The Blue Zones

The Okinawa Centenarian, National Geographic Magazine

They are called blue zones – places in the world where people live longer and healthier than anywhere else on earth. Several of these blue zones exist, and in each of these places people living to 90 or even 100 years is common. And they aren’t just living long either – these people are living healthy – without medication or disability (see video later in this post).

Five blue zones have so far been identified and thoroughly researched by journalist Dan Buettner in a partnership with National Geographic during more than five years of on-site investigation. So what is the secret to longevity and health underlying these fascinating communities? Do they possess modern technology, do they take massive amounts of supplements, do they run on treadmills, do they have special genes? As you may have guessed, the answer is none of these.

The five blue zones are as follows:
* The Italian island of Sardinia
* Okinawa, Japan
* Loma Linda, California
* Costa Rica’s isolated Nicoya Peninsula
* Ikaria, an isolated Greek island

Power 9® are lessons that emphasize making changes to your environment that will influence your habits. Creating the right surroundings and following specific lifestyle habits shared by the world’s longest-lived people is the secret to living longer.

Move Naturally

1. Just Move
The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it.  They live in places where they can walk to the store, to their friends house or places of worship, their houses have stairs, they have gardens in their yards.

Consider making things a little inconvenient.  Make that extra trip up or down the stairs instead of loading things at the top or bottom to take up later, walk to your airport gate instead of taking the moving walkway, park far from the entrance, walk a dog, do your own yard and house work, get rid of some the time saving electronics and power equipment that have "simplified" your life.

Right Outlook

2. Purpose Now
Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy. The Okinawans call it "ikigai" and the Nicoyans call it "plan de vida" for both it translates to “why I wake up in the morning.”  Do an internal inventory. Be able to articulate your values, passions, gifts and talents.  What are the things you like to do and the things you don’t? Then incorporate ways to put your skills into action.

3. Down Shift
Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation which is associated with every major age-related disease.  What the world’s longest-lived people have that we don’t are routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour. Find a stress shedding strategy that works for you and make it routine.

Eat Wisely

4. 80% Rule
Marketers tell us we can eat our way to health.  America has been eating its way well beyond health.  Our strategy focuses on taking things out — instead of putting more things in — our diet.   "Hara hachi bu" – the Okianawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomach is 80 percent full.  The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it.  Serve food at the counter, store leftovers, then sit down to enjoy the meal. Replace your big dishes with 10" plates. Remove TV’s from the kitchen.  People in the Blue Zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.

5. Plant Slant
Go ahead and eat meat if you want.  But consider it a condiment and try the leanest, finest meat you can afford. Try to limit it to a portion the size of a deck of cards and only twice per week.  Beans, including fava, black and soy and lentils are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets.  Snacking on nuts–about a handful a day has been associated with and extra 2-3 years of life expectancy.

6. Wine @ 5
Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers.  The trick is to drink 1-2 drinks per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine), with friends and/or with food.  And no, you can’t save up all weekend and have 14 drinks on Saturday.

Connect 

7. Belong
All but five of the 263 centenarians we interviewed belonged to some faith-based community.  It doesn’t matter if you’re Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish or some other religion that meets as a community.  Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy.

8. Loved Ones First
Successful centenarians in the Blue Zones put their families first. This means keeping your aging parents and grandparents near by or in your home. (It lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too.) Work on being in a positive, committed relationship (which can add up to 3 years of life expectancy)  and invest in your children with time and love. (They’ll be more likely to care for you when the time comes.)

9. Right Tribe
The world’s longest lived people chose–or were born into–social circles that supported healthy behaviors,   Okinawans created "moais"–groups of five friends that committed to each other for life.  Research from the Framingham Studies show that smoking, obesity, happiness, and  even loneliness is contagious. Assessing who you hang out with, and then proactively surrounding yourself with the right friends, will do more to add years to your life than just about anything else.

Dan Buettner: How to live to be 100+
To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and team study the world's "Blue Zones," communities whose elders live with vim and vigor to record-setting age. At TEDxTC, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100.

References:

• Dan Buettner (Biography): National Geographic writer and explorer Dan Buettner studies the world's longest-lived peoples, distilling their secrets into a single plan for health and long life.

