Archive for February, 2009

Fluouride.

28 February 2009

A recent episode of CSI Las Vegas on CBS aired an interesting case of suicide by fluoride. The crime lab assistant explained that a tube of toothpaste is enough to kill a 105 pound person. Who knew that the warning on the side of your toothpaste-tube should be taken so very seriously, especially in the case of your children?

With bubble gum and orange flavored toothpastes out there how dangerous could the toothpaste be? Should the toothpaste tube be relegated to the locked medicine cabinet along with the Tylenol and prescription medications?

Is our fluoridated water safe to drink?

Fluoridation became an official policy of the U.S. Public Health Service  by 1951, and by 1960 water fluoridation had become widely used in the U.S., reaching about 50 million people. By 2006, 69.2% of the U.S. population on public water systems were receiving fluoridated water, amounting to 61.5% of the total U.S. population; 3.0% of the population on public water systems were receiving naturally occurring fluoride. In some other countries the pattern was similar. Fluoridation was introduced into Brazil in 1953, was regulated by federal law starting in 1974, and by 2004 was used by 71% of the population. In other locations, fluoridation was used and then discontinued; for example, in, Finland, fluoridation was used for decades but was discontinued because the school dental service provided significant fluoride programs and the cavity risk was low.

Other countries that no longer use fluoride in their drinking water: 

• China: not allowed Banned.
• Australia: toxic fluorides not added – Rejected.
• Belgium: Rejected, encourages self-determination – advise ’self administer fluoride if you want it.’
• Finland: see above.
• Germany: Stopped, a recent study found no evidence of an increasing trend of cavities.
• Denmark.
• Norway.
• Sweden.
• The Netherlands.
• Hungary.
• Japan who rejected fluoride because: “…may cause health problems….” The 0.8 -1.5 mg regulated level is for calcium-fluoride, not the hazardous waste by-product which is added with artificial fluoridation.

H20 Kits suggests that only 2/3 of U.S. cities and towns add fluoride to their drinking water. The other 1/3 of all cities and towns oppose the use of fluoride. About 60% of all public drinking water is fluoridated.

There are serious health risks from water fluoridation. Too much fluoride can actually damage tooth enamel and cause dental fluorosis, which is the yellowing and mottling of tooth enamel. Excessive use of fluoride has also been linked to bone cancer, lower IQ and osteoporosis. Adverse thyroid functioning is also linked to fluoride.

And even though dental experts warn of the consequences of giving a child under 1 fluoride, there is a bottled water product now aimed at babies and infants that contains fluoride. It seems the jury is out on this one. Fluoride is a toxin, however it has been deemed safe enough to add in small doses to our water. Toothpaste on the other hand does contain enough fluoride to potentially kill a child.

Fat Free Kitchen  carries this warning:

• Use toothpastes especially formulated for children.
• Under 2 years age: Do not use any toothpaste when brushing the teeth of children under two years of age.
• 2 years age: Use only a pea-sized (5mm) amount of fluoride toothpaste.
• Under seven years of age: Parents should supervise the child when brushing. A child should not be allowed to suck toothpaste from the tube.

The Fluoride Action Network cites 23 published studies reporting an association with high fluoride exposure and diminished IQ scores. Be aware of when and how much fluoride you and your family are ingesting.

Make an adjustment: Stay Healthy ~ Be Happy!

Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at Fontana Chiropractic Evergreen CO. at 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com

Looking on the bright side.

23 February 2009

It is time to look on the bright side.

Is the power of positive thinking really true? Is positive thinking something that can make a difference in your life?

Everyday we turn on the television or listen to the radio and can easily and very quickly become disillusioned and sad about the economy, our living situation, our standard of living, or a multitude of other depressing news. But research has shown that the more positive and up beat we are about our lives the more it becomes our reality.

Being optimistic about situations has been shown to pay off in all kinds of areas, including health, longevity, employment situations, and even achieving higher scores on tests. Who wouldn’t want to think “for the best”?

According to Chinese philosophy, for every ying there is a yang, so it stands to reason that those who think the opposite way (Pessimists) are likely to have the opposite outcome i.e.: more depression, shyness, lower job expectations, and less success in relationships. Not necessarily, but the data points overwhelmingly in favor of positive thinking in regards to our health and well being.

According to this health and behavior article in USA Today  positive thinking can be an extremely powerful tool. It is kind of a ‘fake it till you make it’ attitude that often can pay dividends in the end. If you always believe you are being taken for a ride you might miss an awesome and exciting opportunity, if you believe someone will cheat you – you may react that way first to beat them to the punch. Wise up, take each moment as it comes, stop looking for the hidden agenda, and live life to the fullest. Opportunities are there to be taken but you must look for them and see the potential in each situation instead of only seeking the negative.

The Mayo Clinic has suggested that “Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information. If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you’re likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.”

