Green Health Spot

Chronic Fatigue and Environmental Toxicity

Need more energy? I treat chronic fatigue on a daily basis and it's easy to miss the most important cause of chronic fatigue and that is environmental toxicity.  Toxicity and its relationship to chronic fatigue is a complex subject but essential to understand that there is a very real relationship between fatigue and chronic environmental exposure. Toxicity can be associated with our day to day exposure and there are many factors that affect people who have chronic toxic overload. These factors include toxic exposure in work, hobbies, and home. 

Common sources of work exposure include chemicals, solvents, printer toner, computer circuitry, manufacturing and agricultural.  In the typical office environment, stress, new carpeting, new paint, office furniture, building materials, reduced ventilation and offices that lack windows that open to the outside all contribute to toxic accumulation in the body. In the home, renovations, mold, toxic cleaning agents, lead paint, carpeting, water contamination, pesticide or herbicide usage, pets that have flea and tick treatments, skin care products, hair care products, hair coloring products, asbestos, chemical sprays or air fresheners are all sources of toxicity in the home.  Hobbies are often a place where people are exposed to toxins without realizing the detriment to their health. This includes oil painting or painting of any kind with cadmium containing colors, automotive work, especially brake work, stained glass, smoking, golfing (due to pesticides), target shooting, camping and the use of bug spray, gardening and herbicides and non-organic pesticides all contribute to our day to day load of chemical accumulation in the body.

As long as our bodies are not overly stressed and with a good genetic gene pool we generally can do well to detoxify our bodies and recover from our toxic exposures easily and without much difficulty. The problem with chronic fatigue is that our cells and the mitochondria within them are being over run with toxins which then suppress the cells and their power supply, the mitochondria to do their normal activity. With the mitrochondrial function suppressed many people feel lethargic, fatigued and often find themselves gaining weight. They end up developing thyroid problems, adrenal problems and are diagnosed with anxiety or depression. People then are prone to catching infections and  have difficulty fighting off viruses and bacterial problems. They can be prone to developing yeast infections and allergies all which further indicate that their systems are unable to deal with the toxic load.  People who live in agricultural areas or who have toxic water supplies coupled with stressful lives are all susceptible to chronic fatigue.  Sometimes the chronic fatigue is insidious and difficult to pinpoint exactly when one develops the fatigue and sometimes it is a result of an infection or injury or working too many long hours that takes it’s toll on one’s body.  Regardless of cause, the resolution starts with becoming aware of chemical toxins in your food, water and environments of work, play and home.  Improving ventilation, eliminating as many toxic foods and chemicals out of your life is the first step toward health. I like the environmental working group’s website call the cosmetics database, originally started to help us identify toxins in our skin and hair care products but has expanded to most home care products including detergents, soaps, sunscreen etc.  Check our your product’s toxicity level at the Cosmetics Database.

The second step in recovering from fatigue is to help reduce your body’s load of toxins.  There are many ways to do this but the most useful is utilizing a detox protocol that I use in my work with Mitogenx as their Chief Science Officer. This protocol is safe and effective for adults of all ages and health conditions with little to no side effects.  The products were designed by Dr. Walter Crinnion who is an expert in treating environmental illnesses.  The protocol is as follows:

• MitoLife at one ounce twice daily to improve mitochondrial function, reduce allergies and improve immune system response.
• Amino ICG: 1 scoop twice daily to improve glutathione production to assist your body in detoxification and anti-oxidants to reduce the effects of the toxins.
• Freedom Formula: 2 capsules, 3 times daily: for reducing the production of stress hormones and improving regenerative sleep.  Stress hormones affect the pH of our body’s tissues making it much more difficult for us to detoxify in the presence of stress hormones.
• Clear and Restore: 4 capsules at bedtime with 8 ounces of water. Especially important if you are constipated or irregular but very important if you have toxic overload in helping the body bind and eliminate fat soluble toxins that the liver is excreting.
• Extra credit: Primary Toxin Shield: 2, capsules, 3 times daily A terrific multiple vitamin with extra detox support in a form that your digestive system can easily absorb and utilize.  Great for day to day support and as a part of a comprehensive plan for detoxification.
• Extra credit: R-defense: An extra boost of anti-oxidants to assist the body in its repairing process. 1, 3 times daily is optimal, especially if you are dealing with a serious chronic illness or need extra support in dealing with toxins.

As we all become more aware of the toxicity that we are battling on a day to day basis, it’s no wonder that many of us are dealing with chronic fatigue and the effects of life’s toxicity weighing us down. For those with chronic fatigue, this gentle detox process should be continued for 3-6 months.  In my practice, I usually combine a process called cellular drainage to enhance the detox process and test people for heavy metal toxicity which needs to be dealt with separately with a version of the above treatment plan.  If you want to get started on a detox protocol of your own, give my office a call, I find that many of us can get back into our routines now adjusted for toxic exposure so that we can live a full and vibrant life without the burden of fatigue.

A New Look At Natural Pain Management

I have been so excited lately about running across a new pain management approach pioneered by some innovative European doctors from Belgium and Germany as a natural way of healing pain. Not only do these remedies address symptomatic pain but it also helps to stimulate the body's own healing process by helping support detoxification pathways and healing damaged tissue.  Biopuncture combines the use of naturally derived homeopathic remedies with acupressure points to manage pain and reverse inflammation. This can work for a diverse group of problems originating from acute & chronic pain due to injuries or repetitive stress for issues ranging from tennis elbow, peripheral neuropathy, and migraines to degenerative issues like disc compression in the back. Injections can be placed in local areas of injury or inflammation or in acupressure points associated with the area of interest. 

Recently, Dr. Oz did a show on biopuncture and interviewed some doctors on the subject. I've included the videos here.  If you are experiencing pain and are interested in the treatments, give our office a call and set up an appointment soon.  We are in Palo Alto or Walnut Creek at 650-327-2053.

