Thursday, April 30, 2009

Does Fish Oil Really Improve Your Memory?

By Dr. Bill

One of my favorite things is drinking a nice cup of hot chocolate. It's a treat I don't indulge in very often, but it always hits the spot and puts me in a good mood.

I used to get that same mood lift in medical school after checking out my exam scores, but afterwards all I wanted to do was sleep. Drinking the hot chocolate revs me up and motivates me to accomplish whatever it is I have been putting off ...

I saw an interesting article in my local paper yesterday. I can't saw that I often find relevant news in my little local paper, but obviously, you never know.

The article was about the USA National Memory Championship, which is a competition that was begun in 1997 by Tony Dottino, owner of the Dottino Consulting Group. The upshot is that when the Dottino Group started applying neuroscience to business models, they discovered that most people have no idea of what remarkable things their own brains can accomplish.

As he discussed their unlimited and amazing brains, he discovered that most were deathly afraid to talk about the subject, especially as it related to memory.

People were especially afraid to talk about what they had heard about memory and aging: as you grow older, your memory power lessens.

Tony and his group were determined to get their message out: "Brains are like muscles -- they need exercise. When you exercise your brain it gets stronger, no matter what your age."

Tony had another friend named Tony (Buzan), who was involved in running a game in an English pub where people compete to see who has the best powers of memory.

The Tonys got together and created the USA Memory Championship.

Okay, so what secret technique does Chester have?

Just wait and I'll tell you.

Contestants in the Memory Championship compete in events like this:

1. Memorization of 99 names and faces

2. They must memorize the order in which a deck of cards is shuffled.

3. They must memorize poems.

4. They are required to memorize numbers given out in a speedy fashion.

5. A list of 500 words or 1000 random numbers

Heck, just the list was enough to impress me.

For the last seven years Chester has competed in the National Memory Championship, and he is the defending champion.

Along with 3 hours a day of memory exercises, Chester takes fish oil, which he says improves his brain function, (as well as a B-complex vitamin, which he says improves his concentration).

Why? Well at least 30% of the brain is made of DHA, one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. DHA is used by the body to maintain brain cell membranes and boosts brain power. So it's not surprising that Chester finds fish oil a great resource in boosting his memory.

The right amount of physical exercise, proper nutrition, and high-grade fish oil will keep your brain working at its highest level, as exemplified by our champion, Chester. You can do the same by taking a pharmaceutical-grade, highly pure fish oil which is derived from fish that live in clean Norwegian arctic water.

Baby boomers rate memory loss and Alzheimer's as their number one health care concern. Pharmaceutical grade fish oil, along with a good diet and exercise can help keep your mind clear and sharp for a long time to come.

We might not be able to win the National Memory Championship, but we'll be able to remember where we parked.

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Is Your Nutritionist Too Fat To Fish?

By Dr. Bill

This morning I got an email from an acquaintance who has just been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. I really try not to read email first thing in the morning, because if I run across a good story like this one, I forget the time and don't get on to other things.

John loves to eat and loves to drink beer. He is in his mid-fifties and weighs about 20-25 pounds more than he should, so he's not exactly fat, but he's certainly not thin either. With this new diagnosis of Type II Diabetes, he is going to have to make some lifestyle changes, if he knows what's good for him.

John weighs about 225-230 and is 6'1" His email said that his family practitioner recommended a nutritionist for him after she diagnosed him with diabetes. I think John could get back into shape in about three months.

John took his doctor's advice and made an appointment with the nutritionist. Upon arriving for his appointment he was checked-in by a receptionist who really could be called obese -- she was probably 250 pounds and maybe 5'5"

John was surprised to see someone of that weight manning the front desk at a nutrition clinic, but he thought that maybe it was an anti-discrimination thing.

He waited for about twenty minutes, before his name was called and he was ushered into a big office. Then the nutrionist arrived, and John was stunned. She was about 5'10", but she weighed 300 pounds and not an ounce less, according to his story.

She started into her routine, and talked and talked, but John couldn't hear anything. His mind kept asking him, "Why are the two people I have seen in this nutrition clinic so fat?"

The nutritionist got to the part where she was displaying plastic food to show John about correct portion sizes, but John could not keep silent. Finally he blurted out, "If you know so much about nutrition and the rules of dieting, why are you so overweight?"

The nutritionist stopped talking and looked stunned. Finally she said, as if she had not heard him, "What did you just say?"

So he repeated what he said, "If you know all the rules about dieting, why are you so fat?"

At this point the nutritionist flew off the handle, and started screaming at him, telling him to get out of her office immediately. He obliged, but didn't think his question was out of line. The receptionist asked him if there was a problem, on his way out, and he said that someone apparently couldn't handle her own advice.

