When asked, most people respond that their health is very important to them.
When pressed for a number, the answer is almost always a 7 or higher. How about you? How would you rate the importance you have placed on your health up until now?
Now remember, most people come to our office for the first time with a health problem or concern that is, unfortunately, usually…minimally, chronic. This means that their health has had to have been deteriorating for a while before consulting us. Well, here are the attributes of the different levels of health priority:
1- Addicted-continuously looks for and adds self-destructive choices.
2- Binges-makes occasional destructive lifestyle decisions-is in denial.
3- Unconscious-doesn’t know a healthy choice from an unhealthy one.
4- Tolerates poor health – “maybe it will go away” – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
5- Seeks treatment only when they have a problem.
6- Open to prevention of future health problems.
7- Makes effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
8- Consciously works at being healthy-makes healthy choices.
9- Occasionally looking for and adding constructive healthy lifestyle changes.
10- Continuously looking for and adding constructive healthy lifestyle changes.
It’s easy to see that for a health problem to become chronic, the importance placed on personal health could not have been higher than a 4 prior to consulting us. Starting care requires bringing your priority up to at least a 5. Unfortunately, what causes most people to raise the priority they place on their health is a serious health problem that doesn’t go away with their own approaches to correct the condition.
It should also be obvious that in order for one’s health to actually improve, the priority placed upon it must also be higher. So, the question for today is, “if I started living like a 7 instead of a 4 and the problems caused by me living like a 4 were not permanent, are they likely to go away? The answer? Of course!
Dr Greg Haitz
Rimrock Chiropractic, LLC: A Creating Wellness Center
1133 patterson Road, Suite 3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
www.rimrockchiropractic.com
Friday, December 4, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Killer Subluxations
Why don’t you want your dinner laced with arsenic? Because someone told you that arsenic was poisonous and that you will die if you consume too much of it… Right? In fact, in the last decade we have been flooded with endless information about potential threats to our health. So if you are like most people… you ignore most of this barrage of negative information and concentrate of what you think are the “REALLY BIG RISKS”… Right?
What About The Number One Killer? Over 400,000 people die annually from heart disease… 15% of all natural deaths are from “Sudden Cardiac Death” in the industrialized nations. It is the leading cause of death… Right? This is a risk that everybody needs to address.
Many of you may have already begun a preventive program to reduce your risk of heart disease because of how common heart attacks are. Most programs to reduce the risks of heart attacks include low fat and low cholesterol diets, reducing your weight, and cardiovascular type exercise. Most people don’t know about a very commonly overlooked contributing factor to heart disease, that only chiropractors know how to find. To illustrate this fact I have a question…
How do folks that are in great physical shape, eat right, not over weight, with great routine medical check-ups die prematurely of heart attacks?
Lets Look At A Gruesome Practice For Insight…
We are all familiar with the gruesome practice of hanging felons convicted of murder and other heinous crimes. The felon is dropped suddenly from a height with a rope around the neck. If done properly, the felon is dead once he reaches the end of the rope. The heart immediately stops and breathing ceases... Instantaneous death! This is too fast for someone to suffocate to death! How do they die then? The spinal cord is severed… and all nerve impulses from the brain to the heart are stopped!
“Neurogenic” Heart Failure…
Recent Examples From Sports
Hank Gathers from Loyola-Marymount in L.A.; “Pistol Pete” Maravich, the former NBA All-Pro; and Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics all died suddenly from cardiac failure… yet they were all “world class” physically conditioned athletes. Medical authorities were baffled for the reasons their hearts should suddenly just give out and fail!
The newspaper account of the death of the collegiate great basketball player Hank Gathers said the medical experts explained his heart attack as the result of “electrical conduction problems to the heart.” Reggie Lewis’s final diagnosis as the cause of his death was “neurogenic-cardiogenic heart failure”, which simply means nerve impulse problems to his heart caused it to stop. Pete Maravich death was unexplained but it should be noted he was a vegetarian, which rules out the typical dietary problems as a cause of death!
Let’s translate these accounts into more familiar terms… “Nerve interference” caused their hearts to stop!
RESEARCH - A 1985 research article “Effective Prevention of Coronary Heart Attacks” by P. Sherwood, MD, from London, England suggested that 40% of heart attacks are caused by spasms of the coronary artery triggered by dysfunction (interference) of nerves of the upper back. Dr. Sherwood’s approach to relieve these spasms was to adjust and massage the upper back to relieve the dysfunction (interference) of the nerves of the upper back!
John Bourdillion, MD, author of “Spinal Manipulation” and Irvin Korr, PhD, from Princeton University, editor of “The Neurobiologic Mechanisms in Manipulative Therapy”, both did extensive research documenting the affect the nervous system has on organ function… including heart function. They both postulated that spinal adjustments affect dysfunction (interference) of the “autonomic nervous system”. These nerves exit from the mid back region of the spine and primarily control organ function and the blood supply in the human body.
Does The Starter Have Power?
A vertebral subluxation is … a misalignment of the spine that produces interference in the function of the nervous system. If your car doesn’t start... most people would check their battery and electrical system first… But when it comes to their health, rarely do patients have their spines checked to see if “nerve interference” may be the reason why their organs don’t work well. The human brain constantly monitors your heart rate and blood pressure and then makes adjustments that are appropriate to your activity. If there is any interference in this system that controls the heart… tragic events as previously mentioned can happen!
Customized Just For You - The heart is a muscle that pumps your blood throughout your body 72 times per minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as long as you live. Now that is a lot of pumping! 72 beats per minute is an “average”. Your heart rate may be told by your brain to speed up to over 180 beats per minute under extreme stress and exertion, or slow down to as low as 50 beats per minute while you are sleeping. Your brain is constantly making adjustment to the heart rate depending on what your body needs through the nervous system.
Keeping “The Power On” - Chiropractic care is about a whole lot more than “back aches”. Chiropractic care is all about keeping your nervous system free from the damaging effects of “nerve interference” from vertebral subluxations that impairs your body’s ability to regulate itself and use its recuperative powers to heal you from injury and disease. THE GOAL OF CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS IS TO KEEP YOUR POWER ON 100% AND UNINTERRUPTED.
The next time you think about skipping a scheduled chiropractic appointment also think about this… THAT NEXT ADJUSTMENT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE FROM A KILLER SUBLUXATION!
Rimrock Chiropractic, LLC
1133 Patterson Road, Suite 3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
243-1388
www.rimrockchiropractic.com
What About The Number One Killer? Over 400,000 people die annually from heart disease… 15% of all natural deaths are from “Sudden Cardiac Death” in the industrialized nations. It is the leading cause of death… Right? This is a risk that everybody needs to address.
Many of you may have already begun a preventive program to reduce your risk of heart disease because of how common heart attacks are. Most programs to reduce the risks of heart attacks include low fat and low cholesterol diets, reducing your weight, and cardiovascular type exercise. Most people don’t know about a very commonly overlooked contributing factor to heart disease, that only chiropractors know how to find. To illustrate this fact I have a question…
How do folks that are in great physical shape, eat right, not over weight, with great routine medical check-ups die prematurely of heart attacks?
Lets Look At A Gruesome Practice For Insight…
We are all familiar with the gruesome practice of hanging felons convicted of murder and other heinous crimes. The felon is dropped suddenly from a height with a rope around the neck. If done properly, the felon is dead once he reaches the end of the rope. The heart immediately stops and breathing ceases... Instantaneous death! This is too fast for someone to suffocate to death! How do they die then? The spinal cord is severed… and all nerve impulses from the brain to the heart are stopped!
“Neurogenic” Heart Failure…
Recent Examples From Sports
Hank Gathers from Loyola-Marymount in L.A.; “Pistol Pete” Maravich, the former NBA All-Pro; and Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics all died suddenly from cardiac failure… yet they were all “world class” physically conditioned athletes. Medical authorities were baffled for the reasons their hearts should suddenly just give out and fail!
The newspaper account of the death of the collegiate great basketball player Hank Gathers said the medical experts explained his heart attack as the result of “electrical conduction problems to the heart.” Reggie Lewis’s final diagnosis as the cause of his death was “neurogenic-cardiogenic heart failure”, which simply means nerve impulse problems to his heart caused it to stop. Pete Maravich death was unexplained but it should be noted he was a vegetarian, which rules out the typical dietary problems as a cause of death!
Let’s translate these accounts into more familiar terms… “Nerve interference” caused their hearts to stop!
RESEARCH - A 1985 research article “Effective Prevention of Coronary Heart Attacks” by P. Sherwood, MD, from London, England suggested that 40% of heart attacks are caused by spasms of the coronary artery triggered by dysfunction (interference) of nerves of the upper back. Dr. Sherwood’s approach to relieve these spasms was to adjust and massage the upper back to relieve the dysfunction (interference) of the nerves of the upper back!
John Bourdillion, MD, author of “Spinal Manipulation” and Irvin Korr, PhD, from Princeton University, editor of “The Neurobiologic Mechanisms in Manipulative Therapy”, both did extensive research documenting the affect the nervous system has on organ function… including heart function. They both postulated that spinal adjustments affect dysfunction (interference) of the “autonomic nervous system”. These nerves exit from the mid back region of the spine and primarily control organ function and the blood supply in the human body.
Does The Starter Have Power?
A vertebral subluxation is … a misalignment of the spine that produces interference in the function of the nervous system. If your car doesn’t start... most people would check their battery and electrical system first… But when it comes to their health, rarely do patients have their spines checked to see if “nerve interference” may be the reason why their organs don’t work well. The human brain constantly monitors your heart rate and blood pressure and then makes adjustments that are appropriate to your activity. If there is any interference in this system that controls the heart… tragic events as previously mentioned can happen!
Customized Just For You - The heart is a muscle that pumps your blood throughout your body 72 times per minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as long as you live. Now that is a lot of pumping! 72 beats per minute is an “average”. Your heart rate may be told by your brain to speed up to over 180 beats per minute under extreme stress and exertion, or slow down to as low as 50 beats per minute while you are sleeping. Your brain is constantly making adjustment to the heart rate depending on what your body needs through the nervous system.
Keeping “The Power On” - Chiropractic care is about a whole lot more than “back aches”. Chiropractic care is all about keeping your nervous system free from the damaging effects of “nerve interference” from vertebral subluxations that impairs your body’s ability to regulate itself and use its recuperative powers to heal you from injury and disease. THE GOAL OF CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS IS TO KEEP YOUR POWER ON 100% AND UNINTERRUPTED.
The next time you think about skipping a scheduled chiropractic appointment also think about this… THAT NEXT ADJUSTMENT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE FROM A KILLER SUBLUXATION!
Rimrock Chiropractic, LLC
1133 Patterson Road, Suite 3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
243-1388
www.rimrockchiropractic.com
Friday, November 20, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Vitamin D - Protective Effects on both Seasonal and H1N1 Influenza
The reason why public health officials are worried about the current H1N1 flu pandemic, is the fear that there will be a recurrence of the great flu outbreak of 1918, which killed millions of people. It is this fear that has prompted them to come out with a swine flu/H1N1 vaccine. This novel flu vaccine has not been properly tested for safety or efficacy, contains dangerous preservative such as thimerosal, as well as may contain dangerous adjuvants such as MF59, which contains Squalene.
In March of 2001, the FDA issued a statement warning pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury because it causes neurological problems in children. But now, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommend that these same women and children should get the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. Many seasonal influenza vaccines, as well as the H1N1 vaccine, contain mercury, from the preservative thimerosal, in amounts exceeding the EPA recommended safe levels.
The Benefits of Vitamin D
There is data from studies(1) showing that Vitamin D is protective against seasonal flu. Additional recent data(2) corroborates this very compelling evidence that Vitamin D will also be highly protective for this year’s H1N1 Swine flu.
1. Study by John Jacob Cannell, MD – practicing physician and Executive Director of the Vitamin D Council.org.
2. Data from Norris Glick, MD and Ellie Campbell, DO
In September 2009, Dr. Glick reported the following:
“Central Wisconsin Center is a long-term care facility for people with developmental disabilities, home for approximately 275 people and approx. 800 staff. Serum 25 OHD has been monitored in virtually all residents for several years and patients are supplemented with Vitamin D.
In June of 2009, at the time of the well publicized Wisconsin spike in H1N1 cases, two residents developed influenza-like illness (ILI) and had positive tests for H1N1. One was a long-term resident, the other, a child, who was transferred to the center and later proven to have had the H1N1.
