Classifying cholesterol as “good” or “bad” originated because of differences between the proteins that carry cholesterol from place to place in our bodies. The two most famous proteins that are measured in cholesterol tests are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Wellness Beyond Weight Loss
Winning the Hunger Game
Have you ever had the experience of being hungry even though you know you shouldn’t be? For many of my patients, this is very discouraging and a major obstacle in successfully losing weight. The regulation of hunger is a complicated and interesting process in the human body.
Muscle Matters – Beyond the BMI
I met a patient recently who made an appointment because she was concerned about her BMI (body mass index). As she pushed up her sleeve so I could take her blood pressure, I was impressed with her biceps. “Nice guns”, I said.
Step Away From the Scale
I ask my patients not to weigh themselves while they are working with me. Why? I’m going to lay out a hypothetical scenario as way of explanation. “Diane” has been doing really well eating healthier food, getting to bed on time each night,
Exposing the Hidden Sources of Sugar
I think there might be a couple of reasons why food manufacturers choose not to include the word “sugar” in the ingredients list, even though it’s in the product. One possibility is that they just want to be accurate. Or, maybe they hope that consumers who are trying to avoid sugar,
Body Composition Testing with the InBody
I get a lot of questions about the InBody 570 and body composition analysis: what it is, how it works, why the InBody 570 is superior to other available tests, who might benefit from being tested, if it is accurate, how often one should be measured,
New Health Insurance Pitfalls, Part II
Last time we introduced “narrow networks”, and this time we’ll explore some of the pitfalls and potential problems with these plans.
Narrow networks have become increasingly popular since the ACA, particularly in the Exchange markets, as they allow insurers to offer lower prices based on more heavily negotiated rates.
New Health Insurance Pitfalls, Part I
According to Kaiser Health News, Nancy Pippenger, without realizing it, bought a health insurance policy with a limited network of doctors, that also provides little or no payment for care outside the network. The result: she paid $300 out of her own pocket to see her longtime doctor…visits previously covered by her old policy.
Why Eating Less and Exercising More Doesn’t Always “Work”
I grew up, like many of us, thinking my body essentially worked like a math equation. It was said that a pound of fat is made up of 3500 calories, and so to lose a pound of fat, all I had to do was make sure my intake of calories was less than what I burned doing activities every day (i.e.,
What’s the Story About Fructose?
In April, 2012 CBS’s 60 Minutes broadcast a piece on the “toxicity” of sugar during which Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist, was interviewed. Specifically fructose, a particular form of sugar, was targeted. We have been hearing for some time that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may not be good for us.
