Just Say NO To Candy

Written by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Joel Fuhrman M.D. is a board-certified family physician, NY Times best-selling author and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. Dr. Fuhrman is an internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing.

My wife and I used to shudder at the mere thought of our children going from house to house collecting candy, with the intention of eating it. We decided we were not going to be part of the candy-giving crowd, yet our kids wanted to be like everyone else. So we had to come up with something that would excite our children and please us. Fortunately, we did. It is possible to enjoy Halloween and make it a healthy celebration as well. It’s fun to dress up, be silly or scary and enjoy a unique annual event with our neighbors. As parents we must protect our children from harm and give them the best opportunity in life to have a happy and healthy future. Science suggests this candy feast does the opposite.
Scientific studies document that eating candy increases a child’s risk of later life cancer,¹ ADHD,² aggression, emotional and psychiatric diseases, and decreases intelligence. It may even increase the likelihood of violent criminal behavior,³ and will invariably result in eating patterns that can lead to a troubled and painful later life.
Consider a recent study on children who were fed junk food. They were tested as teens and it was found that they have lower IQ’s, reduced attention span and smaller hippocampus on MRI. That means it permanently damaged a part of their brain that is involved in learning and performance.⁴
Why is feeding toxic substances to our children celebrated with a holiday? Is it possible that:

1. Parents are so addicted to sweets that they are in denial that candy damages the body?
2. Parents think that a moderate ingestion of toxic or harmful substances is not disease-causing?
3. Parents think that it is okay to take risks with their children’s health because most diseases do not develop until later in adult life?
4. Parents feel that peer pressure to continue with the status quo is too hard to resist?

Many adults in our country are addicted to sweets, white flour products and other junk food. Most are completely unaware that they are addicted or worse deny it; this may eventually ruin their lives and place them in a position of suffering later in life. People who are addicted to a substance frequently lose the ability to think logically. Instead of making decisions based on science and logic, they seek denial, rationalizations and excuses that consciously and subconsciously permit them to continue their preferred addiction. Food can be so addicting that parents may subconsciously sacrifice the health of their children by feeding them unhealthful foods. This allows parents to delay their own change to a healthy diet and avoid dealing with and facing the awareness of how dangerous, candy, junk food and fast food are.
Food dyes and food chemicals found in candy are also carcinogenic. According to a recent report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, these man-made food dyes have dangerous health consequences, including promoting cancer and hyperactivity in children.¹ This is why the nonprofit Washington, D.C.-based consumer-watchdog group has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban them. No matter what our leaders in Washington do, you have a choice. You can choose to ban these foods from your diet and not feed them to your children.
For many, moderation is a myth. Eating junk food in moderation can be compared to moderation with cigarettes, even an occasional smoke leads many to want to smoke more. Toxic and harmful substances have varying toxicities based on genetic factors, with varying degrees of damage proportional to use and individual sensitivities. For many people, even moderate or occasional use of addictive substances such as tobacco, alcohol, doughnuts or candy can result in habitual use, sweet craving and toxic hunger. Sadly, feeding this addictive behavior can lead to serious diseases.
Not just Halloween but most holidays in America send a psychological message and teaching point to our children — the future leaders of our society. It says that pleasure-seeking, self-abuse with alcohol, junk food, and disease-causing substances that trigger addictive highs in the brain are okay, normal and desired. Seeking to get high on dangerous substances is not normal, it is a mass pathology. Highly processed candy bars and doughnut holes did not exist hundreds of years ago and the human body is not equipped to deal with such concentrated sources of sugar and chemicals. Candy and sugar is the gate way drug, meaning that for many, it leads to cravings and more brain stimulation with alcohol and drugs.
There are other ways to have fun with children besides feeding them hurtful foods. Children are inherently intelligent and perceptive. If they learn the dangers of consuming candy, they can also appreciate the parental concern here as an expression of love; watchful for their future. Now is the time to say no to this insanity and start modeling good behavior.
I hope you all have lots of fun on Halloween. There are ways to have a happy and healthy Halloween — be creative, play games, think of tricks and treats that are wholesome. Make a healthy dessert, such as a healthy apple pie, berry cobbler or homemade mango ice cream from frozen mangos and dried coconut. Give away super balls, silly putty, yo-yos, gyroscopes, and other cheap gifts bought at the dollar store for kids or in bulk from mail-order catalogues such as Oriental Trading. Grocery stores are even a good source for your non-candy Halloween tricks. I have seen kazoos, bubble soap, rubber worms and pencils. I hope Halloween is a time when children’s fun, safety, and love come first. If your children want to collect candy to be turned in for a prize or toy, you can do an exchange to remove the candy from the local environment. Let it be a time where we celebrate the gift that our children are to our lives with a creative good time that does not involve deception, self-abuse and addiction. I propose you have a family meeting and review this information and establish the rules ahead of time. Make it fun and socially impactful. This is a time of year to make a statement about self-abuse with food. More information on keeping your children healthy and disease-free can be found in my book, Disease-Proof Your Child.
The holidays are a time for us to celebrate our family units, our love for each other and spend time having fun together. Laughter, entertainment, sports, art, music, storytelling, jokes and games are all as healthy as eating kale. Enjoying life in healthy ways is good for our body and soul. I wish you a happy and healthy Halloween.
 

