TotalHealth Editors:

Silver Use Institute, Feb 1st, 2025

Is it about time to take care of our own, our own friends, and especially our own families,  the people who we hold most dear to us?  All the science is in place to help us, but it seems like people are struggling to find it and to put aside all the bad and misleading pseudo information that we are constantly being fed.  It is the intent of this article to bring some of that science into the light!

Introduction

Contrary to current thought, keeping our people safe and healthy may not be all that difficult to do if we actually embrace the science!  In the last few decades, we have all been hit with a host of new and deadly viruses.  Every year or two, a new one hits.  Those would include viruses like HIV, SARS, EBOLA, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, and Covid just to name a few, and there are many more on that list.  Over the past few years, we have had to endure masks, staying home, losing jobs, closing business, food and medical shortages etc. etc.  Worse of all we have had to attend, or not be able to attend, the funerals of many of our friends and family.   The people who have died, possibly unnecessarily, have affected us all in one way or another.   On January 30, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) with an official death toll of 171. By December 31, 2020, this figure stood at 1,813,188. Yet preliminary estimates suggest the total number of global deaths attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was at least 3 million, representing 1.2 million more deaths than officially reported (1). As of April 13, 2024, the death toll had reportedly reached 7,010,681.  It doesn’t stop there, currently there are 704,753,890 confirmed cases in 229 countries and territories (2). So how do we protect our people?

Background on Nano Silver

In the mouths of two or three witnesses truth is established, right?  How about from the mouths of over a hundred or five hundred scientists?  How about a thousand scientists in just one publication (3)?  How about millions of people over 1000’s of years?  Silver has been used for at least six millennia to prevent microbial infections. “It has been effective against almost all organisms tested and has been used to treat numerous infections and noninfectious conditions, sometimes with striking success” (4).  Around 400 BC, the “father of modern medicine”, Hippocrates, wrote of using silver to improve wound care, and during the intervening years silver has been featured in a wide range of writings, most of which highlight its capabilities with particular regard to limiting inflammation and infection. . (5)  There are now hundreds and hundreds of peer-reviewed, published medical studies on the medicinal use of nano silver for lifechanging things like: wound care, bio tissue engineering, antimicrobial action including antibiotic resistant bacteria, fungus, mold, and deadly strains of virus.  There are even more than 60 peer-reviewed and published studies on the use of nano silver to help eliminate numerous different types of cancer. (3)

 Prevention

What many people may not know is that a virus can build up in your body for days before you even know you have an infection.  Also important to know is that you can actually spread a viral infection to other people before you know you have it, and before you start feeling sick.  So prevention is a key component to staying healthy.  Prevention is always easier than treatment, so what can we do to prevent a deadly viral infection? A great answer to that question was published on August 19, 2021. It was published by 11 scientists from 8 different institutions located in 3 different countries.  The study incorporated 231 frontline health workers treating Covid patients in hospitals.  The medical personnel were split into two groups.  There were 117 of the people that just followed their regular prevention protocols as directed by their hospitals.  They were the control group.  The second group of 114 medical people added the use of nano silver to their daily prevention routines.

To quote the scientists directly,

“We present a prospective randomized study of 231 participants that was carried out for 9 weeks (during the declaration of a pandemic). The “experimental” group was instructed to do mouthwash and nose rinse with the AgNPs (nano silver) solution; the “control” group was instructed to do mouthwashes and nose rinse in a conventional way. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower in the “experimental” group (two participants of 114, 1.8%) compared to the “control” group (thirty-three participants of 117, 28.2%), with an 84.8% efficiency. We conclude that the mouth and nasal rinse with AgNPs helps in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health personnel who are exposed to patients diagnosed with COVID-19”. (6)

If you could cut your chance of getting infected by a deadly virus from more than 28% to just 1.8% simply by gargling and rinsing out your sinuses with nano silver daily, who wouldn’t do that?  With the use of just a little nano silver, the medical professionals had a 15X less chance of getting covid, all while being directly exposed to infected people!  A person could easily help a child, or an elderly person rinse out their sinuses daily just by the use of a simple nasal sprayer or a nebulizer.  It is an easy way to help people, and to give them an affordable, safe, and effective first line of defense to keep them healthy!

A second validation of the potential effect of just washing out your sinuses came from an Indian government lab, where in testing they found that a nano-silver liquid could kill or neutralize about 50 % of the contained SARS CoV2 virus within just the first 15 minutes of contact time, at a concentration of merely 10 parts per million nano silver.  Slightly higher concentrations of nano silver worked even better.  This study also proves nano silver has a direct effect on the elimination of the deadly virus. (7)

So, what do I do if I get it?

A great answer to that question was published in December of 2022 by eight scientists from six major Universities and hospitals in Canada and the US.  The Universities who participated were the University of Florida, University of Tennessee, and the University of Alberta, all outstanding institutions.  They tested the ability of nano silver to eliminate infections in the lungs and sinuses in both humans and animals, using a nebulizer to get the nano silver into the lungs.

They tested two different viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.  In their own words they found:

“Nano silver solutions demonstrated pH-dependent antimicrobial efficacy; reduced infection and inflammation without evidence of lung toxicity in the rat model; and inactivated HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2. Pneumonia patients had rapidly reduced pulmonary symptoms, recovering pre-illness respiratory function. Fungal sinusitis-related inflammation decreased immediately with infection clearance within 21 days. Non hospitalized patients with COVID-19 experienced rapid symptom remission”.(8)

In other words, they found that nebulizing the nano silver quickly eliminated the lung infections (killed or neutralized the viruses), reduced the inflammation, and was non-toxic or had no negative effect.  The nano silver helped heal the patients, whether they were animals or humans.  They found that the patients quickly regained their normal lung function, some within just hours.  The study again proves the value of using nano silver as a great first line of defense against active viral infections.

What About Other Deadly Virus?

There are many viruses for which medicine has no established treatment.  Nano silver is one of the best, if not the very best antiviral agent that exists.  It is a very broad spectrum natural antiviral remedy!  The ability of nano silver to kill or neutralize virus and reduce the inflammation associated with the virus, all without causing negative side effects is a very big deal!  There are many different problem viruses, and many different diseases caused by those viruses. Numerous peer-reviewed and published studies from literally hundreds of scientists and doctors from all around the world that have tested nano silver against about any virus you could name.  Some of those tests combined the use of nano silver with other antiviral agents for enhanced action, and some used the nano silver as the only form of treatment.  Either way, the only thing that actually matters is that nano silver has been proven to work.  That published and tested viral list would include virus such as: Adenovirus, HIV1, HIV2, Influenza A (H7N2), MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, EBOLA, Bird Flu (H5N1), Swine Flu, H1N1, Covid 19, Monkey pox, Hepatitis B & C, HPV, Noroviruses, West Nile, RSV, ZIKA, Rift Valley Fever, HSV1 & 2, Poliovirus, Chikungunya virus, and Dengue virus, to list just a few! (3)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13) There is no question about nano silver’s ability to help treat viral infections.  The question is whether or not the powers that be will let it be used to help treat people or whether or not people will be willing to study and treat themselves and their loved ones.

How Does Nano Silver Eliminate Virus?

