Three Simple Ideas

by Lana Carson, Nationally Certified Personal Trainer, Omni Fitness Club

As the New Year draws closer, people start to think about recommitting themselves to losing weight - again.

This year, before you even begin to think about starting a new diet or joining a health club let me suggest three simple ideas that will last all year.

- Commit yourself to the true definition of "diet." The word "diet" is Greek and literally means "manner of living." This refers to your overall eating patterns, not what you do for a day, a few weeks, or a couple of months. It does not include restricted calories, it does not exclude nature's food, and it does not include sipping meal replacement concoctions through a straw! Eat, eat well, and no more short term diet traps!

- Move your body every day. This does not mean work out every day. In fact, if you are not a regular exerciser right now, you will not become one January 1. The very first step to becoming more active and burning calories is just to move your body more throughout the day.

For example, walk to your mailbox instead of pulling up to it in the car. Stand and walk around while you talk on the telephone instead of sitting. Don't wait for the closest parking space at the grocery store, park a little farther and take a walk. These are simple ideas and they will make a difference. The more you move, the more calories you expend. Once you begin to feel the benefits of moving your body, increase your activity and slowly progress to a more formal exercise program.

- Throw out your scale! This is a big one, I know. What does a scale really tell us? The answer is nothing. Weight can (and will) fluctuate from morning to night, before and after a meal or a workout, day to day, and throughout the month (especially in women). The scale tells us nothing of any importance! If you're overweight you know it. The scale doesn't have to confirm what you already know.

A better alternative to the scale is to keep a pair of pants that fits you right now and try them on each month. Notice I said, "month," not day, not week. If they start feeling loose around the waist, hips or thighs, you're losing weight.

The most important piece of advice: take it one small step at a time. Unfortunately, people have a tendency to change too much too soon, only to burn out. A lifetime of habits cannot be changed all at once. Be patient, be realistic and be happy. If at any time you feel deprived, burned out or frustrated, acknowledge it is an indicator that you are attempting too much at once.

This year, instead of resolutions, start your New Year by making simple changes in your habits relating to food and movement. This will do more for your long term goals than any "miracle diet" or "revolutionary exercise program" that is geared toward short term compliance. If you would like help getting started, please call us at the Omni. We're here to make 2008 the start to the rest of your life!

If you would like help designing a fitness program that's just right for you, call MarySue or Lana at the Omni Fitness Club at (231) 739-3391.

Xylitol, a "Good" Sugar?

by Monica J. Lakatos, D.D.S., Northshore Dental Associates

I know it sounds like an oxymoron for a dentist to say the words "good" and "sugar" in the same sentence.

Xylitol, also called wood sugar, can be made from the cell walls of most land plants. Xylan, the naturally occurring substance that yields xylitol when refined, is found most commonly in straw, corncobs, oat hulls, cottonseed hulls and wood. Xylitol is a common food sweetener. Unlike most sugars which have six carbon atoms, this naturally sweet substance has only five. What makes this sugar different from others is that it cannot be processed by Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria that causes tooth decay.

Using xylitol products, like gum and mints, can actually help to lower tooth decay. Tooth decay requires three factors to occur - a tooth, bacteria (S. mutans) and sugar. Take any one of these out of the equation and you will not have decay. Since S. mutans cannot metabolize xylitol, you can have your cake and eat it too! (As long as it is sweetened with xylitol and not sucrose!) Some studies demonstrate that continual use of xylitol products and total avoidance of sucrose can actually "starve out" S. mutans, thus making your teeth immune to decay! Granted, this is a harsh approach, since it is almost impossible to avoid sucrose (the "bad" sugar - white refined sugar) totally, but it can be done.

When buying gums and mints, choose those with xylitol listed as the first ingredient. They will have the highest amounts. You need to have anywhere from four to 15 grams of xylitol daily, with effectiveness at reducing decay at six to 12 mg. xylitol. One piece of gum or one mint equals one mg. of xylitol. Xylitol can also be purchased in bulk form just like sugar and can be used the same way one would use sugar. There is also some evidence that using xylitol products after "regular" sugar products can have a cancelling out effect of the decay producing acids.

Xylitol does not have any undesirable side effects except for diarrhea at high doses. This is the same with any other sugar, such as fructose (fruit sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). Foods with xylitol appearing naturally in them are raspberries, plums, and cauliflower.

Chewing gum and using mints can also have an effect on stimulating saliva. This is especially important in the mature population who may have dry mouths due to medications and decreased salivary flow. It is also advantageous to use on those people who have exposed tooth roots due to recession or periodontal disease. Tooth roots do not have the protective enamel coating them making them very susceptible to decay. Couple exposed roots with decreased salivary flow and you have a recipe for tooth decay in a person who may not have had decay for years. Xylitol mints and gums are perfect to use to stimulate salivary flow without adding sucrose (the "bad' sugar).

For young and old alike, and those of us somewhere in between, xylitol can be an effective adjunct in the prevention of decay.

Monica J. Lakatos, D.D.S., at Northshore Dental Associates, 1179 Whitehall Road in North Muskegon, can be reached at (231) 744-6100.

Holiday Health

by Eric Johnson, Manager, Health Hutt

As winter's dropping temperatures arrive, are you falling short on energy this holiday season?