 About Dr. Fuhrman
Joel Fuhrman M.D. is a board-certified family physician, NY Times best-selling author and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. Dr. Fuhrman is an internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, and has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows including The Dr. Oz Show, the Today Show, Good Morning America, and Live with Kelly. Dr. Fuhrman’s own hugely successful PBS television shows, 3 Steps to Incredible Health! and Dr. Fuhrman’s Immunity Solution! bring nutritional science to homes all across America.
Dr. Fuhrman’s #1 NY Times best-selling book, Eat to Live (Little Brown), originally published in 2003, has sold over 1,000,000 copies and has been published in multiple foreign language editions. In October 2012, Super Immunity (HarperOne) became a NY Times best seller and in January 2013, his latest book, The End of Diabetes (HarperOne) also reached The NY Times list. In addition Dr. Fuhrman has written several other popular books on nutritional science which include: Eat for Health (Gift of Health Press), Disease Proof Your Child (St. Martin's Griffin), Fasting and Eating for Health (St. Martin's Griffin), and the Nutritarian Handbook (Gift of Health Press).


For more information about Dr. Fuhrman and his programs, please visit HERE.

The Sad Truth About Kids and Cancer | Healthy Child Healthy World

The Sad Truth About Kids and Cancer

Necessary News

Monday, September 19, 2011

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by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Executive Director/CEO, Healthy Child Healthy World

“Kiwi had only been sick once; never on any sort of medication, not even Tylenol. All of that changed on Friday, July 31st, 2010 when we found ourselves in the Emergency Room because Kiwi’s left hand had begun to spasm periodically all that day. Our lives went from Kiwi never being in the hospital and only at the doctors once (but never on any medications), to being poked and prodded for hours in the ER. I had a very difficult time comprehending the next few days of my life. It started in the ER on a Friday night and moved slowly through the weekend, to an MRI on Sunday showing that my darling 22 month old daughter had a large tumor on the right side of her brain.” (Read the rest of Kiwi’s story.)

Your daughter has cancer.

They are words no parent ever wants to hear, yet the sad fact is that every sixty minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer and every six hours, a child will lose her battle to cancer. Cases of pediatric cancer have increased 30% over the last 30 years, to the point that cancer is now the nation’s leading cause of death by disease in children.

Meanwhile, little action is being taken to prevent exposures to carcinogens, the substances which are proven to cause cancer. Even dioxin, the single most potent carcinogen identified by scientists, is still not being addressed in the United States. Dioxin has been targeted for international phase-out by a treaty signed by over 170 nations across the world—but not us.

The Environmental Protection Agency is supposedly on the verge of taking action, but the way things are going in Washington, I’m not holding my breath.

According to the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, “For over 20 years, EPA’s study on dioxin has been delayed time after time. American families have been exposed to this poisonous chemical for far too long. Every American eats dioxins when they consume fatty foods, and every American has measurable levels of this chemical in their body.”

And, dioxin is just one of 240 substances currently recognized as “reasonably anticipated to cause cancer” by a report released in June by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

At Healthy Child Healthy World, we believe it’s well beyond time to put our collective foot down and take aggressive action to prevent cancer. Throughout 2012, which is the 20th anniversary of our organization, we’ll be turning up the volume on this increasingly common—and tragic—issue.

Healthy Child began after five-year-old Colette Chuda died of a rare form of non-hereditary cancer linked to environmental factors; her parents, Jim and Nancy Chuda, turned their grief into action and formed Healthy Child Healthy World (formerly the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition) in 1992.

It's been 20 years and we've seen little change. Now, we're ready for a revolution.

We're inspired by the 46 mothers from across the country who will gather in Washington DC this week to shave their heads to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. By shaving their heads in solidarity with not only their children who have been diagnosed with cancer, but every child affected by cancer, the 46 Mommas hope to raise $1 million. (To locate ororganize an event in your community, sign-up to shave, donate or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org.) Here’s a video from last year’s Shave for the Brave event in Los Angeles.

To the 46 Mommas: We are humbled by your action, and honor your commitment.

To mothers everywhere: It’s time to stand up, get mad, and stop pediatric cancer in its tracks. Please join us in this fight, as we gear up for 2012.

Together, we can create a better world.

Read more: http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/the_sad_truth_about_kids_and_cancer/#ixzz1YqQTr8Bv

How to Stop Sugar Cravings

13 Ways to Fight Sugar Cravings

A WebMD Article

Sweet tooth raging out of control? Here's how to tame those sugar cravings.

Does that morning Danish leave you craving another treat two hours later? Do you grab a candy bar to cope with your afternoon slump -- and then reach for a cola to get out of your post-slump slump?

How can you stop sugar cravings once and for all? Here's expert advice.

If you’ve found that munching sugary snacks just makes you crave more sugary snacks, you’re not alone. Eating lots of simple carbohydrates -- without the backup of proteins or fats -- can quickly satisfy hunger and give your body a short-term energy boost, but they almost as quickly leave you famished again and craving more.

Why Do We Crave Sugar?

There are many reasons why we go for sweet things.

