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Secret Health Risks They Aren’t Telling You About: Antibiotics and Vaccines

November 28, 2011 | Filed under: Drugs,General Interest,Nutrition

There are not many people writing about the potential down sides of vaccines and antibiotics but it’s worth noting. This is a great article written by Health Realizations, Inc:

Two of the top man-made medical breakthroughs in the past 100 years may also be two of the deadliest and most harmful to you and your loved ones. Further, odds are nearly 100% that you and your loved ones have already been treated with these two “breakthroughs” — and may be at risk of the effects now or in the years to come.

Three-quarters of U.S. children have taken antibiotics by the time they’re 2 years old. What does this mean for their future health?

1. Antibiotics

Antibiotics can work wonders when they’re prescribed for bacterial infections like pneumonia, tuberculosis and meningitis. In this way they truly have been a breakthrough that has saved countless numbers of lives.

The problem with antibiotics is that they are often prescribed to treat viruses — against which they are useless. Viruses like upper respiratory infections, measles, mumps, chickenpox, flu, and gastroenteritis are all viral infections, which antibiotics do nothing for.

Antibiotics, however, do kill bacteria, and they do this quite well. The problem is that they not only kill the bad bacteria that may be causing your illness, but they also kill ALL bacteria, including the good kind in your digestive tract that your body needs, leaving barren territory for all sorts of trouble to brew.

If you have taken antibiotics unnecessarily, for a virus, for instance, you may have therefore killed off all of the good bacteria in your system.

You are exposed to antibiotics not only by prescription medications, but also in animal food products and possibly your drinking water. In fact, about 70 percent of all antibiotics produced in the United States are given to livestock and poultry, which you then feed to your family.

Further, when drugs are excreted in waste, the compounds linger in the environment. In the case of livestock waste, the antibiotic-laced manure is spread directly onto farm crops as fertilizer. From there it may run off into nearby streams.

The result is that bacteria is able to mutate into strains that are resistant to the widely spread antibiotics, paving the way for infections that cannot be easily cured.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2 million people in hospitals get infections each year, which cause 90,000 deaths. Of these, more than 70 percent of the bacteria that causes these infections are resistant to at least one common antibiotic that is typically used to treat them.

New research from the University of Iowa found a new strain of MRSA in 70 percent of hogs and 64 percent of workers on farms that routinely use antibiotics. Experts are now realizing that these drug-resistant bacteria can spread via the food supply, water runoff and other methods, potentially putting the entire population at risk.

(Stay tuned for an upcoming article on this rapidly growing man-made antibiotic health risk that is causing MRSA outbreaks across the U.S.!)

2. Vaccines

Vaccines commonly contain toxic additives including aluminum, mercury, antibiotics, formaldehyde and MSG.

Like antibiotics, vaccines have been touted as a medical breakthrough that has saved many lives. However, recently there has been growing concern that the country’s one-size-fits all, and sometimes mandatory, vaccination policies are not in the best interest of your individual health.

For starters, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) points out that vaccines bypass your body’s natural processes for establishing immunity, leading to what some experts call “artificial immunity.” NVIC states:

“Vaccines provide temporary immunity and sometimes vaccines fail to provide even temporary immunity for some individuals. Because vaccination does not exactly mimic the immunity produced after natural infection, which is often longer-lasting or permanent, booster doses of vaccines are often required to extend vaccine-induced immunity.”

Another issue of concern is the potentially dangerous ingredients added to vaccines. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Chemicals are added to vaccines to inactivate a virus or bacteria and stabilize the vaccine, helping to preserve the vaccine and prevent it from losing its potency over time.”

The CDC continues:

“Chemicals commonly used in the production of vaccines include a suspending fluid (sterile water, saline, or fluids containing protein); preservatives and stabilizers (for example, albumin, phenols, and glycine); and adjuvants or enhancers that help improve the vaccine’s effectiveness. Vaccines may also contain very small amounts of the culture material used to grow the virus or bacteria used in the vaccine, such as chicken egg protein.”

