Edmonton Sun YOUR HEALTH Monday, November 20, 2006

Darn dimples
Women can prevent damaging and unsightly cellulite from forming with exercise and diet
Cellulite-free

edmontonsun.canoe.ca

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their lifetimes and that includes women of all sizes. No matter how big or thin we are, we are prone to cellulite from our chin to our toes, says the Ontario doctor who conCARY CASTAGNA ducted a related health seminar in Edmonton last week. Whats the driving force beDr. Delia Simu first noticed hind all this cellulite? The feshe had cottage-cheese thighs male hormone estrogen. and orange-peel arms 10 years That explains why only about ago in her mid-30s. 5% of men develop cellulite The unsightly dimples were usually only in the belly. evidence of cellulite a combiAggravating factors include a nation of fat, water and toxins poor diet, lack of exercise, smokthat exists just under the skin, ing, stress and bad posture, as she says. well as high heels, tight pants Simu was concerned, but not and birth control pills, Simu for cosmetic reasons. says. As a family physician with In Simus case, the Romanian specialties in acupuncture and native wasnt overweight and homeopathy, she knew the was eating a proper diet when health risks associated with cel- she discovered her cellulite. lulite. The good doc eventually determined that a high level of esHealth risks trogen was mostly to blame for Cellulite isnt just cosmetic. propelling fat into her cells. Its a very damaging To help stave off medical condition, and eventually reshe says, explaining verse her cellulite its presence indideposits, Simu decates poor blood cirveloped a simple culation in affected yet effective plan areas. of attack that she That means the continues to this amount of oxygen day. and nutrients reachIn an effort to ing the tissue is improve her circu Dr. Delia Simu greatly diminished. lation and lymWhen oxygen is phatic drainage, deprived from parts of the body, Simu jumps on the spot for just its known as tissue hypoxia, two minutes every day, usually which can lead to a host of other around midday. problems, she explains. Women can use a skipping The bad news is that 90% of all rope or a mini-trampoline, she women will develop cellulite in recommends.

When she has some time in her busy schedule, she likes to go for a brisk walk for 30 to 60 minutes. As for her diet, Simu makes sure to drink 212 litres of water daily, which works out to be eight eight-ounce glasses. And her eating plan is broken down as 60% protein, 20% carbs and 20% fat. Having more protein burns fat more efficiently, she says. Simus protein sources include chicken, shrimp, lobster and egg whites, as well as red meat and pork every two weeks. For carbs, she eats plenty of fruits and veggies, oatmeal, rice and no more than two slices of rye or whole wheat bread per day. Lastly, Simu regularly uses Alpha-Cell Cellulite Cream, a homeopathic preparation she formulated herself. Now 44, and at five-foot-two and 128 pounds, Simu says shes cellulite-free. The doctor advises women to get a saliva test to determine their own estrogen levels. Simu concludes: We cannot have sexy legs if we do not care about our sexy hormones. Follow my progress in Club Fits Biggest Winner challenge at www.edmontonsun.com/ Lifestyle/castagna.html.

Cellulite isnt just cosmetic. Its a very damaging medical condition.

THE BIGGEST WINNER

Anti-obesity pill is not the answer

It is both wrong and dangerous to ignore quantity of food you eat because medicine teaches its better to prevent
of both cholesterol a wellknown risk factor for heart disease and insulin, just as in obese humans who acquire diabetes. The impact was dramatic. Less than 20 weeks after starting this diet the mice exhibited significant liver damage. In addition, 25% of the test mice died. Conversely, mice fed a normal diet were perfectly healthy. Researchers noticed the health of obese mice improved markedly when resveratrol was added to their diet. The mice remained obese, but their blood level of insulin fell dramatically. Resveratrol also appeared to mitigate damage to the liver and to the heart. Based on those results, the scientists suggested using resveratrol to reduce the negative impacts of caloric overload as a way to improve the health and life expectancy of obese humans. But the question still remains: are drugs the right approach in the fight against obesity? With an estimated 2.1 billion obese people alive today, the financial incentives are obvious. It must be noted the studys lead author recently founded a company that markets resveratrol supplements. Talk about a conflict of interest! The studys message that it may be possible to ignore the quantity and quality of the food we eat without pay-

Do you have an inspirational story for Keeping Fit? E-mail Cary Castagna at: ccastagna@edmsun.com.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Dr. Delia Simu says cellulite is a damaging medical condition. She shared her secrets to eliminating orange peel skin with reporter Cary Castagna.

A recent But theres alstudy showed ready a simple, efthat resveraficient and ecotrol, a molenomic way to cule found in avoid these probred wine, can lems, all without improve the having to take a health and life pill: simply eat betexpectancy of ter! obese mice. Mice fed a diet That was all rich in fat gain some needed Dr. Michael weight rapidly. to start dreamJust as in huing about a mans, this weight resveratrol pill BALANCED DIET gain is accompathat would nied by several correct obesitys catas- health problems: a signifitrophic impact on health. cant increase in blood levels

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ing the price later on is both wrong and dangerous, since medicine teaches us its always better to prevent than to cure. A single glass of red wine contains enough resveratrol to have a positive impact on health. Combined with a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, it undoubtedly remains the best way of fighting off several chronic illnesses. Why look to cure a disease that can be so easily (and pleasantly) prevented?