A clinical study released by Academy of Pediatrics shows that children may benefit from probiotics especially while taking antibiotics or in treating viral diarrhea.

What are Probiotics?

According to Wikipedia, probiotics are live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: “Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”.^[1] Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but certain yeasts and bacilli may also be helpful. Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods with specially added active live cultures; such as in yogurt, soy yogurt, or as dietary supplements.

About the Study

The complete study can be downloaded in pdf form: “Clinical Report—Probiotics and Prebiotics in Pediatrics“

In summary, the report found that:

1. Human milk, a natural prebiotic,is preferred for infants through 6 months of age. The oligosaccharide content of human milk is substantial and is part of the prebiotic components of the human milk. Breastfed infants typically have a preponderance of naturally occurring probiotic bacteria in their digestive systems. There may be some naturally occurring probiotic bacteria contained in human milk.

2. There is some evidence in otherwise healthy infants and young children to support the use of probiotics early in the course of diarrhea from acute viral gastroenteritis and that use of probiotics reduces its duration by 1 day. However, the available evidence does not support the routine use of probiotics to prevent infectious diarrhea unless there are special circumstances. There is some evidence to support the use of probiotics to prevent antibiotic associated diarrhea but no evi- dence that it is beneficial for treatment.

3. Although the results of some studies support the prophylactic use of probiotics during pregnancy and lactation and during the first 6 months of life in infants who are at risk of atopic disorders, further confirmatory evidence is necessary before a recommendation for routine use can be made.

4. There is some evidence to support the use of probiotics to prevent NEC in preterm infants with a birth weight of 1000 g or higher. However, the amount and specificity of which probiotic or mixture of probiotics to use is problematic, given the many unanswered questions from a review of the available literature. Furthermore, many of the probiotics used and cited in the literature for treatment in preterm infants are not readily available.

5. At the present time, the sustained or longterm benefit of using probiotics for treating disorders such as Crohn disease, IBS, constipation, and extraintestinal infections requires further RCTs and cannot be recommended in children. There may benefit for treating H pylori infections, CUC, and infantile colic with probiotics in childhood, but further studies are necessary.

6. Long-term health benefits of probiotics in the prevention of cancer, allergy, or other diseases or providing sustained beneficial results on the developing immune system beyond early infancy remain to be proven.

7. Addition of probiotics to powdered infant formulas has not been demonstrated to be harmful to healthy term infants. On the other hand, evidence of clinical efficacy for their addition is insufficient to recommend the routine use of these formulas. No RCTs have directly compared the health benefits of feeding human milk versus infant formula supplemented with probiotics.

BioVeda now offers SEVEN, a high quality, natural probiotic supplement that can help restore 80% of your immune system!

What can SEVEN, Natural Probiotic, do for you?

• Maintain your ideal “good” to “bad” bacteria ration by providing the optimal environment for the growth of good bacteria*
• Support production of B vitamins, especially folic acid, biotin and Vitamin K*
• Promote mineral absorption*
• Aid metabolism and the breakdown of toxins*
• Support immune system function*
• Produce lactic acid for your support of digestive processes and colon pH balance*
• Help maintain serum lipid and blood pressure levels in the healthy range*

Order your two-month supply (60 capsules) of SEVEN, Natural Probiotic Today!

Reference
1.  Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Evaluation of Health and Nutritional Properties of Probiotics in Food Including Powder Milk with Live Lactic Acid Bacteria (October 2001). “Health and Nutritional Properties of Probiotics in Food including Powder Milk with Live Lactic Acid Bacteria”. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization. Retrieved 2009-11-04.

- by Dr. Eric Herman, D.C. BioVeda Health & Wellness Center of Bethlehem

What causes allergies and chemical sensitivities?
Over the last decade, important breakthroughs have occurred in the identification and treatment of allergies. Dr. Robert Gardner, Ph.D. professor of nutrition at Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah), discovered that specific key chemical agents cause allergic reactions including hayfever. These naturally occurring chemical agents called “phenolic” (aromatic) compounds, are regularly found throughout our environment in thousands of items including most foods, pollen and chemicals.

What is the relationship between allergies and asthma?
Many forms of asthma are caused by allergic reactions from both airborne phenolic compounds and those found in foods. Asthmatic individuals can be helped in the same way as others suffering from allergies. Airborne phenolic compounds are often found in pollen, tobacco smoke, house dust, air pollution, kapok, wool, feathers, animal hair or dander, building materials, furniture stuffing, cottonseed, and chemical odors. Some examples of foods that are most likely to be factors associated with asthma are those eaten daily such as wheat, eggs, chocolate, corn, peanut butter, citrus fruits, potatoes and tomatoes. We have helped many people suffering from asthma by first testing for those phenolics and other agents that can cause or contribute to asthma. We then screen and treat allergies, if indicated, utilizing our clinics’ painless techniques. This treatment also helps strengthen the immune system.

Do I have to restrict my diet to avoid allergies?
Not usually. Since phenolics are found in so many foods and other materials, it would be virtually impossible through dietary restrictions to avoid the phenolics causing the reactions. For instance, one of the phenolics, gallic acid, occurs in about 70% of the foods we eat! Restricting a persons diet or giving injections of whole food extracts in an attempt to avoid this compound seems impractical in light of these discoveries.

However, there is a small, select group of people that are critically sensitive to some foods and should still avoid those items. These people require special therapeutic programs and instructions.

Why should I have allergies and feel tired even if I eat only “good foods”?
The fact that a person eats only “good foods” or even “health foods” may have little to do with whether or not they suffer from allergies. Phenolic compounds occur in “good” foods as well as those items commonly thought of as “junk” foods.
The solution is to strengthen the body’s immune system by neutralizing and desensitizing phenolic compounds within the foods, NOT by avoiding the foods themselves!

What are some of the symptoms of allergies?
Allergies affect people in differing degrees. In fact, many people suffer the effects of allergies but often don’t recognize that their problems are related to an allergy! In the course of treating allergies, the patient is often quickly benefitted by being relieved of symptoms (such as fatigue) that was not originally associated with the allergy. For example, Dr. Abram Ber, M.D. has found that sensitivity to gallic acid contributes to chronic lower back pain, nasal congestion and fatigue.
Furthermore, many other problems such as depression, bedwetting, hayfever, headaches, stomach and intestinal disorders and skin problems have been helped by phenolic neutralization.
Remember, the body is a very complex system. Relief from a stressful condition (such as an allergy) can very easily relieve stress in other parts of the body. In severe cases, it is like removing a crushing pressure from the body which has been held in a “vice-grip” for years!

