Green Health Spot

New Year's Resolutions for a Healthier Life

I love the prospects of every new year.  The possibilities, the dreams, the visions that inspire us to take a fresh look at our lives.  Here are some recommendations I came up with to help you to make your New Year’s resolutions.  I left out the obvious like lose weight, exercise more and organize your life.  These resolutions can help you live a healthier and happier 2008...and beyond.

Get rid of your Teflon pots and pans 

If you are still using Teflon pans, know that the EPA has recognized that chemicals in Teflon are related to cancers (including breast, pancreatic, testicular and liver), elevated cholesterol, stroke and heart disease.  The Environmental Working Group has a great article on the toxicity.

Replace your aluminum cookware with stainless steel

This includes aluminum foil, baking sheets and pots and pans. Aluminum has a number of know health risks, neurotoxicity is among the greatest concerns.  My favorite cookware is All Clad.  I've had mine for years and they hold up terrifically.  There are less expensive replacements as well but All Clad has a lifetime warranty on their products.  Another choice is ceramic coated cast iron like LeCrueset.  Great but really heavy...good workout for your arms.

Use a Reputable Brand of Fish Oil

Supplement with cod liver oil in the winter months and a good fish, clean fish oil in the summer months.  For the vitamin D, A, E and K as well as for the essential fatty acids such as omega 3 EPA and DHA.  For brain health, improving allergies, reducing ear wax production, reducing anxiety etc.

Get your Sunshine

Vow to get at least 5-20 minutes of unfiltered sunlight to your bare skin without sunblock daily.  (this varies by skin tone, the darker your skin, the more time you will need and by latitude.  The more north you are, the more sun exposure you will need.)  This is for vitamin D.  For more information on why, read this.

Ensure you have regular bowel movements

I can't say enough about how important this is to your overall health.  Your colon is your body's trash receptacle and bowel movements are equivalent to emptying the trash.  To see if your bowel movements are normal, read this.  To find out how to have better bowel movements, read this.

Eliminate nitrites and aspartame from your diet

To start eliminating some known carcinogens (cancer causing agents..e.g. nitrites) and to eliminate the known excitotoxin (aspartame, aka Nutrasweet).  This will help keep your mental edge and reduce your risk of some scary degenerative nervous system conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Improve your self esteem and self acceptance 

This is a major factor in stress reduction.  If you love yourself more, then you will find that others will respect you more and accept you more as you are.  See a therapist, start meditating or just start reflecting on how to improve your own perception of yourself.  Accepting yourself as you are now has no prerequisites.  You don't have to lose 10 pounds, you don't have to get a face lift, you don't need that raise before starting this lifelong project.  Just a little more forgiveness of where you are now will allow you eventually to more easily move toward who you want to become.

Drink green tea

(preferably organic) for the antioxidant value and cancer fighting properties.  One to 3 servings per day, hot or cold.

Check your home water for heavy metals and chemicals

Then put a filter on your drinking and cooking water faucet after you know what toxins or chemicals you are at risk of exposure to.  If heavy metals were found make sure you recheck your water again after the filter was put into place.  Optimal filtering is a reverse osmosis filter or something similar to ensure most chemicals and heavy metals are removed.

Fill your Home with Green Plants

Buy lots of green plants for your home to filter the indoor air pollution that accumulates.  Try to make sure you air out your home regularly as well to prevent build up of benzene, toluene, TCE, formaldehyde in your home.  Ferns and Gerber daisies are great as indoor plants that remove these toxins.  Make sure your home has adequate ventilation and that you open the windows frequently.

Eliminate Parabens from Your Lotions

Parabens have a relationship to breast cancer and are hormone disruptors.  Methyl, ethyl, propyl and butylparabens are all culprits.  Search for body, face and suntan lotions without these parabens.  Things that are certified organic are safest.  Taking the first step by familiarizing yourself with possible toxic compounds in everyday consumer products will take you a long way toward helping your body detoxify and stay healthier.

Heal Stomach Ulcers with Honey

As the concerns for antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria are increasing, we naturally turn to the alternative choices for dealing with common bacteria without the use of antibiotics.  A common recommendation that I have given my patients with stomach ulcers is the use of Manuka honey to deal with H. pylori, the common bacteria associated with stomach ulcers. 

