A acupuncturist friend and colleague who focuses on fertility and nutrition, Meg Richichi, mentioned the link between hormones and sugar levels.  I thought this was an interesting topic especially as I noticed a dramatic effect in myself when my sugar gets low......

Here are a couple of excerpts from some articles on this subject.  I hope you find it as interesting as I have.

By Erin Dummert RD, CD from the Diet Channel 

 Good sugars and bad sugars

Why does sugar take the rap when hormones are really the problem? Sugar does cause the body to release growth-promoting hormones, but that is not the whole story. Sugar is very important to life. However, just as there are good fats and bad fats, there are good sugars and bad sugars.

Bad sugars, often referred to as simple sugars, are those in foods that do not offer any other nutritional benefit. Examples of simple sugars include foods like soda, sweets, sugar cereals, juice drinks, and refined grains.

Good sugars, or complex carbohydrates, are present in foods that provide nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. Examples of complex carbohydrates include foods like fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.

Nancy Appleton writes...     (here is the link directly to her page.. http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm)

She provides a list of the things that complex sugars do......

          Sugar can suppress the immune system.

1. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
2. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
3. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
4. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
6. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
7. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
8. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
9. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
10. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
11. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
12. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
13. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
14. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.                                
15. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
16. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
17. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
18. Sugar can cause premature aging.
19. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
20. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
21. Sugar contributes to obesity
22. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
23. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
24. Sugar can cause arthritis.
25. Sugar can cause asthma.
26. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
27. Sugar can cause gallstones.
28. Sugar can cause heart disease.
29. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
30. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
31. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
32. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
33. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
34. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
35. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
36. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
37. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
38. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol  in the blood.
39. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
40. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
41. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
42. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
43. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
44. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
45. Sugar causes food allergies.
46. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
47. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
48. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
49. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
50. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
51. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
52. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
53. Sugar can cause cataracts.
54. Sugar can cause emphysema.
55. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
56. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
57. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
58. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
59. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.
60. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
61. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
62. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
63. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
64. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
65. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
66. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
67. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
68. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
69. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
70. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
71. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
72. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders..
73. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
74. Sugar can cause depression.
75. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
76. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
77. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
78. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
79. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to    low sugar diets. 
80. High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
81. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood  proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
82. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
83. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
84. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
85. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
86. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
87. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
88. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
89. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
90. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
91. Sugar feeds cancer.
92. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
93. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
94. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
95. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
96. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
97. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
98. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
99. Sugar is an addictive substance.
100. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
101. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
102. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
103. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.             
104. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
105. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
106. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
107. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
108. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
109. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
110. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
111. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
112. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
113. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
114. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
115. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.
116. Sugar may induce cell death.
117. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
118. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
119. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.
120. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
121. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
122. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
123. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia
124. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream. 
125. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer. 
126. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine. 
127. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
128. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
129. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
130. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.
131. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.
132. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.
133. Sugar causes constipation.
134. Sugar causes varicous veins.
135. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.
136. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
137. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
138. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.
139. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.
140. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
141. Sugar could affect central reward systems.
142. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.
143. Sugar can cause endometrial  cancer.
144. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.
145. Sugar can cause liver tumors. 

Certainly food for thought!.......  I know I will be taking a good look at my sugar intake, and making sure that most of sugar sources I have are natural ones!

curiously yours,

Coach Louise Crooks

"I'm not going to rearrange the furniture on the deck of the Titanic." -- Rogers Morton

I think that during recovery, a lot of people get stuck rearranging deck chairs. While you're spending all this time working on some trivial issue, your overall recovery progress is stagnant (at best).

Examples from my own history:
* Dozens of Dermatologist appointments during the height of my eating disorder (I'm sure my acne was caused mostly by nutrition issues). When asking my Dermatologist about the depression side-effect of Accutane (since I was already on antidepressants), she replied "oh no, it will actually help grey's depression! she'll have clearer skin so she'll have higher self-esteem and therefore be less depressed." ... Really? And who cares about acne when my EKG is off?

* Spending months talking about how I was controlling food because my parents were too controlling of me. (not only do I think this is complete BS, but really... what were we waiting for? My accepting this as true and therefore then being able to move on and give myself permission to eat?

* Three months fighting with my nutritionist about eating a sandwich. She felt the sandwich was very symbolic of my motivation to recovery.... I felt (and still feel) like it was just a sandwich. I wasn't eating more than 1000 calories at the time (obviously not a stellar recovery period)... who cares about the sandwich?

