wellness tips

Kidney stones occur more commonly in the summer, so stay hydrated to avoid one of the most painful conditions there is.

Well, with the heat wave we’ve been enjoying over the past week, I’ve found myself pondering how to stay comfortably cool, keep the apartment cool enough to be able to sleep, get my vitamin D dosage without burning to a crisp, and focusing on staying hydrated enough.

Dehydration creates a number of problems in the body, including increasing blood pressure, accelerating osteoarthritis (the wearing down of joints), and increasing the risk of kidney stones.

Kidney stones tend to develop more frequently in the summer months, and as anyone that has had one will tell you they are something you don't want to get as they are excruciatingly painful.

The south-eastern States, hot for most of the year, are referred to as the “kidney stone belt”, and the Middle East has about double the rate of kidney stones than North America, mostly due to inadequate water intake which is especially needed in hot weather.

Staying well hydrated is fundamentally important to health, and most tend not to drink enough water even when the weather is cool. Because we sweat more when we are hot, we need even more water to replace what we are losing.

If you’ve suffered from kidney stones in the past you are at risk of getting them again, so staying well hydrated is a very important preventative measure, as water reduces the concentration of the minerals that might crystallize into stones.

One often hears the saying “drink plenty of fluids” when it is hot, but some fluids will make the body’s internal environment worse, making one more prone to kidney stones. Soda pop is a fluid that not only dehydrates making one more prone to kidney stones, but also contains phosphates, which is linked to higher kidney stone recurrence.

Dark soft drinks like coke, tend to contain oxalates, which further increase one's susceptibility to kidney stones. Any caffeinated beverage is dehydrating, so for every cup of a caffeinated beverage you drink, do drink another glass of filtered water.

Sugary drinks tend to mess with calcium and magnesium absorption, once again increasing one's risk for kidney stones. With kids drinking so much in the way of sugary drinks and soda pop now, children as young as 5 are being afflicted with kidney stones.

The healthy fluid of choice is water – add a twist of lemon or lime if that will help you drink enough of it.

How much water should one drink? According to Dr. Batmanghelidj who wrote the book Your Body's Many Cries For Water, take one's bodyweight in pounds, divide by two, and that is the number of ounces one should drink each day.

When it is hot, probably not a bad idea to drink a little more to make up for sweat losses. If you are exercising in the heat (not the best idea – exercise in the early morning or evening rather than during peak heat times) you may want to weigh yourself before your exercise and again afterwards, and replace the water weight lost during the exercise.

One can tell if one is well hydrated if the colour of the urine is clear to very light yellow. If your urine is bright yellow, drink up! (Some vitamin supplements will turn the urine an almost fluorescent yellow colour, which would make it impossible to judge hydration levels.)

There have been media reports about people dying from drinking too much water, usually during or after an athletic event. The problem is caused by diluting the electrolytes to the point they can't do their job.

So the water we drink needs to be adequately mineralized – add a pinch of Pascalite Clay or unrefined, air dried Celtic Sea Salt, to any water that has been distilled or filtered by reverse osmosis as all the minerals have been removed by these processes.

Drinking mineral-rich water will ensure that our electrolytes won't become too diluted.

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Car accidents frequently result in whiplash type injuries, where the head and neck are violently thrown forward and then back again upon impact, injuring the soft tissues of the neck.

Although vertebrae and disk injuries do occur often in this kind of a scenario, sometimes nothing obvious comes up on imaging tests, and the patient is left with neck pain without a concrete reason as to why. In other situations, the accident victim may feel surprisingly okay immediately post accident, and then a few weeks to months later may develop neck pain. In this scenario it may be harder to prove to insurance companies that the neck pain is actually a result of the car accident, even though there is a very understandable explanation for this pain pattern.

Our spine is meant to have three curves in it, one at the neck (cervical spine), another in the opposite direction over the ribs (thoracic spine), and finally another arch in the low back or lumbar spine. Just as having spinal curves that are too exaggerated can create painful problems, so can having segments of the spine that have straightened out. Whiplash-type scenarios frequently result in a straightening of the cervical spine in the neck. This makes the accident victim far more susceptible to developing disk herniations in the cervical spine, which can impact both upper body and lower body function.

After a violent whiplash, the muscles of the neck are severely traumatized. The head weighs between 12 to 20 pounds, depending on the size of the individual, and when the head is tossed forwards and then backwards with such force, and the muscles of the neck are unable to control the speed with which this heavy weight is being thrown around, the muscles become injured. The muscles frequently go into spasm and over time, tighten up, resulting in not only inadequate movement, but also compression through the vertebrae, squashing disks and narrowing the spaces through which nerves and blood vessels travel. When the deepest anterior neck muscles (longis colli and longis capitus) tighten up, they will pull the cervical spine straight. It may take a few weeks post trauma for the neck to straighten, but if this is not treated, the whiplash victim may eventually have disk problems, and potentially radiating pain into the arms, or TMJ (jaw) issues. Because the deep neck muscles also play a proprioceptive role in determining our position in space, injury to these tissues can be implicated in dizziness as well. (Of course, the cranium gets a major shake-up in a whiplash as well, so in my opinion it is important to examine and correct the position of the cranial bones as well.)

People frequently seek treatment from massage therapists that do an excellent job of releasing the muscles of the posterior neck, but unfortunately only a few massage therapists also treat the anterior muscles of the neck, which are just as badly injured, and also in desperate need of treatment. Massage therapists need to have training on how to move the trachea (breathing pipe) over, and how to avoid the carotid artery (blood vessel to the brain) to get right down onto the anterior surface of the cervical spine to release these muscles. Whiplash victims that complain of difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, dizziness, headaches, or a permanent tickle or lump in their throat, or whose posterior neck pain does not resolve once the posterior muscles are released, may need to get their longis capitus and longis colli treated as well. Certainly anyone who has lost the curvature in their cervical spine (obvious on X-Ray) should seek out someone who is able to release these muscles in order to restore the normal curve to the spine.