That appetite may be hardwired. "Sweet is the first taste humans prefer from birth," says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a dietitian and American Dietetic Association (ADA) spokeswoman. Carbohydrates stimulate the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. Sugar is a carbohydrate, but carbohydrates come in other forms, too, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

The taste of sugar also releases endorphins that calm and relax us, and offer a natural "high," says Susan Moores, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant in St. Paul, Minn.  

Sweets just taste good, too. And that preference gets reinforced by rewarding ourselves with sweet treats, which can make you crave it even more. With all that going for it, why wouldn’t we crave sugar?

The problem comes not when we indulge in a sweet treat now and then, but when we over-consume, something that’s easy to do when sugar is added to many processed foods, including breads, yogurt, juices, and sauces. And Americans do overconsume, averaging about 22 teaspoons of added sugars per day, according to the American Heart Association, which recommends limiting added sugars to about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 for men.

How to Stop Sugar Cravings: 8 Tips to Use Right Now

If you're craving sugar, here are some ways to tame those cravings.

• Give in a little. Eat a bit of what you’re craving, maybe a small cookie or a fun-size candy bar, suggests Kerry Neville, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and ADA spokeswoman. Enjoying a little of what you love can help you steer clear of feeling denied. Try to stick to a 150-calorie threshold, Neville says.
• Combine foods. If the idea of stopping at a cookie or a baby candy bar seems impossible, you can still fill yourself up and satisfy a sugar craving, too. "I like combining the craving food with a healthful one," Neville says. "I love chocolate, for example, so sometimes I’ll dip a banana in chocolate sauce and that gives me what I’m craving, or I mix some almonds with chocolate chips." As a beneficial bonus, you'll satisfy a craving and get healthy nutrients from those good-for-you foods.
• Go cold turkey. Cutting out all simple sugars works for some people, although "the initial 48 to 72 hours are tough," Gerbstadt says. Some people find that going cold turkey helps their cravings diminish after a few days; others find they may still crave sugar but over time are able to train their taste buds to be satisfied with less.
• Grab some gum. If you want to avoid giving in to a sugar craving completely, try chewing a stick of gum, says nutrition advisor Dave Grotto, RD, LDN. "Research has shown that chewing gum can reduce food cravings," Grotto says.
• Reach for fruit. Keep fruit handy for when sugar cravings hit. You'll get fiber and nutrients along with some sweetness. And stock up on foods like nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, says certified addiction specialist Judy Chambers, LCSW, CAS. "Have them handy so you reach for them instead of reaching for the old [sugary] something."
• Get up and go. When a sugar craving hits, walk away. "Take a walk around the block or [do] something to change the scenery," to take your mind off the food you’re craving, Neville suggests.
• Choose quality over quantity. "If you need a sugar splurge, pick a wonderful, decadent sugary food," Moores says. But keep it small. For example, choose a perfect dark chocolate truffle instead of a king-sized candy bar, then "savor every bite -- slowly," Moores says. Grotto agrees. "Don’t swear off favorites -- you’ll only come back for greater portions. Learn to incorporate small amounts in thediet but concentrate on filling your stomach with less sugary and [healthier] options."
• Eat regularly. Waiting too long between meals may set you up to choose sugary, fatty foods that cut your hunger, Moores says. Instead, eating every three to five hours can help keep blood sugar stable and help you "avoid irrational eating behavior," Grotto says. Your best bets? "Choose protein, fiber-rich foods like whole grains and produce," Moores says.

But won't eating more often mean overeating? Not if you follow Neville's advice to break up your meals. For instance, have part of your breakfast -- a slice of toast with peanut butter, perhaps -- and save some yogurt for a mid-morning snack. "Break up lunch the same way to help avoid a mid-afternoon slump," Neville says.

How to Stop Sugar Cravings: 5 Tips for the Long Term

One of the best ways to manage sugar cravings is to stop them before they start. To help you do that:

• Skip artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners may sound like a great idea, but "they don’t lessen cravings for sugar and haven’t demonstrated a positive effect on our obesity epidemic," says Grotto, author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life.
• Reward yourself for successfully managing sugar cravings. Your reward could be large or small.  Remember why you’re working on it and then reward yourself for each successful step.
• Slow down. For one week, focus on your sugar cravings and think about what you’re eating, suggests Chambers. Diet mayhem often results from lack of planning. So slow down, plan, "and eat what you intend to eat, instead of eating when you’re desperate," Chambers says.
• Get support. Many people turn to sweet foods when they're stressed, depressed, or angry.  But food doesn't solve emotional issues. Consider whether emotions are involved in your sugar cravings and whether you need help to find other solutions to those emotional problems.
• Mix it up. You may need more than one strategy to thwart sugar cravings. One week you may find success with one tactic, and another week calls for an alternative approach. What’s important is to “have a ‘bag of tricks’ to try,” Gerbstadt tells WebMD. To tame sugar cravings, you really need to "figure out what works for you," Neville says.

Lastly, go easy on yourself. It may take time to get a handle on your sugar cravings. "It’s difficult to shift any system -- whether it’s the world economy or your eating," Chambers says.

Help Emily Fight Against Cancer

Some of you may know Shannon from Coupon Mommy of 3. This precious little girl is Shannon's 3 year old daughter Emily, who took ill on December 18, 2010. Symptomatically she looked like she had a bad stomach flu but several tests down the line the family received the shattering news that Emily has Stage IV cancer.

