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.
2018 Cholesterol Guidelines and Evidence-Based Medicine
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoI was encouraged by the AHA’s new cholesterol guidelines for one reason: the promotion of a joint decision between patient and physician on a treatment plan if one was necessary. That’s the basic tenet of evidence-based medicine: any and all treatment plans should take into consideration the wishes and desires of the patient. Many factors […]
AHA’s 2018 Guidelines on Cholesterol
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoHere’s what the American Heart Association announced this past weekend: a 120-page research-based paper on new cholesterol guidelines and how the guidelines were developed. The paper was five years in the making, involved twelve medical and physician associations, and includes ten documents to explain and summarize what the guidelines say. For the foreseeable future, these […]
Research Update on Coffee and Alzheimer’s Disease
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoI began drinking coffee when my mother put coffee with sugar and milk into my baby bottle—sounds shocking today, but that’s the way it was. Over 60 years later, I still love coffee, especially strong coffee. That’s why a health headline suggesting coffee may reduce Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions caught my attention. I had […]
Genetics or Lifestyle?
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoMy dad died of a heart attack when he was 41. That fact has always been hanging over my head, especially when I had a heart blockage 16 years ago; the coronary artery was opened, I had a stent put in and have had no issues since. Was it my genes or was it lifestyle? […]
Vote!
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoI wouldn’t normally recommend skipping your exercise, but I’m making an exception: if your exercise time is the only time you can go vote today, choose voting. The health of our country is an important element of living a healthy life; we all need to be committed to keeping the U.S. system of government healthy. […]
Research Update: Gut on a Chip
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoIn the final research paper I’ll review, the headline that caught my attention was “Probiotics are not always ‘good bacteria’.” That’s something I really hadn’t seen before so I had to check it out. In this case, I had to learn about a new technology called organ-on-a-chip. Over the past five years or so, researchers […]
Research Update on Probiotics and Staph Infections
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoOne of the primary threats to our health is infection—specifically, antibiotic-resistant infections. We’ve all probably heard of people who became critically ill due to a life-threatening staph infection. A new research paper may give us insights on how we might be able to reduce the risk of getting infected with staphylococcus bacteria. Researchers selected a […]
Research Update on Probiotics and Healthy Skin
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoThere has been so much research on probiotics published that it’s hard to keep myself informed, and you as well. This week I’ll summarize three recent studies on probiotics. Let’s begin with research on probiotics and skin conditions. Researchers examined the effects of three strains of probiotics on skin inflammation in mice: two strains of […]
Quality Manufacturing: Own It
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoThe most important trait of a quality manufacturer of dietary supplements is to own as much of the process as possible: farms to grow plants, laboratories to test all components of the supplements, scientists to base formulations on the latest research, manufacturing facilities for the products, and elements of the distribution process. As I said, […]
Quality Manufacturing: Independent Testing
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoLet’s continue our look at how quality manufacturers could prevent tainted products. In-house testing is important, but all work should be verified by an independent testing company. There are several labs that perform such services such as NSF and USP. There are three important services they can perform: Inspect the facility to make sure the […]