Green Health Spot

Your Diet Soda Is Linked to Lymphoma and Leukemia

Many diabetics and people who are concerned about weight gain drink diet soda in order to keep their svelt figures.  However, it is increasingly a concern about the toxicity of NutraSweet on your body's cells.  We've all heard about formaldehyde and it's uses in embalming the dead.  Well, as it turns out NutraSweet aka Aspartame has increasingly been shown in research to turn into formaldehyde in the cell.  While in the cell, aspartame turns into formaldehyde and embalms the cell while damaging the DNA in the cell.  In further research, the early claims that the aspartame is easily eliminated by the body had been found to be "patently false" scientists finding that the aspartame turned formaldehyde is actually very difficult to eliminate from the body, hence building up in your cells leading to cellular damage.  

In the past few years we have heard more about how aspartame is an excitotoxin to the nervous system leading to headaches and ADD and hyperactive kids and adults.  But now we are learning just how toxic formaldehyde is to the body and how in recent studies there is a definite link between aspartame turned formaldehyde and the individual's risk of brain tumors, lymphoma and leukemia.  My work in environmental medicine and helping people detoxify from their environment has found that we are constantly being exposed to chemicals such as formaldehyde in places such as new furniture and clothing stores.  What none of us need is our body's producing our own internal source of formaldehyde.  

So buyer beware of the diet soda you are so addicted to.  Also, a number of Sugar-free products contain NutraSweet or aspartame including gums and diabetic foods.  Some good natural alternatives are things like Xylitol or maltitol (caution that too much of it during a day will lead to extreme diarrhea...something you only want to experience once in your life).  Stevia is a sweet tasting herb that can be added to drinks to sweeten the flavor.  Ultimately, reducing your own taste for sweet drinks is a huge benefit for your health.  Get used to drinking water or iced tea, plain.  As many of you see, there are many obese people drinking "diet" sodas leading to further cravings for sweets and carbs and leading to weight gain.  Increasing your protein intake during the day will balance your blood sugar and reduce your craving for sweets.  

Ultimately, I know, having helped hundreds of people with changing diets and bad habits that one of the most difficult habits to break is that diet soda habit.  It makes people crazy and very grumpy.  But it must be done for your own lifelong health.  All you parents out there, make sure you don't get your kids started on diet sodas.  It can end up being a life long addiction like cigarettes and smoking, difficult to break!

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A Small Loss for Monsanto can Mean a Huge Win For The Health of Americans

Imagine a world where children and adults can consume milk without the fear that they drinking something that contains pus, antibiotics and growth hormones.  

Wow!  Didn't know you were doing that?  Well, you are if you drink milk that has been treated with rBST or rBGH (a growth hormone).  These two chemicals were declared by the FDA as "safe" to use in dairy cows in 1993 and is produced by Monsanto (the same people who have genetically engineered "Round-up" ready soybeans).  The official name for rBST and rBGH is "Posilac".  Yes, it does help the cows produce more milk but on the downside, it causes mastitis, a breast infection (read pus in your milk) hence the need for antibiotics.  It also makes the cows lame.  Is that not enough to gross you out?  

Well, there are enough studies on rBST/rBGH that show it's relationship to the development of breast, colon and prostate cancer that it is banned in a number of countries.  Not countries that you've never heard of but our neighbors and allies like Canada, Australia, 24 European countries, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland.  How do you know if your milk is genetically engineered and contains rBST/rBGH? Read the label.  If the milk or ice cream is not organic or rBST free, then you can assume it is.  It's actually just the opposite of what you would think.  All milk has it, unless it says specifically that it does not or if it is organic.  

So what's the win?  Awhile ago, Monsanto issued a complaint to the Federal Trade Commision that said that the milk producers that labeled their milk as "rBST free" was providing "deceptive labeling and advertising".  The company said in its complaint that ads and labels including hormone-free production claims mislead consumers into believing that hormone-free dairy products are healthier and safer.  Well, the FTC disagreed because the labels were TRUE!  Yes, hormone-free milk is ACTUALLY safer and healthier for you than genetically engineered, antibiotic, growth-hormone ladened milk.  Thus, a small loss for Monsanto and a huge step in the right direction for Americans.  