For those who can practice positive thinking life becomes less stressful and you may even enjoy better health and well being. Indeed the Mayo Clinic noted that in people who practiced this they had:

• Decreased negative stress
• Greater resistance to catching the common cold
• A sense of well-being and improved health
• Reduced risk of coronary artery disease
• Easier breathing if you have certain lung diseases, such as emphysema
• Improved coping ability for women with high-risk pregnancies
• Better coping skills during hardships

Psychologist and scientist Suzanne Segerstrom even chose to study optimism and the immune system. The 35-year-old Segerstrom is best known for rigorously testing the following question: Is optimism good or bad for the body’s immune system? The answer, according to the data so far, is yes.

What great skills to have at a time like this!

Make an adjustment: Stay Healthy ~ Be Happy!

Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at Fontana Chiropractic Evergreen CO. 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com

Fascinating bone facts.

20 February 2009

The adult human body has 206 bones in all, a baby has 300, as you age the bones fuse together to combine and become the 206 we need in adulthood. Kids Health: where you and your child can get a good look at the whole skeletal system.

The funny bone really isn’t funny! We call it that because if you accidentally bump this area known as your ulnar nerve, a shock wave feeling travels across your epicondyle which is a rounded, bony projection on the side of the bone in the top of your arm which we know better as the humerus bone. Hence the title “funny” bone.

During birth, it can be quite common for an infant to break their clavicle bone as they travel through the birth canal. There is no need to panic though as the high rate of bone growth in babies fixes the break within days of birth. 

Our first vertebra is called an Atlas after the mythological Greek God who was forced to hold the world on his shoulders; the round globe was likened to a person’s head and so named.

The spinal column consists of 5 regions:

• Cervical vertebrae – The neck area.
• Thoracic vertebrae – The upper chest and rib cage.
• Lumbar vertebrae – Lower back.
• Sacrum – Basically our rounded rump part.
• Coccyx – What we fondly refer to as the “tail” bone.

As the vertebrae travel down the spine they become progressively larger and sturdier to bear the weight of the body.

Did you know that babies are born without kneecaps? The kneecap bones develop between the age of 2 and 6 years old. The Patella or kneecap can be prone to injury such as runner’s knee, housemaid’s knee, or dislocation.

The femur (the long bone in your thigh) joins the tibia (lower leg) and between them they support the weight of our bodies. The fibula, located next to the tibia is much thinner than the tibia but is just as important to hold us up.

From Infancy through puberty, new bone formation exceeds bone breakdown. During adulthood the daily formation of new bone equals the daily rate of bone breakdown. In old age, the problem becomes one of bone breakdown exceeding bone formation; hence the bones become fragile and prone to fracture. At all stages of life, formation of new bone is dependent on having enough calcium and phosphorus in the diet. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of leafy green veggies and lots of fruit, and most important keep exercising to ward off that brittle and fracture prone stage of life.

Make an adjustment: Stay healthy ~ Be Happy!
Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan with your bone and joint health questions.
303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com

Why Iodine is important.

10 February 2009

Iodine Deficiency and ADHD

While processed food is adding too much sodium to the diets of many people, there is a concurrent deficiency in iodine, a trace mineral added to many table salts.

Ingrid Kohlstadt, MD, a physician who specializes in nutrition, cautions that “Iodine, the primary trace mineral required for optimal thyroid function, is slipping away from our diets.  We can take simple, inexpensive, and time efficient steps to prevent iodine deficiency, treat sub-clinical hypothyroidism, and improve overall health.”

• Commercial breads once used iodine, but have replaced it with bromide.
• Milk contains less iodine today than in years past.
• Soils are depleted of many valuable minerals, including iodine.

Unfermented soy products, widely used today, increase our body’s requirement for iodine. (Asian cultures that use soy generally eat sea vegetables, which are a good source of iodine.)

Dr. Ray Hinish notes that the average Japanese ingests about 13.8 mg of iodine daily, about 100 times the amount the US considers to be the daily recommended amount. Iodine is necessary for the production of thyroid hormones, and a deficiency can cause an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), and mental retardation in infants. However, excess iodine can be damaging and large amounts can be fatal. Many health care practitioners can test for iodine levels.

In recent years there have been numerous articles published in medical journals around the world that link a mother’s iodine deficiency with her child’s later ADHD symptoms. Dr. Hinish points out that, like vitamin D3, iodine plays a part in all of the hormones in the body, not just the thyroid hormones.

He believes that, just as physicians are now recognizing the important role of vitamin D, they will eventually recognize a widespread iodine deficiency.

A 2005 study of children in China found, “The level of iodine nutrition plays a crucial role in the development of children. The intelligence damage of children exposed to sever iodine deficiency was profound…”  Iodine supplementation helped raise their IQ scores.

[Asia Pac J Cln Nutr. 2005;14(1):32-42] Reprinted from Pure Facts, the newsletter of the Feingold Association of the United States FEINGOLD

Make an adjustment: Stay Healthy ~ Be Happy!

Call Dr Paul or Dr Susan at Fontana Family Chiropractic Evergreen CO 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com

News From Around The World.

8 February 2009

News from the United Kingdom:

The governments National Health Service has called on doctors to refrain from giving the ADHD drug Ritalin to children under the age of 5.

Lat year another governmental authority, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), asked manufacturers to phase out the use of synthetic dyes. Then in December the FSA published a list of companies that have discarded the dyes shown to be linked to ADHD. Food manufacturers in the UK are on notice that if they do not voluntarily phase out the unwanted dyes, the government will impose legal restrictions.