Read more about her story, with updates on the Caring Bridge Site Page created just for Emily by Shannon.

Please lift up this family in your prayers.

We believe the family will also need all the financial support they can get. So to help out, Shannon's friends Karen from Mommy Times and Nancy from Arizona Mama have helped set up this ChipIn account for Emily. 

(ChipIn is a Web-based service that simplifies the process of collecting money from groups of people. They make the process quick, easy, and secure, and provide organizers with numerous ways to get the word out about their ChipIn event.)

The last thing this family should worry about at this time is finances and I honestly believe if all my readers could chip in with a little we can help this family.

(No contribution is too little. Every dollar counts at a time like this)

You can click on the "ChipIn" button below to have your contribution pooled in out of your paypal account.

Please, take the time to share this information with others. Repost, e-mail, retweet.... This is a very troubling and heartbreaking time for this family. Their choices should not be made harder based on their ability to pay.

Retweet: RT @ebmommy 3 year old Emily Needs Your Help http://bit.ly/eduwN9 #chipin #fightcancer #prayer #30daygive #give #sponsor #cancer #faith

Toy Safety Tips for Holiday Shoppers

by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Safety Measures

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the holiday season approaches, theU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC) urges gift-givers to keep safety in mind when choosing toys for young children. The CPSC estimates that more than 120,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries each year.

"Toys are an important part of holiday gift-giving, and CPSC is on the job 365 days a year to make sure toys are as safe as possible," said CPSC chairman Ann Brown. "CPSC's goal is to prevent deaths and injuries; unfortunately, each year some children are hurt by toys. By always reading labels and being safety conscious, parents and caregivers can help prevent toy-related injuries."

CPSC requires labels to be on all toys marketed for children from three to six years old if the toys pose a choking hazard to children under age three. These labels tell consumers two critical things: that a toy is not safe for younger children and why it is not safe. Before CPSC issued these labeling requirements, it was more difficult for consumers to know that certain toys they bought for older children could be a danger to younger kids. CPSC has the most stringent toy-safety standards in the world, and toys on store shelves are safer because of the day-to-day compliance work by CPSC.

Choosing Appropriate Toys

Parents and gift-givers can help prevent toy-related injuries and deaths by always reading labels and being safety conscious. The following tips will help you choose appropriate toys this holiday season -- and all year round:

• Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills, and interest level of the intended child. Toys too advanced may pose safety hazards to younger children.
• For infants, toddlers, and all children who still mouth objects, avoid toys with small parts which could pose a fatal choking hazard.
• For all children under age eight, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.
• Do not purchase electric toys with heating elements for children under age eight.
• Be a label reader. Look for labels that give age recommendations and use that information as a guide.
• Look for sturdy construction, such as tightly secured eyes, noses, and other potential small parts.
• Check instructions for clarity. They should be clear to you, and when appropriate, to the child.
• Discard plastic wrappings on toys immediately, which can cause suffocation, before they become deadly playthings.

By using common sense and these safety suggestions, holiday shoppers can make informed decisions when purchasing toys for children.

Read more on FamilyEducation:http://fun.familyeducation.com/toy-safety/safety/29700.html#ixzz18zGlTozQ

Flip-Flops, Flat Shoes Relieve Arthritic Knees

Clogs, Stability Shoes Put More Stress on Knees Than Flat, Flexible Shoes and Flip-Flops, Study Finds


By Kathleen Doheny


WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

March 29, 2010 -- If you have knee pain from arthritis, wearing flat, flexible shoes may reduce the stress on your joints and keep you more comfortable, according to new research.

In a comparison study that evaluated the force or "load" on arthritic knees while wearing clogs, athletic shoes with stability features, flat walking shoes, flip-flops, and going barefoot, the flat and flexible shoes won out, says study lead author Najia Shakoor, MD, an associate professor of internal medicine at Rush Medical College and an attending physician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Her study is published online in Arthritis Care & Research.

''We know barefoot is good for your knee load from previous studies," Shakoor tells WebMD. ''Then we thought, do different shoes have different effects on the knee?" So they compared the four shoe types with going barefoot.

The surprise? "The shoes that we intuitively recommend to our patients [with knee arthritis] and thought might be best -- stability shoes and clogs -- were associated with the highest load."

Best Shoes for Knee Pain: Study

Arthritis of the knee is common and a major source of disability and impaired quality of life, the researchers say. Shakoor's team evaluated 31 men and women who had knee arthritis, evaluating their gait as they wore:

Clogs

An athletic shoe that promises to minimize inward rolling of the foot

Flat walking shoes

Flip-flops

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Shakoor measured what's known as a knee adduction moment, ''which measures the extent of the force upon your knee as you walk."

''Flat walking shoes, barefoot, and flip-flops were essentially the same in load on the knee," she says. "But clogs and stability shoes result in a 15% higher load."

''These are just initial studies, and it's too early to recommend [changes]," she says. "But several studies are suggesting that perhaps flat, flexible footwear may help decrease loads on the knee compared to footwear that is less flexible and has higher heels. Stability shoes have higher heels [than other athletic shoes]."

''We think it's the flatness and the flexibility that may provide the benefit."

And, she cautioned: "We are definitely not advocating flip-flops. A flat walking shoe would be better than a flip-flop for other reasons -- stability and the risk of falling."