I always advocate reading labels but if you are looking for rBST/rBGH on the labels of your milk and dairy products you will be surprised.  Look for milk that says it is rBST or rBGH free.  Of course, your safest bet is to buy organic dairy products.  We aren't just talking about milk but milk products as well.  Including butter, ice cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, all cheeses etc.  Anything made from cow milk.  Here are some companies that have committed to having rBST FREE milk:

• Winder Farms, a home delivery dairy and grocer in Utah and Nevada, sells rBST-free milk.
• Safeway in the northwestern United States stopped buying from dairy farmers that use rBST in January 2007.^[23] The two Safeway plants produce milk for all of Oregon, Southwest Washington, and parts of northern California. Safeway's plant in San Leandro, CA had already been rBST-free for two years.^[24]
• Chipotle Mexican Grill has also announced it will serve rBST-free sour cream at its restaurants.^[24]
• Kroger has banned rBST-derived milk from all its stores (including its subsidiaries such as Ralphs) as of February 2008,^[25]
• Publix announced it has been rBST-free since May, 2007.^[26]
• Braum's has also issued a press release stating its milk is rBST-free.^[27]
• Starbucks Company has as of January 2008 made all dairy in beverages rBST free.^[28]
• Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores featured hormone-free "Great Value" brand milk, but did not label it as such in 2008.^[29]

So you can drink your Starbuck's Lattes in peace.  Whew! For more information, go to the Center for Food Safety's website.

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Young Girls Getting Breast Cancer?

This article I came across last month about a 10 year old girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.  This story is both shocking and frightening because of the possible health trend it describes. It brings to mind a big concern that I have been seeing in my practice over the years, early onset puberty.  Some girls I am seeing develop breast buds even as young as 7 or 8 and I've read about cases of some children developing early puberty signs as young as 3 years of age.  Just 20 years ago puberty was averaging around age 12 and 20 years before that even later than that.  Luckily, if I see the early signs of puberty in young girls I do a lot of educating the parents and use diet and herbs to try to head off the early puberty signs until later.  The goal is to push back puberty as much as possible to age 12.  Why does it matter?  Statistically, girls who go into puberty early will have an increase life-long of risk for hormonally related cancers and health concerns.  This includes increased risk of breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, not to mention risk of fibrocystic breast disease, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.  These cancers and illnesses are to a great extent avoidable.  

There has been much talk about the breast cancer gene which, if positive, presents a very large risk of the woman developing breast cancer sometime during their life.  However, there is much one can do to alter genetic risk by making changes in your lifestyle and environment to reduce the severity or risk of onset of an illness.  Even without the breast cancer gene hanging out in your cells, a woman's risk of breast cancer is anywhere from 1 in 3 to 1 in 8 American women.  Not good odds.  Increasingly we are seeing "adult" diseases in children.  Including type 2 diabetes in obese children and a juvenile form of ALS (a degenerative, and deadly neurological disease) and now breast cancer.  

We need to look more closely at hormone disruptors and their large impact on increasing the breast cancer risk, being aware that plastics (like bisphenol A in baby bottles, plastic bottles and can lining), pesticides, heavy metals, phthlates and parabens in skin creams all add just a little bit to your overall risk for hormone disruption and increase your risk of hormonally related cancers.  Many synthetically formed chemicals affect how our hormones act and many can pretend they are human hormones, mimicking human hormone action.  

