Volume 5 Issue 4
Winter 2010
Nutritional Medicine
For people who are interested in nutritional medicine, I recommend the new 1358 page book by Alan Gaby MD titled "Nutritional Medicine". The book is the result of over 30 years of combing the past and present published research on nutrition in the treatment of disease and dysfunction.
There are 60 chapters on individual nutrients and another 250 on different disease entities. For those who want the most scientifically valid information about using food nutrients to treat disease, this is a good starting place. The $295 price will deter many people but every physician could benefit from the information in this massive book.
As an example from Dr. Gaby's book, digestive problems that include heartburn, vomiting, esophageal strictures, abdominal pain and failure to thrive in infants can be caused by infiltration of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) in the esophagus. This is diagnosed by biopsy during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. This disease is becoming increasingly common in adults. Symptoms do not respond to acid blocking drugs since this is not the cause of the problem. The primary cause appears to be food allergies. One study of this problem in children showed that eliminating 6 of the most common food allergens (cow's milk protein, soy, egg, wheat, peanuts and shellfish) decreased symptoms significantly in 74%. In addition to tracking symptoms, repeat endoscopic biopsy of the esophagus after remaining on the elimination diet can demonstrate if the abnormal eosinophils are gone.
Water fluoridation is the addition of small amounts of fluoride to drinking water in order to reduce dental decay. Use of fluoride has been controversial, in large part due to the poor scientific rationale for its original use in the 1940's. Since that time, evidence has accumulated that fluoride is toxic and may have little or no positive impact on dental cavities when ingested orally. The website www.fluoridealert.org has extensive information about fluoride use, toxicity and diseases that may be caused by exposure to fluoride.
In April, 2010 the Centers for Disease Control published a policy governing "Indoor Environmental Quality" in all its facilities. This enlightened document gives extensive guidelines about how to protect the workers from toxic chemicals in the work environment. Some of the procedures include using "green" cleaning chemicals that are odor free. Scented or fragranced products are prohibited. Employees should be fragrance free while at work. Ventilation systems need to be kept free of toxins. Vehicles are prohibited from idling near air intakes or building entryways. Construction and renovation projects should identify toxins, substitute less toxic alternatives and protect workers from exposure. Violations of the policy can be addressed by specifying how workers can file complaints and how management should investigate. The website www.thecanaryreport.org can be searched for the CDC Indoor Environmental Quality policy to access the information. Multiple chemical sensitivity is a real illness that is becoming more common. This policy is a step in the right direction since it recognizes and takes action to lower the burden of exposure to toxic chemicals for its workers.
I have started to write a blog on my website that I plan to do at least weekly. See www.drblodgett.com/blog/ for the postings. I will be covering a wide variety of topics that I hope you find helpful and informative. The search engine feature can look for any particular topic of interest to you as all the blogs will be archived on the site.
On a personal note
I attended my daughters' wedding in Tucson in October. Family from Seattle, San Francisco, New Mexico, Tennessee, Ohio, Vermont and Massachusetts all converged on Tucson and had a wonderful time meeting new family members and celebrating this joyous event. As the holiday season begins, I encourage us all to be grateful for the many blessings we still enjoy in this country.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2011
Daniel Blodgett MD