Are there ways I can tell if I or someone in my family, especially my child. has an allergy?
Many of the symptoms of allergies in children are similar to allergies in adults. Doris J. Rapp, M.D. has reported that some children with allergies show black, blue or red circles under the eyes (called allergic shiners) which appear after a person gets near or eats something to which they are allergic. Another clue is bags under the eyes. Some children have puffiness directly below the eyes and others also have little bags below the outer edge of each eye. Deep creases or wrinkles under the eyes are typical of persons with an allergy. [9] Allergies to foods and chemicals are also linked to learning disabilities, hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children (and adults).

How can allergies be treated painlessly?
Physicians using the homeopathic phenolic neutralization and desensitization techniques utilize advances in technology to help hundreds of people overcome their allergy problems. The use of painless, non-injection methods of diagnosing and treating allergies is the most effective method we have personally witnessed.

These methods have been especially welcomed by parents with children who have suffered from a fear of needles and the discomfort of skin reactions, nausea and other unpleasant reactions caused by conventional provocative allergy testing.

Symptoms of Phenol Sensitivity
Some typical symptoms indicating your child may have a phenol problem are [not all of these need be present]: dark circles under the eyes, red face/ears, diarrhea, hyperactivity, aggression, headache, head banging or other self-injury, inappropriate laughter, difficulty falling asleep at night, and night waking for several hours. The typical adult symptom of phenol intolerance is chronic fatigue syndrome, which is the opposite symptom that most children have, altho some children do present as always tired/lethargic, instead of hyper with sleep and other issues.

List of High Phenol Foods
Here is a short list of high phenol foods from Karen Seroussi’s book. They are food dyes, tomatoes, apples, peanuts, bananas, oranges, cocoa, red grapes, colored fruits, and milk.

Here is the Feingold list of highly phenolic/high salicylate foods: toiletries, cleaning supplies, art supplies — that has any of the following ingredients: Synthetic/artificial colors and flavors [for example, FD&C colors, vanillin], BHA, BHT, TBHQ, [all the preceding are made from or related to petroleum], Natural Flavoring (may contain salicylate), Natural Coloring (may contain salicylate), Aspirin and products containing aspirin or salicylic acid, Salicylates, Almonds, Apples, Apricots, Berries (all), Cherries, Chili powder, Cider & cider vinegar (apples), Cloves, Coffee, Cucumbers & pickles, Currants, Grapes & raisins, Nectarines, Oranges, Paprika, Peaches, Peppers (bell & chili), Plums, Prunes, Tangerines, Tea, Tomatoes, Wine & wine vinegar (grapes), Oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate). Other items to consider are perfumes and fragrances, nitrites and nitrates, monosodium glutamate [MSG], Hydrolized Vegetable Protein [may contain MSG], sulfites/sulfiting agents, benzoates, and corn syrup [made from hydrogen sulfide + corn starch and many other added chemicals].

Advanced Treatment
Allergies are an error! The body is reacting inappropriately to a completely harmless substance, food or stimuli. STRESSORS are substances, foods or stimuli that place STRESS upon your nervous system.

Many of these STRESSORS can cause symptoms of allergies and sensitivities!

Your body can be retrained to accept these STRESSORS by no longer perceiving them as a threat. We do not treat and chase the symptoms, rather we get to the core of the problem…the nervous system’s inappropriate response to these STRESSORS. “We treat the person, not the condition”  Learn more:  Contact a BioVeda Health & Wellness Center near you!

Several articles came to our attention this week as must reads when it comes to a natural approach to overall health and wellness.  Here’s the latest in health news across the web!

Food Allergies Make Kids a Target (CNN.com)

More children with food allergies may experience acts of bullying and other targeted negative behaviors than their peers, Sicherer said. A 2001 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study found that about 17 percent of children in grades six to 10 reported being bullied. By comparison, 50 percent of kids in that age group in the food allergy study were reported to have experienced bullying, teasing or harassment. Read more.

Top Ten Toxins and How to Protect Your Family (USA Today)

What can you do to protect your family from everyday toxins? Plenty, writes USA TODAY health reporter Liz Szabo, in Fresh: Women’s Health Guide, a new USA TODAY publication that hits newsstands today. Here’s Szabo’s list of the toxic 10, in no particular order, with ideas for avoiding them. Read more.

What’s Wrong with Our Food “System”? (TedX Next Generation)

Why go organic?  11 year old, Birke Baehr speaks out about the risks of genetically modified foods, CAFOs, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and food irradiation.

Watch the video.

Hot Pepper for High Blood Pressure (Dr. Andrew Weil)

Capsaicin, the compound that adds the spicy zing to hot peppers, seems to have some benefit in blood pressure control. Chinese researchers have reported that long term consumption of capsaicin as part of the normal diet of rats bred to have high blood pressure helps relax blood vessels so that pressure falls. Read more.

- by Dr. Eric Herman, D.C.  BioVeda Health & Wellness Center of Bethlehem, PA

If you’re allergic to ragweed pollen, fall is most likely not your favorite season. “Depending on where you live, fall is ragweed time,” says Julie McNairn, MD, an allergist/immunologist in Cincinnati, Ohio. During this time, dry leaves, grass, and hay mold harbor allergens such as mold spores and pollen.

“Seasonal allergies,” adds Dr. McNairn, “vary. You may experience symptoms one year and not the next. It’s very unpredictable,” she says. “It is also really hard to say from year to year how the allergy season will be.”

Diagnosing Fall Allergies

Like most seasonal allergies, the symptoms of typical fall allergies usually include sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy and watery eyes. These symptoms can interfere with your daily activities, impairing your ability to perform at work or school.

Ragweed pollen is one of the most common reasons for fall seasonal allergy symptoms. A hardy plant, ragweed grows everywhere, but is particularly common in the Northeast, South, and Midwest regions of the United States. Peak ragweed season starts in mid-August and lasts through October.

Ragweed pollen also is known to cause a condition known as oral allergy syndrome (OAS). In OAS, you may experience itching in your mouth and throat, along with mild swelling, after you consume fresh fruits and vegetables such as banana, cucumber, melon, and zucchini.

In addition to ragweed pollen, pollen from other plants, trees, and grass can trigger allergies in the fall. If you’re allergic, mold can also lead to a reaction during the autumn months. “Molds can be both indoor and outdoor,” says McNairn. “The only time you really get rid of the mold [outside] is if you have a lot of snow on the ground,” she says.

Tips for Managing Fall Allergies

To reduce your exposure to fall allergens such as mold and pollen, McNairn suggests the following:

• Use a dehumidifier, an electric appliance that can decrease humidity in your house, to keep the relative humidity in your home at less than 50 percent.
• Ask someone who is not allergic to clean visible mold with a diluted bleach solution.
• Regularly clean room humidifiers, because they are prone to developing mold.
• Have someone who is not allergic do yard work (raking leaves, mowing the lawn), or wear a facemask and goggles if you must do it yourself.
• Keep the windows shut and the air conditioner running when ragweed pollen levels are high.
• Shower after being outdoors and avoid taking your dirty clothes and shoes into the bedroom, to keep the room as pollen-free as possible.

