HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 10. Here are the facts...low carb diets work the best and are safe! ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 10. Here are the facts...low carb diets work the best and are safe! ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

Day 10 218.6

I am on track for my 28 day goal of losing 16 pounds. How are you doing? I spoke to a patient today, weighing in at 310 before the program, he has already lost 16 pounds in 7 days. He feels great. Using HCG, this Palm Beach patient says he no longer feels the dragging feeling he would experience on the Atkins diet. Instead he is energized, and is experiencing no hunger pangs, and no sugar cravings. He is confident he can maintain his 20 grams of carbohydrate a day goal for 28 days, and maybe even longer. I personally like to take a "break" from the HCG, maintaining a lower carbohydrate approach after the 28 days, and then two weeks later go back onto another 28 day course of HCG. This approach will help your body remain fresh and ready to continue burning away those unwanted fats.
Many people have questioned the use of the Low carbohydrate approach. I know it is the only approach that works for me. As a cardiac surgeon, I am focused on reducing the causes of heart disease. The causes are inflammation, and the low fat diet or better known to me as the HIGH SUGAR DIET will ignite inflammation in your body accelerating heart disease and cancers. So enough about what I think. What do the big boys at Harvard, Duke and Stanford say??
Stanford University Medical School compared four weight-loss diets. People assigned to follow the Atkins diet, which had the lowest carbohydrate intake, lost more than twice the weight and experienced favorable overall metabolic effects at 12 months than those assigned to follow the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets.


University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Washington University School of Medicine randomly assigned participants to either a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet or a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss and improvement in risk factors for coronary heart disease.

University of Cincinnati instructed obese women to follow either a low fat, calorie restricted diet or a low carbohydrate diet for six months. The women lost significantly more weight and body fat on the low carbohydrate diet than women instructed on the low fat diet at three and six months. Additionally, blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, and insulin improved.

A study out of the University of Pennsylvania, compared the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet and a low fat diet on lipoprotein subfractions and inflammation on severely obese subjects. The severely obese individuals, who followed a low-carbohydrate diet had beneficial effects on insulin resistance, blood lipids and markers of inflammation.

The objective of this meta-analysis was to look at the evidence related to the association of dietary saturated fat with risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease. This meta-analysis (review of multiple studies) showed that there is NO significant evidence supporting that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of either coronary artery disease or cardiovascular disease. Fats do not cause heart disease, it is the high carbohydrates and sugars that cause heart disease.
Harvard University examined a 12 week low fat diet against two different low carbohydrate diets, one allowing 300 more calories a day (eat all you want, just don't eat carbs...now that is my kind of diet). The people who ate the higher calories with the very low carbohydrate diet were able to lose more weight compared to the lower calorie, low fat diet. And the low carbohydrate diet actually improved several risk factors for heart disease.

A Duke University study determined that a six month very low carbohydrate diet program markedly reduced body weight and improved numerous metabolic factors.
Alright, so if studies from Top University Hospital centers like Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Cincinnati, and University of Pennsylvania say that a low carb diet works better for weight loss and improvement in factors affected heart disease, than the low fat diet, then isn’t it about time to throw the low fat diet in the garbage and change to a low carbohydrate lifestyle? It is safe, effective and the best tolerated, so no time is better than the present to begin the Low carbohydrate approach to weight loss and add HCG in the Sarasota Diet to maximize your results and achieve massive weight loss. Dr C

I Love Vitamin D, but watch out for Vitamin A in your multivitamin

I Love Vitamin D, but watch out for Vitamin A in your multivitamins
Robert G Carlson, MD, FACS


No other nutrient, hormone or even drug has gained so much scientifically supported credibility than Vitamin D, demonstrating reductions in cancer, heart disease, blood pressure, chronic inflammation, diabetes, viral infections and the autoimmune diseases( arthritis, Lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis). Even though Vitamin D has been shown to be so incredibly beneficial , it is often in very low doses in standard multivitamins, and often side by side with high doses of Vitamin A. Unfortunately some forms of Vitamin A actually BLOCK the benefit of Vitamin D. So grab your multivitamin bottle and look at how much vitamin D and Vitamin A is in it. Most multivitamins have woeful amounts of vitamin D , often ranging from 200 units to 1000, but we should be taking at least 5000 units a day and now more studies show absolutely no toxicity at 10,000 units(should consider this dose in the fall/winter months) and incredible benefits. So what about Vitamin A? The preformed Vitamin A (retinols) are often excessive in multivitamins and having Vitamin A in the beta-carotene form is the form you want. “Preformed” vitamin A comes only from animal products, fortified foods, and supplements. It is most commonly measured in International Units (IU). The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin A is 2,310 IU daily for women, 3,000 IU for men, although some food products identify the recommended dose as 5000 IU. Watch out because preformed Vitamin A is not your friend. Studies have proven that too much preformed Vitamin A results in a two fold increase in hip fractures, and a 16 % increase in total mortality, undoubtedly because it blocks all the amazing benefits of Vitamin D. Keep that form of Vitamin A no higher than 1000 IU. Now if the Vitamin A is in the beta-carotene form, there are fewer issues because it is found in plant foods, especially dark green and highly colored vegetables and fruits. It is converted to vitamin A only as our body needs it. Therefore one can’t get dangerous levels of vitamin A by consuming too much beta carotene. By the way that foul tasting modern day Cod Liver oil has up to 10,000 units of preformed Vitamin A….so don’t drink that stuff!