It says right on the CDC’s own Web page that the following ingredients are commonly added to vaccines. You may notice that most of these additives are potentially toxic, and likely substances you do not want injected into your (or your child’s) body:

  • Aluminum gels or salts of aluminum, which are added as adjuvants to help  stimulate a better response to the vaccine.
  • Antibiotics, which are added to some vaccines to prevent the growth of germs (bacteria) during production and storage of the vaccine.
  • Egg protein is found in influenza and yellow fever vaccines, which are prepared using chicken eggs. Ordinarily, persons who are able to eat eggs or egg products safely can receive these vaccines.
  • Formaldehyde is used to inactivate bacterial products for toxoid vaccines, (these are vaccines that use an inactive bacterial toxin to produce immunity).  It is also used to kill unwanted viruses and bacteria that might contaminate the vaccine during production.
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and 2-phenoxy-ethanol, which are used as stabilizers in a few vaccines to help the vaccine remain unchanged when the vaccine is exposed to heat, light, acidity, or humidity.
  • Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative that is added to vials of vaccine that contain more than one dose to prevent contamination and growth of potentially harmful bacteria.

The bottom line is that vaccination is not a foolproof way to avoid disease. The shots do cause side effects, and sometimes those side effects are serious, even deadly.

This is why NVIC continues to ask, “Is the atypical manipulation of the immune system with more and more vaccines in early life setting some children up for chronic disease and disability? Is less better?”

They point out that American children are the most highly vaccinated children in the world (receiving 49 doses of 14 vaccines before the age of 6), and are also among the most chronically ill and disabled. The CDC admits that one in six U.S. children is now developmentally delayed. NVIC also points out:

  • During the past quarter century, the number of children with learning disabilities, ADHD, asthma and diabetes has more than tripled.
  • More than twice as many children have chronic brain and immune system dysfunction today than did in the 1970s when half as many vaccines were given to children.

So before you decide to get vaccinated (or vaccinate your children) make sure you’re informed of the risks and alternatives first.

Already Taken Antibiotics and Received Vaccines?

You’re far from alone.

The vast majority of Americans have received all of the CDC’s recommended vaccines (along with their toxic additives). Further, 63 percent of U.S. children have taken antibiotics before their first birthday, and 75 percent have gotten their first dose within two years of birth.

So what can you do to protect your health from these potentially toxic assaults?

Fortify Your Body With Probiotics

Give Your Body the Good Bacteria it Craves


You can help fortify your gut health (and your family’s gut health) with these superb probiotics

Donna Gates, nutritional consultant, points out that, fortunately for us, our bodies are remarkably intelligent and quite capable of keeping us healthy if we give them the right “tools.” The key to fighting off illness within your body (this includes not only bacterial infections but also viruses too) is to balance the good and bad bacteria in your gut.

Probiotic supplements have recently become increasingly popular in the United States for this reason, but there’s another way to get good bacteria in your system — and it’s quite tasty! Cultured foods, things like kefir (a fermented milk drink that tastes like tart yogurt) and traditionally fermented sauerkraut, natto and other vegetables are among the best sources of probiotics around.

This is especially important if you have taken antibiotics. Gates says:

“It is absolutely essential to eat probiotic foods and drink probiotic beverages like kefir if you must take an antibiotic. They are a much smarter “antibiotic,” as nature, which is far smarter than humans, has equipped them with the innate ability to know which bad bacteria to attack, and which bacteria to leave alone.

If you consume them during antibiotic therapy, they will continually replace the good bacteria that the antibiotics wipe out. Then continue eating them for a minimum of three months to ensure that you renew a new, healthy “inner ecosystem” in your intestines. Best yet, incorporate these delicious new foods into your diet forever. You’ll be very glad you did.”

So whichever method you choose (choosing both the supplements and the cultured foods is best), be sure that your body is getting a steady source of good bacteria. Once your gut is balanced and healthy, you’ll have to worry much less about illness in the first place, because at this point your immune system will be functioning at its optimal, disease-fighting level.

In choosing a probiotic supplement for yourself, choose one of a high therapeutic dose if you have been on a round of antibiotics.

It can be used where a more aggressive therapeutic approach is required, such as if you are coming off antibiotic therapy. Probiotic Supreme™ delivers 15 billion organisms per dose in a caplet form and uses a patented delivery system to ensure delivery of the highest number of live organisms to your intestinal tract.

Studies have shown that probiotics may be helpful with both immune system modulation and allergies, plus they’re imperative if you’ve recently been on antibiotic therapy. It’s a simple step that may help keep you and your family in the best health possible.

Detox Your Body of Heavy Metals From Vaccines

Along with taking probiotics to fortify your gut health, we highly recommend detoxing heavy metal toxins from your body on a regular basis.

There are many ways of removing toxic chemicals heavy heavy metals from your body, but most of them involve expensive treatments where a doctor injects you with drugs or vitamins intravenously via a drip. Many of these drugs will also strip the good minerals from your body, something that is not recommended since it is difficult to replenish these important substances.

