Kids Watching TV Can Lead to Obesity
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Children's Hospital Boston found that kids who spend more time watching television also eat more of the calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods advertised on television. Previous studies had demonstrated that children who watch more television are more likely to be overweight, but this is the first time a research team has found evidence for a mechanism explaining that relationship. The study results appear in the April 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent medicine.

"We've known for a long time that television viewing is a risk factor for overweight, though the common perception is that this is due to the fact that it's a sedentary use of time," said Jean Wiecha, the study's lead author and a senior research scientist at HSPH. "This study provides evidence that television is effective in getting kids to eat the foods that are advertised, and this drives up their total calorie intake."

The results of the study showed that each hour of increased television viewing over baseline was associated with a total energy increase of 167 calories -- just about the amount of calories in a soda or a handful of snack food, said Wiecha. Each additional hour of television viewing was also independently associated with increased consumption of foods commonly advertised on television, and these foods were shown to be responsible for much of the calorie increase. Viewing time seemed to have the strongest connection to additional consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Twice as many children and almost three times as many teens are overweight today compared to their counterparts growing up 20 years ago. Overweight young people are more likely to become overweight or obese adults who are at risk for diseases like diabetes and heart disease. The results of this study bolster a longstanding recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit children to less than two hours of television each day to both lessen sedentary time and reduce exposure to content associated with negative consequences.

Do you have a child or teen who wants to lose weight? If so, consider limiting their TV time to less than two hours per day and offer them healthy snacks - especially during TV time. Visit with our Weight Loss Expert to find healthy ideas and snacks

Is Your Stomach Out of Shape?
With weight loss in mind, there is probably one topic that you haven't considered... the size of your stomach. The stomach is much like a muscle, and like any muscle it can be stretched and will remain stretched until we stop stretching it. The capacity of a normal adult's stomach is about 4 cups by volume, but many have stretched their stomach to two or even three times it's normal size. This can happen by eating overeating on a regular basis and in our society super sized fast food meals and all-you-can-eat buffets are only making the problem worse.

When your stomach becomes stretched as a result of overeating it will remain stretched for a period of time. After eating a huge meal before bed, some wonder why they wake up feeling hungry. It's because the stomach has become stretched and now feels empty. If you are one who has stretched your stomach to two or even three times it's normal size, you now have to eat two or three times a normal amount of food in order to feel full and satisfied.

Have you stretched your stomach? Can you eat more than 4 cups of food and still have room for more? If so, the chances are that your stomach is in a stretched condition.

The good news is this... as soon as you stop stretching your stomach it will quickly begin to return to its normal size. Can you imagine eating a normal portion of food and feeling so full that the thought of just one more bite would seem painful to you? Helping your stomach to return to its normal size is the very foundation of a permanent solution to a weight related challenge but you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on risky surgery to do it. Fountain of Health has on-going programs that can help you get there in no time at all!

If you would like complete information regarding our programs and learn how to help your stomach return to its normal size - we have a Weight Loss Expert that can be of service to you. Talking with her will be an educational experience beyond words and offers a complete overview of our programs.

If you are ready to make a fresh start and to declare victory once and for all, dial 916-456-4600 right now! You will be surprised, pleased and inspired.

How Do Kids Stay Slim?
A study of 5,500 children who agreed to wear a motion sensor device showed that those who exercised more were less likely to be obese and that short bursts of intense activity seemed to be the most helpful.

Children who did 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise, equivalent to a brisk walk, were 50 percent less likely than inactive children to be obese; the research was reported in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine in March, 2007.

Andy Ness of the University of Bristol and colleagues wrote - "Our data suggest that higher intensity physical activity may be more important than total activity,"

Chris Riddoch of Britain's Bath University, who worked on the study commented - "This study provides some of the first robust evidence on the link between physical activity and obesity in children. We know that diet is important, but what this research tells us is that we mustn't forget about activity. It's been really surprising to us how even small amounts of exercise appear to have dramatic results."

