Participants: Dr. James Marcum (Host), Charles Mills
Series Code: UP
Program Code: UP00036B
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00:01 Welcome back to the program,
00:02 I'm Charles Mills here with Dr. James Marcum, 00:03 he is a cardiologist and we're talking about 00:06 weighty matters today. 00:08 We've decided not to talk about weight; 00:11 we talk about risk and dangers. 00:13 So we're into risk management today, 00:15 danger management when it comes to how much 00:18 we weigh and what our bathroom scales are telling us. 00:20 And Dr. Marcum, one of the questions that came into 00:22 heartwiseministries. org 00:24 is important - this is what this person says, 00:27 "I take weight loss supplements and have lost 30 pounds. 00:30 I feel better, is there any long-term risk of weight loss 00:35 medications?" 00:37 Now even before you answer this, 00:39 I'm thinking about what you just wrote recently, 00:42 and that is a pretty amazing book here that the title 00:45 kind of says it all. 00:46 If you look at the title of this book, 00:48 you're going to discover what Dr. Marcum feels 00:52 is a real danger in this world that we need to be aware of. 00:56 Tell us about "Medicines That kill" 00:59 "Medicines That Kill" is a book I wrote 01:01 to increase awareness. 01:03 And we go through the book and in the first part, 01:05 we show all the ways that medicines can hurt people, 01:08 and actually kill people and actually, it's the #1 cause of 01:11 death in America. 01:12 Cardiovascular disease, cancer, they're there, 01:15 but medicines are killing more people. 01:17 Say that again - medicines is the #1 cause of death 01:21 in America right now. Medicines? Yes 01:23 And you think of all the overdoses, 01:25 the Heath Ledgers, the Whitney Houstons, 01:27 the Michael Jacksons... so medicines kill. 01:30 In the first part of the book, 01:31 I go all the ways medicines can kill. 01:35 The second part of the book, I gave some practical ways 01:37 that people can be off the medications, 01:39 and the third part, we introduce them to 01:41 God's plan in their lives. 01:44 And what's so important about this question is 01:47 Are weight loss medications, that help you lose weight, 01:51 are they dangerous? ABSOLUTELY! 01:53 In fact, some have caused heart valve problems, 01:55 some cause dangerous arrhythmias, 01:57 and they're not a long-term fix. 01:59 And one of the things we wanted to highlight 02:00 on this program today is not only do we have a problem 02:03 that can lead to other diseases, 02:05 but when you get these other medical conditions 02:07 caused by extra weight, guess what happens? 02:10 You're on more medications. 02:11 More medications can cause side effects. 02:13 For instance, diabetic medicines that lower blood sugar, 02:16 that can increase risk. 02:18 Pain medicines - if you have extra weight cause pain. 02:20 Narcotics - that can cause risk, 02:22 and sooner or later you've introduced a lot more risk 02:25 in your life - so rather than take medications, 02:29 if you carry extra weight, the real solution is to 02:32 find ways to get the weight off. 02:34 Now let me ask you a question because you have 02:35 said in the past that there is a place for modern medicines, 02:39 and there may be a situation, when it comes to your heart, 02:43 that you need to have that medicine to lower your 02:47 blood pressure or to... 02:48 Is there ever a time when someone is overweight 02:52 or obese when - you BETTER take some medicine NOW 02:55 or you're not going to live to see tomorrow? 02:57 Absolutely, there are situations where we give them 02:59 medicines to help a crisis situation, 03:03 but we weren't made to take medicines day in and day out. 03:06 They were for a short period of time, 03:07 then they were supposed to be stopped. 03:09 For instance, you know we talked previously about 03:11 blood pressure medicines. 03:12 Well, those medicines that you're talking 03:14 are the results of being overweight. 03:17 I'm talking about the FACT that you're overweight... 03:19 You give a blood pressure medicine to someone 03:22 who is overweight because they have high blood pressure, 03:24 but do you give a medicine in an emergency situation 03:26 simply because someone is feeling fine, 03:28 but they happen to be overweight? 03:29 If they have no other problems, 03:31 you mean, do I give them a medicine 03:32 to get the weight off of them? 03:34 No, because the risk of the medicines 03:37 are greater than the benefits. Yes 03:39 You have a risk of dying from the medications. 