A treatment recently approved by the FDA for skin infections and diabetic ulcers, MediHoney is a wound dressing made of absorbent material saturated with manuka honey.  This treatment reminded me about treating stomach ulcers with manuka honey.  Honey had been used as a treatment for wounds and burns in ancient Egypt more than 4000 years ago.  It is now making a comeback as your doctors and scientists look for alternatives to antibiotics for common difficult to heal wounds and infections.  The MediHoney dressings are super absorbent and can last for up to a week which makes it easy for self-care.  Manuka honey has been effective in wound healing where nothing else has worked.  It has been found to be able to kill the toughest bacteria even at 1/10th strength.  It is helpful to a weak immune system and for those dealing with infections.

As a naturopathic therapy, we have been recommending the use of Manuka honey for years, taken on an empty stomach frequently throughout the day in addition to other stomach healing nutrients to naturally and easily heal stomach ulcers.  Manuka honey is derived from the manuka (Leptospermum plant) tree in Australia and New Zealand.  It is can also be used for sore throats, coughs (see our cough syrup recipe), diarrhea, mouth ulcers and burns.  Not all honey is created equal.  Though other honeys have mild antibiotic effects, the manuka honey is particularly potent in its antibiotic effects.  Manuka honey, which can usually be found at your local Whole Foods Market or natural food store is the only one that has so far shown high antibacterial activity. 

How to Prevent Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer and Acne

This sounds like a pitch for some miracle drug but one major factor in the prevention of some common cancers and skin problems like acne starts with the basics of elimination.  This is the second part of our two part discussion on what is rarely spoken about but is vital to ensuring overall health and wellbeing, the bowel movement. Studies indicate that regular and healthy (healthy means having “normal” bowel movements as discussed in part 1 of this series) bowel movements will help to reduce your risk of both breast and colon cancer.  With acne, many people with constipation will find that their skin looks less clear and radiant and are more prone to outbreaks. 

If you think of your colon as your body’s ultimate trash can and if your trash can gets full the trash will then overflow to places such as your skin resulting in less vibrant skin and acne, among other things.  Having sufficient and well formed stools will also help regulate the normal healthy bacteria in your gut which in turn helps to keep your colon from developing imbalanced or disease causing bacteria which then leads to risk of colon cancer.  In breast cancer prevention, the health bacteria in your gut is responsible for detoxifying excess hormones and eliminating these excess hormones in your stool is imperative in preventing an estrogen dominance situation which could lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Here are some pointers that I often give my patients who are dealing with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, diarrhea, ulcerative colitis and Chron’s disease.  These pointers should help you get on the road to achieving optimal bowel movements which is the very first step in an prevention plan for chronic disease.  Also, if you are suffering with IBS and other inflammatory bowel diseases, these same pointers will help relieve your suffering and get you on the road to recovery.  Incidentally, all IBS, and inflammatory bowel disease are preventable and curable without medications and surgery, these pointers are some of the first steps toward stopping these uncomfortable and tenacious diseases.

Fiber

Grains, fruits and vegetables are the first step to getting enough fiber into your colon so that you have plenty of volume to push through the waste products.  If you have irritable bowel syndrome wheat may not be the best choice of grain for you.  Try some other whole grains such as brown rice, oats, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet and wild rice.  Dark leafy greens also help such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage etc.  Fruits with the skin on if possible helps with the fiber as well.  Fiber helps to both add volume as well as hold water.  Ground flax or psyllium will also help add bulk to your stools.

Water

Many people who are constipated tend not to consume enough water during the day.  I recommend water volume equal to half your weight in ounces of water plus 8 ounces for every hour of exercise, every serving of alcohol and serving of coffee.  For example, if you weight 150 pounds, 75 ounces or a little over 9 cups of water throughout the day should provide you with optimal hydration.  If you don’t drink a lot right now, start by increasing your water intake by about 8 ounces every few days until your reach your optimal volume based on your weight.  This prevents you from having to live in the bathroom during the first few weeks of your new goal.

