Bernando LaPallo, 109 And Going Strong On Raw Foods

A friend pointed out this news clip today about a 109 year old man named Bernando LaPallo. He's been living a raw diet for 30 years and wrote a book called Age Less, Live More - Achieving Health and Vitality at 107 And Beyond.

I haven't read it yet but the synopsis is fascinating.  Check out the video.

My RUSH Immunotherapy Experience

pollen

A few months ago, I wrote a piece about having skin testing done for my allergies. My allergies have been a lifelong pain in the neck and this past Spring was my worst bout yet. My goal was to determine what I am allergic to and to what extent so that I could figure out what to do about it.

Through testing, I was able to pinpoint exactly what causes my reactions and plan for it rather than just react to it. 

For instance, certain weeds, grasses and trees are active at certain times of the year in this area of the US, which explains why certain times of the year are worse for me than others. This past year I was congested from January to May and had three sinus infections.  I was constantly playing catch up, probably with the wrong medications. 

Also: dogs, cats and horses absolutely do me in.  As a result, I have to ask if there are pets at someone's home before I determine if I can visit them. If the answer is yes, I can't go unless I have time to dope myself up on antihistamines, then deal with two recovery days.  It puts a dent in our social life.

Once I determined what my sensitivities are, I had another decision to make. Should I continue treating my allergies with nasal spray and oral antihistamines or begin immunotherapy to permanently eradicate my sensitivities? I hate taking medication and antihistamines can make me sluggish.  Shot therapy is a time commitment (years of weekly, then bi-weekly, then monthly shots), but the idea of never again suffering from these allergies is very appealing.

After I determined I would undergo shot therapy, the doctor asked me if I'd like to do RUSH treatment.  His office has done more RUSH treatments than any other in the country - over 3,000 so far.  RUSH is a method of kick-starting your immunotherapy treatment. You spend one day getting shots every thirty minutes, while being heavily dosed with antihistamines so your body can handle it. This treatment gives you a one year jump-start on the shot therapy. Within a few months, I could feel allergy free and the total duration of my shot therapy would be one year less (maybe four years instead of five). My insurance covers it, so I signed up.

In anticipation of today's RUSH treatment, I was given a packet of information, prescriptions and medications.  I was told to dose myself with certain medications the day before, the day of and the day after, as follows:

AM Medications:

• Prednisone 10 mg, 3 tablets with meal (steroid that prevents inflammation in vital organs - the most important drug in the cocktail)
• Zantac 75 mg, 2 tablets or 150 mg 1 tablet (typically used for sour stomach, this is actually in the mix because it contains a certain antihistamine)
• Xyzal 5 mg, 1 tablet (another antihistamine)

PM Medications:

• Prednisone 10 mg, 3 tablets with meal
• Zantac 75 mg, 2 tablets or 150 mg 1 tablet
• Singulair 10 mg, 1 tablet at bedtime (an asthma medication to keep the lungs clear)

I had to fill a prescription for two Epi Pens. An Epi Pen is an epinephrine auto-injector for anaphylatic emergencies. This made me nervous but I was told that the likelihood of having to use it is in the low single digits.  It's just best to be prepared. The reason they prescribe two is that if a person ever needs to use it, one out of three people need two shots rather than just one.

RUSH Day
I arrived for RUSH treatment at 8am and was asked if I'd taken my medication, if I am pregnant (no), what other medications I'd taken in the prior two days, and was administered a breath test to ensure my lungs were nicely clear.

I was then ushered into a lounge where I was to spend the day. Wifi, a recliner, a mini fridge and cable TV made it quite comfortable. Though the room accommodates two patients, the other patient canceled so I had a very nice nurse named Libby dedicated to just me all day long.

The RUSH nurse set up a saline lock peripheral IV access point on my left arm (a needle with a valve so they can quickly administer liquid antibiotics if needed).   I was explained what would happen.  I'd get 12 to 14 shots (the serum to cover all of my allergies comes in two vials because they can't fit them all in one - yay for me - so two shots per round), two at a time, one in each upper arm, spaced 30 minutes apart.  Each round carries an increased concentration.  The last round (shots 13 and 14) carry a concentration the represents all of the prior shots combined.  If I have a reaction after the sixth round, I won't get the last two shots. She'll take my blood pressure, my pulse and listen to my chest before every round.

Here's my journal of the day:

8:30am - Nurse put the line in my arm and taped it up.  It's just for emergency use.  I was told that was as painful as the day would get.  I'm hoping she's right!

8:45am - I was given my first two shots. Almost painless.

