I came across this video on YouTube called ‘Shocking Truth About Cereal Exposed 2012‘ and I have to say, it was definitely shocking!  The video shows that the iron used in an enriched box of cereal are actual metallic iron filings!

Watch the video here.

Iron is an essential nutrient, necessary for us to build hemoglobin.  Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells and is necessary to carry oxygen throughout the body, allowing our cells to function.  Without iron, you can develop anemia and might suffer from symptoms

If you are wondering why some people get the flu, while others don’t, you are not alone.  Researchers at the University of Michigan did a study to find out just why one person is hacking and sneezing, while the other seems to never have an issue at all.

The researchers actually studied gene expression in the study participants and found that people that show no symptoms at all, are actually having a behind the scenes response to the virus and just don’t show the physical symptoms near and dear to our hearts of coughing, sneezing, and fatigue.

The most interesting find in the study was that the individuals who didn’t get sick had “differences in their biological metabolism and gene expression. These differences had to do with antioxidants.”

Although the study did not prove that antioxidants are a key factor, it does suggest the possibility and future research may help us learn more.  For now eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is a great way to start.  If you want in an in depth discussion about antioxidants check out Dr Mercola’s website.

Read more here.

1. Try an anti-inflammatory elimination diet that gets rid of common food allergens. As I mentioned above, food allergies and the resultant inflammation have been connected with depression and other mood disorders.

2. Check for hypothyroidism. This unrecognized epidemic is a leading cause of depression. Make sure to have thorough thyroid exam if you are depressed.

3. Take vitamin D. Deficiency in this essential vitamin can lead to depression. Supplement with at least 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day.

4. Take omega-3 fats. Your brain is made of up this fat, and deficiency can lead to a host of problems. Supplement with 1,000 to 2,000 mg of purified fish oil a day.

5. Take adequate B12 (1,000 micrograms, or mcg, a day), B6 (25 mg) and folic acid (800 mcg). These vitamins are critical for metabolizing homocysteine, which can play a factor in depression.

6. Get checked for mercury. Heavy metal toxicity has been correlated with depression and other mood and neurological problems.

7. Exercise vigorously five times a week for 30 minutes. This increases levels of BDNF, a natural antidepressant in your brain.

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/depression-medication-why_b_550098.html

“Here’s some depressing recent medical news: Antidepressants don’t work. What’s even more depressing is that the pharmaceutical industry and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have deliberately deceived us into believing that they DO work. As a physician, this is frightening to me. Depression is among the most common problems seen in primary-care medicine and soon will be the second leading cause of disability in this country.

The study I’m talking about was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. It found that drug companies selectively publish studies on antidepressants. They have published nearly all the studies that show benefit — but almost none of the studies that show these drugs are ineffective. (1)

That warps our view of antidepressants, leading us to think that they do work. And it has fueled the tremendous growth in the use of psychiatric medications, which are now the second leading class of drugs sold, after cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Drug companies are not forced to publish all the results of their studies. They only publish those they want to. The team of researchers that reported their findings in The New England Journal of Medicine took a critical look at all the studies done on antidepressants, both published and unpublished. They dug up some serious dirt …

The unpublished studies were not easy to find. The researchers had to search the FDA databases, call researchers, and hunt down hidden data under the Freedom of Information Act. What they found was stunning.

After looking at 74 studies involving 12 drugs and over 12,000 people, they discovered that 37 of 38 trials with positive results were published, while only 14 of 36 negative studies were published. Those that showed negative results were, in the words of the researchers, “published in a way that conveyed a positive outcome.”

That means the results were twisted to imply the drugs worked when they didn’t.

This isn’t just a problem with antidepressants. It’s a problem with scientific research. Some drug companies even pay or threaten scientists to not publish negative results on their drugs. So much for “evidence-based” medicine! I recently had dinner with a step-uncle who runs a company that designs research for drug companies. He designs the study, hires the researcher from an esteemed institution, directs the study, writes up the study and the scientist just signs his or her name after reviewing it.

Most of the time, we only have the evidence that the drug companies want us to have. Both doctors and patients are deceived into putting billions of dollars into drug companies’ pockets, while leaving millions with the same health problems but less money.”

