Dr. Arturo M. Volpe

The more we learn, the more it becomes evident that chronic inflammation is a universal troublemaker that plays a part in almost every ongoing health condition.

Acute inflammation is one of the most beneficial, and often life-saving, defense mechanisms of the body. Acute inflammation is what gives us a fever when our bodies are fighting a virus, a sore throat in response to strep bacteria, or a swollen ankle after a hard fall. In every case like these, inflammation helps promote recovery.

However, chronic inflammation is a superfluous and harmful process. It’s a healthy process that forgot when to stop and no longer serves a useful purpose. What causes it?

According to recent British research, air pollution – something most of us breathe on a daily basis – can cause it. See news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4277113.stm. Exposure to toxins like mercury or lead can also be a cause, as can too much copper, iron, or even calcium in the blood. Studies have shown that a progressive shift in the human diet from consuming mostly omega-3 fats to mostly omega-6 can also set the stage for chronic inflammation (see “The Omega-3 Connection” by Andrew Stoll, MD). Finally, a simple lack of vitamin D can be the culprit.
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Tags: Autism, Autoimmune disease, Bone Issues, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Osteoporosis, Vitamin D | Comments Off on Vitamin D for chronic inflammation, MS and (possibly) autism

Here’s more of the same. If you want my opinion, every single one of these patented chemicals will be found to be dangerous sooner or later. I don’t mind if people choose to put them in their own bodies, but to force them on their children?

This study comes from right here in Houston at MD Anderson. After decades of booming sales, including a 500% climb from 1991 to 1999, could Ritalin really cause cancer?

Although this was a small study, its results were nevertheless dramatic. Researchers followed 12 children who took average doses of Ritalin over a period of three months and found that every one of them experienced a significant increase in the level of chromosome abnormalities, a condition that sets the stage for developing cancer later in life. Apparently the study was the first one ever to look for chromosome-damaging effects of Ritalin in children.

In a Houston Chronicle interview, Dr. Martin Legator, professor of toxicology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and chief researcher in this study, stated that Ritalin, like smoking, ‘doesn’t mean you’ll get cancer. It’s a risk factor.’

The reporter reminds us that this study is only the latest to cast doubt on ADHD medications. Only last month, Canadian authorities suspended sales of Adderall following reports of 20 deaths, while US regulators logged seven deaths of children taking Ritalin and Concerta, and Strattera was found to cause potentially fatal liver damage.

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from Janice Welch

For those of you aware of casein-free diets, you are probably also quite familiar with ghee. Ghee is butter that has been clarified by heating the butter and separating the milk solids from the oil, hence removing the casein and lactose from the finished product. Ghee is wonderful for baking, frying and using to season vegetables. It is also wonderful because it contains fatty acids that are beneficial to the brain.

Okay, so what is the problem with ghee? Mainly, that if it’s good quality, it is very expensive (13 ounces of organic ghee is $9.99).

I tried many times to clarify butter (which is in fact a very simple procedure), but in my zealousness to obtain a casein-free product, I became obsessed with different ways of trying to remove everything I thought could be a milk solid, and the result was usually disaster.

My allies in the fight to cure my son Nathan (my sister and parents) always keep me well-informed on cooking tips that they catch off the Food Network. One such idea was about an easy way to clarify butter. Simply add water to the separated butter and chill. The oil and water theory kicks in and you’re left with a water layer between your solids and your oil. Another idea was to chill the whole thing after separating, pop it out, and scrape off the unwanted layers.

These are probably both adequate and easy ways to clarify butter if you are just using it for culinary purposes. But they are not satisfactory if you are a mother that is a little bit nutty when it comes to dietary infractions (here I am merely speaking of myself!).

With that being said, and with the amount of ghee that we use around my house, I set out to make the most straightforward and pure clarified butter I could. It turns out that the easiest way to do it is also the one most frequently listed under culinary techniques. I have just added an extra step to appease my ever-worrying mind.

Here’s how to do it:

Melt 3 to 4 sticks of organic or a hormone-free unsalted butter (Whole Foods 365 brands are the least expensive at $3.99 and $3.49 a pound respectively) on low heat in a small stainless steel pan. There will be a thick white layer of butterfat that appears on the top.

Skim the white parts off as it simmers on VERY LOW heat (too high a temperature will brown the milky solids, which may be okay for Indian cuisine, but it is not okay for putting on broccoli or making cookies!). The white parts may fall as they are disturbed by your skimming but as it settles, they will rise again and you can skim them off.

Once you have taken off all of the white foam, remove from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes.

Slowly pour off the clear yellow liquid into another small stainless steel pan, taking care not to mix up the milky solids that have settled on the bottom.

Pour off as much as you can without getting any of the milky solids, which are then discarded.

Here is the extra step. Once again over VERY LOW heat, warm up the pan with the clarified butter. If you have missed any of the white gunk on the top, you can easily take it off now. The butter should be clear and as it warms only clear small bubbles will appear on the surface. Remove from heat and let it cool a few minutes.

