Posts by Dr. Al Sears
The Five Dumbest Myths About Drinking Water
“Water, water, everywhere / Nor any drop to drink.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge (“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”) Water is your body’s most essential nutrient. It accounts for 60% of your bodyweight and 75% of your muscle tissue. It is responsible for transporting nutrients to your cells and carrying away waste. Clean drinking water…
Read MoreBefore You Order That “Healthy” Fish Sandwich, Read This
“Health food makes me sick.” – Calvin Trillin Have you been ordering the fish or chicken at the drive-through — believing that you are eating less fat? Truth is, the chicken and fish sandwiches from McDonald’s both have more fat than the cheeseburger. But the amount of fat really isn’t the problem. Fast food can…
Read MoreThe Truth About Vitamins
“Adam and Eve ate the first vitamins, including the package.” – Author unknown Should you be taking Vitamin O? Are you sure you’re getting enough Vitamin U? What about Vitamin T? Before you ponder these questions for too long, let me tell you this: These vitamins do not exist. We define a true vitamin as…
Read MoreIf You Want to Reduce Body Fat, Stop Exercising Like a Hamster
“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.” – Pooh’s Little Instruction Book (inspired by A. A. Milne) Here’s a flash that will knock most “health gurus” right off their treadmills: Long-duration exercise is a waste of your time. When you exercise for long periods of time, you can’t build stamina. Your…
Read MoreDr Atkins: What He Got Right and What He Got Wrong
“All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening.” – Alexander Woollcott What did Dr. Robert Atkins say that was so different? He made two very contrarian claims: 1. Americans are fat not because they eat too much fat but because they eat too many carbohydrates. 2. The best…
Read MoreBurn Energy Like a 20-Year-Old Yet Live To Be 100
“Methuselah lived 900 years. / But who calls that livin’ / when no woman’s givin’ / to a man who lived 900 years?” – George Gershwin (Porgy in “Porgy and Bess”) There’s an 88-year-old patient in my practice who is very different from other elderly men. Despite drinking, smoking, and eating whatever he likes,…
Read MoreThe Great Cholesterol Con
“As for me, except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as young as I ever did.” – Robert Benchley There is no question that blood cholesterol is involved in the accumulation of plaque in the arteries. This narrows the arteries and restricts blood flow and can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Yet…
Read MoreWhen Is The Last Time You Had A Shot (In The Arm, That Is)?
Lately, many people who are concerned about the threat of bioterrorism have been asking me for my position on smallpox immunizations. I agree with the U.S. government here. The smallpox vaccine itself is relatively dangerous. And, for the general public, the risks outweigh the benefits. But there are diseases that pose a much larger threat…
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