Published in the Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR, March 20th, 2013

Prevention is Best - Say No to Diabesity! (diabetes & obesity)

By Lisa Rohde

More and more cases of obesity and diabetes are popping up.  It’s a global problem affecting over a billion people wold wide. Obesity affects 1 in 3 people and it is largely preventable.

Alarmingly diabetes has increased over 100% in 18 states between 1995 and 2010 and over 50% in 42 states.  Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, though you can be lean and be diabetic too. Once thought of as an adult disease, today 43% of newly diagnosed childhood diabetes is type 2.  Type 2 diabetes is preventable with proper nutrition and physical activity.   To avoid diabetes in yourself and particulary in your children, look at the food you consume.  The number one missing food in our American diet is greens.  A diet comprised of fruits, vegetables and whole grains (including brown and wild rice, quinoa, and millet), coupled with regular exercise will help to ensure your healthy lasting life.  Most of us would also benefit too from eating less meat.

Diabetes is brought on by a diet high in refined foods and sugars which gradually cause the bodies ability to manage blood sugar levels to decline.  By eating too many refined foods and sugar our blood sugar spikes.  The body sees the high levels of sugar as an emergency and the pancreas works hard to creates the insulin that manages the excess blood sugar.

The problem is with so much insulin, blood sugar levels drop to abnormally low levels depriving cells of needed fuel and energy.  Thus the person roller coasters from high blood sugar, hyperglycemia, to low blood sugar, hypoglycemia.  The body is hungry again for more fuel, and this sets the stage for the pre-diabetes that affects most Americans today.  

Eventually the stress on the pancreas causes it to break down and no longer produce insulin.  Then the person becomes diabetes type 1, or insulin dependent and requires daily insulin injections.

Further, the system just described is part of the hormonal system.  As all body systems are interconnected, the breakdown of the body’s ability to manage blood sugar may lead to a breakdown of other systems including the thyroid, adrenal gland, and the sexual reproductive system.

The good news for many is: the cure is simple.  Eat more greens, eat more whole foods, keep meals simple, and omit sugar.  Drink water first thing in the morning and inbetween meals.  Get daily exercise and fresh air.

Published in The Valley Times, June 4, 2013
Sunshine and skin care essential for Health By Lisa Rohde
For the VT

Did you know that, like the sun, you too emit light? A growing body of scientific evidence is reveals that all living organisms emit light to a certain degree. Sunshine, in moderation, is essential for our health, yet with summer around the corner comes lots of sun and the need for skin care. Sunlight, is largely responsible for metabolic activities and also contributes to growth. Specifically our bodies are designed to digest food with the power of the sun. When the sun goes down so to does our digestion slow down. Therfore it is important to not eat late at night, after dark, or within a couple hours of bed. You want your food to be digested before you go to sleep, or else it may linger in your belly the entire night leading to a host of future health problems.

When exposed to sunlight, oils on our skin are manufactured into natural, active vitamin D3, the best, most usable kind of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the bodies immune system work and is largely responsible for the absorption of calcium. Calcium coupled with collagen, both found in dark leafy greens, create strong and flexible bones. Calcium makes bones strong, and collagen makes bones flexible. Vitamin D is known to inhibit many diseases including rickets, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, thyroidites, and inflammatory bowel disease, to name a few.

Currently, synthetic Vitamin D3 and D2 are availble for supplementation. Vitamin D3, also known as “cholecalciferol” is water-soluble and not very replicable in terms of synthetic forms of vitamin D. It is synthesized from irradiated wool sources . Vitamin D2 also known as “ergocalciferol” is fungus and yeast derived and far less absorbable than V-D3. The human body does not make V-D2, and V-D2 is not clinically recognized as a suitable replacement for vitamin D, yet most synthetic V-D available on the shelf is D2. Vitamin D2 is a good option for vegans. However, once human skin cells manufacture vitamin D3, it takes up to 48 hours for the human body to absorb V-D3. The problem is most people would have showered sooner than 48 hours limiting the amount of natural V-D3 oil that is actually absorbed through the skin and utilized in the body.

Other sources of natural vitamin D include fish, in particular salmon, tuna and flounder, pork, eggs, some mushrooms, beef liver, and ricotta cheese. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended in general; especially in the winter months, or if you work an indoor job.

Furthermore, despite warnings to avoid the sun without sunscreen on ones skin, cases of cancer and melanomas continue to rise. Sunscreen chemicals are designed to block the UVB radiation exposure from the sun which prevents sunburns. Thus, believing they are protected, people tend to stay in the sun longer. Sunscreens generally block only UVB or UVA and not always both, and many sunblocks do not protect against UVA radiation exposure. UVA radiation travels deeper into the skin causing more hidden damage.

Increasingly more sunscreen chemicals are combined to block the sun, meanwhile these chemicals not only block the sun, they are also absorbed through your skin and travel throughout your body. Sunscreen chemicals are found in our organs, our brains, and in the embryos of our unborn children. Sunscreen chemicals are also devastating to the worlds oceans. Sunscreen washes off directly in the ocean, or travels from your shower, through streams and rivers, and into the oceans. Waste water treatment plants do not remove sunscreen chemicals and so these chemicals have been accumulating in our oceans for some time. Sunscreen chemicals have the ability to kill coral within 96 hours of contact and the ability to kill plankton; the very base of the oceans food chain.
As for our skin, new studies, if confirmed, are revealing while sun exposure may lead to melanoma, sun exposure may also protect against progressing and fatal melanoma. So the bottom line is we need the sun. Sunlight rules our digestion, and skin exposure to sun benefits our health. However too much sun can be damaging, so the right amount is best. Ideally you want sun exposure on your skin in the morning or late afternoon. Avoid the sun during mid day when the sun is the highest in the sky. Cover up and wear a hat during peak sun hours. Shea butter has natural sunscreen properties, though, should not replace sunscreen during the peak of the day. If you cannot escape peak sun hours, it is best to find a UVB/UVA sunblock.

Lisa Rohde Holistic Health Coach CHC, AADP, is an expert in the field of preventative medicine with a professional certificate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Rohde offers individual counseling, workshops and group classes. Connect with Rogue Living Well on Facebook and to learn more visit www.RogueLivingWell.com.