Mark's Daily Apple

“Lunchtime Lipo”

Simple observation: As cosmetic procedures grow in both popularity and efficacy the number of people that look fit but are in fact unhealthy will rise. This is a version of the skinny-fat phenomenon. The day when chiseled abs and calves of steel are no longer fair measures of fitness is upon us. This LA Times article got me all riled up this week:
COME in on your lunch hour, have a few injections and melt away those stubborn bulges of fat. That promise has made injection lipolysis — also called lipodissolve and mesotherapy — one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures in the country, with centers sprouting up almost as fast as Starbucks stores. Nevermind that neither the procedure nor the drug cocktail used has FDA approval. Nevermind that Kansas and Nebraska are trying to ban the procedure. Nevermind that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery do not condone the procedure. Nevermind that the procedure has been banned in Brazil, Canada and England.

People want a better body now.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

6

Uno, Dos, Tres: 3 Health Products Debunked

There’s always some new product anxious to help you part with your hard-earned cash. Some products are healthy or helpful, but some are downright dishonest scams. These three have become popular of late. Don’t fall for the hype!

Oil pulling

Nonsensical and useless, the popularity of oil pulling persists. Through very particular “sieving” of an oil mixture in the mouth (think mouth rinse in slow motion), the oil supposedly draws toxins from the blood. If it were possible for oil to “pull” toxins out of the veins in the tongue, it would also be possible for oil to enter the bloodstream through your tongue. A molecule is a molecule. Toxins can’t “leak” out of your veins – if they could, you wouldn’t need to “pull” them out. Besides, even if toxins could “leak” from your veins, it would take far more than 15 or 20 minutes of “pulling” to cleanse your entire blood supply. Furthermore, fat-soluble toxins (the kind that would bind to oil) are not in the bloodstream. They are in your…fat cells! And on and on it goes. Read this terrific expose if you still think oil pulling is effective – it’s guaranteed to change your mind.

Posted By: Worker Bee

9

It’s Shiny, But It’s Still a Scam

I got a question last week from reader Barbara about colloidal silver supplements. For the record, this alternative health remedy is both ineffective and unsafe. It’s the latter that concerns me most, of course. A lot of the things we do for health are ineffective (homeopathy for starters; glandulars are another). Others are actually dangerous (the fat-free diet trend of the 90s that’s contributed to our metabolic syndrome epidemic). Colloidal silver supplements fall into the dangerous category.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

18

Smarter Fuel?

Sara here, with some Big Moo musings for the girls. Dairy is one of those food debates that can go on ad infinitum, with plenty of good points on either side (much like vegetarianism). Raw vs. organic vs. regular vs. low-fat vs. full-fat…you get the idea.

Dairy is just not, um, a black and white issue. I have my theories. I can’t promise that my views aren’t slightly biased due to the existence of things like …

Posted By: Sara

1

And This Makes 300

Worker Bees’ Daily Bites

The peanut butter scandal continues, ice cream supposedly boosts fertility, and a half glass of wine a day is the fountain of youth. Oh, and the FDA has created a hurricane-like warning system for flu epidemics. But 9 out of 10 dentists agree, today’s roundup still beats yet another day of Britney’s bald head and Anna Nicole’s burial. (Come on, journalists! There are things going on in the world!)

So We Asked These …

Posted By: Worker Bee

0