How many of us adopt healthy lifestyles, to include diet and exercise, in order to improve the quality of our lives? If you could change your genetic destiny or the genetic destiny of your future lineage by the implementation of this type of lifestyle, would you try?

There is something to be said about the power found in knowledge and Dr. D’Adamo has done it again. He spent countless hours gathering research and pecking at his keyboard to put that power of knowledge into your hands. In just 4 short weeks, The GenoType Diet will be available….

For all of you devote BTD’ers, have no fear, The Blood Type Diet has not been abandoned. On the contrary, Dr. D’Adamo has taken the BTD and used it as the foundation of The GenoType Diet. The BTD set the bar on nutrition and individuality, and the GTD takes it even further using an individualized approach to nutrition with consideration to its affects on our genetic individuality. Talk about breaking it down to the nuts and bolts. What a concept! This may sound complicated, but as only Dr. D’Adamo can do, the book is written in an amazingly clear and concise way. You do not need a PhD in Molecular Biology to understand these concepts. I promise… Using your blood type, family medical history, and simple body measurements, you will fall into one of the six GenoTypes. I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this book!

I also wanted to mention that I have had some technical difficulties with my clinic email as of late. If you have sent me an email, and have failed to receive a response, rest assured that I am not ignoring you. :-) Just give the clinic a call to follow-up with your questions or comments.

I had a very pleasant follow-up conversation with a patient the other day. When I picked up the phone, I was greeted with, “Hello Dr. Colicci. I just read your blog!” What a wonderful surprise. I guess I never really expected anyone to read it. This patient was happy to see another A type blogging. She expressed some frustration with keeping to the regime, and I assured her that she is not alone. This blog is dedicated to her….

Very often we hear patients voice their struggles with keeping on track with the diet. Do I advocate the Blood Type Diet? You bet I do! Do I find it the easiest thing in the world to do? Not always! That’s right, I said it! I will be the first person to admit that there are times that I really do miss those avoids, and boy oh boy is it ever a struggle to force myself to eat fish… Growing up, my mother (who happens to be an amazing cook) fed us well. She was always health conscience and kept herself well read when it came to nutrition. She used to own a fish market. Suffice to say, growing up around it made me not want to eat it. I think she now gets amused when she sees me eating it. I stopped by her house this evening on my way home from the clinic, and there it was beautifully placed in a dish waiting for me….COD!!!! Thanks Mom…..

So what is the key to success? I know that there are many answers to this question, as we all have our individual vices. My answer has a few simple points. First and most important, you need to believe in what it is that you are doing. The resistant grip loosens when both your heart and mind agree that something just “feels” right.

Second, try not to look at it as if you are dieting. In reality, it is so much more than that. It is more like a healthy lifestyle that incorporates healthy choices. You are not punishing yourself, but actually giving your body gifts every day. The better you take care of it, the better it takes care of you. I think this is why the BTD has sustained the test of fad diets.

Third, and I owe this one to the man himself, don’t spend so much time concentrating on what you can’t eat, rather concentrate on what you can eat. This probably seems like a play on words, but trust me, if you do this, it is so much easier!

The last issue I want to concentrate on is breakfast. Everyone asks me what I eat for breakfast, so I guess it is an important struggle point. My advice on breakfast is this: If you can eat it any other time of the day, you can eat it for breakfast. I am not sure exactly how foods got categorized as items that you only eat in the morning, but we need to break the mind set here. Don’t be surprised if you stop by the clinic in the morning and see me eating my cod…. :-)

Natalie

My First Blog Entry...

Dr. D'Adamo thought it would be a wonderful idea if I joined the blog and took the time to introduce myself, and I agree, so here it goes...

My name is Natalie and I have been a resident of lovely Connecticut all my life. While employed with the U.S. Department of Justice, I attended the University of New Haven, West Haven, CT, where I received my BS in Forensic Science with a minor in Chemistry. I later attended the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine, Bridgeport, CT, where I received my ND degree. In addition, I attended the college's Nutrition Institute were I received my MS in Human Clinical Nutrition.

