New England Health Advisory

Stranger than Science Fiction

The Money Trail

The Food-Safety Disconnect

When will we realize that while budgets are tight, some savings are simply too costly to justify.

Take this story from the New York Times published in December of 2009.

Once upon a time, there was a beef processing company called Beef
Products Inc. looking to make more money (not unusual). It wanted to find a way to take the fatty meat trimmings (which could only be sold for pet food or cooking oil) and create a product they could use to enter the hamburger business

But the trimmings were susceptible to contamination by E. coli and salmonella, so the company had to find a way to treat the meat scraps so that they would be safe from contamination.

So Beef Products developed a process to treat the meat with ammonia. Yes, ammonia.

Untreated meat has a natural ammonia level that rates about 6 on the pH scale, similar to milk or rain water. But this company found that if they treated the beef with an ammonia process that resulted in changing the pH level to about 10 (an alkalinity that surpasses the range of most foods), they could kill the E.coli and salmonella.

Pink Slime

So the company took their study to the U.S.D.A., which was concerned about E. coli and salmonella. One former U.S.D.A. microbiologist admitted that he and several scientists were concerned that no independent validation of safety had been provided. Another, Gerald Zirnstein said the processed beef looked like “pink slime” and went on to say “I do not consider the stuff to be ground beef, and I consider allowing it in ground beef to be a form of fraudulent labeling.”

But in the end, the U.S.D.A. not only approved the ammonia-processed meat, they were so pleased with the performance of the ammonia process that they exempted the company from routine testing of the hamburger meat!

A top lawyer and lobbyist for the meat industry argued on Beef Products’ behalf that another company had just received approval to not disclose a chemical used in treating poultry, so therefore this company shouldn’t have to disclose the use of ammonia. He won.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the ammonia process.

The Money Trail

So the Beef Products sold its ammonia treated meat to McDonalds, Burger King and all the other fast food chains, as well as to many grocery stores.

And the Agriculture Marketing Service, the U.S.D.A. division that is responsible for buying food for school lunches, overcame initial objections and decided to use the ammonia-processed meat too because it saved three cents a pound off the cost of making ground beef. Last year, the company sold about 5.5 million pounds of the ammonia-processed meat to schools alone.

Beef Products, which does not disclose its earnings, generated an estimated $440 million dollars a year in additional revenue from the trimmings previously unfit for human consumption.

And we, as consumers, would probably never have known about this at all, had it not been for a problem.

The ammonia process left the meat smelling pungently of ammonia, even as the company produced a taste test saying that some school children preferred the taste of burgers with more of the ammonia processed meat.

In Georgia, officials returned 7,000 pounds of the meat to the company after smelling a “very strong odor of ammonia” in the meat being used to make meatloaf for state prisons. (They did not know about the ammonia process, because it was not on the label, so they assumed the meat had been tainted.) They noted in their complaint, according to the New York Times, that the “level of ammonia in the beef was similar to levels found in the contamination incidents involving chicken and milk that had sickened schoolchildren.”

Beef Products told the U.S.D.A. that the ammonia-treated meat was safe and when it was diluted with other ground beef. The U.S.D.A. accepted this conclusion, so the company was off the hook.

But others complained about the smell, too.

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Vulnerable to Contamination

So the company had to do something and it released new research showing that E. coli and salmonella were undetectable at pH levels of 8.5. That enabled it to reduce the level of ammonia and lessen the smell. So Beef Products altered the process to lower the pH level, though the company would not reveal to exactly what level. (Samples that the New York Times collected showed a pH as low as 7.75, below their revised test minimum.)

But in doing so, this left the fatty meat scraps more vulnerable to contamination.

And that is where the company surfaced on the public radar.

School lunch program testing revealed E. coli and salmonella dozens of times in Beef Products’ meat. Back-to-back incidents in August of last year determined that two 27,000-pound batches of the meat were contaminated, but thankfully they were caught before the meat was consumed by school children.

Last July, salmonella concerns resulted in a temporary ban of Beef Products’ meat by school officials in Kansas. It was the third time in three years the company’s meat had been banned. But the processing facility remained open and continued to supply other customers (including fast food restaurants and grocery stores) with meat even though they couldn’t sell to schools during that time.

When the New York Times broke the story and presented the U.S.D.A. with the information, its top officials said that they did not know what their peers in the lunch program had known for years.

The agriculture department responded and revoked Beef Products’ freedom from routine testing. It also reversed its policy about pathogens: Because this beef was supposedly pathogen free, it was not included in recalls, even when pathogens were found in tainted hamburgers!

Food Safety Disconnect: What is Wrong?

While in a way I feel we should cheer that there was a response as a result of the NY Times investigation, it’s clear that there is a disconnect between the various divisions of government, and that this lack of communication and knowledge exchange is hindering public safety.

But more than that, I am concerned that we as a public have become too comfortable with scandal and no longer react.

I am not sure what aspect of this story bothers me most:

The fact that ammonia is being injected into meat;

The fact that the process of injecting ammonia into substandard previously inedible meat makes it then acceptable;

The fact that despite no outside substantiation that this process is safe, it was approved;

The fact that because it is seemingly safe, it is exempt from any further testing;

The fact that this meat is being consumed by school children as part of hot lunch programs in order to save pennies;

The fact that government agencies—and branches of the same agency—don’t talk to each other;

(When that happens in corporations, we consider them dysfunctional and they usually don’t stick around long.)

The fact that the company continued to sell the meat to other customers even after contamination was confirmed by one customer;

That there is no real recourse to be taken against this company and it continues on as before selling its ammonia-laden meat, although now it is no longer exempt from testing;

Or that when all of this comes to light, we read it and move on.

I feel outraged that we are allowing substandard food products to replace real food in our diets. Is this what we want to eat?

Are we OK letting accountants make food decisions, so that saving three cents becomes more important than health and wellness?

