Pesticides last longer in kids

Summer brings bounty in the fields and the gardens and that applies to the insects that feed off it – which leads the farmers and gardeners to reach for the means to control them. Pesticide exposure poses a health risk to us all, but particularly to children. Obviously children’s systems are more vulnerable to the toxic effects, but new research by the University of California at Berkeley has revealed that their susceptibility lasts much longer than expected.

A new born baby has only one-third of paraoxonase 1 (PON1), an enzyme critical to the detoxification of organophosphate pesticides, than the baby’s mother has. It was previously thought that PON1 enzyme activity in children approached adult levels by age 2, but the horrific figure this research has thrown up is that the enzyme level remained low in some children right up to the age of seven.

This has led the researchers to recommended that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-evaluate the current standards for acceptable levels of pesticide exposure. For parents, it means being extra vigilant when using pesticides in the garden and making sure that children are in the house and the windows are closed until several hours after spraying. Organophosphate pesticides in products sold for use in homes, are severely restricted, mainly because of risks to children but are still available for agricultural use. If driving through, or living near, farmland where crop spraying takes place again keep windows closed to minimize exposure.

Keeping cool and healthy – healthy chocolate smoothie!

Three treats for you: a cooling summer cordial, a wonderful and healthy chocolate smoothie and good news on white tea.

Summer cordial first as I have passed on this recipe to several friends and it is ideal if you are bored with drinking plain water but you want to keep up your fluid intake in this hot weather. This is a very flexible recipe and you can vary it to suit your taste, I prefer it slightly more astringent than sweet as it’s more refreshing, but you experiment:

In a jug mix together juice of 1 lemon, large glass fruit juice such as apple or cranberry (not orange!) a mug of green (or white) tea steeped until cold, slug of high juice cordial such as apple or elderflower (not sugar free or with any sweeteners in it). Mix and chill then dilute to taste with still or sparkling water – 50/50 is what I use but you may prefer it stronger. I match the fruit juice to the cordial for best effect so apple and elderflower or cranberry juice and red fruit cordial and undiluted it makes a lovely mix for Pimms or white rum for a long drink.

You will see I mentioned white tea in that recipe, it has similar antioxidant levels to green tea, and new research from Germany shows that it has possible anti-obesity effects based on a series of experiments on human fat cells, known as adipocytes. An extract of the tea inhibits the production and growth of new adipocytes and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells. So if your fat cells are as mature as mine you could try making that cordial with white tea and see what happens!

Healthy Chocolate Vanilla Smoothie Recipe

This recipe comes from Dr Kim and if you are a regular smoothie maker you will know that it works best with frozen fruit not ice. I buy frozen berries by the bagful for mine, but this recipe needs a little forward planning as you have to freeze a couple of bananas – easier if you peel and cut them into slices first!

This recipe tastes wonderful, and is rich in flavonoids, which are phytonutrients that can help keep your cardiovascular system healthy as you age. So make two and get even younger:

In a blender combine two handfuls of frozen sliced bananas, 1 flat tablespoon of raw, organic chocolate powder, few drops of vanilla essence to taste (or use vanilla bean specks from one whole vanilla bean) and enough milk to submerge about 3/4 of the banana slices in liquid if you want a very thick smoothie, or cover them completely for a more drinkable version.   Healthiest options here are soy, almond, cashew, rice, or oat milk rather than dairy, and you will find them in the supermarket or health store.

Cupping and carpal tunnel

If you are a fan of the red carpet you may have noticed Gwyneth Paltrow exhibiting strange red marks on her body. This new celebrity treatment is endorsed by people as diverse as Britney Spears and Patsy Kensit and is an updated take on an established therapy in use in China, India, Arabia, Central Europe and parts of Africa. Used mainly for improving circulation, digestive and respiratory problems it now appears to be helpful for pain relief – particularly for those suffering from Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) – and I believe for RSI for those operating computer keyboards all day.

A new German study at the Immanuel Hospital in Berlin took 52 sufferers and randomly assigned them to a cupping programme or a placebo treatment. Their study, published on 25 June in a peer journal, confirms that this external suction technique is effective for providing temporary relief of pain from carpal tunnel syndrome.

