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Pier Albrecht – The quest for happiness – Chapter 2

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In this new chapter on the quest for happiness, we shall continue to delve deeper into thisimportant item that is of interest to everyone. We will attempt to define concepts such as “happiness” “interior joy” or “wellbeing”, and also to discover how this subject has been dealt with during the course of humanity.

What happened when I asked someone to read this chapter on definitions could serve as a good example of how difficult it is to give a precise meaning to these words.

It involves a patient of mine, Ana Mª V…, a 36 year old psychologist who read this chapter on the quest for happiness. Her comment was “It’s not bad… I agree with what you say, but from my point of view, joy is something momentary whilst happiness is something more lasting”. As happens all too often in our personal and professional lives, her opinion is based on the words used and not on their significance. To avoid this kind of problem and to not give so much importance to words, you could try to invent a more fluid concept, imagining a continuous interior state of well-being that makes you feel good whenever and wherever you are. Therefore a deep interior feeling of continuous wellbeing exists, or might exist. Again I have used the word “well-being”, and each of you can interpret it as you wish, but to me it seems to be the most neutral expression. This is what I would call “interior joy”.

So, apart from this permanent feeling of wellbeing, we can also experience moments of “well-being that are more intense than usual”, which would contrast with the normal state of wellbeing. This condition is characterised by the implication that it cannot last for long because it depends on one or several external factors that are not permanent.

For some people the external factor that generates those famous endorphins released by our brain to make us feel good will be artificial, such as the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco. For others it could be natural, through sex, music or sports. For me, this feeling of intense, specific well-being is what I would call pleasure, I do not consider it to be happiness. But for most people, happiness still depends on external factors like, for example, the fact of having money, a partner, a house, children, material assets, travelling, or not doing anything, lying on the beach, enjoying the sun, the sky and the birds. When I mentioned joy in the introduction to this article, I was referring to the concept of joy that is used in religious books. These books make reference to joy, not to happiness. The scholars and the prophets who have dwelt upon this subject claim that it is not possible to find happiness on this earth, although you can find interior joy. As you see, different names can be given to it – the concepts can even be confused – by calling joy what others call happiness. The essential thing is to understand that it is possible to attain an interior state of permanent wellbeing that does not depend on the external conditions of life, and that this deep, permanent state is more intense and will fulfil us more, bringing us peace. It would be impossible to achieve this if our state depended on external factors, that we could call stimulants (either physical or emotional). We all have friends or relatives who are full of “joy” and transmit this to others. Always happy, they are extremely positive, they like everyone and almost everything.

Well also know other people who are never happy, there is always something that they are missing, something they need to be able to fully enjoy life. They complain constantly, they criticize the world, life and everyone else. It’s always the world that is to blame if they are not happy, because they do not receive what they think they deserve.

Between these two extremes there are thousands of different cases, like ourselves. Scientists and brain specialists claim it is a question of chemistry and that the solution lies in medication known as “happiness pills”, such as Prozac. Others, like psychoanalysts and psychologists, think it depends on the early years of our lives, and they propose sessions of regression, either with patient being conscious or under hypnosis. Freud would have said it depends on the subconscious and others would say it involves the tendency of the soul.

The fact is that the quest for happiness continues and we all take part in the search, even those who try to hide it behind physical and/or mental hyperactivity. I don’t think there is one answer, but many answers. In any case, anyone who manages to love himself and others, without expecting anything in return and with compassion, comes close to achieving his own personal and permanent happiness.

The quest for happiness, an age-old concept.

Since ancient times, Man has been trying to improve his quality of life. In the beginning, to protect himself and to have a regular food supply. Little by little, once the essentials for his day to day life were more or less guaranteed – i.e. his basic needs – he began to have time to think and redefine his life. From that moment on, the notion of happiness appears. It could almost be said that the search for happiness appears once the fight for survival disappears.

In other words, once the dangers are removed, temporarily or almost permanently, he can start to look for ways in which to improve his living conditions : food, housing, dress, love, play. From this, first the concept, and later the philosophy, automatically emerges.

The division of the world

At any period in time, the world has always been divided into two categories of people: those who have tried to find happiness through material belongings, and those who have remained either partly or completely on the outside of the material world, trying to find a spiritual evolution.

Since the most distant times, and in all civilizations, politicians have co-existed alongside the holy men. The politicians organized the world and daily life. The priests were there to guide us, acting as intermediaries between the visible and the invisible worlds, between the world from where the soul comes and to where it goes.

In certain periods of history, these two worlds have sometimes come close, bringing spiritual and political power together in the same hands. On other occasions they become distant, like at the present time – at least in the Western world – when the spiritual leaders do not enjoy any political privileges other than, very occasionally, acting as mere advisors.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

Pier Albrecht – The 3 hours diets

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As in previous editions, TRANSFORM magazine brings it readers the latest “in” diets, including an objective criticism of them. Today we present the one based on the book “Timing makes you Thin” by G. Clous, also known as “the 3 hour diet”.

The new diet called the “3 hour diet” or in other words “Timing makes you Thin”, by George Clous, assures us that it is not what we eat that makes us slim, but how often we eat. It promises a weight loss of 2 pounds a week without giving up your favourite food.

It’s true that in spite of the number of diet books, diet pills and TV programmes, there are more and more people with problems of excess weight. George Clous is emphatic in saying that diets do not work….he is not the first nor the last person to say so….and he adds that eliminating and going without your favourite food is not the solution.

At the beginning you lose weight, then there is a stage when the weight loss stabilizes, and afterwards all the weight is regained within a year, and this is what happens in 90% of the cases. According to him, the secret for losing weight and not regaining it is not to let more than 3 hours pass between each meal. Following this pattern, you should lose 2 pounds per week.

