Okanagan Natural Medicine

Iodine and Radioactivity

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:14:00 +0000

We have been fielding a lot of concerned calls from patients about the need for iodine in light of the radiation exposure from Japan. We are encouraging patients to not be alarmed by the media and not fear an exposure. Potassium iodine has many benefits but can be harmful if taken unnecessarily or at high doses. If you have a concern we always appreciate your questions.
Dr. E and Dr. S

Dietary Supplement Use Common amoung Specialists

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:12:00 +0000

Dietary supplement use common among specialists

Results of a survey reported on March 3, 2011 in Nutrition Journal reveal that the use of nutritional supplements is common among specialist physicians, and that they frequently recommend them to their patients.

The Healthcare Professionals Impact Study surveyed 300 cardiologists, 300 dermatologists and 300 orthopedic surgeons concerning the type of supplements used and recommended. Participants were screened to ensure that none of them were affiliated with a pharmaceutical or dietary supplement company or had other conflicts of interest. Fifty-seven percent of cardiologists, 75 percent of dermatologists and 73 percent of orthopedists reported personal use, and supplements were recommended to patients by 72, 66 and 91 percent of these specialists, respectively. Only 25 percent of cardiologists, 17% of dermatologists, and 16% of orthopedists had never used nutritional supplements.

Half of the physicians on average reported using multivitamins, with dermatologists leading the group. Omega-3 and fish oil supplements and botanicals including green tea were also commonly used. Reasons for personal use of supplements included heart, bone, joint and overall health. Sixteen percent of dermatologists cited benefits to skin, hair and nails. Reasons given for recommending supplements to patients were dependent upon the physician's specialty, including the recommendation of cholesterol-reducing supplements by cardiologists and bone-building nutrients by orthopedists.

The study contributes to previous findings which determined that physicians and nurses engaged in regular use of supplements in a manner similar to that of the general public and that the majority recommended them to their patients. "The HCP Impact Study shows that physician specialists are very likely to use dietary supplements (57 to 75%) and also shows that most of them may recommend dietary supplements to their patients (66 to 91%)," the authors conclude. "Most physicians in this survey indicated that they had not received any formal education or training on the subject of dietary supplements and expressed an interest in Continuing Education regarding these products. There is a need for expanded medical education regarding the general topic of nutrition as well as the more specific topic of dietary supplements."

Why we need to respect our gut bacteria

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:58:00 +0000

I just came across this very interesting article in the New Scientist discussing the role of the bacteria in our gut and the effects they have on health and disease. Most people don't realize how important these little critters are to our health. Antibiotics, diet, and stress levels are a few examples of factors that can alter what's called the 'microflora'. Naturopathic Doctors have always maintained that the health of the gut is a related to the health of the body.

Dr. Chris

New Scientist January 19 , 2011

Diabetes and even obesity, as well as Parkinson's disease, might be
cured just by replacing the bacteria in your gut

A FEW years ago, John Gillies had trouble picking up his grandchild. He
would stand frozen, waiting for his Parkinson's disease to relinquish
its hold and allow him to move. Then in May 2008, Gillies was given
antibiotics to treat constipation, and astonishingly his Parkinson's
symptoms abated. What on earth was going on?

Thomas Borody, a gastroenterologist at the Centre for Digestive Diseases
in New South Wales, Australia, put Gillies on
antibiotics because he had found that constipation can be caused by an
infection of the colon. "He has now been seen by two neurologists, who
cannot detect classic Parkinson's disease symptoms any more," says
Borody.

Borody's observations, together with others, suggest that many
conditions, from Parkinson's to metabolic disorders such as obesity,
might be caused by undesirable changes in the microbes of the gut. If
that is true, it might be possible to alleviate symptoms with
antibiotics, or even faecal transplants
using donor faeces to restore the
bowel flora to a healthy state.

Borody uses faecal transplants to cure people infected by the superbug
Clostridium difficile, and to alleviate chronic constipation. Over the
past decade, Borody has noticed that some of his patients also see
improvements in symptoms of their other diseases, including
Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
and rheumatoid arthritis. "Some CFS patients, given a faecal
transplant, will regain their energy quite dramatically, and their
foggy brains will get better," says Borody.

To test a possible link between the gut and Parkinson's disease, Borody
and neurologist David Rosen of the Prince of Wales Private Hospital in
Sydney are embarking on a pilot study, hoping to recruit people with
both constipation and Parkinson's. The plan is first to treat them with
antibiotics and eventually with faecal transplants. They hope both
faecal transplants and antibiotics will treat gut infection and hence
Parkinson's.

Rosen is cautious: "I wouldn't for one minute be suggesting that this
is the next cure," he says. But the idea that Parkinson's could be
caused by bacteria dovetails with work by neuroanatomists Heiko Braak
and Kelly Del Tredici at the University of Ulm in Germany.

In 2003, Braak and Tredici showed that damage to the nervous system in
Parkinson's progresses from the vagus nerve in the lower brain stem to
the higher regions of the brain and eventually to the cerebral cortex.
They also found damage in the enteric nervous system, which controls
the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and communicates with the brain via the
vagus nerve. This discovery prompted them to suggest that Parkinson's
might be caused by a bug that breaks through the mucosal barrier of the
GI tract and enters the central nervous system via the vagus nerve
(Journal of Neural Transmission, DOI: 10.1007/s00702-002-0808-2
).