Resources:

• www.bluezones.com
• Dan Buettner: TEDMED 2011,
  Uploaded by tedmed on Dec 9, 2011 [YouTube]
  Buettner talks about universal lifestyle behaviors that promote longevity, why they're so hard to adopt in the U.S., and how one town undertook its own Blue Zone experiment, to great effect.
• Dan Buettner: TEDMED 2011 - Q&A,
  Uploaded by tedmed on Dec 9, 2011 [YouTube]
  Author Dan Buettner answers questions about how to make more longevity-promoting Blue Zones in the U.S.

Books:

   

The Healthiest Onion

Photo:Red Onion by flickr/clayirving

Most antioxidant best onion:

1. Red
2. Yellow
3. White

Photo: Carrot by USDA

Carrots Vs Baby Carrots:

1. Carrots
2. Baby Carrots

Note:
Regular carrots are smaller, Baby carrots are just mechanically whittled from monster carrots

Source:

D. Boivin, S. Lamy, S. Lord-Dufour, J. Jackson, E. Beaulieu, M. Cote, A. Moghrabi, S. Barrette, D. Gingras, and R. Beliveau. Antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of common vegetables: A comparative study. Food Chem., Volume 112, Issue 2, 15 January 2009, Pages 374–380

Eating healthier and felling better with nutrition facts label

The right tool to balance your diet

You probably already use the Nutrition Facts label in some way—maybe to check calories, fat or sodium content. But, the more familiar you are with the information, the more you’ll want to use it daily to ensure you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Use the label when you shop, as you plan your meals, and as you cook each day. The label makes it easy to determine the amounts of nutrients you’re getting and to compare one product to another.

Strive for a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and nuts. Choose foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugar.

Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness. It also helps you control body weight by balancing the calories you take in from food with the calories you expend each day.

Photo: Educational Purposes Only

USE THE NUTRITION FACTS LABEL TO EAT HEALTHIER

1. Check the serving size and number of servings.

• The Nutrition Facts Label information is based on ONE serving, but many packages contain more. Look at the serving size and how many servings you are actually consuming. If you double the servings you eat, you double the calories and nutrients, including the % DVs.
• When you compare calories and nutrients between brands, check to see if the serving size is the same.

2. Calories count, so pay attention to the amount.

• This is where you'll find the number of calories per serving and the calories from fat in each serving.
• Fat-free doesn't mean calorie-free. Lower fat items may have as many calories as full-fat versions.
• If the label lists that 1 serving equals 3 cookies and 100 calories, and you eat 6 cookies, you've eaten 2 servings, or twice the number of calories and fat.

3. Look for foods that are rich in these nutrients.

• Use the label not only to limit fat and sodium, but also to increase nutrients that promote good health and may protect you from disease.
• Some Americans don't get enough vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, and iron, so choose the brand with the higher % DV for these nutrients.
• Get the most nutrition for your calories—compare the calories to the nutrients you would be getting to make a healthier food choice.

4. Know your fats and reduce sodium for your health.

• To help reduce your risk of heart disease, use the label to select foods that are lowest in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
• Trans fat doesn't have a % DV, but consume as little as possible because it increases your risk of heart disease.
• The % DV for total fat includes all different kinds of fats.
• To help lower blood cholesterol, replace saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in fish, nuts, and liquid vegetable oils.
• Limit sodium to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

5. Reach for healthy, wholesome carbohydrates.

• Fiber and sugars are types of carbohydrates. Healthy sources, like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, can reduce the risk of heart disease and improve digestive functioning.
• Whole grain foods can't always be identified by color or name, such as multi-grain or wheat. Look for the "whole" grain listed first in the ingredient list, such as whole wheat, brown rice, or whole oats.
• There isn't a % DV for sugar, but you can compare the sugar content in grams among products.
• Limit foods with added sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, corn or maple syrup), which add calories but not other nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Make sure that added sugars are not one of the first few items in the ingredients list.

6. For protein, choose foods that are lower in fat.

• Most Americans get plenty of protein, but not always from the healthiest sources.
• When choosing a food for its protein content, such as meat, poultry, dry beans, milk and milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat free.

