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This issue's topics:

New recipes!

Ten tips for natural skin care

The latest on the diabetes drug Avandia

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We've had lots of requests for new recipes, so Dr. Marcantel has been busy in the kitchen whipping up some new creations. Enjoy!

Crunchy Tomato Soup

Dr. Tina Marcantel

A quick and easy recipe that contains the antioxidant lycopene in the tomatoes, protein in the soy milk and chicken, and antimicrobials in the garlic and onions. It also tastes good!

1 broasted chicken--deboned and chopped                

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 large can tomato purée                                           

 2-3 cloves chopped garlic

1 cup soy milk (I use Soysilk--unsweetened)              

1 cup pecan or walnut pieces

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil                                

low-fat sour cream (dollop as topping)

1 cup chopped cucumber                                            

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

In blender mix tomato purée, soy milk, fresh basil, cucumber, onion, garlic, Tony's seasoning to taste. Blend until smooth. Remove from blender and stir in nuts and chopped chicken. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of sour cream. May be served warm or cold.

Here's an interesting FOOD FACT from Wikipedia.com: "Unlike other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as vitamin C is diminished upon cooking, processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of bioavailable lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. Thus processed tomato products such as pasteurized tomato juice, soup, sauce, and ketchup contain the highest concentrations of bioavailable lycopene. Because lycopene is so insoluble in water and is so tightly bound to vegetable fiber, the bioavailability of lycopene is increased by food processing."

Ezekiel's Pizza

Dr. Tina Marcantel

6 Ezekiel tortillas                                                          

chopped fresh garlic

1 cup crumbled feta                                                     

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 - 2 cups mozzarella cheese                                  

30 grape tomatoes (cut in half)

1 12-ounce jar bruschetta (I use TJ's)                           

black olives

2 cups fresh spinach

Spray large baking sheet with canola spray. Line up 6 tortillas. Spray tortillas with canola.  Top each with mozzarella cheese. Spoon bruschetta over mozzarella. Pack spinach, tomatoes, garlic, and basil on top. Sprinkle feta on top of all 6 pizzas. Bake at 350° for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Why "Ezekiel"? We'll let the Food for Life company speak for itself: "Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Cereal is inspired by the Holy Scripture verse: 'Take also unto thee Wheat and Barley and Beans and Lentils and Millet and Spelt and put them in one vessel and make bread of it...' We discovered when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens. A complete protein is created that closely parllels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. Plus, there are 18 amino acids present in this unique cereal--from all vegetable sources!" For more information about Food for Life products, visit their website.

We've added these plus 3 more quick and easy recipes on our site. Visit our recipes pages for more good-for-you meal ideas!

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Skin Care: Ten Tips for Naturally Healthier Skin

by Dr. Tina Marcantel

It’s a fact of life that as we grow older our bodies require more maintenance work. Obviously, the most visible sign of aging is the condition of our skin, which is one reason so many people are concerned with proper skin care. The bad news is that most of the “miracle” skin care products that sound “too good to be true” are exactly that. The good news is that there are positive steps we can take to naturally protect and repair our skin to keep it healthy and vibrant. Here are TEN tips for naturally healthier skin:

1. Foods containing omega fatty acids such as cold-water fish (salmon), flaxseed oil, walnuts, and borage oil will provide the cells with a healthy membrane. This results in healthy skin. I recommend to patients a fish oil soft gel pill 3X per day, which I know will provide ample omega-3 fats.

2. Eat healthy. Foods containing B-complex vitamins such as fish, meat, eggs, and grain cereal products help create healthy skin. Sweet potatoes and carrots contain beta-carotene, which is responsible for growth and repair of body tissues. Citrus fruit and vegetables containing vitamin C, which is an antioxidant and provides collagen for the skin.

3. Treat yourself to a foot soak with 1 part vinegar to 1 part water for 15-20 minutes, then rinse. This has proven very effective for very dry skin. It also prevents fungal growth under the toenails. I particularly recommend this for diabetic patients who are prone to yeast infections of the feet.