* Art therapy. Okay, lots of people participate in meaningful art therapy... but really, I was happy to just draw pictures and make stuff up about their significance. "My mother and I are wearing the same color because we compete with each other." "My flower has no roots because I don't feel like I know myself."

My point: Great Feng Shui won't keep your boat from sinking.

Iti impartasesc asadar cum ma descurc eu cu alimentatia. Am facut un program in toata regula privind alimentatia mea si nu a fost greu deloc. Asta poate si pentru ca sunt o persoana (prea) organizata, chiar si in privinta alimentatiei sau a modului de viata. Am ingorat sfaturile celor din jur (multi au spus si sustin in continuare ca sunt nebuna sau exagerata), dar ma mandresc cu faptul ca am o alimentatie buna, dovedita de rezultatele analizelor de sange.

Nu incerca sa mananci din toate alimentele recomandate in fiecare zi. Nu incerca sa mananci mult, in speranta ca asa bebe va fi mai sanatos si nu ii va lipsi nimic! E total gresit si un astfel de comportament poate determina aversitati fata de anumite alimente. Adica asa cum am patit eu cu laptele. Beam cel putin 1l pe zi pana la ora 15, in ideea ca bebeilor le va placea tare. Dupa o luna, nu mai vroiam sa vad lapte in fata ochilor, noroc ca mi-a trecut dupa o scurta pauza.

Ce fac eu, ca sa pot manca din toate, cat mai variat:

-         mancanc mai putin la fiecare masa si mai des – mi-am creat acest obicei si acum asa simt nevoia sa mananc, fara sa ma fortez;

-         mananc un mic dejun consistent, seara ma delectez cu o salata sau cu fructe;

-         mancanc variat: o data la doua zile, micul dejun consta in lapte cu cereale; tot o data la doua zile (sau seriJ) ma asteapta cam o jumatate de kg de lapte seara;

-         incerc pe cat posibil sa mananc carne in fiecare zi, dar tot variat: o data pui la gratar, o data peste, altadata pui in mancare sau supa (ca sa nu aiba chiar acelasi gust zilnic);

-         fructele sunt nelipsite: cam o saptamana sau doua, mananc zilnic cel putin 1 mar, o banana si o nectarina; dupa 2 saptamani, schimb regimul: trec la pepene (pe care-l mananc fara limiteJ), piersici, struguri si mai nou, prune;

-         iaurtul este nelipsit: cate unul pe zi, in special de la Activia, ajuta la digestie. Incerc mai intai cu iaurt normal, apoi alternez cu iaurt cu fructe, ca sa mai schimb gustul;

-         salatele sunt nelipsite, dar tot variat: ba o salata de rosii, ba o salata verde, ba una de ardei copti, ba una de castraveti;

-         orez si cartofi mananc cam o data pe saptamana. Nu ma incanta foarte tare, mai ales orezul, dar nu trebuie sa lipseasca din alimentatia gravidelor.

Cam asta ar fi. Sigur, nu exista o reteta, fiecare individ are propria personalitate, propriul stil de viata si necesitati proprii. Sper totusi ca cele de mai sus va vor ajuta.

OK, OK.........You've got your two daughters, you're in the Bahamas, life is good right?

NOPE!!!!!

scroll down!

Now maybe this isn't too obvious to everyone out there, but to someone who examines core musculature all day, this is just ridiculous!

This is a great example of someone who is fit and unhealthy at the same time. He's got great abdominal definition above the belly button, but his lower abs aren't firing at all.....Hence the paunch

According to Hilton's law, the lower abdominal muscles are not receiving blood because the small intestine underneath is "stealing" it because of all the inflammation. The body will re-route blood away from muscles if the organs need it. And in this case........they need it!

Small intestines are more important than a six-pack.

The body knows which fires it needs to put out first. Take care of your digestion--> paunch disappears We've known this for a LONG time.......Eugene Sandow, a famous strongman at the turn of the century wrote in his 1910 book that "you can't build a strong body unless the visceral system is also strong" (paraphrased)

Want those abs?

In a nutshell you need two things:

-A healthy digestive system

-Functioning core musculature

 There is no shortage of data telling us that the incidence of obesity in this country has reached epidemic proportions, or that the cost of treating chronic diseases is the most preventable health problem facing our health care system. So what can you as an individual executive do about it? Be the example. Manage your health like you manage your business. 

