The Myths of Dairy and Calcium Supplementation

It's been a while since my last blog, but I'm back and inspired to share some information I've been reading lately.

One of the up-and-coming controversial issues is dairy. There are more and more articles and movies coming out about dairy and how unhealthy cows milk really is for us while one of the first questions you are asked by your pediatrician is, "How much milk is your child consuming?" While it's not a topic I am an expert in, one of my favorite resources for science-based facts, and not simply the governments opinion or poorly done research, is Dr. James Chestnut, who you have heard me write about before. I have recently been reading one of his books and he talks specifically about the milk issues and how milk isn't a good source of calcium and that it actually INCREASES our risk for osteoporosis.

Since this isn't my expertise, I have linked one of his articles here so you can read for yourself and decide what's best for your family. My family has recently transitioned to almond milk...a sweet alternative without all the harmful junk in cow's milk. Happy reading!

http://www.wellnessandprevention.com/index.cfm/2010/7/30/The-Myths-of-Calcium-Supplementation-and-Dairy#more


 

No Woman, No Cry

I first heard about this movie at my Birthworkers of Central Ohio meeting. Birthworkers is a group of individuals that work together to empower women through pregnancy and birth while staying true to the mother and father's wishes for the pregnancy and birth experience. This movie grabbed the members' attention, as there was an upcoming screening of the movie at Ohio State. I was seeing patients, and thus not able to attend, but just received an email that it is being shown on The Oprah Winfrey Network this weekend. 

The times are:

Saturday, May 7:
9:30pm Eastern & West Coast / 8:30pm Central
12:30am Eastern & West Coast / 11:30pm Central

Sunday May 8:
1pm Eastern & West Coast / 12n Central

This movie speaks to the dangers of lack of prenatal care in various parts of the world. It follows the story of four women throughout their journey in their community. The movie was developed following complications after the birth of the directors child. She learned that thousands of women die every year during childbirth and 90% of these deaths are preventable. She made this movie to create awareness, and hopefully spark some initiative for change. 

Prenatal care is essential during pregnancy, regardless of your choice of where to birth, how to birth and how holistic or medically minded you are. Unfortunately, not everyone has equal opportunity for the care they deserve. This is not only true in foreign countries, but also right here in the US.

I have not watched this movie, however I have high hopes for it to make a difference in the care that women are given during this exciting time in their lives. The website for the movie is www.everymothercounts.org

A Box of Veg

Jamie Oliver is wonderful. His show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, has come to America to expose the disasterous effects of what we eat in this country. It's quite sad that a European had to be the one to bring light to the situation, but at least America is slowly beginning to listen.

In tonight's episode, Jamie was threatened to be arrested for being on school property in LA. Sad--the school board refuses to let him in to any schools and the one school he is allowed in (a contracted school, not run by the LA school district) will no longer allow him to even talk to kids about the lunches they serve at the school. How ridiculous is that?! Has our nation truly come to that? Shouldn't it be our right to discuss what our kids are eating? If the school board won't let him in, it's likely because they've got something to hide, and by the first episode where children brought lunches to Jamie's kitchen, I'd have to agree. Food cooked in plastic wrapping and paper plates. All the food had the same monotone color and looked disgusting. I do understand that media (likely including this show) goes to the extreme, but obviously America needs this show to be extreme to get the point across.

Jamie interviewed a 17 year old student in this episode who had already lost family members to type 2 diabetes (formerly known as "Adult onset diabetes" but due to the high rate in kids, it's now known as "Type 2") and her mother, father and 13 year old sister already have this diagnosis. It's frustrating that this has to happen and the young girl was so upset, thinking that she would be next. If America would put up a fight, learn to eat better (and NOT according to the food pyramid, which is not really acceptable either), our youth wouldn't be so obese and having a projected life span of less years than their parents.


Come on America! I know I don't have all the answers, but I'm a stubborn little thing, and my goal is to educate to help one child and one family at a time. Who's with me?!

A day in the life of a chiropractor

I hear from patients (as well as my father and others that know my "work schedule") "Man, I'd like to only work 23 hours per week" While it's true that I only see patients 23 hours per week, my work never stops. I am either reading to continue educating myself, trying to educate others, marketing or dreaming about work...yes, frequently dreams revolve around work.

