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Are Children Born with A.D.D. or Is It Caused By Experience?

A recent article in the New York Times by L. Alan Sroufe, a psychology professor at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development raises questions about efficacy of the high consumption of prescription drugs to treat children with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.). It is estimated that about 6 million children are diagnosed with A.D.D./A.D.H.D. and take prescription drugs to treat it in the United States. However, there have been no studies to prove the long term effects of A.D.D. medication. Most studies that are used to show the success of ritalin and adderall are only successful on the short term. Many find that the efficacy of these medications ware off as children become immune to them.

Sroufe says, “Ritalin and Adderall, a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine, are stimulants. So why do they appear to calm children down? Some experts argued that because the brains of children with attention problems were different, the drugs had a mysterious paradoxical effect on them. However, there really was no paradox. Versions of these drugs had been given to World War II radar operators to help them stay awake and focus on boring, repetitive tasks. And when we reviewed the literature on attention-deficit drugs again in 1990 we found that all children, whether they had attention problems or not, responded to stimulant drugs the same way.” On the short term people respond to these drugs the same way, but after taking them for a long time they develop resistance to them.

Sroufe goes on to suggest that A.D.D. is a problem shaped by children’s experience rather than an inborn biological problem. The problem is that when studying A.D.D. in children the brain is most often studied because it is taken as a given that this problem is biological while the experiential side is often ignored. “…are there aspects of brain functioning associated with childhood attention problems? The answer is always yes. Overlooked is the very real possibility that both the brain anomalies and the A.D.D. result from experience.”

Full article- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/opinion/sunday/childrens-add-drugs-dont-work-long-term.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB

What do you think about giving medication to children with A.D.D.? Do you think it is safe and effective or should it be brought into question?

Do you think that A.D.D. may be a result of experience rather than an inborn problem?

Please leave a comment with your responses!

Paula Tipton-Healy L.M, CiHom

Homeopathic & Nutritional Consultant

www.diverticulitisinfo.com

European Union Airports Ban X-Ray Body Scanners

A recent article from the Scientific American says that Europe has banned the use of x-ray body scanners at all European Union airports. After research studies showing that the ioninzing radiation emmited by these scanners can cause cancer, the European commision says that they have decided against the use of these x-rays “…in order not to risk jeopardising citizens’ health and safety.”

The EU has adopted the use of another type of body scanner that uses radio-frequency (millimeter) waves. These scanners have not been linked to cancer.

The United States is still behind when it comes to public health and safety. About half of the full-body scanners used in U.S. airports are x-ray scanners. Although US airports do use radio-frequency scanners, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has not expressed any plan to ban x-ray body scanners.

Evidence has shown that the best protection from electromagnetic smog and excess radiation exposure is the iMRS device. Using Pulsed Electro Magnetic Frequencies (PEMF’s), the iMRS not only prophylactically protects the body, but research has shown that it reverses many conditions including arthritis, Fibromyalgia, chronic pain and more. (research info-  http://www.earthpulse.net/jacobsonresonance.htm). For more information on the iMRS go to http://us.mediconsult.tv/en/products/imrs.html or contact paula@DiverticulitisInfo.com.

To view the full article go to- http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=europe-bans-x-ray-body-scanners

Agent Orange in Our Food?!

Dioxin is the chemical compound present in the well-known ‘agent orange.’ It is an incredibly toxic chemical and has been found in many animal fats consumed by humans thanks to the pesticides provided by big agriculture companies such as Monsanto. A  video from NutritionFacts.org shows how Dioxin affects our health and the health of unborn babies.

Dioxin accumulates in the fatty tissue, so our highest exposure to this chemical is through dietary intake. The source of animal protein with the highest level of dioxin is fish, eggs are the second highest, followed by cheese. However, all non-organic meats have some concentration of Dioxin. Pregnant women are most affected by exposure and run the risk of  passing these toxins on to the unborn child who may develop a number of birth defects or developmental problems such as pediatric problems, cancer in children and hormone dysfunction among others. Nowadays many pregnant women are aware of the levels of toxins present in fish like mercury and avoid it, but if one were to replace this form of protein with non-organic eggs, the risk level for the fetus would be the same.

