by George Scheele, M.D. (NAPSA)—The more things change, the more they remain the same. Hippocrates said more than 2,000 years ago, “Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food.” The key to cutting health care costs and improving Americans’ overall wellbeing lies in our diets. Yet as government debates health care reform, it’s become clear that America’s eating habits have become the “elephant in the room.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Diet-Related Diseases Improved by Factor4 Weight Control and Power Amino Acids: Obesity High blood pressure High cholesterol High blood sugar Type 2 diabetes (Cardiovasculardisease Certain cancers Kidney disease three-quarters of health care Osteoarthritis ventable chronic diseases.” This includes diet-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers. Still, few people talk about the role our food and expanding waistlines play in diet-related health Gallstones spending now goes to treat “pre- care costs—an expense that tops $1 trillion, according to CDC estimates. Equally alarming, when Americans do try to lose weight, they tend to rely on quick-fix diets that leave them lighter in the wallet but usually heavier in the long run, with increased risks for metabolic disease that hobbles much of the population. Many of these diets involve caloric restriction and metabolic enhancers (caffeine or ephedra, for instance). Some also add diuretics to drain the body of water or laxatives and cleansing routines to drain the body of waste. But starvation diets are espe- cially harmful because they put the body into catabolic, destructive or harmful states. Diuretics can harm the kidneys, and laxatives and cleansing routines can deplete the beneficial bacteria that are essential to body growth and repair. Additionally, starvation diets lead to rebounds in body weight, often to levels higher than before. And @ According to some estimates, more than $1 trillion in health care spending goesto treat chronic diseases that could be prevented with lifestyle changesin diet. Factor4 Weight Control facilitates theselifestyle changes. some diet products are even tainted with illegal substances, prompting the FDA to pull more than 70 products off the market in just one monththis year. Simply put, despite short-term gains in weight loss, these strategies do not workfor the long run. The only sound solution to obe- sity lies in achieving significant long-term changes in lifestyle— and primarily in dietary habits— that balance aminoacids, proteins and metabolic pathways throughout the body at the expense of excess sugar, salt and fat. This approach also combats manyof the metabolic disorders that lead to accelerated aging. However, such diets should be followed for rest-of-life to provide the lifestyle changes that can rebalance body metabolism. Without lifestyle changes in eating habits, two-thirds of Americans will continue to suffer from addic- tive taste disorders that lead to increased intake of “processed foods” that contain an overabundance of “empty” calories. All the people who are addicted to these foods become overweight, and half become obese. But breaking that addiction could be made easier with help from innovative nutritional products. For instance, a new weightloss approach called Factor4 Weight Control is formulated with power amino acids that reset metabolic pathways, helping to burn fat and decrease cravings for the sugar, salt and fat in processed foods. Plus, it has the added bonus of helping to restore energy levels and health in organ systems such as heart, liver and kidneys. While revamping America’s approach to food may seem vexing, the human andfinancial cost of inaction is unsustainable in today’s health care crisis. Obesity and its associated underlying metabolic diseases can lead to diabetes; cardiovascular disease; high levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar; kidney damage; and arthritis. It’s also associated with increased risk of cancer, gallbladder disease, gallstones and premature aging seen in wrinkled skin, loss of hair and aging nails. Many of these metabolic disorders decrease productivity in the workforce as well as body health and life span but could be prevented if we simply stopped avoiding the “elephant in the room.” For more information, visit www.factor4health.com or call (888) 870-3438. Dr. Scheele participated in work that won two Nobel Prizes in Medicine. He’s also served as clini- cal and research professor on the medical faculties of The Rockefeller University, Yale University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Note to Editors: Here are some easy tips from Dr. Scheele for navigating the holiday season without gaining weight: (1) Have a Factor4 shake prior to get-togethers. Doing so helps satisfy food cravings, making it easier to limit your intake of unhealthy foods and alcohol. (2) If you drink alcohol, drink one of the shakes after returning home to prevent the harmful effects of alcohol on the body and to help prevent hangovers. (3) If you have trouble sleeping or wake up prematurely, drink a shake to relax the body and promote sound sleep. (4) Drink a shake before food shopping to help you avoid impulses to purchase tasty snacks loaded with empty calories.
