Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Ten Health Benefits Of Getting Your ZZZ's

Our modern, on-the-go world has become dependent on Starbucks, caffeine packed energy drinks, and/or a nicotine fix to make it to a state of functional each and every morning. This is most certainly due to a lack of sleep as many of us are failing to get enough zzz's. The popular vices of caffeine and nicotine only serve to undermine our health when instead a good night's sleep is usually all we need.

In the United States there are 50-70 million people who suffer from chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders [1]. The National Sleep Foundation states that adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep each night to stay in good health [2]. Getting the proper amount of sleep can do wonders for your health. Here's 10 health benefits of getting the proper amount of sleep.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Breast Cancer Survival


Breast cancer accounts for 28% of all cancer diagnoses in US women. Gene defects inherited from a parent account for 5%-10% of all breast cancers*. Up to 80% of breast cancers are due to our diet**. Leading causes of breast cancer are overweight, estrogen, physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption. Here are some things we can do to reduce the risks.

Body fat will increase estrogen (a growth hormone) activity. Of 26 studies conducted since 1990, 17 showed a direct relationship between higher weight and increased cancer risk and a lower survival rate. What is on our dinner plate affects hormone activity in both women and men. Strive for a diet low in fat to reduce body weight. In addition, a high fiber diet will help carry excess estrogen out of the body. Eating a diet high in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains (which all happen to be low in fat and high in fiber) and reducing consumption of meat and dairy products (high fat, no fiber) will reduce chronic inflammation which can fuel cancer cells. Whole foods with beta-carotene (carrots, sweet potatoes) and vitamin C (broccoli, oranges, green vegetables) are particularly beneficial.

Exercising will send signals to reduce inflation, making cancers harder to grow by increasing the body’s defense system. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found women exercising the equivalent of walking 3-5 hours a week at an average pace had an improved breast cancer survival rates. Alcohol consumption can also increase the risk of breast cancer by disrupting the body’s protective mechanisms.

Losing weight, eating a diet low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, avoiding animal products and alcohol, and exercising have proven to reduce the risk and recurrence of breast cancer.
* ACS Facts & Figures 2010
** American Cancer Society-Cancer Facts & Figures 1997





If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our daily Facebook and Twitter posts!  Also, don't forget to sign up for  Our Free Online Mailing List  to get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Plant-Based Pharmacist & The Doctor - Erectile Dysfunction Dissected

Raise the flag!  What do you mean you can't?  Erectile dysfunction is not so much embarrassing as it is scary.  I'm not worried about men's pride, I'm worried about them staying alive or not becoming crippled due to a silent catastrophe lurking behind this sexual disease.

Over 18 million men in the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), and it's becoming somewhat of an epidemic when you look at the increasing numbers behind this disease¹.   The problems go well beyond the bedroom though.  Unbeknownst to many who suffer from this disease it could find you sprawled out over the operating room table with your chest split open as doctors try to perform major open heart surgery due to a massive heart attack.

Heart disease and ED... they're like two lovers destined to be together forever. Yes, these two diseases really are intimately related to each other but it sure isn't the kind of romance that most guys were looking for.  Find out what causes erectile dysfunction, the risks associated with it, and what can be done about it as The Plant-Based Pharmacist and The Doctor discuss this very important topic on the Dr. Don Show below.



Go HERE to download the mp3 file if you're having audio problems.










If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our daily Facebook and Twitter posts!  Also, don't forget to sign up for  Our Free Online Mailing List  to get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!


References:
Selvin E, Burnett AL, Platz EA. Prevalence and risk factors for erectile dysfunction in the US. The American Journal of Medicine. 2007;120:151–157.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Mark Bittman - What's Wrong With What We Eat

There was a young boy who once grew up just like you and me.  He came from a household where mom was the go to person for all the family's nutritional needs.  She did the grocery shopping.  She made the daily menu.  She packed the lunches.  She even did the final preparation and cooking of the evening meal that found it's way onto everyone's dinner plate each night.

Mark Bittman was this little boy and he's now a grown man with a very inspiring message.  He grew up on the All-American diet of a large helping of meat, mashed potatoes, and fruit salad that originated out of a can just like you and I did.  He never tried a bite of spinach or broccoli until he was 19.  He also never learned how to cook from his mother.  You'd think that he'd have fallen into a life of fast food, microwave dinners, and Chinese take out but nothing could be further from the truth.  Mark Bittman turned into one of the greatest food writers ever known to man.