TAMPA BAY NEW TIMES an alternative, holistic magazine exploring Body, Mind and Spirit.

November/December 1998 Articles on the theme "Family & Friends" A Family Role Model by Ethel Gillette An account of how Bill Cosby in his Cosby Show provided a much needed and inspiring example of real family values. We're All Related by Bob Gonzalez Expanding one's view of family and friends to include the realization that we are all one spirit. A Soulful Season by Edwina Holloway Some suggestions for making the holiday season more truly meaningful. The Magic of our Differences by Rev. Pat Cross Friends and family - the ultimate gifts of God's creation. Our human differences and our essential oneness. Extend Your Family by Cydné Battreall If your current family does not meet your needs, extend it! How to go about it. The Family of Friends by Sylvia Jackson What it takes to be a friend and to have a friend. True friendship in adversity. Beyond Family and Friends by ISA The true solution to the need for family and friends. The Power of Our Thoughts by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis How we can use our thoughts to protect ourselves and those we love. Other Feature Articles Natural Health Q&A by David Simon M.Ac. A practical discussion of the why's and how's of weight loss. 2000 and Beyond! Y2K = TEOTWAWKI? by David Findlay Mineral Kingdom by Judy Power Featured stones for November and December: Lapis and Amethyst. What is . . . Olestra? by Susan Moyers A fat-free "fat" that may not be such a good idea after all.

Natural Health Q & A David Simon M.Ac. Question I feel quite healthy and am rarely ever sick although I am significantly overweight, (about 50 pounds). How important is it for me to lose this extra weight? What kind of diet do you recommend, and would acupuncture be useful? Answer There are many different aspects of weight loss that are important to consider. Some people gain weight easily primarily because of their genetic and biochemical make up. For others there may be psychological and emotional components that are at the root of the problem. And others may have secondary biochemical and metabolic disturbances, caused by food allergies or chemical sensitivities, that are the main culprits affecting their weight problem. The three questions that you have raised are very common and important questions so I will focus on these. Here are a few mind-boggling statistics, according to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, that illustrate how profoundly clinical obesity can impact our health: · 300,000 deaths a year in the United States can be linked to obesity. · $70 billion a year is spent by the U.S. health care system to treat obesity and related medical conditions. · Americans spend over $33 billion a year on weight-loss products and services. Obviously, the consequences of obesity on our health and well-being are tremendous. The likelihood of suffering from cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain -- all of these and more -- is greatly increased as obesity escalates. This is no small problem either. According to a recent Harris Poll, 76% of adults over the age of 25 were heavier than recommended for their height and body frame. More conservative estimates are that 36% of American women and 33% of American men are significantly overweight: this is an increase of over 65% in the past 20 years!! This brings me to the second point: what is the best diet to lose our extra pounds? As anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows, there is a vast number of dietary programs and weight loss supplements on the market today. There are weight loss programs that focus upon regulating serotonin levels, regulating insulin and glucagon, eliminating fats and emphasizing carbohydrates, eliminating carbohydrates and emphasizing proteins, emotional empowerment and personal growth , etceteras. This variety of dietary approaches makes it extremely difficult to know where and how to begin. For this reason it is important to work with a health care practitioner that is familiarized with a number of different approaches and who can guide you to the program that is the most appropriate for you. That having been said, here is a brief description of my top four "universal" suggestions for losing weight: 1. Minimize high fat foods Americans have become increasingly aware of the fattening effects of eating large quantities of high-fat foods, and there are a wide variety of low-fat alternatives available in the supermarkets. Despite this encouraging fact, the quantity (and quality) of the fat in most restaurant food and fast food items is staggering. Here are a few examples: a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 30 grams of total fat and 13 grams of saturated fat; a Pizza Hut Supreme Personal Pan Pizza has a similar amount of fat and more than half of its 710 calories comes from fat; a typical deli tuna fish sandwich -- thanks to all that tasty mayonnaise -- contains as much as 63 grams of fat and 975 calories! You may be conscious of the amount of fats that you are consuming at home, but if you are not aware of all the "hidden" fats that you are consuming when you go out, your waist line will likely expand as your arteries narrow. 2. Avoid rapid insulin-inducing foods. The faster a food or beverage causes your blood sugar levels to rise, the faster your body must secrete insulin in order to lower your blood sugar levels. The scale that depicts how quickly eating a certain food will result in an elevation of blood sugar levels is called the glycemic index of foods. The higher the glycemic index number of a specific food the more quickly it will cause a rise in blood sugar: these are important foods to limit!! The four categories of foods that are highest on the glycemic index are: (a) "puffy" foods such as puffed wheat, breakfast cereals and rice cakes (our old health food friend!); (b) white bread and whole wheat bread; (c) starchy vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips, carrots and corn; and (c) bananas. 3. Avoid "empty calories": i.e., sugar, aspartame and saccharine. The numbers speak for themselves. The yearly consumption of sugar for the average American adult is now up to a record 180 pounds! The average teenager consumes nearly 100 additional pounds of sugar annually to top out at 275 lbs. of sugar! The average American chugs down over 50 gallons of soda per year, (compare that to the average of 8.5 gallons of fruit juice and tea!). And don't think that you are doing yourself any favors by drinking diet beverages. It is very well documented that synthetic sugar substitutes do not have any beneficial affect upon weight control, and may possibly be contributing to weight gain by altering immune function and suppressing metabolic rate. 4. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Finally, to answer your third question about the use of acupuncture for weight loss. There are two basic approaches to weight loss using acupuncture, the first is a "cook book" approach and the second is a "constitutional" or "root" approach. In the cook book approach there are standard points that are used to help regulate appetite, reduce food cravings, "calm the spirit", etcetera. The "root" approach is less standardized and involves identifying the pattern of symptoms that are associated with the person's weight problem. This pattern, or "Zang-Fu" diagnosis, signifies the primary imbalances that must be corrected to facilitate the optimal function of the energetic networks in the body. Thus, acupuncture, in combination with a good nutritional program, is a very useful adjunct to any weight loss program. When the energy networks of the body are harmoniously integrated, and the psychological and emotional obstructions are resolved, and any food allergy or toxic material is eliminated, then it is a rather simple and straightforward matter to eat a balanced diet and lose those extra pounds! (I hope this does not sound too discouraging!). Remember, if you can follow the four cardinal rules above you will be way ahead of the game! Healthy eating! David Simon M.Ac. of ReNew Life Clinic in Tampa, FL, (813) 871-3200, and the Global Holistic Medical Center in Clearwater FL, (727) 669-3911, combines acupuncture, nutrition, and lifestyle counseling in a holistic approach to wellness. He is also now teaching Iyengar style yoga classes at Countryside Health & Wellness on Wednesday evenings, (813) 797-7265. Home Page