The less the children exercised, the more likely they were to be obese, the study found. These associations suggest even a modest increase of 15 minutes moderate and vigorous physical activity might result in an important reduction in the prevalence of overweight and obesity," the researchers wrote.

Small changes made now can make a big difference in the lives of your children - teach them healthy habits that can last a lifetime. A quick game of catch, a short bike ride or shooting a few hoops everyday is all it takes. A little more activity and some healthy snacks can make all the difference in the world.

If you have a child or teenager who wants to lose weight, we encourage you to consider treating them to a visit with our Weight Loss Specialist. This a wonderful program of whole foods, water and walking can get them started in the right direction.

Vitamin D Can Reduce Risk of Cancer
A recent study by researchers at the University of California found that solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation can significantly reduce the risk of 16 different types of cancer by naturally stimulating the production of vitamin D in the skin. The study's authors are Cedric F. Garland, Dr.P.H., from the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and William B. Grant, Ph.D., director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC).

"Enhancing vitamin D status appears to be the single most important simple thing people can do to reduce their risk of cancer, apart from avoiding tobacco and moderation in the intake of alcohol," say Cedric Garland and William Grant.

It has been frequently reported that those who work outdoors have a reduced risk of developing melanoma [Garland et al., 1990; Kennedy et al., 2004]. The reasons appear to be twofold:

They develop a tan that blocks the penetration of ultraviolet radiation so it can't produce the free radicals that can lead to melanoma.

They produce lots of vitamin D.

The researchers recommend that people get their vitamin D from exposure to natural sunlight. Fair-skinned people who live in sunny regions of the country can produce about 1,500 IU of vitamin D in 20 minutes of exposure at noon if only 10 to 20 percent of their body is exposed -- such as chest, back and arms. People should try to expose more of their skin surface for a shorter amount of time, rather than stay in the sun longer with minimal skin exposure, the study says. Darker-skinned people may need up to four times as long to make the same amount of vitamin D as fair-skinned people.

The study recommends wearing hats to avoid prolonged sun exposure on more sensitive parts of the body, such as the face, and to keep moving when in the sun. Garland and Grant caution fair-skinned people to avoid over-exposure, since the skin produces sufficient vitamin D in just 20 minutes a day.

Sunshine is one of the principles of health. A new and gathering body of evidence seems to indicate that the benefits of sun light, in general, greatly outweigh the risks. So grab a bag of your favorite food, take a walk in the park, and make a little sunshine a part of each and every day.

DO YOU KNOW...the difference between margarine and butter?

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

DO YOU KNOW...the difference between margarine and butter? Read on to the end as this gets very interesting!

- Both have the same amount of calories.
- Butter is slightly higher in saturated fat at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
- Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
- Eating butter increases the absorption of many other good nutrients in other foods that need fat to be absorbed.
- Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!
- Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.
- Butter has been around for centuries and is natural where margarine is man made and has been around for less than 100 years.


And now, for Margarine..
- Very high in trans fatty acids.
- Triples risk of coronary heart disease.
- Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)
- Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.
- Lowers quality of breast milk.
- Decreases immune response.
- Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.... THAT IS VERY INTERESTING and SCARY!
Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC..

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:
Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:
- Flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

- It does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

CLEANSE With Us To, Lose Weight, Feel Better and Have More Energy
by Melissa Echman

If you’re one of the countless individuals with a tradition of making a new year’s resolution to lose weight with an attached tradition of failing to following that resolution, then read on!

It’s almost midnight on New Year’s Eve and you’re lounging on the couch about to watch the ball drop in Times Square. In one hand you hold a plate of holiday confectionaries fit for a king; the other hand nestles a high calorie sparkling drink. 10, 9, 8… As the countdown begins you feel a curious dread setting in when your eyes fall on your plate of treats. 7, 6, 5… Your heart races as you realize it will soon be the new year and those treats will become the forbidden enemy to your new weight loss resolutions. 4, 3, 2… Determined to use your last second of the year wisely, you leap from your chair and rush to the freezer where you finish off a pint Ben and Jerry’s while the distant tune of “Auld Lang Syne” rings out from the next room.

