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The information shared on this site is educational and is not intended as either diagnosis or treatment. It is always important to work with one's personal health care team. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
We believe that with empowerment comes optimal health. You are personally encouraged to post questions regarding general health topics on our Facebook Page.
Note: Due to regulatory restraint we can't offer specific medical advice.
Heartbeats Blog
Heartbeats blog is updated frequently to help raise your daily awareness and assist you to understand all the factors that positively and negatively influence your health, wellness and vitality - both mentally and physically. It is a good idea to share this information with the people that you wish to be highly active with today, and in the years to come.
Twitter followers will be advised of each new Heartbeats blog entry as they become available, just another way to keep your health priorities, a top priority.
Let's all be able to live life to its fullest.
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Balance Your Coffee Intake with Green Tea for Added Health |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
3/10/2010 6:07 PM
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 The next time you are about to make another coffee run, you might want to consider Green Tea instead. We know that coffee is rich in antioxidants, but you can further enhance your health if you create more balance in your beverages.
A substance called "catechins" that are abundant in green tea have been shown to be absorbed from your GI tract and actually go to many parts of your eyes including the lens and retina. This is really important, because catechins are powerful antioxidants and the eye is very susceptible to free radical damage, including the very oxygen that you breath to sustain your life. Also with the growing issues of environmental pollution, holes in the ozone and atrocious food quality from modern agricultural practices, it is essential to do what you can to help protect your eyes.
If you like like the taste of green tea, that is great. However if you are like me and have not have fully acquired the taste for green tea, then you may choose to supplement your diet with green tea capsules. This is an excellent way to help fortify your antioxidant levels, not just for the eye but virtually every cell in your body.
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A Good Night's SLEEP is Critical to your Mind and Body's Wellness |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
3/6/2010 6:05 PM
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 Yes, you can actually sleep yourself to a higher level of wellness. However millions of us are walking around in a sleep deprivation stupor. We also routinely make huge mistakes when it comes to the "simple act of sleep". If you follow these tips you will feel better and help restore your mind and body.
Mistake #1
You must sleep in a totally dark room. Sleeping in a dark room helps with the production of the brain chemicals serotonin and melatonin. How important is sleep in a nice dark room? Well a Finnish study actually showed that women that slept 9 hours had 1/3 the risk of getting breast cancer.
Also it is totally essential not to have an alarm clock with a blue hue. It is better to have red or orange, but keep it dim. Bright is not right, in one's bedroom. Why not blue, well UV rays that help keep us happy and also wake us up in the morning are part of the blue spectrum. So, blue light in the bedroom is not the way to go.
Mistake #2
Sure it is annoying, but I can live with my partner's snoring. Wrong answer. Sleeping with a chronic snorer can rob you of your health. It takes energy and disturbs your sleep to keep nudging them to roll over. Furthermore, they could be dying in front of your closed eyes.
The fact is about 24% of young guys and 10% of young women actually aren't just snoring, they are suffocating with a condition called sleep apnea. Apnea is where your oxygen levels plummet, choking out the very life sustaining breath that keeps you alive. Sadly 38,000 people a year die in their sleep from sleep apnea, this does not even count all the other accelerated ways of dying from lack of sleep. By the way as we all get older, the prevalence of sleep apnea and sleep disorders rises dramatically.
Get tested for sleep apnea, it can save your life and help address everything from diabetes, acid reflux, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats and even impotence in many cases.
Mistake #3
Thinking that sleep problems really aren't a big deal. Well here are some powerful facts; 20-40 percent of all adults will have insomnia during the course of a year. Over 70 million Americans suffer from disorders of sleep and wakefulness.
I have also found that people that don't dream or remember their dreams in my clinical practice are often low in B vitamins or have sleep apnea.
Solutions:
As always, talk to your doctor; yet here are some helpful tips to sleep and sleep well:
- Don't watch television in bed.
- Don't eat in bed.
- Use of the supplement melatonin can often help with sleep. This supplement is actually the same hormone your body produces to help you fall asleep and stay asleep, plus it is a powerful antioxidant as a bonus.
- Taking calcium prior to bed can also help with sleep.
- If you choose to take some extra B complex to help with dreams, it is absolutely essential to do so prior to noon, so it does not keep you up. My patients report the vast majority of time, they have more dreams with B vitamins.
Remember, snoring is not good and can be a sign of something possibly (not always) worse, like sleep apnea. I wish you a good night of sleep and RESToration.
