Juice, Inflammation and Auto-Immune Diseases
When foreign substances enter our bodies, we have powerful defense mechanisms involving our immune systems to prevent those substances from causing damage. Our bodies do this through chemical and cellular mechanisms that result in inflammation. However, the inflammation that results is not without its own drawbacks. Think about a mosquito bite, an asthma attack, or Joe’s urticaria. These are reactions that we can directly observe, but there are many others that occur throughout our bodies that contribute to heart disease, stroke, and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus, to name a few. These inflammatory processes protect us, but cause disease when the response is profound. Fasting (in the form of total, subtotal and juice fasting) has ... Continue
“An Apple A Day…” – Eating Natural Foods Has Real Benefits For Your Health
We all know the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but that of course is way too simple (although the number of people who don’t even have that in a day is mind-boggling). Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. A population based study in China demonstrated that a high intake of fruits and vegetables reduced the overall risk of death. Cuciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower and kale, in particular were shown to decrease the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Data from two large U.S. based studies also found that a higher intake of total fruits and vegetables led to a decrease in the risk of death from stroke and heart attack. Scientists are ... Continue
Negative Effects of Obesity and Overweight
There is no question that obesity has reached a critical level and dramatic personal and societal changes are needed. Not so long ago I was asked “What an orthopedic spine surgeon knows about nutrition?” Although I believe most physicians should be experts in nutrition, the question was actually not that surprising because the standard medical school curriculum spends very little time discussing nutrition as it relates to overall health. As a former athlete, I had a strong interest in nutrition from a performance standpoint but also because I have struggled significantly myself with weight. At one point my own obesity had serious negative effects on my health. As a result, understanding nutrition from a multidisciplinary standpoint became my passion. I ... Continue