LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

environmental

Children, behavioural problems and lead – (10-01-01)

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Children, behavioral problems and lead

This article finds an association with lead and behavioral problems in children. Once again we see a link between environmental factors and psychological health in children, and yet the concept of making changes in the child’s environment as a portion of therapy is foreign to many clinicians. Avoiding processed foods with no intake of preservatives, artificial coloring or flavors is a key to beginning to address these problems. The child with ADD does not have a Ritalin deficiency–they have a biochemical imbalance somewhere that may be able to be fixed with non-pharmacological means.

eADC — Abstracts: Lewendon et al. 85 (4): 286

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Lifestyle, reproductive, environmental exposures and RA – (10-01-01)

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Lifestyle, reproductive, environmental exposures and RA

This article brings many things out into the open. First and foremost is the hopes that clinicians will begin to view RA, not as a disease locked into our genes, but rather one heavily dependent upon lifestyle factors that are indeed modifiable. And, if the presence of RA is indeed linked that environment, than changing that environment would have an impact. And many times for most patients it does. Lastly, look at some of the environmental factors…drinking well water, exposure to hair dyes…sounds like a hair analysis for heavy metals would be warranted in all RA patients.

Ann Rheum Dis — Abstracts: Olsson et al. 60 (10): 934

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THIS COMMON CONTAMINANT CAN AFFECT FERTILITY

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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.

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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.