Why would it be necessary to eat every 3 hours?

The first answer would be because this cancels out the survival mechanism that protects us against hunger. Clous assures us that if we let more than 3 hours pass between two meals, this survival mechanism, known as the Starvation Protection Mechanism or SP M, is activated, making the body accumulate fat and burn muscle to conserve body fat, and thus help us to survive in the event of a food shortage. At the same time as this process takes place, the metabolism is also reduced, which is a problem in itself when you are trying to lose weight, and this is when the SP M comes into action and the body uses the muscles rather than fat to obtain energy.

This is not advisable because muscle controls the basic metabolism, i.e. how many calories are being burned when you sit or sleep. In a state of repose, each pound of muscle burns approximately 50 calories. Which means that if you lose 5 pounds of muscle, your metabolism will burn 250 calories less each day.

This diet raises the level of basic metabolism.

If the calories are better distributed throughout the course of the day, the supply of energy to the body is more regular. This enables the cells to obtain sugar more quickly from the blood and to make it available immediately for converting to energy. If the meals are more spaced and you take in more calories in each meal, the body cannot burn them, therefore it stores them as fat. The result is that you gain weight, even if your calorie intake is the same for the whole day.

This diet improves the energy level.

If you sometimes you ask yourself why you feel so tired at the end of the day, it is because you have been too long without food. The sugar level is reduced and you notice that you can no longer think clearly, and you feel like sleeping a siesta. If you eat every three hours, the sugar level of the blood remains stable and therefore provides a flow of amino acids (and sugar) to supply the muscles and the brain tissue. This also enables your energy and moods to be more regulated, because you are receiving a continuous energy supply throughout the day.

This kind of diet naturally curbs the appetite.

If you provide your body with food every three hours, you are maintaining a stable sugar level, which automatically shrinks your appetite. Research has shown that people who eat more frequently do not feel hungry, nor feel the need to eat.

Eating every 3 hours reduces your cholesterol level

Eating every 3 hours helps to regulate your cholesterol level. A report published in the British Medical Journal indicates that the cholesterol level of people who eat 6 or more times a day is around 5% lower than people who eat less frequently.

eatin every 3 hours reduces your cortisol level.

A high level of the cortisol hormone is associated with abdominal fat. Research has demonstrated that people who eat smaller meals and more often, as compared to those who eat three large meals a day with the same number of calories, could reduce their cortisol level by 17% in two weeks

should I eat?

Meal-times are calculated from when you wake up in the morning. – Rule 1. Have breakfast within one hour of waking up, to get the metabolism going. – Rule 2. Eat every three hours. – Rule 3. Have your last meal at least 3 hours before going to bed so the food is digested before

The key is to eat 5 times a day plus, if you wish, a small, 50-calorie snack, at 3 hour intervals. For example, breakfast at seven, a snack at ten, lunch at one, tea at four and finally dinner at seven. This would be the perfect distribution of eating times.

What should I eat?

In this diet you eat 3 meals, 2 snacks and one good meal per day. The author, George Clous, recommends several diets, or you can follow the one you like best, providing that you have an intake of around 1,450 calories per day, this being the ideal amount for shedding 2 pounds of fat per week.

But never less than this number of calories so that the body does not compensate by lowering the basic metabolism level. The diet must be balanced, providing the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats needed to maintain normal levels of sugar and insulin in the blood.

The 3 hour diet could be planned for breakfast, lunch and dinner as follows : According to the author, half of the plate should contain vegetable (fruit is recommended for breakfast), the other half of the plate is divided into two equal parts, one for carbohydrates and the other for protein. You can also add a spoonful of oil to help regulate the appetite. If you are still hungry afterwards, you can add another half plate of vegetable.

My opinion :

This diet, like the Atkins or The Zone diet, is planned around what people eat. You could say it is like advising someone on the type and quantity of petrol they should use for their car without taking into account what type of car it is. Obviously you would not use the same quantity or the same category of petrol for a diesel engine, a normal engine or a Formula One engine.

The diet is not everything….for this reason there is so much failure in this field. The diet should be adapted to each individual, not just in the amount of calories, but also the type of food, and taking into account not only the everyday life-style, but also any momentary changes in life-style. each person’s metabolism is different, and a doctor should not recommend the Atkins diet, The zone, the south beach or the 3 hour diet with the guarantee of personalizing it for each patient. Generally speaking i am not in favour of diets that oblige people to organize their life around food. quite the contrary, i think food, and therefore diet, should be adapted to our life-style. i am sure that eating every three hours could be effective for some people, but on a practical level it is not very realistic, and another kind of diet could be equally as effective. Like any plastic surgeon, every day i see patients who, after having tried as many as 10 different diets and even more “miracle” products to try and lose weight, with only temporary success, in the end decide to undergo a liposuction, which is usually the best solution.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

Pier Albrecht – The abdominal muscles

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Masculine aesthetic attributes

Visible abdominal muscles are one of the aethetic attributes usually associated with

men. How beautiful to see the body of an athlete or a male model with a “six pack”

or a “chocolate bar”. But more than beautiful, in the mind of a woman this is related to

the willpower that a man needs to not let the fat accumulate around his tummy. The

will to look after himself, both through physical exercise and through diet.

It’s a shame that in recent years, women also want to develop their abdominal muscles.

More and more women come to my surgery with the idea of eliminating their

abdominal fat, even if there is very little, so that the muscles can be seen. They even

ask for a liposcultpure. It is difficult to convince them that it is natural for a woman’s

body to have more fat than a man’s, and that the softer curves of a woman are related

to femininity and maternity, and to tenderness.