Intellectually, we all understand how managing our diets and being more physically active contribute to our overall health. These two seemingly simple steps can add years to our lives, yet many of us fail to spend the time to do either one.  

For corporate executives, job responsibilities require time commitments beyond the 40-hour work week. It is a personal sacrifice that many would say comes with the territory. Finding the time for your health might be a challenge, but it also might be the best investment decision you ever make.  The following are suggestions for incorporating health and wellness back into your schedule.

1. Change the way you think about your health. Maintaining your health is as much a business strategy as developing new products or investing in new markets. Studies have shown that the healthier you are, the more productive you are. This might not give you more hours in the day, but it can give you more work for the hours that are available.

2. Don't forget your annual physical. The recommendation to get an annual physical often falls on deaf ears, particularly for males. Many view the annual physical as a waste of time because they feel good. However, detecting problems early is the best way to prevent a major health crisis.

 3. Be diligent about cancer screenings. Skin, breast, colon and prostate cancers are treatable if detected early. Do not be deceived by a family medical history that does not include cancer. Many people who have no family history of cancer, get cancer.

4. Consult a nutritionist. Most insurance plans now cover a consultative visit with a nutritionist. Learn how to adapt your diet to your lifestyle. Whether it is eating on the run between flights or dining at the finest restaurants, an experienced nutritionist can give you tips that would work for the executive lifestyle of your daily schedule.

5. Understand that fitness needs change as we get older. As we approach middle age, our fitness regimen must be balanced between strength training and aerobic conditioning. If you cannot find time to get to the gym every day, then look for small ways to incorporate fitness into your daily schedule.  For those whose job requires frequent travel, fitness training is even more of a challenge. However, being active in as many ways as possible at home or away will reduce your disease risk.  For example, aerobic activity, such as walking briskly for 30 minutes five times per week or jogging 20 minutes three times per week can reduce the odds of developing coronary heart disease by as much as 40 percent. Weight training is recommended two days per week, separated by at least one day. Consulting a personal trainer can be helpful in developing a training program designed specifically for you. Whatever approach to fitness works best for your lifestyle is the one you will benefit from the most because it is the one you will stick with.

6. Consider stress management. Whether it is a massage, executive coaching session or weekend getaway, learning to manage stress can be the biggest challenge executives face. Many underestimate the relationship between stress and our health, but the consequences - both personal and professional - are real. Eliminating stress from your life completely is unrealistic. A more realistic approach is regular exercise, Tai Chi, yoga, laughter, spiritual development or a collegial support network.

 7. Be prepared while traveling abroad. One-third of those who travel abroad become ill during their trips. Be prepared. Just a list of current medications and known drug allergies gives health care providers an abundance of information about your current health status. Advances in technology now make it possible for you to travelwith complete medical records. There are Web-based applications that allow access to medical records online from anywhere in the world. Another way is to carry an electronic medical record on a secure and encrypted USB key. Whether it's an electronic medical file or simply a list of medications, this information can prove to be a lifesaver should you become ill while traveling.

 Dr. James R. Stevens is co-founder, president and Chief Medical Officer of the American Institute of Healthcare & Fitness (AIHF), which features a state-of-the-art facility in Raleigh. He can be reached at  jay.stevens@aihf.net. To learn more about the organization, visit http://www.aihf.net

However, before I do that I just want to do a little shameless self-promotion and mention my interview with the Phoenix Mars Lander. No, you didn't read that wrong. I didn't interview any of the scientists or technicians involved with the Phoenix project, but went direct to the robot herself. Phoenix and I have been pals on Facebook for a while now and I thought it would only be natural to interview her about her thoughts and experiences as well as the important science she is doing some 170 million miles from home.

So, with that out of the way, let's move on to some of the more headier and serious stuff. First up, Philosophy professor Priscilla Sakezles writing in eSkeptic claims that "the famous words most often attributed to Socrates, “All I know is that I know nothing," are in fact a misquote. Today's skeptical movement likes to trace its roots all the way back to Socrates so it's perhaps a good idea if we get our quotes right.

Speaking of what we know, most skeptics know that determining whether or not our knowledge accurately reflects the real world is problematic at best. While the scientific method is often considered the best tool we have for understanding how the world works, our brains tend to place more value on anecdotal evidence. Michael Shermer explains How Anecdotal Evidence Can Undermine Scientific Results.

