May 31st, 2008
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Dr. DeLuca received her Naturopathic Degree and B.S. in Nutrition from Bastyr University in Washington state. Her particular interests include research in the fields of nutrition, diet and nutrient therapies. She coaches Insulite Laboratories’ customers on their insulin-related conditions through the company’s comprehensive outreach program. At her practice in Kingston, Pennsylvania, Dr. DeLuca specializes in counseling as well as nutritional, botanical, orthomolecular and physical medicines.
“One of the goals of Naturopathic Medicine is to find the cause of illness. With the rise of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, along with their many complications, research is revealing one of the main causes to be Insulin Resistance. Although important, it is not enough to just treat the symptoms. You have to treat the cause, too. A balanced, nutritious diet plan and a program of regular exercise are proving to be crucial to help reverse these diseases and allow people to regain control of their health.
“I am very excited to be a part of a team that is making a difference in people’s lives by taking a lead role in preventing and reversing Insulin Resistance.”
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May 29th, 2008
By Fighting Back in Colorado
“Hey, look! The fat lady is trying to lose weight!”
This remark changed my life.
As I crunched along the gravel path that loops around the park near my downtown apartment I took in the scenery, couples picnicking on the lush grass, goofy Labradors bounding after sticks thrown by their owners, proud young parents pushing baby strollers. It was a perfect spring day! Until I rounded the first corner of the park: “Hey, look! The fat lady is trying to lose weight!” Jarred by the loud remark, I came to stop and spotted the source, about fifty feet away was a group of young boys carrying skateboards. Dozens of retorts raced through my mind.
“They’re just kids,” I finally told myself, and kept walking. Once my anger wore off, a flood of forgotten feelings came rushing back to me, the persistent taunts from schoolmates and the ongoing loneliness I felt as an overweight child. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. Once I hit puberty I ballooned to 275 pounds. At 5’4”, I was considered what I now know is morbidly obese.
During my adult years I managed to keep my weight just under 200 pounds, but only with extreme measures like diet pills, and weeks of nothing but protein shakes. I exercised regularly, though it was often difficult because of persistent fatigue. It was at this point in my life the cruel remark affected me so deeply.
Heading home, I vowed to learn more about obesity discrimination. What is being done to educate the public? What are the consequences of being obese in today’s society? I also vowed to become healthy, to stop focusing on society’s approval or disapproval of my weight and start focusing on my well-being.
During my research I uncovered shocking statistics. Studies in the International Journal of Obesity report that weight discrimination, especially against women, is increasing in U.S. society — and in some cases is even more prevalent than rates of discrimination based on gender and race. Reported discrimination based on weight has increased 66 percent in the past decade, up from about to 12 percent of U.S. adults. (About 17 percent of men and 9 percent of women reported race discrimination.)
Among severely obese people, about 28 percent of men and 45 percent of women said they have experienced discrimination because of their weight.
There are two types of weight discrimination: institutional and interpersonal. Institutional discrimination involves healthcare, education, and workplace situations. I personally experienced this when I was denied individual health insurance by a well-known provider because of my “height/weight variation.” The web site cswd.org reports that workers who are heavier than average are paid $1.25 less an hour. Over a 40-year career, they will earn up to $100,000 less before taxes than their thinner counterparts (Baum, 2004).
Interpersonal discrimination is what I experienced that day in the park.
“Weight discrimination is a very serious social problem that we need to pay attention to,” says Rebecca Puhl of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. Puhl believes weight discrimination will not decrease until attitudes change and laws begin addressing it.
No federal laws against weight discrimination exist. Michigan is currently the only state with an anti-size discrimination law on its books, though the Massachusetts Legislature held hearings last month on a proposed law. San Francisco joined Washington, D.C., and Santa Cruz, Cal., as the only cities with bans on weight discrimination.
Like so many suffering from obesity, I had an undiagnosed health condition.
I now know I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a metabolic disorder that affects women. PCOS causes weight gain and a myriad of other symptoms: unwanted facial hair, irregular periods, depression, and even infertility. I’ve learned to eat in a way that stabilizes my blood sugar (imbalances in insulin are the root cause of the disorder), take the right combination of vitamins and supplements, and have joined numerous online support groups for PCOS sufferers. I am now a healthy 145 pounds.
I urge anyone who is obese to diligently research common underlying causes: pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome/syndrome X, insulin resistance, hypothyroidism, and subclinical hypothyroidism.
There are many advocacy groups fighting to end weight discrimination like The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, and the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.
May 27th, 2008
PCOS is finally getting some coverage on “Oprah.”
It was mentioned today during a segment on hirsutism with Dr. Mehmet Oz.