8:55am - I seemed to feel bugs crawling on me but that could be my overactive imagination.  The sensation passes. The doctor pays a visit and says he'll check back.

9:15am - Round two of shots. Still okay.

9:45am - Round three of shots. Feeling fine.

10:15am - Round four done.  Still fine.

10:40am - Lips twitching on and off but no other symptoms.  Proceeding.

10:45am - Round five done.  Feeling fine.  Lips still twitching.  Nurse probably thinks I'm crazy but she ran it by the doctor and he decided to give me some liquid antihistamines (more Xyzal) to be on the safe side.

11:15am - Round six done.  Twelve shots so far.  Feeling fine.  Doc came in and said the last two shots won't be for an hour.  If I'm in as good shape then as I am now, he'll go forward with the next two shots.  But if I'm not, no big deal.  The day has been a success even if we stop here.  If we do get the last two shots in, they represent one round during my initial weekly course.  I'm optimistic we can get those next two shots in and save some time later.

12:15pm - Still feeling good.  Blood pressure, lungs, pulse good.  No hives, redness.  We're going forward with the last two shots.  After this, they'll take my blood pressure, pulse and listen to my lungs every 30 minutes for three hours.  If I'm going to have a reaction, it'll probably be in the next hour.

1:00pm - They had me watch a DVD about how to use an Epi Pen properly.   Just in case.  (Interesting fact: don't leave the Epi Pens in the car in hot weather.  High heat lessens their efficacy.)  Any use of the Epi Pen also means an automatic trip to the ER.  Oh joy.

3:00pm - No reaction.  Doctor gave me a 110 out of 100 on the day :)  I'm good to go.

All of the shots were marked on both arms.

I'll take another round of medications tonight and two more doses tomorrow.

In the next 24 hours, I can expect some mild reactions to the RUSH therapy (treat with Benadryl), including:

• local swelling, itching, or redness at the injection site
• itching or swelling of the eyes
• congestion or runny nose
• itchy/scratchy throat

Bad reactions in the next 24 hours are anaphylaxis, for which I must use the Epi Pen and call 911:

• heavy generalized itching or hives (if they're on the surface, they're on the inside and could eventually lead to swelling of the airways)
• a flushed appearance with or without facial swelling (though could just be the steroids rather than anaphylaxis - first take Benadryl and see if that helps)
• tightness in the throat with a change in voice (like laryngitis)
• wheezing/coughing
• severe shortness of breath
• nausea/vomiting/abdominal cramping
• shock (when the blood pressure drops to dangerously low levels - signs are light-headedness, dizziness, lethargy, confusion, pale clammy skin, heart pounding like it's coming out of your chest (pounding heart could be steroids, heavy pounding could be shock)
• loss of consciousness

I return in one week for my first weekly shot.  I have to take a dose of Xyzal before that first shot and wait an hour in the office to make sure I don't have a bad reaction.  Apparently, there's a higher probability of reaction after that first shot.  That begins 3 months of weekly shots (or twice a week to speed the process if I can fit it in my schedule), then every other week for 6 months, then monthly shots thereafter.  The shots will ramp up in concentration over the next few months.  Then I'll move up to the highest concentration (called a "maintenance dose") and stay there for the monthly treatment for several years.

On "shot days" I need to take a Zyrtec or some other long-lasting antihistamine in order to counteract any local swelling and itching.  I'll also need to keep the Epi Pens with me at all times, just in case of reaction. 

All in all, a day well spent.

Read my other posts about Allergen Immunotherapy here.

Ride For The Cure, Texas Style

Today I overheard someone say their friend is doing the Ride For The Cure here in North Texas. 

"For every $100 she raises she's going to add a pink extension to her mane."  Wow, I thought. She will really make a statement riding her bike with pink hair! 

"Last year, she had a pink ribbon painted on her rump." Okaaay.  To each her own.

"Maybe she'll add some pink ribbon to the bridle, too."  A bike with a bridle?  I had to ask.

"Hah! No, not a bike, a horse!  She's riding her horse in the Ride For The Cure."

The North Texas Ride For The Cure is a trail ride for riders to unite in the fight against breast cancer.  It's held in Decatur, Texas. It benefits the North Texas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 

VERY COOL!

The Thing About TOP CHEF That Drives Me Nuts, Not That I'll Stop Watching

I admit it.  I love TOP CHEF.  I love to cook and I love a good competition, so it's a nice combination for me.

Those who watch it know that Glad is a longtime sponsor of the show.  The contestants always pack up their ingredients in glad containers when they hit the road, and use Glad wrap, storage bags, trash bags.