It is now time to pour it off again. If you have left any gunk at the bottom it will once again be evident as you pour it off.

Pour into a glass storage container. (I keep mine in the refrigerator, it may not be necessary but it makes me feel better)

A word of caution: I prepared the ghee using a gas range and was able to set the heat VERY LOW. I am not sure how low a heat setting can be achieved on an electric range. A heat diffuser ring from the cooking store might help with the heat.

Ghee will keep for quite a while, so don’t worry about making a large amount (three to four sticks) at a time. You can do less, but it gets a bit tricky when pouring it off.

The extra warming step may become totally unnecessary as you do it more times. Or it is already totally unnecessary if you are not worried about tiny amounts of casein.

So, two pounds of butter later, I am quite pleased with the result. So pleased that Nathan sat down to his nightly cauliflower topped with homemade ghee. He loved it.

Savings on a 13 oz. bottle of ghee: $6.50. Not having to run to the health food store for my ghee (I don’t have one very conveniently located): priceless!

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Medicine recognized years ago that in the vast majority of cases – somewhere between 80 and 90% – a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori for short) is responsible for gastritis and ulcers of the stomach and small intestine.

Something still seems odd about this because statistics show that as many as two-thirds of people around the globe are carriers of this bug, but very few ever develop ulcers. On the other hand this relationship is certain: treat the bug and the ulcer goes away. It seems to me that something else in the body might be at play, enabling the bacteria to suddenly start causing mischief. Maybe the immune system loses the ability to keep it under control.

H. pylori is also difficult to eradicate as it resists most commonly prescribed antibiotics. The current treatment protocol calls for a combination of drugs, but new strains have been appearing that are resistant even to this aggressive therapy. Not only that, but even when eradicated re-infection is always a possibility, particularly considering how widespread this bug is.

A new study (Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80: 737-41) reveals another option for treatment: yogurt! Although yogurt doesn’t kill the bug, it seems to just keep it from causing trouble and promotes healing of ulcers. It should be noted that the study didnÔø?t just use any yogurt, but one that was rich in lactic acid bacteria. Patients were advised to consume it twice a day.

Considering that the bacteria in yogurt do not live in the stomach, it is likely that this benefit is indirect and possibly a result of yogurt’s ability to strengthen the immune system. In last month’s newsletter I discussed many possible benefits of “true” yogurt. This is another one worth adding to that list.

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When we read or hear about mercury as the cause of autism or any other illness we should remember that this is only one piece of the puzzle. Being able to single out just one cause would be wonderful, but reality is rarely so simple. Evidence continues to mount that there is an epidemic of autism even without mercury in vaccines, and recent data from the State of California shows that the incidence of autism continues to climb even after mercury was banned from vaccines. (Note: someone recently asked me why autism is so prevalent in California, but the reality is that California just has a better system to track it. Here in Texas and in other states we have no idea how prevalent it is).

Environmental chemicals are another big piece of the puzzle, and it doesn’t even matter if you’re dealing with autism, other neurological disorders, cancer, or even high blood pressure: toxic chemicals play a part in all of these. They disrupt the nervous and immune systems. They have been linked with Parkinson’s disease, chronic fatigue, MS and the list goes on.

Chemicals are also harder to identify and test for than mercury and can sometimes cause damage at minuscule concentrations such as parts per billion. Where you’ve been or what you have been exposed to doesn’t even matter, they’re under your kitchen sink and everywhere!
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Tags: Autism, Chemicals & Environmental Issues, Chronic Fatigue, Detoxification, Immune System, Mercury in Medications | Comments Off on Environmental chemicals and detoxification

Contributed by Janice Welch

In visiting with a friend of mine about toxins in the environment, she indicated that she had bought English ivy for her kitchen to absorb toxins emitted from gas stoves, etc. Although I had heard about the importance of plants in indoor spaces, I had never been inclined to purchase any due to the fact that I do not have a green thumb; in fact mine is quite brown.

I single-handedly put multiple houseplants to rest back in my earlier years. Yet now, I figured, I am all grown up and I was quite intrigued, so I began to research different houseplants.

My friend was absolutely correct about English ivy being a toxin remover. The problem is that it is quite toxic itself, and without a very high place to put it, I would never be able have it around my Nathan (no telling what that boy would eat).

So I found some other plants that are toxin removers and researched their toxicity, and also purchased some. Although some havenít made it, others have done amazingly well, even after my inattention.

The most common chemical offenders in our homes and offices are benzene (found in detergents, ink or dye, petroleum products, plastics and rubbers, synthetic fibers, smoke, etc.), formaldehyde (found in carpeting, cleaners, furniture, plywood, etc.), and trichloroethylene (found in adhesives, dry cleaning, inks or dyes, lacquer or paint, varnishes, etc.)

The big toxin reducer plants that are found in most studies are:

English ivy – benzene reducer – but TTN*

Janet Craig Dracaena – benzene reducer – super easy to care for!

