Day: 09/26/2012

“The Spice that Ignites Your Body’s Astonishing Immune System”

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5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin E and stronger than vitamin C, this ‘antioxidant breakthrough’ may help boost your immunity, maintain normal cholesterol levels, and put the brakes on aging.

You may already know I place a strong emphasis on eating as much unprocessed, organically grown food as possible for optimal health.

 

 

One frequently overlooked way to enhance and optimize health with organically grown food is the use of herbs and spices – unprocessed and organic, of course.

One amazing benefit of these herbs is that they’re very low in calories, while being dense in vitamins and minerals.

In the same vein, they’re thermogenic, meaning they naturally boost your metabolism to help you burn calories.* You feel satisfied more easily, so you eat less.* Studies show that consuming certain herbs and spices before each meal can potentially reduce your caloric intake.*

Due to their nutrient-dense status, they promote your overall wellbeing with antioxidants more potent than many fruits and veggies.*

Herbs and spices promote health and wellbeing in your entire body, not just in a particular area.*

This “whole person” approach is why I believe these spices and herbs can benefit you so greatly.

But I consider one particular spice the “granddaddy” of them all, because its benefits are so amazing and far-reaching.

Don’t Waste Your Time and Health with
Synthetically Processed Herbs and Spices

Just as it’s important to select and consume wholesome, unprocessed organic foods, you should do the same with herbs and spices.

Avoid breezing down the spice aisle of your local grocery store to pick up any old herb or spice.

It is important to be very selective.

If the herb or spice you’re looking for is processed or not organically grown, you risk missing out on their most potent active ingredients, which provide you with optimal benefits.

If the herb or spice isn’t cultivated, harvested, produced, and packaged using certified organic processes, you could be robbed of its healthful active ingredients.

In fact, I recommend you totally avoid herbs and spices that aren’t 100% certified organic. Why waste your time — and risk potential health consequences from artificial ingredients and questionable chemical processes?

India is the home of Ayurveda, recognized as an authoritative source of knowledge and truth in natural health promotion — with herbs and spices lying at the very heart of Ayurvedic practice. So it would make perfect sense to consider using herbs that were grown in India if you are considering Ayurvedic herbs

How this Ancient Spice Originated Thousands of Years Ago

 

That’s one of the reasons I traveled over 15,000 miles to India last year — to find a high quality source of these herbs. During my trip to India, I witnessed firsthand how the Ayurvedic holistic approach and organic processes work in unison.

And of the many herbs and spices I studied, the one in particular that caught my immediate attention was turmeric. It provides you with these whole-person benefits:

  • Supports your healthy joint function*
  • Promotes your radiant skin*
  • Helps improve your digestion*

And so much more…

There’s some debate about the timing of turmeric’s first use as a healthy spice.

But one thing is certain. Thousands of years ago, people in India and China used the spice. In fact, some stories suggest usage dates back 10,000 years in India when they say Lord Rama walked the earth.

And the ancient Polynesians carried turmeric with them on their incredible voyage across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. Today, Hawaiians still use this spice — known to them as Olena.

While in China, Marco Polo in 1280 AD recorded information on turmeric in his diary:

“There is also a vegetable which has all the properties of true saffron, as well the smell and the color, and yet it is not really saffron.”

So, turmeric has been used as a substitute for saffron (an old world spice) in Europe for over 700 years.

One of the main healthful ingredients in turmeric is curcumin (a curcuminoid), which as I said, gives turmeric its yellow color.

Western scientists first isolated the curcumin molecule in 1815, obtained its crystalline form in 1870, and determined its overall structure in 1910.

Curcumin can potentially benefit you by:

Promoting your immune system against stress*

  • Promoting your immune system*
  • Helping you maintain your healthy digestive system*
  • Supporting your healthy bones, joints, and overall skeletal system*
  • Helping you maintain cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range*
  • Promoting your healthy blood and liver functions*

How Turmeric and Curcumin Provide Antioxidant Nutrients*

You probably know that antioxidants are important for your health.

I believe antioxidants are your body’s #1 way to neutralize free radicals and help you potentially slow down the signs of normal aging.*

Oxidation by free radicals can damage cells and organs — and thus impact your aging process* — something I’m sure you’d rather put the brakes on.

Antioxidants are also key nutrients in:

  • Supporting your memory function*
  • Promoting your heart health*
  • Boosting your immune system*

Turmeric’s antioxidants help protect your cells from free radical damage.*

The antioxidant content within turmeric comes from active compounds called curcuminoids.

These curcuminoids deliver antioxidants that may be:

  • 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin E — and also stronger than vitamin C
  • 3 times more powerful than grape seed or pine bark extract
  • Strong enough to scavenge the hydroxyl radical — considered by many to be the most reactive of all oxidants*

How Turmeric Enhances Your Outer Beauty*

Speaking of antioxidant nutrients and their potential to impact the aging process, some of the first aging signs you may see as you get older are changes to your skin.

