BINGE ON THIS – The Hungry Games

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Hungry

“Hunger”, “Appetite.” Every Thanksgiving, we target both, hitting them dead and center. But hunger isn’t the same as appetite. Hunger is a physical reaction due to chemical changes in your body because of the need for more food, while appetite is more psychological in nature. Appetite is one reason why you can eat so much when you’re not hungry.(Who never falls into that trap?) And when that happens, you’re on a direct path shooting for real trouble.

CARBO-BLISS

Today, Thanksgiving has become the Superbowl of eating turkey like a horse, unable to ever rein it in. Bet you’d even find “the science of orgiastic gluttony” on YouTube. And “Unbuckle Our Belts” has become the Thanksgiving Day anthem.

Think of it.

We eat before we eat.

The bar flies open.

Appetizers abound. Pigs in a pretzel. Bacon spinach dip, Thanksgiving nachos. Anything poppable or fingerable. And all before we even pull a chair up to the table.

And that’s where the real feast begins; ta-da…the main event. An obscenely huge turkey with its everyone-will-fight-over geasy, crisp turkey skin. Thick, thick creamy gravy; a virtual bacchanalia of butter. Bowls of sugar laden cranberry sauce. Mounds of potatoes. (Oooo those tiny little marshmallows) Gobs of green bean casserole. And usually hot buttery dinner rolls to help scoop it all up. (Excess on the up.)

But wait, oh wait, don’t stop there. Dessert! Pumpkin, pecan, apple, cheesecake. And not just in pie or plain. Try salted caramel apple snickers cake, caramel apple blondie cheesecake or gooey chocolate bourbon pecan pie custard cake. (be still, my stomach.) all topped with endless mounds of whipped cream. (Cool Whip, if mom is looking for the easy way out.). Peruse the net, and you’ll find 40+ Easy Thanksgiving Recipes. 72 best Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes. 100+ Easy Thanksgiving Desserts. It’s a hard-core smorgasbord of gastric misery.

HOW ABOUT A SMORGASBOARD OF HELP?

Hormones can really mess up your gargantuan feast. They can hit you in the middle of the momentous and monstrous meal, or after it. If your hormones are out of balance, they can cause problems you won’t be so thankful for. Problems that can batter any body that’s eating non-stop, until the chairs start to sag. And after the leftovers that will be left and scarfed down the following day, it’s a good chance that you’re going to regret what you shoveled in. That’s why it’s a smart idea to make an appointment ahead of time to see Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein at Denver Hormone Health. No one in the Denver area knows more about the effect unbalanced hormones can have on your body.  His skill and expertise matches his caring and understanding. With simple tests, he can tell where you stand and what exactly you should do about it, creating an integrated treatment plan of hormones, nutrition and exercise, giving you relief no tub of Tums or Maalox cocktail can.

So put him on your list, like right now.

BINGE ON THIS – The Turkey Trot and Other Tales

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Turkey

LOBSTER, SEAL AND SWANS…TURKEY?

O.K., here’s the real Thanksgiving story (according to some…) After a 66-day arduous journey that left them with malnutrition, exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease, the Pilgrims that somehow made it, were grateful just to be alive. Food? Not much available of anything, until the Wampanoag Indians taught them how to cultivate corn. Time to celebrate! The Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians sat down for three days…but not a turkey to be found. In fact, none of the stuff we stuff ourselves with today. It was a potluck of nothing to get excited about. Beaver, skunk, raccoon and tough, now extinct wild passenger pigeons. Oh, and 5 deer the Indians brought. Feast? Hardly. Well, on the good side, since they didn’t have a lot to gorge on, and no streaming anything to plop themselves down to watch, they probably didn’t get as much gastric distress as we suffer now. Or maybe if they did, burping and flatulence were commonly accepted.

Talking turkey, here are some facts we do know for sure. And they sure are amazing:

Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the popular women’s magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, and the woman who wrote the classic song “Mary had a little Lamb”, was a real trendsetter for running a household, and a leading voice in establishing Thanksgiving as an annual event. Beginning in 1827, Hale petitioned 13 presidents, the last of whom was Abraham Lincoln. She pitched her idea to President Lincoln as a way to unite the country in the midst of the Civil War, and, in 1863, he made Thanksgiving a national holiday and without being conscious of it, emancipated the nation’s appetites.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, producing more than 46.5 million a year. Six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Indiana—account for nearly two-thirds of the 248 million or so, turkeys.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005, by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust.

Oh wait, it gets better.

Thanksgiving is the reason for TV dinners! In 1953, Swanson had so much extra turkey (260 tons) that a salesman told them they should package it onto aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes — and the first TV dinner was born!

Campbell’s soup created the green bean casserole for an annual cookbook 50 years ago. It now sells $20 million worth of cream of mushroom soup.

Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird, not the eagle.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s first meal in space after walking on the moon was foil packets with roasted turkey.

And yes, the short, jerky steps of the turkey, did inspire the turkey trot, at that time considered a ballroom dance.

PUT THIS ON THE MENU

Before you pounce on the promise of fat and calories to come, you should make an appointment to see Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein at Denver Hormone Health. He knows everything there is to know about hormones and how certain ones can, with certainty, spoil the binge-o-rama you’ve been dreaming of for 365 days. To you, every tidbit (and who settles for tidbits?) is part of the eating extravaganza. But what you might not know, is that there is a serious link between hormones and holiday binging. What you think is so good, can really set off a not-so-good-for-you hormone imbalance, which in turn can turn wonderful into “whaaat?” “Why do I feel so awful?” Dr. Goldstein can explain it all and with simple tests, determine what’s going on with your hormones before a bite goes into your mouth. Call for an appointment now.

And wait until you see what he cooks up for you.

THE TESTOSTERONE TEST – Erectile dysfunction: Let’s Get This Straight

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Erectile dysfunction

Here’s an easy exam:

  1. Erectile dysfunction stinks
  2. Erectile dysfunction is for old guys
  3. Erectile dysfunction can give any guy migraines
  4. Erectile dysfunction is well…a dysfunction to be avoided at all costs.

Let’s see if you got any right:

  1. To most men
  2. Not in the least
  3. Only if you drive yourself worrying about it
  4. Not if you want to do something about it (and you definitely can)

Erectile Dysfunction. There, we’ve said it.

Erectile dysfunction or ED, is when it is hard to get or keep an erection that’s firm enough for sex. ED affects as many as 30 million men. Most men have problems with erections from time to time. But when this happens more than half of the time, then ED is present. ED can happen when health problems limit blood flow or damage nerves in the penis. ED can also be caused by stress or emotional reasons. ED can be an early warning of a more serious illness. Heart disease, high blood pressure and high blood sugar can all cause ED.

What you really want to believe is that growing old is not the problem. But you can blame your body at any age:

  • Not enough blood flows into the penis
    Many health issues can reduce blood flow into the penis, such as heart disease, high blood sugar (diabetes), and smoking
  • The penis cannot store blood during an erection
    A man with this problem cannot keep an erection because blood does not stay trapped in the penis
  • Nerve signals from the brain or spinal cord do not reach the penis
    Certain diseases, injury or surgery in the pelvic area can harm nerves in the penis
  • Men who have diabetes are two to three times more likely to have erectile dysfunction than men who do not have diabetes
  • Other conditions that may cause ED include cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), kidney disease, and multiple sclerosis. These illnesses can impair blood flow or nerve impulses throughout the body.
  • Research even suggests that avid cyclists suffer more ED than other athletes. Yep, blame the seats

While the problem could very well be in your body, it could also be in your head. Sex activity needs the mind and body to work together. Emotional or relationship problems can cause or worsen ED. Some emotional issues that can cause ED are:

  • Depression
  • Relationship conflicts
  • Stress at home or work
  • Worry about sexual performance

They can all short circuit the process that leads to an erection. Combine physical and psychological issues and you’re just not going to shake the sheets.

Get it Going Again

There are ways to counter the risks of ED. Start by discussing it with your partner. Try a Mediterranean Diet. Manage your blood pressure. Cut down high cholesterol. Get diabetes under control. If you smoke, quit. If you drink, drink less. Exercise. Don’t use anabolic steroids. Manage stress. Treat sleep apnea. Know your medication side effects. (You’d be surprised at these) And pay attention: at all costs, ignore claims like:

Breaking News: Doctor Reveals The #1 Top Erectile Product That Cures ED Permanently! Best $4.95 ED pill ever seen. #1 best ED natural remedy. #1 top erectile product-user proven to get hard. It would be just plain dysfunctional to buy into a word of it. You need to heal yourself from the inside instead of buying cases of Cialis or vats of Viagra.

Deal with ED ASAP

Erectile dysfunction affects men of all ages, and you can be sure it affects them all negatively. No one is more aware of the scope of the problem than Stephen A. Goldstein M.D., F.A.C.S. at Denver Hormone Health. Dr. Goldstein is at the top of his field in hormone replacement therapy. And erectile dysfunction can, in most cases, point to a hormone imbalance. You probably won’t recognize many of the symptoms of a testosterone imbalance, but you absolutely recognize an important sexual issue like erectile dysfunction. You might feel awkward discussing the issue at all, but Dr. Goldstein puts you immediately at ease. He knows the questions to ask and then with simple tests, knows the treatment plan that is right for you. Not just any plan, but an integrated plan of hormones, exercise and nutrition developed uniquely for you. Don’t let embarrassment keep you from getting back in the game.

Call for an appointment now.

Getting rid of ED can be easy. Without question.