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Archive for June, 2010

Is it My Belly or My Head?

Posted on: June 30th, 2010 | Author: sheehanfox | No Comments

I’m hoping that some of you can relate to this issue. You follow your meal plan, lift your weights, do your cardio, and see the results of all of your hard work inching closer and closer to your goal weight – and then something uncontrollable happens. You get what I call “head hungry”.

I describe head hungry as something that strikes when you are not really hungry at all, but still you feel the need to eat something! So you set off and begin your nibbling fest eating this and eating that with every intention of stopping after one more bite…but you don’t until you are so stuffed and maybe disgusted by the sight of food (or yourself for that matter!).

I find that I get head hungry on a monthly basis, and it lasts for about three days. Or should I say it takes me about three days to get control of the situation and put an end to it. During those three days I do try to use measures to stop the problem … but they don’t work for me. Things like brushing my teeth after eating, waiting 15 minutes between snacks, etc.

The only thing that ever really helps me to put a stop to the insanity is to 1) Let it go, 2) Stop beating myself up 3) Pull out my trusty food journal and get back on track!!! That being said, I would love for someone to share any advice they may have for getting back on track – something that maybe helps stop the insanity before I stuff myself for another three days in July!!

Can I Get Some Cancer With That Sunscreen?

Posted on: June 23rd, 2010 | Author: sheehanfox | No Comments

Oh no the sun’s out. Grab me the SPF 75 before it’s too late!

I have to laugh when having conversations with people about sunscreen, because many times people think they “got us” when it comes to being healthy.

I don’t know why some people get so jacked up to try and find a kink in the armor, but I guess they feel better about themselves not being healthy if they can find some type of unhealthy vice that LeAnna and I are engaged in. We do have vices like most people, but we truly try to always do the right thing when it comes to our health and set the example for people who look to us for help.

This being said, tanning is always an issue that people like to throw in our face. I once had someone who was obese, smoked, ate fast food, and never exercised ask me if fast food was “really” bad for you. I explained that it was one of the worst foods that you could eat, and her response to me was, “well you guys tan.” I can’t even get a little excited to have an intelligent argument when someone is so demented to think that these vices are equal. Vitamin D is an extremely important nutrient that our bodies need, and it is produced by our skin in response to exposure of ultraviolet radiation that we can only get from natural sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many diseases including osteoporosis, prostate and breast cancer, diabetes and obesity. Quite the opposite of what many people believe, we need a certain amount of exposure to the sun to provide this vital nutrient to our cells.

As I have stated numerous times, our bodies have hundreds of chemical contaminants coursing through them due to the environment that we live in. Whether it is from the chemically laden processed foods that we eat, to the pollution filled air that we breathe, or the thousands of cosmetic products that we use on our hair and skin that don’t have to be tested for human safety, we are exposed! I firmly believe that the more cognizant we are of eliminating as many of these from our system, the better chance we have of keeping our cells in a healthy state which allows for optimum health.

LeAnna started the research on this subject years ago, and I have brought myself up to date within the last two. I found it fascinating that some countries that lie close to the equator have very low incidences of skin cancer, and they do not use sunscreen. After a little digging on the subject, I found that studies have actually been done on some common sunscreens and some of the substances found in them produced cancer when being tested on rats.

The first substance found in many sunscreens is retinyl palmitate (RP). Senator Charles Schumer, who is pushing the US Food and Drug Administration to act in the interest of consumers, says the FDA is now reviewing data from several studies on the link between this additive and skin cancer. “One study found that tumors and lesions developed up to 21% faster in lab animals coated in retinyl palmitate-laced cream than animals treated with a cream that did not contain RP,” Schumer’s office said.

Another chemical that is found in 90% of sunscreens is octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC). New Scientist magazine cites a study that was conducted by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority near Oslo where cells from mice died when being exposed to this chemical. The amount of the chemical that was administered to the mouse tissue was also a much lower concentration that is contained in the sunscreen products.

Lastly, FOX news recently reported that tests are showing that oxybenzone might also be causing health problems for people who are using sunscreens.

In 2008 the US Center for Disease Control released a new study linking this chemical to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage. It also stated that oxybenzone is a penetration enhancer, a chemical which helps other chemicals penetrate the skin. It has also been found that sunlight causes oxybenzone to create free radical chemicals that are linked to a plethora of cell damaging diseases, with cancer being at the top of the list.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit consumer protection agency, has been pressuring the FDA to institute new safety standards to protect the public. The FDA though has bowed to industry lobbyists and has delayed any sunscreen safety standards for over 30 years.

It is interesting to note that the statistics show that skin cancer rates began to rise with the increased use of sunscreens.

