Your Life-Your Choice ISSN 1488-0253 July, 2000 Issue 58 Letter From the Editor Hello to all subscribers at Your Life-Your Choice. In this issue of our newsletter we are introducing a new column entitled "Pounds and Predators", which will be written by our own researcher Danielle Carrie. Danielle has been responsible for much of the researched information you have received at Life-Choices, and in the course of her research has discovered how much contradicting information is available on the internet on the subject of weight loss. Take the trip with her as she unravels the myths, the misrepresentations, and the truths of weight loss promotions. This is a must read for many, and will be a true bonus to those who must practice weight management. Brigitte Synesael Editor of Your Life-Your Choice Make it your business to be informed! No one cares more about you than YOU. *********************************************** To advertise in Your Life-Your Choice newsletter, visit: http://www.life-choices.com/sponsor.html or mailto:admin@life-choices.com SUBJECT: Send Your Choice Advertising Rates ********************************************** Featured Sponsors, please visit. Their patronage helps to keep our newsletter free: ********************************************** Your Horoscope is Infinitely more than your "Zodiac Sign"! Astrology reveals your personal traits and the potential outcome of your choices. Astrology also provides a detailed past life afterglow portrait. The Child Analysis is designed as a guide for parents, to help with your child's growth and upbringing, to emphasize and strengthen their assets. Adults, studying their own Child Analysis, examine the viewpoint of their own inner child and can gain new understandings to begin healing their own traumatic experiences from childhood. http://rightplace.net/astrology_ylyc/ *********************************************** IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AND WEALTH AT THE SAME TIME! Remarkable liquid nutritional supplements and more! Sign up to run your own home based business. Duplicable website, online training and professional support staff. Get a grip on your future NOW! Read this article: http://www.chiroeco.com/marchapril98feature4.html Then go sign up for a FREE 21 day tour of the website and get ready for the changes in your life! http://www.pcpowersystem.com/id/16494701-1/tour.html *********************************************** ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE: 1. SYNDROMNE X By Dr. John Maher 2. POUNDS AND PREDATORS by Danielle Carrie 3. CHEMICAL STRAIGHT-JACKETING by Johann Christoph Arnold. 4. Talk to GARLIC from Played Out in Kentucky =========================================== Section 1 THE SWEET TOOTH, THE SOUR MOOD, AND THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT SYNDROMNE X By Dr. John Maher Diabetes, also known as hyperglycemia, a fancy term for high blood sugar, is the third leading cause of death in America. Hyperglycemia,and its cousin hyper-insulinemia, are often a major factor in heart disease, the number one killer. Indeed, the relationship of high blood sugar and high insulin to heart disease is so strong there is a frightening name for it: SYMDROME X !!! The oxidation of cholesterol causes hardening of the arteries. Insulin effects an enzyme in your liver to increase cholesterol. Adult onset diabetes is the end result of insulin resistance. This means that your blood sugar "resists" the normal response to insulin, which is to move sugar from your blood to your cells. In response, the body produces more insulin resulting in high blood insulin levels or hyper-insulinemia. Eventually you become so insensitive to insulin that your blood sugar stays elevated, i.e., diabetes. Why does this happen? The fact is diabetes is largely a first world disease. It appears to be related to over consumption of simple sugars, sweets, refined flours, and calories that are low in fiber and minerals, coupled with lack of exercise. Strangely enough, these "dysglycemias" often start as a problem with LOW blood sugar. As the brain is the major consumer of sugar, when blood sugar gets low we get tired, cranky, and can’t focus well. Low blood sugar is caused by consuming too many calories at once, especially the sweets and refined grain products, or even dried fruits and fruit juices. Your body "over-reacts" by pouring large amounts of insulin from your pancreas into your blood stream. The insulin drives all that sugar in your blood into the cells so well, you actually wind up with LOW blood sugar. Your brain then gets hungry for the sugar it needs and tells you to EAT MORE! Years of this kind of abuse leads to insulin resistance, where you no longer respond to insulin effectively. The result is "hyperinsulinemia" as your body