The superficial anterior neck muscles are also very important to treat in whiplash cases, as many of these muscles also attach to the jaw, and are involved in talking, swallowing, and can affect the function of the jaw, potentially creating TMJ problems. If the whiplash was at an angle, tension right to left in the neck muscles may be different, causing the floating bone in our neck (the hyoid bone, located at the fold in the neck) to be pulled in one direction or the other. Imbalances in the digastric, infra and supra hyoid muscles can also impact swallowing and jaw function, not to mention potentially impeding thyroid function. So, if you have suffered a whiplash, do make sure that as part of your treatment, you seek out someone that can release ALL the muscles of your neck, including the ones in the front.

Furthermore, for a more complete recovery, a motor-control based exercise program geared to learning how to recruit the neck muscles in the right order would be helpful, so that the outer neck muscles like the upper traps, levator scapula and scalenes learn to relax when they are not needed, reducing the likelihood of the muscle spasm coming back.

I am pleased to announce that I just passed my Paul St. John Integrated Somatic Therapy test, so I am official with respect to being able to treat these muscles, along with any other pain issues you may have. I have been providing personalized corrective exercise programs for over ten years now, so I can provide the complete package – both structural integration (massage) and exercise. So if you are in the Vancouver area, and would like me to help you, please do contact me by replying to this email. It would be my honour.

If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.

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Travell, Janet G MD and Simons, David G MD Travell & Simons’ Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual (2-Volume Set) Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999.

McKenzie, Robin and May, Stephen Cervical and Thoracic Spine: Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (2-Volume Set) Spinal Publications, New Zealand LTD, Raumati Beach NZ, 2006.

Clark, Randall & Jones, Tracy Neuro ALP 1 Manual Neurosomatic Educators Inc. 2007.

Elliott JM et al. Characterization of acute and chronic whiplash-associated disorders. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009 May;39(5):312-23.

Pleguezuelos Cobo E et al. Postural control disorders in initial phases of whiplash. Med Clin (Barc). 2009 May 2;132(16):616-20. Epub 2009 Apr 22.

Armstrong B et al. Head and neck position sense. Sports Med. 2008;38(2):101-17.

Jull GA et al. Clinical assessment of the deep cervical flexor muscles: the craniocervical flexion test. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2008 Sep;31(7):525-33.

Falla DL, Jull GA, Hodges PW. Patients with neck pain demonstrate reduced electromyographic activity of the deep cervical flexor muscles during performance of the craniocervical flexion test. Spine. 2004 Oct 1;29(19):2108-14.

O’Shaughnessy T. Craniomandibular/temporomandibular/cervical implications of a forced hyper-extension/hyper-flexion episode (i.e., whiplash). Funct Orthod. 1994 Mar-Apr;11(2):5-10, 12.

Copyright 2009 Vreni Gurd

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Does anyone else find the media frenzy over swine flu a bit over the top? Other than in Mexico, at least so far, people seem to be recovering just fine.

No disrespect to those who have a family member that died from the swine flu, nor to those that went through the illness and recovered. That flu does not sound like fun. Maybe this is only happening in my part of the world, but what I’m finding a bit nuts is the amount of attention the media is giving to this. In my opinion, such coverage is scaring people unnecessarily. When one is bombarded with hourly news reports on the number of cases diagnosed, and the major newscasts of the day making the "pandemic" the top story day after day, and dedicating a fair amount of time to it, people think that if they get a sniffle that they are going to die of the swine flu. Many are wanting to get their hands on the drug “Tamiflu” just in case. (The makers of Tamiflu are rubbing their hands in glee as fear of flu sells drugs!) But if antiviral drugs are used as prevention rather than treatment, the viruses become more resistant to them, so that when we actually do need the drugs they do not work as well.

The fact is that other than in Mexico, this flu does not appear to be deadly, and the numbers that are getting sick in the scheme of things does not appear to be very high, or at least not yet. To be throwing around words like “pandemic” seems over the top for what appears to be happening, at least to my uneducated thinking.

Each year, far more people get sick with the seasonal flu, but we don’t see school closures, or healthy kids being told to stay home from school for a week in case they might be contagious, as happened in Montreal this week. Each year, it is a different strain of seasonal flu that hits us, and on average about 30,000 to 36,000 Americans and 700 to 2500 Canadians die from seasonal flu each year. Will that many actually die from swine flu this year?? Imagine if the seasonal flu were covered in the media each year in the manner that swine flu is now being covered. We’d be afraid to live our lives!

I’m not saying that we should not be informed – just that so much coverage makes people scared. People need information on what they can do to stay healthy, but that info needs to be delivered in a factual way without the hype about the spread of a pandemic. When people hear the word “pandemic”, they think “deadly illness”, and apart from in Mexico, this flu thus far has NOT been deadly.

The bottom line is we need to make ourselves less susceptible to getting sick by building up our immune system through adequate sleep, good quality food, some fermented and raw food to build up our good bacteria in our gut, enough exercise etc. We should wash our hands frequently.

And in order to minimize the spread of germs, if we feel sick, we should stay home. And of course, avoid touching our eyes, nose, and mouth. We should cough or sneeze into our sleeve rather than into our hands. Germs on our hands get spread to door knobs, phones etc. where others get infected. Tissue or handkerchiefs need to be used with care so as not to get germs onto the hands. Here is a fun educational video that gets the point across Enjoy! Cough or sneeze into your sleeve.

Please do keep the comments coming on my blog. If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.

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If one of your relatives were choking, drowning, or having a heart attack, would you know what to do to help them? Would you be able to save their life?

Accidents happen. Kids fall into pools or swallow marbles. A parent may have a heart condition. A family member or friend may accidentally choke on some food at our dinner table.

I remember the first time I took first aid and CPR, I thought that it was about saving strangers, but I think the bottom line is the person we might save is far more likely to be someone we know and love.

Even in a city with good ambulance service, it is realistically going to take a minimum of 10-15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Considering the chance of survival for someone without a pulse goes down by about 10% each minute, the importance of early intervention is paramount.

The techniques are simple, may make the difference between life and death for someone we love, and all it takes is a short course, ranging from 3 hours to 6 hours long, depending upon which CPR course taken.