7. The % Daily Value is a key to a balanced diet.

The % DV is a general guide to help you link nutrients in a serving of food to their contribution to your total daily diet. It can help you determine if a food is high or low in a nutrient—5% or less is low, 20% or more is high. You can use the % DV to make dietary trade-offs with other foods throughout the day. The * is a reminder that the % DV is based on a 2,000-calorie diet. You may need more or less, but the % DV is still a helpful gauge.

Source:

Eating healthier and felling better using the nutrition facts label, U.S. FDA.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm266853.htm

Reversal of Coronary Heart Disease

Eating for Health, Not Weight

By DEAN ORNISH

ALMOST half of Americans are on a diet — not surprising, since two-thirds are overweight or obese, a frightening statistic that inspired Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to push through a ban on large soft drinks in New York City. The country is preoccupied with calories. McDonald’s, for instance, is now posting them. But our widespread hope for weight loss makes us vulnerable to all kinds of promises, even ones that aren’t true, when it comes to food. 

Perhaps the biggest misconception is that as long as you lose weight, it doesn’t matter what you eat. But it does. Yet being thin and being healthy are not at all the same thing. Being overweight is not necessarily linked with disease or premature death. What you eat affects which diseases you may develop, regardless of whether you’re thin or fat. Some diets that may help you lose weight may be harmful to your health over time. 

A widely publicized study earlier this year showed that a low-carb Atkins-type diet might be a faster way to lose weight. That may have given many people the idea that eating meat and butter is the route to thinness and thus health. 

In 35 years of medical research, conducted at the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, which I founded, we have seen that patients who ate mostly plant-based meals, with dishes like black bean vegetarian chili and whole wheat penne pasta with roasted vegetables, achieved reversal of even severe coronary artery disease. They also engaged in moderate exercise and stress-management techniques, and participated in a support group. The program also led to improved blood flow and significantly less inflammation which matters because chronic inflammation is an underlying cause of heart disease and many forms of cancer. We found that this program may also slow, stop or reverse the progression of early stage prostate cancer, as well as reverse the progression of Type 2 diabetes. 

Also, we found that it changed gene expression in over 500 genes in just three months, “turning on” genes that protect against disease and “turning off” genes that promote breast cancer, prostate cancer, inflammation and oxidative stress. 

The program, too, has been associated with increased telomerase, which increases telomere length, the ends of our chromosomes that are thought to control how long we live (studies done in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, who shared the Nobel Prize in 2009 with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for discovering telomerase). As our telomeres get longer, our lives may get longer.

In a randomized controlled trial, patients on this lifestyle program lost an average of 24 pounds after one year and maintained a 12-pound weight loss after five years. The more closely the patients followed this program, the more improvement we measured in each category — at any age.

It’s not low carb or low fat. An optimal diet is low in unhealthful carbs (both sugar and other refined carbohydrates) and low in fat (especially saturated fats and trans fats) as well as in red meat and processed foods. 

WHAT you eat is as important as what you exclude — your diet needs to be high in healthful carbs like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, soy products in natural, unrefined forms and some fish, like salmon. There are hundreds of thousands of health-enhancing substances in these foods. And what’s good for you is good for the planet.

Calories do count — fat is much denser in calories, so when you eat less fat, you consume fewer calories, without consuming less food. Also, it’s easy to eat too many calories from sugar and other refined carbs because they are so low in fiber that you can consume large amounts without getting full. Sugar is absorbed so quickly that you get repeated insulin surges, which promote Type 2 diabetes and accelerate the conversion of calories into body fat.

But never underestimate the power of telling people what they want to hear — like cheeseburgers and bacon are good for you. People are drawn to Atkins-type diets in part because, as the study showed, they produce a higher metabolic rate. But a low-carb diet increases metabolic rate because it’s stressful to your body. Just because something increases your metabolic rate doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Amphetamines will also increase your metabolism and burn calories faster, which is why they are used to help people lose weight, at least temporarily. But they stress your body and may mortgage your health in the progress.

Patients on an Atkins diet in this study showed more than double the level of CRP (C-reactive protein), which is a measure of chronic inflammation and also significantly higher levels of cortisol, a key stress hormone. Both of these increase the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases. A major research article published recently in the British Medical Journal studied 43,396 Swedish women over 16 years. It concluded that “low carbohydrate-high protein diets ... are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.” An important article in The New England Journal of Medicine examined data from a study showing that high-protein, low-carb diets promote coronary artery disease even if they don’t increase traditional cardiac risk factors like blood pressure or cholesterol levels. A diet low in fat and high in unrefined carbohydrates caused the least amount of coronary artery blockages, whereas an Atkins-type diet caused the most.