Alternative Treatments

Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy or NSRT provides a novel and unique approach to wellness that is based on proven, accepted science, allowing patients who generally have very few if any treatment options to experience symptomatic relief. Our technology and science are based on these four facts:

1. Stress causes or exacerbates most health related conditions. “According to The American Medical Association (AMA), stress is the cause of 80 to 85 percent of all human illness and disease. Every week, 95 million Americans suffer some kind of stress-related symptom for which they take medication. “
2. A general reduction of stress levels can significantly decrease symptoms of many conditions.
3. The brain creates associations between stressful events and substances which are often times inappropriate and subsequently lead to a host of chronic and acute conditions. As an example, “Allergies are abnormal or inappropriate reactions of the nervous system that occur in response to otherwise harmless substances.” – Alternative Medicine Encyclopedia
4. If these associations can be broken, by introducing a positive stimulus in conjunction with the specific stress inducing substance… symptoms can be reduced or eliminated.

Stress is the key word. Our technology measures stress levels in the Autonomic Nervous System, Identifies substances that cause stress levels to rise, and couples these environmental stressors with a positive stimulus which in this case is the release of endorphins and enkephalins triggered by nerve bundle stimulation during light therapy. Endorphins and enkephalins are the body’s natural sedative and pain killer which upon release calm the nervous system breaking the previous negative association and replacing it with a neutral association. The net result is the positive conditioning or successful neurological relaxation training of the ANS (Autonomic Nervous System) to no longer respond in a stressful manner during real world substance exposure.

Why is that so important? Well, the stress response is the first step in the cascade of events that end up with sneezing, sniffling, sinus pressure, gas, bloating, diarrhea, itching, welting and burning skin irritations, wheezing and difficulty breathing. These are all symptomatic expressions the body uses to expel toxins or substances it believes are harmful to the body through the nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, integumentary (The skin) and musculo-skeletal systems.

All of these conditions can be described as being kicked off with an Autonomic Nervous System Mediated Response. NSRT (Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy) is very effective at alleviating or eliminating the triggers that lead to these symptoms.

Our devices are not meant to diagnose or treat any specific condition. The benefits of reducing stress on the nervous system however, and reducing or eliminating autonomic nervous system mediated responses can have wide reaching positive effects on a number of symptoms and conditions that previously had limited therapeutic options.

The benefits of NSRT are further magnified due to the fact that our procedure is fast, highly accurate in substance specific assessment, non-invasive, painless and effective. NSRT requires no drugs, no needles and no dietary restrictions making NSRT a safe and holistic alternative for patient care.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is highly effective in the treatment of allergies and fully capable of stimulating the organism to heal to the point of complete relief from all allergy symptoms.

Many of us have suffered from allergies at one time in our life, and usually the best treatment offered was symptomatic relief through avoidance of the allergen or through medication. Homeopathy, on the other hand, addresses the cause of the sensitivity to allergens at the deepest possible level; avoiding the allergen (the substance responsible for the allergic response) or resorting to suppression of symptoms through ongoing symptomatic treatment becomes unnecessary once this sensitivity has been eliminated.

An Allergist is the medical specialist that commonly uses small doses of an allergen in order to desensitize a person to that allergen. This concept of using small doses of what might cause a problem in order to help prevent or heal the person is an ancient observation of healers/physicians all over the world, and it is the basis for a type of natural medicine called homeopathy.

It is therefore not surprising that one of the three physicians who founded the American Academy of Allergy was a San Francisco homeopathic physician, Dr. Grant L. Selfridge. [2] Another small and forgotten footnote in medical history involves a homeopathic physician from Scotland, C.H. Blackley, who in 1871 was the first physician to identify pollen as the cause of hay fever. [3]

The truth is that allergies can be permanently overcome. The body is incredibly made and has all the mechanisms built within that allow us to attain and maintain great health. Our innate healing abilities are so powerful that we naturally overcome the majority of problems we encounter in life.

“Think about this for a minute – what if headaches didn’t come and go, they just came and stayed? Or, imagine if you still had every cut, scrape and injury you had ever gotten – you would be a mess. Obviously, you naturally recover from many conditions because your body has internal healing capabilities”.

Symptoms are often mistaken as the cause of the problem, when really they are caused by the problem. Treating a symptom instead of a root cause is like turning off a fire alarm instead of putting out the fire. Take headaches for example. Say you choose to use aspirin or ibuprofen to control the symptoms. Time and time again, you must take these pills (why do you think you get so many aspirin in a bottle?). In most cases, the underlying cause of the headache is not changing and therefore the headaches keep coming back! Wouldn’t you rather target the underlying cause and stop the headaches from returning at all?

Do you think that taking various over-the-counter drug products for symptoms is the best way to deal with allergies? Why use temporary solutions over and over again? Your immune system needs to be normalized and strengthened so you do not have to live with allergy symptoms.

Do you know about the possible side effects of antihistamines and decongestants, the primary ingredients in many over-the-counter allergy medications? Many allergy products can cause nervousness, insomnia, dry mouth, negative reactions to other substances, stomach upset and over-sensitivity to sunlight. Additionally, many of these products will cause a rebound effect, a worsening of symptoms when the drug is discontinued. Homeopathy helps your body naturally overcome allergy symptoms with no side effects, while you stay fresh and alert.

Homeopathy is the purest form of natural medicine I have found. With over 200 years of clinical use, there are no negative side effects, no known reactions with other drugs, no contraindications for use and no addictive or habit forming properties. These outstanding results are unprecedented in the history of medicine.

Homeopathic medicines have become the first of all the natural remedies to be registered by the FDA as a drug product. Homeopathy offers a safe, natural solution backed by science, clinical experience, FDA registration and, most importantly, the tests of time.

Homeopathy is designed to work very quickly. Most people will notice initial results as early as 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Others may see results in a few minutes to a few days. Others experience a sense of lightness, accompanied by an emotional release. The corresponding sense of well being or an increase in overall energy, alertness and awareness indicates the healing response is taking place within you. Another positive sign of the healing response being activated is that you will require less and less of this natural medicine as time goes on, not more and more.

Homeopathic natural medicines are powerful. Homeopathy can be safely and effectively combined with nutritional and herbal products, as well as conventional drugs and procedures. The end results of using an all-natural approach are well worth it! Natural relief is a far healthier and often permanent solution.