This new treatment combines homeopathic remedies with the principles of acupuncture. Some say it can cure any type of pain, but is it safe? Hear from...

Part 2 of Dr. Oz' video

Stop Migraines in Their Tracks

The pain from migraines can be horrendous and so little in conventional medicine addresses the underlying cause of migraines. I've treated migraines for years and am surprised that millions of migraine sufferers haven't sought alternative care for migraine resolution. There are many triggers for migraines such as hormones, PMS, foods like chocolate, MSG and aspartame.  Often migraine sufferers start to find that their world gets smaller and smaller as the number of foods that trigger their migraines grows. So the journey to find relief from the pain and backlash of a migraine brings us to addressing some of the underlying causes of migraines. Today, I'll share with you how I treat migraines and how migraine sufferers should know that the pain they are experiencing is unnecessary once the underlying causes are addressed and the body if brought back into balance.

Migraine relief is found in 3 distinct goals:

1) Appropriate Diet

2) Detoxifying the body

3) Reducing Inflammation.

The diet is relatively easy to figure out since we run a comprehensive and extremely accurate food sensitivity test that identifies the foods that the migraine sufferer needs to avoid. Usually avoidance starts with a 2 week strict adherance to the dietary plan coupled with NAET allergy elimation treatments so that some food favorites can be added back to the diet without triggering more inflammation or headaches.  How long you will be off a particular food or group of foods depends on how well a NAET treatment can desensitize you from the food. It usually takes anywhere from 1-4 treatments per food but generally 1-2 can do it. NAET is an easy and painless acupressure technique that rebalanced your body while being exposed to an allergen and after a 25 hour avoidance of the food that you were treated for, most of the time returning to the food will result in an allergy-free experience. In some cases it may take more than one treatment but generally speaking this is quite an amazing technique.

Detoxification is done through the use of homeopathic remedies and antioxidants to assist the body in getting rid of chemicals, excess hormones and other toxins that need to be eliminated and strengthening the avenues of elimination so that in the future toxicity doesn't build up in the body again. This focus is generally on the liver, kidneys and colon with particular care to ensure that the digestive system is functioning well.

Finally, Inflammation needs to be addressed simultaneously for which I use a combination of electromyopulse treatments to repair spasming tissue, biopuncture injections with homeopathic remedies that brings down both local and systemic inflammation and auriculotherapy, a set of acupressure points applied to the ear used for reflexology and healing varying body areas of inflammation. Muscle spasms eventually will be a thing of the past as well as the neck tightness associated with the tension found in migraine sufferers.

Once all 3 of these plates are up and spinning the migraine sufferer is usually free of pain on a daily basis with fewer and fewer flare-ups decreasing in frequency, intensity and duration.  Hope these guidelines help you better understand how migraines should be a thing of your past.

What is Your Baseline Radiation Exposure

Since we've been more concerned about radiation exposure from the nuclear danger in Japan, I've found an interesting tool for you to calculate your baseline radiation exposure on a yearly basis. The EPA has put together a little quiz for us to take to get an understanding on how much radiation we get from our environment, medical testing and flying. The higher your home elevation level is, the greater the day to day radiation exposure can be.  Use this interesting calculator to estimate your baseline radiation exposure and to learn of common sources of avoidable radiation. I find it particularly interesting that medical procedures is a large part of possible radiation exposures. Don't forget the x-rays you get from your dentist, to be included in your radiation assessment. Many dentists are very liberal with x-rays.  After you find out your baseline radiation exposure, mine is 341 mrem, mostly from transcontinental flights, estimate what your risk is given the average radiation that you get on a year to year basis. The average American will get a dose of approximately 620 mrems on a yearly basis. Would love to hear what your thoughts are on your results.

Not Celiac Disease But Still Gluten Sensitive

So you all know I treat a lot of patients with autism, allergies and irritable bowel syndrome (among other things). Many of you may also have had our famous food sensitivity test done to assess sensitivity toward various foods, including gluten and gluten containing foods. Today on the Wall Street Journal, we are reading what mainstream medicine is now starting to observe to be true and that is that one can have a sensitivity to gluten and gluten containing grains but not have Celiac disease? Of course this may be old news to all of you savvy readers and patients who have been hearing me talk and lecture about food sensitivities for years.

Diet is an incredibly important aspect of health and healing and the correct diet is imperative for reversing any chronic illness.  Many people come to see me and tell me how healthy their diet is but they still feel awful and have a seemingly difficult to treat diagnosis. The number one thing I do in my practice is to assess for food sensitivities. Let's be clear, these are not food ALLERGIES which are an immediate hypersensitivity reaction but food sensitivities are delayed reactions. Delayed hypersensitivities can take 2 to 72 hours to come on and are never acute or immediately severe like allergies can be. We usually all know if we have been exposed to a food or environmental allergen that causes an allergy because almost immediately (or within 20 minutes) we are experiencing typical allergic symptoms like a stuffy nose, runny or puffy eyes, throat constriction, asthma or breathing difficulties etc.  But food sensitivities are more stealth than the average allergy and you could be consuming a food you are sensitive to and it could be causing you to be miserable.  Many find after testing for food sensitivities that their "healthy" diet was not necessarily "healthy" for them.

This is especially true for people with arthritis, diabetes (especially type 2 but type 1 as well), high blood pressure, asthma, eczema, headaches or migraines, obesity, chronic fatigue and ANY irritable or inflammatory bowel disease including IBS, IBD, ulcerative colitis, chrons disease, diarrhea, constipation or celiac disease.  Also in this list would be thyroid issues, especially hypothyroid, and any and all autoimmune disorders like Grave's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, mixed connective tissue disorders, and Srojgren's disorder.  Gluten is a protein in many grains like wheat, oats, rye and barley.  More and more people are finding themselves unable to tolerate gluten containing foods but when their doctor does a test for celiac's disease, they come up negative.

