Biodiversity is the Key!
October 14th, 2019
Over the past few years, many thought leaders in Functional Medicine are looking away from probiotics as a major treatment tool.
If you want to have a healthy intestinal microbiome, then you need to look at the volume of fiber that you consume. Bacteria have differing fiber choices to eat with a diverse whole foods diet. When we consume oats, seeds, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, legumes and other fibrous foods in a random pattern, we allow the bacteria that exist in our intestine to have a quality food source.
Antibiotic Resistance - Part 2:
October 14, 2019
What can we do to stem the tide of this mess?
"The rapid emergence of resistant bacteria is occurring worldwide, endangering the efficacy of antibiotics. Implementation of recommended steps, such as the adoption of antibiotic stewardship programs; improving diagnosis, tracking and prescribing practices; optimizing therapeutic regimens; and preventing infection transmission, are expected to be effective in managing this crisis.
Cancer Avoidance and Treatment
October 7th, 2019
After finishing the talk on Autoimmunity and the environment last Thursday, I read about a lovely new theory on cancer. It is believed that we are exposed to cancer inducing environments not too infrequently meaning that we all develop cancer cells more often than we think. In a fascinating new article in the August edition of the Journal Scientific American, Drs. DeGregori and Gatenby take us on a new theory journey of cancer and it's treatment.
They liken the cancer biology to be akin to Darwin's natural selection theory with survival of the fittest reigning supreme. Thinking outside of the box has often been the route to new ideas, treatments and cures in medicine.
Antibiotic Resistance - Part 1:
October 7, 2019
Antibiotic Resistance is a continually evolving problem in medicine and society. Historically, significant antibiotic resistance was confined to the hospitals and intensive care units. Over the past decade, these bacterial resistance issues have entered the everyday world with the likes of MRSA, methicillin resistant Staphlococcus aureus.
In the primary care, urgent and emergent care clinics, we are seeing children every day with MRSA abscess/skin infections. Fortunately, we still have 2 good oral antibiotics to fight this trouble maker. Hypothetically,
Science of Raising Children Part 2
September 30th, 2019
We all want to have happy, well adjusted, intelligent, respectful and motivated children/teens. It appears that this reality is far from true for some parents today because of the myriad societal pressures negatively weighing on our children's psyche. When thinking about the pieces of the puzzle that help us raise a child, I think that we have a great role to play. It has been well established that nature and nurture are important, however, I think that nurture is our modifiable priority .
Here are ten ideas to raising a competent and happy child:
Microplastics - a new topic to explore!
September 30, 2019
Emerging evidence is bringing to light a new concern. I am finding that I am becoming haunted by the never ending stream of negative news in regards to our environment. I have yet to meet a human that does not want clean air, water and food, yet, we are slowly having none of these.
The reality is that micro and nano size plastic particles are entering our bodies through our food and water supply chain. In a September 2019 study, a group from McGill University in Canada stated:
Science of Teen Rebellion
September 23, 2019
In the excellent book, Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, there is a great chapter on teen rebellion. Why do teens rebel and lie? Primarily to explore the world and avoid telling us that they broke our rules.
In the chapter, researcher Nancy Darling looked at the issues surrounding lying and deception. What she found was that most teens lie to hide actions that they have engaged in that are counter to the parents rules or desires. They don't want to disappoint and ruin the relationship with mom and dad so they prevaricate and lie. She also found that very permissive parents often have less well adjusted children as the teens perceive the lack of rules as parents not caring. Her research found that "pushing a teen into rebellion by having too many rules was a sort of statistical myth".
Stuttering
September 23, 2019
Stuttering is a very common pediatric complaint. The movie, the King's Speech, about King George the 6th of England, highlights the difficulties faced by those with speech impediments. Stuttering is a speech fluency problem where the spoken language is repeated as sounds, syllables or words.
5 in 100 children will stutter at some time in their life. The fluency dysfunction usually lasts for months and self resolves. Of these stuttering children, a small subset do not self resolve and persist into adulthood just like King George. This group will need further interventions to reduce the problem and help the adult achieve normal fluency.
The rule of thumb in pediatrics is to refer a child for speech therapy evaluation if the stuttering has lasted for greater than 6 months and/or the child has significant anxiety related to the issue. We also recommend referral earlier if a child has a strong family history of a first degree relative with severe or moderate adult stuttering.
Self Esteem - The Adult Chair
September 16, 2019
We can never have enough self-esteem. So many of us didn't have healthy self-esteem role models growing up so, we are embarking on this journey now. Here's the good news, it's never too late!
With the help of The Adult Chair model, we can live our lives to the fullest and create happiness we never thought possible.
Healthy self-esteem from The Adult Chair is not only possible, but it also happens quickly with these 4 easy-to-apply steps. Enjoy your journey of building up your new sense of self and empowerment in your Adult Chair.
Michelle
Link to Self Esteem Podcast
Stillness
September 16, 2019
Why do we need to learn to be still? We always hear about the virtues of being still. Our parents yell at us to "sit still". Pink Floyd extolled the lyrics, "You! Yes you! Stand still, laddy". Hyperactive kids get labeled and find their way into trouble for not being still. I suffered from this label for years in elementary school and beyond as I loved to squirm in my seat and talk far too much to my neighbors to the utter displeasure of Mrs. Smalley, my third grade teacher. It reached its peak that year when a friend of mine and I were labeled the chatterbox twins and were routinely sent out into the hall so as to not disrupt the class.
