Saturday, April 30, 2011

How to Teach Your Baby to Self Feed


Self feeding vs. Spoon feeding

Self feeding is just that--your baby feeding himself. Spoon feeding, is just that--your baby feeding himself with a spoon.

Self-feeding is a different method of introducing solids as opposed to you feeding your baby purees and the like instead. This is called Baby-Led Weaning. Here's a great video on how it works.

Why encourage self feeding/ Baby-Led Weaning early?

One of the reasons why I love this method is that our kids LEARN while they eat--they get to engage all of their senses: see bright carrots, touch bumpy broccoli, smell sweet pineapple, taste subtle cucumbers... All of this earlier that the American style of us spoon feeding our babies ourselves. This activity translates to your baby learning not only about foods, but how to eat them. It's also a great way for your baby to have a little more control in his life. Check out some of the great videos on youtube for more information. Just search for "baby led weaning."

When is he ready for self feeding/Baby-Led Weaning?

Self feeding can start as early as 6 mouths old, no sooner than that, though. Once your baby can put objects into his mouth, has begun some chewing motions and perhaps holds the breast or bottle in his hands while feeding, you can start encouraging self feeding.

Parents of typical children in Europe (this isn't common in the US or Canada) usually start when their baby sits with stability in his high chair, but this may not be for a while for our children who may have lower muscle tone. A bumbo seat or car seat set at a slight incline may help just while feeding. (You don't want to prematurely sit your baby up until s/he is able to put himself into the sitting position.) Talktools.net sells a very nice chair that can provide your child stability during meal times.

When is he ready for spoon feed himself?

The milestone of spoon feeding is usually started between 9-12 months in the typical population.
Though the process may be much slower and is definitely messier than when you feed him, the advantages of letting him try are many, including creating new pathways in the brain stimulated by all his senses!

Things you'll need to encourage spoon-feeding:

Child's nontoxic spoon
Child's nontoxic plate or bowl (maybe one with a suction cup)
Nontoxic mat, shower curtain or towel for under the chair
High chair (or other child sized seat)
Bib (one with snaps is better than velcro so he won't rip it off mid meal!)
A wet washcloth

Instructions

1. Buy baby friendly feeding utensils that are free of toxins. See Nontoxic Feeding Sets.

2. Prepare the area where you are teaching your baby to feed herself. Place the highchair on a plastic mat (they now have nontoxic shower curtains that work great) or towel and choose a bib. Self feeding is messy at first, so it's a good idea to make cleanup easier.

3. Prepare your child by either taking all clothes off expect for a diaper or by putting on clothes that you don't mind being stained. (Jett has special yellow clothes for when he's eating the curcumin.)

4. Place your child in the high chair and put his bib on securely. Prepare the food and place it on a dedicated plate to teach your child to identify feeding time.

5. Begin the feeding by offering your child a spoonful of food and then offering the spoon to your child. If your baby takes the spoon from you as you try to feed, give her the spoon and use another one. Until she learns to completely feed herself, you need to feed the baby yourself if she becomes frustrated with using the spoon. It helps to wash her hands when they become too slippery with food to hold on properly. At first you can hold the bowl and allow her to try to scoop. Or you can load up the spoon for her and let her at it. (More spoon tips below.)

6. Clean the feeding area and repeat the sessions whenever your baby is hungry. Eventually your baby will become more proficient and there is less mess at the end of the meal.

Set aside plenty of time for self feeding. I set Jett up in a legless high chair on the floor of the kitchen and cook or do dishes while he eats and watches me. That way, I can give him plenty of time to experiment without me feeling like I have a million other things that I need to be doing instead of watching him try to eat.


The Transitional Period

When your baby can put objects into her mouth, she explores her world through her mouth, which makes this time perfect to begin some finger foods. She can also sit with little support. She may have some teeth and may begin to make chewing motions with her mouth. She can hold a small bottle by herself and may begin to take liquids from a cup with help.

While she cannot be expected to feed herself all her foods at this stage, she can participate by feeding herself some foods. She can also have finger foods for snacks.

Finger foodsFoods appropriate for your child during this transitional period include those that dissolve easily in the mouth, such as the following:

Small pieces of toast (may want to avoid in case of gluten sensitivity. Jett's had some Ezekiel Bread but only because he kept stealing it from me and loved to chew on it.)

