I have been in the Wellness Industry for over 15 years. In that time span many trends have come and gone. Somehow; for only a minute Yoga got swept up into fad stage. As a result yoga was everywhere. It was: in the corporate boardroom, the health club, the spa, the hotel, on the cruise ship, in the home, on the video, and in your face. This was not necessarily a bad thing. A lot of good came from that era. And we must take the good and keep it and leave the bad behind.

You will still hear people say: “Oh, I tried yoga- it wasn’t for me.” Or- yeah my core abs class incorporates a few deep breathing exercises.” This is some of the leftover residue of that fad phase.

I recently had the great fortune of meeting and spending some time with the people at Yoga to the People. Yoga to the People (YTTP) is about the principle. What principle: Giving, loving and serving.

They have a suggested donation of $10 for a class. This “trend” is a good one. They now have second studio in Berkley, California. Where is the NYC one, you ask? If I tell you, there won’t be room for me. I’ll tell you anyway. It’s on St. Mark’s and it is worth the trip from anywhere. Here’s the link: www.yogatothepeople.com

The number of new cases of type 2 diabetes among middle-aged Americans has doubled over the past 30 years, researchers report.

“There has been tremendous concern, but probably not enough concern, about the emerging epidemic of diabetes,” said Dr. Robert Rizza, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic and president of the American Diabetes Association. “It doesn’t take long to be doubling before the numbers are simply too great to be even conceived of.”

“We’ve got to stop this, and, of course, it’s obesity which is driving it,” Rizza added. “This is a biologic weapon which has been unleashed on our population — its name is diabetes.”

Experts agree that the great increase in obesity over the same time frame appears to be responsible for the growing incidence of diabetes. An estimated two-thirds of adult Americans are now overweight or obese.

“These [diabetes numbers] warrant monitoring, especially if we continue to see increases in the trends of obesity,” said study lead author Dr. Caroline S. Fox, a medical officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study.

In type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin — the hormone that converts blood sugar to energy for cells — or the cells ignore the insulin. Left untreated, the disease can produce complications such as heart disease, blindness, nerve and kidney damage.

This trend must be reversed to avoid serious repercussions for the U.S. economy and health-care system, Rizza said.

. “Our health-care system and our nation’s economy cannot tolerate one in three people having diabetes.”

One expert thinks the only way to correct the problem is by making a total lifestyle change.

“This epidemic results, almost entirely, from obesity and sedentary behavior,” said Cathy Nonas, director of the obesity and diabetes program at North General Hospital, in New York City, and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

OUR WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM IS TACKLING THIS PROBLEM HEAD ON- FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS WE WILL HELP SOLVE THIS PROBLEM BY OFFERING FREE WEIGHT LOSS ASSESSMENTS IN OUR OFFICE OR BY PHONE

CALL 212-980-5444 OR LOG ON TO WWW.WELLNESSCENTEROFNY.TSFL.COM

Recently one of our patients approached me with the intent of losing weight. This person had above average health and wellness acumen. They were engaged in their health care. They exercised regularly, avoided medications and they had a great outlook on life. When they asked me about losing the “elusive” 15 pounds. My response was very clear. If we are going to do this then we will reach our goal ok! This was not a question, but a definitive statement. Some teams start their season to reach .500, some want to make the playoffs. We set out to win the championship every time! In order to play at that level, we need a great coach. From here on in when people want to know what I do. When they specifically ask how do you help people? I will share with them my commitment to the goal. I will be relentless in the pursuit of your health and well-being. Recently the LA Times had a story by Janet Cromley that detailed why having an advisor or counselor adds to longterm success. here is the link.

http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/health/la-he-weight17mar17,1,6329749.storyEvery great athlete has a coach. Even Tiger Woods has a coach. The reason why we are having such great success helping people to lose weight is the value of being coached.

We treat each with compassion, knowledge and professionalism. Using the Take Shape For Life Health program we offer long-term solutions to weight management challenges.Each Health Coach thrives on developing trusting relationships that last a lifetime.

The Take Shape For Life program works for so many people because of the clinically proven Medifast products, and also because of the guidance provided by our Health Coaches. Our goal is to help people optimize their health — leading to richer and more fulfilling lives.