03:41 It can cause dangerous heart rhythms in some of them. 03:43 Now they're going to come up with new ones that maybe 03:45 are at less risk, but so far the ones that 03:47 have been in the past, increase your risk. 03:49 Most of these medications and dietary supplements 03:53 to lose weight, have things that increase your metabolism. 03:56 That's why you lose weight. 03:57 Well, and it also increases other problems like 03:59 dangerous heart rhythms. 04:01 We watch these energy pills that are loaded with 04:03 caffeine and ephedrine that get you revved up 04:05 and doing something all the time. 04:07 Well wouldn't it be safer for a person to speed up 04:09 their metabolism with water and do exercise, 04:12 and do these type of things rather than take the risk 04:14 of a medication that could potentially 04:16 cause lots of problems. 04:18 So the weight loss medications, I don't recommend. 04:21 The weight loss supplements, I don't recommend. 04:23 But there is a way to lose weight that's better than that, 04:27 and we want to sort of talk about that, 04:29 and that's getting back to some simple things that we can do. 04:32 So let's get back to the question... 04:34 Do I recommend supplements? 04:35 No... because - extra weight can lead to medications 04:39 to treat the symptoms of extra weight - 04:41 THAT can be potentially dangerous. 04:42 That's what I wanted to hear... okay, again the book, 04:44 "Medicines That Kill" James Marcum 04:46 You can find these things at Amazon. com 04:49 and other places that will be made available. 04:52 This is an important book for you to have in your library. 04:54 Before you start any kind of treatment plan, 04:58 I would love for you to read this book and know 05:01 what you are up against; what's going to happen here; 05:04 what may happen to you. 05:05 We're talking about risk management today, 05:07 danger management and this is an important resource 05:12 for that process. 05:13 You know, there's not a book like that that has been written 05:16 by a medical doctor that explains the risk, 05:19 and also gives the solutions to the problems. 05:21 You know, everyone knows that medicines are dangerous, 05:23 but a lot of people don't feel all the different ways that 05:26 medicines are in - you know even in an over-the-counter 05:28 medication like aspirin. 05:29 The #1 cause of fatal GI bleeding last year was aspirin. 05:34 Over-the-counter drugs... Yes! 05:35 The #1 cause, the most liver failure acutely was 05:38 acetaminophen which is in Tylenol. 05:40 So medications all have risk as we've talked about. 05:43 Weight has risk. Yes 05:45 The medicines that come to treat the complications 05:47 of weight management have risk... 05:48 that's why we're encouraging people to understand 05:51 that this weight issue is very important, 05:54 and if you're not on a plan today, 05:56 we want to come up with a plan today to help you 05:58 get motivated to start moving in the right direction. 06:01 All right - here's the next question from 06:03 heartwiseministries. org on this subject. 06:06 "There are so many diets and programs out there, 06:08 you mentioned that, I do not know where to start" 06:11 Now this is an important question because 06:13 we are inundated with this information. 06:17 We know what we want to do. 06:18 We know what we should do. 06:19 We know what we need to do. 06:21 What is the first STEP that we need to take 06:26 to try to mitigate the problem of overweight? 06:29 And to understand how to answer that, 06:32 you know, where to start, you have to understand the problem. 06:35 You know and that's sometimes individual. 06:37 Why does a person carry extra weight... 06:40 And you have to go through all the reasons, 06:41 you know, make sure it's not a thyroid or adrenal disorder. 06:44 Make sure there's no medical problem that's doing it. 06:47 So the first step then is check with your doctor 06:49 to say - "Is there something wrong with me that is 06:51 causing this to happen?" Yes 06:52 You know there are syndromes like Cushing syndrome, 06:54 low thyroid that can cause extra weight... First step 06:57 But most of the people, as you pointed out, 06:59 have it because of too many calories... 07:01 And then, why do people take too many calories? 07:04 Well, is it because they're being misinformed by the media? 07:08 Because it TASTES GOOD, Dr. Marcum! 07:10 And all these dopamine receptors. 