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EatPood.com
Many people are unaware of our paleo nutrition/lifestyle website, EatPood.com. This site is a wonderful resource for recipes and nutrition ideas for the paleo lifestyle. Our one and only Sandy Kinney, paleo chef extrordinaire, shares her recipes and wit. Click the link above the kettlebells to check it out. |
Order Vitamins
Many of our clients have asked about ordering vitamins and what to take. We recommend the following as part of a healthy supplementation program:
- Douglas Energy/Sport multivitamin
- Opti-EPA fish oil
- DHEA
You can order these directly from Douglas Labs or pick them up at our office. If you prefer to order online then follow the link below and set up an account, you will need to supply a Health Professionals Fulfillment Number in order to do this. Use: 2138409.
Douglas Labs
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Our Staff
Daniel Stickler, M.D.
Angela Siemiaczko, R.D.
Mickra King, Au.D.
Kristy Harper, MA
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Welcome to our first edition of the monthly Medabolix/CrossFit WV newsletter. We are undergoing some exciting changes in our programs all of which are designed elevate the level of service that we give our clients. First and foremost, our office has moved. We are now located in a beautiful historic house along Kanawha Blvd East overlooking the river. Second, as many of you know I have retired from surgery in order to focus my attention on the Medabolix Wellness practice. My staff and I are very excited about these changes and we look forward to hearing your feedback.
The new address is:
1516 Kanawha Blvd. East
Charleston, WV 25311
Sincerely,
Daniel Stickler, M.D.
Medabolix, Inc. |
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Rethinking Cholesterol
 The simplistic approach to blood cholesterol levels that has been promoted for the past 50 years has recently come under fire from the scientific community. So much so that we are on the verge of sweeping changes in our approach. The "good" (HDL) and the "Bad" (LDL) approach is now being compared to treating everyone with a runny nose for swine flu when the runny nose could mean nothing at all. The comprehensive data has actually been available since the 1950's but the mass availability of the testing equipment has not and the data was never really analyzed as in depth as it is being done today. The concept that all LDL cholesterol is bad has led to the oversimplification of dietary beliefs. Specifically, that all saturated fat raises your risk of heart disease. This in turn, has also led to the over-medication of our society with the most-prescribed drug class ($14 billion) in history. |
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Recipe of the Month
 RecipeFresh asparagus with blue cheese and pistachios 1/3 cup toasted chopped pistachios 1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus 1tsp fresh minced garlic 4tsp olive oil sea salt and cayenne pepper flakes (to taste) 1/4 cup (or more according to your taste) Blue Cheese crumbled
Heat the olive oil, saute the garlic and pistachio nuts, add asparagus and cook until just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the crumbled blue cheese. Serve warm. |
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Know Your Nuts
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -" Eating plenty of nuts can lead to healthier cholesterol levels, but the benefits seem to be greatest for thinner people, those eating less healthy diets, and people with higher levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, according to a new analysis of published studies of nut consumption and blood fats."
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Why do I need to know my cortisol level?
Cortisol is a "stress hormone," it rises as our physiologic stress rises - it is a marker of how much stress your body is experiencing. It can rise from mental, physical or disease related stresses and the scary thing is, you don't always even feel the stress. Some people can have very high levels and have no idea. Some people can feel overwhelming stress yet have normal levels of cortisol. Confused? Cortisol is your bodies response to stress, not specifically how you feel.
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| Rethinking Cholesterol Cont. |
What we now realize is that there are 4 major classes of LDL that all have independent behaviors. Type 1 and 2 LDL particles are large and fluffy, they have no increase risk for heart disease. Type 3 and 4 LDL particles are small and dense and significantly increase your risk of heart disease.
Interestingly, a diet high in saturated fat actually increases type 1 and 2 LDL particles, while a diet high in carbohydrates increases type 3 and 4 LDL particles. Now here is the dilemma, the standard cholesterol panel only reports the "total" LDL, so lowering your LDL may have no effect on your cardiac risk. There are many people that I assess in my clinical practice that have very low LDL levels but their type 3 and 4 numbers put them at 3-6x standard risk for heart disease. These people are walking time bombs and have no idea that this risk exists.
Dr. Ronald Krauss, director of the department of atherosclerosis research at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, is helping to develop the new cholesterol recommendations for the NIH's National Cholesterol Education Program. He worked with Harvard researchers analyzing blood samples on 4,600 healthy Swedish men and women looking at 11 forms of cholesterol subparticles.
