Organic or Conventionally Grown Food: Is There A Difference?

I don't know if you heard about the recent Stanford University study which compared vitamin and mineral levels in organically grown versus conventional foodstuffs.

Here's the jist:

Produce, dairy and meat were analyzed and compared and they found that there was very little difference between conventional and organically grown items.

It's not hard to believe that not much difference was found, actually, because in most croplands in the United States, the topsoil has been severely degraded over the last 50-100 years. I'd much rather see differences between long-standing organic farmland such as the rice-growers "Lundberg Farms" in California and a box of instant rice from the shelf. With that, there's so much more at stake than vitamin/mineral status.

I've eaten organic products since picking up tiny, spotted apples in a Nutrition World at Har-Mar Mall in Roseville... that's Roseville, Minnesota, not California. This was way before the USDA standards were imposed in 2002. Matter of fact, America's oldest certification program, Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (I love the acronym, MOGFA), was formed in 1971.

I think it's important to point out what national standards regulate. The following are prohibited in organic products: artificial colors, flavors and preservatives; added growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, insecticides, sewage sludge (do you remember the fight over that? the good guys won), radiation and genetically modified foods (GMO's).

Sounds like stuff you don't want in your kitchen, on your table, or in your mouth, right? So before I give you my opinion on the findings, I just want to point out that even if the thought of eating this stuff doesn't bother you, just having less of a toxic load in the environment they're produced in is better in general. Be kind to Mother Nature. As one of my patients put it recently, "It's better for the earth, too!"

But back to the study. It was a "meta-analysis," which means that the results of a bunch of papers were added up. One of my issues with the study was pointed out by the "Organic Consumers Association," an advocacy group based in Finland, Minnesota. They discovered that there were papers included in the study which pre-dated the onset of the USDA standards formulated in 2002. This harms the credibility of the data, obviously. If there are no standards in place, there's no way to compare products.

I would not stake my decision of whether or not to eat organic foods on this study's findings. The chemical residues and hormones in conventional products and the integrity of the farmland which is being threatened by the use of GMO crops is a much more important issue to base a decision. Where is that study, eh?

Well, it's time to go make dinner: Organic rice with tofu, homemade pesto with homegrown basil, yummy stuff. Must have some veggies in the fridge to throw in there...

What Does A Balanced Lifestyle Mean To You?

 What's the big deal about balance and what does a balanced lifestyle mean to you? 

It varies from person to person. And within each persons life, too. Let's start by looking at what the word actually means.

I looked it up. Along with weights and measures, there's this:

Balance = A means of judging or deciding

I liked that. What it tells me is that achieving some balance isn't impossible, and that it depends largely on the decisions we make regarding exercise, diet, and other things that are in control. We truly have the ability to change one of these parts, or components, if something isn't working.

Oh, yes, components.

Chiropractors have been talking about the components of a healthy (balanced!) lifestyle for around 100 years. We call it the "Triad of Health."

We break it down into the following three parts.

1) Structural - physical components, such as the spinal column, joints (This is the Body)
2) Emotional - or Spiritual (This is the Mind|)
3) Chemical - or Nutrition

That covers it, if you think about it. And they're all interconnected. If one is ailing, the effects will show up in the other two.

So, when I'm evaluating a patient, whether it's their first visit or fiftieth, or just listening to their concerns, I keep all of those in mind.

Because you have to keep it in balance.

Is There a 'CURE' In The House?

Cure... is a word I truly dislike. To me, it's one of those four-letter words.

I don't use this word in my professional life, or private life, for that matter. I have to be honest: I'm actually not allowed to use that word professionally because my "scope of practice" in Minnesota, where I'm licensed, says I can't. As a matter of fact, only health care practitioners who are overseen by the state Medical Board can use the word in reference to their work - folks like M.D.'s, D.D.S.'s and D.O.'s.

That's okay with me, though. Because I'm allowed to say other things.

I can say that my therapy helps alleviate pain; assists the body's return to health from various conditions and injuries; helps restore normal function to the nervous system and helps restore normal motion to the spine and other joints in the body.