I think that this strong desire of those women is taken from the example set by their

instructor at the gym where they are sculpting their bodies. I have also received some

of the instructors in my surgery. They have fantastic bodies, to the point of perfection,

but I’m not sure that it is still the body of a woman. Their faces are all very much

affected by the lack of fat, which causes the skin to become very flaccid and lined.

Usually they like to be well tanned, which makes their appearance even worse

Health benefits for everybody

Whatever your eating habits, if you are overweight due to an excess food intake, you

cannot maintain the benefits of a diet if you do not reduce your stomach size. In reality,

the stomach has a tendency to relax over the years because people eat more and

take less exercise, especially in this area. It is essential to take up doing abdominal

muscles exercises again every day, as soon as you get up and on an empty stomach,

in order to gradually reduce the tendency of the stomach to expand. You can begin at

your own pace, even doing ten a day, without forcing or stressing yourself. By doing

this every day, you will progress, inevitably, and you could end up doing a thousand

a day by the end of a year, if you wish.

The exercises should be short and repetitive, moving the bent legs towards the body.

If you can, it is also advisable to make oblique movements, trying to touch the right

knee with the left elbow, and viceversa. With this simple exercise, the abdomen will

generally end up diminishing in size and this will enable you to eat less, giving you an

earlier sensation of being full, but also with the effect of stimulating the passage of

food through the intestine, which helps against constipation.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

Pier Albrecht – “The LOOK”

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Normally in social life, we greet someone by looking them in the eyes and shaking their hand. Those brief moments already give us an impression of the person standing before us. For this reason, the eyes and the look are so important. The look…is not only the eyes themselves, the colour of the iris, the uniformity of the white and the light in the iris (things that are always touched up by computer in the photos of celebrities and models on the cover pages), but the look has to include the eyebrows, the upper lids, the eyelashes, the lower lids, the bags and shadows under the eyes, the crows feet.

When we meet someone, we always look first at his or her eyes. Our attention then passes to the mouth. These two parts of the face allow us subcon sciously to obtain information will help us to guess the approximate age of that person, and perhaps also some traces of his or her character.

If the mouth and lips are frequently the first question for a woman, the eyes are usually the object of consultation for a man. For some it is the aesthetic aspect, for others, it is a question of practicality or aesthetics, but the motive is really the increasing demand for this type of surgery.

We should try to look at it from a different viewpoint, particularly regarding the correction or increased volume of a woman’s lips. The first thing we should remember is that when we look at ourselves in the mirror, we have a tendency to focus our attention on details, slight imperfections. But other people don’t look at us in the same way, they don’t observe us in so much detail.

When we meet someone, we always look first at his or her eyes. Aesthetic surgery can be of great help to give a fresh and seductive touch. (see pictures before and after)

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In our day to day life, most people we meet will greet us by looking us in the eye, to establish whether our look is deep or empty, warm or cold, straight and honest or, on the contrary, evasive, etc….Throughout the ages, the eyes have been considered to be the mirror of the soul. The brain immediately registers the forms and movements of the face, which give us an idea of the vitality and emotional state of that person.

Only the professionals, (and this can include best friends!!!), make a critical analysis of tones, texture, the skin condition, etc, in order to determine more precisely the age and the requirements for face care. Eye contact is therefore by far the most important, followed by the lips. In most cases, the need is to correct, rejuvenate and “sweeten” the look.

Patients generally understand this concept, but they immediately state that they do not wish specifically to change the expression of their look. The role of the professional is then to focus the attention on the fact that our look is not the same at all stages of our life and that maturity is sometimes synonymous with sadness, associated with a drooping of the eyelids and the outer corner of the eye.

The youngest patient on whom I have performed an eye operation was 27, and oldest was 79. Both were motivated for different reasons, but their circumstances were identical. They both had drooping eyelids which gave them a weary look and feeling, the younger patient because of her natural anatomy and the older one due to her age. The younger one, naturally, wanted not only to look younger but also to appear fresher and above all, sexier. The older patient only wanted to continue working without the feeling of tiredness.

Well, now I have used the word “sexy”. It could also be “seductive”. It’s true that drooping eyes, whether the eyelids or the outside corner (called the external canthus) do not look very sexy, but tired and even sad. Eyes that are larger and somewhat drawn out (feline) look more attractive. Throughout the centuries, women have painted their eyes to make them look larger and wider. This reminds us of Cleopatra, but apparently the men of Ancient Egypt also used to paint their eyes.

“the

LOOK”

The truth is that there is an almost magical attraction with large eyes. They are the symbol of an open vision towards others and to the world. Wide eyes are also associated with the natural shape of the eyes when we smile. They send out a message of sweetness, like a smile. In fact, there are people who are cruel and cold but who naturally have this kind of eyes, and they seem to always give a sweet smile, even when they are very angry.

It is very important to point out that the eye is closely joined to the upper and underlying structure. In fact, upper lids that are heavy and wrinkled are possibly, in the majority of cases, the result of sagging forehead skin. Lax lower eyelids, with circular rings, are often due to a loosening of the facial skin. In this way it is understood that the eyes can normally be operated on, independently from the rest of the face, whilst they should really be analysed as an integral part of a harmonious whole. This way it is preferable to create younger eyes, raising the “outer corner”, eliminating the excess skin, with a little of the muscle in the case of the upper lid, but trying to tuck in the skin without tensing the muscle too much at the level of the lower lid.

A final detail, it is possible to give a touch of embellishment to the eyes, creating or recreating at the external part of the upper lid, what Steven Hoefflin, the famous surgeon to the stars in Hollywood, calls a “beauty egg”. The study of thousands of faces has, in fact, demonstrated that the beauty of the features is almost a mathematical equation. It depends on the face having certain areas of fullness, seven for women, that are common to all of the most beautiful faces in the world. If these small areas of fullness do not exist, they can be created by fat injections, synthetic injectable products or implants.

