Tuesday, December 31, 2013

5 Prescriptions For Optimal Health (Plus a Bonus Tip)


We’ve become dependent on prescription medications in the U.S. This is a fact. A Mayo Clinic report published in July of 2013 says so. Over a 12-month period, 68.1% of all Americans received a prescription from at least 1 drug group, 51.6% received prescriptions from 2 or more drug groups, and 21.2% received prescriptions from five or more drug groups [1]. To say it another way, we’ve become a nation of pill poppers desperate for answers to our most pressing health concerns. 

Now turn back the clock a bit as I enlighten you with a glimpse into my personal background. At the turn of the 21st century, I found myself sitting in a university classroom trying with all my might not to nod off, as I gazed half asleep at my college professor lecturing intensely in the front of the room. He was describing in great detail how zero- and first-order kinetics of various types of drugs required separate algorithms to calculate their final half-lives and serum concentrations. (Now you understand why I was trying not to nod off!) Had I known back then that my professor’s valiant teaching efforts—well-intentioned as they may be—would largely prove inadequate in my efforts to bring health to others as a pharmacist, I would’ve undoubtedly found a different classroom to sit in. I was, however, naive to the point of understanding the actual shortcomings of the pharmaceutical world as they existed. And so I carried on.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Vitamin D - To Supplement Or Not To Supplement?

Vitamin D has been a hot topic for the better part of two decades now. It's been hailed as a cure-all vitamin used for everything from heart disease to diabetes and everything in between. Previously, I had written about the benefits of vitamin D in my article titled, How To Feel Vitamin "D"errific!

Now, I provide an update on vitamin D, specifically as it pertains to vitamin D deficiencies and who should supplement in such cases. These findings are based on the latest research.

Supplementing To Treat Vitamin D Deficiency


Two large-scale, systemic reviews published earlier this month have provided some keen insight on this topic and may just change the rules when it comes to supplementing with vitamin D.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

35 Ways To Counter The Vegan Protein Interrogation


Protein is plentiful in plant-based foods
If you're thinking of going vegan (or vegetarian) you're probably obsessed with it. If you're vegan you hate it. And if you've conversed with anyone who eats food (of any kind) it seems to be the only thing that matters to them. It's the protein question.

Where Do You Get Your Protein?

The protein topic is the most talked about subject in modern nutrition. Doctors and dietitians warn you about getting enough of it. Friends and family scare you by claiming you'll wither away and die without it [because vegan diets obviously contain none of it! **Sarcasm**]. And the food industry slaps the protein label on the front of almost everything they make so they can sell more of their mostly worthless food products.

So what's all the fuss about? Is protein some sort of miracle nutrient that keeps the human race from going extinct? Will humans just disappear, vanishing into thin air, if supermarkets fail to stock meat and dairy? More importantly, how does one get protein on a plant-based diet? And how much is enough?

These questions and more are answered below in a comprehensive list of articles and resources detailing everything you need to know about protein. They come from the best and the brightest in their respective fields of health, fitness, nutrition, and medicine. So anytime someone asks you, 'Where do you get your protein?' be sure and direct them this way. With any luck, it's bound to put their mind a little more, or maybe even completely, at ease about the subject.