The chemical imbalance myth: by Chris Kresser This is a wonderful article that Chris Kresser first published on his blog, The Healthy Skeptic, a little over a year ago. I linked to it at the time, but knowing that many people don’t follow links I asked him if I could republish it here and he graciously allowed me to share it. by Chris Kresser The chemical imbalance myth “A theory that is wrong is considered preferable to admitting our ignorance.” – Elliot Vallenstein, Ph.D. The idea that depression and other mental health conditions are caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain is so deeply ingrained in our psyche that it seems almost sacrilegious to question it. Direct-to-consumer-advertising (DCTA) campaigns, which have expanded the size of the antidepressant market (Donohue et al., 2004), revolve around the claim that SSRIs (the most popular class of antidepressants) alleviate depression by correcting a deficiency of serotonin in the brain. Other SSRI advertising campaigns make similar claims. It is, after all, a neat theory.
Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution Read The Book Online! Click the links below to jump to various excerpts from Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. Foreword by Frank Vinicor, M.D., M.P.H. Acknowledgments Before & After: 14 Patients Share Their Experiences Much of it in their own words, 14 of Dr. Chap. 1: Diabetes: The Basics Diabetes 101, including the difference between Type I and Type II diabetes. Chap. 2: Tests: A Baseline Measure of Your Disease and Risk Profile Chap. 3: Your Diabetic Tool Kit: Supplies You Will Need and Where to Get Them Chap. 4: How and When to Measure Blood Sugar Chap. 5: Recording Blood Sugar Data: Using the GLUCOGRAF II Data Sheet Chap. 6: Strange Biology: Phenomena Peculiar to Diabetes That Can Affect Blood Sugar Chap. 7: The Laws of Small Numbers Important physiologic and practical reasons why conventional attempts at blood sugar control just don't work. Chap. 16. Chap. 17. Appendix E: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Glossary Recipe Index General Index
EndoBarrier Treatment | National Obesity Surgery Centre Our Practice The National Obesity Surgery Centre (NOSC) is the leading provider of weight loss surgery and treatments in the United Kingdom. NOSC combines the power of fourteen of the UK’s finest hospitals with sixteen of the most skilled and experienced consultant surgeons in the country. Our experience is unrivalled, we offer numerous weight loss and diabetes treatment options (both surgical and non-surgical), and provide advanced technologies like the EndoBarrier® treatment for diabetes and weight loss. NOSC surgeons must meet our own documented standards of care insuring you receive the safest and highest level of care available. Learn More Type 2 DIABETES & WEIGHT LOSS The Dual Challenge UK residents living with type 2 diabetes are in a constant struggle to manage their health. Type 2 diabetes tends to get worse over time and can lead to serious health complications. Learn More About Endobarrier Introducing EndoBarrier® Therapy. Learn More
Is a high-carb diet ‘poison’ to diabetics? From The Times London, UK 17 July, 2012 Is a high-carb diet ‘poison’ to diabetics? John Naish The NHS teaches that carbs are a key part of a balanced diet. But shunning them might help patients reduce insulin injections When Martin Milton, 46, moved from London to New York last year, he saw an American doctor to get a fresh supply of insulin for his diabetes. The surprising fact is that Milton’s food regime had been taught to him on an NHS course. For healthy people with everyday food habits, the difference might sound like diet-faddism. Finding the right diet may help to contain Britain’s fast-growing diabetes epidemic. However, he never managed to control his blood-sugar levels consistently. Then, five years ago, specialists at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, invited him to a week-long NHS-funded diet course conducted by the diabetes patient education programme Dafne (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating). “I was told that I could eat what I wanted, so long as I counted the carbs on my plate.
Is Sugar Fattening? Buckle your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen-- we're going on a long ride through the scientific literature on sugar and body fatness. Some of the evidence will be surprising and challenging for many of you, as it was for me, but ultimately it paints a coherent and actionable picture.Introduction: What Exactly are Sugar and Starch? In this post, I'll be using the word 'sugar' to refer to three things: 1) sucrose, or table sugar, 2) high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and 3) fruit and honey sugars. Sucrose is composed of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose, linked together, and it is therefore 50:50 glucose:fructose. When you eat sucrose, this bond is rapidly broken, releasing free glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed. Glucose is the form of carbohydrate that predominates in the blood, and along with fatty acids, it's one of the two primary fuel sources for the body. Primate and Human Evolutionary History with Sugar Observational Studies in Humans Conclusions
Think skinny people don’t get type 2 diabetes? Think again. In the last article we discussed the complex relationship between body weight and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We learned that although obesity is strongly associated with T2DM, a subset of “metabolically healthy obese” (MHO) people have normal blood sugar and insulin sensitivity and don’t ever develop diabetes. In this article we’re going to talk about the mirror reflection of the MHO: the “metabolically unhealthy nonobese” (MUN). These are lean people with either full-fledged type 2 diabetes or some metabolic dysfunction, such as insulin resistance. You might even be surprised to learn that skinny people can and do get T2DM. Remember that one in three type 2 diabetics are undiagnosed. It’s well-known that high blood sugar can precede the development of T2DM for as long as ten years. It’s also important to understand that diabetes is not a disease. What causes high blood sugar and T2DM in lean people? GeneticsFatty liverInflammationAutoimmunityStress Let’s discuss each of them in turn. Genetics
New Study Demonstrates that Sugar has to be Palatable to be Fattening in Mice Dr. Anthony Sclafani's research group just published a study definitively demonstrating that high palatability, or pleasantness of taste, is required for sugar to be fattening in mice (1). Dr. Mice and rats love sweet food and drinks, just like humans. The investigators showed that mice lacking these proteins have a normal food intake and body fatness when fed standard lab chow, but unlike normal mice both mutant strains are almost completely resistant to fat gain when given a sugar solution. But here's the coup de grace. Our results suggest that nutritive solutions must be highly palatable to cause carbohydrate-induced obesity in mice... I couldn't imagine a better way to test this hypothesis, and even I wouldn't have expected such a striking outcome. * Reward. Palatability is a related concept-- it is simply the pleasantness of a food; how much a person enjoys eating it. The reward system is what motivates you to get food and put it to your lips, every time you eat.