During this time period 60 staff members developed the ILI or were documented to have H1N1. An additional 43 staff members called in sick with ILI (flu). Approx. 12 staff members developed the flu after working on the unit where the child was provided care, several tested positive for H1N1.
But what is astonishing is that only 2 residents of the 275 developed the flu – one of which did not contract it at the facility – while 103 of the 800 staff member did. It appears that the staff was susceptible to H1N1, and the residents protected.”
Vitamin D Deficiency
About 70 percent of U.S. children have low levels of Vitamin D, and 75% of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D. A number of factors have contributed to this; the overuse of sunscreens, the contamination of our fish, inadequate amounts of Vitamin D in milk and the inadequate recommendation for Vitamin D supplementation. No vitamin has had more scientific studies recently published than the rediscovered “Sunshine Vitamin” – Vitamin D.
Raising your Vitamin D level above 40-60ng/ml could contribute to less chronic pain, longer life, less susceptible to cancer, less chronic illness, less colds and even less seasonal swine flu. There is scientific evidence that links low levels of Vitamin D and low level of Probiotics to an increased risk of many medical conditions.
Supplement with Vitamin D
There are almost no natural food sources of Vit D. Most researchers feel that the best source of Vit D is UV exposure. The skin produces Vit D3 in response to UV exposure and this is the best way to get it. Some estimates say that 30 minutes of sun exposure on a significant area of exposed skin can produce upwards of 10,000 iu of D3. The lack of sun exposure in the fall and winter months very well explains the increased susceptibility to the flu. If sun exposure is not a possibility, consider short 5 minute tanning sessions once or twice a week. Another natural source of D3 is Cod Liver Oil. Mammals store D3 in the liver, and Cod is rich in this nutrient. Why did grandma always want to give us that nasty tasting oil when we were sick? She new that it worked. From a wellness perspective, supplementing with Cod Liver Oil daily makes sense. I have pre=ordered a new Cod Liver Oil from Innate Choice that is tripled distilled and infused with Vit E and lemon oil to preserve it from oxidation. Most bad tasting fish oil is actually oxidized and rancid. Fish oil is very unstable and susceptible to light and oxygen. This oil comes in a dark glass bottle and actually doesn't taste bad.
I hope to start carrying this at my office in the next 2 weeks. If you want to pre-order with me send a message to my via email or Facebook and let me know how many bottles you want.
Greg C. Haitz, DC, CSCS
Doctor of Chiropractic
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Rimrock Chiropractic, LLC: A Creating Wellness Center
1133 Patterson Road, Suite 3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
970-243-1388
drgreghaitz@msn.com
www.rimrockchiropractic.com
In March of 2001, the FDA issued a statement warning pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury because it causes neurological problems in children. But now, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommend that these same women and children should get the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. Many seasonal influenza vaccines, as well as the H1N1 vaccine, contain mercury, from the preservative thimerosal, in amounts exceeding the EPA recommended safe levels.
The Benefits of Vitamin D
There is data from studies(1) showing that Vitamin D is protective against seasonal flu. Additional recent data(2) corroborates this very compelling evidence that Vitamin D will also be highly protective for this year’s H1N1 Swine flu.
1. Study by John Jacob Cannell, MD – practicing physician and Executive Director of the Vitamin D Council.org.
2. Data from Norris Glick, MD and Ellie Campbell, DO
In September 2009, Dr. Glick reported the following:
“Central Wisconsin Center is a long-term care facility for people with developmental disabilities, home for approximately 275 people and approx. 800 staff. Serum 25 OHD has been monitored in virtually all residents for several years and patients are supplemented with Vitamin D.
In June of 2009, at the time of the well publicized Wisconsin spike in H1N1 cases, two residents developed influenza-like illness (ILI) and had positive tests for H1N1. One was a long-term resident, the other, a child, who was transferred to the center and later proven to have had the H1N1.
During this time period 60 staff members developed the ILI or were documented to have H1N1. An additional 43 staff members called in sick with ILI (flu). Approx. 12 staff members developed the flu after working on the unit where the child was provided care, several tested positive for H1N1.
But what is astonishing is that only 2 residents of the 275 developed the flu – one of which did not contract it at the facility – while 103 of the 800 staff member did. It appears that the staff was susceptible to H1N1, and the residents protected.”
Vitamin D Deficiency
About 70 percent of U.S. children have low levels of Vitamin D, and 75% of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D. A number of factors have contributed to this; the overuse of sunscreens, the contamination of our fish, inadequate amounts of Vitamin D in milk and the inadequate recommendation for Vitamin D supplementation. No vitamin has had more scientific studies recently published than the rediscovered “Sunshine Vitamin” – Vitamin D.
Raising your Vitamin D level above 40-60ng/ml could contribute to less chronic pain, longer life, less susceptible to cancer, less chronic illness, less colds and even less seasonal swine flu. There is scientific evidence that links low levels of Vitamin D and low level of Probiotics to an increased risk of many medical conditions.
Supplement with Vitamin D
There are almost no natural food sources of Vit D. Most researchers feel that the best source of Vit D is UV exposure. The skin produces Vit D3 in response to UV exposure and this is the best way to get it. Some estimates say that 30 minutes of sun exposure on a significant area of exposed skin can produce upwards of 10,000 iu of D3. The lack of sun exposure in the fall and winter months very well explains the increased susceptibility to the flu. If sun exposure is not a possibility, consider short 5 minute tanning sessions once or twice a week. Another natural source of D3 is Cod Liver Oil. Mammals store D3 in the liver, and Cod is rich in this nutrient. Why did grandma always want to give us that nasty tasting oil when we were sick? She new that it worked. From a wellness perspective, supplementing with Cod Liver Oil daily makes sense. I have pre=ordered a new Cod Liver Oil from Innate Choice that is tripled distilled and infused with Vit E and lemon oil to preserve it from oxidation. Most bad tasting fish oil is actually oxidized and rancid. Fish oil is very unstable and susceptible to light and oxygen. This oil comes in a dark glass bottle and actually doesn't taste bad.
I hope to start carrying this at my office in the next 2 weeks. If you want to pre-order with me send a message to my via email or Facebook and let me know how many bottles you want.
Greg C. Haitz, DC, CSCS
Doctor of Chiropractic
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Rimrock Chiropractic, LLC: A Creating Wellness Center
1133 Patterson Road, Suite 3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
970-243-1388
drgreghaitz@msn.com
www.rimrockchiropractic.com
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Chiropractic Care Can Improve Pain Relief for Mesothelioma Patients
Chiropractic care has become a more regularly used form of treatment by cancer patients over the years. Chiropractic care is used to treat and prevent pain and disorders relating to the musculoskeletal system that controls the body’s movement, including the spine.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic doctors “have a deep respect for the human body's ability to heal itself without the use of surgery or medication. These doctors devote careful attention to the biomechanics, structure and function of the spine, its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems, and the role played by the proper function of these systems in the preservation and restoration of health. A doctor of chiropractic is one who is involved in the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of public health, and a wellness approach to patient healthcare.”
Many cancer patients have added chiropractic care in their course of treatment to help control pain and alleviate headaches, tension and stress. Patients interested in alternative treatment, who strongly believe in the body’s ability to repair itself, may find chiropractic care particularly appealing. Alleviating severe headaches and movement pains during cancer treatment may make the treatment process easier for cancer patients, including those fighting mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is caused primarily by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos was utilized in a number of military and industrial applications throughout the 20th century, mainly as insulation. The symptoms of this type of cancer typically take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after initial asbestos exposure to become obvious. As a result, the diagnosis is often made when the cancer is in late stages and is not treatable.
Two studies published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics examined the cases of two patients combating cancer. One of cases involved a 54-year-old man diagnosed with lung cancer (a cancer often related to asbestos exposure) who began seeing a chiropractor after experiencing little pain relief one year after he underwent surgery to combat his cancer. The man experienced pain relief immediately after beginning chiropractic care and stopped using of all pain medications after two visits to his chiropractor. The Journal noted, “These clinical examples offer two specific instances of how chiropractic may improve the quality of a cancer patient’s life.”
According to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic doctors “have a deep respect for the human body's ability to heal itself without the use of surgery or medication. These doctors devote careful attention to the biomechanics, structure and function of the spine, its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems, and the role played by the proper function of these systems in the preservation and restoration of health. A doctor of chiropractic is one who is involved in the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of public health, and a wellness approach to patient healthcare.”
Many cancer patients have added chiropractic care in their course of treatment to help control pain and alleviate headaches, tension and stress. Patients interested in alternative treatment, who strongly believe in the body’s ability to repair itself, may find chiropractic care particularly appealing. Alleviating severe headaches and movement pains during cancer treatment may make the treatment process easier for cancer patients, including those fighting mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is caused primarily by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos was utilized in a number of military and industrial applications throughout the 20th century, mainly as insulation. The symptoms of this type of cancer typically take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after initial asbestos exposure to become obvious. As a result, the diagnosis is often made when the cancer is in late stages and is not treatable.
Two studies published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics examined the cases of two patients combating cancer. One of cases involved a 54-year-old man diagnosed with lung cancer (a cancer often related to asbestos exposure) who began seeing a chiropractor after experiencing little pain relief one year after he underwent surgery to combat his cancer. The man experienced pain relief immediately after beginning chiropractic care and stopped using of all pain medications after two visits to his chiropractor. The Journal noted, “These clinical examples offer two specific instances of how chiropractic may improve the quality of a cancer patient’s life.”
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Creating Wellness "Wellness Quotient"
Unique to Creating Wellness is the Wellness Quotient (WQ) – a number value that indicates where your personal level of wellness falls on the scale of the wellness continuum. It is calculated by the results of a Wellness Assessment that measures you in all three dimensions of your life – physical, biochemical, and psychological.
Remember, life does not stand still. Every decision you make will move you in a direction toward wellness or illness on the wellness continuum.
Towards Wellness ------------------------------- Towards Illness
Remember, life does not stand still. Every decision you make will move you in a direction toward wellness or illness on the wellness continuum.
Towards Wellness ------------------------------- Towards Illness
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Your Body, the Doctor
No doctor can heal you!
Wellness Chiropractic holds forth the notion that your body is the true healer, not the doctor.
Chiropractic care facilitates your healing force, but it's your body that does the healing. Understanding simple wellness principles will help you understand how chiropractic frees your body to heal itself. There are two simple wellness laws that you can't violate in order to stay well.
1. Your nervous system must be free from interference. Your central nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system of the body, and you must keep it functioning at 100% to maintain function and health. When a wellness chiropractor removes the interference in the nervous system, it allows the tissues, cells and organs to function properly and heal from within.
For example: When a child comes to us with an ear infection and is healed after chiropractic care, it is not the chiropractic that did the healing; it is the child's innate ability to heal itself that does the healing. The real magic is inside. Chiropractic doesn't treat ear infections; chiropractic removes interference in the nervous system and allows the body to be the doctor. Only our body can do the healing, there has never been a doctor or a drug that has healed you.
2. Your body must be free to heal itself from within. Your body is a self-healing organism and has the ability to heal itself naturally from within, as long as there is no interference. True healing comes from within. When you take drugs or have surgery, you are trying to gain health from an outside source or agent. You are forcing the body against its will and there are always consequences, which we call side effects. Adding chemicals to your body only adds additional interference to its natural ability to function and heal. Free your body from outside chemical, physical and emotional interference to allow your body to heal naturally. We are not saying never to use drugs. There are times when drugs may be necessary, but there are consequences. We want you to practice wellness first; drugs and surgery should be a last resort.
Wellness Chiropractic holds forth the notion that your body is the true healer, not the doctor.
Chiropractic care facilitates your healing force, but it's your body that does the healing. Understanding simple wellness principles will help you understand how chiropractic frees your body to heal itself. There are two simple wellness laws that you can't violate in order to stay well.
1. Your nervous system must be free from interference. Your central nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system of the body, and you must keep it functioning at 100% to maintain function and health. When a wellness chiropractor removes the interference in the nervous system, it allows the tissues, cells and organs to function properly and heal from within.
For example: When a child comes to us with an ear infection and is healed after chiropractic care, it is not the chiropractic that did the healing; it is the child's innate ability to heal itself that does the healing. The real magic is inside. Chiropractic doesn't treat ear infections; chiropractic removes interference in the nervous system and allows the body to be the doctor. Only our body can do the healing, there has never been a doctor or a drug that has healed you.