Other Dracaenas – benzene and trichloroethylene reducers – also easy to care for

Areca Palm – benzene, trichloroethylene, and dust allergen reducer – beautiful plant, takes a lot of water, but easy to care for

Peace Lily – benzene, trichloroethylene, and dust allergen reducer – beautiful plant, takes a lot of water, also easy to care for, but sadly is TTN*

Boston Ferns – multiple chemical reductions, and non-toxic, but I found them horribly hard to care for; both of mine are now outside enjoying the pampering of my gardener husband

Golden Pothos or Devilís Ivy – benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide reducer – sadly TTN*

Aloe – formaldehyde reducer – great plant, but portions are TTN*

Spider plants – good for carbon monoxide reduction – relatively easy to care for

*Do realize that all plants have some level of toxicity when ingested by sensitive individuals. I have listed the ones that show severe or moderate reactions as “TTN” – or Too Toxic for Nathan. The others may still induce mild reactions in some individuals.

There are other plants that could be included in this list, but all of the above are easily found at any garden center.

The ideal spacing of these houseplants is one per every 100 square foot of space. So I do have more plants to buy, but I feel very confident with the dracaenas (especially the Janet

Craig) and the areca palms.

One last note on toxic plants: If you have children (especially special needs children), or if children play in your yard, remove all oleander plants. Since they are hardy, pretty, and

easy to care for, homebuilders plant them in many yards. The entire plant is extremely toxic, and ingestion of any part could have very serious consequences. If this last statement

makes you wary, a good website for a listing of indoor and outdoor poisonous plants by botanical name and common name is at: http://gardeningfromthegroundup.us/Poisonous%

20house%20%20plants.htm

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When Strattera was approved a few years ago, many hailed it as a major breakthrough in the treatment of ADHD. Finally, an ADHD drug that wasn’t related to cocaine and wasn’t an amphetamine! I heard some very educated people say that this drug was going to be safe because it wasn’t a stimulant.

New evidence has now led the FDA to require a warning for Strattera. Apparently a “small percentage” of children on this drug can develop severe liver injury that progresses to liver failure and death. Warning signs of trouble include itching, jaundice, dark urine, tenderness on the right side of the abdomen, or “flu-like” symptoms. Wonderful!

After the Vioxx episode and now this, I would suggest that the next time you hear of a breakthrough treatment you keep a safe distance from it.

For more information on the new Strattera warning see www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=18014.

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I know that the prevailing view is that allergies are genetic, but I disagree and for years I have been telling my patients or their parents that allergies come from the gut. Although some people do pay attention when I say this, more often than not I see eyes roll in disbelief.

Finally, a new study from the University of Michigan Medical School (Infect Immun 2005 Jan; 73 (1): 30-8) confirms just what I have been preaching all along, and I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Researchers started out with healthy laboratory mice and treated half of them with antibiotics. As pointed out in the study, in addition to killing their intended targets, antibiotics also disrupt the intestinal flora and enable the yeast Candida albicans to grow unimpeded. This outcome is further aggravated by a high sugar and refined-carbohydrate diet; just what children (and many adults) eat today.
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from Janice Welch

3 cups almond meal
3 teaspoons Stevita liquid stevia
1-1/2 tablespoons almond oil or sesame oil
1 1/4 teaspoons ginger
boiling water as needed

Mix almond meal, stevia, oil and ginger. Add one tablespoon of water at a time until dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls and flatten on to cookie sheet. Bake at 300? until firm and golden brown.

Almond Cookies (gluten-and casein-free)
from Janice Welch

2 1/4 cups almond flour (or any raw nut except peanuts, ground into flour)
1/3 cup of ghee (at room temperature)
1 tsp Frontier brand non-alcohol vanilla flavoring
1 tsp Frontier brand non-alcohol almond flavoring
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp Xylitol
2 eggs
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour with baking soda and salt, set aside. Beat ghee until creamy. Add xylitol and honey. Beat in vanilla flavor, almond flavor, and eggs. Beat in flour until combined. Mix in coconut with a spoon. Line an airbake (the bottoms brown fast) cookie sheet with parchment paper, and drop dough by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Cook for approximately 12 minutes. Recipe yields 25 cookies (keep a batch on hand in the freezer – they even taste good frozen).

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1. Bring one quart (or liter) of milk to the simmer stage, stirring often to prevent scorching and sticking to the bottom of the pan, and remove from heat.

2. Cover and cool until the milk has reached room temperature or below (may be placed in refrigerator to speed cooling). It is very important that you allow the temperature to drop sufficiently or you will kill the bacterial culture you are now ready to introduce.

3. Remove about 1/2 cup of the cooled milk and make a paste by mixing it with 1/4 cup of good quality commercial yogurt. The commercial yogurt you use should be unflavored and unsweetened. Buy one that contains only milk or milk solids and bacterial culture, if possible. It is usually unnecessary to buy yogurt culture separately since commercial yogurt is very satisfactory to use as a starter. If you find it impossible to buy commercial yogurt that contains only milk and bacterial culture, then you are advised to buy yogurt culture (“starter”) separately. After removing what is needed, return the container of commercial yogurt to the coldest part of the refrigerator for it to be used as a starter for the next batch of homemade yogurt.

