Green Talk® » natural cures & treatments

Could Chemicals or Food Cause Son’s ADD?

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:09:13 +0000

A couple of months ago, we took Third Son to a holistic medical doctor to help us with cleaning up his body. He had been diagnosed with ADD via the Tova Test and other indications when he was young. His grades have been mediocre at best. Forget telling him more than one thing at time. He would never remember.

Over the years, Third Son’s academic record was a source of many arguments between my husband and myself. I wanted to medicate him. He did not. I know this sounds odd for of those who read Green Talk regularly that I would advocate drugs for ADD. I am at my wits end.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

Why would I be thinking about medicating my son? As I have told my loyal readers, I was diagnosed with ADD when I was young and took Dexedrine for 6 years. I know first hand what it is like to not be able to focus. I went from a D student who could not read to an A student in less than 6 month. I am sure I have other learning issues since I can’t spell and can’t sound out words, but then again all of my kids are dyslexic.

To make a long story short, this ADD kid (Moi) graduated from law school. The same one who was kicked out of the reading circle in first grade since I could not paying attention or was disruptive. Who knows? (Ask Mrs. Roar, my first grade teacher.)

It saddens me to watch my Third Son struggle and basically given up. So, we compromised and found a holistic medical doctor to see if he had food sensitivities, heavy metals accumulation, or other problems that could be causing his “fog.”

Boy, was I shocked.

We found out that he had high levels of antimony (from flame retardants, plastic bottles, etc.) and mercury.

You guys know me.

I have been the one who is constantly preaching about the dangers of chemicals in our furniture, building products and food. Pleading for a safe chemical law. So, he among other children, is suffering from our own hands. Our plastic bottle society, flame retardants, and other harmful chemicals.

Despite my urges for no more plastic water bottles in the house, my husband continued to buy them for the kids’ lunches reasoning that they needed to drink water. When Third Son’s tests came back with a high antimony level, that was it.

There are no more plastic water bottles in my house anymore.

It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If they want water at school, then seek out a water fountain. Third Son has a stainless steel water bottle in his locker that he can fill up when needed.

Gut full of yeast

In addition, his gut was full of yeast. Probably years of antibodics for ear infections and sinus infections. The doctor restricted his sugar and milk ingestation for two months. He prescribed a yeast medication in addition to the food restrictions. He explained that yeast feeds on the sugar in milk products and sugar itself.

I have always suspected that milk did not agree with his body since I could “smell” when he had been eating milk products.

Sugar Free and Milk free Diet

A diary free and sugar free diet is a lot harder than you think. So many products have sugar in them. Look at the ingredients in that just purchased organic tomato sauce. Yep sugar. Bread. Yep Sugar. We are addicted to sugar. Almost everything has sugar in it. He wasn’t allowed to use brown rice syrup, honey, barley malt, or agave, just Stevia or Xylitol. Thank goodness that I am use to removing sugar from food recipes since First Son has JV diabetes.

Then there is dairy. It is in many food too. Don’t go running to the veggie cheese. Check the labels for casein, milk, whey, or milk protein. See here for a complete list of ingredients to avoid for a dairy free diet.

My Milk and Sugar Free Finds

For weeks, I made homemade bread with my bread machine. I used King Arthur’s organic white whole wheat flour and added Xylitol rather than sugar since he would rather die then eat whole wheat bread. Since this particular brand is ”white,” and more bland than whole wheat, he complained less. Personally, I like the darker whole wheat better but if you have a white bread lover, this King Arthur brand might do the trick.

And what kid does not love tomato sauce? I made homemade tomato sauce from canned organic plum tomatoes since my frozen stock of homemade tomatoes ran out. Finally, hubby found a sugar free tomato sauce at Whole Foods.

He so wanted pizza. A teenage staple. Bread machines make amazing dough. Add some soy cheese (make sure it is dairy free,) tomato sauce, and you had yourself a pizza!

Sugar free corn muffins and sugar free brownies (subbed rice milk for milk and Xylitol for sugar substitute). Some recipes were hits and others duds.

What about salad dressing? Thank goodness, he likes salad. I made him a Good Season Italian Dressing clone. He ended up not using it. (Sign.)

I even made him Crockpot sugar free ketchup. Very easy to make. (And found a new sugar, gluten free blog to follow to boot.)

He was a trooper. Did it make a difference? He lost some weight, but he was already skinny to begin with. We also found out he was taking only half of his yeast medicine. So, not all of his yeast was killed. Is he able to focus more? Same. But we are still watching what he is eating, and the doctor gave him a rest before we try the yeast diet again.

