Dr. Tabor: I recently gained about 10 pounds over a short period of time. I was complaining about it to a few friends and they suggested that I might have a thyroid problem. What is the thyroid and how could it cause weight-gain? —JoAnn S., Bellevue, WA

JoAnn:
The thyroid gland produces hormones, which control the metabolism. According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, over 27 million Americans suffer from a thyroid disorder and only about half of these people have been diagnosed. This is because the symptoms of thyroid disorders run the gamut—from weight fluctuations to mood changes—and these indications can often be confused for other conditions.

Hypothyroidism is an under-active thyroid, meaning that not enough of the thyroid hormones are being produced. This imbalance has a direct effect on the rate your body burns calories, as well as, your heart rate and body temperature. The following symptoms vary for each individual case:

− Weight gain (usually does not exceed 20-30 pounds)
− Fatigue
− Muscle weakness or pain
− Increased blood cholesterol
− Dry, pale or puffy skin
− Depression
− Constipation
− Heavier menstrual periods

Many people discount the symptoms as just a part of life or getting older. In other cases, the combination of certain symptoms could be misdiagnosed; for example, weight gain, hot flashes, fatigue and irritability are signs of both hypothyroidism and menopause.

But if hypothyroidism goes undiagnosed, symptoms increase, the thyroid gland (located at the nape of the neck) can become enlarged, the risk of a heart attack nearly doubles and the condition can develop into an advanced form, which is life threatening. If you are concerned that you may have hypothyroidism, speak with your doctor about the symptoms you are experiencing. If he or she is concerned, they will most likely start by testing your blood—with a TSH test and/or T4 test.

Treatments include thyroid hormone replacement or natural alternatives.

In good health,
Dr. Tabor

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Posted by Revival Administrator at 08:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

There are plenty of things to worry about in our daily lives, from alarming news stories to your family’s well-being to meeting deadlines. Stress is not an uncommon response to life’s challenges. In fact 75-90% of all doctor visits are for stress-related conditions and symptoms, according to The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

The body’s response to negative and/or threatening experiences is sometimes referred to as “fight-or-flight” and is an essential survival mechanism in many instances. But, over-exposure to stressful situations can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health.

Effects of frequent stress run the gamut—headaches, stomach issues, high blood pressure, chest pains, fatigue, depression, diabetes, obesity, skin conditions, anxiety and sleep disorders.

In stressful situations, the pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) releases an increased amount of the hormone adrenocorticotropic (ACTH). The ACTH hormone activates the release of other hormones, like cortisone and adrenaline, into the bloodstream. These hormones act to sharpen your focus, provide you with extra strength and help you quickly react to danger.

Hormones return to normal levels after the situation subsides. However, if these hormones are triggered frequently and over a long period of time, you can be at risk for serious health conditions.

Here are some pointers for re-shaping your lifestyle to avoid stress:

− Reflect/relax: find an activity that helps you relax, whether it be yoga, meditation, listening to music, etc.

− Healthy diet: eat foods like protein, whole grains, fresh fruit/vegetables, which keep blood sugar levels consistent and avoid sugar and caffeine that cause energy spike-and-crash reactions.

− Sleep: seven to nine hours of sleep per night will restore your body and mind and help you avoid illness.

− Stay active: exercise helps relieve stress and promotes production of endorphin hormones, which improve mood.
− Talk/share: express your emotions and thoughts to friends or to a therapist. Keep a personal journal.

− Time for yourself: take the time to engage in a hobby, volunteer, pamper yourself or just have “me” time.

It is important for us to listen to what our bodies and minds are trying to tell us so we are aware of our stress levels. There are ways to take control of such experiences and tailor our lives to avoid situations that might trigger anxiety.

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Posted by Revival Administrator at 08:24 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It’s 8 p.m. The kids are in bed. You’re eating a bowl of ice cream and surfing the internet. It’s 11p.m. You fall asleep. At 7a.m. the alarm rings. You get up, shower, dress, wake the kids, dress them and, by 8:30, you’re out the door. By 9 a.m. you are at the office and getting prepared for your weekly staff meeting.

What’s wrong with this scenario?