One of the champions of healthy food for children is Prince Charles, who believes that poor behavior is linked to junk food and “over-industrialized children” who have no connection to nature and little understanding of where food comes from and how it is produced.

The 2007 Southampton study connecting food addictives and ADHD has resulted in a dramatic increase in public awareness, and the work of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has contributed to improved school foods for children. But the British public has recently learned that these improvements have not reached many of the nation’s pre-schoolers.

Some nurseries in England and Wales are serving foods that are now restricted or banned from schools, foods that are high sugar, salt, fat and additives. A survey of nursery schools show that the average amount spent on foods for each child is about 1 GBP (roughly $1.60 in US dollars). But a few were found to be spending a mere 25 pence per child for an entire day (about 40 cents).

News from Australia:

As prescriptions for ADHD drugs soared by more than 43% in a year, Australia’s government appointed a committee to draw up guidelines for the treatment of ADHD. Unfortunately, seven of the ten panel members have been found to have accepted money and various gifts from drug companies. The committee endorsed the use of the various drugs as a “first-line treatment” for children and warned parents not to use options like diet and exercise to address the symptoms. Committee members attempted to prevent the public from learning their identities.

As in the US, the governmental agency overseeing food in Australia and New Zealand has not been receptive to the growing public demand for the removal of petroleum-based dyes. But consumer pressure is being applied by Australia’s Additive Alert organization. The group’s Kids First Campaign, led by Julie Eady, has sponsored an on-line petition to their Health Ministers; more than 10,000 people have lent their support. (see Additive Alert)

A popular candy will now be made with natural colors, in place of synthetic dyes. Nestle Australia will be changing their Smarties candy (similar to M&M’s) despite the company’s long insistence that the dyes are safe.

The International Association for the Study of Obesity is calling for legal action to establish an international code that prohibits advertising junk food and soft drinks to children under the age of 16. The proposed regulations would cover both satellite and land-based TV. Sweden and Norway don’t allow advertising to children under 12, but satellite broadcasting can bypass national regulations.

Reprinted from Pure Facts, the newsletter of the Feingold Association of the United States, FEINGOLD

Make an adjustment: Stay healthy ~ Be Happy!

Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at Fontana Chiropractic Evergreen CO. with all your health questions and chiropractic care needs. 303 674 1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com

Organic produce and how to afford to make the switch.

5 February 2009

Coupon clipping and Organics 

We are all well aware at this point that eating organic food is the way to go forward. It’s better for our health, our children, and the environment. The farming methods are gentler and more focused on product than ultimate profits. Often people either cannot afford to make a total switch to organic products due to budget restrictions or organic produce might be hard to find because of their location. So what are the basic products that one should look for to get maximum benefits?

If nothing else, make the switch for all fruits and vegetables. There are some produce items that can be considered the worst offenders for pesticides and toxins, specifically items such as grapes, apples, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

It is often recommended that these are the non-negotiable produce items. It is important to note that even organic produce should be washed very carefully before eating as it can still carry residue from transportation and airborne chemicals. It is also recommended, when possible, buying the organic option for peaches, nectarines, apricots, pears, and even bananas, which can often suck up chemicals on the trip to America including Thiabendazole which damages the brain and nervous system. Stock up on organic varieties of potatoes, corn, celery, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, and carrots. Also important to add to your shopping list: Rice, oats, and milk. Certain varieties of milk contain hormones that are banned in Europe and Canada but are still given to American dairy herds. Become informed about rBGH at Delicious Organics.

But how can you afford to purchase these organic grocery options, especially in these tough economic times? First decide how best to structure your new shopping plan. The best idea may be to go back to basics, as hard as it can be to cook every night, it can be simply better for you and your family. It may also be the cheapest way to incorporate good food into your daily regime. If you are part of a large family or have older children, make this an activity you can all enjoy. Take it in turns to either make the dinner, or do it as an entire family. If you are a single person, or a couple, consider making more meals on the weekend and freezing single portions. Obviously this would also work for a larger family, however, un-freezing a large food portion is often time consuming and it can be just as fast to cook a fresh meal from scratch. Consider purchasing one or two decent sized crock pots, simply chop and throw in your meat and veggies before leaving for work and set to an 8 hour low cook and when you come home you just need to make pasta or rice to go with your meal and its that easy. This can also help the grocery bill, as buying cheaper organic cuts of meat and then cooking in the slow cooker, can produce a more tender meal.

Lastly, there are organic coupons out there. Not as many or as widely distributed as the main stream items, but with a little searching they are findable. Go to Grocery Coupon Guide.

Often it is hard to find prices for organic milk and dairy produce at a similar price to the non-organic variety, but this is one of the items that it is recommended buying to avoid the added hormones. Organic Valley is an organic dairy farmer that does offer coupons.

To read more on organic farming and more reasons to buy organic produce go to the Environmental Working Group.

Make an adjustment: Stay healthy ~ Be happy.

Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at Fontana Family Chiropractic Evergreen CO. 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com