Personally, I think everyone should take at least CPR, if not first aid also, every year starting in about grade 6. I think it would be prudent for every parent of youngsters to take a baby and child CPR/First Aid course and recertify every other year just in case, particularly to be able to handle airway obstructions (choking, severe food allergic reactions).

Heart attacks are now killing more premenopausal women than any other disease, and in this demographic, the symptoms are very obscure, and not what one would typically associate with a heart attack.

For premenopausal women, the predominant symptoms are sudden overwhelming fatigue, anxiety, and stomach upset. Not chest pain or heaviness, not left arm or jaw pain which is more typical of male heart attacks.

Frequently when men have a heart attack, they tend to deny, deny, deny that there is a problem. They will often tell their spouses NOT to call an ambulance.

So women, if you think your spouse, boyfriend, son is having a heart attack, don’t listen to them. Call for that ambulance. Because if his heart should stop, what is most likely to save him will be the shock of a defibrillator, and if those paddles are not on his chest within 5 minutes, his chance of survival is remote. Better safe than sorry.

Although cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a good thing to know how to do, the bottom line is it is a defibrillator used within 5 minutes of cardiac arrest that is more likely to save the life.

And thankfully small, portable Automated External Defibrillators (AED) are available for anyone to purchase, and are becoming more and more affordable with each passing year.

These are extremely easy to use by anyone – no medical training required CPR courses usually now include a section on how to use an AED.

Diagrams show the user where to place the electrodes, and then with a push of the button, the device assesses the heart rhythm of the patient, and applies the type of shock needed to restart the heart, only if that shock is necessary. This device will not shock a heart that does not need one.

Remember – for every minute that someone is without a pulse, the chance of survival goes down by 10%. CPR alone may save 1-2% of cardiac arrests, but with an AED, survival rates jump up to between 40 and 50%.

So, if someone in your family has a heart condition, perhaps it is worth purchasing one for the house or car, as the ambulance defibrillator will likely arrive too late. Sure, they are still expensive – about $1300US, but ask yourself if your loved one is worth it.

On a completely different topic, for you nature lovers out there, check out these eagle cams, looking into the nests of bald eagles in south-western BC. This nesting pair near White Rock on Vancouver Island has 3 eggs, soon to hatch in early to mid April.

If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.

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Let me say off the top that I am in favour of the idea of vaccinations. Quite brilliant really. Give the body a little bit of a virus/disease – not enough to get sick, but enough for the body to build up immunity against the virus or disease. This is how the body works. Expose the body to bacteria and viruses and our immune system gets stronger, which is why it is a good thing to have some bacteria around. Children are less likely to develop allergies and get sick if there is a dog or cat in the house, and if they are allowed to play outside in the dirt. Eating some raw and fermented food at each meal is a good idea too! And this is why in this modern age, in our now overly sterile environment, from pasteurized and irradiated foods, to antibiotic soaps, to sterilizing cleaners, to the overuse of antibiotic drugs, our immune systems are being severely compromised. They haven't been exercised enough to be strong. Many people these days seem to be sick almost more often than they are healthy.

So, if vaccinations can prevent very serious diseases like polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, which can cause paralysis and even death, why are many parents refusing to vaccinate their children these days? In States where vaccinations are mandated by law, some parents are going to the extreme measures to avoid forced vaccination by choosing to home school their children. The medical community often suggests that these parents are uneducated about the importance of childhood vaccinations, but actually the parents that make that choice are usually very well educated on the topic, and after weighing the risks, have decided that the risk to the health of their children from the vaccinations is higher than the risk of getting the disease the vaccinations are designed to prevent. It is becoming a real problem. So many parents are not vaccinating their children that some of the diseases are actually making a comeback. The unvaccinated children were unlikely to get the diseases because they were "protected" by so many vaccinated children. But if the trend continues, a tipping point may be reached where suddenly the risk of getting the disease may be quite high.

So, what are these parents worried about? There are two major issues. The first one that gets a lot of press, is that the additives and preservatives that are injected with the inoculant are quite toxic. Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, was believed by many to be linked to the huge rise in neurological disorders such as autism in kids, however even though thimerosal is being removed from childhood vaccinations, autism rates have not declined. (Thimerosal has NOT been removed from diphtheria, tetanus, and flu vaccines.) But as the mercury has been phased out, aluminum, commonly in the form of aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate, has been increasingly phased in, and some studies have linked aluminum to autism as well. Aluminum is neurotoxic even in very small quantities, and can build up in the blood, brain and bones. Babies with compromised kidney function may accumulate enough aluminum to be toxic to the nervous system and bones at 4-5mcg per kg of body weight, meaning that a 6.5 pound (3 kg) baby exposed to 12-15mcg of aluminum may already be at toxic levels. The Hepatitis B shot which is usually first given at birth, contains 250mcg of aluminum per dose. This is 17 to 20 times over the toxicity threshold for that newborn 6.5 pound baby, yet no tests are generally done to check for kidney function prior to giving the vaccines. Neil Z. Miller in his article called “Aluminum in Vaccines, a Neurological Gamble” suggests that "babies who follow the CDC immunization schedule are injected with nearly 5000mcg (5mg) of aluminum by 18 months of age". That is a lot of aluminum for a baby to detoxify and eliminate! And of course, that does not take into account other vaccine additives the baby needs to detoxify and eliminate, which may include ethylene glycol (antifreeze), phenoxyethanol (a preservative and fixative which is a known carcinogen), formaldehyde (a preservative and disinfectant which is a known carcinogen), benzethonium chloride (a disinfectant which is toxic when ingested or inhaled), beta propiolactone (a sterilizer and “reasonably expected to be a human carcinogen” (IARC 1999)), neomycin (a preservative) which is toxic to kidneys when given intravenously – I think I'll stop there – you get the idea. Not all these additives are in every vaccine, but it still gives pause for thought.