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/depression-medication-why_b_550098.html

http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/11/23/don%E2%80%99t-let-anyone-watch/

Are exhibitionist births dangerous?

One of the fathers of the natural childbirth movement says yes

by Shanda Deziel on Wednesday, November 23, 2011 11:50am

It may have been the year’s most anticipated birth—and it certainly was the most sensational. On Oct. 25, New York performance artist Marni Kotak delivered a baby boy in a Brooklyn gallery in front of an audience of 20. As worldwide press inundated the gallery for information, Kotak retreated from the spotlight. But a week later she and baby Ajax were back in the gallery talking to visitors and finishing the exhibit she called “The Birth of Baby X”—now complete with the placenta, the bloody pillow and sheets and, of course, the video. Canada had its own public childbirth in October, when Ottawa chiropractor Nancy Salgueri live-streamed the home birth of her third child over the Internet and 2,500 people watched. Nothing, it seems, is sacred anymore, not even the once very private act of pushing out a baby. And now a retired French obstetrician says stunts like these have not only perverted the idea of natural childbirth, but are actually setting women up for dangerous births.

“We are at the present time—in regard to the history of childbirth—at the bottom of the abyss,” says Michel Odent, who’s been a part of over 15,000 hospital births and is widely considered to be one of the fathers of the natural childbirth movement, having introduced water births in the 1970s. And he blames it on all the people in the room—medical staff, partners, family members, doulas and especially cameras. “People look at [birth] videos and miss the important point—that during childbirth the most basic need of a labouring woman is not to feel observed.”

The 81-year-old doctor describes birth as an “involuntary process” that cannot be helped. So all the support people are making it more difficult for the labouring woman to do it on her own. Fetal monitors, cameras, people talking and other stimuli engage the thinking part of her brain, the neocortex, which needs to be shut off in order for the woman to produce the hormones needed to have a baby quickly and easily. Instead, the majority of women experience long, painful labours and are fed synthetic forms of the “love hormone” oxytocin.

“It is not a surprise that modern births are more and more difficult,” says Odent, citing the rising rates of Caesarean section (nearly 30 per cent in Canada) and new statistics showing that more home births are being transferred to hospitals. “We have a lack of understanding about the birth process.”

So what is Odent’s ideal situation for an easy birth? “Nobody present but the delivering woman and an experienced and silent midwife sitting in a corner perceived as a protector, a mother figure.” And he adds that the midwife should be knitting. “We know today that repetitive tasks like knitting are a way to reduce the level of adrenalin. And it is very important that the level of the adrenalin in the midwife is as low as possible.”

Toronto midwife Karen McWilliams says she gets it—we’re like all other mammals who need darkness, quiet and safety to give birth. “But the reality is we don’t live in that world. For good or bad, all those images of birth are out there, women have heard stories, seen videos. And most are scared and don’t want to do it alone.”

In Ottawa, Salgueri wanted to show that a calm, natural birth is nothing to fear, “where you’re empowered and you don’t feel like it’s out of your control,” she said, three days after her son Oziah was born. Based on the reactions from people who watched it—including expecting couples, families who showed their young children and older men who weren’t given the opportunity of seeing their own children born—Salgueri’s video was educational and appreciated.

Odent acknowledges that people like Salgueri are filled with good intentions. “They want to further natural childbirth, but are doing the exact opposite. From these videos people think what makes a birth natural is the position of the woman giving birth or the fact that she’s at home or that she’s in a birthing pool. But what makes a birth natural is to feel secure without feeling observed.”

What’s even more dangerous, he says, is that videos of hospital births with multiple people running in and out of the room, and videos of home births in which the whole family, doulas and midwives are involved, further the basic “cultural conditioning that a woman does not have the power to give birth by herself, that she needs other people.”

Odent is ready to take his message to the world and says, at his age, he is no longer worried about being diplomatic when discussing who should be, and who should not be, in the room. He’s co-organizing a 2012 conference in Hawaii, which he’s dubbed “the Big Wake-Up Call.” The program includes discussions of a new, less-intrusive C-section technique, the behavioural effects of synthetic oxytocin, and utopian thoughts on childbirth in 4012. It wraps up with “Silent knitting: rediscovering authentic midwifery.” No talking—and absolutely no cameras.

