Posted on: March 18, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Growing health threat at hospitals

When you are hospitalized, you may encounter a variety of threats to your health, including the possibility of an infection or being victimized by a medical blunder. And now researchers at Brown University are alarmed about another danger. According to the researchers, hospital security around the country is inadequate. On an average of more than once a month, someone enters a hospital with a firearm and shoots one or more…

Posted on: March 18, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Less sugar, more health

I’ve written to you many times about the negative effects of high-fructose corn syrup. And I have to apologize for bringing it up again but the huge agriculture companies are pushing it on us even more, and the mainstream seems bent on defending it. The HFCS industry is still on a mission to convince people that corn syrup and table sugar are comparable. Yet today, we have even more evidence…

Posted on: March 17, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

What’s worse for your blood sugar than being overweight?

Blood sugar problems, which often lead to diabetes, afflict millions of Americans. Being overweight increases your risk, but a particular nutrient deficiency is even more dangerous. A study in Spain shows that lacking vitamin D expands your chances of developing diabetes even more than being drastically overweight. In addition, research shows, when you are low in vitamin D you are also more likely to be obese. Vitamin D is a…

Posted on: March 17, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Natural liver relief

Fat accumulation in the liver has become a widespread health menace among Americans, especially older women. But a study shows that the right foods and their beneficial phytonutrients may help ease the condition. The researchers who focused on how to help restrict fat from accumulating in the liver, note that women going through menopause frequently experience weight problems linked to a decline in estrogen. But the weight-loss supplements they turn…

Posted on: March 17, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

How to survive and thrive with food allergies

A few years ago, I had a patient come to my clinic who said she was experiencing some rather serious headaches. We were able to determine that they weren’t migraines, but I was still concerned for her. At my integrative health center, one of the things we do for almost all new patients is a thorough food sensitivity screening. Sure enough, one of the foods she loved the most, celery,…

Posted on: March 17, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Television’s effects on kids’ hearts

There are lots of reasons to limit how much TV kids can watch. What extended TV watching does to a young cardiovascular system is one of them. A study by researchers in Spain and Brazil show that when children watch more than two hours a day of TV, it increases their risk of high blood pressure by 30 percent. The same study shows that for kids who get less than…

Posted on: March 16, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

In the kitchen with Kelley: Sautéed chicken

This happens a lot around my house. I’ll work all day long, maybe run an errand or two after work and then head to a soccer game. By the time I get home, I am completely wiped out and the last thing I want to do is cook. I will admit that as recently as last year, I would very likely get pizza or hamburgers on the way home and…

Posted on: March 16, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

The vitamin D link to defeating disease

I was speaking with my mother recently and she said her doctor told her she had too much calcium in her blood. This was a little disturbing, as elevated calcium can lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction, kidney stones, and even heart attacks in women. My first question for her was, “What was your baseline vitamin D level (before starting supplementation) and how high is it now?” She said, “My doctor has…

Posted on: March 16, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Beware the food additive that attacks the digestive tract

Our penchant for processed food supplies us with many calories but few nutrients. And now a study led by researchers at Georgia State University shows that a common ingredient in supermarket food may be adding to our health worries. Emulsifiers like lecithin often are added to foods to make their texture chewier and to help prevent spoilage. But an investigation of their intestinal effects shows they can eliminate beneficial probiotic…

Posted on: March 16, 2015 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

There may be cancer in your breakfast cereal

Lab tests of a breakfast cereal that is supposed to boost heart health has unveiled a toxic secret: It may be contaminated with a mold that has been connected with kidney cancer. Oats and oat cereal have been promoted as healthy foods because they allegedly protect the cardiovascular system. But researchers at the University of Idaho warn that more attention needs to be paid to the possibility of that oat-based…