It strikes me that it is not dissimilar to the situation in the automobile industry in America. I remember being in a meeting 20 years ago in which there was a discussion on saving a half a cent on a screw that would last through warranty (hopefully) versus spending an extra half a cent for a more expensive screw that would last 10+ years.

It took awhile, but car manufacturers finally realized that they needed to take a more holistic view: That there were other costs associated with choosing the less expensive screw. Things changed when the decisions were no longer made solely by the bean counters.

When will we take a more holistic view of our food choices and realize that while budgets are tight, some savings are simply too costly to justify?

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory

P.S. Speaking of good articles … did you see the recent  (February 15, 2010) TIME magazine special issue on aging?

TIME featured the Nobel Prize winning breakthrough on telomere research. In the article, scientists discuss how telomeres, “are the closest we may come to identifying a biological clock—and our best bet for learning how to stop or turn back that clock.” What are telomeres? They are the part of your chromosome that gets smaller as you age. When the telomere runs out, cell division stops, and life comes to an end.

The telomere might be considered the most important discovery in human history. We now understand the mechanism of aging and how to influence it.  In fact, the discovery of telomeres just won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Now we’ve discovered a way to apply this Nobel Prize-winning breakthrough to skin care. Using this new discovery to virtually extend the lifespan of your skin cells, and help erase all of the signs of aging and revive the youth and radiance of younger years.

For more information on how to feel the joy that comes with a healthier, more youthful face, please visit this link.

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P.P.S. Last week I wrote about Jamie Oliver’s new show that tackles obesity in America through healthy cooking and the school lunch program aired last night on ABC. Jamie has a petition to go along with his new TV show that you can sign to support his assertion that America’s kids need better food at school and better health prospects. Jamie plans to take his petition to the White House after the TV series airs, to show the president and first lady how many people across the country really care about this and ask for their support. The link below will take you to the petition.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

Give Peas a Chance

It’s Not Just About Obesity; It’s About Wellness

Evolution to Revolution

Before I jump into today’s topic, food, I want to point out two new resources for New England Health Advisory readers. One is my Twitter account, where I’ll be tweeting interesting articles, news and thoughts about health. You can follow me here. The other is our Facebook page, which you can become a fan of here. Please take a minute to check both of them out. Now on to today’s issue …

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My relationship with food has evolved over time.

As a child, I was a picky eater and I ran away from home more than once over a vegetable I refused to eat. One time, I was so adamant that I would not eat my green beans that I packed my little suitcase and left. As it got darker and colder, I took refuge in the back seat of the car. My parents, not unfamiliar with my intentions, waited for me to return. As the evening grew later and I was still not back, they got into the car to drive to the police station to report me missing and found me asleep on the back seat.

My uncle had witnessed some of my food bouts as a child. He wrote me recently that he was having lunch in a restaurant and thought of me when he saw a picture on the wall of a young John Lennon with his mother standing over him. John had a look on his face much like I did those days, of a child unwilling to eat something on his plate. And the caption over Mrs. Lennon said, “All I am saying, is give peas a chance.”

Try It, You’ll Like It

Back then, meals were a battle and I didn’t think I liked food much. But I was wrong. When I was a grad student at Columbia University in New York, my Dad and his business partners came to the city for some meetings. They had dinner planned at La Cote Basque and I was invited—likely because they felt sorry for me being a poor student in the city. I knew nothing about the restaurant other than that I had to dress nicely. I was reluctant to spend money but I didn’t own a single skirt so I went to Macy’s to buy something to wear. It turned out to be one of the best investments I ever made.

The menu was all in French and while my French was decent, there were food words I didn’t know, like foie gras. So my Dad ordered for me, knowing what I’d like. I also got to try a bite of everything he ordered. My life was forever changed; in that moment, I became a “foodie.”

Elaborate Became Simple

Before I had kids, I loved to cook big elaborate meals, often experimenting with French sauces and throwing multi-course dinner parties. It was fun! Soon, however, life got busier and the fun was no longer worth the hours of clean up afterward. I began to cook more simply. As I became more health conscious, my simple meals evolved into healthy, organic food, cooked with love.

I found that it was easy to make delicious meals with just a handful of ingredients and do it quickly, taking no more time than making a processed food alternative. I became passionate that everyone should know how to prepare a few simple healthy delicious meals. I believe we should teach families in our communities and kids in school how to cook and eat well.

Spreading the Word

I have also become passionate about improving the food in schools. The meals my kids would be fed at school are full of sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, MSG and a host of other additives that aren’t keeping kids healthy, let alone helping them stay focused and alert in school.

The food in my daughter’s upper-middle class public school is shocking: nachos, hotdogs, fries and pizza. But the food in my son’s school, where kids are all facing language-based learning challenges, is even more shocking to me because these are kids who need every advantage to help them learn. Processed foods with preservatives, dyes, additives and chemicals make learning (and paying attention) that much more challenging to kids who are already struggling.

Don’t our kids deserve a healthy school lunch? (For more on this topic, see my article on ammonia in meat.)

Starting with Children

Shouldn’t we be teaching our kids foundation food skills, from shopping to cooking to eating?

It can be hard, especially for children who want to fit in, to navigate food choices. If everyone else can have soda and eat at McDonalds, why can’t I?

It takes a little time to educate kids about food choices. But once they have that information, they can—and will—make better choices. To make it less stressful, I encourage mine to live by an 80/20 rule. If they are eating well and making good choices 80% of the time, then the other times, they can indulge in their treat of choice and not feel guilty.

I might say, “If you’re going to have soda and pizza at that birthday party, have a really good healthy lunch before.” or “If you want ice cream for dessert, be sure you have filled up with fresh vegetables, healthy fats and fiber beforehand so that you are not hungry and your portion size will be more moderate.”

I also teach my children that there are two ways to make positive changes: One is to do more positive things, the other is to do fewer negative things. If one feels overwhelming or hard, then follow the other path for a while. So while my kids struggle at times resisting temptation (and don’t we all!), they know they can always add in some good. They can go for a bike ride, grab an apple or some carrots or drink a big glass of water—knowing that empowers them.