How it works:

The treatment group had the wet cupping glasses applied in an area over the trapezius muscle. Cupping is applied to defined zones of the shoulder triangle which are connective tissue zones at the shoulder-neck region. The cupping creates a partial vacuum as the wet cup adheres to the skin – and also a rather obvious red mark which can take a while to go down. Unlike Gwyneth, you might want to avoid backless dresses until the mark disappears.

Results were impressive and showed that the patients experienced a highly significant decrease in CPS pain and other symptoms. Just one single treatment improved the ability to use the hand and wrist, and improved the quality of life as pain was decreased.

New MRSA threat from your pet

Not literally a bite I hope, but MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) has rarely been out of the headlines, and as if we haven’t got enough to worry about with superbug infection it now seems our family pets could be carriers. And what’s worse, not only of MRSA but at least 30 other pathogens as well.

This study comes from the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa and reported in The Lancet. It confirms that MRSA can cycle back and forth between cats and dogs and their owners. It’s probably you that starts the cycle by passing it on to your pet where it sets up home and is the gift that keeps on giving as they return it back to you.

This isn’t unknown, but it certainly isn’t widely publicised. As far back as 1988, researchers reported that a cat living in a UK geriatric unit had passed MRSA back to both patients and staff. Analysis showed that 38% of the nursing staff were affected by the repassing of the bug. In 2006, researchers isolated MRSA from the skin lesions of a three-year-old domestic shorthaired cat with flea allergy and — for the first time in a household pet — confirmed the pathogen as a USA300 clone. This is a major source of skin soft-tissue infection and the cat’s owner had suffered from repeated soft-tissue staphylococcal infections but without ever thinking it was passed on from the cat.

Treatment if your pet decides to share with you is the same as for any MRSA infection, but prevention is a better bet. So first of all pay attention to keeping your pet clean, and maintaining immunizations and dealing quickly with any parasites such as fleas. We all love stroking our pets, but just make sure that frequent hand washing with a good antibacterial soap or liquid follows and always before touching or preparing food.

Healthy superfoods made easy

Many health regimes advocate you have lots of seeds which can mean lots of opened packets that rapidly go off as you forget to use them up. There is an easier way which is to let someone else put together the perfect health combination and happily a company called Linwoods have taken up the task. They have an interesting combination of milled flaxseed, sunflower, sesame and goji berries which has all your essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. It’s the Super 5 mix and it has a number of health benefits:

Balances your nervous system as there is an amazing 230% of the RDA (recommended daily amount) of Vitamin B12 which plays a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and is involved in the metabolism of every cell in your body.

Keeps your Hair, Skin and Nails Beautiful with it’s Vitamin E content. This fat soluble antioxidant protects cellular tissue from oxidation and helps protect and repair any damage to your skin, hair and nails.

Boosts your vitamin and mineral intake as it contains a large range of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin B Complex, D, E and minerals including Zinc, Iron and Calcium.

Helps prevent osteoporosis as the calcium found in flaxseed and sunflower seeds is a vital mineral that builds bone and keeps it strong.

Keeps you regular and lowers cholesterol as flaxseed is very high in fibre. It contains insoluble fibre help to maintain healthy bowel regularity and soluble fibre which can assist in lowering cholesterol.

Assists in prevention of prostate enlargement as it contains zinc which can help regulate normal cell activity and build immune system response. A strong immune system is needed to calm enlarged and inflamed prostates

A good source of dietary phytooestrogens that help regulate oestrogen levels in the body.

Anti-ageing and good for the immune system, and although Goji berries sound highly exotic they are now found on supermarket shelves – at least they are in my local Sainsbury’s. Very useful if you have vegetarians in the family as they contain all 8 essential amino acids which are the building blocks of protein and can only be obtained from the diet. Something that vegetarians can struggle to have enough of as amino acids cannot be stored in the body but have to be used up every day. They also contain Iron so that makes them a good source of energy and vitamin C which is essential for a healthy immune system.

If you want to stay young and beautiful then Goji berries are high in antioxidants which are indeed anti-ageing, as well as supporting your immune system.

