Marcia Zimmerman, M.Ed., CN, is one of the natural product industry's foremost authorities on nutrition, wellness and human health. Take advantage of Marcia's expertise and counsel in the monthly posting of THE ZIMMERMAN FILES
Over the span of her illustrious 27-year career, Marcia has worked as an educator, product formulator, chemist and Stanford University Medical School researcher. She's also authored several books, including The Anti-Aging Solution, Eat Your Colors, The A.D.D. Solution, 7-Syndrome Healing and 7-Color Cuisine.
Over the past ten years, she's served as a consultant to some of the most respected companies in the industry, and has worked closely with several manufacturers in developing their formulations. We're pleased that she's joined our efforts to support NOW's line of quality products as well as our mission of empowering people to live healthier lives. To access her articles archives, please visit her website at http://www.thenutritionsolution.com
Register for FREE Monthly Nutrition Webinars hosted by NOW University and presented by Marcia Zimmerman.
Listen to FREE Webinar Replays on a variety of topics ranging from inflammation, brain power, menopause and belly fat to the truth about high fructose corn syrup. Don't miss these outstanding presentations, whether you attend the live session or listen to the replays!
Several online education courses based on Marcia's books are available at www.now-university.com.
The Zimmerman Files
11.01.09 - Immune Power for Seasonal Defense
Sugar indeed helps the “medicine” go down, but what effect does it have on white blood cells, the warriors of the immune system? An interesting study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed how much the neutrophils (a kind of white blood cell) drawn from test subjects were unable to engulf and digest (phagocytosis) the bacterium Staphylococcus. At the beginning of the test, each neutrophil was able to ingest and destroy an average of fourteen bacteria. After the folks drank a sugar containing beverage, each person’s phagocytes were able to gobble up on average only one bacterium before dying. Amazingly, the dampening effect lasted for up to 5 hours! Obviously, sugar in any form is one of the worst things to take with your “medicine.” So what should you drink and eat when you have a cold or flu?
10.01.09 - The Wise Woman Emerges - A Life in Balance and Lifestyle Changes
The term “sandwich generation” describes Americans between the ages of 45 and 55 – most are baby boomers. – at least half are menopausal to boot. According to a 2001 survey prepared for the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), boomers are a unique generation that find themselves sandwiched between parenting children born late in life and providing for parents who are living longer. This month I will focus on natural remedies for the three classes of menopausal concerns: menopausal complaints, physical changes, and aging conditions.
09.01.09 - Rite of Passage – Menopause
Menopause is a normal, natural event – defined as the “last” menstrual period. So how do you figure out which one is the last? Although hopeful each month that this is indeed the last period, women won’t know for sure until twelve months without periods have passed. This is assuming natural menopause as opposed to that induced by hysterectomy, chemotherapy, or reproductive pathology. Despite the seeming abruptness of menopause, it doesn’t happen overnight – just as the first period didn’t magically appear out of the blue. The first clue that things are about to change in a woman’s reproductive life is something called perimenopause.
08.01.09--No August Zimmerman File
According to medical authorities, pain is the most common complaint that sends patients to health practitioners. Approximately 35% of Americans have some element of chronic pain, and approximately 50 million are disabled, at least partially, because of it. Chronic pain is reported more often in women.1 As we shall see, there is a strong connection between hormone levels and pain.
06.01.09 - Taming the Fire of Inflammation - Part Two
Allergies and Asthma are chronic hyper-immune responses that inflame the airways and lungs. The aroused immune system recruits an array of cells and other fighters to eliminate the antigen (offending substance). Swelling, itching, burning and reduced ability to breathe are natural by products of this process. Allergies can be triggered by seasonal pollens, inhaled irritants, weather changes, foods, and some environmental contaminants. Allergic symptoms involve primarily the nose, but often include sinuses, ears, eyes, throat and skin. Gut inflammation is present in most cases.
Asthma is a more severe inflammatory airway condition that is closely related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. Long term inflammation in asthma and COPD damages lung tissue causing irreversible loss of function. Let’s consider three factors in airway inflammation, namely stress, immunity, and free radicals.
05.01.09 - Taming the Fire of Inflammation - Part One
Inflammation has often been described as the fire within because it’s usually not visible on the surface. Swollen sinuses, mucous membranes, bronchial, and alveolar tissues in your lungs may be irritated but not obviously inflamed. Arterial linings that are inflamed cause no pain initially, yet this is the first phase of cardiovascular disease and stroke.1 By contrast, swollen red joints that are painful, hot to the touch, and obviously “fiery,” cue us they are inflamed. To overcome these and many other chronic conditions, we must first tame the fire of inflammation.
04.01.09 - High Fructose Corn Syrup - More Than You Bargained For?
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a common ingredient in “junk” foods, has gotten a bad rap for ballooning waistbands, jittery nerves, and bad behavior. Now it seems there may be an even greater risk from consuming foods that list HFCS as a first or second ingredient on the label. Researchers at the Minnesota-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, found mercury in nearly half of fifty-five brand-name products purchased from grocery shelves.