And while the way our brains evolved means we're not naturally very good scientists, nevertheless science continues to inform our understanding of our minds. Carl Zimmer has a particulary interesting article talking about the three ways our brains affect our perception of the passage of time.

One of the reasons, I think, that it's important to read and understand science, even if one isn't a scientist, is because how we understand our world has implications for the kind of society we live in. An article in the May/June 2008 New Humanist talks about how a fundamental ignorance of evolution has led to a rise in creationist beliefs in Europe, including a disturbing new phenomenom -- Muslim creationism.

And lastly, it would be remiss of me not to at least mention the case of Barbara Nash. Nash is a quack nutritionist who advised 52 year old Dawn Page to go on a special "detox diet". Nash's diet led to Page suffering sodium deficiency so servere that she suffered seizures that left her with permanent brain damage. It is easy to call Nash a quack and wallow in outrage at her advice to Page that the uncontrollable vomiting she was experiencing was simply part of the "detoxification process". However, Ben Goldacre reminds us that the Barbara Nashes of the world do not exist independently of the society and culture that allows them to thrive.

   Step 2 is that she referred me to a nutritionist who specializes in diabetes, PCOS, and insulin resistance.  I need to find out tonight if my insurance will cover it, but I think I’ll go at least once to see what she has to say, even if I have to pay for it myself.  I’m sure she’ll tell me to cut out refined carbs, and eat a lot more whole grains, fruits, and veggies.  I love refined carbs.  I mean, if my husband hadn’t come along when he had, I might have MARRIED refined carbs.  I’m eating chocolate covered pretzels as I write this.  It will be sad, so very sad.

   Another suggestion she had was gastric bypass surgery.  She encouraged me to do some research on it and think about it.  My first instinct is no.  I mean, I’ve thought about it before.  I’m sure anyone who’s even slightly overweight has thought about it.  But I know that it’s no easier (probably even harder) than “traditional” weight loss, and there are the risks, plus I’d be so afraid that I’d lose all the weight only to gain it all back again in a couple years.  Also, she told me that it’s about a 6 month process before the surgery (counseling, dieting, etc), and then they recommend people wait at least a year, preferably two, before trying to conceive.  That would mean I would be 30 before we could even TTC, which is heartbreaking to me, to not even have a chance until then.

   So my plan is to take the metformin unless it kills me, and try desperately to eat better and exercise some more.  Wish me luck.

I started thinking about how addicted we are to the foods we eat. Heavily processed foods with loads of sugar and salt and chemicals we can't even pronounce!  I remember when I thought milk did the body good - now milk isn't allowed in the house.  I remember when I used to drink 4 diet cokes a day....or more! I haven't had a diet coke in 2 years. Once you learn that aspartame causes brain tumors, you don't feel like quenching your thirst with a can of nail-dissolving formaldehyde!

I got into a conversation with a guy a few months ago who stated proudly that he would continue to drink aspartame until they found evidence it harms humans...I was absolutely speachless.  There are hundreds of studies, and thousands of people that have nerve damage, migranes, vision problems, and 89 other side effects caused by aspartame! I just left him there floating in his fantasy bubble. I am continually amazed at the ignorance in our society! I used to think the government wouldn't pass a drug that would hurt us, but that was when I was a little naive girl from Rodney, Ontario, before I realized that obscene amounts of money can blind anyone to anything.

IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS. IGNORANCE CAN KILL YOU. The take-home message in my little rant is that it's important to know what's in your food!  One of my friends recently said to me "ignorance is bliss" while she was eating a sandwich stuffed with bacon and cheese.  I got an uneasy feeling right away and thought "ignorance is NOT bliss! It's going to make you fat!"  Worse yet, it's going to make you sick and diseased over time. 

Ok, lets not talk about disease - let's talk about "Cheese"cake!

I know what it looks like, that I'm dissing some bad food and promoting other bad food - but that's the beauty of raw food.  It's vegan and fresh.  Whole, unadulterated, and exploding with nutrients - even dessert is heathy!

It was so fun to make a raw dessert again. No oven required, thankfully, because it's so damn hot in here already!

I've made something similar to this before, using coconut butter instead of cacao butter, but it is definitely worth the time, effort, and money to get raw cacao butter!  So very worth it!  The ingredients in this dessert are so decadent and the fresh raspberries taste unbelievable.  Every single bite kind of pops in your mouth.  You can find the video about how to make it on the G Living Network website.  I used cashews instead of almonds for the crust just because we love cashews so much in our house.  This could quite possibly be breakfast tomorrow morning!