4. To slow down the progression of wrinkles, sunscreen should be applied to the skin before going out and again reapplied every two hours while in the sun. A good sunscreen should contain active ingredients of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Avoid the sun during the middle of the day, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the atmosphere absorbs less of the harmful UV rays of sunlight than earlier or later in the day. (And no, there is no such thing as “safe tanning”!)

5. Follow each bath with a moisturizer. Moisturizers applied after the bath help keep water in the skin and therefore prevent drying. It’s much more effective to apply a moisturizer to damp skin immediately after bathing than to put it on dry skin. I suggest Amylactin Lotion which was recommended to me by a podiatrist. It was previously prescribed but is now sold over-the-counter.

6. Use “superfatted” soaps like Dove or Neutrogena that have extra amounts of fatty substances such as lanolin, coconut oil, cold cream, or cocoa butter. The “superfatted” soaps cause less irritation to the skin. Avoid soaps with lye, as they are irritating to the skin.

7. Exercise regularly. Studies have shown that athletes have skin that is denser, thicker, stronger, and more elastic than that of non-exercisers. So, besides keeping your weight down and your heart healthy, you're also helping with skin care when you take that brisk morning walk!

8. Use a humidifier. If the air in your house is moist, so will your skin be moist. That may prevent smaller wrinkles that sometime come with dry skin.

9. Wash less and rinse well. A soapy film left on the skin will exacerbate drying. Over washing can lead to dryness, which can lead to wrinkling.

10. Take an oatmeal bath to soothe irritated skin or skin rash. Oatmeal has been used for thousands of years for skin soothing effects. Pour 2 cups of fine powdered oatmeal like Aveeno into a tub of lukewarm water. Family doctors from years past prescribed this to soothe the skin irritation of chicken pox for children.

The old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly holds true for skin care. By getting into the habit of providing the nutrition and care your skin needs on a regular basis, you may avoid a future search for an expensive (and usually ineffective) miracle cure later. Here’s to a naturally healthier you!

This article is also available on our website. For more articles on a variety of health topics please visit our Articles Index page.

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UPDATE ON AVANDIA: According to a new study in The New England Journal of Medicine, "In susceptible patients, [Avandia] therapy may be capable of provoking myocardial infarction [heart attack] or death from cardiovascular causes after relatively short-term exposure," suggest study investigators Steven Nissen, MD, and Kathy Wolski, MPH. According to an article on WebMD.com, 

"Avandia maker GlaxoSmithKline says the study is flawed and that better data -- some already submitted to the FDA, some from an ongoing clinical trial -- show Avandia poses no significant risk to patients' heart health. The FDA says that based on this 'contradictory evidence about the risks in patients treated with Avandia,' patients taking the drug -- especially those who have had heart attacks or who have underlying heart disease -- should talk with their doctors about whether to continue taking the drug."

We want to stress that you should NOT take yourself off this drug if you are currently using it; instead, contact your doctor to discuss whether you may be at risk. Obviously, the jury is still out on this type 2 diabetes treatment drug, but if you are on it or considering taking it you should be sure to get all the facts. Read the whole article here:

http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20070521/diabetes-drug-avandia-heart-risk?ecd=wnl_nal_052107

Once again, we at DrMarcantel.com want to stress that NATURAL treatment of type 2 diabetes through diet, exercise, and dietary supplements can significantly reduce the amount of drugs needed to control the disease! If you or someone you know would like more information about type 2 diabetes, we have a wealth of information in the Diabetes Central section of our website.

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Is it time for a heath maintenance visit with Dr. Marcantel? Remember that it's easier to stay healthy than it is to get healthy. Call today for an appointment with Dr. Marcantel to evaluate your current progress with your personal health regimen: 480-985-0000. Need directions to our office or other contact information? Just click here for details.

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Dr. Tina Marcantel

5416 East Southern Avenue #110

Mesa, AZ 85206

480-985-0000

Newsletter written by Peter Marcantel, webmaster for DrMarcantel.com.