When he went back to his own doctor and told her the story, the doctor tried to keep her composure, but broke up laughing after a minute or two.

What followed were some rules that John knew he had to stick to.

I recommended pharmaceutical grade fish oil, because Type II diabetes immediately moves you into a cardiac high risk category. John doesn't have any heart problems now, but diabetes can accelerate many problems with your heart, and pharmaceutical grade fish oil can help in controlling lipid levels, which are often elevated in diabetes, especially triglycerides.

Not only that, but pharmaceutical grade fish oil has been linked to wide range of other health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, improved joint health, and improved behavior and mood.

This last benefit is particularly helpful to Type II diabetics, who often suffer from depression caused by the disease.

I think John was absolutely within his rights to ask that question of his nutritionist. How is his situation different from taking health advice from a pulmonologist who thought nothing of smoking?

Nutritionists need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

John had mentioned to me that the nutritionist had cases of Diet Coke in her office. Did you know that more fat people drink Diet Coke than any other form of beverage?

Don't hesitate to get another opinion, especially in a situation like this, where you have reason to doubt the validity of what your practitioner is telling you, based on his or her own habits.

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Lose weight today with Colon Cleanse Elite.

By Casandra James

One of the most incredible and unforgettable topics that Oprah featured was the Oprah's Dynamic Duo - Acai Berry and Body, Colon Cleansing. Most people even regarded this episode of Oprah as one of the most intriguing episodes basically because of this super fruit. But what is really the fuss about this Acai Berry?

This super fruit, with its roots from the Amazon River, is what many coined as a "perfect food." This contains almost all the wonderful and healthy elements that we need for living - from vitamins and minerals, to antioxidants, to amino acids, to proteins, carbohydrates, fibers, among others. Oprah's Dynamic Duo - Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse had offered a comprehensive and not just an overview of what this super fruit is all about and how does it relate to colon cleanse. Because of the amazingly rich and healthy contents of this berry fruit, this also serves a lot of functions. It gives a boost to our immune system; it strengthens our energy level; it aids in better digestive system; it helps to give us smooth cardiovascular functions/activities etc.

You still want to stick with an all natural option, but get yourself a product that is ready to go and which is likely to provide you with better results. There is the Dual Action Colon Cleanse product for one, which is actually a 30-day cleanse, one that has proven to work time and time again and which is recommended by doctors.

Just make sure whether you are interested in trying one of these methods or any other, that you are going to talk to your doctor about it first. Chances are that it is going to be okay for you to take, but you are just going to want to make sure. They are going to be able to discuss this issue with you and make sure that you are not going to be putting yourself at any risk here.

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Usana BiOmega - High Quality Ultra-pure Fish-Oil Supplement

By Angela Giles

Usana Health Sciences, Inc has been manufacturing and marketing health supplements for more than 18 years. It produces a range of nutritional supplements for maintaining optimum health. Usana BiOmega is one such product which supplies essential omega-3 fatty acids that are known to decrease the risk of several debilitating diseases.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fatty acids which are essential for normal functioning of bodily processes. Two important fatty acids in this family are the EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). It has been proven through research that these two contribute to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease to a large extent.

Omega-3 acids contribute significantly to promoting the health of the immune system, development of the neural functionality in children and sustaining bone health. Research has also shown their positive contribution to diminish the risk of diseases like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and certain mental disorders.

DHA, EPA and other omega-3 acids are helpful in brain development in the fetus and after birth. Their presence in significant amounts has been found in nerve cells of infant brains. Experimental studies in children with learning and behavioral disorders have shown that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has lead to improvement in the children's learning and behavior.

All oily fish like sardines, mackerel, salmon and herring found in cold sea water are a rich source of fatty acids. But along with the beneficial acids, they also contain traces of nickel, lead, mercury and other heavy metals which can be harmful to the health. Commercial refining processes, in their effort to remove contaminants, also tend to remove the fatty acids.

Usana BiOmega is produced in a state-of-the-art facility employing processes like double molecular distillation which removes all presence of contaminants and heavy metals while retaining the fatty acid content. It contains a concentrated dose of both EPA and DHA along with natural preservatives to keep the product fresh in storage.

Usana BiOmega also contains Vitamin D which is essential in maintaining bone health and lung function but is found to be lacking in our diet. The body's daily requirement of omega-3 fatty acids is conveniently packed in just two capsules. The capsules are available in a lemon flavoring to remove the typical fishy aftertaste of fish-oil products.

Usana BiOmega totally adheres to the norms of U.S.P for purity, uniformity and potency. They have been found to be most effective for maintaining adult health. Their formulations also serve to effectively supplement the nutritional requirements of pregnant women.

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