Tips on eating out

If we are to believe our demographics upwards of 50% of all Americans eat out at least once a week.

This shouldn't surprise you that this number coincides with a massive increase in weight we now suffer as a nation.

But not all blame can fall on the restaurants and not all statistics are actually meaningful, as I have pointed out in the blogs on medical research.

Two things are clear about restaurant foods; they tend to be calorie-dense and often of marginal food value. And the portions sizes are often way out of proportion to what we should eat at a single sitting.

Nowhere is this more the case than at fast food restaurants.

So today we'll look at some issues surrounding that and other weight related topics.

So on to the questions:

Q: Doc, is there a simple way to pick stuff from a menu when I eat out. It seems like there is always something unhealthy in every dish.

A: You are correct. Most restaurants do have something unhealthy going into most dishes. For example: Green beans may be pan fried in some type of unhealthy vegetable oil, or worse done in an oil that can't take the heat without turning into something unhealthy like olive or canola.

Watch for these oil choices and see if they can be limited to salads, etc. and not used in anything hotter than a sauté. A lot of restaurants are just banking on the name "olive" or "canola" as invoking healthy food. Especially when other restaurants are doing that.

In terms of picking, 'tis actually fairly easy. Stay with stuff that is cooked "simple" In other words steak, chicken or fish can be done without tons of breading, sauce or mixing.

Stay away from refined baked goods including breads, desserts or things that are cooked in a lot of sauce or dressings.

In this way you minimize the damage.

Salads can be especially bad. If the dressing makes the salad, chances are it's pure fat and not very healthy for you. See if they can load your salad plate with veggies that have a lot of natural flavor.

And by all means, avoid the bacon bits!

Don't forget to chase your meal with a couple of caps of fish oil for that health essential fat you may not get in your entree.

Q: Dr Dave, I suffer from scale frustration. If the numbers don't move fast I get frustrated and lose motivation. What should I do?

A: Stop acting like a child. You didn't put the weight on overnight and it's not likely to come of overnight unless you are very sick. Also, stop looking at the scale. Most people wouldn't give a crap what they weighted if three things happened.

1. Their doctors and/or family stopped bugging them about it because they were not unhealthy.



2. They looked good at there body weight.



3. They felt good at their body weight.

I think a good primary goal is to look and feel better. If you do those 2 things, you are undoubtedly losing weight. Just don't obsess over your weight on the scale. I recommend most people trying to drop weight or fat check no more than once a week.

The internet may change overnight, but you won't.

If you need a jump-start then get on Regenerizer and fish oil and start doing the Wicked Witch of the West deal from The Wizard of Oz.

"I'm melting!"

Only in this case it will be fat and you'll feel and look better.

Q: Doc, I eat a lot of fast foods and drive-thru, do you have any recommendations about this?

A: Yes, avoid them like the plague.

Still, I am a realist so here are some do's and don'ts.

Avoid: Subway Foot long Chicken Parm sub. OK, Roland or whatever his name is may have gotten skinny on Subway sandwiches but they still make some major league tub o' lard fodder.

One example is the Chicken Parm sub on white bread.

Weighing in at over 1000 calories, 35 grams of fat and probably a nice slug of high fructose corn syrup in the bread, this is one to avoid.

Sub: Get the sub with plain chicken on whole wheat and you scrub off 300 calories and 30% of the fat.

Avoid: Burger King Double whopper with cheese.

Slathered in mayo and ketchup, this hefty burger delivers 1000 calories and is truly a whopper at 64 grams of fat.

Sub: The mayo-less Whopper Jr. saves 600 calories and 50 grams of fat!

The Original Whopper's calorie and fat count are absurd and absolutely astounding and probably one of the fattiest fast foods around.

And now my personal favorite: The Taco Bell Grilled stuffed Beef Burrito tipping your scales at 1050 calories and 52 grams of fat, bolstered by an unhealthy slug of refined flour, this is one to avoid at all costs.

Sub: The set of 3 spicy chicken Tacos, half the calories and less than half the fat, if you are at the Bell this is the one to ring.

I remind you that I understand how hard it can be to get the body you want in today's busy, cyber-paced world.

I can help. Regenerizer and fish oil make an awesome combo to support your fat-fighting program.

Get going now and have the body you want by summer!

Doc

Stud or Spud part 3

More studly and spudly questions today; but only studly advice I promise.

If you are new to the blog, this is actually what I used to call a "miniseminar", meaning it comes in several parts. You should go back to the first installment entitled "SOS from the Oceans of Fat" and start there to get the most out of this studly advice!

We pick up the questions in sequence:

Q #3: Doc, does calcium help with weight loss?

A: No, as a matter of fact I just did an email on this very topic. For the average person calcium is worthless as a weight loss supplement.

Q #4: Doc, does Acupuncture help with weight loss

A: It does not, although there are a lot of people with needles wishing it were true. (See International Journal of Obesity, 29, pp1379-85, 2005 or just take my word for it).

Q #5: Dr Dave, are sports drinks good to take during exercise?

Probably not, as putting sugar in your system while you are working out decreases fat burning. Now if your workout is over 2 hours then you might want to put some sugar in there. Otherwise stick with water if you are trying to lose weight

By the way, the same holds true for post work out. If you are trying to lose weight and burn the most fat, don't put extra sugar into our system for at least 2 hours after your workout.

Again, this is not body building advice; it is fat burning advice.

Q #6: Dr Dave does Yoga help you lose weight?

A: Not in most cases. There are some very vigorous types of Yoga that can indeed increase your heart rate and tax your muscles enough to get you some of the training effect we talked about yesterday.

Yoga has many great benefits; it's just that weight loss is not commonly one of them.

By the way I mentioned Capoeira in one of my emails a while back predicting that it would be the next exercise fad. All it needs is one starlet to be filmed doing it and you'll see watered down versions of it in every Cardio Kick boxing school across the country.

In its pure form it is way too hard for the average Pilates dilatant.

Q #7: Doc Dave, I read about the weight loss drug, Xenical, and heard it's coming out over the counter. Is this true and can you comment?

Yes, it's true Xenical is coming out over the counter. It will be called "Alli". I hope this is not another one of those drugs named after someone's daughter. The drug companies have no talent at naming there drugs and often resort to family member's names.

Instant Einstein. Now there is a name!

Alli, the half dose version of its prescription strength mother (Xenical), is sure to have the same side effects.

Namely abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, and oily, uncontrolled bowel movements.

And my guess is you'll still have to pay a pretty penny for the privilege.

By the way, it really is funny what the FDA considers safe and side effects free, isn't it?

And finally, what if this drug is named after some guy's daughter? If you were the daughter how would you feel if your namesake drug caused the world at large to have the trots?

I guess it's better than naming it after what it really does. Somehow I think "shichurbrainsout" might be a hard sell!

Who knows, maybe they own stock in a toilet paper or diaper company!

We have had reports of great success using fish oil, Regenerizer and Hercules Factor to cut body fat improve weight loss and boost energy levels and workouts.

Get some now!

None of these will give you the trots.

Spud or stud rating for today

Questions 3 and 4 - Come on, you spuds. Stop looking for the magic bullet. I haven't released it yet so you'll have to weight (yuk yuk) a few more months.

Question 5 and 6 - I really want to push the Spud button here but I've got to be fair. At least you guys sound like you are doing something.
I can't give you a true stud rating, however, so let's say you are on probation. Write back to me in a few weeks and we'll see how you are doing.

Question 7 - Ah yes, another magic bullet question. Sorry, you'll have to wait for my secret diet potion to be released like the rest of them. In the meantime you better buy toilet paper in bulk if you are thinking about using Alli.

So get your spudly, potato paunches moving and take some Regenerizer, Fish oil and Hercules Factor if you want to make it easier to get where you want to go.

Ok, that's it for today. Hey, I had mercy on you. Much less science and fewer words. Have a great day and get out and do something physical.

Doc

Stud or Spud - Part 2

In this segment of the blog I cover some exercise and diet questions that have come in over the past few weeks and give them a stud or spud rating.

It is sometimes true you can tell the kind of person you are dealing with from the kind of questions they ask.