Fortunately, there is actually a lot parents can do to help prevent early onset of puberty in their children and also reducing the risk of hormonally related cancers for themselves.  Here are 5 quick tips:

1. Don't microwave food in plastic containers or with plastic wrap.  Remove the food and put onto a microwave safe dish or bowl.  The plastic contaminates the food with heating in microwave.
2. Avoid soy and soy containing foods.  This is particularly true of soy oils which are in MANY processed foods because they are a cheap ingredient.  Check in mayonnaise and prepackaged foods.  Soy is estrogenic and will act as a estrogen in your kid's bodies.  Fermented soy products are ok like miso, tempeh and naturally fermented soy sauce. 
3. Avoid eating too much non-organically grown meats and chicken.  Or choose the ones that were grown without growth hormones. 
4. KNOW what is in your beauty products.  MANY make-up, lotions, shampoos are extremely high in hormone disrupting chemicals.  If you aren't sure, check the Environmental Working Group's database "Skin Deep" which contains toxicity information on most commercial products.  
5. Eat the fruits and vegetables that are organically grown.  At the very least avoid the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. 

  Fruits and vegetables that have high concentrations of antioxidants are a must to counteract the some of the adverse effects of toxins and contaminants in food, air and water.  One concentrated fruit based elixir I use of chemical toxicity is called Liquid Life by Mitogenx, designed by one of my mentors.  Awareness that hormone disruptors affecting our children is the first step toward prevention.  We are seeing increasing feminization of our boys (aka man-boobs), a huge increase in prostate and breast cancer in adult males and females, respectively and early hormonally related cancers in our young girls.  Take a look around and educate yourself for your kid's sake, much of this is very preventable.
  

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10 Very Safe Sunscreens for You and Your Kids This Summer

Did you know that not all sunscreens are created equal.  Many have very toxic additives that can put you at risk for cancers that you might not even suspect.  So I've made a list of the 10 very safe sunscreens that you can choose instead of the leading brands to ensure your overall protection in the long run.  As many of you know, sunscreen has been recommended by dermatologists and doctors for over 3 decades now.  This is to reduce the risk of aging skin and skin cancers.  So when you and your kids plan to be in the sun for more than 30 minutes, take care to apply a safe sunscreen to protect all from sun damage.  Just a reminder, however, to make sure that you and your kids get their requisite of 10-20 minutes of daily sunshine in the absence of sunscreen to allow for adequate vitamin D formation.  For more information, check previous articles on vitamin D deficiency and cancer risk.  For most things, moderation is the key.  Too much sun can lead to skin damage and skin cancers and too little can lead to cancers as well.  Here is the list, buy some now to prepare yourself for those fun summer days.  Enjoy.

1. Soleo Organics Sunscreen Organic Chemical Free Sunscreen, SPF 30+
2. Keys Soap Solar Rx Cosmetic Moisturizing Sunblock, SPF 30 
3. Marie Veronique Organics Creme de Jour Tinted SPF 30, no nanoparticles 
4. Badger Sunscreen SPF 30 
5. California Baby Sunscreen Lotion No Fragrance, SPF 30+ 
6. Devita International Solar Protective moisturizer 30 
7. Soleo/Wyland Sunscren Organic chemical free sunscreen SPF 30+ 
8. Purple Prarie Botanicals Sun Stick, SPF 30 
9. Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 
10. Tropical Sands, SPF 30, Sunscreen Lotion

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5 Ways to Add a Few Years to Your Life

Having a meaningful existence is imperative to longevity and healthy living.  Here are some easy ways to add pep to your step and a few years to your life.  These are simple, easy to accomplish tasks that can add more joy and meaning to your life.  Kind reader, please add to this list by replying to this post and let others know what you do to add joy and fun into your life.