Outcomes from more than 37,000 men from the Harvard-sponsored Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and more than 83,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study who were followed for many years showed that consumption of both processed and unprocessed red meat, a mainstay of an Atkins diet, is associated with an increased risk of premature death as well as greater incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

About 75 percent of the $2.8 trillion in annual health care costs in the United States is from chronic diseases that can often be reversed or prevented altogether by a healthy lifestyle. If we put money and effort into helping people make better food and exercise choices, we could improve our health and reduce the cost of health care. For example, Medicare is now covering this program for reversing heart disease. In an increasingly polarized political landscape, this approach provides an alternative to some Republicans who want to privatize or dismantle Medicare and some Democrats who want to simply raise taxes or increase the deficit without addressing the diet and lifestyle choices that account for so much health spending.

This way of living helps you lose weight and keep it off while enhancing rather than harming your health. 

A clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and the founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute.

Source:

• Eating for Health, Not Weight, The New York Times, September 22, 2012

Reference

Intensive Lifestyle Changes for Reversal of Coronary Heart Disease, December 16, 1998
Dean Ornish, MD; Larry W. Scherwitz, PhD; James H. Billings, PhD, MPH; K. Lance Gould, MD; Terri A. Merritt, MS; Stephen Sparler, MA; William T. Armstrong, MD; Thomas A. Ports, MD; Richard L. Kirkeeide, PhD; Charissa Hogeboom, PhD; Richard J. Brand, PhD
JAMA. 1998;280(23):2001-2007. doi:10.1001/jama.280.23.2001
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=188274

Effects of stress management training and dietary changes in treating ischemic heart disease.
Ornish D, Scherwitz LW, Doody RS, Kesten D, McLanahan SM, Brown SE, DePuey E, Sonnemaker R, Haynes C, Lester J, McAllister GK, Hall RJ, Burdine JA, Gotto AM Jr.
JAMA. 1983 Jan 7;249(1):54-9.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6336794

Intensive lifestyle changes may affect the progression of prostate cancer.
Ornish D, Weidner G, Fair WR, Marlin R, Pettengill EB, Raisin CJ, Dunn-Emke S, Crutchfield L, Jacobs FN, Barnard RJ, Aronson WJ, McCormac P, McKnight DJ, Fein JD, Dnistrian AM, Weinstein J, Ngo TH, Mendell NR, Carroll PR.
J Urol. 2005 Sep;174(3):1065-9; discussion 1069-70.

The effectiveness and efficacy of an intensive cardiac rehabilitation program in 24 sites.
Silberman A, Banthia R, Estay IS, Kemp C, Studley J, Hareras D, Ornish D.
Am J Health Promot. 2010 Mar-Apr;24(4):260-6.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20232608

Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study. Ornish D, Lin J, Daubenmier J, Weidner G, Epel E, Kemp C, Magbanua MJ, Marlin R, Yglecias L, Carroll PR, Blackburn EH.
Lancet Oncol. 2008 Nov;9(11):1048-57. Epub 2008 Sep 15.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799354

The China Study

The science is clear. The results are unmistakable. Change your diet and dramatically reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Reducing the Risk of Disease through a Vegan Diet

Resources:

T. Colin Campbell Foundation
http://www.tcolincampbell.org

The China Study - Complete References
http://www.tcolincampbell.org/courses-resources/articles/the-china-study-references/

Books:

Gadgets

The Garmin Forerunner GPS Running Watch
Review: http://madprogress.com/the-garmin-forerunner-gps-running-watch/
(Source:http://www.garmin.com)

Dean Ornish

Dean Ornish

Dean Ornish is a clinical professor at UCSF and founder of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute. He's a leading expert on fighting illness - particularly heart disease with dietary and lifestyle changes.

Why you should listen to him

Dr. Dean Ornish wants you to live longer, and have more fun while you're at it. He's one of the leading voices in the medical community promoting a balanced, holistic approach to health, and proving that it works. The author of Eat More, Weigh Less and several other best-selling books, Ornish is best known for his lifestyle-based approach to fighting heart disease.