This type of surgery is very satisfying to the surgeon and also to the patient, because the rejuvenating and embellishing effect is immediate in the majority of cases.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

Sleeping, the forgotten science: How a simple bed can change everything.

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How a simple bed can change everything.

For the majority of people, sleep is a time of absence and rest, a world of darkness. We do not pay too much attention to the time spent sleeping. We often think of it as a period of our life that is placed “in inverted commas”, regardless of whether we like sleeping, whether we find it boring, or whether we suffer from insomnia.

However you look at it, it is a time when our ordinary daily consciousness is inactive. Our social persona is switched off, the mask is put away, and we let ourselves be transported to wherever our subconscious (or as other people would say, our spirit) fancies to take us.

It would therefore be an error to think that this time does not belong to our life… quite the contrary, it should be considered as forming part of it. We spend a third of our life asleep, a time in which we should be recharging our physical and mental energy and, even more importantly, allowing our body to cleanse itself and relax.

Ideal sleep is when our body does not have too much food to be digested in the intestine; when we do not have bad dreams that affect us and make us wake up feeling more tired than before we went to bed.

If, however, we let our organs rest, without making them work too hard during the night – without supplying too much energy to the brain in the form of sugars and calcium, originating from an excess of desserts and dairy products – we will discover a way of sleeping that is deeper and more revitalizing.

We should cast off part of our mental and emotional stress and go to bed with a feeling of curiosity and confidence, trying to undertake a new journey every night and thinking “I wonder where my subconscious (spirit) is going to take me tonight”

The quality of our sleep depends largely on ourselves, our diet and our lifestyle. This is quite easy to demonstrate just by looking at ourself in the mirror the next morning. We really should look more relaxed and younger than the night before. But if we look older, more wrinkled or with bags or shadows under the eyes, it means we have not taken full advantage of the night, and this is what happens in 98% of the cases

The effects of electromagnetic fields.

Well, there’s more to it… Since the 50’s, certain doctors and scientists have thought that electromagnetic fields have a great influence on our life and health, especially during sleep – which is when we are most vulnerable – and they have detected a considerable reduction in melatonin when we are exposed to electromagnetic fields.

We now know that melatonin has an important function in the prevention of cancer or neurodegenerative diseases associated with the aging of the cells.

The effects of electromagnetic fields. Well, there’s more to it… Since the 50’s, certain doctors and scientists have thought that electromagnetic fields have a great influence on our life and health, especially during sleep – which is when we are most vulnerable – and they have detected a considerable reduction in melatonin when we are exposed to electromagnetic fields.

On the basis of these scientific advances, a team of doctors had the idea of studying the sleep of a group of volunteers under normal conditions, and at the same time in conditions of minimum electromagnetic influence. They used special beds that make it possible to eliminate the electromagnetic contamination in a room.

Sleep, an anti-aging therapy.

It has been demonstrated that sleep is a marvelous anti-aging therapy and that the reduction of electromagnetic fields is a highly important factor. But what does this really involve? For many years now it is known that our body is a battery and that every cell has an electrical charge. This battery therefore reacts and is affected by its surroundings and has a certain electromagnetic charge. Out in the countryside, our electromagnetic field is in harmony with the surroundings, but in the city, with its contamination and an environment of metals and synthetic materials, our electromagnetic field does not have the opportunity to discharge its excess energy and that energy is what prevents us from enjoying a deep, relaxing sleep. Electrical equipment in the bedroom, floors or bed bases that contain metal, mattresses with springs or synthetic fibres, or sheets and blankets of synthetic materials prevent us from having contact with the earth, which is our natural place of discharge.

The importance of a good bed.

To carry out the clinical experiment, very special beds were used, designed to help our bodies to discharge the electromagnetic energy, using a particular form of natural materials and an earth connection, manufactured by the firm of BIOVITAL in Granada. Dr. D. Acuña Castro Viejo from the free radical laboratory in the Department of Physiology of the University of Granada, informed of his results in the last Spanish Congress of Anti-aging Medicine and Longevity (SEMAL).

His discoveries had an explosive effect. His report demonstrated that the electromagnetic conditions of sleep can be improved simply by the bed. Mr. Dario Acuña himself says that he had observed a spectacular reduction in all the parameters monitored throughout the day and night for oxidative stress, which is the most reliable method of measuring anti-aging and the tendency to suffer from degenerative illnesses.

For further information about these beds, contact : BioVital – 902 430 952 – 958 890 305 – 667 525 409 www.biovitalgroup.com

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

The zone “The hormonal theory”

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Glucagon

Glucagon releases glucose from the liver. What stimulates the release of insulin is the blood sugar, and what stimulates the release of glucagon (also from the pancreas) are proteins. 25% of the population does not suffer from this reaction of hyperinsulinism when eating carbohydrates and do not put on weight. This is a genetic factor (see the interesting opinion of Peter J. Adamo in his theory about blood groups and eating habits)

Eicosanoids

These are the superhormones that control the production of other hormones and form “the molecular cement that holds the human body together”. They also control our vital physiological systems: the cardiovascular system, the immune system, the central nervous system, the reproduction system, etc..

Amongst these are: prostaglandins, prostacyclins and thromboxanes (related to heart disease), leukotrienes (constriction of the lungs and allergies), lipoxins and fatty acid hydroxylase (controls inflammatory reactions and regulated the immune system). The  could be considered as the “ultimate regulators of cellular function”

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Good & Bad Eicosanoids

Eicosanoids are controlled by the fat in our diet that is convertedinto essential fatty acids, which, controlled by insulin,will produce bad eicosanoids, and controlled by glucagon,will produce good eicosanoids.