07:12 Is it stress in their life that is coming from too much stress, 07:15 and they're trying to cope with that and they're eating more? 07:18 So it really starts, I think in weight management, 07:21 it starts in the brain. 07:22 Yes... It starts in the brain. 07:24 A person has to have the education, 07:26 understand that it's dangerous it could hurt them, 07:28 and then the first place I like to start people 07:30 in answering these questions is turning to God. 07:33 "God, I don't have the answers 07:35 I think the weight management programs don't have the answer," 07:37 but God has the answers for YOU. 07:39 The answer to WHY. 07:40 Why and how, also, how He wants 07:42 you to move through this problem... 07:44 And also He can give you the strength, 07:46 so I like to start people in the relationship with God. 07:49 I ask them to pray, get back into a relationship with God. 07:52 Study the Scriptures. 07:53 If you're not going to a worship situation, 07:56 whether that be church, find a place where you 07:59 can worship and God can grow that relationship... 08:01 And as you grow that relationship and diligently 08:04 search for truth, He's going to lead you to truth, 08:07 so that's where I start people. 08:08 I say, "Start in that relationship. " 08:10 The next thing I say, "Well, we need to increase the metabolism" 08:13 That's assuming everything else is normal. 08:15 Well, 2 ways to simply increase it is drink water. 08:19 Everyone can drink water, that can speed up your metabolism. 08:22 Okay, coffee, tea, soda... 08:24 Won't do it, that is not water. That's not water - okay 08:26 We weren't made 70% ice tea... 08:28 Just because it's liquid, doesn't mean it's water. 08:30 We were made 70% water. 08:32 Not only does it increase our metabolism, 08:34 bit it stretches out our stomach so we FEEL full. 08:37 ...70% of our body is made of water; 08:40 our brain has water to think well. 08:42 When we're dehydrated, we don't work as well, 08:46 so, I start people on water. 08:47 Most people can do that, Charles. 08:48 They drink water for a while. 08:50 They're in this relationship for a while, 08:52 and then all of a sudden you notice... 08:53 You know, I had a guy who lost 20 pounds last year 08:55 just by drinking water. Wow 08:57 They notice that God does change and His laws are true - 09:00 there's something about this! 09:01 There's another reason because when he was drinking water, 09:04 he was probably not drinking what he usually drinks. Exactly! 09:07 Drinks the soda pop and whatever... 09:09 So he lost 20 pounds and the next thing, I say - 09:11 "You know, God did work with you, 09:13 He gave you the power to understand water, 09:15 and you do feel better and you've lost weight. " 09:17 The NEXT thing I say - "Well, let's start a movement 09:20 program - we've got to speed up your metabolism!" 09:22 So they start some type of regular exercise, 09:24 and it might be just 1 minute a day, 2 minutes a day, 09:27 5 minutes a day, but they ask God to help them. 09:30 They drink the water and say, "God help me to exercise more" 09:33 and guess what? 09:34 As they drink more water and as they worship, 09:37 and as they exercise, their mind starts to change. 09:41 They grow these new neurons. 09:43 Their exercise program helps them out; 09:45 they get better blood flow to the brain; 09:47 they're getting better water to the brain; 09:49 they're getting worship to the brain. 09:51 Some of that stress chemistry from exercise and worship 09:54 starts turning you down a little bit - 09:55 so they are maybe not quite a dependent 09:57 on pleasing these dopamine receptors. Yes 10:00 You follow me here? I do 10:01 So they might do that for a while. 10:03 Okay, then the next thing I ask him to do, 10:05 moving along this line and some 10:06 people can move very fast on this line, 10:08 some people move slow... 10:09 I say - "Don't eat big at night" 10:12 Okay - don't eat big at night. 10:13 When you think about it, the big meal at night, Charles, 10:16 your metabolism slows at night. 10:19 You eat that big meal at night, 10:21 and it doesn't move through you - it just sits there! 10:24 And if you eat bad food at night, 10:26 it spoils in you and you absorb all the bad stuff, 10:30 all the chemicals. 10:31 If you eat a lot of meat products, 10:33 you absorb the steroids that that animal 10:35 is brought to market with. 10:37 The antibiotics, you know chickens live by each other 10:39 you know, so they don't all get sick, they give antibiotics. 10:42 ...80% of the antibiotics in America 10:44 are now used on our livestock... 