Homeopathy is a very individualized healing art. A single remedy for one person with allergies may not be the same as that needed for another. Treating 10 people with allergy symptoms may require just as many different homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathy offers formulas designed to strengthen you from the inside by activating your body’s natural response system to stimulate its ability to heal itself. This approach offers relief of allergy symptoms, while formulas which work specifically on the immune system may even prevent future allergic reactions. A second approach in homeopathy acclimates you for the outside by providing homeopathic preparations of the specific weeds, grasses, trees, molds and pollens found in your geographic region. Over time, your body becomes less sensitive to the exposure of these allergens, reducing the severity and frequency allergic reactions. Using both of these approaches together provide the most complete approach to allergy correction.

This contemporary homeopathic approach is the only treatment method besides immunotherapy or allergy tests and shots that offer a chance for lasting relief or potential cure from allergies. Obviously, homeopathy offers the simplest, safest, and less costly and time-invested approach. Homeopathic allergy relief is applicable to anyone with allergies and should be the practical first choice for allergy care and correction.

[1] Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America

[2] Cohen SG. The American Academy of Allergy: a historical review. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1979;64: 332-333.

[3] Reilly D, Taylor MA, McSharry C, Aitchison T. Is homoeopathy a placebo response? Controlled trial of homoeopath ic potency, with pollen in hayfever as model. Lancet October 18, 1986; ii: 881-886.

- by Dr. Gary Douglas

I have always felt that many of our health problems are caused by a Physical, Chemical or Emotional trauma to our autonomic nervous system. I discovered this phenomenon in 1979 while working with Migraine Headache patients. They had a very common statement “ever since” which was followed by an account of a physical, emotional or chemical event. In 1980 I started on a journey around the world. I returned home in 1982 and went back into practice without finding a scientific answer.

In 1979 Dr. Ryke Hamer also made a very similar discovery. He has spent his life trying to prove this phenomenon to the scientific community. I hope that by reading the following article you will have a better understanding of why I rely so heavily on the patient history.

Dr. med. Mag. theol. Ryke Geerd Hamer, born in 1935 in Frisia (Germany), studied medicine and theology at the University of Tübingen. At the age of 22, he completed his master’s degree in theology and then, four years later, received his professional license as a doctor of medicine. The following years he practiced at different university clinics in Germany.

In 1972 Dr. Hamer completed his specialization in internal medicine and began to work at the University clinic in Tübingen as an internist in charge of cancer patients. At the same time, he ran a private practice with his wife Dr. Sigrid Hamer, whom he had met during their studies in Tübingen. He also showed an extraordinary talent for inventing medical devices.

Among others, he owns the patent for a non-traumatic scalpel (Hamer-Scalpel) which cuts twenty times sharper than a razor blade, a special bone saw for plastic surgery, and a massage table that automatically adjusts to the body’s contours.

His inventions provided Dr. Hamer and his family with the financial means to move to Italy, where he realized his plan to treat the sick in the slums of Rome free of charge. On August 18th, 1978, while in Rome, the Hamers received the shocking news that their son Dirk had been accidentally shot by the Italian Prince Victor Emanuel of Savoy. On December 7th, 1978, Dirk succumbed to the injuries and died in his father’s arms.

Shortly after Dirk’s death, Dr. Hamer was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Since he had never been seriously ill, he postulated that the development of his cancer could be directly related to the unexpected loss of his son. In fact, he would eventually, in honor of Dirk, call this unexpected shock a DHS or “Dirk Hamer Syndrome”.

Dirk’s death and his own experience with cancer set Dr. Hamer on an extraordinary scientific journey.

At the time head internist of a cancer clinic at the University of Munich, he began to investigate his cancer patients’ histories and soon learned that, like him, they all had experienced an unexpected shock of one sort or another. But he took his research even further. Pursuing the hypothesis that all bodily events are controlled from the brain, he analyzed his patients’ brain scans and compared them with the corresponding medical and psychological records. To his amazement, he found a clear correlation between certain “conflict shocks”, how these shocks manifest on the organ and how all these processes are connected to the brain. Until then, no studies had examined the origin of disease in the brain and the role of the brain as the mediator between the psyche and a diseased organ.

Dr. Hamer discovered that every disease originates from a shock or trauma that catches us completely by surprise. The moment the unexpected conflict occurs, the shock strikes a specific area in the brain causing a lesion (later called Hamer Focus (HH-Hamerscher Herd)), visible on a brain scan as a set of sharp concentric rings. Before Dr. Hamer identified these ringed lesions in the brain, radiologists considered them as artifacts created by a glitch in the machine. But Siemens, a manufacturer of computer tomography equipment, certified that these target lesions cannot be artifacts because even when the tomography is repeated and taken from different angles, the same ring formation always appears in the same location.

The brain cells that receive the conflict impact send a biochemical signal to the corresponding body cells causing the growth of a tumor, a meltdown of tissue or functional loss, depending on which brain layer receives the shock. The reason specific conflicts are irrefutably tied to specific areas in the brain is that, during our historical evolution, each brain area was programmed to respond instantly to conflicts that could threaten our survival. While the brain stem (the oldest part of the brain) is programmed with basic survival issues like breathing, reproduction and food, the cerebrum (the youngest part of the brain) is more concerned with social and territorial themes. Dr. Hamer also discovered that every disease progresses through two phases: first, a conflict active phase, characterized by emotional stress, cold extremities, a lack of appetite, and sleeplessness, and then, provided we manage to resolve the conflict, a healing phase. This is the period in which the psyche, the brain and the corresponding organ undergo the phase of recovery, an often difficult process marked by fatigue, fever, inflammation, infection, and pain.

Dr. Hamer called his findings “The Five Biological Laws of the New Medicine”, since his research is in full accordance with the natural laws of embryology and with evolutionary logic. Over the years, Dr. Hamer has been able to confirm his discoveries with over 40,000 case studies. The result of his scientific work is the creation of a “Psyche-Brain-Organ” chart that outlines the disease, the content of the biological conflict that cause it, where the corresponding lesion can be seen on a brain scan, how the disease manifests itself in the conflict active phase, and what can be expected in the healing phase.

Dr. Hamer’s research radically upsets the many existing theories of conventional medicine. His explanation of disease as a meaningful interplay between the psyche, the brain and the corresponding organ refutes the view that disease occurs by chance or as a result of a mistake of nature. Based on sound scientific criteria, German New Medicine shatters the myths of malignant cancer cells or of destructive microbes and identifies “infectious diseases” as well as cancerous tumors as natural biological emergency measures, in practice for millions of years, designed to save the organism and not, as we have been taught, to destroy it. Diseases such as cancer lose their frightening image and are recognized as meaningful special biological survival programs every human being is born with.