The good news is that Glad states the following on its website:

"Glad food containers, wraps, and storage bags and other food contact products are not made of Polycarbonate nor is Bisphenol A (BPA) used as a raw material in their production."

The bad news is that on practically every episode, I see the chefs placing boiling or piping-hot soups, etc, into the containers for transport.

Even Glad's answers to its FAQ will suggest this is ill-advised. 

Is it okay to wash GladWare® Containers in the dishwasher?

GladWare® Containers are top-rack dishwasher safe.

Is it safe to place a GladWare® Container in boiling water?

No. We do not recommend using GladWare® Containers in this manner.

Look, if it's not safe to put them in the bottom of the dishwasher and it's not safe to place them in boiling water, why would anyone think it's safe to put boiling things into them, much less food items that will then go into someone's body?

Drives me nuts.

nuts

Folks, pay attention: plastics leach chemicals into food and beverages.  Don't watch TOP CHEF and think that putting boiling hot food into plastic containers is okay.

Ok, lecture over.

The Importance Of Good Air Quality In Your Home, And How To Improve It

We live in northern Texas, as you may know.  It's part of Tornado Alley.  That's the popular expression for the area of the US that's most prone to tornadoes.  It stretches from Texas to Iowa.  It's frequently windy, it's sometimes scary, and it's always dusty. 

image courtesy of http://www.climateandweather.net

When we first moved into our house, there was a fine sheen of dust on every surface.  We'd clean and it'd be there again the next day.  So we changed the filthy air filters.  Within a week, dust was accumulating again.  After a while, I learned that there are certain times of year when the dust is worst, but that we'd typically have to change our air filters every two months.  Certain filters we'd have to change every month.

This is a drastic difference from my life back east, where air filters were such an afterthought that they'd often only be changed once a year.

Here's a photo of one month of summer dust (left) beside a fresh, clean filter:

What's my eco-point in all of this?  Shockingly, it's actually not the matter of how many filters get tossed into a landfill.  I'll address that in a future post.  It's the issue of respiratory health. 

Part of living green is doing whatever you can to keep your environment favorable for good health.  Keep your environment clean of allergens so you don't have to pop allergy pills, so that allergies don't turn into sinus infections requiring antibiotics.

Here are a few of the ways we optimize the air in our home:

• change air filters as often as necessary (ideally, have washable filters so you don't contribute so much to your landfill)
• vacuum and dust weekly  (don't forget those high-up places where dust piles up; don't forget to get under the furniture)
• if given a choice, hard wood or tile floors are easier to keep clean than carpets and don't trap dirt and allergens
• clean surfaces and hard floors with all natural products - check out my "homemade cleaners" tab for recipes
• wash bed linens weekly in hot water to kill dust mites; clean mattress pads often
• don't wear shoes in the home - park them just inside the the door to avoid tracking in allergens and toxins
• keep pets clean - each time they venture outdoors, they track allergens and toxins back into the home
• don't leave windows open on windy days

Do you have other tips for improving the air quality in your home?

Warren Buffett And The Pork Chop Show

I had a dream last night that I was flying around a dinner party (literally flying), holding a raw pork chop in each hand, singing a big band song about the merits of lean meat.  It was Warren Buffett's dinner party, but it was suddenly in a theater and he was in a front row mezzanine seat, the sort where Kennedy Center Honor recipients sit (but no groovy rainbow ribbon for the Oracle of Omaha).

The tune of the song was "American Bandstand" but instead of the words American Bandstand, the words were You Gotta Eat Lean Meat.  Occasionally I would clap the raw pork chops together in beat to the music. Yes, really.  It was quite a show. And Warren Buffett liked it.

So here's how I try to tie something quirky from my life into some sort of eco lesson.  Because the blog is called EcoMeg, not RandomThoughtsMeg.

I've been reading a lot lately about the merits of grass fed beef - I assume this was where the lean meat part of the dream came from (I've no idea how Warren Buffett got in there).  So I'll share with you a link to the very informative website Eat Wild by Jo Robinson, New York Times best selling author of the book Why Grassfed Is Best!.  There are many health benefits from eating grass fed rather than grain fed.  For instance, beyond being lower in fat and calories, meat from grass fed animals has far more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain fed animals (omega-3s are called "good fats" that benefit our heart and brain).  

Check out her website and her book, too.  
And don't eat pizza before bed unless you want to dream of flying with pork chops.

Toxic Oil Spill Rains?

I haven't seen this yet in North Texas but I'll keep my eye out for it.  It is very alarming!