Go raw!

I started this morning off with a much needed hot yoga class.  1 1/2 hours in a 38 degrees celcius room with 51% humidity!  I felt like I was going to pass out and/or thow up most of the time, which resulted in me laying in Savasana (corpse pose) for most of the class.  My heart was going haywire even in that calming position!  When class ended, I hit the shower.  Sometimes a cold shower feels so good!

I had an apple after yoga, and then actually went out to eat for my first raw meal.  Eating raw on the run can be a little stressful, so it's important to plan ahead!  We went to Herbivore, a tiny little vegan resto in Kensington market.  I had a fresh salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, sprouted lentils, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, and cucumber, and a green juice.

I've been working on the Interlaken blanket and it's moving along at a good pace.  So far, I've gotten it down to roughly 45 minutes or so per square.  I don't even want to count how many squares there are, so, for now I'll be happy with how long it takes me per square.  That and I'm almost to the next color.  I haven't been able to locate the green color.   I'll give it another go this weekend.  Fortunately I'll be going to the Subpop anniversary show on Saturday and I'll be bringing the knitting there.  I think I can knock out a row or two while I'm there.  Quite honestly, I'm going to see Flight of the Conchords.  After that, it's just a day out in the park with my knitting :)

Oh and in case anyone is looking for a nutritionist, Jennifer Adler is mine.  And I have to say, so far, she's awesome!

I had a meeting with Mr Nutritionist today and I realised just how many changes I've made over the past month, even though I had my parents here.

• I cut out my morning muffins entirely. My breakfast is filling me up and I'm comfortable enough to walk to the cafeteria with my green tea as my colleagues buy their muffins. No temptation anymore
• I've cut out my unhealthy afternoon snack of chips or chocolate  - still having a snack but it's fruit or yoghurt (still not as much protein as Mr Nutritionist would like but it's progress)
• I'm cooking my own meals and not relying on Lean Cuisine and the cafeteria
• Today, I said no to pizza TWICE - once because it was pizza day at the cafeteria (I brought my own lunch) and once when one of my colleagues came by with a Pizza Nova pizza left over from a lunch meeting. YAY me.
• I'm listening to my body and not eating for the sake of it.

I'm really trying to step up my cardio this week as it's really slipped past me and so far, so good. I'm feeling a little asthmatic today (and freaked myself out a little by not having my puffer with me today) but I still managed 35 minutes on the elliptical after my nutrition thing. I was really proud of myself again today (wow, this back patting thing is fun!) when I saw the bus 100 metres down the road and I ran for it. I ran the whole way, made it to the bus and was only *slightly* puffed. Six months ago I would have shrugged and caught the next bus. Yay me.

And I booked my hike for Sunday. It's an all-day hike to Spencers Gorge & Webster Falls - we leave at 10am and get home at 5pm. I would have liked to have had a friend with me but since everyone else was either busy or not interested, I sucked it up and booked 1 spot for myself. I'm really quite excited for it. Hopefully the weather holds out!

I also have been following the advice of the nutritionist. Today was the first day of strict "eat at this time" schedule. So far it's totally do-able. I need to eat way more protein than I do. And that's been the tough part. They bought tutta bella pizza today at lunch and I had to pass because there was very little protein on the pizzas they got. It was heartbreaking but I had to stick to my guns otherwise a life change will never stick.

I also snapped a few pictures of Kink enjoying the nice weather.

Here she is in what I call, her happiness pose:

And here she is checking out her new "cabana." I bought it for her (and Jimbo but it seems as if she's taken it over) so she can sit in the shade and still be outside and not get too hot.

The unfortunate thing is, her rear end is a bit large and if she's in a hurry to get out of the cabana, it follows her.

I also signed up for the Knitting Olympics.  I've entered the Sock Put.  Meaning I'll have to make a pair of socks between the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony.   And they have to be a challenge.  I can't make a pair of bulky ribbed socks.  I haven't decided what pattern I want to do yet.  But I have decided that I'd like to get some sock yarn from an Etsy shop.  There's so many great shops to choose from that I just can't decide :)

Tara Parker-Pope recently posted one of those ever popular lists: The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating. As soon as HolfordWatch saw the title, we suspected that we were about to read a list from a nutritionist rather than a Registered Dietitian, and this was confirmed by:

• the poor quality evidence given in support of list items
• the inclusion of cinnamon for 'blood sugar and cholesterol control', and turmeric for its "anti-cancer properties".