Small pieces of cooked vegetables, such as peas, squash, soft carrots, or broccoli

Small pieces of very soft meat, such as fish without bones, chicken without skin or bones

Small pieces of ripe peaches, bananas, pears, or other soft fruit

Small pieces of soft cheese, such as Monterey Jack or Colby (unless there is evidence of a milk intolerance or allergy)

Cheerios or puffed brown rice (make sure it's organic and additive free.)

Avoid foods that may cause choking.

Do not offer the following during early stages of self feeding:

Any dried fruits, such as apricots, raisins, dates, pineapple, or coconut

Any nuts, such as walnuts or peanuts

Popcorn, potato chips, corn chips, or crackers that do not dissolve well

Hard candy of any kind

Uncooked vegetables, such as carrots or celery

Hot dogs and other foods that might be of windpipe size

Drinking from a cup

Drinking from a sippy cup is not recommended for children with DS because it's a lazy approach to getting liquids that doesn't help them therapeutically. They don't have to work for it at all, it just pours out.

Drinking from a straw cup is better for children with DS because it helps them build up the muscles in their mouth better. A honey bear from talktools.net is an ideal starter straw cup. Jett started drinking from a straw at 6 months old.

Otherwise, bath time is an excellent time to allow your baby to experiment with drinking from a cup w/out a lid. She will enjoy the challenge and you will not need to contend with a mess on the floor or her clothes. Use something like a non toxic plastic shot glass; the smaller diameter of the opening makes it easier for her to manage with her small mouth. You can offer breast milk, formula or juice from the cup.

If you bottle-feed, your baby may enjoy helping you hold her bottle. Let her participate by pulling the nipple in and out of her mouth and adjusting the angle of the bottle. Avoid putting her to bed with her bottle, though; as she falls asleep, less saliva bathes her teeth, and she swallows less often. Some milk may pool in her mouth and support the growth of bacteria, which leads to tooth decay. She could even choke.

Modified Adult Period

When your baby can sit without support and reach for a cup and spoon, she's ready for the next step. She may be able to lift a cup by herself. When she is full, she lets you know by turning away from her food or playing with it (or, in Jett's case: spitting it out).

Since she cannot feed herself well yet from a spoon, you can help her by teaching her how to grasp it in her hand and move her hand toward her dish. A good way to begin is to let her hold a spoon while you feed her with another spoon. Every several bites, help her load her spoon and bring it to her mouth. Use foods that stick well to the spoon, such as cereal, mashed potatoes, or thick mashed banana. Lots of praise and acceptance of spills encourage her to learn.

Use a small cup at mealtimes with a small amount of breast milk or water (to save you work if the contents spill). Or use a cup with a no-spill lid, like a straw cup (again, a sippy cup is not recommended for children with T21). She will probably need help at first just learning to hold on to the cup without spilling and, of course, she needs your approval.

Once she can chew easily and can bite off a chunk of food from a larger piece. Her pincer grasp (ability to pick up objects with thumb and forefinger) is well developed. Foods appropriate at this stage include strips of green or red pepper, peeled cucumber cut into small pieces, cooked green beans and broccoli spears, wedges of fresh pears or peaches, or slices of banana. She will do well with peas and blueberries, too. She still needs lots of chances to use a spoon and cup.

At this stage, she may also enjoy the new skill of deliberately spitting. At 14 months, Jett loves to spit food, especially beets or anything with the permanently staining curcumin in it! Make it easy on yourself by giving your baby no more food than she can quickly and easily eat or drink.

She can always have more put on her plate or in her cup if she finishes. Putting small amounts of food and beverage within reach of your baby helps reduce some of the messiness of this stage. Tipping over bowls and cups and watching your reaction are great fun, and spitting is sure to grab your attention. Remember: Sometimes ignoring a behavior you do not like ends the behavior more quickly than expressing surprise or displeasure.

The Toddler Period

Your toddler can manage cup and spoon with ease. She can chew well and take foods she has difficulty chewing out of her mouth with her fingers. She may be a messy eater who may express some strong food preferences. She also has a diminished appetite at this stage, corresponding with her slower rate of growth.