Like other chemicals, heavy metals can accumulate in your body not only from vaccines, but also from silver dental fillings, contaminated seafood and other foods, cosmetics, pollution, contaminated water, and other sources, so it would be wise to disarm this potential “time-bomb” now before it causes serious illness in the future.

Since most of you reading this have likely already been exposed to the secret health risks of antibiotics and vaccines described above (and probably for many years now), consider asking me in my San Francisco office about detox options and probiotics to rebuild healthy flora.

High Cholesterol, What About Low Cholesterol? What You Need To Know About Cholesterol.

November 25, 2011 | Filed under: Nutrition,Stress

The Medical Myths of Heart Disease

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Integrative Healthcare
Written by Dr. Rodger Murphree, D.C.
Thursday, 01 February 2007 16:46
Cardiovascular disease kills almost one million Americans each year. This number accounts for 41 percent of all deaths in the United States. In fact, cardiovascular disease claims more lives than the next eight leading causes of death combined, including cancer, accidents, and AIDS. And, despite an aggressive campaign launched by the American Heart Association to counter the epidemic of heart disease, one person dies every 33 seconds. For nearly four decades, we have relied on medical myths to guide us in our attempts to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. We have been told to reduce our cholesterol, saturated-fat intake, and to take lipid-lowering medications. Unfortunately, these recommendations have been shown to actually increase the risk of premature death, strokes, heart attacks, depression, suicide, senile dementia, and congestive heart failure.

Medical Myth Number One

Most health organizations and the public at large are sold on the idea that high cholesterol is the main cause of arteriosclerosis and heart disease.

However, a growing body of research is dispelling this medical myth. The prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, reported in 1994 that most individuals with coronary artery disease have normal cholesterol levels! Forty percent of all heart attacks occur in individuals with normal cholesterol levels. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that there is no evidence linking high cholesterol levels in women with heart disease. In fact, low cholesterol levels, especially after the age of forty-seven, increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, depression, and early death. As reported in The Journal of Cardiology, “low cholesterol increases the risk of a heart attack.”

To cite the medical experts from the famous Framingham study: For each 1 mg/dl drop of cholesterol there was an 11 percent increase in coronary and total mortality (death from all sources).

Your body needs cholesterol. Cholesterol makes up eight percent of brain-matter. It is essential for proper brain function. The importance of cholesterol is far reaching. Cholesterol is the precursor to vitamin D and other hormones that are needed for sustaining a healthy life. Cholesterol is one of the key substances at nerve synapses needed to transmit information. Cholesterol helps regulate brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Low cholesterol can cause depression, fatigue and neurological disorders (nerve pain, tingling and numbness).

Individuals with low cholesterol are three times more likely to suffer from depression as normal adults.

Medical Myth Number Two

Cholesterol lowering drugs are a safe and effective way to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Over the last twenty years, the pharmaceutical companies have promoted cholesterol-lowering statin drugs with such fervor that they’ve become household names: Lipitor, Crestor, Vytorin, Zocor, and others. Sixteen million Americans take Lipitor, the most popular statin drug. Statin sales in the U.S. alone are over 12.5 billion dollars a year.

No doubt, the statins lower cholesterol levels and perhaps do lower the risk of dying from a heart attack, at least in patients who already have had one; but the size of the effect is unimpressive. In one of the experiments, for instance, the CARE trial, the odds of escaping death from a heart attack for a patient with manifest heart disease was 94.3%, which improved to 95.4% with statin treatment. This is a difference of 1.1 percent—surely not worth all the hype these medications have received, especially since the potential side effects from these drugs may include congestive heart failure.

The acknowledged side effects of statins include muscle pain and weakness, nerve damage, and a potentially fatal muscle-wasting disorder called rhabdomyolysis. One statin, Baycol, has been withdrawn because it was linked to thrity-one deaths from rhabdomyolysis. Interference with production of CoQ10 by statin drugs is the most likely explanation. The heart is a muscle and it cannot work when deprived of the essential nutrient CoQ10. A deficiency of CoQ10 can lead to nerve damage and congestive heart failure.

While heart attacks have slightly declined, CHF (congestive heart failure) has more than doubled since Lipitor and other statins were first prescribed in 1987.