No problem with Alpha Lipoic Acid. It partners with many B vitamins in your diet and helps unlock energy from proteins, fats and carbohydrates. This was discovered from many studies of those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. It was found that this same combination affects the immune system and feeling good in a very positive way.

Alpha Lipoic Acid has been suggested to help in physical endurance and memory enhancement. It has been known to protect billions of neurotransmitters that are traveling around the brain and also throughout the body. The true benefit in the end is that there have been reports of Alpha Lipoic Acid supplementation helping to slow aging, support vision, and promote clear, vibrant skin.

It has been found that Resveratrol, another antioxidant, may be able to help protect you this season against the flu and lessen the panic over the need to get a flu shot. In this study, researchers saw that Resveratrol "strongly inhibited" the replication of the flu virus in cell cultures, even if Resveratrol was taken within a short period of time after the virus was ingested.

Also, Resveratrol may have the ability to help healthy cells in the body to live longer. Researchers found that Resveratrol increased the activity of a certain protein that repairs our DNA and therefore increases the longevity of each individual cell. When this happens the cells are healthier and continue to divide, they live longer and become stronger and this helps to reduce aging of the body.

A review of Resveratrol found that it helps to inhibit cancer prevention through a number of mechanisms:

- Blocking the activity of an enzyme that promotes inflammation in the body.

- Increasing the activity of an anti-tumor protein.

- Stopping dysfunctional cells at a certain stage in their life cycle before they become cancer cells.

Resveratrol has exhibited a number of different ways to help prevent cancer and that should justify an intake of Resveratrol for a healthier you.

Grapes contain the largest amount of Resveratrol, with one liter of red wine containing 1.5-3 mg of this powerful antioxidant. It is very easy to take it in supplement form, thus getting an adequate supply into the body. Even so, the fruit of the vine may very well promote healthy anti-aging.

Stop in today for a healthy tomorrow at one of the three locations of the Health Hutt!

To ask about natural remedies or other vitamin supplements phone the Health Hutt closest to you. In Muskegon call (231) 739-1568. Be sure to watch "Forever Young" Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 3:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Comcast Cable 97.

No Such Thing as "Normal Hearing"

from Hearing Wellness Center

There is no such thing as "normal hearing." Surprised? Well don't be!

There is a huge difference between the hearing abilities of a newborn and a teenager. The hearing abilities of a adult also vary from 40, 50 and 60 years of age and onwards. Like so many things throughout life, our hearing changes, but the changes usually happen so slowly that we don't even notice them.

It's only when our hearing starts to affect the way we communicate that we begin to wonder what's happening. Hearing aids can make a positive and immediate difference in your life. If a person has waited a long time before getting hearing aids, certain sounds might seem rather loud - even unidentifiable! This is because the brain forgets what it was like to be able to hear those sounds, and it has to remember them all over again!

Hearing loss affects people in different ways. Some people, even with a severe condition, may still be able to comprehend complex speech sounds, provided that they are loud enough to hear. Others may have so much damage to their inner ear that even when speech is loud enough it is difficult to understand the entire message.

Audiologists are educated to have a deep understanding of the unique qualities of the various types of loss. They can alter the way the hearing aid processes sound to provide the right level of amplification in crucial areas.

Advanced digital hearing aids are extremely flexible - they respond with supreme accuracy to the particular hearing loss listening situation. Constantly analyzing the incoming sound, they only provide as much stimulation as the ears can handle. They also ensure that the sound quality remains clear, comfortable and harmonious.

Today's advanced instruments can actually work wonders, matching your hearing loss, the unique anatomy of your ear and the way you live your life. They come in all shapes and sizes - from small, discreet in-the-ear models to colorful behind-the-ear styles.

If you've been told by your loved ones that your not hearing as well as you used to, give your family the gift of communication for the holidays. Make an appointment today.

Margaret M. "Peg" Sass-Simon, M.A., CCA-A, is a clinical/educational audiologist with Hearing Wellness Center, 6653 Grand Haven Road, Spring Lake. In Muskegon, call (231) 798-2323.

Laser Technology Helps Find Hidden Tooth Decay

from the Offices of James R. Donley, DDS

Leaders in the field of decay research agree that conventional methods of decay discovering are inadequate and outdated for modern dentistry.

With the fluoridation of water and improved oral hygiene, the nature of decay has changed. Harder and more resistant enamel can conceal aggressive decay below the surface.

Conventional probing with the usual instruments is only 24% accurate for early decay detection. Some of this decay is so well hidden that it is not able to be seen or diagnosed with X-rays. Thus, some patients have ended up in severe pain before this hidden decay could be found. Now the patient might need a root canal and crown to save this tooth instead of the small filling that would have been needed if it had been found at an early stage.

Today, we have an instrument called the DIAGNOdent which can determine if decay has started. This is one of the newer technologies that is available. It scans your teeth with a harmless laser light that searches for hidden decay. It is particularly helpful in finding decay in molar teeth which have many pits and fissures. The instruments that have been available to dentists cannot fit into these small crevices and they are so deep that a visual exam cannot show if there is decay. Therefore, decay has often gone undetected until it caused a problem.

If you would like more information or would like to make an appointment, call the office and Dana will be glad to help you.

Dr. Donley and staff can be reached at (231) 744-6661. Their offices are at 166 N. Causeway in North Muskegon.