Mealtimes call for creativity and patience on your part. Your toddler needs foods she can easily eat by herself. Since her appetite is not large, take advantage of snack times as well as mealtimes to provide her with nutritious foods.

Try offering vegetable strips as snacks. To make zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower more interesting, try a yogurt dip with dill seasoning. Fortify smoothies with yogurt and veggies. You might also try adding a small amount of grated carrot, apple, or zucchini to pancakes.

Always offer nutritious foods. Then you can relax and avoid the food battles that result from forcing foods on a resistant toddler.

When it comes to self feeding, the mind and the capabilities of the baby don't always progress in sync. Often a baby is determined to feed herself, but doesn't yet have the ability to grasp food or spoon, and she ends the meal messy and frustrated. Other times, babies are content with the ease of being fed, and despite being able to feed themselves, continue to push mom to do the job. In the former case, you need to provide the opportunities to make her efforts successful, and in the later case, you have to do a little persistent pushing.

Let's talk about the first case. If you have a baby that insists on feeding herself, even though she can't get the job done, there are a few things you can do. In order for a baby to successfully self-feed, they need to have a pretty well developed pincer grasp. This allows them to pick up food and dexterously get it to their mouth. Prior to the pincer grasp is the palmer grasp. At this stage, babies can only pick up things in the palm of their hands.

What it amounts to is taking fistfuls of food and aiming it somewhere near their mouth, and mashing it in -- often scraping the palm with their lips to get it all. What a mess! This sort of grasp precludes efficient self-spoon feeding.

At this early stage you can help out by doing a number of things. First, for finger foods, offer those things that she can hold in his palm, like long crackers, or strips of toast, where there is still food sticking out the end for her to bite off. Second, give your baby one spoon while you feed with the other. For her spoon, use sticky food and load the spoon for her to self feed. Food like thick baby cereal, or mashed fruits and vegetables that have been mixed into mashed potatoes. Any thick, gooey mess that can adhere to the spoon or be picked up, but still is easily "gummed" in her mouth without causing her to gag, is a good food at this time.

During this time, while she is learning to feed herself, and waiting for her pincer grasp to emerge, a lot of her nutrition will come from breast milk or formula and the baby foods that you are feeding her. It is wise to start backing off on the less chunky forms of baby food, since they do not encourage her to use her more mature ability to chew and swallow like an adult. And for that ability to develop, she needs to practice it.

Once you notice that she is more adept at pincer grasp, you can let him pick up more and more of his own feeding. (All fluids at meal time should be offered in a straw cup, not in a bottle). A self motivated baby will make the switch to self feeding by himself, often before he is capable of getting enough food that way.

For the baby who is quite satisfied with being fed baby food, and drinking from a bottle, you will need to be a little pushy. Begin slowly so as to not shock or confuse your baby. Begin at breakfast when baby is well rested and up for a new challenge. Eliminate the bottle from this meal first and encourage her to feed himself her own gluten free cereal, and offering some slice of fruit. Load her spoon and help her get it to his mouth. Don't be too ready to offer your spoonful. Let her be for a few minutes so she can experiment with the food and feeding. Back off on your participation.

Gradually eliminate the finally pureed baby foods as they may hinder her moving on to more appropriately textured foods. (Of course there are always those foods that will remain forever in her diet that are pureed or mashed, like applesauce or winter squash. You don't need to eliminate all soft foods, but you do need to encourage the addition of chunkier, and thicker ones.) A baby who fits into this category will be a little longer in making the move to complete self-feeding.

For most babies, expertise in using a spoon will take years to develop. Provide baby with those great utensils available at baby stores, the kind that she can hold easily and that have the curve that helps get the food to the target. It will make her hard efforts more rewarding.

As with almost every phase of child development, each child has their own, unique schedule. What is important is to be cued into your child, being aware of when he is ready to move on, when she needs some encouragement, and when you need to back off. Your 'listening' skills are important for this. Notice how she chews and swallows, how she holds his finger foods, etc. From those cues, you can determine when she needs your help, and when she needs to do it herself, when she is ready for chunkier foods, or if a thinner texture is needed a while longer. Don't hold hard and fast to any specific age that he needs to be accomplished at something. So long as your see progress in the right direction, then relax and know that you are doing the best you can.

Give the child less food than you think he can eat to help him feel a sense of accomplishment.

