Posts Tagged ‘Australia’

• How 40,000 People Reversed Heart Disease

  Date: 2008.07.24 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  It is well known that about two-thirds of the U.S. population is either overweight or obese. The U.S. Surgeon General has stated that approximately 75% of Western diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, gout, arthritis, excess weight gain, hypertension, diabetes, some cancers, impotence, biventricular disease, constipation, heartburn, and gallbladder disease, are lifestyle-related. They are directly correlated with our high fat diet, inadequate amounts of exercise, smoking, high intake of caffeine, and high amounts of stress coupled with insufficient support.

  Hoping to address this alarming situation, more than 20 years ago, cardiovascular epidemiologist Hans A. Diehl, DrHSc, MPH, created the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP). Since then, this 40-hour community-based lifestyle intervention program has helped more than 40,000 people rediscover their health by preventing, arresting and reversing their diseases. It has been conducted in more than 150 North American cities as well as in Bangalore, India, Australia and Switzerland. Depending upon the needs of the group, the meetings are held either live with Dr. Diehl delivering the program personally (usually meeting four times per week for four weeks) or as a video-based program with certified CHIP facilitators (normally two times per week for eight weeks). In addition, Dr. Diehl is a best-selling author To Your Health, Dynamic Living, and Health Power (co-authored with Aileen Ludington, M.D.) — as well as the executive editor of a 24-page quarterly Lifeline Health Letter; he has produced scores of health videos. CHIP empowers people through its scientifically-documented, educational and inspirational program that addresses common western diseases — those that used to be seen primarily later in life. Today, these diseases increasingly appear at far younger ages. CHIP may make all the difference in ones life — even the difference between life and death.

  In 1999, CHIP launched a community health transformation template in Rockford, Illinois, a city with a population of 130,000. The intention was to transform Rockford into the healthiest city in American, thereby enabling it to serve as a model and template for cultural transformation on a community-wide level. Recently, CHIP was recognized as just such a model by HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and was approved under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a STEPS to a HealthierUS applicant. In addition to live CHIP, a series of CHIP videos are offered through schools, churches, corporations, and hospitals. In Rockford, CHIP is sponsored by the Swedish American Health Systems Center for Complementary Medicine.

  Who is the typical CHIP participant? Generally, CHIP participants are over the age of 40. Most are between the ages of 50 and 59. There are twice as many women as men, and almost 90% are married. Clinical research, published in peer review journals, has found that they have the following lifestyle diseases:

  10% report having heart disease

  27% have elevated blood sugar

  42% are overweight

  49% show evidence of hypertension

  60% are obese

  89% are cholesterol above 160mg%

  Over the course of the program, strict adherents are likely to experience significant clinical improvements such as the following:

  Serum cholesterol reduction average 15 20%

  Average weight loss of six pounds

  In about half of the participants with type 11 diabetes, a dramatic reduction in need for insulin and hypoglycemic agents

  Lowering of high blood pressure levels

  Diminishing of angina

  Reduced levels of depression and increase in self-esteem

  Class & Video Lecture Schedule

  Week 1

  Modern Medicine: Miracles, Medicines, & Mirages
  The limitations of high-tech medical approaches in dealing with lifestyle related diseases
  Portrait of a Killer: Onslaught from Within
  Atherosclerosis, the culprit in many lifestyle diseases
  Stalking the Killer
  Reviewing the risk factors for coronary heart disease
  Eat More and Weigh Less
  Basic guidelines for healthy, sustained weight loss

  Week 2

  Going Up in Smoke
  Smoking the most controllable risk factor for coronary heart disease
  The Magic of Fiber
  The role of fiber in preventing and reversing lifestyle diseases
  Reversing Hypertension
  Changing the major risk factors for high blood pressure
  Disarming Diabetes
  Lifestyle factors that can arrest or reverse diabetes
  Effective Cholesterol Control
  Dietary factors that prominently affect blood levels of cholesterol
  Fats in the Fire
  The role of excessive fat intake in lifestyle diseases

  Week 3

  Fit at Any Age
  Benefits of regular exercise in preventing and arresting disease
  Boning Up on Osteoporosis
  Cause and prevention of this so-called disease of aging
  Lifestyle and Health
  Clinical studies that demonstrate how lifestyle choices are related to health
  The Optimal Diet
  Positive dietary guidelines for the prevention and reversal of Western diseases

  Week 4

  Diet and Cancer
  Dietary factors in the development and prevention of common cancers
  Atherosclerosis of the Mind
  The importance of adaptability in achieving and maintaining optimal health
  The Gift of Forgiveness
  How a spirit of forgiveness enhances emotional and overall health
  Building Self-Worth
  The development, preservation and role of self worth in a healthy person

  Connie Thebarges Story

  At the age of 59, Connie Thebarge, a patient at the Ottawa Heart Institute in British Columbia, Canada, was told that her doctors could no longer help her. After all, in addition to suffering from hypertension, she had diabetes and painful diabetic neuropathy. She had two heart attacks followed by a triple coronary bypass surgery and an unsuccessful angioplasty. Every day, she had to take 27 pills. Not surprisingly, she was also depressed.

