Filed under: Commentary | Tags: bioimpedance, BMI, fat, muscle, scale, water weight, weight, weight loss
Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Body-mass index (BMI) has been used as a measure of health risk for decades. It is a measurement of weight relative to height. The problem is that large muscular people appear to have the same health risks as a large fat people.
While not as widely known, waist-to-hip ratio appears to be a better predictor of heart disease, diabetes and early death. To calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, measure your waist at its narrowest and your hips at their widest and divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Healthier men have a ratio of less than 1.0 and women less than 0.8.
Even better are bio-impedance scales that differentiate percent fat, muscle, water, and belly fat as well as calculate calories and metabolic age. We use these scales at Pure Wellness Centers and find them to be excellent at monitoring health status. The recommendation is that everyone has their bio-status measured at least once a year. Those with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, or battling weight, need quarterly assessments.
Dr. McNaughton is now contracted with the First Choice health network.
Dr. McNaughton is now contracted with all of the major health insurance companies:
- Regence Blue Cross
- Premera Blue Shield
- Aetna
- Cigna
- Uniform medical
- Community Health Plan of Washington
Check with your plan regarding specific coverage, as always!
Our Insurance/Payments page has more details about our clinic’s approaches and policies.
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: doctors, medical economics, medicine, naturopathic medicine, Primary care
Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Lack of choice threatens your pocketbook and health
Your health is harmed by medical economics. Yes, even if you have private insurance and aren’t faced with the red tape of Medicare and Medicaid, there are hidden health penalties built into our current system.
The latest revelation impacting your health is that there is a shortage of primary-care doctors. This is neither a sudden occurrence nor the unexpected consequence of global warming, but a growing trend over the past few decades. Medical students are increasingly choosing the track toward the more lucrative specialties: heart, bones, glands, skin, circulation, nerves, etc.
What was once called general practice is now called family practice and these docs are becoming as rare as the house call. This trend is becoming such a concern that it’s being reported by mainstream media.
Who cares if there are fewer general-practice doctors?
Economists were the first to raise the alarm – specialists cost more money. Their fees are higher, they run more tests and they do more procedures. This equals more money, many times more out of your pocket, both directly in co-pays and deductibles, and higher insurance premiums. But higher health care costs are not your biggest problem.
Health researchers are now becoming as alarmed as economists about the over-use of specialists. It’s time for you to pay attention – specialty care is more dangerous to your health.
According to research coming out of Dartmouth and other universities, more specialists means more drugs and procedures, and the outcome of these are more health problems, not fewer.
Obviously we sometimes need specialists, but the pendulum, both economically and health-wise, has swung too far away from primary, less-invasive, more preventive medicine. (more…)
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: antibiotics, infections, MRSA, resistance, super bugs
By Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Superbug infections, bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, are increasing at alarming rates. The most widely publicized, methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA) is on the lips of every hospital administrator and growing in the noses of up to 30% of their staff.
MRSA is not just causing problems in hospitals; daycare centers, schools and sports teams are regularly seeing outbreaks. Primarily an infection on the skin and in the nose, several patients have died when their lungs were overtaken.
Why MRSA and Superbugs?
According to experts, superbugs are the result of prescription antibiotic use. Antibiotics kill bacteria, but usually not completely. The ones that die are the weakest. The surviving germs are the strongest. One survivor is all it takes to reproduce billions of super-strong offspring.
Since shortly after the first antibiotic drug was produced in quantity, during World War II, resistance has been a problem. Recent decades have seen the problem become a crisis. Stronger antibiotics have spread stronger bacteria.
MRSA is only the latest. (more…)
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: Anti-aging, antioxidants, cancer, death, diabetes, estrogen, Hormones, longevity, testosterone
By Tom Ballard, RN, ND
And the answer is?
We don’t know the secret of anti-aging. Like most issues in human health, it is probably the combination of several factors. Much more research will need to be done. Currently most of the research is on mice which are unlike us in many ways.
While we don’t know the secret, we do know several important ways to limit disease and increase wellness. These are concrete actions you can do to increase your likelihood of, if not staying young, living longer. They may not be as sexy as injecting hormones or as exotic as drinking antler tea, but you’ll be happy to know they don’t require expensive or unproven therapies.
- Fat and shape: Increased fat, especially abdominal fat (waist/hip ratio) is perhaps the biggest contributor to aging, disease, and early death. Statistics show increased rates of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. So, instead of shelling out for expensive supplements, shed the extra fat.
Unfortunately, popular weight-loss programs have a 95% failure when it comes to losing fat and keeping it off. New biometric scales as we use in Pure Wellness Centers provide accurate measurements of body fat. Knowing your percent of body fat is probably the most important marker of health you can know, more so than cholesterol. Learn about Pure Weight Loss on our site. - Activity that increases heart rate. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete, but you do need to exercise your heart muscle and keep the blood moving. You can’t expect your glands to work right if the blood isn’t delivering nutrients and removing wastes. The best supplement in the world can’t do as much as a walk around the block.
