Disclaimer This blog is not in any way treating, diagnosing or recommending anything for anyone specific. It is merely a way to educate, inform and discuss whole health. No entry in this blog should be used in place of a consultation with a health care practitioner. If you are in need of care, please make an appointment with your health care provider or with me so we can speak in person!
|
I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately regarding how to choose a quality probiotic. Not only that, but what type of probiotic one should take. Here is an older post about one of my favorite gut bugs, Sacchromyces. That’s a great bug for most people while you’re taking antibiotics (it won’t die because it’s actually a yeast, not a bacterium). It’s also great for those suffering from loose stools, or diarrhea.
For the most part, for basic maintenance, pretty much any probiotic will do. The thing you want to look out for is quality. Many of the probiotics getting big commercials and being prescribed by MDs aren’t even refrigerated. Refrigeration is a big clue on whether it is a quality product or not. But again, not always, as there are some probiotics made to withstand room temperatures so that they can be easily packed for a camping trip. Here are some tips you can keep in mind when looking for a quality product:
- What are the ingredients?
- If the ingredients contain more than the bacteria and the capsule, take note of what’s used as a filler. If you can’t pronounce it, it’s likely not very good for you. Be wary of anything in tablet form, as they are mechanically pressed and usually heated, thereby killing the bacteria. Some products are enterically coated, which means it has a special gel-like coating made to withstand the acidity of the stomach and therefore make it through to the small intestine where you want the bacteria to thrive. These can be good products if you do your homework.
- Are the strains certified?
- If so, it should say on the bottle. Certification is usually done by a third-party testing facility to make sure what is on the label is in fact what’s in the bottle. This is extremely important for any supplement since there are so many out there, which is why it’s important to check with a naturopath before buying a random brand of supplement (that you might not even need!).
- What is the number of live cells at the “Sell by” date?
- This may not be on the bottle, but it should be available if you call or check their website. Some companies test their products only at the time of manufacturing, which is before it’s been sitting on a truck, possibly not refrigerated, then sitting under fluorescent lights at a grocery store, etc. You want to go with a company that actually guarantees the strains are alive AFTER the “sell by” or expiration date. That way you know they are properly testing their products for quality assurance.
Fortunately and unfortunately, the supplement biz has become a muti-billion dollar enterprise, which means anyone can market a product (sometimes very well) and put it on the shelf at your local biggy mart. Just ask yourself – do you really need that product? And if so, know the questions to ask to make sure your getting a quality product. If you call up a company and the person doesn’t know who the quality assurance rep is, or they say “that’s me!” …you might want to recheck your product choice!
…or just come see me 
Missed it the first time or need a follow-up? Call 207-206-6238 now to make your appointment for our next thermography session – October 13, 2010!
Allergies can come in a number of forms. The most common symptom one thinks of from an allergy is sneezing, closely followed by watery eyes. But not all allergic symptoms are that noticeable. There has been a growing trend in allergies in recent years and it often has nothing to do with hayfever or pets.
Food Allergies
 Food allergies affect over 12 million Americans, according to foodallergy.org statistics. The most common culprits tend to be:
- wheat
- dairy
- soy
- eggs
- peanuts
- treenuts
- fish
- shellfish
But how do you know if you have a food allergy? And what’s the difference between food allergy and food sensitivity? The issue here is terminology. Many people refer to “food allergies” when they actually mean “food sensitivities.” If someone has a full-blown food allergy, they will have an anaphylactic reaction to the food, most often resulting in swelling, then difficulty breathing and possibly death if emergency help is not found in time. A sensitivity however can go on unknown for years unless you pay close attention to your body and how it reacts to foods. In fact, many people don’t think they have an issue with a certain food until they take it out for 6-8 weeks and then reintroduce the food. Suddenly, WHOA! You realize the mild symptoms you were dealing with for years as they flood back after not having that food for a while.
For example, take one of my patients – a 30 year old female generally healthy but has significant seasonal allergies and tends towards sinusitis in the winter months. When asked about her eating habits and any symptoms such as heartburn, gas or bloating, she complained of occasional bloating and “gets phlegmy” after meals, having to clear her throat often. She also tended towards constipation. These all seem like fairly unnoticeable symptoms to someone who has dealt with it for years, but to me, this was the typical presentation of someone with a dairy sensitivity.
