Sunscreen dangers. Humans are Eating Plastic!

Recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association further stresses the importance of proper levels of beneficial gut bacteria.  The balance of gut bacteria not only plays a huge role in digestive health, but also in a strong immune system and in fighting inflammation in the body.  The new study reported on in JAMA finds that probiotics (the good bacteria that builds gut health) led to greater improvements in symptoms of depression compared to a placebo.  Bacterial imbalances in the gut have been found in people with mental health conditions.  The study also states that improvements in anxiety were noted as well.  A diet rich in fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, tofu, yogurt and probiotic supplements should be an integral part of your daily diet.

Turmeric has a bioactive ingredient called curcumin.  Curcumin has been shown to prevent the growth of cancer cells and may also help reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy agents while also intensifying the cancer killing abilities of the chemo drugs. Unfortunately, curcumin alone has a poor absorption rate.  Only 1% of curcumin will be absorbed by the body.  The good news is that absorption is vastly improved when your turmeric supplement contains piperine, the active ingredient in black pepper. Make sure that your turmeric supplement contains piperine and or shop for liposomal curcumin which also has a higher absorption rate.

Cataracts is an eye condition that causes your vision to blur due to a buildup of proteins on the lens of the eye. Untreated, cataracts can result in progressive loss of vision and blindness.  Cataract surgery is the most common treatment. In 42% of cases, the surgery results in dry eyes. And in 20% of cases it leaves the patient with droopy eyelids. The eyes are affected by blood sugar. High blood sugar levels will make you prone to cataracts.  A low sugar diet high in antioxidants found in leafy green vegetables and colorful berries as well as supplementing your diet with lutein, astaxanthin and vitamin C can help prevent cataracts.

Sunscreen warnings.  Many sunscreens are less effective than the label on the bottle claims.  24 of 75 products evaluated found that they offered less than half of the advertised SPF protection.  In addition, SPF only applies to UVB rays, not UVA.  UVA are responsible for most of the UV damage to our skin.  The active ingredient in sunscreen is oxybenzone.  Oxybenzone is an endocrine (hormonal) disrupter that has been linked to lower sperm counts in men and endometriosis in women.  Further research warns that sunscreens are neurotoxic, posing a hazard to brain health.  Alternatives are using all natural mineral based sunscreens and covering up after receiving the healthy amount of daily full body sun exposure of 20-40 minutes depending on the UV index for the day.

We are consuming our own plastic pollution.  This fact was confirmed when researchers discovered microplastic particles in human stool samples.  The stool samples were tested for 10 different types of plastic, of which 9 were found in the samples.  Tests reveal both tap water and bottled water contain microplastics as does household dust and many foods, especially seafood and sea salt. Plastic packaging of food is also a source of human plastic consumption. By the year 2050, the world’s oceans will contain more plastic than fish according estimates by scientists.  Please avoid sea salt.  Sea salt is made from dehydrating ocean or bay water which is polluted with plastic.  The only sea salt that should be used is Himalayan sea salt, as that salt comes from glaciers that are thousands of years old before there were plastics.

Chiropractic and sciatic leg pain:  If you are experiencing a shooting, piercing pain that runs from the lower back or buttocks down to the legs, you are probably suffering from sciatica pain. The Sciatic is the longest nerve in the body running from the buttocks right down to the toes. The nerve can experience pain whenever you have a trapped nerve, disc herniation, Piriformis syndrome, or trigger point referral. Typically, symptoms of sciatica include the following: Leg pain that worsens when sitting. Tingling or burning running down the leg.  Numbness, weakness, or difficulties moving the foot or entire leg.  A consistent pain on one side of your lower back.  An intense and intolerable pain that makes it hard to stand up.  A chiropractor can apply spinal adjustments to the lower back and pelvis to take the pressure off the sciatic nerve. The adjustments can also improve limited spinal movement and help with vertebral discs health. The chiropractic technique varies from using special equipment such as drop table pieces which use momentum and leverage to stabilize the pelvis.  There are also special instruments that use a quick high-velocity thrust with a combination of minimal force and gentle pressure. It allows the chiropractor to gently adjust the lower back vertebral to avoid pressing on the sciatic nerve. This will lessen the pain as well as improve neural impulse flow. Furthermore, a chiropractor can use adjustments to ease muscle spasms, which will help with pain relief.

Author

Dr J. Zimmerman, Chiropractor Dr. Zimmerman is a practicing chiropractor from Galloway, NJ with 30 years of chiropractic practice.