The second major issue that concerns parents is the density of the immunization schedule itself. We are expecting these very very young babies that have immune systems that are only just developing to be able to take in and be able to build antibodies to so many different inoculations all before the age of 2. Fifty years ago, only four vaccinations were given – small pox, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). Now babies and toddlers in the States get 32 inoculations for 12 diseases, including hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, rubella, measles, mumps, chicken pox, pneumoccocal infections, hemophilus influenzae type b infections, and influenza (flu). Canadian babies are routinely inoculated against 9 diseases, with chicken pox, influenza and meningitis being optional. Does it not seem at least possible that so many vaccines over such a short period of time may overwhelm the immune systems of some susceptible children?

Baby's brains develop most rapidly between the third trimester of gestation and age 2, and when a vaccination is given, the microglia, the brain's immune cells become activated, and when many vaccinations are given very close together, the microglia may become over activated, secreting cytokines, chemokines, excitotoxins, etc. which may damage brain cells and their connection to each other.

I think it is interesting to note that the death rate from measles had declined by 97% before the measles vaccine was even invented, probably due to cleaner water, better nutrition etc. Even diphtheria and whooping cough death rates had declined by 90% before the invention of the vaccine. Measles, and mumps were common childhood diseases that bestowed lifetime immunity on the child if they caught it. I remember "chicken pox" parties when I was a kid, where parents actually wanted their kids to get the disease as it is much milder if caught in childhood than in adulthood.

No long-term (multi-year), large scale, randomized controlled studies have been done comparing the health of children that followed the CDC vaccination schedule to a comparable group of non-vaccinated children, so the questions surrounding the safety of vaccines cannot be said to be put to rest. Most vaccine trials last a few months, and only look for acute problems like allergies, seizures or gastrointestinal problems. And although we don't know for certain the reasons why, it is interesting that neurological diseases such as autism which occurred in 1 in 10,000 children in 1943, now occurs at a rate of 1 child in 68. Auto-immune diseases in children such as type 1 diabetes, and child rheumatoid arthritis which were rare before the advent of vaccines, have increased in dramatic fashion as well. Vaccines only challenge the Th2 side of the immune system, whereas the diseases they are protecting against would challenge the Th1 side as well. We now know that over-activation of one side of the immune system at the expense of the other leads to autoimmune problems and allergies. Hopefully at some point proper long-term studies will be done to answer the question of whether or not the vaccine schedule is implicated in all these other health issues.

I think it is unhelpful for the medical/pharmaceutical industries to brush aside as "crazy" the concerns parents have for the safety of their children, and state that they simply need to "be educated" on the vaccine issue. And I think it is unfair for governments to force the vaccination schedule down the throats of parents who are genuinely worried. I applaud the pharmaceutical industry for removing thimerosal from most vaccines – that is a step in the right direction. Whether or not mercury causes autism is irrelevant – mercury is a known neurotoxin and surely we can agree that it should not be injected into babies (or adults for that matter, so please remove it from the flu vaccine as well!). Surely, rather than the accusatory tone that currently surrounds the vaccine debate, a dialogue can take place and an effort can be made to find non-toxic additives that would not be of concern to parents. And perhaps some flexibility can be allowed in the vaccination schedule, beginning inoculations after the age of 2 when the child's brain and immune system are more capable of handling them, and perhaps they can be given singly (rather than several different vaccines incorporated into one shot), and each one spread apart at at least six month intervals to allow the child's immune system to assimilate each one before the next one is given. Maybe if the make-up of the vaccines and implementation of the vaccine schedule were altered, the resistance to childhood vaccinations would decline. For a suggested safer vaccination schedule, click here.

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Are cell phones safe enough to be used by children? Should governments warn parents about potential hazards even if the jury is still out?

Whether or not the radiation from cell phones is safe is an ongoing controversy that is dividing the scientific community. Much research suggests that cell phones are perfectly safe, and that we have nothing to be worried about, but some of the longer studies are beginning to tell a different story. The big concern is that the radiation emitted from cell phones may cause brain cancer on the side of the head that the cell phone is used. We may not know for sure whether or not this is true for many years to come, as there is a latency period from the beginning of exposure to the time cancer may develop, and that latency period is most likely greater than ten years.

The radiation the cell phones emit is between 1 and 3 Watts, in the microwave range, and that radiation DOES get absorbed by the head, or whatever body part is nearest the phone. Initially the concern was that this radiation heated the cells causing damage, but from the resources I’ve looked at, it looks like the body is able to dispel the heat quite easily.

However, the radiation emitted from the phone is pulsed, and apparently very similar to the electrical oscillations sent within the brain (alpha and delta brain waves). Our body is a very sensitive electrochemical system, so it seems reasonable that radio waves from external sources at similar frequencies to our internal frequencies may interfere with our bioelectrical systems, in much the same way that cell phones interfere with airplane controls and hospital equipment. So it is the similarity to the frequencies commonly used within the body, confusing the body which may be problematic. One of the frequencies used by cell phones seems to be similar to one that induces cell division in the body, perhaps explaining the links between cell-phone use and brain cancer.

Children have thinner skulls, and their brain tissue is less dense, which allows the radiation to penetrate much further into the brain, potentially increasing their risk. Dr. Devra Davis, a professor of epidemiology and the director of the Centre for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute suggests that phone radiation can penetrate more than half way through the brain of a 5 year old. Because children are still growing and their brains are still developing, genetic damage to cells in the brain may cause functional damage. The blood brain barrier may be compromised making the child more susceptible to toxins. A Spanish study showed that a two minute cell phone conversation altered electrical activity in the brain for up to an hour, compromising the ability to learn. Furthermore, if first exposure to cell phone radiation is while in childhood or as a teen, it is likely that that child or teen will be using the technology for many decades to come, increasing the potential risk even further.

Many countries, like Britain, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Israel, India and Russia are putting out warnings suggesting that children should either not use cell phones at all, or only very minimally, because they feel there is enough research suggesting that there may be a problem to warn the public of the potential danger. France is making it illegal for cell phone manufactures to market cell phones to kids under the age of 12. In Canada, that certainly is not the case – special cell phones specifically designed for kids are actively marketed to kids and their parents. Should this be happening at all, if other countries are putting out warnings?