At the moment, there are numerous posts on Oprah’s Message Board about PCOS. Many women are writing in, several of whom have suggested that Oprah should dedicate an entire show to the condition. Exactly!
Here’s the link: http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/21515?start=150&tstart=0
If you can, please post a comment. PCOS needs greater awareness!
Your Editor, Catherine
May 26th, 2008
By Amy Medling
from PCOSA Today, April 2008
Just before Christmas, my husband was out of town on business and my two young sons were exuberantly awaiting Santa. With so much left to do for the holiday, I couldn’t let a sore throat and sinus congestion keep me down. I needed a cure, but didn’t have time to go to the doctor, so I went online in search for a home remedy. I stumbled upon a fantastic website called earthclinic.com. It is a repository of anecdotal information regarding folk remedies and holistic cures.
I was amazed to find Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) combined with a spoonful of honey, a squeeze of lemon, and a dash of cayenne pepper, would ease my sore throat and sinuses (it worked!). But, I was more intrigued by the number of postings from people who use ACV to control their blood sugar. Like many of you with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), I am insulin resistant. I can’t tolerate Metformin, so I’m always looking for ways to control my blood sugar through diet, exercise and supplements like cinnamon and chromium.
Before I embarked on a new regimen, I wanted to see if there was any scientific data to support all of the positive ACV testimonials. I did discover that in ancient Greece, around 400 BC, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, prescribed apple cider vinegar mixed with honey for a variety of ills, including coughs and colds. (1)
With further investigation, I found that Professor Carol Johnston, PhD has been working on the subject of vinegar and diabetes with her research team from the Department of Nutrition at Arizona State University. Her studies have recently shown that drinking apple cider vinegar slows the rise of blood sugar after the consumption of a high-carbohydrate meal. (2)
In Dr Johnston’s initial study, 29 people had orange juice and a bagel for breakfast, which contained a total of 87 grams of carbohydrates. Two minutes before the meal, half of the subjects were given 20 grams (about 4 tsp) of apple cider vinegar mixed with 40 grams water and 1 tsp saccharine. The other half were given a placebo drink. A cross over trial was conducted a week later, at which time the placebo group received the vinegar. The participants’ blood sugar levels were measured before and after the breakfast. They were classified into 3 separate groups:
10 people with type 2 diabetes
11 people with insulin resistance
8 healthy control individuals
Although all three groups in the study had better blood readings after meals begun with vinegar “cocktails,” the people with insulin resistance experienced a 34% reduction in their blood sugar levels after the meal. Those with type 2 diabetes experienced blood sugar levels reduced by 19%. The researchers reported in the January 2004 issue of Diabetes Care that the vinegar had an effect on the volunteers’ blood sugar comparable to what might be expected from diabetic drugs, such as Metformin.
Based on these results and two other recent studies, (see references 3 & 4), Dr. Johnston thinks that the vinegar tonic interferes with the absorption of high-carbohydrate foods which reduces the blood sugar rise that normally occurs after a meal. She states in her findings that, “The acetic acid in vinegar may inhibit enzymes that digest starch so that carbohydrate molecules aren’t available for absorption and are eliminated as fecal matter.” She suspects that the acetic acid is the anti-diabetic ingredient in the vinegar.
The researchers suggest that you take 2 Tbsp of raw, unfiltered organic ACV in 8oz of water before every meal. Earthclinic.com also advises that you drink the vinegar “cocktail” through a straw and rinse your mouth with water afterward to protect your teeth enamel. I have to admit it was difficult to swallow the first few times but you get used to the taste.
I guess the end justifies the means as I have been perfectly healthy since December and remarkably, my carbohydrate and sugar cravings are gone. And as an added bonus, I have lost a bit of weight too. I believe Hippocrates was definitely onto something.
PCOSA Today is the newsletter of the PCOS Association www.pcossupport.org
To subscribe to PCOSA Today: http://www.pcosupport.org/newsletter/index.php
About the author
Amy Medling lives in Nashua, NH and is a stay-at-home wife and mother of two boys ages 4 and 6. She continues on her journey for relief from her PCOS through a low carb diet, exercise, and the use of herbs and dietary supplements such as those found in the Insulite PCOS System.
(1) Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits And Multiple Useswww.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/
(2) Johnston C, Kim C, Buller A: Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or diabetes. Diabetes Care 27:281-282, 2004
(3) White A, Johnston C: Vinegar Ingestion at Bedtime Moderates Waking Glucose Concentrations in Adults With Well-Controlled Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 30:2814-2815, 2007
(4) Johnston C: Strategies for Healthy Weight Loss: From Vitamin C to the Glycemic Response. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 24, No. 3, 158-165 (2005)
(5) Janet Raloff: Vinegar as a Sweet Solution. Science News, Vol. 166, No. 25/26, Dec. 18, 2004