Shakoor will continue her research. With Rush University and a podiatrist, she hopes to develop a walking shoe for people with knee arthritis. She says Rush will hold the patent.

Best Shoes for Knee Pain: Other Views

''This finding [about the best shoes for knee pain] came as absolutely a surprise to me," says Jeffrey A. Ross, DPM, MD, a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine, associate clinical professor of medicine, and chief of the diabetic foot clinic at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston.
"I would have expected the running shoe to be the best, but it didn't turn out to be," he says.


But Ross says he wishes the researchers had studied more than one type of athletic shoe. Even with the new study results, he says, "I probably would still suggest [people with knee arthritis] wear a low-heel running shoe with a flexible sole."

For people with knee arthritis, the shoe should bend easily, he says, resulting in less stress on the forefoot.

A ''neutral'' athletic shoe -- one that does not offer motion control or stability features, may also work to reduce load on the knee, he says.

Choosing footwear for people with knee arthritis can be a trial-and-error experience, says James Christina, DPM, director of scientific affairs for the American Podiatric Medical Association. "A lot of foot doctors would say a cushioned shoe, rather than a stability shoe or a rigid control category of shoe," he says.

Christina says the APMA does not have shoe guidelines for people with knee arthritis.

The new study is a valid one, he says, but the shoe that works for one person with knee arthritis may not work for another person.

The foot specialists say that flip-flops, although they didn't increase the forces on the knee, aren't the best shoe type, especially for older adults with knee arthritis. As balance declines, flip-flops can be hazardous and increase the risk of falling, they say.

Top 10 Ways to Control Your Blood Pressure

1. Lose weight. Get your BMI (body mass index, a measurement of weight in relation to height) into the range of 18.5-24.9, and you will be doing your heart and blood pressure a favor. Think of it this way: Extra weight you carry around is like bricks in a backpack, putting pressure on every part of your body.




2. Eat plenty of whole grains. Have seven to eight servings per day of grains and grain products (these can include breakfast cereal, whole grain bread, rice, pasta, etc.)



3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Having at least eight to 10 servings of a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables will ensure you get all the healthy antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need.



4. Dairy up. Consuming two to three servings daily of low-fat or nonfat diary foods will also help build strong bones and teeth, and enhance weight loss.



5. Limit meat, fish, and poultry to two servings a day. Move the meat off the center of your plate, and enjoy more grains and produce. When you do have meats, fish, and poultry, always chose lean varieties.



6. Go nuts. Incorporate four to five servings a week of nuts, seeds, and legumes into your diet. They provide plenty of protein and healthful fats.



7. Limit fats and oil to two to three servings per day. Fats are the most concentrated source of calories. Limiting them will help you control your weight.



8. Hold the salt. Limit your sodium intake to approximately 2,400 milligrams a day (a moderate level). This means eating fewer canned and processed foods, and more fresh foods.



9. Get off the couch. Exercising at least 30 minutes per day can significantly reduce blood pressure. Any form of physical activity, done most days of the week, will do the trick.



10. Drink in moderation. If you do it at all limit yourself to two drinks per day.

New Study to Link Chemicals to Autism

Leading medical experts are increasingly confident that autism and other ailments are, in part, the result of the impact of environmental chemicals on the developing brain.

Chemicals and Our Endangered Children

Larry Eason, Chair of the Board of Directors

If prevention is, in fact, the best medicine, then we need to pay much closer attention to the role chemicals in the environment play in the rise of disease, related health care costs, and human suffering.

In yesterday's New York Times, Nicholas Kristof highlights the issue in his column "Do Toxins Cause Autism?"

As a new parent I can tell you: that is an attention grabbing headline. But if you read the column, you will see that scientists and the medical community are paying attention to this area of inquiry for very real reasons. Policy makers and parents need to be paying attention, too -- parents because children are particularly vulnerable to toxic chemicals -- and policy makers because evidence that harmful chemicals are contributing to disease suggests prevention imperatives that need to be a part of the health care debate.

Policy makers and parents need to be paying attention, and soon they will be.

Right now the growth in awareness and concern about the connections between environmental toxins and childhood disease is steady but relatively incremental. But a convergence of factors is about to change that and supercharge the level of attention to the issue -- Kristof touches on a couple in his article.

The dramatic increase in incidents of diseases, like Autism, with no known cause has parents (and people thinking about becoming parents) exceptionally anxious and desperately searching for answers. For today's parent there is a new layer to responding to a child's unusual behavioral episodes: we wonder, "is this just normal behavior, or should I be concerned?" I hear a lot of that. I've thought it.

But parents aren't just worrying, they are also connecting -- online. Online readers know that the new reality is that new information -- accurate or not, sensational or measured, and responsible -- can get to just about everyone we know overnight. That's particularly true for parents.

And it is the new information that we are starting to get, and that we are about to get a lot more of, that, in combination with hyper-concern and hyper-connectivity will cause an explosion in awareness and hopefully bring action.

Kristof's piece refers to an article by Dr. Philip Landrigan, professor of pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and chair of the school's department of preventive medicine. Kristof writes:

The article cites "historically important, proof-of-concept studies that specifically link autism to environmental exposures experienced prenatally." It adds that the "likelihood is high" that many chemicals "have potential to cause injury to the developing brain and to produce neurodevelopmental disorders."