 

Believe it or not, the organic ingredients found in turmeric can help promote your healthy skin.*

How, you ask?

Curcuminoids support important blood and liver functions, healthy joints, and your overall well-being,* which in turn helps promote radiant, supple skin.*

Turmeric has been considered to be ‘skin food’ for thousands of years in India and other cultures.*

Turmeric helps:

  • Cleanse your skin and maintain its elasticity*
  • Provide nourishment to your skin*
  • Balance the effects of skin flora*

So, turmeric can act as your one-two punch against normal aging with its skin promotion and antioxidant capabilities — outer beauty plus inner purity.*

Your Triple-Action Cellular Booster and Adaptogen*

Another potential advantage from turmeric usage involves the smallest living things within you — your cells.

Turmeric can assist your cells in three ways, by:

  • Helping neutralize substances that can cause cellular stress*
  • Maintaining your cells’ integrity when threatened by occasional environmental stressors*
  • Providing the antioxidants you need to help support your cells against excessive oxidation and free radicals*

Turmeric is also recognized as an adaptogen — helping to support your body against stress and providing immune system support.*

How this Ancient Spice has Become
Embedded in India’s Ayurvedic Practice

Turmeric, like other herbs and spices, is a principle herb in Ayurveda — India’s ancient holistic health system.  Ayurveda means “knowledge of life” — with herbs lying at the very heart of Ayurvedic practice.

 

Turmeric has multiple  uses within Ayurveda, including blood cleansing and maintaining healthy skin.*

In Ayurvedic terminology, turmeric includes the following:

  • Verdana sthapana — promotes your healthy nervous system and helps you with occasional discomfort*
  • Sangrahani — supports your absorption of vitamins and minerals*
  • Anulomana — helps you in purging out wastes and building healthy blood*
  • Rakta stambhaka — promotes the wellness of your circulatory system*

And this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ayurvedic turmeric uses.

What does this mean to you?

Simply, turmeric has been used in Indian culture for thousands of years for a multitude of health-promoting reasons.* An estimated 500 million Indians still use the spice today.

What Are Your Best Sources for Turmeric?

So by now, you might be wondering about potential sources of turmeric.

Well, you may already know you can find it in the spice aisle of your local grocery store. But as mentioned earlier, I don’t recommend using your local grocery store, due to the quality of their herbs and spices.

Even though there may be some good spices available there, it’s very difficult to verify their purity and potency.

Also, the turmeric powder you buy in your store is a spice. It doesn’t necessarily come from high-quality organic herbs — and is not produced using certified organic processes, causing you to risk missing its healthful benefits.

What’s more… with store-bought turmeric powder, you’ll probably just use it once in a while to cook with — not on a daily basis to consistently take advantage of the benefits it offers.

So, what other options do you have?

I recommend searching for a high-quality, 100% organic-based turmeric supplement.

But there are some things you should watch for when choosing a turmeric supplement.

Avoid Unnecessary Fillers, Additives, and Excipients

When I did my own research on available turmeric supplements, I found a surprising array of choices.

Besides, curcumin and curcuminoid ingredients, I found products with questionable ingredients like fillers, additives, and excipients. An excipient is a substance added to the supplement as a processing or stability aid.

One ingredient, magnesium stearate (also known as stearic acid), is a potentially toxic metal additive from pill production.

Another ingredient I found in many turmeric supplements, Dibasic Calcium Phosphate (DCP), may even inhibit the absorption of essential minerals within your system.

There are others you may find as well, but the bottom line is… you don’t want or need these ingredients in your turmeric supplement. Some pose potential health risks — and all are unnecessary.

Make Sure Your Herbal Supplement Comes from a
Certified Organic Producer Committed to Quality Processes

The key to delivering an organic-based turmeric supplement rests in the manufacturer’s commitment to quality and excellence.

 

In fact, I believe that without these quality processes in place, it really doesn’t matter what organic herbs are harvested. You simply won’t end up with a top-notch consistent organic formula. In turn, you won’t receive the maximum potential value of the herb.

So, it’s important to highly scrutinize and research the manufacturer’s credentials.

In fact, you may not be able to stop with the manufacturer alone. Keep in mind, the total organic process involves planting, cultivation, selective harvesting, and then producing and packaging the final formula.

Here’s the type of certifications I recommend you look for:

  • Hazards and Critical Control Points (HACCP) — International food safety certification that World Health Organization (WHO) standards are met
  • Safe Quality Food (SQF) — HACCP-based food safety and risk management system covering the identification of food safety, quality risks, and the validation and monitoring of control measures
  • Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) — International certification verifies all required practices necessary for an effective food safety program are followed
  • International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000 — International standard for quality, safety, ecology, economy, reliability, compatibility, inter-operability, efficiency, and effectiveness
  • Orthodox Union (OU) Kosher — Certifies compliance for Kosher observers and followers
  • International organic certifications such as: USDA, EU, and NSOP (India)

Use This Checklist to Find Your Highest Quality Turmeric

To take advantage of all the great benefits turmeric has to offer you, I created a checklist on what you should look for in a turmeric supplement.