Taking statins for one year raised the risk of nerve damage by about 15 percent. Researchers studying CoQ10 have estimated that as little as a 25 percent reduction in bodily CoQ10 will trigger various disease processes, including high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, cancer, immune dysfunction, and fatigue.

Medical Myth Number Three

The drugs used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, and congestive heart failure are safe and effective.

Nothing could be further from the truth. These drugs are dangerous. Calcium channel-blocking drugs (Cardizem, Procardia, Calan, Norvasc, and others) increase the risk of having a heart attack by five-fold.

Beta-blocking drugs (Atenolol, Inderal, Toprol, Tenormin, and others) may cause congestive heart failure, heart block, depression, type II diabetes, tingling in the hands and feet, fatigue, and many other unwanted side effects.

Diuretics increase the risk of developing type II diabetes by 50 percent.

Medical Myth Number Four

Heart surgery, including coronary bypass and angioplasty, are safe, effective, and proven procedures.

In fact, neither surgery has been subjected to double blind placebo controlled trials. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has estimated that 90 percent of Americans who undergo bypass surgery receive no benefits. A Swedish study revealed that 12 percent of those undergoing bypass suffered obvious brain damage, including strokes. Other studies have shown that the majority of patients are more likely to die from the surgery, up to 10 percent, than a heart attack. Studies also show that patients who elected not to have the surgery actually lived longer than those who did have surgery.

Medical Myth Number Five

The test to determine if someone needs heart surgery, known as an angiogram, is a safe and accurate diagnostic procedure.

Over one million angiograms are performed each year, costing over $10 billion. These tests use a long catheter with a tiny camera for the purpose of observing arterial blockages. A study that measured the blood flow in 44 blocked arteries, as demonstrated by angiogram, found that heart arteries with up to 96 percent blockage had the swiftest blood flow, while arteries with only a 40 percent blockage had a reduced flow. The authors concluded the angiogram is an unreliable diagnostic tool and should be considered worthless.

Medical Myth Number Six

Traditional medicine continues to promote these five medical myths while perpetuating the greatest myth ever; nutritional supplements are unregulated, aren’t proven, and are dangerous.

This is probably the most unscrupulous myth of all. The medical journals are overflowing with studies (over 1,000 of them) that demonstrate the effectiveness of various nutritional supplements for treating high blood pressure, alone. The Federal Drug Association fought for 20 years and spent millions of dollars to prevent the following statement from being used on bottles of fish oil supplements: “Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

Fortunately, truth and justice prevailed. A recent American Heart Association’s study showed that individuals who took 1,000mg of fish oil a day had a 41 percent reduction in heart disease and sudden death. CoQ10 supplements have been proven to be more effective in reversing congestive heart failure than traditional drugs. Normally, class IV or terminally ill congestive heart patients live only a matter of days. The majority of those receiving CoQ10 survived two years or more.

A number of studies have shown that vitamins help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Vitamin E has been shown to cut subsequent heart attacks by 77 percent. In fact, taking vitamin E reduced the chances of death from all causes by 42 percent. B-vitamins have been shown to decrease the amount of plaque in the carotid (neck) arteries by 10 percent.

Traditional medicine and its political organizations, including the American Heart Association, have failed to stop the rising epidemic of heart disease. Given heart disease’s epidemic proportions and that most of the traditional therapies commonly used to treat it may actually cause more deaths than the illness itself, it’s time to put these dangerous myths to rest.

What can you do to reduce your risk of developing heart disease?

Well, first of all, please quit being stressed out about fats and cholesterol. Stress will kill you, literally. Eat all the free-range eggs, meat and butter your heart desires. Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables. Avoid hydrogenated oils and excess sugar. Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin and, at least, 1,000mg of fish oil each day. Above all, avoid falling prey to the medical myths of heart disease.

Dr. Rodger Murphree, D.C. has been in private practice since 1990. He is the founder and past clinic director for a large integrated medical practice located on the campus of Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham Alabama. He is the author of Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Heart Disease What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You and Treating and Beating Anxiety and Depression with Orthomolecular Medicine.

www.Treatingandbeating.com.