The two most powerful predictors for heart disease in the study were;
1. High levels of small and medium LDL particles combined with a low HDL
2. Low HDL levels
High levels of LDL came in a distant 3rd and was found to be only marginally predictive of heart disease risk. WOW!!! Obviously, the pharmaceutical industry is a little concerned. This is only one of at least a dozen studies that has shed light on this issue over the past two years. Our current conventional wisdom is being turned on its head.
Cholesterol uptake in our body is highly regulated and our body produces 800mg per day on its own, so if we eat a four egg omelet for breakfast, our body simply makes less. There is a very weak correlation between dietary intake of cholesterol and LDL levels. What about saturated fat? The major saturated fat in beef is stearic acid and it has little or NO impact on blood cholesterol. A better choice is to substitute some of that bad fat with "good" (polyunsaturated) fat because this actually DECREASES heart disease risk. I hate to even label saturated fat as "bad" because there are recent studies showing that saturated fat intake shifts your LDL type more toward the large fluffy kind.
So, how do we determine the type of cholesterol we actually possess? First, forget about EVER having a standard cholesterol test performed to determine your risk for heart disease. At Medabolix we perform the gold standard for comprehensive cholesterol testing. The VAP or Vertical Auto-Profile. tests 22 different components of cholesterol. It is the only lipid profile that routinely reports all three lipo-protein parameters considered necessary by the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Cardiology. The advanced lipid profile also identifies markers of metabolic syndrome often associated with diabetes. This test is considered so effective that The Wall Street Journal named it "One of the Five Tests Worth Paying For" and Forbes magazine listed it on their "Ten Ways to Live Longer" list.
Two of the problems you may encounter when requesting VAP testing is that not many physicians are familiar enough with the test to interpret it accurately and many insurance companies deny claim coverage because they consider such an extensive battery "unnecessary". We have performed and interpreted thousands of these tests at Medabolix. Treatments are based on the overall picture and rarely are statin drugs required. If you are a Medabolix client you already know your VAP results. If you are not, but would like to check your cholesterol results using the VAP please contact Kristy at 304-347-4313 to schedule up a blood draw in our lab.
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Nuts Cont.
The study from Sabe and colleagues, pooled data from 25 studies in 7 countries and was comprised of 583 men and women, with both high and normal cholesterol levels.
Findings revealed that a 7% reduction in LDL cholesterol (biggest drop came with 160 or greater starting level) , and a 5% reduction in total cholesterol occurred with consumption of 2.4 ounces of nuts per day. Findings also revealed a drop in Triglyceride levels in indivduals who had high triglycerides but no change occurred in those having normal triglycerides.
So, why are tree nuts so good for us? They provide the following benefits.
Unsaturated fats: (mono and poly) are considered "good" fats that helps lower "bad" cholesterol
Omega-3 fatty acids: healthy form of fatty acids that prevent dangerous heart rythms, nuts are one of the best plant sources.
L-arginine: improves health of artery walls by making them more flexable and less prone to clots and blood backflow
Fiber: reduces cholesterol levels and gives you a full feeling
Vitamin E: aids in the prevention of plaques in the arteries
Plant sterols: reduces cholesterol
Best nut choices:
Protein (6g: almond and pistachios B), mono (6g pine nuts, L)and poly (2g hazelnuts and cashews, L), unsaturated fats(total 13g cashews, L), linoleic acid (10.78 walnuts, B), fiber (1-3 g/oz), calcium (6% DV Almonds, B), iron (10% DV cashews, B), potassium (9% DV pistachios, B), zinc (12% DV pine nuts, B), manganese (125% DV pine nuts, B), vitamin C (2% DV hazelnuts, B), thiamin (15% macadamias and pistachios, B), riboflavin (15% DV almonds, B), Niacin (6% DV almonds and pine nuts, B), Vitamin E (35% DV almonds, B), phytosterols (0.54mg walnuts, B), beta-carotene (45mcg pistachios, B), vitamin K (15.28 mcg pine nuts, B), lutein + zeaxanthin (342 mcg pine nuts, B).
USDA National Nutrition Database for Standard Reference release 2006
g=gram, mg=milligram, %DV=percent daily value (10-19% considered an good source, above 20% is excellent source ), mcg=micrograms, B=best, L=lowest.
Sources: Archives of Internal Medicine article By Anne Harding , May 2010, USDA, National Tree Nut Association
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