A recent study published in the February 2012 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Less frequent eating predicts greater BMI and waist circumference in female adolescents, backs this view that eating small meals or snacks facilitates leanness. This study examined the habits of female teenagers and discovered that those who ate less frequently had a higher body mass index (BMI) and a larger waist circumference. This contrasts with other articles that have attributed frequent snacking as a risk factor for weight gain.
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1 (PET) Polyethylene terephthalate is used in many water and soft drink bottles and is considered safe for one time use and if not exposed to heat but will degrade over time and should not be reused.
2. (HDPE) High-density polyethylene is used for opaque or cloudy containers of personal care products, vitamins, detergents, etc. It’s considered safe under normal conditions but will degrade over time.
3. (PVC) Polyvinyl chloride is commonly found in some food wrap, plastic utensils, shower curtains, plumbing materials, computer keyboards, credit cards, and many other products. PVC should be avoided whenever possible.
4. (LDPE) Low density polyethylene is found in most food wrap now, shopping bags, CD cases, and most product packaging, and is considered safe.
5. (PP) Polypropylene is found in bottle caps, diapers, kitchenware, yogurt containers, ropes, and carpets, and is considered the safest plastic for human use.
6. (PS) Polystyrene, aka styrofoam, is used in take-out food containers, drinking cups, egg cartons, and building materials. Polystyrene contains carcinogens and is known to degrade and leach toxins when exposed to heat or oil. It should be avoided whenever possible.
7. (O) “O” stands for Other and this category includes plastics other than the first six categories. This group includes polycarbonate, acryllic, fiberglass, nylon and environmentally friendly hybrid plastics. Many of these are safe, though this category also contains polycarbonate bottles with BPA, which is an endocrine disrupting substance and is to be avoided.
(This information is extracted from the wonderful book that I highly recommend, The Healthy Home, by Dr. Myron and Dave Wentz published by Vanguard Press this year (2011).
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There are many sources of toxic chemicals in your home, from the paint and building materials used to make your home, to carpets, to furniture (contain flame retardant chemicals), to cleaning supplies, to chemicals used on your yard, to personal care products like shampoos, shower gels, makeup, antiperspirants, and skin care products. While I cannot address all of the toxic chemicals that may be found in each of these substances in this blog, I wanted to list several substances to avoid if found on labels of personal care products such as soaps, shampoos, skin care products, etc. that contain any of the following:
* Unfortunately, pthalates are often not listed on the ingredients, since the federal regulators consider them inert substances.
(This list was modified from the wonderful new book on home toxins, Wentz and Wentz, The Healthy Home, 2011)
In addition, you should avoid any product that contains perfume, as these contain pthalates. Instead, choose fragrance free products whenever possible. In order to avoid all of the above chemicals, you will need to go to stores that carry non-toxic products like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and the Santa Monica CO-OP, though you should not assume that all the products contained in these stores are non-toxic either, though generally they will have less. For example, a deodorant that brags about being paraben and aluminum free lists propylene glycol as the first ingredient, though arguably this is a somewhat less toxic substance.
]]>When are we going to stop treating so many problems with drugs instead of trying to find the root cause of these problems? Isn’t it obvious that we are overmedicating people? Is the reason for your anxiety that you have a Xanax deficiency? Prevention, adopting a healthy lifestyle, fitness, stretching, good posture, and chiropractic care are ways to reduce the need for many of these drugs, such as Vicodin and Oxycontin. This report should be a wake-up call to change our health care system from a diagnosis and prescription model to an emphasis on prevention.
]]>Our FirstLine therapy modified Mediterranean diet also includes soy protein, 2 grams of plant sterols, targeted neutraceuticals, and an emphasis on fiber, nuts, and legumes and there have been published studies showing even more significant reductions in LDL cholesterol, bodyfat percentage, triglycerides, CRP, and increases in HDL cholesterol. (http://www.lipidjournal.com/article/S1933-2874(09)00422-X/abstract)
]]>The group that was given 12 chiropractic treatments made progress, whereas a placebo group did not make progress. But after 10 months, this group that got one month of chiropractic treatment had lost some of their improvement. But the group that received the additional 20 treatments made more progress all the way up to the 10 month period.
Does this mean that you have to have 30 chiropractic treatments to feel better? No, of course not. But it does offer valid scientific proof to insurance carriers and work comp adjustors that patients who need 30 treatments should get them. And it also provides evidence that after an initial round of intensive treatment (12 visits in one month) that getting some additional maintenance care (such as every 2 weeks) makes sense medically.
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