November 2008
General Updates

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

General Updates

Things are well here in sunny Florida. After a very long 15 months, our family is completely reunited! It was a long wait but many thanks to all of you who sent good thoughts and energy our way.

We are working on raising funds to help get NDs licensed here in Florida and have a large goal of $265,000 to raise in a couple of months. If anyone is looking for a good cause to donate to please keep the FNPA - Florida Naturopathic Physicians Association in mind and help make Naturopathic care available to everyone, especially those like our children suffering the symptoms of Autism.

Healthies is still on the board, but pushed off for a year again and no final word on Oprah.

We had a slight scare with our grandson who was experiencing a very low body temperature, or so we thought. Either it was a temporarily defective thermometer or he is self-regulating again.

I will be in Oklahoma in mid-January to see patients and to speak at the Parent's Fighting Autism meeting (1/19/09 Olive Garden, Norman, OK, 7:00 pm). Mercedes will send an email out when it is time to start scheduling.

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday..

Probiotics and Intestinal Health

  • Many people ask me why is so important to re-establish and maintain healthy flora in our GI tract. Here is a brief list of what these good bacteria do for us:
    • Help the cells in the intestinal tract develop and grow normally.
    • Acts as a part of the immune system to keep invaders from entering our body through the intestinal tract.
    • Protects our body against staph and strep infections.
    • Keeps Candida growth in control.
    • Vitamin production and absorption – B12, folate, biotin, riboflavin, Vitamin K.
    • Makes short chain fatty acids.
    • Detoxification of many substances.
    • Secretion of health protective Immunoglobulins.
  • Our lifelong flora population (beneficial bacteria) is established by the time we are 3 years old.
  • There are 800 species and 7000 strains of known GI flora.
  • After a round of antibiotics, it takes 3 months to rebalance the GI Flora.
  • Even using a good probiotic, research is showing that the beneficial bacteria do not permanently recolonize.
  • For those of you who were bottle fed, have had even 1 course of antibiotics in your life, or have/had some type of GI imbalance, you will need to do 4-5 courses of a good probiotic per year.
  • For those of you who were breastfed and have not used any antibiotics (ever) you probably have a very good population of beneficial bacteria. So, you will only occasionally (1-2 times per year) need to do a course of a good quality probiotic.
  • Bo Gervang, PhD has dedicated his life’s work to understanding the health of the human GI tract and has recently reported that many foods contain dairy-like and gluten-like molecules which can cause a similar reaction as do dairy and gluten. Pharmax, an outstanding neutraceutical company, has developed a probiotic with specific strains that help to breakdown dairy and gluten, and even help breakdown proteins similar to dairy and gluten. It is called HLC MindLinx and was developed originally for those on the Spectrum but is showing to be beneficial for everyone. Even if you or your family members avoid dietary dairy and gluten, this is an excellent new product to consider in place of your current probiotic.
  • There are number of probiotics I like to use and we can talk about this at your next appointment if you are not already taking one.
  • Fermented foods can help keep this population of healthy bacteria functioning at their best. For a list of fermented foods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fermented_foods

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Red Rice Yeast

  • If you are using Red Rice Yeast for cholesterol – stop immediately. Most sources have been shown to contain a compound called citrinin which is a mycotoxin and has been shown to be toxic to the kidneys in all species it has been tested in.

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Pharmaceutical Updates

  • Pentacel is a new vaccine that has been approved and it contains 5 vaccines in 1: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and haemophilus B. Of course you can imagine the uproar around this.
  • Rotarix is a live oral vaccine being used in children to prevent rotavirus stomach flu but is associated with high rates of intussusception (when one portion of the bowel slides into the next, much like the pieces of a telescope).
  • The FDA has issued an alert for Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel, Aredia and Didronel. There is now clear evidence that instead of preventing breakage, Fosamax contributes to breakage, especially of the femur. Please see this link for more information: http://www.medicalconsumers.org/pages/osteoporosismanydrugsprescribed.htm.
  • Speaking of cholesterol – for those of you who have been guided to take a statin drug, consider this statement published in the NY Times Nov 2008: “There is not a single randomized control trial that shows that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs (Lipitor) are beneficial for women of any age or men over 65 who do not already have heart disease or diabetes”.
  • Chantrix: serious and potentially life-threatening side effects are beginning to emerge.

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Norway bans Mercury

  • Norway is the first country to ban all Mercury from all products including dental fillings!

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Music and Autism

  • I am very impressed with this program, Tuned Into Learning – check it out: www.tunedintolearning.com.
  • Stephen M Edelson, PhD has also written about music therapy for individuals on the spectrum.

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AAP Statement

  • The American Academy of Pediatrics recently published a statement that they “may have been wrong by denying there was a connection between diet and ADD/ADHD”.

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