Yesterday I had the most fun I've ever had at a marketing event. I simply took with me a spine, a few articles to give to people, my bio cards and my business cards and I walked into a local daycare to be part of their Open House for summer camp. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was fantastic. I was one of only 4 "vendors" at the open house and talked with many parents about chiropractic care for children. I would always start of with, "Hi, I'm Dr. Lindsay Sneyd, a chiropractor who focuses on chiropractic care for children." And then I'd wait for the response. Typically it's a "Is this lady crazy?" look or the standard, "Why would a kid need chiropractic care? They don't have back pain." And then I'd educate.

I had articles regarding ear infections, GI disorders, backpack safety, scoliosis, behavioral problems, respiratory conditions such as asthma, and my favorite, 5 Reasons Why Every Child Needs Chiropractic Care. I talked with parents about how these conditions can be helped with care and what care is and is not for children. I explained that children typically respond very quickly and how gentle adjustments are for children.

My favorite part of the night was when one mother came up to me and after I introduced myself she replied, "Ohhh chiropractic is great for children! I took little Erica to a chiropractor when I had her scheduled for tubes to be inserted in her ears. I just figured there had to be a better way. One adjustment and the ear infections have never come back." We talked for a few minutes and the conversation ended with "Well, even though you aren't in network with my insurance, I'd like to bring her in for a checkup, just to make sure she's doing well--it's been a while since she was checked."

Finally, a mother who "gets it." It was such a great evening and I look forward to not only going to do some seminars for the staff at the daycare, but also writing articles that go home in the children's folder each week on healthy living for the entire family.

I just finished my first "Chiropractic Wellness Visits for Children" presentation that I present on Monday and am just about to head to bed to rest before "Healthy Kids Day" at the YMCA in the morning.

Here's to education!

How to manage a child's fever

Following is an article reviewing a recent publication by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It gives information on their recommendations of how to handle a fever in a child. Remember that fever is a normal response of the body to fight off infection and using drugs to minimize it not only introduces potentially harmful chemicals into your child's body, it slows down the ability of the body to fight that infection--use these responsibly and cautiously.

Also, don't forget that chiropractic care can help boost the immune system, allowing the body to fight to the best of its ability.

Doctors: Parents shouldn't fret over kids' fevers

– Mon Feb 28, 12:02 am ET

 

CHICAGO – Fever phobia is rampant among parents of young children, according to a myth-busting American Academy of Pediatrics report that advises against treatment every time a kid's temperature inches up.

"There's a lot of parental anxiety about fever. It's one of the most common reasons people bring their child to the doctor," said Dr. Henry Farrar, co-author of the report and an emergency room pediatrician at Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Most often, kids' fevers are caused by viruses and they will go away without medicine and without causing any damage.

Parents tend to overtreat fevers, even waking up sleeping kids to give them fever-reducing medicine, Farrar said."If they're sleeping, let them sleep," he said.

There is no hard proof that untreated fevers lead to seizures or brain damage; there's also no evidence that lowering fevers reduces illness, according to the report which focused on children older than 3 months.
Temperatures lower than 100.4 degrees are not considered a fever. There's no harm in treating a true fever with over-the-counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen. And it makes sense to do so when the child is obviously feeling ill. But the No. 1 reason to use fever-reducing medicine is to make a sick child feel more comfortable, the authors said.

The report was released online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.It emphasizes that a fever is not an illness but rather a mechanism that helps fight infection. Fevers can slow the growth of viruses and bacteria, and enhance production of important immune-system cells.The report doesn't recommend any temperature cutoffs for when to treat or call the doctor."The fact is, no one has ever been able to say that a fever below a certain point is not associated with a serious infection, or that a fever above a certain point is associated with a serious infection," Farrar said.

Many physicians recommend calling the doctor if a child's temperature hits 104 or 105 degrees, but Farrar said it's just as important to assess the child's behavior. "What we're trying to do is get people to look at the whole picture."

Parents should pay attention to other symptoms of illness, such as whether the child is unusually cranky, lethargic, or not drinking liquids and avoiding food. Those are often better measures of how sick a child is and whether medical attention should be sought, the authors said.

Co-author Dr. Janice Sullivan, leader of an academy panel on medication treatment, said infants younger than 3 months are an exception. Parents should get medical help when their temperatures rise above 100.4 because young infants can be very sick without showing obvious signs, said Sullivan, a pediatrics and clinical pharmacology professor at the University of Louisville.

Another exception is children with heat stroke — a medical emergency with symptoms including fever higher than 104 degrees, hot dry skin and rapid pulse caused by overexposure to heat and not enough fluids.
Children with special medical needs, including certain heart conditions, also should be seen by a doctor when their temperatures are mildly elevated, Sullivan said.Sullivan stressed that when giving kids fever-reducing medicine, parents should be sure to use correct dosing devices, not kitchen teaspoons, which can vary widely in size and lead to overtreatment and undertreatment.