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It’s About Wellness

Both my kids are very lean. For them, like for many of you, it’s not just about obesity; it’s about wellness. A friend who is in his 50s confessed to me recently that he eats too many sweets. But being lean and active, he figures it’s ok. And while most things in moderation are fine, lifelong patterns do add up over time. Just because some of your bad food habits haven’t caught up with you in terms of weight gain does not mean they are not wreaking havoc inside your body.

Many lean active people suffer from type 2 diabetes. Often, seemingly healthy people are surprised when they face a health challenge that appears to come out of nowhere, but in truth, it has been building for years from too much sugar, not enough fiber and healthy fats, too many chemicals and processed foods, not enough fresh whole foods, too much stress and not enough sunshine and physical activity.

The Food Revolution

When I heard that Jamie Oliver, the famed British Chef who had taken on school lunches back in England, was tackling obesity in America in a new television show, I was excited. I read that Oliver would focus on bringing people back to simple healthy cooking and address the school lunch problem. I marked my calendar for the March 26 premiere of his new show, called “Food Revolution” on ABC at 9 p.m. I can’t wait!

After my welcome letter went out to new subscribers to New England Health Advisory, a friend of mine sent me a note. He said that Jamie Oliver and I are aligned in views and asked if I had seen his speech at the recent TED conference. (TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.) I said I had not; between our school vacation and gearing up for the launch of New England Health Advisory, I had not had the time.

My friend told me I had to watch Oliver’s presentation because we are both “surfing the same wave.” I wish I had seen the presentation before I wrote my welcome letter, but even now, it’s clear that we agree on many important points. I’m thrilled TED recognized him with a $100,000 prize.

I highly recommend you take the 20 minutes to watch it as well. Here’s the link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jamie_oliver.html

It has been my mission to change the way we think about food and wellness in this country for some time now, and I’m glad that if you are reading this, you have decided to join me on this venture.

I will be cheering and I hope you’ll be there too.

It’s not too late. The time is now.

Along with fellow surfer Jamie Oliver, we can be part of a Food Revolution, and together make a difference in our future, and the futures of our children and grandchildren.

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory

P.S. Lose weight effortlessly with the help of the results of a new clinical study. The people in this study—which was published in the medical journal Lipids in Health and Disease—lost an average of 28 pounds and 6 inches off their belly. And they didn’t change their diet or exercise habits. Click here to learn more.

P.P.S. Jamie Oliver has a petition to go along with his new TV show that you can sign to support his assertion that America’s kids need better food at school and better health prospects. Jamie plans to take his petition to the White House after the TV series airs, to show the president and first lady how many people across the country really care about this and ask for their support. The link below will take you to the petition.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

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The A, B, C’s of Vitamin D

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Not Your Grandmother’s Cod Liver Oil

Winter can be long. Thankfully, here in New England, we do get bright sunny days. (Unlike Detroit where I spent several gray winters craving sunshine due to “lake effect.”) But the days are short and it is hard to get out and experience sunlight if you work a traditional schedule.

I took my kids on vacation for school break this February and it was amazing how much better we all felt once we had some time in the sun. It was not just about being away and relaxing; I felt noticeably better–physically and emotionally -after experiencing the sunshine on my skin.

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, has been getting a lot of press lately, and for good reason. While we have always known it helps with bone health as it facilitates calcium absorption, new research is proving that higher levels of the vitamin have an impact on immune health and protect against cancer, heart health, autoimmune diseases, depression, periodontal disease, diabetes and a host of other conditions.

While adequate levels are shown to be protectors against many conditions, low levels, or deficiencies, are now linked to concerns with these same systems and conditions. Studies now show that vitamin D deficiency is rampant and far more pervasive than previously believed.

Many experts say increasing your vitamin D levels may be the single most important thing you can do to improve your health.

What is Vitamin D?

Interestingly, vitamin D is not really a vitamin; it’s actually a group of prohormones. The two major forms are known as vitamin D2, known as ergocalciferol, and vitamin D3, known as cholecalciferol. Vitamin D is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, which means it is absorbed with the help of lipids (fats) in the intestinal tract. This means that without adequate fat present, the body will not absorb vitamin D. It also means that unlike water-soluble vitamins, which are not readily stored, excess vitamin D can be stored in fat and muscle tissue for future use.

The vitamin D the body receives from food, supplementation or sun exposure is inert and undergoes two reactions in the body in order to become active. The metabolic product created from this process, calcitrol, is a hormone that is said to target over 2,000 genes. That is about 10% of all human genes; no wonder some call it the miracle cure!

A Return to Rickets

Vitamin D deficiency is so rampant now that a recent report in the British Medical Journal revealed the return of a condition common in Victorian times known as rickets. Rickets is a disease affecting growing children whose bones do not harden or set appropriately due to insufficient vitamin D. This once common condition disappeared in developed countries upon discovery that minimal levels of vitamin D would prevent it, but it has now returned.

A new study recently published in the journal Pediatrics here in America revealed that as many as two-thirds of all children are deficient in vitamin D. Among darker-skinned populations the deficiency is even more rampant, with as many as 92% of black children being deficient and as many as 80% of non-black Hispanic children being deficient.

These numbers are based on the new target minimum of 75 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L).
(Until recently, the standard minimum had been considered 50 nmol/L but many researchers have recently suggested that level be raised.)

According to the Vitamin D Council, however, the recommended minimum vitamin D dosage is actually much higher. They cite recent research that indicates that below 100 nmol/L, the body uses vitamin D up as quickly as it is created. At between 100 and 125 nmol/L, some people begin to store vitamin D, but others do not. At 125 nmol/L, virtually everyone begins to store excess vitamin D in fat and muscle tissue.