Never force feed your child.

Sources

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/understanding-a-childs-eating-habits-ga1.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2080989_teach-baby-self-feed.html

Related PostsBaby Food & Formula Contain Arsenic, Toxic Metals
Healthy Alternative to Conventional Infant Formula...
First Foods: How & What & When to Introduce
First Foods: GAPS Introducing Solids
First Foods: Yogurt & Bone Broth
First Foods: Root/Leaf Vegetables
How to Spoon Feed
How to Bottle Feed & Nontoxic Bottles
Nontoxic Feeding Sets

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Is There a CMF Mini-Conference Near You?

My husband and I attended the mini-conference in Madison, WI in November 2010. It was great to be able to meet parents on the protocol and to be able to ask Teresa Cody, founder of The Changing Minds Foundation, questions.

Orlando, FL November 12, 2011
The Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida has partnered with The Changing Minds Foundation to bring families in Florida an informational presentation/one-day seminar about the CMF protocol. Dr. Teresa Cody will be the main speaker and she will present the science behind each item of the protocol to parents, educators and medical professionals. We will also get to hear from Joanne Mothes, a special education teacher who works exclusively with children and adults with Down syndrome. She will shed some light on the differences she sees in children that take the CMF protocol because half of her group of students takes the protocol and half of them do not. The seminar will be in Orlando on November 12, 2011 from 9:00am to 3:00pm and registration will open on September 30, 2011. You can find the details and registration at http://www.dsfflorida.org/DSFF_Events.html


Want Teresa Cody to come talk to your local DS community?
If you are willing to coordinate the event, just send CMF an email to changingmindsfoundation@gmail.com and they will happily add your town to their schedule.

Here are the most recent three events:

Down Syndrome Association of Houston
7015 West Tidwell, Bldg. G, Suite 108
Houston, Texas 77092
713-682-7237
July 23, 2011
9:00am - 11:00am (with lunch afterward) (in English)
Spanish Version starts at 1:00pm (given by translator)
Teresa will be there to answer questions afterward


Monday, May 16th, in Deer Park, TX.


Both Teresa and Joanne Mothes, special education tutor of children with Down syndrome, will speak to parents, teachers, doctors and anyone else interested in hearing about the CMF protocol.


Teresa will present the details of the protocol along with the science behind it. She will also be sharing new information on sleep in relation to DS as well as a solution she has found.


Joanne will share her experience as a special education tutor since half her students are on the protocol and half are not.


Gerrie Bourque and her 14 year old son, Tyler are hosting. He has just started the CMF protocol and his mother says she is amazed at the changes she is seeing in her son! She was so excited that she wanted to have Teresa come and share the information with her local friends and DS group.


Seminar Information:

Monday, May 16, 2011

7:00pm to 9:00pm

Deer Park Community Center

610 San Augustine

Deer Park, TX 77536

No charge to attend


Donations will be accepted at the door
******

Evansville, Indiana hosts CMF on June 25th. The Down syndrome Parent Network called SMILE on Down Syndrome, is happy to welcome Teresa to speak to their group.


In addition to answering questions and concerns from the audience, Teresa will play a video of Joanne Mothes' presentation from their conference last July, entitled "Draw a Line in the Sand". In her talk, Joanne compares the students that are on the CMF protocol to those who are not. The difference is astounding!

You will also hear from Miriam Kauk, a CMF parent since 2008 and founder of my favorite website: einstein-syndrome.com. You will also get to meet her 18 year old daughter, Mary who has been on the protocol for over two years.


When: June 25, 2011


Where: Wired Coffee House

111 NW 4th Street

Evansville, IN 47708


Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm

(Central Time Zone)

Check-In at 8:30am


Cost: No Charge -- Donations Only


Although the seminar is FREE, please register your attendance so they can be prepared for the number of people to expect. Thank you!


To Register:




Monday, April 25, 2011

Why Fluoride is NOT good for our kids

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/brain/

Key Findings - Fluoride & the Brain:

1) Fluoride's ability to damage the brain represents one of the most active areas of research on fluoride toxicity today.

2) The research on fluoride and the brain has been fueled by 18 human studies from China, India, Iran, and Mexico finding elevated levels of fluoride exposure to be associated with IQ deficits in children. Fluoride's impact on IQ is exacerbated among children with low-iodine exposure.