Even though the City of Toronto's department of public health did put out an advisory in the summer of 2008 that children under 8 should only use cell phones for emergencies, and teens should limit calls to under 10 minutes, Health Canada does not feel there is any need to warn parents about the potential dangers to children, and I don't think US government agencies are putting out warnings either. Kind of reminds one of the smoking issue of yesteryear. So, as a parent would you prefer to be told of a potential problem so you can make up your own mind on how to deal with the issue, or do you trust that government agencies are doing enough to protect you and your children? I think transparency is important. I want to be in control of my health and the health of my family, and I want to know if something might be problematic, so I can do my research and make a choice. If my choice is taken away from me because I am not told, then I have no way of controlling my health. My philosophy has always been to apply the precautionary principle. It may take 30 years before we really know the truth about safety of cell phones, so in the mean time it makes sense to me to keep cell phones out of the hands of kids as long as possible, and if they have one, allow them to use it only for emergencies, text messaging, or with a headset (not bluetooth as that kind magnifies the radiation). These suggestions obviously apply to the rest of us too!

To check the the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) (the quantity of radiofrequency energy that is absorbed by your body) of your cell phone, click here.

For more on the topic of cell phones and kids, watch this CBC production of
Marketplace.

If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.

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Ever since Dr. Cannell of the Vitamin D Council put out notice that he thinks cod liver oil should not be consumed, scientists and doctors are duking it out on both sides of the issue.

Who would have thought that cod liver oil could be controversial? After all, our grandparents were raised on cod liver oil, and it was given to all children like a religion prior to the 1950s with no apparent ill effects, and lots of good effects …

But when Dr. Mercola, who has a readership of over a million people, sided with Dr. Cannell, and told his subscribers he was no longer recommending cod liver oil, a few readers asked me what I thought of the whole controversy.

So, here is my two cents worth. Please remember that I am neither a doctor, nor a scientist – just a health geek that reads a lot and comes to my own conclusions, so take what I say with a good dose of skepticism, just as I think one should of what anyone tells you, including your doctor and your government. Do your own research and make up your own mind about what feels right for you.

Cod liver oil is not only a fabulous source of omega 3 fatty acids, important for brain function and cardiovascular health, but also a good source of vitamin D and A, especially important in the winter months in parts of the world where there is little sun, and vitamin D deficiency is common.

If your shadow is longer than you are when you are in the sun, your body can't make vitamin D. Because there are not many foods that contain much vitamin D, and people have been frightened away from precisely those foods like lard, liver, eggs etc. due to the mistaken belief that cholesterol and saturated fat are unhealthy, cod liver oil would seem to be an excellent choice in the winter, especially since synthetic vitamin D supplements are less reliable than a food for obtaining health benefits.

It should also be noted that the Inuit live in darkness for many months of the year – no sun available at all – and they traditionally relied on food sources for their vitamin D – seal blubber and lots of fatty fish. They did not appear to have any signs of vitamin D deficiency.

I would imagine that because we are all biochemically different, we would all require different amounts of vitamin D and A to be healthy. There is certainly some indication of that concept based on this study of calcium absorption in Inuit children.

So, what's the problem?

In a nutshell, some cod liver oils are very high in vitamin A in relation to vitamin D, and vitamin A in high doses is not only toxic , but according to Dr. Cannell can actually interfere with the utilization of vitamin D. So by taking in too much vitamin A, according to Dr. Cannell, it can inhibit the binding of Vitamin D to your DNA, thereby affecting the expression of those genes that are regulated by Vitamin D.

The argument is that in the western world, we get a lot of vitamin A in our diet, and there is no reason to risk supplementation with extra vitamin A, especially at the high levels often found in cod liver oil.

Because both vitamin A and D are fat soluble rather than water soluble, we do not excrete the excess vitamin A and D that we consume, and hence the toxicity danger. Both vitamin A and D are both tightly controlled by the body, and converted to the active form only as needed in order to reduce the chance of toxicity.

But because the vitamin A in cod liver oil comes in its active form, retinol, it bypasses the body's control mechanism, increasing the chance of toxicity.

In the developing world, vitamin A toxicity is unlikely to be an issue, but in the developed world, some argue that vitamin A toxicity is more common than one would think.

However, according the research of Weston A Price, vitamin A is NOT toxic except in the case of vitamin D deficiency. In nature, foods that contain vitamin D also contain vitamin A, because they work synergistically.

Seal oil, a staple of the Inuit diet has far higher levels of vitamin A than cod liver oil. In fact, Dr. Price found that many traditional cultures consumed vitamin A in far greater amounts than we do in current times.

The Weston A Price Foundation does not agree at all that there is rampant vitamin A toxicity in the western world, due not only to the general population's fear of saturated fat, but also due to the fact that many (those with thyroid, liver problems, diabetes, children and babies) have trouble converting carotenoids in vegetables into vitamin A.

Until there is a similar medical test for vitamin A levels as is available for vitamin D, I guess we won't know who is right. The Weston A Price Foundation also disagrees with Cannell's statement that high levels of vitamin A will interfere with vitamin D regulated gene transcription, stating that "researchers from Spain recently showed that vitamin D can only effectively activate target genes when its partner receptor is activated by vitamin A".

To understand the biochemistry of the interaction between vitamin A and D in more detail, click here, or here for the Spanish study.

The key, according to the Weston A Price Foundation, is that the body can use natural food sources of vitamin A and D, as they are packaged in appropriate ratios.

Supplementation is problematic, because frequently not only are those ratios are out of whack, but also synthetic vitamin A and D are toxic. Once again, rely on food for nutrition, not supplements.

So, what does this all mean for cod liver oil? The problem is that in the modern cleaning processing of cod liver oil, the vitamins are frequently removed, and then synthetic vitamins are added back in, and not in the same ratios that were naturally in the oil to begin with.

Cod liver oil is frequently being turned into a supplement rather than the food it originally was. So often one sees ratios of vitamin A to D of 100:1, which is crazy high in vitamin A with respect to D. Ratios should be in the range of 10:1 or less, and thankfully there are many natural cod liver oils on the market that meet that requirement.

So rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater and missing out on the omega 3s and vitamins in cod liver oil, I think we simply need to be very picky about what cod liver oil we choose to use. Look for naturally occurring vitamin A and D, and make sure the ratio is 10:1 or less.