In October 1981, Dr. Hamer presented his research to the University of Tübingen as a post-doctoral thesis. The objective was to have his findings tested on equivalent cases so that German New Medicine could be taught to all medical students and patients could benefit from the discoveries as soon as possible. But to his great surprise, the University committee rejected his work and refused to evaluate his thesis, an unprecedented case in the history of universities. There was yet another surprise. Shortly after he had handed in his thesis, Dr. Hamer was given the ultimatum to either deny his findings or his contract would not be renewed. It was extremely difficult for him to understand why he was being expelled from the clinic for presenting well-substantiated scientific findings. After his dismissal, he retreated to his private practice where he continued his research. Several attempts to open a private clinic failed because of concerted efforts opposing it. Letters of Dr. Hamer’s patients to health officials remained unanswered or were returned with the comment: “Not applicable!”. The firm position of the authorities has not changed.

In 1985, after 29 years of marriage and the raising of four children, Sigrid Hamer died. She had never really recovered from the grief over the death of her son and the relentless intimidation by the Savoy family.

The harassment of Dr. Hamer culminated in 1986, when a court sentence stopped him from practicing medicine. Despite the fact that his scientific work had never been disproved, he lost his medical license , at the age of 51 on the grounds that he refused to renounce his findings on the origin of cancer and to conform to the principles of official medicine. Deprived of a medical license, Dr. Hamer now relied on other doctors to obtain brain scans and patients’ records. But he was determined to continue his work. By 1987 Dr. Hamer had already analyzed over 10,000 cases and was able to expand his discovery of the Five Biological Laws of German New Medicine to practically all diseases known in medicine. Meanwhile, the press and the medical establishment stopped at nothing to attack him and his work. Tabloid journalists and medical “experts” portray Dr. Hamer as a charlatan, a self acclaimed miracle healer, a cult leader, an irrational outsider, or an insane criminal who denied cancer patients the ‘life-saving’ conventional treatments.

In 1997 Dr. Hamer was arrested and sentenced to 19 months in prison for having given three people free medical information without a medical license. By contrast, in 1991, thirteen years after he had killed Dirk Hamer, Victor Emanuel of Savoy had been sentenced to a mere 6 months probation for the illegal possession of a weapon. When Dr. Hamer was arrested, the police searched his patient files. Subsequently, one public prosecutor was forced to admit during the trial that, after MORE THAN five years, of 6,500 patients with mostly ‘terminal’ cancer, 6,000 were still alive. And so, ironically, it was his opponents that provided the actual statistics attesting to German New Medicine’s remarkable success rate. Yet, to this day the University of Tübingen refuses, despite court orders in 1986 and 1994, to test Dr. Hamer’s scientific work. Similarly, official medicine refuses to approve German New Medicine despite its numerous verifications by both physicians and professorial associations.

On September 9th, 2004, Dr. Hamer was arrested at his home in Spain. Following a European extradition order, Dr. Hamer was extradited to France, where he was held in the French prison Fleury-Mérogis. Dr. Hamer was sentenced to three years in prison without probation. The charges: “fraud and the complicity in the illegal practice of medicine” He has been charged and found responsible for the deaths of French citizens due to the availability of his publications in French. It should be mentioned that Dr. Hamer had never spoken to any of the individuals in person.

Dr. Hamer was released in February 2006. In March 2007, he was forced to leave his Spanish exile. He is now living in Sandefjord, Norway.

Remember: We don’t treat cancer and you are advised not to use laser treatment on a cancer patient. It is against the law to kill cancer cells and obviously not against the law to kill cancer patients. You will not get in trouble for what you do. You can get in trouble for what you say.

From the “Summary of new medicine” Ryke Geerd Hamer

The ‘tracks’ in the DHS are analogous to the environment, the circumstances that create an association in the second of the DHS. A professor interested in allergies once described this very well with the following formula: “If you suffer a DHS with a biological conflict and a cow happens to be passing, you will develop an allergy to cows, but if you happen to be biting into an orange, you will develop an allergy to oranges.” In the instant of the DHS, humans and animals are unconsciously ‘aware’ of their environment. These circumstances later result in so-called allergies.
A second case: During a flight that a couple took from Senegal to Brussels, the husband suffered a heart infarction. They were incapable of doing anything and the wife suffered a death fright conflict from her concern for her husband who could have died at any moment. After landing in Brussels, the husband was rushed to hospital where it was determined that the infarction had not been that severe and he quickly recovered. His wife, however, fell ill several times with a solitary lung-nodule, after which she would perspire heavily for days or weeks when the tumor would be gone, caseated by the tubercular bacteria.

A solitary cancerous nodule was discovered one day when the patient had again started sweating at night. Her physicians in Brussels were at a loss and requested my assistance. I asked the patient the same questions they had asked her since they were familiar with the German New Medicine: whether her husband was sick again and whether she feared for his life. She said her husband had felt quite well since the heart infarct on the plane. I then asked whether her husband had flown again. She said neither of them had flown since that occasion. She then said she thought her problem was related to planes because ever since that terrible event on the flight from Senegal, she would panic any time her children or grandchildren had to fly; she would feel a death fright for weeks until they were safely back in Brussels. That was exactly what had happened until the solitary lung-nodule was discovered through an aspiration and diagnosed as an adeno carcinoma.

As we can clearly see, the patient suffered a second ‘track’ during her husband’s heart infarct crisis on the plane. This second track is associated with the DHS as a fear of helplessness during the event on the plane. The patient had what every psychologist can understand – a death fright for her husband that re-activated the track by itself as she ‘associated’ the event anew every time a family member took a plane. It was not really a logical response since her family was young and unlikely to suffer a heart infarct. However, that was not the issue. The point was that the ‘plane’ became a separate ‘track’ connected to the ‘death fright track’ and created a second conflict, a conflict-complex situation, so that every time a member of her family travelled by plane, the patient suffered a recurrence of a solitary lung nodule – the sign of having gone through a death fright for another person. The best way to solve the conflict was for her family to only mention travel by train, even though they really travelled by plane.

The patient, a mother and grandmother, would thereafter only hear about their train travel or was only told about a trip after their return.

These examples demonstrate the importance of getting back to the DHS in order to recall the exact situation at the moment of its origin. In philology, this would be called a context: an important passage from a text cannot be omitted, as the text must be understood in its entire context.

You can find more info and a summary of his work by entering the following into your search engine.

Excerpts from Summary Of The New Medicine - By Dr. R. G. Hamer

You can read a transcript of his lecture online. Unfortunately the book is out of print on Amazon.

What causes headaches?

- by Dr. Jean Gibson, BioVeda of Fayetteville, AR

Headaches can be caused by several different things.  Some of these causes are sinus problems, eye problems, vascular irregularities, allergies, chemical sensitivities or hypoglycemia. The most common cause of headaches is cervico-genic in origin – meaning it originates in the cervical spine (your neck). Spinal subluxation can irritate spinal nerves causing your headaches.