2. Your body must be free to heal itself from within. Your body is a self-healing organism and has the ability to heal itself naturally from within, as long as there is no interference. True healing comes from within. When you take drugs or have surgery, you are trying to gain health from an outside source or agent. You are forcing the body against its will and there are always consequences, which we call side effects. Adding chemicals to your body only adds additional interference to its natural ability to function and heal. Free your body from outside chemical, physical and emotional interference to allow your body to heal naturally. We are not saying never to use drugs. There are times when drugs may be necessary, but there are consequences. We want you to practice wellness first; drugs and surgery should be a last resort.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Ten Steps to Understanding Chiropractic:
1. Chiropractic deals with every level of human performance.
2. Human performance is regulated by body chemistry. Everything you do and everything you are is a result of your body producing chemicals.
3. Your chemistry is regulated by all the chemical producing organs and glands in your body.
4. Your brain, through the nerve system, controls, coordinates and regulates all your organs and glands to produce a body chemistry that is just right for you-the right quantity and quality.
5. The bones of the spine house and protect your very delicate life line; spinal cord and related nerve roots (extensions of your spinal cord thatdivide and re-divide to form your nerve network).
6. When one or more bones of the spine lose their proper alignment, instead of protecting the nerve they now interfere with the communication between the brain and all the organs and glands of your body. This is a vertebral subluxation.
7. This results in a less than optimal production and coordination of your body chemistry.
8. This alteration in body chemistry results in a lessening of performance of all bodily functions.
9. The chiropractor’s job is to locate these spinal subluxations and to introduce a very gentle force so your body may make the correction. This correction will allow your brain to properly communicate with, control and regulate every organ, tissue and gland in your body. When your body chemistry is in balance, ONLY then can your body function properly.
10. Chiropractic helps you to get the most out of life by removing a very negative factor that will allow you to express all that you have been blessed with through your genetic heritage. Chiropractic wants to see you be the best you can be and get the most out of life.
2. Human performance is regulated by body chemistry. Everything you do and everything you are is a result of your body producing chemicals.
3. Your chemistry is regulated by all the chemical producing organs and glands in your body.
4. Your brain, through the nerve system, controls, coordinates and regulates all your organs and glands to produce a body chemistry that is just right for you-the right quantity and quality.
5. The bones of the spine house and protect your very delicate life line; spinal cord and related nerve roots (extensions of your spinal cord thatdivide and re-divide to form your nerve network).
6. When one or more bones of the spine lose their proper alignment, instead of protecting the nerve they now interfere with the communication between the brain and all the organs and glands of your body. This is a vertebral subluxation.
7. This results in a less than optimal production and coordination of your body chemistry.
8. This alteration in body chemistry results in a lessening of performance of all bodily functions.
9. The chiropractor’s job is to locate these spinal subluxations and to introduce a very gentle force so your body may make the correction. This correction will allow your brain to properly communicate with, control and regulate every organ, tissue and gland in your body. When your body chemistry is in balance, ONLY then can your body function properly.
10. Chiropractic helps you to get the most out of life by removing a very negative factor that will allow you to express all that you have been blessed with through your genetic heritage. Chiropractic wants to see you be the best you can be and get the most out of life.
New Study Links Allergies to Antibiotics
Infants given antibiotics are at risk for allergies!
A new study suggests, "Treating your child with antibiotics seems to increase their risk for developing childhood diseases like eczema and allergic asthma." A senior researcher, Dr. Christina Cole, for Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, studies the effects of antibiotics on infants. She reviewed medical records for 445 children. The children were followed for their development of allergic conditions until age 6-7.
Almost 50% of the children were treated with antibiotics in their first 6 months of life. The children who were treated with antibiotics were 1.5 times more likely to develop allergies and were 2.5 times more likely to suffer from allergic asthma by the age of 7 than the children who weren't treated with antibiotics. "The early use of antibiotics may damage the child's gastrointestinal tract and inhibit the developing immune system."
The antibiotic link to asthma was higher for kids who did not have a pet at home. They also noted that early exposure in life to bacterial infections and bacterial products seem to prevent the development of allergies. There is evidence that normal childhood diseases and bacterial infections help build a child's immune system. A healthy immune system will help protect them against allergies, asthma and more serious health challenges later in life.
A new study suggests, "Treating your child with antibiotics seems to increase their risk for developing childhood diseases like eczema and allergic asthma." A senior researcher, Dr. Christina Cole, for Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, studies the effects of antibiotics on infants. She reviewed medical records for 445 children. The children were followed for their development of allergic conditions until age 6-7.
Almost 50% of the children were treated with antibiotics in their first 6 months of life. The children who were treated with antibiotics were 1.5 times more likely to develop allergies and were 2.5 times more likely to suffer from allergic asthma by the age of 7 than the children who weren't treated with antibiotics. "The early use of antibiotics may damage the child's gastrointestinal tract and inhibit the developing immune system."
The antibiotic link to asthma was higher for kids who did not have a pet at home. They also noted that early exposure in life to bacterial infections and bacterial products seem to prevent the development of allergies. There is evidence that normal childhood diseases and bacterial infections help build a child's immune system. A healthy immune system will help protect them against allergies, asthma and more serious health challenges later in life.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Baby Killers
1% of the drugs prescribed to infants are responsible for 54% of the deaths or serious injuries!
Parents trust their doctors when they prescribe drugs to their children, but parents, please be aware. In a study published by the journal Pediatrics, researcher Thomas Moore examined nearly 600,000 adverse drug reactions reported to the FDA. The authors reported 2 staggering facts. First, of all the drugs prescribed to infants, 17 were on the hit list and were responsible for 54% of serious or fatal adverse drug reactions. The other alarming statistic was that from 1998 to 2000 the drug related deaths in infants increased nearly 75%!
There are over 2000 drugs listed that are linked to adverse drug reactions. Some of the 17 drugs on the hit list may surprise you:
Drugs most commonly suspected in fatal or serious infant outcomes (in order of severity):
Synagis
Propulsid
IndomethacilVIndocin
Nitric oxide
Zith romax/azithromyacin
Tylenol/ Acetaminophen
Fluconazole/diflucanAdvil/Motrin/lbaprofen
Respigam
Rocephih/Ceftriaxone
Cefaclor
Cefoperazone
Zidovudme
Erythromyocin
Vincristme
Sevorane/sevofluraiie
Vancomycin/Vancocin
ImmunologicsAcid/peptic disorders
NSAID
Medicinal gas
Lincosamide
Analgesic
Antiftingal
NSAID
Immune serum
Cephalosporin
Cephalosporin
Cephalosporin
Antiviral
Linosamide
Antineoplastics
Anesthetics
Antibacterial
Parents trust their doctors when they prescribe drugs to their children, but parents, please be aware. In a study published by the journal Pediatrics, researcher Thomas Moore examined nearly 600,000 adverse drug reactions reported to the FDA. The authors reported 2 staggering facts. First, of all the drugs prescribed to infants, 17 were on the hit list and were responsible for 54% of serious or fatal adverse drug reactions. The other alarming statistic was that from 1998 to 2000 the drug related deaths in infants increased nearly 75%!
There are over 2000 drugs listed that are linked to adverse drug reactions. Some of the 17 drugs on the hit list may surprise you:
Drugs most commonly suspected in fatal or serious infant outcomes (in order of severity):
Synagis
Propulsid
IndomethacilVIndocin
Nitric oxide
Zith romax/azithromyacin
Tylenol/ Acetaminophen
Fluconazole/diflucanAdvil/Motrin/lbaprofen
Respigam
Rocephih/Ceftriaxone
Cefaclor
Cefoperazone
Zidovudme
Erythromyocin
Vincristme
Sevorane/sevofluraiie
Vancomycin/Vancocin
ImmunologicsAcid/peptic disorders
NSAID
Medicinal gas
Lincosamide
Analgesic
Antiftingal
NSAID
Immune serum
Cephalosporin
Cephalosporin
Cephalosporin
Antiviral
Linosamide
Antineoplastics
Anesthetics
Antibacterial
Friday, May 8, 2009
Chiropractic Care Helps Child With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Contact: Dr Greg Haitz, DC.
1133 Patterson Road, #3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
(970) 243-1388
drgreghaitz@msn.com
1133 Patterson Road, #3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
(970) 243-1388
drgreghaitz@msn.com
Chiropractic Care Helps Child With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(5/8/09 Grand Junction). A recent article published in The Journal of Pediatrics, Maternal and Family Health, March 2009, reports the case study of a 3-year old male patient who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The child’s mother indicated that her son’s birth was traumatic and complicated, including a fractured left clavicle during birthing. The boy showed signs of ADHD from the age of two, including falling out of bed as many as three times a night and having a history of ear infections and respiratory problems. The child’s pre-school teacher referred him to a psychologist because of temper tantrums and biting incidents with other children.
“The usual medical treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD is a psycho-stimulant drug, like Ritalin,” said Grand Junction-based Dr Greg Haitz, D.C. “This type of treatment is reported to be about 70% effective, but there are serious side-effects of these drugs, like stunted growth, insomnia, loss of appetite, dizziness, stomach aches, and, in some instances, heart and blood pressure problems. Recent research in rats shows that Ritalin changes brain neurons similar to what's seen in cocaine users.”
In the case of this 3-year old, the mother wanted to try chiropractic care as a way to avoid using the drug regimen usually prescribed. The examining chiropractor, using a non-intrusive device known as an Insight Subluxation Station, conducted thermal scans of the child’s spine and found the existence of a subluxation in the child’s upper cervical area.
“A subluxation is a distortion of the spine that disturbs normal nervous system function,” said Dr Haitz. “Many chiropractors, including myself, have this technology that allows them to conduct thermal and Surface Electromyography (sEMG) tests to assist in locating where such conditions exist.”
The patient underwent chiropractic care, including spinal adjustments, with frequency of care initially set at three times per week for the first three weeks, then once a week, then once every two weeks. After one month, the mother and teacher noted improved attention and less hyperactivity. The patient’s thermal scans also showed improvement. The child remains on a twice-monthly plan of chiropractic care, with no drug therapy, and continues to show improvement.
“This is just one case study,” explained Dr Haitz, and more studies are needed before any absolute conclusions can be drawn.”
Dr Haitz’s chiropractic practice features the Insight Subluxation Station. This technology is certified by the Space Foundation, which was co-founded by NASA, and is used by 8,000 chiropractors worldwide to measure nervous system health and performance.
#
Editor’s note:
Anyone wishing more information may contact Dr Haitz, whose office is located at 1133 Patterson Road #3 Grand Junction, CO USA (telephone 970-243-1388).
Friday, April 24, 2009
Will an Aspirin-A-Day Improve Your Health?
An aspirin a day to improve your health? A recent study indicates that an aspirin-a-day may do a lot more damage to your health than just stomach problems. The American Association for Cancer Research in Phoenix, Arizona presented a study in October, 2003. The study indicated that people who take an aspirin-a-day may risk pancreatic cancer!
They studied 88,000 women who took aspirin for a long period of time. Women who took two or more aspirin a week had an increase risk for pancreatic cancer by a whopping 58% and the women who took 14 or more aspirin a week increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by an amazing 86%!
Why would someone take an aspirin-a-day? We are made to believe that an aspirin-a-day will reduce our risk of heart disease. We may reduce our risk of heart attacks but we increase our risk for other diseases such as: stomach problems, kidney problems, stops your blood from clotting correctly and even pancreatic cancer.
According to recent studies, research shows that aspirin might cause as many problems as it's supposed to prevent. The HeartCenter online recommends not taking an aspirin if you have high blood pressure. Another recently discovered aspirin side effect is aspirin-induced asthma, which could effect up to 21% of all those who regularly take it or other NSAIDs. This discovery was based on 66 medical papers dating back to 1964. According to a new study in the British Medical Journal, many people who regularly take aspirin still suffer from heart problems, giving birth to a new condition: aspirin resistance. Doesn’t it make better sense to reduce your risk of heart disease by adopting a wellness lifestyle? With a healthy lifestyle there are no risks of side effects.
They studied 88,000 women who took aspirin for a long period of time. Women who took two or more aspirin a week had an increase risk for pancreatic cancer by a whopping 58% and the women who took 14 or more aspirin a week increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by an amazing 86%!
