Appetite goes far beyond the stomach-growling ache we know as “hunger”... you know, the gnawing feeling when our stomach is “crying” for food. Appetite is actually any motivation or desire to put calorie-containing substances into our mouths. It is increasingly rare for us in the U.S. to be so “hungry” that our stomach is in pain. Since food is literally everywhere and readily ... Continue
Optimum Health Articles
4 Truths for “Feeling Fabulous”
I value the real life experience of health (including feeling great!) as much or more than anyone I know. Although I think all would say they value health, some rarely take intentional steps to pursue it. Sure, they may take common prescriptions to treat disease symptoms, to lower blood pressure, to ease pain or discomfort or to adjust mood (or you may know some who simply ... Continue
“Early Death” and Why The Battle Is Personal
I miss my dad. He was a great man who, at the age of 82, died too early. He had a difficult childhood, to say the least, and that probably had something to do with it. Growing up during the Great Depression, Dad was forced to leave school after the 8th grade; he was needed at home to help provide for the family. His mom, a single mother, had several hungry mouths to feed. It ... Continue
Maximizing Our Memory: Part 3 – Memory and Aging
Brain Shrinkage with Aging and Associated Memory Loss Mental function, unfortunately, does deteriorate with age and is associated with the unpleasant reality of “brain shrinkage”. Brain scans confirm that the brain normally shrinks 0.5% per year. We now believe that the decline in mental function is a very long-term process, over at least 20-30 years. Maintaining a healthy ... Continue
Maximizing Our Memory: Part 2 – Nutrition
For some reason, the vast majority of people find that their memory ability could and should be better. And, this concern only becomes more common with age. Enhancing and protecting our memory ideally begins in our youth. We naturally achieve a peak ability to remember in early adulthood and then find that the inborn memory ability declines over time. Adults learn tricks to ... Continue
Maximizing Our Memory: Part 1 – Lifestyle
Maximizing Our Memory Our memory is truly one of our greatest assets. It’s crucial for every aspect of life: career, school, relationships (remembering names, faces, events, interests of others, etc), and everyday life all depend upon our ability to recall previous facts and bits of information. We then must know how to apply that information to solve a variety of problems ... Continue
Nutrition: A Key To Health
Far too many individuals end up with health (or lack thereof) as a life distraction instead of a resource for greater productivity. Does that really have to happen? And what impact is unnecessary disease having on the world around us as attention and resources are being devoted to recapturing lost health that should have never been lost in the first place? As a physician ... Continue
Memory Loss and Aging
Brain Shrinkage and “Cognitive Decline” Mental function, unfortunately, does deteriorate with age and is associated with the unpleasant reality of “brain shrinkage”. Known in research studies as “cognitive decline”, this process is now known to begin at least by age 45. In fact, research shows that reasoning ability declines 3.5% over the 10 years from our mid 40’s to mid ... Continue
Why Pursue Prevention? A Personal Strategy…
I heard an intriguing quote this week, “America is not about prevention… We would much rather build a hospital at the bottom of a cliff than build a fence at the top.” What a sad commentary on our society and our health care system! While attending Tulane Medical School, I also had the privilege of attending the Tulane School of Public Health. As a student there, a similar ... Continue
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Are you prepared to face the “Winter Blues”? Everyone tends to feel a little “blah” when the days are short and cold, but for some people seasonal change brings with it something more serious than the blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a form of depression that 20% of Americans struggle with. ... Continue
Your Routine: Your Key To Success!
Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you a person who has discovered a success-producing routine! You and I have both seen it. Look around you at those that are floundering in some area of life. Almost always, they have failed to discern and implement a daily routine that allows them to flourish. Examples are all around us. A highly experienced psychiatrist was ... Continue
Childhood Obesity
Childhood Obesity Awareness Month: Be aware every month, not just September! September has been designated Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Although this is a great tool to build awareness about a growing problem (pardon the pun), every month should be focused on identifying and helping children who are suffering the immediate and eventually, long-term consequences of ... Continue
Omentum Fat
Omentum Fat by any other name is still the same...Belly Fat, Beer Gut, Abdominal Fat, Spare Tire, Visceral Fat, Intra-Abdominal Adiposity (IAA)...it's the "sheet" of unhealthy fat located deep inside the abdomen, underneath the muscles in your stomach. There are three primary kinds of fat: the fat in our bloodstream known as triglycerides, subcutaneous fat which is the fat ... Continue
Why Meal Replacements Work
Research suggests that continuing to utilize meal replacements as part of a nutritious diet can help you maintain your goal weight better than using no meal replacements. A study of 100 overweight people, published in the August 2000 issue of Obesity Research, showed that participants lost more weight initially and continued to lose more weight when meal replacements were ... Continue
Keep on Track with Food Journaling
In a recent study by Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, it was shown that participants who kept food journals lost almost double the weight of those who didn't! The study included 1,500 overweight and obese adults. Participants were educated on lifestyle interventions, which included weekly group sessions, regular exercise, a heart-healthy diet, reduced alcohol ... Continue