The Vitamin D Council considers numbers below 125 to indicate “chronic substrate starvation” and recommends a range of 125-200 nmol/L. (Using these numbers as a baseline, I would venture a guess that virtually everyone tested in that study would be deficient.)

Vitamin D is used to support the immune system and protect against so many conditions that the presence of any health concerns in the body may well warrant a need for an increase in availability. If your body is fighting cancer or heart disease, or looking to recover after a strenuous workout, how much more vitamin D might you need? We don’t yet know those answers, but we can certainly imagine that there might be cases where the body needs much more.

Whether you choose to follow the recommendations of the Vitamin D Council or to be more conservative and follow more traditional guidelines, it is likely that you need to raise your vitamin D levels.

How do I measure my Vitamin D levels?

The only way to reliably know how deficient in vitamin D you might be is to have a simple blood test performed called a 25 hydroxyvitamin D test or a 25 (OH)D. Your doctor can do this easily and most insurance plans should cover it. Many doctors will still consider significantly lower numbers to be acceptable (keeping up with the emerging research can be a full-time job and your doctor already has a full-time job); if so, it will be up to you to share information and partner with your physician to find the right level for you.

If your physician will not test you for vitamin D, you can order a test from the Vitamin D Council on its Web site. You complete the test and mail it back for accurate results (in all states but New York, which prohibits testing of specimens collected in or mailed from New York and prohibits data transmission from the lab to New York physicians or residents.) The test costs $65–or $220 for four if you want to test periodically or test more than one family member.

The tests will tell you your current levels, but from there you will need to figure out how much supplementation you require to get you to where you want to be.

How much vitamin D do I need?

Generally speaking, we know that the darker your skin, the bigger you are and the less daily sunshine you receive, the more you will need.

While current FDA guidelines suggest a vitamin D level of 400 International Units, or IUs, per day, many researchers and physicians have increased their suggested optimal adult vitamin D level to around 5,000 IUs per day. I have also seen a formula used that indicates a body needs 35 IUs per pound of body weight, which allows for variance for children and heavier people.

Supplementation at the 5,000 IU level has been shown to bring vitamin D into the desired nmol/L range for many people. But because vitamin D is used to fight cancer, regulate the immune system and myriad other functions, there can be a need for much more depending on what is going on in your body. Some studies have revealed that certain individuals need as much as 25,000 to 30,000 IUs just to reach a consistent rate of 125 nmol/L!

Vitamin D needs are individual and must be customized. That’s why it is recommended that you test in order to be sure your supplementation is adequate for your own body’s needs.  It is recommended that you begin supplementation first and consume vitamin D regularly for two to three months before you have your levels tested in order to see how effective your dosing is for you. (If you feel more comfortable testing first, that’s fine. Just know that you may need to test several times in the process.)

Unless your climate remains constant year round, you will probably want to test in summer and in winter to get a sense of the shifts in your body and how the season changes affect your dosage levels. People who avoid the sun as well as those with darker skin pigmentation will likely need to increase their dosage, especially in winter.

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Too Much of a Good Thing?

According to the Vitamin D Council, even at the new recommendation of 125-200 nmol/L (much higher than most doctors will be familiar with), those ranges are still very conservative. But because excess Vitamin D is stored in fat and muscle tissue, there have been concerns about toxicity from over consumption.

While we should always be aware of such possibilities–and that is yet another reason to work with your doctor and get tested regularly–the risk of toxicity is much less than previously believed. Because the body is geared to produce very high levels of vitamin D from our daily sun exposure, we have the capacity to absorb very high levels.

Typical summer sun exposure of 20 minutes (without sunscreen and with face, arms and legs uncovered) yields 20,000 IU of vitamin D. We didn’t have sunscreen until recently; our bodies were built to be in sunlight for much of the day (building up our sun exposure to prevent burning of course.) So we are engineered to produce and absorb very high levels of vitamin D. And we also have a built-in safety mechanism: After the body produces about 20,000 IUs of vitamin D, the sunlight, begins to break it down, preventing the body from excess. And once we are tan, the body naturally adjusts and makes less, producing only about 10,000 IUs.

But oral consumption is different: Can we overdose on vitamin D? While pharmacological overdoses of vitamin D2 have been documented, the same is not true for vitamin D3. Research conducted to determine toxic excess in animals revealed that the dose of vitamin D3 it takes to kill half the animals when tested in dogs was about 3,520,000 IU/kg. (Yes, sorry, they did in fact test this on animals.) That is estimated to be about 176,000,000 IUs taken by a 110-pound human.

Leading researcher Dr. Reinhold Vieth suggests that toxicity may possibly begin to occur after chronic daily consumption of 40,000 IUs a day. Clearly there is a great deal of room between the minimum guideline of 5,000 IUs and long-term daily consumption of 40,000 IUs.

Vitamin D Co-Factors

The body needs several substances to utilize vitamin D appropriately.  These co-factors include magnesium, zinc, boron, vitamin K2, genestein and a small amount of vitamin A.

I believe many people are magnesium deficient (because calcium and magnesium partner together and so many people supplement calcium but neglect magnesium–I’ll discuss magnesium more in a future newsletter) and because of that, magnesium is an important consideration in vitamin D supplementation.

If you struggle with reaching optimal vitamin D levels after supplementation, a magnesium deficiency could be the reason why. At the same time, as you supplement with vitamin D, any existing magnesium deficiency could be exacerbated.

So paying attention to the co-factors, especially magnesium, is an important component of successful vitamin D absorption.

Walking on Sunshine

The best way to increase vitamin D in your body is through sunshine. Exposed skin in summer sun for 20 minutes will give your body its daily dose. But unless you live in southern Florida, you won’t be able to get what you need year-round from sunlight alone and you’ll need to supplement, at least during winter months.

Tanning Beds

Tanning beds emit both UVA and UVB rays. However, the body is only interested in the UVB rays for vitamin D synthesis. UVB rays are shorter and affect the surface layers of the skin and as a result, can cause sunburns. The dark tans that come from tanning beds result mostly from UVA rays. Therefore, most tanning salons calibrate their beds to produce mostly UVA rays (often as high as 95% UVA) and minimal UVB.