Probiotics

This is imperative for many people with both diarrhea and constipation as well as mucous in the stools.  It is preferable to have human microflora strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.  It is necessary during and after every antibiotic dosage, I usually recommend about 1 month of continuous supplementation after a round of antibiotic usage.  Optimal is 75 billion of both lactobacillus and bifidobacterium per day during and after antibiotics and while you have diarrhea or constipation.  Once the diarrhea and constipation are resolved then you can drop down your dosage to about 12-30 billion of each per day or 3 times a week.  This will help with the bloating and gas with IBS, UC and Chron’s disease as well.  Also, yeast overgrowth in the digestive system will be kept at bay as well.

Not all brands of probiotics are created equal.  Most over the counter brands found at your health food store have inappropriate strains or bacteria that were live when they put it into the bottle but not by the time you take the supplement.  If you have a chronic inflammatory bowel disease or IBS, make sure you get a prescriptive brand from your doctor.  Otherwise you won't see improvement. 

In 2004 the JAMA published a study that indicated that women who took frequent antibiotics were likely to develop breast cancer.  This research was funded in pary by the National Cancer Institute and it is likely that antibiotics significantly affect the probiotic levels in these women thus leaving them in an estrogen dominant environment.  Additionally these probiotics also are cancer protective by helping you digest and absorb nutrients that are helpful in cancer prevention.

Food sensitivity and Food allergy elimination

Obviously what you put into your digestive system will have a huge impact on its function.  There is no single optimal diet for everyone.  If you don’t know if you have food sensitivities, ask your doctor to do a blood test for IgG food sensitivities.  In this case, the testing methodology is very important.  My favorite lab for this is Immunolabs, in Florida.  Ask your doctor for this test to get the most accurate information for you about foods to eat and eliminate from your diet.  Incidentally, people on acid blockers for reflux will find that identification and elimination of food sensitivities will relieve them from needing to take acid blockers for reflux and indigestion.  Yes, this is even true in people with a hiatal hernia.

Digestive Enzymes

Many people on acid blockers like Prevacid or Pepcid will find that they have increasingly more difficulty with digestion and absorption of the food they eat.  People can have fat digestion problems as they get older and this plays a large role in diarrhea.  Look at your stools to see if you have an oily residue in the toilet water which can indicate problems with fat digestion.  Issues with protein and carbohydrate digestion and absorption are a little more difficult to assess.  Undigested food in your stools are a good indication that a broad spectrum digestive enzyme with each meal and significant snack is indicated. 

If you take these easy steps toward normalizing your bowel movements, you will find that your overall health will improve.  You may experience better energy, more vibrant skin and less abdominal discomfort.  In my goal in helping people take simple disease prevention steps, I hope that this makes a large impact on your overall health. 

Let’s talk about the Unmentionable...Just what is a Normal Bowel Movement?

It all starts with a dirty little topic that no one likes to discuss.  The bowel movement.  Just what is a normal bowel movement?  In naturopathic medicine and in my practice particularly, it’s all about cleaning up the gut and enhancing the major avenues of elimination. You remember the old saying “you are what you eat.”?  Well, just as important, you are what you don’t eliminate. 

Are you constipated?  Experience diarrhea regularly?  In preparation for the new year let’s talk about something that no one has ever likely given you adequate advice on.  Your stools.  It’s funny how I’ve never had a casual conversation about this interesting and very important topic.  Even with my closest friends and family it’s rarely talked about.  Making sure you have adequate and normal bowel movements are imperative to good health.  Want vibrant skin and prevent acne?  Want to prevent colon cancer?  Want to prevent breast cancer? Here is your number one first step to all three and much more. 

Identify your transit time

Here is an easy test to identify how fast or slow you are digesting and moving your food and nutrients.  Too quickly indicates that you are probably having difficulty with adequate absorption and digestion of food hence possible nutrient deficiencies.  Too slowly usually means constipation and inadequate or slowed elimination of many chemicals, excess hormones and other toxins that were absorbed by the body.  These chemicals are absorbed by the intestine, skin or lungs and thrown away by the liver into the colon for easy elimination and disposal.  All you need for this is are activated charcoal capsules found at your local grocery or drugstore. 

