Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
Phytonutrients: Diet or Supplements?
The study that we looked at this week demonstrated that flavonoid intake is related to socioeconomic status. It also demonstrated that most of that difference comes from the consumption of tea. All well and good. What stood out to me was the lack of phytonutrient intake. While there were some small differences in the other […]
Flavonoid Intake Varies by Demographic
Besides the flavonoid intake, another purpose of this study was to find out if there were any socioeconomic differences between high and low flavonoid intake. Before I get to that, here are some of the results of this study. The age group with the highest flavonoid intake was adults 51–70 with 293 mg/day. As education […]
Getting Acquainted with Flavonoids
Every vegetable, fruit, and spice we consume in the foods we eat and many substances that we drink contain phytonutrients. Just to make the subject even more complicated, there are different categories of phytonutrients including flavonoids, which are the most prevalent in our diet. Flavonoid intake is linked to reduction of diseases such as cardiovascular […]
Exercise vs. Meditation? The Winner Is…
As a trained exercise physiologist, if I were asked the question, “Which would prevent acute respiratory tract infections?” I would have picked exercise over meditation every time. The only reason I would choose meditation is that nagging voice in the back of my brain that says, “If they’re asking the question, maybe there were surprise […]
Immune System Training: Exercise vs. Meditation
What’s going to work better to prevent acute respiratory infections: moderate exercise training or meditation training? Have you predicted which would be more effective without looking at the article? Or do you not have enough information yet? Let’s take a look at what each group did. The moderate exercise group met for 2.5 hours each […]
Boosting Immune Function: Exercise vs. Meditation
Every once in a while, I come across some research that’s just so interesting and unique, I have to share it with you. In this case, it’s directly related to boosting the immune system, which is what a lot of people are trying to do right now. In this case, researchers tested whether an eight-week […]
Practice Makes Perfect
Have you ever looked at new health habits as a series of tasks you need to perfect? There are many different habits that are part of a healthy lifestyle such as eating more vegetables, exercising five days a week, taking your supplements regularly, and dozens more. Losing weight is not just eating fewer calories; it’s […]
Eating the Elephant
I’m sure you’ve heard the question, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer: “One bite at a time!” Paula and I took off last week to try to organize a couple areas of our house. I thought we could get two or three different tasks done. I was wrong; we’re still finishing the very […]
The Magic of Chicory
Because this is my birthday week, I thought I would indulge myself and talk about some personal research I recently did. Today it’s all about chicory—it’s everywhere. The little purple flowers can be found alongside just about every road in Michigan. I’m pretty sure it’s probably that way across the U.S. where the climate is […]
Research Update on Probiotics and Adult Allergies
Researchers recruited a total of 95 adults, ages 19 to 65, with allergic rhinitis for a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial; all the subjects were from two hospitals in South Korea. They were not allowed to take their usual medication to treat seasonal allergies. In the experimental group, 47 subjects received the probiotics, and […]