How to avoid or eliminate kidney stones

If you have ever had a kidney stone you know that you will do anything to avoid the incredible pain they can cause. Those most at risk have a family history of the condition and men as they get them four times as often as women. Unfortunately once you have had one attack your chances of getting another rise to around 75 percent, and the younger you are when you get the first the odds are even higher.

Kidney stones can be minute or as big as a golf ball and if it doesn’t pass out of your system then you can do permanent damage to your urinary tract. More adults are being diagnosed, and so are children as young as five or six, and the blame for the increase can be laid at the door of our modern diet – particularly an excess of salt and the fact we do not drink enough water. Other risk factors include having high blood pressure and digestive problems.

Spotting a kidney stone:

Well the pain in your side and back, just below your ribs, will give you a clue so never ignore it – though it’s severity usually means you won’t be able to. You may have pain when urinating and it can be cloudy, malodorous or bloody and you may have an ‘urgent’ bladder that demands immediate attention. Nausea and vomiting can accompany an attack or even feel cold sweat or a fever.

Kidney stones occur when the minerals and acid salts in your urine crystallize, stick together, and solidify into a mass and this happens when your urine is at the extreme of acidity or alkalinity. Happily, most stones pass within a few days without you doing anything at all, but if you have any of the above symptoms go see your doctor immediately.

How to deal with it:

Well first step is to monitor the colour of your urine. Pale is good, but the darker it is the more you need to increase your water intake. Ideally it should be a pale yellow – unless you are taking B complex supplements which can turn the urine bright yellow/orange in colour due to the B2 they contain, so this is not a reliable guide for you in that case. Next, help your body by keeping it active with regular exercise to mobilise fluids, and avoid those things that promote kidney stones; sugar, caffeine, salt, processed foods.

You also need good levels of magnesium in your diet, as it is believed to help prevent stones from forming. See the item on osteoporosis for some food suggestions. Also, don’t avoid calcium-rich foods – although calcium is what makes up the stones the calcium from foods is good for you – but not that from supplements which actually increase your risk.

Being thirsty is a warning you are dehydrated, not a signal to get a drink. You need to be ahead of your thirst, not behind it.

Osteoporosis Prevention

According to government figures hip fractures cause more than 1150 premature deaths each month in the UK. By the age of 75 around half the population have osteoporosis, because as we get older our bones become more fragile and likely to break or fracture. Your risk is dependent on many factors including family history, race, gender, certain medical conditions and drugs, and your age. You can’t do anything about changing most of those, but you can do something to help prevent osteoporosis.

The first question is diet, and it increases your osteoporosis risk if you crash diet or have a very low body weight as you body takes the calcium it needs from your bones if you are not providing it in your diet. Some foods are very calcium-rich and so are beneficial in helping bones stay strong. These are: Low-fat or non-fat dairy products, tinned sardines and tinned salmon, dark green vegetables, tofu, almonds, figs, sesame seeds and calcium-fortified fruit juices and soy milk. If you can’t stomach any of those, then get a good calcium/magnesium supplement – not just calcium alone as you need the magnesium for maximum calcium absorption. .

Magnesium deficiency can be quite common in osteoporosis and although many fruit and vegetables have some magnesium in them, the best sources are whole grains, wheat bran, leafy green vegetables, nuts (almonds are a very rich source of magnesium and calcium), , bananas and apricots. You also need trace minerals: Boron from apples, almonds, pears and green, leafy vegetables and manganese from ginger, buckwheat and oats.

Collagen is a vital factor in having healthy ligaments, tendons and bones and for so are zinc, copper, beta carotene and vitamin C so if you are taking a multivitamin make sure those are all included.

Exercise is also important, and it’s never too late to start. The key factor is that it must be weight bearing such as walking, dancing, playing tennis. Tai Chi and Yoga are also very beneficial, but swimming although an excellent cardiovascular workout is not weight bearing and so won’t help prevent osteoporosis.

I am a great believer in using natural hormones to help with osteoporosis and this is work that was pioneered in the USA by the late Dr John Lee. He prescribed natural progesterone cream to his patients and kept a faithful record of their bones scans over the course of treatment. He saw a substantial improvement in bone density and soon became an outspoken proponent of its use, not something that endeared him to the medical profession! I myself set up the Natural Progesterone Information Service in the 1990’s as I believed very firmly in his work, and helped pass on his great results to many women, and some enlightened doctors.