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The Big Skinny on Longevity |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
2/25/2010 12:41 PM
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 It's now been scientifically proven that if you limit your calorie intake, you can expect a longer, healthier life. That if you eat well, but keep the calories low, you will reduce the risk of disease. It is seriously time to stop monkeying around with your health and longevity, according to the latest monkey study.
As reported in the Journal of Science, 80% of the monkeys who consumed a low calorie diet without being malnourished were still alive after 20 years, compared to only 50 per cent of control animals who ate freely.
According to Professor Richard Weindruch from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "We observed that caloric restriction reduced the risk of developing an age-related disease by a factor of three and increased survival."
It is not too late to start to change your diet, according to the study the researchers reported: “Our data indicate that adult-onset moderate caloric restriction delays the onset of age-associated pathologies and promotes survival in a primate species.”
A calorie restricted diet has been shown to increase longevity by eliminating up to 50% the occurrence of cancer and heart disease. Plus diabetes did not occur in these animals on the calorie restricted diet. As quoted by one of the researchers: "So far, we've seen the complete prevention of diabetes," said Weindruch.
Extra bonus benefits is that brain function and actual size of the brain is protected when calorie intake is significantly restricted.
Take Home Message: Life is full of choices. It is all about moderation. So the question is, do you eat to live, or do you live to eat. Whatever your current relationship with food, it is time to evaluate whether the food you are eating is adding or subtracting from your health, wellness and long term goals.
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Magnesium - A Critical Mineral in Short Supply |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
2/7/2010 4:55 PM
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 Move over calcium, it is time for magnesium to get some serious attention. We all have been educated about how important calcium is for healthy bones, yet magnesium has been kept in the shadows by the popular media. Calcium and magnesium actually serve as balancers to one another. Too much of one mineral or another is not good.
Most of the patients I see have a relative magnesium insufficiency compared to their dietary calcium intake. I routinely put my patients on magnesium for the following reasons, it helps maintain healthy blood pressure, encourages relaxation of tight muscles, helps with bowel regularity, can help with monthly cramps and charlie horses too. Now there is another big reason to consider supplementing with magnesium. A 2010 study reports magnesium can be a "Brain-Booster". So, not only can it lessen tension headaches, it can help you think more clearly too! In the January 28th issue of the medical journal Neuron, it was reported that magnesium can boost learning and memory.
Magnesium acts to balance the effects of calcium in the body. Calcium helps contract muscles, magnesium helps relax muscles. We live in an uptight world, full of stress and tension. This alone points to many applications for magnesium, yet with the vast majority of us worried about one day losing our mental edge, the thought that magnesium can help improve our quality of life relative to daily aches and pains, with the possible dividend of a mental power boost, makes magnesium a huge asset to any strong supplement regime.
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Keeping Your Heart Healthy with Green Tea |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
2/2/2010 11:55 AM
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Experts are predicting that in the USA alone, an estimated 400,000 men and women will die this year from heart disease. Now there is news of a very powerful and naturally occurring substance found in green tea that I believe everyone needs to know about. It is called epigallocatechin gallate or more commonly and simply referred to as ‘EGCG’.
The evidence is clear that uncontrolled inflammation is associated with accelerated hardening of the arteries, known as atherosclerosis, that describes the process of how cholesterol, fats, calcium and other products become deposited on the inner lining of inflamed arteries.
In a recent study, laboratory animals that were fed a heart damaging diet along with concentrated EGCG. Those fed the atherogenic diet plus EGCG administration showed significantly lower levels of the inflammatory markers than the rats fed the atherogenic diet alone. The researchers concluded, “These results suggest that EGCG, a major component of green tea catechins, may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing inflammatory markers in rats fed an atherogenic diet.”
The vast majority of us have less than optimal diets and as a result we are much more susceptible to heart disease. Drinking green tea can help, yet to get the full impact of optimal doses of EGCG, I recommend for my patients to augment their green tea drinking with supplements of concentrated green tea standardized to EGCG.
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Health Care In America - Possibly a Better Type of Reform to Consider |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
1/15/2010 11:49 AM
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 There is great debate underway now about the need for universal healthcare access for all US citizens. Most everyone agrees that health care access is a huge issue, and yes at times it would save people's lives. There are arguments that it will save tremendous financial hardship for individuals with HIGH EXPENSE needs, of course those costs will be distributed amongst the rest of the US population. But there is a much BIGGER and SIMPLER issue...
Unlike Australia, The USA has not mandated Iodine fortification of our bread supply. And we are only now suggesting people increase their vitamin D intake, even though over 50% of the US population has insufficient levels of vitamin D to protect their health optimally. Low levels of Iodine contribute to thyroid disease, obesity, lower IQ and even cancer. Vitamin D deficiency causes equally big health challenges.