References
1. Cardiovascular disease: Comparisons. American Heart Association. Statistics fact sheet, 1997.
2. Murphree, Rodger H. Heart Disease What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You. Harrison and Hampton Publishing Inc 2005.
3. The Lancet 1994, 344:1182-86.
4. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1995:274(14): 1152-58.
5. Krumholz HM. Lack of association between cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity and all-cause mortality in persons older than 70 years. Journal of the Amer Med Assoc 272, 1335-13340, 1990.
6. Jacobs D. Report of the Conference on Low Blood Cholesterol: Mortality associations. Cir 86, 1046-1060, 1992.
7. Sacks FM, Pfeiffer MA, Moyle LA, Rouleau JL, Rutherford JD. The effect of pravastatin on coronary cholesterol levels. N Engl J Med 1996; 335:1001-9.
8. Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD, The Cholesterol Myths. New Trends Publishing, Washington D.C. 2000.
9. Smith DJ, Southern Medical Journal 96(12):1265-1267, Dec.2003.
10.Gaist D, Neurology 2002 May 14; 58(9): 1321-2.
Complete references are listed online.
Visit www.theamericanchiropractor.com
11. Furberg CD, Patsy BM, Meyer JV, Nifedipine dose-related increase in mortality in patients with coronary heart disease. Cir 1995:1326-31.
12.People’s Pharmacy, 1997 AND 1998.
13.Monthly Prescribing Guide Nov 2004.
14.Peter. Sawick, correspondence, British Medical Journal, 1994:308:855.
15.New England Journal of Medicine, 1992:326:10-16.
16.Torkel A, Scandinavia Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Supplement 15, 1974.
17.Harold and Arlene Breecher. Forty Something Forever. Health Savers Press 2000;pg6.
18.Hueb W. Two to eight year survival rates in patients who refused coronary bypass grafting. Am J Cardiol 1989; 63:155-159.
19.White CW, Wright CB, Doty DB. Does visual interpretation of coronary angiogram predict the physiologic importance of a coronary stenosis? New Eng J Med 1984; 310:819-824.
20.Judy WV, Hall JH, Dugan W, Folkers K. Coenzyme CoQ10 Reduction of Adrianmycin Cardiotoxicity. Biomedical and Clinical Aspects of Coenzyme Q10, Vol.4, pp.231-241, Elsevier Science Publ B.V., 1984.
21. Bellizzi MC, etal. Vitamin E and coronary heart disease: the European paradox. Eur J Clin Nutr 1994; 48:822-831.

Thinking Outside the Rx Pad- Our healthcare system needs healing…from its addiction to drugs.

November 23, 2011 | Filed under: General Interest

I love this article because it touches on the many ways I can help people even if they don’t have back pain. Daily I help manage diabetes, cognitive decline, blood pressure, cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, and osteoporosis.

The article was written by Bill Morgan, DC who is a chiropractor for Bethesda Naval Hospital.

Most healthcare money is spent on conditions resulting from lifestyle choices, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia, sexually transmitted diseases, pulmonary disease, hearing loss, skin cancers and vascular diseases. We spend billions for treatment of easily prevented diseases, instead of seriously promoting prevention.

Managing Conditions Without Medication
Do the drug companies have a vested interest in having our nation’s health care based on treatment vs. wellness and prevention? The answer is obvious. The drug companies continue to brainwash our country and our physicians that health can come from chemistry. The system is fully willing to pay millions for kidney dialysis, an amputation or an organ transplant that may be required as a consequence of diabetes, but it does not have the fortitude to confront the lifestyle changes that could prevent diabetes and its many consequences.

As doctors of chiropractic integrate into mainstream health care, it is our responsibility to hold true to our banner of patient empowerment, personal responsibility and self-management of health. We need to continually remind our patients and our medical colleagues that an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.

Here is a succinct but impressive list of conditions that are much easier to prevent with lifestyle changes than treat with drugs and procedures:

Diabetes
Adult-onset diabetes and metabolic syndrome, especially in the early stages, can be effectively managed or even reversed with diet, exercise and weight loss. Yet, these syndromes are poised to break the national bank as the number of obese Americans continues to balloon, and with it, the number of patients with adult-onset diabetes.

Cognitive Decline
Mental exercise and stimulation may slow cognitive decline when used along with physical exercise, proper diet and adequate sleep. Currently, physical exercise and activity have the greatest supportive evidence for slowing cognitive decline.

Blood Pressure, Cholesterol and Hyperlipidemia
Exercise, weight loss and diet can control or at least aid in the control of these conditions. Of course, lowering dietary sodium is also cited for affecting elevated blood pressure.

Osteoporosis
While taking calcium does not reverse osteoporosis, a lack of calcium (and other nutrients) can contribute to the development of this disease. Weight-bearing exercise along with diet seems to be the natural treatment of choice.