*Good eicosanoids act :

– to inhibit platelet aggregation as vasodilator

– to control cellular proliferation

– to stimulate the immune system as anti-inflammatory

– to reduce the transmission of pain.

*Bad eicosanoids have the opposite action:

– According to Sears, “the well-being of the body is achieved once it starts producing more good eicosanoids than bad ones”

But Sears goes further than a basic definition of well-being or health, as I mentioned above when talking about the great French professor, Claude Bernard, who said: “Health is the silence of the organs”; although it might sound poetic, this rule is very primitive. Nowadays we know that silent organs could be developing lethal tumours in silence up until just a few months before inevitable death. We are searching for optimum health, greatest efficiency of our body and mind, with the prevention of illness and aging. He also says that with the Zone, we can prevent, or at least reduce, the impact of genetic diseases. Sears, therefore, looking at health from a molecular point of view, arrives at the theories of traditional Chinese energetic medicine, that thousands of years ago called “constitution” what nowadays we could call the genetic makeup with which we are born, and called “condition”, what nowadays we could call acquired behaviour, qualities and characteristics.

In other words, the Chinese doctors said that our constitution could be balanced by a healthy way of life, and in this way we could improve our condition. The opposite says that a bad condition could even be passed on to our descendents in the form of an unhealthy constitution. The molecular definition of the Zone is therefore: “a favourable dynamic balance between good and bad eicosanoids.”

How to enter & remain “in the zone ”?

By respecting a strict distribution of carbohydrates, fats and proteins at all times and in each meal, which would be in the following proportion: 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, 30% proteins. Sears claims that food and exercise are “hormonal modulators”, and that “the main energy source for the muscles is fat and not carbohydrates, and this is achieved through intensive aerobic exercise”.

Why is IT good to be “in the zone ”

I believe, like Barry Sears, also that we should “use food as if it were medicine”. We should control what we eat, and eat in appropriate proportions, as if it were through an intravenous drip.”

The Zone is a diet based on the advanced science of the proportions between foods. It has short term success with some people and it has been proven to be effective in the short term with athletes. Eight gold medals for American swimmers during the Olympic Games of Barcelona are a clear example

What does the Zone Diet promise ?

– The Zone allows you to lose weight, with “ a loss of body fat”.

– The Zone allows you to live with “increased energy, vitality and performance, both in work and at play and in personal relationships..”

– The Zone acts upon arthritis, cardiovascular and mental diseases, the premenstrual syndrome, chronic fatigue, even on infections produced by HIV…. could be the best defence against cancer”.

Why is it not recommended for everyone ?

Many of the recipes proposes contain dairy products, and many people are allergic to these.

It is not natural, it is not healthy in the long term for everyone, it can only be used with a large amount of dietary supplements. And what would happen if tomorrow the supply runs out? Dr Barry Sears has done some very serious research, and with a good motive: to live longer than his father did. But when he comes to using his diet, he proposes a list of industrially manufactured products. Much of the success of the Zone Diet is due to marketing in the US. as its creator, Dr. Barry Sears, has made and marketed his own products. These are energy bars containing chocolate, cereals, dairy products and many chemical components such as artificial flavourings, instant soup that is taken with milk, soy proteins or powdered milk, omega 3 oil in liquid form or in capsules. The Zone might be suitable for athletes and maybe many others, but it cannot be healthy in the long term because, as Dr. Barry Sears himself says “I have worked out and created this diet”, it is a hormone diet, for energy and wellbeing. It would have to be a completely natural diet for the effect to be guaranteed in the long term, for a life-time. As with the Atkins diet, the Zone has an original version and a version that is “adapted” to the Mediterranean diet. How can we have faith in a diet that is linked to a large business enterprise. Barry Sears himself says “The Zone is identified exclusively with the brand Enerzona throughout Europe”. In the second version, or the version adapted for Spain, it would be interesting to study the menu that is proposed for a Spanish woman : she is to have 250 ml of milk, 90 gr of cheese (not very convenient for most people), she has to mix dairy products and fruit or proteins and fruit, which will cause indigestion (see the chapter on natural diet), but above all, she is recommended to add 2.5 gr of Omega-3 RX sold by Barry Sears (no other brand), to have an Enerzona snack bar mid-morning, she can substitute lunch by an Enerzona “instant Meal” milkshake made with a further 250 ml of milk (making 500 ml together with the 250 ml at breakfast).

Conclusion

There is no doubt that The Zone is a successful diet, but it cannot under any circumstance be recommended for everyone, nor can it be advised as a life-time diet. The fact that athletes from the University of Stanford won eight gold medals during the Olympic Games of Barcelona is not scientific evidence. Athletes from other countries also won gold medals without having followed the Zone Diet. And if the Zone Diet had been the determining factor for the success of the Stanford athletes, why has it not continued to be used in subsequent Olympic Games? Why have the same number of medals not been won ?

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

Intravenous chelation : therapy to combat artisclerosis and its consequences

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Arteriosclerosis and its consequences is one of the most important problems of modern medicine. The diseases related to poor blood circulation obviously begin with all the cardiovascular problems, but also include aging, sexual impotency in men, problems of sight and memory. In general, as I have already pointed out on other occasions, the quality of the blood and blood flow are essential factors for our health. As the years pass by, as a result of unbalanced diets that are too rich in fats, sugars and calcium (dairy products), the arteries harden and lose their permeability, the blood does not flow with the fluidity that it had in youth and, in consequence, the body suffers from a lack of oxygen supply and nutrients, and fails to eliminate toxins, free radicals and heavy metals such as mercury and lead. So we could say “we’re as old as our arteries”. We live in an era in which degenerative diseases are increasing and appear at an ever more early age. These diseases are largely due to arteriosclerosis.