Let me share with you something so unbelievable that I am going to share it in quotes from a medical journal with the reference so you can double check it, then share this fact with everyone you know and love.
"Based on the dose-response curves identified in this report and modeled using national baseline median population, winter 25(OH)D levels, the projected number of cases that could be prevented in North America with universal attainment of a serum 25(OH)D level of 55 ng/mL would be at least 60,000 cases per year of colorectal cancer and 85,000 cases per year of breast cancer. The projected number of cases that could be prevented annually in the world with this serum level of 25(OH)D would be approximately 250,000 cases of colorectal cancer and 350,000 cases of breast cancer."
Reference: What is the Dose-Response Relationship between Vitamin D and Cancer Risk?
Nutrition Reviews, Vol. 65, No. 8 August 2007(II): S91–S95
Bottom line: Select nutrients like Vitamin D and Iodine, if provided routinely to the US and World Population, would be a very inexpensive way to impact true foundational wellness. Furthermore, vitamin D for instance has been shown to help modulate risk for certain types of heart disease and diabetes type II as well. Prevention is worth a ton of drug induced cure. Don't get me wrong, I write my fair share of prescriptions as well, on an as needed basis. Yet, the question that must be raised is, if diet and lifestyle can dramatically impact the US associated deaths from smoking (465,000 per year), hypertension (395,000), obesity (216,000), physical inactivity (191,000), high blood glucose levels (190,000) and high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) bad cholesterol (113,000), then why not focus more on education and prevention? Many of these sources of death could be avoided or lessened with changes in diet and lifestyle.
If a website was available to educate healthcare consumers on ways to change their diet, alter their lifestyle and learn about supplements would this not be "the best way to insure better health"? Do you know of such a website? I think so... and I also think it is our responsibility to share it with friends and family. We all can make a difference in changing the health of our fellow Americans.
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H1N1 Viral Protection - The Best Defense is a Good Offense |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
1/7/2010 11:18 AM
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 There are so many things to worry about in today's hustle bustle world, it just seems too overwhelming sometimes. Now we have to worry about yet another variant virus. We all remember SARS, then there was Bird Flu, now we have moved to Pigs, aka Swine Flu. Swine Flu is a misnomer because this current virus is a quadruple ressortant, meaning that it is actually 4 viruses morphed together.
Well enough with reminiscing about viruses past and present. The fact is there are some basic things we all should actively do to fortify our bodies. Allow me to share what my patients are instructed to do:
1.) Drink plenty of hydrating fluids. Moist membranes are generally healthier and more resistant to succumbing to initial infection.
2.) Get your Sleep. If you are tired, your cells are worn down too. Think about it, you are made of 75 trillion cells. You can't be tired if cells are tired and vice versa. Getting 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep is essential.
3.) Vitamin D optimization is a must. I have all my patients get their 25-OH vitamin D levels measured. My goal is to have their levels at 55 (range 20-100) or above. Of course checking with your doctor about their preference is a must. Generally my patients take 2000-5000 IU per day. Low levels of vitamin D can increase your risk of viral infections and even some cancers. So, getting it up and keeping it up is a must.
4.) Green Tea. Making it green is important. Yes, you can still drink your coffee too. In fact, many of my patients supplement their diet with Green Tea capsules with specific levels of ECGC and polyphenols.
5.) Chinese Mushrooms. There are many ancient secrets, and the cool thing about mushrooms as humble as their existence can be, is that they are powerhouses when it comes to the immune system. Use of cordyceps, reishi (lingzhi), maitake and other mushrooms have been used for millennia throughout Asia and now current scientific research have shown many of their amazing mechanisms of support healthy immune function.
6.) De-Stress. Last but not least. You must let it go. Yes, let go of the stress and when possible put stressful things on the sideline. Stress is the ultimate saboteur to your immune health and overall vitality.
Bottomline: When the body is fueled properly, given sufficient rest and nutritional support it is best able to thrive, not merely survive. In years gone by, we spent more time in the sun and our vitamin D levels were higher, they have dropped by 50% over the last decade. We had gardens in our backyards. We didn't have cell phones and microwaves just a couple decades ago and living attached to our computers wasn't an option 20 years ago for most of us either. Well, take time to de-stress, get some fresh air, let go of some of those modern gadgets every once in and a while, and tap into the wisdom of the ancients with Green Tea and therapeutic mushrooms and remember a healthier overall body is best able to fend off and deal with what may be at us next.