  Yet, today, more than a decade later, Thebarge walks three miles a day, swims twice a week, dances, and travels to Florida and Europe. No longer depressed, she also requires far fewer pills. How was this accomplished? Thebarge participated in CHIP and transformed her life.

  Written by the Editors at Weight Loss Buddy Press in collaboration with Hans A. Diehl, DrHSc, MPH, FACN, CNS

  Copyright © 2004, by Weight Loss Buddy Press

  May be reproduced and distributed as is.

  Joey Dweck- your Weight Loss Buddy

  http://weightlossbuddy.com

  PO Box 488 Tenafly NJ 07670

  Tel. 877-BuddyUp

  Written By: Joey Dweck

• A Look at Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Heart Health

  Date: 2007.10.25 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  According to research data published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, individuals that include regular daily intake of Omega 3 can reduce the risk of heart attack (coronary thrombosis) by up to seventy percent. Such encouraging news has generated a good deal of interest in Omega 3 of late.

  What is Omega 3?

  Omega 3 is, in fact, a polyunsaturated fatty acid which, as it passes through the limentary canal (digestive tract through the human body), breaks down existing cholesterol and deposits a minutely thin barrier to prevent its reformation. Omega 3 works to fight again the principal cholesterol culprit that causes clotting of the blood. These clots then block blood vessels causing heart attacks or, if they reach the brain, strokes.

  Omega 3 is most commonly associated with the oils found in fish. Best known sources are mackerel, trout and salmon although the oils can be extracted from white fish; and the liver of the Cod is particularly rich as well.

  The American Heart Association recommends a daily intake of 1000 mg. of Omega-3 for measurable health benefits in cardiovascular care. There are various ways of including Omega 3s in your diet so you need not worry if you are not a big fan of fish.

  Sources of Omega-3s

  The most obvious method, eating suitable fish regularly, isnt practical for everybody, as again not everyone enjoys fish, some people are even allergic to it and, of course, vegetarians and vegans dont eat fish. Fortunately there are a wide range of supplements on the market for those people.

  The most common form of supplement is the capsule formulated from concentrated oils derived from those fish that have the high Omega 3 levels. Generally, the tablet will contain something around fifty percent from that source (fish) with the balance made up of other sources of fatty acids.

  Omega 3 fatty acids are not restricted to fish oils – they can also be found in a number of plant extracts as well. The best source of Omega-3 is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which includes flaxseed (linseed) oil, rapeseed (canola) oil, chia seeds, walnuts and walnut oil, the Mediterranean plant, purslane, grass-reared meat, and dark green leafy vegetables. These items are widely found in health food stores and in natural health markets.

  The good news of Omega 3 health benefits goes global

  Omega 3s can also be found in a wide range of other foods including vegetables and processed foods; however, the levels are negligible and provide no significant health benefits. Vegetarian Omega-3 supplements are available, usually as flaxseed (linseed) oil.

  EPA and DHA Omega 3 are found almost exclusively in aquatic plants and animals. They are synthesized by phytoplankton, which are consumed by fish, mollusks and crustaceans and thus concentrated in the aquatic food chain.

  Alternative sources of Omega-3 ALA and Omega-3 EPA and DHA are being studied for viability. ALA from perilla is already available in some countries and krill, shrimp-like creatures abundant in the Antarctic Ocean, are being targeted by a Canadian company as a future Omega-3 source. Krill oil contains 25% Omega-3 EPA and DHA. Genetic modification is also being explored, with one experiment inserting genes which will produce long-chain Omega-3 polyunsaturates into existing oilseed varieties. Another uses gene transfer technology to directly convert Omega-6 polyunsaturates to their Omega-3 counterparts.

  As the health reputation of the Omega-3s grows, food manufacturers have explored the opportunity of fortifying everyday foods with Omega-3s. Omega-3 eggs are increasingly available; for example, bread fortified with 13mg of Omega-3 DHA per slice is now available in New Zealand and Australia. Malaysia has a cracker fortified with vitamins, minerals and both Omega-3 and Omega-6 EFAs and a similarly fortified margarine serves as a fine accompaniment.

