LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Environmental

LifeCare Chiropractic Mesa AZ Tells the Problem of Bottled Water

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ARE YOU STILL DRINKING BOTTLED WATER?

Somewhere along the way, “they” decided that we should drink 8-10 glasses of water per day.  Americans, as usual, latched onto this with a ferocity.  Maybe because it is an easy application of something to improve our collective health?  Exercise?  Too much effort.  More fruits and vegetables?  Too much work.  But drag around an 8 ounce bottle of water?  Hey!  I can do that!

The problem is that there is very little medical research support on this concept.  I’ve heard it said again and again that drinking water will stimulate detoxification (not true–we use the H2O molecule to detoxify, but water itself will NOT drive an enzymatic reaction and create detoxification).  That it will curb hunger (not true–studies have actually shown that drinking water does not curb hunger).

I’m not saying we should climb Camelback Mountain here in Phoenix at noon in August without bringing water, but this deluded concept of keeping a bottle of water at arm’s reach has created far more harm than good.

First, the environmental negative effects are clear.  Plastic water bottles contain bisphenol A (BPA) that is now clearly linked to diabetes and birth defects.  The negative health effects of the high volume of drinking bottled water laden with BPA are too broad to be imagined. 

I remain a strong advocate of unsweetened, flavored tea (Republic of Tea, China Mist, Tazo, Teavana) instead of water instead of drinking bottled water.  The shift from diabetes causing bottled water to tea can have some substantial health benefits.

This particular study shows just how entrenched dogmatic beliefs about health and wellness become in our society.  Participants believed that bottled water was safer and cleaner than tap water.  Not even close.

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/archpediatrics.2011.83?etoc

UNUSUAL CONTRIBUTOR TO AUTISM

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There has been much discussion over autism in recent years.  One point that has become less and less debatable is that the risk of autism is going up.  The “why,” however, is heavily debated.  Some like to blame single effects like mercury in vaccination.  The answer is almost certainly multifactorial.

The unfortunate aspect is that exposure to environmental chemicals in the womb coupled with poor nutritional status is affecting the genetic expression of the as-yet unborn child.  These changes are called “epigentic” changes because they do not change our actual DNA, but rather the way our genes express themselves.  A famous study looked at exposure of agouti mice to BPA (the chemcial used in clear plastic water bottles).  The exposure completely changed the outcome of the newborn mice–they were born yellow (meaning they had a very high risk of obesity, diabetes and cancer).  However, when folic acid was given to these mices along with the BPA, the mice were born normal.

So, environmental chemicals can unquestionably alter the outcome of the baby if the exposure is during critical times of development.  This particular study looks at a pregnant mother living in close proximity to freeways and the risk of autism.  The ones closer to the freeways had twice the risk of a child being diagnosed with autism.  Living close to a freeway will increase the mom’s potential exposure to particulate matter from exhaust fumes.

Bottom line is that, in pregnancy as well as the rest of our lives, we need to do our best to avoid as manner chemicals as possible on top of eating a diet very high in phytonutrients.