wednesday, july 21, 2010 The VancouVer courier EW19

Healthwise special advertising feature

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AFTER

by Helen Peterson

You hear the word ‘metabolism’ mentioned a lot these days. There are metabolic disorders, inherited or acquired, that require medical treatment, but ‘fat burning rate’ is what comes to mind most often when you think about the body’s metabolism.

“How does she stay so slim?” you’ll hear. “Oh, she’s got a good metabo-

lism,” is the reply. The ability to burn fat is likely inherited through your par-ents’ genes, but is also an outcome of your metabolic rate.

Take two people of approximately equal weight, frame, height and same gender. Each consumes the same amount of calories and types of food, and expends the same energy in exer-cise or sedentary behaviour.

One person is slim or of medium size, and the other is overweight, per-

haps obese. The fallacy of fuel in and energy out resulting in the identical outcome is balderdash. We all know people with ridiculously high metabo-lisms, who simply don’t gain weight no matter what type of lifestyle behaviour they practise.

We also tend to blame aging for our slower burn. “Weight doesn’t come off as easily now I’m in my 40’s. Must be my metabolism slowing down.” Appar-ently this is only party true, but it does

make a great excuse.(An important thing to note is -

don’t assume that metabolism is solely responsible for unusual weight gain or sluggishness. An underactive thyroid (especially for women) can be the cul-prit. A simple blood test at your doctor’s lab can rule this in or out as a cause.)

The question is: what can we learn from the variances in regard to our metabolism? Plenty.

(cont. next page)

Your MetabolisM: Fast or slow burning?

julY 2010

v is i t the vancouver cour ier onl ine at

www.vancourier.com

EW20 The VancouVer courier wednesday, july 21, 2010

healthwise

Our thanks to you for being a loyal customerGet Fit, Get Rewarded

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Scan your Flexipass or 10 visit pass at any of our Vancouver Park Board fitness centres, pools and rinks and be entered to win great prizes! The more you visit our facilities, the more chances you have to win.

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Metabolism is affected by body composition—the amount of muscle you have compared to the amount of fat, according to an article written by Sandra Friedman for heretohelp.bc.ca.

“Muscle uses more energy to main-tain itself than fat so people who are more muscular and have a lower per-centage of body fat are said to have a higher metabolism than those who are less muscular, even though they might be the same height and weight.”

Friedman states that other factors that influence metabolism are genetic heritage, ethnic background, hormone and thyroid levels, age, stress, history of dieting and how much exercise we do.

“Everybody’s metabo-lism is different because everybody’s bodies con-vert food into fuel and nutrients at different rates,” she says. “Think of metabolism as two differ-ent types of wood—cedar and oak. The cedar burns quickly when you set it on fire. The oak burns very slowly. You can burn more of cedar in the same amount of time that it takes to burn the oak.

“The same is true of our bodies. Some bodies convert food into fuel and nutri-ents quickly and easily. Because these bodies have a ‘fast’ metabolism, they use up a lot of calories and tend to be lower in body fat.

“Other bodies, however, are slower in converting food into fuel and nutrients and in burning off the energy or calo-ries. They either need fewer calories or store the energy that they don’t burn off. People with these bodies tend to be higher in body fat.”

Friedman recommends you make friends with your metabolism. What kind of body type do you have - is it muscular or round? Who do you take after in your family? Where do you fit

on a continuum of fast burning to slow burning?

And once you know how your metabolism works, you can stop pressuring yourself to be like some-one whose metabolism is different from yours. You can value your body for what it can do instead of what it can’t.

there are many books out that can help master metabolism.

MetabolisM 101

wednesday, july 21, 2010 The VancouVer courier W21

healthwise

August 6-8, 2010

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For more information, to registeronline or download a pledge form visit:

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Thank you to our provincial sponsors: Thank you to our community sponsors:

Discover the benefi ts of Facial Massage.This treatment combines traditional chinese medicine with modern skin care technology to fi rm, smooth and sculpt your skin. Treatment includes:

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Want Younger Looking Skin?

Uncomfortable skin tests for allergies are no longer the only option.

One of the most welcomed advance-ments in this field is the ability to test a small sample of blood for quick and decisive answers.

Now, just a small sample of your blood will generally give laboratories all they need to pinpoint the cause of the irritant, as well as the ability to distin-guish a true allergic reaction from other non-allergic symptoms.

“This blood test is an alternative to the traditional procedure of scratch-ing the skin numerous times to test for a reaction,” says Dr. Doug Tkachuk at LifeLabs, a leading diagnostic test cen-tre. “Skin testing is not appropriate for everyone. It can be painful for children and people with skin conditions and it’s less effective for seniors taking medica-tion.”

As many as nine million Canadi-ans suffer from some form of allergy, most often caused by food, pollen, pets, mould, and household dust. The symp-toms are characterized by itchy red teary eyes, runny stuffy nose, excessive sneezing, shortness of breath, wheez-ing, chest tightness, and, in extreme cases, even bloating, vomiting, and diar-rhea. An allergic reaction ranges in severity from mild to life threatening (anaphylaxis) and doesn’t always occur immediately after exposure.

Most allergies develop during infancy or childhood but, according to LifeLabs, new ones can appear at any age. Some-times allergies disappear altogether, so it’s important to keep track of your condition.

“To keep us healthy, the body’s immune system produces disease-fight-ing antibodies,” Dr. Tkachuk explained. “Occasionally, these antibodies are over-stimulated and react to normally harmless substances like dust, pet dan-der, or pollen. Large amounts of an anti-body called immunoglobulin E, or IgE are sent on the attack and it’s this that brings on your symptoms.”

The Allergy Serum Test requires a small sample of blood to determine the

presence of IgE antibodies. If the result is positive, a further test can be done on the same sample to pinpoint exactly which type of allergen is causing the reaction.