Carbohydrate Counting 101 | Joslin Diabetes Center There are several different ways people with diabetes can manage their food intake to keep their blood glucose (sugar) within their target range and one such method is 'carbohydrate counting'. Carbohydrate, or carb counting is a method of calculating grams of carbohydrate consumed at meals and snacks. Foods that contain carb have the greatest effect on blood glucose compared to foods that contain protein or fat. Before starting any new treatment or meal plan, you should always consult with your diabetes care professional. What are the benefits of counting carbs? · Counting carbohydrates is a good solution for many people with diabetes. · Another benefit of counting carbohydrates is that it can bring tighter control over your glucose readings. · Lastly, if you take mealtime insulin, counting carbohydrates allows you to decide how much carb you want to eat at a meal, rather than having to eat a certain amount of carbohydrates, even if you do not want to. Who can use carbohydrate counting?
Action for Happiness Glu : Our Journey with the Low Carb Diet and the (Manual) Artificial Pancreas My son, David, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in March 2013. In full-blown DKA, we spent several days in the hospital recovering and learning as much as we could about diabetes—something about which my wife and I knew absolutely nothing. After this very brief introduction, our pediatric endocrinologist told us that while for most patients he recommended a blood sugar between 100 and 180, he thought we might be able to achieve a target of between 100 and 150…hope! We returned home with our emaciated (he had lost 12 of his 65 pounds to DKA) son, prescriptions for insulin, a glucose meter, and a standard American Diabetes Association carbohydrate counting meal plan. I took time off from work those first few weeks and tried to get a handle on this new diagnosis and care for my son. A typical day: we would test, bolus, eat the recommended meal from the meal plan, retest an hour later, and so on. Thirty days following Dave’s diagnosis, we purchased Dr. Meals. 1. 2. 3. — by Dr.
Food Nutrition Facts - Healthy Living Tips at WomansDay Every child has heard the healthy-eating mantra "You are what you eat." But there may be a closer resemblance between good-for-you grub and your body than you thought. We found 10 foods that mirror the body parts they provide nutrients for—for example, brain-boosting walnuts actually look like a brain. Coincidence? Maybe. 1. Slice a carrot in half crosswise and it's easy to see that the veggie resembles an eye—look closely and you'll even notice a pattern of radiating lines that mimic the pupil and iris. 2. The folds and wrinkles of a walnut bring to mind another human organ: the brain. 3. Long, lean stalks of celery look just like bones—and they're good for them, too. 4. The lightbulb shape of an avocado looks like a uterus, and it supports reproductive health as well. 5. Studies have offered evidence that clams, which bear a resemblance to testicles, are actually good for the male sex organs. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Lemon Chicken Stir Fry Go deliciously Asian tonight with this sensational stir-fry! Our recipe includes a simple option to cut carbs by replacing some of the rice. Ingredients 1Tbsp olive oil1Tbsp sesame seed oil1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into strips2 tsp fresh minced ginger1/2 cup sliced red and green peppers1 cup sliced carrots, celery, onions1 lemon juiced (approx 1/4 c)2 Tbsp Ponzu soy sauce2 Tbsp lite brown sugar1/4 cup water1 Tbsp cornstarch3 cups cooked rice1/2 cup sliced scallions Directions Prepare rice according to directions on package. Servings Calories Fat 6g Cholesterol 69mg Sodium 300mg Carbohydrates 31g Protein 28g
Thankfully, not all doctors buy into drug company marketing hype We doctors often like to think of ourselves as knowing and rational but we’re fallible and sometimes gullible just like everyone. Just look and see how easily we lap up drug-industry sponsored research and PR relating to all ‘wonder-drugs’ and other advances. Often, drugs are licensed and marketed on the basis of their impact on what are known as ‘surrogate markers’ such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels or cholesterol levels. However, even when a drug appears to benefit health, its benefits will almost certainly be touted on the basis of its ability to lower ‘relative risk’ of something. However, not all doctors are taken in by this sort of guff. Suddenly, the firepower of statins looks less like a bazooka and more like a peashooter. In my view, one of the best ways to calculate the true value of a drug or treatment is via the ‘number needed to treat’ (NNT). I’ve made up the figures quoted above for ease of example, but in reality they are not far from the truth.