The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona
by James Bogash
Association of Organochlorine Pesticides with Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Diabetes or Impaired Fasting Glucose
Great. Another study linking environmental chemical exposure and health problems. The reason I flagged this one was because of the strength of the association. In those with the highest exposures, there was a massive 7.3 times the risk of getting peripheral neuropathy–even IF they did not have diabetes yet. Can anyone say “organic?”
by James Bogash
Estimated conversion of a-linolenic acid to long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is greater than expected in non fish-eating vegetarians and non fish-eating meat-eaters than in fish-eaters
There has also been discussion about just how much ALA from plant sources gets converted to DHA/EPA. The concerns have been that ALA intake is not enough to keep elevated levels of DHA/EPA without additional supplementation.
Two comments here…first, the conversion seems to be greater than originally thought in several studies, including this one. Second, ALA has it’s own benefits in clinical studies on cancer risk and CVD. The bottom line is that I feel we should get a strong balance of plant based and fish based EFAs. Of course, we could then point out that the ultimate origin of fish based EFAs is algae.
by James Bogash
Everyone is aware that obesity is related to diet and exercise. It’s as simple as calories in = calories out, right? It’s amazing how many weight gurus have promoted this over the years. Too bad it’s not that simple.
The 1st Law of Thermodynamics as it applies to weight management assumes that calories in equals calories out. Basically, to lose weight, you need to take in less calories than you burn through daily living and exercise. Pretty simple. Get a chart and a calculator and weight loss is guaranteed. Yeah right. How many of you have been there and done that?
The are many reasons why this just doesn’t work with body weight. First is the role of hormones. Hormones, such as insulin, leptin, resisten, thyroid and adiponectin play a massive role in weight regulation. These hormones are under complex regulation from signals in our environment.
Taking in too little low quality calories? The thyroid goes into hibernation mode. Think Slimfast or just cutting calories from a processed diet.
Is your gut stressed out from poor quality diet, drugs that block acid or emotional stress? This sends signals to the bone which in turn regulates body fat.
Sound complicated? It is. And yet another reason why a weight loss program needs to identify all facets of lifestyle and not merely calories in vs calories out. It is also why merely joining a gym (and actually going..) does not always lead to weight loss.
We have known for some time that chemicals in our environment contribute to altered body composition. Just some examples:
This particular article through yet another wrench in the works of ideal weight. It is a wonderful review of what we are terming “obesogens” — chemical messengers in our environment that disturb our maintenance of a healthy weight and adds to the list of chemicals given above. Given what we now know of these chemicals’ influence, identification, avoidance and detoxification are requirement for a program designed to achieve an ideal body composition. Anything less is not enough.
And given that the New Year with the New Year’s resolutions are upon us (of course–that’s only if you have given up on them yet), the beginning of the year is a great time to do a detox program. Regardless of how healthy we live, we are still exposed to a very large number of toxins that can contribute to ill health and weight gain. A simple, annual detox program seems to me to be a smart approach to combating this problem. Call the office for details if you’re interested.
by James Bogash
Of course sitting on your couch can be making you fat if you are spending too much time on it watching Simpsons or General Hospital reruns. But it may be doing it in a way you don’t expect.
At some point, the powers that be or the manufacturers or the government or the toxic chemical companies decided that seemingly everything we come in contact with is at risk of spontaneously combusting. Maybe years ago everything actually was bursting into flames and the media just kept it quiet.
Either way, there are lots and lots of compounds put into your bedding, mattress, clothing, drapes and yes–your couch–to act as flame retardants. These compounds are well known to contribute to thyroid problems, infertility and cancer.
This article suggests that many of the flame retardants are derivatives of the notorious bisphenol A (BPA) and can affect estrogen receptors and lead to obesity. As if we didn’t have enough in society contributing to our collective weight problems.
The bottom line is to toss your furniture or replace the padding as it becomes worn, consider a periodic detoxification program and do your best to be aware of other areas of exposure you can reduce or eliminate.
by James Bogash
I realize that my office is a single isolated system and by no means does it reflect the entire picture of what happens outside of my office. With this in mind, I can honestly say that I have never had a patient who went through “fertility treatment” and fertility was actually addressed.
We need to understand that, when boiled down to an organism level, our body’s only goal is to reproduce and propagate the species (forget arguments about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs here). So if a couple cannot get pregnant and do the ONE thing it is supposed to do, this is a massive red warning light that something is not right.
So, one would think that a fertility “expert” would then dig into the more common reasons why infertility can occur. Sadly, the couples that I have come across over the years have not had this experience. Instead, some bloodwork is taken and they are usually given a course of Clomid or Metformin or IVF, spending thousands of dollars. Sometimes it’s successful, sometimes not.
But, if the physiology of the couple is screaming that something is wrong, shouldn’t we pay attention to that FIRST? Society is paying the price for forced fertility in preterm births, multiple births, obese infants and children and, in the years to come, increased rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Instead, a full evaluation should include looking at prediabetes (a major cause of infertility in women and almost completely lifestyle-mediated via polycystic ovarian syndrome), prenatal vitamins (almost all of the prescription ones are of very low quality and really, really expensive!) and toxic exposure.