produces more and more insulin which grows less and less effective. All the insulin in your blood causes the liver to make cholesterol leading to heart disease. This scenario is known as Syndrome X. The risk factors for Syndrome X include hyperglycemia (fasting glucose greater than 110mg/dl), high fasting triglycerides (> 100 mg/dl), high blood pressure ( > 125 over > 85) along with central adiposity (fat mostly around the belly), inactivity (< 30 min , 3x/week), low birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs.), weight gain of 10 or more lbs. after 18 in women and after 21 in men, a waist size > 30" in women and 36' in men, and first degree relatives with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or high tryglcerides in middle age. Black women, Japanese Americans, Latinos, South East Pacific Islanders and East and American Indians are higher racial risk groups in ascending order, once they adopt the SAD, the Standard American Diet. PS. High blood sugar also is a major cause of aging in general. The excess sugars form Advanced Glycation End-products aka AGE! These AGEs cause a non-enzymatic molecular dysruption leading to the cross-linking of connective tissue, a major degenerative process on the cellular level which leads to the unfortunately more familiar problems of cataracts, wrinkles, blindness, foot ulcers and kidney disease. Read more about Dr. John Mayer on our Meet the Team page; http://www.life-choices.com/team.html ****************************************************** Our sponsors make this newsletter FREE to subscribers. Please take a moment to visit them. **************************************************** Drink beer for your health? Studies link beer drinking to cancer prevention and "good" cholesterol. See how much you should be drinking every day at FitnessLink http://www.fitnesslink.com/nutrition/beer.shtml *************************************************** FUN FOR THE OLDER SET! START YOUR DAY GIGGLING! If you're 45 or older, enjoy a good laugh, and find homespun philosophy entertaining, subscribe to the FREE, daily e-mail column, "A Chuckle A Day With Grampa Gray." mailto:grampagray@playful.com Put subscribe on the subject line. Love to have you in our always smiling and frequently giggling family. http://grampagray.com/ ************************************************************ Section 2 Pounds and Predators by Danielle Carrie As I watch the news, read the daily paper or try and enjoy an episode on the television, I can’t help but notice that I am constantly bombarded with weight loss and diet plans that are designed to work for everybody, or your money back, guaranteed. With such differing opinions on the same subject, I end up questionioning the validity of the products and the integrity of the information provided. With so much controversy stewing in my own head, I felt the need to look into this deeper and do some research on the weight loss industry. So off I went to surf the web and bury my nose in books to try and figure out the mystery behind weight loss. The first thing that caught my attention was that the weight loss industry easily generates a revenue of 10 billion dollars per year. With that kind of revenue generation who wants to fix the problem? This just leaves an open door for more and more competitors to make more and more money from people who have a serious health issue. This is disgusting to me, nevertheless I see this type of money making all over... if you can’t beat them join them. Right? However, be that as it may, I still feel weight loss is an intense issue that needs to be addressed and treated seriously, without fail. It can escalate into so many other health problems such as; heart disease, diabetes, depression etc. It is unfair to prolong any suffering of this nature. The weight loss industry uses the severity of the diet issue to play on the weakness of the buyer. For example, I recently read an ad on the Internet about losing 10 pounds in three days. For someone with a weight problem this is literally a dream come true, as long as they can keep the weight off they can solve their entire weight problem in a month. Is weight loss really this easy? Doesn't it make sense if you lose weight that fast you will gain it back just as fast or even in some cases faster. To me it is very evident that there is much controversy surrounding the issue of weight loss. With that in mind, I’d like to thank Your Life-Your Choice for opening up a section to me in their newsletter to help sift through the weight loss battle. I will spend time researching and reporting until we are able to get to the bottom of the weight loss mystery. Until next time. I welcome any comments or questions you have related to diet or weight loss mailto:research@life-choices.com and put "Diets Don’t