Finally, the conventional medicine population is finding out that gluten sensitivity is possible without the markers for Celiac disease to be present. I'll go further and say that in my years of practicing I've found that it is possible for a person to be sensitive to wheat or oats and not be sensitive to gluten or have Celiac disease. In fact, it is possible to have a sensitivity to just about anything you consume if your body has a problem with it, your body will start to react to it. Just like when you have an allergy to a food or environmental contaminant such as dust mites, mosquitoes, bees, pollen, carrots, strawberries, peanuts etc, anything is possible.

So if you are finding that your health has been suffering in the past few years and you are dealing with a chronic illness, give a call to your naturopathic doctor so that they can find out for you what your food sensitivities are. Incidentally, you'll find that most of the listed illnesses or diseases listed above are all wholly or partially reversible by being on the correct diet for YOU.  Also, check out NAET and how a simple allergy elimination technique which includes an acupressure (no needles) process to re-balance your body to a food sensitivity or allergen so that you no longer react to the food once consuming it.  I've found that NAET is a reliable, easy and painless way of desensitizing people from foods or allergens that make them sick. 

Oh, one last thing about food sensitivity testing, it is not easy to do and I've only ever used one lab called Immunolabs in Florida. Not all food sensitivity tests are created equal, I've historically relied on other lab's tests only to find out that there are a lot of false negatives or unreliable results on retesting. So save yourself some grief and make sure you find a lab that knows how to do a good reliable test or call ImmunoLabs and find a doctor near you who can do the testing for you. (No, I don't work for them and they don't pay me to say this stuff, it's just been my experience). Good luck and let me know how you feel after a couple weeks off the foods you are sensitive to. To YOUR future health!

For further reading, check out my article about the autism diet and why avoiding gluten and casein just isn't enough.

Radiation Toxicity: What You Need to Do (and Not Do)

In the wake of the Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and resulting nuclear reactor explosions many of us, especially in California (aka earthquake country) are wondering about how to protect ourselves from any future radiation exposure. Our exposure can come by way of Japan's nuclear problem and its fallout brought to us via the jetstream and winds.  The biggest concern that you need to be aware of is the possible risk of cancers, especially thyroid cancer from nuclear fall-out. So far, the risk to Americans and Canadians is very little since the nuclear reactors have mostly been contained by the heroic nuclear experts in Japan.  However, in the interest of emergency preparedness I thought I would address the use of Potassium Iodide tablets and why it would help protect your thyroid from cancer.

Many of us know that iodine is the main mineral that is used by the thyoid to integrate into the formation of thyroid hormone. The lower your iodine levels are in your body, the more likely that your body will absorb and utilize radioactive iodine from nuclear fall-out.  The use of iodized salt has helped minimize the formation of goiters or enlarged thyroid as a result of low iodine levels historically but this alone is not sufficient to protect your body from absorbing radioactive iodine. 

Enter potassium iodide or its scientific abbreviation KI.  Potassium iodide has long since been given as a preventative measure for protecting people from thyroid cancer after nuclear accidents. It's usefulness has been especially noted after the Chernobyl nuclear accident where the risk of thyroid cancer has become an epidemic since the 1986 disaster.  In adjacent Poland where KI emergency therapy was instituted there seems to have been no increase in thyroid cancer incidence.  Potassium Iodide has an immediate protective effect for people who are at risk for inhaling radioactive iodine. Too, it is helpful in the longer term during exposure from foods that have had radioactive iodine and strontium contamination. Dr. David Brenner of the Center for Radiological research at Columbia University believes that had people exposed to Chernobyl's fall-out been told to stop consuming dairy products, this would have significantly reduced the incidence of thyroid cancers and leukemia caused by radiation exposure they are now experiencing.  Dr. Brenner explains that KI prevents the thyroid from absorbing the toxic radioactive iodine but that in the long run 98% of radiation exposure is from the settling of radioactive particles onto the food our food sources consume. Our exposure to radioactive iodine is mostly indirect primarily due to consumption of dairy products which are derived from radioactively contaminated grass and is concentrated in the milk of cows and other milk producing animals. Also fruits and vegetables sourced near a nuclear accident location is also important to avoid due to radioactive contamination.

The American Thyroid Association recommends taking KI 6-12 hours prior to radioactive exposure at a full dose of 130 mg per adult and 65 mg for children between ages 3 and 18 and 32 mg for children between ages 1 and 3.  In truth, the FDA has published a statement saying that children as young as 1 month can be given the full adult dose of 130 mg.  Absolute precision in dosing of KI is not necessary except for the very young (under 1 month of age). The risk for thyroid cancer decreases significantly over age 40 and supplementation of KI is not necessitated. 

You may have already read my article on fibrocystic breast disease and how it is related to low iodine levels common in the US.  Now, in the wake of a possible nuclear disaster, iodine levels are again in the forefront of the news. If you need iodine capsules or are interested in whether or not your body is low in iodine, give my office a call to order. I suggest that you get your iodine levels higher to both prevent risk of radiation related problems and to improve your health and thyroid function.

Check your news channels for potential radiation exposure for your area and take your iodine tablets if your area is at risk for high radiation levels. Take your doses of iodine/iodide about 24-48 hours before fallout arrives to your area. Remember, that kids are much more susceptible than adults over 40.

How to Reduce Cell Phone Radiation Exposure

I know that few out there reading this will truly exchange their higher-radiation smart phone for a low radiation version so I thought that this article from the Evironmental Working Group on how to reduce your exposure to cell phone radiation would be much more helpful. Let's face it, a lot of us would be hard pressed to give up our beloved iPhones just to reduce our daily exposure of radiation on the off chance that we might reduce our risk of some far-off possibility of cancer. So practically speaking, this article can increase your awareness of how your cell phone works and steps toward living harmoniously with your cell phone for years to come.