Muscular tension in your neck caused by stress, chronic postural strain (such as sleeping on too many pillows or spending too much time looking down at your cell phone), or traumatic injury to your neck as in a whiplash can also cause headaches.

There are several things that can be done to help your headaches without drugs. First, you need a thorough examination and x-rays from a Doctor of Chiropractic. The doctor will then develop a specific treatment plan based on the findings from your examination and x-rays

The  adjustment for the spinal regions that are subluxated can be completed either using a hands on technique or a precision instrument. The adjustment restores normal motion to your cervical spine, decreases muscle spasms and decrease inflammation in your joints and muscles.

We can assess your nervous system for negative reactions to foods, airborne particulates, chemicals, or other substances and then use Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy (NSRT).

Acupuncture can also be used to relieve your headache by helping your body produce endorphins – natural pain relievers – and by balancing energy flow.

Three Things that Could be Making Your Allergies Worse

- by Dr. Andrew Moore, BioVeda of Alamo Heights, TX

Hormones: When European researchers studied 571 women between the ages of 28 and 58, they found that more than one in every 10 tested positive on a standard measure of breathing difficulty before or during the first days of their periods. For many women, allergies and asthma get more severe right before their periods, other research has shown. Taking the Pill may help, or you may want to tweak your allergy/asthma medication around your menstrual cycle to get good control.

Stress: It can make everything worse – even allergies: an Ohio State University College of Medicine study found that in people with seasonal allergies, even moderate stress caused a more sever reaction to an allergy skin test; in the study, subjects who were asked to make a short speech had red raised bumps that were 75 percent larger than they’d been during the “low stress” portion of the study. Stress appears to increase levels of cytokines, chemicals that play a role in the body’s allergic response

Alcohol: In a 2008 study of over 5,800 Danish women, those who had more than two drinks  a day were almost twice as likely as nondrinkers to report having nasal symptoms. No one’s quite sure why, but alcohol is a vasodilator, and it may be that if you have allergies, the swelling of your blood vessels makes your nose run even more. If you notice symptoms cranking up after the cocktail hour, skip the aperitif and go right to the appetizer.

Dr. Augustine on The Power of Biological Light in Healing – Mercola

- by Dr. James Augustine, BioVeda of Cerritos, CA

A Russian scientist, Pjotr Garjajev, has managed to intercept communication from a DNA molecule in the form of ultraviolet photons — in other words, light. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who is familiar with the biophoton work of Fritz-Albert Popp.

It is well known that if you use UV light to destroy 99 percent of a cell, including its DNA, you can almost entirely repair the damage in a single day just by illuminating the cell with the same wavelength at a much weaker intensity.

This phenomenon is known as photorepair.

Following the work of Popp, scientists around the globe have begun to consider that your body’s communication system might be a complex network of resonance and frequency.

Read more…

Dr. James Augustine, D.C. – BioVeda Health & Wellness Center of Cerritos, CA

To begin this discussion, most people go to the doctor when symptoms arise. Symptoms are the last thing to show up but the first thing to leave. We all have been taught that we go to the doctor when we feel bad, and when the symptoms are gone, we are healthy. Lack of symptoms does not mean that a person is healthy. All the “silent killers” like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, typically have no associated symptoms. The American Heart Association states that 50% of the time, the first symptom of a heart attack is no symptom but a massive, deadly heart attack; lights out. By the time symptoms arise, there has been permanent tissue damage happening in the associated areas of the body.

Therefore, I say, measure your health by how you function not by how you feel.  We utilize several methods in my practice to assess the body’s ability to function.  Contact BioVeda to learn more!

Dr. Jean Gibson, D.C. – BioVeda Health & Wellness Center of Fayetteville, AR

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

You get up in the morning feeling stiff, but ignore it, because you didn’t sleep well the night before. You then sit down on the sofa to read the paper and enjoy your coffee. When you try to get up, BAM – a sudden and sharp pain in the back.

You get up in the morning and go straight to your computer. You end up sitting too long, and when you try to stand up – you can’t completely straighten up.

You get up in the morning, drink your coffee – which wakes up your gut – so you head to the bathroom. You are a bit constipated, and have to strain to empty your bowels. When you try to get up from the toilet, your back spasms.

Why, you wonder, do these things happen – and usually in the morning in the morning? Overnight sleeping leaves your back swollen- even on the best of beds – and extra fluid in your joints. The best thing to do is first thing – before starting your coffee, getting your paper, or checking your computer – you need to stretch to “wring” the excess fluids out of your joints. Gentle stretching when you wake up helps the fluid get to moving, warms up your muscles, and helps protect your back from spasms.

During your day, try to not bend over immediately after sitting. Instead, stand up and do some gentle backward bends to reset your spine. When you sit, don’t slump, as this reinforces the risks to something happening to your back. And try to get up every hour, walk around and do some gentle stretches. You will be amazed how much better you feel at the end of the day!

Lorri L. Beauchamp, L.Ac. – BioVeda Health & Wellness Center of Lincoln Park, IL

Seasonal allergies can wreak havoc on your life. For some, the symptoms are so severe, they keep sufferers home in bed. What can you do to minimize your allergy symptoms? Here are some simple tips:

1. Nasal irrigation is a perfect way to eliminate allergens from your nasal passages. It is safe and inexpensive and can be done several times per day. In the morning, it can help clear you of dust mites and molds found in your bedding. In the evening, it can clear pollen before you go to sleep.
2. Showering before bed is another good practice. You will rinse any excess pollen from your body and minimize the transfer of allergens into your bed. BUT – make sure you dry your hair thoroughly before you lay down. Wet hair on a pillow or mattress is a perfect environment for mold. So though you may have elminated the pollen, you may be creating a more pervasive issue with the mold.
3. If you exercise outdoors, avoid the hours between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m as that is the period during which pollen is emitted. As an alternative, excercise inside.
4. Swimming is an ideal activity for those suffering with allergies and asthma. The humid air near water keeps the airways moisturized.
5. If you have gas forced air, use high quality air filters in your system. Change the filters frequently. Consider a HEPA filter in your bedroom as well as mattress and pillowcase protectors for dustmites.
6. Take a multivitamins with minerals to provide additional support to your immune system.

Finally, when your system is depleted by seasonal allergies or any allergies, it is especially important to eat a healthy diet and get plenty of rest.

Contact BioVeda to learn more!

- By Dr. James Augustine, D.C.

Myth: Food intolerance and food sensitivity are the same thing.

Not true. And neither one are the same as food allergy.

Experts say “food intolerance” and “food sensitivity” are often used interchangeably by the public, causing misunderstanding. Add “food poisoning” to the list, and people become even more confused.