Saving some yogurt from a previous batch of homemade yogurt to use to start a new batch is not as satisfactory as using commercial yogurt as a “starter” each time. Manufacturers of commercial yogurt make every effort to use “lively” bacterial strains and extremely large numbers of bacteria in the manufacturing process. The conditions of home refrigeration most often do not promote the survival of yogurt bacteria to the same degree as the conditions maintained by the commercial producers of yogurt. Homemade yogurt, made by using some from the last batch as a “starter”, often fails to solidify (coagulate) properly due to insufficient live bacteria to properly convert the milk sugar.

4. Mix the paste with the remainder of the cooled milk and stir thoroughly.

5. Pour milk into any appropriate sized container, cover, and let stand FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS at 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. (38 to 43 degrees Centigrade.) If you forget to remove it after 24 hours, and the fermentation goes on longer, all the better. Under no circumstances should the fermentation time be decreased to less than 24 hours. This fermentation time should supersede any other instructions that may accompany a commercial yogurt maker. ommercial yogurt maker.

The source of heat used during the 24 hour fermentation is critical. It is very important to get the temperature correct at 100 to 110 F (38 to 43 C) before you proceed with the fermentation. Too high a temperature will kill the bacterial culture and will prevent the proper “digestion” (conversion) of lactose. Too low a temperature will prevent activation of the bacterial enzymes and will result in incomplete “digestion” of the lactose.

A thermos type of yogurt maker may NOT be satisfactory for this long fermentation period inasmuch as the hot water surrounding the thermos will not stay warm. Commercial electric yogurt makers control the temperature perfectly but the amount of yogurt that can be made at one time is limited.

The ideal source of heat is a large electric warming tray. If it has a temperature-regulating dial, use a thermometer to set the dial properly (a mouth thermometer is satisfactory). If the warming tray does not have a dial to control the temperature, cover the surface of the tray with a thickness of metal (such as a metal cake rack), or FIRE-RESISTANT material (such as a Teflon treated ironing board cover). Then allow the tray to remain on for about five minutes before placing the thermometer on the surface to determine the temperature. If too warm, use a thicker piece of metal or material. By using the large surface of the electric warming tray, a gallon of yogurt can be made at one time in two plastic or ceramic half gallon containers. An electric crock-pot (set to low) or heating pad, both checked for temperature, may be used.

Some people use their ovens; the pilot in a gas oven usually keeps the temperature in the oven within the correct range. If using the oven of an electric stove, change the oven light to a 60-watt bulb. Turning on the oven light (with a 60-watt bulb) should create enough warmth to make yogurt but always check the temperature with a thermometer first. Sometimes the oven door must be propped ajar with a little stick to achieve the correct temperature range. CAUTION: upon completion of yogurt fermentation, replace regular oven bulb.

6. Allow the yogurt to remain on the heat for a minimum of 24 hours to insure that all lactose is completely “digested.” Remove from heat gently, pour into smaller containers if desired, and refrigerate.

While this yogurt may not be as thick as commercial yogurt, it will be a true yogurt since virtually all of the lactose has been digested by the bacterial culture and further lactose digestion will not be required by intestinal cells.

For more information on yogurt makers and cultures, visit www.breakingtheviciouscycle.org.

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When discussing yogurt, we must first realize that virtually everything that is sold as yogurt in retail stores is far from the real thing. Commercial yogurts are loaded with sugar, dyes, and other additives to enhance taste and consistency, and are never fully fermented in order to avoid a taste people might think is too sour.

True yogurt is the result of a fermentation process whereby different strains of bacteria collectively known as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) convert the lactose in milk to lactic acid. A review article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr 2000; 71: 861-72) discusses the health benefits of yogurt and the research supporting them.

During the fermentation process, LAB also put out enzymes that break down the protein and fat in milk. Therefore, fully fermented yogurt does not contain lactose and the proteins and fats it does contain are partly to fully digested. This makes them much easier to assimilate than those in milk and less likely to cause allergic reactions, even in very sensitive individuals.

The proteins in fully fermented yogurt are rich in sulfur-containing amino acids that help support detoxification. In addition, the lactic acid itself helps promote intestinal health because the bacteria in yogurt have been shown to support normal digestion and immunity.

I have often recommended the yogurt from White Egret Farm near Austin in Texas (see www.whiteegretfarm.com). The benefits I perceive are that the farm produces yogurt the right way, allowing it to ferment for thirty hours at the correct temperature, using a broad variety of beneficial LAB strains and their own goat’s milk. The benefits of goat’s milk are that it is even easier to digest and less likely to cause reactions than cow’s milk. Unfortunately, since it is a small family-run operation they are sometimes out of yogurt for extended periods.

So I recently started using and recommending a type of yogurt starter produced by Klaire Laboratories, a top-quality supplement company with great expertise in the area of probiotic bacteria. This product is called Culturaid.