See how well you do with the rankings by picking Stud or Spud when you've read the question.

We pick up with a continuation of the earlier blog

Q# 2: Doc, which is better, aerobic or anaerobic exercise?

A: That really depends on your goal. If your goal is to run marathons, then you should spend the bulk or your time doing just that which would focus you on aerobic activity.

If your goal is to be a power lifter, then any energy you expend on aerobic activity may tax your body and detract from your goal. You'll be immensely strong but tire out walking around the block.

For most people their goal is to get in shape in a general fashion or for a specific sport that requires both aerobic and anaerobic activity.

In terms of efficiency and overall benefit it seems best to start with an activity that is strongly aerobic like hill sprints or wind sprints. What we used to call interval training a few years back.

You can burn as many or more calories in less time and it seems to actually benefit your heart more than the long, slow distance training that is so familiar to the 10K and up runners.

Recent studies indicate that a person's ability to have their heart rate soar and then come back down quickly to a normal or slow rate is a better predictor of heart health than resting heart rate alone.

A lot of confusion comes from something called training effect as well.

There are 2 meanings to training effect as I know it but they both converge at the same spot, a stronger heart.

To some, training effect means that when you start to train aerobically (sprints etc) you will at first not be able to sustain anaerobic activity for long.

Let me use the Hindu Pushup as an example.

Some folks may only be able to do 10 or 20 at a crack before their muscles fatigue. They may work out for less than a minute.

This is purely anaerobic.

However, if they stick with it they will eventually be able to crank out 500 or 1000 of them and it may take 30 to 60 minutes. It has now become aerobic.

Now it is true that at some point you can't go any faster and if you could go so fast that this exercise would remain anaerobic and you'd tire out in a minute or less even though you could do 500 or thousand at a slower pace.

But the point is you don't get to 500 or 1000 if there is not a strong cardio (aerobic) effect.

Sprinting may be an even more obvious example.

When I first started a sprint program to train for a marathon a few years back the most I could get to was between 12 and 13 M.P.H. on the treadmill. After 30 seconds I was getting to the end of my rope.

By the end of the program I was hitting 16 M.P.H. for 30 seconds. But I could do 12 M.P.H. for over 2 minutes, meaning I was out of the pure anaerobic range.

This means: I had gotten some aerobic training effect out of my anaerobic activity.

Some people even claim that training effect refers to a metabolic boost of the body that happens after these bursts of interval training consisting mainly of anaerobic activity.

In other words working out this hard may crank your metabolism for 24 hours or more and help you burn more fat.

That seems to hold water as well.

Here is the bottom line:

To boost your metabolism and burn fat as fast as possible mix cardio with interval training and do them in the same session if you can. You'll be forced to workout less because your body will need more time to recover and you'll be tired after less time but you will have the most efficient workout you can have.

In Brick and Mortar Fitness I'll show you how to do just this; keep your eyes peeled for it.

Also, for you fools in a hurry to see great results, don't forget the combination of fish oil, Regenerizer and Hercules Factor.


Ok that's it for today so tune in tomorrow for more Stud or Spud and we'll see how you did on the quiz!

Dr Dave's Spud or Stud ranking:

Stud - any one who asks this kind of question is truly interested in exercise and bettering themselves.

You are a true stud, my friend, and if you want to be even more studly don't forget the combination of fish oil, Regenerizer and Hercules Factor.

More in Thursday's blog, Spud or Stud Part 3

Awash in potato peels,

Dr Dave

Stud or spud

In this segment of the blog I cover some exercise and diet questions that have come in over the past few weeks and give them a stud or spud rating.

It is sometimes true you can tell the kind of person you are dealing with from the kind of questions they ask.

See how well you do with the rankings by picking Stud or Spud when you've read the question.

My rankings are at the end of each blog.

Q #1: Doc I know I have some bad habits in both eating and exercise that are keeping me from succeeding on the body habbitus front. Any suggestions on how to break them?

A: First, identify them. You are the kind of person that would benefit most from keeping a diet and exercise journal. A lot of people say "I know what I have to do I just don't do it" and leave it at that.

Keeping records for a week or two can be miraculous at identifying where you are and what you really need to work on.

Saying "I eat between meals" is not enough. What do you eat and why do you eat? If you are truly hungry then you are eating the wrong things at meal times. If you are just bored or stressed you need to substitute a better behavior.

Finally, start small with a written plan once you've identified your weak areas. Do a little at a time. Slowly replace your bad habits with a better habit and build on that.

By the way by "body habbitus front" do you mean how you look?

I am the doctor here. I will use the big words and undecipherable phrases and euphemisms!

Dr Dave's Spud or Stud ranking: Spud. This person is a devout coach potato, spineless, gutless and uncommitted. He/she needs a good boot in the bootocks and to read my recent blog post "My own Two Feet".

They are probably also carefree, creative and fun at cocktail parties so there are some redeeming factors.

The also desperately need fish oil, Hercules Factorand Regenerizer.

Tune in again for some more of Stud or Spud and bring your potato peeler.

Your man in the kitchen and down on the farm,
Dr Dave

Spring Leaning

OK, today we continue with what we started in "SOS from the oceans of fat".

I want to start off with a few dont's.

1) Don't take advice from celebrities. Some things really crack me up and one of them is when a celeb is featured in a magazine giving advice on diet and exercise.
I can promise you almost none of it is true or if it is, it does not apply to you.

Why?

Well here is the real scenario. I've chosen a female celeb for this as they seem to pop up on the magazine racks every month.

First, make $10 million in movie and many more on back end merchandise and endorsements.

Then pay personal trainer to design specific routine for you and show up at the times you have slotted off for working out whether its 2 a.m. or 2 p.m.

Next, pay personal chef to do all shopping and cooking for you.

Remain under watchful eye of the above 24-7 especially when next movie role calls for it.

Use as much discipline as you have as well by thinking about the need to look great as part of your profession.

Have photo shoot for magazine at the instant peak appearance is attained. Make sure lighting coordinator knows what he/she is doing and make sure makeup and fashion artists are there to maximize your assets as well.

If above fails, have new baby with different, new hunk in life. Hey, if you're pregnant everyone will cut you some slack on your figure, right?

2) Do not take exercise or diet advice from body building stars especially those who endorse diet supplements.

Why?

They do not take the supplements or if they do they take 1 pill to validate saying they take the supplements. In general their bodies are the result of the huge consumption of illegal drugs.

They do not write their articles or their exercise routines. Those are written by the skinny and fat guys behind the scenes known as ghost writers.

One exception is that the advice of personal trainers is sometimes very good. Keep in mind that if it appears in a magazine there is usually an agenda attached to it.

Ok, onto the questions

Q: Doc, what is the best equipment to use to lose weight?

If you really feel you need equipment here is what I would recommend.

Answer: A jump rope, a pair of well cushioned running shoes, a chin up bar.

That alone should cost you under $200 and you can do amazing things with just that equipment.

Later this year I will be releasing Brick and Mortar Fitness which will show you how to spend almost nothing and still get a killer workout.

I remind you that Combat Conditioning remains one of the best workout routines for anyone even if you are not a combat athlete.

If can be found at mattfurey.com

Q: What is the biggest mistake aging weekend warriors like me make when we try to get back in shape after winter.

Answer: The biggest mistake you make is getting out of shape in the first place!

The next biggest mistake is doing too much too soon because the memory of being fit is still fresh in your mind from the fall.

The third biggest mistake is neglecting your flexibility, especially as you age. It is usually at this point that some whiz kid emails me to remind me of the one study that showed that stretching before you work out increases injury.

Well, my friends, I don't buy it. That study was conducted by handing out a questionnaire and looking at self reported results. I can't think of a worse way to draw conclusions!


If you are over 40 I think stretching should be its own little segment in your exercise program and should be done everyday, even on days when you are not planning on working out.

I am pleased to tell you that one of the books I plan to release later this year will focus a lot on stretching.

Q: Dr Dave, what is the single most important part of exercise that burns fat?

Answer: An elevated heart rate.