And for goodness sake, keep your kids off cell phones. Developing brains need all the help they can get keeping in mind that radiation damage is cumulative over time so the younger your kid is when s/he gets a cell phone glued to their ear, the more likely that cell phone radiation will have a big impact on their health in the future.

EWG’s Guide to Reduce Cell Phone Radiation Exposure

Download our Guide to Safe Cell Phone Use.

Cell phones emit radiation to send voice and text messages to the other caller. Health risks aren’t confirmed, but some (not all) studies of frequent cell phone users suggest increased risks for brain and mouth tumors and children’s behavior problems.

To be on the safe side, follow the tips below to reduce exposures.

1. BUY A LOW-RADIATION PHONE

Look up your phone on EWG’s buyer’s guide. (Your phone's model number may be printed under your battery.) Consider replacing your phone with one that emits the lowest radiation possible and still meets your needs.

2. USE A HEADSET OR SPEAKER

Headsets emit much less radiation than phones. Choose either wired or wireless (experts are split on which version is safer) using our cell phone headset guide. Some wireless headsets emit continuous, low-level radiation, so take yours off your ear when you're not on a call. Using your phone in speaker mode also reduces radiation to the head.

3. LISTEN MORE, TALK LESS

Your phone emits radiation when you talk or text, but not when you're receiving messages. Listening more and talking less reduces your exposures.

4. HOLD PHONE AWAY FROM YOUR BODY

Hold the phone away from your torso when you're talking (with headset or speaker), not against your ear, in a pocket, or on your belt where soft body tissues absorb radiation.

5. CHOOSE TEXTING OVER TALKING

Phones use less power (less radiation) to send text than voice. And unlike when you speak with the phone at your ear, texting keeps radiation away from your head.

6. POOR SIGNAL? STAY OFF THE PHONE

Fewer signal bars on your phone means that it emits more radiation to get the signal to the tower. Make and take calls when your phone has a strong signal.

7. LIMIT CHILDREN’S PHONE USE

Young children’s brains absorb twice as much cell phone radiation as those of adults. EWG joins health agencies in at least 6 countries in recommending limits for children’s phone use, such as for emergency situations only.

8. SKIP THE “RADIATION SHIELD”

Radiation shields such as antenna caps or keypad covers reduce the connection quality and force the phone to transmit at a higher power with higher radiation.

A couple final thoughts to add to the EWG's article is that women (and men, for that matter) should never, ever put their cell phones in a breast pocket or their bras. If you keep your cell phone by your bed for the alarm, make sure it's in airplane mode.  If you need to have your phone on at night while you are sleeping for emergency reasons, don't keep it by your bed.

Vaccine Backlash, Are Our Children Acting as Test Subjects?

As many of you know, I've been very cautious about the 2009-2010 Swine Flu epidemic and the over-hyped need to get vaccinated for the "Pandemic" that never happened. I'm really disheartened to hear that latent effects attributed to the Swine Flu Vaccine in Finland and Sweden are starting to surface. Narcolepsy, a debilitating and severe illness, has increased 9 fold in children vaccinated with the Pandemrix swine flu vaccine administered to children between the ages of 4 and 19.  

My caution is to parents who have children, especially children who are particularly susceptible to their environment.  This includes children who are allergic, have asthma, eczema or digestive disorders or children who have tics, ADD/ADHD or developmental or autistic symptoms.  These are often the types of children I treat in my practice and I can tell you under no uncertain terms that these children are more sensitive than the average child.  If your child tends to be the one reactive to foods, food coloring, preservatives or just is dispositionally difficult or defiant, you should really pause before considering vaccinating them with, in the swine flu example, a particularly understudied vaccine with no previous history of safety or long term effect.  

When your doctor recommends a vaccine, it is up to you as your child's advocate to say yes or no based on what you know of your child. No one else can do this except for you. Keep in mind that doctors who recommend a "safe" vaccine for the good of your child does not know your child's particularities and uniquenesses like you do.  Swine flu was not a particularly deadly flu, as flu's go it was known to be much less deadly as the normal influenza that circulates every winter.  It was, however, inconvenient and very transmissible.  Enter, the swine flu vaccine. Safe enough to pass FDA standards of not killing anyone or giving them obvious illness shortly after administration, but clearly not well tested. Between the time that the swine flu was first identified and a vaccine made and put to market, there was a lag of about 6 months.

Not at all a long enough time to test for long term effects of the vaccine. In the case of the Pandemrix and narcolepsy it took 2 to 10 weeks for symptoms to show up.  Since percentage-wise the number of children who developed narcolepsy was small this may have taken a bit of time for doctors to do a double take and ask they question of "why?"  I know vaccines are touchy subjects, especially in the medical community where they are revered like the second coming but vaccines are not for everyone. In my treatment of autistic children, the rule is "NO!" vaccines and no antibiotics unless what I give them fails. Children (or adults) are not all the same so the same vaccine should not be given to all children or adults unless it is clearly warranted and the likelihood of developing a regrettable disease complication is remote.  

This chapter on side effects of the swine flu vaccine is not yet finished. It may take awhile to identify what long term effects show up but the take home lesson here is that you as the parent is in the best position and most qualified to know if your child is likely going to have a problem with a new or untested treatment. My rule of thumb when it comes to medicine is opposite of what I choose for electronics. When it comes to the newest and latest electronic gadget, I'm the first in line for one but when it comes to a new drug or vaccine, you can count me out unless it has a LONG history of safety.

More information on Dr. Wang's cold/flu prevention protocol.