To make great yogurt at home, you don’t need to buy a yogurt maker because over time you’ll find it to be mostly a hindrance. All you need is a good ceramic pot and a kitchen thermometer. If your oven has a warming light, that could provide all the heat required.

First, fill the pot with water and see if your oven will keep it at a steady temperature ranging between 90 and 110 F. If your oven won’t do this, another option is to buy a warming tray. In my experience most warming trays generate too much heat, even at the lowest setting. To achieve the right temperature I put a couple of trivets over the warming tray and the pot on top of the trivets. This separates the pot slightly from the heat source. Remember that achieving the right temperature is important because too much heat will kill the bacteria and too little will prevent it from growing properly.

It might take you a while to determine how to maintain the right temperature, but once you figure it out, all you have to do is to repeat the same procedure every time. I recommend that you use whole goat’s milk from Whole Foods because it is not homogenized and will make better yogurt than any milk that has been homogenized. If you don’t like the taste of goat’s milk, you can use cow’s milk and still get acceptable results. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a source for non-homogenized cow’s milk in Houston. If you know of one, please let me know.

Next, slowly bring the milk to a boil and allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes. Then let it cool to about 100 F, stir in the Culturaid as directed on the label, cover and keep at the desired temperature for a minimum of 24 hours or, for even better results, up to 36 hours. Then stir, transfer to glass jars you can close tightly and refrigerate. Homemade yogurt stays fresh in the fridge for at least a month.

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1 lb ground beef or ostrich, buffalo, turkey or other meat)
1 clove minced garlic or diced onion to taste
3 tablespoons minced dry parsley
1 tablespoon minced dry basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 16 oz can undrained tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste (use 2 cans for more tomato flavor, if desired)
1 5 oz package baby spinach or equivalent amount of fresh cabbage leaves, torn into small pieces
2 12 oz cartons cottage cheese or two 8 oz goat chevre
2 beaten eggs
1 lb sliced mozzarella, shredded or Alta Dena goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (optional)
1/2 c parmesan or shredded Alta Dena goat cheese

Brown meat in a skillet (no oil needed, but you can use a little olive oil if you want) and drain. Add garlic, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, basil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, tomatoes, tomato paste. Simmer 30 minutes with top off, until thick. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and parmesan. Spread half of the meat sauce in a 13x 9x 2 baking dish, then a layer of spinach, then the cheese mixture, then the mozzarella. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

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‘Carb-Free Comfort’ is a collection of recipes compiled by Elizabeth Caldwell to help those challenged with cutting carbs from their diet. Elizabeth was put on a diet free of all simple carbs but could not stay on it until she started adapting familiar ‘comfort food’ recipes that she missed. In this way she was successful in avoiding simple carbs and staying on the diet, and in the process regained her health.

The cookbook also contains tips for using organic ingredients and substitution ideas for those with allergies. It has 39 dessert recipes made with acceptable sweeteners.

Elizabeth has shared two of her recipes, below. If you are interested in the cookbook, call her at 512.567.1075, email her at carbfreecomfort@yahoo.com or visit the website at www.cookbooks4sale.com/displayCookbook.php?id=59914.

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Health conditions can be inherited without being genetic, but this important distinction is often overlooked. People say: I have this problem, my father or mother has it, my child has it; therefore, it must be genetic. But this is not necessarily so.

The point is clearly demonstrated in nutritional research dating back to the 1940’s and outlined in the landmark book ‘Pottenger’s Cats’ by Francis Pottenger, MD. When Dr. Pottenger deliberately fed some of his cats impoverished diets, their health deteriorated progressively as nutrient reserves were depleted over successive generations. By the fourth generation, cats had a very high rate of allergies and reproductive disorders; some even exhibited behaviors reminiscent of autism or ADHD.

Another clear illustration comes from omega-3 research described in Andrew Stoll’s book ‘The Omega-3 Connection.’ Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for many aspects of health,
including mental health; however, they are severely deficient in the modern American diet. In his book, Dr. Stoll explains how the body goes to great lengths to conserve these fats when it doesn’t get enough of them from food. To some extent omega-3 fats are passed on from one generation to the next during fetal development and through breast milk, so the full impact of dietary depletion only appears after several generations.

Many of us would agree that the standard American diet has become increasingly dependent on highly processed and packaged foods over the past several decades. Another equally significant aspect is that food itself is not as nutritious as it used to be. More evidence of this comes from a new study performed at the University of Texas. Using as a benchmark nutrients that were documented in crops 50 years ago, researchers found that six out of 13 nutrients had shown reliable declines (from a press release. The study will be in the December edition of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Find the press release at www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/uota-ssn120104.php ).

The common practice of applying toxic industrial sludge to farmland by labeling it as ‘fertilizer’ gives us an idea of how we have been progressively impoverishing our soil and food, while at the same time poisoning them both. This disturbing practice has been reported in various news outlets as well as a previous issue of this newsletter (1).