3) The impact of fluoride on children's IQ has been documented even after controlling for children's lead exposure, iodine exposure, parental education and income status, and other known factors that might impact the results (Rocha-Amador 2007; Xiang 2003 a,b).

4) In addition to IQ studies, 3 studies (Yu 1996; Du 1992; Han 1989) have found that fluoride accumulates in the brain of the fetus, causing damage to cells and neurotransmitters and 1 study (Li 2004) has found a correlation between exposure to fluoride during fetal development and behavioral deficits among neonates.

5) Several recent studies have found that even adult exposures to fluoride may result in central nervous system disturbances, particularly among industrial workers.

5) The findings of neurological effects in fluoride-exposed humans is consistent with, and strengthened by, recent findings from over 40 animal studies published since 1992. As with the studies on humans, the studies on animals have reported an impairment in learning and memory processes among the fluoride-treated groups.

6) The animal studies have also documented considerable evidence of direct toxic effects of fluoride on brain tissue, even at levels as low as 1 ppm fluoride in water (Varner 1998). These effects include:

-- reduction in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors;
-- reduction in lipid content;
-- impaired anti-oxidant defense systems;
-- damage to the hippocampus;
-- damage to the purkinje cells;
-- increased uptake of aluminum;
-- formation of beta-amyloid plaques (the classic brain abnormality in Alzheimer's disease);
-- exacerbation of lesions induced by iodine deficiency; and
-- accumulation of fluoride in the pineal gland.

Articles of Interest - Fluoride & the Brain:

* NEW: FAN's Translation Project: Chinese Research on Fluoride's Neurotoxicity
* New Evidence on Fluoride & the Developing Brain - FAN, January 17, 2008
* Excerpts from NRC Report - FAN, March 28, 2006
* Yet more research on fluoride and the brain - FAN Science Watch June 25, 2004
* Fluoride's effects on the brain - Ellen Connett, Director, Fluoride Action Network Pesticide Project, April 19, 2004
* Fluoride Linked to Low IQ, Studies Show - Fluoride Action Network August 25, 2003
* In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility May 2000
* On the Neurotoxicity of Fluoride Phyllis Mullenix, Ph.D., September 14, 1998
* Fluoride & The Brain: An Interview with Dr. Phyllis Mullenix Interview by Paul Connett, PhD, October 18, 1997
* Fluoride & the Pineal Gland IFIN Bulletin, March 2001
* Rat Studies Link Brain Cell Damage With Aluminum and Fluoride in Water Wall Street Journal October 28, 1992

Ways to Remove Fluoride from Water
  • Reverse Osmosis Filtration
    This is used to purify several types of bottled water (not all), so some bottled waters are unfluoridated.
Products:
AquaCera Quick Change Reverse Osmosis System $600

Sierra Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System, by New Wave Enviro $250

5 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System with Storage Tank $155

Watts WP5-50 Premier Five-Stage Manifold Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment System $200

  • Activated Alumina Defluoridation Filter
    These filters are used in locales where fluorosis is prevalent. They are relatively expensive (lowest price I saw was $30/filter) and require frequent replacement, but do offer an option for home water filtration.
  • Distillation Filtration
    There are commercially available distillation filters that can be purchased to remove fluoride from water. On a related note: When looking at bottled water, keep in mind that 'distilled water' does not imply that a product is suitable for drinking water and other undesirable impurities may be present.
These Do NOT Remove Fluoride
  • Brita, Pur, and most other filters.
    Some websites about fluoride removal state otherwise, but I checked the product descriptions on the companies' websites to confirm that fluoride is left in the water.
  • Boiling Water
    This will concentrate the fluoride rather than reduce it.
  • Freezing Water
    Freezing water does not affect the concentration of fluoride.

___

Fluoride: The New Lead

http://www.laleva.org/eng/2010/12/fluoride_the_new_lead.html>
originally from
OpEdNews
December 12, 2010
By Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall


It took decades to "prove" that even low-level lead exposure caused mental
retardation and behavioral problems in children. In 1973 when I graduated from
medical school, there was a mountain of compelling evidence of the terrible
things lead in paint and auto exhaust was doing to kids. However under pressure
from corporate interests (the companies who put lead in gasoline and paint), the
medical establishment still officially proclaimed that at "subclinical levels,"
lead was totally safe.