Healthy Living in 2011: 7 Tips

As we approach the new year, this week is a great time to start thinking about what to do to ensure you are the healthiest you can be for the year. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. So in the spirit of prevention I've listed 7 easy to steps toward ensuring that this year is the first step toward a healthier and happier you.

1. Sleep: I would say that this is the most important task you should focus on. If this is no problem for you then move to step 2. If you have trouble falling asleep, consider optimizing your sleep schedule and get into the habit of getting to bed and winding down between 10pm and 12am. If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes of getting to bed then try 1-3 mg of Melatonin about an hour before your desired sleep time. If you can fall asleep but wake early, or frequently, have someone evaluate your adrenal glands. Eat a protein snack before bed will really help you stay asleep and forgo any stimulants like tea or coffee after lunchtime. For more tips on natural cures for insomnia, read my post on Insomnia and the Adrenal Gland.  Nothing can deteriorate an immune system faster than poor or restless sleep. Make sure you wake refreshed and try to get a minimum of 6 hours of good solid zzzz's.

2. Stress: Now that you have the sleep think down, manage your stress by getting rid of unnecessary stressful tasks and actions. Try meditation and get into the habit of meditation 30 minutes a day. Deep breathing exercises are highly useful as well. Instructions are here.

3. Reducing Daily Exposure to Toxins: Try to buy organic when possible. Here is the list of priorities for buying fruits and vegetables organically.  Meats like beef, chicken and pork if not organic should be antibiotic and hormone free at the very least. Dairy products like milk, cheese and ice cream should too be antibiotic and hormone free. Eggs should be, and are easily found, to be organic.

4. Around the house: Soaps, personal care products, detergents, fabric softeners etc. should be as fragrance free and paraben free as possible. These affect hormonal balance for you and especially your children. Try and go fluoride free for your toothpaste and tap water. Many municipal water systems add fluoride into the water so care should be taken about this. Some info on the dark side of toothpaste Part 1 and part 2.

5. Around the house 2: Pots, pans and furniture. Make a commitment this year to change your pots and pans to stainless steel or ceramic or cast iron without non-stick coating. Here is why.  Think twice about new furniture choices as well as their off-gassing can affect your family for years. Choosing the right kind of furniture is imperative to keeping a healthy home. Make sure your home gets plenty of fresh air to reduce the build up of toxic off-gassing from furniture, mattresses and wall to wall carpeting.

6. Know your water: Get your water tested for heavy metals and other contaminants. Heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium are highly toxic to your immune system, nervous system and endocrine system like your thyroid. Knowing what is coming through your water pipes will help you figure out what drinking water choices you should make. More info on your tap water.

7. Hobbies: This is actually a surprising place for us to be exposed to toxins. Photography (in a dark room) or printer inks, oil painting and solvents, auto maintenance or restoration, stained glass making etc. all have the potential for large exposures to toxins like asbestos, solvents, lead and other heavy metals. Know what the non-toxic or less toxic choices are for your hobbies and make steps toward using gloves, good ventilation and masks with an appropriate filter for what you are doing.

Whew, lots of good suggestions to get you started. Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list but it's a great start. Make comments to this post and let me know what other suggestions you might make too. I'm really interested. Meantime, have a tremendously healthy New Year in 2011.

Flu Vaccines: Are there Alternatives?

This is one of the most frequent questions I have been getting lately. It's so easy to get a flu vaccine nowadays, and then have a sense of invincibility when flu season kicks up into high gear. I however am writing this to give you pause about what seems to be a no-brainer decision to get yourself and your kids vaccinated this year. Obviously if you have an egg allergy the decision is made for you because the vaccine's contents have been grown on an egg culture and are a no-no for those of you who have allergies. But what about the rest of us? Isn't it better to just get the shot and be protected?

Well, first, the shot does not guarantee your immunity. It may take down the severity of the flu but will unlikely give you a free pass for the season. Also, with a good immune system (and we're all about prevention here), your susceptibility to the flu and colds too for that matter are greatly reduced.  Last year around this time we discussed some long term concerns about flu vaccinations and the introduction of new flu strains into the world. Those who have had long term and consistent flu shots tend to fare very poorly with a new flu species is introduced into the population because there is very little cross-immunity that has developed in your immune system. For those of you who are interested in more of the details, check out my article on the Dark Side of the Flu Vaccine. The flu vaccine, unfortunately still contains some dreaded things like Thimerosol, made with mercury as a preservative.

So what are the alternatives to the flu vaccine? Well for those of you who are fortunate enough to be reading this, there is actually a lot you can do to strengthen your immune system for the year. One main thing that is helpful is to come in and get the acupressure NAET treatment to strengthen your immunity to the 2010 flu itself. As many of you have experienced, NAET is a painless and simple acupressure technique to desensitize you to food allergies and environmental allergies. So too, can this technique prevent the dreaded influenza and H1N1 strains of the flu.  We instituted these treatments last year during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic and are making these treatments available to adults and children alike this year. For more information, check our last years post on the subject. Incidentally, no one who was treated last year with NAET for flu prevention got the flu. Pretty cool, huh?

Finally, there is the ever important Cold/Flu protocol list. We've had this on our website for almost 2 years now and it works like a charm. Keep these supplements on hand at home and use as directed if and when you have caught a cold or the flu. It shortens duration and severity of the flu. Of course, following the practical aspects of personal hygeine always helps you stay healthy as we round the corner toward the holidays. Good luck during the season and I hope to see all of you in for your NAET flu treatments.