Whatever you do, don’t settle for second best.

Here’s my checklist to help you find the best turmeric source:

  • Contains only 100% certified organic ingredients — Turmeric extract with at least 95% curcuminoids
  • Comes in supplement form — Don’t rely on your typically low quality and unpredictable local grocery store spice. Additionally when you heat the spice during cooking many of the beneficial properties are lost.
  • Avoids fillers, additives, and excipients — No need for questionable “other ingredients” in the formula
  • Provides a vegetable capsule — Avoid gelatin-based capsules whenever possible
  • Is produced by a certified organic manufacturer with high-quality organic and safe production practices — Don’t settle for second best here!

13 Ways this Ancient Herb Can Help You
Spice Up Your Life (and Your Health*)

Let me summarize thirteen ways this 100% certified organic-based Turmeric can spice up your whole person:

  1. Boosts your antioxidant protection against free radicals*
  2. Helps promote your healthy skin*
  3. Supports your overall eye health*
  4. Provides you immune system support*
  5. Aids your skeletal system and joint health*
  6. Encourages your healthy liver function*
  7. Helps you maintain healthy cells with support against free radicals*
  8. Balances the health of your digestive system*
  9. Aids you in support of healthy blood and your circulatory system*
  10. Helps you maintain normal cholesterol levels to support your cardiovascular system*
  11. Assists your neurological system’s healthy response to stress*
  12. Promotes a healthy female reproductive system*
  13. Helps you maintain blood sugar levels already within the normal range*

And more…

Millions of people use turmeric on a daily basis in their lives today. In India alone, up to 500 million people use it in one form or another every day.

Isn’t it time you gave your body what it deserves?

Source: Dr. Mercola

 

 

 

 

 

Aspartame: Safety Approved in 90 Nations, but Damages the Brain.

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More than 90 countries have given the artificial sweetener aspartame the green light to be used in thousands of food and beverage products.1

Two hundred times sweeter than sugar, aspartame allows food manufacturers to produce sweet foods they can market as “low calorie,” “diet,” or sugar-free,” appealing to hundreds of millions of consumers looking to cut sugar from their diets.

No doubt about it, the less sugar you include in your diet, the better. But replacing sugar with aspartame is not the solution, and in fact is likely to be even worse for your health.

Despite assurances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other public health agencies that aspartame is safe, the research says otherwise…

So What the Heck is Aspartame Made Of?

Virtually all of the marketing material emphasizes the fact that aspartame is natural and made of two amino acids, the building blocks of protein. But, like many deceptions, this is only partially true. While there are two amino acids that comprise 90% of aspartame, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, they are held together in a methyl ester bond that comprises 10% of the molecule.

The methanol is released from the aspartame within hours of consumption after hydrolysis of the methyl group of the dipeptide by chymotrypsin in the small intestine. Once this methyl ester bond is broken it liberates free methyl alcohol or methanol, which is commonly called wood alcohol. The problem with methanol is that it passes into your blood-brain barrier and is converted into formaldehyde, which causes the damage. You may recognize formaldehyde as embalming fluid.

Interestingly, methanol is only toxic in humans. All other animals are able to detoxify it before it causes damage.

Methanol is a toxin that destroys the myelin tissue in your body, which is the insulating material around your nerves that allows nerve signals to travel properly. Once injured, one can have what are called demyelinating symptoms that are commonly seen in diseases like MS and also migraines that can include bizarre and inconsistent visual field disruptions.

My sister that helped me start my practice in 1985 is actually one of the people that develops these symptoms when exposed to aspartame. In the late ‘80s I helped to diagnose her with this sensitivity and she has avoided it for over 25 years.

Why is Methanol So Toxic?

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in your body. Many experts believe formic acid is the problem but the real problem is the formaldehyde, which is a deadly neurotoxin and carcinogen. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic.”2

They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. But according to Woodrow Monte, Ph.D, R.D., director of the Food Science and Nutrition Laboratory at Arizona State University:3

“When diet sodas and soft drinks, sweetened with aspartame, are used to replace fluid loss during exercise and physical exertion in hot climates, the intake of methanol can exceed 250 mg/day or 32 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limit of consumption for this cumulative toxin.”

Further, he states that due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans.

“There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic, or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol,” he said.

Symptoms from methanol poisoning are many, and include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and may cause birth defects. The researchers in the featured study then reasoned that the aspartame-induced methanol exposure was likely possible for oxidative stress in the brain.