Skin Allergy Testing: What's Involved and What I Learned

I've been an allergy sufferer for as long as I can remember.   I can't be around cats, dogs, rabbits, horses - any animals, really, without having a major problem.  And I had seasonal allergies.

Since moving to Texas three years ago from the east coast, my allergies have often been atrocious.  This year, my nose has been nothing but a source of agony since February, which is the last time I was actually able to use it to breathe.  Nothing has worked.  Zyrtec, Claritin, Claritin-D, Benadryl, Tylenol Sinus, Sudafed, you name it.  Nothing worked and whatever I took left me feeling groggy.  I'd wake up with a puffy face, stuffy nose and crusty eyes almost every day.  Visine allergy eye drops became part of my daily routine.  Bad bouts turned into sinus infections.  My symptoms became worse whenever I was outside for long spells (an hour or more) but being outside is unavoidable.  I'm a gardener, a parent of energetic children, and a runner.  I can't avoid the outdoors.  So I finally called an allergist to see if I could find some effective relief.

The first thing they did was test my lung capacity, to ensure that the problem didn't include asthma.  No problem with my lungs.  Then they had me blow my nose into a piece of wax paper and hand over the sample.  Then I was examined by the doctor.  He agreed that given my active lifestyle, it would be impractical to avoid going outdoors.  He told me I should have skin testing done to figure out what, specifically, I am allergic to.  This will help me better understand my seasonal challenges and plan for them, rather than being caught off guard.  He gave me a sample of Veramyst nasal mist, scheduled me for skin testing the next week and gave me guidelines on what what medications to avoid until then so they could get clear results.

The following Monday, I arrived at the allergist, prepared to stay there for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  The first thing the nurse did is give me two "control" pricks - one of histamine and one of saline.

A few minutes later, the histamine welt appeared (see reddish bump toward top) while the saline prick (below it) had no reaction.  We were able to proceed to the skin testing.

That's when I realized they were going to give me 54 pricks, testing a variety of the allergens typically found in north Texas - dust mites, animals, molds, trees, grasses and weeds.  54.  Gulp.

I wore a hospital gown open in the back and lay on my stomach on the exam table.  The nurse swabbed my back, applied tape with numbers on it and then pricked the appropriate allergen next to the numbers taped to my back.  A simple way to organize them.  The pricks were practically painless.  That was the good news.  But seconds later, the allergens that give me a problem started to REALLY itch.  I mean, I was huffing and puffing in that exam room, trying to use Lamaze breathing to help me cope.  I was unsuccessful.  So I pulled out my iPhone and did my best to distract myself.

Here you can see that the following gave me a problem: dust mites (1, 2), all animals (3, 4, 5), some of the trees (21, 22, 32, 33, 35), virtually all grasses (37 - 43), and a few weeds (46, 48).  The nurse measured the diameter of my welts to determine the severity of my sensitivities.  My biggest sensitivities are to animals and grasses. 

The doctor looked at the results and decided to retest a few suspicious results (more pricks to my upper arm) and determined that the original results were correct.

I got dressed and went to another room to consult with the doctor.  He was able to tell me what months of the year each of my sensitivities would be a problem.  He also told me that I am not allergic to the grass in my own backyard, which is well manicured.  Rather, I am allergic to tall grasses - grasses that are allowed to flower and distribute pollen.  I live in the countryside, so there's a lot of tall grass around.  It's also quite windy here in Tornado Alley, so Cedar pollen blows up from the south year-round.  Grass pollen also blows up from the south when it flowers earlier there than it does here - this lengthens the duration of my grass allergies.  So, Fall and Spring are ultimately my worst seasons - but particularly Spring.

He took quite a bit of time with me, which I really appreciated.  I told him I am the product of a highly allergic mother and a father who also has some allergies.  My mother is highly allergic to mold, among other things, so I was surprised to see that this isn't a problem for me.  He informed me that we can inherit an allergic gene from our parents, but what sort of allergies we develop depends on what we are exposed to as children.  Since my mother really suffered from mold, she was very careful with our house while I was young and I was rarely exposed to it.  I did, however, spend a lot of time outdoors as a child and we had many animals.  So there you go!