While his article is full of cautionary language, Dr. Landrigan told me that he is increasingly confident that autism and other ailments are, in part, the result of the impact of environmental chemicals on the brain as it is being formed.

"The crux of this is brain development" he said. "If babies are exposed in the womb or shortly after birth to chemicals that interfere with brain development, the consequences last a lifetime."

For parents, the questions and uncertainty are frustrating. But thanks to the National Children's Study we're about to get a lot more information in the next couple of years. Articles like Dr. Landrigan's suggest that suspicions about connections are going to turn into clear connections that require action. Here's a little information on the National Children's Study:

The National Children's Study will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the Study is to improve the health and well-being of children.


... The Study defines "environment" broadly, taking a number of natural and man-made environmental, biological, genetic, and psychosocial factors into account. By studying children through their different phases of growth and development, researchers will be better able to understand the role these factors have on health and disease. Findings from the Study will be made available as the research progresses, making potential benefits known to the public as soon as possible.

After I read Kristof's piece I reached out to Dr. Landrigan, a champion of the National Children's Study, to find out when we can expect to get useful, actionable information from the study. His response was two to three years.

As Kristof points out in his column, there's a lot of potential for sensationalizing the information -- that will be particularly true of information we learn about chemicals actually in the blood and tissue of our children that are found to contribute to disease.

Our goal at Healthy Child Healthy World will be to provide parents with concrete, realistic steps they can take to protect their children, born and unborn. That's our specialty.

In the meantime Kristof's final thoughts make a good deal of sense: Apply the precautionary principle to avoid unnecessary products that contain potentially harmful toxins.

And pay attention to and support the National Children's Study.



Larry Eason is Chair of the Board of Healthy Child Healthy World and Dr. Landrigan is a Founding Board Member and Co-Chair of the organization's Science Advisory Board. Healthy Child is working to inspire parents to protect young children from harmful chemicals.

Read more: http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/chemicals_and_our_endangered_children/#ixzz0hMy5uQ4S

 
 
What is the National Children's Study?

The National Children’s Study will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the Study is to improve the health and well-being of children.

Watch this video and learn more about the Study.

The Study defines “environment” broadly, taking a number of natural and man-made environmental, biological, genetic, and psychosocial factors into account. By studying children through their different phases of growth and development, researchers will be better able to understand the role these factors have on health and disease. Findings from the Study will be made available as the research progresses, making potential benefits known to the public as soon as possible.

Ultimately, the National Children’s Study will be one of the richest research efforts geared towards studying children’s health and development and will form the basis of child health guidance, interventions, and policy for generations to come. For more details on the Study, see the Study Overview.

The National Children’s Study is led by a consortium of federal partners: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Massive Recall of Over 60 Million Over-The-Counter Drugs

Follow the link for a complete list of items that are being recalled. The list covers both children and adult products and includes the package size, product type, lot number and UPC codes:

http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/

5 Natural Ways to Help Your Health

Want to improve the nation’s health care? Stay healthy.

No matter how the laws change in Washington, D.C., preventive medicine experts say the single best way to improve the nation’s health is simple: Stay healthy.

Preventable illnesses like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and several leading forms of cancer make up a big chunk of health care spending, costing billions of dollars. They rob millions of Americans of years of life and blight the final years of others with sickness and disability.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Consider evidence from a 2009 study of 23,153 adults who took part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Volunteers who followed four  tenets of good health -- they didn’t smoke or get fat; they exercised and ate a healthy diet -- were 80% less likely to develop chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Their risk of developing type 2 diabetes was 92% lower than the risk of people who shunned the familiar health advice. Their odds of having a heart attack were 81% lower.
“Results like these prove again and again that the most powerful tools we have to improve health are prevention,” says Wes Alles, PhD, director of the Stanford Health Improvement program at Stanford University. “Yet we still have trouble convincing people to make those healthy changes.” To craft your own health care reform program, here’s what Alles and other experts say you should do to get the biggest bang for your efforts:

1. Be More Active and Exercise

Exercise offers so many health benefits, it’s nothing short of a magic bullet. Something as simple as a brisk walk for half an hour a day dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and several forms of cancer, including colon cancer, one of the leading killers.
“A lifetime of regular exercise improves brain function, allows people to be active and independent in their later years, and adds years to life,” says Steven Blair, PhD, professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, who has helped shape federal exercise guidelines. “That addresses most of the leading chronic health threats we face.”
A 2008 study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston showed that regular exercise lowered the risk of dying prematurely by 30%.

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Easier said than done, according to findings from a new analysis of data from state health departments.
Over the past five years, obesity rates climbed in nearly all states. Indeed, not a single state in the U.S. saw a decline.
Losing weight and keeping it off is difficult. Yet studies show that losing weight just a few pounds if you’re overweight will improve your health. If your weight is normal, work to keep it there by reining in calories and exercising frequently. A healthy diet includes abundant fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. A good diet limits refined sugars and saturated fats. One easy way to shed calories from your diet: drink water instead of sugary beverages. They account for more and more calories in the American diet.