1. Find something or someone to love deeply.  This can be a pet, a project, a child, a someone, a hobby.  Finding something or someone that stimulates your passion for living is a great way to add vitality into your life.
2. Do whatever it takes to get great sleep.  This includes knowing that you are dreaming.  Good deep, restorative sleep requires REM sleep which lets your dream and remember that you have dreamed.  You do not need to remember your dreams, necessarily, but knowing that you dream is essential.  If you aren't able to remember your dreams, then you might be vitamin B6 deficient.  I recommend a supplement of vitamin b6 to help with this.  But try not to take it at night because it can keep you up. 
3. Be your own best friend and find the meaning of a deep, rewarding friendship that is eternal.  Be comfortable with who you are, love where you are in life and try to be forgiving for your past mistakes.  Most people will find this very difficult but it is essential to peace and living the soulful life.
4. Forgive someone.  This may be an ex-fill-in-the-blank.  An ex-wife, ex-husband, ex-friend, ex-boss.  Someone who you have been holding a grudge toward and know that the anger, resentment that you harbor really inhibits you from living your life freely and with passion.  Do yourself the favor of letting that someone who you hate go for good.  Remember that forgiveness is not forgiving what they did but perhaps more of the why they might have done the deed.  Their insecurity, their disempowerment etc.  It frees you up to really life your life. 
5. Find a creative outlet.  You may not be able to play the piano or paint but you might just be able to appreciate these creative spaces and find your own niche.  Creativity allows you to connect with that part of you who can be inspired and passionate.

  Enjoy these recommendations and please let me know of other ways you personally live passionate life.
  

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Swine Flu Concerns? Support Your Immune System

Yesterday, the US government declared a health emergency after confirming over 20 cases of Swine flu found in California and New York.  A few cases were also found in Kansas, Ohio and Texas so far.  I just sent an e-mail out to all of my patients to let them know what to do to reduce their risk of acquiring swine flu or any other flu.  Generally by this time of year, there are very few cases of colds and flus and our practice switches from viral and bacterial infections to allergies of spring.  However, this year, we are staying in Winter cold/flu prevention mode for much longer and I wanted to share with you typical treatment protocols that I use to prevent and treat colds and flus.

First off, I'd like to remind you of the common sense behaviors that reduce immune system function as well as increase likelihood of transmission of a cold or a flu.  Since this is a new strain of swine flu, last year's flu shot will not give you sufficient immunity so please do not be lulled into a false sense of security if you got last year's flu shot.  Here is my list of common sense behaviors to reduce risk of infection:

1) Avoid sodas, alcohol and sugar in your diet.  The amount of sugar in one 12 ounce soda can reduce your immune system's function by 90% in for up to 8 hours.  This does not include the sugar from your favorite desserts like cookies and cakes, sweet tea, fruit juice and energy drinks.  This is an easy way to help your immune system.

2) Make sure you get plenty of rest at the first onset of any sign of cold or fatigue.  If you listen to your body carefully, you can stave off a cold or a flu by getting lots of rest and avoiding #1 above.

3) Wash your hands with soap and water regularly and after going to the bathroom, blowing your nose or coughing.  

4) Keep your stress low.  Minimize unnecessary stress on your body like too much partying, drinking, doing drugs or taking unnecessary drugs.  Emotional stress is included in this so peace is the key here.

5) Avoid unnecessary contact with common germ pools like airplanes, crowded public areas and hospitals if you can.  At the very least avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes after being in these places and wash your hands carefully and repeatedly.  Generally, I don't like to be an alarmist but we are talking about a very serious and very contagious flu that can become a world pandemic if we aren't careful.  In cases like this, it is more important to be careful than to be a hero.

There are a lot of homeopathic remedies that can be used as a preventatives for influenzas. They act on the energetic system that the body has and are extremely effective.  My favorite is Mucococcinum, a homeopathic remedy that you take once a week to prevent colds and flus.  I have cold/flu protocols that I have written for my patients and have sent out en masse.  If you are interested in my cold/flu protocol.  Drop me an e-mail and I will send it to you.  I have a child version and an adult version.  As you know, I firmly believe in prevention as the best medicine.  

For more information about the status of the swine flu, click here and here.  More later when I know more of what is going on...

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Anesthesia Concerns for Children's Brains

A recent study in April 2009, Anesthesiology Journal suggests that the use of anesthesia in children, especially very young children (under age 3) puts them at risk for being diagnosed with developmental disorders or learning disabilities as they get older.  This makes sense since children whose brains are still developing and are easily affected by assaults of chemicals or toxins that are in anesthetics.  This study is particularly of importance since anesthetics are being more liberally used in dentistry and out-patient testing procedures especially for children.  Many parents of autistic children in my practice will ask me about the safety of anesthesia and their kid's dental procedures.  Up until now, I've always said that they should weather the procedures just fine with some extra liver detox support to get the anesthetics out of the system more quickly.  However, in light of this new study, I will probably rethink allowing this for dental procedures unless the procedures are imperative.  

