The use of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the treatment of obesity was first discovered by the late British physician, Dr. A.T.W. Simeons. HCG is a hormone that is only produced by pregnant women in millions of units. Over 30 years ago, Dr. Simeons made the connection between HCG and weight loss, and proceeded to work with hundreds of women while he was perfecting a process that we use today with, in some cases, a clinician’s personal modifications.

How does it work? When a person goes on a normal diet, the portion of the brain (called the hypothalamus) that controls appetite, hormones and many other bodily functions sends a message to get energy and nutrients from wherever it can, i.e. “good” fat, (muscle), and “bad” fat (usually in the hip, butt, waist area). Unfortunately, the “bad” areas tend to be the fat that disappears last. When a man or woman goes on the HCG diet, the hypothalamus sends a message to go after the “bad” fat first. This message is thought to work through a gut hormone called leptin, which is associated with fat deposition and hunger.

The restrictive diet primarily consists of protein, fruits and vegetables within 500 calories. The question that immediately comes up is “how can I live on 500 calories and not be starving?” Quite simply, the HCG helps to release 2,000 to 3,000 calories into the bloodstream daily thus meeting all your energy needs. It is like being hooked up to a ‘fat IV.’

Does it work? It has been our experience, after working with hundreds of clients and assuming that they are compliant with the diet, that the average weight loss for women over a 40 day period is 25 to 30 pounds and for men 30 to 40 pounds. A recent journal article from Nutrition in Clinical Practice (Vol 26 No. 5 10/2011) compared weight loss with and between the traditional diets. The average weight loss over a 6 month period using a traditional diet was approximately 10 pounds.

How is it taken? Prescription HCG can be injected, or taken under the tongue, used topically or intranasally.

Is it safe? There are very few contradictions to using HCG for weight loss. Many of the reported “side effects” are more than likely due to the fact that the diet is very detoxifying. If/when you decide to try the HCG diet, it is important that you work closely with your clinician to monitor progress and to address any ongoing questions or concerns that you may have. We also feel that having a drug profile, baseline labs, a stress and cardiac analysis, initial weights/muscle mass and a body composition analysis helps us to help you achieve the weight loss we are both anticipating. As always you should check with your physician before starting any diet regimen.

by Michael W. Rosen, M.D.

Winter is always a critical time for blood donations. Busy schedules create a shortage in donors even for those who are regulars.
Read the info below to help you familiarize yourself with donating. You are needed and this is a great time to become a life saving donor.
If you’re in good health, it’s likely that you can donate. Also, if you decide to participate, you’ll be screened first to ensure that it’s OK for you to give blood.
And, you should know this: There’s a great need for it. Every two seconds someone in the United States requires blood, yet it’s often in short supply. Unfortunately, less than 10 percent of eligible people donate blood each year.
Here are answers to some common questions about giving blood:

What are the requirements?

You need to be at least 17 years old, though some states allow 16-year-olds to donate. You must be healthy at the time and weigh at least 110 pounds.
As part of the process, you’ll fill out some forms, answer questions about your health and travel history and have a brief physical exam. These steps help determine whether you’re eligible to donate, as well as ensure the safety of the blood supply.

How should I prepare?

Drink plenty of water the day of your donation. Wear comfortable clothes. And, bring your ID and a list of your current medications.
How much time will it take?
From start to finish, it’s usually about an hour.

Will it hurt?

You may feel a quick pinch as a needle is placed in your arm and collection begins.

Is it safe?

Donating blood is a very safe procedure. Strict safety measures are followed, including using a new sterile needle for each donor.

How much blood will I give?

Typically about one pint is drawn from a donor. You might be surprised to learn that a single pint can help as many as three people.

What happens afterward?

You’ll need to rest for about 10 to 15 minutes at the donation site, where you can have a snack and something to drink. After that, you can continue with your normal daily routine. You should continue to drink water and avoid any strenuous activity for the rest of the day.
You can pat yourself on the back, too. You’ll have given a wonderful, vital gift to others. But, even if you can’t donate, there are still ways you can do your part. For example, you might consider volunteering to work at a blood drive.
©United Healthcare Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission from Healthy Mind Healthy Body.