New Study Shows Aspartame Damages Your Brain

A newly published study with rats investigated the chronic effect of aspartame on oxidative stress in the brain. Researchers found that there was a significant increase in lipid peroxidation levels, superoxide dismutase activity, GPx levels and CAT activity, showing that chronic exposure of aspartame resulted in detectable methanol in the blood, which may be responsible for the generation of oxidative stress and damage in the brain.4

So the study found that aspartame exposure did result in “detectable levels” of methanol in the blood. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin.

Are Artificial Sweeteners Stressing Out Your Brain?

Oxidative stress can be defined as the state in which damaging free radicals outnumber your antioxidant defenses. Oxidative stress tends to lead to accelerated tissue and organ damage.

Case in point, earlier this year another study investigated the effect of long-term intake of aspartame on the antioxidant defense status in the rat brain and also found it leads to oxidative stress.5 Male rats that were given a high dose of the artificial sweetener exhibited a lowered concentration of reduced glutathione (the active, antioxidant form of glutathione), and reduced glutathione reductase activity, a sign of increased oxidative stress-induced damage in the body.

Glutathione deficiency has also been linked to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Examination also revealed mild vascular congestion – an obstruction of the normal flow of blood within the brain – in these rats. Researchers concluded:

“The results of this experiment indicate that long-term consumption of aspartame leads to an imbalance in the antioxidant/pro-oxidant status in the brain, mainly through the mechanism involving the glutathione-dependent system.”

Adding to the problem, one of the amino acids in aspartame, aspartic acid is capable of crossing your blood-brain barrier. There it attacks your brain cells, creating a form of cellular overstimulation called excitotoxicity, which can lead to cell death.

Your blood-brain barrier, which normally protects your brain from excess aspartate, as well as toxins, is not able to adequately protect you against the effects of aspartame consumption because it:

  • Is not fully developed during childhood
  • Does not fully protect all areas of the brain
  • Is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions
  • Allows seepage of excess aspartate into the brain even when intact

That excess aspartate slowly begins to destroy neurons, and the large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. Then, when they do occur, they may or may not be associated with aspartame consumption, even though examples of chronic illnesses that are made worse by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) ALS Memory loss
Hormonal problems Hearing loss Epilepsy
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia Parkinson’s disease Hypoglycemia
AIDS Brain lesions Neuroendocrine disorders

Why Was Aspartame Ever Approved?

If it causes brain damage, why is aspartame allowed in our food and drinks? The truth of the matter is the FDA rejected aspartame not once but multiple times. The scientific data just did not support it as a safe product. But the FDA is a federal agency subject to the political winds, and the people in charge of the agency have repeatedly and notoriously been accused of many conflicts of interest, both economically and ethically.

In 1975, the FDA came to the conclusion that aspartame should not be allowed on the market. They requested that further studies be conducted. The FDA’s next move was to set up a public board of inquiry composed of outside experts to investigate the safety of aspartame, and in 1980 that board unanimously rejected aspartame’s request for approval. Another internal FDA panel convened in 1980 also rejected aspartame for approval.

So it was three strikes against aspartame at this point, four strikes if you count the Bressler Report. This report was compiled in 1977 after FDA scientists looked into the field studies conducted on aspartame. The Bressler Report uncovered fraud and manipulation of data so serious that the FDA forwarded their files to the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s office for prosecution.

Basically the results of the scientific data were fairly clear up until 1980: Aspartame was a dangerous, brain-tumor-causing man-made poison and the company trying to get it into the food supply was recommended for prosecution by the FDA. You would think that would be the end of aspartame, right?

Not by a long shot.

For more details on the story of how aspartame made it through the FDA approval process despite warning signs of potential health hazards and alleged scientific fraud, please watch the 60-Minutes report below, as Mike Wallace does a nice job of summarizing an otherwise very long story.

Did You Know Aspartame May Make You Fat?

If you’re one of the people who suffers from headaches/migraines, vision problems, fatigue, anxiety attacks, abdominal pains or other symptoms when you consume aspartame, deciding to eliminate it from your diet was probably an easy choice.

For the rest of you, doing so based on the possibility that it could “one day” cause symptoms of brain damage is much more abstract, and probably much less likely to make you take action today.

That’s why I want to share with you one of the major deceptions surrounding artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which is that they will help you lose weight by avoiding sugar.

This is a MYTH. Research has shown that artificial sweeteners can:

  • Stimulate your appetite
  • Increase carbohydrate cravings
  • Stimulate fat storage and weight gain. In fact, diet sodas, which are well-known sources of artificial sweeteners, may actually double your risk of obesity!6

So much for being a dieter’s best friend… The point is, if you’re having a hard time giving up aspartame based on its potential to damage your brain, maybe the fact that it could make you pack on the pounds in the very near future will motivate you toward positive change.