Maternal Pesticide Exposure Linked to ADHD Diagnosis

 Recent research published in the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives has linked elevated maternal organo phosphate exposure during pregnancy to a high likelihood of children developing ADHD during early childhood.  This research conducted is one of the most clear cut cases for the need to reduce consumption of fruits and vegetables treated with pesticides, especially if you are pregnant. Previously we have outlined the 12 safest and most toxic fruits and vegetables from a pesticide and herbicide point of view. If you are pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant, you should seriously consider eating only organic fruits and vegetables during pregnancy. This research dovetails with evidence that phthlates (a plastics softener) has been shown to lead to ADD in children. Suffice it to say, it is likely that many chemicals are toxic to the nervous system, and children are especially vulnerable because of their developing brains.  Development and exposure starts before birth so pregnant moms should be intensely aware of what they eat and put on their bodies.  Fragrances and artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and flavoring all contribute to what you can pass on to your children. Just like it is important to not smoke or drink during pregnancy, so too it is important to treat your body like the delicate cocoon it is for your developing baby.

Just in case some of you men and adults not in child bearing age think you are off the hook from pesticide and organophosphate contamination. Remember that your bodies too are affected by the load of toxins that it is exposed to and allergies, asthma, fatigue, anxiety, memory, and possibly neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinson's have been linked to chemical toxicity.  Use the Cosmetic Safety Database to choose less toxic household cleaning options, make-up, personal care products etc. Every little bit counts

Deep Breathing Exercises

 In preparation for our 2 week summer detox program, I thought I would describe to you how to do circular deep breathing exercises. You should do 20 full circles of breathing, twice daily. This will assist with both stress reduction as well as helping with lung detoxification.

1. Inhale deeply and slowly until your lungs are full
2. Hold your breath for a count of 5
3. Exhale steadily and at the same rate as the slow inhale until as much air as possible is out of your lungs.
4. Hold your breath for a count of 5
5. Inhale deeply and slowly again, repeat for a count of 20 full circles.

A word of advice. Many people breathe very shallowly without knowing it.  Holding your breath without fully expanding your lungs will not benefit you as much as consciously taking in full, deep breaths and then fully exhaling. This is to be a conscious process so take the few minutes it takes to do the breath circles. Full oxygenation of your body helps with focus, memory, brain function and energy as well as helping you detoxify and decrease stress. Enjoy

Join us in a 2 Week Summer Detox Program

 So if you're like most people Summer has been full of traveling, BBQ's, alcohol and fun. As we are approaching Fall and school is starting up again, this is a great time to think about doing a late-Summer detox. Our 2 week detox program that I've written has been very successful in assisting the body's ability to detoxify, regulate digestive function and help people lose water weight and improve your metabolism.  Although, you can start anytime, we here at Green Health Spot will be having an official kick off date of August 23rd. This allows our participants to get their kitchens ready and stock up on the right foods and maybe have a good-bye party to the no-no foods that we love. 

So what does this detox program entail?  Full write-up can be found on our website, here.

• An Anti-inflammatory, low allergenic diet for 2 weeks (foods to eat and foods to avoid)
• Supplements to assist your liver and colon's detoxification ability (BTW, supplements are 25% off until September 1st)
• Deep breathing exercise to relieve stress and to detoxify the lungs
• Supplements to assist in alkalanizing your system to help your body better detox.
• Lots of filtered water for flushing out the kidneys and bladder
• Regular exercise (I recommend use of a rebounder so that lymphatic detox emphasized) and dry heat saunas for detoxifying the skin.

Who should do this? Generally everyone can do this program, especially if you are overweight, are constipated, have migraines or arthritis, allergies or fatigue. Of course, you should consult your doctor if you have any heart concerns and have not exercised before starting on any detox program.

I hope you join us for our program!

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Cancer Cells Seem to Love Your Sodas

 We've spoken about how high fructose corn syrup has been found to be loaded with mercury, a toxic heavy metal, in a previous post. In that article, we talked about how mercury can damage the brain. Now, new research is even more damning of products with high fructose corn syrup, a highly refined by-product of corn.  It seems that a recent study published by the Journal of Cancer Research have found that pancreatic cancer, the most deadly form of cancer, cells not only like to use fructose as food but also use it to divide and grow.  This study is particularly impactful because before this it was thought that all sugars were preceived as equal by the body. This, however, does not seem to be true since pancreatic cancer cells seem to prefer fructose to glucose in helping it to divide and proliferate.  

American's greatest intake of fructose is from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Concerns with HFCS were poo poo'd by the corn refining industry who held the stance that a sugar is a sugar.  But as intake of HFCS has increased over 1000 percent between 1970 and 1990 we are seeing the effects on our health in the increasing of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and now cancer.  As it turns out, fructose is absorbed by cancer cells totally differently than glucose is and now we see that fructose is used by cancer cells in ways that glucose is not being used, particularly that it is assisting the cancerous cell to continue to divide and grow. Cancer has supplanted heart disease as the number one killer of Americans. Pancreatic cancer cells, on which the research has been done, is a particularly nasty cancer that kills 95% of people who have contracted it within 5 years. 

Do yourselves and your kids a favor and read ingredients. Particularly, look for high fructose corn syrup and choose products that contain none. Even if you loved your Coca-Cola, just by switching from HFCS to the cane sugar version, you are taking a step in the right direction. Not that I'm recommending you drink Coca-Cola but if you did and couldn't give it up easily, cutting out the HFCS of your diet is a good start. Best to drink water or unsweetened tea. Weaning yourself off sugar of any kind is that first step toward health. And for goodness sake, if you know anyone with cancer, recommend them get off as many sugar or refined foods as possible but especially cut the HFCS out of the diet. 

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Preventing Whooping Cough's Resurgence

 Lately in the Bay Area we've witnessed a growing concern in the resurgence of Whooping Cough or Pertussis.  Last month, in July, Santa Clara county saw twice the number of cases of whooping cough as the whole year of 2009.  Last month there were 51 documented cases when in 2009 Santa clara county only had 24 cases for the whole year. The statistics are concerning for we doctors who treat on a primary care level. Whooping cough is highly contagious and symptoms can last for over a month. Public health departments are crying for a re-vaccination campaign. But my problem with that is that the majority of the people who were infected with whooping cough had been vaccinated as children. Will re-vaccination and boosters really solve the problem of a whooping cough resurgence?  