If you would like to stop dioxins from entering our food supply, let the Environmental Protection Agency know how you feel. You can send a letter from the Organic Consumers Association website. Take Action!

To see the full video go to - http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_24750.cfm

Is The Pharmaceutical Industry Behind The “Anti-Vitamin” Scare?

A recent article from the Orthomolecular Medecine News Service in defense of vitamin use provides significant evidence to show that the pharmaceutical industry has a lot invested in the slander of vitamins. This article by Andrew W. Saul called “How To Make People Believe Any Anti-Vitamin Scare, It Just Takes Lots of pharmaceutical Industry Cash” shows that pharmaceutical companies fund many of the trials that are used to disprove the efficacy of vitamins and that some trials may be rigged by using low doses of vitamins to guarantee a negative result. Pharmaceutical companies also provide a substantial amount of advertising revenue to popular magazines. This may mean that these magazine have a responsibility to keep their advertisers happy by including articles about the so-called “danger” of vitamins. Although vitamins have never been proven to be unsafe, many pharmaceutical drugs have caused major side-effects, unintended health-problems and even death, but these studies are rarely picked up as major news stories. To learn more about the specifics check out the article at http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v07n12.shtml

Being an informed consumer is the real key to safety. Knowledge is power!

Paula Tipton-Healy holds a B.S. in Nutrition, is a trained homeopath, and is licensed as a Midwife by the California Medical Board. She is also the creator of www.DiverticulitisInfo.com

One of my favorite gluten-free recipe bloggers is Elana’s Pantry by Elana Amsterdam. With an expansive repertoire of gluten free recipes from savory to sweet, you can always find something delicious and healthy on her blog. Many of her recipes are also sugar free. You can find the complete recipe on her website here: Banana Walnut Muffins

Being gluten free (no flour), high in fiber (bananas, coconut flour and dates) and sugar free, those with digestive issues will find this recipe especially delicious and easy on the system.

Banana Walnut Muffins

1. Place eggs, oil, bananas, dates and stevia in a Vitamix; blend on medium speed until combined
2. Add in coconut flour, salt and baking soda and blend until smooth
3. Fold in walnuts
4. Scoop ¼ cup batter into a lined muffin pan
5. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes (my batch took exactly 23 minutes; all ovens are slightly different)
6. Cool and serve

Blueberries and Broccoli shown to improve Bowel Health!

A study has shown that 2 of my favorite foods may be helpful in bowel conditions! Blueberries and Broccoli have been found to not only aid in balancing the flora (good bacteria) in the gut but also to reduce inflammation and thus promote healing!

Researchers from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research published their findings in the November issue of Nutrition http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900711002516).

Those with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD such as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease) wherein microbial upset and deficiency along with inflammation are significant will benefit from consuming bluberries and broccoli.  The occurrence of IBD’s have hugely increased in Europe and North America in the second half of the 20^th century and is quickly rising globally as the rest of the world emulate the Western lifestyle to their detriment.

The researchers used a strain of mice that were particularly susceptible to intestinal damage. They gave one group a controlled diet and the other supplemented with 10% blueberry or broccoli for 21 weeks. In those supplemented with the broccoli there was a significant reduction in inflammation and those with the blueberries showed reduction as well but not to the same extent. Several types of gut flora were beneficially balanced especially the lowering of E. Coli.

Our product Healthy Bowel Support contains BOTH Blueberries and Broccoli along with Prebiotics and Probiotics for ultimate Bowel Health!

Antibacterial Soap May Do More Harm Than Good!