Why would someone take an aspirin-a-day? We are made to believe that an aspirin-a-day will reduce our risk of heart disease. We may reduce our risk of heart attacks but we increase our risk for other diseases such as: stomach problems, kidney problems, stops your blood from clotting correctly and even pancreatic cancer.
According to recent studies, research shows that aspirin might cause as many problems as it's supposed to prevent. The HeartCenter online recommends not taking an aspirin if you have high blood pressure. Another recently discovered aspirin side effect is aspirin-induced asthma, which could effect up to 21% of all those who regularly take it or other NSAIDs. This discovery was based on 66 medical papers dating back to 1964. According to a new study in the British Medical Journal, many people who regularly take aspirin still suffer from heart problems, giving birth to a new condition: aspirin resistance. Doesn’t it make better sense to reduce your risk of heart disease by adopting a wellness lifestyle? With a healthy lifestyle there are no risks of side effects.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Sex, lies, and your genes
Many things can interfere with a healthy love life. In particular, poor lifestyle choices are a common cause of such conditions as erectile dysfunction, prostate issues and even low back pain.
Take for instance, prostate issues. We now know that much of the genetic issues with prostate health is really a factor of lifestyle. A recent study looked at a group of men who had non-invasive prostate cancer. These men wanted to pursue a more natural approach to treatment and so were placed into a designed study. They were all subjected to a series of prostate tissue biopsies prior to treatment. In most of the individuals, the genes commonly associated with prostate cancer were turned "on."
Next, this group underwent a lifestyle modification program for several months. It included daily meditation, dietary changes including increased fruits and vegetables with lean meat and soy supplements, and exercise. Follow-up testing showed dramatic changes. In particular, the post-study biopsies showed that the cancer genes had all been turned "off."
Dean Ornish, MD, who spearheaded the study stated that , "We found that simple changes have a powerful impact on gene expression." The participants also experienced statistically significant improvements in weight, abdominal obesity, blood pressure, and blood lipid levels.
The researchers concluded that:"Intensive nutrition and lifestyle changes may modulate gene expression in the prostate," adding that:"Understanding the prostate molecular response to comprehensive lifestyle changes may strengthen efforts to develop effective prevention and treatment."
What does this mean to you? You are not just a result of static gene expression. Your lifestyle can dramatically alter your genetic expression for good or bad. This is a hot new research topic called epigenetics. Watch for a new blog on this topic soon.
Take for instance, prostate issues. We now know that much of the genetic issues with prostate health is really a factor of lifestyle. A recent study looked at a group of men who had non-invasive prostate cancer. These men wanted to pursue a more natural approach to treatment and so were placed into a designed study. They were all subjected to a series of prostate tissue biopsies prior to treatment. In most of the individuals, the genes commonly associated with prostate cancer were turned "on."
Next, this group underwent a lifestyle modification program for several months. It included daily meditation, dietary changes including increased fruits and vegetables with lean meat and soy supplements, and exercise. Follow-up testing showed dramatic changes. In particular, the post-study biopsies showed that the cancer genes had all been turned "off."
Dean Ornish, MD, who spearheaded the study stated that , "We found that simple changes have a powerful impact on gene expression." The participants also experienced statistically significant improvements in weight, abdominal obesity, blood pressure, and blood lipid levels.
The researchers concluded that:"Intensive nutrition and lifestyle changes may modulate gene expression in the prostate," adding that:"Understanding the prostate molecular response to comprehensive lifestyle changes may strengthen efforts to develop effective prevention and treatment."
What does this mean to you? You are not just a result of static gene expression. Your lifestyle can dramatically alter your genetic expression for good or bad. This is a hot new research topic called epigenetics. Watch for a new blog on this topic soon.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Chiropractic Care Helps Child With Headaches, Chronic Ear and Sinus Infections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dr Greg Haitz, D.C.
2 Pages 1133 Patterson Rd #3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
970-243-1388
drgreghaitz@msn.com
Eight-year old got no relief from drugs or surgery
Chiropractic Care Helps Child With Headaches,
Chronic Ear and Sinus Infections
(4/10/2009, Grand Junction). An article published in Proceedings, a respected journal of the Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics of the International Chiropractors Association, reports the case study of an eight-year old female patient suffering from recurring headaches and chronic ear and sinus infections. The child had been through repeated rounds of antibiotic treatments and sinus surgery. Even the extreme procedure of two tympanectomy surgeries to one of the child’s eardrums failed to alleviate her condition.
“Children are often plagued with sinus and ear conditions,” said Grand Junction-based Dr. Greg Haitz, D.C. “This case study illustrates that when medical treatment fails to bring about the desired results, chiropractic care may be an effective alternative. It is a non-invasive approach.”
In the case of this 8-year old, the parents had taken their child to several medical practitioners, but symptoms persisted. The child’s regular pediatrician was about to recommend another tympanectomy and a continued regimen of antibiotics. Before following that recommendation, the parents took their daughter to a chiropractor.
The examining chiropractor found the existence of a subluxation in the child’s upper cervical area and, using sEMG scanning technology, evidence of muscle hypertonicity, or tightness, in both the cervical and thoracic areas.
“A subluxation is a distortion of the spine that disturbs normal nervous system function,” said Dr. Haitz. “Many chiropractors, including myself, have technology that allows them to conduct Surface Electromyography (sEMG) tests to assist in locating where such conditions exist.”
The patient underwent chiropractic care, including spinal adjustments. After one month of such care, child and parents noted an absence of headaches, and sinus and ear pain had also decreased markedly. As a result, the planned third ear surgery was canceled. The patient’s sEMG scans showed improvement, but chiropractic care was continued. After four months, the patient reported that headaches had ceased and that ear and sinus infections were absent. Her sEMG scans and x-rays were at, or near, normal.
“This is just one case study,” explained Dr. Haitz, and more studies are needed before any absolute conclusions can be drawn.”
Dr. Haitz's chiropractic practice features the Insight Subluxation Station. This technology is certified by the Space Foundation, which was co-founded by NASA, and is used by 8,000 chiropractors worldwide to measure nervous system health and performance.
#
Editor’s note:
Anyone wishing more information may contact Dr. Haitz, whose office is located at 1133 Patterson Road #3, Grand Junction, CO (telephone 970-243-1388).
2 Pages 1133 Patterson Rd #3
Grand Junction, CO 81506
970-243-1388
drgreghaitz@msn.com
Eight-year old got no relief from drugs or surgery
Chiropractic Care Helps Child With Headaches,
Chronic Ear and Sinus Infections
(4/10/2009, Grand Junction). An article published in Proceedings, a respected journal of the Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics of the International Chiropractors Association, reports the case study of an eight-year old female patient suffering from recurring headaches and chronic ear and sinus infections. The child had been through repeated rounds of antibiotic treatments and sinus surgery. Even the extreme procedure of two tympanectomy surgeries to one of the child’s eardrums failed to alleviate her condition.
“Children are often plagued with sinus and ear conditions,” said Grand Junction-based Dr. Greg Haitz, D.C. “This case study illustrates that when medical treatment fails to bring about the desired results, chiropractic care may be an effective alternative. It is a non-invasive approach.”
In the case of this 8-year old, the parents had taken their child to several medical practitioners, but symptoms persisted. The child’s regular pediatrician was about to recommend another tympanectomy and a continued regimen of antibiotics. Before following that recommendation, the parents took their daughter to a chiropractor.
The examining chiropractor found the existence of a subluxation in the child’s upper cervical area and, using sEMG scanning technology, evidence of muscle hypertonicity, or tightness, in both the cervical and thoracic areas.
“A subluxation is a distortion of the spine that disturbs normal nervous system function,” said Dr. Haitz. “Many chiropractors, including myself, have technology that allows them to conduct Surface Electromyography (sEMG) tests to assist in locating where such conditions exist.”
The patient underwent chiropractic care, including spinal adjustments. After one month of such care, child and parents noted an absence of headaches, and sinus and ear pain had also decreased markedly. As a result, the planned third ear surgery was canceled. The patient’s sEMG scans showed improvement, but chiropractic care was continued. After four months, the patient reported that headaches had ceased and that ear and sinus infections were absent. Her sEMG scans and x-rays were at, or near, normal.
“This is just one case study,” explained Dr. Haitz, and more studies are needed before any absolute conclusions can be drawn.”
Dr. Haitz's chiropractic practice features the Insight Subluxation Station. This technology is certified by the Space Foundation, which was co-founded by NASA, and is used by 8,000 chiropractors worldwide to measure nervous system health and performance.
#
Editor’s note:
Anyone wishing more information may contact Dr. Haitz, whose office is located at 1133 Patterson Road #3, Grand Junction, CO (telephone 970-243-1388).
How can chiropractic help with Ear aches? visit our website for more info
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Socialized Medicine
My health insurance rate just went up. Why? Because the company we use was forced by the current health care reform to open their underwriting to accept more high risk clients. In other words, they now must insure unhealthy and/or potentially unhealthy individual which raises this company's medical care payouts. In essence, I now pay to cover the health care costs of others who have chosen to live unhealthy lives. I don't expect anyone else to take care of my health for me. It is my responsibility alone. Esp. when it comes to my lifestyle and lifestyle related disease (which is the leading cause of the top 4 killers in America: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke). Is this fair? No, it is socialized medicine. If Americans lived a healthier lifestyle this wouldn't be such a big deal. But we are a VERY unhealthy country!
In 2008, health care spending in the United States reached $2.4 trillion, and was projected to reach $3.1 trillion in 2012. (Keehan, S. et al. “Health Spending Projections Through 2017, Health Affairs Web Exclusive W146: 21 February 2008.)
Health care spending is projected to reach $4.3 trillion by 2016. (Keehan, S. et al. “Health Spending Projections Through 2017, Health Affairs Web Exclusive W146: 21 February 2008.)
Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. (California Health Care Foundation. Health Care Costs 101 -- 2005. 02 March 2005)
In 2008, the United States will spend 17 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care. It is projected that the percentage will reach 20 percent by 2017. (Keehan, S. et al. “Health Spending Projections Through 2017, Health Affairs Web Exclusive W146: 21 February 2008.)
Although nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens.
Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
We know that we are over-utilizing many health care services such as CT, and MRI. We also love our RX drugs. We consume more RX drugs and receive more surgical interventions than ever before in our countries history, but we are sicker than ever.
What does this all lead us to believe? We have very unhealthy lifestyle compared to other industrialized countries. What lifestyle choices are we talking about? It all about what we Americans eat, how we think, and our level of physical activity. I don't want us to be Europe. I love American. But McDonald's, Crispy Cream and Starbucks shouldn't be a staple.
More to come soon . . . We need to Create Wellness
In 2008, health care spending in the United States reached $2.4 trillion, and was projected to reach $3.1 trillion in 2012. (Keehan, S. et al. “Health Spending Projections Through 2017, Health Affairs Web Exclusive W146: 21 February 2008.)
Health care spending is projected to reach $4.3 trillion by 2016. (Keehan, S. et al. “Health Spending Projections Through 2017, Health Affairs Web Exclusive W146: 21 February 2008.)
Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. (California Health Care Foundation. Health Care Costs 101 -- 2005. 02 March 2005)
In 2008, the United States will spend 17 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care. It is projected that the percentage will reach 20 percent by 2017. (Keehan, S. et al. “Health Spending Projections Through 2017, Health Affairs Web Exclusive W146: 21 February 2008.)
Although nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens.
Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
We know that we are over-utilizing many health care services such as CT, and MRI. We also love our RX drugs. We consume more RX drugs and receive more surgical interventions than ever before in our countries history, but we are sicker than ever.
What does this all lead us to believe? We have very unhealthy lifestyle compared to other industrialized countries. What lifestyle choices are we talking about? It all about what we Americans eat, how we think, and our level of physical activity. I don't want us to be Europe. I love American. But McDonald's, Crispy Cream and Starbucks shouldn't be a staple.
More to come soon . . . We need to Create Wellness
Friday, March 27, 2009
Daily Consumption of Diet Soda Linked to Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes
Originally printed online at Medscape
Daily Consumption of Diet Soda Linked to Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes
February 11, 2009 — Drinking diet soda at least daily is associated with significantly greater risks for select incident components of the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) and type 2 diabetes, according to the results of an observational study reported in the January 16 Online First issue of Diabetes Care.
