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10 Everyday Pollution Solutions from the Environmental Working Group

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

By Kate Naumes, ND

Environmental pollutants can have potentially damaging effects on our health.  Here are some suggestions for decreasing your exposure to environmental pollutants.

10 everyday pollution solutions from the Environmental Working Group


Use cast iron pans instead of Teflon: High heat causes coating to break down and emit toxic particles and gasses including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses.

Limit canned foods: A study in March of 2007 showed that over 50% of canned foods were in a can lined with biphenol A (BPA), a toxic compound associated with birth defects. There are no government safety standards limiting BPA in canned foods.

Buy organic or eat vegetables and fruit from the “Cleanest 12” group and avoid the “Dirty Dozen” or the 12 with the highest pesticides:

  1. Cleanest 12: onion, avocado, pineapples, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, papaya, blueberries
  2. “Dirty Dozen”: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, potatoes

Increase source of iodine such as seaweed, iodized salt and seafood: Perchlorate from rocket fuel has leaked into the water supply and is found in many common foods including produce and milk. A CDC study found perchlorate in urine samples of 100% of study participants. Perchlorate limits uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland and can induce hypothyroidism.

Seal outdoor wood structures such as decks and jungle gyms: Arsenic is a toxic material linked to cancer in humans which is used to protect wood from the elements. To find out how to test for arsenic and to learn 10 simple steps to reduce your family’s exposure, .go to the Environmental Working Group website www.ewg.org

Leave your shoes at the door: reduces dust-bound pollutants in the home.

Avoid perfume, cologne and products with added fragrance: Go to Skin Deep a site which lists the toxicity of cosmetics and personal care products.
Avoid products with polyurathene: see the green guide (www.thegreenguide.com ) for a list of products containing this chemical. It has been used in foam furniture, electronics, cell phones, carpet padding and as a flame retardant in sleep wear.

Eat low mercury fish: anchovies, calamari, crab, artic cod, oysters, tilapia, freshwater trout, whitefish, sole and perch. Wild Pacific salmon is high in good fats and low in mercury but has been over fished so should be eaten sparingly.

Drink and cook with filtered water: Not all filters remove all toxins.  For more information read “The Drinking Water Book- How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins From Your Water” 2006.

Excepts from the Environmental Working Group

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H1N1 influenza is upon us…are you prepared?

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Here’s how you can minimize your risk of contracting H1N1 or “swine flu”:

• Have everyone in the household clean their hands often, using soap and water (or an alcohol-based hand rub, if soap and water are not available). Children may need reminders or help keeping their hands clean. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands.
• Cough into the crook of your arm or cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• If someone in your house is ill with fever and a cough, keep them away from other people as much as possible
• Remind the sick person to cover their coughs, and clean their hands with soap and water often. If soap and water are not available, they should use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after coughing and/or sneezing
• Antiviral medications can be used both to treat H1N1 and to prevent close contacts from getting it, so check with your health care provider to see if some persons in the home should use antiviral medications.
At CurrentHealth, we are ready to fight H1N1 head on:
• Our office has thought through and implemented a pandemic flu plan.
• We have H1N1 vaccine, N-95 masks, and Tamiflu/Relenza in stock
• When our patients can call, they can always talk to a physician.
• We keep up-to-date with all the latest pandemic H1N1 information nationally and in our community.
• We are sought out by Bay Area news stations as local experts on H1N1.

Some doctors’ offices are overwhelmed by the onslaught of calls for immunization or treatment. If you or your family have fever and cough and you need medical care, give us a call or schedule an appointment online. We can even do a medical housecall and minimize the risk of infecting others as well as diagnosing and treating you on the spot – without you or your child schlepping across town.

Call us at 415.732.7029 or visit us online at www.currenthealth.com. We’re here when you need us.

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Report by one of the manufacturers of the H1N1 vaccine finds not only is it safe, but 99 percent effective in protecting people from swine flu.

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

By Lyanne Melendez

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A new report by one of the manufacturers of the H1N1 vaccine finds not only is it safe, but 99 percent effective in protecting people from swine flu. That report once again stresses something all parents need to know about making the vaccine effective for their children.
Link to story: ABC 7

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H1N1 Vaccine available at Current Health

Friday, October 9th, 2009

We recently received a limited quanity of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) manufactured by MedImmune LLC which is approved for persons aged 2-49 years.

In general, these are the target high risk group to administer H1N1 vaccine to:
• pregnant women

• persons who live with or provide care for infants aged <6 months
(e.g.,parents, siblings, and daycare providers),

• health-care and emergency medical services personnel

• persons aged 6 months--24 years, and persons aged 25--64 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

Please call our office (415) 732-7029 and ask to speak to a doctor to see if the LAIV vaccine is right for you. The administration cost for the vaccine is $27.43 (current discounts and promotional offers do not apply towards cost). We have a limited supply and will be administered on a first come, first serve bases and priority will be give to those classified in the high risk group

Here are some key points regarding the LAIV vaccine that we have received:
• Children younger than 2 years, pregnant women, and people with underlying conditions such as lung disease and diabetes — although they are at high risk for H1N1 complications — should not receive vaccines with the live attenuated virus. Instead, they should wait until inactivated injectable vaccines become available.

• Children aged 6 months–9 years receiving influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccines should receive 2 doses, with doses separated by approximately 4 weeks; persons aged ≥10 years should receive 1 dose

• None of the approved influenza A 2009 (H1N1) monovalent vaccines or seasonal influenza vaccines contains adjuvants (stuff used to augment the vaccine by stimulating the immune system). And, only the injectable vaccine in multi-dose vials contain thimerasol mercury which is used as a preservative.

