Weight Loss Suggestion That Works, Readily Available, and Free

Presenting at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, scientists identified an effective appetite control agent that is 100% safe, 100% healthy, dirt cheap and requires no prescription – WATER!  In this randomized, controlled intervention trial (the gold standard for proving cause and effect ), study subjects who drank 16 oz of water before each of their three daily meals lost significantly more weight. Compared to the control study subjects who were put on the same low calorie diet without drinking the pre-meal appetizer of water, the water drinkers lost almost 5 pounds more weight over the 12 week study period! Scientists speculate that zero-calorie water’s ability to “fill” the stomach may decrease what we subsequently consume.  Past studies have also shown that drinking water can provide a transient boost in metabolic rate.  Whatever the mechanism – I am sold and currently working on building this simple habit into my daily eating regimen.

Want To Lose Weight? Check Your Testosterone Level!

This blog was excerpted from an article by Dr. Julius Goepp in Life Extension, October 2010.

Low testosterone promotes abdominal obesity in aging men. As men age, many men become trapped in a vicious cycle that leads to life-threatening abdominal obesity. No matter how much men exercise or how little they eat, these men are unable to shed this excess weight that accumulates in their belly. It has been demonstrated that low testosterone and obesity reinforced each other, trapping men in a spiral of weight gain and hormonal imbalance. In spite of this widespread threat to men’s health, most physicians do not test for testosterone levels in their obese male patients. If they did, millions of men could be protective against the scourge of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, erectile dysfunction and cancer. If you haven’t to be one of these plagued  men, please have your testosterone blood levels measure and share the results with your doctor. Experts now recommend testosterone testing for most men of middle-aged men and beyond.   There is compelling evidence for the role of testosterone therapy as a means of promoting weight loss.

Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers-A book about treatment of prostate cancer

Ralph Blum, a cultural anthropologist with prostate cancer, and Dr. Mark Scholz, an oncologist who specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer chronicle the various treatment options for prostate cancer in the book Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers (Other Press).  Mr. Blum looks at the disease from the standpoint of patient who is confronted with the decision of how to treat this common male cancer that affects nearly 200,000 men each year.  Many men receive a radical prostatectomy which surgically removes the prostate gland and leaves the man at risk for erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence or leaking of urine requiring the use of diaper.

The authors advise those who are confronted with making a decision regarding the treatment of prostate cancer to slop up and take a deep breath and get the facts about all the treatment options including watchful waiting which means treating prostate cancer as a chronic condition and obtaining an examination and a PSA blood test every 4-6 months to monitor the cancer.  I recommend this book as a good resource for those men who have the disease and want to make a good decision with the help of their doctor of the best treatment for their prostate cancer.