That question was answered in detail by eight scientists from Texas A&M and Winthrop Universities.  The study was published on the 31st of July 2023 and was made available by the US Government (US NIH) (13).  While the answer is not simple to understand, we feel it is important to add in this info for those who need or wish to know.  The study states:

“In these studies, AgNPs were found to bind specifically or nonspecifically to proteins in the envelope of virions and thereby deactivate them (virucidal activity). These target proteins are mainly responsible for the viral interaction with host cells. During the pre-viral entry into host cells, AgNPs competitively attach to the cells and lyse the membrane of the virions (antiviral activity). In the case of the post-viral entry, AgNPs mainly inhibit the viral fusion with the cell membrane, and in several cases interfered with the stages of the viral replication cycle such as the synthesis of viral RNA (antiviral activity).”

In simpler words, the nano particles were found to attach to the virus and kill them.  Also, the nano silver could kill the virus both before and after they connected or attached to a cell to infect it.   That means the nano silver could act as both a preventive and also as a treatment after infection.  This was also proven in the studies listed in the first few sections of this paper on both prevention and treatment.

Is Nano Silver Safe To Use Daily?

In one published human ingestion study, completed as an FDA registered IND study (Investigational New Drug), it was found that Nano silver caused no negative action on any system of the body.  It was found that both a concentration of 10 ppm and a 32 ppm (parts per million) liquid nano silver, drunk at a level of 1 ounce daily, had no negative effect on any system of the body.  It was also found that the nano silver washed completely out of the body within 24 hours, with no measurable residual, meaning none remained inside! (14) So even if someone drank it at a high volume it was proven safe for human use.  Additionally, the US EPA has established the fact that silver causes no negative effects when used at low levels, saying, “Silver is of low acute dermal toxicity, is not an eye or skin irritant and is not a skin sensitizer”.(15)  One world-acclaimed scientist named Rustum Roy (nominated for the Noble Prize 23 times) stated, “It is extraordinary that no major effort has been made to confirm and expand on the role of metallic silver in human health—especially in light of its huge advantage in lack of side effects.”(16)   In simpler words, nano silver has been proven safe for use both inside and outside the body and that fact has been well established by a number of US government agencies as well as  hundreds of scientists all around the world.(3)

The safety of ingesting nano silver was also proven in two other published human clinical trials.  One trial on the treatment of malaria, which was reported to the US Congress at their request in 2005, tested 56 humans between the ages of 1-90 years of age.  No other medication was used with the nano silver to treat the malaria patients.  Those people infected with malaria were drinking an ounce of nano silver daily divided into three doses (TID).  No negative effects were reported at all.  All 56 human subjects reportedly fully recovered from the malaria within an average of 3.43 days, walking out of the hospitals within 5 days. (17)(18)  In another published study, a group of people with AIDS was given two ounces daily of nano silver, split into three doses for a period of 4 months.  No other medication was used.  No negative side effects were reported at all.  It was also reported that the AIDS patients measured an average white cell increase of 39.54% over the 4-month period of treatment. It effectively helped to rebuild their entire immune system.  Also reported was the fact that the AIDS patients were able to achieve an average weight gain of over 17 pounds during the study, another remarkable and important discovery/achievement (19).

Where to Get It? 

In our research, one of the top new suppliers of nano silver products is a company called SilverCeuticals.  SilverCeuticals is led by a team of doctors that have more than a combined 120 years of experience working in the nano silver industry.  The CEO, Dr Keith Moeller, ND, has co-authored many papers, textbooks, and other publications on silver.  A number of those are peer-reviewed and published in leading wound care, science, and health journals. After working with the US Military to help solve medical problems for soldiers in the field, he was awarded an honorary position as a member of the US Special Operations Medical Association, a designation he is proud to hold. He accompanied his father, standing before the US Congress, at their request, to testify about the use of nano-silver to treat malaria and other humanitarian problems.

He and his team have already engineered a number of new and innovative nano silver products and have been busy getting them approved by different governments.  Their primary focus has been on wound care and disinfection.  They have also proven expertise in the formulation of cosmetics and supplements that don’t need FDA approval.  They have recently engineered a serum that Health Canada has already approved to treat, among other conditions, both acne and eczema, one of the first of its kind.  They have also just achieved a new Canadian registration as an antimicrobial lubricant.  With another partner, they have amassed an ongoing clinical trial in oral care that touts more than 55,000 procedures to date, with heal rates of half the normal time and zero secondary infections.  Their products are available from a variety of sources including doctor’s offices, medical distributors, and amazon, as well as directly from their website. (20)

Conclusion

Silver has been used for thousands of years as both a preventative and treatment for various diseases and human problems.  Newly published scientific papers from over a thousand scientists all over the world have proven nano silver to be an effective and safe antiviral agent.  Nano silver is easily able to eliminate a broad spectrum of deadly viruses.  It has been proven safe as an effective preventative, able to help medical professionals have 15 times less chance of getting a deadly viral infection.  At the same time, other published studies from multiple US Universities have proven nano silver as an effective treatment for Covid 19 and other respiratory infections, in both animals and humans.  It is about time we embrace the science and utilize nano silver to help provide a first line of protection to our friends, and especially our own families!

References

1) https://www.who.int/data/stories/the-true-death-toll-of-covid-19-estimating-global-excess-mortality

2) https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-toll/

3)  An Updated Review on Silver Nanoparticles in Biomedicine; Accepted: 20 November 2020; Published: 23 November 2020  An Updated Review on Silver Nanoparticles in Biomedicine

4) History of the Medical Use of Silver, US National Library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19566416/ June 10, 2009

5) https://www.silverinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/SilverInMedicine.pdf

6) Evaluation of silver nanoparticles for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers: In vitro and in vivo,   PLOS ONE HTTPs://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256401 August 19, 2021

7) Centre For Cellular and Molecular Biology, November 3, 2020.  Hyderabad, India – Viridis Bio Pharma – SARS CoV2

8) Nadworny PL, et al, Treatment of infection and inflammation associated with COVID-19, multi-drug resistant pneumonia and fungal sinusitis by nebulizing a nanosilver solution. Nanomedicine: NBM 2023;48:102654, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2023.102654

9) Silver Nanoparticles as Potential Antiviral Agents, Pharmaceutics 2021, 13, 2034. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13122034

10) A Preliminary Assessment of Silver Nanoparticle Inhibition of Monkey Plaque Formation, Nano Perspectives – Open Access – Published: 09 April 2008

11) ) Effect of Prophylactic Treatment with ASAP-AGX-32 and ASAP Solutions on an Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection in Mice,  https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Effect-of-Prophylactic-Treatment-with-ASAP-AGX-32-A-Pedersen-Sidwell/3de85a153d9b22ddc876aa11e0417935cf14a065

12)Swine Flu Influenza Type A/H1N1 Protection for Health Care  Practitioners and Their Patient Posted in Longevity and Age Management, Dietary Supplementation, Drug Trends, Healthcare and Information, Immune System, Infectious Disease,  Inflammation, Medications, Healthcare and Public Policy, Swine Flu on Thu August 13, 2009

13 Nanosilver: An Old Antibacterial Agent with Great Promise in the Fight against Antibiotic Resistance https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/8/1264 Published online 2023 Jul 31.