I educated her about my thoughts and guided her on taking dairy out of her diet. She didn’t eat much of it, only a little milk in her cereal, a little cream in her coffee and usually a little cheese in some form in one or two meals a day. I gave her some recommendations for dairy substitutes and encouraged her to avoid all dairy for 6-8 weeks. When she returned for her follow-up visit, she came in blushing,
“I didn’t feel any different without the dairy and so after 5 weeks, I decided to have some pizza with some friends and BOY did I find out that I was indeed sensitive! I immediately got stuffy and had terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea afterward. I just had no idea dairy affected me so much!”
This is such a common reaction to me taking someone off a suspected food sensitivity. They don’t feel any different, but suddenly they reintroduce it and they get their original symptoms ten-fold! This is a great way to find out if you have a food sensitivity. After all, no one knows your body better than you and most tests are only about 80% effective whether it’s blood, stool or scratch-testing. This is why “elimination diets” are the #1 recommended way to find out if you have a food sensitivity. Simply take out the suspected foods for 6-8 weeks, giving your body time to adjust, then re-introduce them (one every 3 days if you are testing more than one) and take note of any symptoms.
Food sensitivity symptoms can be very vague and can include but are not limited to:
- itching or rash
- fatigue
- increased mucus production
- diarrhea or constipation
- stomach cramping
- muscle aches
- gas/bloating
- and much more!
…as for my patient, she only has dairy when it’s absolutely worth it and she hasn’t had a sinus infection or spring hayfever in over 4 years!
We often cannot control our air or our water, but we can control our food. The more we reduce our exposure to things we know we are sensitive to, the less we react to the things we can’t control. Make an appointment today and we can see what things in your environment or diet you may be sensitive to and maybe some of those symptoms you never recognized as such will disappear!
Here’s a great article of Michael Pollan’s favorite suggestions on food – from the NY Times.
Check out this recent article from the New York Times. Salmon is next on the genetically modified (GMO) food list. GMOs are making us sick and you can check out these links for more info:
Check out our latest press release here!
I often tell my patients to take what they read online with a grain of salt, and I found another excellent example of this. On April 28, 2010, the Los Angeles Times printed this article titled, “Diabetics Should Not Take High Doses of B Vitamins, Researchers Say.” Scary, huh? If I was diabetic, I would devour this article in a second. It goes on to partially quote a recent study published in Canada that followed over 200 diabetics, some taking high doses of B vitamins and some taking placebo. Those taking the B vitamins had higher incidents of heart attack and stroke than the placebo group due to the toxic buildup of the vitamin in the kidneys. Again…scary.
What they absolutely FAIL to mention in this article, but is clear in the original study for those who actually take the time to find and read it, is that the diabetics in this study already had kidney failure! Of course you wouldn’t want someone to take high doses of something water-soluble like a B vitamin, if their kidneys were not working properly.
This just makes me very very angry. I realize there is a lot of information on the web. And at times, that is extremely useful. However, to those without research training and not knowing the reputable sites, it can be very dangerous and scary. I constantly have to remind people that I went to medical school and I do in fact know what’s best for them, even though WebMD’s symptom checker may disagree. I’ve had so many people worsen their health by taking it into their own hands with the internet, so please…come to me FIRST! That’s what I’m here for! If you read something scary, talk to me about it and don’t take anything to heart without knowing where the initial study came from, who funded it and how many people it involved.
An interesting look at what some “organic” companies do – as always, best to buy local!
Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal.
Here’s a great article on one of the most asked questions I’ve been getting lately – is agave nectar good for you?
Check it out here.
…So why do people keep taking it?
Another article in this month’s “JAMA” concluded that low-dose aspirin not only showed the same results as placebo, but actually caused more bleeding (such as hemorrhagic stroke) in people who had a stroke anyway. There have been several studies like this over the past few years, yet people are still taking it, there are still commercials about it and doctors are still recommending it. Why? I’m not sure. But for a medical community so gaga over evidence-based medicine, you’d think they’d get on the bandwagon!
So, if you think you’re having a heart attack – aspirin is good to take on the way to the hospital to help prevent major damage. But aspirin on a daily basis may not be right for you. If you’ve been taking aspirin on a regular basis because of this prevention myth, talk to your doctor before you stop taking it. Sudden withdrawal from long-term aspirin use can actually increase your risk for a blood clot! Best thing to do is have a conversation with your doc about it…and soon.
Reference: JAMA. 2010;303(9):841-848
|
|