Depression
Exercise, adequate sleep, diet, temperance, sunlight exposure and strong supportive social networks have been shown to help with depression. Certainly, isolation and loneliness are contributing factors to many behavioral health conditions, and we should recognize that some of the patients coming into a doctor’s office are there as much for the therapy of social interaction as for any medicinal intervention.

This list could go on, but I would be preaching to the choir. Chiropractic is based on homeostasis and the restoration of the body’s inborn ability to heal itself. It has always been our goal to remove any impediment to healing. These impediments may range from spinal dysfunction, to obesity, an unhealthy diet or a sedentary lifestyle. Our society wants to have a simple solution, a pill to solve its healthcare woes, instead of accepting the hard answers of personal responsibility and discipline. As we integrate, we must promote wellness to our patients and colleagues, not passive prescription-pad health care.

To find out more about Dr. Morgan go to  www.drmorgan.info.

NSAIDS – 32,000 Hospitalizations and 3,2000 Deaths Per Year.

November 22, 2011 | Filed under: Drugs,Pain Management

A major study published in the British Medical Journal explains that the real risk rates and harm from the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not known. This is because participants in NSAIDs drug trials “were mainly patients known to have benefited from NSAIDs and in whom the risk of adverse events was small.” For example “those with toxicity to NSAIDs or at risk of gastrointestinal or renal problems were specifically excluded,” and those over age 75 are excluded from most trials.

Although the quality of trials was generally good “some aspects of the reporting of these trials was poor.” In particular
“serious gastrointestinal events such as bleeding were poorly reported” and “other serious adverse events (including renal toxicity) were not mentioned in any trial.”

In this study, under the auspices of the Medical Research Council and led by Professor Paul Dieppe from the Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, there was a comparison of patients in the trials and patients who actually use NSAIDs in the community. The study focused on osteoarthritis (OA), because NSAIDs are used primarily for arthritis and OA is the most common form. The study’s overall conclusions are that the risks of NSAIDs use are under-represented in the controlled trials which, apart from excluding many types of patients at risk and focusing on those known to be benefi ting from NSAIDs, are small (average size 67 patients) and brief (mostly focusing on use for a period of six weeks or less, whereas NSAIDs are commonly used over a much longer period in the community). More community studies now need to be done.

Terrett has reported that there are 32,000 hospitalizations and 3,2000 deaths per year in the US because of GI bleeding and other complications for patients receiving NSAIDs for OA. (Current Concepts in Vertebrobasilar Complications following Spinal Manipulation, Terrett AGJ, 2nd edition 2001, NCMIC, West Des Moines, IA, 118-119.) These figures may now be conservative. Prolonged use of NSAIDs should be avoided if possible.

-Written by David Chapman-Smith LL.B. (Hons.) 2004

Leaching BPA Plastic Chemical Linked to Aggression and Hyperactivity in Toddlers

November 21, 2011 | Filed under: Kids,Nutrition

Notes from Dr. Cohen: I just had a patient tell me about how he constantly refilled his plastic, store bought, water bottle through out the day. While it’s great he’s drinking water drinking out of plastic, especially refilling it opens up another can of worms. It’s easy to switch to a stainless steel or even glass water bottle. This article points to some reasons to do that immediately.

Written by Health Realizations, Inc.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical form of synthetic estrogen used in countless commonly used household items including water bottles, plastic food containers, food packages, canned goods and more. In all about 6 billion pounds of the chemical are produced around the world each year, amounting to $6 billion in sales.

New research has revealed that BPA may make infant girls more aggressive by “masculinizing” their brains.

The chemical, which helps harden polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resin, has been linked to serious human health conditions even at low levels to which Americans are commonly exposed.

“In laboratory tests, trace BPA exposure has been shown to disrupt the endocrine system and trigger a wide variety of disorders, including chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy,” according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Now, a new study has revealed another serious risk of BPA – the potential to negatively impact behavior in young children.

BPA May Alter Your Toddler’s Behavior

Exposure to BPA in utero could lead to increased aggressive behavior when those babies become toddlers. The study, the first of its kind to research the effect of BPA on children’s behavior, found that children with exposure to the highest levels of BPA before the 16th week in pregnancy had much higher scores on tests for aggression — similar to those typically found in boys — than girls with less exposure.

Since BPA is a synthetic form of estrogen, it’s capable of mimicking the effect of estrogen in the human body. During early pregnancy, estrogen is important in the development of the male brain, and researchers suggested that BPA might make the female brain more masculine.

