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Progressive Health Observer

PHO #13 (Fall 2007)

Our biology can interfere with performing several tasks at the same timeósuch as driving while talking on a cellphone.

Despite advances in our understanding of how genes actually work, many still cling to the misbegotten idea that genes cause disease.

Human beings are built to move. So it makes sense that exercise turns back the clock on skeletal muscle.

As money and attention are lavished on treatment and screening, little is done about the environmental causes of breast cancer.

The dramatic rise in obesity and diabetes point clearly to environmental causes.

Food advertising preys on children. Itís well researched and deliberate. And itís bad for childrenís health.

Drug companies want to turn menstruation into a ìlifestyle choiceîówith potentially dangerous consequences.

PHO Special Edition #1 (Summer 2007)

Cooking for the Contemporary Hunter-Gatherer: Recipes and advise on food selection and preparation.
Breakfast: Boiled eggs, hard and soft  •  Scrambled eggs  •  A perfect omelette  •  Fruit "pie" omelette  •  Cauliflower brei  •  Your own sour cream  •  Breakfast without eggs
Lunch: Jicama-carrot slaw  •  Celery root and daikon salad  •  Coleslaw  •  Cobb salad  •  Roast turkey  •  Roast chicken  •  Homemade sauerkraut
Dinner: Cauliflower rice  •  Cauliflower mash  •  Crumbless meatloaf  •  Pork loaf  •  Soy-free stir fry  •  Chili verde

PHO #12 (Spring 2007)

The Cervical Cancer Vaccine: A miracle vaccine for cervical cancer? Not if you ignore the hype and look at the science.

Is There an Autism Epidemic? The CDC's estimate sheds little light on whether the rate of autism is increasing.

An Unhealthy Future: The biology of stress tells us why abandoning the social safety net will deliver a huge medical bill in the future.

Stents: Theyíre very popular with cardiologists. And they solve a problem that doesn't exist.

Social Medicine, Social Health: Health isnít the absence of disease. But what is it and how do we get it?

Beef and Babies: The more industrial beef a mom eats while pregnant, the more likely her son is to have health problems.

Radiation Protection? A study of how some bacteria survive extreme radiation suggests how humans might do the same.

PHO #11 (Winter 2007)

Antioxidant Myths: Biased reporting on biased research foster the myth that antioxidants don't work

Health and Plastics: Health risks from phthalates and bisphenol A spoil the convenience of plastics

Cancer Misinformation: The system that reports cancer research sends misleading messages on cancer science

Blood Sugar Derangement: A diagnosis like diabetes can expose people to dangers from the collection of drugs prescribed

Aging as a Diagnosis: Another made-up disease is on its way: frailty. You don't need a diagnosis to protect yourself

Drugs in the Water: Pharmaceuticals are finding their way into our drinking water

PHO #10 (Summer 2006)

Health Inequity and Toxic Load: A study finds that the English are healthier than Americans at 40% the cost for medical care. The authors cite Americans' greater stress. But what about Americans' exposure to toxins?

More Stupid Weight Loss Schemes: Researchers experiment with hormones to stimulate weight loss. It's just another failure to investigate root causes of metabolic imbalance.

Nutrient Supplements are Good for You: A biased report from the National Institutes of Health is the latest in a long history of distortion and misrepresentation.

Food You Can Live With: Two tasty pork dishes are inexpensive and easy to make, including information on how to buy ethically raised pork..

PHO #9 (Spring 2006)

Intestinal Ecology: The number of bacteria species in your bowel is greater than anyone imagined. Their ecology and its relationship to your health has become fertile ground for research.

What Causes a Heart Attack: After decades of battling cardiovascular disease, heart attack remain the leading cause of death. Perhaps it's because the conventional explanation of what causes a heart attack is wrong.

Healthy Mitochondria: They produce all of your energy. They might also play a key role in aging and degenerative disease.

Epigenetics and Proteomics: The human genome was mapped 10 years ago. It's unlocked far less than expected. Researchers have turned to the complicated science of how gene expression is controlled... with nutrients.

Avian Flu Roundup: As more is learned about the "deadly avian flu" it looks less like a public health crisis and more like fear mongering.

Double Diabetes: Doctors are treating more young people for type 1 and type 2 diabetes at the same time. Yet some obvious questions are not being asked.