Intravenous chelation consists of a therapy that clears out certain substances that are deposited in the blood, such as heavy metals and calcium, and eliminates them through the urine.

« Intravenous chelation consists of a therapy that clears out certain substances that are deposited in the blood, such as heavy metals and calcium, and eliminates them through the urine. »

It has been used with success for the past 40 years in the United States – the first time was to cleanse the blood of painters who had painted the American warships during the Second World War and were suffering from lead poisoning – and it is also the best prevention possible against diseases like angina, heart attack, phlebitis, etc… It also has a role to play in the treatment of a certain form of sexual impotency caused by the rigidity of the artery walls and their lack of permeability.

This complex treatment forms part of the new branch of Biological Medicine with a new medical approach that takes an overall view of the individual patient.

The treatment consists of the intravenous infusion by means of a fine needle of 500 ml of a solution into which a product called EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetra- Acetic Acid) + SULODEXIDE has been introduced.

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The EFFECTS of intravenous chelation are :

  • It cleanses the blood of free radicals
  • It eliminates heavy metals such as mercury, lead…
  • It reduces calcium deposits in the arteries and other parts of the body, eliminating them through the urine.
  • It cleanses the blood of free radicals
  • It eliminates heavy metals such as mercury, lead…
  • It reduces calcium deposits in the arteries and other parts of the body, eliminating them through the urine.
  • It prevents the formation of blood clots,thus preventing heart attacks and strokesor other circulatory deficiencies.
  • Reduces and improves internal andexternal varicose veins, thus alleviating obstructions in the lower limbs and improving the sensation of tired legs”.
  • After a heart attack and stroke.
  • Improves circulation to the brain
  • Halts senile dementia
  • Improves the intellect, concentration power, memory, sight, the libido and reflexes.
  • Reduces the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Eliminates many of the toxins that could be the cause of chronic articular pain.
  • Reduces sexual impotency.

Currently, the anti-clotting agent SULODEXIDE is administered together with the EDTA, as it has specifications that are complementary to it :

  • Cerebral, coronary and peripheral arteriosclerosis.
  • It helps to lower the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides
  • Vascular complications in diabetes.
  • Thrombo-embolism

It is recommended to alternate this treatment with sessions of ozone therapy, making a total of 15-30 sessions, with two sessions per week. The treatment is safe and there are no risks if it is done correctly. The general condition of the patient must be evaluated and more importantly, to check that there is no condition of kidney failure because the kidneys have to work more to eliminate the calcium and metals from the blood.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

Filling in of fine lines, deep lines and creases

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Wrinkles and creases in the skin are very significant during the aging process. With the passing of time, the skin loses its elasticity due to changes in its basic components such as collagen, elastin,hyaluronic acid (the filling substance containing collagen and elastin), and in glicosaminoglicans, that lose quantity and quality, etc… but at the same time the percentage of moisture is considerably reduced, meaning dehydration. These changes are both hereditary and genetic – what is known as “constitution” in Chinese medicine – and

the hygiene of life such as exposure to the sun, to the cold, to the wind, and the consumption of products like sugar, fats, cigarettes, alcohol and spices  – known as the “condition” in Chinese medicine.

The dermis becomes thinner, less elastic, it separates slightly from the hypodermis, and when you smile or grimace, instead of moving to follow the movement of the underlying layers, it forms creases. The repetition of these expressions causes the dermis to break up along the creases, forming wrinkles that, at first, are fine and gradually become

more pronounced.

Also, the deepest layer of the skin, the hypodermis, which is mainly composed of fat, undergoes change, and in the majority of cases is reduced, but sometimes increases. In all cases, the fat changes position on the face due to the lack of support from the skin that has lost its elasticity. And of course, this change is a downward movement as in the case of the upper cheek, just below the eyes. Babies have practically no lower eyelid as the cheek only sags after some years have passed, pulling the skin below the eyelashes downward and thus forming the lower eyelid. When it loses its elasti-city, the skin sags, and the underlying fat with it, forming nasogenian grooves and marionette lines.

Aesthetic medicine does remedy this aging process by filling in the wrinkles and creases, restoring part of the skin’s moisture and elasticity. Two different kinds of products are basically used for this purpose :

1) Semi-permanent filling, containing hyaluronic acid in different concentrations, that fills

in the dermis between the collagen and the elastin fibres. The quality and density of this hyaluronic acid can vary according to the make, but are nearly all the same. (RESTYLANE, HYLAFORM, JUVEDERM, HYDRAFILL etc…) There are three different degrees of density, for filling in fine lines up to the deepest lines. With greater density, the hyaluronic acid can be injected into the fine lines but contains more water and dissolves more rapidly. Grade 1 hyaluronic acid, less dense, has a duration of 3 to 5 months, Grade 3, more dense, can last up to a year. RESTYLANE produces a high density hyaluronic acid for correcting volume that can be injected close to the bones and that lasts 18 months.

“ Adverse reactions to hyaluronic acid are very rare. Personally I have never seen any cases, neither amongst my patients or those of any other doctors.”

2) There are also products for permanent filling using polyacrilamide (AQUAMID) that are safe and achieve a very good level of volume correction (lips) and creases (naso-labial furrows, for example). Polyacrilamide is a product that is used in its solid form for manufacturing contact lenses. Consequently we know that it is compatible with the human body. AQUAMID is injected deep into the hypodermis and remains in the area where it is injected. As in the case of any other permanent filler, my attitude towards AQUAMID has been to use it with great care. I started injecting only in the glabellar frown lines (between the eyebrows) for a few years to make sure it would not displace nor creat any adverse side-effects. After two years, I started injecting in the nasogenian grooves two years later

I started using it on the whole face to restore the original volume.