Upcoming Lecture at The Center for the Environment
September 11th, 2019
Do you want to learn about the genesis of autoimmune diseases like Crohn's disease or hypothyroidism? If so, you are in luck. On Thursday, October the 3rd at 6:30PM, I am going to give a talk on the genesis of autoimmune disease and what you can do to stem the tide or potentially lessen your disease burden if you are already sick.
It is an event that requires registration which can be done at this link. However, in the past a few people have registered only to not show up and leave a seat vacant. Therefore, if you fail to register, come anyway and you will likely find a wanting seat.
Prevention and understanding are keys to longevity,
Dr. M
Easy
September 9th, 2019
When thinking about life and your children at all ages, think long and hard about making life uncomfortable for them on and off. I do not say this lightly. The thought of this makes a lot of parents squirm. Many people equate loving a child with keeping them happy most of the time or sometimes at all costs. I think that this plan is fraught with peril.
Think about a crying child. There is the I am starving cry. There is the I want to be held cry. There is the I am over tired cry. And on and on. To stop the crying, a parent will have to meet the child's need. Food, holding, rocking to sleep, giving a toy, etc... will achieve the goal of stopping the crying, but at what cost if always done.
Vaping and Death
September 9, 2019
Most of us are rapidly getting an education on the severe risks of the new E cigarette/vaping epidemic that has taken the country by storm over the past few years. With 5 deaths as of this writing and more than 450 hospitalized by severe lung disease this year related to vaping, the whole country is awoken to a sad reality that the epidemic may start claiming more lives and cost billions in healthcare costs.
The vaping concerns are primarily affecting our teenagers and young adults bringing the scrutiny of the FDA to bear down on the main company, JUUL, for perceived deceptive marketing to minors with rechargeable flavored devices and illegal health claims. For years there was a serious lack of credible data to give us clear direction as to risk and avoidance necessity. This is no longer a reality. Serious problems are here and death, the ultimate side effect, has claimed a human life five times.
Chronic Lyme Disease
September 2nd, 2019
For those patients suffering from chronic lyme disease in the northeast and northern midwest, this is for you. For those that are treating themselves with months of antimicrobial drugs against the Borrelia bacterium that causes Lyme disease, you need to think twice. It has never made sense to me to ever give a patient months and months of antimicrobial medicines in the absence of active known infection. The side effects of the antibiotics are profound, especially on the intestinal microbiome.
Forgiveness
September 2, 2019
Forgiveness is an unfortunately underutilized cure for heartache and pain. We all at some point in life will suffer from an intentional or unintentional wrong that leaves us wounded, angry and potentially vengeful. This triad of dangerous feelings will usually worsen our sense of self if we act upon them or hold them close.
Sports Seasons are Back in Full Swing
August 26th, 2019
It is that time of year again. Sports are back in full swing for our Teenagers. Whether it is school based or club based, the athletes preparation for sport is critical to an improved outcome. Here are some simple tips to pass along to them to improve outcomes.
1) Drink adequate amounts of water many hours before sports activity. At least 2 to 3, 12 ounce glasses of clean water 2+ hours before activity. When you are thirsty, you are already mildly to moderately dehydrated.
2) Stretch, Stretch and then stretch some more. This is likely the number one way to avoid injury in sport. Yoga is an excellent activity to become flexible. When your teens are relaxing at home, have them stretch all major muscle groups. Flexibility is king in keeping a player on the court or field.
Infants Spit up!
August 26, 2019
Since the dawn of time, mothers have noted that an infant will spit up their breastmilk not too infrequently during the first six months of life. This is a norm. Somewhere in the last 30 years, we started medicalizing this reality and inappropriately calling it GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease when the vast majority of these events are benign spit up.
A new class of drugs to treat reflux called proton pump inhibitors,
Acne in Teenagers
August 19th, 2019
As school and athletics are back in full swing, let's look at a teenage centric return to school issue, muscle building and acne. Dairy has been used for decades as a source of high quality protein for muscle growth and secondarily, athletic benefits. Unfortunately, many Americans are challenged by the increased frequency of allergy and sensitivity to the dairy based casein protein, also known as the milk curd, prompting many to switch to pure whey dairy based protein supplements for muscle growth.
Cyber Bullying and Young Girls
August 19, 2019
An adolescent daughter's mood and sense of wellbeing have been on parent's minds for centuries. The variables of distraction and abuse change over time leading up to the current study in the Journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health by Dr. Viner and colleagues. They looked at a secondary analyses of public data from the Our Futures study, an English longitudinal study of 12,866 young people from age 13 years to 16 years analyzing the social media effects on adolescent mental health and well-being.
Celery
Aug 12th, 2019
Celery, every part, including the stalks, seeds, and leaves are edible and are rich in nutrients. Celery leaves are often added to soups and stir-fries. Celery seeds present in different forms such as whole seed, ground and extract can give you beneficial health benefits. Crushed celery seeds can be used as a spice. Apiol, an oily compound in celery seeds, contributes to a distinctive flavor and many medicinal uses. Celery is loaded with vitamin B6, calcium, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A, folate, vitamin K, fiber, and protein.