Health Matters With Paul Rosen

Minerals are essential parts of healthy living, and some of the minerals in food aren't what you'd expect.  Did you know, for example, that sulfur is in broccoli?  And that salts in our water like sodium chloride help power our bodies? Together, minerals, vitamins, proteins, fats and other nutrients are what make us go.  But specifically, why are minerals important, and what happens when our diets are mineral deficient?  And how are modern agricultural techniques making the food supply less rich in minerals than it should be?  

Hot flashes and night sweats are among the common symptoms of menopause.  Over the years, many medications and procedures have evolved to help women deal with these symptoms, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT).  These therapies are not without their dangers, including a heightened risk of breast cancer. The alternative?  Safe and natural preventative measures tailored to each woman's particular needs.

The best source of vitamins is food, but if the food source is faulty, the food we buy isn't as rich in nutrients as we might expect.  Depleted soil and toxic chemicals in the environment are among the culprits. Are supplements the answer, the means by which we can compensate for the declining quality of food?  Or are they part of the problem?

How can we expect our immune systems to protect our bodies if we're doing things every day to weaken them?  By over-stimulating our systems, we create conditions that make us more susceptible to toxins. What over-stimulates the system?  Some flu vaccinations, for example, may lessen symptoms, but byproducts in the vaccines may create more problems than they solve. The answer is to strengthen your body with diet, and to do it consistently.

Your body maintains direct connections between your brain and your immune system, while your stomach, believe it or not, is the center of the immune system. With all these connections, all this additional plumbing, things can go wrong at any point and help ruin your health. So what do you do when you suffer from a faulty immune system?  Better, how do you prevent it from happening in the first place?  

Our immune systems help keep us safe from all manner of diseases and illnesses which would otherwise leave us helpless.  But if we're not maintaining a healthy balance in our diets and limiting our exposure to environmental hazards, we can create conditions that throw the immune system out of whack. If we're not careful, the immune system attacks the very body it's supposed to be protecting.  

Water supplies across the country are full of stuff you don't want there.  These contaminants include runoffs of herbicides and pesticides from agriculture, as well as poisons from other industries.  Plus, dated infrastructures are leaking lead and other dangerous elements into the water we use every day. What can we do?  Start filtering, and start now.  

Thousands of years ago, physicians prescribed seaweed as a treatment for goiters, or enlarged thyroids.  Was this quackery, or did doctors who worked in the age of togas and chariots know something? It turns out they did.  Seaweed is a source of iodine, a trace mineral critical for many functions of the body, including the thyroid.  But there are much better sources for the essential ingredients we need for healthy thyroid function.  

The numbers bear out the bad news: Americans, young and old, are getting heavier, to the point where it constitutes a threat to public health. Why are we getting fatter, and what can we do about it?  One myth is that we should be counting calories.  Contrary to common belief, a calorie isn't what we think it is, and our focus on calories distracts from the true sources of our national obesity epidemic.  

Restless legs are just what they sound like, the involuntary moving or shaking of your legs.  It's a common condition, and it makes relaxing or just getting through the day difficult. It's just one more way your body tells you that bigger problems may be in your future, including more serious issues with your autonomic nervous system.   But if you make changes now, if you improve your diet by including some things and absolutely avoiding others, you can put your legs at peace.

Our endocrine systems are complex networks of glands, including the thyroid and adrenal glands, that regulate bodily and organ function.  Disruptions to the proper functioning of the endocrine system can be disastrous, and that's exactly what we're doing to ourselves with the chemicals in many household products, including the cosmetics we apply and the water we drink. The solution?  Choose products without the harmful chemicals.  They're available, and they're easy to find.  

First, emotional imbalances among the general population are not at the crisis level some sources would have you believe.  And second, the medications that have been created to treat various disorders are not only unhelpful, but often harmful. Behaviors like inattention and hyperactivity are often related to thyroid issues.  Fix the thyroid, and you fix the problem.

In our age of instant gratification, with immediate access to news and all manner of communications with mobile devices, many Americans have become less physically active.  Is this turn away from exercise and even basic physical activity a contributing factor to illness, and to diabetes in particular? Yes, if you accept the notion that a less rounded, more sedentary lifestyle makes us more careless about our general health.  

There's a laundry list of symptoms that could indicate the onset of diabetes, including dramatic weight loss, increased thirst or hunger, blurred vision, and headaches, just to name a few. But these problems are symptomatic of many serious conditions.  If you're experiencing any of these discomforts, how do you know whether or not you're in danger of developing diabetes?  

Almost a third of the total population in the United States is diabetic or pre-diabetic, and the numbers are especially egregious among the very young and very old.   What's going on?  What are we doing that's led us to this disturbing point? It's the diet, folks.  The culprit is everything you eat.  And yes, you can adjust your diet in ways that'll keep you from becoming another diabetes-related statistic.

Pity the egg.  This mainstay of the world diet has been slandered for years, displayed as a dangerous delivery system for cholesterol and other health-killing ingredients. The misconceptions begin with cholesterol itself, which isn't the villain the hype would have you believe.  In fact, eggs are loaded with healthy stuff like fat and protein.  Yes, those things are good for you, and eggs are where to find them.

Just what are superfoods?  Depends on who you ask.  To some food companies, superfoods are whatever the marketing department says they are.  They may tell you that certain superfoods are good for heart health, or for maintaining a healthy gall bladder, or for enabling you to grow wings and resist fire. But the true superfoods aren't necessarily that specific.  Fresh food and foods rich in nutrients are superfoods.  There are more, and there are certain places you can find them in almost any supermarket.  

Fillings have been a common tool of dentistry for decades.  They're typically an amalgam of metals like silver, tin and copper, with liquid mercury added to bind it all together.  And mercury is bad for us, period. Exposure to mercury can result in everything from chronic illnesses to mental health problems.  But there are safe alternatives, and all you have to do ask.  

Energy bars and protein bars are popular with health-conscious consumers looking for a quick shot of energy as they prepare to jog, hike or work out, or even as a meal substitute. But they're kidding themselves.  Many products marketed as healthy snacks are candy in another name, loaded with sugar and other junk that should horrify anyone who cares about maintaining health.

Flaxseed oil has been touted as everything from a cure for constipation to a balm for hearth health, and even as an effective means to prevent cancer.  It's available as a supplement and in other health productions like lotions.  Oh, and it's also an ingredient in everything from paint to linoleum. So is there anything to the hype, or is it just hype?