This raises another question: what happens when nutrient-depleted children (or adults) are exposed to environmental poisons such as mercury, lead, pesticides or other chemicals? A new study authored by Dr. Jill James (see www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/10405661.htm but registration is required) reveals that autistic children are deficient in a protein called glutathione and are therefore unable to excrete heavy metals like mercury and lead. The study also shows that providing these children with enough vitamin B12 and folic acid helps re-establish this protein and leads to improvements. We can therefore conclude that the lack of this protein is caused by vitamin deficiencies and is not genetic, as in this latter case the vitamin supplements would not make any difference. Evidence that children and adults alike are exposed to toxic metals and chemicals in the environment is certainly not lacking. After repeatedly denying that mercury used as a preservative in vaccines could be harmful, the Centers for Disease Control reported that as many as one in six women of childbearin g age have enough mercury in their blood to cause permanent damage to the nervous system of developing fetuses (2).

Studies that have looked for chemicals stored in blood or human tissues have never failed to find them, often at levels known to potentially cause cancer or neurological damage. One of these was reported some time ago on this newsletter (3).

A more recent study gives us an idea of how insidious this problem can become. The results showed that minute amounts of a chemical called methylisothiazolinone (MIT) –
commonly found in shampoos and skin lotions – could impair early development of the nervous system (see www.nature.com/news/2004/041129/full/041129-13.html). Although this was an in-vitro study and its findings cannot be considered definitive, the amounts found to be damaging are so minute that they could be easily absorbed through skin.

Children with symptoms of hyper-excitability may have a history of exposure to environmental toxins combined with nutrient deficiencies, but the solution is often fairly simple. A new French study showed that children described as suffering from aggressive behaviors, instability, lack of attention in school, muscle tension and spasms, improved over a period of 1 to 6 months with nothing more than vitamin B6 and magnesium supplements. (J Am Coll Nutr 2004 Oct; 23 (5): 545S-8S).

(1) “EPA sanctions use of toxic waste to make fertilizer” January 2003, archived on the Newsletters page of my website under the Environmental Issues link
(2) “More news on mercury” March 2004, archived on the Newsletters page of my website under the Environmental Issues link
(3) “New website reports high levels of chemical in our bodies” March 2003, archived on the Newsletters page of my website under the Environmental Issues link

Tags: Chemicals & Environmental Issues, Diet | Comments Off on Poor nutrition and the environment

Nothing is as critical to life as water, and when scientists look for signs of life on a distant planet they look for water first. Our own bodies contain more water than any other substance, and the aging process has been described as one of gradual dehydration. The message is clear: drink water if you want to stay young!

Water is also known as the universal solvent, because it ionizes spontaneously generating weak electrical charges that dissolve almost everything. This is key to understanding why water is so critical for detoxification and health, and why it can easily become contaminated.

Much of the water that comes out of our taps today is surface water that has been exposed to endless contaminants and filtered by municipal systems that are rudimentary at best.

Even the purest underground water can become contaminated as pesticides and other chemicals slowly seep into the soil.

At-home water filtration can be problematic because many of the most sophisticated filtration systems on the market produce acidic water. To see this for yourself, buy an inexpensive water pH testing device called ‘Tetra Test pH’ that can be easily found and ordered on the Internet. Distilled and reverse osmosis (RO) water have a pH of about 5.2 (highly acidic, given that 7 is neutral). Water becomes acidic as it loses minerals through the purification process and absorbs carbon dioxide from ambient air. This is true, despite the fact that people have been taught in Chemistry 101 that distilled water has a perfectly neutral pH of 7.0!

Acid water is aggressive and readily dissolves a multitude of toxic chemicals from plastic containers, as well as metals from cooking utensils. This is why distilled water always tastes terrible, and RO water is about the same. Many types of purified water sold in health food stores, sometimes with claims of great health benefits, violate the most basic rule for clean water: they’re acidic and packaged in plastic. Avoid them!

Water testing can be expensive and is basically futile, since no known test can cover the full range of possible contaminants. However, a company called AquaMD (www.aquamd.com) provides a great deal of useful information. They have developed a huge database showing the specific problems with water from different parts of the country and they recommend targeted solutions. This can be important information for you and your family, even if you don’t drink the water from your tap.

When selecting a type of water to drink, look first for one that is slightly alkaline (with a pH of around 7.2) and is available in glass bottles or jugs. Next look for one with frequent and rigorous testing programs. Beyond this, there are types of oxygenated or ionized water that might provide additional health benefits, but reliable data on these is scant. If you feel inclined to research this you might begin by reading about ionized water at www.hightechhealth.com. If you find something of interest let me know.

Tags: Chemicals & Environmental Issues, Diet | Comments Off on What you need to know about water

by Janice Welch

It is closing in on the holiday season and holiday baking is right around the corner. One of the best memories I have of the holidays is helping make and decorate Christmas cookies. This is a tradition that I hope to hand down to my daughter.

She already loves to help me bake. We make all sorts of cookies using healthy ingredients. The problem is, they all end up a very boring brown color. They taste great, but at this time of year I want to add a little pizzazz, a little of the magic that I remember from my own childhood.