Weight Loss Program

Take Shape for Life Success Stories

Different people define success in different ways. At Take Shape for Life, we believe that success occurs when you reach a goal that you have set for yourself.

Whether your goal is a healthier lifestyle, weight loss, financial freedom, or all of these, TSFL can help you strive to reach your goals and achieve success, making Optimal Health a reality.

Take Shape For Life brings to you clinically proven Medifast meal replacements combined with the caring, knowledgeable support of a personal Health Coach.

The opportunity for success on your weight loss and management program is great! Read these stories of people just like you who have used Medifast products through Take Shape For Life to make their health goals a reality.

	Mary Jane Medlock Lost over 152 lbs and has been able to go off ALL of her medications.Previous Medical Issues: Diagnosed with a fatty liver, among other serious weight-related ailments.
	Nancy Pettit Lost 135 lbs in 28 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 4 1/2 years.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, High Cholestrol Years of Yo-Yo Dieting. Now a size 6!”
	Dominic Tarinelli Lost 70 lbs in 18 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 36 months.Previous Medical Issues: My blood pressure was a little high, I had difficulty sleeping and once in a while had a little difficulty breathing “Once I lost the weight my blood pressure lowered to 110 over 70, I stopped snoring, my breathing is good and I have a lot of energy! Also, my golf game improved as well! My weight at age 47 is the same as it was when I graduated High School at age 18!”
	Josephine Shaw Lost 55 lbs in 13 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 5 years.Previous Medical Issues: Type 2 Diabetic. High Blood Pressure, High Cholestrol. Difficulty regulating blood sugar levels. “Completely off of all blood sugar, cholestrol and HRT medications.”
	Shannon Wollam Lost 63 pounds in 16 weeks - 75 pounds total, and has maintained her weight loss for 2 years.Previous Medical Issues: hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression and anxiety. “All of my medical issues are a thing of the past. I’m off all my medication and my doctor is still amazed! I love being back in my body and love being a health coach more than anything in my life, ever!”
	Dr. Joseph Pecoraro Lost 123 lbs in 32 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 19 months.Previous Medical Issues: blood pressure “Had a weight problem his entire life. The youngest of six children (all overweight), he began to see health problems among them.”
	Rhonda Huskey Lost 65 lbs in 20 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 8 months. “Has energy to run after her three kids. Her final goal is 120 lbs.”
	Ron Goelz Lost 78 lbs in 20 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 2 1/2 years.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, High Cholestrol “Feel GREAT - off Cholestrol High Bloodpressure and Triglycerides Medication - NO MEDICATION AT ALL”
	Denise Brown Lost 65 lbs and has maintained her weight loss for 3 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Cholesterol “Her father died at 38 from a heart attack. Deals with child fatality and sexual abuse. I’m running my first 5K on 9/23/07…it’s a fundraiser for victims of Domestic Violence… UPDATE: I ran a 5K on 9/23/07 and placed 4th in my age division…it’s good to be old! I did it in 32.14!”
	Raymond Velazquez Lost 100 lbs in 20 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 22 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure “Became a marathon runner. Started at 5 shakes a day, down to 1-2 shakes a day. ” I f you want to be a real life success story like these: email me at mailto:drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com  or  call 212-980-5444 or log onto www.wellnesscenterofny.tsfl.com
	Julie VanBelle Lost 143 lbs in 59 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 7 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, Plantar Fasciitis “Tried almost every diet and never lost cravings until Medifast.”
	Ted Hasse Lost 132 lbs in 43 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 4 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, Borderline Diabetes, Acid Reflux “He feels almost twenty years younger.”
	Mary Jane Medlock Lost 152 lbs in 25 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 7 years. Previous Medical Issues: acid reflux, Sleep Apnea that required a C-PAP machine, Borderline Diabetic, Bone spurs that required coition shots, BMI was over 50, couldn’t breath or walk due to weight, aches and pains all over, severely depressed which required Prozac, literally a prisoner in my own home “Yes, when I went on maintenance I actually lost more weight and continued to maintain by creating healthier habits. I didn’t think maintaining was possible, but it is. I have not been on any medications for 7 years and it feels great. Seven years ago I could not walk or breath and now I am a certified aerobics instructor and will be a certified nutritionist and personal trainer in 2008. In addition, I am a certified health coach with TSFL and this provides me with a career that I love and financial freedom.”
	Patricia Pangburn Lost 120 lbs in 59 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 6 months.Previous Medical Issues: Hypertension “Everyone in my small town saw my transformation”. One of my neighbors commented, “Now her body matches her pretty face!”