So what about the dramatic improvements seen in people with autoimmune
diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, after faecal transplant?
Borody's hypothesis is that an infection of the colon releases antigens
into the bloodstream, which trigger an immune response. Unless
something is done to completely clear the colon of the antigen, the
immune response is relentless, eventually leading to systemic
inflammation that manifests itself as an autoimmune disease.

Interpreting Borody's results requires extreme caution. However, there
is evidence from animal models that intestinal microbes can influence
autoimmunity. For instance, Alexander Chervonsky
of the
University of Chicago and colleagues have linked microbes in the gut to
type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder caused by the destruction of
insulin-secreting pancreatic cells. Over 80 per cent of a particular
breed of engineered mice that are kept germ-free develop type 1
diabetes. When the same mice were dosed with a cocktail of bacteria
similar to those present in the human gut, only 34 per cent of the mice
developed type 1 diabetes, suggesting a connection between gut flora
and autoimmune diabetes (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature07336
).

Researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the link between gut
flora and autoimmunity, says Arthur Kaser, an expert on inflammation
and intestinal flora at the University of Cambridge. For instance, mice
designed to develop autoimmune diseases do so in some labs but not in
others. The discrepancy is down to differences in the intestinal flora
of the mice. "Intestinal microbiota has a dramatic effect on [what] we
currently consider as autoimmune disease," says Kaser.

Evidence for such links in humans is also growing: Anne Vrieze of the
Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues
studied 18 obese men with metabolic syndrome, a collection of symptoms
that includes low insulin sensitivity. The group received faecal
transplants - either of their own stool or stool from lean, healthy
donors.

The results of this first double-blind trial were presented at the
annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in
Stockholm, Sweden, in September. The researchers found that, six weeks
after the infusions, insulin sensitivity improved significantly in the
nine men who received donor stool.

Gut flora has also been linked to obesity. Over the past five years,
Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University
in St Louis, Missouri, and colleagues have shown that there are marked
differences in the gut flora of obese and lean individuals. Their
analysis suggested that the microbes in obese individuals are releasing
nutrients from food that would have remained undigested in lean
individuals. Importantly, they showed that transferring the microbiota
from obese mice into lean mice caused the lean mice to put on weight
(Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature05414
).

So can you reverse obesity in humans by transferring gut microbes from
lean people into obese people? It's a question that Alex Khoruts
, at the
University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, hopes to answer.
He is planning a trial in which obese people will be given faecal
transplants, either of their own faeces or samples taken from lean,
healthy donors. "The idea is to alter the composition of colon flora,
and see whether it has an impact on obesity," says Khoruts.

"This is absolutely exciting," says Kaser. But he insists that we are
far from understanding the nature of the microbes that populate our
body - after all, the colon alone contains nine times as many bacterial
cells as there are human cells in the body. And we don't yet know what
constitutes "healthy" colon flora. This will make it difficult to
justify any large-scale adoption of faecal transplants, he adds. If
intestinal bugs are indeed causing autoimmune diseases, "you don't want
to treat one disease and introduce another", says Kaser.

Nonetheless, he is convinced that human microbiota will become
increasingly important in our understanding of disease. "Textbooks will
have to be rewritten when we consider the contribution of intestinal
microbiota," he says. "We have an elephant in the room that has not yet
been appreciated."
[Issue 2796 of New Scientist magazine]

Here's a link to the Vitamin C article

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:57:00 +0000

www.windsorstar.com/health/Vitamin+cancer+therapy+stirs+controversy+Windsor/4112934/story.html

Vitamin C cancer therapy stirs controversy in Windsor

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:54:00 +0000

Nice Article about the growing use of intravenous vitamin C. Balances the justifiable concerns of oncologists with the potential benefits of IV Vitamin C.

Vitamin C cancer therapy stirs controversy in Windsor

WINDSOR, Ont. -- Diagnosed with breast cancer nine months ago, Sandra Quattrin was prescribed a conventional eight-round chemotherapy course to ward off the disease.

But the 44-year-old woman instead chose an unconventional path with vitamin C infusions, a controversial treatment that raised eyebrows at the cancer centre and ultimately severed Quattrin's relationship with her family doctor.

Quattrin is one of several cancer patients receiving vitamin C intravenously at the Canadian Clinic for Integrative Medicine in Windsor, run by naturopathic doctor Denis Marier and partnered with the Hospice of Windsor.