Then we discussed a plan of action.  I have two alternatives:

1. Continue to treat it with nasal mist, which worked remarkably well for me over the course of one week.  My nose is back to normal and I've noticed a dramatic and steady improvement in my overall itchiness and eyes.  
2. Start shot therapy to desensitize my body to these allergens, permitting me to one day be completely free of them and any medication I'm now taking to control them.  I have to say, despite the inconvenience of weekly (in the beginning) shots, the idea of one day being allergy-free is extremely appealing.  This is typically a 5 year process (weekly shots year 1, every other week year 2, monthly years 3-5) but can be accelerated to 4 years by doing a 1-day "RUSH".  This involves being given multiple allergy shots over the course of one day with an RN staying with you the whole time to ensure nothing goes wrong.  You are given antihistamines, etc, the day before, the day of and the day after the RUSH to control allergic reaction.  It sounds a bit scary but gaining a year on the process is appealing.

I'm not sure what I'll do at this point.  I need to mull it over, though I am leaning toward option #2.

Read my other posts about Allergen Immunotherapy here.


If you've had shot treatment for allergies, please take my poll!

Quick, Healthy and Filling Food

I overheard a woman say today that she doesn't have time to eat healthfully.  Respectfully, I must say that that's utter nonsense.   You just have to think outside the box.  Healthy food can also be "fast food."

Here's one example of a super quick, healthy and filling breakfast or lunch:

1 cup of lowfat organic strawberry yogurt (I love Stonyfield)
1 cup of GoLean Crunch! cereal (by Kashi)
1 cup of  raw blueberries

Nutritional content:
480 calories
7.5 grams of fat
19 grams of protein
12 grams of fiber
35% the US RDA of calcium

Yum!

What are your favorite healthy, fast meals?

Another Way to Get Your Kids to Eat Veggies: Juicing!

I am constantly trying new ways to get my kids to eat their vegetables (I've written a few posts on the subject: see here).  My older son is pretty good about it but my younger son is one tough customer.  Among other methods, I've tried:

• pureeing cooked carrots, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and squash and hiding them in marinara (not all of them at once), mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches or hamburgers
  
• adding spinach to fruit smoothies
• making cute faces with them (green bean as mouth, carrot as nose, zucchini slice as eyes)
• bribery (I'm not proud).  

But until recently, I hadn't tried juicing.  Juicing has many health benefits - I encourage you to read more about them here.  I was astonished at what I'd been missing by not incorporating this "delivery mode" into my diet.

So here is how it unfolded: I picked my older son up from school and told him about the exciting activity I had planned: he could make his own juice!  We could try all sorts of vegetables and fruits!  We could combine them and see how they tasted together!  (I used a lot of exclamation points in my pitch.)  He was very excited by the time we got home.  My two sons and I made our own fresh apple, pineapple, mandarin orange, carrot, spinach/carrot, and apple/orange juices.  It was really fun.  I had made fresh squeezed orange juice before but had no idea how great other fresh juices can taste.  Tonight, before dinner, my younger son asked for carrot juice.  Now that is success!

The juicer I bought is powerful, quiet and easy to clean.  It does not do as good a job with green leafies as a really high-end juicer, but it serves my needs quite well.  It's the Jack Lalanne PJP Power Juicer Pro Stainless-Steel Electric Juicer.

Letting Go

For the first time in years, I wrote a list of New Year's resolutions on January 1.  Or maybe it's more a to-do list for the New Year.  Ironically, I wrote it on the back of an envelope.  My husband, thinking it was garbage, almost threw it out.  And maybe it was garbage, but I don't usually figure that out about New Year's resolutions until about January 15.

Anyway, here's my list.  Most of it is pretty typical, I think.

1. Organize my files.  You should see my husband's file drawer.  If I didn't know better, I'd think he irons his paperwork.
2. Stick to my budget.  Always important to do, but especially important in this economy.
3. Exercise more.  I know I always feel great after I work out - why is it so hard to remember that?
   
4. Finalize our last will and testament, as well as some other financial planning items.  This is my husband's goal, too, but I know it will fall to me to get it done.
5. Finish the short story I've been working on with my older son.
6. Figure out what I'm going to do career-wise after son number 2 starts school next year.
7. Start - and hopefully finish - writing that book I've been contemplating.  If I can ever find the time.
   
8. Catch up on my scrap booking (I still have to put together last year's albums), sort and store my kids' memorabilia in their "memory boxes" rather than the brown paper bags my husband shoved it all into after I let it pile up a bit.
   
9. Don't let little things get to me. 
   
10. Take a look at, and then let go of, some metaphorical baggage.  As long as I'm getting my house in order, I should take a look at my head and heart, too.
    

This last item required me to sit quietly and figure out what really ticks me off or makes my heart ache.  I'm sure there's a lot more for me to wade through in the cobwebbed recesses of my mind, but I decided I should set myself up for success and keep the list small.  I won't bore you with the details, but I boiled #10 down to three things that I think have really been holding me back.  These things have made me miserable from time to time over a multi-year period.  Why am I dragging all of this around??