It seems that one use of anesthetics were fine and did not seem to have a long term impact on the brain of children and two uses increased the risk of developing a learning disability by 59%.  Three or more uses increased the risk by a whopping 2.6 times.  Obviously, the longer the child is under anesthesia, the more at risk they are for developing development disorders.  

This research was done on healthy children with no brain deficits or learning problems at the start of the study.  I am supposing that the risk for children who already have learning disabilities or developmental problems like autism or ADD/ADHD will find that their risk might go up exponentially or exacerbate their current situation.  As parents, it is important to take this into consideration prior to allowing your child to undergo procedures that require anesthesia.

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Cervical Cancer Vaccine's Dark Side

Many parents ask me about the safety of various vaccinations.  Generally, my suggestion is for people to fully understand the risk of the disease the vaccination is poised to prevent and then to understand the possible side effects of the vaccination itself.  A frequent question I get is about Gardasil, the new HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine made by Merck.  Gardasil was recently approved for wide distribution for the prevention of HPV infection in teenage girls.  HPV is the virus known to cause cervical cancer.  Gardasil has been shown to prevent the infection of about 70% of the HPV strains.  It is the assumption of doctors who administer the vaccines and the public health organizations that support the development and implementation of the vaccine that this vaccine can be widely used to prevent a life threatening cancer that affect women.  

Well, hold the phone.  Here's a reality check on some new and old facts about cervical cancer and HPV.  First, cervical cancer leads to about 3,700 deaths per year in the US compared to about 300,000 annual deaths that heart disease lays claim to.  It's true if you were one of those 3,700 people that die of cervical cancer like the unfortunate death of the actress Jane Goody at the age of 27 it becomes very personal.  However, since HPV is very treatable in early stages and that every sexually woman knows to get a pap-smear every year, then women should think twice about getting the HPV vaccine.  

The dark side of vaccines have been argued for years with opponents claiming various auto-immune, cancer and neurological problems with many vaccines.  The vaccines with the most contention is the MMR (measles mumps rubella) vaccine and Thimerosal, a preservative placed in some vaccinations (such as flu shots) that contains almost 50% mercury by weight. Thimerosal and the MMR vaccine have been thought to contribute to the development of autism in some kids.  Since I treat autistic children, I've seen a number of regressions in young children after the administration of vaccinations and don't recommend them for children at risk for developing autism.

New information has been coming to light about the risk of Gardasil and the development of a juvenile form of ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or commonly known as Lou Gherig's disease named after the famous baseball player who died of the disease.  The CDC is more closely looking at the potential relationship between Gardasil and juvenile ALS.  Because of the rareness of the ALS relationship it was not seen in Merck's trials when they tested the vaccine.  But recently, there were three cases of ALS in their teens causing the death of two of the girls after the administration of Gardasil.  Interestingly, the CDC acknowledged a similar pattern with the use of the anthrax vaccination and ALS.  Now with all things being equal and knowing what I know in the treatment of HPV using herbs and vitamins, I know that I would rather treat someone for HPV and cervical dysplasia than to help them reverse the devastating process of paralysis and ALS.  

So buyer beware.  All you parents out there should think twice about vaccinating your teenage daughters with Gardasil without more information on the potential devastating side effects of this vaccine.  Meantime, talk to them about safe sex practices, the importance of regular visits to the gynecologist and pap-smears and personal responsibility in health.  Know that your naturopathic doctor can offer treatment of HPV and cervical dysplasia with little or no side effect and a 98% cure rate.  Until this vaccine has been used for longer and shown to be very safe one should proceed with caution.