At some point I will dive into the Cardio versus Non-cardio exercise debate again, as I have in the past.

But for this moment let's just say that an elevated heart rate is the most important part of fat burning and weight loss. Now please note that recent studies suggest that short bursts of intense exercise that raise the heart rate interspersed with periods of rest may be the most efficient way to do the things you want to your body in the shortest period of time.

While you're at it, if you are going to bother with a better exercise program, this Spring you owe it to yourself to get on fish oil, Regenerizer and Hercules Factor.

There is no finer supplement routine to burn fat and pack on muscle.

It seems like my readership enjoys the Q and A format so look for more of the same in tomorrow's blog entitled "Stud or Spud".

Until then, thanks for your time and your support.

Dr Dave

Week in review - Part 2

Here are some more juicy tidbits from the current news files that caught my eye.

By now you know that eye is rather jaundiced, at least in the figurative sense.

Sheriff Billy McGee stands accused of commandeering 2 FEMA ice trucks to help New Orleans residents keep their insulin cold.

He probably saved many lives but now he is labeled as a criminal because he "coerced and intimidated" FEMA officials into doing something that was actually worthwhile for a change.

Nice job, Billy. Thanks for being a man among sheep. I'll hold off on the Broke Back Mountain jokes for the moment.

Speaking of Broke Back Mountain, actor Randy Quid is suing over his paycheck for the film. Apparently he was told that it would be a "low budget art house film with no prospect of making money."

Ok, Randy, you also deserve at least Honorable Mention for the Instant Einstein Awards.

From the above, I understand that you either took a crappy part in a lousy film that was destined to fail and keep you in the poor house and you did this on purpose, or you believed them when they told you they were making a crappy film with a lousy part that was going to keep you in the poor house and now your miffed that they were wrong.

How about this: you were hard up for a decent part and took a part because you needed work and now that the money is passing you by, you want a piece of it even though you signed a contract.

Pal, if I was the judge I slam down the gavel and say "guilty as charged".

You'd have to decide if you wanted to be guilty of stupidity or greed.

Which leads me to the Einstein runner up award.

If FEMA doesn't get it, then surely one of the following deserves it:

Apparently Saddam Hussein was aware of our war plans when Gulf War II started. The Russians supposedly had a high-level source, within the Pentagon or close by, that tipped him off.

The problem is I don't know who to give the bottle of Einstein to.

Do I give it to the Russians for believing false info that we planted?

Do I give it to the CIA for letting a high-level operative into our government's inner sanctum, or do I give it to the Iraqi dictator for believing it?

Or not believing it.

Oh well I guess time will tell but some one needs a bottle of Einstein very, very badly.

A while back I wrote about my personal opinion of cell phones and cell phone abuse. Some of you wrote back and said, well it's just technology, get used to it.

I am here to tell you there is scientific evidence that cell phones are bad for you. No they don't rob you of your psychic powers but they do increase your chances of being hurt or dying in a car crash or doing the same to someone else who is sharing the road with you.

But there is more.

A University of Wisconsin study showed that regular use of cell phones allowed work concerns to spill over into family and social time creating more stress and less life satisfaction.

Man do they need some fish oil and Instant Endurance to buffer their brains and bodies against the rigors of daily life in the cyber age.

And today's final entry is a happy one.

I call it "Dude, where's my flying car" after the movie of a similar name.

When I was a young boy my parents took me to the 1963 World's Fare. My mom always tells the story of how I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the long line to get into the Soviet (yes, they called it that in those days) Pavilion.

I don't remember that but I am reminded of it every chance she feels the need to embarrass me four decades later.

What I remember was the flying cars. I knew someday I'd have my very own flying car. I also loved the cool plastic models of the jets of the future. The 747, the SST and others.

Well the future didn't turn out that way.

No flying cars.

The 747 has come and gone and is already long outmoded.

The SST was still born and the French version the Concorde died a sad death along with over 100 passengers a few years ago.

But now we have the 'scram jet'. The technology is perfected that will allow us to go 7X the speed of sound. Imagine New York to Paris in 30 minutes.

Who needs a flying car anyway!?

Yes, my friend, there is much to live for. Take your fish oil, your Monster Multi and your Einstein so you'll understand and be the master of your destiny.

What a week!

See ya soon, Doc

P.S. Here is the quote of the week taken from an article wondering about all of the negative press fish oil has gotten courtesy of the big medical journals that are supported by Big Pharma.

Apparently one study was published using the infamous meta analysis technique (See parts 3 and 4 of Why Medical Research Sucks on this blog page) that seems to disagree with the thousands of articles that show the benefits of fish oil.

And while none of those thousands of articles get much press, the one that flies in the face of all of them does.

Who cares. It has happened before and it will happen again.

This is a truth. And the truth lives here.

This from the British Daily Mail:

"I take 1000mg of Omega-3 a day as suggested by my doctor for cholesterol. After a year it lowered my total level by 40 points with no other change in diet. I'm very happy with the results and happy not to have to take an expensive medicine!"

I'll bet that pisses the drug companies off no end. D'Ya hear footsteps guys?!

Dr Dave's Week in Review

OK, it's that time again to take a look at findings, facts and funnies from the past week.

Of all the writing I do for you, this is some of the most fun because I can be whimsical and silly instead of serious and somber.

So kick back and enjoy this week's review.

First we are told that there will be a 673% rise in the need for artificial joints in the next 25 years.

If you are in the age range of 40 to 65 at this moment they are talkin' to you and me.

Who is 'they' and where does this info come from?

Well they are orthopedic surgeons and it sounds like they are running a recruitment drive for their profession.

Careful, guys, you know what happens. Supply and demand; if you go spoiling the governments plans to lower the cost of healthcare, they'll start docking your behinds on those lucrative surgeries.

More surgeons equals more surgeries which equals less ching per cut.

Or worse, maybe they'll have a mandatory number of office visits and a minimum time you have to spend with patients.

In case you didn't know surgeons generally are not paid for post op care. That is why those that can afford to do so have so many "physician extenders".

No, this is not some pornographic device designed to keep the spouse happy, it refers to nurses, nurse's aids, physician assistants, etc. in a non-pornographic way.

Fortunately these people generally have better people skills than many of the docs they work for!

Right now the bone guys are among the highest paid of all doctors, next perhaps in line or on par with heart docs.

Incidentally, the same risks apply for joint replacement as they do for heart disease.

Over weight, sedentary and aging.

Regenerizer and fish oil should be able to help you with all of those.

Studies have shown that fish oil is beneficial for heart disease and joint health as well.

How about we make a real effort to prove the bone guys wrong in the next 25 years. We'll actually be doing them a favor and preserving their incomes!

Don't expect a thank you though.

For more on this, read Big increase in need for artificial joints predicted

We also had to say a fond goodbye to American musician, Buck Owens of Hee Haw this week. I don't know what Buck died of but I know he had a life well lived. May it be so for all of us, R.I.P. Buck.

Personally, I have a lot to do yet so it's more fish oil for me and some Instant Einstein thrown in for the creativity aspects.

When someone really great passes it always reminds me I have a lot I want to do yet and I'll take any supplemental help I can get, literally and figuratively.

Onward.

MLB's Barry Bonds remains poised to break the home run records of past greats. But it may not happen too soon as his elbow is bothering him.

Oh yeah and he may be a bit distracted. Lots of people are coming out and saying he used just about every drug in the book to enhance his performance.

He denies it.

Ya shoulda tried Hercules Factor, Barry.

If bigger, stronger, leaner but not too much meaner is for you than grab some Hercules Factor, and kick your spring training into high gear.

This weeks Instant Einstein award goes to Debra La Fave, the teacher who was acquitted of charges stemming from allegedly having sex with a 14 year old.

Debbie, you win because you were smarter than Paris Hilton.
At least you didn't make a video!

Speaking of Paris Hilton, did you know the world is lining up against our favorite celeb again?

This time it's not a warehouse full of personal porno goodies, its worse.

A whole boat load of celebrities' phone numbers were made public on the internet when Paris' T mobile cell phone account was hacked by a 17 year old.

