Archive Year 2007 month 5

Flonase (fluticasone propionate) is an inhaled nasal steroid designed to shut down your immune system from reacting to whatever is in the environment thereby preventing allergy symptoms.

Research and case studies have shown that repeated uses of Flonase, or high doses, may lead to aspergillus infecting the lungs.

Today in clinic:
A 60 year old female with long history of asthma as a child and adult-onset allergies presented today with an aspergillus lung infection in both lobes which began in 2003.

Brief history of onset:
She worked near a construction site where they were stirring up soil for a huge foundation project. Concurrently, she was using Flonase for 3 years as her allergies were acting up while working next to this construction site.

In 2002 she began having symptoms of coughing progressing to smelly, sticky, green mucous casts being coughed up. It wasn't until 9 months'

You know what sodium benzoate is, tartrazine and MSG. If you're conscious of how harmful they are, you don't buy products with that crap in it.

Yet if you go to Europe, you cannot see those ingredients defined. They use numbers and codes over there.

To help you:

• E211 is sodium benzoate, a nasty preservative and when it is mixed with vitamin C (ascorbic acid), it reacts to form benzene which is cancer-causing. These ingredients are commonly found in soda. Many companies are removing them but many also keep it in.
  
• E621 is monosodium glutamate, the "flavor enhancer"
• E110 is sunset yellow which is an azo dye
  
• E104 is quinoline which is an azo dye
• E102 is tartrazine which is an azo dye. The azo dyes are problematic in many children
• E122 is carmoisine which is a dye
  
• E124 is ponceau 4R which is a dye
• E129 is allura red AC which is a dye

• Reduce bad cholesterol.
• Lower elevated liver enzymes.
• Improve skin healing.
• Improve heart function and strength.
• Reduce blood pressure.
• Increase the effect of insulin.
• Increase breast milk production.
• Reduce seizures.
• Assist with drinking cessation.
• Reduce toxicity of environmental exposures.
• Reduce malabsorption of nutrients.
• Reduce lung problems.
• Reduce liver damage during total parenteral nutrition.

• Sleep with your room absolutely black as this blocks melatonin production. If you cannot get your room black, get an eye mask.
• Evaluate serum prolactin levels as elevated prolactin stops ovulation. (this is why breastfeeding mom's do not ovulate).
• Evaluate thyroid hormone levels because if they are elevated, then TRH is elevated which then elevates prolactin.
• If you are taking melatonin supplements, this may be a factor as melatonin slows the release of GnRH which triggers sex hormones to be released.
• Have a full spectrum light and stare'

      
• Bastyr University located in Seattle, WA (my school).
      
• National College of Natural Medicine located in Portland, OR (the first natural health school).
      
• Southwest College of Natural Medicine located in sunny Arizona.
      
• Bridgeport School of Natural Medicine located in CT.
  

Imbalanced blood sugar is a common issue for many people. While many think this is only related to diabetes, it is not - far from.

Three common causes of imbalanced blood sugar are inadequate dietary protein intake, infrequent eating or long term stress causing what I call 'trashed adrenals.'

Imbalanced blood sugar may cause (the ones in italics are very common):

• excessive fatigue
• nervousness and irritability
• pms
• salt craving
• mental depression
• sugar cravings
• allergies
• headache
• alcohol and caffeine intolerance
• neck and shoulder pain
• muscle aches
• confusion






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Patient came in today reporting recurring monthly episodes of gout causing such intense pain that she has to go to the ER and get treated ASAP.

Her diet is impeccable without the typical deli meats which so many gout sufferers consume regularly.

I had to find a link and am considering the fact that her commonly prescribed loop diuretic drug, hydrochlorothiazide, is causing her gout.

According to the standard medical bible, Merck Manual, hydrochlorothiazide may cause hyperuricemia...which is...gout. Hydrochlorothiazide also increases glucose intolerance which a diabetic definitely does not need. And while we're at it, we may as well add that it causes low blood potassium levels which she also has.

Folks - when you wonder what your symptoms are caused from always consider your prescribed medications AND the over-the-counter medications like Sudafed, Aspirin, Prilosec OTC, and so on.

I find time and time again that the'

Do you suffer from chronic sinus congestion? Allergies? Sinus headaches? Taking over-the-counter meds to dampen the congestion?

The neti pot does help loads of folks with sinus issues. I guess so much so that Oprah put in a good word - twice!

I thank you Oprah for informing the world about a simple possible alternative to antibiotics, anti-histamines, decongestant medications and sinus surgeries.

I have the plastic neti pot in my shower and use it whenever I feel congested in the morning - which is rare now as I stopped drinking dairy products.

Maybe you should stop dairy as well...and add a neti pot to your routine.

I've seen too many asthma patients suffering recently. Our air is becoming more polluted daily leading to more asthmatics.

Doctors commonly forget one simple suggestion:
Drink 8-10 cups of filtered water daily.

Why is this important?
Water assists in thinning the thick sticky mucous which pains so many asthmatics.  See the inflamed bronchial tube filled with mucous? 

Water also assists in diluting blood histamine. Histamine is what causes sudden fast inflammatory reactions. If one can block histamine, then sudden immune reactions can also be blocked.

Other supplements which assist in reducing histamine:
Vitamin C, quercetin, MSM, water!

There are also some items which assist in'