Heavy Metals Should Only Be For Rock Groups

The next step will be chelation to remove the high levels of antimony and mercury in his body. The doctor feels that this heavy concentration may be causing brain fog. When I inquired as to where Third Son would have obtained such high levels, he said flame retardants and also pointed to my mouth which was full of mercury fillings. (Had them removed several years ago.) Readers, if you recall the EWG tested blood cord samples and found that many toxins were passed through the placenta from the mothers to unborn children. In this article, I reported,

“When EWG matched these chemicals up against their toxicity databases, they found that 134 of these chemicals cause cancer, 151 are associated with birth defects, 154 are associated with hormone disruption, 186 are associated with infertility, 130 immune disruptors, and 158 associated with neurotoxins. Although this amount of associated disruptors adds up beyond the 200 chemicals noted above, many of the chemicals have multiple effects.”

So, could I have caused his issues? Unfortunately, yes. Inadvertently.

Breathing Issues

Third Son constantly breaths through his mouth. I have always wondered if his sleep is interrupted. The only time he could breath through his nose is when he was in the Luray Caverns in Virgina. The Doctor explained that all the minerals in the cavern air helped him to breathe. He suggested inhaling Himalayan Pink Salt. (Post to follow.)

I will keep you posted about his progress.

So, Readers:

have you tried chelation?
what natural cures have you found help ADD?
any advice?

Thanks Readers, for your help.

Photo by Chris Corwin.

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For My Kids Products: Made from Love to be Safe.

Anna@Green Talk — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:26:57 +0000

See the free giveaway below!

Like many moms, Christine Steward, had an epiphany after reading the ingredients of her newborn’s products and decided to switch to more environmentally friendly product. What makes Steward so different than most of us, is she decided to make her own products. As her friends coo’ed over her products, she decide to make them for the world and For My Kids LLC was born.

Why take the time to create your own products? Steward’s citation of the following passage bring it on home:

“‘Our kids are the canaries in a coal mine,’ says Dr. Kenneth Bock, author of Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies. ‘American children are growing up in a toxic environment, a chemical soup sensitizing them to even the common foods they need to grow and thrive.’ The chemical culprits that bombard our children’s immune systems are ubiquitous in American life. Yet these same toxins are responsible for spurring many children’s immune systems into overdrive, provoking maladies from asthma, eczema and allergies to autism and ADHD. The links are pouring in. Diabetes was even tied to environmental pollution in a report published early this year in the respected British medical journal The Lancet What’s more, research published during 2006 in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests a potential association between autism and air pollution around a baby’s home.” Toxic Tots: Altered Lives“, Dallas Child, Lisa Poisso (Posted March 31, 2008).

All of the herbs in For my Kids Products are certified organic and fair trade and sourced from Mountain Rose Herbs. The essential oil is from Aura in which most are 100% pure essential organic oils. When I asked why she does not use oils that are 100 percent organic, she replied that the cost of some of the organic oils would drive the price up substantially. In any event, she uses 100% PURE essential oils.

All of the following products can be purchased online or through certain retailers.

Vinegar of Four Thieves:

Vinegar of Four Thieves is the Company’s healthy alternative to commercial anti-bacterial disinfectants. (See picture above.) Although the Company makes no claims to the product’s antiseptic, antimicrobial, antibacterial, or anti-fungal properties, its formula is based upon the famous Four Thieves Vinegar, which folklore claims it prevents contagious diseases.

Why this product, which only contains natural products versus your typical store bought product?

According to an article on Healthy Child, Healthy World in regards to antibacterial and disinfectant products,

“There’s no doubt that disinfecting cleaners can help keep bacteria, viruses and fungi in check. But the strong ingredients of some may pose health risks, especially to children. The more than 275 different active ingredients in antimicrobial products are classified by EPA as pesticides, because they kill microbes. Some, such as phenol, are toxic and corrosive. Cresol, a suspected carcinogen, can cause abdominal pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea, if ingested, and even respiratory, circulatory or cardiac failure, in large doses. Oxalic acid, a disinfectant used in toilet bowl cleaners, may irritate the eyes and skin and can damage the respiratory and nervous systems and the kidneys. One of the most heavily relied upon antibacterial agents, Triclosan, was recently found to trigger production of a probable carcinogen chloroform in an amount 40 percent higher than the background level in tap water treated with chlorine.”

After reading the above passage, can you understand why Steward decided to make her own products? The price of a one ounce bottle of Vinegar of Four Thieves is $4.99. Different sizes are available.

All Natural Hand Wash

This is a great product to keep in your purse, especially for those times when soap and water is not available to wash your hands. How many outdoor sporting events have you gone to and the bathrooms do not have soap? The product contains Witch Hazel extract as well as other organic ingredients. It has a very pleasant smell to it.