Research over many decades has shown Chiropractic therapy and adjusting can do that and so much more. Those are pretty great others in my opinion. And it's so gratifying to see it work!

So... back to that word I dislike: cure. Why do i dislike it so much? It gives all the power to the practitioner. I, like many Chiropractors, prefer this six-letter word: innate.

According to Merriam-Webster, here's the definition:

Innate: existing in, belonging to, or determined by factors present in an individual from birth.

Chiropractors use innate like this: "You body has an innate ability to heal itself."

Wow! Who has the power now?!

This doesn't mean if you break you leg or they have a nasty disease I'm the doc to see. But for many conditions including pain, inflammation and loss of normal bio-mechanical function, Chiropractic care can help immensely.

And because I'm trusting the innate to finish the job I start, I'm showing my respect for this wondrous creation we use to navigate this world, our physical bodies.

To your health!
http://northwestminneapolischiropractor.com

Hamburger Stuffing? Really?!

I've decided it was time I wrote a light-hearted post. Enough of the information-heavy articles for a while. It's holiday time, right?

For me that means it's time to start getting out the recipes to figure out what I'm baking and sending off to far-away loved ones.

So, I'm cruising the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts a couple of weeks ago looking for coupons, and there it was....a full page ad with a recipe that read:

"A New Tradition 90 Years in the Making!"

Wow! 90 Years? What could that be? Sounds intriguing, right? Then, I read on. The recipe was for stuffing. And the NEW ingredients?                            

10 Hamburgers

No pickles

Woah!! What the heck!? Really, I thought it was a joke.

I mean, stuffing isn't difficult to make. Bread crumbs, onions, broth/butter (yes please butter) herbs and spices. And nuts if you like, maybe sausage.

But hamburger from a fast food joint?

Here's the rest of the recipe I know of for stuffing:
 

 1 1/2 cups of celery, diced

1 1/4 tsp. ground thyme

1 1/2 ground sage
3/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper

1/4 chicken broth

Looks like it would be pretty dry to me. And bland. Anyone out there care to try it and let me know how it turned out?

I know this a short blog, but this recipe really bugged me. I mean, hamburgers? How gross? Let me know what you think.

Yours in health,

Dr. Jeanne

W: http://northwestminneapolischiropractor.com
P: 612.259.7323

Follow Boulevard Natural Healing Arts, P.A. on Facebook!

Multi-Vitamin Test Gets An "F" In My Book!

Are You Taking Multi-Vitamins? Do you have a death wish or something??!! If you happen to have bought into recent "studies" on this subject matter, then maybe you do.

I, however, don't think taking multi-vitamins will kill you. I think reading "studies" that are full of questionable data might though.

Allow me to explain myself...

According to a report in the October 10th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, consuming dietary supplements, including multivitamins, folic acid, iron and copper, among others, appears to be associated with an increased risk of death in older women.

The conclusion was that use of common multi-vitamins (including Calcium, Iron and Copper ... which are actually minerals, in case you're wondering) have an increased risk for causing death to those to take them. Conversely, Calcium was associated with decreased mortality (death).

There was a lot of press about this study (probably because it freaked millions of older women out!) and even made the home page of Yahoo! at the time.

But the one little thing this study failed to mention, was what sort of stuff they didn't account for during this study to ascertain these SHOCKING results.

You see, there are studies and there are "studies." The "study" cited in the article was named the "Iowa Woman's Health Study." It's what's called a "Retrospective Study of Already Collected Data."

Sounds impressive, right?

Not really. Basically, surveys were sent to 38,772 postmenopausal women (average age at start of study was 61.2 years) in 1986, 1997 and 2004. Then, Iowa death records were checked for accuracy about mortality rates, and roughly forty percent of those women had died during those eighteen years.

The data collected in the "study" included the following: diet, supplement usage [those are vitamins, ya'll], weight, smoking history, hormone replacement therapy history and history of heart or diabetes.

Oddly, some chronic and/or degenerative diseases weren't on the list. Hmm, not wanting to know whether any of these ladies have CANCER seems a little fishy, no? This seems like a pretty big omission doesn't it?