“The test results are clinically accu-rate for most allergens tested,” the doctor added “and this method seems to be particularly useful in identifying those in food. If you’re wondering; how-ever, if you’ve outgrown a certain food allergy, your doctor will likely recom-mend more than one type of test to be absolutely sure.”

Info. courtesy www.newscanada.com.

allergy Diagnosis: a siMple blood test

Hit listthe nine main food allergens in canada:

• peanuts

• tree nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts [filberts], macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, and walnuts)

• sesame seeds

• milk

• eggs

• fish (including shellfish and crustaceans)

• soy

• wheat

• sulphites

the next issue of healthwise publishes Wednesday, August 18

EW22 The VancouVer courier wednesday, july 21, 2010

health report

• “Invisalign” Invisible Orthodontics • Digital Imaging • Dental Implants • One Appointment Porcelain Crowns

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Dr. Enrique A. Domingo, after 14 years of practice in North Vancouver, is pleased to announce he is joining Westside Chiropractic and Associates located at 1470 West 7th Avenue in the South Granville area.

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Ms research gains pedal powerBackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpre-dictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system which is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The disease attacks the mye-lin, which is a protective covering wrapped around the nerves of the central nervous system.

Multiple sclerosis can occur at any age. It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 15 to 40, duri-ng the career and family building years.

MS is three times as likely to occur in women than in men, and is seen most commonly in people of northern European background. An estimated 55,000-75,000 Cana-dians have multiple sclerosis.

Researchers are learning more about what causes MS every day, and zeroing in on ways to prevent it. The MS Society of Canada and its related MS Scientific Research Foundation fund investigates many aspects of the disease.

But expensive drugs cost a lot of money, and take years to make it to the front lines. Meanwhile, those afflicted with MS continue to suffer.And, as the MS Society says, again and again, there in no cure for MS!

You can help raise much-needed dollars by participating as a rider, fundraiser or donator to this upco-ming local event, the Rona MS Bike Tour. Details…

Vancouver Scenic City TourDate: Sunday, Aug. 8Enjoy a leisurely cycle of 30 or 60 km through one of the most beauti-

ful cities in the world – Vancouver, of course.

Cyclists are treated to the best BBQ of the summer, generously sponsored by the Terminal City Club, and served up by staff and volunteers. Creekside Park at Sci-ence World provides the scenic backdrop to a wonderful afternoon of music, food and friends.

Raise money by collecting pledges and be eligible for fund-raising awards. Riders must raise a minimum of $200 to take part in the event. Money raised supports MS research and vital services for people living with MS.

Remember to go and get snap-ped at the photo booth, courtesy of Snapbox, offering free photos to commemorate the event!

Group riders - increase your fun and create a team of family, friends and co-workers to tour the city together. Contact Eilesha Hall, cor-porate and community develop-

ment coordinator, at 604-602-3200, or Eilesha.hall@mssociety.ca.

For general registration and to download the route tour map, go to www.msbiketours.com. Registration fee is $25.

fundraising tipHost a fundraising event

special events can be a fun, easy and quick way to generate funds in a single day. Find out what businesses in your town offer special promotions for fundraising events. ask companies for donations that you could raffle off like a paid vacation day from your office. get together with friends, neighbours or co-workers and host a garage or bake sale, a penny drive, a bbQ, a golf tournament or whatever appeals to you. you’ll end up having a great time with friends and supporting a great cause too!

wednesday, july 21, 2010 The VancouVer courier E21

healthwise

w w w . e a r s h e a r i n g c l i n i c s . c o m

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Uncomfortable skin tests for allergies are no longer the only option.

One of the most welcomed advance-ments in this field is the ability to test a small sample of blood for quick and decisive answers.

Now, just a small sample of your blood will generally give laboratories all they need to pinpoint the cause of the irritant, as well as the ability to distin-guish a true allergic reaction from other non-allergic symptoms.

“This blood test is an alternative to the traditional procedure of scratch-ing the skin numerous times to test for a reaction,” says Dr. Doug Tkachuk at LifeLabs, a leading diagnostic test cen-tre.

“Skin testing is not appropriate for everyone. It can be painful for children and people with skin conditions and it’s less effective for seniors taking medica-tion.”

As many as nine million Canadi-ans suffer from some form of allergy, most often caused by food, pollen, pets, mould, and household dust. The symp-toms are characterized by itchy red teary eyes, runny stuffy nose, excessive sneezing, shortness of breath, wheez-ing, chest tightness, and, in extreme cases, even bloating, vomiting, and diar-rhea.

An allergic reaction ranges in severity from mild to life threatening (anaphy-

laxis) and doesn’t always occur imme-diately after exposure.

Most allergies develop during infancy or childhood but, according to LifeLabs, new ones can appear at any age. Some-times allergies disappear altogether, so it’s important to keep track of your condition.

“To keep us healthy, the body’s immune system produces disease-fight-ing antibodies,” Dr. Tkachuk explained. “Occasionally, these antibodies are over-stimulated and react to normally harmless substances like dust, pet dan-der, or pollen. Large amounts of an anti-body called immunoglobulin E, or IgE are sent on the attack and it’s this that brings on your symptoms.”

The Allergy Serum Test requires a small sample of blood to determine the presence of IgE antibodies. If the result is positive, a further test can be done on the same sample to pinpoint exactly which type of allergen is causing the reaction.

“The test results are clinically accu-rate for most allergens tested,” the doctor added “and this method seems to be particularly useful in identifying those in food. If you’re wondering; how-ever, if you’ve outgrown a certain food allergy, your doctor will likely recom-mend more than one type of test to be absolutely sure.”

Info. courtesy www.newscanada.com.

allergy Diagnosis: a siMple blood test