Time to weigh in on something that seems to be discussed everywhere lately: the acai berry.
Well, it is a dark blue/purple berry from the acai palm of Central and South America. For a fruit, they are fairly high in protein (though still not a complete source like poulty/beef/fish/game or quinoa). Acai berries are known to be extremely high in resveratrol and anthocyanins. These are probably the chemicals responsible for the purported health benefits of the acai.
Those compounds may or may not sound familiar to you. Resveratrol is the much discussed compound present in grape seeds and grape skins. It is likely responsible for the cardioprotective abilities of red wine.
Anthocyanins are a class of compounds that are, well, blue. From the greek for blue flower or plant, fruits known to be high in anthocyanins are cherries, blueberries, acai, blackberries, and currants. Anthocyanins are thought to be a highly active class of antioxidants.
What's my point here? I cannot say whether or not Acai is "THE ANSWER" to health. But I do know that the berry's use as a nutraceutical is still relatively new and, therefore, expensive. Just as CoQ10 and high EPA Fish Oil were outlandishly expensive when they were new and in limited supply, you may want to wait out the acai rush if money is a little tight.
Again, nothing against the acai berry. But considering it costs dozens of times more than the seemingly comparable blueberry, blackberry, red grape, dark red cherry, et al, I cannot justify telling my patients that it belongs on their "must eat" list.
So if you just got your Goldman Sachs bonus and you don't know where to spend the money, buy some acai berries and live forever!
Otherwise, have a glass of red wine tonight and sprinkle some blueberries on your yogurt tomorrow morning. And remember me if your bonus shows up in the mail.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Got Fish?
I know, I must seem like a broken record when it comes to omega-3 supplementation (specifically EPA and DHA). Here are a few more reasons to consider adding it to your daily diet:
In this study of patients already suffering from stable coronary artery disease, those with the highest levels of EPA/DHA in their blood had the lowest degree of telomere shortening (a marker for identifying a cell's lifespan). In other words, their cells were "younger" than those of people with lower levels of EPA/DHA.
This study shows the relationship between low levels of EPA/DHA and a higher incidence of nervous system diseases (i.e. schizophrenia, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, Huntington's disease, etc.).
And finally, this study delves into the relationship between a diet high in EPA/DHA and lower incidence of colorectal cancer.
And these are just three recent studies over the past few months. Were I to dig, I could probably come up with 100 other examples. At the least, have some salmon for dinner tonight. This is my favorite way to eat it: Salmon Fillet en Papillote with Julienne Veggies. Bon apetit!
In this study of patients already suffering from stable coronary artery disease, those with the highest levels of EPA/DHA in their blood had the lowest degree of telomere shortening (a marker for identifying a cell's lifespan). In other words, their cells were "younger" than those of people with lower levels of EPA/DHA.
This study shows the relationship between low levels of EPA/DHA and a higher incidence of nervous system diseases (i.e. schizophrenia, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, Huntington's disease, etc.).
And finally, this study delves into the relationship between a diet high in EPA/DHA and lower incidence of colorectal cancer.
And these are just three recent studies over the past few months. Were I to dig, I could probably come up with 100 other examples. At the least, have some salmon for dinner tonight. This is my favorite way to eat it: Salmon Fillet en Papillote with Julienne Veggies. Bon apetit!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Forum For 'Em
As both a doctor and a small business owner, I love Google. It's great. It promotes my practice for free, provides me with maps, abilities to create coupons, hosts blogs, hosts my calendar page and a lot more. Best of all, it's fast. When I need to look up the potential side effects and cross reactions of an obscure medication, I can do so more quickly through Google than I can flipping through the Physicians Desk Reference.
So what's not to like about it? Sure, I occasionally have to convince a patient that their self diagnosis via Google was incorrect. But sometimes it is correct. And my guess is that 30 years ago those same patients would have walked into my office with their Encyclopedia Britannica or Readers Digest in hand.
But Google really just indexes a lot of information. It's your job to read through it. Even blogs dispense info and advice (hopefully you find this one useful?), but they, too, simply put their info "out there" for you to process.
Forums. Now this is where health care advice becomes interesting. I have a guilty pleasure. I am willing to admit it. About once per week I read through the injury sections of a few of my favorite endurance sports forums (letsrun.com, slowtwitch.com, beginnertriathlete.com, paddleboard.com, standuppaddlezone.com, etc.).
As I peruse these sites, I get to read the sort of advice that some of my current and future patients receive. About 10% of it is good and useful, 40% is relatively harmless and 50% is awful and potentially harmful.
As an example, last autumn I examined a new patient, a runner with calf pain. He'd been dealing with pain and tightness for a while. His coach told him to stretch more, his wife told him to see a doctor, and the people on the other end of his web forums told him to stretch, buy a hot tub, join a Crossfit gym, don't see a physical therapist, don't see a chiropractor, don't see a medical doctor, soak in epsom salts, run barefoot, take Advil, blah, blah, blah.
He should have listened to his wife. By the time he got to me, nerve damage from two ruptured/herniated lumbar discs had caused significant (and probably irreparable) motor nerve damage to his lower leg. He was in surgery 2 days after I examined him, and last I heard, is progressing at a moderate pace.
I don't like to post on those forums. It's not helpful for me nor the "patient". But sometimes I'll see a person similar to that previous patient getting some terrible advice, and I have to jump in and say "Hello? You're soliciting advice from people with no training whatsoever?" Hopefully they get the message.
No, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg to get a diagnosis for your leg or your arm, but this is the only body you'll ever have. Take care of it, please.
So what's not to like about it? Sure, I occasionally have to convince a patient that their self diagnosis via Google was incorrect. But sometimes it is correct. And my guess is that 30 years ago those same patients would have walked into my office with their Encyclopedia Britannica or Readers Digest in hand.
But Google really just indexes a lot of information. It's your job to read through it. Even blogs dispense info and advice (hopefully you find this one useful?), but they, too, simply put their info "out there" for you to process.
Forums. Now this is where health care advice becomes interesting. I have a guilty pleasure. I am willing to admit it. About once per week I read through the injury sections of a few of my favorite endurance sports forums (letsrun.com, slowtwitch.com, beginnertriathlete.com, paddleboard.com, standuppaddlezone.com, etc.).
As I peruse these sites, I get to read the sort of advice that some of my current and future patients receive. About 10% of it is good and useful, 40% is relatively harmless and 50% is awful and potentially harmful.
As an example, last autumn I examined a new patient, a runner with calf pain. He'd been dealing with pain and tightness for a while. His coach told him to stretch more, his wife told him to see a doctor, and the people on the other end of his web forums told him to stretch, buy a hot tub, join a Crossfit gym, don't see a physical therapist, don't see a chiropractor, don't see a medical doctor, soak in epsom salts, run barefoot, take Advil, blah, blah, blah.
He should have listened to his wife. By the time he got to me, nerve damage from two ruptured/herniated lumbar discs had caused significant (and probably irreparable) motor nerve damage to his lower leg. He was in surgery 2 days after I examined him, and last I heard, is progressing at a moderate pace.
I don't like to post on those forums. It's not helpful for me nor the "patient". But sometimes I'll see a person similar to that previous patient getting some terrible advice, and I have to jump in and say "Hello? You're soliciting advice from people with no training whatsoever?" Hopefully they get the message.
No, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg to get a diagnosis for your leg or your arm, but this is the only body you'll ever have. Take care of it, please.
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