1.    After your next bowel movement.  Take approximately 1300 mg of Activated Charcoal on an empty stomach. How many capsules will depend on how many milligrams per capsule in your bottle.
2.    Note time of ingestion of charcoal.
3.    Wait until your next bowel movement or two to see the results of the activated charcoal in your stool (it will look dark colored, like charcoal).
4.    Note time of bowel movement which incorporated the activated charcoal.
12-18 hours is considered normal transit time and is your goal. 

Some other signs that can tell you that your digestion and elimination are off:

•    Mucous in stools (even occasionally).  This indicates inflammation and needs to be fixed.
•    Blood in stool (not related to hemorrhoids).  Bright red blood usually means hemorrhoids, dark red or black blood usually means possible GI bleed and warrants a visit to your doctor or GI specialist ASAP.
•    Undigested food.
•    Gas and bloating frequently, smelly passing of gas, abdominal cramping from gas
•    Loose or unformed stools.
•    Strong smelly stools (this may be difficult to tell because many people may have had problems with stool smell for years, ask your significant other or family member about this for a different perspective).

What you are looking for:

•    Formed, regularly shaped and easy to pass stools that come out smoothly, without straining.  No pellets.
•    Regular stools 1-3 times per day, preferably after eating.  What goes in must come out.
•    Stools should not be strong smelling, contain recognizable food (except maybe corn) or have mucous.

If you have what is considered “normal”, then congratulations!  If not, see your doctor for further advice on how to achieve optimal stools and check out tomorrow’s companion article on How to Prevent Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer and Acne.

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Keep your Weight in Check During the Holidays

The month of December finds many of us giving up on healthy eating habits and indulging in the holiday feeding frenzy as we socialize and entertain our friends and family.  This post may help you from tipping the scale in January.  Realize that yo-yo diets do not work to keep you permanently slim and fit.  Start now by adopting healthy eating and exercise habits and increase your activity level to keep your metabolism up.  Here are some suggestions.

Eat a Low Fat, Low Simple Carbohydrate and High Protein Breakfast

An omelet, nitrite free chicken sausage and whole grain toast (manage your portions) can be a great start to your day.  If you don't have time for a full breakfast, a hard boiled egg, a whole grain cereal or a Greek Yogurt (a thicker and higher protein version of your usual yogurt) can do in a pinch.  Eating a breakfast that is high in protein will keep you from snacking on sweets during the mid morning coffee break and keep your appetite in check.

Eat a protein snack mid morning and mid afternoon to avoid more munchies

These snacks can be nuts, a protein bar or a small piece of cheese.  If you eat a snack before you get hungry you will be less likely to indulge in the common temptations that are laying around in your office.   An afternoon walk or a stroll during lunch can bring you added calorie burning, stress relief and helps to keep your blood sugar more even.

Walk where ever and whenever you can

I live about a two minute drive from the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.  During the holidays my two minute drive can also come with a 20 minutes of driving up and down the parking lot to find an open parking space.  It takes about 10 minute for me to walk to the shopping center which helps me get out into the sun, get some exercise and reduce the frustration of not being able to find a parking space.  Sometimes I've found myself parked so far away from the store of interest that I may as well be parked at my home.  In my case I have no excuse not to walk to the shopping center other than laziness.  If you have the opportunity to walk or bike rather than take transportation, give it a try.  You'll be surprised how increasing your activity level just a bit helps with keeping the extra pounds at bay.

Take the Stairs

If you can avoid the elevators and take the stairs or walk up the escalators rather than ride, you can help keep your backside firm while improving your cardiovascular health.  30 minutes of stair running will burn about 250 calories which can be equal to a 2 inch square of chocolate brownie.

Avoid mixed drinks

Choose a martini or brandy as your holiday drink of choice.  Mixed drinks are packed full of sugar and calories.  If you are going to drink alcohol, make the smarter choice of finding something that doesn't have a sweet mixer.  These mixers include tonic water, sweet and sour mix, fruit juices, sodas.  Keep your drinks simple and your waistline will thank you for it later.

Balance your meals

If you know you are going to a party tonight, keep your eating choices during the day simple and healthy.  Choose salads and proteins during breakfast and lunch to allow for the inevitable temptations during the dinner party.  Minimize your alcohol, eggnog and soda consumption as well to keep from overindulging in liquid sugar.