The last one can be a toughie. A detailed look at what a couple may be exposed to should be undertaken, from pesticides to fertilizers to flame retardants to BPA from plastic water bottles. The couple should be counseled to avoid as many chemical exposures as is feasibly possible as well as recommendations on detoxification programs to help the body clear out the toxins we are exposed to that we cannot reasonably avoid.
THIS is infertility treatment.
by James Bogash
So this is not the first time I’ve brought up the toxins in our environment. However, the label of your bottled water certainly does not indicate that every case comes with a training bra, but maybe it should.
Many chemicals in the environment have an estrogen-like effect. Most notable of these is plastics and compounds used in plastics such as bisphenol A (BPA). The estrogenic effects have consequences for both men and women.
The most obvious for women is the increased risk of estrogen related cancers like breast and endometrial cancers. However, early onset of menses and menstrual problems like endometriosis and PMS are influenced as well.
On the male side of the equation is an increased risk of prostate cancer and enlargement of the prostate. Loss of libido and lowered sperm counts can contribute to infertility problems in couples.
This particular article puts a scary face on my strong recommendation to ditch the plastic water bottles in favor of water from an RO system into a BPA free water bottle. The authors find that even many products labelled “BPA free” released high levels of BPA when exposed to UV radiation, high heat or microwaving.
The bottom line is that we need to avoid many of these plastics as much as possible. Based on this article, maybe stainless steel or glass water bottles are less questionable. It means letting new plastics like shower curtains fully air out before you leave them in an enclosed room. It means leaving the windows down in your car to air out the phthalates coming off the dashboard.
by James Bogash
Ok. I understand that burning to a crisp would not be a fun way to go. I also do not recall anyone personally who has been killed in any type of fire, although I’m sure there has been someone. MAYBE this is because we use chemical retardants like Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) to slow the burn rate of things like our furniture padding (this goes for dog beds!!), upholstery, computers and drapes.
The problem is that these chemicals have a negative effect on our health. So, on one hand, not bursting into flames (rare?), on the other hand birth defects, thyroid problems and neurological problems.
Let’s focus on the thyroid aspect noted above. It remains a concern for me just how common thyroid problems are. This includes hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis and thyroid cancer. It absolutely amazes me how much we take conditions like hypothyroidism with a grain of salt and just through Synthroid at the problem.
The human body is a wonderful, miraculous, incredulous, phenomenal, indescribable wonder. The brilliance of the orchestration of our physiology defies words. All higher power stuff.
Oh…except for the thyroid. That was an afterthought thrown in on day 8 and it sometimes just goes out in our twenties. No big deal.
See how strange that sounds? What if our hearts, brains or kidneys started to fail at 25? No one would take that lying down. There’d be an uproar. A demand to find out WHY. Not so with the thyroid.
I will tell you that study after study of toxic chemicals all seem to affect the thyroid with some degree of consistancey. This means that ANY thyroid problems needs to be evaluated with a fine tooth comb. Evaluation of nutrient deficiencies, stress and especially, toxicities and exposures. Without this, the doctor who just hands out Synthroid without full evaluation is doing a massive disservice, potentially allowing for unchecked chemical toxicities to rage, almost solidifying your progression to obesity, diabetes, Alzheimers or cancer.
At the very least, any thyroid patient should evaluate their toxic exposure (as seen in this article with flame retardants) and go through a nutritionally based detox.
by James Bogash
The understanding is that mainstream medical research takes about 20 years to make it into clinical practice, specialists included (unless it’s blockbuster drug research, in which case it seems to make it to doctors’ offices overnight…). That means that current research I comment on won’t be used appropriately for at least another 2 decades. While I consider this completely inappropriate because, as a physician, it is my responsibility to my patients to stay current to some degree, it is a reality.
However, there is an occasional glimpse of the sun through the clouds when mainstream medical practioners try to apply functional medicine concepts in limited aspects. Probiotics are a key one–106 years in the medical literature and some docs are starting to recommend Florastor in limited situations. Unfortunately, Florastor can work great to lower the risk of antibiotic associated diarrhea, but is not considered a probiotic to restore normal flora in the gut. So, great idea for mainstream medicine, but inappropriate application.
Strangely, I see the same thing with checking testosterone levels. I’ve seen more and more of this over the years, and some clinics even hang their hats on the idea of testosterone checking and supplementation (usually as pellets implanted under the skin of the glut region). But it seems so out of context with the rest of the bloodwork checked that I just scratch my head in wonder.
Why? Several reasons. First, checking testosterone in the blood is not my favorite method. Salivary testing is much easier and checks the levels of unbound, active hormone in the body, which blood testing does NOT do (it checks the protein bound, inactive levels).
Next, if the levels are low, their is never a question as to why they are low; it’s just replacement with creams, pills, injections or pellets. Which–by the way, can really screw up the way your body works. It would not be the first time I’ve seen a male patient with low testosterone pushed into sterility from exogenous testosterone use.
In functional medicine, we would ask WHY are the levels low and address that aspect of the issue. Many times, it can be an adrenal issue. A chunk of a male’s circulating testosterone is actually derived from the adrenal gland (on the range of 5%) and we need to evaluate and support adrenal function via supplementation, exercise and stress mangement.
Toxicity from the environment can contribute greatly. The principal agent are the phthalates, which are well known to produce a feminizing effect on the male. So avoid things with that “new car” or “new shower curtain” smell as much as possible.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002934311002749
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