Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Pitcher of Health-Dr Murad

So the last 12+ months have been spent learning more about wellness, supplements & food.

FUNCTIONAL medicine!

As a very special treat, last month I spent 4 days in California at University for Inclusive Health. As an esthetician, the concept of aging is of great interest for me personally and many of those I am involved with thru business.

Looking at the health at the cellular level for optimal energy and health was at the core of the 4 day training event. This unique university has been the brain child of Dr Murad (whom I worked for in 2000, under full disclosure) to give back to the industry in a way of education and elevating the knowledge of health practitioners, estheticians and schools. (Dr Murad is a sweetheart of a guy, is one of the best in the business and continually has supported estheticians since the beginning of his medical practice)

The program I participated in was a wealth of knowledge on the things we can control and manage in our daily lives- diet, our response to issues that come up, mindfulness with thoughts & movement. This is the unique principle which surrounds Dr Murad's view on water at the cellular level.

We have been told to drink enough water ...is it 8 glasses per day? is it a gallon per day? is it half your body weight in oz? you see where I am going, there is a lot of different schools of thought! Water is what keeps all of our systems working together in concert including all of the chemical reactions that happen in this factory of ours!

Dr Murad, supports eating your water. Choosing nutrient dense foods with high water content is his concept of the "Pitcher of Health". The Pitcher of Health is a road map to rejuvenation both internally and externally.

Its about choosing wisely most of the time, not that I can never have the chocolate I love.... (No he didn't look at me me when he said that but I wonder does he know this is what I consider a diet STAPLE?)

But in a cheat sheet here is what he recommends following daily:

Veggies: 5+ per day, serving size is between 1/2 c- 1 c
Fruits: 3+ per day 1 med apple is a serving size
Veggies and Fruit should be the main part of the daily intake, raw whenever possible
Whole Grains: 4-8 per day (1/2c whole grain cereal, 1/2 whole grain English muffin,  1/3 c brown rice are examples of serving sizes)
Protein : 4-6 servings per day 1/2 c beans, peas, lentils 1c fortified milk, 3 oz skinless poultry, 1 med egg, 1 oz low fat cheese, 3 oz fish (notice red meat that is high in saturated fats have been omitted)
Fats 3-4 per day, servings are 1 tsp olive oil, canola oil, Nuts: 6 almonds, 4 walnuts, 1 TBSP sesame, sunflower seeds

Notice that packaged foods, processed foods are not mentioned.

Next up is adding to our foods high quality supplements. I can relate since last year I have been consuming the right supplements and Chinese herbs to assist me in my journey of healing. Clearly we can not get it from the quality of the foods unless you are truly living farm to table. And the micro nutrients can be affected in the farming process, length of time food is sitting on the shelf etc.

His recommendations for anti oxidants to look for in supplements include:

High Quality Multi Vitamin
Antioxidant Formula
High Potency B Complex
Essential Fatty Acids (ever read the book Change your Brain, Change your Body? Dr Daniel Amen?)
Lecithin
Glucosamine
Calcium Magnesium with Vit. D

Murad Firm and Tone Supplements are a terrific way to get everything you need in packets, take one per day in the am and pm. Love it. It is a scientifically based complex encourages firmer skin by 78% in * weeks. The supplements provide your body with the tools (nutrients) to build healthier cells. http://www.murad.com/cellulite-products.jsp Quite impressive indeed. In  my opinion, the cellulite Firm & Tone serum and Vitamin C cream featured here are the very best on the market and trust me I have tried them all! I swear by the serum, to be used all over the body for an amazing tightening effect. (stomach, breast, arms etc! My only request would be a larger size!)

Many other doctors are practicing a form of Functional Medicine: Dr Mark Hyman, Dr Frank Lipman, Dr Daniel Amen. (functional medicine addresses the underlying cause of disease and used a systems-oriented approach & engaging the patient and the practitioner in a therapeutic partnership).

According to the Institute for Functional Medicine, you can locate their website here:
http://www.functionalmedicine.org/ most chronic disease is preventable and much of it can be reversed if a comprehensive approach is taken on addressing diet, nutrition, stress, exercise and psycho spiritual needs based on emerging research. This message is of great interest to me knowing that our country has such a high rate of people dealing with issues surrounding chronic pain, inflammatory type illnesses, diabetes, RA, etc. If we can intervene early on we have better options with our long term health & vitality.

The biggest challenge in growing older is making the best choices daily about what we put in our mouth, moving our body,  & keeping our internal dialogue positive.  But much of these daily choices are started in a younger time within our lives when mortality seems so far off. We all have a responsibility to share this knowledge with our younger generation. It's about educating them to chose wisely each day making good habits for the long haul, avoiding processed foods, sugars that appear to be in everything.

Cheers to your Health and a very Happy New Year.