If you have secrets to how you keep yourself trim and fit through the holidays, please share with our readers your suggestions.  Leave a comment to this post and help inspire others to fight the holiday bulge.

Healthier Treats for the Holidays

I've been looking around to find some gift recommendations that are healthier alternatives to the conventional sweet treats of the holiday season.  Here is what I came up with:

Organic Fruit Baskets

These are great and filled with seasonal fruits for the offering.  I like these baskets because they are attractive and exciting to receive.  The fruits and chocolates are tempting yet without the added pesticides commonly found on your conventionally grown fruits.  Plus the basket is reusable and convenient.  I found this gift basket at Gotfruit.com which had quite a selection of baskets for every price range.

Organic Wine and Champagne

Growing up a Californian not far from the Napa Valley it was a wake up call to one day travel to Australia to taste delicious wines that did not give me the typical allergic reaction of a stuffy nose and headache.  Not all wines are created equal.  So now, it's great to have places that look for organic wines produced in small batches without the added pesticides, herbicides and sulfites.  The Organic Wine Company is one of those sites that has a wine club as well as selling individual bottles of wine grown the healthier and more eco-friendly way.

Low Fat Low Cholesterol Holiday Cakes

Everyone love to indulge in cakes, cookies and sweets during the holidays.  Bring these yummy treats to the office to share with colleagues and keep the weight off at the same time.  These cakes are a healthier alternative to the overly sweet goodies we tend to indulge in during this time of the year.  I found these at HarryandDavid.com who have many healthy choices that can save you a few hundred abdominal crunches in the future.

Organic Bouquets of Flowers

Everyone loves flowers and plants.  Finding them grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers can be a difficult feat.  Bring these plants and flowers to your loved ones or the host of the next holiday party you are attending.  These are beautiful as well as eco-friendly.  Organic plants are particularly great gifts for people who tend to be more allergic or chemically sensitive.   Find great green gifts at organicbouquet.com they have a lot of holiday gift suggestions that you might find useful.

Organic Chocolates

What would a holiday treat list be without chocolate?  That velvety, smooth and deliciously sweet treat that we all love and cherish.  Here is a place to find fair trade, organic and green (not literally) chocolates.  Taraluna.com dedicates itself to finding gifts and products that caters to the eco-conscious consumer.  If you are going to consume loads of chocolate during the holidays, it may as well be a healthier version without contaminants, additives and sprays.   

How to Have a Low Stress Holiday Season

This holiday season can be fun and full of laughter, family and friends.  But there is usually the inevitable high stress associated with travel delays, weather, shopping and preparing for parties.  So I put together a list of things that I try to do every holiday season to deal with the stress.  Remember, usually holiday stress is internally induced so go easy on yourself during these times.  Here are some guidelines to help you glide through the holidays with the greatest of ease so that you can start the new year on the right foot. 

Shop and Prepare Online

A favorite thing to do is to research and do comparison shopping online to narrow down the search for gifts.  Most online stores and vendors have a terrific return policy, fast shipping and great search engines. This saves you time and gas by getting most things taken care of online.  I arranged a holiday party almost completely through the Internet. I chose the hotel, used Evite for invitations, Epicurious.com for recipes, and various online stores for party favors and cake arrangements.  All travel arrangements are also easily done on the web now so phone calls to airlines and car rental agencies and hotels can be made quickly and easily.

Remember the Spirit of the Season

This is the season of cheer and good will. Remembering this will go a long way to helping keep the inner Grinch away.  Because the point of the holidays is to celebrate, feeling the inner celebration of the holiday season can help with patience during a busy holiday travel season.  Whether you are traveling by plane, train or automobile, a little bit of good mood and holiday cheer will translate into a lot less frustration in holiday traffic.  Bring a good book or load a great podcast on your ipod and patience will prevail.

Save Money by Making Creative Gifts

Since money can be a huge stress during the holidays this suggestion can save you lots of money in the long run if you have lots of gifts to give.  My sisters and I started this trend years ago when we were in college.  Initially it was to save money since we were students and funds were short.  We each took the time to create handmade gifts for each other and our parents.  These gifts were some of the most cherished ones over the years.  Some examples of this are knitting projects, framed photographs that you have taken or a painting or crafty dried flower arrangement.  The making of the gifts help you stay in touch with the feeling of giving to the loved one you are making a gift for which makes all the difference.