We don't like to appear curmudgeonly and the list was mostly fruit and vegetables so perhaps this was only worth a "Tsk" before passing on to better-researched items.

But, the list was given the imprimatur of authority because it had been drawn from an article by Dr Jonny Bowden and itself drawn from one of his books. In a very short article, Parker-Pope gave Dr Jonny Bowden this form of address 3 times. However, it is unlikely that this would happen in the UK because Bowden has a PhD in Nutrition (pdf) from Clayton College of Natural Health^[2] - the self-same place that awarded a PhD to Gillian McKeith, the one that the ASA was going to recommend that she should not use in some contexts because it is misleading. McKeith pre-empted the ASA ruling by voluntarily agreeing not to use it to promote her products.

Dr Bowden has the same alma mater for his PhD as Gillian McKeith, and, eerily, he is a CNS Diplomate of the American College of Nutrition (searchable database is down at present) - the institution from which Gillian McKeith mistakenly claimed accreditation. Gillian McKeith actually has an accreditation from the same institute as that which lent its lustre to Hettie (formerly, the feline companion of Dr Ben Goldacre). Bowden's CV also lists a qualification that we hadn't heard of previously: National Institute of Nutrition Education at American Health Sciences University: Degree: Certified Nutritionist (C.N.) We tried to look up more information but the American Health Sciences University seems to be in abeyance - even on the Wayback archive.^[3] [See footnote for an update which reveals that this is not currently a degree but certification so it looks as if Bowden made an error when he listed it as such.]

15 times in the comments, Parker-Pope or Jonny Bowden respond to comments and refer to him as Dr Bowden. Comment 376, somebody asks if Bowden is a Registered Dietitian and Parker-Pope responds by quoting parts of his CV:

Dr. Bowden has a Master's Degree in psychology and counseling and a PhD in nutrition, and has earned six national certifications in personal training and exercise. He is board certified by the American College of Nutrition. He is adjunct faculty at Clayton College for Natural Health.

One of those "six national certifications" is in metabolic typing and it has some unusual certification outcomes from an academic viewpoint..^[4] In comments 405 and 443, commenters raised the issue of Clayton College of Natural Health (both link to Quackwatch on the CCNH) but Parker-Pope still hasn't addressed the issue although she has responded to other commenters. (Interestingly, in comment 501, she drops the Dr when she advises someone on where she might purchase Bowden's books.)

As far as HolfordWatch is concerned, people can promote lists of foods that they consider to be A Good Thing, Unduly Neglected, Ripe for Revival etc. to their heart's content. We only demur if said list is presented with the imprimatur and respectability of someone with the title of Dr, when, in the UK, that title is awarded on the basis of a qualification that does not cut the mustard with our own Advertising Standards Authority and has been deprecated by several sources.

HolfordWatch also has a difference of opinion concerning the implicit clinical claims made for the state of the evidence about turmeric and cinnamon.

This is all very disappointing. HolfordWatch expected better from a paper of record like the New York Times. To add insult to injury, Parker-Pope has not clarified Bowden's status for her readers despite commenters bringing it to her attention. Furthermore, she has gone on to post an item about a study that is so unexciting and lacking in novelty while also failing to make a substantial contribution to the scientific literature that it is difficult to understand why she is highlighting it: Lying About Your Vegetables. Regular readers might not be surprised to learn that this paper was published by Nutrition Journal: Effects of social approval bias on self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption: A randomized controlled trial.

This randomised control trial attempts to be both an observation study and an RCT: it is a very odd design. One would normally wonder what the reviewers were doing in letting this through but Nutrition is a pay-to-publish journal and although it styles itself as peer-review, it isn't in the usual meaning of that phrase.^[5] We find ourselves in some agreement with the criticisms of Nutrition and its peer-review policy in comment 78:

Some pay to publish journals are excellent but this is not one of them. [Nutrition] is also fast becoming the preferred publication venue for supplement companies...
This is an a faint echo of what is typically understood to be peer-review. Posting an online response to a paper means that it is not listed in PubMed - publishing a response that would be listed probably involves paying to publish your response (US$1900).