Triclosan, the primary ingredient for most antimicrobial soaps, was introduced to the public in the 1980′s after being used for nearly a decade by health care professionals.  An article entitled Triclosan: A Safe and Effective Antimicrobial? by Beatrice Trum Hunter, MA in the winter 2011-2012 edition of the Price-Pottenger Journal of Health and Healing outlines the prevalence and effects of triclosan in household products.  Since triclosan’s introduction in the 1980′s, companies producing household soaps and detergents rapidly began including this ingredient in more and more products. Currently, more than 75% of liquid detergents and 30% of bar soaps contain triclosan. However, triclosan is not only used in soaps and detergents, it’s also present in germ-free versions of household products such as: sponges, trash bags, face wash, toothpaste, deodorant, lotions and diapers.

So, what danger does triclosan pose? As an environmental threat, triclosan leaks into groundwater by way of sinks and toilets, which makes it’s way to sewage filtration plants. These plants do not have the ability to remove triclosan from the water. If waste water has both chlorine and triclosan present it can create chloroform. As triclosan enters water and fertilizer it can make it’s way to the food supply.  Triclosan not only poses a threat to environmental health, but also to personal health. As stated in the article by Beatrice Trum hunter ” Originally, triclosan was registered as a pesticide with the EPA. As a chlorophenol, this chemical is in a group of substances suspected of being human carcinogens.” and even more concerning it has also been shown to be a hormone disruptor. In lab studies, triclosan has altered sex hormones of lab animals and has had a depressant effect of the central nervous system of mice. This antimicrobial has also been linked to allergies, asthma and eczema.

Research has found that there is no proof that the use of these antibacterial soaps are more effective than plain soap. A 2003 study that followed 238 New York families, some that used regular soap and some that used antibacterial soap, found that there was no difference in the amount of germs on their hands.

In the face of all the evidence of the dangers of triclosan, why hasn’t the FDA stepped up? The FDA has claimed to begin a phase out triclosan since the 70′s, but has failed to enforce it. It’s not surprising that the motivation to remove triclosan from the market is slow. Companies claim about $375,000,000 annually from the sale of products containing triclosan.

However, products free of triclosan are available. In most products “triclosan” will be listed under the ingredients. However, for plastics and clothing it is labelled as “Microban” and in acrylic fibers “Biofresh”. Always remember to be a knowledgeable consumer!

Cut one whole pumpkin in quarters. Clean seeds and strings. (Try roasting those seeds…yum!)  Place pumkin peices flesh side down on a cookie sheet and bake until soft…about 45-60 minutes. Cool and cut off skin.Put in food processer or blender. Add 4 cups of mashed pumpkin in a bowl with 8 eggs, 2 cups of coconut milk, 3/4 cup xylitol, 1/4 cup stevia,1 tsp. salt, 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves (or allspice), 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Mix in blender until smooth. Pre bake pie plate in oven at 425 for 5 min or until pie crust just starts to rise, then take from oven and pour in pumpkin mix until level with top of pie crust.

Bake at 425 for first 15 min. then 350 for 45-60 minutes or until  you can put a knife in the pie and it comes out clean.

Whip Cream:

 To a small carton of heavy whipping cream add 3 tsp xylitol, 1 tsp stevia and a little vanilla extract, beat until stiff peaks. You can add more xylitol and continue whipping if you want it sweeter. Let stand for approx 15 min. for all the xylitol crystasl to dissolve.

Eat Healthy…Be Happy!

Paula

Have you tried Erthyritol? It is another alcohol sugar that some like more than Stevia (some less). A number of people have complained about an ‘after’ feeling on the tongue when using a fair amount of it.
This is taken from Dr. Weil’s web site…
Personally, I don’t care for the taste of stevia, and I don’t like the flavor it imparts to foods and beverages, but I consider it safer than aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose and have seen no compelling evidence that stevia poses a threat to human health.
Erthyritol has a clean, sweet taste. I’ve found that it’s more similar in taste to sugar than other natural sweeteners such as stevia (which can be bitter).
From XylitolNow company I order it from:
Erythritol is a Safe, natural sweetener
• Healthy sugar substitute
• Virtually zero calories
• Great taste, no aftertaste
• 70% as sweet as sugar
• Does not promote tooth decay
• Safe for diabetics
• Mixes well with other ingredients
• Can cook with it (heat stable)
• High digestive tolerance
(NO gas, bloating, or diarea
Erthyritol has a clean, sweet taste. I’ve found that it’s more similar in taste to sugar than other natural sweeteners such as stevia (which can be bitter).
What do you think?