If you want to be a real life success story like the ones listed above:

email me at mailto:drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com  or  call 212-980-5444

or log onto www.wellnesscenterofny.tsfl.com

Obesity is an excess of body fat, and is one of the most common health problems in the United States. About one-fourth of all American adults are considered to be obese. Obesity is measured using a scale called a body mass index, or BMI. A BMI greater than 30 is classified as obese. Obesity doesn’t affect only adults. Approximately 4.7 million (about 11 percent) of American children aged 6 to 17 are obese, a percentage that has doubled since the 1960s. Obesity can shorten your life and put you at risk of developing a number of conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.

The good news is that even modest weight loss can improve or prevent complications associated with obesity. Weight loss is usually possible through dietary changes, increased physical activity and behavior modification. For people who don’t respond to these lifestyle changes, other more involved obesity treatments are available to enhance weight loss. These include prescription medications and weight-loss surgery.

Causes

Although there are genetic and hormonal influences on body weight, ultimately excess weight is a result of an imbalance of calories consumed versus calories burned through physical activity. If you consume more calories than you expend through exercise and daily activities, you gain weight. Your body stores calories that you don’t need for energy as fat.

The following factors — usually working in combination — can contribute to weight gain and obesity.

• Diet. Regular consumption of high-calorie foods, such as fast foods, or increasing their portion sizes contributes to weight gain. High-fat foods are dense in calories. Loading up on soft drinks, candy and desserts also promotes weight gain. Foods and beverages like these are high in sugar and calories. In general, eating away from home also increases calorie intake.
• Inactivity. Sedentary people are more likely to gain weight because they don’t burn calories through physical activities.
• Quitting smoking. Smokers tend to gain weight after quitting. This weight gain may be partially due to nicotine’s ability to raise the rate at which your body burns calories (metabolic rate). When smokers stop, they burn fewer calories. Smoking also affects taste; quitting smoking makes food taste and smell better. Former smokers often gain weight because they eat more after they quit. However, cigarette smoking is still considered a greater threat to your health than is extra weight.
• Pregnancy. During pregnancy a woman’s weight necessarily increases. Some women find this weight difficult to lose after the baby is born. This weight gain may contribute to the development of obesity in women.
• Certain medications. Corticosteroids and tricyclic antidepressants, in particular, can lead to weight gain. So can some high blood pressure and antipsychotic medications.
• Medical problems. Uncommonly, obesity can be traced to a medical cause, such as low thyroid function or excess production of hormones by the adrenal glands (Cushing’s syndrome). A low metabolic rate is unlikely to cause obesity. In addition, it’s unclear whether polycystic ovarian syndrome contributes to obesity. Some medical problems, such as arthritis, can lead to decreased activity, which may result in weight gain.

The Wellness Center of NY has an amazing weight loss program called Take Shape For Life.

www.wellnesscenterofny.tsfl.com

Calculate your Body Mass Index

Dr. Craig Fishel is a leading Wellness Expert. He can be reached at drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com.

February is National Heart Month, but what does that mean to you?

If it means eating excessive amounts of heart shaped chocolates, candle lit dinners, and romantic gifts…congratulations! But this February it can mean more by honoring your heart and your body with new health awareness.

Heart disease is currently the #1 killer of adults in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be if we live consciously and make informed decisions. According to the American Heart Association:Cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of 41.4 percent of the more than 2.3 million Americans who die each year. Cancer follows, killing 23 percent. All other causes of death account for 35.3 percent. www.americanheart.org

Cardiovascular Facts:

• Your system of blood vessels – arteries, veins and capillaries – is over 60,000 miles long. That’s long enough to go around the world more than twice!
• The adult heart pumps about 5 quarts of blood each minute – approximately 2,000 gallons of blood each day – throughout the body.
• Blood is about 78 percent water.
• Blood takes about 20 seconds to circulate throughout the entire vascular system.