His research at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute (the nonprofit he founded) clinically demonstrated that cardiovascular illnesses -- and, most recently prostate cancer -- can be treated and even reversed through diet and exercise. These findings (once thought to be physiologically implausible) have been widely chronicled in the US media, including Newsweek, for which Ornish writes a column. The fifty-something physician, who's received many honors and awards, was chosen by LIFE Magazine as one of the most influential members of his generation. Among his many pursuits, Ornish is now working with food corporations to help stop America's obesity pandemic from spreading around the globe.

For over 30 years, Dr. Ornish has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. Recently, Medicare agreed to provide coverage for this program, the first time that Medicare has covered a program of comprehensive lifestyle changes. He recently directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of prostate cancer. His current research showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression, “turning on” disease-preventing genes and “turning off” genes that promote cancer and heart disease.

He is the author of six best-selling books, including New York Times’ bestsellers Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Eat More, Weigh Less, Love & Survival, and his most recent book, The Spectrum. He writes a monthly column for Newsweek magazine.

Reference:

Website: The Ornish Spectrum
Website: Preventive Medicine Research Institute
Website: CTSI Clinical Research Center at USF
Wikipedia: Dr. Dean Ornish

Collection of Videos:

View in YouTube

People in alternative medicine

Research..

C

Dr. T. Colin Campbell has been at the forefront of nutrition research. His legacy, the China Project, is the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted. Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. He has more than 70 grant-years of peer-reviewed research funding and authored more than 300 research papers and coauthor of the bestselling the book, The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health.

G

Max Gerson, age 79 (October 18, 1881 – March 8, 1959) was a German physician who developed the Gerson Therapy, an alternative dietary therapy, which he claimed could cure cancer and most chronic, degenerative diseases. Gerson described his approach in the book A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases. Max Gerson was murdered by arsenic poisoning.
(Max Gerson cured from severe migraines)

Gerson's daughter, Charlotte Gerson, age 90 (March 27,1922 - living) continued to promote the therapy, founding the "Gerson Institute" in 1977, http://gerson.org
The Gerson Institute is a non-profit organization located in San Diego, California, dedicated to providing education and training in the Gerson Therapy, an alternative, non-toxic treatment for cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases.

H

Dr. William Howard Hay, age 74 (1866 – 1940) was a New York doctor, author, lecturer, and founder of The East Aurora Sun and Diet Sanatorium.  He came up with the concept of food combining (also known as the Dr. Hay diet)
(Dr. William Howard Hay cured from bright's disease also known as kidney diseases or nephritis)

P

Dr. Patrick Quillin is an internationally recognized expert in the area of nutrition and cancer. He has 27 years experience as a clinical nutritionist, of which 10 years were spent as the Vice President of Nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America where he worked with thousands of cancer patients in a hospital setting.


The Diet Wars

Barnard Diet (by Neal Barnard, MD, founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine); Based on starches, vegetables and fruits. Diet is low-fat, Emphasis is on no animal foods, ever.

Biblical Daniel Diet: More than 2500 years ago a diet of vegetables and water was found to improve the health of men in 10 days, compared to men eating meat (the king's food).

China Study Diet (by T.Colin Campbell, PhD): Based on starches, vegetables, and fruits. Animal foods may account for 10% or fewer of foods consumed.

CHIP Program (The Complete Health Improvement Program by Dr Hans Diehi);Based on starches, vegetables and fruits. Emphasis is on eating low-fat.

Esselstyn Diet (by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD): Based starches, vegetables, and fruits. No nuts, seeds, avocados, or other fatty plant foods are allowed. Emphasis is on eating very low-fat.

Engine 2 Diet (by Rip Esselstyn): Based on starches, vegetables and fruits. Emphasis is on eating very low-fat.

Fuhrman Diet (by Joel Fuhrman, MD): Based on green and yellow vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. Not always low in fat. Small amounts of animal foods allowed. Emphasis is on eating "nutrient-dense" greens.

Hallelujah Diet (by Rev. George Malkmus): Consists of 85% raw, uncooked and unprocessed plant-based food and 15% cooked plan-based foods.