My Favorite Tool for Addressing Artificial Sweetener Addictions

Artificial sweeteners tend to trigger enhanced activity within your brain’s pleasure centers, yet at the same time provide less actual satisfaction. This separation of the taste of sweetness from caloric content means that when you consume artificial sweeteners, your brain actually craves more of it because your body receives no satisfaction on a cellular level by the sugar imposter. This can actually contribute to not only overeating and weight gain, but also an addiction to artificial sweeteners.

In order to break free, be sure you address the emotional component to your food cravings using a tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). More than any traditional or alternative method I have used or researched, EFT works to overcome food cravings and helps you reach dietary success. If diet soda is the culprit for you, be sure to check out Turbo Tapping, which is an extremely effective and simple tool to get rid of your soda addiction in a short amount of time.

If you’re determined to sweeten your foods and beverages, I urge you to consider using stevia extract – a safe and natural sweet herb, which is my personal sweetener of choice. Lo Han is another herbal sweetener that doesn’t have the aftertaste of stevia that many object to.

Source: Dr. Mercola

 

 

Floors that Can Make You and Your Children SickFloors that Can Make You and Your Children Sick.

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You’ve probably given careful consideration to the food your children consume on a daily basis. But what about the other environmental influences they’re exposed to on a near 24/7 basis, such as the materials in their living space and, more specifically, your flooring?

It is likely no one in your home is more familiar with your floor than young children or toddlers living there, as this is where they spend a good deal of time – exploring, playing and learning the ropes of life.

As they crawl, their hands (that will later end up in their mouths) sweep across the surface, and their faces are in close proximity to the material itself, and any emissions that have accumulated in household dust.

Toxic chemicals, including some that are so dangerous to children they have been banned from toys, are widely used in popular flooring materials, and new research shows that these chemicals can be taken up by infants’ bodies as they crawl along on the floor.

Serious Risks from PVC Flooring Revealed

If your home contains soft, flexible plastic flooring, such as vinyl or those padded play-mat floors for kids (often used in day cares and kindergartens, too), there’s a good chance it is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). One of the main problems with PVC is that it contains phthalates, or “plasticizers,” which are a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics like PVC more flexible and resilient.

They’re also one of the most pervasive endocrine disrupters so far discovered. A new study conducted by Swedish researchers found levels of certain phthalates were higher in the urine of babies that had PVC flooring on their bedroom floor.1

Researchers concluded:

“The findings indicate that the use of soft PVC as flooring material may increase the human uptake of phthalates in infants. Urinary levels of phthalate metabolites during early life are associated with the use of PVC flooring in the bedroom, body area, and the use of infant formula.

This study shows that the uptake of phthalates is not only related to oral uptake from, for example, food but also to environmental factors such as building materials. This new information should be considered when designing indoor environments, especially for children.”

This is not the first time PVC flooring has made headlines. Past research has linked it to increased levels of phthalates in household dust, which in turn is linked to chronic health conditions like allergies and asthma. One study also found that infants who lived in bedrooms with vinyl floors were twice as likely to have autism as infants with wood flooring.2

What You Need to Know About PVC Flooring Chemicals

Along with common uses in PVC flooring, phthalates are also commonly found in toys, food packaging, shower curtains, plastic medical equipment, household cleaners, cosmetics and personal care products.

According to a report by Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), studies have shown women of childbearing age have significantly higher phthalate exposures than other adults (could this be because they also use the most cosmetics?), and the chemical has been detected in 100 percent of pregnant women tested.3 It’s known that fetal exposure to phthalates is closely related to maternal exposure, so many, if not all, babies are starting out with exposure in the womb.

In childhood, children are further exposed to phthalates in consumer products ranging from toys, pacifiers and food packaging to personal care products and crawling on vinyl flooring. The chemicals are known to be a major source of indoor air pollution as well, as they are emitted from numerous household goods, including not only flooring but also furniture, upholstery, mattresses and wall coverings.

Phthalates have even been detected in infant formula and baby food, likely because they migrated from the packaging materials. This likely explains why the Swedish researchers found that certain phthalate levels were lower in 2-month-old babies if they were exclusively breastfed, with no supplements.

It’s alarming that children are being exposed to so many phthalates, from so many sources, as these are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to a wide range of developmental and reproductive “gender-bending” effects, including:

Disturbed lactation Decreased dysgenesis syndrome: A syndrome involving cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), hypospadias (birth defect in which opening of urethra is on the underside of the penis instead of at the end), and oligospermia (low sperm count), and testicular cancer
Interference with sexual differentiation in utero Enlarged prostate glands
Impaired ovulatory cycles and polycystic ovary disease (PCOS) Numerous hormonal disruptions
Early or delayed puberty Breast cancer and uterine fibroids

Why Premature Babies May be Most at Risk

The sad truth is that most babies are likely starting off with a toxic chemical load due to their mom’s chemical burden. However, premature babies get a particularly rough start due to the high concentrations of phthalates they’re exposed to in the plastic medical equipment used during neonatal intensive care. With each plastic tube that a newborn is hooked up to, the rate of phthalate exposure increases. And for those premature infants who spend weeks and months in the neonatal intensive care unit, the exposure levels can be extraordinary.