Included in the ruckus were: Christina Aguilera, Ashley Olsen, Ashlee Simpson, Vin Diesel - even OJ Simpson attorney, Robert Shapiro. Anna Kournikova, Eminem and Lindsay Lohan, Avril Lavigne in Ontario, Canada, and one very pizzed off Victoria Gotti in Long Island.

I said it once I'll say it again, people; at no time in our history has our nation needed Instant Einstein more.

Oh yeah don't buy T Mobile stock for a while.

And with that seasoned advice I will wrap up part 1 of this week in review.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them becasue part 2 is just around the corner.

In that edition we'll take on Saddam Hussein, FEMA, Broke Back Mountain and Randy Quaid, the Russians cell phones and flying cars to name a few.

Thanks for reading!

And don't forget to bring your Einstein to the next party on the blog!

Doc

SOS from the oceans of fat

Every Spring I see and hear about the same things.
In spite of my best efforts people have fallen off the wagon and slapped on some pounds.

For some it's the puffy, stuffy Michelin Man look.

For some it's the added bananas around the thighs.

For some it's the unwanted Tapioca curds of cellulite on their thighs.

For some it's the extra love in the love handles.

Yep, in spite of my best efforts it happens every spring. Speaking of my best efforts, go back to Dr Dave's Best Health Articles and check out al of the writing I have done since September.

I've covered it all from a review of the best cardio exercises to walking programs to dietary advice and some great recipes.

If you don't feel like browsing through the articles, then spend a little time on the home page with our Google search engine and type in fat loss or weight loss and you'll come across tons of useful stuff that knows no season.

Also, before we dive into this puddle of flubber and do some serious Spring Leaning (yes that is the title of an upcoming email unless someone steals it first!), let me remind you that Regenerizer and my super potent, super clean fish oil are both in good supply and waiting to take your hand as you negotiate the treacherous waters of fat loss.

So let's pop the clutch, put it in gear and burn some blubber.

Question:

Doc, I read that hormones change over the winter. One doctor recommends switching to cod oil in the winter and then back to fish oil. What do you think of these statements and how do they affect weight loss?

Answer:

It is true that at least in the far northern climes the thyroid can adapt into a hibernation mode and slow down your metabolism a little bit.
This would not show up on a blood test or at least it would not be recognized by most doctors as it is a small variation.

The way to fight this is to exercise a little bit more and that solves the problem. A lot of people are coming out of their shells as spring is sprung and feeling the effect of their hormone balance getting back to normal.

One hormone almost no one mentions is melatonin. Proper sleep is often dependent on this hormone and others in the brain. Winter and spring both can cause changes in this hormone that make it difficult for people to lose weight.

Also, some people actually experience season affective depression as the days get longer.

Sleep wizard is the answer for these kinds of problems. Remember high quality sleep regulates all of your body's hormones including growth hormone and sex hormones.

These 2 hormones are especially critical for slapping on muscle and frying off fat. I you want to kick start your spring program for a better body get on Hercules Factor now and watch your body transform in front of your very eyes.

As far as cod oil goes, I can't think of any good reason to use it. It tastes terrible, it's generally not purified and cod are bottom feeders and thus likely to have tons of pollution.

They also have too much vitamin D for my liking and unless you live at the North Pole or are house bound for months it's overkill and potentially harmful.

By the way, while we are discussing sea oils...

Fish oil has over 10,000 references in the Nation Library of Medicine; a large number of them are human or human related studies.

Cod and flax have maybe a few dozen human studies between them.

Krill has one clearly company-sponsored human study to its credit.

You decide.

For my money and the money of hundreds of thousands of Americans and people around the world fish oil is the way to go.

Question:

Dr Dave, I read about leptin and how it's supposed to cut fat. Can you buy leptin and where?

Answer:

Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells that tells your brain to stop eating. I have called it the "I'm full hormone" in my past articles that you can read about on the site archives if you like.

You can't go into your local GNC and buy Leptin though; it's probably only a matter of time before some whiz bang marketer latches onto the concept and hires some not so lean aging doc, calls him a hero and sticks his picture on a site saying "I endorse this product".

The problem with Leptin is the same problem with many diet aids. Your body gets used to them and it no longer works.

Case in point: fat people have higher leptin levels than normal weight people. If so why do they still eat?

The brain simply says "too much leptin for me to pay attention to any more" and like a buzzing light bulb, your brains tunes it out and becomes resistant to it.

Result: you gain weight, eat more and stay hungry.

What to do:

The answer lies on the consumption of Omega 3 fatty acids. You should already know that means fish oil, fish oil and more fish oil as part of your diet.

If you want extra potency you can go for Super Omega 3 and don't forget the Regenerizer!

By combating the inflammatory cycle in your body that is part of being overweight and having high leptin, you can restore your leptin sensitivity and lose weight without the pain of hunger that fuels most diet plans.

Mother Nature has all the answers we need to stay thin, strong and healthy.

Tune in tomorrow for "Spring Leaning" how to get going with fat loss and weight reduction.

See Ya then, Doc

P.S. Over the past few weeks many of you have sent in emails asking why I am not writing as much. This is very distressing because I am writing you more than ever. Just the other day I got several emails saying that they were only getting an email from me every 3 or 4 days.

This is the work of your internet providers, people. In the continuing effort to control the internet and make it the sole playground of big business, the ISP's are stopping emails from getting through.

We do not schpam and we don't send emails to people who have not opted in. Sadly this is not enough for some ISP's whose blocking tactics follow no rhyme or reason.

Just remember, if you don't get my emails I have the blog here that they cannot block.

Come and see me everyday and let your friends know about Dr Dave's Best too!

On your own 2 feet

I got an email from a middle aged lady the other day who said she needed help losing weight and getting in better shape.

She knew her health was at stake and she knew that if she didn't do something soon she would lose at least some of her health forever.

I thought about what I usually tell people but then for some reason I remembered I had written something for myself many years ago.

I never dreamed I would be sharing it with you.

But here it is directly translated from a somewhat crumpled piece of paper I found exactly where I put it almost 30 years ago.

I have not made any changes to the punctuation as this was written "stream of consciousness" style.

I have used it a bunch of times since then to remind myself of what I need to do when times get tough.

It is very personal and as with all the personal stuff I share with you I am a bit scared about letting it out.

All the more reason to do so.



On my own 2 feet (Dr Dave circa 1979)

It's time I stood on my own two feet. Others may help me but at some point I have to be responsible.

No whining, no complaining, no drama, get past all that and drive your body or mind to where it needs to be where it creates, where it solves, where it proves over and over again that there are greater powers than you ever thought at your fingertips.

Use them, do not deny them, do not sink back into the smallness of the everyday crap from whence you came. Rise up, rise above and make things happen.

Make things happen and drive yourself towards what you want.

Be the man you want to be.

Focus on only what you want, not what is, not what is happening but what you want to happen.

Leave the frustration behind, it makes you "right" but it does not make you better.

It justifies but does not correct, it immobilizes and keeps you where you are now.

Do you like where you are now so much that you don't want to take another step in the next direction you should go.

Do you like where you are right this minute that you don't want to open the floodgates of MORE?

I want more.

I want it fast and easy but it for some reason it isn't I still want it, expect it and will get it. I know what works; it is a lesson that I do not need to hear more than a million times again.

I need to hear it everyday I need to hear it now.

Create now. Create what you want and nothing can stop you.

Stand on your own 2 feet and have faith in yourself even if no one else does.

Have faith in yourself because no one else does!

Thank others for their help but do not depend on it.

Admit to setbacks and learn from them.

But never let them beat you and never let them make you quit

Your future is in your hands.

Ask and it is given.

I can help you get what you want. Fish oil, Regenerizer, and Instant Einstein.

Doc

P. S. For those of you who are struggling, I hope this helps you as much as it does me. Feel free to write your own version and use it to get and stay on track with weight loss, fitness or any other personal goal.

P.P.S. In case you are wondering, I used this for the first time when I was taking my Medical School Entrance Tests. I wound up doing very, very well indeed and the rest is history.