3. Get Screened and Get Your Shots

This year, with flu in the headlines, no one needs to be reminded that flu shots can dramatically reduce the risk of getting this seasonal bug and its potentially life-threatening complications. Yet only 42% of people 50 to 64 get yearly flu shots. Keeping up to date on all recommended vaccinations can prevent many deadly and debilitating illnesses.

Routine health screens are also lifesavers. Knowing and managing your cholesterol levels and blood pressure is crucial to reducing your risk of heart disease. Cancer screening tests have been shown to catch some forms of the disease early enough to eliminate them.

For the latest recommendations on what tests to get when, check out the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations at www.ahrq.gov.

4. Don’t Smoke: Quitting Saves Lives

A no-brainer. But lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death -- and between 80% and 90% of cases are directly caused by smoking, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The good news: smoking rates are falling in the U.S. And thanks to a variety of new nicotine replacement therapies -- from patches to nasal sprays -- quitting is easier than ever. One recent analysis of studies found that nicotine replacements can almost double the odds that smokers will successfully quit. New medications to help smokers kick the habit are also available. Talk to your doctor about the best strategies for success.

5. Find Joy From Family and Friends

Enjoying life and maintaining a circle of supportive friends is a big part of good health. Indeed, having friendships may be second only to not smoking for preventing heart attacks. People with extensive social networks, according to research at the Uniformed Services University, are less likely to have calcification in their arteries, a sign of heart disease risk.
One way to increase your happiness is to foster cheerful friends. “Happiness turns out to spread through social networks,” says James D. Fowler, PhD, an associate professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. His research, which tracked the spread of happiness among friends and even friends of friends, found that a person is 15% more likely to be happy if a close contact is happy.

The Truth About Tryptophan

Every year at Thanksgiving, most of us engage in an annual rite of passage: stuffing ourselves mercilessly with turkey, cranberry sauce, and pie. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday.  But inevitably, in that hour between feeling so full you think you'll explode and gearing up for round two with the leftovers, your relatives can find you conked out on the couch.

Along comes Aunt Mildred with her armchair scientific explanation. You're tired, she tells you, because the turkey you just ate is laden with L-tryptophan. Tryptophan, she says, makes you tired.

So is your aunt right? Is the turkey really what's to blame for Thanksgiving sleepiness? The experts helped WebMD sort out the facts.

What is L-Tryptophan?

L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid. The body can't make it, so diet must supply tryptophan. Amino acids are building blocks of proteins. Foods rich in tryptophan include, you guessed it, turkey. Tryptophan is also found in other poultry, meat, cheese, yogurt, fish, and eggs.
Tryptophan is used by the body to make niacin, a B vitamin that is important for digestion, skin and nerves, and serotonin. Serotonin is a brain chemical that plays a large role in mood) and can help to create a feeling of well-being and relaxation. "When levels of serotonin are high, you're in a better mood, sleep better, and have a higher pain tolerance," says Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, author of numerous nutrition books, including her latest, Eat Your Way to Happiness.
Tryptophan is needed for the body to produce serotonin. Serotonin is used to make melatonin, a hormone that helps to control your sleep and wake cycles.

Turkey the Sleep Inducer?

As it turns out, turkey contains no more of the amino acid tryptophan than other kinds of poultry. In fact, turkey actually has slightly less tryptophan than chicken, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and author of The Flexitarian Diet.
Jackson Blatner says that if we're sleepy on Thanksgiving as a direct result of eating turkey, then eating other foods rich in tryptophan should have the same effect.
"When is the last time someone ate a chicken breast at a summertime barbecue and thought they felt sluggish [because of it]?" she asks.
Turkey is, indeed, a good source of tryptophan. Still, it's a myth that eating foods high in tryptophan boosts brain levels of tryptophan and therefore brain levels of serotonin, Somer says.
Somer says that proteins like turkey, chicken, and fish, which are high in tryptophan, require assistance from foods high in carbohydrates to affect serotonin levels.
"Tryptophan is quite high in milk and turkey, but that's not the food that will give you the serotonin boost," she says. It's a small, all-carbohydrate snack -- no more than 30 grams of carbohydrates -- in combination with the tryptophan stored in your body from food you've already eaten that will give you the biggest boost of serotonin, Somer says.
A serotonin-boosting snack may include a few Fig Newtons, half of a small whole wheat bagel with honey drizzled over it, or a few cups of air-popped popcorn some time after you've eaten foods high in tryptophan. "Research shows that a light, 30 gram carbohydrate snack just before bed will actually help you sleep better," Somer says.

Amino Acid Overload

When you eat foods rich in tryptophan, as the food digests, amino acids - not just tryptophan - make their way into the bloodstream. This causes competition among the various amino acids to enter the brain.

"Tryptophan, which is a bulky amino acid, would have to stand in line to get through the blood-brain barrier with a whole bunch of amino acids," Somer says. "It would be like standing in line when the Harry Potter movie comes out and you didn't get in line early enough. The chances of getting in [to see the movie] are pretty slim. That's what happens when you eat a protein-rich food. Tryptophan has to compete with all these other amino acids. It waits in line to get through the blood-brain barrier and very little of it makes it across."

The small, all-carbohydrate snack is tryptophan's ticket across the blood-brain barrier, where it can boost serotonin levels. So have your turkey, Somer says, because it will increase your store of tryptophan in the body, but count on the carbohydrates to help give you the mood boost or the restful sleep.
"It's the all-carb snack that ends up being like a sneak preview of the [Harry Potter] movie, where no one else knows it's showing," she says.