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned, DEHP can be found in:4

IV tubing and IV bags Nasogastric tubes
Umbilical artery catheters Tubing used in cardiopulmonary bypass procedures (CPB)
Blood bags and infusion tubing Ventilator tubing
Enteral nutrition feeding bags Tubing used during hemodialysis

 

In fact, these medical devices can contain 20 to 40 percent Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP, a type of phthalate) by weight – and IV tubing can contain up to 80 percent! DEHP is not bound to the vinyl. It readily leaches out of these medical devices (the tubing or bag) into the solutions that come into contact with the plastic, where it then goes directly into you or your child.

The degree of this leaching depends on the temperature, the lipid content of the solution, agitation of the solution, and the duration of its contact with the plastic (i.e., storage time). Of course, the more medical procedures your child requires, the higher the exposure to this chemical. So, babies who are seriously ill and hospitalized have the greatest risk of exposure, as well as being the most vulnerable to its effects.

EHHI found that male infants exposed to phthalates through medical procedures are most at risk of suffering health effects,5 which include excessive inflammation.

Inflammation is known to trigger a number of diseases in premature babies, including a chronic lung disorder known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious intestinal condition. After their initial onslaught with chemicals in the hospital, they will then go home, where, unfortunately, the chemical exposure often continues.

12 Tips for Reducing Your Phthalate/PVC Exposure

Anything you can do to lower your, and your children’s, exposure to plasticizing chemicals like phthalates is a step in the right direction. Among them:

  1. Choose toys made from natural materials (or at least only buying those made from phthalate-free plastic).
  2. When redoing your home, look for “green,” toxin-free alternatives in lieu of regular paint and vinyl floor coverings.
  3. Replace your vinyl shower curtain with one made of fabric or better yet install glass shower doors.
  4. Switch over to natural brands of toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, and cosmetics.
  5. Check your home’s tap water for contaminants and filter the water if necessary. You may also want to use an alternative to PVC pipes for your water supply.
  6. Avoid using artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners, scented candles or other synthetic fragrances and perfumes.
  7. Store your food and beverages in glass rather than plastic, and avoid using plastic wrap.
  8. Avoid processed foods (many are packaged in phthalate-containing packaging) and instead focus your diet on fresh, organic and locally grown whole foods.
  9. Breastfeed your baby exclusively if possible, for at least the first six months (as you will avoid phthalates exposure from infant formula packaging and plastic bottles/nipples).
  10. If you use baby bottles, use glass, not plastic.
  11. Use only natural cleaning products in your home.
  12. Teach your children not to drink water from the garden hose, as many are made with phthalate-containing plastics.

Source: Dr. Mercola

Does Diagnostic Radiation Increase Breast Cancer Risk in Women with BRCA Mutations?

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European questionnaire-based study leaves the question unanswered.

Because ionizing radiation can damage DNA, diagnostic x-ray exposure in individuals with defects in DNA repair mechanisms (such as those associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations) could lead to excess risk for cancer. Investigators surveyed women with documented BRCA1/2 mutations in the Netherlands, France, and the U.K. to evaluate any association between radiation exposure and later development of breast cancer. Questionnaires were administered to BRCA1/2 carriers from 2006 to 2009 to elicit their recollections of the type and number of diagnostic procedures they had received in their lifetimes. Estimates of radiation doses to the breast during each type of diagnostic procedure (mammography, fluoroscopy, and computed tomography and conventional radiography of the chest or shoulder) were used to determine total cumulative dose. Cases that were diagnosed >5 years before completion of the study questionnaire were excluded to prevent survival bias.

Of the 1993 participants, 43% (mean age, 49.7) had received diagnoses of breast cancer. Self-reported exposure to any form of diagnostic radiation before age 30 was associated with significantly higher risk for breast cancer (hazard ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–3.00), and risk rose with increasing cumulative dose. A history of mammography before age 30 was associated with nonsignificantly increased risk for breast cancer (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.85–2.40). No evidence of excess risk was found for diagnostic radiation exposure between ages 30 and 39.

Comment: As with other epidemiologic studies of diagnostic radiation and risk for breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, the results of this study are inconclusive. The retrospective questionnaire design is subject to recall bias, especially given that women were asked to recollect events occurring up to 30 years earlier. Moreover, no attempt was made to document the date and type of radiologic tests that were reported. Furthermore, estimates of cumulative radiation dose were hypothetical and subject to wide variation based on factors in individuals as well as facilities. Until further data are obtained, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommendation of screening with magnetic resonance imaging and mammography in BRCA mutation carriers beginning at age 25 should be followed.

Source: Journal Watch Oncology and Hematology

 

 

 

Sleep and Working Memory in Parkinson Disease.

