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.
What Your Thyroid Does
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoA common question: “I’ve just been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. What can I do? I don’t want to take medication. I want a natural solution.” Usually, there’s a spicy descriptor that precedes the word medication. In response, the Memos this week are about the thyroid: What does it do? What happens if it doesn’t […]
Guidelines for Lowering Your Blood Pressure
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoWhen guidelines for any condition are changed, especially one as common as high blood pressure (HBP), it raises several questions. One question would be: is this is just a way for the medical and pharmaceutical businesses to promote and sell more drugs? Another would be: will this throw more people into the pre-existing condition category […]
Blood Pressure: Getting It Right
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoThe change in the clinical guidelines for diagnosing high blood pressure, as described in Tuesday’s memo, requires that your BP reading is done correctly. That could be a problem. In a JAMA Medical News report published in August, medical students were asked to take the BP of volunteers. Only one out of 159 got all […]
Do You Have High Blood Pressure?
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoOn Monday November 13, you may have awakened with normal blood pressure, and by that afternoon, you may have joined the ranks of those with high blood pressure (HBP). That’s when the American Heart Association (AHA) released their new HBP clinical practice guidelines at their national conference. With the new guidelines, close to half of […]
Thanksgiving Wishes
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoI got a few questions about the safety of microwaving after my Memos on nutrients in broccoli. In doing the research, I saw no evidence that there were any changes to the chemical composition of the vegetables. The science clearly demonstrates that the phytonutrients were not altered nor decreased. I know the Internet says crazy […]
The Bottom Line on Chlorpyrifos
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoToday’s health news is full of controversy, some based on reality but most not. Typically, I would have concluded that the op-ed piece was just that: an opinion that exaggerated the facts to put forth a specific point of view. But before I go further, let me be clear: I’m not in favor of any […]
Chlorpyrifos: Checking the Statistics
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoWhen I began my research, the one statistic I had to check was that fruits and vegetables contained 140 times the amounts safe for 1–2 year old (1). Was it sensational or based in science? I’m good at what I do, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I did find a lot of interesting studies […]
A Pesticide Story
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoIt’s not where you begin; it’s where you end up. Pesticides are designed to kill bugs on our farms, in our homes, and in our yards. One such pesticide is chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide. It’s a very effective nerve toxin that will essentially kill anything with a nervous system if the exposure is high enough. […]
I’m Recommending a Broccoli Bath
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoThis week’s final question is whether cooking destroys the nutrients in vegetables. If it does, is there any method better than others for preserving the nutrient content? Let’s take a look. Researchers examined three cooking methods with several vegetables including broccoli. The methods were boiling, sous-vide cooking, and water immersion cooking at temperatures below 212 […]
Would You Eat a Broccoli Popsicle?
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoUh-h-h-h, no. I don’t think I could convince anyone to eat a popsicle made of broccoli. But the question is: does freezing affect the nutrient content of broccoli? If it does, would it increase the nutrients like cutting it up does or lower the nutrient content compared to fresh? That’s what researchers attempted to find […]