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Men with Low Testosterone Have the Greatest Heart Disease Risk

Here's a shocker for all of you.  Remember how for years our doctors have told us to know our cholesterol levels, to be careful of high blood pressure and to stop smoking?  Well, if you are worried about heart disease risk and risk of heart attack, the things you should be most concerned about are your free testosterone levels, HDL and your age.  In one study published in the Journal Metabolism in March of 2004, researchers found that low testosterone levels posed the greatest risk for men and was the greatest predictor of heart attacks and clogging of the arteries.  NOT high cholesterol, not diabetes, not smoking, not high blood pressure, not even being fat.

It's not that we shouldn't be careful of obesity because it does lead to diabetes which is the number 3 killer of Americans.  It doesn't mean that we shouldn't still stop smoking because we still care about lung cancer, emphysema and terrible breath.  And it doesn't mean we shouldn't be very concerned about high blood pressure because of risk of strokes.  But for heart disease risk, make sure that your doctor has checked you for free testosterone.  A Total testosterone measurement might not pick up the risk.  But it seems that low free testosterone is very related to heart disease risk.  Interestingly, low testosterone is found more often in people with diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.  Maybe that is why for years we've thought it was the high blood pressure, diabetes or being too fat that caused heart disease.

In men, signs of low testosterone include loss of body hair, low libido, muscle weakness, depression, mood disorders, erectile dysfunction, small testicles.  Men can actually have low testosterone without experiencing all these symptoms.  But if you have had an early heart attack and have family history of heart disease, ask your doctor to check your hormone levels thoroughly.  

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Faked Pain Study Results can Affect You

In the past year, we ordinary citizens have found our whole world crumbling around us.  The economic situation in the US has precipitated a World-wide economic disaster.  We find out that trusted people in the financial world of Wall Street like Bernard Madoff are actually swindlers of the rich and famous as well as the ordinary investor.  So too, comes to light a similar ruse headed by a man of equivalent stature and esteem in the pain and anesthesiology world as Bernard Madoff was in the financial world.  Meet, Dr. Scott Rueben, anesthesiologist extraordinaire, working for the highly regarded Baystate Medical Center.  In the past decade, millions of Americans were unknowingly affected by his fakery and fiction he published in at least 21 medical studies published in various respected medical journals.  Dr. Rueben's work had "revolutionized" post-operative recovery and helped other doctors and pain specialists better understand the value of using COX2 inhibitors rather than the traditional NSAIDS (non-steroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs).  Or so they thought....

In Dr. Rueben's publications, he touted the effectiveness of the new class of drugs thereby leading to billions of dollars of sales of the COX2 inhibitors for the companies of Merck (Vioxx), Pfizer (Celebrex) and Pfizer (Bextra).  He also recommended the use of Pfizer's Neurontin and Lyrica in combination with the above medications prior to surgery, claiming that they significantly reduced the post operative pain and reliance on addictive pain killers like morphine.  It all sounded good, hundred of thousands of doctors relied on the many published studies (10 published in the same journal, Journal of Anesthesia & Analgesia).  As it turns our ALL of the data and results were faked and fabricated by Dr. Rueben.  Pfizer had paid undisclosed sums of money toward Dr. Rueben's research and Baystate Medical Center.  

Baystate finally caught up with Dr. Rueben's falsifying antics recently after over a decade of allowing fake studies to be published under their name.  Dr. Rueben was on Pfizer's funding list but Baystate says that they did not receive any of the money that Pfizer supposedly paid out to Dr. Rueben.  As many of you know that Vioxx and Bextra were taken off the market in 2004 because they caused an uncommon amount of heart attacks after long term use.  Most doctors agree that the short term use of Celebrex or the other COX2 inhibitors were unlikely to cause long term damage to your heart but may have slowed down your healing time after surgery.  Meantime, Pfizer and friends sold billions of dollars in medications that may not have worked and may have made our recovery time longer, all thanks to their support of one doctor's research and his false & fabricated data on their behalf.

For a more complete story, read Scientific American's great story on "a Medical Maddoff".  So if any of you out there are prescribed Celebrex, just check with your doctor to ensure that he or she knows the truth about the research they might be basing their clinical actions on...that most of it was faked and purely made up in someone's mind.

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