Weight Savior and Irvingia-Getting Rid of Fat...and Inflammation-Part 2

More about how Weight Savior enriched with Irvingia works its magic, reducing your abdominal fat, cholesterol, and diabetes.

Fat cells function is to store calories and release them for energy use when needed. Fat cells are engorged with triglycerides, which is the main storage form of fat. Problems occur when these fat cells become bloated with triglycerides, and become enlarged. They also tend to accumulate excess fat, because of increase intake, lack of exercise, hormonal imbalances and inflammation, and there lies the problem. Fat cells also release another hormone called Adiponectin, which controls diabetes, decreasing sugar levels in your blood stream, as well as reducing inflammation, and heart disease. Irvingia, and weight Savior make Adiponectin’s work better and be more effective. 10 weeks of using Irvingia alone increased the amount of Adiponectin by 160%. And that’s a good thing in the battle against belly fat, as well as controlling diabetes and inflammation.

The third major benefit of having Irvingia in Weight Savior is the inhibition of the enzyme glycerol-3-phospate. What has that enzyme done for me lately? Well produced in fat cells, it causes excess sugar to be converted to triglycerides so as to make the fat cells bigger and plumper. Now that doesn’t sound too good to me. Blocking it reduces fatty acid formation and reduces the amount of sugar converted into fat. Now that’s good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPAXuaxIXOs

Weight Savior and Irvingia-Getting Rid of Fat...and inflammation

Weight Savior is just one, but six separate ingredients blended together to maximize weight loss. One of these amazing ingredients is Irvingia. This natural compound actually circumvents the molecular factors critical in causing obesity. This breakthrough compound, Irvingia, may actually be the key to reversing today’s epidemic of obesity. One of the main reasons we develop increasing abdominal fat is something called Leptin-resistance. So what is Leptin? It is released from our fat cells for two primary reasons. The first, is to tell the brain that you have eaten enough and it quiets your appetite. Secondly, Leptin then causes triglycerides that are stored in the fat cells (increase waist line) to be broken down so that the body can use them as an energy source. So decrease in fat cells, and increase in energy. That sounds pretty good to me. Unfortunately in people with increased abdominal fat they produce more inflammation ( increased CRP levels) and that blocks the benefits of Leptin. Obese people have much higher CRP levels, markers of inflammation, and even higher Leptin levels but CRP binds to Leptin stopping it from entering the brain and from breaking down fat.
Okay, so how does Irvingia, and Weight Savior reduce fat? It dramatically reduces CRP and thus freeing up Leptin to work its magic. We also know that Heart disease is associated with elevated inflammation and CRP. Newest studies show taking very high doses of Crestor, albeit associated with massive side-effects, reduces CRP by 17 % in a year. But Irvingia, a main component of Weight Savior reduces CRP by 52% in only 10 weeks. Now that is impressive, and the only side-effects were weight loss and a 16% reduction in your waist line in 10 weeks.
More to come about how Irvingia, and Weight Savior work their magic, reducing your abdominal fat, cholesterol, and diabetes.

Progesterone and Men-Optimizing the Aging Male's Health

Progesterone and Men-Optimizing the Aging Male's Health
Dr Robert G Carlson, MD, FACS

Progesterone – It’s Not Just for Girls!

Every day we see a new article dedicated to explaining how important progesterone is for women in the array of hormones that are key to good health and healthy aging. But what about men? Most men and women along with many doctors would be surprised to find that progesterone is very important to a man’s health!