  In Sweden, a low fat liver pate is enriched with Omega-3, iron and vitamins. The Spanish can buy fruit juices fortified with milk, fiber, vitamins and Omega-3, and probiotic meal replacement bars, soups and milkshakes with Omega-3s. Finns market a blackcurrant juice with added Omega-6 and Omega-3 as ALA. This list is by no means comprehensive, particularly as it does not include the increasing number of infant milks, foods and supplements with added Omega-3 DHA.

  As the advantages of regular intake of Omega 3 become more accepted in North America, the food processing and pharmaceutical industries will, no doubt, put more effort and funding into making these various supplements more readily available. The benefits of Omega 3 will continue to grow in importance as the population ages and looks for ways to maintain healthy and active lifestyles. Currently, Omega 3s are easy enough to buy from online companies and specialized pharmacies but it surely wont be long before Americans will be able to choose the supplement that suits them best from the shelves of local supermarkets and convenience stores.

  About the Author

  Adam Short is freelance writer and creator of http://www.omega-3-info.com – a site providing the latest news and information on essential fatty acids.

  Written By: Adam Short

• Take Heart on Cholesterol

  Date: 2007.08.31 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  Take Heart on Cholesterol.

  Cholesterol can be both good & bad, so it’s important to learn what cholesterol is, how it affects your health and how to manage your blood cholesterol levels. Understanding cholesterol will help you take better care of your heart, so you can lead a healthier life and reduce your risks of heart attack and stroke.

  What is cholesterol?

  Cholesterol is a soft, white, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all the body’s cells. Despite its reputation, cholesterol is essential to life! The body needs cholesterol for digesting dietary fats, making hormones, building cell walls, and other important processes.

  However, our liver makes all the cholesterol our body needs. Consuming fatty foods can lead to a high level of cholesterol in the blood which is easily deposited in the arteries and narrowing the diameter and impeding blood flow to the heart and other organs, creating a major risk factor for coronary heart disease.

  Cardiovascular disease is still Australia’s greatest health problem affecting over 3.6 million Australians. One Australian dies every 10 minutes of heart disease, stroke or blood vessel disease. According to the National Heart Foundation more than 6 million adults aged 25 and over have high cholesterol levels.

  Certain risk factors increase your risk of developing heart disease – factors such as being over weight, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, diabetes, insufficient physical activity and high blood pressure.

  What can we do to improve our heart and overall health?

  The good news is that cholesterol can be brought under control by lifestyle changes – such as diet, losing weight, and an exercise program.

  * Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight – The more you weigh, the more your body stores fat and cholesterol.

  * Eat more fruit & vegetables. Include soy products into your diet. Eat more seafood (omega 3 fats are very healthy and good for your heart). Choose wholegrain breads and cereals.

  * Be more active – walk for 20 minutes a day

  * Dairy products are a good source of calcium, while meat, fish and poultry are a good source of iron. Ensure you choose low fat dairy products and lean meat cuts.

  * Avoid take-away foods high in fat.

  (Some risk factors, eg heredity, cannot be controlled & need medication to manage.)

  As we cut down our intake on foods with saturated fats, some gaps appear in our nutritional intake, resulting in the need to add high quality nutritional supplements to our diets. Also, cutting back on our red meat intake can lead to a diet deficient in protein. Including some soy protein in our diets will help protect against heart disease as well as help to maintain healthy protein consumption.

  If you need to lose some weight, look for a program that has adequate daily protein without the high calories and saturated fats associated with animal products. Ongoing personal support from a coach will help you achieve your goals and helps to keep you on track.

  If you need to add some more exercise into your day – try simple things like using the stairs, parking further from the supermarket and walking to the local shop for your daily newspaper. Key point here is to add more activity into your day and not put yourself under the pressure of a formal exercise program at a gym. If you need or want something more formal, then by all means, join a gym or a sporting team. You could take up golf, get together with a couple of friends and go for a 20 minute walk a couple of times a week – great time to catch up and get more active! Find something that interests YOU. Make exercise fun!

  And finally, make a commitment to yourself to improve your health. After all that is what truly dictates the quality of life we experience. Without our health, we are consumed with doctors visits, medications and restrictions. Take control, take heart, and live a full and healthy life.

  About the author:

  Dee Britton is a Health & Wellness Coach specialising in weight management & nutrition. Personal support, recipes, hints & tips, newsletters + lots more to help you reach your goal weight. Online health profile & free weight loss consultation at http://www.weightloss-2day.net

  Written By: Dee Britton