• All flu vaccines (seasonal and H1N1) contain residual egg protein and should not be given to those with egg allergies.

• The age groups, precautions, and contraindications approved for the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine are identical to those approved for seasonal flu vaccines. In fact, the injectable vaccines are made by some of the same manufacturers and preliminary data indicate that the immunogenicity and safety of these vaccines are similar to those of seasonal influenza vaccines.

• Once vaccination programs and providers are meeting the demand for H1N1 vaccine among the persons in the five initial target groups, vaccination should be expanded to all persons aged 25–64 years. Current studies indicate the risk for infection among persons aged ≥65 years is less than the risk for persons in younger age groups.

GOOD NEWS: Surveillance data indicate that the 2009 H1N1 viruses have not undergone substantial antigenic change since they were first characterized in April 2009 and should be well-matched to the monovalent vaccine strain.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION about H1N1 and the Flu from the CDC

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Friends and Family discount

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Get 30% off your visit as a new patient. Please print the following flier and present it at the time of service. Only valid for new patients. Friends and Family discount valid through December 1, 2009.
Friends and Family

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The Third Rail of Health Reform: Cost - Dr. Jordan Shlain

Monday, September 21st, 2009

A Critical Conversation
Today, the US Spends more on health care than any other country. But spending more does not make us healthier or live longer than people in other developed countries. The face suggest that we could spend less and get the same results or get better value from the amount that we do spend. To create a public dialogue about the most promising opportunities to improve value and reduce unnecessary spending in health care and gain accurate insights into these choices, the RAND corporation is hosting the high profile health summit. A key feature of today’s summit will be recognized innovators who have already demonstrated through their ground breaking efforts how to control health care cost. The Third Rail of Health Reform: Cost - Dr. Jordan Shlain

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Preparing for the Flu Season

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

The influenza virus is mostly spread from person to person, in respiratory droplets, by coughing and sneezing. Influenza viruses may also be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets on another person or an object; and then touches their own mouth or nose (or someone else’s mouth or nose) before washing their hands.

Preventative Measures

• Cover coughs and sneezes.

• Clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often; especially after using tissues and after coughing or sneezing into hands. Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by a sick person in the trash. Wash your hands after touching used tissues and similar waste.

• Stay home if you are sick and stay away from sick people.

• Avoid close contact (less than about 6 feet away) with a sick person as much as possible.

• Wear a facemask when sharing common spaces with people who have or are suspected of having influenza.

Using Facemasks

• If you must have close contact with a sick person (for example, hold a sick infant), spend the least amount of time possible in close contact and try to wear an N95 disposable facemask.

• An N95 facemask that fits snugly on your face can filter out small particles that can be inhaled around the edges of a facemask.

• Wear a mask if you help a sick person with respiratory treatments using a nebulizer or inhaler, as directed by their doctor. Respiratory treatments should be performed in a separate room away from common areas of the house when at all possible.

• Used N95 facemasks should be taken off and placed immediately in the regular trash so they don’t touch anything else.

• Avoid re-using disposable N95 facemasks if possible.After you take off a facemask, clean your

hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

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New look at healthcare insurance options. Find out which option is best for you and your family

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

New look at healthcare insurance options. Find out which option is best for you and your family.

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Health Care a Better Way: From Common Sense to Nonsense Blog

Monday, June 8th, 2009

Health care costs are out of control because of so-called middle men or health insurance companies. Not only do health insurance companies take money with the promise to pay if we are sick or injured, they often refuse to pay for sicknesses and injuries. Health insurance companies have numerous excuses for not paying while at the same time charging a small ransom to be covered under a health plan.

In fact, premium increases and refusal to reimburse health care services have driven up the cost of health care to the point that is it unaffordable for almost everyone in the United States.From Common Sense to Nonsense: 50/50 Health Care - A Better Way

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Dr. Jordan Shlain on Resveratrol

Monday, June 8th, 2009

Resveratrol is a compound found most famously in the skin of red grapes but also in peanuts, mulberries, and a few other plants. Its presence in red wine has been used as an explanation of the “French Paradox” – the finding that some regions in France have low rates of heart disease despite a high-fat diet. Though it has been studied sparingly in humans and has never been evaluated in a clinical trial, results from studies in yeast and other animals have generated tremendous buzz, fueled in no small part by Dr. David Sinclair, an early resveratrol researcher. Sinclair is co-founder of a company called Sirtris, which is developing and testing more potent resveratrol analogs - and was acquired last year by GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million. This figure attests to the broad potential of the compound, which has been shown – in animal, yeast, and human cell lines – to have positive effects on heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and cancers. Much of resveratrol’s allure to the general public, however, derives from claims that it can delay the aging process. This is based on resveratrol’s ability to activate a set of genes encoding enzymes known as sirtuins, which regulate numerous key cellular pathways. The same pattern of sirtuin activation has previously been seen in mice fed a calorie-restricted diet (30% reduction) which has been shown to prolong life in mice. This has led to the hypothesis that the benefits of caloric restriction are mediated via sirtuins and can be replicated by resveratrol.

At present, resveratrol is available as an unregulated supplement, so it’s impossible to vouch for the quality of any proprietary formulation. Similarly, while there are no data to suggest clear risk of harm from resveratrol, Phase I studies in humans are very limited. Resveratrol may impair fertility and may activate estrogen-responsive tumors, so clearly should be avoided in situations where this is relevant. For everyone else, it’s a difficult risk/benefit analysis since we know neither its up- or downside – and won’t have good clinical trials data for years. For most, the best advice is to get resveratrol from drinking red wine or grape juice. But for some older patients, or younger patients with strong family histories of cancer or early demise, it might be worth trying. I belong to the latter group and while I’m not taking it yet, I will be following the story closely.

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