Not Your Grandmother’s Cod Liver Oil

It is possible to get vitamin D from foods such as salmon (wild sockeye is best; not farm raised), mackerel, herring, sardines and catfish. But a standard portion of these foods will only yield about 250-350 IUs, so you’ll have to eat a lot!

Grandmother’s remedy of a tablespoon of cod liver oil is a highly effective form as well; it yields 1,360 IUs.  (Many companies now flavor the oil with lemon or orange so that the taste is not like what you might remember; my kids will even eat it and they can choose between oil and pill form.)

Choose a brand that has been tested and found to remove contaminants such as mercury and PCBs, which can be present in fish.

Cod liver oil, however, also contains vitamin A, another fat-soluble vitamin that some suggest has toxicity concerns at high doses.  I believe that in time research will show that–similar to vitamin D–high doses of vitamin A from natural sources are safe. For now, if you have concerns about excessive vitamin A, rather than quadrupling the dosage of cod liver oil to get to 5,000 IUs, you’ll want to consider D3 supplementation through pills, sprays or oils.

Studies show that vitamin D2 is only about 20%-40% as effective in supplementation as vitamin D3. Many over-the-counter vitamin D supplements–and virtually all prescription forms–contain vitamin D2. But D3 (cholecalciferol) is widely considered to be a more effective source, so read the label carefully.

And don’t be afraid of 15-20 minute breaks in the sun without sunscreen (we’ll talk about the myth that it will cause skin cancer in another newsletter). You will feel energized and renewed and many systems in your body will be thankful.

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory

P.S. As Inger mentioned above, cod liver oil is an excellent source of one of nature’s most important nutrients: Vitamin D. Things have changed a lot since your grandmother used to give you a tablespoon full–there’s no fishy after taste and most capsules have a pleasant lemon/lime flavor. You owe it to yourself to try this time-tested vitamin today–it can help you fight diseases and live a healthier life! Click below to find out more!

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Welcome Readers!

What is Stress?

Just Breathe

Welcome to your first issue of New England Health Advisory! I’m pleased that you’ve decided to join us on our journey toward a happier, healthier and longer life. Today, I’m going to talk about stress, something that we in New England have had a lot of experience with lately.

Last week, we had a severe storm in New England that knocked out power lines across the region. I lost my power on Thursday evening and the kids and I did homework by candlelight. It was kind of fun sitting together in the dark without the normal daily distractions. We talked about a lot of things, including what it must have been like for kids years ago to eat and do homework by candlelight with no TV, radio, Nintendo DS or Wii.

While some in the area began to get their power back on Friday, we remained without power until late Sunday afternoon. Over the weekend, I had planned to write this newsletter and some other pieces as well. Instead, I dealt with water in my basement and no heat, electricity or water where I needed it! So this week, as we talk about managing stress, I can assure you I have practiced what I will preach in this issue.

It has been estimated that 75%-90% of visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related concerns. Stress was called the “Epidemic of the Eighties” by Time Magazine and was referred to as our leading health problem at that time. But many studies confirm that Americans today believe they are under even more stress now than they were a decade or more ago. Stress is pervasive in our busy lives and stress definitely affects our health.

But it doesn’t have to. There are simple techniques I will explore in this newsletter that you can use to release stress in order to find peace in the moment–and to restore balance to your body over time.

So many of my friends tell me they are stressed out: No time, running around in circles, feeling they are always behind, feeling like there is no time for themselves. One friend told me she got a gift certificate to a spa from her partner for Valentine’s Day, a break she sorely needs. But she was certain it would remain unused–at least until summer–because she simply had no time to fit in such an indulgence.

We want to be super moms and amazing dads while still holding down our jobs and fulfilling all of our commitments and obligations. But as the flight attendant on the airplane instructs you, in case of an emergency situation, you should put the oxygen mask on yourself first before assisting any other passengers. And that is equally true in life.

If you are run down and exhausted, stressed and tired, you cannot truly give of yourself until you re-charge and re-fill your own gas tank.

According to Brian Luke Seaward, a leading expert in managing stress, “In Eastern philosophies, stress is considered to be an absence of inner peace. In Western culture, stress can be described as a loss of control. Noted healer Serge Kahili King has defined stress as any change experienced by the individual. This definition may be rather general, but it is quite correct.”

I am not sure which of the definitions I like best.  While they are all accurate, and perhaps in the end, all the same, the way each is expressed evokes different thoughts and responses in me.

What is Stress?

The actual term for stress came from endocrinologist Hans Selye. He found that all animals undergo a similar series of reactions to stimuli. It begins with alarm, during which adrenaline will flow to try to generate what has come to be termed as the “fight or flight response.”

Resistance comes next, as the body tries to find a way to cope with the stressor. At first the body adapts, but then over time, resources are depleted. The final stage is exhaustion, wherein the body is no longer able to maintain normal function. If the final stage is extended, long-term damage can be done to systems and glands, particularly the adrenal gland and the immune system.

Extended periods of stress wreak havoc on our bodies. But so does the repetition of moving through these phases over and over again.

Our ancestors knew no real stress other than the occasional wild animal chase, whether they were the hunter or hunted. We seem to experience it on a daily or weekly basis. The challenges of the daily commute, work deadlines and family responsibilities did not exist in the way they do now. The human body is experiencing something very new in our lifetimes, and we may not have the physiology to support it.

Stress and Wellness

Stress results in inflammation in the body. Inflammation is only just beginning to get the medical recognition it deserves, but many experts already believe that inflammation is the underlying cause of many chronic illnesses.

While many people can be confronted with stress and remain healthy, extensive research shows that stress contributes to disease. Stress has been shown to contribute to cancer, suppression of the immune system, heart disease, flu and viruses, colds, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers and colitis, asthma, tension and migraine headaches, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD), irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, obesity and myriad other medical issues.

