Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A Simple Health Solution
Check out this video. I don't want to give too much away but it presents a very cheap and effective way to improve your health and ward off disease.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
WellBeing, MD
Over fall break two of us (Robin and Lisa) went to meet Dr. John Principe of WellBeing, MD. The WellBeing Center for Life has been featured as an innovative force in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Mindful Living by the following like-minded organizations and businesses: American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health's Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, Harvard's Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Vital Choice, Oldways Mediterranean Month, and Technogym. He offers classes in healthy cooking, yoga, pilates, aerobic dance, functional physical training and behavioral modification. The RoadMap to Wellness course is sort of a culmination of all of these things, and when we heard about it we knew we wanted to learn more.
Upon arriving we were warmly received, despite being quite late due to unexpected suburban Chicago traffic. Before the class began, we helped prepare a meal of grilled cheese with sliced apples and caramelized onions and butternut squash soup. As the class began we found seats in the back of this large room that functions as a classroom, an exercise studio, and a modern demo kitchen. Dr. Principe was animated and motivational as he spoke. He got everyone involved, including us, by beginning with chair exercises. These were not your standard PBS "Sit and Be Fit" exercises by any means!
We were also joined by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. You can read her story here. You can learn more about Dr. Principe at www.WellBeingMd.com and come hear him speak at the Integrate Chicago conference on January 14th, 2012.
Upon arriving we were warmly received, despite being quite late due to unexpected suburban Chicago traffic. Before the class began, we helped prepare a meal of grilled cheese with sliced apples and caramelized onions and butternut squash soup. As the class began we found seats in the back of this large room that functions as a classroom, an exercise studio, and a modern demo kitchen. Dr. Principe was animated and motivational as he spoke. He got everyone involved, including us, by beginning with chair exercises. These were not your standard PBS "Sit and Be Fit" exercises by any means!
We were also joined by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. You can read her story here. You can learn more about Dr. Principe at www.WellBeingMd.com and come hear him speak at the Integrate Chicago conference on January 14th, 2012.
Friday, October 7, 2011
raw milk
A few weeks ago I joined Dr. Principe and several other practitioners from WellBeingMD for a screening of Farmageddon. This film by Kristin Canty documents the struggle for farmers to sell and consumers to, well, consume raw milk. It's a big political mess, but I don't really want to get into that. If you're interested (and it is really interesting), go to the film's sight to see about requesting a screening, or you can read more at a few articles to which I've posted links at the end of this post.
Like I said, the politics are messy and there are always two sides, but the nutrition facts are not quite as complicated. I had never heard of raw milk before seeing this film, but its praises piqued my interest. The story goes like this:
In 1862 Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard developed the process now known as pasteurization, in which liquids such as beer, milk, and wine were heated to a temperature that would kill bacteria and molds. In the 1920s pasteurization of milk gained popularity in the United States in order to prevent milk-borne illness. According to the USDA, "During that period, food-borne illnesses associated with milk consumption were common due to poor sanitation in the dairies, diseased farm employees, inadequate refrigeration, and poor animal health conditions because brewery byproducts were used as a major part of the milk cow’s diet and because the cows were housed in filthy conditions in inner city confinement dairies." Now, this is a key point for raw milk advocates, who profess that the frequent outbreaks were due to the poor treatment of cows and careless processing, and that raw milk from healthy cows is likewise healthy and safe.
The four main disease-causing pathogens of concern today are listeria, salmonella, staphaureus and E. coli. Pasteurization kills these bacteria. It also kills the beneficial bacteria found in raw milk and destroys beneficial enzymes. The big claims about the health benefits of raw milk are that it stimulates the immune system, builds a healthy gut wall, and ensures assimilation of all the nutrients in the milk. A 2011 review of epidemiological studies of unpasteurized milk points to a protective effect for the development of asthma, hay fever and atopy (Braun-Fahrländer, von Mutius). However, they concede that there is not enough evidence to outweigh the risks of bacterial infection. Other studies are less optimistic about these health benefits. It seems to me that, like so many areas of nutrition and integrative medicine, we need more research so that we can form educated opinions to guide patients and make healthy decisions for ourselves.
What do you think? Do you have any interesting articles or anecdotes to share? Have you ever tried raw milk?
Links:
http://www.realmilk.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/dining/08raw.html
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=SEARCH&q=raw+milk&site=usda
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21155907
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19737059
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19053805
Disclaimer: This page is managed by currently enrolled students, and does not necessarily represent the views of Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC). External, non-LUMC links on this site do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of LUMC.
Posted by Lisa Moore
Like I said, the politics are messy and there are always two sides, but the nutrition facts are not quite as complicated. I had never heard of raw milk before seeing this film, but its praises piqued my interest. The story goes like this:
In 1862 Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard developed the process now known as pasteurization, in which liquids such as beer, milk, and wine were heated to a temperature that would kill bacteria and molds. In the 1920s pasteurization of milk gained popularity in the United States in order to prevent milk-borne illness. According to the USDA, "During that period, food-borne illnesses associated with milk consumption were common due to poor sanitation in the dairies, diseased farm employees, inadequate refrigeration, and poor animal health conditions because brewery byproducts were used as a major part of the milk cow’s diet and because the cows were housed in filthy conditions in inner city confinement dairies." Now, this is a key point for raw milk advocates, who profess that the frequent outbreaks were due to the poor treatment of cows and careless processing, and that raw milk from healthy cows is likewise healthy and safe.
