INSAF

Intentionally skipping or delaying meals, known as fasting, is an unusual practice for many people, but it’s gaining popularity as a way to prevent disease and maintain a healthy body weight. Proponents of intermittent fasting believe it’s better for your health to constrain your eating to just a portion of the day, allowing your body to go stretches of 12 hours or more without food. Intermittent fasting is not a diet, but a method of scheduling your meals to optimize how your body uses nutrients. This pattern of eating doesn’t change the total number of calories you consume each day, but alters the frequency with which you eat these calories.   Maxine Barish-Wreden, M.D. opens new window , a complementary and integrative medicine physician with the   Sutter Medical Foundation Opens new window , says doctors and researchers are realizing that our current eating patterns are contributing to the health epidemics of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. She says intermitte...

Posted on 11/19/2015  by  Healthy Living Blog  Just days before Halloween, foodies got bad news that was neither a trick nor a treat. The World Health Organization’s cancer agency, the   International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , classified eating red meat – beef, veal, pork, lamb – as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This new classification puts steak and pork chops in Group 2A, the   same group   as inorganic lead compounds and malaria. But, it gets worse. IARC’s   press release   also says processed meat is carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) and that one portion a day (one hot dog, or two slices of bacon) was linked to increased rates of colorectal cancer, as well as prostate and pancreatic cancer. “It’s pretty bad when a food lands in the same category as asbestos and tobacco in terms of its carcinogenic potential,” says   Kay Judge, M.D. opens new window , medical director for   Sutter Weight Management I...

Today, many people spend hours each day sitting in front of a computer screen. Once you get in the flow, you may not take a break for several hours. When you finally do turn away, your eyes may feel tired and perhaps your vision is a bit blurry. “Digital eye strain is increasingly common,” says   Marianne Ghatta, O.D.,   an optometrist with the   Palo Alto Medical Foundation.   “Many of my patients come in with eye strain and blurred vision, simply from staring at the computer for too long, too often.” Digital eye strain, sometimes called computer vision syndrome, can occur when you sit closely in front of a screen for two hours or more without taking a break. Symptoms can include eye strain or tiredness, blurred vision, headache, and neck or shoulder pain. Dry eyes cause most of the symptoms. Typically, we blink about 18 times a minute when we’re going about our day. Each blink releases a bit of moisture over our eyes. Our blink rate decreases when we’re s...

Believe it or not nature has supplied us with some very powerful tools for boosting our body's immune system.  One of the best ways to harness the healing potential of food is to grow it yourself, in your own garden. But, before you get discouraged, you do not need a green thumb to turn these six seeds into robust herbs and vegetables.  Important tip: To make the most out of their healing abilities, eat your produce whole, fresh, ripe and raw. 1. Garlic Packed with goodness:   This potent herb is anti-bacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal, and has been found to reduce inflammation too. Studies have also shown that garlic can reduce the risk of lung cancer, prostate cancer and osteoarthritis. According to preliminary findings, garlic may also lower cholesterol and blood pressure in people who suffer from hypertension. Use it to avoid the common cold . If you feel like you are getting sick, mince fresh garlic and let it sit for 15 minutes, then sw...

It's easy to eat your way to an alarmingly high cholesterol level. The reverse is true too — changing what you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the armada of fats floating through your bloodstream. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and "good fats" are all part of a heart-healthy diet. But some foods are particularly good at helping bring down cholesterol. How? Some cholesterol-lowering foods deliver a good dose of soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation. Others provide polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. And those with plant sterols and stanols keep the body from absorbing cholesterol. Here are 5 of those foods: Oats.   An easy way to start lowering cholesterol is to choose oatmeal or an oat-based cold cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or som...

Complementary medicine   is used together with mainstream medical care. An example, according to the National Institutes of Health, is using   acupuncture   to help with side effects of cancer treatment. When health care providers and facilities offer both types of care, it is called integrative medicine. Complementary medicine is growing in the U.S. Americans   spend about $34 billion annually   on treatments such as acupuncture and herbal supplements, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. But do they work? Study results are mixed, but a few are standing up to the scrutiny. For example,   a 2012 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine   concluded that acupuncture is an effective treatment for chronic pain. While the scientific community debates efficacy and sorts out the evidence, some physicians are incorporating acupuncture, naturopathic healing, herbs, homeopathy   and i...