03.01.09- DHA Antiaging Powerhouse
Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA is one of three omega-3 fatty acids with important health benefits. DHA is particularly abundant in the retina, brain and nerves. Omega-3 fatty acids are neither stored in appreciable amounts in fat tissue, nor produced within the body from other fatty acids. Thus they are a dietary essential.
02.01.09--Plugged In or Burned Out? Part Two
In part two of her article on memory and brain health, nutritionist Marcia Zimmerman offers more natural ways to support cognitive wellness.
01.01.09--Plugged In or Burned Out? Part One
Brain bloopers are not age selective, but they do occur more frequently once we reach middle age. Changes in cognitive function, while unnerving, are a normal part of aging in all body cells. Brain hiccup, brain glitch, brain freeze, or heaven forbid – senior moment – are common terms used to describe temporary lapses in memory. We might be telling a story and suddenly forget where we were going with it or we may not be able to spit out something that “was just on the tip of our tongue.” Can mundane, mid-life memory glitches be simple age-related decline or are they warning signs of later-life dementia?
12.01.08--No December Zimmerman File
11.01.08--Attention Deficit Disorder - Not Just for Kids
Attention deficits often persist and may be exacerbated by hormone shifts and rapid growth as children with ADHD reach adolescence. Getting through teen years is difficult enough for young people who must juggle school and extracurricular activities, all while dealing with hormone-induced changes in mood, sleep, and attitude. It's no wonder that approximately 80 percent of adolescents with ADHD experience academic performance problems resulting in a high degree of failure. Nearly one-third have been held back a grade; close to one-half have been suspended from school; one-fourth to one-half have had special education services, and ten percent drop out of school.
10.01.08--Move to the Head of the Class
Olympian Michael Phelps gained the admiration of the world with his amazing swimming feats and eight gold medals; an all time high. His unbridled enthusiasm, bordering on out-of-control after each winning event, was the only outward sign that he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).1 Phelps' mother Debbie, who is a school principal, told NBC's Bob Costas during an interview that Michael couldn't sit still and pay attention in school. At an early age he discovered swimming. It helped him focus and improve his self esteem, despite being constantly teased by other kids about his big ears, gangly stature, and clumsiness.
9.01.08--Two Hamburgers, an Order of Fries and Metabolic Syndrome to Go!
The idea that kids with their faster metabolism and growing bodies are immune to developing adult diseases is a myth. Kids eating a typical "Western diet - one rich in meat, refined grains, and fried foods" increase their risk of developing the metabolic syndrome. Dairy consumption, on the other hand, appears to offer some protection against metabolic syndrome.2 Might adding a milkshake instead of a coke help offset the damage from eating too many hamburgers? Not likely! But kids can make healthier choices while eating with their friends, and moderation is also an important key to surviving fast food.
What a windfall for pharmaceutical giants Parke-Davis (Lipitor®), AstraZeneca (Crestor®), Bristol-Meyers Squibb (Pravachol®), and Merck (Zocor®). For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that certain children as young as eight years should be prescribed cholesterol lowering statin drugs. This is despite significant side effects reported in adults taking the drugs long-term. They include liver problems, depression, fatigue, muscle aches and weakness, numbness and tenderness in the extremities, and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease).
7.01.08--Vitamins D3 & K2 – You are My Sunshine!
6.01.08--ADHD and Developmental Delay Disorders - the Nutrition Solution
5.01.08--Essential Fatty Acids I: Development, Behavior, Cognition
4.01.08--Celiac Disease: A Missed Diagnosis?
3.01.08--A Jump Start for Your Baby
2.01.08--Toxic Kids - Part Two
1.01.08--No January Zimmerman File
12.01.07--Toxic Kids - Part One
11.01.07--Searching for the Competitive Edge
10.01.07--Sensitive Gut or Good Sound Stomach?
9.01.07--Chicken Soup: A Home Cooked Remedy
7.01.07--Apple, Banana or Pear?
5.01.07--Basics of Healthy Living
4.01.07--Nutrition in a Nutshell
2.01.07--Make No Bones About It!
1.01.07--No January Zimmerman File
12.01.06--Ah, the Joys of Travel
11.01.06--The Skinny on Fats Part II
10.01.06--The Skinny on Fats Part I
09.01.06--Beating the Aging Odds
08.01.06--Fighting Obesity - What Do I put in My Child's Lunch?
07.01.06--And the Beat Goes On
06.01.06--Boomer Breakthroughs - Keeping in the Game Part 2
05.01.06--Boomer Breakthroughs - Keeping in the Game Part 1
04.01.06--Understanding Malabsorption
03.01.06--Joint Surgery, 2006 Style
01.01.06--Wake Up Your Immunity!
12.01.05--The Colors of Health
11.01.05--In Pursuit of a Better, Sculpted Female Body
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