Lean& fit
By Mark E. Stroder
Medicine
minder
THERE ARE GENERALLY two ways to
approach things: the hard way and the easy way.
Costco member Suzanne DuBarry
(
TheGentleReminder.com) says she has a gift,
and a curse, for the latter.
MY WIFE, Lillian, has endured the highs and
lows—and inevitable failures—of many diets.
Last year, she was introduced to a curriculum that she believes will lead her toward
a thinner and healthier lifestyle.
The program is called Lean & Fit. Be careful not to refer to it as a “diet” in front of Costco
member and Lean & Fit founder Cliff
Lenderman, of Tacoma, Washington. “This
program (available on DVD) focuses on
changing people inside out, so that the changes
made will be permanent,” says Lenderman. “If
we are to change our reality then we have to
change our perceptions and our belief system.”
“I have this part of me that sees an easier
way to do things,” says DuBarry from her home
in Henderson, Nevada. This ability led the
former producer and infomercial rep to
develop a system for remembering daily prescriptions that is genius in its simplicity. Called
the Gentle Reminder, it consists of a sticky-backed counter, either numerical or listing days
of the week, that can be attached to a prescription bottle. Take the dose, flip the tab and you
know exactly how much you’ve taken and when.
Exactly how does one accomplish this in
an era that is permeated with fast food,
processed food and satellite television?
Lenderman, a seventh-degree black belt in
tae kwon do, says it’s all in your head. “When behavior modification and motivation.
you have a burning desire to accomplish some- Lenderman says the nutrition compo-thing, then you take your focus away from nent educates people on food quantity, qual-where you are and put your energy into what ity and combinations to facilitate weight loss,
you want,” he explains. “If your focus is on and, most important, reduce the risk of heart
being unhappy about your body, then you keep disease, cancer, diabetes and other life-threat-
DARREN CHES TNU T, CEN TUR Y, INC.
[diverting] energy to continue re-creating that ening diseases.
reality. If your focus is a lean and fit body, then “We focus not only on how to eat to lose
you begin to manifest that into your life.” weight, but how to eat to maintain better
“I started taking thyroid medication, and
the doctor warned me of the dangers of dou-ble-dosing,” says DuBarry, who began marketing her product through drugstores and
women’s health groups before word of mouth
helped product sales take off. DuBarry says
the system also can be used on non-medical
items, such as leftovers in plastic storage containers, to help
remember pet feedings,
anything that is time sensitive. “With so much going
on in our lives,” she says,
“it’s really easy to ask, ‘Did
I take my prescription
today?’—TFJ
The Lean & Fit program comprises five health,” he says. “We not only advocate exer-tiers: nutrition, aerobics, resistance training, CONTINUED ON PAGE 64
GENTLE
REMINDER
patients who took the lowest dose of fish
oil, 1 gram daily, showed significant
improvements on all major measures of
depression compared to those who took a
placebo. In particular, 69 percent of the
patients who took the 1 gram dose had a
50 percent reduction in their symptoms,
compared to only 25 percent of those who
took a placebo. The researchers say larger
studies are needed to confirm these effects.
The omega- 3 fatty acids may work to
ease depression by improving the effectiveness and absorption of existing medications, the researchers say. But they
note that a limited number of their
patients who are not on antidepressant
therapy have experienced improvements
similar to those seen in this study
through treatment with fish-oil supplements alone.
In addition, they say treatment with
omega- 3 fatty acids may be especially beneficial for depressed patients who are at
risk for heart disease, in light of recent
research about fish oil’s heart-healthy
effects.—TFJ
Calling all The immunity
bad guys
Bacteria. While
cops some bacteria help us
digest food and make
useful pharmaceuticals,
other bacteria cause infec-
By Dr. Michael F. Roizen tions in the form of such
and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz things as strep throat and
some sexually transmit-YOUR BODY KNOWS how to ted diseases. Left un-defend itself. Bones protect treated, they can wear
your internal organs in case of down your immune sys-car accidents or errant golf balls, hair protects tem and permanently damage your organs.
your scalp from UV rays and eyelids protect Most are dealt with by your white blood cells,
your eyeballs from finger-poking friends. with the help of antibiotics that kill the bacteria.
But the most important security system Viruses. Viruses—usually transmitted
in your body is the stealth one: the one you hand to hand, mouth to mouth or sexually—
can’t see or feel, but the one most responsible work by invading a cell and hijacking it. A virus,
for defending your body against illnesses and such as the common cold, takes over cell’s
then helping you to recover from them. Your genetic code and sends replications throughout
immune system is the police precinct of your your bloodstream. Most viruses aren’t treatable
body, and it knows exactly the thugs it’s up with antibiotics (in fact, medications can kill
against—and how best to fight them. good bacteria, giving the harmful viruses and
Here’s a look at your immune system, what cells they hijack even more power).
attacks it and what you can do to stay healthy. CONTINUED ON PAGE 64
