It's a sad statistical fact: The holidays, from Christmas to New Year's, are a treacherous time when it comes to our health.
"There's a spike in heart attacks and other cardiac issues," exaplined Dr. John Young, a physician specializing in the treatment of chronic illnesses through biochemical, physiological and nutraceutical technologies, and the author of Beyond Treatment: Discover How To Build A Cellular Foundation To Achieve Optimal Health.
"The incidence of pneumonia cases spikes - in both cold and warm climates. And deaths from natural causes spike. In fact, more people die of natural causes on Christmas Day than any other day of the year!"
While those numbers are well-documented, Dr. Young says the causes are not.
"Stress plays a role, particularly if your immune system is weakened," Dr. Young said. "If you look at how most of us eat from Halloween through New Year's, it's easy to see how the immune system takes a beating and otherwise healthy people become more susceptible to illness during the holidays."
The expert tells us it's all basic biochemistry.
"We eat a lot more refined sugar, for instance, which is a carbohydrate that's been stripped of all the vitamins, minerals and proteins that make up a complete carbohydrate," the expert noted.
"Our bodies can't use that, so the cells in our digestive organs work overtime, burning up a lot of energy, vitamins and minerals to digest it, and they get nothing back. So, eventually, they grow weak."
So - can we have a little sugar, and good health, too? Dr. Young says we can.
"The occasional slice of pumpkin pie is fine as long as you're also feeding your cells with the nutrients they need - the minerals, vitamins, good quality protein, amino acids, essential fatty acids - to stay healthy," the doctor stressed.
Look out tomorrow where Dr. Young will offer up a few great tips for staying healthy through the holidays and throughout the year.