October 2016 Newsletter

          If you’re feeling a bit “off balance”… come in for our monthly special, one free ear acu-stim meridian balancing treatment. Good during the entire month of October.                         
 
          Getting Dirty…is a good thing. Children in particular regularly ingest dirt and bacteria during the course of a normal day. Or at least they should.  Contact with dirt exposes infants to microbial organisms that are essential for the development of a healthy immune system.  The micro flora in our intestines starts developing as soon as we are born, as the immune system immediately starts reacting to them, learning to differentiate between friendly and pathogenic.  These immune cells move to other parts of the body too. It is still not understood how the body knows the difference, but it does.   
          Children living in an antiseptic environment may be missing the exposure they need to dirt and bacteria.  Fortunately, parents are now being told to let children enjoy their natural tendency to get dirty. Let them play outside more, go to the beach instead of the city pool, stop saying, “Don’t touch that it’s dirty!”  I sadly learned last month that a farm school near Boulder was closed because of concerns of microorganism exposure.  One thing that is changing for the better is the ban of certain chemicals found in anti-microbial soaps by the FDA.
          Immune function is not the only issue. These microbes also are part of metabolic regulation, development of the neurological system and blood vessel health.  The increase of disorders like diabetes, allergies, asthma, Inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, autism, obesity and certain types of cancer are prompting a look at ‘lack of microbe exposure’ as a possible cause. Scientists have given the name microbiota to what they are calling a new organ.  The microbes inside us
are an intricate part of our physiology, and altering them leads to disease. Without natural exposure to dirt and bacteria, the immune system fails to grow strong or develop a good sense of what is friend and what is foe.  Ideally, the gut tube should harbor a rich, diverse community of friendly microbes. Eating a variety of foods is part of the picture, instead of feeding baby only rice for weeks, then adding different foods one at a time like I was told to do. Turns out that was an invitation for allergies, not an allergy diagnosis and prevention strategy like it was purported to be.                      
          In 2010 a study was done that compared the microbiota of children living in rural Burkina Faso, West Africa to children living in an Italian city.  The Burkina children ate high fiber vegetables, grains and legumes and no processed foods. The Italian children’s diet contained sugars, animal fats, and refined grains. The microbes of the two different population groups were very different.  There was much more diversity in the microbes of the African children.  Before we idealize the Burkina situation the study pointed out the African children were more likely to suffer severe infections and malnutrition and they had a lower life expectancy.  There is obviously more to learn on the subject.
          While I am talking about immune system development, I want to reiterate my cautions against becoming overly dependent on vaccinations.  Whooping cough/pertussis can be spread by people who were recently vaccinated for it. An outbreak of pertussis among preschoolers had Florida medical officials stymied.  The disease started with one student. It eventually affected 26 of the 117 students, 2 adult employees and 11 family members. All but two students were fully vaccinated for diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, including three doses.  In one class, all were fully vaccinated and yet half the students still got whooping cough.  There were two things medical officials refused to fully examine: 1) that the vaccine is not very effective, 2) that vaccinated kids spread the disease from the time of the vaccination for up to three weeks after.           
          Flu shots carry a similar threat.  You can get the shot and still get the disease, and you can be contagious after the shot for two weeks.  You do not need to get the shot because your family member has the flu, that family member will be exposing you to the flu anyway.  Eat well, drink lots of fluids, take vitamin C, get plenty of rest, and wash your hands often.  See if you can stay healthy while you care for the family member.  Understand that the shot will take two weeks to stimulate your immune system to mount a defense against the flu.  The shot might be a different strain, and getting the shot right away will be like double exposure to two different flu viruses at one time. 
          I read a story of a man whose children had all been vaccinated. The thirteen year-old got a pertussis booster because it was mandated by the state. The father didn’t know that his son was now contagious. The newly vaccinated son came down with whooping cough, and then it spread to his vaccinated siblings. The father got it too. Eventually everyone recovered, but then the dad’s legs “didn’t work right”.  The problem worsened and he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which is known to be caused by (like a side effect of) vaccinations.  Things became critical and the man nearly died.  He was crippled, lost six months of his life and had medical bills of $240,000.  All for a state mandated booster shot that is not effective and obviously not safe.  I have two sisters-in-law that have gotten Guillain-Barre Syndrome.  To me that is not rare, and it is something to really look out for.  I also shudder to think about thimerosal (mercury) in the vaccines, used to weaken the pathogen.  This is a chemical commonly considered to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, yet the elderly are barraged with messages that they must get a flu shot every year.  To me, getting a flu shot is like weighing the risk of flu against the risk of Alzheimer’s.  I am still waiting for the manufacturers of these shots to announce that they finally figured out how to make a flu vaccination without using the known poison of mercury.  It can’t be that hard.  I am told someone makes it, but it has to be special ordered and is expensive.  Another option worth considering is the vaccination that you inhale – at least that would be more natural than injecting disease into the blood stream.  They do make that now, if you really want the flu vaccine, I would be on the lookout for that.          Remember last month… when I said that sitting is now being touted as bad as smoking?  It turns out that non-smokers who stayed out of the sun had a life expectancy the same as smokers who didn’t avoid the sun.  Staying OUT of the sun is a risk factor for early death on the same level as smoking (about two years).  The lifestyle factors that endanger health, like smoking, being overweight and inactivity now include avoiding sunlight. This comes after decades of advice to avoid the sun, and use SPF blocking lotion, apply it often. This research comes from a study of 30,000 women over twenty years.  For those that follow a low-fat, zero cholesterol diet while taking statin drugs to lower their cholesterol at all costs AND avoid the sun, the prognosis actually gets worse. Their odds of succumbing to disease, as well as dying early are greatly increased, thanks to these medically directed, so-called “healthy” habits.  Don’t fall for the silliness.  Get some sunshine, using sunblock lightly to avoid burning.  Eat healthy fats, avoid processed foods, and drink adequate amounts of good water. Smile, the holidays are coming!
 
          Our October Fundraiser… is cancelled because we are going to be at the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital Health Fair on Saturday, October 15th from 8:30 until noon.  Come see us at our booth!  Should be informative and fun!