14) PubMed.gov 23811290  In vivo human time-exposure study of orally dosed commercial silver nanoparticles

15) EPA Registration Eligibility Document (RED) For Silver

16) Ultradilute Ag-Aquasols with extraordinary bactericidal properties: the role of the system Ag-O-H2O   Rustum Roy, M. Richard Hoover, A.S. Bhalla, Tania Slawecki, Sandwip Dey, Wei Cao, Jing Li, S. Bhaskar

17) US Congressional Testimony of Dr. William Moeller on the use of nano silver to treat Malaria at Congressional request https://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa20915.000/hfa20915_0f.htm

18) Silver Sol Completely Removes Malaria Parasites from the Blood of Humans Subjects Infected bwith Malaria in an Average of Five Days: A review of Jour Randomized, Multi-Centered Clinical Studikes Performed in Africa September 1010 https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/211377/Silver%20Sol%20Malaria%20The%20Indian%20Practitioner.pdf

19) Effect of Prophylactic Treatment with ASAP-AGX-32 and ASAP Solutions on an Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection in Mice (The HIV Study is the Editors Note at the front of the publication)

20) Silverceuticals.com

The post It’s About Time We Take Care of Our Own! appeared first on Total Health Magazine.

Children’s exposure to blue light
More than 70 percent of American adults report their children receive more than two hours of screen time per day-and among the most popular activities children engage in are playing on a digital device (23.1 percent) and watching TV (20.1 percent). Not surprisingly, American adults report their children experience the following after being exposed to two or more hours of screen time:²¹

• Headaches (8.8%)
• Neck/shoulder pain (5%)
• Eye strain, dry or irritated eyes (9.1%)
• Reduced attention span (15.2%)
• Poor behavior (13.3%)
• Irritability (13.5%)

Now consider that personal electronic devices are able to stimulate blue-light-sensitive ganglion cell photoreceptors that regulate circadian rhythms.²² As a result, cellular telephone, tablet and personal computer use before bedtime can delay sleep onset, degrade sleep quality and impair alertness the following day.²³ Extended use of these devices has also been shown to cause symptoms of dry eyes, blurred vision and headaches.²⁴ Limitation of personal electronic device use before bedtime is recommended to be the most effective method for reducing light-induced sleep disruption in children.

The importance of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers
So besides restricting digital device us, what can concerned parents do to help protect their children’s eyes from damaging blue light? Enter lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (rr- and rs-(meso)-zeaxanthin). These carotenoids (related to beta-carotene and lycopene) are found in high concentrations in the part of the retina where they play a critical role in protecting against blue light.²⁵ Furthermore, supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin isomers can provide substantial protection against blue light damage.

Of all the carotenoids, only lutein and zeaxanthin isomers are located in the eye, and make up the macular pigment. As a result of these carotenoids being yellow, they selectively absorb blue light, which protects the retina from associated damage. In short, they act as primary filters of blue light.

However, the average daily intake of lutein and zeaxanthin in the U.S. is less than 2 mg and less than 0.5 mg, respectively-which is far below the 10-20 mg of lutein and 2-4 mg of zeaxanthin shown in research to be beneficial. That’s why supplementation with these carotenoids is so important.

Eye strain, eye fatigue, headache and visual performance

A study conducted at the University of Georgia showed a relationship between exposure to blue light from digital devices and visual performance. They found that supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (as Lutemax® 2020 from OmniActive Health Technologies) reduced headaches, eye fatigue, and eye strain. Another double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-month trial^26,27,28 examined the effects of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (as Lutemax® 2020) versus placebo. Two levels of daily lutein supplementation were used: 10 mg (2 mg Z), and 20 mg (4 mg Z). The results were that both doses significantly improved contrast sensitivity (CS), glare performance, and photo stress recovery (i.e. a clinical procedure measuring the amount of time required for the macula to return to its normal level of function after being exposed to a bright light source). In addition, lutein/zeaxanthin improved levels of BDNF, a neurotrophin that is particularly active in hippocampus, cortex, and basal forebrain-areas that are involved in learning, memory, and higher cognitive processes.²⁹

Stress and health
Another 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial30 was conducted at the University of Georgia in 28 healthy subjects using three different daily dosage levels of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (as Lutemax® 2020) versus placebo. The three doses of lutein were 6 mg (1.5 mg Z), 10 mg (2 mg Z), and 20 mg (4 mg Z), versus placebo. The results were that supplementation with lutein/zeaxanthin isomers increased the amount of optical pigment density (greater increase with higher doses), which helped subjects maintain a lower psychological stress profile (p = 0.0087). After 12 weeks of lutein supplementation, psychological stress levels were found to be reduced significantly. The placebo group did not change in this regard. Furthermore, those with higher optical pigment density tended to have fewer health-related problems, such as being sick less often and suffering less from allergies (p = 0.002). After 12 weeks of lutein supplementation, each group exhibited a significant reduction in health-related problems (6 mg: p = 0.041; 10 mg: p = 0.029; 20 mg: p = 0.047).

Quality of sleep
The primary function of melatonin, a hormone, secreted by the pineal gland,³¹ is regulation of the body’s circadian rhythm, and sleep patterns.^32,33 However, too much light exposure, particularly at night, can inhibit melatonin secretion and interfere with sleep.^34,35 Even blue light from smart phones can negatively impact sleep with nighttime exposure.³⁶ But lutein and zeaxanthin isomers can help. A 3-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 45 healthy individuals (the first of a two-part study³⁷) found that 20 mg lutein and 4 mg zeaxanthin isomers daily (as Lutemax® 2020) significantly improved overall sleep quality (p = 0.0063), with no changes in the placebo group. The second 6-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 34 healthy individuals found similar results.

Delivery forms
Generally, lutein/zeaxanthin isomers are readily available as capsule or tablet supplements for adults. Children, however, cannot easily swallow capsules or tablets. Consequently, chewable tablets or gummies are preferable lutein/zeaxanthin isomer delivery forms for children. Gummies, in particular, are likely the best choice as children tend to see gummies as a treat, rather than treatment-so to speak.

Conclusion
Blue light, especially from digital devices, has the potential to damage retinal tissue and cause a variety of eye-related problems, including eye strain, eye fatigue, headache, visual impairment, psychological stress, and poor sleep quality. This is particularly true in children since their eyes absorb more blue light than adults. The good news is that daily supplementation with lutein (10-20 mg) and zeaxanthin isomers (2-4 mg)-most likely in a gummy supplement-can help reduce these risks and support eye health.