Resolving these three issues will involve planning (knowing myself as I do), forgiveness (of myself and others), a more positive attitude (to shake some of it off), some discipline (as with everything in life) and some spirituality (offering difficult things up).  I've always been a believer that God helps those who help themselves, so I'm taking the time to do whatever I can to alleviate my burden, then plan to ask for help.

I want 2010 to be my happiest year yet.  With a little hard work, it just might be.

Just Chuck The Tie Already

I've always hated the smell of dry cleaned clothing.  Before my first child was born, I worked in financial services and "suited up" every day.  We didn't have an organic dry cleaner near us.  While I made sure to only wear machine- or hand-washable shirts under my suits, I looked forward to casual Fridays when I could ditch those dry cleaned suits. These days, I only wear machine-washable clothing unless I have to dress formally.  I couldn't imagine hugging my child while wearing a dry cleaned sweater.

My husband suits up every day, so the topic of necktie care has come up.  They are only cleaned when they need a spot removed, and they are always dry cleaned.  I think that's pretty typical of the way most men care for their neckties.  Ick.

So when I read yesterday's Wall Street Journal and saw an article titled, "Nothing to Sneeze At: Doctors' Neckties Seen as Flu Risk," I had to read it.  Here was one interesting quote...

"A 2004 analysis of neckties worn by 42 doctors and medical staffers at the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens found that nearly half carried bacteria that could cause illnesses such as pneumonia and blood infections. That compared with 10% for ties worn by security guards at the hospital."

Some doctors are resistant to going tie-less despite this evidence - they feel that neckties lend an air of professionalism.  So a company is selling neckties with a stain-resistant coating that the company says "repels bacterial infection."

Excuse me while I look up at the ceiling and sigh deeply.

BPA Is in "BPA-Free" Cans, Too.

Today, a friend forwarded to me an article titled "Concern Over Canned Foods."  The article details findings from Consumer Reports' latest test for BPA in canned foods.   BPA is a known endocrine disruptor.  It mimics your own hormones and has been connected to obesity, breast and prostate cancer, negative effects on fetal and infant brain development, and other terrible stuff.

The article states a few interesting things:

1.  Federal guidelines, based on experiments done in the 1980s, put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight.   However, several animal studies show adverse effects, such as abnormal reproductive development, at exposures of 2.4 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day.  Clearly, the federal guidelines need dramatic revision.

2. "The canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled "BPA-free.""  The implications are obvious - if you think you're making a safe choice by going organic, you are not necessarily doing so.

3. "In Japan, most major manufacturers voluntarily changed their can linings in 1997 to cut or eliminate the use of BPA because of concerns about health effects. A 2003 Japanese study found that the levels of the chemical in subjects' urine dropped by 50 percent after the change in cans was made."  This means it's not too late to get your body back on track.

The main conclusion: dump the canned food.

So far, I've restricted my family's exposure to canned goods to one single brand, Eden Organic, because of its "BPA-free" can, but even this brand was mentioned in the study as containing trace amounts of BPA.  For at least a year, we've been enjoying the canned navy beans with some frequency and occasionally use the canned pizza sauce, too. 

I am both idealist and realist.  I aspire to keep my kids' bodies as healthy as possible while still under my watch, and I think I do a pretty good job of it most of the time.  With this new knowledge, I will learn to make my own pizza sauce and freeze it, or I'll buy a version in a glass jar.  I will also start soaking and cooking my own beans.  But I know that my kids will end up eating some Halloween candy that has artificial colors and flavors, attend birthday parties where unnaturally-red fruit punch is served, and have an occasional slice of pizza that's made of non-organic ingredients.  I also know that there will be nights when canned Eden Organic beans will be part of the meal.   Because 1 ppb of BPA might be preferable to me blowing a gasket.

Swine Flu Has Visited My House

This has been a tough few months for the kids.  We've probably been through 4 different viruses since school started in August, despite being chronic hand washers, having a no-shoes policy in the house and disinfecting our hands whenever we enter our car after we've been out and about.  The kids collected the airborne viruses like magnets.  Thankfully, they never contracted any of the really ugly digestive-type illnesses, though (I chalk this up to the diligent hand washing).  We did get the seasonal flu shot but did not and will not get the Swine Flu vaccine because of concerns about its efficacy and the connection to Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

My five-year-old ran a fever a few weeks ago and the fever lasted for maybe a week, peaking one day at 106F.  He was lethargic and had a headache.  But we had him tested TWICE for Swine Flu and Strep and the tests were always negative.