Things Don't have to Be Perfect

There is never a greater stress than having to have things perfect.  Trying to make things perfect will often take the fun out of the journey.  Also, perfection takes the creativity and spontaneity out of things.  Maybe you might have missed your flight due to TSA security lines but you might also meet the man of your dreams on the flight that you do catch.  You never know what can result from the mistake.  You might end up burning the Christmas goose but discover a great new holiday tradition of a special Christmas pasta dish instead.  You just never know about these things.  Usually if you take things lightly, you'll feel better and those around you will feel better as well.

When Things get too Overwhelming, Hide!

A bathtub, movie theater or massage will do to help dissipate the overwhelm.  Give yourself an hour or two to regroup and find your center again.  Deep breathing exercises, yoga and mediation will help you here as well.  Make your days fun and enjoy the preparation for the time of year that should bring you good cheer.

Get Rid of Your Head Cold Fast

Here is a quick trick to get rid of your head cold, fever, cough during the winter season.  I've given this technique to many of my patients successfully.  I'm not really sure why it works but it does.  This is one of those old naturopathic remedies that have been floating around for centuries and it makes many believers of natural medicine. 

This is great for a sore throat or any inflammation or infection of the throat, neck pain, ear infections, headaches, migraines, nasal congestion, upper respiratory infections, coughs, bronchitis, and sinus infections.

What you will need:

• 1 pair white cotton socks
• 1 pair thick wool socks
• Towel
• Warm bath or warm foot bath

Directions:

1. Take a pair of cotton socks and soak them completely with ice cold water.  Be sure to wring the socks out thoroughly so they do not drip.
2. Warm your feet first.  This is very important as the treatment will not be as effective and could be harmful if your feet are not warmed first.  Warming can be accomplished by soaking your feet in warm water for at least 5-10 minutes or taking a warm bath for 5-10 minutes.
3. Dry off feet and body with a dry towel.
4. Place ice cold wet socks on feet.  Cover with thick wool socks.  Go directly to bed.  Avoid getting chilled.
5. Keep the socks on overnight.  You will find that the wet cotton socks will be dry in the morning and usually the cold or sore throat will be gone.
   

This treatment acts to reflexively increase the circulation and decrease congestion in the upper respiratory passages, head, and throat.  It has a sedating action and many patients report that they sleep much better during the treatment.  This treatment is also effective for pain relief and increases the healing response during acute infections.

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Low Allergy Pumpkin Pie Recipie

For those of you who are allergic to wheat, dairy and eggs and think that you will never be able to enjoy a slice of pie again (especially during the holidays) don’t despair.  I recently baked a pumpkin pie without any wheat, dairy and eggs and received many compliments from friends and family.  I would like to share this with you.

Pie crust ingredients:

•    1 and 1/2 cup rice flour
•    1/3 cup of ground almonds (may use hazelnuts or walnuts instead)
•    1/4-1/3 cup olive oil (or use coconut oil for its many healthy properties)
•    2 TB maple syrup
•    1-2 TB water as needed

Filling:

•    1 can of pumpkin puree (Be sure that it only contains pumpkin)
•    2 TB of ground flaxseed as egg substitute (soak in 6 TB of hot water for 15 min)

Instructions:

•    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
•    Mix crust ingredients and press mixture into the bottom of the pan.
•    Mix pumpkin puree and ground flaxseed and pour into pie crust.
•    Bake pie for 40-60 min as instructed on the pumpkin puree can.

Enjoy! and astound your friends with the deliciousness of this pie.