My patient population often opts out of typical vaccination regimens and look to me to provide viable alternatives. So here goes. Ultimately, I'll be generally repeating myself on the recommendations of good general hygiene and protecting yourself from various contagions as I mentioned a year and a half ago when there was such hype and concern about the H1N1 Swine flu and its vaccine.  Also, before you line up for your pertussis whooping cough booster shot, it is good to remember that a vaccination will not necessarily prevent you from getting the infection but may help you reduce the risk of getting very bad complications from the infection.  Back to the good hygiene recommendations:

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap frequently
• Cover your mouth when you cough
• Keep your fingers away from your mouth and nose.

Basically, common sense recommendations that your mom most likely taught you when you were about 3. As with the H1N1 Swine Flu, I too recommend getting an NAET allergy elimination treatment for whooping cough. This might be the best chance you have in preventing getting whooping cough in the future and if you did get whooping cough, weathering a mild case for a shorter duration is much more likely.  NAET is an acupressure technique that was originally designed for resetting your body's typical reactions to foods or allergens. For instance, if you are allergic to strawberries, getting a NAET treatment for strawberries will stop the allergic reaction in just one or a couple of treatments. So too, NAET will as well strengthen your immunity to a particular virus or bacterial infection. During the H1N1 Swine flu frenzy, many of my patients got the H1N1 NAET treatments from our office which prevented most cases of swine flu or made the cases quite minimal despite the great concern with H1N1.

If you have recently had the whooping cough vaccine and are concerned about the side effects of the vaccines, it is also possible to have a NAET treatment for the vaccine itself to minimize potential side effects. Given these above recommendations, I will end this post with a link to my immune system recommendations that I have given to my all my patients in the event of a flu or cold. This cold/flu protocol will also work will in the face of a bacterial infection such as pertussis.

Keeping your immune system strong, minimize fatigue, overwork and stress are keys to weathering a bad contagion such as the whooping cough.  Oh, by the way, if you do find yourself with a bad cough, check out my onion/honey cough syrup. Highly effective, natural and easy to make and keep on hand for your whole family.

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Strawberries, Summer and Pancakes? An Enlightened Recipe

 If you go to any farmer's market right now, ripe organic strawberries abound. Strawberries are typically loaded with pesticides and arsenic if not organic so it's so nice to bite into a luscious organic strawberry. I love to mix mine with blueberries and some ice wine and pour over ice cream. The ice wine accentuates the sweetness of the strawberries while adding some of the liquor flavor that is nice in the summer.  Chef Shanti has devised a gluten-free strawberry pancake and is letting me share her wonderful recipe. She is wonderously creative about making recipes that are gluten free or grain free yet having them have the taste and texture of a regular pancake.  Give these pancakes a try for a change in the typical breakfast. Let us know how you like them!

Strawberry Pancakes by Chef Shanti Wilson

Check out Chef Shanti's Blog

Any puree will work in this recipe, today I had strawberries.  

Dry Ingredients

1        cup        sorghum flour

1        cup        tapioca flour

1/2     cup        almond flour

2        tbsp.      baking powder

1/2     tsp.        baking soda

1 1/2  tbsp.      sucanat or sweetener of your choosing

2        tbsp.      flax, ground

1        tsp.        sea salt

Wet Ingredients

8        oz.        strawberries, pureed 

8        oz.        almond milk or milk of your choosing

2        ea.        eggs, beaten

1        tbsp.     olive oil or oil/fat of your choosing

1        tsp.       vanilla extract

1. 
   
   1.Start warming your griddle.

2. 2.Whisk all of the dry ingredients together.

3. 3.Puree the strawberries.

4. 4.Combine remaining wet ingredients with the strawberry puree.

5. 5.Combine the wet and dry ingredients

6. 6.Lightly oil your pan or griddle with fat of your choosing and cook.

   
   
   

Makes 14-16 pancakes

NOTES

1. •You can use fresh or frozen fruit, whatever you have on hand that day.  Just make sure that the frozen fruit has been defrosted and is not hot when adding in the eggs.

   
   

2. •Made them with some pumpkin puree this morning.  Needed to add a little extra milk to thin the batter and a teaspoon of cinnamon and sucanat to boost the taste. I will add more next time, you could barely taste the cinnamon and the sweetness punch was missing from the berries.  Wanted to add the mini GF chocolate chips that I had in the pantry but Henry doesn’t like their texture...  I think the batter could have handled about a 1/2 a cup.

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Gluten Free Almond Coffee Cake Muffins

 These are absolutely delicious. These gluten free, dairy free almond coffee cake muffins are perfect for a breakfast on the go. They are soft, cakey and you would never miss the flour that's not in the batter. They were designed by one of my favorite patients who is a chef by trade. Chef Shanti Wilson decided to design healthy, nutrient dense recipes for her autistic son who had a lot of food sensitivities and digestive distress. She started a blog to talk about how Henry, her son is progressing. Below is one of my favorite recipes of hers. Enjoy.

Gluten Free Almond Coffee Cake Muffins

 Topping

2 tbsp brown sugar or agave nectar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp olive oil, butter or butter substitute, softened

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine and set aside.

Muffin Mixture

1 can olive spray 

1 cup almond flour

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp coconut flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp sea salt

2 tbsp    flax seed, ground

¼ cup olive oil oil

¼ cup agave nectar

3 eggs

1 grated apple with peel on

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Spray 12 muffin liners with olive oil, place in pan and set aside
3. Whisk the almond & coconut flour, baking soda, salt and flax in a medium bowl
4. Whisk the oil, agave, eggs, apple and vanilla
5. Blend dry ingredients into wet
6. Scoop batter into lined muffin tins
7. Bake for 12 minutes
8. Cool for 15 minutes and serve

Makes 12 muffins

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Fruits and Vegetables: Thinking out of the Box

A friend sent these recommendations to me recently presented at the Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim California.  I thought I would share them with you so that you might start thinking about making different choices from some of the "ordinary" fruits and vegetbles we typically eat.  Enjoy!  

