The NRG Tribe

Health doesn’t come from a bottle!

––Yours Truly

Polypharmacy is the routine usage of 5 or more medications at the same time.

Polypharmacy causes 28% of hospitalizations and is estimated as the 5th leading cause of death in the United States.

This short presentation outlines the serious problem many have with polypharmacy and practical considerations for improving or reversing reliance on medications.

Hope you find the presentation helpful.  Make sure to sign up and follow this page or on Facebook to get notified of similar presentations in the coming months.

LISTEN HERE (Audio Version)

WATCH HERE (Video Version)

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Happy Friday, I hope you enjoyed last weeks 5-Point Friday post!  I’m still playing with different categories week to week.

I hope your week finds you strong and moving towards better health, productivity, and fitness!

1)Positive Thought:

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

—Leonardo Da Vinci

2)Health News: 

According to a recent study, people who drink diet soda (Especially with Aspartame) have a 70% greater average waist girth than non-diet soda drinkers!

Additionally, the study revealed that diet soda consumption increased rate of abdominal girth increase 5x over those who do not drink diet soda!!  Ouch.

Clinically my experience matches what earlier artificial sweetener studies suggest.  First, artificial sweeteners trigger weight gain independent of their caloric content.  Second, artificial sweeteners appear to trigger sugar/carbohydrate cravings leading to greater consumption of foods known to trigger weight gain.

Go natural, avoid processed sugar, artificial sweeteners, and apparently you will statistically have better health, less obesity, and diabetes.

3)LOL Moment:  While talking with a patient earlier this week…

ME–“The research shows limiting sugar, sodas, and alcohol can improve diabetic control.”

PATIENT–“I don’t like that research“

4)What I’m Listening To:  This week I hit the podcast circuit hard.  Some podcasts that I seem to gravitate towards given their whole food, lifestyle, human performance, and sustainable agriculture bends included:  Permaculture Voices, The survival Podcast, Ben Greenfield

I love learning.  It’s amazing how much you can learn from the thousands of podcasters out there.

What are some of your favorites?

5)Health Nugget:

The digestive tract is the core of our immune system!

Bloating, gas, heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea or constipation, and skin issues all point to imbalanced health in the gut.

Poor gut health triggers increased susceptibility to allergies, infections, acne, rosacea, diabetes, obesity and autoimmune disorders.

Low stomach acidity and incomplete digestion combine to trigger many of these symptoms.

Besides proper diet….I often recommend Super Enzymes 1-2 with meals as a aid in the repair and strengthening of digestive health.  This product is safe, effect, and very often helps eliminate bloating, gas, heartburn, and constipation.   (You can often get off antacids too!!)

Don’t forget food sensitivities and common dietary triggers–(More on those topics here, here, and here)

As always, leave comments, ask questions, share ideas!

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Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend!

W. Curtis, MD

Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable.  ~Author Unknown

During a recent health seminar a rather astute visitor cried out?

“Fat is good…fat is bad, my cardiologist tells me one thing and you tell me another!”

I and my fellow presenters then jumped into a long discussion of the difficulty determining “Quality Advice” from current research.

Doctors and patients find themselves frustrated by the near daily contradictory research findings. Examine current nutrition studies for instance. 70% polled doctors, according to a Credit Suisse report, do not know what current research clearly shows about nutrition.

Low fat, Paleo, Vegetarian, Atkins, all have their darling studies but the research clearly indicates quality fat is necessary in the diet for optimal health.

What are we to do? [continue reading…]

Happy Friday, I hope you enjoyed last weeks 5-Point Friday post!  I’m still playing with subjects week to week.

I hope your week finds you strong and moving towards better health, productivity, and fitness!

1)Positive Thought:

“Think simple” as my old master used to say – meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles.”
       —Frank Lloyd Wright

2)Health News:  Cumulative research on exercise, as related to human health, suggests regular aerobic workouts 5 days weekly for 30 min gives most of the physiologic, hormonal, and disease prevention benefits reported for exercisers.

“Aerobic” target heart rate can be found by first subtracting 220-Age = (Max Heart Rate)

Aerobic zone = 50-60% x Max Heart Rate.  Your goal would be to keep your heart rate in this zone near 30 minutes, five days weekly.

Additional gains can be obtained from balance, strength and flexibility training, but max overall benefits come stem from the base recommendations….

Like the old NIKE ad…JUST DO IT!

3)Laughable Moment:  Earlier this week I decided to pickup barbecue.  After giving my perfectly paleo order (Chicken, green beans, slaw, un-sweet tea), the teenage attendant, grudgingly asked with a sigh, “Would you like to add a slice or whole pecan pie with your order?”—I politely declined–and then overheard a manager distantly chastising the teen for her tone when offering the pie…The teen quickly retorted, “Jeez, they’re trying to eat healthy!”

Good to know the message is rubbing off on the masses!

4)What I’m Listening To: Mozart!  Driving from Farm to Clinic, Clinic to Soccer, Soccer to Farm consumes 2 hours of each day.  I’ve often found choosing the right music can set mood and attitude for each day.  I’ve recently found Mozart my muse of choice early morning.  I’m not picky but find generally his music increases focus, soothes my nerves, and clarifies my thoughts.

What gets you in the groove?

5)Health Nugget:  Regarding artificial sweeteners:

• Blue Pack (Saccharin) = Associated with Cancer
• Pink Pack (Aspartame) = More addicting than crack cocaine + Neurotoxic
• Yellow Pack (Splenda) = Diarrhea + Stomach distress

Pick your poison carefully!

PS:  I’m still working on the video editing from the last three Health seminars (Poly-pharmacy, Beneficial Bacteria, and Autoimmune Causes).  Hope to have these available in the coming week!  I also had several requests for pro-biotic suggestions after the Beneficial Bacteria talk…Click Here for my typical recommendations (1-2 daily as maintenance).

As always, leave comments, ask questions, share ideas!

Let’s Connect!

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Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend!

W. Curtis, MD