While we may be able to remove some, we cannot eliminate all of the stressors in our lives. But what we can do is change the way we react to them and how we deal with their effect on our bodies.

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Breathing

It is generally recognized that we do not breathe as we should. We take short shallow gulps from our lungs instead of long deep inhales and exhales emanating from our diaphragms. While some modern Western physicians, among them Dr. Andrew Weill, have written extensively about breathing, many ancient cultures recognized proper breathing as an essential component of a healthy life.

These cultures not only believed in the importance of proper breathing, they have structured rituals and physical exercise programs around the power of the breath. Yoga and tai chi are two effective ways to integrate physical movement with breath, and as a result, to combat stress. Integrating physical exercise with breathing is especially helpful for stress release, since it combines two powerful stress release tools–breathing and exercise–into one activity.

However, simply taking a few moments to take a deep breath, or two or three, can be a quick de-stressor. I was taught a method years ago as a means of bringing heart rates down rapidly after exercise. But I found it has the same beneficial effect when a driver cuts you off or your boss says he needs that report today.

Close your mouth and breathe in through your nose slowly for a full count of four seconds. Hold the air for another full count of four seconds. Then slowly release the air out through your mouth for a full count of eight seconds, trying to ensure that you have enough air to get all the way to eight. It may take some practice! Doing that three times in a row will bring a rapidly racing heart down 10-15 beats per minute, so it’s an immediate coping strategy for a stressful situation.

Meditation

I probably will write an entire newsletter on the health benefits of meditation, but for today, I’ll give a basic overview. Meditation has been shown to improve a very long list of conditions and concerns and bring more peace and joy into your life. But despite the volumes of evidence on its behalf, many people tell me they struggle with it.

I think that’s because they have ideas about what it means or how it should be done that might get in the way. Some tell me they can’t quiet their mind or they fall asleep and that makes them even more stressed because they feel like they are doing it wrong!

But there is no wrong when it comes to meditation.

Meditation is about taking time to just be. Time to focus on your breathing and to quiet your mind.

Have you ever noticed how sometimes when you have a quiet moment, whether it’s in the shower or in the car, that an idea comes through or you suddenly remember something you’d forgotten? That quiet space in between is where we release stress and heal, where we find ourselves again, where we touch base with our inner dreams and yearnings, and get great ideas about everything from what to make for dinner to how to solve a problem that has been perplexing us.

And we usually emerge from that moment inspired, peaceful and happy.  How do you meditate?

How to Meditate

There are so many different practices and there are different forms of meditation depending on what you want to achieve. But when I teach people to meditate, I tell them to forget about all of that and not to worry about what they think or heard it should be.

Start by sitting or lying down and getting really comfortable. If it’s possible, wear loose clothing and take off your shoes. Close your eyes and just focus on your breath going in and out. Hear it, feel your abdomen rise and fall as the air moves through. Try to block out everything else around you except your breath.

If being this still just isn’t working for you, try adding some music to help calm and focus you. I’ll be writing more about this type of music therapy in the future.

If thoughts come into your head, that’s fine. Allow them in; they want to be heard. But don’t follow them or attach to them. I like to use the analogy of each thought being a red balloon. As thoughts come through, assign them a red balloon and then set that balloon free. Thank the balloon if you want to. But let it go and watch it float away.

At first the thoughts may be very mundane, such as I have to pick up milk. Over time, the thoughts will be deeper and more insightful, such as I have to forgive my mother. Or I want to take up painting to express myself.

It doesn’t matter what the thoughts are or how many there are: Just accept what comes, assign it a red balloon, and set it free. The goal over time will be–with practice–to see if you can expand the space in between the thoughts. To slow down the rate at which those thoughts come popping in and leave more stillness in between them.

While many people extol the praises of meditation for an hour or more in the morning and an hour or more at night, that is not realistic for–and would be challenging for–most of us. If you can do that, great! Otherwise, start with what’s manageable. Can you take a minute for yourself? Are you worth that? Remember the oxygen mask!

Could you take 10 minutes before the kids get up or after the alarm goes off before you get in the shower? Could you find time during lunch or in between meetings? While you wait to pick up your kids at soccer practice? Instead of listening to the radio or doing work, take a few quiet moments for yourself and close your eyes and breathe. Even one minute will make a difference, and with practice, as with everything, you get better.

If possible, try to find even just a few moments before you start your day and somewhere near the end.  If you finish your quiet time with a moment of gratitude, finding a way to give thanks for the good things in your life–even if you have to really stretch to find them in that moment–your life will become more peaceful and more joyful over time.

Other Options

There are many other stress management therapies, including humor, art and music therapy, behavior modification, progressive muscular relaxation, exercise, nutrition, visualization, resource management, communication skills, creative problem solving, massage, and journaling.

Until we get a chance to cover them, I encourage you to try breathing and meditation. It takes practice, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t come easily at first. If one technique doesn’t work for you after several tries, try another one. Your physical body deserves a few moments of peaceful rest and your soul is craving a quiet moment to reconnect with you. They will both thank you.

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory

P.S. Please send us your feedback by commenting on this issue. We’d love to hear what you think of New England Health Advisory so far and how we can improve it to better serve your needs.

Dear Reader,                                                                     March 2, 2010

Nearly 40 years ago, in October 1970, my father published the first issue of Cabot Market Letter, driven by a sincere desire to help people become better investors. I joined the company full-time in 1986, and took the reins when my father retired in 2004.

Over the decades, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of investors, while becoming a trusted authority on investing.

But while investing was (and is) my father’s major passion, my interests are broader, and if you’ve been reading Cabot Wealth Advisory a while, you know that. Over the years, I’ve used the freedom of my position to learn about–and write about–topics as diverse as The Pig War, Columbus Day, Bison and rowing across the Atlantic.