Kempner Rice Diet (by Walter Kempner, MD): Based on rice and fruits. More plant foods and a few animal foods are allowed after recovery. Emphasis is on eating very low sodium.

Macrobiotic Diet. Based on grains(rice) and vegetables. Fish, seafood, seeds and nuts may be eaten occasionally.

McDougall Diet (by John McDougall, MD): Based on starches, vegetables and fruits. Healthy, trim people can eat some nuts, seeds and avocados. Animals foods for holidays at most. Emphasis is on eating starches.

Natural Hygiene Diet (by Herbert M. Shelton, ND):Advocades a raw food diet of vegetables, fruits and nuts and also periodic fasting and food combining.

Ornish Diet (by Dean Ornish, MD): Based on starches, vegetables and fruits. Low-fat daily, some fish, and fish oils are used at times. Emphasis is on eating very low-fat.

Popper Diet (by Pam Popper, PhD): Based on starches, vegetables and fruits. Emphasis is on eating very low-fat.

Pritikin Diet (by Nathan Pritikin): The original diet was based on starches, vegetables and fruits. Small amounts of meat, poultry, fish and low-fat dailry are allowed. Emphasis is on eating very low-fat.

more...

Politically Acceptable Diets

DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) emphasize fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy, shuns fat-laden sweets and red meat. Promoted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH)

TLC Diet (the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet) created by the National Institutes of Health's National Cholesterol Education Program means eatings less high fat dairy, such as butter and ditching fatty meats.

Resources:

• People in alternative medicine - Wiki

T Colin Campbell

T Colin Campbell

Dr. Campbell is a Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University. He has received more than 70 grant-years of peer-reviewed research funding and authored more than 300 research papers. His legacy, The China Study, is the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted. The study was the culmination of a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. In recent years Dr. Campbell has turned his attention to public education and outreach, through his lectures and his website www.tcolincampbell.org

Reference 

The China Study
http://www.thechinastudy.com/authors.html

Collection of Videos:

View in YouTube

Caldwell B. Esselstyn

Caldwell B. Esselstyn

Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., received his B.A. from Yale University and his M.D. from Western Reserve University. In 1956, pulling the No. 6 oar as a member of the victorious United States rowing team, he was awarded a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He was trained as a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and at St. George's Hospital in London. In 1968, as an Army surgeon in Vietnam, he was awarded the Bronze Star.

In 1991, Dr. Esselstyn served as President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, That same year he organized the first National Conference on the Elimination of Coronary Artery Disease, which was held in Tucson, Arizona. In 1997, he chaired a follow-up conference, the Summit on Cholesterol and Coronary Disease, which brought together more than 500 physicians and health-care workers in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. In April, 2005, Dr. Esselstyn became the first recipient of the Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in Medicine. heartattackproof.com

Reference:

Collection of Videos:


View in YouTube

John A McDougall

John A McDougall

Physician and nutrition expert. He has been studying, writing and "speaking out" about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 30 years.

Dr. McDougall has cared for thousands of patients over almost 3 decades of medical practice and has run a highly successful live-in program for more than 17 years. Dr. McDougall has developed a nourishing , low-fat, starch-based diet that not only promotes a broad range of dramatic and lasting health benefits such as weight (fat) loss, but most importantly can also reverse serious illness, such as heart disease, without drugs.

He has written a number of books including The McDougall Plan: 12 Days to Dynamic Health, McDougall's Medicine: A Challenging Second Opinion, The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, The New McDougall Cookbook, The McDougall Program for Women, and his latest ground breaking book, The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart at drmcdougall.com

Reference:

Websites: Dr. McDougall

Collection of Videos:
View in YouTube

Dr Michael Greger

Michael Greger

Michael Greger, M.D., is a physician and Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States. He is an internationally recognised speaker on a number of important public health and social justice issues. He is also the author of Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low Carb Craze and Heart Failure: Diary of a Third Year Medical Student, and he has contributed to a number of other books on nutrition and food safety issues.

In addition to debating the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Director before the FDA, Dr. Greger was invited as an expert witness to defend Oprah Winfrey in the infamous "meat defamation trial."

He is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine.

drgreger.org

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Reference:

The Humane Society
http://www.hsus.org/

NutritionFacts.Org is brought to you by the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation in partnership with Michael Greger M.D. Dr. Greger scours the world of nutrition-related research, as published in scientific journals, and brings that information to you in short, easy to understand video segments. We also provide links to the original journal articles whenever possible so that you can source the information directly, if you so desire.