“In the developing brain, timing is everything,” neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, author of The Female Brain, told USA Today. “I’m worried that tiny amounts of this stuff, given at just the wrong time, could partly masculinize the female brain.”

Previous studies have also found more reasons to avoid BPA during pregnancy, childhood and adulthood, including:

  • Developmental problems in fetuses and infants
  • Early puberty
  • Genital deformities
  • Down’s syndrome
  • Disrupted reproductive cycles
  • Structural damage to the brain
  • Increased cancer rates in certain organs and cell lines

How are You Exposed to BPA?

BPA is common in plastic bottles (including baby bottles), but that is far from the only way you can be exposed. BPA is also widely used in:

  • Plastic gallon milk bottles
  • Plastic microwavable plates, ovenware, and utensils
  • Tooth sealants
  • Glasses
  • Food cans, soda cans, infant formula cans, etc. (as most have plastic lining in the cans)
  • Baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups

The problem is that BPA can leach out of these products during everyday use, contaminating your food and water and causing serious health problems.

BPA is so widely used that it may be nearly impossible to avoid exposure entirely, however you can greatly reduce your exposure by avoiding BPA-containing products as much as possible, including one of the biggest BPA predators: plastic water bottles.

Plastic containing BPA may be called:

  • Polycarbonate
  • Lexan
  • Polysulfone

11 Tips to Significantly Reduce Your Exposure to BPA

Almost everyone has the chemical BPA in their body right now.

“Widespread and continuous exposure to BPA, primarily through food but also through drinking water, dental sealants, dermal exposure, and inhalation of household dusts, is evident from the presence of detectable levels of BPA in more than 90% of the US population” researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Given the confirmed health risks of this ubiquitous chemical, even at low-level exposure, it’s important that you take steps to reduce exposure to yourself and to your family. Fortunately, the steps are simple and easy to incorporate into your lifestyle:

  1. Avoid most disposable plastic water bottles. Instead, bottle your own water (in glass or BPA-free plastic) from filtered tap.
  1. Buy your own personal reusable water bottle made of HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastic, which is BPA-free!
  1. Purchase glass baby bottles instead of plastic.
  1. Buy milk and juice in glass containers (NOT plastic).
  1. Use baby bottles and sippy cups made of polyethylene plastic (#1, #2, #4 recycling symbols) or polypropylene (#5) (these are usually colored, not clear)
  1. Replace plastic food and drink containers and utensils with glass, ceramic or metal varieties.
  1. Avoid using canned foods (as they mostly have plastic linings) or foods wrapped in plastic.
  1. Avoid soda cans (as they mostly have plastic lining). If you drink soda, choose the glass bottles instead.
  1. Don’t let children put plastic toys in their mouths, or give them natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones.
  1. Be careful with BPA-containing plastics, if you choose to use them. This means not exposing them to heat (microwave, dishwasher) or harsh detergents (bleach, etc.), throwing them away if they’re scratched or worn, and not letting food or beverages sit in the containers for too long — all of which increases the amount of BPA that may leach into your food.
  1. Dental sealant may leach BPA. Although this is being debated, you may want to avoid dental sealants on your children’s baby teeth, or ask your dentist if the sealant is BPA-free.

Again, you may not be able to avoid BPA entirely, but by taking these precautions you can ensure that you and your family are leading as pure and toxin-free a life as possible.

Know Your Number If You’re Doing Sports, Your Foot Stability Index!

November 18, 2011 | Filed under: Sports

Read more at Foot Levelers website or come in and get a foot scan today free.

Environmental Working Group Offer’s Healthy Holiday Tips

November 17, 2011 | Filed under: General Interest

I have linked to Environmental Working Group, EWG, in the past in regards to their groundbreaking analysis and ranking of sunscreen’s effectiveness and toxicity.

Now they are providing useful Thanksgiving cooking tips.

As Senior Vice President for Research at EWG, I want to make it easy for you to prepare your holiday feasts with your family’s environmental health in mind. Just follow these simple tips as you shop, cook and eat together:

  1. CHOOSE FOOD LOW IN ADDED CHEMICALS AND POLLUTANTS

    Food can contain ingredients we don’t want to eat — from pesticides to hormones to artificial additives to food packaging chemicals. Some simple tips to cut the chemicals:

    • Buy organic when you can. I make sure fresh fruits and vegetables are on the menu, and I go organic when I can. Organic produce is grown without synthetic pesticides (I prefer my dinner without, thanks!). Organic meat and dairy products also limit your family’s exposure to growth hormones and antibiotics.
    • It’s OK to choose non-organic from our “Clean 15″ list of less-contaminated conventional fruits and vegetables, too. EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce ranks popular fruits and vegetables based on the amount of pesticide residues found on them. Check out our Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce (and get the iPhone App).
    • Cook with fresh foods, rather than packaged and canned, whenever you can. Food containers can leach packaging chemicals into food, including the synthetic estrogen bisphenol A that’s used to make the linings of food cans. Go for fresh food or prepared foods stored in glass containers. Pick recipes that call for fresh, not canned, foods.