Too Much of a Sleepy Thing

Is it possible to have too much tryptophan in the body? Not really, Somer says. "Except if you end up eating a lot of tryptophan, it means you're eating a lot of protein and Americans already eat a lot of protein. It's the only nutrient we get too much of," she says.
"If you're getting even one serving of 3 ounces of meat, chicken, or fish; a couple of glasses of milk or yogurt; or if you're eating beans and rice, you will get all the amino acids you need and in there will be the tryptophan," Somer says.

Thanksgiving Grogginess: Look Beyond the Turkey

So if eating turkey isn't exactly the same as popping a sleeping pill, why the sudden grogginess as soon as our holiday feast is over?
"It boils down to Thanksgiving being a time when people overeat," Jackson Blatner says. "When people overeat food, the digestion process takes a lot of energy. Don't incriminate the turkey that you ate," she says of post-Thanksgiving meal exhaustion, "incriminate the three plates of food that you piled high."
And let's not forget that the holidays generally mean time off from work and with family. Many people feel more relaxed to begin with (family wars not withstanding). Add alcohol to the mix, and voila! Sleep!
Speaking of sleep, Joyce Walsleban, PhD, associate professor at New York University's Sleep Disorders Center, suggests we all get plenty of it. "Coming up on the holidays and trying to get all the things done that one would normally be doing, you short cut your sleep and that's never helpful. By the time the holiday comes, everyone has gotten sick."
At least then you'll have a good excuse to lay down and take a nap.

Super Foods That Strengthen Immunity

One of the best ways to keep your immune system strong and prevent colds and flu might surprise you: Shop your supermarket’s produce aisle.

Experts say a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help you ward off infections like colds and flu. That’s because these super foods contain immune-boosting antioxidants.

What are antioxidants? They are vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that protect and repair cells from damage caused by free radicals. Many experts believe this damage plays a part in a number of chronic diseases, including hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), cancer, and arthritis. Free radicals can also interfere with your immune system. So fighting off damage with antioxidants helps keep your immune system strong, making you better able to ward off colds, flu, and other infections.

Antioxidants for Immunity: Where to Find Them

Adding more fruit and vegetables of any kind to your diet will improve your health. But some foods are higher in antioxidants than others. The three major antioxidant vitamins are beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. You’ll find them in colorful fruits and vegetables – especially those with purple, blue, red, orange, and yellow hues. To get the biggest benefits of antioxidants, eat these foods raw or lightly steamed; don’t overcook or boil.
Beta-carotene and other carotenoids: Apricots, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, green peppers, kale, mangoes, turnip and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelon.
Vitamin C: Berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, grapefruit, honeydew, kale, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, orange, papaya, red, green or yellow peppers, snow peas, sweet potato, strawberries, and tomatoes.
Vitamin E: Broccoli, carrots, chard, mustard and turnip greens, mangoes, nuts, papaya, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, and sunflower seeds.
Other super foods that are rich in antioxidants include:

• Prunes
• Apples
• Raisins
• All berries
• Plums
• Red grapes
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Onions
• Eggplant
• Beans

Vitamins aren’t the only antioxidants in food. Other antioxidants that may help boost immunity include

• Zinc: Found in oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood, whole grains, fortified cereals, and dairy products
• Selenium: Found in Brazil nuts, tuna, beef, poultry and fortified breads, and other grain products
  

Antioxidant Super Foods: How Much Do You Need?

Here are the RDAs for some antioxidants:  

Zinc: 11 milligrams for men, 8 milligrams for women. If you are a strict vegetarian, you may require as much as 50% more dietary zinc. That’s because your body absorbs less zinc when you have a diet rich in plant-based foods.
Selenium: 55 micrograms for men or women.
Beta-carotene: There is no RDA for beta-carotene. But the Institute of Medicine says that if you get 3 milligrams to 6 milligrams of beta-carotene daily, your body will have the levels that may lower risk of chronic diseases.
Vitamin C: 90 milligrams for men, 75 milligrams for women. Smokers should get extra vitamin C: 125 milligrams for men and 110 milligrams for women.
Vitamin E: 15 milligrams for men and women.

How Foods Boost Immunity

Can’t you get antioxidants from taking a vitamin or a supplement? Yes, but you may be missing out on other nutrients that could strengthen the immune system. Foods contain many different nutrients that work together to promote health. For example, researchers delving into the mysteries of fruits and vegetables and the complex antioxidants they contain have discovered benefits of:

• Quercetin: a plant-based chemical (phytochemical) found in apples, onions, teas, red wines, and other foods. It fights inflammation and may help reduce allergies.
• Luteolin: a flavonoid found in abundance in celery and green peppers. It also fights inflammation and one study showed it may help protect against inflammatory brain conditions like Alzheimer’s.
• Catechins: a type of flavonoid found in tea. Catechins in tea may help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you can’t get enough antioxidants in your diet by eating fresh produce, some experts recommend taking a multivitamin that contains minerals, too. But be cautious about taking individual immune system supplements to boost immunity. With antioxidants, as with most anything, moderation is key. Vitamins A and E, for example, are stored in the body and eliminated slowly. Getting too much can be toxic.