Collection of Videos:

Optimum Nutrition Recommendations

Written by: Michael Greger M.D. on September 12th, 2011 

In today’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Golden glow, and tomorrow’s, Produce, not pills to increase physical attractiveness, I review the new research suggesting the consumption of dark green leafy vegetables improves the healthy appearance of Caucasians* due to carotenoid deposition in the skin. Taking those same phytonutrients in pill form, though, doesn’t work. We should strive to get most of our nutrients from plants, not pills.

 The balance of scientific evidence suggests that the healthiest way to eat is a vitamin B12-fortified diet of whole plant foods. For optimum nutrition, we should be sure to include in our daily diet not only an array of whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit, and as many vegetables as we can eat, but also specifically dark green leafy vegetables, berries, and white (or green) tea.

Attention should also be paid to these nutrients:

 Vitamin B12 (see also Which type of vitamin B12 is best)

• At least 2,500 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin once each week, ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement 
• or at least 250 mcg daily of supplemental cyanocobalamin (you needn’t worry about taking too much) 
• or servings of B12-fortified foods three times a day, each containing at least 25% U.S. “Daily Value” on its label 
• Those over 65 years of age should take at least 1,000 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin every day. 
• Tip: If experiencing deficiency symptoms, the best test is a urine MMA level (not serum B12 level) 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids 

• 250 to 500 mg daily of yeast- or algae-derived DHA and/or EPA 

Vitamin D (daily recommendations for those in the Northern Hemisphere; D3 from animal or plant sources may be preferable to the D2 sourced from fungi)

• Below approximately 30°latitude (south of Los Angeles/Dallas/Atlanta/Cairo) 
• 15-30 minutes of midday sun (15 for those with lighter skin; 30 for those with darker skin) 
• or 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D 
• Between 30° latitude (sample cities above) & 40°latitude (Portland/Chicago/Boston/Rome/Beijing) 
• From February through November 
• 15-30 minutes of midday sun (15 for those with lighter skin; 30 for those with darker skin) 
• or 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D 
• From December through January 
• 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D 
• Between 40° latitude (sample cities above) & 50°latitude
  (Edmonton/London/Berlin/Moscow)
• From March through October 
• 15-30 minutes of midday sun (15 for those with lighter skin; 30 for those with darker skin) 
• or 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D 
• From November through February 
• 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D 
• Above approximately 50°latitude (north of Edmonton/London/Berlin/Moscow) 
• From April through September (or even briefer above 60°latitude (Anchorage/Stockholm)) 
• 15-30 minutes of midday sun (15 for those with lighter skin; 30 for those with darker skin) 
• or 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D 
• From October through March (or even longer above 60°latitude (Anchorage/Stockholm)) 
• 2,000 IU supplemental vitamin D 

Calcium

• At least 600 mg daily via calcium-rich plant foods—preferably low-oxalate dark green leafy vegetables, which includes all greens except spinach, chard, and beet greens (all very healthy foods, but not good calcium sources due to their oxalate content). 

Iodine 

• For those who don’t eat seaweed or use iodized salt, a 150 mcg daily supplement 
• The sea vegetable hijiki (hiziki) should not be eaten due to high arsenic levels 
• Kelp should be avoided as it tends to have too much iodine 

Iron 

• All menstruating women should increase their absorption by combining foods rich in iron and vitamin C at meals and should get checked for iron-deficiency anemia every few years 
• Men should be checked for an iron overload disease before any attempt to increase intake 

Selenium 

• Northern Europeans may need to take a supplement or eat a daily Brazil nut 

-Michael Greger, M.D. 

 * Due to the pervasive under-representation of traditionally marginalized groups in clinical research, comparable science across the skin color spectrum is not yet available.