Readers expect better from a US paper of record. Not only that, but, as Goldacre highlighted recently, the NYT was the subject of the fascinating Phillips et al study: Importance of the lay press in the transmission of medical knowledge to the scientific community. Goldacre wrote:

Phillips et al showed, in a seminal paper from the New England Journal of Medicine in 1991, that if a study was covered by The New York Times, it was significantly more likely to be cited by other academic papers. Was coverage in the NYT just a surrogate marker for the importance of the research? History provided the researchers with a control: for 3 months, large parts of the NYT went on strike, and while the journalists did produce an “edition of record”, this was never published. They wrote stories about academic research, using the same criteria of importance as ever: the research they wrote about, in articles which never saw the light of day, saw no increase in citations.

People read newspapers. Despite everything we think we know, their contents seep in, we believe them to be true, and we act upon them.

So, whether somebody is seeking to increase their pundit brand equity or to raise the profile of an academic paper, it is significant if something is cited in the NYT.^[6] One thing is clear, with all due respect to the well-credentialled shade of the long-dead Hettie, the NYT needs to pay more care and attention to selecting its sources for nutrition information if it is going to claim more authority for them than "X thinks eating this list of fruit and vegetables is A Good Thing".

Update: In comment 636 RD Catherine Collins has commented on the value of a Mediterranean Diet and admonished the NYT.

It is rather sad the prestigious NYTimes should have to descend to the musings of self-styled nutritionists to support this weak article. I’m sure my American Registered Dietitian colleagues would concur with my opinions. Lets have more Michael Pollan, and less pseudoscientific nutrition. Your readers deserve better.

Although Parker-Pope has not yet put an addendum on her post that acknowledges the comments about Bowden's PhD and other qualifications, she has stopped referring to him as Dr Bowden in the comments. However, this is not good enough and it would be better if she were to update her post.
Update 2: TPP continue to disappoint. She refers to him as Dr Bowden when discussing his qualifications in comment 672 and doesn't elaborate on the PhD.
I would hope that the US Registered Dietitians and their associations will contact the NYT to express their displeasure about this item.
Update 3 July 3: Well, the embarrassment continues. We have added further information about the AHSU in footnote [3]. TPP continues to fail to answer reasonable questions about Bowden's PhD and is now affecting not to understand english in spots. TPP apparently doesn't understand the use of the word 'topic' and she is now concentrating on a defence of Bowden's certification by the American College of Nutrition. TPP is ignoring a perfectly clear set of questions in comment 700; and some pertinent observations in #733.
In perhaps one of the oddest comments that I've seen, TPP writes:

It doesn’t matter to me if somebody’s degree is from Harvard or a local community college. What I’m interested in is the science and evidence that backs their claims.

Which would be commendable if the evidence that she provided for cinnamon and turmeric were not so poor and unrepresentative of the state of the scientific literature on this point.

Notes

[1] Advertising equivalents are a frequent topic for discussion. Proving the value of public relations gives a good overview of the current state of this discussion: Advertising Value Equivalents Revisited.
[2] The PhD must be quite a recent acquisition because as recently as 2005, Jonny Bowden was listing MA CNS as his qualifications: see the cover of Living the Low Carb Life. HolfordWatch's first sighting is the cover of a CD in 2006. As for the PhD itself, the Clayton College of Natural Health states its accreditation as follows:

Clayton College is accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and the American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board . The International Iridology Practitioners Association accredits CCNH’s Iridology Certificate program. These private associations offer professional accreditation in the field of naturopathy and other areas of natural health. As such, they are designed to meet the needs of non-traditional education and are not recognized by the United States Department of Education...Clayton College is licensed by the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education. [Emphasis added.]

There is some cause for concern here. Some people are attempting to use the visibility and media status of people like Jonny Bowden to amend the Wiki entry about CCNH which currently quotes the QuackWatch view. It would be ironic if somebody were to gain pundit brand equity through non-standard qualifications and that pundit equity was then used to validate the 'respectability' of the course and give it standing in the mainstream.
The CCNH was formerly known as the American Holistic College of Nutrition: it was known by this name when Gillian McKeith acquired her PhD from this institution.
[3] This degree from National Institute of Nutrition Education at American Health Sciences University is also mentioned at Quackwatch. AHSU is discussed at Quackwatch.

American Health Science University offers a Certified Nutritionist (CN) credential to students who complete its six-course "distance learning program" and take an examination. Although accredited, it is closely aligned with the health-food industry and should not be regarded as trustworthy. Its president, James R. Johnston, does not appear to have a accredited doctoral degree.