• Food intolerance occurs when the body lacks a particular enzyme to digest that food. Two common examples are lactose intolerance and celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the gastrointestinal tract cannot process gluten, a protein in wheat-based products such as cereal and bread. An intolerant person avoids the foods that trigger a reaction, but these reactions aren’t caused by the immune system and they are not life threatening.
• Food sensitivity, an understudied area, generally means people have an unpleasant reaction to certain foods; perhaps they develop acid reflux, nausea, or abdominal cramps, but again, these are not immune system reactions, and these reactions do not always occur in the same way when eating the food.

You could also have a bad reaction to food tainted by bacterial contamination or not properly prepared. That’s food poisoning. Symptoms often involve diarrhea and vomiting and typically clear up in 24-48 hours.

Dr. Augustine’s comments:
Good clarification here. Another vote for taking digestive enzymes, which clears up acid reflux and most other issues with food intolerances, as well as can prevent tainted food issues.

BioVeda Health & Wellness Centers offer a digestive enzymes supplement product called “HealthZymes” which are advanced digestive enzymes.

Maybe you are having occasional problems with your digestive system, you are not alone. This discomfort of bloating affects up to 30% of adults. This is without the mention of other abdominal signs– like irregular bowel movements, passing gas, or stomach discomfort. If you add these in, the percentage shoots through the roof! Many are dealing with social embarrassment because of occasional bloating or stomach discomfort. Many times you find yourself losing out on the fun of sitting down to a good meal because of the price you will pay later. All because your digestive system is not working properly.

If your body does not break down and absorb nutrients correctly, the effects will go far beyond occasional stomach discomfort that you are feeling. It has been said that maintaining a healthy digestive system is the core of all health. After all your digestive system in the source of all nutrients that your cells need. A healthy nutritious diet is essential, but if your stomach and intestines are not working correctly then the diet will not do much for your health. This is going to prevent you from absorbing the nutrition building blocks that your body depends on. In order to help your digestive system do its job, you have got to understand what goes on inside your stomach and small intestine. You have probably tried many different strategies to work with your digestion. Yet for some reason it still is not working as well as it can. You may just need a little help.

Here is how digestive enzymes work: There are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, as well as vitamins, minerals and other components. To absorb these nutrients into your bloodstream, you have got to break down these large molecules into smaller pieces. Your body has evolved a chemically engineered system to do just that. While you are finishing your meal, digestive enzymes are rushing into your small intestine from your liver, gall bladder, and pancreas to break down the large food pieces into smaller pieces. that are easier to absorb. These enzymes are special proteins designed to break apart a specific molecule in your foods.

• Proteases (proteolytic enzymes)–break down protein
• Lipases–break down fat
• Amylases–break down carbohydrates

Introducing, HealthZymes, a BioCore product for ultimate digestion*!  Contact a BioVeda Health and Wellness Center near you to learn more!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Did you know that up to 80% of the ingredients in perfumes and makeup came from an oil well? Even essential oils are from class of hydrocarbon compounds known as terpenes but can also be aldehydes, esters, ketones, alcohols and phenol-based compounds.  As a result it’s important to be discerning in your choice of cosmetics especially if you’ve had an allergic response to a product in the past. The following is a guide to safe use of cosmetics.

Environmental Working Group has released a great video that provides an overview of cosmetics safety in about 8 minutes.

Some cosmetics that are labeled hypo-allergenic really aren’t. It is important to read the label. Don’t use any product that contains lanolin and perfume, the most common causes of skin reactions. Mineral oil can dry out your skin after just two applications. The eyelid and surrounding areas are especially vulnerable because the skin is extremely thin and loose, allowing chemicals to penetrate more easily. This may cause the skin to swell more readily than on other parts of the face.

There are two allergic reactions that might occur following exposure to cosmetics: irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis is a condition marked by areas of inflammation (redness, itching, and swelling) that form after a substance comes into contact with your skin.

1. Irritant contact dermatitis: This is more common than allergic contact dermatitis and can occur in anyone. It develops when an irritating or harsh substance actually damages the skin. Irritant contact dermatitis usually begins as patches of itchy, scaly skin or a red rash, but can develop into blisters that ooze, especially if the skin is further irritated from scratching. It generally occurs at the site of contact with the irritating substance. Areas where the outermost layer of skin is thin, such as the eyelids, or where the skin is dry and cracked are more susceptible to irritant contact dermatitis.
2. Allergic contact dermatitis: This occurs in people who are allergic to a specific ingredient or ingredients in a product. Symptoms include redness, swelling, itching, and hive-like breakouts. In some cases, the skin becomes red and raw. The face, lips, eyes, ears, and neck are the most common sites for cosmetic allergies, although reactions may appear anywhere on the body.

The time it takes for symptoms of irritant contact dermatitis to appear varies. For stronger irritants, such as perfumes, a reaction may occur within minutes or hours of exposure. However, it may take days or weeks of continued exposure to a weaker irritant, such as soap, before symptoms appear. In some cases, a person can develop an allergic sensitivity to a product after years of use. With irritant contact dermatitis, the skin breaks down when it comes into contact with harsh substances, most often chemicals that directly injure the outer layer of the skin, resulting in symptoms of a cosmetic allergy.

Allergic contact dermatitis occurs because the body’s immune system is having an inappropriate reaction to a specific substance that it wrongly considers harmful. This type of allergy can be reprogrammed.

Hypoallergenic Products:

There are no Federal rules that control the use of the term, so there is no assurance to consumers that the product is really what it says it is. When a product is labeled as hypoallergenic, it is done only under the discretion of the manufacturers, and not of a higher regulating body. Some companies conduct tests before placing the hypoallergenic claim on the label, but there are others who do not. Some claim to be hypoallergenic just because they did not include perfumes and other problem-causing ingredients. Also, manufacturers are not required to submit a substantiation of their claims. The term, hypoallergenic, is just used as a marketing tool.

Other labels can also be deceiving. “Dermatologist-tested” only means that a skin doctor tested the product to see if it will cause allergies, and it does not mean that it was tested on several individuals. Even labels such as, “safe for sensitive skin”, “allergy tested”, “sensitivity-tested”, and “non-irritating”, offer no guarantee. The basic ingredients in both hypoallergenic cosmetics and regular cosmetics are the same. There are no scientific studies that prove that hypoallergenic makeup indeed causes fewer allergic reactions. So in reality, there is no such thing as hypoallergenic makeup.