The four main disease-causing pathogens of concern today are listeria, salmonella, staphaureus and E. coli. Pasteurization kills these bacteria. It also kills the beneficial bacteria found in raw milk and destroys beneficial enzymes. The big claims about the health benefits of raw milk are that it stimulates the immune system, builds a healthy gut wall, and ensures assimilation of all the nutrients in the milk. A 2011 review of epidemiological studies of unpasteurized milk points to a protective effect for the development of asthma, hay fever and atopy (Braun-Fahrländer, von Mutius). However, they concede that there is not enough evidence to outweigh the risks of bacterial infection. Other studies are less optimistic about these health benefits. It seems to me that, like so many areas of nutrition and integrative medicine, we need more research so that we can form educated opinions to guide patients and make healthy decisions for ourselves.
What do you think? Do you have any interesting articles or anecdotes to share? Have you ever tried raw milk?
Links:
http://www.realmilk.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/dining/08raw.html
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=SEARCH&q=raw+milk&site=usda
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21155907
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19737059
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19053805
Disclaimer: This page is managed by currently enrolled students, and does not necessarily represent the views of Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC). External, non-LUMC links on this site do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of LUMC.
Posted by Lisa Moore
Monday, September 19, 2011
Call for Recipes
The Interest Group for Integrative Medicine (IGIM) is going to be having a cooking competition in November - that means lots of good food to taste - but more on that later...
In the meantime we are also putting together a cookbook that we will be selling to raise funds for the exciting Integrate Chicago conference in January, so we need recipes! Our goal is to compile a variety of recipes from students for dishes that are delicious and nutritious. Imagine this book as a great Christmas gift for friends and family or as a resource to offer healthy recipes to patients. A few guidelines:
In the meantime we are also putting together a cookbook that we will be selling to raise funds for the exciting Integrate Chicago conference in January, so we need recipes! Our goal is to compile a variety of recipes from students for dishes that are delicious and nutritious. Imagine this book as a great Christmas gift for friends and family or as a resource to offer healthy recipes to patients. A few guidelines:
- We want recipes for all kinds of meals - appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, desserts, etc.
- No hydrogenated oils.
- Limit added sugars. If you have a recipe for baked goods ask yourself if you could make it any healthier - an oil substitute for less saturated fat? Honey rather than white sugar? Whole wheat flour instead of white?
- Diet-specific recipes (gluten-free, vegan, etc.) are welcome but not necessary.
- Basic healthy-eating tips or cooking substitutions are also great.
- If you have a photo of the dish, please send that too.
- If this is not an original recipe of yours, please reference the cookbook or magazine it came from.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Mind as Medicine: the Science behind Psychosocial Support in Cancer Care
This Saturday I attended a lecture at the Wellness House in Hinsdale. The speaker was David Spiegel, M.D. of Stanford University. Dr. Spiegel is professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine. His 1989 paper,"Effect of Psychosocial Treatment of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer" paved the way for research in this field. You can find more on Dr. Spiegel, his research and Stanford's Center on Stress and Health here.
In his opening to the lecture, Dr. Spiegel stated that his aim is to reconnect health and wellness with medical care, and clarified that he is interested in integrative medicine, not alternative. This is certainly a theme we will be coming back to again and again. He gave some compelling reasons for physicians to be knowledge about integrative medicine. 50% of Americans use some form of IM, there are more visits to alternative providers than M.D.s and more is spent out-of-pocket each year.Focusing on cancer treatment, Spiegel emphasized that cancer has become a chronic illness for many patients. According to a 2007 Institute of Medicine report, there were an estimated 12 million cancer survivors in the U.S. This demands that we consider quality of life for cancer patients to an even greater degree, and continue to study the lifestyle factors that increase quality of life and survivorship.
We humans are very social beings. Just look at how many students flock to the atrium after a test, looking to one another for commiseration and hope. If it weren't for the strong bond that forms between an infant and his mother, we never would have survived. A cancer patient goes through many social changes - no relationship stays the same. Group therapy sessions help patients to see that other people are going through the same things, and that it isn't their fault when friends begin to fade away. Another major benefit of group therapy is that the patients are forced to look death in the face. When a member of the group dies, they must all think about their own impending death. This allows them to think about how they might shape their death as much as possible and to prioritize what they want to accomplish before that time comes. Dr. Spiegel tied up the talk by citing a series of articles that give evidence that living better helps you live longer. Some of the articles he referenced throughout the lecture are listed below.
Personally, I find this kind of treatment for cancer patients to be incredibly interesting because it deals with issues that we must all face as human beings, but to the power of 10. We all experience stressful periods, changing relationships and uncertainty about the future, but people with cancer are not able to push these things off to the side or confine them to one small aspect of their lives that doesn't influence everyday activities.
This lecture also showed a side of integrative medicine that is very important: the mind-body connection. Many people intuit that they are more likely to catch a cold when they are worrying about something and/or not sleeping well. We know that they are good biological reasons for this, like cortisol levels and immune activity. How else does the mind influence our body's ability to heal or maintain wellness? How can we tap into this to help our patients, and ourselves?
- Lisa Moore
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Articles:
The powerpoint from a similar lecture by Dr. Spiegel can be found here.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Mtg1 Feb. 2011 recap:
Thanks to everyone who stayed around for our first "unofficial" meeting. We are really excited by the great turn-out and ready to hand our constitution and list of members into the deans this week. If you weren't able to make it, you can view the video below or contact us with any questions, or to add your name to the list of members. We will be having our first official meeting soon, and you can bet it will involve some good, healthy food, so be on the look-out.
Finally, we are so excited to be hosting the next Integrate Chicago conference! It will be some time in January of 2012. Stay tuned for much more...
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