Monosodium Glutamate : MSG

Today I had the opportunity to look at the ingredients of a common food product, Rice A Roni (Creamy Four Cheese Flavor). The ingredient list reads like this:

Rice, wheat flour, durum wheat semolina, partially hydrogenated palm oil, salt, cheddar, parmesan, romano, and blue cheese, reduced lactose whey, whey, corn syrup, onions, palm oil, corn starch-modified, monosodium glutamate, natural flavor, cream, sugar, nonfat milk, sodium caseinate, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, enzyme modified cheddar cheese, autolyzed yeast extract, lactic acid, parsley, citric acid, annatto extract color, niacin, soy lecithin, ferric orthophosphate, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, folic acid, riboflavin.

My first reaction was “wow, that’s a lot of ingredients for cheese rice.” My second reaction was horror as I realized how many forms of transfats and monosodium glutamate (MSG) were in this food product. (The MSG containing ingredients are in bold.) I don’t consider this Rice A Roni food as this food was created in a lab, not by mother nature.

The short answer to “What is Monosodium Glutamate” is that MSG is a potential neurotoxin that has been linked with simple disorders such as skin rashes to life threatening brain lesions. Research has also linked MSG and its derivates with behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, reproductive disorders and obesity.

Traditionally, MSG has been used as a “flavor enhancer” in food. In this way, this chemical food additive chemically tricks the brain into not only liking a food but also wanting more. Many food products are labeled as containing monosodium glutamate but sadly, many are not. FDA loopholes put many people at risk of potentially life-threatening illnesses.

It’s estimated that 40% of Americans react negatively to MSG and it’s derivates. I gasp anytime I’m with somebody I care about and I see them eating food products containing MSG. It saddens me tremendously when I see children eating these foods. I suggest to everybody to read the ingredients in the food you are eating. If eating a packaged food, try to eat one that has 5 ingredients or less. Even products at health food stores are not safe. I’ve routinely seen the following ingredients in health food stores. All of these are pseudonyms for MSG and MSG containing ingredients.

• amino acids
  
• autolyzed yeast
  
• glutamate
  
• glutamic acid
  
• any “hydrolyzed protein”
  
• monopotassium glutamate
  
• monosodium glutamate
• sodium or calcium caseinate
  
• textured protein
  
• whey protein concentrate
  

Ultimately, we are responsible for what we buy at the grocery store and consume in our homes. Making your own food is a sure way to avoid harmful additives in food. To learn more about how to keep yourself safe and help to alert others about these toxins, please visit www.truthinlabeling.org. Also, Russell Blaylock, M.D. has written several books not only on MSG but other neurotoxins such as aspartame. Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills is his first book on the subject. You can also read about him at http://www.russellblaylockmd.com.

Children’s Health: Growing Pains

Although children may commonly experience “growing pains,” it is not normal. Most commonly it is a mineral deficiency, mostly calcium. Most of the calcium in the body resides in the bones. In fact, 99% of the calcium in the human body can be found on bones. However, there is 1% that stays in the blood and is responsible for a variety of functions. These functions include maintaining the immune and nervous system and enabling muscle contraction.

When a child does not have enough calcium “growing pains” can result. These pains occur when joint ends grow too quickly and there isn’t enough calcium to keep up. Similarly, another consequence of insufficient calcium is muscle cramps.

Restoring good calcium levels is critical to resolving the joint pain or muscle cramps. Not only is the right calcium important but also, the body needs appropriate essential fatty acids to drive the calcium into the muscles or bones. The best calcium is Calcium Lactate. It is extremely bio-available which means that it only goes through one enzymatic process so the body can use it. Other forms of calcium require between 3 and 13 different processes before the body can use it. Calcium Lactate is quick and effective.


I also use Cataplex F tablets as a calcium mobilizer. Cataplex F is a source of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids that transports calcium from the blood into the tissues. And lastly when treating children with “growing pains” or muscle cramps, I use the natural mineral tranquilizer called Min Tran. Min Tran contains numerous minerals, of which many children are deficient. Additionally, Min Tran is a natural calming agent.

Swine Flu Grabbing National Headlines: What can you do?

Swine flu has grabbed national and international headlines over the past few days. Today marked the first death in the recent surge of cases. While I believe the national media is using scare tactics rather than providing useful information, it is important to take this potential threat seriously.

I think it’s important to question why we are susceptible to these flu viruses. One major reason is nutritional deficiencies. Wholesome and health promoting foods are not staples of most Americans’ diet. Americans are a nation of overfed and undernourished people. This coupled with the chemical burden our bodies face each day from air/water pollution, pesticides, plastics, and medications has dramatically comprised the health of our country. Refined (packaged) foods lack the vitamin A, C, E complexes, B6, folic acid, zinc selenium, iron, copper, probiotics, and enzymes necessary to support a healthy immune system.

The human body is designed to be well. The immune system’s job it to protect the body from bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. When the body is nutritionally strong, the immune system works as it should. However, stress, lack of sleep, and a poor diet all affect the body’s ability to ward off potential illness.

I regularly work with patients to build their immune systems in a natural way. As one is learning to eat nutritionally dense food, I suggest using whole food concentrate supplements to support the healing and protective processes in the body. I specifically use Standard Process nutritional supplements. I have found no other nutritional support help restore health and vitality to the body as I have with Standard Process. You can learn more about Standard Process at www.standardprocess.com.

Your Child's Health

The statistics are startling. By 2004, approximately 10 million children had been diagnosed with asthma with another 9 million being diagnosed with allergies. The childhood obesity rate has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Stomach pain is now the most common reason for a pediatric office visit. Spending on psychotropic drugs for the treatment of depression and psychosis in children has increased 49% recently. And lastly, autism is currently the fastest growing developmental disability, with a current growth rate of 10-17% annually. This means austism affects 1 in 150 children.

What’s going on? The reasons behind these escalating children’s health issues are numerous and specific to the individual children. Because of that, deciding how to evaluate and treat a child can be confusing.

In my years of practice, the number of pediatric patients I treat continues to rise. For that reason, I’d like to offer some thoughts on how I evaluate and treat children. As with any patient I see in the office, it’s important to look at the whole child, not just the symptoms. Only through addressing the root causes of a child’s illness will allow the body to heal itself.
Some tools I use in the office include:

1. Youth Health History Questionnaire: this form seeks to illustrate specific foundational issues a child is experiencing.
2. Symptom Survey: this form is a detailed examination of symptoms as they relate to various body systems such as blood sugar handling, digestion, and hormone dysfunction.
3. 7 Day Food Diary: this form helps identify excess of deficiencies of certain foods plus issues associated with hydration and meal/snack timing.
4. Iodine Patch test: this test is an inexpensive and simple tool to evaluate the iodine status of a child
5. Saliva testing: these non-invasive tests help to identify imbalances in a child’s stress hormones but also common food allergies. Saliva is a more affordable option than blood testing as well as no blood draw.
6. Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis: this test evaluates the functions and relationships of 11 different minerals that are necessary for basic body functions. This test also evaluates for heavy metal toxicities.

I have found these tests to yield the best, most comprehensive information on how to address a child’s health issues. Please contact the office if you’d like more information.