Celiac Disease is prevelant-how many people do you know who have a gluten intolerance?

May is already here, can you believe it?  Each month a number of health issues are recognized for national awareness and May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month.  With the dramatic rise in gluten  related issues including 1 out of 133 Americans that have Celiac Disease I want to use this week’s blog to help spread the word.

Celiac Disease can be defined as a permanent intolerance to the gliadin fraction of wheat protein and related alcohol-soluble proteins (called prolamines) found in rye and barley. Celiac Disease is found in genetically susceptible individuals who eat these proteins, leading to an autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system starts attacking normal tissue. This condition continues as long as these food products are in the diet.   

For those who have been diagnosed with the disease or intolerance there are many resources today to help in all aspects of living with celiac/gluten intolerances. Blogs are dedicated to gluten-free recipes  and living tips.  You can also add gluten-free cookbooks to your kitchen , ask local restaurants for gluten-free items as many now can accommodate if they do not already have a separate section on their menu, and  gluten-free iPhone apps  are available and this one is on sale for May in recognition of Celiac Awareness Month.

Hanna Kroeger  developed a formula many years ago that promoted good digestive system maintenance and to keep the intestinal wall and villi healthy.  People with Celiac Disease can have damaged intestinal walls resulting from auto-immune disorders that attack the intestinal lining and villi and this product, called Healthy Gut, helps to address those issues.  Since this nutrients from our food intake are absorbed in our intestinal walls,  it is essential to a healthy system to maintain functioning intestines.                                                        

Whether your friends, family or you have or have not had experiences with gluten issues please take some time to spread the word  and do your part.

Share on Facebook

I started reading the article in the New York Times, “Study Weighs Risks of Vaccine for Cervical Cancer” about the new study performed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention along with the Food and Drug Administration”. I was confused at what I read. This is an approved vaccine for young girls to prevent them from getting cervical cancer, which can be detected by screening at the doctor’s office. The vaccine causes a multitude of side effects even causing death. To gather more information on Gardasil, I decided to search the web for information. I was amazed at the volume of articles available. Most not favorable towards the vaccine but too many for me to pass judgment on the subject. The amount of reading that can be done on the vaccine is more than enough to help anyone decide whether to give it to a daughter or granddaughter. Read all you can, the web is full of information. Someone you know may be just about to receive this vaccine and the information you find may just make you feel better about the decision you make. Don’t make this decision without tapping into the knowledge available and after you have, please write me and let me know your experiences. We all need to approach this one with our eyes wide open.

Share on Facebook

The Rise of the Problem with ADHD Medication Abuse

ADHD medications like Adderall have been abused for years and the problem is not getting better.

Since the mid 90’s there has been rapid growth in the prescriptions, misuse and deaths caused by pharmaceuticals used to treat ADHD symptoms.  Doctors are readily prescribing more kids and teens with these stimulant medications such as Adderall and Ritalin.  An 86% rise in ADHD medication prescriptions from 1998-2005 and a dramatic increase of poison control calls related to ADHD medicine during that same time period.

It seems like any kid today that may have a hard time focusing in school can attain a prescription to these medications and it is disturbing how many parents have let their children rely on these pills to get make the grades.  I remember the abundance of Adderall in school which which in time led to those with the prescription selling it to others for cramming during exam week or to use as a drug.

I understand that these medications do work and there are cases where an ADHD medication might be the best option for someone, but this tendency of over prescription in the past decade has made many people reliant on the drug and has led others to abuse it.  All I am saying is that there are other natural ways to help yourself and your children concentrate other than using these prescribed drugs which can often produce negative side effects and lead to abuse if not from the prescription holder then from others.

Share on Facebook

Is steroid use excusable in athletes?

     Should we excuse steroid use in atheletes?

The fact that Mr. Meyer suggests that Mr. Ortiz’s ignorance of steroid use could be based on a congressional bill passed in 1994 doesn’t get the same consideration. Congress passed DSHEA (dietary supplement health & education act) to help regulate the dietary supplement industry. A key component in the bill was that the FDA would have to prove that a supplement was “unsafe” in order to remove it from the marketplace. I imagine that the FDA would love to have a budget large enough to inspect every questionable product being sold but they don’t and besides nowhere does DSHEA suggest that a product is “safe” until proven otherwise. Mr. Meyers article suggests just that and wants us all to overlook the simple fact that professional athletes are being duped into taking steroids because the FDA hasn’t proven them unsafe. Was Major League Baseball taking this same stance? In order to protect the game from itself MLB was actively testing athletes for steroids. I wonder if David Ortiz missed that memo?

Mr. Meyer accurately stated, “There is no denying that some manufacturers of supplements spike their products. I’m guessing here that the thought never occurred to Davis Ortiz? A headline article in the USA Today quotes Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo as saying although he “never knowingly took steroids, he felt the lure to take the same performance-enhancing drugs MLB eventually would ban.” What kind of logic does Bronson Arroyo have that David Ortiz didn’t?

Mr. Meyer closes by saying that even if Mr. Ortiz isn’t telling the truth his case is an important reminder that a supplement doesn’t have to be safe to be sold. No John, word on the street is that smoking is bad for you too but cigarettes are legal and I don’t see athletes getting the issue confused in the same way as they do with steroids. One enhances their performance; one doesn’t; yet there isn’t any confusion or excuses coming from athletes that they had a drop in performance because they smoked cigarettes unwittingly.

The dietary supplement industry is being asked to take responsibility for its actions and is doing so with a great deal of effort and pride. When will the athletes in this country take responsibility for their actions? It might even be time for journalists who make excuses for steroid use to do the same thing.

Share on Facebook