P.P.S.S. For those of you who are struggling a lot, be sure and check out the "Psycho-Cybernetics" link for "Zero Resistance Living" on Dr Dave's Best Anti-aging product page.

It is the very last link on the page but it can be the very first step you take towards a better life.

You Know There's A Problem When

I was reading the newspaper this morning and was just about ready to move on when something unusual caught my eye.

The headline: Lack of Coke Emphasizes Zimbabwe Crisis.

I must tell you upfront that I don't spend much time reading about foreign affairs. About the only thing I know about Zimbabwe is that when I was in school it was called
Rhodesia.

A friend of mine tells me today that Zimbabwe has been run for many years by a Marxist intellectual named Robert Mugabe, who has spent twenty five plus years returning the country to the 16th century, or worse.

There are critical shortages of electricity, gasoline, food, fertilizer, medical supplies, and other essentials. Three million people have been receiving emergency food aid, and more agricultural shortfalls are predicted. Less than half of the nation's farmland is under cultivation, and that is jeopardized by a lack of irrigation equipment.

But to top it all off, now there is no Coke. The number one selling soft drink in Zimbabwe is nowhere to be found. Things are so bad that Coca-Cola can't get the secret syrup into the country. Even during the seven year civil war in the 1970's there was no problem finding Coke anywhere in the country.

Coke has now become a leading economic crisis indicator.

Following this logic, another African country will soon plunge into famine, and starvation.

I'm going to try and get some Instant Einstein to Chairman Bob. After a few days on the Instant Einstein he will have that "clear focused moment" when he realizes that his twenty five year plan is in shambles, his country is a mess, and his people are on the brink of starvation.

For Heaven's sake, Chairman Bob, you know you have a problem when there isn't any Coke!

You have a much bigger problem. Your brain really needs some Instant Einstein and fish oil.

Your lack of Coke may be a great blessing to your people. It may be the only humanitarian aid you ever provide them.

We could stand a little of that kind of humanitarian aid in this country!

All the best,

Doc

Why Dieting Is Such Emotional Drama

If, as children, we learned to associate food with emotional states,
comfort, pleasure, guilt, frustration, forbidden fruit, and so on, how much more does that become true for us when we are adults trying to be in "control" of our own eating?

We often take the stories that Mom and Dad told us about food and
begin to add our own narratives to them. Often these stories contain text such as:

"I feel guilty when I eat that."

"I shouldn't eat that because it will make me fat."

"I'm fat, but if I starve myself I can lose weight."

When we don't eat properly our bodies are in a constant state of adjustment, trying to cope with foods that are not ideal for us. The more the body has to adjust to the wrong foods, the less it can focus on physique and performance. Sooner or later these coping mechanisms can break down completely as the cumulative years of poor nutrition catch up to us.

To protect itself from what it perceives as stress and nutritional trauma, the body will begin to hoard more and more fat.

At this moment, at any given time, 40% of all women and 25% of men are on a diet. Ediets.com currently sells more than 30 diet plans.

Gee, I wonder what the point they are trying to make is.

Misery loves variety? Obesity loves company?

I have a hard time trusting anyone who sells everything. I mean if you are passionate about what you do and what you create it seems to me we would be able to find one that works.

98% of those who follow one of those diet plans gain back the weight they lost and then some. In fact, yo-yo dieting promotes more health risks than just being fat.

Dieting can be miserable and traumatic. When we diet, we suffer. Restricting calories makes us tired, irritable, stressed out, and perpetually hungry.

Yet we have come to associate all of those negative feelings with something positive...weight loss. We even congratulate ourselves that we are enduring so much distress and discomfort for a good cause, the cause of being thin.

We get a strange kind of gratification from the drama that dieting creates in our lives.

I guess for some it is something they can fight against, giving their lives purpose and meaning. What a set up for failure that is. Lose weight and you have no purpose and no meaning.

Somewhere along the way we picked up the idea that hunger is a positive thing.

This is not a good thing.

To believe that we can only manage our weight by denying ourselves the very nutrients we need to create an efficient metabolism, a sense of well-being, and optimal health, is a big fat lie.

Weight loss is very possible, and in a large number of cases it can even be easy.

Eat real food. Stay away from anything that is processed.

Avoid high fructose corn syrup and trans fats (Partially hydrogenated oils).

Take fish oil and a monster multivitamin every day to start. They
will help rebalance your body. You can add Regenerizer or the Hercules Factor after a few weeks, or right away if you are determined to succeed fast.

Start an exercise program. Walking is the easiest thing you can do and you should do it every day. Add more things only when you are comfortable.

Get a good nights sleep. If you are having trouble here, order some Sleep Wizard. Sleep is a huge weight loss key.

Eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are full.

When you eat the proper foods you may find that you are eating more than you are used to, and you are still losing weight.

Roll with it.

Food is fuel, and the right food, or fuel, combined with exercise, high powered supplements, and proper sleep, will melt fat quickly.

Weight loss is really body science. Leave the e-motion out, and you'll get the motion you need.

All the best,

Doc

Medical research - The finale

In this, the final chapter on medical research and why it can be so deceptive to your health, we wrap up with a few final "sneakies" the drug companies use to bamboozle doctors and patients alike.

A few points to remember:

All of this is legal for big Pharma but the journals that bash supplements will use totally different criteria to look at supplements than drugs.

Why?

Because they don't get paid by the supplement industry and are actually being damaged by it as we speak.

More and more people are using things like fish oil not only to improve their conditions but to prevent them in the first place.

This is costing Big Pharma money and they don't like it.

In every case I know of, the FDA considers the use of the words supplement, cure, treat and prevent illegal if they are in the same sentence.

Yet I cured my high blood pressure with the ingredients that now make up Super Omega 3 and Regenerizer.

Remember that as you read on.

Why medical research sucks reason 7:

They don't study enough patients.

The recent debacle with arthritis drugs Vioxx and Bextra prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt. More people should have been tested before these drugs were let out on the general public.

Of course it would have helped if they would have actually paid attention to the data they had in the first place. Even with the smaller numbers of patients it was clear there was a serious problem with these drugs.

On more than one occasion an FDA employee came out and said he was pressured by his bosses not to release certain information to the public about Vioxx and Bextra.

Does that make you feel safe?

Fortunately, the loss of these drugs led to an increase in the use of fish oil nation wide as people looked to an all natural alternative to get essential and anti-inflammatory fatty acids into their bodies without dangerous side effects.

By the way, if you are in need of some extra potency you might want to try our Super Omega 3 compound and see why it sells out so fast.

Super omega 3, it's like fish oil on steroids.

Now here is another favorite little trick I see all the time.

I call it "innocence by association". Believe me, it took a big dose of Instant Einstein to catch onto this but I see it all the time now that I am wise to it.

A drug company releases a drug. It does well and appears safe (remember safe may mean that it only kills a few people!) and above all, it sells well.

Another drug company wants a piece of the pie so they buy up some little research based company that has a similar drug and they sell that drug. I have seen the second and third drugs in a class released with less than 1,000 patients tested.

That, my friend, is a recipe for disaster.

Hey, but it's all legal because the drug had a "drug sponsor" as mentioned in the last blog post.

I could go on an on about what goes on behind these closed doors but I want to wrap this up and get onto something more positive.

Finally, here (paraphrased) is what the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr.Marcia Angell, says in her book "The Truth About Drug Companies”:

a) Drug companies say they are at high risk for loss of money by developing new drugs and because of lawsuits but each year they have the highest profits of any industry on record by a gargantuan amount.

b) They spend far less on research than marketing.

c) Drug companies are the largest lobby in Congress, and there are more lobbyists than Congressman. Drug companies contribute enormous amounts to political campaigns that further their interests.

d) Drug companies have a huge influence over doctors and what they prescribe.

e) Research has repeatedly shown that drug company funded trials (which are the majority of them) are biased towards positive results for the drugs they promote.

Medicine is a human art and a human science. As we transition into an information based society, the need for honest and clear information is even more important to your health and mine.

The chance of us getting it appears to be mighty slim.

I shudder every time I see a doctor pull out a palm pilot or some other hand held device to download information. You should too.