Eating tree nuts helps your heart, lowers your cholesterol and adds essential nutrients to your body.   Munch a few, make them a part of your nutritional standard and discover the many ways walnuts, almonds and other nuts can add radiance to your skin and provide a great source of proteins, minerals and other life-enhancing nutrients.

For many years, nuts have gotten a bad rap for being high in fat. But in reality, they are a vital part of our diet, as they are high in the monounsaturated fats that actually keep us heart-healthy and disease-free.

Eating nuts, as part of a healthy diet, can be good for your heart, lower your cholesterol, and give colon care and more. They contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients and are therefore a great snack food, too. They’re inexpensive, they are easy to store and they are easy to take with you to work, school or anywhere on the go.

Truly the type of nut you eat isn’t that important, although some nuts have more heart-healthy nutrients and healthy fats than do others. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts — you name it — almost every type of nut has a lot of nutrition packed into a tiny package.

Walnuts
One of the best nuts on earth, walnuts may actually increase our brain function.  Studies show that consumption of walnuts is related to heart-health, better cognitive function, as well as the reduction of skin and bone conditions. Packed full of an antioxidant, researchers have shown that walnuts contain 16 disease-fighting polyphenols.

Almonds
A small handful of almonds give you almost 25% percent of your daily needs for magnesium, and more bone-strengthening calcium than an equal amount of milk.

They are also high in many antioxidants, such as vitamin E and selenium. Studies show that the high fiber content in almonds may play an important role in preventing colon cancer and they help us to actually lower negative forms of cholesterol in the blood stream.

Pecans
Generally the Pecan is our most standard nut of choice.  Recent clinical studies show that this nut significantly lowers cholesterol.   They are also a great source of twenty essential vitamins and minerals and easy to get whether in the shell or bagged.

Brazil Nuts
High in heart-healthy nutrients and minerals like copper, niacin, vitamin E, fiber, magnesium, and selenium, studies on Brazil Nuts show that this protein-packed snack may aid in the prevention of breast cancer.

Pistachio Nuts
Legend has it that the pistachio trees were plant in Nebuchadnezzar’s famed gardens around 600BC.  Hosting a royal past and loaded with vitamin B6, these good for you treats give you a royal treat(ment).  They are seed fruits of the pistachio tree and a close relative of cashews.  The shells are typically a light brown color and the nuts are often dyed red or green to hide damage of the outer shell inflicted during processing.

Such a high health impact food that delivers tremendous energy and is still so over looked. A recent study has determined that only 5.5% of all adults (ages 19-50) consume tree nuts of any kind! This small percentage of people actually does a pretty good job of integrating tree nuts into their diet, and average about 1.25 ounces of nuts per day. But the other 94.5% of us report no consumption of tree nuts whatsoever.

A powerhouse of nutrition that is just darn good, healthy nuts are definitely a great addition to your family’s diet.

Pharmacists are incredibly busy.  You remember what it is like to “run” into the pharmacies to “grab” your prescription?  There just isn’t any running to it anymore and the grabbing is a thing of the past. The norm now-a-days is easily a half hour to a full hour wait.

Pharmacists are multi-tasking; they may have half a dozen people waiting for their medications, people calling on the telephone with questions, and customers walking up to ask about over-the-counter medicines.

They do have some help, there are technicians who prepare the medicine labels (still another area of error potential) and bottles and work the cash register and that is needed help but actually those people too will need some additional direction or a little help, adding one more interruption into the mix.

With all the activity, it’s no wonder that a mistake could be made. It’s completely understandable, but a mistake could cause serious, sometimes really serious problems.

You need to consider, plan and make a habit of things you can do to add an additional layer of stay safe checks to your side of the process.