In matters of cardiovascular function,We tend to focus on the physiological aspects of the heart. Heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides. They are all objective measures of cardiovascular function. Sometime missed in the equation are the emotional aspects.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors reported how a tragic or shocking event can stun the heart and produce classic heart attack-like symptoms, including chest pain, shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs.Unlike a heart attack, the condition is reversible. Patients often are hospitalized but typically recover within days after little more than bedrest and fluids, and suffer no permanent damage to their hearts.

For centuries, doctors have known that emotional shocks can trigger heart attacks and sudden deaths. Broken heart syndrome, technically known as stress cardiomyopathy, is a different phenomenon.

The Johns Hopkins doctors documented how a dayslong surge of adrenaline and other stress hormones can cause a decline in the heart’s pumping capacity. The researchers theorized that the hormones probably cause tiny heart blood vessels to contract, but other explanations are possible.

Until now, doctors “were trying to explain it away, but the pieces never quite fit,” said Dr. Hunter Champion, an assistant professor. “By our ability to recognize it, we’ve saved people from getting unnecessary (heart) procedures.”

Champion and colleagues treated 19 emergency room patients with the syndrome between 1999 and 2003. For reasons that are not entirely clear, nearly all of them were postmenopausal women.

Many were grieving over the death of a husband, parent or child. Other triggers included a surprise party, car accident, armed robbery, fierce argument, court appearance and fear of public speaking. MRIs and other tests showed they had not suffered heart attacks.

Other doctors have since told Champion that they have seen the same thing, and researchers in Japan and Minnesota have reported similar cases.

“This is probably something that happens all the time,” but most people do not seek treatment, Champion said.

According to Dr. Daniel Shindler, director of the echocardiography lab at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., “The researchers’ conclusions make sense, given the well-known link between the brain and heart, and offer the first explanation he has heard for the phenomenon.

Here is another study relating the brain and blood pressure:

March 16, 2007 — A special chiropractic adjustment can significantly lower high blood pressure, a placebo-controlled study suggests.

“This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination,” study leader George Bakris, MD, tells WebMD. “And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems,” adds Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center.

Eight weeks after undergoing the procedure, 25 patients with early-stage high blood pressure had significantly lower blood pressure than 25 similar patients who underwent a sham chiropractic adjustment. Because patients can’t feel the technique, they were unable to tell which group they were in. To see full study: Chiropractic Cuts Blood Pressure

To learn more about heart health and natural approaches to improving your cardiovascular function log onto www.thewellnesscenterofny.com.

Dr. Craig Fishel is a leading Wellness Expert. He can be reached at drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com.

You have seen the advertisements that say: “earn money by enrolling in a medical study.” Would you sign up or maybe even enroll your child in the tests? No parent in their right mind sign a child up to be in one of those tests. It would be difficult to do because the federal government does not allow it even if you wanted to. However once a medication has been used on adults and tested by the Pharmaceutical company that makes it eventually certain including OTC, receive FDA approval for use on children. The dosages are adjusted for children. Children are not just small adults.

While medications continue to show us that they have a great place in health care, they are too heavily relied upon and used way too early as a mode of treatment.

If the medication were free I still would not want it, would you? I mean you could fill up a bag with the entire aisle that says colds and cough medication and just walk out of the pharmacy. A lot of people would jump at that offer. However, according to the Associated Press, two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration warned parents that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines were too dangerous for children younger than 2.

Cough and cold medicines send about 7,000 children to hospital emergency rooms each year, the government said in its first national estimate. About two-thirds of the cases were children who took the medicines unsupervised. But about one-quarter involved cases in which parents gave the proper dosage and an allergic reaction or some other problem developed, the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Well then what should we take for: a cough, a cold, the flu, headaches, stomachaches, acid reflux, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, back aches, swollen glands, bone loss, and flatulation syndrome( I made that one up)? Sometimes nothing is the best thing, unless there is a crisis. It is 2008 and the best path to health is inside of the body, not outside of the body.
A medication may be necessary in a time of crisis. Only a patient and their doctor can help make that choice. The best doctor is the human body. The best way to keep the body healthy is to remove the interferences. Pick your area to work on. It may be the physical aspects of your health, fitness or posture. You may need to add exercise to your routine. It could be the emotional aspects of your health. Maybe some spiritual time or meditation. It can even be as simple as deep breaths. Chemically we could all stand to eat better, drink more water and remove the chemicals.