Dr. Nancy, Your Birth Coach Comments:

Spelled my name wrong Salgueiro

I do agree with Dr. Odent’s perspective on birth.  The reality is though that women have been exposed to many negative images of birth through the media. If all of us homebirthers and natural hospital birthers go ahead and have these wonderfully private birth experiences the rest of women in our culture will be left to live in the fear that our culture has sold them.  This needed to be done to help show other women birth as Michel Odent describes it.

“videos of home births in which the whole family, doulas and midwives are
involved, further the basic ‘cultural conditioning that a woman does
not have the power to give birth by herself, that she needs other
people.’”

I think I did show that you don’t need the “whole family, doulas and midwives to be involved”.  I gave birth unassisted, midwives arrived 15 minutes later.  The only people there were because I wanted photos and video (which Dr. Odent doesn’t agree with but I am very happy to have) and were only present for 20-30 minutes.  My husband was busy getting warm water for the tub and trying to wake up the kids who I wanted to be present, all while I birthed by myself.

I also essentially birthed by myself for my first birth as the midwife arrived while the baby was crowning and with only 4 minutes to spare.  I only had my husband and sister taking care of my basic needs at the time. I would not have wanted to be home alone, who would have gotten me water?   My only birth with midwives and more friends present was my second and I did feel observed and did not like the feeling.

I do agree with Michel Odent birth needs to be unobserved and that does not happen in our modern birth practices, especially in hospitals.

So it’s that time of year again, and you want to get your kids off on the right foot, and keep them healthy as they head back into the classroom.  A couple of friend’s of mine just commented on facebook proving just how challenging this can be. 

One talking about the aspartame and trans fats in Flinstone vitamins, and the other about how they don’t sell white milk at the school anymore.  Instead you are offered red dye 40 strawberry milk, and sugar laced chocolate milk and vanilla.  So how can we keep our kids healthy and happy this school year?

Here are 5 easy things to do to make sure your kids are off to a great start:

1.  Nutritious lunches. This has become more challenging because some schools are limiting what you can bring because our allergies are getting out of control.  At least for the most part, the healthier foods are still options.  Whole wheat bread sandwiches, carrots and celery sticks, and fruits still all make the cut.  Water to drink.  Some people think this is crazy, my kid will never eat that but remember, we teach our children what normal food is.  I can feed this to my kids and they’ll eat it because this is how they were raised on.  My kids spit out artificial juices and think icing is too sweet to eat.  So if your kids are hooked on this stuff, try to give them smaller servings and find alternatives like organic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, real fruit juices, or homemade snacks that you can fully control the ingredients.

2.  Ergonomic backpack.  Your kids can carry a lot of weight for such small frames.  Choosing a good back pack with nice padded straps and back support, and hip straps can help.  Put  a flat binder in the bag against at the bottom so it’s  an even surface against your child’s back and try to put heavier objects to the back.  Try to minimize how much they are carrying.  It’s recommended children should only carry between 10-15% of their body weight.  When wearing the bag, both shoulder straps should be worn with the hip strap as well.  Helping your child put on the bag is good practice as well.

3.  Keep them active. Having your children registered in sports activities can help to keep them off the computer and away from the TV.  Hopefully they have been doing as lot more in the summer time, but as they head back to class, they’ll spend a lot more time sitting in a desk.  Kicking a soccer ball around with your kids on the weekend is a great way for you be active as well.  Remember this has more to do with their interests than yours.  It can be anything from soccer, to swimming, indoor rock climbing, or a martial art.

4.  Family bonding time. Now a days we are often online and putting these devices away ourselves, and having our kids do the same is necessary.  We need to offer our kids our time.  It’s a busy world, and you won’t keep a healthy relationship with your kids if you don’t plan for it.   Having planned family game nights, family vacations, cooking together, and trying to find common interests are all key.  You’ll be spending a lot of time away from each other so make sure the time you have together counts.