Many women take HRT in the belief that it will help or prevent osteoporosis, and for a short time it will delay bone loss. Over time, however, that ability reduces and what is really needed is the hormone that actually builds bone. That is progesterone and unless that is introduced into any treatment regime then can be no improvement in bone density, which is the only real test of whether osteoporosis is being reversed or halted.

If you believe you are at risk of osteoporosis because of any of the risk factors I have mentioned, then speak to your GP about having a scan. Unfortunately osteoporosis has no outward signs to catch it in the early stages – it cannot be diagnosed from looking at you, or talking to you. The ‘symptom’ most easily seen is when a bone breaks under slight pressure or there are a number of breaks in a short period of time.

Prevention makes good sense, so plenty of exercise, calcium rich foods and investigate the role of natural hormones in building bone.

Hay fever and allergies – Acupressure band brings relief

Many prefer to avoid drugs for hay fever and the kind of allergic rhinitis to things like dust and pollutants. A new solution that can help is an acupressure band, the ‘Qu-Chi’ band, which stimulates an acupuncture point to help with hayfever-type symptoms.

Acupressure is the same as acupuncture, but instead of inserting fine needles, pressure is applied to specific acupuncture points to stimulate the Chi, or energy system of the body. This is to assist the body to function better and stimulate it to heal itself.

The band was developed by Andrew Broch, a qualified acupuncture and acupressure practitioner who is himself a sufferer from hayfever. He found that acupuncture was extremely effective for the relief of his symptoms and after experimenting for a while he produced the band for people to use at any time and without the need for a practitioner.

The specific point used by the ‘Qu-Chi band’ (LI-11 point known as ‘quchi’) lies at the outer elbow, on an energy line (‘meridian’) that runs from the nose to the hand. It pulls energy away from the upper body and the head. It has specific activity in the area around the nose and eyes. By reducing the energy in the face the build up of energy in that area is reduced and so excess symptoms are relieved.

Trials have been conducted which suggest that the ‘Qu-Chi Band’ is beneficial for people with Hayfever and that it is quick acting, comfortable, safe and easy to use. It can be put on when symptoms start or beforehand. It can be used with other medication where necessary and is not associated with any side effects – the only warning is that it should not be worn in pregnancy.

It retails at around £10 and can be obtained from www.quchi.co.uk

Drink up – you need it

Most companies these days have water coolers which may be great as a source of gossip, but they are apparently not being used for their real purpose. Over the last year, Water Wellpoint has checked well over 2,000 individuals in the workplace, providing them with individual health information, as well as confidential reports to management identifying any potential health problems before they become serious.

Water Wellpoint are a company who go into organizations and do a portable health check with a machine that allows employees to check a range of their simple ‘vital signs’ (weight, heart rate, blood pressure, BMI, body fat content and hydration quota). Of the standard checks they found high blood pressure and weight problems, but staggeringly they also found that more than 78% of the people tested were likely to be dehydrated and of these 66% significantly so.

Water is essential for good health and to keep our bodies functioning properly. People at work often complain of headaches and fatigue and these are symptoms of dehydration. Lack of water can lead to dry skin, dry eyes and constipation. Don’t just gossip at the water cooler, drink a decent amount while you are standing there!

The top 10 fruit and veg that may or may not include pesticides

If you are looking to eat healthily, but find organics a stretch on your budget then it’s useful to know where to spend your money wisely.

These are the top ten non organic fruit and veg that are least likely to contain pesticides:

1. Asparagus
2. Kiwi
3. Avocados
4. Mangos
5. Bananas
6. Onions
7. Broccoli
8. Papaya
9. Cauliflower
10. Pineapples

The following list however are well worth spending your money on as according to the Environmental Working Group.
These are the most likely to be contaminated with pesticides:

1. Apples
2. Peaches
3. Bell Peppers
4. Pears
5. Celery
6. Potatoes
7. Cherries
8. Raspberries
9. Grapes
10. Spinach

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