"Two longitudinal cohort studies have shown positive associations between diet soda consumption and incident MetSyn independent of baseline measures of adiposity," write Jennifer A. Nettleton, PhD, from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, and colleagues. "Replication of previously observed diet soda-MetSyn associations in a distinct cohort would bolster their credibility and provide further insight into the nature of the relationship. Previous studies have not addressed associations between diet soda and individual MetSyn components or risk of type 2 diabetes nor have they fully addressed potential longitudinal mediators of these relationships, i.e., changes in adiposity status."
The goal of this study was to evaluate associations between diet soda consumption and the risk for incident MetSyn, its components, and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).
Initial evaluation was performed from 2000 to 2002, at which time baseline food frequency questionnaires measured diet soda consumption. Three follow-up evaluations were performed from 2002 to 2003, 2004 to 2005, and 2005 to 2007. Incident type 2 diabetes was defined as fasting glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dL, self-reported type 2 diabetes, or use of diabetes medication. National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel 3 criteria were used to define MetSyn and its components. After adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary confounders, hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for type 2 diabetes, MetSyn, and MetSyn components.
Compared with participants who did not drink diet soda, those who drank diet soda at least daily had a 36% greater relative risk for incident MetSyn (HR, 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 - 1.66) and a 67% greater relative risk for incident type 2 diabetes (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.27 - 2.20).
Of the individual components of MetSyn, only high waist circumference (men: ≥ 102 cm; women: ≥ 88 cm) and high fasting glucose levels (≥ 100 mg/dL) were prospectively associated with consumption of diet soda. Associations between diet soda intake and type 2 diabetes were independent of baseline measures of adiposity or changes in these measures. In contrast, associations between diet soda and MetSyn were not independent of these factors.
"Although these observational data cannot establish causality, consumption of diet soda at least daily was associated with significantly greater risks of select incident MetSyn components and type 2 diabetes," the study authors write.
Limitations of this study include observational design, precluding determination of causality; possible confounding by other dietary and lifestyle/behavioral factors; and difficulties in estimating intake of diet soda or artificial sweetener.
"These results corroborate findings from the ARIC [Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities] and Framingham studies and show stronger adverse associations exist between diet soda and type 2 diabetes," the study authors conclude. "Diet soda consumption, either independently or in conjunction with other dietary and lifestyle behaviors, may lead to weight gain, impaired glucose control, and eventual diabetes."
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute supported this study. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Diabetes Care. Published online January 16, 2009.
Daily Consumption of Diet Soda Linked to Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes
February 11, 2009 — Drinking diet soda at least daily is associated with significantly greater risks for select incident components of the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) and type 2 diabetes, according to the results of an observational study reported in the January 16 Online First issue of Diabetes Care.
"Two longitudinal cohort studies have shown positive associations between diet soda consumption and incident MetSyn independent of baseline measures of adiposity," write Jennifer A. Nettleton, PhD, from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, and colleagues. "Replication of previously observed diet soda-MetSyn associations in a distinct cohort would bolster their credibility and provide further insight into the nature of the relationship. Previous studies have not addressed associations between diet soda and individual MetSyn components or risk of type 2 diabetes nor have they fully addressed potential longitudinal mediators of these relationships, i.e., changes in adiposity status."
The goal of this study was to evaluate associations between diet soda consumption and the risk for incident MetSyn, its components, and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).
Initial evaluation was performed from 2000 to 2002, at which time baseline food frequency questionnaires measured diet soda consumption. Three follow-up evaluations were performed from 2002 to 2003, 2004 to 2005, and 2005 to 2007. Incident type 2 diabetes was defined as fasting glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dL, self-reported type 2 diabetes, or use of diabetes medication. National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel 3 criteria were used to define MetSyn and its components. After adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary confounders, hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for type 2 diabetes, MetSyn, and MetSyn components.
Compared with participants who did not drink diet soda, those who drank diet soda at least daily had a 36% greater relative risk for incident MetSyn (HR, 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 - 1.66) and a 67% greater relative risk for incident type 2 diabetes (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.27 - 2.20).
Of the individual components of MetSyn, only high waist circumference (men: ≥ 102 cm; women: ≥ 88 cm) and high fasting glucose levels (≥ 100 mg/dL) were prospectively associated with consumption of diet soda. Associations between diet soda intake and type 2 diabetes were independent of baseline measures of adiposity or changes in these measures. In contrast, associations between diet soda and MetSyn were not independent of these factors.
"Although these observational data cannot establish causality, consumption of diet soda at least daily was associated with significantly greater risks of select incident MetSyn components and type 2 diabetes," the study authors write.
Limitations of this study include observational design, precluding determination of causality; possible confounding by other dietary and lifestyle/behavioral factors; and difficulties in estimating intake of diet soda or artificial sweetener.
"These results corroborate findings from the ARIC [Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities] and Framingham studies and show stronger adverse associations exist between diet soda and type 2 diabetes," the study authors conclude. "Diet soda consumption, either independently or in conjunction with other dietary and lifestyle behaviors, may lead to weight gain, impaired glucose control, and eventual diabetes."
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute supported this study. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Diabetes Care. Published online January 16, 2009.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
More on Coconut Oil
Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.
Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body’s immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother’s milk. Dr. Mary Enig (Lipid Chemist) suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet to take in an equivalent amount of lauric acid that a nursing infant would receive from breast milk.
Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body’s immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother’s milk. Dr. Mary Enig (Lipid Chemist) suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet to take in an equivalent amount of lauric acid that a nursing infant would receive from breast milk.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Coconut Oil and Weight Loss
I'm often asked about what comprises a good diet and what's better, more carbs, less fat, no carbs etc. The best rule of thumb is to remember that food is intended to be fuel for the body. Looking at calories is good, but also considering the calorie sources is important. For instance; white sugar and flour would be considered simple or refined carbs. These are poor choices for calories. Likewise, calories from heavy saturated animal fat and trans fats are also poor calorie choices. Now there are good fats, though. Unfortunately the 80s were not kind to fats. We were misinformed that because fat has more calories per gram that carbs, then carbs must be better to consume than fat. This is too simplistic. Some fats actually stimulate the metabolism and are healthy. Take coconut oil for instance. It is a saturated plant fat that has very good thermogenic and antimicrobial properties. I added two tables spoons to the smoothie that my wife and I enjoy for breakfast every morning. Within weeks her and I had lost 10 pounds. You actually feel warm after consuming coconut oil. Heat is a byproduct of metabolism. Stay tuned for my smoothie recipe in upcoming blogs.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Cow's Milk and Autoimmune Diseases
Cow's Milk and Autoimmune Diseases
Pedro Bastos
Autoimmune diseases (AD) are the most common illnesses in the U.S., afflicting five to eight percent of the American population,1 especially women.2
AD develop when the body's immune system loses the ability to distinguish between what is "self" and what is "non-self," and attacks healthy tissues and organs as if they were a foreign invader like a bacteria or virus.1
The resulting disease depends on which tissues are involved. For instance, in celiac disease, the targeted tissue is small bowel mucosa. In type 1 diabetes, the insulin producing pancreatic beta cells are involved. The thyroid gland is the affected organ in autoimmune thyroid diseases. In Sjögren's syndrome, the attack is directed to the glands that secrete saliva and tears. The joints are affected in rheumatoid arthritis, and it is the gastrointestinal tract that is affected in Crohn's disease. In psoriasis, the skin is affected, and in Multiple Sclerosis, the target tissue is the myelin sheath surrounding nerves.
Although AD have a genetic predisposition,1,3 the concordance rate between twins is only about 30 %, so the interaction between one's genotype and several environmental factors plays a major role.1-3
In the last 20 years, several dietary factors have been implicated in AD such as drugs,1 heavy metals,1 viral and bacterial infections,1 vitamin D deficiency,4-14 and gluten consumption15-37 (that's a group of water-soluble proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and oats15). It also appears that cow's milk is involved in certain AD, as well.
Various epidemiological studies have associated milk with T1D38-45, especially when the initial exposure begins in the first months of life. This evidence appears to be consistence, since various reviews of the scientific literature published in 199346, 199447,48, 199849, 199950,51, 200252, 200353 and 200554,55 corroborate the association between cow's milk drinking and T1D.
Regarding MS and cow's milk consumption, epidemiological studies have also repeatedly shown a strong correlation56-60.
The most likely mechanism is called molecular mimicry whereby amino acid sequences from milk proteins resemble amino acid sequences in our body's organs and tissues.
Indeed, there is molecular mimicry between bovine insulin (present in cow's milk) and human insulin61-66, which may explain the Cow's Milk-T1D connection.
Molecular mimicry is also a suspected mechanism explaining the MS connection and the implicated milk proteins are:
Butyrophilin(a bovine milk fat globule protein), since there is molecular mimicry between this protein and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), an autoantigen involved in MS.67
Bovine serum albumin(one of the proteins in cow's milk whey), as there is structural similarity between this protein and the autoantigen myelin basic protein.68
Finally, there is molecular mimicry between bovine serum albumin and human collagen type 1, which has implications for RA69. Indeed, case studies have shown that elimination of milk and dairy products from the diets of patients with RA improved symptoms, and the disease was markedly exacerbated on re-challenge.69
Bovine Milk is also implicated in other auto-immune diseases, such as Crohn's disease70, Sjögren's syndrome71 and even celiac disease.72
Based on this evidence, it appears that people with an elevated risk for auto-immune diseases or already with the disease would benefit from a dairy free diet, which is one of the characteristics of the Paleo Diet.
References:
References:
1. Progress in Autoimmune Disease Research. The Autoimmune Disease Coordinating Committee Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Bethesda (MD), 2005. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/autoimmune/PDF/ADCCFinal.pdf
2. Fairweather D, Rose NR. Women and autoimmune disease. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10:2005-2011. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no11/04-0367.htm
3. Rose N R, Mackay IR. The auto-immune diseases. Academic Press, 2006
4. Mohr SB, Garland CF, Gorham ED, Garland FC. The association between ultraviolet B irradiance, vitamin D status and incidence rates of type 1 diabetes in 51 regions worldwide. Diabetologia. 2008 Jun 12.
5. Cutolo M, Otsa K, Uprus M, Paolino S, Seriolo B. Vitamin D in rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmun Rev. 2007 Nov;7(1):59-64.
6. Ramagopalan SV, Maugeri NJ, Handunnetthi L, Lincoln MR, Orton SM, Dyment DA, Deluca GC, Herrera BM, Chao MJ, Sadovnick AD, Ebers GC, Knight JC. Expression of the multiple sclerosis-associated MHC class II Allele HLA-DRB1*1501 is regulated by vitamin D. PLoS Genet. 2009 Feb;5(2):e1000369
7. Niino M, Fukazawa T, Kikuchi S, Sasaki H. Therapeutic potential of vitamin D for multiple sclerosis. Curr Med Chem. 2008;15(5):499-505
8. Stefanić M, Papić S, Suver M, Glavas-Obrovac L, Karner I. Association of vitamin D receptor gene 3'-variants with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in the Croatian population. Int J Immunogenet. 2008 Apr;35(2):125-31.
9. Lin WY, Wan L, Tsai CH, Chen RH, Lee CC, Tsai FJ. Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms are associated with risk of Hashimoto's thyroiditis in Chinese patients in Taiwan. J Clin Lab Anal. 2006;20(3):109-12.
10. Nancy AL, Yehuda S. Prediction and prevention of autoimmune skin disorders. Arch Dermatol Res. 2009 Jan;301(1):57-64
11. Bang B, Asmussen K, Sørensen OH, Oxholm P. Reduced 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in primary Sjögren's syndrome. Correlations to disease manifestations. Scand J Rheumatol. 1999;28(3):180-3.
12. Müller K, Oxholm P, Sørensen OH, Thymann M, Høier-Madsen M, Bendtzen K. Abnormal vitamin D3 metabolism in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Ann Rheum Dis. 1990 Sep;49(9):682-4.
13. Naderi N, Farnood A, Habibi M, Derakhshan F, Balaii H, Motahari Z, Agah MR, Firouzi F, Rad MG, Aghazadeh R, Zojaji H, Zali MR. Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in Iranian patients with inflammatory bowel disease. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 Dec;23(12):1816-22.
14. Simmons JD, Mullighan C, Welsh KI, Jewell DP. Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism: association with Crohn's disease susceptibility. Gut. 2000 Aug;47(2):211-4.