You have just experienced the “last supper” or the classic binge session that occurs every time we begin a strict weight loss regime. We stuff ourselves to bursting with every food we know we won’t be able to eat on our new diet, then expect to wake up the next morning magically healed from the desire to eat those foods. And then we are shocked when every diet fails us!

Diets always fail!
That is the harsh truth that billions of well meaning, weight loss seeking people have discovered. It’s very deceiving because you will probably lose weight on your new year’s diet, and you may even keep it off for a while, maybe even for a year or more, but the body can’t survive on the strict eating plans that fad diets trumpet as the cure for weight loss. Sooner or later something is going to give and you’ll find yourself going on frequent dates with Ben and Jerry (oh, they are pleasant to be with!) and only wearing pants with elastic waist bands (oh, they are pleasant to be in!).

Lose weight for good this year! Ban Fad Diets!
The answer to your weight loss quest can’t be found in popular star diets online, on the shelves of a bookstore, or by recommendation of your Aunt Beatrice (who still swears by the cabbage soup diet). This is because all of these diets are restrictive and only meant to be followed until you lose the weight. Then you’re left on your own to figure out proper eating, which inevitably leads you to gain back the weight. You’ve probably heard it said that diet is a 4 letter word, and it’s true! Every fad weight loss diet contains food restrictions and may only allow you to eat from certain food groups (think Atkins… anyone want a steak?) These restrictions upset body chemistry and cause you to feel deprived, which can make even the sanest person crazy. So although you lost weight by drinking only lemon water with maple syrup, your body has become depleted in nutrients, and when you are “done” with your diet you will gain back what you lost in response to your body’s natural demand to replenish what you so selfishly took away through dieting.


Get weight loss that lasts through cleansing.
Indeed, fad diets don’t work. They stress out the body and leave you nutritionally depleted, which leads to continual food cravings and the eventual gaining back of the lost weight. The only thing that truly works for sustained weight loss is to make the dreaded “lifestyle change” that true health plans promote. And how does one begin that change? By getting rid of the old and starting anew with the new year cleanse. I’m not talking the master cleanse or any other crazy non-eating, starve-you-thin cleanses you may have heard about Hollywood’s biggest stars doing. No, I’m referring to a whole food, EATING cleanse that will clean out all impurities, reduce cravings, and provide your body with the valuable nutrients it needs to achieve a healthier sustainable weight.


The Standard Process Cleanse is a 3 week process. Each day you will drink 3 shakes made from a nutrient-rich, energy-providing powdered supplement and eat meals consisting of healthy proteins, fats and carbs. You will also take supplements to help detox the cells and prepare them to begin functioning properly. These supplements are what sets this cleanse apart from the master cleanse, the liver flush or any other popular cleanse on the market. Although other cleanses help remove toxins from cells, they don’t have any form of supplementation to help get the toxins out of the body. Without the support of nutrients to help remove these toxins, the body can re-absorb the offending poisons and leave you back where you were before you even started cleansing.

The Standard Process Cleanse is leaps and bounds ahead of any other cleanse because of the quality of the products and the 2 phase system it employs. Phase 1 of the cleanse occurs as your body is detoxing and your cells are dumping impurities into the blood stream. Imagine every cell of your body as a little house and every little house undergoing an intense spring cleaning. During phase 1 your cells clean out anything that shouldn’t be there, shake out the dusty rugs, wipe out the ashy chimney, then bag up all the garbage and put it out on the street, or into your blood stream. Phase 2 occurs when you take the supplements that allow your body to remove these metaphorical trash bags from your blood stream and out of the body so the trash isn’t taken back in the house and doesn’t up on someone else’s lawn (or re-locate in other cells!)