References

1. Nakashima Y, Ohta S1, Wolf AM2. Blue light-induced oxidative stress in live skin. Free Radic Biol Med. 2017 Mar 15. pii: S0891-5849(17)30134-X.
2. Tosini G, Ferguson I, Tsubota K. Effects of blue light on the circadian system and eye physiology. Mol Vis. 2016 Jan 24;22:61-72.
3. The Vision Council. Eyes Overexposed: The Digital Device Dilemma. 2016 Digital Eye Strain Report. Thevisioncouncil.org.
4. The Vision Council. Hindsight is 20/20/20: Protect your eyes from digital devices. 2015 Digital Eye Strain Report. Thevisioncouncil.org.
5. Smick K, et al. Blue Light Hazard: New Knowledge, New Approaches to Maintaining Ocular Health. Report of a Roundtable: March 16, 2013, New York City, NY, USA. Essilor of America.
6. Kuse Y, Ogawa K, Tsruma K, Shimazawa M, Hara H. Damage of photoreceptor-derived cells in culture induced by light emitting diode-derived blue light. Sci Rep. 2014 Jun 9;4:5223.
7. Tosini G, Ferguson I, Tsubota K. Effects of blue light on the circadian system and eye physiology. Mol Vis. 2016 Jan 24;22:61-72.
8. Wu J, Seregard S, Algvere PV. Photochemical damage of the retina. Surv Ophthalmol. 2006 Sep-Oct;51(5):461-81.
9. Algvere PV, Marshall J, Seregard S. Age-related maculopathy and the impact of blue light hazard. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2006 Feb;84(1):4-15.
10. Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). 2012. Health Effects of Artificial Light. Accessed from http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/emerging/docs/scenihr_o_035.pdf.
11. Cruickshanks KJ, Klein R, Klein BEK. Sunlight and age-related macular degeneration-the Beaver Dam Eye Study. Arch Ophthalmol. 1993;111:514-8.
12. Klein R, Klein BEK, Jensen SC, Cruickshanks KJ. The relationship of ocular factors to the incidence and progression of age-related maculopathy. Arch Ophthalmol. 1998;116:506-13.
13. Algvere PV, Marshall J, Seregard S. Age-related maculopathy and the impact of blue light hazard. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2006;84:4-15.
14. Taylor HR, Muñoz B, West S, Bressler NM, Bressler SB, Rosenthal FS. Visible light and risk of age-related macular degeneration. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 1990;88:163-73.
15. Kowalska M, Zejda JE, Bugajska J, Braczkowska B, Brozek G, Mali?ska M. [Eye symptoms in office employees working at computer stations]. [Article in Polish] Med Pr. 2011;62(1):1-8.
16. Tomany SC, Cruickshanks KJ, Klein R, Klein BE, Knudtson MD. Sunlight and the 10-year incidence of age-related maculopathy: the Beaver Dam Eye Study. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:750-7.
17. Cruickshanks KJ, Klein R, Klein BE, Nondahl DM. Sunlight and the 5-year incidence of early age-related maculopathy: the beaver dam eye study. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:246-50.
18. Akinbinu TR, Mashalla YJ. Impact of computer technology on health: Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Medical Practice and Review. 2014;5(3):20-30.
19. Boettner EA, Wolter JR. Transmission of the Ocular Media. Investigative Ophthalmology 1962;1:776-83.
20. Behar-Cohen F, Martinsons C, Viénot F, Zissis G, Barlier-Salsi A, Cesarini JP, Enouf O, Garcia M, Picaud S, Attia D. Light-emitting diodes (LED) for domestic lighting: any risks for the eye? Prog Retin Eye Res. 2011 Jul;30(4):239-57.
21. Digital Eye Strain. The Vision Council. Retrieved February 19, 2019 from https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/content/digital-eye-strain.
22. Berson DM, Dunn FA, Takao M. Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock. Science 2002;295:1070-3.
23. Chang AM, Aeschbach D, Duffy JF, Czeisler CA. Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015;112:1232-7.
24. Klamm J, Tarnow KG. Computer Vision Syndrome: A Review of Literature. Medsurg Nurs 2015;24:89-93.
25. Bone RA. Landrum JT. Distribution of macular pigment components, zeaxanthin and lutein, in human retina. Methods Enzymol 1992:213:360-6.
26. Stringham JM, O’Brien KJ, Stringham NT. Macular carotenoid supplementation improves disability glare performance and dynamics of photo stress recovery. Eye Vis (Lond). 2016 Nov 11;3:30.
27. Stringham NT, Holmes PV, Stringham JM. Supplementation with macular carotenoids reduces psychological stress, serum cortisol, and sub-optimal symptoms of physical and emotional health in young adults. Nutr Neurosci. 2017 Feb 15:1-11.
28. Contrast sensitivity – Accepted (IOVS) in press.
29. Stringham NT et al. Macular Carotenoid Supplementation Increases Serum BDNF in Healthy Young Adults. EB Abstract 2016.
30. Stringham J. Effects of three levels of lutein supplementation on macular pigment optical density, psychological stress levels, and overall health. Nutritional Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Georgia. Unpublished. 2016:17 pgs.
31. Nurnberger JI Jr, Adkins S, Lahiri DK, et al. Melatonin suppression by light in euthymic bipolar and unipolar patients. Arch Gen Psychiatr 2000;57:572-9.
32. Brzezinski A. Melatonin in humans. N Engl J Med 1997;336:186-95.
33. Lissoni P, Barni S, Meregalli S, et al. Modulation of cancer endocrine therapy by melatonin: a phase II study of tamoxifen plus melatonin in metastatic breast cancer patients progressing under tamoxifen alone. Br J Cancer 1995;71:854-6.
34. Brzezinski A. Melatonin in humans. N Engl J Med 1997;336:186-95.
35. Daneault V, Dumont M, Massé É, Vandewalle G, Carrier J. Light-sensitive brain pathways and aging. J Physiol Anthropol. 2016 Mar 15;35:9.
36. Yoshimura M, Kitazawa M, Maeda Y, Mimura M, Tsubota K, Kishimoto T. Smartphone viewing distance and sleep: an experimental study utilizing motion capture technology. Nat Sci Sleep. 2017 Mar 8;9:59-65.
37. Stringham JM et al. Short-term macular carotenois supplementation improves overall sleep quality. ARVO 2016 Annual Meeting Abstracts.

The post Lutein & Zeaxanthin: Eye Health Protectors for Your Children appeared first on Total Health Magazine.

Tip 1—Spread It Out
I am a firm believer in moderation and balance. I believe you can enjoy your treats 10 –20 percent of the time if 80–90 percent of the time you follow a healthy plan. This is the old 80/20 rule. Most Halloween candy has an extended shelf life so there is no hurry to gobble it up this week. Take a look at the amount of candy you have and plan out when you would like to enjoy it. The best way to enjoy your treats is to spread them out over time. This way you can look forward to a little bit of a treat over a longer period of time, rather than a whole lot of candy that will leave you with a belly ache.

Tip 2—Out of Site, Out of Mind
In conjunction with spreading your consumption of Halloween treats out over the next few weeks or months it is often helpful to put the treats away where you do not have easy access to them. The more effort it takes to get a snack the less likely you are to actually go and get it. If you carry your treats in your jacket, purse, car, or leave them in a bowl on the table you are putting temptation too close. Keep the stockpile of candy and chocolate out of your view, out of reach, and they will more likely stay out of your mind. And, if they don’t stay out of your mind, at least the thought of getting a step ladder to get them out of a locked pantry shelf may prevent you from actually going to get them.

Tip 3—Eat Preventatively
You may be thinking that the first two tips sound great but they are essentially ways to address willpower. What about something that may actually help my physiology? The most important way to impact your cravings is by “eating preventatively.” What I mean by this is a strategy of eating through the day that successfully decreases your desire for sweet “pick-me-ups.”

