time of year when we all become like the Roman God Janus, looking forward and backward at the same time. Considering our accomplishments, seeing where we fell short and making our heartfelt resolutions for where and how we will do better in the year to come.
I once heard Tony Robbins speak about New Year's resolutions. It is pretty clear that he is not a fan. The calendar, he said, makes every new year seem like a new start, but its not. We are exactly the same person on January 1st as we were on December 31st. Nothing much changes, because we do not change much.
Here is what he suggests you do if you really want to change something in your life, whether on New Year's Day or any other day of the year that you are ready to get serious about it.
1. Choose an area of your life (just one) where you truly want to make a change. Be honest with yourself. You have to really want to change in this area, not simply think that you should. Describe (writing it down is best) exactly what that area of your life is like for you now. No one else is going to see this, so be 100% honest.
2. Write a list of the habits, routines and rituals that you have that are shaping the current conditions in this area for you. Give this part some thought, it is important.
3. Write down exactly what it is that you want to be different. Be very specific. This should be an emotionally engaging vision of what you want this area of your life to be like. How it WILL be for you. Why do you want it? How will your life be different when you have it?
4. Now write down the new habits, routines and rituals that, if you incorporate them into you life, cannot help but create the changes and bring about the results that you want. What, exactly, do you need to do differently EVERY day in order to have what you want?
5. Begin incorporating these new habits into your day. This is where the work is. It will not be easy. That is an understatement. Your old routines and rituals will not give up easily and they have great power over you. Start small, with a few new rituals, and stay with them no matter what. Your momentum will build with each success and you can add more later.
The only resolution that you need for the new year is to act with integrity. To keep your word. Every time. Without exception. You CAN change your life. Or just those parts of it that you want to change. Your health, your career, your relationships, your happiness, your outlook. But to do so you simply MUST be able to depend on yourself. Your word must be your non-negotiable principle.
For me, I am committing to being a person of my word for 2019. That is it. Just that. I may not say that I will do something and that's fine. But if I do say that I will complete some task, be at some event, show up somewhere at a certain time, then I am going to do that. No more excuses for me. If I say it, I mean it.
I will keep you posted on how it goes.
I once heard Tony Robbins speak about New Year's resolutions. It is pretty clear that he is not a fan. The calendar, he said, makes every new year seem like a new start, but its not. We are exactly the same person on January 1st as we were on December 31st. Nothing much changes, because we do not change much.
Here is what he suggests you do if you really want to change something in your life, whether on New Year's Day or any other day of the year that you are ready to get serious about it.
1. Choose an area of your life (just one) where you truly want to make a change. Be honest with yourself. You have to really want to change in this area, not simply think that you should. Describe (writing it down is best) exactly what that area of your life is like for you now. No one else is going to see this, so be 100% honest.
2. Write a list of the habits, routines and rituals that you have that are shaping the current conditions in this area for you. Give this part some thought, it is important.
3. Write down exactly what it is that you want to be different. Be very specific. This should be an emotionally engaging vision of what you want this area of your life to be like. How it WILL be for you. Why do you want it? How will your life be different when you have it?
4. Now write down the new habits, routines and rituals that, if you incorporate them into you life, cannot help but create the changes and bring about the results that you want. What, exactly, do you need to do differently EVERY day in order to have what you want?
5. Begin incorporating these new habits into your day. This is where the work is. It will not be easy. That is an understatement. Your old routines and rituals will not give up easily and they have great power over you. Start small, with a few new rituals, and stay with them no matter what. Your momentum will build with each success and you can add more later.
The only resolution that you need for the new year is to act with integrity. To keep your word. Every time. Without exception. You CAN change your life. Or just those parts of it that you want to change. Your health, your career, your relationships, your happiness, your outlook. But to do so you simply MUST be able to depend on yourself. Your word must be your non-negotiable principle.
For me, I am committing to being a person of my word for 2019. That is it. Just that. I may not say that I will do something and that's fine. But if I do say that I will complete some task, be at some event, show up somewhere at a certain time, then I am going to do that. No more excuses for me. If I say it, I mean it.
I will keep you posted on how it goes.
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