With the cells cleaned up, the body fully nourished through healthy eating, and the use of a gentle exercise program, you will come out of this cleanse feeling wonderful, weighing less -- and free from your traditional new year’s weight loss resolution! Join us at the Fountain of Health on January 22nd at 7 P.M. for this free information night about the Standard Process Cleanse. Discover how wonderful you can feel this year by starting it off right with a lifestyle changing cleanse!

Heart Rate Varibility (HRV)


Whether it is determined that Nutritional Response Testing and/or medical intervention is appropriate for optimizing your health at any given time, Heart Rate Variability analysis is an invaluable tool to assess your health, determine the effectiveness of your lifestyle, fitness program and health care program, and monitor your progress.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Analysis is a non-invasive, computerized method to assess the Autonomic nervous system and general state of health. This information provides an accurate profile of your general state of health, fitness, wellness and ability to adapt and recover.
Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is that part which operates without your conscious effort, such as regulation of breathing, heartbeat, digestion, etc. It is divided into two areas: Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and Parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS).

The SNS controls the "fight or flight" response of the body, and responds to stressful or emergency situations by increasing adrenaline, blood pressure, heart rate and blood flow to the muscles. At the same time, it will slow digestion, blood flow to the skin and immune function.

The PSNS is the "rest and digest" response, the restful or energy conserving division, and is most active under ordinary, restful conditions. It has the opposite effects of the SNS to counterbalance your entire system, and restores the body to a resting state following a stressful experience. During this period, the body is best able to heal and restore its energy and well being.

Why This Is Critical to Your Health
In response to both external experiences and internal thoughts and beliefs, you experience a continuous interplay between these two forces, which are necessary to balance each other. However, when the response ability of either or both of these are not functioning properly, continued stress on the system has been shown to result in progressively failing health, increased rates of aging and risk of disease.

This SNS/PSNS interplay was created to allow the human body the ability to respond effectively to an immediate threat that required a burst of energy, and then have adequate recovery time until the next wild animal jumped into our path.

In our current lifestyle of unrelenting stress of trying to balance home, family, work, traffic, crime rates, world crises, finances, eating on the run, etc., we have little recovery time. Add poor nutrition, a polluted environment, and 8 hours on a computer, and you have a recipe for disaster.

These subtle and not-so-subtle stressors increase blood sugar, blood pressure, skin disorders, and heart disease, and lower your natural immunity, leaving you susceptible to inflammation, infection and chronic disease.

The Good News
We have more control over our health and autonomic nervous system than you might think. Studies show that the non-invasive practice of meditation decreased symptoms of psoriasis 80% in six weeks. The effects of diabetes and heart disease can be reversed with appropriate nutrition and activity.

Nutritional Response Testing (NRT)

Was designed through decades of clinical use from a wide variety of health care practitioners. NRT evaluates your health concerns to develop an effective, personalized program for your optimum health.
In medicine, a medical doctor makes a diagnosis and then uses drugs or surgery to attack or suppress the symptom, or to surgically remove the “offending” organ or part.

NRT approaches do not diagnose disease or offer "cures," but rather use “Customized Clinical Nutrition” to assist the body in regaining its optimum ability to correct itself.

These systems can be compared to opening a combination lock, where you must use the right numbers in the right sequence and in the right direction for the lock to easily fall open.
By following the correct sequence, you don’t “shot-gun” your approach to diet or supplements. NRT analysis allows us to determine the correct food supplements for you – formulated to give your body the best possible chance of getting well and staying that way.

A complete analysis is done on each client on each subsequent visit, thereby revealing the next layers of dysfunction to address and correct. In this way, each client gets a completely individualized program, in the correct sequence for his or her body.

OPTIMAL HEALTH PROGRAM
Through an analysis of your body’s responses, we help you to determine the exact nutrients you need to supplement your diet, in order to bring about balance and better health.
Decades of clinical experience show that the correct nutritional supplements, in combination with a highly personalized schedule, is the most important first step in correcting the underlying imbalance that activated the reflex in the first place. By following a program specifically designed for your needs, you are well on your way to restoring normal function and improving your health.