Eating preventatively involves eating a meal or snack every 2–4 hours. Each of these meals or snacks contains an appropriate amount and type of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. This strategy is designed to prevent blood sugar fluctuations that lead to cravings. When your blood sugar drops because you ate too much refined carbohydrates or because it’s been too long since your last meal/ snack your body has built in mechanisms to cause cravings for sugar.

Your brain runs off sugar and when your blood sugar goes too low your body shifts into what is called gluconeogenesis. This literally means to create new sugar, and this new sugar comes from your body’s protein structures like bone, muscle, and connective tissue. Think about the timing of when you crave sugary chocolaty treats. Is it when you’ve just eaten a balanced meal or is it when your blood sugar has dropped due to some sort of less than ideal dietary habit.

In Conclusion
Halloween and other holidays have a lot in common when it comes to the availability of chocolate and treats. Enjoy the bounty you received this year but do your best to follow these three tips so you look back with fond memories to the treats you enjoyed rather than looking back with horror about the stomach aches you endured.

The post Too Much Halloween Candy? appeared first on Total Health Magazine.

What if there was an effective and non-invasive way to help?

An unusual inspiration
An unusual inspiration is appearing in our culture, one that takes its cue from the other end of life.

It is presented in a new book called The Impact of Empathy—A New Approach to Working with ADHD Children, which refers to the Empathic Care of the End of Life (ECEL), a method awarded the Italian Terzani National Prize for the Medical Humanities. It has been included in numerous masters degree programs in Nursing, Psychooncology and Thanatology departments at universities in Italy and other countries, as well as in projects of Continuing Medical Education (CME) conducted in hospitals and hospices for staff training purposes.

One of the Authors, Professor Emilia Costa, is an Italian psychiatrist who specialized in treating children with ADHD, so in a sense it was ‘normal’ for her to write this book; while her co-author, Daniela Muggia, specializes in death and dying.

Muggia developed ECEL during her 22 years of experience with the dying. Unexpectedly, this method brings new light into the ADHD approach, uniting the fields of Tibetan Thanatology (science of death and dying), neuroscience and an understanding of quantum physics to illustrate that the state of inner peace one achieves through meditative training, has a significant effect on soothing those afflicted by confusion and anxiety, provided they are capable of absorbing this state empathically.

How does it work?
Similarities between those who are at the end of life and those who are at the beginning of life are striking: both are very empathic by nature, and directly experience the state of mind of those in their surroundings. Both, when suffering a discomfort, cannot verbalize it.

So, there are two things to do:

• Find a fresh vision unaffected by past conditioning that is able to perceive the child’s real needs that lie under the behavior. This is a complete training in ‘empathic listening’ through meditation;
• Root our relationship with a difficult child in deep peace, which might in turn be felt empathically and recognized by the child with ADHD. He or she will feel the urge to learn how to achieve that state in an independent way, which in turn shall help them to develop coping capacity and skills for long-term self-care.

Both things are not only very useful, but can bring great strength and peace to the moment, which can, again, be directly absorbed by the child.

When a caregiver is trained to access and maintain a peaceful and compassionate state of mind, children can empathically ‘taste’ that same state from within. Therefore the approach described in the book—both the ECEL method, and other empathy-based techniques deriving from Jung— addresses mainly the adults (parents, teachers, caregivers), teaching them how to accomplish and maintain a state of deep inner peace, no matter what the ADHD child does.

No chemical straitjackets, no physical containment: “just become peace yourself, no matter what, and the childrens’ repeated experience of this will enable them to not only desire, but replicate this state within themselves.” In this sense, this approach differs from many others that also use meditation with ADHD children: here, children are not directly taught meditation, they just experience empathically the fruit of it repeatedly, as a new form of non-conflictual relationship with the adults and, in some case, with the rest of their schoolmates. Sometimes, it is their first experience of true mind peace.

The wealth of resources and scientific information available in this book is impressive: for instance, you will discover a rich offering of high-level research done on meditation results on ADHD children, a vast series of scientific studies, both pilot studies and peer-reviewed ones, conducted on a number of methods based on different meditation techniques that have been applied indirectly or directly to children with ADHD.

You will find what benefits were found in 2012 in 91 American schools of various kinds and levels, scattered over thirteen states, where one of the available trainings lasted from three to six months, with daily or twice-weekly sessions of ten to forty minutes each (practicing with children Mindfullness Meditation or Transcendental Meditation (TM):

• days of absence: decreased by 25%;
• suspension days: decreased by 38%;
• significantly improved scores on validated attention skills tests;
• aggressive behavior: decreased by 8%;
• rules infraction: decreased by 50%.

You might be surprised as well to learn that approximately 600 studies, of which more than 350 have been peer-reviewed, were conducted on TM, for example, and you will become familiar with them: in the book we explain things in a way that the reader enters the lab and understands absolutely everything.

You will read about the ‘historical’ studies on meditation led by important neorosicentists that encouraged many more to inquire into the matter or to build pioneer meditation-based projects in schools, where the innate value of “troublemakers” is recognized, instead of perceiving them as “broken” children to be “fixed” chemically, and upon whom others merely project concepts.

All these benefits occur without the side effects of medication, such as sleep disturbances, poor appetite, weight loss, stunted growth and mood disorders, which then need to be treated with further medication, which are often unsuitable or children, and which in the long-term are suspected of leading to a higher risk of cardiac problems and sudden death, liver damage, psychiatric disorders, as well as higher rates of delinquency in adulthood, drug use and growth retardation, as highlighted in a 2010 study sponsored by the Ministry of Health of Western Australia and many other studies.

You will become enthusiastic about the UCLA Map Project, or the Shamatha International Project, modeled on the Human Genome Project, bringing together many researchers and scientific laboratories from all over the world, sharing their discoveries to bring together teachers and meditators from the different Buddhist schools to explore the methods and the most favorable conditions for achieving, at the present time, mastery of a basic meditative techniques involving attention, traditionally called “shamatha.”

And when you start wondering whether and how do school systems react to all this scientific data, you will be shown amazingly inspiring projects being run throughout the world: from the Alice Project in India and several European countries, involving thousands of students, to the Quiet Time Program involving more than 200,000 students, mainly in U.S.

All of this is supported with plenty of case stories: some tender, some amusing, all very touching and alive because they are coming straight from the real experience of both the authors’ work with young Italian ‘troublemakers’ whose lives are now endowed with a better chance of success.

Co-authors of The Impact of Empathy

Daniela Muggia is a Thanatologist and the winner of the prestigious Terzani Award for the Medical Humanities in 2008. For almost 30 years she studied the Tibetan tradition of death and dying with Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the ground-breaking Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. She also trained with Cesare Boni, a professor and teacher of Master classes in Thanatology, the study of death and dying, at Naples University. After more than 20 years of working with the terminally ill, she has developed the ECEL method, Empathic Care at the End of Life, one of the most popular courses taught in hospitals, hospices and for Masters degree programs at universities in Italy and other countries.