There are two aspects to this omission that I feel are significant to mention:

• Cancer, like heart disease and diabetes (included in the surveys), is a chronic/degenerative disorder. So why wasn't it included? It just doesn't make sense.

• Also, no questions were asked as to WHY these women were taking supplements. It would be safe to assume that there were some women who started taking supplements after a diagnosis of cancer (or indeed, any other scary diagnosis).

Trust me, as a chiropractor who's been offering nutritional advice for close to 20 years, this is extremely common. I'll even go out on a limb here and say that the majority of people who use supplements, do so out of trying to fend off a syndrome or disease after they've been diagnosed, arguably late in the game.

But that's what I've seen. So, that's gnawing away at me, why didn't they record data about Cancer and why these women were taking supplements?

Some of the conclusions back up previous studies, such as supplementing with iron and copper - if unneeded by the patient - can have toxic effects due to the generation of free radicals (that's why anti-oxidants are often recommended).

Also, significant benefit was found with the following supplements: B, C, D, E and Calcium. But the way the data on this "study" was merged with the rest was... well... perhaps a little flawed. (More detail on this can be found at the "Life Extension Foundation" website).

This here is just my opinion.

But wait, there's more. Want to know my real beef?  Or tofu, for the vegetarians out there? The term "Retrospective"

So, a survey is sent out 3x over 18 years, and that's supposed to be trusted to be accurate information? As a clinician who hands out questionnaires, like a ceiling fan's blades whip through the air, I know how flawed this is. Most people's memory regarding their health is typically fuzzy because hey, they have lives to lead and don't really want to think about their health. It takes a geek like me to want to do this type of work!

As an example, I myself can't remember what supplements I was taking 3 months ago, although I should mention I'm continuously tweaking the recipe!

I look at this "study" as a snapshot, as just some marginally useful information, but certainly not ammunition for the "Vitamins Will Kill You Crowd."

Thanks also to Alliance for Natural Health USA for information and perspective on this. Sometimes it helps to get a second opinion when reading these types of articles.

I'd be interested in hearing your comments and thoughts on this matter. Do you take multi-vitamins and other nutritional supplements? And why?

Yours in health,

Dr. Jeanne

W: http://northwestminneapolischiropractor.com 
P: 612.259.7323  
Follow Boulevard Natural Healing Arts, P.A. on Facebook!

Tips To Avoid Harmful BPA Exposure At Home

This week's post will be much shorter and easier to read, I promise. If you read last week's blog post, you know how dangerous exposure to BPAs are; and you also know that BPAs are in a TON of everyday items. 

So, here's my list of tips to Avoid BPA Exposure At Home.

I hope you find it helpful!

1) Food and beverage containers are the biggest source of BPA exposure. DO NOT store food in plastics that are labeled with a "7" (that little triangle on the bottom of the container that has a number in the middle).

FYI, most of the plastic sold out there in retail outlets for this purpose is labeled "5", which has NO BPAs. Also safe in this regard are numbers "2" and "4."

 

2) When requesting a "doggie bag," check to see if there is a number on the bottom (if it's a plastic container.) If it happens to be a "7," ask the waiter to line it with aluminum foil before the food is placed in it. I know, aluminum has it's own problems, but the BPA risk trumps it, in my opinion.

3) This one is commonly known. Do not heat food in a microwave oven using plastic containers. We don't know all of the risks involved with heating plastics, so it's just better to be safe than sorry. Personally, we don't have a microwave!

4) Throw out any battered, scratched or dented plastic containers, especially ones used for food and beverages storage. Just toss it. As number "3" above states, we may not know all of the risks. Just saying...

5) If you use canned foods regularly, switch to a company that stopped using BPA in 1999: Eden Foods. Organics cost more, but it's worth the extra cost. And Eden Foods isn’t necessarily making any more money - using a plant-sourced resin costs Eden Foods 14% more to produce. (And no, we don't own stock in the company.)

6) Especially for parents of bottle-feeding infants: Use powder formula. In the September/October 2010 issue of Mother Jones Magazine, liquid formula was cited as having one of the highest levels on BPA. Developing infants are highly susceptible to damage. You might want to check out the article for more information.