All-Natural Comfrey Salve

This salve can be used to take the “hurt” out of minor scraps, bug stings, and cuts. This product was a life saver for me because I scratched the skin right near my eye trying to kill a fruit fly who was buzzing annoyingly right near my face. It was really stupid of me to swat it right near my eyes. That scratch hurt like a son of a gun. Really raw too. I applied it near my eye and it stopped stinging. I tried to take a picture of my eye for you but it isn’t easy aiming the camera at the corner of your eye. (I get credit for trying…)

I also used it on my arms since I scratched myself to death in the garden. What relief! So, if you think this products is for your kids, think again. For klutzes like me, this is a wonderful product.

The only problem I had with the salve is that it leaked or perhaps sweated. Steward told me that only happened to her once when she left it in a hot car. If you worry about this, just put it inside another container.

This product is priced at $3.99 for a 1/2 ounce tin. Different tin sizes are available.

All-Natural Vegan Lip Balm

I did not get to try this product but from the sounds of some of the ingredients (organic coconut and sweet almond oil as well my choice of either organic vanilla beans or organic peppermint oil), my lips would have been “luscioulious.” (Is that a word?) Lips like Angelina Jolie…

Peppermint or vanilla flavored is available in 1/2 or one ounce size containers. Priced at $2.99 for 1/2 ounce and $3.99 for 1 ounce.

My Mommy’s Face Care

I find that my own face is one of the most neglected part of my body. I am so tried by the end of the day, that I just brush my teeth and go to bed. This product was made for people like me in mind. Simply rub the product on your face, wipe it off and grime disappears. (Just because the name implies that it is for “mommies,” it is great gift for both genders.) Priced at $4.99 for a 1 1/2 ounce jar and $13.99 for a 6 ounce jar.

Happy Fun Dough

Winner of Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys for 2009, this all natural dough is a mother’s dream. The dough is made out of water, flour, salt, cream of tartar, canola oil, citric acid, and all natural plant extracts for color. No artificial coloring to worry about. In addition, the Company offers a gluten free alternative made with rice flour. Prices start at $4.99 for a 4 ounce tin and $5.99 for a gluten free tin. Other sizes and color combinations are available.

Herbal Insect Repellent

We have had a surprisingly rainy June. Do you know what follows rains? Yep. Mosquitoes. Nothing is more bothersome then mosquito bites and your own saliva, contrary to folklore, does not stop the itching. I have tried it! The Company’s Herbal Insect Repellent contains catnip oil along with other essential oils rather than DEET, which is known for its harmful side effects. In 2001, Iowa State University reported that research conducted by the University showed that ” catnip was 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than the compound used in most commercial bug repellents.”

Thereafter, the Department of Agriculture reported compared DEET to the major active ingredient of Catnip oil, nepetalactone, and concluded that “that nepetalactone is relatively ineffective against [sic yellowfever ]Aedes aegypti biting compared to deet or SS220.”

After reading the Department of Agriculture’s report, I was concerned and questioned Steward about it. She replied,

“I haven’t had any clinical trials done on our Herbal Insect Repellent, but real-life trials using human volunteers have proven that it is effective against the mosquitoes that are found in Texas, Michigan, Florida (Everglades), Canada (Saskatchewan area), and France (in the woods around the Rosenau area).”

I also asked her when do you have to re-apply the product?

“Unless we’re going to be outside all day sweating profusely, I usually only apply once. One of the places we tried it here in Texas was in the woods. We had some mosquitoes come and check us out and they turned right around and left. It was pretty cool because both of my sons are little mosquito magnets,” Steward advised.

The product contains soybean oil; however, a soy free alternative is available. Just contact the Company. Prices start at $9.99 for one ounce tin. Additional size tins are available. A little goes along way according to Steward.

Given what I have learned about For My Kids’ products, Steward has poured her heart and soul into this Company to make sure the products are not only safe for her kids but your as well. To that end, The Company has graciously offered to give away a one 1 1/2 ounce tin of their Herbal Insect Repellent combat those pesky mosquitoes this summer. Here are the rules:

You must be over 18 and live in the US.

Leave me a comment here telling me what your favorite summer past-time is.

To double your chances consider joining my Feedburner email list or subscribe to my RSS feed. Both subscriptions are listed on the upper right hand column. Be sure to come back and leave a separate additional comment to tell me which one you joined. If you are already a member, just say so.

To triple your chances of winning, twitter about this contest and come back and leave a separate additional comment of the url (weblink) of your twitter comment.

You must enter by Friday, June 18, 2009 6 PM EST to win. A winner will be chosen at random on Monday, June 21, 2009. Good Luck everyone.

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Watermelon May be the New Natural Viagra

Anna@Green Talk — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:02:32 +0000

Every day, we are bombarded with numerous advertisements pushing various drugs to make our quality of life better. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could rely solely on natural cures rather than prescriptive drugs, which may have side affects, to alleviate our aliments?