First Lead, then Asbestos in Children's Toys

No only do astute shoppers need to contend with the array of lead laden toys from China recently, now there are concerns about asbestos found in some children's toys.  The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) released a study that found asbestos, specifically the most lethal type of asbestos called Tremolite in the children's toy CSI Investigation Fingerprint Kit.  Not only did the ADAO test this toy but they went further and tested some other common household products that were found to have asbestos in it.  Including

• CSI fingerprint investigation kit powders (Made in China, purchased at Toys-R-Us)
• DAP 33 window glazing (Made in USA, Purchased at Home Depot & Lowes)
• DAP crack shot spackling paste (Made in USA, Purchased at Home Depot & Lowes)
• Gardner-leak stopper roof patch (Made in USA, Purchased at Home Depot, Lowes & Wal-Mart)
• Scotch Duct Tape-High Performance (Made in Canada, Purchased at Wal-Mart)

Other products that were initially tested positive for asbestos but needed retesting before release of specific brands were

• Toy play clay from China
• Toy play clay from Thailand
• Pre-packaged potting soil from the USA
• Hair rollers from China
• Kitchen appliances from China
• Kerosene lantern wicks from China
• Cosmetics from France
• Baking flour
• Bicycle tire patch
• Powdered household cleansers

Why are we concerned about Asbestos?

Because the type of lung diseases and lung cancers deriving from asbestos are incurable, debilitating , and lethal for many.  All are avoidable.  There is no safe level of asbestos exposure.  In this case, prevention and awareness are the best cures.

Behavior in Autistic Children Improve During Fever

Here is some exciting news for parents of autistic children out there.  In a recent article published by Pediatrics, the journal for the American Academy of Pediatrics researchers have found that fevers of 100.4F and higher seem to result in improved behavior in autistic children during and shortly after the fever.  Improved behaviors include decreased irritability, hyperactivity, inappropriate speech, and sterotypy/stimming.  There were many hypotheses related to why this might be the case as a child's fever is present, all of which need to be further studied. 

Fever is the body's natural reaction to an invasion of virus or bacteria.  Too quickly parents are told that as soon as a fever is present to give your children Tylenol or children's Advil to reduce the fever.  Most parents comply but few understand what they are actually doing to their child.  The NSAID (Tylenol or Advil) do not recover the body from infection faster, it just suppresses your body's ability to deal with the virus or bacteria.  Hence studies have indicated that children or adults who take NSAIDs to stop or reduce a fever actually take longer to recover from a virus or cold.  This is because your body's natural reaction to a foreign invader is slowed.  Originally, Tylenol and the like was recommended to avoid in children the dreaded fever seizure which occurs with unmanaged high fevers like >105 F.  Fever seizures are quite scary for parents to witness but they are unlikely if you keep a good eye on your child and his/her fever.  Allowing your child to run a low to moderate fever will not put them at risk for fever seizures and there is the added benefit of allowing the body to do what is natural.

I tell my parents and patients to not take anything for a fever unless the fever exceeds 104 F.  You can keep the body cool and comfortable by tepid baths with lavender oil in it and allowing the body to sweat.  The fever usually goes away in a few short hours and it has done its job. 

Back to autism spectrum disorders and why children with ASD might benefit from a fever.  First, many autistic children and autistic spectrum children have immune systems that are prone to bacterial, viral and yeast infection overall.  This is due to many aspects too numerous to detail here but suffice it to say, most autistic children are at risk for repeated infections early in life.  Parent are trained to give Tylenol and the like as soon as any fever comes on, this significantly reduces the body's ability to fight the infection.  Thus it is possible to have low level infections continuing even without obvious symptoms but these low level infections lead to allergies, low level inflammation, and suppressed immune function.  This then affect the neurological system leading to developmental delay, delayed speech and a slew of other autistic related symptoms if your child is prone to developmental delay.  The immune system is a complex group of cells that may be underactive and over active simultaneously in autistic children.  Just to be clear, giving your child Tylenol when they are sick will not make them autistic.  There are other significant circumstances that need to occur simultaneously.  If you child is autistic, giving them Tylenol during a fever is not necessarily the best thing to do in the long run.

This recent research opens new doors to help those of us who treat autistic children better understand the diagnosis of autism.  This study illustrates that the body's natural reaction to infection may also temporarily improve autistic behavior which can help us better decide what to do when children are sick.  For most cases, perhaps no intervention except keeping your sick child comfortable is the best route and maybe our bodies really do have a greater wisdom than we understand.  Hopefully, soon we will better understand the role of fever and why autistic spectrum children seem more normal during a fever.  Stay tuned.