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Slow-wave sleep may be an important modulator of dopamine-related improvement in working memory among patients with PD.

To investigate whether sleep parameters are associated with improvement in working memory among patients with Parkinson disease (PD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), researchers conducted overnight polysomnography for 2 nights, followed by cognitive testing, in 53 patients with PD (most without dementia) and 10 patients with DLB. After each night of polysomnography, participants performed digit-span testing four times, beginning 2 hours after awakening and repeated every 2 to 3 hours. The digit-span forward task tested short-term memory, and the digit-span backward task tested working memory.

Sleep parameters did not differ among PD patients who were or were not taking dopaminergic medication and DLB patients. Based on the mean difference in digit-span scores from day 1 and day 2, the PD patients who were taking dopaminergic medications improved significantly on the digit-span backward task; the PD group not taking dopaminergic medications and the DLB patients did not show improvement. On the digit-span forward test, the PD patients did not improve significantly and the DLB patients’ scores declined significantly. In PD patients taking dopaminergic medication, improvement in digit-span backward performance correlated positively with the percentage of sleep that was slow-wave sleep and correlated negatively with duration of time with an oxygen saturation level <90%.

The authors concluded that (1) improvements in working memory based on digit-span backward performance can be seen in PD patients, particularly in those taking dopaminergic medications; (2) slow-wave sleep may be important for these improvements; and (3) nocturnal oxygen desaturation may impede these improvements.

Comment: These findings offer insight into the potential for cognitive improvement in patients with Parkinson disease, particularly those who do not have dementia and who are taking dopaminergic medications. Slow-wave sleep may be an important modulator of this improvement. Increasing slow-wave sleep may improve working memory in people with PD, although the clinical utility of using dopaminergic medications specifically to enhance cognition requires further investigation. Future research should examine the exact mechanisms by which dopamine may enhance working memory, determine whether dopaminergic medications increase slow-wave sleep, and clarify how nocturnal oxygen desaturation can impede this cognitive process.

Source: Journal Watch Neurology

Pulmonary Artery Enlargement on CT Scan Predicts COPD Exacerbation.

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Now we need data showing that computed tomography measurements improve chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outcomes.

Some patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have enlargement of the pulmonary artery (PA), reflecting pulmonary hypertension. Using two cohorts of several thousand patients with COPD, researchers examined whether the diameter of the main pulmonary artery on noncontrast computed tomography (CT) predicts COPD exacerbations. Researchers evaluated the ratio of the diameter of the main pulmonary artery (at the level of its bifurcation) to the diameter of the ascending aorta (on the same axial CT image) — the PA:A ratio .

At baseline, the proportion of patients with severe COPD exacerbations during the previous year was significantly higher in the group with a PA:A ratio >1 than in the group with a ratio 1 (53% vs. 13%). In analyses adjusted for potentially confounding variables, PA:A ratio was a highly significant predictor of previous exacerbations. During several years of follow-up, multivariable analysis showed that PA:A ratio remained a powerful independent predictor of exacerbations (odds ratio, 3).

Comment: These interesting findings suggest a relatively easy way to risk-stratify patients with COPD. However, we don’t yet have data showing that measuring PA diameter can trigger interventions that improve clinical outcomes; thus, performing CT screening for this purpose would be premature.

Source: Journal Watch General Medicine

Cardiovascular-Risk Indicators Eleva.ted in Overweight, Obese Children

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Overweight and, particularly, obese school-aged children show significant increases in measures of cardiovascular risk relative to their normal-weight peers, a BMJ meta-analysis shows. Editorialists remind readers that although the results are “worrying,” it is unknown whether those risks follow the children into adulthood, independent of adult weight.

The analysis looked at 63 studies including almost 50,000 children aged 5 to 15 years from highly developed countries. Average systolic blood pressure was 4.54 mm Hg higher among overweight children and 7.49 mm Hg higher among obese children, compared with their normal-weight peers. Obese children also had increased total cholesterol, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance, as well as a 19-g increase in left ventricular mass.

The editorialists liken childhood obesity to climate change, which “is at times in danger of inciting an ennui borne out of a repetition of problems without answers.”

Source: BMJ

 

 

Clinicians Should Listen to Their Guts When Treating Kids, Study Suggests

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When assessing children with acute illness, clinicians should not discount their “gut feeling” that something is seriously wrong, even if clinical examination suggests otherwise, according to a BMJ study.

Researchers recorded primary care physicians‘ overall clinical impression (based on history, observation, and exam) of children presenting with acute symptoms. They also recorded the physicians’ intuitive, or “gut,” feelings about illness severity.

Roughly 3400 children were clinically assessed as having a nonserious illness, six of whom were eventually admitted with a serious infection (most frequently, pneumonia or pyelonephritis). When clinicians had a gut feeling that something was wrong despite their assessment, the likelihood of serious illness increased 26-fold.