While I was a medical student, I performed a 100 hour preceptorship at the D'Adamo Clinic over a period of six months, as well as an addition 131 hour externship with the clinic¡¦s former resident, Dr. M. Samm Robinson. I have both the Fellow and Master certifications from the Institute for Human Individuality. Besides an individual approach to both nutrition and medicine, I have a special interest in endocrinology and auto-immune disease. Enough of the "details".....

I was first introduced to the Blood Type Diet in 1997 when a close relative was reading the book. I remember thinking how interesting a concept it was to approach diet based on an individual's blood type. I never thought I would actually have the opportunity to one day be mentored by the genius we call Dr. Peter D'Adamo! It never ceases to amaze me how things in life just fall in place. An interesting side note, at birth my parents were told that my blood type was B+. This couldn¡¦t be possible based on my parents' blood types, but the hospital insisted it was. During immunology class as an undergrad, I identified my blood type myself. I am actually an A- (the same as my dad, to include all the other markers), so I guess it is a good thing that I didn't need a blood transfusion when I was born!

Over this past summer, I acted as Dr. D'Adamo's locum tenens while he was on sabbatical finishing his new book. In August, Martha and Dr. D'Adamo asked if I would like to join the clinic staff full time. I gladly accepted! Who wouldn't want to continue to learn and grow in an environment with one of the greatest physicians of our time?! Not to mention an amazing group of patients that makes their health a personal mission!

My experience at the clinic thus far has been nothing short of amazing. I am an extremely family oriented individual having been raised in a large but close knit Italian family. It is wonderful to be in a work environment that feels like home. From the caring staff at the clinic and NAP, right down to the patients, you can not help but feel like everyone is part of the bigger picture. It is unbelievable how bringing everything down to individuality really puts things into unity. :-)

What I hope to accomplish with this blog is for me to be able to share some of the clinic experience with you. If you haven't been to the clinic for some time, you may notice some changes since your last visit. Besides my addition, we have two wonderful and talented 4th year medical interns from the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine with us, Leigh White and Lauren Cassandra. They take an active participation in your individualized healthcare experience, and I am positive that you will find them to be a pleasure. Gordon is doing an excellent job handling our patients' dispensary needs. Last, but certainly never least, we can't forget Joan, the woman with many hats. Joan does an amazing job juggling the schedule and pretty much holding down the fort! (She has made my transition into part of the clinic staff much smoother.)

I look forward to meeting all of you at your clinic visits. :-)

Well, until I blog again...

Yours in health,

Natalie

STUDY: Preventing infant sleeping problems should be more cost-effective than treating them after they have arisen.

JOURNAL: Arch Dis Child. 2003;88:108-111

AUTHORS: M. Nikolopoulou and Ian St. James-Roberts

ABSTRACT: Newborn infants that feed too often are at high risk for disrupted night sleep. However, these infants may benefit from a simple preventive behavioral program.

COMMENTARY: Many Western parents find infant and child night waking to be a source of substantial stress, both for themselves and their relationships with their children.

In a community sample of 316 newborn infants, those who had more than 11 feeds per 24 hours at one week of age were 2.7 times (95% confidence interval, 1.5 - 4.8) more likely to fail to sleep through the night at 12 weeks of age.

The infants and their families were randomized to receive one of three interventions: a three-step behavioral program, an educational booklet and helpline access for sleeping problems, or routine services. The behavioral program consisted of maximizing the difference between night and day environments by minimizing light and social interaction at night; avoiding feeding or cuddling at night; and from the age of three weeks, gradually delaying feeds when the baby awoke at night.

At 12 weeks, 82% of at-risk infants who received the behavioral program slept through the night, compared with 61% of at-risk infants who received the other interventions. The findings were similar for both bottle- and breast-fed babies.

"Preventing infant sleeping problems should be more cost-effective than treating them after they have arisen," the authors write. "This study provides evidence that it is possible to identify infants who are at risk of failing to sleep through the night at an early age, and that a simple, three step, preventive behavioral program increases the number who sleep through the night by 21%."