Dr. Arturo M. Volpe

If there is one thing I learned a long time ago it is to beware of products advertised as being free of one ingredient or the other. Every time such a product comes out the first question I ask is: what did they use as a replacement? It may take years to find out, but invariably we discover that the replacement was worse than what it replaced!

It was this way with fat-free foods that turned out to be loaded with sugar, sugar-free drinks laced with harmful aspartame, and cholesterol-free margarines containing trans-fats later found to cause heart disease and, quite possibly, cancer.
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Tags: Diabetes, Diet, Food Additives
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If you are anything like our family, you struggle constantly with the cost of organic food. You know you should do it, but sometimes you just can’t afford it. It is usually possible to find organic fruits and vegetables on sale when they are in season. Or you can join different local co-ops for produce. But when it comes to organic meat, it is way out of my price range, and when it comes down to choosing therapy and supplements versus organic meat. Well, quite simply, the meat loses.

So then comes the challenge of finding what is the next best. And you see all the labels in their glory “Pilgrim’s Pride 100% Natural Chickens” or Sanderson Farms declares its hormone-free chicken meat as “all-natural” and “100 Percent Chicken. Naturally.” Clever billboards declare, “Our ingredient list: chicken.”

So what does this word natural mean?
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Tags: Diet, Food Additives, Natural Food Resources
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Could it be that the very test used to screen for breast cancer “mammography” might increase your risk of getting the disease? This seems to be the conclusion reached in a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that lists radiation exposure from medical screening tests as a risk factor.

Thermography, a radiation-free imaging procedure, seems to increasingly be a valid alternative as new technologies develop. Unfortunately it not endorsed by mainstream medicine but you can read about it at http://www.redflagsdaily.com/aziz/2006_feb20.php (This site requires nominal fee for subscription. If you are a patient ask to see the article when stopping by my office).

I have said it for years: Ritalin and other ADD drugs are another huge medical crisis waiting to happen. These drugs are classified as amphetamines, or are cocaine-like substances, and we know the harmful effects that both of these can have. Why would the ADD drugs be spared these same problems? Now, after identifying 51 deaths from these medications, the FDA is requiring a warning on these medications regarding possible cardiovascular effects. You can find detailed information at www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/health/policy/10drug.html?ex=1142571600&en=6eb7d48be77b7687&ei=5070
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Tags: ADD/ADHD, Cancer, Diet, Food Additives, Natural Food Resources
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Everybody knows that MSG is a flavor-enhancing additive and we have all heard of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” a reaction to MSG that causes sensitive people to get headaches, dizziness or other symptoms. Few of us realize, however, that MSG has been finding its way into most – if not all – packaged foods in steadily increasing amounts.

The reason is simple: start with bland, highly processed food, add some MSG and you end up with something that is sure to sell.

But MSG in infant vaccines? This sounds outrageous but somehow it’s true. The reason it’s added is not taste but some other stabilizing effect it is reported to have. If you are having trouble believing this, read about it on the government’s own website at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/gen/additives.htm. You might also like to know that MSG is in flu shots as well (along with mercury).
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Tags: Baby Foods, Food Additives, Vaccines
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A recent double-blind study published in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy (2001;31:265-273) found that food additives such as tartrazine, benzoate, nitrite and food colors can aggravate eczema (atopic dermatitis). It has been my consistent observation that individuals with eczema improve greatly when they avoid foods they are allergic to as well as food additives, and it is helpful to see this at least partially confirmed in the medical literature.

Tags: Eczema, Food Additives, Food Allergies, Skin Conditions
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