Thursday, March 27, 2014

Reducing Aluminum Exposure for your Family


This week I watched a documentary (The age of Aluminum) about something I already thought I knew about, Aluminum.  So I started questioning practice members in my office this week, “does anyone else know about aluminum.”  The short answer is NO.  The possible links that are being researched are a little scary.  Things like Alzheimers, brest cancer, and allergies are just some of them. 

1.  Antiperspirant-  aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly ,  aluminium zirconium trichlorohydrex gly, Aluminium chloride, aluminium chlorohydrate, and aluminium-zirconium are the most common types of aluminum in antiperspirants.  How they work is that the aluminum makes a bond with the electrolytes in the sweat and it forms a gel plug in the sweat gland duct.  The worry is that it is possible that aluminum in leaching into the surrounding tissues, especially breast tissue which it is closest to.  Research being done in vitro (out of the body) show that breast cells exposed to aluminum will grow tumors.  The aluminum lobby says, “this is bogus” but to me it sounds a lot like what the tobacco lobby used to say about lung cancer.  ALTERNATIVE: use deodorant (aluminum free) or magnesium oil.

2.  Vaccines- I know there is much controversy over vaccines and our health.   But one incontrovertible fact is that vaccines have aluminum in them as something called an adjuvant which “improves the immune response” of those who receive the vaccine.  Well here’s something I didn’t know before, aluminum hydroxide is used to MAKE animals allergic to things so we can study them.  So, to put it another way, when we inject these animals with aluminum, it makes them allergic to eggs, wheat, soy, or whatever they choose to introduce at the same time.  This Article is one example of this.  There is also some speculation into how vaccines can be related to dementia (read more on number 4).  ALTERNATIVE: don’t get vaccines..

3.  Cookware-  My grandfather used to tell my mother, never let something sit too long in an aluminum pot.  He was sort of ahead of his time, a chiropractor and in love with health knowledge.   Tons of cookware is made with aluminum.  Probably not such a great idea now that we know that aluminum is toxic.  I think of it similarly to pewter.  People used to get lead poisoning from using pewter for cooking, now it is made with tin instead of lead, so it goes to show that metal can leach out of cookware.  ALTERNATIVE: Stainless steel or Cast Iron, also avoiding cooking with aluminum foil and whenever possible buy your beverages in glass bottles.

4.  Antacids-  Some antacids are made with aluminum like Gaviscon.  Check out these side effects.  Aluminum toxicity is a real problem.  Some people cannot process it as well as others and it has been related to Alzheimer’s (or Alzheimer’s like symptoms) and even Autism spectrum disorder.  Aluminum is classified in this article as an excitotoxin (meaning exciting neurons to death).  ALTERNATIVE: a different antacid whose ingredients don’t have aluminum like Tums or changing your eating habits to include less or no sugar and low carbohydrate/high protein and fat drastically reduces or eliminates heartburn (this is very true for me).

5.  Baking Powder- Who would have thought something as simple as baking powder lurking in our pantry could increase our exposure to aluminum.  In normal baking powder one of the ingredients is sodium aluminum sulfate.  ALTERNATIVE: Aluminum-free baking powder, it is sold in most grocery stores now. 
 
So those are the 5 ways my family avoids aluminum toxicity.  I’m sure we all still have some exposure like from eating out at restaurants and things we may not be able to control.  But in general, we follow the alternatives listed above and I’m hoping that my kids will have reduced chance of sickness as they get older.

Yours in health, Dr. Beth Bagley
Need a St. Louis Chiropractor? If you have any questions or want more information call us at 314-596-4070 to schedule a private consultation with me.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

This Upper Cervical Chiropractic thing really does work...

It is always amazing to me how the body can heal itself when it is free from interference.  Here's the latest success story from our clinic.

"Over the last six years I have searched for help and answers for my neck, shoulder and lower back pain.
I have tried other types of chiropractic measures.  This would help with the pain and lack of mobility as long as I kept going and got the adjustments to put me back together again.  I also tried physical therapy, which worked on the shoulder and caused the back to fare up.  So that was stopped and the lower back was worked on and then the shoulder would become a problem again.  I needed some relief that would help my entire body.
My husband and I used to walk everywhere with our dog, it was an adventure because we would walk miles every day to different places.  We really enjoyed the time together.  Because of the pain I was not able to walk with them and it was really sad because we all missed that special time together (even the dog).
I also was blesses with a grandchild, so I needed to get healthy so I could get on the floor and play with him.  I saw this article about the doctor’s story and ripped it out of the paper, because I thought this was me in the story.  I got excited so I called and made my first appointment, I was skeptical at first because it all seemed too good to be true.
After seeing my x-rays and having all my questions answered I made the commitment to invest in my health.  This was in the beginning of November, a couple of months later my husband said that he thought the treatment was working because I was not in as much pain as I normally was.  My daughter said she could see the difference in my coloring, I look healthier.  Just last month I was able to walk the entire path of our favorite park without pain.  (I am looking for some warm weather to start up walking again).
My daughter was so happy with my progress, that she also decided to start treatments and is making progress on her health issues.
It is a joy to come into the office every time and see Michelle and Dr. Bagley, they are so enthusiastic and truly care about YOU.  Your successes are theirs, Dr. Bagley wants to hear about your concerns and takes the time to answer all of your questions.
This was the best decision I made for myself and hope you also take the time to help yourself get into good health. -Mary W."

 Thank you so much for your kind words Mary.  It has and continues to be a pleasure to serve you!  

Yours in health,
Dr. Beth BagleyNeed a St. Louis Chiropractor? If you have any questions or want more information call us at 314-596-4070 to schedule a private consultation with me.