If you are committed to avoiding artificial dyes, you’ll find this is not an easy feat. Finding natural colors has become quite a challenge. Spinach powder offers a not-so-pretty Army-green hue. Annatto seed gives a nice orange, but I have yet to be able to disguise the taste (I am still working on it, and will keep you updated).

However, my latest experiment with beet powder resulted in a beautiful reddish-pink that will work well for any stocking or Santa Claus goodies. It is also wonderful for drinks, whether you want pink homemade lemonade or a bright red fruit smoothie.

I had a hard time finding beet powder in local stores, so I ordered mine online at www.suttonsbaytrading.com (it’s in the flavored powders section).

If you want something super-easy, just mix some beet powder into organic spreadable raw honey (the creamy kind, not the liquid kind). The light brown color of the honey mixes with the beet powder to make a burgundy color.

It will also mix well into any white frosting recipe; just break up any lumps in the powder before mixing it in. Start with half a teaspoon and add more, little by little, to get to your desired color. A word of warning though: you will probably never get to a deep red unless you want beet-flavored frosting!

To make frosting a little healthier, try replacing the sugar in your recipe with half the amount of Xylitol plus 5 to 10 drops of liquid stevia extract.

Another nice addition for a very special cookie is sprinkles. Whole Foods carries a brand of sprinkles that, although full of sugar, are naturally colored. In my house, just a few sp rinkles are enough to make all the difference!

Tags: Recipes | Comments Off on Dyes and holiday baking

A partial list of signs and symptoms of low thyroid reads a bit like a “who’s who” of adults who come to see me:

Morning fatigue
Sleepiness
Depression
Headaches or migraines
Constipation
Muscle and joint pain
Menstrual disorders
Weight gain
Hair loss
High cholesterol
and so on

In many cases it would seem that just ordering a simple blood test to measure thyroid hormones would solve the riddle, and yet blood tests are often normal – even tests that are sophisticated and expensive!

Some seemingly forward-thinking doctors try to solve the problem by prescribing thyroid medication based on symptoms regardless of test results, but this is probably a bad idea. Excessive thyroid hormones suppress the body’s thyroid function and cause osteoporosis, and people rarely feel better in the long run. A better solution may be found by looking at what happens to thyroid hormones after the thyroid produces them.

The thyroid gland produces mostly T4, an inactive hormone, and much smaller amounts of T3, the active thyroid hormone. As T4 circulates in the blood, it is carried to body tissues where it is gradually converted to T3. For some people, the problem is that their bodies do not convert T4 to T3, not that they don’t produce enough T4.

Since blood tests are just a snapshot, they don’t fully evaluate the conversion of inactive T4 into active T3, a gradual process that occurs throughout the day. Experience has shown that a more sensitive test to evaluate conversion adequacy requires a 24-hour urine collection.

Once it is determined that there is a conversion problem, through testing or a process of elimination, we need to look at factors that could be hindering this conversion. The first of these is a deficiency of the mineral selenium.

I believe that selenium deficiency is widespread, because the soil in which our food is grown is itself depleted of this important mineral, and what little might be in our food is wiped out in refining and processing. Selenium in multivitamins may not be absorbed, considering that minerals compete with one another for absorption and that certain forms of calcium block absorption of other minerals. Further, the form of selenium used for thyroid hormone conversion, selenocysteine, which is found in garlic and broccoli from selenium-rich soil, is rarely included in supplements.

Stress also indirectly suppresses the conversion of T4 to T3 . Stress causes overproduction of the adrenal hormone cortisol, and cortisol blocks the conversion. Therefore, testing adrenal hormone levels makes a lot of sense when there is stress in addition to symptoms of low thyroid. Many herbal extracts, including the Indian herb Ashwagandha can be used to help normalize cortisol levels and can therefore improve thyroid metabolism.

Finally, herbal extracts that support liver function – such as milk thistle – have been found to help thyroid hormone conversion as well, simply because a majority of the T4 our bodies produce is converted to T3 in the liver.

It has been my experience that we need to look at more than blood tests to diagnose low thyroid, and treat stubborn cases with more than just a thyroid supplement.

Tags: Osteoporosis, Thyroid issues | Comments Off on Low thyroid: is it everybody’s problem?

A study of nutritional therapy in children suffering from violent behavior was recently completed at the Pfeiffer Treatment Center (PTC; see their website at www.hriptc.org) near Chicago and was published in the journal Physiology and Behavior (2004 Oct. 15; 82 (5): 835-9).

In this study, more than 200 children were individually evaluated and given nutritional supplement programs based on their specific needs. The evaluation phase included a history and exam, as well as a series of laboratory tests selected on the basis of PTC’s 10-year experience treating psychiatric disorders with nutrition and inspired by the work of the late Carl Pfeiffer, PhD, MD (detailed in his book “Mental and Elemental Nutrients”).

Results were dramatic; upon re-evaluation four and eight months after starting the program, more than 90% of participants had improved, with roughly 60% becoming symptom-free.