The therapy is based on research that suggests vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, can be toxic to cancer cells when administered in high doses. First introduced about 30 years ago, the idea that vitamin C can successfully treat cancer is either dismissed outright or hotly debated among oncologists and scientists.

http://www.windsorstar.com/health/Vitamin+cancer+therapy+stirs+controversy+Windsor/4112934/story.html

Some tips for healthy eating during the holiday season

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:03:00 +0000

Some tips for healthy eating during the holiday season

http://www.economist.com/node/16740669

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:21:00 +0000

Very interesting article on unhealthy digestive systems in children. The importance of healthy bacteria in the gut.
http://www.economist.com/node/16740669

New Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:10:00 +0000

Welcome to our new blog! We are excited to share some of our thoughts and interests regularly with our patients. Keep checking back with us, we will be posting interesting links to articles and research that will be helpful, educational and fun~
Dr. E

Feeling Good About Fish Oil - Essential Fatty Acids for Concentration and Brain Health

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:48:00 +0000

Many parents concerned about the side effects of conventional medications are turning to fish oil first, to treat not just mood disorders but also a variety of learning and developmental problems, including autism, dyslexia and, most notably,
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D.

Fish oil contains long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; most important are the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, believed to play a central role in the development of the infant brain and nervous system, and eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA. Studies have consistently found that children with A.D.H.D. have low blood levels of DHA, which is in short supply in the Western diet. A small number of recent clinical trials have reported improvements in children’s learning and behavioral problems after fish oil therapy.

Some health care practitioners say fish oil therapy can improve children’s attention and focus, and studies of adults have found it may alleviate depression. Many doctors who prescribe it use it as just one component of a comprehensive treatment program, and many prescribe fish oil in addition to medication, not instead of it.

Fish oil along with nutritional supplements, vitamins and various educational and behavioral interventions, can help children function well without medication. But, these are generally not the kids who have severe behavioral difficulties or incredible hyperactivity.

STUDIES on fish oil therapy have had mixed results. A clinical trial in Australia, published last year in The Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, found improvements in parents’ ratings of their children’s hyperactivity and
inattention, but no difference in teachers’ assessments. Meanwhile, the Oxford-Durham study in Britain, published in the journal Pediatrics in 2005, reported remarkable improvements in reading and spelling among children treated with omega-3 fatty acids.

“The therapy improved their inattention, in particular, and seemed to allow them to concentrate and stay on task better,” said Paul Montgomery, an author of the Oxford-Durham study. However, in an earlier 2001 clinical trial carried out at the Mayo Clinic, involving children formally diagnosed with A.D.H.D., saw no decrease in symptoms after four months of therapy.

Most health care providers suggest 1,000 milligrams of combined DHA and EPA daily for a child, and up to 2,000 milligrams for an adult, but they say they adjust the amounts depending on weight. Some experts recommend higher doses to get the full therapeutic effect.

People on Aspirin or Warfarin should consult their physician as fish oil is a blood thinner.

Music training for the Development of Listening skills

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:48:00 +0000

Recent research on the effects of music training on the nervous system suggest that the neural connections made during musical training also prime the brain for other aspects of human communication, such as skills of language, speech, memory, attention and even vocal emotion Northwestern University (Illinois, USA), reports that musicians trained to hear sounds embedded in a rich network of melodies and harmonies are primed to understand speech in a noisy background, and exhibit both enhanced cognitive and sensory abilities that give them a distinct advantage for processing speech in challenging listening environments. Writing that: “This effect of music training suggests that, akin to physical exercise and its impact on body fitness, music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness,” the researchers urge that: “the role of music in shaping individual development deserves consideration”.

Pharmacy Update

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:48:00 +0000

The BC government has granted ND’s who have passed accreditation exams the authority to write prescriptions for most general practice medications. Both Dr. Entner and Dr. Spooner have had prescriptive authority when practicing in the US and will be able to do so in BC starting in September.

Why do ND’s Need Prescriptive Rights?

As patients seek more holistic care, ND’s have taken on a more signi!cant role in the health care system. Prescriptive authority allows us to provide a broader range of care. Another reason is that traditional substances such as high dose vitamins, amino acids, hormones, and botanicals have gradually become ‘scheduled drugs‘ which are available only by prescription. If you have any questions please give us a call.

Herbal ‘Brain Tonic’

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:47:00 +0000

Bacopa monniera, is used as a brain tonic to enhance memory development, learning, concentration, and to provide relief to patients with anxiety . Recent research has focused primarily on Bacopa’s cognitive-enhancing effects, specifically memory, learning, and concentration, and results support the traditional Ayurvedic claims. Research on anxiety, epilepsy, bronchitis and asthma, irritable bowel syndrome.

ADHD Is Associated With a ‘Western’ Dietary Pattern in Adolescents

noreply@blogger.com (Okanagan Natural Medicine) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:46:00 +0000

Amber L. Howard et al. Journal of Attention Disorders, July 14, 2010;

An Australian team has found an association between “Western style” dietary pattern and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Wendy H. Oddy, from Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (Perth, Australia), and colleagues assessed data collected on 2,868 live birth children enrolled in The Raine Study. At the study’s 14-year follow-up mark, the researchers collected data on the nowadolescent study subjects, and conducted diagnostic assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The team found that those teens who consumed a “Western style” diet, characterized by take-out and processed foods, were at more than a two-fold increased risk of developing ADHD, as compared to those teens who consumed a “healthy diet” featuring fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fish. Food sensitivity testing is a great tool to uncover those foods that may be causing behavioural issues. Blood tests can check 95 different food and the body’s immune reactions.