PHO #8 (Fall 2005)

Hypertension All Around: High blood pressure has been turned into a disease with vast amounts of effort and drugs thrown at treating it. But it's a symptom, not a disease.

The WiFi Blues: Wireless broadband Internet access is all the rage. The noise is drowning out concerns for this technology's risks.

Allergic Nation: Asthma and allergies are on the rise. It's not just more allergens. Immune systems are more reactive, too.

Cancer by the Numbers: A new report celebrates improved chances of surviving cancer. But some of the numbers don't add up.

Raging Hormones: The hormonal consequences of starch and stress are more than you might imagine.

PHO #7 (Summer 2005)

Stem Cells in Your Future: Controversy and money swirl around stem cell research. What's the real payoff?

Fat and Death: Trouble erupts at the CDC over whether too much body fat is a major killer.

Metabolic Syndrome Coming At You: A drumbeat is building for physicians to diligently identify patients with metabolic syndrome. Is this good for your health?

Atkins Was Right: A recent study shows that Atkins-like hunter-gatherer diets work for the reasons Atkins gave.

Young Bones and Milk: Conventional wisdom says that milk builds bones, but available research suggests it's exercise that does the trick.

PHO #6 (April/May 2005)

Flu Vaccines: Unnecessary panic and possible forced vaccinations for bird flu lurk in our future.

A Good Night's Sleep: If stress causes illness, sleep and rest are the antidote.

Depression and Suicide: For adults taking antidepressants, suicide is only one of the many risks from these grossly overused drugs.

Raging Hormones: How one form of estrogen breaks your heart and another preserves your vaginal mucosa.

Fit to Print? A review of resources for medical directives from Nolo Press.

PHO #5 (February/March 2005)

C-Reactive Protein and Heart Health: New research portrays C-reactive protein as a villain, but the research is really about promoting aggressive drug therapy

Walking: Think You Know How? Considerations for doing the easiest form of exercise

Moved to Move: Strategies for getting the right amount of exercise

Meat and Cancer: Researchers claim red meat causes colon cancer, but the evidence isn't there

PHO #4 (December 2004/January 2005)

Antioxidant Follies: Why recent research warning that vitamin E might be dangerous is wrong.

Healthy Bones: The Surgeon General's report ignored some important safeguards

Nicotine Addiction: A new discovery in nicotine biochemistry points to nutrient therapies

Race-Based Drugs: Critics miss the point of drug research aimed at African- Americans

Health Care Bankruptcy: Most of the costliest health conditions are preventable with diet and exercise

Food You Can Live With: Not your grandmother's meatloaf

Fit To Print? A review of The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to do About It by Marcia Angell and Critical Condition: How Health Care in America Became Big Business and Bad Medicine by Donald Barlett and James Steele

PHO #3 (October/Novermber 2004)

Bureaucratic Food: The new USDA food guidelines might affect you in ways you hadn't imagined

Sweeteners: Not So Sweet: Even one sweetened drink per week puts your health at risk

Smog, Deadlier Than Ever: Recent research shows that smog is riskier business than we had ever imagined

Food You Can Live With: Ancient diet reverses ravages of modern autoimmune diseases

Fit To Print? The Meat You Eat: How Corporate Farming Has Endangered America's Food Supply by Ken Midkiff.

PHO #2 (August/September 2004)

Too Few Mammograms: Why Big Box Medicine worries and why you shouldn't

In Your Prostate: New guidelines for the prostate cancer screening test

Statins Uber Alles: There's a bandwagon for using statins. Should you be on it?

Food You Can Live With: Organic bureaucracy

Raging Hormones: What's wrong with conventional estrogen therapy research

Fit To Print? A review of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer by John Lee, MD and David Zava, PhD

PHO #1 (June/July 2004)

What If They Gave An Antidepressant and No One Came? Drugging our kids and ourselves into submission

This Newsletter is Dedicated to Clara Felix, Publisher of The Felix Letter: A Commentary on Nutrition

Bad Cholesterol? Bad Science: Despite the hype, lowering cholesterol does not protect against heart disease

Diabetes is Taking Our Kids: Once a disease of old age, type 2 diabetes is attacking children

Food You Can Live With: Cauliflower replacements for rice and mashed potatoes

Raging Hormones: The search for a well-tolerated thyroid hormone product

Fit To Print? A review of The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston, MD