The Road to Clear Skin

Acne is a problem of detoxification, not a problem of the skin itself.  Here is how I explain it to my patients who have been battling acne since puberty.  Your body needs to get rid of waste and excess hormones etc. and these things need an exit route.  Primary routes of elimination are the kidney, liver and colon and lesser routes of elimination are skin and lungs.  So, let's say that you have a higher fat diet and consume a lot of junk food that needs to be detoxified through the liver and colon and additionally you tend to be constipated because you don't drink enough water or eat enough fiber.  So one way of your body trying to get rid of the excess toxins will be through your skin.  Now, acne is only one way of doing this and for other people their bodies might tend toward other ways of detoxing but for you, your way is through acne on the face, chest or back. 

Acne usually starts at puberty with the increase of hormones which your body may not be able to deal with very well.  So here is my fool-proof way of cleaning up your skin and stopping acne from happening and ruining your life.  You should expect that this will take about 4-6 weeks to get 80-90% or clear.  The last 10% or major cysts might take a few months of a cleaner lifestyle and diet. 

Remove all Food Sensitivities and Food Allergens

This is most easily done by identifying the food sensitivities that you have by blood test and then removing those specific foods from your diet.  If you have a lot of food sensitivities identified, my suggestion is to find a NAET practitioner to permanently eliminate the food sensitivity from your body's radar screen. Your doctor can test you for food allergies (IgE test) but usually people who have acne do not have many food allergies.  They usually have food sensitivities which take longer for the body to react to and usually have more subtle indicators like acne as a symptom.  For food sensitivity testing, I only use Immunolabs in Florida.  There are many laboratories that test for IgG testing but Immunolabs has the most accurate.  Trust me when I say that accurate laboratory results will make a huge difference on your skin's results.

Stop constipation

This is key to the plan because if your liver gets rid of fat soluble toxins and your colon just lets those toxins sit there for a long time, there is a chance that the toxins get reabsorbed into your blood.  Then your body needs to put these toxins into another place for safe keeping, say....ummm...your skin.  Viola, acne.

Balance your hormones

Usually for people with acne, the body is dealing with a hormonal imbalance as well.  Excess estrogen's and testosterone are usually the culprit.  Specifically, inability to eliminate estrogens and testosterones.  To help with this, here are some things to consider taking:

• Calcium d-glucarate-keeps hormones from being reabsorbed once reaching your colon.
• DIM: diindolmethane: derived from cabbage, helps you eliminate excess estrogens from your system
• Saw palmetto: an herb to help eliminate and balance excess testosterone
• Bifodobacter: a probiotic to help with detoxification in the colon
• Milk Thistle: a liver supportive and protective herb to help your liver deal with the excess toxins

Consult your doctor before starting any herbs or supplements for your particular health condition.

Support your liver function

This includes avoiding caffeine, Tylenol, alcohol, artificial colors and preservatives, artificial flavors, fatty or excessively greasy foods, sodas (diet or regular).  Increase  your intake of dark leafy greens such as kale, collards, swiss chard, beet greens, dandelion greens, arugula, mustard greens and drink green tea (caffeine in this is fine).  Also consider eating lots of beets and carrots (fresh or juiced).  Not pickled beets.  Remember that beets come out the same color they went in.  So don't panic if you have pink urine or red stools if you had recently had beets.  Reduce your intake of red meats like beef and pork (in this case, pork is not the other white meat).  Dark leafy greens should be sauteed or steamed or cooked some way until they are bright green, not cooked until limp and brown. 

Increase your fiber intake

If you can't do this by diet, then you should do this by a fiber supplements.  Either ground flax seeds (2 tablespoons per day is generally fine for most people) and or psyllium husks (Metamucil like but preferable without the sugar).  This helps bind the toxins in the stool so that you can get it out with your next bowel movement and adds bulk to your stool so that constipation is not a factor.  You should have 1-3 bowel movements daily with volume proportional to what you have been eating in the past 2-3 days.  Along with this you should increase your water intake to about half your weight in ounces of water.  For instance if you weigh 120 pounds then 60 ounces of water is your goal.  This is just your water intake.  Add an additional 8 ounces for every cup of coffee, every serving of alcohol and every hour of exercise.

If you start now on this new regimen you will find that by early next year your skin will have a new healthier glow and the outbreaks of acne and cysts are becoming much fewer and farther between.  Additionally you will find that your body system is overall more healthy and more vibrant.