A recent study showed that a Mediterranean Diet plus nuts can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people that have Metabolic syndrome also known as “Syndrome X”.    Metabolic syndrome is characterized by high blood sugar, high blood pressure, decreased HDL, elevated triglycerides and fat deposits around the waist.     There is a high prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in the US and unfortunately all too often these people will be prescribed drugs such as metformin for type 2 diabetes, various beta blockers or diuretics for high blood pressure and potentially a statin for high triglycerides. Read the rest of this entry

There have been a plethora of studies showing the benefits of eating vegetables. In a study involving 541 women with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer and 541 women with an intact uterus and non-cancer diagnoses, intake of vegetables, vitamin E, dietary fiber, beta-carotene, and folate were found to be independently, significantly inversely associated with risk of endometrial cancer. Comparing women in the highest versus the lowest quartiles of intake, significantly lower odds ratios of endometrial cancer were found for: total vegetables, vitamin E, dietary fiber, beta-carotene, lutein, and folate. These results suggest that increased consumption of vegetables and vegetable-related nutrients may reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.

There have been a couple of other recent studies involving only auricular acupuncture. I would assume there is so much interest in auricular acupuncture because it is easy to administer. The most simple style of auricular acupuncture doesn’t require the many thousands of hours of in-depth training needed by an acupuncturist.  Therefore even MDs with a few hundred hours of acupuncture training can properly administer an effective acupuncture treatment.  It can be carried out in hospitals with minimal invasion by individuals not fully trained in acupuncture. Read the rest of this entry

There is a plethora of research showing the benefits of blueberries and their super anti-oxidant capacity.  No need to purchase expensive acai berry juice transported from another continent when we have an abundance of a super food all around Massachusetts, Maine and NH.   However the antioxidant capacity of blueberries can be completely undone by a common practice – especially in the morning.  The undoing is a four letter word.  M-i-l-k.  This is similar to how the antioxidant capacity of tea is undone.    

In a just released Italian study looking at blood levels of 2 phenolic phytochemicals, i.e. antioxidants, they found that ingesting blueberries without milk increased antioxidant blood levels.   However when milk was consumed with blueberries there was absolutely no change in blood antioxidant levels.  

We must consider the possibility that the binding of milk to these acidic antioxidants reaches far beyond tea and blueberries.  Any fruit or herb (i.e. tea, coffee, chocolate) that has acidic water soluble antioxidants (as opposed to something fat soluble like beta-carotene in say a mango or vitamin E in nuts) would probably be mitigated by adding milk.    

The researchers of the above article suggest to gain maximum antioxidant potential from fruits that they’d be consumed away from other meals.   (This does make sense for a digestive point of view as well as many people can have trouble with fruits after meals causing gas and bloating.)

So ditch the milk.  Drink your tea black, your coffee black, your chocolate dark, and your berries on its own.

In Health,

George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist
Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist
Maynard, MA & Cambridge, MA

There are so many natural options available for the majority of cases known as acid reflux, GERD (GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease ), heartburn, or whatever you want to call that it is appalling how these are indiscriminately handed out given their potential deleterious effects. There are certainly times when someone may need a Proton Pump Inhibitor (i.e. Prilosec) or H2 Antagonists (i.e. Ranitidine).  However those cases are when there is concern about esophogeal cancer, throat cancer, ulcers etc. where  the symptoms have become more severe or there is concern about it getting that severe.

During pregnancy almost 9 out of every 10 women have acid reflux symptoms and often they are prescribed these medication to treat the symptoms.  However, many women find that acupuncture and/or abdominal massage offers outstanding results for eliminating acid reflux or at least reducing it to a tolerable level so that medications aren’t required.   A study to be published next month out of Children’s Hospital in Boston determined that pregnant women who take acid medication increase their child’s risk of asthma by nearly 50% if the mother had no prior allergy history. Read the rest of this entry

The news has been loaded with a plethora of articles touting the benefits of vitamin D reported in nutrition journals. Based on research of the past few years it appears that Vitamin D plays a large role in regulating the immune system. Most recently the American Academy of Pediatrics have doubled its recommended daily dosage of Vitamin D for kids. Read the rest of this entry

For many types of headaches acupuncture can provide relief of pain and reduce medications. In addition Chinese Medicine is effective at bringing the headache sufferer’s body back into balance by using acupuncture, herbs, diet and lifestyle changes. The majority of the time headaches are a symptom of imbalance in the body. Read the rest of this entry

There is a great article published today in the NYT about a pediatrician in California who experimented by eating only organic food for 3 years.  (Of course he lived in California it is one of the few places you can get organic food all year round).   Dr Greene runs a website aptly named drgreene.com – it is a great resource for all pediatric questions.   Read the rest of this entry

I can’t believe it! Did you see the headlines suggesting that if we take statin drugs prophylactically we will reduce our risk of heart disease? A study out of the New England Journal of Medicine was picked up by the major news outlets that if healthy people without elevated cholesterol but elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP) take Crestor then it reduces their risk of having a heart attack. Read the rest of this entry

Even though pharmaceutical companies are pushing statins on the general population through physicians – and you may have been pressured to take statins by your doctor you can still “just say no”. First of all there is not much compelling evidence that statins actually reduce your chances of getting vascular disease. However, there is clear evidence that statins can reduce your cholesterol levels. So what statins are doing is treating a number, not reducing chances of a functional disease outcome. There is plenty of information out there about the cholesterol myth so I will not repeat it here. You can read it and decide for yourself. Of course, there are cases where statins are necessary but they are just a small percentage of the number of people that are treated with these potentially deleterious drugs. Read the rest of this entry