Fortunately Nixon's newly created Environmental Protection Agency stood up to
the corporate elite in 1973. Taking the emphatic position that even low-level
lead exposure was posing a direct threat to public health, they ultimately
forced the US auto industry (in 1975) to install catalytic converters in cars,
to enable them to run on unleaded fuel. The use of lead-based paint in homes was
banned in 1978.

A Regulatory Agency that Refuses to Regulate
Unfortunately, despite overwhelming evidence that fluoride has the same effect as lead in lab animals and children, In 2010 the EPA has virtually ceased to perform any meaningful regulatory function. Which is most unfortunate, given that many US municipalities still put fluoride in the public drinking water (which can't be removed by simple filtration and is found in many brands of bottled water).
It boggles the mind that communities across the US continue to mass medicate their residents without their consent -" with a substance that has never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (it's actually unpurified toxic waste from the agricultural phosphate industry and contains heavy metals and radionucleotides). Not only does this constitute a major civil rights infringement, but it poses far more danger to human health than the TSA full body scanners at airports.

Established Link to Hip Fractures, Bone Cancer and Liver Cancer
The evidence linking water fluoridation to hip fractures, bone cancer, and liver cancer is unequivocal. In 2006, after three years of study, doctors, chemists, toxicologists and other researchers appointed by the National Research Council concluded the preponderance of evidence showed that water fluoridation was causing an increase in hip fractures and bone and liver cancer, in addition to its neurotoxic effects in children (see http://www.fluoridealert.org/nrc-review.htm). They also found strong evidence that it was contributing to an epidemic of hypothyroidism, infertility and arthritis in Americans (1/3 of Americans suffer from arthritis). However they felt more research was needed in these areas. Nevertheless they felt the established health risks were so serious, they strongly recommended all water fluoridation be stopped while additional studies were completed. There is an excellent 98 minute interview with some of these scientists at http://blip.tv/file/2223981/.

Fraudulent Science
One area they didn't explore, which BBC investigative journalist Christopher Bryson covers in his 2004 book Fluoride Deception, is the systematic way that corporate interests have "doctored" fluoride research. One common practice was to selectively publish research favorable to fluoride, while simultaneously firing and blacklisting scientists whose studies showed otherwise. Scientists who research medical problems related to genetically modified foods face the same problem -" their work is suppressed, while they themselves are fired and blacklisted. Thanks to Bryson others, who obtained dozens of secret documents regarding water fluoridation via the Freedom of Information Act, the full extent of this massive fraud is finally in the public domain.

The Decision to Fluoridate the Public Water Supply
As Christopher Bryson outlines in Fluoride Deception, the decision to deliberately dose US municipal water systems with a potent industrial toxin was basically a corporate scam dreamed up by Alcoa, General Motors, and DuPont in the thirties and forties - to stem a tide of lawsuits related to death and injuries from toxic fluoride pollution (by convincing the public that fluoride is good for you). Alcoa was involved because fluoride is an extremely toxic pollutant produced by aluminum smelting. GM and DuPont were involved because GM held the patent on fluoride-based Freon (DuPont manufactured it), a common refrigerant which has since been banned. Unsurprisingly the same corporate researchers who "proved" that fluoride was safe also tried to convince the American public that lead, asbestos, smoking and plutonium were safe.