For 13 hours, your body has been fasting. How can you expect to run efficiently throughout the day if you haven’t fueled up? You wouldn’t expect to take a road trip by running on empty. When you go without eating for an extended period of time, the brain reacts by sending signals to the body that you are “starving”—the metabolism slows to conserve energy. Then when you finally eat again, the body thinks it needs to reserve energy in preparation for more food deprivation. Therefore it stores calories in the form of fat. So, not eating can actually lead to weight gain

Besides the common excuse of simply not having time or forgetting to eat breakfast, some people think that they actually eat more on the days that they consume a morning meal, than on days that they don’t eat. Research, reported in the February 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, debunks this belief. The study examined how eating and then skipping breakfast altered the participants’ daily caloric intake. During the two-week interval when participants skipped breakfast, they consumed 100 more calories than during the two weeks when they ate breakfast.

Studies have also shown that people who eat breakfast:

• Are less likely to be overweight


• Eat more nutrients and less fat and cholesterol


• Have more energy and better concentration throughout the day


• Have healthier cholesterol levels

To keep you fuller, longer, your morning meal should provide a combo of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Also, aim for at least 5 grams of fiber. Dodge the doughnuts, croissants and high-sugar cereals, which provide little nutritional benefit. Although your body physically needs calories, optimizing the health impact of the calories you eat will have a positive result on your health, energy and weight goals.

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Posted by Revival Administrator at 08:13 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Many of us are overworked and overscheduled, and if you don’t squeeze in adequate time for sleep, you might need to add overweight to that list.

A 2005 poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation shows that Americans average 6.8 hours of sleep per night—falling short of the recommended 7-8 hours. To make the situation even worse, some of us try to compensate for our lack of sleep on weeknights by getting extra sleep on the weekend. This inconsistent pattern can lead to sleep deprivation.

Signs of deficient sleep are both mental and physical. It can impair your cognitive ability, concentration, coordination and reaction time, while making you moody, depressed or anxious. In addition, lack of sleep is associated with obesity, diabetes and impaired nervous and immune systems.

Two hormones that signal the appetite, in opposing methods, may explain why we overeat when we under-sleep:

1. Shortage of sleep lowers levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses the appetite. When leptin levels are depleted, the body thinks it needs food, when in fact, adequate amounts of food may already have been consumed.
2. Another hormone, ghrelin, sparks the appetite. Research has shown that insufficient sleep elevates levels of ghrelin, making you hungry.

The reactions of these hormones suggest a correlation between obesity or weight gain and habitual sleep deprivation. When you don’t get enough sleep, leptin (appetite suppressor) dips and ghrelin (appetite inducer) rises, resulting in a signal to the brain to eat. Recurrent overeating leads to weight gain.

If you have trouble maintaining a consistent sleep schedule of 7-9 hours a night, here are some tips to get on track:

• Create a routine—plan a common time to fall asleep and awake
• Relax before going to bed and create a soothing sleep environment
• Eat only light foods—heavy meals and spicy foods can hinder sleep and induce indigestion
• Avoid caffeine, especially later in the day
• Avoid alcohol prior to sleep, it can prevent you from reaching a state of deep sleep
• Check drugs and supplements for suggested intake times—some herbs and medications, such as decongestants, can increase the heart rate or activate brain activity, making it difficult to sleep

Don’t just dream about a full night’s sleep. Establish a healthy sleeping habit and your mind and body will feel the effects.

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Posted by Revival Administrator at 08:05 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Dr Tabor:
I’ve always heard that I should drink eight 8-oz glasses of water a day, but for some reason I have a hard time reaching this daily goal. Do you have any advice? —Vikki S., Montana

Dear Vikki:

Good question! Water is needed for every bodily function and it constitutes about 70% of your body weight. Conventional wisdom has advised us to drink at least eight glasses of water a day, but this isn’t entirely true. To start, we all have different water requirements, based on varying factors in our lives. The average male should intake about 13 cups-worth of water a day and women should aim for closer to 9 cups.

Many people don’t realize that drinking water isn’t our only source of hydration—foods and other beverages count towards our water intake. And contrary to popular belief, we do not need to consume extra water to make up for moderate consumption of coffee or other caffeinated beverages.