Fermented cod liver oil is probably the best, but is hard to get in Canada at least. Carlson's is readily available in my neck of the woods, and has 700 to 1200IU vitamin A to 400IU vitamin D in the liquid, a good ratio, and well below the recommended daily allowance of 10,000IU vitamin A a day.

Other good online sources include Garden of Life regular dose, Nordic Naturals High Vitamin D cod liver oil, Radiant Life High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil, Wolf River Naturals, and Dr. Ron's High Vitamin Blue Ice.

Remember that fish oils as well as fish liver oils, like vegetable oils, are mostly polyunsaturated fatty acids and therefore very prone to oxidation, and need to be kept in the fridge in order to prevent rancidity (vegetable oil exceptions are olive and coconut oils which are mostly monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids respectively).

Pay attention to expiry dates. Furthermore, this vitamin controversy does not apply to regular fish or krill oils that are used for omega 3 supplementation, as these oils do not have vitamin A nor D in them.

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Our skin is our largest organ, an important detoxifier and immune barrier. Poor skin reflects an unhealthy internal environment, so the most effective way to clear up one’s skin is from the inside out.

Acne, eczema, and psoriasis are relatively common skin conditions that affect many kids and adults, and can potentially effect a large emotional toll. Many feel self conscious and embarrassed in social situations due to poor skin, and some may actually withdraw because of it. Ironically the stress caused by the skin condition can often make the skin condition worse. Topical ointments don’t usually work very well, and corticosteroid-type creams may create further imbalances in the hormone system, resulting in trading a skin condition for something more serious like osteoporosis. Although acne, eczema and psoriasis are different conditions, they all involve skin inflammation, so here are some things one can do that are very effective in helping all three.

1. Most important and most effective – decrease or eliminate flour, sugar, alcohol and processed food as these foods are highly inflammatory to the body.
2. Optimize omega 3 / omega 6 ratio by reducing intake of vegetable oils and eating more fatty fish or taking a good quality omega 3 fish oil. Too much omega 6 is inflammatory to the body.
3. Eat lots of leafy green and orange vegetables, organic if possible, only lightly cooked so as to preserve the nutrition.
4. Take probiotics daily to improve the balance of good bacteria in the gut. Research has shown that this is helpful.
5. Work on decreasing stress levels – get adequate sleep, reduce toxic relationships, do relaxation exercises, breathing exercises, meditation, more fun time, do what you love.
6. Avoid scratching to avoid infections (Yup, way easier said than done!)
7. Don't wash with extremely hot water, or use an abrasive cloth. Instead just soap up with your hands to wash your body, so as not to break the lesions, and also to avoid washing off too many of the skin's natural oils. Pat yourself dry.
8. Spend about an hour each day in the sun without allowing yourself to burn (I know – tough if it is cold and cloudy). UV rays actually help clear up skin.

Acne, often the bane of teenagers and young adults, seems to be related to insulin insensitivity, so once again, eliminating grains or at least flour products and sugar can help a lot. Sugar and flour products raise insulin levels, which in turn raises insulin-growth factor (IGF-1), which raises testosterone, which increases sebum production in the skin, which attracts acne-causing bacteria, which worsens acne. IGF-1 also increases keratinocytes, a type of skin cell associated with acne. It is interesting to note that acne is virtually non-existent in parts of the world where refined, and processed flour and sugar are rarely consumed. Another major problem with the refined grains in the western diet is those grains are not soaked first, before being turned into baked goods, pasta, crackers or whatever. Grains can be a good source of zinc, but if the grains are not soaked for at least 12 hours before using, the zinc is bound up and can’t be accessed. Zinc deficiency is also linked to acne.

Acne is commonly treated with antibiotics, but I’m not convinced antibiotics get at the cause of the problem, and although this band-aid solution may mask the symptoms by killing the surface bacteria which aggravates the skin, it will further disrupt good health by killing all the good bacteria in the gut, which then compromises gut and immune function, creating a whole host of other problems, such as chronic yeast infections, leaky gut, etc. Often antibiotic treatment goes on for months, so taking probiotics to repopulate the gut with good bacteria doesn't work very well, as they are promptly killed with the next antibiotic dose. Not only that, but antibiotic use increases antibiotic resistance, which is becoming a huge problem. Accutane, the other popular medication for acne is linked to depression and suicide in some. So, to eliminate acne safely, religiously follow the list above, and:

1. If you must eat grain, make sure it is whole (looks like a seed and is not ground into flour), and soak it for 12 hours first before cooking in order to make the zinc bio-available.  Eat with a protein and a good-quality fat like organic butter to slow the sugar into the bloodstream.
2. Eat free-range meats, poultry, seafood or egg yolks – good sources of zinc.  Best flesh source is oysters, best plant source is pumpkin seeds, but soak them first.  (All grains, nuts and seeds should be soaked before eating.  Just put them in a jar of water for 12 hours, drain off the water, rinse, and dry by laying them on a cookie sheet in the oven under the pilot light. Refrigerate). Don't take zinc supplements as it is easy to overdose, and zinc in isolation messes up absorption of other trace minerals, especially copper.
3. Avoid processed soy isolate products, like soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers etc., as processed soy reduces zinc absorption.
4. Avoid chlorinated and fluoridated products.  Halogens seem to make some acne worse.
5. Don't pop or squeeze the pimples.