15. McGough N, Cummings JH. Coeliac disease: a diverse clinical syndrome caused by intolerance of wheat, barley and rye. Proc Nutr Soc. 2005 Nov;64(4):434-50
16. Toumi D, Mankai A, Belhadj R, Ghedira-Besbes L, Jeddi M, Ghedira I. Thyroid-related autoantibodies in Tunisian patients with coeliac disease. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2008;46(3):350-3.
17. Spadaccino AC, Basso D, Chiarelli S, Albergoni MP, D'Odorico A, Plebani M, Pedini B, Lazzarotto F, Betterle C. Celiac disease in North Italian patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. Autoimmunity. 2008 Feb;41(1):116-21.
18. Iuorio R, Mercuri V, Barbarulo F, D'Amico T, Mecca N, Bassotti G, Pietrobono D, Gargiulo P, Picarelli A. Prevalence of celiac disease in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis. Minerva Endocrinol. 2007 Dec;32(4):239-43.
19. Ch'ng CL, Jones MK, Kingham JG. Celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid disease. Clin Med Res. 2007 Oct;5(3):184-92.
20. Maclaurin BP, Matthews N, Kilpatrick JA. Coeliac disease associated with auto-immune thyroiditis, Sjogren's syndrome, and a lymphocytotoxic serum factor. Aust N Z J Med. 1972 Nov;2(4):405-11. No abstract available.
21. Pittman Fe, Holub Da. Sjoegren's Syndrome and Adult Celiac Disease. Gastroenterology. 1965 Jun;48:869-76.
22. Teppo AM, Maury CP. Antibodies to gliadin, gluten and reticulin glycoprotein in rheumatic diseases:elevated levels in Sjögren's syndrome. Clin Exp Immunol. 1984 Jul;57(1):73-8.
23. Szodoray P, Barta Z, Lakos G, Szakáll S, Zeher M. Coeliac disease in Sjögren's syndrome--a study of 111 Hungarian patients. Rheumatol Int. 2004 Sep;24(5):278-82.
24. Lidén M, Kristjánsson G, Valtýsdóttir S, Hällgren R. Gluten sensitivity in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2007 Aug;42(8):962-7.
25. Paimela L, Kurki P, Leirisalo-Repo M, Piirainen H. Gliadin immune reactivity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1995 Sep-Oct;13(5):603-7.
26. Cordain L, Toohey L, Smith MJ, Hickey MS. Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. Br J Nutr. 2000 Mar;83(3):207-17.
27. Hafstrom I, Ringertz B, Spangberg A, von Zweigbergk L, Brannemark S, Nylander I, Ronnelid J, Laasonen L, Klareskog L: A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2001, 40:1175-1179.
28. Reichelt KL, Jensen D. IgA antibodies against gliadin and gluten in multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand. 2004 Oct;110(4):239-41
29. Pengiran Tengah CD, Lock RJ, Unsworth DJ, Wills AJ. Multiple sclerosis and occult gluten sensitivity. Neurology. 2004 Jun 22;62(12):2326-7.
30. Michaëlsson G, Gerdén B, Ottosson M, Parra A, Sjöberg O, Hjelmquist G, Lööf L. Patients with psoriasis often have increased serum levels of IgA antibodies to gliadin. Br J Dermatol. 1993 Dec;129(6):667-73.
31. Michaëlsson G, Gerdén B, Hagforsen E, Nilsson B, Pihl-Lundin I, Kraaz W, Hjelmquist G, Lööf L. Psoriasis patients with antibodies to gliadin can be improved by a gluten-free diet. Br J Dermatol. 2000 Jan;142(1):44-51.
32. Hoorfar J, Buschard K, Dagnaes-Hansen F. Prophylactic nutritional modification of the incidence of diabetes in autoimmune non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Br J Nutr. 1993 Mar;69(2):597-607.
33. Scott FW. Food-induced type 1 diabetes in the BB rat. Diabetes Metab Rev 1996;12:341-59.
34. Schmid S, Koczwara K, Schwinghammer S, Lampasona V, Ziegler AG, Bonifacio E. Delayed exposure to wheat and barley proteins reduces diabetes incidence in non-obese diabetic mice. Clin Immunol. 2004 Apr;111(1):108-18.
35. Ziegler A-G, Schmid S, Huber D, Hummel M, Bonifacio E. Early infant feeding and risk of developing type 1 diabetes-associated autoantibodies. JAMA 2003;290:1721-8.
36. Pastore M-R, Bazzigaluppi E, Belloni C, Arcovio C, Bonifacio E, Bosi E. Six months of gluten-free diet do not influence antibody titers, but improve insulin secretion in subjects at high risk for type 1 diabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003;88:162-5.
37. Banin P, Perretta R, Ravaioli E, De Sanctis V. Regression of autoimmunity and abnormal glucose homeostasis in an adolescent boy with silent coeliac disease. Acta Paediatr 2002;91:1141-3.
Pedro Bastos
Autoimmune diseases (AD) are the most common illnesses in the U.S., afflicting five to eight percent of the American population,1 especially women.2
AD develop when the body's immune system loses the ability to distinguish between what is "self" and what is "non-self," and attacks healthy tissues and organs as if they were a foreign invader like a bacteria or virus.1
The resulting disease depends on which tissues are involved. For instance, in celiac disease, the targeted tissue is small bowel mucosa. In type 1 diabetes, the insulin producing pancreatic beta cells are involved. The thyroid gland is the affected organ in autoimmune thyroid diseases. In Sjögren's syndrome, the attack is directed to the glands that secrete saliva and tears. The joints are affected in rheumatoid arthritis, and it is the gastrointestinal tract that is affected in Crohn's disease. In psoriasis, the skin is affected, and in Multiple Sclerosis, the target tissue is the myelin sheath surrounding nerves.
Although AD have a genetic predisposition,1,3 the concordance rate between twins is only about 30 %, so the interaction between one's genotype and several environmental factors plays a major role.1-3
In the last 20 years, several dietary factors have been implicated in AD such as drugs,1 heavy metals,1 viral and bacterial infections,1 vitamin D deficiency,4-14 and gluten consumption15-37 (that's a group of water-soluble proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and oats15). It also appears that cow's milk is involved in certain AD, as well.
Various epidemiological studies have associated milk with T1D38-45, especially when the initial exposure begins in the first months of life. This evidence appears to be consistence, since various reviews of the scientific literature published in 199346, 199447,48, 199849, 199950,51, 200252, 200353 and 200554,55 corroborate the association between cow's milk drinking and T1D.
Regarding MS and cow's milk consumption, epidemiological studies have also repeatedly shown a strong correlation56-60.
The most likely mechanism is called molecular mimicry whereby amino acid sequences from milk proteins resemble amino acid sequences in our body's organs and tissues.
Indeed, there is molecular mimicry between bovine insulin (present in cow's milk) and human insulin61-66, which may explain the Cow's Milk-T1D connection.
Molecular mimicry is also a suspected mechanism explaining the MS connection and the implicated milk proteins are:
Butyrophilin(a bovine milk fat globule protein), since there is molecular mimicry between this protein and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), an autoantigen involved in MS.67
Bovine serum albumin(one of the proteins in cow's milk whey), as there is structural similarity between this protein and the autoantigen myelin basic protein.68
Finally, there is molecular mimicry between bovine serum albumin and human collagen type 1, which has implications for RA69. Indeed, case studies have shown that elimination of milk and dairy products from the diets of patients with RA improved symptoms, and the disease was markedly exacerbated on re-challenge.69
Bovine Milk is also implicated in other auto-immune diseases, such as Crohn's disease70, Sjögren's syndrome71 and even celiac disease.72
Based on this evidence, it appears that people with an elevated risk for auto-immune diseases or already with the disease would benefit from a dairy free diet, which is one of the characteristics of the Paleo Diet.
References:
References:
1. Progress in Autoimmune Disease Research. The Autoimmune Disease Coordinating Committee Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Bethesda (MD), 2005. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/autoimmune/PDF/ADCCFinal.pdf
2. Fairweather D, Rose NR. Women and autoimmune disease. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10:2005-2011. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no11/04-0367.htm
3. Rose N R, Mackay IR. The auto-immune diseases. Academic Press, 2006
4. Mohr SB, Garland CF, Gorham ED, Garland FC. The association between ultraviolet B irradiance, vitamin D status and incidence rates of type 1 diabetes in 51 regions worldwide. Diabetologia. 2008 Jun 12.
5. Cutolo M, Otsa K, Uprus M, Paolino S, Seriolo B. Vitamin D in rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmun Rev. 2007 Nov;7(1):59-64.
6. Ramagopalan SV, Maugeri NJ, Handunnetthi L, Lincoln MR, Orton SM, Dyment DA, Deluca GC, Herrera BM, Chao MJ, Sadovnick AD, Ebers GC, Knight JC. Expression of the multiple sclerosis-associated MHC class II Allele HLA-DRB1*1501 is regulated by vitamin D. PLoS Genet. 2009 Feb;5(2):e1000369
7. Niino M, Fukazawa T, Kikuchi S, Sasaki H. Therapeutic potential of vitamin D for multiple sclerosis. Curr Med Chem. 2008;15(5):499-505
8. Stefanić M, Papić S, Suver M, Glavas-Obrovac L, Karner I. Association of vitamin D receptor gene 3'-variants with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in the Croatian population. Int J Immunogenet. 2008 Apr;35(2):125-31.
9. Lin WY, Wan L, Tsai CH, Chen RH, Lee CC, Tsai FJ. Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms are associated with risk of Hashimoto's thyroiditis in Chinese patients in Taiwan. J Clin Lab Anal. 2006;20(3):109-12.
10. Nancy AL, Yehuda S. Prediction and prevention of autoimmune skin disorders. Arch Dermatol Res. 2009 Jan;301(1):57-64
11. Bang B, Asmussen K, Sørensen OH, Oxholm P. Reduced 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in primary Sjögren's syndrome. Correlations to disease manifestations. Scand J Rheumatol. 1999;28(3):180-3.
12. Müller K, Oxholm P, Sørensen OH, Thymann M, Høier-Madsen M, Bendtzen K. Abnormal vitamin D3 metabolism in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Ann Rheum Dis. 1990 Sep;49(9):682-4.
13. Naderi N, Farnood A, Habibi M, Derakhshan F, Balaii H, Motahari Z, Agah MR, Firouzi F, Rad MG, Aghazadeh R, Zojaji H, Zali MR. Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in Iranian patients with inflammatory bowel disease. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 Dec;23(12):1816-22.
14. Simmons JD, Mullighan C, Welsh KI, Jewell DP. Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism: association with Crohn's disease susceptibility. Gut. 2000 Aug;47(2):211-4.
15. McGough N, Cummings JH. Coeliac disease: a diverse clinical syndrome caused by intolerance of wheat, barley and rye. Proc Nutr Soc. 2005 Nov;64(4):434-50
16. Toumi D, Mankai A, Belhadj R, Ghedira-Besbes L, Jeddi M, Ghedira I. Thyroid-related autoantibodies in Tunisian patients with coeliac disease. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2008;46(3):350-3.
17. Spadaccino AC, Basso D, Chiarelli S, Albergoni MP, D'Odorico A, Plebani M, Pedini B, Lazzarotto F, Betterle C. Celiac disease in North Italian patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. Autoimmunity. 2008 Feb;41(1):116-21.
18. Iuorio R, Mercuri V, Barbarulo F, D'Amico T, Mecca N, Bassotti G, Pietrobono D, Gargiulo P, Picarelli A. Prevalence of celiac disease in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis. Minerva Endocrinol. 2007 Dec;32(4):239-43.
19. Ch'ng CL, Jones MK, Kingham JG. Celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid disease. Clin Med Res. 2007 Oct;5(3):184-92.
20. Maclaurin BP, Matthews N, Kilpatrick JA. Coeliac disease associated with auto-immune thyroiditis, Sjogren's syndrome, and a lymphocytotoxic serum factor. Aust N Z J Med. 1972 Nov;2(4):405-11. No abstract available.
21. Pittman Fe, Holub Da. Sjoegren's Syndrome and Adult Celiac Disease. Gastroenterology. 1965 Jun;48:869-76.
22. Teppo AM, Maury CP. Antibodies to gliadin, gluten and reticulin glycoprotein in rheumatic diseases:elevated levels in Sjögren's syndrome. Clin Exp Immunol. 1984 Jul;57(1):73-8.