Influences on water requirements:

1. Physical activity—replenish fluids lost through sweating
2. Illness—fluid excretion often increases, requiring your intake to increase as well
3. Climate—hot, humid weather promotes sweating, as well as cold climates when we may be transferring between extreme temperature changes from inside to outside
4. Pregnancy/nursing

Juices, milk, coffee and alcoholic beverages DO contribute water content to our bodies. Foods also hold varying water amounts. Here are some examples of the water content we receive from various foods and beverages*:

1 cup of water = 236 ml of water
1 cup of 1% milk = 219 ml of water
1 cup marinara sauce = 206 ml of water
1 cup raw strawberries = 151 ml of water
1 raw apple = 118 ml of water
1 sweet potato, baked in skin = 111 ml of water
1 cup cooked, whole wheat spaghetti = 94 ml of water
1/2 cup chocolate frozen yogurt = 46 ml of water
1 cup raw spinach = 27 ml of water

Drinking water may assist in weight management/weight loss. Some people misinterpret signs of thirst as hunger. If you feel hungry, but have recently eaten, you may want to try drinking some water and waiting a short time to see if the feeling subsides. Also, water has zero calories. You can easily reduce your caloric intake by substituting water for some of the other beverages you typically consume—like sodas and juices—throughout the day.

In good health,
Dr. Tabor

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Posted by Revival Administrator at 08:02 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

At some point in our lives, most of us have ditched practical eating habits to indulge in a week of overeating. Whether it's during the holiday season or on a family vacation, we give ourselves permission to enjoy whatever foods we want, in larger than normal quantities. The assumption is that one week won’t sabotage your weight.

A 2005 study, conducted at Cornell University, suggests that it may not be the isolated weeklong overeating that leads to a sustained weight gain, but the retrained appetite that follows it.

During this small-scale study, 12 normal-weight men and women were asked to overeat for two weeks, after which they were to revert to their usual diets. The researchers discovered that in the time following the increased consumption period, participants ate as much or more than they did during the two-week mandatory binge.

It appears that our bodies adjust to the high calorie diet and continue to crave more food than what it needs for energy. Simply put—your body wants to eat more calories than it will burn, leading to weight gain.

Although the smartest approach is to resist the temptation to ‘pig out’, if you do decide to overindulge over a period of time, resume your normal eating habits as soon as possible. Trying to reverse to, or compensate with, a calorie-restricted diet—much lower than your usual intake—may backfire and lead you back to over-consumption.

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Posted by Revival Administrator at 08:23 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Foods are not always what they seem. You may think that what you’re buying at the grocery store is a “health food”, but you could be deceived by smart marketing and hidden fillers or junk. This is the start of series of blogs that will examine the common problems with foods that have historically been considered nutritious.

How can you determine the real deal from the imitators? If you read the labels and know what to look for, you can optimize the nourishment you receive from some of your favorite foods.

Yogurt
People have been making and consuming yogurt for centuries. In 1916, the first packaged yogurt was introduced in Europe, and in 1940 it made its way to the US. Yogurt is known for its live and active cultures, which keep your digestion system healthy and support the immune system, but it also provides calcium, protein, magnesium, Vitamins B-6 and B-12 and more.

The popularity of yogurt has created a plethora of added options, such as blended flavors, bright colors and granola, candy or sprinkle mix-ins. To please calorie counters, many yogurts use aspartame instead of sugar, while others add too much sugar in order to appeal to the American palate. In addition, some yogurts don’t even contain live and active cultures because they’ve been heat- treated to extend shelf-life.

Here is what you should look for when choosing yogurt (most of which is sold in either 6 oz or 8 oz sizes):

− Live and active cultures
− Low fat or skim milk
− 3% calcium per ounce (equals at least 18-24% of your RDA for calcium)
− No more than 5 grams of sugar per ounce (that’s 30g for a 6 oz and 40g for an 8 oz)
− 30 calories or less per ounce (160-240 calories)

And avoid:

− Aspartame
− Colorings
− Mix-in toppings
− Heat-treated

The ideal way to enjoy yogurt is by using low-fat or fat-free plain mixed with your own toppings—like fresh fruit or cereal—but, there are healthy flavored-varieties in the dairy aisle.

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Posted by Revival Administrator at 08:26 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)