Eczema, a very itchy skin condition that causes red, swollen, sometimes scale-like splotches, particularly on the flexor side of joints, is very common in infants and children seems to be a skin expression of food sensitivities. If you or your child has eczema, you may find it worthwhile to see an allergist for a skin prick allergy test, and possibly for a check for celiac sprue (allergy to gluten). In addition to the very important suggestions in list 1 above, here are some ideas to eliminate eczema. (If your baby has eczema and is being breastfed, Mom can reduce the baby's eczema by doing the following):

1. If you can't get to an allergist to discover what you or your child is sensitive to, use an elimination diet. Eliminate wheat, or better yet, all gluten grains (all grains except for rice, millet, buckwheat and corn). Eliminate all pasteurized dairy. Within 3 weeks you will most likely notice a reduction in eczema. If not, eliminate other common allergens like soy, eggs, nuts, shellfish etc. After 3 weeks you can introduce the foods one at a time, and look for a worsening in the skin condition in order to figure out what the sensitivities are.
2. Many skin creams contain gluten-grain (like oats) or other food allergen ingredients – read labels and don't use them if you know you are sensitive to the allergen. What you put on your skin gets into your blood.
3. Look for ways to reduce exposure to toxic chemical compounds at home and at work by using natural laundry detergents, cleaners etc., eliminating the use of perfumed products, avoiding jewelry containing nickel etc.
4. Take a GLA supplement like Evening Primrose Oil. This in combination with the other ideas may help.
5. Some people are so sensitive to grains, they react to the grains fed to cattle. Eat grass-fed meats.

Psoriasis is also an auto-immune problem, but may be more a result of poor detoxification capabilities , and although food can sometimes be a trigger, it is frequently caused by external or chemical allergens (like aspartame or certain drug classes like beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, or lithium). Once again, eliminating the offending product(s) is key to the solution, as well as doing all one can to reduce the load on our detoxification system. Psoriasis is often much worse in cold weather, or when progesterone is high in the female cycle. Skin rashes usually occur on the extensor side of joints. To help resolve psoriasis, in addition to the critically important first list above, try:

1. Stop smoking if you smoke. Stop drinking alcohol, if you drink.
2. Encourage detoxification by sweating – do some exercise or take a sauna (infrared saunas are very effective).
3. Drink half your bodyweight in pounds, in ounces ofwater each day to dilute the toxins and help the kidneys with elimination. (If you weigh 150lbs, drink 75oz of pure water each day.)
4. Zinc deficiency is common in psoriasis. Eat free-range meats, poultry, seafood or egg yolks – good sources of zinc. Best flesh source is oysters, best plant source is pumpkin seeds, but soak them first (Don't take zinc supplements as it is easy to overdose, and zinc in isolation messes up absorption of other trace
   minerals, especially copper.)
5. Try eating an apple (organic) before bed to encourage a bowel movement in the morning if you are constipated.
6. Speak to a functional-medicine physician regarding testing liver and kidney function, and get treated if needed.
7. Avoid pesticide residues and food additives by eating organic, unprocessed food only.
8. Look for ways to reduce exposure to toxic chemical compounds at home and at work by using natural laundry detergents, cleaners etc., eliminating the use of perfumed products, avoiding jewelry containing nickel etc.
9. Consider having mercury amalgam fillings removed.
10. Taking a greens superfood like chlorella (a fresh-water seaweed) may help take heavy metals out of the body.

Just like bad teeth reflect a poor diet, bad skin reflects a struggling internal environment. You can be sure that once your skin clears up using the above techniques, you will be far healthier on so many levels than you were when your skin was not clear. You may have also just cleared up the beginnings of disease processes like diabetes and heart disease too, so congratulations!

If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca. Happy New Year, everyone!

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Is it possible that dehydration plays a role in the degradation of the cartilage found in Osteoarthritis?

Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, which is an auto-immune disease, osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease, where the cartilage (the smooth, cushiony, rubbery, white stuff that surrounds the ends of the bones that form a joint) deteriorates, eventually degrading the bone itself, resulting in stiff, painful joints. The big question in my mind is what causes the cartilage to begin deteriorating in the first place? I have searched, as has my colleague, Sue Bond who helped me research this topic, and we have found nothing much in the scientific journals that provides a satisfactory answer. Getting older and being overweight seems to be commonly associated with osteoarthritis, but many that are older and overweight do not get it. And there are some who are young and thin who do. A previous joint injury may pre-dispose someone to osteoarthritis, but once again, not everyone that has suffered a joint injury goes on to get OA. And unlike most of today’s chronic diseases, osteoarthritis has been around for a very long time. There is fossil evidence that some dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals suffered from OA (Wells, 1973), as did many of the Egyptian mummies (Braunstein, 1988), as well as two thirds of the Romano-British skeletons studied (Thould and Thould 1983).

I think there must be a biochemical imbalance of some kind that must create an unhealthy environment within the joint space resulting in the cartilage wearing away, and even though science has not as of yet put its finger on what exactly that issue is, I have a theory. I agree with Dr. Batmanghelidj that body dehydration may play an important role – I fully admit I cannot back this idea up with scientific studies, but I think it is worth considering because healthy cartilage is full of water, and water plays an integral role in how cartilage works. Cartilage functions something like a very dense sponge, and as we put weight through our joints, the water it contains squishes out, and when we take the weight off our joints, the water diffuses back into the cartilage. The water within the joint space also provides lubrication allowing the bones to glide smoothly on each other. If one is not drinking adequate water, the body would prioritize the viscosity of the blood over joint health, and water would be pulled from the cartilage resulting in it "drying out", probably making it more likely to degrade due to increased friction and weight-bearing stress. This theory would fit the observation that those that are older and overweight are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis, as it is well known that as we age we tend to dry out, and putting a greater amount of weight through the joints would wear them out faster. And I think it is reasonable to expect that at all times in history some people would have been chronically dehydrated.

Cartilage is actually uncalcified bone. New cartilage cells grow on the bone surface, so cartilage nutrition come via the bone itself, and if wear and tear strip away the surface cells faster than the underneath cells can grow, the cartilage layer will become thinner. If the bone marrow and the cartilage are competing for water, the cartilage will lose out, losing its supply of nutrition. Now the joint needs to get nutrition another way, via the arteries in the joint capsule, which then expand causing swelling and increased synovial fluid in the joint space. But water coming from the joint space does not hydrate or nourish the cartilage in the same manner is water coming via the bone itself, and this extra fluid is often inflammatory and painful.

I don't know if it is reasonable to expect that damaged bone and cartilage will repair itself much if one suddenly pays attention to drinking sufficient water, but it may be worth while to do so in order to prevent further damage because as osteoarthritis progresses it becomes increasingly more painful, and anything that can be done to prevent further degeneration of the joint surfaces can only be viewed as helpful.