Fluoride Declared Hazardous Waste in 1930
According to Bryson, scientists have known for decades that fluoride is extremely toxic - in fairly low doses - to all mammals, including humans. In fact the FDA first declared fluoride a serious health hazard in the early thirties. The result was scores of lawsuits by aluminum workers crippled and killed by fluoride poisoning and by farmers near aluminum plants, whose livestock were killed by fluoride emissions.
Public Relations: Cheaper than Pollution Controls
Rather than encouraging his employer to institute pollution controls, an Alcoa researcher named Francis Frary decided a better solution was to alter public perception of fluoride - by convincing Americans that it improved dental health. Frary approached Mellon Institute researcher Gerald Cox, who performed a single study in rats (who don't really suffer much tooth decay) in 1937 and "proved" that fluoride strengthened teeth. Around the same time, the same Gerald Cox also "proved" that mesothelioma (a rare lung cancer that killed Steve McQueen) wasn't caused by asbestos.
Back then the concept of peer reviewed research was unknown, and the American Medical Association declared that the "case for fluoride" was proved. It's clear that corporate largesse (from General Motors) was instrumental in getting the American Dental Association on board with water fluoridation. Whether the AMA also benefited from corporate generosity remains unclear.
Kettering Bribes the American Dental Association
Frary and Cox were soon joined in their little scam by Charles Kettering, who was both GM's research director and a Freon magnate. Kettering was the first to approach the American Dental Association with their proposal to fluoridate public water systems. He also began funding many of their activities and got appointed to their three member Advisory Committee on Research in Dental Caries.
Meanwhile GM and DuPont hired scientist Robert Kehoe to perform safety studies on both fluoride and tetra ethyl lead, a gasoline additive co-manufactured by the two companies. And for obvious reasons, Kehoe declared both lead and fluoride safe at "low levels."
Enter the Atomic Energy Commission and the Father of Public Relations
In the 1940s these corporate researchers were joined in their scheme to promote water fluoridation by Dr Harold Hodge the chief toxicologist of the Manhattan Project (the secret US project to build and atomic bomb).Hodge became involved in "Project F" because large amounts of fluoride are used in the construction of the atomic bomb, and the Atomic Energy Commission was concerned about heading off a flood of lawsuits from Manhattan Project scientists exposed to toxic levels of fluoride. This was the same Harold Hodge who, in his role as chief Manhattan Project toxicologist, experimented on unsuspecting patients at Rochester 's Strong Memorial Hospital , by injecting them with plutonium.
Nevertheless the most prominent villain in this sordid history of lies and secrecy was the infamous father of the public relations industry (i.e. the sophisticated use of propaganda to sway public opinion) Edward Bernays. There was massive public opposition to water fluoridation from the very beginning -" led mainly by doctors who were well aware of fluoride's toxicity. Bernays' answer was to enlist even more prominent doctors to declare it safe, starting with famous baby doctor Benjamin Spock.

A Systematic Corporate Cover-Up
As Christopher Bryson outlines clearly in the Fluoride Deception, the whole notion of fluoride being safe and good for teeth is based on decades of corporations paying researchers to produce the scientific results they want -" and burying research and firing and blacklisting scientists whose studies show otherwise.
As Bryson points out, it was actually mass fluoride poisoning that kick-started the environmental movement, following an air pollution disaster in 1948 that killed 20 people and sickened hundreds more. A temperature inversion and air pollution from a US Steel factory is blamed for the Donora ( Pennsylvania ) Death Fog. However owing to extreme pressure from the steel and aluminum industry, public health authorities colluded in a systematic cover-up of the autopsy results - which revealed that the victims had toxic fluoride levels in their blood (see http://www.fluoridation.com/donora.htm).
GM fluoride researcher Charles Kettering also deliberately suppressed the results of his own lab's 1962 studies demonstrating that fluoride produced lung damage in beagles.
This sordid history also includes deliberate smear campaigns against extremely reputable doctors and scientists who published research and clinical findings showing that water fluoridation has adverse health effects:
* Dr. George Waldbott - a world famous doctor who first identified penicillin allergy and the link between smoking and emphysema. Waldbott published numerous double blind studies in the fifties showing that fluoride is harmful to human health. The result was a massive corporate smear campaign that destroyed his reputation by marginalizing and demonizing him.
* Dr William Marcus - a senior EPA toxicologist in the Office of Water, fired in 1992 for attempting to publicize studies revealing that fluoride causes bone and liver cancer (see http://www.gaia-health.com/articles251/000293-epa-scientists-oppose-fluoridation.shtml). In 1994 Marcus won lawsuit against the federal government and was reinstated. While the EPA still refuses to ban water fluoridation, the unions representing EPA scientists have called for a moratorium (see http://www.nteu280.org/Issues/Fluoride/Press%20Release.%20Fluoride.htm).
* Dr Phyllis Mullinix - research toxicologist hired by Forsyth Dental Institute to study the effect of fluoride on the brain. In the mid-nineties, Mullinex was first fired and then blacklisted in the when she published research showing that fluoride produces memory and behavior problems in children.
Where Does Fluoride Comes From?
Although fluoride is added to municipal water systems as a "drug" - that allegedly improves dental health - it has never been approved by the FDA. In fact most communities source their fluoride from the phosphate fertilizer industry, as hydrofluorosilicic acid. This is an extremely toxic, hazardous waste, and the EPA requires phosphate manufacturers to capture it via "wet scrubbers" in their chimneys (to prevent toxic fluoride gas from being released into the air). The resulting liquid is then loaded, unpurified, into tanker trucks and sold to cities to be added to their public water supply. In addition to fluoride, it also contains a number of heavy metals and radionucleotides (radioactive elements - mainly uranium-238, uranium-234, thorium-230, radium-226, radon-222, lead-210, and polonium-210).