Hope you find this information empowering and enlightening! Share it with your loved ones!

Next week, I'll sort out the facts on a recent multi-vitamin study.

Healthy Eating and Healthy Living! 

Dr. Jeanne

http://northwestminneapolischiropractor.com  

Office: 612.259.7323  

Follow Boulevard Natural Healing Arts, P.A. on Facebook!

Breast Cancer: Could store receipts and canned goods put you at risk?

I'm sure many of you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There are pink ribbons everywhere!

As a woman and a doctor, I know the fear the words “breast cancer” can stir up. The rising incidences of breast cancer in the US and other countries are staggering – and they mostly stem from not-so-wonderful lifestyle choices and habits.

I’m not going to repeat depressing statistics, as they can be easily found elsewhere. I will however, spend the next two blogs offering some helpful information to reduce your risk for this terrible disease.

First of all, it's no secret to the scientific community that the majority of breast cancer cases are driven by estrogen levels. Specifically, excess estrogen levels. When balanced, estrogen is actually an essential hormone in the body - even men produce it! 

 It does all kinds of wonderful things like help women conceive babies! It’s also essential for bone health (which is why women have increased incidences of osteoporosis after menopause, because there is a decline in estrogen.)

The problems arise when the body produces too much estrogen or comes in contact with yucky stuff in the environment that mimics or disrupts estrogen levels. Obviously, any imbalance in human physiology is not good… but excess estrogen is really bad. It can lead to an imbalance in the "steroid/hormone dance" (that's what it's actually called in the study of Functional Medicine), which can begin initiating cancer cells and tumor development.  

So why does the body do this then?  

I’ll tell you in a minute.

First, I bet just about everyone has heard of Bisphenol a -- or BPA as it's more commonly called. No? Well, let me explain. BPA is a monomer (chemistry term, sorry) that is used in plastics, dental sealants, canned goods – as well as eyeglasses, cell phone cases and the receipts you get printed out at the store! And because us humans come in contact with these everyday products all the time, it's estimated that over 90% of Americans have this substance stored in our bodies (in the fat, actually.)

So what does this have to do with Breast Cancer?  

BPA is a synthetic estrogen. When it comes in contact with your body and gets inside you, it ends up disrupting the normal balance of estrogen already in you by displacing the good estrogen.

Since it’s stored in the fat (and we have fat cells everywhere) - not only are BPA’s a BIG reason as to why losing weight is so difficult, they’ve have also been implicated in causing a world of hurt to other parts of our bodies.

Ready for this list?

When exposed to excess amounts of BPA, you might be at risk for:

1. Decreased brain function
2. Altered brain chemistry (anyone out there have sleep problems?)
3. Weight gain 
4. Behavioral changes depression and mood swings
5. Diabetes
6. Prostate cancer
7. Early puberty in our kids
8. Reduced sperm count to make aforementioned spawns
9. Down Syndrome
10. Altered immune function 

Sadly, as in life, there are no guarantees in health either. However, there is a useful test to measure estrogen to help determine if you’re at risk for developing cancer and tumor development. It's called "Estronex" and is performed by Metametrix Labs out of Duluth, Georgia.

It's an easy test - just one urine sample. It costs under $200. Based on their findings, your health care provider can develop a treatment plan for you. The test can be repeated six months to a year later to determine if further changes need to be made – so it’s a pretty good way to keep an eye on yourself.

While giving to charities is very commendable, maybe you should think about donating to your own health and well being this year. The level of breast cancer cases are increasing in men and women at the same rate. It’s time you take the steps to protect yourself so you don’t become just another sad statistic.

I will post next week about some pro-active steps you can take to lessen your exposure to harmful chemicals like BPA’s and hopefully reduce your risk to potentially life threatening problems.   

Yours in health,

Dr. Jeanne Masanz, DC

http://northwestminneapolischiropractor.com 

Office: 612.259.7323

Follow Boulevard Natural Healing Arts, P.A. on Facebook!