23. Szodoray P, Barta Z, Lakos G, Szakáll S, Zeher M. Coeliac disease in Sjögren's syndrome--a study of 111 Hungarian patients. Rheumatol Int. 2004 Sep;24(5):278-82.
24. Lidén M, Kristjánsson G, Valtýsdóttir S, Hällgren R. Gluten sensitivity in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2007 Aug;42(8):962-7.
25. Paimela L, Kurki P, Leirisalo-Repo M, Piirainen H. Gliadin immune reactivity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1995 Sep-Oct;13(5):603-7.
26. Cordain L, Toohey L, Smith MJ, Hickey MS. Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. Br J Nutr. 2000 Mar;83(3):207-17.
27. Hafstrom I, Ringertz B, Spangberg A, von Zweigbergk L, Brannemark S, Nylander I, Ronnelid J, Laasonen L, Klareskog L: A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2001, 40:1175-1179.
28. Reichelt KL, Jensen D. IgA antibodies against gliadin and gluten in multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand. 2004 Oct;110(4):239-41
29. Pengiran Tengah CD, Lock RJ, Unsworth DJ, Wills AJ. Multiple sclerosis and occult gluten sensitivity. Neurology. 2004 Jun 22;62(12):2326-7.
30. Michaëlsson G, Gerdén B, Ottosson M, Parra A, Sjöberg O, Hjelmquist G, Lööf L. Patients with psoriasis often have increased serum levels of IgA antibodies to gliadin. Br J Dermatol. 1993 Dec;129(6):667-73.
31. Michaëlsson G, Gerdén B, Hagforsen E, Nilsson B, Pihl-Lundin I, Kraaz W, Hjelmquist G, Lööf L. Psoriasis patients with antibodies to gliadin can be improved by a gluten-free diet. Br J Dermatol. 2000 Jan;142(1):44-51.
32. Hoorfar J, Buschard K, Dagnaes-Hansen F. Prophylactic nutritional modification of the incidence of diabetes in autoimmune non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Br J Nutr. 1993 Mar;69(2):597-607.
33. Scott FW. Food-induced type 1 diabetes in the BB rat. Diabetes Metab Rev 1996;12:341-59.
34. Schmid S, Koczwara K, Schwinghammer S, Lampasona V, Ziegler AG, Bonifacio E. Delayed exposure to wheat and barley proteins reduces diabetes incidence in non-obese diabetic mice. Clin Immunol. 2004 Apr;111(1):108-18.
35. Ziegler A-G, Schmid S, Huber D, Hummel M, Bonifacio E. Early infant feeding and risk of developing type 1 diabetes-associated autoantibodies. JAMA 2003;290:1721-8.
36. Pastore M-R, Bazzigaluppi E, Belloni C, Arcovio C, Bonifacio E, Bosi E. Six months of gluten-free diet do not influence antibody titers, but improve insulin secretion in subjects at high risk for type 1 diabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003;88:162-5.
37. Banin P, Perretta R, Ravaioli E, De Sanctis V. Regression of autoimmunity and abnormal glucose homeostasis in an adolescent boy with silent coeliac disease. Acta Paediatr 2002;91:1141-3.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Hallucinations, Other Psychotic Symptoms in Children Linked to Use of ADHD Medications
Hallucinations, Other Psychotic Symptoms in Children Linked to Use of ADHD Medications
Caroline Cassels
January 28, 2009 — Physicians, patients, and parents should be aware that psychotic symptoms or mania arising in children treated with standard, approved drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may constitute an adverse drug reaction and not necessarily an additional psychiatric disorder, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) research suggests.
An analysis of 49 randomized controlled clinical trials as well as postmarketing surveillance data on ADHD drugs shows some children, including those with no identifiable risk factors, developed drug-related symptoms of psychosis or mania, including hallucinations, at usual doses.
"These drugs seem capable of producing this type of adverse psychiatric reaction. If a child receiving 1 of these medications were to develop such symptoms, strong consideration should be given to the idea that it could be a reaction to the medication rather than a separate psychiatric disorder in and of itself," principal investigator Andrew D. Mosholder, MD, from the US FDA, in Silver Spring, Maryland, told Medscape Psychiatry.
The analysis revealed that a total of 11 psychosis/mania adverse events occurred during 743 person-years of double-blind treatment of ADHD medications. Although the number of cases was small, the investigators point out there were no such events reported in 420 person-years of placebo exposure in the same trials. Dr. Mosholder added that such adverse events can occur across the board with all currently approved ADHD medications.
The study is published in the February issue of Pediatrics.
Tip of the Iceberg?
Further, investigators say that the reported incidence in the analysis may represent only the tip of the iceberg. Clinical-trial subjects undergo careful selection to ensure high likelihood of treatment success and a low probability of intolerance to these medications — a situation that does not generally reflect everyday clinical practice. Therefore, they point out, the findings likely underestimate the incidence of such adverse effects in the general population.
"One of the things we would like to call attention to is that such reactions are probably not rare. The other point is that these drugs are increasingly being used in younger children who, if they do experience hallucinations, may have difficulty understanding what's happening to them or describing it to an adult. So, if a child says 'I don't want to go to bed because it is covered with ants,' there should be consideration given that this may be an adverse drug reaction," study coauthor Kate Gelperin, MD, also from the FDA, told Medscape Psychiatry.
A 2003 survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 7.8% of children in the United States aged 14 to 17 years, or more than 4 million, have received a diagnosis of ADHD. Of these individuals, 4.3% were taking medication for the disorder.
According to Dr. Mosholder, the current analysis was prompted by a 2005 review examining postmarketing surveillance data of 1 of the methylphenidate products, which turned up reports of adverse psychiatric events in children.
Based on these reports, the FDA investigated whether such events were also associated with other ADHD agents used in pediatric populations. In March 2006, the investigators presented the current findings to an FDA pediatric advisory committee.
Subsequently, he said, these findings prompted changes to medication labeling and medication guides for ADHD products. However, he added, the current paper marks the first time the findings have been published in the peer-reviewed medical literature.
Half of Cases in Young Children
The study was 2-pronged and examined data from 49 placebo-controlled clinical trials of various ADHD agents in pediatric development programs for the products as well as postmarketing spontaneous reports of psychosis or mania gleaned from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS).
The drugs included in the study included 8 agents that are either approved or proposed for the treatment of ADHD. These included Adderall XR extended-release tablets (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine, Shire US) , Focalin XR extended-release capsules (dexmethylphenidate, Novartis Pharmaceuticals), Concerta extended-release tablets (methylphenidate, ALZA Corp), Metadate CD extended-release capsules (methylphenidate, Celltech Pharmaceuticals), Ritalin LA extended-release capsules (methylphenidate, Novartis Pharmaceuticals), Strattera (atomoxetine, Eli Lilly), Daytrana transdermal system (methylphenidate, Shire US), and Provigil (modafinil, Cephalon), which is not approved for the treatment of ADHD.
Analysis of the data from the clinical trial revealed psychosis/mania events occurred during double-blind treatment with every compound except Adderall XR, although the researchers note there were psychosis/mania events reported with open-label Adderall XR treatment. The rate per 100-person years in the pooled active-drug group was 1.48. No such adverse events were reported in patients in the placebo-treatment groups.
Overall, the postmarketing findings revealed a total of 865 unique postmarketing case reports describing signs and/or symptoms of psychosis or mania. The majority of these were pediatric cases, with nearly half reported in children aged 10 years or younger.
No Identifiable Risk Factors
Resolution of symptoms after stopping the medication was reported in 25% to 59%, depending on the drug. Interestingly, no risk factors were identified that could account for the majority of reports of psychosis- or mania-related events.
"It was surprising to us is that in the postmarketing spontaneous reports we were not able to identify a clear risk factor that predicted the occurrence of the hallucinations or other psychotic events. Going into this analysis, I thought that we would have found more situations where there was a very high dose of the drug or overdose or drug-abuse situation or other psychiatric illness, but this was not the case," said Dr. Gelperin.
It is important, say the investigators, that clinicians, patients, and parents, particularly those with very young children, are aware of the possibility of such adverse reactions.
Prescribers need to sit down with the patient and/or the parents if the patient is a young child and let them know what the safety profile of the ADHD medication is before starting treatment, said Dr. Gelperin.
Second, if a hallucination or other type of adverse psychiatric event does occur, as a first step the drug should be stopped or the dose reduced before any other medication is added or diagnosis made.
"If symptoms of psychosis or mania are overlooked as a drug reaction, the worst-case scenario is that the child is given an additional new diagnosis and an additional new medication, which would be very unfortunate," said Dr. Gelperin.
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Pediatrics. 2009;123:611-616. Abstract
Caroline Cassels
January 28, 2009 — Physicians, patients, and parents should be aware that psychotic symptoms or mania arising in children treated with standard, approved drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may constitute an adverse drug reaction and not necessarily an additional psychiatric disorder, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) research suggests.
An analysis of 49 randomized controlled clinical trials as well as postmarketing surveillance data on ADHD drugs shows some children, including those with no identifiable risk factors, developed drug-related symptoms of psychosis or mania, including hallucinations, at usual doses.
"These drugs seem capable of producing this type of adverse psychiatric reaction. If a child receiving 1 of these medications were to develop such symptoms, strong consideration should be given to the idea that it could be a reaction to the medication rather than a separate psychiatric disorder in and of itself," principal investigator Andrew D. Mosholder, MD, from the US FDA, in Silver Spring, Maryland, told Medscape Psychiatry.
The analysis revealed that a total of 11 psychosis/mania adverse events occurred during 743 person-years of double-blind treatment of ADHD medications. Although the number of cases was small, the investigators point out there were no such events reported in 420 person-years of placebo exposure in the same trials. Dr. Mosholder added that such adverse events can occur across the board with all currently approved ADHD medications.
The study is published in the February issue of Pediatrics.
Tip of the Iceberg?
Further, investigators say that the reported incidence in the analysis may represent only the tip of the iceberg. Clinical-trial subjects undergo careful selection to ensure high likelihood of treatment success and a low probability of intolerance to these medications — a situation that does not generally reflect everyday clinical practice. Therefore, they point out, the findings likely underestimate the incidence of such adverse effects in the general population.
"One of the things we would like to call attention to is that such reactions are probably not rare. The other point is that these drugs are increasingly being used in younger children who, if they do experience hallucinations, may have difficulty understanding what's happening to them or describing it to an adult. So, if a child says 'I don't want to go to bed because it is covered with ants,' there should be consideration given that this may be an adverse drug reaction," study coauthor Kate Gelperin, MD, also from the FDA, told Medscape Psychiatry.
A 2003 survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 7.8% of children in the United States aged 14 to 17 years, or more than 4 million, have received a diagnosis of ADHD. Of these individuals, 4.3% were taking medication for the disorder.
According to Dr. Mosholder, the current analysis was prompted by a 2005 review examining postmarketing surveillance data of 1 of the methylphenidate products, which turned up reports of adverse psychiatric events in children.
Based on these reports, the FDA investigated whether such events were also associated with other ADHD agents used in pediatric populations. In March 2006, the investigators presented the current findings to an FDA pediatric advisory committee.
Subsequently, he said, these findings prompted changes to medication labeling and medication guides for ADHD products. However, he added, the current paper marks the first time the findings have been published in the peer-reviewed medical literature.
Half of Cases in Young Children
The study was 2-pronged and examined data from 49 placebo-controlled clinical trials of various ADHD agents in pediatric development programs for the products as well as postmarketing spontaneous reports of psychosis or mania gleaned from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS).
The drugs included in the study included 8 agents that are either approved or proposed for the treatment of ADHD. These included Adderall XR extended-release tablets (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine, Shire US) , Focalin XR extended-release capsules (dexmethylphenidate, Novartis Pharmaceuticals), Concerta extended-release tablets (methylphenidate, ALZA Corp), Metadate CD extended-release capsules (methylphenidate, Celltech Pharmaceuticals), Ritalin LA extended-release capsules (methylphenidate, Novartis Pharmaceuticals), Strattera (atomoxetine, Eli Lilly), Daytrana transdermal system (methylphenidate, Shire US), and Provigil (modafinil, Cephalon), which is not approved for the treatment of ADHD.