The authors conclude: “We suggest that having a gut feeling that something is wrong should make three things mandatory: the carrying out of a full and careful examination, seeking advice from more experienced clinicians (by referral if necessary), and providing the parent with carefully worded advice to act as a ‘safety net.'”

Source: BMJ

 

 

Perioperative Steroids Do Not Increase Serious Bleeding After Tonsillectomy .

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Children undergoing tonsillectomy who receive perioperative corticosteroid therapy — as recommended by current guidelines to reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting — do not face increased risk for postoperative bleeding, according to a JAMA study.

In response to a study suggesting such steroid use increases hemorrhage after tonsillectomy, researchers randomized some 300 children to perioperative intravenous dexamethasone or placebo. During the 14 days after tonsillectomy, rates of bleeding that required hospitalization or surgical repair (so-called level II or III bleeds) did not differ between the groups.

Level I bleeds — defined as any reported bleeding event, regardless of clinical evidence — were more common with dexamethasone than with placebo (11 vs. 7 events). However, the authors point out that such events tended to be “nondescript and self-limited.” Level II and III bleeds, they say, “are a more reliable indicator for complications.”

Source: JAMA

The 11 Step Guide to Spreading Love.

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There is nothing like the vibration of LOVE. It makes us feel good and it makes others feel good.  Couple it with the frequency of gratitude and you have a winning formula for life!

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. ~Carl Jung

What can you do to start smearing love all over this planet?  Well, it only takes one tiny act to begin the snowball of heart-felt love.  Why not try a few of these ideas to open up your heart space and allow others to experience what true unconditional love feels like.

1. Be Kind

Do random acts of genuine kindness.  You can smile more when you walk down the street, open doors for strangers (even women can open doors for men — ladies can be gentlemen too!), give a genuine compliment.  I’ll leave the rest up to your spontaneity and imagination.

2. Spread Love Like Butter!

Illustrate love whenever you can.  This can be in the form of a silent blessing or a simple touch to show you care.  You can just be present and truly listen to someone without the need to speak — this is an incredibly loving and somewhat overlooked gesture. When you do speak, let your words melt upon listening ears and drip with tender, loving gentleness.

3. Be the Mirror

Try to notice yourself in others and aim to perceive that we are all a part of God.  Send love to everyone, especially those who irritate, provoke or scare you.  Feed people with fear and they will become fearsome, feed them with love and they will become loving.

4. Extend Yourself

See your brothers and sisters all over the world as your extended family.  We all intrinsically have one ultimate goal — to live in joy, love and peace.  Some have a strange way of showing it but they may be so lost in darkness that they have forgotten what radiance looks like.  It is up to you to show them the light instead of judging or criticizing their path.   Love is going to be the only solution to hatred, war and destruction, not complaints and judgments.

5. Love all Life

Express acts of love and kindness to animals, plants and insects too, we are their guardians.  All life has the signature of our creator embedded in their fabric.  Remember this when you feel the urge to destroy something willy-nilly.  Ask yourself if it is necessary?  Your awareness is the key to unlocking your heart centre.

6. Offer Acknowledgement

Recognise others by saying ‘hello’ or dishing out your most debonair greeting smile.  People love to be acknowledged and this can have a profound effect on their day and all the other people they interact with from thereon out.

7. Just Plain Give

Practice giving without the need for receiving.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to give.  Giving could be in the form of a poem, a prayer, a generous and thoughtful act, a bunch of wild flowers, the giving of your attention or time.

8. The Gratitude Train

Give thanks for all the things that are going right in your life.  We so often harp on the things that are going wrong for us.  We take too little time bringing into our awareness all that is marvelous — like the roof over your head, the warm and comfortable bed you sleep in to the fridge full of groceries you may have.  These simple things are luxury items to others and the more you are grateful for your blessings, the more blessings you will receive to continue your vibration of gratitude.  This is how the universe works.

9. See Your Lessons

Give thanks for all the mistakes you have made in your life that taught you valuable lessons.  The strong and capable person you are today has arisen from the ashes of what went wrong yesterday.  Be the phoenix and always gracefully emerge from the flames with your head held high and a fire of passion in your heart.

10. Hug Thy Neighbour!

Give away free hugs whenever you see the opportunity.  Humans are tactile beings (well, at least some of us anyway) and the value of appropriate physical contact can be just what someone may need from you.

11. Appreciate Love in Return

Always let the special people in your life know that they are appreciated.  It is sad that the ones closest to our hearts can be the ones that are the most neglected.  Remember to hug, kiss and verbalize your love every morning (or whenever you see them).  Yes, that means no grunting on the way to the coffee machine, you need to pick up your sleepy head and plant one on their cheek (provided you have remembered to brush those teeth first)!

Now is as good a time as any to get out there and extend your lovable self to others.  Why don’t you share with us any ideas and remedies you have come up with to infect this planet with love.

Source: http://www.purposefairy.com