Work" in the subject heading. Danielle Carrie ****************************************************** Our sponsors make this newsletter FREE to subscribers. Please take a moment to visit them. **************************************************** FAT, FRUSTRATED, AND FAMISHED? - Stop dieting right now !!! - Eat the food you enjoy !!! - Boost your metabolism naturally !!! - Finally lose weight permanently “YOU have Nothing to Lose But Pounds” http://www.diets-dont-work.com?YLYC008 ************************************************ "Live Better, Live Longer."The essence of the MotherNature.com brand is to enrich our customers' lives in fundamental ways. We make it easy for you to research health issues and purchase products that should improve your life. We aim to inform you about natural products that you might not have considered - bath-and-body products, pet supplies, cosmetics, and a variety of general merchandise. http://www.mothernature.com/?sourceid=00309805710998516405 ********************************************************** Section 3 CHEMICAL STRAIGHT-JACKETING How kids are drugged into submission. By Johann Christoph Arnold Ask anyone to name the chief dangers facing children today, and they're likely to tick off a predictable list-homelessness and malnutrition, poor education and inadequate healthcare. They're not wrong. But the longer I work with children, the more concerned I am about another quiet wave that carries just as a great a menace: the mindset of avoidance. Call it what you want-convenience, denial, or stubbornness-but if there's anything that characterizes education across the board, it's the persistent habit of turning our backs on the hardest questions, and falling for the answers that soothe us back to sleep. Though the tendency to settle for the most painless solution to a problem is a normal human trait, it is rarely a healthy approach to child rearing. >From parenting journals to popular books, the wisdom is the same: children may be cute, but raising them is a thankless chore. Childhood itself has come to be viewed as a suspect phase. Children of all ages and means are being squelched on the playground and in class, not because they're unmanageable or unruly, but simply because they're behaving like children should. Diagnosed with "problems" that used to be recognized as normal childhood traits-impulsiveness and exuberance, spontaneity and daring-millions of children are being diagnosed as hyperactive and drugged into submission. I'm referring, of course, to the widespread use of Ritalin and other related stimulants, and to the public's fascination with medicine as the answer to any and every problem. Ritalin is surely a legitimate drug for certain specific conditions. But given the threefold increase in its use in the last decade, one has to wonder if it isn't being misused as an easy cure-all for problems such as ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder) and to rein in lively children who may not even have the disorder. After all, much of what is designated as ADHD is nothing more than a defense against over-structuring-a natural reflex that used to be called letting off steam-or alternately, a symptom of various unmet emotional needs. Jeff, an old friend, gives a poignant example: "Jerome, an eight-year-old from Seattle, came and stayed us last summer for a break from the city. When he arrived he was a mess, though he was on Ritalin. After two or three days, however, we weaned him off his dose, because with all the room to play he was no longer bouncing off the walls, but beginning to take himself in hand. (At home in his apartment building there was nothing for him to do but watch TV.) I could definitely see the change. When this little guy first arrived he could barely keep his attention on anything for more than a minute, he was so keyed up and distracted. I laid down some ground rules and gave him some time. I took him out with a bike, since he was unsure of how to ride...By the end of his stay he was so settled and happy that at one point he even asked me if he could call me Dad. I just about lost it. This child didn't need Ritalin: all he needed was fresh air-and love." Put Jerome back in the projects, and he will probably revert. He'll be put back on Ritalin, and his "symptoms" will be re-suppressed. Whether he'll ever get the attention he really needs, either at home or at school, is quite another question. Fortunately it's one that increasing numbers of people are asking, like Peter Breggin, a pediatrician and author: "People call drugs like Ritalin a godsend for emotional and behavioral problems...But I think the way they're overused is absolutely horrifying. When I was asked by the National Institutes of Health to be a scientific discussant on the effects of these drugs at a conference