Analysis of the data from the clinical trial revealed psychosis/mania events occurred during double-blind treatment with every compound except Adderall XR, although the researchers note there were psychosis/mania events reported with open-label Adderall XR treatment. The rate per 100-person years in the pooled active-drug group was 1.48. No such adverse events were reported in patients in the placebo-treatment groups.
Overall, the postmarketing findings revealed a total of 865 unique postmarketing case reports describing signs and/or symptoms of psychosis or mania. The majority of these were pediatric cases, with nearly half reported in children aged 10 years or younger.
No Identifiable Risk Factors
Resolution of symptoms after stopping the medication was reported in 25% to 59%, depending on the drug. Interestingly, no risk factors were identified that could account for the majority of reports of psychosis- or mania-related events.
"It was surprising to us is that in the postmarketing spontaneous reports we were not able to identify a clear risk factor that predicted the occurrence of the hallucinations or other psychotic events. Going into this analysis, I thought that we would have found more situations where there was a very high dose of the drug or overdose or drug-abuse situation or other psychiatric illness, but this was not the case," said Dr. Gelperin.
It is important, say the investigators, that clinicians, patients, and parents, particularly those with very young children, are aware of the possibility of such adverse reactions.
Prescribers need to sit down with the patient and/or the parents if the patient is a young child and let them know what the safety profile of the ADHD medication is before starting treatment, said Dr. Gelperin.
Second, if a hallucination or other type of adverse psychiatric event does occur, as a first step the drug should be stopped or the dose reduced before any other medication is added or diagnosis made.
"If symptoms of psychosis or mania are overlooked as a drug reaction, the worst-case scenario is that the child is given an additional new diagnosis and an additional new medication, which would be very unfortunate," said Dr. Gelperin.
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Pediatrics. 2009;123:611-616. Abstract
Mercury in High-Fructose Corn Syrup?
Mercury in High-Fructose Corn Syrup?
Miranda Hitti
January 27, 2009 — Some foods and drinks rich in high-fructose corn syrup may contain detectable levels of mercury, a new report shows.
The report, published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), shows detectable levels of mercury in 17 out of 55 tested products rich in high-fructose corn syrup.
But the researchers aren't telling people to avoid those products or other items containing high-fructose corn syrup, and they aren't sure what form of mercury those products contained.
The Corn Refiners Association stands by high-fructose corn syrup, calling it "safe."
Mercury and High-Fructose Corn Syrup
The new report comes from researchers including David Wallinga, MD, director of the IATP's food and health program. They bought 55 products that list high-fructose corn syrup first or second on their list of ingredients, which means high-fructose corn syrup was a leading ingredient in those products.
Wallinga's team sent samples of those products to a commercial lab, which checked the levels of total mercury in each sample.
"Overall, we found detectable mercury in 17 of 55 samples, or around 31%," write Wallinga and colleagues.
Here is the list of those products:
Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
Market Pantry Grape Jelly
Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Minute Maid Berry Punch
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
Nesquik Chocolate Milk
Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk
Wallinga and colleagues caution that their list was "just a snapshot in time; we only tested one sample of each product. That clearly is not sufficient grounds to give definitive advice to consumers."
Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. A form of mercury called methylmercury is particularly risky to a baby's developing brain and nervous system, according to background information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Wallinga points out that the lab only tested for total mercury levels, not methylmercury or other types of mercury. He also notes that the EPA has a "reference dose," or upper limit, for methylmercury intake but not for other forms of mercury.
Where Did the Mercury Come From?
Wallinga's report doesn't prove that the mercury in the tested products came from high-fructose corn syrup, but "I'm hard pressed to say where else it would come from," Wallinga tells WebMD.
Wallinga explains that mercury can be used to make caustic soda, which is one of the products used to make high-fructose corn syrup. That's outdated technology; mercury isn't needed to make caustic soda, notes Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, in a statement emailed to WebMD.
Erickson didn't comment specifically on Wallinga's study. Instead, her statement focuses on a new study published online in Environmental Health, which shows mercury in some samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup tested in 2005.
"This study appears to be based on outdated information of dubious significance," Erickson states. "Our industry has used mercury-free versions of the two re-agents mentioned in the study, hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, for several years."
Wallinga agrees about the technological shift away from mercury. "If you just look within the confines of the U.S., yes, about 90% of production now is not using mercury," says Wallinga. "The problem is that we don't actually know where our companies are buying their high-fructose corn syrup from ... it's a global industry."
"For me, the take-home message is really that this is a totally avoidable, unnecessary exposure to mercury," says Wallinga. "We've got a safer, more efficient technology for making these chemicals that are part of the ingredients used to manufacture high-fructose corn syrup."
Mercury's Form Unknown
Like Wallinga's report, the study published in Environmental Health doesn't specify the form of mercury present in the high-fructose corn syrup.
"I would imagine that a good majority of the mercury that is detected would have been in the form of elemental mercury," not methylmercury, toxicologist Carl Winter, PhD, tells WebMD. Winter, who directs the FoodSafe Program at the University of California, Davis, says that methylmercury is "by far the most toxic form of mercury" because methylmercury is better absorbed by the body than other forms of mercury.
"We have a principle in toxicology, which is the dose makes the poison," says Winter. "It's the amount of a chemical, not its presence or absence, that determines the potential for harm, and frankly, I don't see based on their findings that they've made much of a case that this is something that consumers need to worry about." Besides his academic work, Winter is a volunteer spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit scientific society that includes food science and technology professionals in industry, academia, and government. Winter says his work has never been funded by food or chemical industries.
Companies Respond
WebMD contacted the makers of all 17 products that tested positive for mercury in Wallinga's report.
ConAgra Foods, which makes Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe and Hunt's Tomato Ketchup, is "absolutely confident in the safety of our products," ConAgra Foods spokeswoman Stephanie Childs tells WebMD.
Childs notes that "the levels of mercury reported in our ketchup are well below the EPA's safe exposure level. In fact, we estimate that you'd have to eat more than 100 pounds of ketchup per day to even come anywhere near the EPA's safe exposure level in terms of mercury.
A spokeswoman for Kraft Foods, Adrienne Dimopoulos, tells WebMD that Kraft has not had time to review the study's findings. However, "Kraft Foods' highest priority is the safety and quality of our products and the safety of our consumers. All of the ingredients we use are approved and deemed safe for food use by regulatory agencies, including the US FDA."
Amy Reilly, a spokeswoman for Target, which makes Market Pantry Grape Jelly, tells WebMD that Target is carefully evaluating the information and that "Target looks to the Food and Drug Administration to provide guidance on the safety of food additives and ingredients."
An FDA spokesperson wasn't immediately available to comment on Wallinga's report or the study published in Environmental Health.
SOURCES:
Dufault, R. Environmental Health, Jan. 26, 2009; online edition.
Wallinga, D. "Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup."
David Wallinga, MD, director, Food and Health Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
Statement from Audrae Erickson, president, Corn Refiners Association.
Carl Winter, PhD, director, FoodSafe Program and Extension Food Toxicologist, department of food science and technology, University of California, Davis.
Adrienne Dimopoulos, spokeswoman, Kraft Foods.
Amy Reilly, spokeswoman, Target.
Miranda Hitti
January 27, 2009 — Some foods and drinks rich in high-fructose corn syrup may contain detectable levels of mercury, a new report shows.
The report, published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), shows detectable levels of mercury in 17 out of 55 tested products rich in high-fructose corn syrup.
But the researchers aren't telling people to avoid those products or other items containing high-fructose corn syrup, and they aren't sure what form of mercury those products contained.
The Corn Refiners Association stands by high-fructose corn syrup, calling it "safe."
Mercury and High-Fructose Corn Syrup
The new report comes from researchers including David Wallinga, MD, director of the IATP's food and health program. They bought 55 products that list high-fructose corn syrup first or second on their list of ingredients, which means high-fructose corn syrup was a leading ingredient in those products.
Wallinga's team sent samples of those products to a commercial lab, which checked the levels of total mercury in each sample.
"Overall, we found detectable mercury in 17 of 55 samples, or around 31%," write Wallinga and colleagues.
Here is the list of those products:
Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
Market Pantry Grape Jelly
Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Minute Maid Berry Punch
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
Nesquik Chocolate Milk
Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk
Wallinga and colleagues caution that their list was "just a snapshot in time; we only tested one sample of each product. That clearly is not sufficient grounds to give definitive advice to consumers."
Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. A form of mercury called methylmercury is particularly risky to a baby's developing brain and nervous system, according to background information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Wallinga points out that the lab only tested for total mercury levels, not methylmercury or other types of mercury. He also notes that the EPA has a "reference dose," or upper limit, for methylmercury intake but not for other forms of mercury.
Where Did the Mercury Come From?
Wallinga's report doesn't prove that the mercury in the tested products came from high-fructose corn syrup, but "I'm hard pressed to say where else it would come from," Wallinga tells WebMD.
Wallinga explains that mercury can be used to make caustic soda, which is one of the products used to make high-fructose corn syrup. That's outdated technology; mercury isn't needed to make caustic soda, notes Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, in a statement emailed to WebMD.
Erickson didn't comment specifically on Wallinga's study. Instead, her statement focuses on a new study published online in Environmental Health, which shows mercury in some samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup tested in 2005.
"This study appears to be based on outdated information of dubious significance," Erickson states. "Our industry has used mercury-free versions of the two re-agents mentioned in the study, hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, for several years."
Wallinga agrees about the technological shift away from mercury. "If you just look within the confines of the U.S., yes, about 90% of production now is not using mercury," says Wallinga. "The problem is that we don't actually know where our companies are buying their high-fructose corn syrup from ... it's a global industry."
"For me, the take-home message is really that this is a totally avoidable, unnecessary exposure to mercury," says Wallinga. "We've got a safer, more efficient technology for making these chemicals that are part of the ingredients used to manufacture high-fructose corn syrup."
Mercury's Form Unknown
Like Wallinga's report, the study published in Environmental Health doesn't specify the form of mercury present in the high-fructose corn syrup.
"I would imagine that a good majority of the mercury that is detected would have been in the form of elemental mercury," not methylmercury, toxicologist Carl Winter, PhD, tells WebMD. Winter, who directs the FoodSafe Program at the University of California, Davis, says that methylmercury is "by far the most toxic form of mercury" because methylmercury is better absorbed by the body than other forms of mercury.
"We have a principle in toxicology, which is the dose makes the poison," says Winter. "It's the amount of a chemical, not its presence or absence, that determines the potential for harm, and frankly, I don't see based on their findings that they've made much of a case that this is something that consumers need to worry about." Besides his academic work, Winter is a volunteer spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit scientific society that includes food science and technology professionals in industry, academia, and government. Winter says his work has never been funded by food or chemical industries.
Companies Respond
WebMD contacted the makers of all 17 products that tested positive for mercury in Wallinga's report.
ConAgra Foods, which makes Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe and Hunt's Tomato Ketchup, is "absolutely confident in the safety of our products," ConAgra Foods spokeswoman Stephanie Childs tells WebMD.
Childs notes that "the levels of mercury reported in our ketchup are well below the EPA's safe exposure level. In fact, we estimate that you'd have to eat more than 100 pounds of ketchup per day to even come anywhere near the EPA's safe exposure level in terms of mercury.
A spokeswoman for Kraft Foods, Adrienne Dimopoulos, tells WebMD that Kraft has not had time to review the study's findings. However, "Kraft Foods' highest priority is the safety and quality of our products and the safety of our consumers. All of the ingredients we use are approved and deemed safe for food use by regulatory agencies, including the US FDA."
Amy Reilly, a spokeswoman for Target, which makes Market Pantry Grape Jelly, tells WebMD that Target is carefully evaluating the information and that "Target looks to the Food and Drug Administration to provide guidance on the safety of food additives and ingredients."
An FDA spokesperson wasn't immediately available to comment on Wallinga's report or the study published in Environmental Health.
SOURCES:
Dufault, R. Environmental Health, Jan. 26, 2009; online edition.
Wallinga, D. "Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup."
David Wallinga, MD, director, Food and Health Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
Statement from Audrae Erickson, president, Corn Refiners Association.
Carl Winter, PhD, director, FoodSafe Program and Extension Food Toxicologist, department of food science and technology, University of California, Davis.
Adrienne Dimopoulos, spokeswoman, Kraft Foods.
Amy Reilly, spokeswoman, Target.
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