Welcome to our health newsletter. It is meant to inform and even inspire you to better health. Help others by sharing this newsletter, thoughts, and experience. You will glow knowing that you helped someone today.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Soft Contact Solutions - BEWARE OF "RED EYE" OR BURNS
- Nasal Flush Procedures
- Know Your Shampoos
- Diet Soda Addiction, Weight Gain, etc.
Soft Contact Solutions - BEWARE of "RED EYE" OR BURNS - It started when
this author decided to wear soft contacts again after a 10 year hiatus. Over recent years very comfortable soft dispensable
contacts have been developed along with super cleaning solutions where no rubbing was required to remove the protein buildup.
All went well after getting fitted with Acuvue Oasys - Hydraclear Plus for overnight
usage. Along with the
contacts came Alcon's latest Opti-Free cleaning solution, called "Replenish". It was recommended by the eye doctor to made it
easy for overnight contact cleaning. Unfortunately after 6 months, "RED EYE" appeared in both eyes. Top ten causes of such are: allergic
conjunctivitis, uveitis, dry eyes, blepharitis, acute angle-closure glaucoma, subconjunctival
hemorrhage, injury, corneal ulcer
or infection, excessive contact lens wear, and frequent use of "redness" eye relief drops. Needless to say the eye doctor was
immediately consulted, finding that it was due to an allergic reaction to some chemical in "Replenish". Researching the
internet revealed MANY people had such a reaction. Incidentally prior use of the old cleaning solution, Alcon's Opti-Free
"Express" for five years never cause such a reaction!
More research for allergic-free solutions was done, resulting in discovering Clear Care, which uses Hydrogen Peroxide
(H2O2)as the cleaning solution. Word of caution - NEVER let this solution come into contact with the eye. IT WILL BURN
TERRIBLY. This happened to this author and caused partial blindness for several days. The culprit was the use of an prior lens
case which is not usable with Clear Care. In reading the directions again one HAS TO USE their supplied lens case
when cleaning contacts overnight for at least 8 hours. There is a special metal in the lens case that neutralizes the
H2OS after 8 hours of cleaning so the resulting solution is neutral water residing on the contacts.
Meanwhile after not wearing the contacts for couple weeks along with using Bausch & Lomb Eye Relief to remove
the "redness", the redness cleared and contact lens usage was again resumed. Unfortunately, the "Red Eye" returned, but not as
severe. It turned out that using Alergan's "Refresh Tears" also caused an allergic reaction. So now I can only use Bausch &
Lomb "Renu Rewetting" Drops. After 4 months of contact lens usage along with Clear Care, and Renu drops, no "Red Eye" has
returned. Thank goodness since I really enjoy seeing better by using contacts.
The motto of the story is to BEWARE of what you put into your eyes. One mistake can result in an allergic reaction to
several different brands of eye care solutions, or even burned eyes!
Nasal Flush Procedures - Some of you have been getting sinus infections by doing
nasal flushes incorrectly, either using a Neti Pot or a medium sized bulb filled with slightly salty warm water (saline solution).
The wrong way creates positive nasal pressure, especially by squeezing the water-filled bulb into the nose. Pressurized
water forces mucus into the frontal sinus or even into the Eustachian tube leading to infections of frontal or the middle ear,
respectively.
If you are using a Neti Pot (not as effective as a bulb) just to rinse out the nasal area, be careful to not
allow water near your sinus openings behind your nose. Some say that tipping your head sideways at 60 degrees away from
the Neti pot inserted nostril prevents this from happening. Frankly I do not believe the Neti Pot does what you really want
to do, that is to flush out all the mucus from your nasal passage to your throat.
I consider the best way to flush the nasal passage of mucus is to use NEGATIVE pressure by inhaling the saline water.
This is done by bending over a sink with your mouth open, blocking one nostril with your finger, and inhaling through the
other nostril either with the nose immersed in a small cup of saline solution or WHILE softly squeezing a saline solution
filled bulb into the nostril. Make sure that no positive pressure is felt. The negative internal pressure created by inhaling
will have the water flowing make the saline solution flow through the nasal passage and dropping out the open mouth, not your
lungs, while bent over the sink. You will be surprised by the amount of mucus that comes out, especially if you have nasal
congestion.
Keeping your nasal passage clear of mucus, as well as staying away from dairy products ("Royal Pains" TV program just
aired a program telling their loud-snoring patient to do the same thing - "stay away from dairy products like milk
and ice cream". This will minimize coughing (and snoring) due to reduced mucus in the throat.
Enjoy and breath better.