Other things one can do to decrease progression of the disease and reduce pain? The big one is to lose weight, which would result in less wear and tear on the joints. Studies have shown that a combination of glucosamine and chondriotin also aid in preventing further degenerative damage and reduce pain, especially in those that are suffering the most. News stories a couple of years ago on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that these supplements did nothing are misleading, as these popular-press articles unfortunately did not fully explain the results. Although the study showed that glucosamine and chondriotin did not help everyone with OA, they helped 79% of those that were the most seriously affected and in the most pain. (If you are allergic to shellfish, you are most likely allergic to glucosamine, so don’t take it.) It makes sense to me that eating soups made from bone broths, which provide hydrophilic gelatin to the body would not hurt either. Increased omega 3 fatty acid consumption (fatty fish and fish oils) reduce body inflammation, which studies have also shown reduces the pain of OA. Tumeric is also very anti-inflammatory, and research supports its use to reduce the pain of arthritis. And many studies also support acupuncture for reducing the pain of OA. Maintaining strength and flexibility about the affected joints is also helpful, and water exercise can be particularly beneficial, as strength and muscle endurance can be gained without putting undo weight-bearing stress through the joints.

If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca.

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There is a distinct relationship between what happens in the low back and pelvis and what happens in the neck and head. So, if you can’t solve your low back, pelvis or hip pain, try getting your neck and cranium checked.

Last post on the topic of our structure and pain for a while, I promise. I just want to conclude this three-part series about the importance of our structure to our function, by examining how what is happening in the lower body will affect the neck and head, and vice versa, and explaining why it may be important to treat both ends in order to completely resolve a problem.

For survival reasons, our body wants to do everything it can to keep us balanced over our feet and our eyes level to the horizon. This is called the "righting reflex", and as long as our body can do what it needs to do maintain our balance and keep the head and eyes level, the better off we will be. Indulge me and do this little experiment with me, so I can illustrate what I am talking about. Stand up, and throw your hip out to one side. Notice that your ribcage will tilt back the other way, and your neck will tilt to the same side your hip is, to help you keep your weight over your feet and to keep your head on straight. The point of this little exercise is to illustrate the fact that our ribs, neck and head will change position depending upon the position of the pelvis. There is a predictable relationship between what the pelvis is doing and what the cranium (head) is doing, as well as what the lower back is doing and what the neck is doing.

The relationship between each of the spinal vertebrae, as well as the pelvis and cranial bones has been worked out, and is called the Lovett Reactor. I was first exposed to it in my studies at the CHEK Institute, and then again through Neurosomatic Educators, and I believe it is a part of chiropractic and possibly osteopathic teaching as well. For those not in the medical or manual therapy business, skip the next paragraph to the one below, and I will try and explain the significance of this in a more simple manner.

For those in the health biz who are unfamiliar with the Lovett Reactor, in a nutshell, C1 should move in a similar direction to L5, C2 to L4, C3 to L3, whereas C4 will move in the opposite direction to L2, C5 opposite to L1, and so on all the way to T5 which has an opposite movement to T6. The pelvis relates to the cranium as follows: sacrum moves in the opposite direction to the occiput, the ilium moves in opposite direction to the temporal bone on the same side, and the coccyx moves in the opposite direction to the sphenoid bone in the cranium. I would have put in a diagram to explain the relationships, but I can find nothing on the net – sorry. An example of how this works would be an in-flared right ilium should mean that the temporal bone on the right would compensate by out-flaring, in order to assure that the person is meeting the demands of the righting reflex. If this is not happening, the person is NOT meeting the demands of the righting reflex. The more dimensions (flexion, extension, shear, rotation, tilt) in which the person is not meeting the demands of the righting reflex, the more pain and dysfunction the person will suffer from.

According to the Lovett Reactor, each vertebrae in the spine is partnered with another vertebrae. Because of the paired Lovett Reactor relationships, if there is a problem, say, with pain in the low back due to a rotated L4 segment, it is worth correcting the corresponding rotation in C2 in the neck, as the lower problem may not resolve completely until the upper one is also addressed. If the vertebrae are not functioning properly in this relationship, and the head is sitting tilted rather than level on the neck as a result, the eye muscles are put under enormous strain, as they must then try and level the eyes within the
eye sockets so the person can see straight. As you can imagine, this can be the cause of a lot of headaches, not to mention vision problems! The bones of the pelvis have a partner relationship with certain bones in the skull too, and because of this, the position of the pelvis can have a big impact on the position of the bones in the skull, potentially impacting brain function as we discussed last week, and it can go the other way, where the position of the bones in the skull will impact the position of the bones in the pelvis.

I personally find the idea of mobilizing the cranium in order to improve the position the pelvis rather fascinating. And since so many back problems are related to a poor position of the pelvis, it seems prudent to not only correct pelvic position through massage, stretching and corrective exercise, but to also look at the position of the temporal bones and occiput, and mobilize as necessary.

I think that many of us have fallen hard on our tailbones at one time or another in our lives, and the consequences might potentially be quite serious. Due to the Lovett Reactor relationship, if the tailbone (coccyx) is severely bent under because of such an injury, the result may well be that the sphenoid bone in the head is stuck in extension (tilted back), which could impact the other cranial and facial bones resulting in any number of problems and pain in the head. Very few health practitioners would think of looking at the position of the coccyx as part of the solution for sinus, vision, headaches, and nerve problems in the head, I would bet!

My point in all this is that when trying to address pain and dysfunction I believe it is vital to look at the body in its entirety, as the part that hurts is frequently the victim of a cause that is far away. It is possible that a cause of a rotator cuff problem in a baseball pitcher may be a big toe that won't bend, resulting in an inability to rotate adequately at the hips and ribs, forcing too much of the movement to come from the shoulder. Fix the toe, fix the shoulder. Looking at the shoulder in isolation would be futile. Whether the cranium needs to be looked at to help a hip problem, or the top vertebrae needs to be mobilized to address a digestive problem, we need to consider the big picture. Understanding the relationships between the various parts of our structure and how they work together can go a long way to finding solutions to stubborn pain and dysfunction.

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