By the way the supplement industry can be guilty of all these things as well. Recently I got a bunch of emails about whale plankton also known as Krill.

Someone out there must be promoting it heavily these days.

There are 185 documented studies on krill in the literature.

There is only one study on krill in humans.

It is a tiny study; it appears to be sponsored by the company that makes the product as a specific brand name is mentioned. There is no disclosure notice in the study (who is paying the salaries of the researchers doing the study).

There are no other human studies listed in the National Library of Medicine.

Fish oil has over 10,000 studies in the past few years alone. The majority of them relate directly to human health.

An old adage says you are what you eat. Krill is whale food. Personally I'd rather look like a fish than a whale!

I take everything I make on a daily basis. I do not endorse other people's products because I cannot control what happens in the manufacturing process.

Whether you chose fish oil, Instant Einstein, Instant Endurance, Regenerizer (which has just arrived off backorder) or Monster Multi or better yet all of them, you can rest assured that I am right their with you researching and taking the supplements that will improve both of our health.

Thanks for listening,

Doc

Additional reference:
childrens-mercy.org - What's Wrong with Medical Research?

What bunnies do at Easter

All along you thought fish oil just protected your heart, saved your brain and made you happier and smarter.

But now there is new research to suggest it is an essential part of your sexuality as well.

A recent study from the Archives of General Psychiatry showed that even low doses of fish oil can directly improve sexual desire.

It probably works by improving the way the human sex organs make the needed hormones as well as improving blood flow to those organs during sex.

Fish oil also seems to improve the brain's sex organ feedback loop as well.

There are many other ways that Fish oil can help sex as well.

Heart health is critical to good sex. If you heart is weak and blood flow is poor, you should be on fish oil and Regenerizer.

Also it is now known that high triglycerides (blood fats), which fish oil can really help (fish oil is now sold by a drug company via prescription for just this purpose), can lower your desire to have sex.

If you want to be mentally there during sex as well you might want to consider Instant Einstein to stimulate your creativity as well.

If we use the old joke and add "in bed" to every phrase, a little creativity goes a long way, in bed.

How about joint mobility? If you have arthritis pains it's hard to feel sexy and hard to move.

Again, another old joke comes to mind.

Doctor to patient: Are you sexually active?

Patient to doctor: No, I usually just lie there.

Sorry couldn't resist.

I am not sure if you needed more reasons to take fish oil or not but if you are going to take it, you may as well take the best around, Dr Dave's Best Pharmaceutical Grade fish oil.

If you do need more reasons here are some other things fish oil has been shown to help:

• Cancer



• Arthritis



• Alzheimer's



• Heart disease



• Stroke



• Irregular Herat beats



• Depression



• ADHD



• Schizophrenia

Did I mention it's good for sex too!?

So what do bunnies do at Easter?

The same thing they always do. And at times we could all use a little bunny in us.

Doc


Here is Lazlo's limerick on the topic

We talk about sex nearly everyday
We dance around the issue in every way
We read, and watch and want to know
The long and short of it and how to go

For hours on end without pooping out
And please our partner so she won't pout
For bad sex can only lead to a rift
Which sometimes can be fixed with a nice gift

But you could save yourself a lot of toil
If you'd both remember to take Dr Dave's Fish Oil!

P.S. here is a link for you skeptics


Fish for Easter and better sex

Why should we exercise - Part 3

Please note this is a multi part blog meant to be read in order. If you are just joining my blog please go back and read the first part as things will make a lot more sense. You may have to scroll down a bit, or look over on the right hand side of this page to find the link to the previous blog and read it.

We were looking at an email that questioned the evidence that exercise is good for you.

Here are a few more reasons:

Benefit number 4

You will have less chance of getting cancer.

When you get too heavy, two hormones go up. One is called leptin. This is the "stop eating, I am full" hormone. Ironically, people who are heavy have more of this than normal weight people.

They just don't respond to it any more.

Also fat people have more estrogen. Fat cells make more of this hormone in both men and women.

Excess of leptin and estrogen have been linked to abnormal cell growth, another way of saying cancer.

Studies have shown you may triple your cancer risks by being overweight.
No weight loss program is complete or can even work without exercise.

So get moving.

If you need a push, consider 3 supplements I make which have helped many people -- fish oil, Regenerizer and Instant Endurance.

Benefit 5

Your heart will be stronger and this can lengthen your life as well.

Weak hearts tend to grow big and baggy. This condition increases the risk of irregular heart beats which can lead to 4x the risk of stroke and twice the risk of death.

In Japan, Omega 3 fatty acid fish oils and Co Enzyme Q 10 are routinely used as medicines to improve heart health.

In America we don't allow any supplements to make "medicine-like" claims. Still, fish oil is the only supplement that is in any way recommended by the American Heart Association.

By the way increasing your fish oil intake may help you burn fat more effectively and lose more weight by suppressing your appetite.

It also signals your brain that you are full.

Studies using fish oil have shown that it is especially effective at reducing deadly abdominal fat.

Benefit 6

Your memory will be better. Studies using CT scanners have shown that people who were heavy over their lifetimes had smaller brains than those who were normal weight. The most noticeable problem was memory loss.

Couple these benefits with the brain enhancing effects of fish oil and Instant Einstein and you have a winning combination.

Benefit 7

Your medical bills will be cheaper and your knees will be healthier (if you don't do too much high impact stuff).

Exercise induced weight loss lightens the load on your joints and can save you almost a thousand bucks a year in medical bills.

Why?

Because normal weight people are healthier, plain and simple.

By the way, notice I said normal weight. I am not talking about the people who think they will live longer by being underweight.

There is no human data to support that.

So eat healthy, exercise regularly and take your fish oil.

Spring is almost here; get into it looking the way you want.

Al the Best, Doc

Why should we exercise - part 2

Please note that this is a multi part blog meant to be read in order. If you are just joining my blog please go back and read the first part as things will make a lot more sense. You may have to scroll down a bit, or look over on the right hand side of this page to find the link to the previous blog and read it.

We were looking at an email that questioned the evidence that exercise is good for you.

Actually, up until about 5 years ago, that attitude would have held some water.

While it seemed intuitively correct that exercise had to be good for you, the studies that had been done were not exactly clear cut in their findings.

They suffered from the ususal methodology problems: not enough participants, not enough control over the participants, not enough time for the results to mean something (6 weeks hardly qualifies) and the most common problem all researchers seem to have even if they just broke into fort Knox, not enough money to do a good study.

You should be able to recite the conclusion in your sleep by now "More research is needed"!

In fairness to the people doing this work money might have been an issue, after all who is going to fund a study on lifestyle and prevention? Certainly not Big Pharmacy whose answer to everything is take more prescriptions.

There was also a problem with the people in the study and people in general.

And this is big, I mean really big so drum roll please!

All people seem to grossly overestimate the amount of calories they burn and the amount of time they exercise in a day or week especially.

But fat people overestimate it even more grossly.

As a matter of fact, the more grossly obese you are, the more grossly your are likely to overestimate your calorie expenditure and underestimate your food and calorie intake.

How gross is this overestimation?

Normal weight people overestimate the calories they burn by about 600 a day (this is equivalent to about 2 tenths of a pound).

Heavy people overestimate the calories they burn by about 1000 a day or one third of a pound each and every day.

So when people come to me and whine, "Doc, I am exercising every day for the past 6 years and I haven't lost even one pound." I know exactly where to start.

Time to keep a food journal and an exercise diary with times and amounts.

Ok now, finally on to the evidence that exercise really does make a difference.

If you go back to the first blog post on this you'll read the story of my friend who made himself a new man by losing 30 pounds.

Benefit number one: You will look younger, healthier and more attractive.

Benefit number two: You will feel and be stronger and be able to do more. Recent studies show that the lower your waist to hip ratio is (lower numbers mean your belly is smaller in relation to your hips), the stronger people are and the more aerobic capacity they have.

Benefit number three: Your mood will improve. Studies show that exercise can be at least as effective as drugs for the blues.
In one study where people rode stationary bike or treadmill for a half hour 5 times a week they had almost 50% less depression.