they held, I reviewed the important literature, and I found that when animals are given them, they stop playing; they stop being curious; they stop socializing; they stop trying to escape. Ritalin makes good caged animals...We're making good caged kids. It's all very well to talk about it taking a whole village to raise a child, but in practice, we're acting as if we think it only takes a pill." Given the dismal state of the culture described above, parenting in the 21st century is clearly going to involve a lot of hard work. But why should that frighten us? As long as we run from the responsibilities that will always be there, we will not only squander the most formative moments of bringing up children, but rob ourselves as well of its most meaningful joys. Excerpted from “ENDANGERED: Your Child in a Hostile World" by Johann Christoph Arnold. Free ebook & interactive website: http://www.plough.com/endangered/ Order the paperback 1-800-521-8011(US), 0800 018 0799(UK) Email the author: JCA@plough.com *********************************************** Section 4. Dear Garlic, My Husband Loves sports, he plays everything, watches them ALL on TV, then wants me to dress up like a Tennis Pro or Footballer at bedtime to PLAY!!! I HATE sports!! what can I do to get his mind OFF them for a while? It's ruining our relationship. signed Played Out in Kentucky *** Dear Played Out, Some nice, cool, green turf, a football jersey, and you. He doesn’t seem to be asking for too much. What you need to keep in mind here is that this is a compliment to you. Fantasies, his or yours are an important part of the total loving experience. Want him to check if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? No, I didn’t think so. Please, indulge your sports pro. Let him make his play in his own exciting fashion. By all means encourage him with a heartfelt “touchdown” when that majic moment arrives. It's time to keep in mind how many other players are only too happy to play the game, but he has chosen you to make his big score. Harmless fantasies can only make your love life better. Then, when you’ve indulged him in his playtime, its your turn to indulge yourself. Have you told him about your yearnings and fantasies? Do so, fair exchange is no robbery. Nothing is more important in intimate relationships as the freedom to indulge yourself as long as it causes no harm to your partner. If you can’t be bothered (remember he shoots and you score), you may be benched, and another player substituted. Enjoy yourself, and enjoy your sporty lover, not everyone gets a chance to play for the Gray Cup. ***************************************** Like to talk to Garlic? Yes, men are welcome too: put "Dear Garlic" in Subject line. We can talk about *Note that the Dear Garlic segment of Your Life-Your Choice is for entertainment purposes only. The advice is intended to tickle your funny bone so put your Sense of Humor hat on and let's take a look at the "lighter side" of life. After all, LAUGHTER is supposed to be the BEST medicine. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Disclaimer All material appearing in this newsletter is provided for educational purposes only. It is provided with the understanding that authors and contributors are not offering medical advice or services. We strongly encourage you to consult with your own physician regarding any recommendations with respect to your own medical condition. Advertisement in the Your Life- Your Choice newsletter does not indicate endorsement on our part. The opinions expressed by our sponsors do not necessarily reflect our own. **************************************** Share Your Life-Your Choice with your Friends! * This newsletter can be forwarded in its entirety only. * Remember to discuss these options with your Health * Care provider before implementing them. ********************************************* Read back articles of Your Life-Your Choice in our Library of Archives and the Newsletter Headquarters: http://www.life-choices.com/jarchive.html You are asked to acquire a username and password, but this is for internal use only. Entrance is FREE and you will not receive any additional e-mail as a result of registering. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Subscribe: You can subscribe by using the form at the Newsletter Headquarters: http://www.Life-Choices.com/subscribe.html or or maito:admin@life-choices.com with "Subscribe" in the subject or the body. Unsubscribe: You can unsubscribe by using the form at the Newsletter Headquarters: http://www.life-choices.com/subscribe.html or mailto:life-choices@oaknet.pub with "Unsubscribe" in the body. Copyright 1997-2000 by Brigitte Synesael All rights reserved ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// This Ezine Is Listed At FreeZinesOnline.