Taking showers can cause cancer! Twenty years ago the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed hot showers on their list of cancer sources. The main culprit was chlorine. Chlorine is a poisonous chemical, a bleaching agent. Sure, it does a great job of killing living things in our water, like bacteria and viruses. The problem is we’re living things too. Chlorine gas was used as a deadly weapon during World War I! Chlorine is a pro-oxidant that causes free radical damage in the body, a major factor in aging and in every kind of disease. Chlorine and its by-products have been linked with various forms of cancer, neurological issues, reproductive problems, heart disease (including atherosclerosis and hypertension), decreased immunity, allergies, hypothyroidism and lung problems. When you smell chlorine in your shower, it’s because it’s escaping into the air as chlorine gas. Since showers are usually poorly ventilated, chlorine gas concentrations can be quite high. In…

As we envision a healthy future for ourselves, our children, and our planet this month, let’s take a look at cell phones. Although more than 90% of the US population now owns one, cell phones have never been proven safe.  In fact, evidence for their ability to harm continues to accumulate. Although it’s too late to put the genie back in the bottle—we’ve become too dependent on our cell phones to give them up—both adults and especially children must limit cell phone use if we want a healthy future. Nutritionist Anne Louise Gittleman has pointed out that the kind of electromagnetic radiation cell phones emit causes subliminal stress that raises blood pressure and cortisol (a stress hormone) levels, alters blood sugar regulation, lowers thyroid hormone output and can interfere with getting a good night’s sleep. Cell phones also affect fertility and have been linked in children with behavioral disorders, learning difficulties and depression. Of particular concern have been…

Malnutrition is the leading cause of disease in America, and children’s diets are usually worse than even our malnourished adults.  As a result, sub-clinical nutrient deficiencies are common, and show up as behavior problems, learning difficulties, obesity, anxiety, and depression. More and more children are developing cardiovascular risk factors as early as age three and are suffering from diseases that used to be reserved for older folk, like type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer. No sane parent would deliberately give their child heart disease or cancer. Yet this is exactly what we do by feeding our children disease-causing “foods” like sugar, white flour, milk, ice cream, cookies, candy, cakes, fruit juice, sodas, pizza, breakfast cereals, French fries and various processed foods.  Unfortunately, the same kinds of so-called “foods” are served in school cafeterias, contributing to poor school performance and impaired social skills. Optimal development and fun…

If you're like most parents, you want to give your child everything they need to thrive - to succeed in their endeavors and to create rewarding and joyful lives. You want to provide them with nourishment - emotional, spiritual and physical - and protect them from harm. Physical nourishment starts with a good diet. Many studies show that good nutrition helps children feel better about themselves, adjust more easily to varied social situations and excel in school. Yet, government surveys continue to find our children are deficient in important nutrients, and that such deficiencies have serious repercussions on their mental, emotional and physical well-being and development.Conscientious parents may provide their children with a good diet containing plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and other whole foods, but getting these notoriously picky eaters to consume all the vitamins and minerals they need is another story! Which may explain why about one-third of American children are now tak…

One way to prepare your child for a satisfying and successful life is by helping them take on increasing levels of age-appropriate responsibility for taking care of themselves and contributing to the household. According to Janet Lehman, MSW , who specializes in child behavior issues, all children want and need to be given tasks and chores. Successfully completing valuable work feeds a child’s sense of mastery and self-esteem, especially if they’re praised for doing it well—or sometimes for doing it at all! Taking on increasingly more demanding tasks prepares them to become competent and self-confident adults. Lehman suggests explaining to your child that the family is a team, and that everyone in the family has an important role to play in the team’s success. The adults bring in the money to support the family and also do most of the work to create and maintain a home. As children, their job is to go to school and do their homework and to help…

Chlorinated Pools and Health: What the Research Actually Shows Swimming is widely viewed as a healthy activity—especially for children. However, research over the past two decades suggests that frequent exposure to chlorinated pool environments may carry unintended health risks, particularly for young children and for people who spend long hours in heavily used pools. Understanding why this matters allows families to make informed, practical choices. Why Chlorine Exposure Raises Concerns Chlorine itself is not the only issue. The larger concern is what happens when chlorine reacts with organic material introduced into pool water, including: Sweat and urine Skin cells and hair Sunscreens and cosmetics Personal care residues These reactions create compounds known as disinfection byproducts (DBPs). What the Science Has Found A study published in Environmental Science & Technology reported that when chlorine reacts with organic matter in pool water, it forms new chemi…

. . . don't underestimate the importance of stress-reduction strategiesHere's an interesting study that bears witness to the role stress can play in making us more vulnerable to the bad effects of environmental pollution.Traffic pollutants like nitrogen oxides can damage lung tissue and make asthma worse. Researchers at the University of Southern California wanted to know how stress combined with higher nitrogen oxide levels would affect lung function in a group of almost 1,400 children. They assessed how stressful the children's living environments were, then measured nitrogen oxide levels in the air where the children lived as well as several indicators of lung function in the children. When nitrogen oxide levels went up by 22 parts per billion, lung function in the kids from high-stress homes got 5% worse. However, the same increase in air pollution had no affect at all on the kids living in low-stress homes!An earlier study by some of the same researchers found that when exposed to…

Vaccines, Children, and Modern Medicine What Parents Should Know to Make Informed Health Decisions The Big Picture Childhood vaccination is one of the most widely discussed topics in modern healthcare. Parents today are more informed, more proactive, and more invested than ever in understanding what goes into their children’s bodies. With rising access to information—and misinformation—it’s essential to separate emotion, marketing, and headlines from scientific evidence. Industry Growth vs. Public Health Purpose Yes, vaccines are a large global industry. Like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and supplements, vaccines are part of a multi-billion-dollar healthcare economy. But market size alone does not determine medical value. Many life-saving interventions—from insulin to antibiotics—are also major industries. Key distinction:Profitability ≠ effectiveness or ineffectiveness.Medical value must always be evaluated by clinical evidence, not revenue…