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Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

Scared Of Radiation?

Ikata Nuclear Power Plant

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There are different kinds and levels of radiation. It’s constant, high levels that could cause health problems. I won’t go into the kinds or signs or symptoms of radiation exposure coz there’s already an abundance of info on that on the internet. What I’d like to discuss today is how to protect yourself from radiation exposure. Of course, everybody knows that potassium iodide helps by primarily protecting the thyroid glands (from cancer eventually). However, there’s more that we can do to protect ourselves from radiation and it’s byproducts in our bodies. Radiation causes damage in our bodies by primarily increasing free radical formation. Increased free radicals (and there are different kinds of free radicals, by the way) damages all our cells. What do you do then to protect your cells from the onslaught of these harmful substances? The answer is by taking antioxidants, whether it’s in the form of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs and even so-called “superfruits” such as goji and pomegranates. By the way, regarding iodine intake, most people are deficient in this beneficial mineral. Statistics show that up to 90% of the population have abnormally low levels. A lot of holistic doctors that I know of used to check iodine levels of their clients. Since, a large majority of those tested showed low levels, these doctors have just recommended supplementation with  a low dose of potassium iodide (12.5 to 50 mg/day, although in the literature, as much as 300-1000 mg/day has been used in the past). In the last couple of days, there has been a “mad run” for potassium iodide at pharmacies and health food stores. If a person has no access to this, one may consider increasing their intake of seaweeds such as kelp, kombu or arame. Nori sheets used to wrap sishi is also available as a snack. Other helpful products are Rad Tox from a company called Apex Energetix, Modifilan (a brown seaweed product), and  chlorella tablets. Taking NAC or glutathione are also helpful for detox.

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Environment, News, Tips

Mad as a Hatter: Does It Matter?

Alice in Wonderland iPhone wallpaper

If you think I’m talking about the character in Alice in Wonderland, think again. In today’s blog, I’m going to discuss how toxins, particularly heavy metals (like mercury) could affect everything, including our mental health. The phrase “mad as a hatter” was coined in the early 19th century when “hatters” or people who were making hats started experiencing uncontrollable trembling and appeared insane. Apparently, the hatters were using glue that contained mercury at the time. Mercury toxicity can manifest as loss of appetite, fatigue, depression, emotional instability, peripheral numbness, tremors, poor memory and cognitive function, decreased senses of touch, taste, hearing and vision, and neuromuscular disorders. High levels have also been implicated in acute myocardial infarction. All the symptoms just mentioned  are quite common. Therefore, it’s always a great idea to rule out the presence of (heavy metal) toxins in anyone experiencing the said symptoms or anyone who has a possible exposure to mercury (and that means all of us). Mercury is now found all over the place, including our air (esp. surrounding coal-powered plants), food and water supply. In fact, common sources include fish (all fish now, compared to just large fish during previous years), dental amalgams, skin lightening agents (very common in Asia), some hemorrhoidal creams, some vaccines, medical instruments such as thermometers and sphygmomanometers, batteries, electrodes, some fertilizers, the paper industry and finally, the gold industry. In fact, there were recent reports in the news of mercury/lead toxicity in parts of Nigeria where people are involved in gold mining.

To test if someone has elevated levels of metals, particularly mercury, one can have a blood, hair or (provocative) urine testing done with chelating agents like DMSA or DMPS ( although others may use EDTA or other natural chelating agents). A blood specimen is usually used to determine acute exposure while hair and urinary testing informs us more of chronic exposure. Labs that perform the latter tests include Doctor’s Data and Genova Diagnostics. In Asia, I would imagine that Vitech Pro, a company based in Bangkok, is the one that performs these tests. Regular blood tests for mercury could be performed at any reputable lab like Quest or LabCorp. What do you do if your levels are elevated? Besides avoidance of possible sources (kinda difficult nowadays), the accepted form of treatment is a process called chelation therapy.  This has to be done properly however. Otherwise, further damage can be done. Natural oral chelating agents include vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, garlic, cilantro, onions, chlorella and some therapeutic-grade essential oils. EDTA is available in oral (least effective), suppository and injectable forms. Other chelating agents include penicillamine (for copper toxocity), deferoxamine (for iron poisoning), dimercaprol (for arsenic, mercury and lead), DMSA and DMPS. It is important to individualize treatment in any case. Factors such as kidney and liver function, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, and general patient constitution should all be taken into account when one embarks on a cleansing or detoxification program. For more information, please check out the American College for Advancement in Medicine web site, http://www.acam.org. and the American Academy of Environmental Medicine web site, http://www.aaemonline.org.