10:46 And the feed - they feed these animals high protein food 10:49 because they want them to grow quick! 10:51 The quicker they grow, the quicker they come to market. 10:53 Well when you eat that stuff, not only do you 10:55 absorb all the calories, all the protein, all the fat, 10:58 you get the antibiotics, you get all the diseases... 11:01 All this gets absorbed in you... NOT GOOD! 11:03 So I ask people - don't eat so BIG at night. 11:06 I say just eat a little bit of fiber at night, 11:09 maybe have some celery, some apples... 11:10 And as they start doing that, guess what happens? 11:12 They rest better! 11:14 And when they start to rest better, 11:16 and they don't have all this food digesting in them overnight 11:18 ...guess what happens to the brain? 11:20 It thinks better, they can exercise better, 11:23 they can drink more water and guess what? 11:25 They worship better. 11:26 So all of a sudden, the brain becomes getting 11:29 more clear, the stress chemistry goes down, 11:31 and they see God working in their lives... 11:33 They say - "Yes, God's plan, this natural way 11:35 of losing weight - God's way, is WORKING!" 11:38 And the next thing you realize, Charles, is that the brain 11:42 begins to realize that this is working out for me in my life. 11:46 All these changes, and then people start 11:48 doing things like eating more fruits and vegetables, 11:50 and just eating enough bad stuff to be happy... 11:52 And what they soon discover is the bad stuff 11:55 makes them feel bad. 11:56 So guess what? 11:57 The brain has changed, the body has changed, 12:00 you're not as dependent on these dopamine receptors 12:02 we talked about and all of a sudden - 12:04 the weight starts coming off, 12:05 you have some good habits and it's just one step at a time. 12:09 There is a downside to this and I need to warn you about this. 12:12 There's a downside... 12:13 When you've gone through all of this, 12:15 and you find the weight coming off, 12:17 you're going to have to buy new clothes... 12:19 You're going to have to change everything in your closet... 12:21 That's a real bad downside, isn't it? 12:24 And I hope that for everyone. 12:26 When we come back, let's talk to the One that 12:28 can take you through this program and bring you success, 12:31 so stay tuned! 12:41 We've been talking today about weight management, 12:44 and how to lose weight. 12:45 This is not an easy topic and there is no quick solution 12:49 in a short period of time - I can't give you everything, 12:52 but a couple of things I want to leave you with today 12:54 is one that extra weight is a problem, 12:57 and unfortunately, it can lead to more medications; 13:01 it can lead to a lot of heartaches; 13:03 it can lead to a lot of chronic disease. 13:05 The problem is growing, so we know that the answers 13:08 aren't out there... we have to look for something more. 13:11 In weight management it takes, I think, a relationship 13:15 with the Heavenly Father and start things 13:17 one-step-at-a-time like we talked about... 13:19 getting the brain right; 13:20 getting the chemistry right in the brain; 13:22 helping people understand that their habits are 13:25 hard to break... 13:26 Things like water and eating more plants, 13:29 and filling up your stomach and exercising, 13:31 and drinking water and eating just enough 13:33 bad food to be happy. 13:34 These are all important steps, 13:36 but it also takes God to lead you. 13:38 Some people can do everything at ONCE... 13:40 But then some people need this relationship one-step-at-a-time 13:44 as long as we're moving forward. 13:45 I'm going to pray for you right now - 13:47 those of you that need extra help in taking the pounds off. 13:50 Father God, we all need You for every aspect 13:54 of our health, Father, and we want to help those 13:56 out there that want to lose weight, 13:57 that want to be healthier. 13:58 To learn how to do that, we want to include You in 14:01 this plan, Father. 14:02 Please lead us as we think about this problem today... 14:05 is our prayer - Amen 14:07 I know that losing weight is not easy. 14:11 It's something that's got to be given to God every day, 14:14 but we can't ignore this problem. 14:16 We have to talk about the things that 14:18 people have problems with and give them hope in the future. 14:21 And that real hope comes in that relationship that 14:24 Ultimate Prescription that we have with our 14:28 Heavenly Father |
Revised 2014-12-17