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

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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.

Massage Away Sinus Congestion

Millions of Americans annually suffer from some form of nasal congestion. To put it in perspective, there are 31 million cases annually of one type known as Sinusitis, or inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. Numerous methods have been devised to treat nasal congestion, including costly solutions like surgery, oral decongestants, nasal sprays and nasal irrigation. However, a nasal massage on specific points on the face can also provide relief with far less difficulty.

Oral decongestants are products taken to shrink the blood vessels in the lining inside the nose. But like most medications they can cause side effects that may deter usage. These side effects may be irritability, increased blood pressure and sleeping difficulty. It is recommended that people with diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure avoid these products.

While moderate usage of nasal sprays (less than 3 days) can be effective, over-usage can cause one to become more congested when the spray is stopped, leading to addiction.

The natural practice of nasal irrigation - the act of flushing out mucus from the nose and sinuses - works. However, excessive use can rid the nose of its protective blanket of mucus and worsen symptoms.

In TCM, self-massage on specific sinus points also achieves symptomatic relief.

To clear the nasal passage from stuffiness and watery running, four points or areas located on the face are employed. [See chart below]

1. Yintang (Extra 1)
Press the middle finger on Yintang (Extra 1) located on the forehead, midway between the medial ends of the eyebrows. Press down firmly and make circular movements 20-30 times.

2. Yingxiang (LI 20)
Rest the whorled section of the middle or index fingers on Yingxiang (LI 20) on both sides of the nostrils. Press-knead 20-30 times firmly to get the sensation of soreness.

3. The side of the nose
Rub both sides of the nose with the side of the index fingers, moving upward and downward 20-30 times to get the sensation of heat.

4. Juliao (S 3) -- The center of the cheek.
In the area located directly under the eyes and to the sides of the nostrils (between the cheekbone and the root of the upper teeth), press down firmly with the middle fingers and make circular movements 20-30 times.


Give the massage a try. It doesn’t cost you anything and you will immediately experience the result and the relief.

Food For Thought And Heart Health

A study found that 82% of people who keep to the plant-based diet recommended by The China Study experience huge improvements in cholesterol levels and arterial blockages. Convinced by this information, former President Bill Clinton switched to the diet and lost 24 pounds in about five months.

On January 7, 2011, Tara Parker-Pope of The New York Times published a long overdue book review of The China Study (BenBella Books, 2006), authored by father-son team of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, nutritionist, and Dr. Thomas M. Campbell, M.D. While both the publisher and the topic are seemingly obscure, the surprise best-seller sold 500,000 copies and caught public attention last fall when former President Bill Clinton praised the book. For better heart health, the president has reportedly given up dairy and meat, occasionally eats fish and lives primarily on beans, vegetables and fruit.

The China Study distills a 20-year lifestyle survey in China and Taiwan to conclude that a plant-based diet (devoid of beef, fish, milk and poultry) will promote long-term health. While the diet may not be familiar to most Americans, the health benefits far outweigh any initial inconvenience and uncertainties.

For anyone who wants to learn more, go see the upcoming film, Forks Over Knives, opening in March 2011. The research-based documentary tells Dr. T. Colin Campbell's story as well as Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's heart disease reversal study.

(For the original New York Times book review of The China Study, follow this link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nutrition-advice-from-the-china-study/)

Winter Thoughts

Stan Wright, a poet and a patient, gifted us with a collection of his poems. We are blessed to be in the company of this positive thinker.

We have chosen three of Stan's poems to share with you his cheerful spirit to ward away winter blues.

Our best wishes for the Holiday Season.

Dr. Wu and Teresa

POEM #1

POEM #2

POEM #3