5.  Get them checked by a chiropractor. Kids and students have spines just like adults do.  Way to often people wait until they have aches and pains before they do anything about their health.  Except for their teeth.  People regularly brush, floss and see a dental hygienist to maintain their teeth, but they disregard the health of their spine.  A spine can be maintained, preventing spinal decay (think tooth decay)  which causes lifelong pain, arthritis, and other issues in the future.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

5.  Good bedtime routine. It’s while kids sleep that they are repairing and building new tissues.  It’s essential for kids to get 8-10, maybe even 12 hours of sleep a day when they are younger.  There is a rhythm to the body’s release of hormones like growth hormone, which peaks during the sleeping hours.  If it’s interrupted they won’t be as strong or healthy as they could be.  Regular sleeping times, not having distractions in the bedroom like toys or computers, and not reading in bed are good ideas to help keep the mind from being too active when trying to go to sleep.

These strategies are just a  few of the many things you can do to help keep your kids healthy as they start out the new school year.

Natural Birth Secrets Revealed – The 4 Keys to Achieving a Natural Birth

By Nancy Salgueiro

Natural Childbirth Broadcast Live Online: Discover How Beautiful and Easy Natural Childbirth Can Be

# # #

Source: http://www.prlog.org/11646518-natural-childbirth-broadcast-live-online-discover-how-beautiful-and-easy-natural-childbirth-can-be.html

I already knew this but here is the study to prove it: the elderly are not the biggest burden on our healthcare system.

Our health costs are skyrocketing and everyone thinks it is
due to the aging baby boomers but according to a recent study it has more to do with
hospital, specialist, and diagnostic testing costs. I once read an article that put the cost
of an individual simply presenting themselves to the ER of a hospital, and filling out the
intake forms with a triage nurse at $100. Nothing was even done yet and it has cost our
health care system (which really should be termed a ‘sick’ care system) a hundred bucks!

The report went further to even state our healthcare system “is as sustainable as we want it to be” and that the reasons costs are so high “were the result of factors within the control of policy-makers and professionals (such as fees paid for services provided)”.

Ouch. So here we are with a very broken system, costing more and more to the taxpayer,
paying more and more out to the doctors (specialists specifically), running of the actual
hospital, and diagnostic testing.

At the end of the article, it mentions prescription drugs. Thankfully, from 1996 to 2006
people were only 3% more likely to use drugs, but people who use them are using 59%
more, and the drugs cost 52% more per day! That is way above inflation over the same
time.

The healthcare system (sickcare system) has failed us and is costing us a fortune. If only
there was a better way…

Thankfully there is!

As a society, we need to start investing in prevention, such as exercise, healthy food, meditation, rejuvenating massages or personal time with a book, and affordable chiropractic care .

If we truly began to focus on that which made us healthy, we would see our needs for
hospitals and drugs drop, and the costs would have to drop as well. People often make
the mistake of thinking things are expensive that are good for you like exercise classes,
organic food, etc., but they never think about the cost of the quadruple bypass they’ll
need or just the cost of prescription drugs they’ll need to pay for personally in the future.
Invest in your health today, save yourself some money in the future (directly as in your
pocket, and indirectly through taxes).

A major report on the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment was published in 1993,
entitled ‘The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of
Low-Back Pain’. It was funded by the Ministry of Health in Ontario to assess the most
appropriate use of health care resources. http://www.chiropracticdiplomatic.com/html/manga.html

The report was very specific to low back pain, but found “There would be a highly
significant cost savings if more management of LBP was transferred from physicians
to chiropractors.

Evidence from Canada and other countries suggests potential savings
of hundreds of millions annually. The literature clearly and consistently shows that
the major savings from chiropractic management come from fewer and lower costs of
auxiliary services, much fewer hospitalizations, and a highly significant reduction in
chronic problems, as well as in levels and duration of disability.”

Unfortunately, the findings of the report were never acted upon. Currently our approach
to our ailing healthcare system has been to throw more money at the problem and hope
for the best. Hopefully, as a society, we start to make a major shift in how we deal
with our health. I would love to see the day where our government started to invest in
prevention, because as we all know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Read more from The Vancouver Sun