MSG, Disease and You

OK, now I'm really pissed! I just found out that we (North-Americans) are eating 95,000 metric tons of MSG! Haven't we got the message? We've known for 30 years that there's a problem with this stuff. It's what's known as an exitotoxin. It excites our nervous system too much.

Now I know you think that you don't eat MSG because you either don't eat at Chinese restaurants or you make sure to always ask if your favorite Chinese restaurant uses MSG. Well it's the American food industry that using the 95,000 tons of this toxin--not the Chinese restaurants!

Look at your food labels and see if you see Glutamic Acid or Hydrolyzed Protein--that's MSG. Even if you don't see it, it may still be there because companies don't have to show all the ingredients.

There's evidence connecting MSG to fibromyalgia, diabetes, Alzheimers and many other diseases that have been increasing lately. Don't expect the FDA to protect you from a chemical that is selling as well as MSG. The MSG industry will make sure that it stays on the store shelves and in your favorite American restaurants.

Here's just a few studies about the effects of MSG to give you an idea; there's plenty more where these came from:

THE ROLE OF GLUTAMATE IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY PAIN AND PAINFUL PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHIES
Gary J. Bennett, Ph.D., Allegheny University of the Health Sciences

MANIPULATING GLUTAMATERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSION FOR THERAPEUTIC GAIN: THE EXAMPLE OF BRAIN ISCHEMIA
Dennis W. Choi, M.D., Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine

GLUTAMATERGIC MECHANISMS IN THE CAUSE AND TREATMENT OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE
J. Timothy Greenamyre, M.D., Ph.D., Emory University

ROLE OF GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR MATURATION IN PERINATAL BRAIN INJURY
Frances E. Jensen, M.D., Children's Hospital (Boston) and Harvard Medical School

EFFECT OF GLUTAMATE BLOCKERS ON HUMAN PAIN
Mitchell B. Max, M.D., National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health

GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR PLASTICITY IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS: IMPLICATIONS FOR AGING
John H. Morrison, Ph.D., Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

GLUTAMATE NEUROTRANSMISSION IN EPILEPSY: NEW TREATMENT STRATEGIES
Michael A. Rogawski, M.D., Ph.D., National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health

SCHIZOPHRENIA: A GLUTAMATERGIC PERSPECTIVE
Stephen R. Zukin, M.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health

Folks, please avoid MSG. Eat natural foods, not processed.

Take a deep breath,

Dr. Ron

Emotional Fitness

This is an excellent video from LightBridge media. It contains an enlightening interview with Dr. Joan Borysenko who explains the process of change.

Emotional Fitness is fundamental to our physical health; sad people get sick and happy people get sick less often and have milder illnesses. Emotional fitness can't be induced chemically; if you're sad it isn't because you have a Prozac deficiency.  Pharmaceuticals remove your ability to feel the problem without solving it.  If you're sad, learn to change your response to life.  It can be done.

See this and other videos that I've collected on the subject of natural health and wellness at www.LesTout.com.

Take a deep breath,

Dr. Ron

Fibromyalgia and Plastics(?)

I wish I had an answer to fibromyalgia; it's such a miserable illness. I can't find anything that mentions a definite connection between fibromyalgia and plastics, but I think it's safe to assume that the cause of fibromyalgia is environmental and plastics, cosmetics, and insecticides are exposures that are easy enough to limit. Today I'm picking on plastics.

The battle over the health risks from plastics is ongoing. The plastics industry is fighting to make plastics appear safe while the environmentalists are struggling with the difficulty of proving long-term and combined effects. Looking at the various studies is confusing because the plastics industry is funding studies that appear valid yet have completely opposite findings from the studies being done by institutions without ties to the chemical industry. An interesting editorial in Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine discusses the problem of reconciling the studies.

Anyway, here's some links:

Re: General Toxicity of the Environment
http://archive.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden1/es.php
http://www.ewg.org/node/16365

Re: Bisphenol
http://www.ewg.org/node/22300
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola

Re: Phthalates
http://www.ewg.org/node/15076
http://www.lestout.com/article/health-beauty-fitness/natural-health-wellness/plastics_cancer_birth_defects.html


Re: Non-stick cooking
http://www.ewg.org/node/25695

Re: Using Plastics Safely in the Kitchen
http://www.lestout.com/article/health-beauty-fitness/natural-health-wellness/use_plastics_safely.html

Re: Safe Cosmetics
http://www.lestout.com/article/health-beauty-fitness/natural-health-wellness/beauty_cancer_insanity.html

Re: Diet Soda Risks (in case your family drinks these--I hope not)
http://www.lestout.com/article/health-beauty-fitness/natural-health-wellness/aspartame_cancer.html


I find this all very scary. The more I know about the chemical soup that we live in, the more hopeless I am at being able to avoid the poisons that surround us. I know several people who have gone from doctor to doctor looking for answers for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and other syndromes, but if each of us has dozens, perhaps hundreds of artificial toxins in our bodies then how is a doctor to know which toxin is causing the problem? And even if they know, what can be done to rid the body of the current toxins and prevent more exposure?

I think that part of the answer is to live as natural a life as possible, dressing in natural fibers, eating on glass or ceramic plates, using steel utensils, and avoiding plastics, insecticides, and unsafe cosmetics.

Take a deep breath,

Dr. Ron

Healthy Consumption

I just watched a really well done video-explanation of the problem of modern life and how over-consumption is affecting our health and our planet's health. It's a seven-part series by FreeRangeStudios; each film is just a few minutes long.

1. The Story of Stuff - Introduction
2. The Story of Stuff - Extraction
3. The Story of Stuff - Production
4. The Story of Stuff - Distribution
5. The Story of Stuff - Consumption
6. The Story of Stuff - Disposal
7. The Story of Stuff - Another Way

I hope you'll watch these compelling videos and take whatever actions you're moved to take. Moderation is the key; we can have a better country, a better world, and better personal health--all at the same time.

Take a deep breath,

Dr. Ron

Symptoms of Stroke

Do you know how to tell if you're having a stroke? If you have any doubts then check out the American Heart Association website.

I thought everyone knew how to tell if they were having a stroke but I was wrong. I got a call at 2 a.m. from a friend that had gone numb on the left side of her body. She had been having sporadic numbness for 8 hours but hadn't taken any action. As a result of not taking action she'll have months of rehabilitation and tremendous expense before she recovers all her faculties. She is lucky that it wasn't worse.

For those of you in too much of a hurry to read the American Heart Association website, here's the 25-cent version--any imbalance in strength or control between the right and left side of your body whether arm, leg or eyesight needs to be checked out.

Strokes need a doctor's attention while there's still time to get some medication into the blood stream. If you wait until the blood gets shut off to the brain, your life is going to change and it won't be for the better!

Take a deep breath,

Dr. Ron