The theory is that exercise helps release serotonin, the brain's happy chemical.

By the way, other ways to do this are fish oil and Sleep Wizard.

Ok, that's the end of this jog so join me again tomorrow and get your sweats on for the next batch of goodies about exercise.

Oh, while your at it...why not check out the combination of Hercules Factor, Regenerizer and fish oil.

This combo has helped many people achieve the kind of body and weight loss they have always wanted.

Regenerizer has been out of stock for a few weeks but we got a huge load in yesterday. It always goes fast and we can't keep up with the demand so order now! Don't be left out, get rid of that ugly winter weight and crank up your fat furnace!

Tune in tomorrow and don't forget to tell your friends about the blog.

The truth lives here!

Doc

Why medical research sucks - part 4

In case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of reasons why medical research sucks.

But let's not lose track of the biggest one.

Bad or biased research influences medical decision-making. If the only studies printed in big medical journals are all pro drug, why would anyone ever develop a critical attitude towards Big Pharmacy?

They would remain "good guys" to doctors and patients alike.

While they may not always be bad guys, the events of the last year clearly underscore the need for critical thinking.

Here are a few more reasons medical research often sucks.

Why medical research sucks reason 5

Biased results. Medical researchers often devise standardized tests to quantify their results. These tests can also be used to make the results look one way or another.

For instance if you are trying to demonstrate that your blood pressure drug is better than a sugar pill but you don't get the results you want, you can simply invent a new number that looks better.

Here might be an example.

Let's take the change in systolic (top number) blood pressure, divided by age, multiplied by the bottom number (diastolic) and call it the XYZ ratio.

If it looks good, you say your drug markedly improved XYZ ratios over the sugar pill.

In a more real world example, my favorite journal, JAMA (you know the one that keeps trying to bash fish oil), tried to K.O. St. John's Wort by publishing an article suggesting it was worthless for depression.

They used a test called the HAM-D to prove their point. They ignored the actual response of the patients who took the St. John's Wort and focused on their test scores.

It is not too hard to imagine that a person might feel much better but not have a different score after treatment depending on the questions you ask in the test.

What matters to patients is if they feel better, not what a contrived test score shows.

Another related way to fool with data is to ignore the placebo (sugar pill) 0 effect or at least minimize it.

In the same journal, JAMA recently published a trial using the next cure all drug, Rimonabant, which had a 50% placebo effect. Such a high placebo rate should call any conclusion into question.

Their comment was along the lines of, "Well it's a high placebo rate but we think this drug is going to be really useful."

They would never publish a statement like that about fish oil, Regenerizer or any other supplement.

Which brings me to:

Why medical research sucks reason number 6:

Different levels of scientific proof are applied to studies. Studies that further the cause of drug companies are published, ones that don't are either ignored or counter studies funded by big pharmacy. A classic example of this surrounds the laws governing the marketing of supplements.

Read this phrase very carefully:

"FDA approves new drugs on the basis of scientific data submitted by a drug sponsor to demonstrate that the drugs are safe and effective."

This means that no supplement can ever cure or treat or mitigate or do anything else for any disease legally until it has a "drug sponsor".

Who do you think is the "drug sponsor"!?

Effectively it means that only drug companies can make these claims no matter how biased their results may be.

Once again, I will call to the stand the recent article in JAMA about fish oil and cancer. Even though there is tons of evidence that people with cancer benefit from fish oil because and until a drug company says so it cannot be so.

Why don't supplement manufacturers fund the studies?

Simple, no one I know can afford them. So even though there is a loop hole in the law that suggest anyone can do a study, the money required to do one effectively means that only drug companies can afford them.

In case you are wondering, that very italicized phrase above was sent to a competitor's website in order to let them know they would be shut down. If you follow the guidelines, then all supplement web sites will wind up looking exactly the same, using the same words no matter how good or bad their products are.

Effectively that means that only giant companies with deep pockets can survive. Now add in the Codex laws and you have a perfect set up for Big Pharmacy to take over the supplement industry.

With that I want to say I really appreciate your support and that if one day in the near future you stop hearing from me, you'll know what happened.

In the meantime, go to the site and order. Regenerizer is back in stock and will be the first one of my supplements to go if the government and the drug companies have their way.

Don't forget to join me tomorrow when I wrap this thing up with some insights from the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.

All the Best from the King of Pharmaceutical Grade fish Oil

Dr Dave

Why medical research sucks - part 3

Please remember this is a multi part blog. It will make much more sense if you have read the past blogs related to the subject, which are below. You may have to scroll down just a bit to get to them but it will be worth it if you are just joining me.

Yesterday, among other things I pointed out that medical research rarely proves anything. The phrase "More research is needed" in one form or another seems to be there almost always.

In the most recent big medical journal I read, it was at the end of every single article except the editorials.

And even one of the editorials ended with that phrase.

Those guys are sorely in need of some Instant Einstein and Instant Endurance.

It reminded me of Seinfeld, the show about nothing. Nothing gets done that doesn't further the interests of the big drug companies.

So here are a few more reasons why medical research often sucks.

Why medical research sucks reason 3:

The wrong patients are in the study.

When a drug company does a study, it does not start out to find anything but what it wants to find.

Thus there are often selection criteria for the people they want in the study. Most commonly left out of studies are women, blacks, Hispanics, people with multiple illnesses and people over 65.

You see, the goal of the study is not to provide the doctor or the patient with real world information. It is to provide good-looking data that makes it easy to go in and sell the drug to the doc and the patients.

So for instance, if you are looking for good results with your cholesterol lowering statin drug you will want to leave out women because they will not respond well.

If you want something that prevents death from heart disease, the data is very strong in favor of fish oil the only supplement that the American Heart Association recommends in any way.

For blood pressure drugs you might want to leave out blacks and Hispanics for the same reason.

And what about people with multiple medical illnesses?

Geez, how messy is that? I mean no one out there in the real world really takes more than one pill do they?

No one out there in the real world actually has what we in medicine call "co morbidities" (multiple problems).

The fact is the large majority of people over 50 are on more than one drug. But that might mess up the pretty study so let's just not deal with reality.

Finally, we have the fastest growing group of our population, the over 65 year olds. They are left out of a lot of studies because they have a nasty habit of dying.

That looks very bad in your pretty little study but it is a fact of life, or in this case, death. If you don't study the effects of a drug in this rapidly growing population, what real world information are you providing to the doctors and patients that use this drug, many of who are bound to be older?

If you are 65 or older my research suggests you really, really need to be on fish oil!

Why medical research sucks reason number 4:

Statistical game playing. I am no statistician. As a matter of fact, when I took my managerial equivalent of the Myers Briggs personality test, I was called a forest person not a tree person.

In other words details bore me.

Thanks to Instant Einstein and fish oil I can overcome my mental handicaps.

So I do know enough about how data can be manipulated to provide results.

First off, a company may not report the negative findings. An example of this might be the Vioxx debacle. The study they used to prove their drug was good asked only the question does it work for ulcers. Answer: Yes, but it increases heart attacks.

That data was there all along and the guy heading up the study was a heart doctor!

I guess they weren't supposed to look at that part of it.

Heaven knows what lines the shredders of major drug company's offices.

One thing you are sure to find, there is all the data on how good fish oil is for so many different things.

Another favorite tool is sub group analysis.

This is exactly the opposite of the "Vioxx problem". Here statisticians don't get the results they want so they go back in and look for secondary findings.

"Ok our drugs sucked at preventing strokes but maybe it works for diabetic leg ulcers. Or maybe it sucks for depression but it works for appetite suppression."

Just invent category for the drug if it doesn't fit the one you originally intended.

I suspect Viagra was one of these and also the popular weight loss drug, Meridia, which was originally designed to be another depression drug.

There are many more complex ways that people can manipulate numbers. The final one I want to talk about today is the most dangerous because it combines so many of the previous flaws.

That is called Meta analysis. Here data is fed into a computer and analyzed to "look at everything available".

Classic example of this was the notorious "Fish Oil no good for cancer" article published by JAMA.

They took studies as far back as 1966 which had to have design flaws.