•    Take personal responsibility for your prescription. Know what the doctor ordered, what the dosage is and what effect you should notice.
•    When you are with your Doctor ask him/her to read the prescription to you and spell it out.  Write down the name of the medication, the strength and the dosage.
•    Each time you have the prescription filled or refilled, check to see if it’s the right medicine, the right strength and the right dosage instructions.
•    Look; does it look the same as before, are there any changes in the visual, and do you recognize the medication as before?
•    Ask; this is not a time to be timid.  If anything is different, ask about it.

If you have any questions, see the pharmacist before you leave the store.

Prescription medication is now a very common part of our lives, whether they are given for treatment of a long term medical condition or simply a course of antibiotics to treat an infection.

One in three prescriptions has some kind of error (according to research by Ken Lee, How Safe is Your Prescription) and about 3% of all hospital admissions are related to problems with medications. Pharmacy malpractice statistics show more deaths related to prescription errors annually than breast cancer, AIDS, or traffic fatalities and few people are even aware of the error (malpractice) statistics that exist on record.

So, how do these statistics affect you? Well first, they probably shock you. They should also make you aware that you could suffer injury because of a prescription error and that you need to play a significant role in your prescription safety.  Plan safe checks for your prescriptions and their refills; help yourself so you do not become one of the statistics.

Summer is here!  Picnics, the pool, the beach, the lake all are calling! Be sure you have packed everything for your fun in the sun.  By everything I mean the SPF, your sun protection. Everyone needs it! If you need a reminder, here are some facts to think about.

Skin cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer yet there are 3.5 million new cases diagnosed each year because of the carelessness we all are guilty of.  This is from the Skin Cancer Foundation.  In 2009 the World Health Organization proclaimed that UV tanning rays of the sun and of tanning beds are as carcinogenic as arsenic!  In August 2010, the Surgeon General of the United States concluded that tanning beds are definitely carcinogenic.  There is no difference in the two, the sun and tanning beds.

With the huge population of Baby Boomers still in the workforce, the Aesthetics business is booming helping this generation fight the effects of those sun worshipping years. Take note younger generations.

We can blame Coco Channel for the popularity of the “tan”, when in reality it is one of the unhealthiest rituals we participate in.  The results include pigmentation, both hyper and hypo, wrinkles, fine lines, severely dehydrated skin, loss of collagen and elastin, and in general premature aging.

There is a huge market of anti-aging products and quick fixes.  The damage did not happen over night and it won’t go away over night either.

The best advice is to check your skin and check it often.  The A, B, C’s of skin cancer should be learned and followed.  Have a dermatologist check anything that you might have a question about.  Always better safe than sorry!

If you must be out remember your SPF and reapplication is the best defense! An SPF of 30 in a sunblock is the least amount one should wear. Also, remember to reapply to children.  The damaging affects begin in childhood with repeated sunburns.

So go ahead and enjoy your summer, just participate in outdoor activities in moderation and with protection.

You do not need to suffer any longer

A new treatment option for sinus sufferers is available for those who have been treated with multiple courses of medications and strong antibiotics without relief from facial pain, congestion, headaches and fatigue.

Balloon SinuplastyTM is the latest evolution in minimally invasive sinus surgery.  The technology, Balloon SinuplastyTM, uses balloon dilation to gently open sinus passages with minimal injury, discomfort and almost no bleeding.  It minimizes trauma and improves recovery time, allowing patients to return to normal activity quickly.  The opening attained by the Balloon SinuplastyTM system is durable and essentially achieves the same goals as conventional sinus surgery but without bone or tissue removal.

In many cases the procedure can be performed in the office. Patients with recurrent acute sinus infections and normal CT scans between these illnesses, or those with chronic sinus pressure, weather-related sinus headaches and minimal mucosal disease on CT scans, may benefit from dilation of the sinus openings.

If you suffer from these symptoms:
•  Facial pain/pressure
•  Nasal Congestion
•  Halitosis
•  Headaches
•  Nasal Discharge
•  Tooth pain

Then you may be a candidate for Balloon SinuplastyTM.

For more information on Balloon SinuplastyTM visit our website at www.Jdefreitas.com. Call our office to schedule an appointment.