So when he ran a slight fever over this past weekend and had a slight cough but was otherwise okay, I kept him home from school for the duration of the fever (as I always do) but otherwise didn't think much of it.  But on Friday, as I packed for our trip to LA, I decided he should get tested one more time.  The cough had really lingered and I wanted to be sure before I exposed hundreds of people to him.  Sure enough, SWINE FLU.  I was flabbergasted.  This was almost a non-event - I almost didn't even have him tested, and none of the rest of us got sick.

So he had to stay home with his Dad and I went alone to LA.  He was devastated.

I just thought I'd share our experience so that folks might understand that not everyone ends up in the hospital, not everyone gets terribly ill from Swine Flu.  If you do not have underlying health problems, think HARD before you get the Swine Flu vaccine and all that comes with it.  Don't succumb to the hysteria.

Quick, Delicious Asian Stir-Fry

I recently added a few dishes to my repertoire that are low-carb - that just focus on vegetables and protein.  This is one of them.  It's quick, easy and incredibly tasty.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Vegi & Protein
1/2 medium red pepper, cut in narrow strips
1/2 medium yellow pepper, cut in narrow strips
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/2 cup water chestnuts
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced carrots
8 cups chopped bok choy
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced pork, chicken, beef, seafood or tofu (we enjoy thinly sliced center cut pork chop or boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

Stir-Fry Sauce - whisk together:
1/2 cup sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Put 2 tbsp sesame oil into a wok or (10"-12") saute pan at high heat.  Season with a touch of salt and pepper and quickly cook your protein to 165F (no higher or it may dry out - use a thermometer).  Should only take a few minutes if it is thinly sliced and you stir frequently.  Remove protein and set aside.  Drain oil from wok or pan.

Immediately proceed with the vegetables.  Add 3 tbsp sesame oil to the wok or pan at high heat.  Add all vegetables except the bok choy (you add this toward the end so it doesn't brown).  Stir-fry 1-3 minutes, then add the bok choy and stir fry another minute or so, tossing frequently.  Pour in the stir-fry sauce and toss for another minute.  Remove from heat.  Add the protein and toss again.  Serve.

We've eaten this alone and it's quite filling, but you could also serve it over rice or as a side dish.

This recipe makes about five servings.

It is absolutely delicious.

Is Water Fluoridation Necessary, Or Even Good for Us?

Our family is very careful about what we put in our bodies.  We eat a largely organic diet and minimize our exposure to toxins. 

• I make my own all natural cleaning supplies.   
• We bathe our kids with all natural, organic shampoos and use only the safest sunscreen.  
• Our fruits and vegetables are mainly organic.  Our dairy is always organic.  Our meat and poultry is organic, or at the very least, vegetarian-fed and free of antibiotics and growth hormones.  Our organic diet allows us to avoid artificial colors and flavors, as well as high fructose corn syrup.
  
• We have all but eliminated plastic from our kitchen, cook with cast iron and store our food in Pyrex or stainless steel containers.  
• We don't drink bottled water because of chemicals that may leach out of the plastic bottles (and most of it is tap water anyway) and use stainless steel bottles when we're out and about.
  

But I'm becoming increasingly concerned that all of this effort is being offset by chemicals that may be lurking in our drinking water.  I've written about this before.  I thought I'd resolved my concerns and settled on drinking our tap water.  But I've been thinking more about the studies that point to the presence of sex hormones, mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants and antibiotics in municipal drinking water.  See this article, or this one or this one.  Is this why children are going through puberty earlier, has it contributed to health problems, is this one reason autism is on the rise?  Maybe what I'm doing now to protect my family isn't enough.  I haven't found any home kits that test for the presence of pharmaceuticals and my city doesn't test for them, so I have to go on faith that our tap water won't harm my family over time.  Hmm. Not feeling the faith.

Just about the only element of municipal drinking water that has kept us from installing a reverse-osmosis filter is fluoride.  But I wonder: is water fluoridation really necessary, or even good for us?  My kids get fluoride treatments from their dentist twice a year and I brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.  Do they really need it in their drinking water, too?

So I took the opportunity to ask the dentist today at my kids' semi-annual cleaning/checkup whether fluoridated water is necessary.  She said that having systemic fluoride (i.e., from drinking water) is important for developing teeth more than for the teeth that have already broken through (since these can be cleaned with fluoride toothpaste and given fluoride treatments).  So I asked her if she thought it would be okay if I started using reverse osmosis for our drinking water once the kids' adult teeth started coming in, and she said yes.