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Weight Loss - Remove the #1 Obstacle to Your Short and Long Term Success |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
12/30/2009 12:48 PM
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 So you want to lose weight? Welcome to the club - there are tens of millions of North Americans in the same boat. Why are we so fat? Why are we so frustrated and stuck?
Well, the clue is stated above, we are frustrated and furthermore, the more stressed we get about our weight, our lives, the economy and life in general, the more weight you and I are going to load onto our frames. That is just the bottomline.
You can go on the very best, hottest, trendiest program that has hit the local, national or international media... But, and yes there is a big "BUT", it will be "STRESS" that will sabotage the very best weight loss program. If whatever program you choose, can help you lose 10 pounds, the fact is that if you de-stress first, you are far more likely to lose more weight and equally important...KEEP IT OFF.
I tell my patients to incorporate the following stress reducing techniques and incorporate a couple potent herbals to help them regain control over their sense of well-being, while controlling their waistline as well.
Basic Tips: Get 8 hours of sleep, drink 8 tall glasses of filtered water per day, avoid sugary coffee drinks, always eat breakfast, incorporate fiber with every meal, obviously limit unnecessary goodies... and this includes fruit juice.
Supplemental Tips: If you counter the ravages of stress and support balance in your body, it will often curb your appetite and food cravings. My patients often use chromium, B vitamins, lipoic acid, vitamin C and Chinese Mushrooms such as Cordyceps to nourish the body’s need for balanced inner chemistry and harmony.
Stress Central: There are great software programs to identify "hidden" stressors in your life that can silently sabotage your wellness and weight loss goals: http://tinyurl.com/yf8vpo2
And here is an excellent Biofeedback Program (actually more like a game), that will train you to relax and de-stress: http://tinyurl.com/yzd9w9o
The Bottom Line: Eat smart, de-stress and adopt a health promoting diet.
We are all on diets. They are either good diets that will build our body strong, or poor diets that will erode away our health.
Be well and may your focus be clear and your resolve to be well never falter.
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Coffee and Tea May Slash Your Diabetes Risk |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
12/28/2009 11:30 AM
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 Drinking three to four cups of coffee could help reduce the risk of getting diabetes by up to 25 percent, according to the latest review of the scientific literature. Over the years, my patients have often bashfully admitted to their coffee habit. Having written a national article myself on the benefits of coffee, they are surprised with my deep appreciation of the therapeutic benefits of coffee. Interesting is the powerful quote from one of the lead researchers on coffee's benefits.
“If such beneficial effects were observed in interventional trials to be real, the implications for the millions of individuals who have diabetes mellitus, or who are at future risk of developing it, would be substantial,” wrote the reviewers, led by Rachel Huxley from the University of Sydney, Australia.
Coffee is one of the world's largest traded commodities produced in more than 60 countries and generating more than $70 billion of sales annually. Indeed, coffee is loved and now for yet another good reason, with this latest diabetes research. In the United States alone there are some 24 million people with diabetes, equal to 8 percent of the population, with an economic impact of $174 billion.
So, if you already enjoy coffee, it may now be considered one of your new found health foods (also see my earlier blog about coffee reducing risk of Prostate Cancer). It is still important to control your stress, eat your vegetables and limit carbs while getting daily exercise. Bottomline - controlling risk factors for any health condition is important. Use of coffee as one of these tools is growing in promise, it will be interesting to see what the follow up research shows over the course of the next few years. Until then, enjoy your coffee, work with your doctors and be well.
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Coffee Shown to Significantly Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer |
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By Dr. Chris Meletis, ND on
12/21/2009 2:05 PM
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 Whenever you can do something that most of us enjoy and also gain added health benefits, well that’s something to get excited about. The latest research suggests that a cup or more of coffee per day may hold additional benefits that were previously unknown.
Drinking coffee on a daily basis may reduce the risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancers by a significant 60% according to new findings from the US. A large study of approximately 50,000 men over the course of four years found that males with the highest intake of coffee had significantly lower risks of aggressive prostate cancer.
How does coffee work its magic?
Well we know it is a rich source of antioxidants,it also has an impact on insulin and glucose metabolism, along with sex hormone levels, all of which contribute to prostate cancer risk.
There is clear evidence that avoiding smoking, walking 30 minutes 3 times a week and controlling your weight can all help maintain a healthier prostate. Now we know that your daily coffee habit can also further reduce your risk. I also routinely recommend for my patients vitamin D3, Zinc, Lycopene and Saw Palmetto for my patients serious about taking a proactive stance when it comes to the health of the little walnut sized gland that seems to become a growing problem for more and more men.
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Please note: These statements and information have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. These products and services are not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. For further information please consult
with your personal health care provider.
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