Emilia Costa, MD, a former professor of psychiatry and psychotherapy at La Sapienza University in Rome has authored over 360 pioneering scientific publications. She studied directly with some great masters—Carl Jung, Roberto Assagioli, an Italian Psychiatrist and pioneer in the fields of humanistic and transpersonal psychology, and Psychiatrist Gianfranco Tedeschi, founding member of the professional Jungian group, AIPA, in Italy. Currently, she is the Dean of a Scientific Committee of Pharmacovigilance with the organization, Hands off the Children, which works to inform teachers, parents, medical doctors and scientists about the danger of over prescription of drugs to children.

Title: The Impact of Empathy—A New Approach to Working with ADHD Children
Author: Emilia Costa and Daniela Muggia
Price: $18.99 U.S.
Publisher/Imprint: BlossomingBooks, US subsidiary of Edizioni Amrita, srl
Format: Trade Paperback, ebook

The post The Impact of Empathy—A New Approach to Working with ADHD Children appeared first on Total Health Magazine.

Two Latin American researchers—a psychologist who works with drug addicts and an EMF expert—in a paper published in March 2007 suggest a plausible explanation for why teens go into withdrawal when they can’t use their phones:

Cell phone use, like drugs and alcohol, may act on the reward centers of the brain which contain opiate receptors. When the brain gets its perceived reward—whether it’s heroin, chocolate, or the fun of texting two thousand times a month on average—it wants a do-over, again and again and again. Suddenly, a behavior is born.

In fact, they note, Henry Lai, Ph.D., of the University of Washington has found that microwaves increase the activity of the feel-good hormones known as endorphins and the brain’s own happy chemicals—neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Lai further ties EMFs to addiction: using a drug that quashes heroin cravings, he blocked these effects in rats exposed to RF waves.

Psychologists who have studied cell phone use, particularly texting, by teens, report that it’s leading to anxiety, behavioral problems, distraction in school, repetitive stress injury, and sleep deprivation.

If your teen is addicted, he’s not going to stop on his own. You may need to enforce the age-old rule that the one who pays the bill (at fifteen cents apiece for texts, likely no small figure) gets to decide how and how often a phone is used. Curb kidsf cell phone use. In Russia, scientists and government officials have advised that anyone under the age of eighteen should not use a cell phone. In France, there’s a ban against marketing mobile phones to young children. In the United Kingdom, Sir William Stewart, chairman of the National Radiological Protection Board, was quoted as saying, “I don’t think we can put our hands on our hearts and say mobile phones are safe.” In the United States? Not much . . . yet. In an ideal world, you would never buy your child a cell phone. But if you did that, you might never hear the end of it because all their friends now own them. Besides, in our two-career families, those cell phones equate to peace of mind. But since you’re the parent, you can set the rules for cell phone use.

First, do not buy preschoolers cell phones. It is far too dangerous a device to put into their hands—and especially for them to put up to their ears. There are studies suggesting that, in addition to brain tumors, children’s cell phone use could result in hearing loss (if they use it an hour a day or more) and the death of auditory nerve cells. One Indian study found that cell phone users who were on the phone for sixty minutes a day over four years experienced damage to the DNA in roughly 40 percent of their cells.

If you absolutely must equip your little one, look for phones without dial pads. Those will have buttons that you can program to speed dial emergency numbers only. And insist they be carried in shielded cases.

Cell phones are just as dangerous for your tweens and teens as they are for your preschoolers. But now, peer pressure really kicks in. As long as parents are paying for cell use, however, you have the power of the purse. Parents of both preteens and adolescents will need to establish clear guidelines as to their cell phone use, while understanding your kids’ needs for independence. Your children will be even safer if they obey these rules:

• Text rather than call.
• Use a safe headset.
• No phoning or texting while driving. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that teen drivers on cell phones have slower reaction times than teens not on the phone while behind the wheel. British scientist Andrew Goldsworthy has suggested that it’s not just inattention that triggers car accidents involving cell phone use, but the false signals our nerve cells send out when they leak, as they do when exposed to EMFs. The brain hyperactivity that results may also be at the root of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, he speculates.
• No phones in the bedroom. Many teens already have sleep problems, and a constantly beeping or buzzing phone. and friends just a text message away—won’t help. (While you’re at it, move all the electronics from sleeping areas to avoid EMF exposures when kids are most vulnerable.)
• Teach kids to keep phones away from the body while they’re turned on. Those incoming calls and texts cause a burst of RF emissions that can penetrate the body, so have them stash the phone in a purse or backpack.

As a parent, the more you can do to set a good example with your own cell phone use—making calls on a land line at home, for example—the more likely your kids are to follow suit. Don’t be afraid to ground any child’s cell phone use—by taking it away for a day or two if she ignores reasonable rules!

The post Are Teens Addicted to Cell Phones? appeared first on Total Health Magazine.

One night, while putting Sarah to bed, Julianne pulled the pajama top over her daughter’s head, when Sarah suddenly exclaimed “Ouch! That hurt when you touched my nipple.” Julianne was totally surprised by her daughter’s response. Upon taking a closer look, she noticed that her nipples did appear to be different from what she had remembered. In fact, they looked bigger.

Julianne immediately called her pediatrician to schedule tests. The results confirmed that Sarah was going through puberty. The small lumps were, in fact, breast buds. Sarah’s breasts were actually developing, but she was only five years old. How could this be possible? The doctor explained that Sarah had a condition called “precocious puberty.”

Thinking the Unthinkable

Early sexual development in girls, known as precocious puberty, seems to be happening everywhere. Presently one out of six eight-year-old girls in the U.S. are racing into puberty. It is a pattern emerging in young girls all over the world. Reports of early puberty have come from many diverse countries and climates including Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.

A Generation Ago

The onset of menstruation has been steadily declining in Western countries. It wasn’t very long ago when a teenager’s first menstruation would arrive between the ages of 14 and 16. Today the average age of the first menstruation for girls is under 12 years of age.

A groundbreaking study in 1997 on 17,000 girls sent shock waves through the medical community. The study found that the initial signs of puberty were occurring much earlier than previously recorded. The study found that 27 percent of African-American and almost seven percent of Caucasian girls had the onset of secondary sexual characteristics, i.e. either breast development or pubic hair development, by the age of seven. By the time girls turn eight years old, one in seven Caucasian girls and 50 percent of Afro-American girls will be starting puberty. Even more startling was the finding that 1 percent of Caucasian and 3 percent of African-American girls showed these characteristics by the age of three.

How common is this trend? “Young girls in the five-to 10-year-old range with breasts and pubic hair-we encounter this every day in our clinic,” says Michael Feemark, chief of pediatric endocrinology at Duke University Medical Center. Similar findings were reported from a study of 14,000 children from Bristol University’s Institute of Child Health in the U.K.

The development of secondary sexual characteristics in girls is a significant event, signaling the onset of physiological and psychological ranges of profound importance. Many scientists and doctors are concerned. This is a worrisome trend as well as a very serious public health problem. Before they have outgrown dollhouses, many young girls are being faced with the confusing moods swings, hormonal changes and sexual attention that accompany physical maturation.

The ramifications to public health are dramatic. Studies have found that girls who reach puberty earlier tend to have sex earlier, increase the risk of pregnancy, experience more psychological stress, poor mental health, more behavioral problems, are more likely to drink, smoke, have a lower IQ and commit suicide. For boys, it can mean more aggressive, violent behavior, learning disabilities and more drug and alcohol abuse.