Weights and Measures

Imperial / Metric

Weight

1/2 oz, 14 g
1 oz, 28 g
2 oz, 57 g
4 oz (1/4 lb), 118 ml (113 g)
8 oz (1/2 lb), 236 ml (227 g)
12 oz (3/4 lb), 355 ml (340 g)
16 oz (1 lb), 473 ml (454 g)

Volume

1 fl oz, 28 ml
2 fl oz, 57 ml
3 fl oz, 85 ml
4 fl oz, 114 ml
5 fl oz, (1/4 pt), 142 ml
10 fl oz (1/2 pt), 284 ml
15 fl oz (3/4 pt), 426 ml
20 fl oz (1 pt), 558 ml

American / British Measures

1 US cup is 8 oz
1 1/2 US cups is 12 oz

1 US pint is 16 fluid oz
1/2 US pint is 8 fluid oz

Health Tools

Living Longer

Life Expectancy Calculator

The Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be. Most people score in their late eighties... how about you?
Site: www.livingto100.com

Blue Zones® - Vitality Compass 

Use life estimator to calculate your biological age, overall life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and years you're gaining/losing because of your habits
Site: http://apps.bluezones.com/vitality/

Blue Zones® - True Happiness

Measures how you remember your life, how you experience your life and the effect of your environment
Site: http://apps.bluezones.com/happiness/

Brain Tools

Improve brain health and performance.
Site: www.lumosity.com

Self Screening Tool

AllRefer.com Symptoms Guide

Includes step-by-step instructions for evaluating symptoms, from blood in the urine and heartburn to abdominal pain and skin rash
Site: http://health.allrefer.com/health/symptoms.html

MyElectronicMD.com

Allow you to click on the body parts experiencing symptoms to learn about the possible causes and what to do
Site: http://myelectronicmd.com/step2.php

WebMD Symptom Checker

Need information as you determine what to do about your symptoms?
Site: http://symptoms.webmd.com/symptomchecker

Visions

Test your own vision 

Site: http://www.mdsupport.org/eyetests.html

Visual Field Test - Damato Multifixation Campimeter.

This is designed to help you become aware of any significant defects in your visual field.
Site: http://www.testvision.org/intro.html

Damato Campimetry Portfolio's photostream
Site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/damatocampimetry/

The Amsler Grid

Detecting early symptoms of macular degeneration or changes in the vision of people who already have the condition is important.
Site: http://www.mdsupport.org/amslergrid.html

Snellen

Site 1: http://www.i-see.org/eyecharts.html
Site 2: http://www.mdsupport.org/snellen.html

Visual Field Grid

Site: http://www.mdsupport.org/vfgrid.html

Color Vision Test

Color arrangement test (according to FARNSWORTH)
Site: http://www.univie.ac.at/Vergl-Physiologie/colortest/colortestF-en.html#test

Others

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome/faq

Resources

• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn @ heartattackproof.com
• Dr. T Colin Campbell @ tcolincampbell.org
• Dr. John McDougall @ drmcdougall.com
  The Free McDougall Program
  http://www.drmcdougall.com/free.html
• Dr. Max Gerson, Gerson Institute @gerson.org
• Dr. Fuhrman @  drfuhrman.com
• Dr. Michael Greger @  veganmd.org,  nutritionfacts.org,  drgreger.org
• Dr. Joseph Mecola @ mercola.com
• Mike Adams, the Health Ranger @ tv.naturalnews.com

Link: http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/dr-caldwell-esselstyns-heart-disease-prevention-reversal-diet/page/3/

World Health Organisation

Link: http://www.who.int/about/licensing/rss/en/

Clinical Trials Feeds

Link: http://clinicaltrialsfeeds.org/clinical-trials/info/help/

Singapore

Health Promotion Board, Singapore

Link: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/faces/oracle/webcenter/portalapp/pages/RSS/RSSFeeds.jspx

SingHealth

Link: http://www.singhealth.com.sg/ContactUs/RSS/Pages/Home.aspx

Health Assessment Centre, Singapore General Hospital

Link: http://www.sgh.com.sg/clinical-departments-centers/health-assessment-centre/pages/health-assessment-centre.aspx

News,  Health Xchange

Link: http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/News/Pages/New-way-to-test-heart-disease-risk.aspx

Seeds
http://www.ecocityhydroponics.com

C-Reactive Protein

C-reactive protein is produced by the liver. The level of CRP rises when there is inflammation throughout the body. Blood is typically drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. At the laboratory, your blood sample is mixed with a liquid called an antiserum, which contains substances that look for the specific protein.
More: http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/c-reactive-protein/overview.html