I specialize in food sensitivities where certain foods and chemicals are tested for a loss of oral tolerance (a fancy way of saying food sensitivity).   I’ve seen certain chemicals cause headaches in people.  Today I had a patient that determined by a methodical food challenge/washout process that she can eat a non-organic apple only if it is washed very well, otherwise she will get a headache.  Although not certain we can assume it is the pesticide residues on the skin of the unwashed apple as many people are reactive to chemicals. (and do not realize it!)

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Trouble falling asleep is a common complaint and one that is typically easy to fix without pharmaceutical medication.  One cause can just be from a lack of melatonin being produced by the pineal gland.  Melatonin is a hormone like substance that helps regulate sleep/wake cycles.   It has the opposite cycle as cortisol which is known as a ‘stress’ hormone.Some people take L-tryptophan amino acid which is converted into the serotonin and then melatonin to help them sleep.  (It can also improve mood as serotonin is a ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter).  Some people take a supplement with melatonin which is also a very powerful antioxidant.

The more light in our bedroom, the less melatonin we produce.  If you have trouble sleeping then it is best to sleep in a totally darkened room.   The moment a light goes on in a room and hits our eyes then our melatonin levels drop.   Darkness is important for good sleep.

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In the last few weeks two awfully designed studies regarding vitamin supplementation created some negative headlines around choosing to supplement.

One study published in JAMA wrongly concluded that “vitamin E” increases the risk the prostate cancer.  Problem was they weren’t using Vitamin E, just a portion of it.  The use of only 1 portion of the Vitamin E class of molecules (in this case alpha-tocopherol) leads to other well documented deleterious consequences.  This study was a faulty design with faulty assumptions whose mistake was made countless times in studies over the past 20 years regarding Vitamin E metabolism.  But for some reason previous data was ignored.  There are additional faults with this study and the hyperbole conclusions spun by the mainstream media ‘health writer’ pundits is extraordinary.   I’ll blog on this soon. Read the rest of this entry

It has been known for years that those plastic containers we all used as a kid are full of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors or xenohormones. Did you ever put that Tupperware of pasta and sauce in the microwave? I did as a kid. Yum those bite fulls of chemicals. Then the Tupperware would get a bit bent out of shape, but no big deal it must be safe. Here is a very definitive article that came out yesterday on Phthalates and BPA in plastic causing hypothyroidism.
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I am giving a talk today at the Acton Board of Health’s “Wellness University”.   It was motivated by 2 new women patients coming into my office within hours that were put on statins because of mildly elevated cholesterol.    I wrote this talk specifically for today’s event.

Click here for PDF of Better Heart Healthy Ways

Yours In Health,

George Mandler CNS LDN LicAc

I get frustrated and sad when I hear a friends kid is on antibiotics, especially if they are under 2 years of age.   There is little doubt that antibiotics cause stress to the gut mucosa lining.   There is also clear indication that antibiotics may not be useful for the common infant/toddler ear and sinus infections.   The good news is that many pediatricians are cautious to only use antibiotics as a last resort.  There are other options such as dietary changes (often sugar or cow’s dairy can be a culprit), increasing vitamin D levels and using essential oils.   Chinese Medicine has a 2000+ year history of treating common infant/toddler issues that existed a millennium ago as they exist today.   There are many alternatives before one subjects their child to antibiotics. Read the rest of this entry

Back during my high school football days I recall Coach V. always giving players an earful if they missed school because they were sick. If we missed school we were not allowed to practice and if we missed school on a Friday we were not supposed to play on a Saturday. He’d say “You are supposed to be in shape, how can you get sick? If you were in better shape you wouldn’t get sick”. Read the rest of this entry

For many years alternative MDs and practitioners have been against the use of a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates for improving bone density. The most popular bisphosphonates is Fosamax. The bones in our body are constantly breaking down and reforming. It is said by some that every 7 years you have a new skeleton. Bones are dynamic and living not static structures – hence lies the problem with taking bisphosphonates long term. Bones are broken down by cells called osteoclasts and new bone is created by cells called osteoblasts. Bisphosphonates block the formation of osteoclasts so that bone cannot be broken down. This most definitely will increase bone density and in the short run reduce fracture risk. However can you see what the long term consequences of this are? It creates brittle bones. The bone cells become dried out because they should have died and been replaced by new cells, but the bisphosphonates prevented the destruction of old cells. Another study was just released that showed long term use of bisphosphonates increases fracture risk.
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There is more and more research being made available how we live in a toxic world that simply did not exists 150 or even 100 years ago. I just read an Associated Press article about the toxic metals in sperm whales.
You can read that story here. Other research has been released about polar bears, sea lions, arctic inhabitants, and and birds to name a small percentage of examples. These toxins start out at birth as outlined by the EWG so there little doubt we all carry a toxic load. Read the rest of this entry

In my opinion statins are the new antibiotics in terms of over prescribing.   Finally the medical profession realizes that prescribing antibiotics has led to deleterious effects for individuals and the entire world population by creating super-bugs.   I think the day is near when physicians stop handing out statins to almost anyone that has over 200 mg/dL.   Statins are a necessary drug for some people – those are males between the ages of 30 and 50 with previous heart attacks.   Statins will reduce your cholesterol, but high cholesterol is not a disease, it is a number with a random cutoff that doesn’t take into account genetic individuality.   Statins do little to reduce disease, in fact they often lead to more disease states.   Here is an article with the latest negative statin research.

I’ve helped many people get off their statin medication by reducing their cholesterol with diet and nutraceuticals.  Most people can easily do this.  If you changed your diet but still your cholesterol is high then that may be your genetic predisposition, it doesn’t mean you’ll end up with disease.   If you are concerned have your C-Reactive Protein (CRP) checked as that is a better marker.  If the CRP is high then you need some high dose potent antioxidants and probably a change in diet or lifestyle.  But really just say no to statins, unless you are in the high risk category.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler LDN LicAc