When someone wants to correct their wrinkles and creases, it is important to explain that the best results are achieved by correcting the same aging process.

That is to say, it is possible, but not sufficient, to correct a fine line o a deep wrinkle by filling it in with hyaluronic acid. In reality, this is only the correction of the aging process, the loss of moisture and elasticity from the dermis. To achieve the best and most

durable results, the hyaluronic acid should be injected into the dermis and a polyacrilamide into the hypodermis, to compensate the other aging process which is the loss of fat. In this way we can achieve more natural-looking and longer-lasting results.

The reality about the nasogenian folds :

It is important to mention this subject because an incorrect use of the filler products

can give rise to very unaesthetic results. It is true that aesthetic doctors tend to prescribe injections for their patients because they cannot perform surgery, but the patient should have a good understanding of the aging process in order to be able determine what is the best course for looking younger.

The nasogenian folds are the result of fatty tissue sagging from the upper cheek or malar area, this sagging is halted by the upper lip. Because of this, two grooves appear when you smile and the condition becomes worse if you sleep on your side, because it accentuates the grooves even further, breaking the dermis and creating a wrinkle inside the folds. When a patient asks for these folds to be corrected, he or she should be aware that the doctor is going to inject a product into a place where it is not really needed. That is to say, to fill in a nasogenian fold is to CHANGE the natural appearance of the face. In reality, the physiological correction would be to lift the skin and the fatty tissue upwards and outwards by means of surgery. By doing this, the grooves disappear immediately. What I am saying is that the filling in of nasogenian grooves is a TEMPORARY solution because it is an aesthetically artificial and un-natural solution to the problem of the sagging of the cheeks. This treatment can be carried out successfully, but up to a certain limit. After that we have to resort to surgery, or rather inject the cheeckbone to lift the cheeks out.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

New abdominoplasty

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A Tummy Tuck is a surgical procedure by means of which we can improve the appearance of the abdomen when there is an excess of fat and skin tissue

In the majority of cases, a tummy tuck is performed on adults over the age of 50 who are feel uncomfortable with an excessive amount of skin and have to wear loose-fitting clothes to conceal it. It can also be related to obesity problems. Generally speaking, it involves skin that has lost its elasticity, whether through several pregnancies or after a weightloss diet, and is no longer smooth and taut over the framework and muscles of the body.

There is an evident aesthetic problem and greater inconvenience with regard to clothes.

For many years, abdominoplasty has been described as a technique to eliminate a large amount of excess skin by means of an incision made from hip to hip, passing across the pubis and the navel. Several types of incisions and scar patterns are described, generally in the form of an inverted “M”. The fact of having to cut a large quantity of skin means the surgeon has to relocate the navel, making an opening higher up and stitching at that level.

During the operation it is possible to take the opportunity to stitch the abdominal muscles in cases of slackening of the stomach wall. In general it is not advisable to have a liposuction followed by an abdominoplasty because the risk of the tissue scarring badly or dying (necrosis) is much higher.

The results of a classic tummy tuck are variable. In the majority of cases patients have been very pleased at being able to dress more easily and with the image of having a new body, when clothed. When the clothes come off, then the results are not quite so satisfactory because the scar is very large and visible, which patients are somewhat embarrassed to show.

“ In the field of abdominoplasty, as in any other procedure of aesthetic plastic surgery, my concerns have always been to reduce the pain, the trauma of the anaesthetic, surgery and recuperation time, as well as the visible aspects of having undergone surgery i.e. the scars…”

My point of view

In the field of abdominoplasty, as in any other procedure of aesthetic plastic surgery, my concerns have always been to reduce the pain, the trauma of the anaesthetic, surgery and recuperation time, as well as the visible aspects of having undergone surgery. i.e. the scars… At the same time to increase the patient’s pre- and post-operatory comfort, the naturalness of the results and the discretion of the surgeon’s intervention to be able to enjoy a new life to the full.

For these reasons, I have never been fully in favour of performing a major tummy tuck, and have always tried to achieve satisfactory results with a minitummy tuck, i.e. by making only one incision at the level of the pubis that goes 2 or 3 centimetres beyond the pubic hair, respecting the original navel, or in other words, removing a crescentshaped section that is 4 or 5 cm wide.

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Upper Abdominoplasty

But of course, the technique of a minitummy tuck is not enough in cases of an excess of skin, and we have to think of something additional. For this there is a new surgical option that can complement what is known as a lower abdominoplasty, and is called specifically the upper abdominoplasty. The technique, always with the aim of reducing the “visibility” of the operation and increasing the naturalness of the results, consists of lifting the skin above the navel and cutting the excess at the level of the inframammary folds. With incisions of 10 to 15 cm long, it is possible, as with the lower abdominoplasty, to remove 2 more crescents of skin of 4 and even 5 centimetres width.

