Fitness Contrarian

When listening to a public radio station last year about over the counter drugs, I was surprised when a doctor pointed out that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is most likely the most dangerous drug you have in your home. He said it’s especially dangerous if you mix acetaminophen and alcohol. He pointed out that even the normal recommended dose when mixed with a few drinks can be a detriment to your liver.

This prompted a discussion about taking Tylenol and drinking with a friend of mine who is a doctor. She said she would never take Tylenol for a hangover or right after she had a few drinks because it could lead to serious liver damage. I know a lot of people who do this all the time. Fortunately, I don’t take Tylenol for my headaches because it doesn’t work as well as ibuprofen or aspirin(…)

Adults who take the popular sleep medicine zolpidem better known as Ambien have a much greater risk of nighttime falls and diminished cognitive thinking, according to a new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

When I came across this study it really concerned me because so many of my clients and friends take Ambien and other types of sleeping pills. Everyone is always talking about how they can’t remember things like they used too. Conventional Wisdom (CW) would say we’re just getting older but this study makes you think, are we just getting older or are we doing things like taking sleeping pills that are actually fogging are brains and messing with our cognitive skills (…)

One of the biggest problems with insulin is that it stops your body from burning fat. When insulin levels are high from eating too many sugars like processed carbohydrates you are pretty much locking in the fat in your fat cells and not letting it out to be burned off.

There have been books written about the ill effects of insulin and how it is more important than calories for losing weight. Chronic high insulin levels do lead to weight gain and a number of other health issues like obesity, insulin-resistance, diabetes and heart (…)