Doctor Mark Hyman Decries Conventional Medicine in HuffPo: The Rising Awareness of Lifestyle Medicine

Dr. Mark Hyman (M.D.) practices medicine and writes bestselling books (he's made the New York Times Bestsellers list four times so far). Dr. Hyman also founded The Ultra Wellness Center, and is considered to be a world-wide leader in "functional medicine" - so when he writes an article for the Huffington Post (the top blog in the country per Technorati), people pay attention. 

The article is entitled, "Millions Die Due to Withheld Medical Treatment" and if you can't read it at the link (it will be archived at some point), feel free to check Dr. Hyman's website or contact me -- I've saved a copy in OneNote because I don't want to lose it.)

Practicing Physician Claims Conventional Medicine Corrupted by Greed

You should, too.  Why?  Because Dr. Hyman is standing up against a huge contingent of his peers when he writes that conventional medicine today is corrupt: that by its co-dependence upon the big pharmaceutical companies, the true cures for such major diseases as diabetes and heart disease lies in lifestyle medicine. 

What is Lifestyle Medicine?

Since lifestyle medicine isn't as profitable as conventional methods, it's being ignored according to Dr. Hyman and the result is akin to the Tuskegee Experiments of the 1920s (and if you don't know about this  horror, it's worth your time to stop and read what Dr. Hyman's written - just to learn about this).  

Dr. Hyman's providing lots of information on the web to help people - his website is great, so is the UltraWellness Center.  For example, check out his free series of articles online, "7 Keys to Ultrawellness."  Great stuff in here. 

Lifestyle Medicine Incorporates Simple Living.  Wow. 

Dr. Hyman promotes many of the things that simplifiers value.  Things like eating whole, fresh, organic foods.  Foods that you cook yourself in ovens and on stovetops.  Avoiding bad stuff like high fructose corn syrup and mercury.  Exercising.  Getting enough rest.  Avoiding stress.  Drinking lots of good water.  Taking vitamins. Taking herbs, too. Understanding detoxification. (Did you know that internalized stress can make you fat? Wow.) 

Want to Learn More About Lifestyle Medicine?

To learn more, check out his personal site or Dr. Hyman's UltraWellness website (where he offers a free ebook and lotsa free videos), follow him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/markhymanmd), or surf around for "lifestyle medicine" where you'll find good sites to learn from, including: 

American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Harvard Medical School's Lifestyle Medicine Institute
The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine

Naps. Take One. Naps are Good 4 U

Outside of the United States, a break in the afternoon is no big deal.  Siestas are an accepted part of the schedule in countries as varied as Spain, the Philippines, China, Greece, India, and Italy.  Maybe they've got the right idea.

Naps Aren't Just for Sunday Afternoons Anymore

Naps are good for you.  Taking a short rest in the afternoon -- 30, 45 mins -- helps you physically and mentally.  Research studies have shown that a little snooze, or siesta, in the workday can help your heart.  Even a 15 minute nap can help fight against strokes, and of course, stress.  And they get the job done: British researchers have compared the nap with the alternative coffee/caffeine break in the afternoon, and the nap was more efficient in getting you back in the saddle. 

When Should You Take Your Cat Nap?

Some suggest the optimal time for your little nap is 12 hours after you awake.  Others suggest that you take the "power nap" when you start to feel it's the right time -- usually between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, when your body temperature drops and your metabolism lags. 

Where Should You Nap?

Harvard Medical School is recommending a 30 minute nap in a cool, quiet, dark place.  Harvard also recognizes how some innovative employers acknowledge the importance of a siesta these days:  Google has "nap pods" for its employees.  (I think I might feel a bit claustraphobic in these Google nap pods, but they're such a cool idea.)

So, take a nap today.  Siestas are smart!

Image:  The Sweet Siesta of a Summer's Day, by John William Godward, public domain (Wikimedia Commons). 

I Love My Memory Foam Mattress Topper - Now I'm Not Buying a New Mattress Set

A couple of years ago, I had one of the TV shopping networks on in the background while I was writing, and succumed to the purchase of a "featherbed" mattress topper.  It seemed like such a great idea, and when I first got the thing aligned on the bed with the sheets fitting just fine, things were fabulous.  It was like I was sleeping on a cloud.

Except it didn't last long.  Things settled, and no matter what I did, the experience was never as good as it was when that feather-stuffed topper first came out of the package.  I decided mattress toppers were bunk.

Then, a couple of months ago, I was pondering buying a new mattress set.  What a conundrum.  Sleep Number, Memory Foam, pillow top -- so many decisions.  Headache.

Before you know it, I'm wandering through my favorite WalMart and there is a whole aisle of mattress toppers there.  At decent prices.  And there's one for a thick memory foam topper.  Now, I already had a memory foam pillow that I'd fight for, so this caught my interest.

I rambled home, and began surfing around, checking out the memory foam mattress topper.  It got great reviews -- in fact, the exact same one that I had spotted at WalMart was rated the highest in the land by some comparison site (that I can't remember right now).

So, I went back to WalMart and caught a sale.  Dear Reader, I'm sure you understand the inner realization that I had that returning to find this product on sale was a sign. So, voila, a new Memory Foam mattress topper for less than $100.00.  Much, much cheaper than a whole new mattress set.

Now, it's been months since my purchase.  And the Memory Foam mattress topper has held up.  It's also solved any issues that I had with my old mattress set, and I'm not planning on replacing the set any longer. 

I cannot tell you how great this Mattress Topper is for sleeping.  One hint:  my terrier mix jumps up on that topper every night about 10:00 p.m., and starts periodically barking for lights out.  She will not move again from that spot for ten hours. 

For more info on mattress toppers, check out the Consumer Search survey and all the information there. 

To check out the Memory Foam Mattress Topper that I have, you can see the product at Walmart's site plus read over 400 5-star reviews of the wonderful thing. 

Image:  Illustration of "The Princess and The Pea" by Edmund Dulac.