The Body's Internal Clock

Due to requests from Dorel Rotar's patients, here is a look at the body's internal clock:

The ancient Chinese observed that the body's internal organs have peak activities during two-hour intervals.

Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives is an upcoming documentary that focuses on the idea that heart health can be obtained by consuming a whole foods, plant-based diet. The main storyline in the documentary details the respective works of researchers Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn.

Dr. Campbell co-authored with his son, Thomas M. Campbell II, M.D., the best-selling book, The China Study, which follows a twenty-year study on the effects of eating habits in rural China. Based on the results, he concluded that a diet devoid of meat was a healthier choice to decrease the risk for health problems such as heart disease, obesity, and cancer.

Dr. Esselstyn shares a similar plant-based diet mindset in his book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Esselstyn was motivated after growing tired of colleagues treating patients with drugs and surgeries instead of devising methods of prevention for these diseases. A major turning point for Dr. Esselstyn was finding that many of the diseases he treated were unknown in parts of the world where meat was rarely consumed.

Forks Over Knives also follows the effects of a whole foods, plant-based diet on patients with chronic problems who were advised to make a change.

Unfortunately urban areas in China see an alarming increase in obesity due to the abandonment of a traditional plant-based diet. Even first generation immigrants from Asia became vulnerable to the metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, high glucose levels, high BMI and large waistline, as a result of adopting fat-meat diets and sedentary lifestyles. Needless to say, the second generation, like any typical group of U.S. kids, is into the fast food culture. We highly recommend this documentary film.

Forks Over Knives begins its theatrical run in May, including parts of the Bay Area on May 13th and May 20th. For more information on the documentary, visit www.forksoverknives.com.

Nearby showtimes for Forks Over Knives:
Bridge (Landmark), 3010 Geary Blvd. at Blake, San Francisco, CA 94118 (Begins May 13)
Shattuck Cinemas (Landmark), 2230 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 (Begins May 13)
Regency 6 (Cinemark), 280 Smith Ranch Rd, San Rafael, CA 94903 (Begins May 20)
Cinearts @ Pleasant Hill (Cinemark), 2314 Monument, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 (May 20)
Santana Row (Cinemark), 3088 Olsen Drive, San Jose, CA 95128 (UPDATE (5/20): Viewings at this theater have been POSTPONED)




Pictured above: T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. (Left), and Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. (Right)

PCMC Participation in Tzu Chi Community Health Forum on April 17, 2011

The theme of Tzu Chi's Community Health Forum is Total Health - Body, Mind and Environment. PCMC's contribution is on our effort to prevent and reverse diabetes and other chronic diseases through lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise. Shown here are pictures of Dr. Yi-po Anthony Wu introducing Diabetes Mellitus, Teresa Chen discussing traditional Chinese dietary remedies for diabetic symptoms, and Dorel Rotar talking about the benefits of yoga and breathing exercise.

Do Sports Drinks Make You More Sporty?

Sports drinks have become popular due to their sweet taste and people wanting to emulate famous athletes like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James who have become spokespersons for the drinks.
Athletes involved in extreme physical activity benefit from these sports drinks because they help replenish fluids and electrolytes lost when the body sweats.
However, sports drinks can be bad if they are regularly consumed as a beverage. The extra sugar and sodium building up instead of being used up can lead to weight gain. A study conducted by U.C. Berkeley researchers (see link below) found that inactive high-school students could gain around 13 pounds by consuming these drinks every day for a year.
Furthermore unless you’re exercising for 90 minutes or more, it’s best to drink water instead of sports drinks to remain hydrated.

For the link to the U.C. Berkeley study, go to: http://ucce1.ucdavis.edu/spotlight/sportsdrinks.shtml

Free PCMC Spring Health Seminars in April!

PCMC's 2011 Spring Health Seminars are coming in April. Sign up now!

CLICK HERE FOR FLYER

Rethinking Our Drink - Alternatives to Soda and Other Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

The consumption of soda can lead to type-2 diabetes, obesity, dental decay and caffeine dependency. 9 teaspoons of sugar are found in a regular 12-ounce soda, which accounts for soda making up 21% of sugar in the American diet. To avoid the sugar and calories, many have switched to diet soda with the erroneous belief that it is a healthier option.

According to a study conducted by the Framingham Heart Study, people who drank diet sodas were at 41% higher risk for metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical concerns that increase the risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is debatable whether this is the result of diet soda or because diet-soda drinkers believe that a zero-calorie drink allows them to eat more unhealthy foods.

However another study conducted on rats at Purdue University suggested that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas make the body expect more glucose sugars, in turn triggering cravings to atone for the discrepancy.

To lose weight, get in the habit of drinking healthier beverages. The average person requires eight (eight-ounce) glasses of water to stay hydrated, help expel waste via the kidneys and moisten the respiratory system. Soup, which is enjoyed by the Chinese with their meals, is a beverage that counts towards the eight glasses of water. For healthy beverages with more flavor, try green tea, unsweetened juice and low-sodium tomato juice.

Teas for Coughs and Congestion

This winter many people were hit hard by colds and the flu, suffering through the holiday season and beyond.

I was offered several herb tea recipes/formulas that have worked for various people.

1. Lemon and Honey
The standard is one teaspoon of honey plus the juice of half a lemon in a cup of hot water. The beverage can be used throughout the day, but is especially good taken the first thing in the morning.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey
Dorel Rotar recommends mixing one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one teaspoon of honey in a cup of hot water. He recommends drinking it warm before breakfast and before dinner on an empty stomach.

3. Green Tea Powder with Lemon and Honey
Dr. Wu suggests adding ½ teaspoonful of green tea powder to the above teas and stirring well. It will further pack the tea with antioxidants. It will help dissolve dried phlegm and ease a bad cough.

Green tea powder is available at PCMC Herb Store in tea bags as well as in 8-oz. packages.

4. Dr. Wu's Simple Herb Formula for Flu
Depending on the presentation of the symptoms, flu can be classified into two types, the heat-type and the cold-type.

Flu Formula #1 is used for the cold-type that brings about a runny nose and chronic cough. These herbs, when prepared as a tea and/or for vapor-treatment [see picture below], can relieve sinus congestion and throat irritation.

Flu Formula #1 consists of bupleurum (cai hu), pinellia tamata (ban xia), sileris (fang feng), and asarum (xi xin).

These ingredients work together to treat the following problems: alternating chills and fever, bitter taste in the mouth, dizziness, chest congestion, chronic cough, excess phlegm, nausea, vomiting, pain and aches in the muscles and joints, and headaches.

Flu Formula #1 is pre-packaged and available at PCMC Herb Store.