They stopped in the late 90's when Pharmaceutical Grade Fish oil was just gaining momentum. And used studies that didn't even use fish oil at all.

Conclusion: garbage in garbage out.

They don't want anyone to know this, I am sure.

They also don't want you to know that you might take the reins of your own health care and steal the money right out of the hands that feeds them: Big Pharmacy.

Take your fish oil and Monster Multi and Instant Einstein every day and help me take back the power of the American consumer.

Don't forget to join me tomorrow because I am still slapping the "health robbers" around and while you're at it, pass the blog along to your friends by clicking the envelope icon below.

All the best,

Doc

Why should we exercise?

You probably know from reading my blogs and emails that I am a strong advocate of exercise.

Most of the Docs that I know do very little until the get into heart attack territory.

By that I mean until they hit their early 50's and start seeing their friends, mentors and colleagues dropping over or altering their life styles greatly because of heart disease.

Other than having a Cardiologist standing over you with a 3 foot long rod he's about to jam into a major blood vessel in your leg and worm up through your heart, few things are more frightening.

If that image alone is enough to scare you, go grab your fish oil bottle right now and you'll be doing something about it once you swallow those little golden capsules.

I saw a former partner of mine (we are still good friends) the other day and I must say he looked "Mahvelous".

Since the last time I saw him he dropped at least 30 pounds. He looked like a younger, trimmer version of his former self.

I asked him what happened.

"Had a scare," he said. "Wound up getting cathed (that big long hose up your blood vessel). They told me I had some blockages but they were not causing my chest pain.

They wanted to put me on a statin but I said, 'NO Way!'"

How's that for faith in the medical system? I didn't ask him how many statin prescriptions he's written in his life time.

Any who, all of this happened in the face of an email I got a few weeks ago that went like this:

"Doc, my husband and I are in our 50's, have heart disease and diabetes in our families and are both 30 pounds or so over weight.

I read you emails and blogs and I see all this great info about supplements diets, and exercise.

Our problem is we have a mutual friend who says that they have never proven any real health benefits to exercise. She thinks that most people are wasting their time. She is thin but smokes and drinks quite a bit.

Is their any proof that exercise really helps make you healthier or is she full of hot air?'

Carol J

The reason this one made the blog is that it brings up some very important issues one of which is that some people, perhaps a majority of people in this country, still do not exercise.

Here is my answer to Carol:

Carol, I think your friend is full of hot toxic air, namely tar and nicotine.

As a matter of fact I have a good nose for neurosis and I think your friend has a bit of an addictive personality and is trying to justify her smoking and drinking with a "it doesn't matter anyway" attitude.

I see this a lot among smokers and drinkers.

In other words, we call it denial. And stubbornness. Many people who are still smoking are still smoking to prove a point. They are tired of being told not to smoke and Dammit, no one is going to tell them what to do. They are defending their right to lung cancer and society's right to pay for it.

Another excuse I hear is the "My Dad smoked 'til he was 90 and didn't get lung cancer" excuse. No one is more shocked than these people when that ugly spot shows up on their chest film.

Alcoholism is even tougher so we won't touch that here, but be careful who you take your health advice from.

So now that we have scratched the surface of your question we have also used up the "eyeball time" your boss allows you at work, so we'll look at some specific evidence pro and con for exercise in the next post.

The answers will surprise you.

See you then,

The King of Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

Dr Dave

Why medical research sucks - part 2

Please note: this blog should be read in order if you haven't read the first post scroll down a bit and read "Why Medical Research Sucks" first and then come on back for another piece of the pie.

Yesterday I introduced this blog with an all too familiar scenario.

People relying on technology for everything including answers it can not hope to provide.

The concept of consulting a computer, hand held or otherwise, is revolting to me and revolting to the human spirit, especially when the data in that computer is only as good as the absolute best research that we have.

The event of 2005 which had several major drug companies withdraw some of their biggest money makers ever and called into question the ability of the FDA to even tell the truth let alone protect anyone should be all the evidence you need.

But wait there is more.

Many of you know how I battle my own medical illness with both prescription drugs which made me feel awful and then with supplements which rid me of the affliction.

So there are a couple of things you should know about medical research and how it works.

I read an interesting blurb on the internet the other day about the anti-aging field. It was published by some researchers who basically called the doctors who do anti-aging medicine like me one step away from the lunatic fringe.

Well my latest lunatic fringe, Hercules factor, is helping people trim fat off their wastes, improve their strength and feel younger while you guys are twiddling your thumbs in the lab.

Every hormone was referred to as "unproven" and every study led to one conclusion: more research was needed.

They then went on to say that their organization was dedicated to researching the effects of things like male and female hormone replacement, DHEA and melatonin.

Ok that is 4 or 5 hormones and you've been doing this for 10 years and you've found that "more research is needed"!

Which brings me to the first conclusion.

1) Medical research sucks because it never seems to prove anything

Researchers research for a living. If they prove anything conclusively their paycheck magically dries up. In many cases the need for research is determined by a company's need to sell a certain drug.

I always have to laugh when I think of the lab where Viagra was discovered. You may already know that Viagra was a drug that was supposed to fight heart pain also known as angina.

Can you imagine the first guys who came back in after taking it?

"I still have heart pain but I have a stiffy that just won't quit!"

Those lab guys must have gotten the Christmas bonus to end all bonuses that year. They had single handedly invented a new class of drugs (which by the way exist in Mother Nature as ususal) and made "recreational drug" an accepted word.
Things did get a little out of hand in this class as some folks had heart attacks and some folks went blind, they didn't work for women and the FTC/FDA had to slap their wrists for their advertising tactics.

Oh well, all in a days work for Big Pharmacy.

And that is a wrap for this blog today.

But rest assured there is more to come.

As a matter of fact I have barely scratched the surface.

I do want to say one thing.

To all of you who are doing research that is not on some drug company's leash but really is designed to find the truth, and believe me there is A TRUTH not many truths, thank you for all you do.

Don't forget to pass the blog along to your friends by clicking the envelope icon below and check the website frequently as the truth lives there.

Doc

Why medical research sucks

Please note this is a multi part post, meant to be read in order and for space considerations, done in multiple parts.

"Excuse me one second,” replied the young resident to his much older and significantly wizened mentor.

Dr Jack I will call him was in his early 70's and even though he was slowing down he was still a great teacher.

His nose had grown long and his ears large and he had the white hair and gnarled look that comes when you cross Santa Claus with Albert Einstein.

I could see him barely but perceptibly shake his head when the young doctor who was supposed to answer the question pulled out his palm pilot and looked up the latest research.

"It says here on the latest meta analysis of studies that"...Dr. Jack cut him off.

"What are you going to do in the Emergency room at 3 a.m. when the batteries die on that thing?"

The student replied after a long pause, "I guess I could get my extra battery pack from up in the on-call room."

That was not the answer Dr Jack had wanted.

"No, no, no!" he said.

"You've don't know who sponsored all those studies. You don't know how they can pick only certain types of patients to give them the best looking data. You don't know how they can bury data that doesn't suit them or is even dangerous.

Son, you've got to learn to think for yourself and don't just rely on the drug companies.

As a matter of fact if you kill someone with one of their drugs, do you think they'll be there in the courtroom to bail you out!?"

With that Jack had reached the end of his leash. He patiently told the kid what to do, made sure it got done and then left to get some much needed rest.

"I really need to retire" he said.

I shook my head in understanding and offered him some Instant Endurance, knowing that his night was anything but finished.

"Thanks," he said smiling, "I don't know what's in them but I know that unlike the drugs we use, it can't do any damage and I heard from another guy they really work well."

"They do, Jack, thousands of people swear by them, and you know what they always say is our first job" I replied.

We both simultaneously said laughing, "First, do no harm".

Sadly as Jack went off into the twilight of his career we both knew that was not the first priority of the drug companies.

The good news is that he still takes his Instant Endurance and Fish Oil and is enjoying his hard won retirement.

We've run out of space for now but:

Join me again in a little bit when we dig deeper in to "Why Medical Research Sucks part 2"

And this is war!

Doc