Kids With ADHD React To Certain Food Additives & Preservatives

LiveJournal Tags: Dr. Jerry Teplitz,ADHD,perservatives,sodium benzoate,tartrazine,quinoline,allura,food colorings

A study reported in The Lancet states that the symptoms of kids with ADHD worsened when they consumed foods having certain food colorings and preservatives in them.

Some of the culprits included the preservative sodium benzoate, tartrazine, quinoline yellow, and allura red AC.

All these are used in carbonated drinks, fruit juices, jams, pickles, candy, soft drinks, cereals, pastries, soups, gums and other processed foods.

So…if you haven’t been doing it, it’s time to read food labels and eliminate these substances for the health of your kids.

Technorati Tags: Dr. Teplitz,ADHD,Childrens Health,Perservatives,quinoline,carbonated drinks,processed foods,food coloring

Drug & Herb Conflicts - (re: Heath Ledger)

One of my Reader's Writes About Drug And Herb Conflicts, Heath Ledger & My Blurb on St. John's Wort

LiveJournal Tags: Dr. Jerry Teplitz,Heath Ledger,St. John's Wort,Herb Conflicts,Beth Terry

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After one of my earlier Teplitz Reports this year (March, 2008), reader Beth Terry wrote me about more drug and herb contraindications.

What she said was so good that I asked Beth if I could share some of it with readers.

She said yes.

“You opened a good discussion that didn't go far enough. You brought up the contraindications factors with St. John's Wort, but could have gone a little further.

Given the recent death of Heath Ledger, contraindicated drug combinations is an important topic. People think that because they bought an Over-the-Counter (OTC) medicine, it's safe to take with anything. "

Even though most mothers know about not giving kids aspirin in certain situations, a lot of people don't think about mixing medicines. 

Though I'm a fan of homeopathic and complementary medicine, I know enough to look at Mindell's Herb Bible or Consumer Labs to see if I should be mixing it with anything else. (I swear by ConsumerLabs.com -- they are a rich resource for any kind of supplements or OTC meds. They just found that high numbers of pills containing Turmeric have high levels of lead. Good to have as a resource).

Here are some examples for people to watch out for:

   *  An OTC containing dextromethorphan or antihistamine can cause or increase drowsiness when combined with alcohol.

   * It may not be safe to take an OTC sleep medication if you are taking a prescription sedative or tranquilizer.

    * It may be dangerous to take an OTC that contains aspirin if you are taking a prescription blood thinner, or if you have diabetes or gout.”

If you’d like to know more about the effects of St. John’s Wort, Beth shared a link to http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort .

Finally, Beth wrote “It is important to inform your health care providers about any herb or dietary supplement product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. This helps to ensure safe and coordinated care.”

Beth, I agree completely and thanks for taking the time to expand on this important topic. ~Jerry

Bookmark

del.icio.us Tags: Dr. Jerry Teplitz,Heath Ledger,St. John's Wort

Flickr Tags: Dr. Jerry Teplitz,Heath Ledger,St. John's Wort

Young Vegetarians

More Young People Are Becoming Vegetarians

An article in USA Today online reported that more kids aged 8 to 18 are vegetarians. The figure has grown to 3% of the population (About 3% of adults are vegetarian, while another 10% consider themselves vegetarian even though they may occasionally eat fish or chicken).

One of the plusses in this trend is that it is easier for the parents of these kids to find kid-friendly veggie staples, such as, soy milk, veggie broths, lard-free refried beans and veggie burgers.

Since I’ve been vegetarian since 1971, I’ve gotten to see this revolution take place in restaurants around the country. It used to be that when I was on the road and speaking in a small town, I needed to find one of the steak house chains like Bonanza or Ponderosa to eat in because I knew I could get their salad bar and a baked potato. Because almost all restaurants now offer veggie meals (and good ones, too), it’s been years since I’ve had to eat in one of the chains.

The article also cited many reasons why young people become vegetarian, including:
- personal taste,
- concerns about animal treatment,
- environmental questions surrounding the raising the livestock, and
- the influence of peers and celebrities.

To ease parents’ concerns about the nutritional wisdom of a young person becoming vegetarian, a 2003 review of the scientific literature by the American Dietetic Association concluded that a well-planned Vegan and other types of vegetarian diets can be appropriate for all ages.

• So… please pass the soy burgers!  (and remembering the habits of the young - Fast Food Giant Burger King added a Vegetarian Burger to their menu, that is actually terrific tasting, and the Veggie at Subway is a big favorite!)

Bookmark