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Male Menopause: It’s Real And You Can Do Something About It….

As men age, hormones get out of balance just like in women. Testosterone levels (and growth hormone) tend to decline while hormones such as estrogen and DHT tend to increase. When testosterone declines, signs and symptoms such as the following could occur namely; loss of muscle mass, wrinkling of the skin, osteoporosis, mood changes (depression), hair loss, increase in body fat and cardiovascular disease, among others. With an increase in estrogen (due to increased body fat in some men as well as exposure to xenoestrogens in general), men could experience gynecomastia, emotional lability (mood swings) and prostate issues. With an increase in DHT, hair loss, acne and prostate problems could occur. We normally see this decline in men in their 50’s or older but we’re seeing this decline earlier in life now. Possible reasons for this include nutritional deficiencies, pharmaceuticals such as statins (which lower cholesterol, a precursor to testosterone), and environmental toxicity (organophosphates used in the agricultural industry for instance, mimic estrogen in our bodies). Among the people you know, how many of them actually manifest signs and symptoms of andropause? Unfortunately, most men who fall within the “normal” range may not be treated even if they’re symptomatic. The range of “normal” is so wide that those who are in the low normal range (and symptomatic as well) are not being treated properly. Fortunately, a doctor from Harvard named Abraham Morgentaler wrote a book called “Testosterone For Life” which seeks to educate more people about this issue. Anyway, the recommended treatment for low testosterone is testosterone itself. It comes in different forms such as sublingual tablets, transdermals gels or creams, injectables and pellets. Since everybody is different, the dose and route of administration is individualized to each person. It’s always good to do a baseline PSA (prostate specific antigen) and DRE (digital rectal exam) before starting anyone on testosterone. Since testosterone could metabolize into estrogen (esp. in men with excess body fat) or DHT, it’ll be wise to block those pathways with aromatase inhibitors and 5-alpha reductase (or DHT blockers) inhibitors, respectively. This could be done through natural supplements or prescription medications. Frequent testing is key to make sure people don’t get side-effects whatsoever. For men who are hesitant on using any type of hormone for improving their testosterone levels, options could include the use of amino acids (such as L-carnitine, which increases cell receptor sensitivity to endogenous tesotosterone) or herbal supplements (such as tribulus). While on a hormone replacement program, it’s important to include dietary and lifestyle changes as well to get optimal results. I highly recommend the Paleolithic diet and the PACE program by Dr. Al Sears for my clients.

If the picture above belongs to someone, let me know so I can give credit.

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Breast Care

pink ribbon

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Breast cancer can be caused by a lot of things. These include hormonal imbalance (due to environmental toxins among others), ionizing radiation and trauma to the breast area, toxin build-up in the breast due to poor lymphatic drainage, tight bras (by impeding lymphatic circulation), genetic causes, etc. In a recent article on yahoo.com, it was noted that breast cancer rates dropped with a decrease in the use of HRT (hormone replacement therapy). The study was done in Canada on postmenopausal women in the earlier part of the decade. However, there is no mention whatsoever on what kind of hormones these women were put on. Synthetic hormones (non-bioidentical, derived from animal sources) could cause more hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body because the body is not used to processing these substances (unlike bioidentical hormones whose structure is similar to what the body produces and therefore is not recognized as foreign). It’s a good thing that there are bioidentical hormones available commercially now (at your regular pharmacies) as well as compounding pharmacies. All the risks and benefits should be taken into consideration before a person is placed on hormones. And for those women who prefer not be be on any hormones whatsoever, there are alternatives available including the use of herbal medications to alleviate the signs and symptoms associated with menopause. Homeopathic/spagyric remedies have also been used to help women go through perimenopause and menopause. As far as treatment for breast cancer is concerned (or any cancer, for that matter), I believe that an individualized, holistic approach should always be taken. In Europe, they are able to test cancer cell sensitivity to different chemotherapeutic agents (whether synthetic cancer drugs or natural agents), similar to how we are able to test infectious agent’s sensitivity to antibiotic medications. This test takes the guesswork out of what medication to use. For more information on this as well as other integrative approaches to cancer, please check out Suzanne Somer’s most recent book called “Knockout”. Check out http://www.breastcancerfund.org for more useful information on this subject.

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Waste in Your Waist

On overweight man's waistline.

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You got that right! There’s a lot of waste in your waist. And I don’t mean the waste products in your colon, however.  What I’m referring to are the toxic products that are in the fatty areas of the body, primarily the core or abdominal area. Toxins have a propensity to accumulate in fatty tissues because they are lipophilic or “fat-loving”. Other fatty areas in the body include the breast area in women and the neurological system in both sexes. The toxins found in these areas are primarily environmental toxins such herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, VOC’s, and other dangerous chemicals. During the process of weight loss (fat loss, specifically), the body begins burning fat, in the process releasing all these toxic chemicals into the circulation. With poor detoxification mechanisms, these chemicals are just recirculated and deposited into other parts of the body where they interfere with function. That’s the reason why some people feel worse when they lose weight. It’s really important to enhance the detoxification pathways before embarking on such a program. Speaking of detoxification, one of the major organs responsible for this process is our liver. There are 2 phases of detoxification that goes on here. To simplify things, phase 1 primarily involves making toxic products less toxic and phase 2 involves preparing the toxin for excretion by conjugating it with certain nutrients. Deficiency of nutrients could interfere with either phase and lead to waste build up in the body. In summary, if one intends to lose weight, wait and do some research and then run to your nearest holistic health provider.

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I Hate Germs!

Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics Test plate

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Everybody does! And the answer is not using petroleum-based or synthetic sanitizing agents to eradicate these germs(whether they’re in our bodies or the environment).It’s like throwing fuel into the fire. Anyway, you must have read about the article on NaturalNews.com regarding how antibiotics are practically becoming useless. This study was published by the journal, Lancet Infectious Diseases. What has led to this problem is the indiscriminate use of antibiotics (such as what happens when antibiotics are doled out like candy even for viral infections). Then, there’s the use of antibiotics on animal feed to fatten up the poor animals. These practices have led to resistance to practically all antibiotics and unless new ones are discovered ASAP, then we’re SOL. A different approach, instead of rushing to find more “weapons” against these microbes, is to strengthen overall immunity. With a strong immune system, these bugs are kept at bay and unless there’s a triggering event, they usually stay harmless. Take note that people who catch the flu bug don’t all get sick. It’s usually those with poor immune systems who get really sick and suffer from complications. What are the things we can do to strengthen the immune system? It all goes back to the basics which includes nutritious food, adequate pure water intake, deep breathing, stress reduction, having the right attitude and last but not least, spirituality. What about natural antibiotics? Check out my next blog entry…..

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Magnets to Plug the Hole?

Project Runway (season 4)

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Sounds like a great idea. I just saw it this morning on CNN. There is this Florida company that came up with the idea. It does make a lot of sense. I hope it works. So far, the pollution goes on. And it’s not just oil. Now, there’s the chemical dispersants to deal with. These chemicals were used to “disperse” the oil. In my own limited understanding of how this works, it means that the oil will just be invisible to the naked eye. It’s still present in the water though, causing harm to microscopic organisms (and the rest of the living creatures) in the water. It’s a mess, a hot tranny mess (as the contestant and eventual winner of the Season 4 reality show, Project Runway, would say)! I know it’s not funny, but we as a people should be open to alternatives especially when “standard” protocols are not working. In this scenario, alternatives should have been sought earlier in the game. The hole could have been plugged successfully by now, the 74th day since the oil started spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Health-wise, I believe that we should incorporate therapeutic lifestyle changes into standard treatments. That makes the outcome of whatever health issue more successful. Happy 4th of July weekend! Signing out……

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Wow, that smells!

Shelves of perfumes

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I knew it! There’s something more to perfumes or colognes than the strong smell they give off. I often wonder why some people splash (or practically bathe) themselves with very strong scents. I guess some people use it to attract others while some use it to mask their body odors. It’s all good unless the smell is too strong or offensive. Ever gone to places where heavily perfumed people have been? Sometimes, the odor lingers for hours on end (maybe not that long). Apparently, there are other ways that synthetic colognes/perfumes could harm you. They could cause male infertility by damaging men’s sperm, according to a Harvard study done in 2006. This was also the conclusion made by the Environmental Working Group, who said that the secret ingredients in popular perfume brands are causing damage to sperm. One of the offending agents mentioned is diethyl phthalate (DEP), which is a xeno-estrogen or hormone-disruptor found in the colognes. So, if men want to stay virile (guys, if you wanna have babies) into their older age, stay away from those synthetic scented perfumes/colognes. A better option would be to use therapeutic-grade essential oils. They can be used as perfumes as well as for various ailments. In fact, the oils have been used since ancient times. Records their use have been found in the Ebers Papyrus and the Bible. However, don’t just get essential from anywhere including health food stores. Most of them are not prepared properly such that the oils practically no therapeutic value. If you’re going to use essential oils, make sure that they’re prepared properly. I know of a company that has the motto of “From Seed To Seal”. They have stringent quality control procedures in place such that I’m confident in using them myself and recommending them to my loved ones and my clients.

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I want my coffee now!

Facts about coffee. It is a beverage prepared from the coffee seeds, otherwise known as “coffee beans”, of the coffee plant. It is grown primarily in agricultural communities in approximately 70 countries throughout the world. It was discovered in the Middle East where it’s cultivation spread throughout the Arab world. It is now consumed by more people all over the world. Just look at the popularity of Starbuck’s or Peet’s or Seattle’s Best Coffee in the US alone. Anyway, what are the benefits of drinking coffee? People who take it regularly do so because it perks them up or gives them energy (due to the caffeine content which has stimulating properties). One disturbing fact about coffee though is that it’s one of the most heavily pesticides crops in the world. So, if you’re going to have your coffee, choose sustainably-produced, organic coffee at least. Decaf coffee is another issue all by itself. During the decaffeination process, chemicals such as formaldehyde, are used which actually makes the coffee worse. So, for people who want their decaf coffee, find one that’s processed without toxic chemicals. And perhaps, have your adrenals checked out by a holistic practitioner if you’re totally addicted or dependent on coffee in general. One thing more, have you ever heard of the coffee fruit? It’s basically the whole fruit with the beans and the flesh all intact. The whole fruit has more beneficial nutrients than the coffee bean alone. It is rich in antioxidants called phenolic acids as well as beneficial polysaccharides. Antioxidants, as we all know, fight off free radicals while polysaccharides enhance cellular communication (which is beneficial for the immune system in particular). I’ll have my coffee fruit instead!

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We Need Bugs….

The good ones, that is. In a recent article in Scientific American magazine, it was reported that prophylactic bacteria may protect critically ill patients against pneumonia. The study was done at the Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and was subsequently published earlier this month at the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. This is great considering that you rarely hear about preventive medicine in mainstream medical journals. Good bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifodibacterium are part of the body’s normal flora. Their numbers can decrease due to factors such as antibiotic intake, NSAID use, and even just by drinking tap water (chlorinated and fluoridated). When this imbalance between good and bad bacteria happens, conditions such as antibiotic-related diarrhea, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, candidiasis and “leaky gut syndrome” could occur. Symptoms of these conditions could range from gas, bloating, food sensitivities, allergies, joint pains, muscle aches, fatigue and brain fog. It’s really important to take probiotics on a regular basis nowadays (even without a history of taking antibiotics or NSAID’s because our water supply is not as safe as it used to be). Typical water purification methods usually remove particulate matter and certain microbes. It does nothing however for removal of heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, etc.), VOC’s (volatile organic chemicals), certain bacteria (such as Cryptosporidium), and mostly importantly, pharmaceutical drugs (from people flushing them in the toilet, etc). It certainly won’t hurt to invest in a good water purification system. Remember, most water sold in plastic containers may just be filtered municipal water. Let’s not even get into that now! I’ll save that rant for another day. How about that? In the meantime, take a good probiotic supplement daily and make sure to stay hydrated with pure water. By the way, the probiotic that I use is called Life 5.

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