NEW Abdominoplasty

(Tummy Tuck )

“…Many men ask questions, interested in this technique, particularly after the age of 55 or 60, because they do not have inframammary folds, to hide the scars”…

Many advantages The advantages of this technique are numerous : it is a far less invasive technique than the major tummy tuck, it is not necessary to touch or reposition the navel, the scars are almost invisible because they are hidden by the weight of the breast that always falls a little and covers the fold. The recuperation period is much less and more comfortable, with far less risk of skin necrosis, infections and split stitches. While it is true that this technique cannot be used in cases of extreme obesity, many patients, both men and women, are able to enjoy having a flat tummy – not only with no fat, as would be after a liposuction – but also with smoother skin. Many men ask questions, interested in this technique, particularly after the age of 55 or 60, because they do not have inframammary folds to hide the scars. It is the same as in the case of younger women with small breasts. For these cases, the solution would be to make use of a tattoo. Nowadays it is widely accepted and not considered at all strange to wear a tatoo, which can even be discreet and simple, such as a leafy branch, for example, although some people prefer the idea of a snake tattooed all along the scar. In any case, I would tell anyone who is definite about not wanting a scar in that place, that it is far more attractive than a lot of hanging skin or a scar running from one side of the abdomen to the other. It is simply a matter of mentalizing yourself and having a tattoo applied when you had never before thought of having one.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic

Longevity, the anti aging trend

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Recently there has been much development in the so-called “Scientific Associations for Research into Antiaging”. They advocate bringing together all the knowledge and methods available for delaying the advance of old-age and death. ANTIAGING centres have arrived in Europe.

Over the past two years, Europe has formed part of a widespread and important antiaging movement that brings together various specialities, amongst which are endocrinology, preventive medicine, gynaecology, plastic surgery and aesthetic surgery. This year there have been many more medical conventions about this subject and professional organizations have been set up to guarantee the responsibility of doctors wishing to include this discipline in their practice (the Spanish Association of Antiaging Medicine).

What exactly is Antiaging?

When we say that a clinic is an antiaging centre we mean that its work is aimed at offering a series of advanced techniques of diagnosis that are able to determine the real biological age of each patient, combining these with treatment that determines the way to delay the effects of aging and to optimize the longevity and quality of life.

Through blood and urine analyses, and also samples of saliva and skin and a genetic analysis, we can work out a complete case study of the condition of a patient and at the same time obtain a potential outcome of how he is going to age, maintaining good health. At the same time, we will also find out his risk levels with regard to contracting certain illnesses and we will have some idea of his physical condition.

What is an ANTI-AGING UNIT?

In recent years, medical science has become extremely interested in the field of ANTIAGING research, trying to increase life expectancy and above all to improve the quality of life itself. The aging process does not affect everyone in the same way. Why is this? you might ask. Basically, there are two different kinds of aging: faster aging (known as pathological pathological aging) and the other kind that is slower (physiological aging).

Throughout the history of humanity and medicine, we have seen how people have searched for the way to conserve their youth as a direct way of prolonging their life. With this in mind, from the Egyptians with the beautiful Nefertiti, who bathed in asses’ milk to keep her skin young, to the Alchemists who tried to find the “elixir of life and the fountain of eternal youth” sadly without success, until the present time, when technology has been able to investigate more deeply into this necessary and interesting field in which it has been possible to discover with certain precision the variables that, directly or indirectly, influence the aging process.

All of this is not directed only towards the aspect of appearance, in which you usually hear that “Youth is Beauty”, but youth is also health, and health is the best quality of life, both present and future.

There is, therefore, a medical record that, apart from showing the functional and biological aspects, also indicates the therapeutic procedures to be followed in order to correct pathological aging and to convert it into physiological aging.

We mentioned before that not everyone ages the same way: you are sure to have seen people who are 60 and look as if they are 80, but there are also people who are 80 and have the “physical and mental appearance” of a 60 year old.

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So we do not only refer to the physical aspect or the appearance of people, but also to the functional condition of their organs and systems, or in other words, their HEALTH.

As we grow older, we start developing certain

changes such as:

  • Tissue hypoxia (reduction in the amount of oxygen in the body tissues)
  • Tendency towards the degenerative process of some tissues.
  • Reduction and alteration of the immune system Pathological functioning of some organs and systems.

Increase of toxins in the connective tissue (this is the tissue that binds the body together). All this does not take into account “CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES” that are generally associated with aging, especially pathological aging.

What solutions can be offered?

Once a certain number of parameters are worked out, associated to statistical reports, it is possible to conclusively evaluate the following aspects:

  • The level of “oxidative stress” of the patient, in other words the “suffering” level of the blood cells due to the presence of free radicals. In this case it is recommended to take a series of antioxih dant vitamins together with anti-free radicals.
  • The level of allergy resistance. Depending on the results, it is possible to follow a programme of desensibilization, especially if there are cases of food allergies.
  • The phenomena of chronic skeletal or organic inflammation that appear suddenly. Thanks to a sophisticated piece of equipment that works by using groups of biological waves, it is possible to find a solution to the problem before it worsens and starts to cause irreparable damage.
  • A hormone study related to the state of activity of sexual, growth and gonadotropic hormones etc.. Depending on the case, it is possible to recommend a replacement treatment, in collaboration with an endocrinologist and a gynaecologist.
  • Special attention must be paid to alimentary deficiencies, excesses or errors, recommending a diet that is designed and adapted to each individual.
  • The requirements of each patient with regard to his physical activity must be set out following the advice of specialists in the subject.

To sum up, Antiaging is a new an integrated attitude to health, that is based more on prevention than on cure. In this case, as in all the initiatives related to aging, it very important not to dehumanize the relationship with our environment and everything that surrounds us. We are not simply machines, we should not look only for performance. We should make the most of the scope offered to us by medical science, allowing us to keep our body and soul in increasingly better health, and in that way our environment can benefit from greater human qualities.

Conserving our health is the best way to treat illness.

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Editorial: Dr. Pier Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Albrecht,

Dr. Pier Jean Albrecht, Dr. Pierre F. Albrecht, Dr. Pierre Frank Albrecht,

Dr. P. Frank Albrecht, Dr. Pierjean Frank Albrecht, Marbella Clinic