Take for example the recent research of the use of WATERMELON in lieu of Viagra to cure erectile dysfunction (“ED”). It was reported in CNN Money in the first half of 2007 that sales for Viagra were $816 million! However, the treatment does not come without side affects. On the company’s website the following side affects are listed:

“The most common side effects of VIAGRA are headache, facial flushing, and upset stomach. Less commonly, bluish vision, blurred vision, or sensitivity to light may briefly occur.” The website further states that in some rare cases, men might have a decrease or loss of vision or hearing which may be due in part to taking PDE5 inhibitors, including VIAGRA.

As you continue reading the known side affects, your eyes are drawn to this warning for obvious reasons: “As with any ED tablet, in the rare event of an erection lasting more than 4 hours, seek immediate medical help to avoid long-term injury.” That sounds downright scary.

So, how can your favorite summer treat cure an affliction shared by millions of men? According to Bhimu Patil, PhD, a researcher and director of the Fruits and Vegetable Improvement Center at Texas A& M University, watermelon may be the new Viagra because it is richer in an amino acid called citrulline than experts believed. This amino acid helps to relax and dilate blood vessels similar to Viagra.

His department studies the benefits of food as it pertains to reducing cancer, antioxidants, and other beneficial uses. Their watermelon research found that the rind of the watermelon contains on average 60% higher levels of citulline than the flesh. He believes that scientists may be able to boost the cirtulline concentration in the flesh in the future.

How does this discovery conclude that watermelon contains Viagra like properties? According to the University’s press release, citrulline reacts with the body’s enzymes when consumed in large quantities, and this amino acid is changes into arginine, which benefits both the heart and immune systems.

“Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it,” said Patil, “Watermelon may not be as organ-specific as Viagra, but it’s a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects.”¹

So how much do you need to eat in order for the benefits of watermelon to take affect? When I asked Dr. Patil, he replied this question is still unanswered. He thinks that you would need to consume 6 cups of watermelon; however, he countered that human trials would need to be conducted in order to accurately answer this question.

In the Associated Press’ article, “Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects” Penelope Perkins-Veazie USDA researcher in Lane, Oklahoma was interviewed with regard to the watermelon research. She concurred with Patil’s findings and also stated you need to consume 6 cups of watermelon. She added that the downside of this consumption would be frequent trips to the bathroom since watermelon has diuretic properties.²

With every new discovery, there is speculation. Irwin Goldstein, MD, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine indicated “that the research was misleading”. According to Goldstein, men who experience ED have adequate levels of arginine, and thus Patil’s findings would not help this dysfunction. As a caveat, Goldstein has served as a consultant for many companies that make ED drugs.³

In addition, Roger Clemens, DrPH, adjunct professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists studied the effects of the amino acid, arginine, as it pertains to the improvement of vascular flow for patients with hardening arteries. However, he has since abandoned this research. He found that his test group had to consume great amounts of watermelon to increase the levels of arginine. In his particular trials, his volunteers had to drink three 8 ounce glasses of watermelon daily for three weeks. Their levels increased 11%.³

To answer whether or not eating watermelon is the miracle treatment for men suffering from ED, Patil hopes that his research will continue to the next level of human trials as well as cultivating watermelons with higher levels of arginine. In order for this to be accomplished, scientists may seek to obtain a grant to further this in human clinical trials.

During our conversation, we spoke about whether or not heirloom varieties could contain higher levels of arginine. I questioned whether or not hybrid watermelons which were cultivated for disease and pest resistance reduced their levels of arginine. He replied that this was something to think about as the research continued.

In any event, eating watermelon has other benefits as well. According to Patil, it helps the urea cycle by removing ammonia and toxic substances from the body. In addition, watermelon contains Lycopene, which is an anti-oxidant that protects the human heart, prostate, and skin health.

“Lycopene, which is also found in red grapefruit, was historically thought to exist only in tomatoes, he stated. “But now we know that it’s found in higher concentration in red watermelon varieties.” He further states that “Lycopene however is fat-soluble, meaning that it needs certain fats in the blood for better absorption by the body.”¹

We joked that you might consider eating peanut butter with your watermelon to gain the lycopene benefits, but that did not sound too appetizing. Perhaps, chocolate covered watermelon? Hmm, there is a thought.

So eat up and enjoy its benefits. Whether or not watermelon can be the magic cure, is food for thought right now but a tasty one at that.

Photo by permission of the watermelon by Edward O’Connor.

Photo by permission of Dr. Patil by Kathleen Phillips.

Resources:

¹ Rod Santa Ana “Watermelon May Have Viagra-Effect” AgNews, News and Public Affairs of Texas A & M Agricultural Affairs, June 30, 2008 (accessed July 9, 2008).
²Betsy Blaney, “Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects” Associated Press, July 3, 2008, (accessed July 9, 2008.)
³ Kathleen Doheny, “Watermelon: A Natural Viagra?” WebMed Heath News, July 1, 2008 (accessed July 9, 2008)
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