But in all my writings nothing has stirred my readers like my writings on the health of Americans.

Last November, I pointed out that the debate over a national health care bill was all about money, and not about health, writing, “What we really need, as I’ve said before, is a focus on health … on staying healthy through diet, exercise and education. And quite possibly a big tax on junk food. But no one with big money is lobbying for those changes.”

In response, a reader wrote, “I think the fundamental issue is that we as a nation have lost the habit of eating a ‘whole foods diet’ that is plentiful in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Then to add insult to injury, we drive around in our metal boxes every day and only a small fraction of us take the time to stop at the gym for some exercise. It is no wonder that most patients when they first meet with me simply want an ‘herb or supplement’ to help them with whatever is ailing them … a quick fix to go along with their fast-paced lives. Like the fast-food industry, the health-food industry is FULL of fancy theories and expensive products to be sold on the basis of such theories. There is BIG MONEY in this industry and it is leaving our nation overdrawn in our bank accounts and costing us our health.”

Last June, when I wrote about the insanity of our health care system, one reader commented “ … and look at Lipitor. 20mg costs exactly the same as 40mg. 10mg costs about $5 less and 80mg about $5 more than the 20mg or 40mg, which runs about $120/month. So the annual cost for 20mg is $1,440. Or I could buy 80mg for $125/month and split it into fours. Now my cost is $375/year. Or I could diet and exercise and maybe not need it at all.”

And when I wrote about health care last March, a reader wrote, “This is the FIRST VOICE OF REASON I’ve heard on how to fix our health care system, beginning with what you’ve said about nutrition and preventative health care and through to the last about the health care insurance companies. Now please get Obama’s ear with these ideas.”

What I learned from these letters–and hundreds like them–is that you care. You care about fixing our country’s health care system. You care about the misplaced incentives that direct more money to treating sickness than maintaining health. Most of all you care about maintaining and improving your own health.

You want to know the truth about cholesterol medications like Lipitor. Does it really increase the risk of diabetes?

You want to know if a daily dose of fish oil is beneficial for everyone, or if a regular healthy diet is enough.

You want to know if the cardiac benefits of running outweigh the risks of knee and hip damage.

And you want to know if going to the hospital to get a flu shot is worth the trouble … or if it’s better to stay away from the sick people who will be there.

In short, you want honest guidance on how to live the longest, most productive life possible.

Well, that’s what I want, too, and I’ve decided to do something about it.

I’m starting a new enterprise called New England Health Advisory. Its mission is to provide you with the information and advice that’s most beneficial to your health and wellness. And I’d like you to join me as a Charter Reader.

It’s free, just like this Cabot Wealth Advisory.

It arrives in your email inbox, just like Cabot Wealth Advisory.

But it won’t come as frequently, at least to start. You can expect to hear from us once or twice per week.

Furthermore, unlike Cabot Wealth Advisory, it’s not written by me. You see, I don’t feel qualified to be your health and wellness guru. Sure, I can write an occasional article, but I’ve always been more comfortable with hard science like computers and communications and energy, and a little mystified by what I call “squishy” science.

Plus, I already have a job that keeps me pretty busy.

So I looked long and hard and I found just the right person to lead this new venture.

Her name is Inger Pols (that’s an amalgam of Swedish and Dutch). She has an MBA from Columbia University. She’s a mother of two. And she’s devoted her life in recent years to untangling the conflicting claims about health and nutrition, so that she can make all of America healthier, while raising her family in the healthiest way possible.

(Also, she has a good hearty laugh, and that’s a big plus in my book.)

Inger’s main job in New England Health Advisory is to discover and communicate the truth about health and wellness in an interesting way.

When news comes out about a new medical study–the recent ill-received advice on mammograms is a perfect example–she’ll give you the straight truth.

When a pharmaceutical company comes out with a new drug, she’ll tell you if it’s worth looking at … or if the company is just trying to make money.

She’ll tell you the truth about broccoli; is raw really more healthful than cooked?

And if you send her a question by email, she’ll answer … just like we do at Cabot.

It costs nothing to join the group, and there’s no obligation. In fact, after you join, if you change your mind, you can ask to be taken off the list at any time.

But I think you’ll stay, once you start reading Inger’s weekly emails and start implementing her advice.

Because at bottom, her advice will be well informed and sensible. You’ll find no fad diets, no junk science, and no scare tactics. Just useful information and advice.

And to get you started, Inger is giving away a free new Special Report called “The Truth About Sugar: It’s Not all Equal,” which you’ll receive in the first issue of New England Health Advisory.

We are consuming more sugar than ever before; the average Westerner consumes 142 pounds of sugar a year. Most of us know there is too much sugar in our diets, but what you may not know is that not all sugars are the same. Just as cholesterol comes in a good form and a bad form, sugar comes in different forms as well. One of these forms is the basis of energy for all our cells, the other can be metabolized in our body like a poison. Learn the truth about sugar in this free Special Report.

If you’re wondering, “What’s the catch?” I completely understand. So let me be absolutely clear. New England Health Advisory is a no-cost service. What’s more, I can assure you that your confidentiality will be completely respected. Your email address will never be passed on to anyone else.

Bottom line: If you care about your own health and wellness, you owe it to yourself to try New England Health Advisory.

To get started, click this sign up link.

Yours in tireless pursuit of wisdom,

Timothy Lutts

Publisher of Cabot Advisories

P.S. Sign up for New England Health Advisory now and receive your free Special Report, “The Truth About Sugar: It’s Not all Equal,” in the very first issue. Simply click to sign up.

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Each new year, we get excited, motivated and inspired to make some positive changes in our lives. We are ready to lose weight, eat better, get healthier or whatever our heart desires.

So we join a gym and after not having worked out regularly, we struggle through an hour-long class. We let the trainer walk us through all the machines to show us how they work and we overload every muscle group in our body at once. Exhausted and achy we return home, sore for days. The memory of the discomfort takes hold and we never go back.