In this enlightening article on autoimmune disorders Dr. Mark Hyman outlines how most doctors today are trained to treat the symptoms of autoimmune diseases and inflammation with medicine rather than finding the root cause of the disorder. To find out what may really be causing your symptoms, he explains how to check for dietary or environmental stresses that could be to blame.

Today, most doctors are trained to treat the symptoms of a disease and don’t always find the true or exact cause of those symptoms. Dr. Hyman states, “That’s like taking a lot of aspirin while you are standing on a tack. The treatment is not more aspirin or a strong immune suppressant, but removing the tack.” The U.S. health care system is set up in such a way that doctors must get patients in and out of their offices as quickly as possible and are not able to spend the time or money to research the patient’s background or run many tests, etc. Which is why most of the time patients end up with more medication than answers when leaving the doctor’s office.

Inflammation associated with autoimmune disease affects 24 million people. Celiac disease, arthritis, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and crohn’s disease are among the myriad of autoimmune diseases affecting millions today. “Autoimmunity occurs when your immune system gets confused and your own tissues get caught in friendly cross-fire. Your body is fighting something — an infection, a toxin, an allergen, a food or the stress response — and somehow it redirects its hostile attack on your joints, your brain, your thyroid, your gut, your skin, or sometimes your whole body.”  Many of the conventional medications associated with this disorder can cause a number of harsh side effects like kidney failure, osteoporosis and even cancer. This begs the question… Is the cure is worse than the disease?

The best way to get a handle on your autoimmune disease is to get to the root of it’s cause. It’s important to take a look at your diet and any environmental factors that may be aggravating the imbalance in your body. The pre and pro-biotics and homeopathics from  www.diverticulitisinfo.com are just some of the many natural and side-effect free products that can help tremendously in relieving many symptoms associated with autoimmune disorders including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and other disorders affecting the gut, thereby eliminating the need for harsh medications. Information on supporting a healthy gut and a list of digestive balancing foods as well as foods to avoid can also be found on www.diverticulitisinfo.com.

Dr. Hyman outlined these other steps to get a handle on your autoimmune disease:

1. “Check for hidden infections — yeast, viruses, bacteria, Lyme, etc. — with the help of a doctor, and treat them.
2. Check for hidden food allergens with IgG food testing or just try The UltraSimple Diet, which is designed to eliminate most food allergens.
3. Get tested for celiac disease, which is a blood test that any doctor can do.
4. Get checked for heavy metal toxicity. Mercury and other metals can cause autoimmunity.
5. Fix your gut. For details, see my blog on irritable bowel syndrome.
6. Use nutrients such as fish oil, vitamin C, vitamin D, and probiotics to help calm your immune response naturally.
7. Exercise regularly — it’s a natural anti-inflammatory.
8. Practice deep relaxation like yoga, deep breathing, biofeedback, or massage, because stress worsens the immune response.
9. Tell your doctor about Functional medicine and encourage him or her to get trained”

To check out Dr. Hymans´ full article click here: http://drhyman.com/how-to-stop-attacking-yourself-9-steps-to-heal-autoimmune-disease-1778/

How has your experience with conventional medicine been? Have you noticed a lack of investigation from doctors when it came to your ailments?

What do you think about our current health care system? Does it need to be changed?

Please leave a comment with your responses!

Paula Tipton-Healy L.M, CiHom

Homeopathic & Nutritional Consultant

www.diverticulitisinfo.com