I'm still wondering about it, though.  How much damage might these chemicals do to my family in the three years until my younger child starts losing baby teeth? 

What would you do?

Cesar Millan, Human Whisperer

There was a fascinating article in Sunday's New York Times, titled "Cesar Millan, Whispering to Rottweillers, and to CEOs."    I'm not a dog person - I am allergic to pets and like clean floors.  But the title grabbed me.  I encourage you to read it.

The article explains Cesar Millan's philosophy and career progression.  What an amazing success story.  Even more interesting is how his philosophy about dogs can be used with similar success with humans. 

One of the most interesting excerpts from the article:

"(Dogs) accept you as who you are - one leg, two legs, no eyes, no problem," he says.  "But they won't be around unstable energy.  That's how much integrity they have."    Not so with humans.  "One of Cesar's favorite sayings," says Jim Milio, a partner in MPH, which produces the show out of a mini-mall in Burbank, Calif., "is that humans are the only animals who will follow unstable pack leaders."

His mantra is "exercise, discipline and affection."  These elements, when applied to dogs, will make dog owners successful pack leaders.  Applied to yourself, they will also make you more stable, more confident, more in-balance.  So, even people who are not dog owners can apply these elements in their lives to improve their relationships in the workplace and with their families.  Stable, confident, strong, compassionate people attract other people.  So, be fit, be disciplined, offer friendship/affection/love (as appropriate) and people will want to follow you, be around you.  That makes total sense to me.  I was able to explain this to my husband in two minutes and it made sense to him, too. 

So I plan to post Cesar Millan's mantra (with some elaboration) in my kitchen to remind everyone in my household what they need to do every day to be strong, confident, stable and warm:

Exercise - get your heart rate up every single day
Discipline - practice this across all facets of life - sleep, eating, budget, emotions, respect, work, time management, family time
Affection - everyone needs to show everyone in the house affection every single day

I'm going to see how this works out for us over the next two weeks and I will report back here.  Now excuse me while I go do a Shred.  Hopefully, my toddler won't try to sit on me while I'm doing crunches.

Makes Me Think Twice About Eating Burgers

The featured article on the front page of Sunday's New York Times is titled "The Burger That Shattered Her Life."  It is about the risk folks run eating hamburger meat.

There were several takeaways from that article, in my opinion.

1. You can avoid many food-borne illnesses by properly cooking your meat - use a thermometer!
2. Keep your hands and countertops clean when you're cooking.  E. coli cells double every 45 minutes in a warm kitchen.
3. Hamburger meat can be comprised of a whole lot of odds and ends, sourced from different suppliers in different countries.  And here I thought it was from one cow.  Good grief!  But leaner is better, and not just because of the lower fat content.
   
4. Some components of some types of ground beef are treated with AMMONIA to kill bacteria.
5. Costco is one of the few big producers that tests for E. coli before grinding.
   

My conclusion: go organic or go vegetarian -  but if you must eat meat, USE A THERMOMETER TO COOK IT.

Will you get the swine flu vaccination? (originally posted 9/18/09, updated 10/2/09)

On the one hand, I've read that one of the vaccine's supposed ingredients, squalene (an element added to stimulate the immune response), may have been responsible for Gulf War Syndrome.  And there is worry of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious neurological disease that was associated with the swine flu immunization of 1976.

On the other hand, my children's pediatrician says the H1N1 vaccine is not much different from our annual flu vaccines (only the flu strain addressed by the vaccine is different) and we shouldn't be afraid of it.  And it will be available in a preservative-free formulation, which is the only one her office will carry.

At the risk of attracting the ire of anti-vaccine activists, I'll state that I've had my children vaccinated as scheduled (though I always requested and received the preservative-free formulation), including their annual flu shots.

I'm on the fence on this one, though.  Can someone help me untangle this debate?

Update 10/2/09:
NOT getting it.

One Turkey Sandwich, Hold the E. coli

My husband never throws away food that languishes in the refrigerator.  Conversely, I may be too quick to throw away food.  I am very afraid of my family falling victim to foodborne illness, so I tend to toss leftovers first and ask questions later.

This morning, my husband asked if I might make him a sandwich with the leftover roasted turkey we had for dinner last week.
"Uh, er, grf, zwff."
"No, you did not throw it away!"
"Of course I did.  We ate it last week.  It is now Thursday."

So now I must justify my action with some facts.  Ok, folks, here they are, straight from the USDA's website.  No need to thank me for saving your stomach honey!