The five best fruits and vegetables to eat:

1. Sweet potatoes instead of carrots

2. Papaya instead of oranges

3. Raspberries instead of strawberries

4. Watercress instead of mustard

5. Kale instead of spinach

Why switch?

• Sweet potatoes have nearly twice as much beta-carotene as carrots.

• Papaya has 15 times more beta-cryptoxanthin than oranges.

• Raspberries have three times more ellagic acid than strawberries.

• One cup of watercress contains as much isothiocyanate as four teaspoonfuls of mustard.

• Kale has three times more lutein/zeaxanthin than spinach.

The findings were presented at the Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.

--From the Editors at Netscape

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Toxic Chemicals and Pets

 Yesterday I got a devastating shock that my sister and brother-in-law's lovely and energetic dog, Smores was just diagnosed with canine lymphoma. Smores is middle aged as far as dog years go, but has incredibly high energy and has a beautiful and loving soul. Knowing next to nothing about canine lymphoma I did some research on it and found that a common weed killer called 2, 4 D or 2, 4 Dicholorophenooxyacetic acid might be linked to lymphoma in dogs and cats. Now, I know quite a bit about lymphoma in humans and know that lymphoma in humans can be put into remission by doing aggressive detoxification.  Lymphoma and leukemias tend to be more susceptible to chemical toxin presence and absence and are often developed in younger people at risk.  Chemicals have been long linked to various cancers in humans and animals. Since animals are smaller in size, lower to the ground and not as discerning in their taste, they are often ingesting or inhaling more chemicals in their day to day lives than we humans. Thus they are more prone to developing cancers and diseases after smaller doses of chemical exposure.  

Smores is a beautiful 7 year old Australian Shepard and this breed is not listed as a breed very susceptible to the development of lymphoma so I wonder about environmental exposure of chemicals that might contribute to her developing lymphoma. Here's what I've come up with to minimize your pet's exposure to 2, 4 D.  

• 2, 4 D is an herbicide commonly sprayed on cereal grains such as corn and wheat. Check your pet's food and ensure that these ingredients in their food are certified organically grown.
• Avoid spraying herbicides and weed killers in your yard. Your dog is certain to end up with it on her paws and tracking it through your house (not good for the family) but especially not good for your dog.
• Get to know the level of spraying of common trails and dog runs.  Herbicides are common in the control of weed overgrowth. Depending on where you live it's easy for your dog to commonly contact pesticides and herbicides.  Avoid the heavily sprayed areas and times. Half life is about 10 days so it can really last awhile after spraying on grass or weeds. 
• Work with your vet to assit your pet's ability to detoxify chemicals and ensure a clean, healthy diet focused on supporting the immune system.

Lymphoma in dogs is deadly without treatment in a relatively short amount of time. Cleaning up your pet's diet and environment might help improve the odds of long term survival with canine lymphoma. I'd love to hear about your personal experience with canine lymphoma. Please post comments.

By the way, this picture is my neice, Evi with Smores. 

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The Autism Diet and Why It Doesn't Help Everyone

 There's been a lot of press lately that the gluten free casein free diet doesn't help the symptoms of autism. This is not a completely accurate statement but I would heartily agree, in general, that the gluten free casein free or GFCF diet does not help everyone with autism. The press and your doctor might not fully understand why this is the case. The press and conventional medicine is again trying to debunk the fact that alternative treatments and simple diet changes do not work in the treatment of autistic children. This is completely wrong and harmful to autistic children.

I've been treating autistic children for over a decade now and I have extensive experience on the subject. I agree that the gluten free, casein free diet does not work for everyone nor does it even work for most kids. After testing hundreds of kids with autism for food sensitivities it is generally uncommon for autistic children to be BOTH intolerant to casein and gluten. Casein is the protein found in milk and dairy products like cheese, ice cream, chocolate, sour cream, butter, yogurt etc. Gluten is the protein found in a number of common grains including wheat, oats, barley and rye. In my testing and treatment of children with food intolerance in autism children may have either, both or neither intolerance to gluten and casein yet be very sensitive to other things like baker's yeast, brewer's yeast, tomatoes, almonds, grapes, apples etc. In short, just because a child is autistic does not make them automatically sensitive to gluten or casein. Blood testing can clear up this answer for you. Some children are not gluten intolerant but yet are sensitive to wheat. Some kids are intolerant to oats but wheat and milk are ok. Diets are as complex as each child is. There is no one size fits all diet. There is no such thing as an autism diet since not all autistic children are intolerant to the same things.

You cannot imagine the variety of things that an autistic child can possibly have an intolerance to in their diet. Many autistic children respond well to a change in their diet. What change that is depends on the individual child's current and past diet and their immune system. They often crave the very foods they are intolerant to and which make their symptoms worse. If any of you out there have or know of an autistic child, please get them tested using IgG and IgE blood testing for food sensitivities and food allergies. This is the first step to recovering your child and may make a world of difference in their future. 

Don't believe the media that implies that diets don't work in autism, they do. However, it is not as simple as just removing the children off one or two foods and expect that their behavior will completely change. Autism is a complex syndrome and there is no one answer for any child. Generally the GFCF diet can be a start in children but if it makes no or little difference in your child's behavior, look more deeply. I've never encountered a child who fully recovered from autism by just removing them from gluten and casein. There is much more that needs to happen to get these children well. It is complex but well worth the effort.

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