Six different prescription medications were found in actor Heath Ledger’s Manhattan apartment on Tuesday January 22^nd , 2008.This was the last day that he ever knew. Six different prescriptions!

In the coming days close friends and family members will make statements and memorialize his life. Some will give us insight to the tragic downfall that lead to his demise. Most will talk of what he was and all that he could have been.

Ledger starred in such films as: The Patriot, Monster’s Ball and most notably his Oscar nominated role in Brokeback Mountain. He was a skyrocketing superstar.

If the Six degrees of separation theory were to hold true here, then you and I were 5 people away from helping Mr. Ldeger. (Six Degrees of Separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person he or she knows and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people he or she knows, then everyone is an average of six “steps” away from each person on Earth.)

How could we have helped him? Well any lay person, let alone a Wellness Expert knows that chemicals such as those found in Leger’s apartment have deadly side effects. This has been well chronicled by the FDA, CDC and the AMA.

Death from Prescription drug use is spiraling upward: According to newstarget.com: “Poisoning from prescription drugs has risen to become the second-largest cause of unintentional deaths in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers found that deaths from prescription drugs rose from 4.4 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 7.1 per 100,000 in 2004.

This increase represents a jump from 11,000 people to almost 20,000 in the span of five years.

Among the 20,000 that died, more than 8,500 – double the number from 1999 — were from “other and unspecified drugs.”

Psychotherapeutic drugs, like antidepressants and sedatives, nearly doubled from 671 deaths to 1,300.

Age-wise, the biggest jump was among people aged 15 to 24, which the CDC report says relates to recreational prescription drug use and a jump in cocaine use.

However, all other age groups except the elderly over-75 group saw increases of more than 35 percent on a per 100,000 scale in prescription drug deaths – including a nearly 90 percent jump for the late Baby Boomer generation (ages 45 to 54) and a more than 90 percent for people aged 55 to 64. Mike Adams, a consumer health advocate and outspoken critic of pharmaceutical companies, said that the drug industry is freely killing Americans.

“The entire drug industry, including the monopolistic drug giants and their FDA co-conspirator, has clearly become the single greatest threat to the health and safety of the American people,” Adams said. “And yet the FDA continues to push more drugs onto more Americans than ever before, all while pretending these drugs are safe and effective when, in reality, they are neither. Today’s pharmaceutical industry is a massive fraud being perpetrated against the American people, propped up by illegal trade practices, monopolistic behavior and outright criminal behavior on the part of the FDA.”

One caveat of the report is that the data used did not allow suicides to be separated from other drug deaths, meaning there may be inherent errors because it was impossible to tell after death the intent or reason for a person’s death from prescription drugs.

“Some of these deaths might have been suicides, although not classified as such, and some deaths categorized as suicides or of undetermined intent might have been unintentional and therefore not analyzed in this study. The extent of this error is not known,” the report states.

However, statistics from the web site suicide.org state that in 2001, nearly 5,200 deaths came from self-poisoning, which includes not only abusing prescription drugs but also overdosing on over-the-counter drugs and ingesting lethal chemicals.

The CDC report can be read in full at this link.”

One group in the United States that has consistently helped to lead the public toward Natural Health, are the Chiropractors. Chiropractors are the most visited “alternative” health care providers in the U.S.A. A visit to the Chiropractor usually will consist of a thorough review of all medical history, with a focus on the Physical, Chemical and Emotional interferences that may affect the body.

In Mr. Ledger’s case any thorough Chiropractor would have looked at his history and would have narrowed in on his Chemical interferences. They would have called the prescribing Physician(s) and discussed the approach to slowly eliminate the Chemicals.

If only one person were to lead him to the right place. While he is gone hopefully his death can save lives. If you want to help save lives email me at drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com

Dr. Craig Fishel is a leading Wellness Expert. He can be reached at drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com.