CUSTOMIZED CLINICAL NUTRITION
Customized Clinical Nutrition uses specific nutrients that enable the body to repair itself and grow healthfully. The program does not use ‘over-the-counter’ vitamins, many of which contain more fillers than nutrients, which the body does not recognize as beneficial.

The supplements used at FOH have been formulated to match the needs of the body, as determined by the positive response shown when tested against active reflexes. These will reflect which nutrients you are either not getting, or not assimilating, in your current diet.
These deficiencies may be due to your past personal eating habits and routines, but to a great large extent, it is due to the lack of quality in the foods available in grocery stores or restaurants today.

Customized Clinical Nutrition takes the guesswork out of "diets" and "food plans" by providing guidelines that are specific to you - to reach and maintain your optimum weight and health.
Many people we see in our practice have eaten themselves into their current state of ill-health, to one degree or another. The deficiencies and imbalances lead to a breakdown in resistance, or immunity, and a loss of the ability to cope with added environmental stress (chemical, microscopic, or otherwise).

The good news is that it is possible to reverse the process!

Restore Your Health
What could be more natural? What could be more accurate? Each cell, tissue, and organ in your body is in the process of replacing itself every day, month, and year. The health of each organ is dependent on making the correct nutrients available to upgrade or to maintain the health of the body at a cellular level.

Customized Clinical Nutrition provides the right basic materials.
You can now find out when and what to use to bring about the desired result.
You need the potential of restoring your health and staying healthy. But in the end you are the one responsible for your own condition.

If our analysis indicates that you are not a candidate for a nutritional program, then in all probability, while a nutritional program may give you some benefit, it may not give you the maximum results you desire.

But if our analysis confirms that you are candidate for a clinical nutrition program, then, in our experience, nothing else will ever come close to what you can possibly achieve using the Customized Clinical Nutrition of the Optimal Health Program.

Once we accept your case, you can count on us to do everything in our power to help you achieve your health objectives, and to help you achieve a healthier, happier life.

We wish you the very best in your quest to take back full responsibility for your health. Just remember to do it one step at a time, and that we are here to guide you through your journey.
May you never be the same.

The use of traditional medicine follows Eastern Cultures.
by Diane Casas
Skin & Body Director

I recently read an article about a newborn infant whose health was quickly deteriorating. After the baby's third day of life, her kidneys completely stopped functioning. Doctors lost hope and notified the parents that their daughter would not live. The parents asked permission to bring in one of their relatives (a massage therapist) to do an infant massage. Their daughter is now eight years old and doing very well. Western culture and medical centers are slowly seeing the benefits of massage and the power of touch.

With the high cost of health insurance and the number of individuals without it, more people are turning to massage and bodywork for their healthcare needs. The Eastern traditions of diet, lifestyle, holistic treatments, and massage can be a fairly inexpensive way to help people alleviate and manage their health concerns.

At Fountain of Health, I've added a new treatment to our menu called the herbal compress massage. Herbal compress massage has been used for many centuries in Thailand as a medical treatment. It incorporates a compress filled with a blend of herbs including eucalyptus, ginger, cloves, rosemary and allspice. A stress relieving and deeply relaxing body treatment, the herbs soften and nourish the skin by exfoliating, while soothing the underlying connective tissue to relieve stiff muscles, improve circulation, stimulate nerves and energize internal organs.

After the herbal massage treatment we have clients sit in our herbal sauna for approximately 10-15 minutes at no extra cost. The sauna plays an important part of traditional Thai medicine. Saunas promote general health, relaxation, cleansing of the skin, and detoxification by encouraging release through the sweat pores. Herbal saunas are used in treatment of respiratory diseases and infections, circulatory problems, skin disease, eye problems, sore muscles, colds, headaches and stress, among other ailments. Regular use of herbal saunas is considered to promote longevity.