Know Your Shampoos - Toxic chemicals can be found in many hair shampoos. The problem is they are easily absorbed though the scalp into our blood stream by way of the scalp's 20 blood vessels, 650 sweat glands, and 1,000 nerve endings. Eating such would result in a lesser intake plus saliva and stomach enzymes break down and flush out toxins through the liver and kidneys. This touched my curiosity which drove me to do some research. I was amazed at the many chemicals listed as shampoo ingredients. There are no regulations for beauty products so beware. Read the labels, just like you do with food, and be surprised to find:
- Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS/SLES) - During the manufacturing process (ethoxylation) SLES/SLS is contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a carcinogenic byproduct. SLS, a sodium salt of lauryl sulfate, classified by the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep Cosmetics Database as a moderate hazard is linked to irritation of the skin and eyes, organ toxicity, developmental/reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, ecotoxicology, and biochemical or cellular changes, and possible mutations and cancer.
- Dioxane - 1,4 dioxane, a byproduct of ethylene oxide, received a "high hazard" rating from EWG and is commonly found, even baby shampoo, and is also a leading groundwater contaminant.
- Diethanolamine or DEA - In a FDA report, approximately 42% of all cosmetics were contaminated with DEA, which reacts with nitrite preservatives and contaminants to create nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA), a known and potent carcinogen. It seems to block absorption of the nutrient choline, which is vital to brain development. Pregnant women actually require extra choline so they can pass it on to their fetus for a healthy baby.
- Propylene Glycol - Found in engine coolants and antifreeze, airplane de-icers, tire sealants, rubber cleaners, polyurethane cushions, paints, adhesives, enamels and varnishes, and one is warned to avoid skin contact since it irritates and can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.
- Parabens - Used as preservatives and linked to cancer. It has similar effects, similar to estrogens, like diminished muscle mass, extra fat storage, male gynecomastia (breast growth) and linked to breast cancer.
For more info suggest going to the EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database or a site called Good Guide for finding and evaluating healthful, green products.
Diet Soda Addiction, Weight Gain, etc. - After being bombarded with
advertisements claiming that diet soda is okay to drink because of the lack of sugar in it, studies are now showing that the
artificial sweeteners are really, really bad for us. Neuroimage.
2008 Feb 15;39(4):1559-69.reports a University of Colorado + Children's Hospital-Psychiatry study where researchers found
that sucrose activates taste afferents differently than non-caloric sweeteners. Only sucrose, but not sucralose (a Splenda
ingredient), stimulation engages dopaminergic midbrain areas leading to a behavioral pleasantness response. Without this
response one keeps consuming (soda or food) to get the needed satisfaction. And if the soda has caffeine then addiction or
compulsive behavior is also possible, especially if nicotine addiction was previously/currently present.
CNN.com reports that drinking soda leads to Osteoporosis because the phosphoric acid in regular or diet
soda leaches calcium from the bones. Also reported was that habitual diet-soda consumption has been linked to type 2
Diabetes, and Stroke. What's more, a growing body of research suggests that excessive diet soda intake may
actually encourage weight gain because you never get satisfied with artificial sweeteners. There is some
current unconfirmed speculation that diet sodas have subtle effects on insulin and blood-sugar levels that trigger hunger
and food cravings and influence how (and what) you eat.
More on artificial sweetener - Splenda chemically resembles DDT, both are organochlorines, and linked to bad health
conditions like Neurological damage, Cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, Birth Defects, Respiratory Illness, and Abnormal Immune
System Function. Another sweetener, Aspartame, is linked to Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's Disease, Arthritis,
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Panic Disorder, Lupus, Birth Defects, Lyme Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Fibromyalgia, Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity, Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression, Diabetes, Lymphoma, and Hypothyroidism.
Wow!
From NutraSweet comes a new artificial sweetener, Neotame, that combines Aspartame with 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyd,
which was added to block enzymes that break the peptide bond between aspartic acid and phenylalanine, thereby reducing the
availability of phenylalanine. 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyd is categorized as both highly flammable and an irritant, and carries
risk statements for handling including irritating to skin, eyes and respiratory system. The NutraSweet company assures that
it’s perfectly safe. Should we believe them?
UPDATE: Speaking of Aspartane, a recent study by the European Ramazzini Foundation, an independent cancer research
facility, and published in the American Journal Of Industrial Medicine
December 2010 concludes that aspartame increases incidence of malignant liver and lung cancer.
Unfortunately sweets of any kind are powerfully addictive, even more than cocaine. Even too much natural sugar is bad,
bad, due to it elevating body insulin levels, which is the foundation to many chronic diseases like Heart Disease, Cancer,
Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Gout, and Liver Disease. As little as one soda per day increases the risk of diabetes by
85 percent!!! Some recommend Stevia as a preferable natural substitute. However, there are no studies that show the
long term effect of Stevia so personally I think minimizing sweet intake and drinking 2 liters/quarts of water per day, as
recommended in our Winter '05 newsletter, is a much better
approach to good health and a longer life.
For more info on this topic, refer to "Drinking Soda Can Damage You" article
in our Summer '09 newsletter. Happy and healthy drinking!
Top
Back to more Health News
Back to homepage
22762 Aspan St, Suite 200, Lake Forest, CA 92630-1604 : 949-770-6922
Copyright © 1998-2011 (Burdi Chiropractic) - All Rights Reserved.