As impressive as this study may seem to many, it would be rapidly dismissed and considered “anecdotal” in mainstream medicine because it is an outcome study and not a double-blind study. In outcome studies patients are evaluated before and after treatment, as they are in double-blind studies, but none are given a sugar pill instead of the real treatment and both patients and doctors know what is being done.

The problem is that individualized nutritional therapy simply does not lend itself to analysis by double-blind study. This leads to a vicious cycle where vitamin therapy is considered quackery because there are no “valid” studies, which are not do-able, and the studies that are done are summarily dismissed. As inflexible as this position may appear, it reflects a deeply ingrained bias against natural and nutritional treatments.

In my work, I have long corresponded with the scientists at PTC and use evaluation criteria and nutritional therapies that are very similar to theirs.

Tags: Mental Health | Comments Off on Nutritional therapy found to moderate violent behavior

The average person following the news over the last month or so might have been shocked to find that the popular arthritis drug Vioxx was recalled for causing strokes and heart attacks only a few years after being introduced with great fanfare as the “safe” anti-inflammatory drug.

The truth is that patented drugs are expensive to develop and even more expensive to get through the approval process; yet they remain loose cannons because their safety cannot be truly guaranteed. In many cases, there’s not even a need for them.

For example, in a recent double-blind study, the supplement SAMe was found to be as effective as the drug Celebrex to control arthritis pain (BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2004 Feb. 26; 5 (1): 6). Celebrex is closely related to Vioxx and, in all likelihood, it is probably only a matter of time before it is shown to cause the same deadly side effects.

In this study, patients were given either 600 mg of SAMe twice a day or 200 mg of the drug Celebrex once daily. After one month, those receiving SAMe reported only marginal improvements in pain, but by the end of the second month the pain was controlled equally well in both groups. Researchers concluded that SAMe has a “slower onset of action but the two treatments are equally efficacious.”

In comparison with Vioxx, SAMe comes with side benefits, not side effects. Other research has shown it to be as effective as antidepressants in fighting depression (for a review of the literature see Curr Psychiatry Rep 2003 Dec; 5 (6): 460-6) and promoting detoxification of environmental chemicals (for example see Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol 1992 Jul-Sep; 38 (3): 145-51).

If you run to the health food store to buy a bottle of SAMe, you will find that it is expensive and realize that taking 1,200 mg of it every day might put a dent in your budget. However, the cost of SAMe is low in relation to Vioxx – especially if we consider the heart disease it caused.

If you can’t afford the SAMe, or simply prefer a holistic approach rather than relying on a single product, arthritis can often be controlled very well through diet change (yes, you’ll have to avoid sugar) and inexpensive supplements like fish oil, enzymes, and herbal extracts that include the common Indian spice tumeric.

My question is: who needed Vioxx in the first place?

Tags: Arthritis | Comments Off on The Vioxx fiasco and the safe alternatives

If you suffer from SAD, the end of daylight savings time is always bad news. SAD is characterized by symptoms of depression that flare up in the winter months when daylight hours decrease. It is far more prevalent up north, but I have seen it even here in Houston.

Since lack of sunlight obviously has something to do with SAD, treatment often involves daily exposure to bright white fluorescent light. However, this approach often doesn’t help and so many doctors just prescribe antidepressants.

An interesting theory is that it is not the lack of sunlight that causes depression, but the resulting vitamin D deficiency. Several studies appear to support this view.

In one study, 37 patients with marginal blood levels of vitamin D were given either 600 or 4,000 IU per day of vitamin D3 for three months, December through February. After this period, all patients reported improved wellbeing, with the higher-dose group faring significantly better (Nutr J 2004 Jul 19; 3 (1): 8).

In an older study, 15 patients with SAD were randomly assigned to receive vitamin D or daily light therapy. In this study only the group receiving vitamin D recovered (J Nutr Health Aging 1999; 3 (1): 5-7).

Last January I wrote about the many benefits of vitamin D (click on “Vitamin D” on the topics list of the Newsletters page on my website to view the full article). This vitamin plays important roles in calcium and bone metabolism, immunity, and protection from critical illness. If you suspect you are prone to SAD, that may be one more good reason to have your blood levels of vitamin D tested. The correct test to measure your vitamin D levels is one called “25-hydroxy vitamin D.” It is also important to ignore the lab’s reference ranges because they are based on the average of a vitamin D-deficient population. Instead, a good range is between 35 and 50 ng/ml.

If your levels are low, consider supplementing with vitamin D3, the most natural and safest form of this vitamin. Supplements in the range of 4,000 to 6,000 IU per day are safe for adults and probably necessary to reestablish adequacy if you are deficient. However, if you take high doses, it is important to monitor your blood levels of vitamin D through periodic testing and regular communication with your healthcare professional. Excessively high levels of Vitamin D can have toxic effects that could include kidney stones. Once an adequate level has been established, long-term maintenance intake of 1,000 IU per day has been shown to be safe (Am J Clin Nutr 2001; 73: 288-94).

Tags: Depression, Mental Health, Vitamin D | Comments Off on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Vitamin D