Common culprits include cosmetic ingredients in perfumes, lipsticks, eyeliner, hair dyes, nail polishes, and sunscreen agents. Allergenic ingredients include substances in perfumes, as well as perfumes in makeup and skin creams; waxes and fats, particularly cocoa butter, in lipsticks; metallic compounds in eyeliner or eye shadow; tetrabromofluorescein in hair dyes; tosylamide, formaldehyde resin, and nail acrylates in nail polish; PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid), hydroquinone or digalloy trioleate in sunscreen preparations; either mercury or hydroquinone in bleaching creams; and methyldibromo glutaronitrile and other preservatives in cosmetics that contain water. The offending substance may just be the makeup remover. You may be suffering from irritant contact dermatitis. It develops when an irritating or harsh substance actually damages the skin.

Like food, makeup also has an expiration date, and over time cosmetics can harbor harmful bacteria that can lead to infections. Cosmetics aren’t required by law to have expiration dates, so you can’t just look at the label to know when a product has expired.

Check out this guide to expiration dates — beginning from the time you first open these products:

• Powders and shadows: 2 years
• Cream shadows: 12 to 18 months
• Foundation: 1 year
• Lipstick &: lip liner: 1 year
• Mascara &: eyeliners: 3 months
• Makeup brushes: Clean weekly using a mild detergent
• Makeup sponges: Cosmetic makeup sponges are disposable tools. Replace weekly, or when sponge becomes soiled Wash after every use.
• You should never keep mascara for any longer than 3 months (air pushes bacteria back into the tube). Never “pump” your mascara.
• Lip gloss: 1 year
• Eye and lip pencils: 1 year or more, but you should sharpen pencils at least once a week to prevent bacteria from being transferred to your eye area. You’ll know the product has gone bad if it dries or crumbles.
• Skincare
• Facial Cleansers & Moisturizers, 6 months
• Concealer, 6-8 months
• Facial Toners, 1 year
• Natural Cosmetics, 6 months (“all-natural body washes”, etc.)
• Among other cosmetics that are likely to have an unusually short shelf life are “all natural” products that contain plant-derived ingredients (which are conducive to bacterial growth), or products with no preservatives.
• Brushes And Tools
• Oils and bacteria get trapped in the bristles of the brushes. Wash natural-bristled brushes once a month, and synthetic brushes three to four times a month. Lay the brushes flat to dry so that the bristles don’t break, and to maintain the shape of the brushes. There are brush cleansers out there, but you can also use mild soap. You may also use baby shampoo to wash your brushes.

Tips for keeping your skin clean and your makeup fresh

• Smell your cosmetics; if they have an unusual odor, they may contain bacteria and should be discarded.
• Always make sure that products are closed tight and stored out of sunlight, as this can destroy the preservatives.
• Don’t use any eye products if you currently have an eye infection.
• Never add any liquids to products unless directed by the manufacturer.
• If there are any changes in color and texture, dispose of the product immediately.
• Avoid sampling makeup at department stores when possible. If you do test, never apply directly from the makeup. Instead, use a clean, disposable applicator (i.e., cotton swab, sponge) to apply cosmetics.
• Foundation in a bottle should last 3-6 months, but wide mouthed jars can expose the product to more air and should be tossed sooner. You’ll know it’s time to purchase a new bottle, when the ingredients begin to settle or separate, the texture thickens or thins, or the smell changes.

Visit the Cosmetics Safety Database to determine if the everyday products you are using are actually safe.

A recent report from Children’s Hospital Boston indicates that food allergies in children are becoming more common and more severe.  In fact, the number of food allergy cases at this hospital doubled in 2006. In addition, the number of kids with food allergies went up 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 3 million children younger than 18 had a food or digestive allergy in 2007, the CDC said.  There are many theories as to why more and more children are becoming allergic.  This rise in allergies could be due to our Western diet, making us more susceptible to developing allergies and other illnesses. CNN further explores this possibility in their article “Why are food allergies on the rise?“:

The children in the African village live in a community that produces its own food. The study authors say this is closer to how humans ate 10,000 years ago. Their diet is mostly vegetarian. By contrast, the local diet of European children contains more sugar, animal fat and calorie-dense foods. The study authors posit that these factors result in less biodiversity in the organisms found inside the gut of European children.

The decrease in richness of gut bacteria in Westerners may have something to do with the rise in allergies in industrialized countries, said Dr. Paolo Lionetti of the department of pediatrics at Meyer Children Hospital at the University of Florence. Sanitation measures and vaccines in the West may have controlled infectious disease, but they decreased exposure to a variety of bacteria may have opened the door to these other ailments.

“In a place where you can die [from] infectious diseases, but you don’t get allergy, obesity, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disease, the flora is different,” Lionetti said.

This study only looked at a small number of children, but the findings support the widespread notion of the “hygiene hypothesis” — the idea that cases of allergies are increasing in number and severity because children grow up in environments that are simply too clean.

“That our immune system is skewed away from fighting infections, and toward fight things that it’s not supposed to be fighting, like things in the environment or foods — that’s one thing that people think may be in play,” Rudders said.

Another reason presented for this rapid increase in food allergies and food sensitivities in children is the idea of delayed introduction of high allergen foods. A study published in the Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics, “Age at First Introduction of Cow Milk Products and Other Food Products in Relation to Infant Atopic Manifestations in the First 2 Years of Life: The KOALA Birth Cohort Study” has found that delaying the introduction of certain common allergen foods, particularly cow’s milk, is not favorable and does not prevent the development of allergic response such as eczema, wheezing or atopic dermatitis. They studied data from 2558 infants in the Netherlands to come to this conclusion, through questionnaires administered at 34 weeks of gestation and 3, 7, 12, and 24 months postpartum. They then measured allergic sensitivity at age 2, through blood sampling. They determined that delaying introduction of common allergens may actually increase the risk of eczema at age 2 and beyond.

Another study involving Jewish children in the United Kingdom and Israel has found that the Israeli children who were exposed to peanuts frequently during infancy were 10 times LESS likely to develop a peanut allergy than their UK counterparts.

“The most obvious difference in the diet of infants in both populations occurs in the introduction of peanut. Israeli infants are introduced to peanut during early weaning and continue to eat peanut more frequently and in higher amounts than UK infants, who avoid peanut, as per Department of Health recommendations.  The observed differences in Peanut Allergies between the UK and Israel are unlikely to be explained by genetic differences. Our findings raise the question of whether early and frequent ingestion of high-dose peanut protein during infancy might prevent the development of Peanut Allergies through tolerance induction. Paradoxically, past recommendations in the United States and current recommendations in the UK and Australia might be promoting the development of Peanut Allergies and could explain the continued increase in the prevalence of Peanut Allergies observed in these countries.”

Whatever the reason for the increase, it’s time to look at alternative methods of addressing these allergies in children.  BioVeda Health & Wellness Centers offer a variety of holistic therapies that can help reduce or eliminate symptoms related to food allergies.  Contact a BioVeda Health & Wellness Center to learn more!