So Men Produce Progesterone?!
Most men have about seven times lower levels of progesterone than testosterone; but it is actually more abundant than DHT, the primary metabolite of testosterone that makes a man look like a man. Hormones give us our secondary sex characteristics –
curves for a woman, a lower voice etc. for a man. Even though some hormones are more prevalent in men or women, both sexes have all the same hormones just in different levels. Healthy men have more progesterone than the other “female hormones” like estradiol or estrone, 10 times more of it than melatonin, and much more of it than thyroid hormones like free T4 or thyroxin. Progesterone is actually just as important to a man’s health as a woman’s!
We’re Wired for Equality…Most of the Time!
For a short time every month, men and women are equal…in progesterone! The levels of progesterone that men have is equivalent to what women have during the follicular phase each month; this is the first phase of a women’s cycle when progesterone is low, just like a man’s progesterone level.
The reason that men and women will have equal levels of progesterone is because a man creates progesterone in his adrenal glands and the primary source of progesterone for a woman during the first 2 weeks after the onset of the menstrual cycle is from the adrenals as well. In fact, for both men and women the adrenal glands make 1 ½ - 3 mg a day of progesterone.
A woman will have a much higher level of progesterone over the course of each month though because during the second phase of her cycle her ovaries will also produce it. So for two-thirds of every month, men and women will have the same level of progesterone!
Progesterone can also be a precursor of testosterone, aldosterone, and even cortisol. Progesterone is also very important as a base of hormone production; it joins with cholesterol to create””. Progesterone is also a bellweather of how your body is handling stress. During stressful crisis situations, you may have higher levels of progesterone and your body may react by making lots of cortisol (and creating that dreaded spare tire around your waist!) If you are under chronic stressful situations, you can suffer from adrenal fatigue and your body will no longer produce adequate amounts of cortisol.
Our bodies are designed to respond to stress as a self-protective reflex – we either fight, flee or freeze. Crisis triggers cortisol production to help the body manage stress. Cortisol is so important to the body during stress that it becomes the body’s primary focus and the cortisol “sink” is where most of the substrate for other hormone production is often shunted to fortify the body’s arsenal of protection. Remember, we developed in a very unsafe world where we were under constant threat so our bodies are hard-wired for self-preservation by using hormones to respond to stress and keep us alive.

How Much Stress Can You Handle?

Our bodies are designed for a quick, reflexive, self-preservation response to stress but our lives today are one crisis after another. At some point we do “accommodate” to stress, we become more capable of bearing the stress load. But is it healthy? Some stress is good, but too much stress is a killer. One of the key hormones we need for health and longevity – progesterone – falls by the wayside when we are stressed. Everything becomes focused on cortisol production. If you have the typical, chronic stress levels of American daily life, you probably are deficient in progesterone. If you are walking through a crisis event, you may be producing far too much progesterone. In either scenario, you need to support your body’s hormone levels. So, high progesterone levels maybe an indicator of stress, whereas very low levels indicate a serious adrenal fatigue condition.

“You Are Getting Older!” – Bite Me!

Progesterone levels decline with age just like all the adrenal hormones and this affects most of your major organ systems. There are progesterone receptors in your heart an in your major blood vessels such as your arteries and veins. Progesterone is the hormone of calmness. It is nature’s valium, the Feng Sui of hormones. When you have low progesterone levels, some of your organ systems may demonstrate more tenseness or nervousness. The gall bladder has progesterone receptors and a stressed gallbladder with low progesterone may lead to a danger situation like acalculous cholecystitis, which we see in very stressed patients in the ICU. In the prostate, epididymis, and the testicles, there are also progesterone receptors, and there must be a purpose for that? Sperm also has progesterone receptors as well.

Progesterone – What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Progesterone is the peacekeeper hormone that keeps the levels of other hormones in balance and it helps maintain the hormonal symphony resonating in through your body. For instance, estradiol in men is not a good thing; it results in higher stroke rates, increased heart attack rates, and increased prostate cancer. Progesterone keeps your estradiol levels in control.
Progesterone also keeps the levels of Dihydrotestosterone(DHT) in balance. Too much DHT leads to hair loss and increased prostate cancer risks. Progesterone will also keep your aldosterone in balance. You can also blame progesterone if your wife or girlfriend complains that you fall asleep right after sex. Progesterone levels spiral during intercourse and peak after an orgasm; it’s progesterone that creates a calmer, more relaxed state after an orgasm. Many of my male patients like taking progesterone in the evening because it does make everything so much more relaxed and some of them tell me it also increases their deep breathing almost like yoga.

You Gotta Have Heart!

Progesterone has a role to play with regard to cardiovascular disease. Not only are there progesterone receptors in the heart and all the major blood vessels, but it’s also been shown to reduce lipids in the blood. It also helps protect against damage to the arterial system from elevated insulin levels. Too much insulin floating around in your blood can prematurely break down and age the walls of the arteries. Progesterone protects the blood vessels from the effects of insulin.
For people who are progressing into atherosclerosis, there is an overgrowth of smooth muscle cells within the lining of the blood vessels. Progesterone has been shown to stop this out of control growth. And those coronary arteries? The major cause of death from heart disease is the decreasing blood flow to regions of the heart that need it. We call these “ischemic changes” which is the technical term for lack of blood flow. Most doctors have been trained to provide medications that improve blood flow through the coronary arteries like nitroglycerin. But who wants to swallow the poisonous basis of explosives? There are numerous natural compounds throughout the body that do the same thing, including progesterone and testosterone; and they may even help reduce hypertension by helping to relax the muscular walls of arteries and reduce water retention/edema by helping the body excrete sodium.


More to come....