    When I’m planning a grocery trip, I like to check in with EWG’s Healthy Home Tip: Go organic and eat fresh foods.

  2. USE NON-TOXIC COOKWARE

    Using a great pan makes a huge difference when I cook. I skip the non-stick so that my kids (and our dog) don’t have to breathe toxic fumes that can off-gas from non-stick pans over high heat.

    Non-stick cookware is in most American kitchens. Is it in yours?

  3. If you’re ‘stuck’ with non-stick, cook safer with it. You can reduce the possibility of toxic fumes by cooking smart with any non-stick cookware you happen to own: Never heat an empty pan, don’t put it in an oven hotter than 500 degrees F and use an exhaust fan over the stove.

    4. Learn more about cooking safely in our Healthy Home Tip: Skip the non-stick.

  4. STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVERS SAFELY

    Leftovers can extend the joy of a holiday — by giving you a break from the kitchen! But be sure to avoid plastic when storing and (especially) when heating them. Here’s why — and how:

    • Skip plastic food storage containers if you can. The chemical additives in plastic can migrate into food and liquids. Ceramic or glass food containers (such as Pyrex) are safer. Click here to get a 10-piece Pyrex set on Amazon (and a portion of your purchase will go towards helping EWG!).
    • Don’t microwave food or drinks in plastic containers, even if they claim to be “microwave safe.” Heat can release chemicals into your food and drink. Microwave ovens heat unevenly, creating hot spots where the plastic is more likely to break down.
    • If you do use a plastic container, handle it carefully. Use it for cool liquids only; wash plastics by hand or on the top rack of the dishwasher, farther from the heating element; use a paper towel instead of plastic wrap to cover food in the microwave. Also, avoid single-use plastic as much as possible — reusing it isn’t safe (it can harbor bacteria) and tossing it out fills up landfills (and pollutes the environment).

    Read more about heating and storing food safely in our Healthy Home Tip: Pick plastics carefully.

I hope these tips make having a green holiday easier. Happy Holidays!

Posted via email from ProActive Chiropractic in San Francisco, California

Why Are There More Food Allergies Now Than 30 Years Ago?-Video

November 13, 2011 | Filed under: Kids,Nutrition,Video

This is a powerful synopsis of why more and more people, particularly kids are allergic to soy, dairy, corn, etc. Robyn O’Brien discusses the economic and political aspects of this topic in 18 minutes during this TEDx Talk. A must watch for all parents:

Too Much Sitting Raises Your Odds for Cancer, Study Says

November 10, 2011 | Filed under: General Interest

A study published at the American Cancer Research Convention last Thursday Nov. 3rd linked colon and breast cancers to the immobility of sitting.  In North America alone, an estimated 1/3 of colon cancers and 25% of breast cancers or up to 85,000 colon cancers and 60,000 breast cancers per year could be attributed to immobility of sitting. 30 min of exercise per day is no longer sufficient. Risk of cancer starts to rise as soon as one sits still for an hour.

Breaking down the immobility of sitting is no longer a choice for better spinal health.

I recommend a Back Vitalizer – it is the perfect tool for breaking down the immobility of sitting, at work, at home and on the road. Why stop short with the suggested 1-2 minutes of activity break every hour, when one can maintain trunk activity through out the hours of sitting?

Beside, it is also a popular and thoughtful holiday gift for loved ones. Watch this ProActive Chiropractic video on the variety of options.

CTV News

Posted via email from ProActive Chiropractic in San Francisco, California

Exercise and Reducing Depression

November 9, 2011 | Filed under: General Interest

We all know that exercise is good for us – but did you know that it can also help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety?

Exercise can release feel-good chemicals such as endorphins in your body, which can help reduce depression.  It can also reduce immune system chemicals that are linked to worsening depression.

For more details on the benefits of exercise, read this Mayo Clinic article.

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