But the most disturbing consequence of early puberty in females is the well-established risk for pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer. According to a study that was published in the journal Nature (1989), the risk associated with having an early menarche-for instance, one that takes place at the age of 10-is approximately twice that associated with a menarche that occurs much later, say at the age of 16 or so. In addition, girls showing early signs of puberty also have increased risks of polycystic ovarian syndrome, acne, excessive facial hair and infertility.

Precocious puberty is also occurring in boys. It has now been discovered that boys as young as nine years old are developing mature genitalia, are producing sperm and have spontaneous erections. In addition, they have hair growth on the face, under arms and in the pubic area, along with acne problems. With surging testosterone levels, they are also preoccupied with girls.

Early puberty in males can increase their incidence of testicular cancer, lower fertility rates and impair growth, leading to a shorter stature.

Guidelines for reducing risk of precocious puberty:

1. Use only organic household cleaning products, personal care products, cosmetic lawn and garden supplies and pet supplies.
2. Eat organic food as much as possible.
3. Avoid soft plastic toys. Phthalates are added to soften PVC plastic toys. Plastic toys also retain pesticides which are sprayed in the house for up to two weeks.
4. Avoid buying canned foods or foods wrapped in plastic.
5. Install a water filter.
6. Use houseplants to filter chemicals from the air in your home.
7. Exercise.
8. Eliminate sugar, refined carbohydrates, trans fatty acids and pasteurized dairy products.
9. Incorporate nutritional support from high quality vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and probiotics.
10. Seek guidance from competent holistic practitioners.

What It All Means

Since early puberty is a well-established risk for breast cancer, the earlier a woman reaches puberty, the longer her breast tissues will be exposed to potentially harmful-causing agents (chemicals, radiation and estrogen). According to Dr. Emily Banks, deputy director of Cancer Research at the U.K.’s Epidemiology Unit in Oxford, “We have known for some time that the younger a woman is when she starts her periods, the higher her risk of developing breast cancer later in life. The younger a woman is, the longer her overall exposure to high levels of estrogens.”

Dr. Carlos Sonnenschein of Tufts University of Medicine warns, “The length and amount of exposure to estrogen is one of the most significant risk factors in breast carcinogenesis. Unless you are exposed to estrogens, you don’t get breast cancer. The longer the exposure is, the higher the incidence. Therefore, if you decrease the age of the first menstruation, you are at higher risk.”

The experts are confused. It is absurd to think that early puberty is the result of better nutrition, as many scientists assert. An increase in obesity in children and lack of exercise has a direct relationship to this problem. Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, the percentage of overweight children nearly doubled. A protein called leptin may encourage early breast development. Fat cells produce leptin, which is necessary for the progression of puberty. Also, overweight girls have more insulin circulating in their blood. Those higher levels of insulin appear to stimulate the production of sex hormones from the ovary and adrenals.

Is it just the fast foods and sedentary lifestyle that are piling up the leptin-producing fat? Perhaps not. A 20-year study found that the greater the prenatal level of the hormone disrupter, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), the heavier the girls were at age 14 and thus statistically earlier their puberty. Could prenatal exposure to hormone disrupters play a role in obesity?

In fact, the really guilty party is looking more and more like hormone disrupters found in various foods, ingredients in personal care products and environmental toxins.

Events occurring in Puerto Rico helped to unravel this puzzling trend. For the past two decades, Puerto Rico has recorded the highest known incidence of premature breast development. Girls as young as two years of age were developing breasts.

Several reasons have been cited for this situation. First of all, most of these children were fed soy infant formulas. A 1997 Lancet study showed that soy has plant-based chemicals that mimic estrogen, displaying a wide range of hormonal activities. The daily exposure to infants who consume soy formulas was 6-11 times higher than adults who consume soy foods. In fact, the blood concentrations of these hormones in the children were 13,000-22,000 times higher than estrogen normally found in the blood.

Clues have also emerged implicating hormone disrupting chemicals. In a significant study, the breast development of the Puerto Rican children was linked to phthalate exposure, a ubiquitous chemical plasticizer. The researchers measured the presence of certain phthalates in the blood of 41 girls experiencing early breast development with a control group. The average age was 31 months. They found that 68 percent of the precocious puberty girls had high levels of phthalates in their blood.

Phthalates are now everywhere. They are common industrial chemicals used in building materials, food packaging and food wrap, toys and other children’s products, medical devices, garden hoses, shoe soles, automobile undercoating, wires and cables, carpet backing, carpet tile, vinyl tile, pool liners, artificial leather, canvas tarps, notebook covers, tool handles, dishwasher baskets, flea collars, insect repellents, skin emollients, hair sprays, nail polish and perfumes.

The Silent Invasion

Hormone disruptors, like silent saboteurs, have invaded the highly sensitive endocrine systems of our children. Whether from chemical exposure in the environment or from the hormone laden meats and dairy products, or chemically-laced personal care and household products, exposure to dangerous chemicals has now reached the highest level of exposure in the entire history of human civilization. Is there any wonder why precocious puberty is a worldwide epidemic? The fact that early puberty is a known risk for breast cancer should be of great concern to all parents. No one really knows the long-term consequences of early sexual development. This is an unprecedented experiment on our children.

Hardly a minute goes by without our being exposed to some chemical; perhaps it is car exhaust, room freshener, artificial fragrances, baby shampoo, dry cleaning, colored popcorn, furniture polish, fire retardant on new school clothes, plastic water bottles, fly spray and on and on it goes. Beginning in utero, our children are accumulating chemicals in their bodies, little by little, day in and day out for years and years. For some children the effects may become evident quickly while for others it may take many years or decades before the real harm-the cancers, the multiple sensitivities, the behavioral problems, the learning disabilities, the hormone imbalances and infertility or sterility become apparent.

With the red flags waving you would think that the medical profession would be leading the charge against contamination and exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals. After all, they are in the trenches, daily witnessing the rising number of children with precocious puberty.

It is therefore rather shocking that a report by a nationwide network of physicians suggested that it is perfectly normal for girls as young as six years old to be developing breasts. Perfectly normal? Instead of facing up to the implications of what is contributing to this aberration and leading the charge for immediate investigation into the causes and solutions, the medical community prefers to ignore a looming tragedy.

What can be done?

There are solutions to precocious puberty. Holistic healing modalities such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, naturopathy and holistic medical approaches have been able to help get hormonal health back on track. Since children with symptoms of early puberty often have allergies, food intolerances, candida, digestive problems and high levels of toxicity, it is imperative to correct these health problems. The earlier these issues are identified and attended to, the greater the success of reversing early puberty.

In addition, it is imperative to reduce exposure to hormone disruptors. All hormone mimicking chemicals should be avoided, which include non-organic meat, dairy and produce, all commercial personal care products such as suntan lotion, shampoos and bubble bath, hormone disrupting chemicals found in pesticides, herbicides, plasticizers and commercial cleaning products.

Precocious puberty is a side effect of 21st century living. However, there is much that can be done to insure that children do not become teens before their time.

Excerpted from Sherrill Sellman’s book Mother Prevent Your Daughters From Getting Breast Cancer (GetWell Int’l, 2004).

The post Precocious Puberty – Teens Before Their Time appeared first on Total Health Magazine.