Should you stop wearing sunscreen and just let your skin fry up like a beef jerky? Of course not! There are some products on the market that are organic and do not contain any of these harmful chemicals. LeAnna has done some research and recommends products from Alba and Aubrey Organics, but there are more out there if you want to do some investigating.

So to the people who will continue to look for things we do that will make them feel better about their unhealthy practices, keep trying!

Somebody Toss Me My Z – Pack!

Posted on: June 10th, 2010 | Author: sheehanfox | No Comments

Someone, quick, toss me my Z-pack!

As society continues to always look for the softer easier way out, anti-biotic use has grown to an alarming level. What most people do not understand though, is that you are getting plenty of anti-biotics in their daily food without even knowing it!

70% of the anti-biotics produced in this country are for agricultural use, so if you are not buying organic animal protein and dairy, you are already getting your fair share. Unfortunately when approval for use of these chemicals was granted by the FDA, the only studies that were done on their effects were done on the animals they were injecting. What about humans? Nope, we’re on our own!

Now that digestive diseases are the leading cause of hospitalization and surgery in this country, you think there might be a few studies to find out what is happening. Over a quarter of a million people died in the US last year from these diseases, and the trend is rising. If it isn’t the foods that we’re eating to absorb anti-biotics, it’s the prescriptions that many doctors are handing out like Pez.

Most people understand that anti-biotics do not work on viral infections, so why do doctors still prescribe them for such? I would fathom it’s because they get sick and tired of seeing the same patients come in and request them, even though they have been told numerous times they won’t help. Remember, the pharmaceutical companies have devised some brilliant marketing to entice the end user (patient) to badger their doctor for any pill that they fancy after seeing one of these ads. I can’t believe how many times I will hear someone get the sniffles or a little cough, and then announce that they’re heading to the doctor for a Z-pack!

A few hundred Z-packs later, they wonder why they are so susceptible to diseases and digestive malfunction as new strains of drug resistant bacteria form. According to Dr. Marcelle Pick, co-founder of the Woman to Woman clinic of Yarmouth, Maine, Friendly bacteria help prevent disease in several ways. They deprive invaders of nutrients and secrete acids that less friendly microbes can’t tolerate well. They also reinforce the mucosal barrier of the intestines, which block dangerous pathogens, toxins, and allergens and helps the immune system “learn” which ones aren’t safe. Some bacteria stimulate the immune system by increasing T-cell counts, while others produce natural antibiotic and antifungal substances.

So here’s a common theme you’ve heard from me before. Start eating right and exercising, and when you get the sniffles, suck it up and let your body do what is was designed to do – fight it off and build an even stronger immune system!

The Movie of Your Life

Posted on: June 3rd, 2010 | Author: sheehanfox | No Comments

A few days ago I posted a story on Facebook about an experience I had that morning. On Tuesday morning I went into the Cumberland Farms in S. Dennis to buy the newspaper. In front of me stood a very obese gentleman who purchased a 2 liter bottle of Cumby’s Cola, and 4 packs of the value brand cigarettes. I didn’t judge him, but I did think how unhealthy he must be. The next day at the same time I returned to Cumby’s for the same reason, and believe it or not, the same gentleman was right in front of me in line again. And what did he buy? That’s correct; a 2 liter bottle of Cumby’s Cola, and 4 more packs of “Maverick” cigarettes. My next thought was that he should be carrying a sign that said, “cancer please!”

Although most of the comments were of the “wow” variety, I did receive one that stated “it must be a burden to be as perfect as you and yours!”

This is reflective of a lot of comments that I encounter when people ask for nutrition or lifestyle advice and don’t like what they hear. Society today is conditioned to find the fast and easy way to health, but you actually have to work and make sacrifices if you want to be healthy and in shape. We encounter many people who come to us for nutrition help, and then inform us they are not giving up their pizzas and desserts. We do not judge anyone who wants to continue eating like this, but we tell them not to complain as their waste size grows and they begin to encounter more health problems in their lives.

I love to use the analogy about your life being a movie. Fast forward your life to 15 or 20 years from now. If you stay on the path that you are on, what will your health picture look like at that point? If you don’t exercise and eat the foods that we know contribute to sickness and disease, feel and experience the emotion that will result from listening to your doctor when you are sitting in his office after a physical. Imagine that the doctor informs you the following: “I am so sorry to tell you this, but you have cancer.”

Just the thought of this makes my skin clammy and elicits emotional pain. If you can truly imagine this scenario, then you will realize what a gift it is to not be sitting in that doctor’s chair. We have the chance to accept responsibility for our health and to begin changing our lifestyle today! There is no such thing as rewind in life, so we must embrace the gift of today to make a decision to get and stay healthy!