- Hydration. Not as glamorous as injecting steroids, but will keep you younger and living longer. Dehydration can cause up to a 15% decrease in energy. 8-10 cups of pure water daily. No, sugared and caffeinated drinks are no substitute for H2O. (more…)
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: aging, Anti-aging, antioxidants, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, life extension
I’m afraid the answer is “Yes and no.” Lots of myth and a little reality.
Some of what you may hear about anti-aging strategies – such as hormone replacement – is unproven and likely dangerous. Other approaches – anti-oxidants – have some validity, but aren’t the total answer.
Scientific experts in the field of aging admit that they haven’t unlocked the entire puzzle. For instance, a fast heart rate, as in birds, generally means a shorter life, yet parrots live to be in their 80s.
Then there is the question of the difference between aging and longevity – they aren’t necessarily the same. Your ability to stay alive is challenged more by disease and accidents than by aging. (more…)
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: coconut oil, cooking oil, heart disease, skin, vascular, weight loss
Coconut oil has been used as a nutritious food and skin conditioner for thousands of years. Sadly, it fell out of favor in the 1960s when the food industry and MDs with no nutrition education started making false claims that it contains cholesterol and should be avoided. Yes, it is a saturated fat, but saturated fats do not all contain cholesterol. Saturated fats are, in fact, necessary for optimum health.
Back in the 1930’s, Dr. Weston Price, a dentist, traveled throughout the South Pacific, examining traditional diets and their effect on dental and overall health. He found that those eating diets high in coconut products were healthy and trim, despite the high fat concentration in their diet.
Similarly, in 1981, researchers studied populations of two Polynesian atolls. Coconut was the chief source of caloric energy in both groups. The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrated that vascular disease was uncommon in both populations. There was no evidence that the high saturated fat intake had a harmful effect in these populations.
Many other studies have confirmed the health benefits of coconut oil. Despite the evidence, the misinformation continues to this day. It is so pervasive that even people living in coconut-growing countries avoid this healthy food and instead use unhealthy vegetable oils. This has taken a toll on their health in the form of increasing rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
A few proven benefits of coconut oil:
- Weight loss
- Improved athletic performance
- Reduced risk of heart disease
- Immune system support
- Reduced cancer risk
- A rapid energy source.
- Increases energy like carbohydrates, but does not cause wide fluctuations in blood sugar.
- Prevents and treats bacterial, viral and yeast infections
- Easily digested and assimilated by those with digestive problems
- Protects skin from UV light damage and wrinkles. (more…)
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: cleansing, detox, detoxification, organic, toxins, weight loss
People have had no place to go to find the latest scientific detoxification and rejuvenation therapies. They’re often stuck using drugs that only cover up symptoms. We have substantial research showing that people are loaded with environmental toxins and deficient in amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants. PWC was founded to help people by addressing their core health issues – toxins and deficiencies – with pleasant, affordable and effective treatments.
I started Pure Wellness Centers because too many people were suffering needlessly. The time had come to realize:
* We’re all toxic. This is no longer controversial.
* Most people are deficient in two or more nutrients. Anyone who has been on a weight loss diet probably has even more deficiencies.
* We know that toxins and deficiencies are linked to chronic diseases such as obesity, fatigue, arthritis, skin problems, heart disease, poor memory, cancer, and headaches, to name a few.
* Laboratory testing is now available and affordable.
* Scientific treatments can be individually tailored and measured for effectiveness.
* What most people are doing – fasting, “cleansing” products, and random use of supplements – are not helpful, and are often harmful.
We need to start thinking about naturopathic detoxification and rejuvenation like we do all health care- as part of ongoing methods for restoring and preserving our health and vitality.
Tom Ballard RN, ND
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: bran, constipation, fiber, psyllium
One of the biggest nutritional problems of industrial societies is consuming enough fiber. Refined foods have much of the fiber removed, along with protein, vitamins and minerals. Fiber has been shown to lower cholesterol better than prescription drugs, prevent constipation, and reduce diabetes.
My favorite fiber is stabilized rice bran. Bran is the outer layer of grains, the first thing removed by refining. Rice bran is particularly rich in nutrients such as B-complex vitamins, protein, omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium, manganese and potassium. It has been used for thousands of years as a source of nutrients for pregnant women and the elderly. It is a gentler fiber than psyllium, a popular ingredient in many fiber products.
“Stabilized” refers to the enzymatic process by which bran is protected from rancidity. Because bran is rich in essential fatty acids, it is prone to rancidity. Never buy rice bran that has not been protected from air and light. Once the package is open, it is best stored in the refrigerator.