Tracy Richter of Campton Hills, Ill., west of Chicago, has two young boys and mostly follows the advice not to be fever-phobic, and not to grab the medicine bottle every time her kids feel a little warm. But Richter, 34, said the report is reassuring just the same."It's nice to hear something that says it OK to be a little less helicopter mom," Richter said.Dr. Margaret Scotellaro, a pediatrician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said the report "is right on."She said she and her staff spend lots of time handling calls from parents anxious about their kids' fevers."Some feel that an illness changes from being something insignificant to something serious as soon as the temperature rises, which is really not true," Scotellaro said.
She said the report will help her relay that message.
___
Online:
Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org

What vitamins should your child be taking?

The first thing to consider when determining what vitamins you or your child should be taking is, what vitamins should EVERYONE be taking. America has started to use supplements as a "natural" reliever of various symptoms. Unfortunately, that has taken away from what supplementation is really all about. If you think about what each of us needs in our diet, it is virtually identical for all of us. (Yes, there are a few people with extenuating circumstances, but overall, we almost all need the same things).

So, what should each child be taking? On a standard American diet, each child should be taking Vitamin D as well as a good probiotic and fish oil (Omega-3). Most children should also be on a good multivitamin. Now, what's a good multi?

NOT FLINTSTONE VITAMINS!!!

Unfortunately, these taste great and kids eat them, so its easier (and cheaper) for parents to feed these to their kids. However, if you look at the ingredients, there are multiple ingredients that you do not want in your child's body. Some of these include Aspartame (linked to Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis), Red/Blue/Yellow dyes (linked to hyperactivity), and various other chemicals.

There are some great multivitamins or whole food supplements, which are even better than multivitamins, available today. JuicePlus is a great whole food supplement that comes in gummy form. I've tried these and they taste like fruit snacks--something most children would eat as a snack. Innate Choice supplements are also a great option. If you are struggling on where to find these products, or what other products are out there, please let me know and I will help you find a good option for your children.

A probiotic is also essential to children, simply because most children have been on antibiotics. Antibiotics not only kill the "bad bacteria" in the body, but they also kill the "good bacteria" which aid in digestion. Many children have digestive issues and a probiotic should help regulate their bodies. Probiotics also help your body inrease its immunity, so if you are tired of sick children, a probiotic may be a great addition to their daily nutrition.

Omega-3's not only aid in cardiovascular health, but they are essential to proper functioning of the nervous system. Omega-3's are to the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and the nerves that communicate with every cell in the body) as protein is to muscle and calcium is to bone. Many times I hear that people won't take Omega-3's anymore because they burp up fish oil after taking it. A few ways to combat this is to take a good omega-3 (not a grocery store brand, but a quality supplement such as Innate Choice, Anabolic Laboratories or Physiologics), freeze the capsules or take them just before eating a meal. The food then will help eliminate the taste of fish oil. 

Lastly, Vitamin D is a necessary component to everyone's diet. Vitamin D is essential to activate the immune system that normally comes from sunlight. This is one reason why people are much sicker during the winter months. When we go inside, we don't get the vitamin D necessary to keep our immune system healthy. So, no sunlight means supplementation is necessary.

Please contact me if you have any additional questions on choosing a healthy supplement for you or your family. Here's to Healthier Kid and Healthier Lives!

Things to add to your reading & movie list

Well, food was the topic of Oprah today, so food must be a big worldly topic to discuss. I only caught the last few minutes of the show, (and in my defense, the title caught me, I'm not an avid Oprah watcher), and the show was discussing the Vegan lifestyle. While I think choosing to be vegan or not is ultimately a person's decision based on what is best for themself or their family, the show brought up some good points. Our food in this country is a disgrace. In case you think I'm talking crazy, here's a few movies and books you should look at. Also, my disclaimer is that I have not personally watched and read each of these, but they have all been recommended to me multiple times from fellow health care practitioners.

Movies:

Food, Inc.
Two Angry Moms
Supersize Me
Fast Food Nation
Forks over knives--Comes to theaters May 6th, 2011 See the trailer here:

Books:

The China Study
In Defense of Food
The Homnivore Dilemma

If you have other suggestions, send them my way! I'm always interested in finding out about more of these to pass on information to my family, friends and patients.