The CNS from the American College of Nutrition requires "requires an advanced degree, professional experience, and a passing score on the CBNS certifying examination". The exam is described thus:

Examinees for certification as Certified Nutrition Specialists will be allowed four hours to complete the examination. The examination questions will be drawn from a bank of questions submitted by examination committee. The examination will consist of 200 questions, all in single-answer, multiple choice format, and will cover the broad spectrum of basic and applied nutritional science. Themes such as nutritional science, nutrition assessment, treatment outcomes, epidemiology, and integration of these areas are threaded throughout examination. An adjusted score of 65% is required to pass the examination.

However, it is remarkably unfortunate to have 'qualifications' from CCNH and ASHU on the same C.V. as it detracts from a more bona fide qualification such as the ACN board certification.
Update July 3: We managed to contact the AHSU. AHSU state that they offer a certification,
and not a degree so we have to assume that Bowden made a mistake when he listed it as a degree on his CV (pdf). ASHU states that this qualification is suitable for candidates with no science background, and can be completed in 2-3hrs/week over 15-20 months. They report that they've had candidates complete the course in eight months. The certifications costs about $3100 in course fees.
[4] You can read all about Bowden's Certificate in Advanced Metabolic Typing and Analysis. Successful certification allows:

access to the online questionnaire. This questionnaire is a thorough and accurate computerized test, based on over 25 years of clinical experience analyzed at Healthexcel, Inc. The Advanced Program identifies Metabolic Types (autonomic, oxidative, endocrine), proper diet plans, Candida Albicans Overgrowth propensity, and life-style considerations.

One of the outcomes from certification is "40% commission for supplement orders from your clients through Ultra Life". Oddly enough, the outcome of going through this online questionnaire is a programme of recommended supplements - ones that you can purchase from your nutritionist who is entitled to a 40% commission for any client orders placed through them. Depending on how many clients you persuade to purchase the designated supplements, the course price of $445 for the online version or $795 for the workshop version may represent good value and open up a good ROI.
[5] From Nutrition Journal's Peer Review Policies:

Each manuscript submitted to Nutrition Journal will be assigned to one or two external reviewers for peer-review, which is normally completed in 2 to 8 weeks. In deciding whether to accept or reject a manuscript, a reviewer asks him/herself whether the scientific community is better served by publishing or not publishing the manuscript. In the absence of compelling reasons to reject, Nutrition Journal advises that reviewers recommend acceptance, as ultimately the quality of an article will be judged by the scientific community after its publication. [Emphasis added.]

[6] It would be invaluable if somebody were able to design a study that assessed the impact of (say) the NYT's blogs. Would the impact be diminished because it is a blog rather than the paper? Do more people find the papers because they are actively linked from blogs (although, the NYT is notable for its policy of linking to papers that it discusses in health and science articles)?

I'll have a grande CBT lite DBT Gestalt-free psychotherapy with two shots of psychoanalysis and breve IPT.

This image came to mind have after dinner with a friend last night. She's been in therapy for several years, and has decided to switch to someone with "a little more of a CBT focus... who still integrates interpersonal therapy but spends less time talking about family." Hmm... good luck with that search, Rach.

The reality of it is, there are so many types of therapy out there. Just to give you an idea of how many:

• Art therapy
• Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical-behavior therapy (DBT)
• Exposure therapy
• Family therapy
• Gestalt therapy
• Group therapy
• Integrative psychotherapy
• Interpersonal therapy
• Hypno-therapy
• Marriage counseling
• Music therapy
• Narrative therapy
• Play therapy
• Psycho drama
• Psychoanalysis
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Psychoeducation

... and on and on and on. Granted, some of these are much more common than others, and you could probably lump a lot of them together, but you see my point -- what therapy is right for you?

No one therapy has been proven to be the best choice with eating disorders (especially anorexia), so your perception of recovery and ED etiology will be largely influenced by your first therapist. I think very few people have much information on all of the available types of treatment (not to mention the different kinds of therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, doctors, nutritionists, counselors, etc.). And even if they did... how do you know which therapy to try? And what exactly is the focus of therapy supposed to be? What is the interaction between you and your therapist supposed to be like? How are you supposed to feel when walking out of therapy?

There are so many beliefs in the psych field right now, that maybe you do need to customize your treatment like you would your Starbucks drink. And beyond that, maybe you'll need to just around between types of treatment... not necessarily because you chose wrong in the first place (although that's common), but because you have different needs at different times in your life and stages of your disorder.

Where this gets tricky, though, is with the concept of "bad therapy" -- and if you've read my other posts, you'll know that I believe that there