While we often want an instant change, the reality is that we didn’t gain the weight overnight, and we didn’t lose our fitness levels in a week or a month. These changes occurred slowly over time based on a series of decisions: an extra serving at dinner, a stop at a fast food restaurant, the elevator instead of the stairs … all the little choices we made over the course of many days, weeks and months led us to where we are now.

If I were to ask you right now to tell me three things you could do to be healthier, I have no doubt you could name three with little thought. Perhaps you’d say I could drink more water or get more sleep, eat more vegetables, or go for a walk every day. Most people already know some of the things they could or “should” be doing to live a healthier life.

If we know what to do, or at least how to start down the path to wellness, why don’t we do it? What holds us back? Yes, life is busy! But we schedule and keep appointments for oil changes and dentist appointments, car pools and ballet lessons. Why can’t we find a few brief moments a day to schedule in our own health?

Start with Small Steps

Perhaps it feels too big to take on such change in the context of our chaotic lives. Then again, the little steps can get lost in the space in between our bigger priorities. While we know it’s important, some of us have not yet learned to put the oxygen mask on ourselves before we try to save others.

Women especially can fall into the trap of making sure everyone else is taken care of before taking any time for themselves. Sadly, it can sometimes take the big thunk on the head of a looming illness before we listen to the whispers that have been echoing in our head for weeks, months, even years …

With the best of intentions, we commit to resolutions to make things better, only to find ourselves overwhelmed or exhausted and falling back into the same comfortable routines again. And therein lies the challenge: routines are not created instantly. Undoing those patterns does not happen over night; it takes time, commitment and support to do things differently.

It’s not easy to leave our comfort zones. So I’d like to share with you some coaching tips that can be used to create and sustain manageable change over time. With some help, you can finally succeed in making those resolutions stick!

Tips to Sustaining Change

The best way to start is to be very clear about what it is you want to achieve. Ask yourself: what is my goal and what do I want to accomplish? Is it losing weight or is it getting healthier? Is it vanquishing stress or living a simpler more relaxed lifestyle? The clearer you can be about your goals, the more likely you are to reach them. Write them down: Putting your thoughts on paper makes it more powerful and more real.

Next focus on what accomplishing that goal would bring to you. How would it help? Why is it important? Identify the benefits you will receive if you are successful. Will it enable you to dance with your daughter at her wedding? Or be around to see your first grandchild? Look fantastic at your reunion? Focus on the outcome. Then take some time and try to connect to your goal emotionally.

Begin by zeroing in on the negative aspects of not reaching your goal. If you don’t lower your cholesterol, or rid yourself of the pre-diabetes, are serious medications in your future? Is your inability to be as physically active as you would like holding you back from enjoying some aspects of your life? Close your eyes for a moment and really feel the pain or experience the limitations that not meeting your goal might cause. That will fuel your motivation.

Now leave that behind and imagine what you would feel like if you accomplished your goal. How awesome would it feel to beat that condition without being on powerful medications with unpleasant side effects? To finish a 10K running race or even just a dance class with your partner? Spend some time envisioning a successful outcome. Really feel what living your life would be like without the pain or limitation that existed formerly and with all of the joy that would come from your success.

Next we need to consider what obstacles might be standing in your way. Are you blocking this? Is it your busy life, your family, your work? Identify every barrier that might exist. Write the barriers down and then when your list is complete, go back over it and come up with at least one strategy for overcoming each barrier. If you need help, ask someone to brainstorm with you. Could you bring lunch to work, schedule your workout like a dentist appointment that can’t be changed, or ask your spouse to do the dishes while you do an exercise video? How could you succeed in spite of that barrier?

Managing Goals and Being Accountable

Now take each goal and break it into specific steps that you could accomplish in one week. You might decide to increase your water consumption from one glass a day to two or to drink a glass before sitting down to eat every meal; to start eating breakfast; or to eat three servings of green vegetables this week. Be specific, but create steps that you know you can reasonably accomplish. The feeling of success is powerful and that feeling will drive you forward.

Choose steps that feel easy to take on in your life as it is, and/or bring you joy. Combine work with pleasure where you can. Enlist a work out buddy and make workouts social. Try something you’ve always wanted to learn, or revisit a childhood passion you have let go. Think small and manageable.

Then focus on how you’ll be accountable. Consider how someone who doesn’t see you every day would know where you are in your progress. Make a chart and put stars in the column like you did for your kids when they did their chores. Schedule a weekly phone call with a friend or a sit down with your partner where you have to share your progress and say out loud what you did or didn’t do that week. Find the best way to hold yourself accountable to your goals.

Lastly, think about who in your life can support you on your journey. Find the person or people you can call when you need support, encouragement, or motivation; the ones who will always cheer you on. We are much more likely to succeed with support and when we are held accountable. So apply some of your work lessons to your own personal challenges. You may have heard the saying at work that what you don’t measure doesn’t get done. It’s true in life as well so measure your progress. And remember TEAM: Together Everyone Accomplishes More. Enlist a support team to help you stay on track.

You may also need to ask yourself if there is anyone in your life that might possibly sabotage you or not support you completely. If you know of any, come up with a way to get them on your side. If someone is frustrated with his or her own weight, they might—consciously or unconsciously—sabotage you because your success may make them feel as though they have failed. Telling someone that you need to change your diet because your doctor says your health is in danger is going to elicit a different response than telling that person you are on a diet to lose 20 pounds.

Each week as you accomplish your mini goals, revisit your list and then create new goals. If you don’t meet a goal, don’t berate yourself. Ask yourself if it was too big a goal, and if so, break it into something smaller. If not, tackle it again the next week. Take little steps every day and revisit your progress every week. Reconnect with the emotions you explored earlier in the process when you need some inspiration.

If you stick with it, you’ll be amazed at how far those little steps can take you. Before it’s once again time to raise a toast to resolutions, you will really be looking in the glass at a healthier, happier you!

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory