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Ignorance is Bliss?

September 17, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment
home_fruit-veg

home_fruit-veg
Every now and then I find myself thinking how much easier life would be if I were completely ignorant… uninformed, unaware of any consequences or any ‘better way’.

I just had this conversation with another mom yesterday. Of course, we’re being facetious. But it’s an interesting thought nonetheless!

Just imagine…

I could eat whatever I wanted and feed my kids whatever was handy… the most convenient, cheapest, fastest, tastiest, most colorful packaging and so on. No doubt. No guilt.

Work out? Bah! Not if I didn’t feel like it! Shoot, that sounds like WORK! I could just lounge around, watching TV and eating those aforementioned foods.

I’d definitely buy into every fear-based piece of advice I heard on the news or from other “authority” figures… I’d be vaccinated, and so would my kids, out the wazoo!

I wouldn’t second guess the quality of education my kids were getting – I’d just assume that the schools know best. Heck, why wouldn’t they?! I’d just leave them in charge of what went into my kids’ brains.

I’d visit my doctor a lot… regularly, in fact! Every time I didn’t feel perfect… kids, too. I could take a wide assortment of drugs to numb every pain, discomfort, symptom or negative emotion.

My kids could play with anyone they wanted. They could watch TV for hours, play endless video games, have their own cell phones, and so on. They’d get to make their own food choices, too. Why not? They know what they like, after all!

I’d buy whatever household and personal care products were the cheapest, or prettiest, or most marketed, or most popular… with no concern in the world about how they effect my family’s health or the health of the planet.

Yeah. Life would be SO much easier if I could just remove what I know from my brain!

Before you jump on my case about this, I really do ‘fantasize’ about this at times! Ahhh, such a simple life… to not carry the burden of understanding consequences of our lifestyle choices!!

This is the paradigm in which I grew up. Not because my parents were “bad people” by any means. Quite the contrary in fact. They just didn’t KNOW. And nobody told them. They bought into the same system and paradigm that the masses did… and still do.

I’m glad I know what I know.

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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

August 30, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online 2 Comments
Loopy offspring

With the onset of another school year, many parents are concerned with ADD and ADHD. Rightly so. This is a label placed upon (mostly) children at ever-increasing rates.

It’s challenging for me to buy into the idea of a diagnosis for which there is no quantitative test, and for which part of the affirmative diagnosis involves a change in behavior in response to the ‘appropriate’ medication.

Of course I wholeheartedly believe that there are countless children who fit the parameters of these conditions. I am not ignorant, nor do I live on the moon. I’m just not convinced that these behaviors are indications of a shortage in Ritalin or its sister drugs.

Also, I fully understand that the prescribed medication most certainly does change the way the child behaves. I respectfully understand that giving the child the prescribed medication has changed the dynamic of many families in a very positive way. Again, no ignorance here.

In the case of the drugs used, I’m simply not convinced they’re in the best interest of a child’s long-term health, function and happiness. Also, I’m not convinced that other lifestyle changes couldn’t accomplish the same positive changes in a child, without the negative consequences. All drugs change some function of the body, so it’s no “surprise” that a child would act differently once on the drug. The question is, does the drug address the cause of the problem? Does it contribute to better health… or does it cause harm? What’s the desired outcome? Is it just to change behavior? Or is it to change behavior while protecting, and possibly improving, health?

Real questions that each family needs to address.

What I tend to consistently see in the vast majority of children diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, or anxiety disorders is that the child is out of balance in one or more major elements of a healthy lifestyle.

Optimal health and function, including mental and emotional health, require consistently making pure and sufficient choices in nutrition, movement and mindset. This optimal function is also dependent upon reducing or eliminating toxic and deficient choices in lifestyle.

This ideal scenario is unfortunately not the norm in a growing number of families living in industrialized, affluent countries.

We have kids growing up eating unbalanced toxic diets, loaded with refined grains, sugar, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and trans fats/hydrogenated fats. Kids’ diets are loaded with nutrient-deficient and toxic cereal, bread, junk foods, convenience snack foods, fast food, pop, juice, sports drinks, low-fat and fat-free conventional dairy products, toxic conventional meat and eggs, and so much more.

Meanwhile, they’re missing out on the innate genetic requirements for nutritional health: REAL food, whole food, food closest to its naturally occurring state, pure foods and fresh, raw foods.

The average North American diet results in a devastating imbalance of the critical essential fatty acids, omega 6 and omega 3. This is the healthy fat that’s required for the brain to function normally. It must exist in a healthy ratio of 1:1, omega 6:omega 3, or 2:1. But, we’re commonly seeing diets where the ratio is 20:1 and higher. The brain cannot function properly under these conditions.

The modern diet has excessive omega 6 essential fatty acids and is dangerously deficient in omega 3′s. Trans fats found in virtually all conventional “factory” foods, junk food, fast food, snack foods, crackers, and so on are the reason we become so toxic with omega 6. We’re deficient in our natural sources of omega 3 since we no longer regularly consume enough deep cold-water wild fish, grass-fed meats and free-range eggs.

The nutritional answer, that directly changes the brain “chemistry”, is to supplement with pure and sufficient fish oil, add more pure food sources (like deep, cold-water fish, grass-fed meats and free-range whole eggs) to the regular diet, while simultaneously reducing or eliminating toxic foods that poison us and send us into such a dangerous imbalance of brain fats.

Kids are more sedentary than at any other time in history. While technology has granted us countless blessings, computers, television, movies, video games, cell phones, and many other offshoots of the technological age have resulted in kids sitting on their gluteal regions for far too long each day!

It also begs the question, “What’s going into our kids’ minds on a regular basis?” What kind of images, words, attitudes are they learning through these activities. Sure, some of it is beneficial. But, c’mon! Most of it is questionable at best. It has a very real effect on the way children see their world and how they respond to it.

Daily challenging movement is a requirement for health and a requirement for normal function of the brain. Movement generates proprioception which literally ‘feeds’ the brain. In addition to many other health-promoting effects, proprioception from movement stimulates the neurological pathways that stimulate learning, memory, attention and balanced emotions.

Finally, children and adults alike must nurture their mental, emotional, social and spiritual health. Kids need regular input of positive, empowering, uplifting, fulfilling thoughts and need to avoid and/or have a reliable way to offset the effects of toxic, stressful thoughts and emotions.

I believe that a sincere, consistent effort must be made to:
1. Feed children a balanced diet full of real, whole, pure foods with little toxicity – this includes supplementing with a very high quality fish oil and avoiding the biggest toxic offenders like high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, refined grains, refined sugar, trans fats, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils.
2. Provide opportunities for daily movement and exercise.
3. Focus attention on their overall happiness and their ability to appropriately respond to the stressors in their environment.

If all these requirements for health and function are being met I’d expect to see drastic improvement in a child’s behavior, moods, outlook on life and ability to respond appropriately to the world around them. We owe it to our kids to pull out all the stops when helping them achieve better health and brain function. We live in a culture that is all too quick to medicate rather than address the underlying causes. In life-saving endeavors this is justified. In the case of a child’s lifetime of health, this is unnerving.

Healthy choices result in health. Help your kids make healthier choices in nutrition, movement and mindset.

(FYI: You can find my personal recommendations for superior nutritional supplements on our practice website www.LifetimeWellness.net in the Wellness Proshop tab along the left side of the page.)


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Filed Under: Childhood Illnesses, Phases and Stages, Kids' Exercise, Fitness and Movement, Kids' Nutrition Tagged With: , , ,

Health Care Reform

August 27, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Remember, “HEALTH care” reform must involve HEALTH!

Health is a state of homeostatic cell function. All ‘things’ working harmoniously in a state of balance and optimal function.

Health does not come from drugs and surgery. This is “sickness care”. Short-term survival, or a temporary “band-aid” relief of symptoms may come from these things… but never improved health and function. Never a restoration of homeostasis.

It is a dangerously inaccurate belief system (paradigm) to think that drugs or surgery or any other outside-in intervention could possibly make up for a lack of genetically required nutrients, movement, and true happiness.

Leading scientists know that our health, and whether or not we will get sick or develop chronic illness, is the result of our lifestyle choices and the environment we create. How we eat, move and think determines how healthy we will become… or not become.

This is the science of Epigenetics – our environment determines our level of health.

Every pure and sufficient nutrition, movement and mindset choice adds up to better health and moves you away from chronic illness. Every toxic and deficient choice moves you away from health and closer to chronic illness.

Your better health isn’t up to the government, the insurance companies or even your doctors. It’s up to YOU.

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Pharmaceutical Industry… The Solution to the Economic Crisis!

February 18, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

In the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with a few people about career and educational choices and changes they’re making as a result of (dramatic drum roll, please) “the economy”.

As if the palpable stress of so many weren’t bad enough, what I’ve been hearing has made me sad. I know it’s all just a sign of the times – kind of like texting and ‘tweeting’ every single thought that crosses your mind, rather than just calling or speaking complete words and sentences to people (!)… I digress yet again!! Nonetheless, sign of the times or not, it still makes me sad.

The first ‘incident’ happened in our practice. I was introducing myself to a lovely, bright young practice member that I had not yet met. After chatting for a few minutes I discovered that, although her true passion was for teaching, she had chosen to study pharmacology “because that’s where all the money is!”

Yes, you know I threw up a little bit!

I think the look of surprise and horror on my face caused her to try to explain! She very enthusiastically told me “how great the money is in pharmacy, and how they need more pharmacists and pharmacy techs because more and more people are taking drugs… and they only expect it to keep getting better as the economy worsens and people get more stressed out!!”

Yep… she said “getting better” as she was referring to people taking more drugs. Unbelievable.

Next, in one week’s time, I talked to two high school students who would both like to work for pharmaceutical companies “because they make a lot of money, and there’s total job security… dude!” Oh, and “you just have to be good looking and really good at schmoozing doctors into trying your new drugs… it’s sweeeet!!”

Seriously. Who on earth is putting these thoughts in teenagers heads??? I’m never letting my kids out of the house again.

Then, the most recent conversation I’ve had on this subject came last weekend. I met a young mother who had recently gone back to school to work toward becoming a pharmacist. In this case, there was some passion. There was also a whole lot of focus on “how much big time money they make”, but, some passion too!

She told me how she wants to become a pharmacist so that she can save people’s lives. Interesting. So I asked her if she meant ‘saving’ people’s lives by helping them get OFF their meds and talking to their docs about addressing the cause? Or by being an astute ‘guard dog’ that makes sure their drugs aren’t contraindicated or reacting negatively to each other? (Since, God knows, our doctors can no longer manage all the drugs!)

That, by the way, is a very REAL life-saving endeavor I believe pharmacists can and often DO accomplish – protecting us from dangerous combinations of prescriptions.

She said that the protection aspect was definitely part of it, but even more than that was the vision to help people feel better, and therefore “save their lives”.

Hmmmm. Interesting definition of saving lives. Someone could feel ‘good’, yet be developing cancer, while someone else could feel rotten because they’ve got a toothache, yet they’re healthy overall. Hmmmm… no wonder our society is in a health crisis. Strange definitions of health!

If you can’t accurately define what “healthy” is, how can you achieve it?

Then this young pharmacist-to-be went on to share her excitement with me regarding what a “booming industry” the pharmaceutical industry is! I kid you not: “It’s totally awesome! I mean, I know it’s sad and all… what’s happening with the economy and people’s jobs and losing their homes and stuff… but it’s great for the pharmaceutical companies! More people are taking drugs now than ever before… and more and more will start taking them because of all the stress and depression and all the sickness that happens because of stress! People don’t want to DO anything to get better – they just want to pop a pill and feel better! You wouldn’t believe all the things they’re working on making drugs for – it’s awesome!!”

Uh-huh… that time I threw up much bigger!

And I cried inside.

That same weekend, I had three separate conversations with friends of mine who are all teachers. We were discussing how Michigan schools are now moving into full-day kindergarten. Each lady (all are moms) was sharing their opinion and the opinions of many parents they’ve spoken to on this issue.

I found it interesting that so many teachers and parents are not in favor of this move, yet it’s happening anyway. (I don’t know enough of the ‘facts’ to share an educated opinion on this, nor do I feel the need to since I home school at this time!)

Apparently, many feel the primary impetus for this move is the fact that so many families have both parents working and that daycare is far too expensive for families these days. Sending them to school is cheaper and allows a parent to get in a few more hours of work (and pay). I get it. It’s understandable. If it’s true, it’s just sad that what’s best for those little children isn’t what came first in the decision.

What I found sad and horrible – and a sign of our times – was that each of these three teachers, without ANY prompting from ME … I mean it! – ALL ended up talking about how this single move will result in a significant increase in the number of young children being diagnosed with some type of behavioral disorder and taking drugs.

Honestly, I hadn’t thought of it until the first teacher brought it up.

They talked about having a room full of 4 and 5 year olds, for the entire day, and expecting them to sit still and pay attention for that long… how next-to-impossible that would be! Then the conversations transitioned to how many teachers would start taking drugs as a result! They said this jokingly… but then we realized it’s probably a pretty accurate estimation of what might happen.

Crazy times when, as a society, our ‘solution’ for stress is to add toxic chemical stress to the body… and to expect things to actually get better as a result! Drugs for short-term survival? Sure. Whatever floats your boat and saves your life. For long term solution? Not a chance. Sooner or later, you need to address the cause.

A totally hysterical friend, who also happens to be a pastor, has been joking around with us ever since we had children. He says, as a pastor, the fear is always that your kids are going to go out and be a menace to society or demonstrate questionable morals, like having premarital sex or joining a cult. He said it’s a mortifying thought as a pastor! So, he has always joked with us that, as wellness docs, what would our kids do that would drive us over the edge… sneak aspirin? Take drugs for a cold? Take an antibiotic for a virus?

Yeah, he’s pretty funny, all right!

But now, I have a new response for him. The thing they could do that would push me over the top would be to choose to work in the pharmaceutical industry because “it’s totally awesome, dude… and they make so much money…. it’s sweeeet!”

Filed Under: The Conventional Allopathic Approach ~ "Sickness Care" and Sickness Thinking Tagged With: , , , ,

The Best Time to “Treat” High Blood Pressure?

January 10, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

A few days ago, I accompanied my dad to an appointment with a cardiologist. It was the first time he had ever been referred to a specialist for the heart.

 

The extremely short version of the story is that my dad’s health is not as great as it should be. He had managed prostate cancer with holistic means for approximately 6 years. Then, 2 years ago, the proverbial poop hit the fan. His prostate had enlarged to a size that caused a major blockage to his urethra and ultimately sent him into kidney failure.

 

He was immediately put on hormones to help shrink his prostate, and had surgery a few months later.

 

Then, mom got sick. As dad was starting to feel better, it became apparent that mom was dying. His stress levels for the past couple of years have been astronomical, to say the least.

 

He started having some “dizzy spells” during these 2 years, but more frequently since mom passed at the end of 2007. He’s had all sorts of tests, but nothing ever shows up as being causal in nature. This time around, his doc sent him to see the aforementioned cardiologist.

 

As a side note, I’d like to comment that parents are very difficult to raise these days. Both my mom and my dad like to “hide” things from me when it comes to their health… because they “don’t want to worry me.” Mom kept a lot from me in her last year… God love her! Dad is just as big a brat! I had no idea he was having these “episodes” for over a year!!

 

So, the cardiologist…

 

My internal red flag went up when this gentleman walked into the examination room to greet my father and I. I’d say he was in his late 30′s to early 40′s. Overweight and out of shape. Right off the bat, I’ve got another voice in my head… the sassy, skeptical one that is now questioning every single thing this “expert” is going to say!

 

Yes, in the case of health, I do have a tendency to judge the book by its cover. I simply have issues with someone doling out any health advice, when it looks like they’re in need of a transformation themselves. I don’t mean to sound judgemental, but c’mon! Walk the talk. (Unless… you’re talking a talk that is completely ineffective, inaccurate and outdated!!!)

 

OK, back to the story. Cardio man asked dad several questions, examined him, asked him some more questions. He told dad that his blood pressure was up “a bit”. Dad was alarmed, and a tad offended! He has always had low blood pressure. The doc said, “Well, it’s not REALLY high (Yes, it was!)… nothing to be too alarmed about yet. Plus, I don’t prescribe any medication for high blood pressure until your blood pressure is consistently high or on the rise for several readings. We’ll just monitor this and see how it goes. Then we can do something if need be.”

 

Huh? Did he really just say that?

 

I turned to my dad and quietly said, “You know dad, you haven’t been exercising consistently for months, you’ve gained weight, you’re drinking more coffee than ever before and you’re stressed. Don’t you think that has a lot to do with it too? You could completely turn this around in a few weeks!”

 

I was hoping the good doc would chime in and agree that proper, consistent exercise, excellent nutrition and stress management are the most powerful ways to correct blood pressure imbalances.

 

Nope. He quickly said, “We’ll just see how it goes the next time I see you.”

 

You have simply got to be kidding me!!!! Is THAT how we handle high blood pressure… we just wait until it’s high enough to warrant taking drugs? What about lifestyle changes? What about making proactive healthy choices BEFORE it’s too high?

 

I left the door WIDE open for this guy! Rolled out the red carpet for him to lay it on my dad! There was not a single mention of exercise, nutrition, stress, sleep, etc. to my dad. Nada. I just kept thinking, after the appointment, Thank God dad has a “team” to support him: my hubby and I, his other Doctor of Chiropractic, his naturopath, his massage therapist, etc…. people with the knowledge and experience to help him BEFORE drugs become his ”only option”.

 

But I felt so sad for the countless others who have visits in doctors offices like that every single day… being led to believe that the only possible choice is medication.

 

It’s truly criminal.  The skewed information. The “God complex” of conventional allopathy. The ineffective paradigm of “sickness care”. I know that one day, we’ll look back on this type of treatment approach and shake our heads (OK, many of us are already shaking our heads!!), but how many have to suffer in the meantime?

 

I know there ARE great allpathic docs out there, who ARE practicing from a different paradigm… or doing their very best within the confines of their traditional paradigm. We are blessed to have them. Unfortunately, when I experience yet another visit with a doctor like I did the other day, that “some day when we shake our heads” can’t come soon enough.

 

Until then, I’ll just plug away at moving well, eating well and thinking well… and teaching others to do the same. There are no guarantees in health, or in life. But when we do RIGHT enough, LONG enough, the end results become more predictable.

Filed Under: General Health and Well Being Tagged With: , , ,