Unfortunately, we Americans have been losing this earliest of nutritional battles. For instance, obesity has reached epidemic proportions in children. Commenting on her report on children’s health issued just this year by the National Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Nancy Krebs, a pediatrician at the University of Colorado, said, “If you look at the number of kids who are overweight or at risk, you’re talking over 25 percent of our kids. If some infectious disease was affecting 25 percent to 30 percent of our children, you can be sure we’d be looking for some kind of vaccine.” In fact, the percentage of those who are seriously overweight has doubled among children six to 11 years old from about seven percent of those surveyed in the period 1976 to 1980 to more than 15 percent in the period 1999 to 2000. Obesity in 12-to 19-year-olds jumped from five to 15 percent over the same period. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, some 10.4 percent of preschoolers are obese, which is cause for concern given that children who are obese at age four have a 20 percent risk of being obese in adulthood. If they continue to be overweight as adolescents, they have an 80 percent chance of being overweight or obese as adults.

With obesity comes diabetes. According to Dr. Lori Laffel, head of the pediatric unit at Boston’s Joslin Diabetes Center. “Over the years, we always saw an occasional child with type II [diabetes]. It was a handful a year.” That was before the 1990s, when overweight parents began to bring in their similarly large children with type II diabetes. In that decade, the number of children with so-called “adult” diabetes increased approximately 500 percent and the rate has doubled again since then. Similar increases are reported at other institutions. Regarding this type of diabetes in children, Dr. Phillip Lee, head of pediatric endocrinology at UCLA, says, “We just didn’t see it. Now referrals of type II are almost 50 percent of our diabetes cases.” Diabetes and pre-diabetes (also called Syndrome X or the metabolic syndrome) ominously are linked to not just obesity, but hypertension, cardiovascular disease and yet other conditions.

Can anything be done? Research says yes. In the area of mental health, a study published this year in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that children aged three to five years old who took part in an enrichment program that included attention to diet, exercise and preschool education were 31.9 percent less likely to develop personality disorders and 27.9 percent less likely to engage in antisocial behavior in their late teens. They also were 35 percent less likely to show criminal behavior at age 23. Good nutrition was found to be the single most significant factor in this program, which included more protein (fish, chicken and mutton), salad with lunch and an afternoon nap. The head of the study noted that “this suggests that proper nutrition, exercise and cognitive stimulation in preschool very likely will create better behavior 20 years later. Perhaps what is critical is the establishment of good habits early on in life—when the brain is growing.” Just as a lack of proper nutrition leads to poor cognitive development, overeating of empty calories combined with too little exercise has negative consequences. Most nutritionists blame inactivity and overeating for the rise in childhood obesity and diabetes.

In other words, too much TV and soft drinks (each serving supplying 200–300 calories from simple sugars). The World Health Organization in 2003 recommended that no more than 10 percent of the diet should consist of simple sugars, yet the average for all Americans is at least 25 percent of the diet. For many children, between sugared breakfast cereals and even more sugar-laden sodas, the figure is more likely 50 percent.

The role of sweetened drinks, not just sodas, but the sugared 10 percent juice drinks that have almost totally displaced water in the lives of modern American children, is quite significant.

According to the study, children who drank more than 16 ounces a day of sweetened drinks consumed four ounces less milk than children who avoided sweetened drinks. Their diets supplied 20 percent less phosphorus, 19 percent less protein and magnesium, 16 percent less calcium and 10 percent less vitamin A plus less zinc, even though these children also took in 244 more calories a day from these beverages. The ingestion of sweetened drinks led to the consumption of only two ounces less solid food, although such drinks routinely displaced milk.

Particularly disturbing with regard to these sweetened drinks and other sugary products is very recent work which shows that the excessive consumption of sugars actually alters brain receptors such that individuals in the future feel the need—based on lasting changes in brain physiology and chemistry—to eat sugar.

On the other side of the energy equation, children now exercise less than in previous decades. According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control, 22.6 percent of American children (ages 9–13) do not engage in any free-time activity and nearly two-thirds do not participate in any organized physical activity during their non-school hours.

The first step in protecting a child’s nutritional status can be taken as early as pregnancy. Two areas in the development of the fetus are particularly susceptible to poor nutrition. These are neurological development and metabolic control. The first often is associated with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The second is linked to obesity and diabetes in childhood and adulthood.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), ADHD affects approximately two million American children or approximately three to five percent of the school-age population and is about four times more common in boys than in girls. ADHD usually becomes apparent at about age three. Symptoms include inattention, inability to concentrate, failure to listen when spoken to, hyperactivity, squirming, talking out of turn, impulsiveness, disruptive behavior, sleep problems and poor learning ability.

A number of nutritional scientists argue that ADHD is a birth defect caused by deficiencies of maternal DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) during pregnancy and while nursing, and the virtual absence of DHA and AA (arachidonic acid) in infant formulas. (AA is a long-chain omega-6 fatty acid found primarily in meat and eggs, whereas the omega-3 fatty acids EPA [eicosapentaenoic acid] and DHA are found primarily in the fat of cold-water fish.) DHA in particular is required to support fetal visual acuity, neurological and brain development.

Mothers who are overweight also give to their children a tendency toward weight gain, insulin resistance and diabetes, which is to say that they predispose their offspring to Syndrome X. Many doctors and medical researchers are quite concerned regarding the future of American children because recent generations of U.S. adults have been increasingly overweight and obese. Indeed, present estimates place more than 60 percent of all American adults in these categories. Even if most Americans were to adopt new eating and exercise habits, it would take literally generations to reverse the inherited metabolic pattern because maternal obesity undesirably activates certain genes in offspring.

Fortunately, supplement makers have begun to address these earliest of nutritional issues by producing products designed for use by pregnant and nursing mothers. Such formulas incorporate nutrients important for blood sugar regulation, such as chromium, along with DHA, to support the infant’s neurological development. Often even the name of the product will indicate the importance of these factors. Hence, Jarrow Formulas produces a product called Preg-Natal®+DHA, and other companies similarly offer such products. Jarrow also offers MaxDHA, an essential fatty acid concentrate which maximizes the amount of DHA available.

Nutrition during the first five years, as noted above, can have a major impact on adolescent and even adult mental and physical development. Many supplement makers produce vitamin drops for young children. Once children are a bit older, chewable vitamin and mineral supplements can be added to give insurance with regard to basic nutrition. The principle here is the same as a once per day adult multi, only in this case designed with dosages appropriate for younger ages. (Chewable vitamins should always be carefully stored out of reach of children.)

Two other supplements make sense for use with children. These are essential fatty acids and probiotics. Because essential fatty acids are inadequately supplied in the diets of most Americans and the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids is so strongly skewed toward the former, a supplemental source of essential fatty acids is virtually a necessity.

As for probiotics, these are especially important for children born prematurely and those not breast-fed. The normal bacterial constituency of the gut is established within days of birth. Either of the above conditions will tend to lead to a reduced role for bifidobacterium, the bacteria which should be chiefly represented in the intestines of children.

There is an old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In the case of nutrition and health, this means that starting off on the right foot in pregnancy and in the child’s infancy and early years can be crucial for determining adolescent and adult health.

Fortunately, the rewards are well worth the effort.

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