Why 98% of European Communities Have Banned Water Fluoridation
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden all ban water fluoridation - for five main reasons:

1. The preponderance of independent research reveals that fluoridation (at levels as low as 0.7 parts per million) increases the risk of hip fracture, liver and bone cancer and lowered IQ in children - as well as being strongly implicated in an American epidemic of hypothyroidism, arthritis and infertility. The concentration used in most American cities is 1.0 parts per million.

2. It's an absolute violation of medical ethics for a doctor to prescribe a drug, in unlimited doses (people who eat processed foods or drink large amounts of fruit juice, soft drinks and tea get much higher doses), to someone they have never met, without informed consent or ongoing monitoring of their response.

3. The World Health Organization has compared communities with and without water fluoridation and found the rate of cavities is no higher in communities who don't fluoridate their water (and doesn't increase when they remove it). In fact communities who don't fluoridate seem to have somewhat better dental health. Individuals who accumulate toxic levels of fluoride (known as dental fluorisis) actually have weaker tooth enamel. (Americans have the highest rate of dental fluorosis in the world - 33% overall and 41% in teenagers between 12-15). Research has consistently shown that fluoride only reduces tooth decay when it's applied directly to the teeth - drinking fluoride weakens the enamel.

4. All medical and dental authorities worldwide agree that infants are at risk of fluoride toxicity if their formula is made up with fluoridated water (see http://www.fluoridealert.org/infant-warning.pdf). This poses a real health hazard to low income families, who can't afford the luxury of distilled water.

5. The vast majority of Europeans don't want fluoride in their water when the risks are explained to them. (The administration of any drug requires informed consent - and they don't consent.)
Thus far 60 US communities (as a result of citizen activism) have ended fluoridation of their public water system. For support in getting the fluoride out of your water go to http://www.fluoridealert.org/ There is also an excellent interview with Bryson regarding his book at http://www.fluoridealert.org/bryson.htm.
Author's Website: www.stuartbramhall.com
______

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/13/cdc-and-ada-now-advise-to-avoid-using-fluoride.aspx

CDC and ADA Now Advise to Avoid Using Fluoride
from Dr. Mercola | November 13 2010 |

A new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association finds once again that, contrary to what most people have been told, fluoride is actually bad for teeth.

Exposure to high levels of fluoride results in a condition known as fluorosis, in which tooth enamel becomes discolored. The condition can eventually lead to badly damaged teeth. The new study found that fluoride intake during a child's first few years of life is significantly associated with fluorosis, and warned against using fluoridated water in infant formula.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is of a similar opinion. According to their website:

"Recent evidence suggests that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing ... enamel fluorosis."

Sources:
Journal of the American Dental Association October 14, 2010; 141(10):1190-1201
CDC May 28, 2010


Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It was 2007 when the American Dental Association (ADA) first warned that parents of infants younger than a year old "should consider using water that has no or low levels of fluoride" when mixing baby formula, due to concerns about fluorosis.

Now the Journal of the American Dental Association has published a study that found increased fluorosis risk among infants who were fed infant formula reconstituted with fluoride-containing water, as well as used fluoridated toothpastes.

The authors noted:

"Results suggest that prevalence of mild dental fluorosis could be reduced by avoiding ingestion of large quantities of fluoride from reconstituted powdered concentrate infant formula and fluoridated dentifrice."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also followed suit, warning on their Community Water Fluoridation page that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing enamel fluorosis.

They also state:

"In children younger than 8 years of age, combined fluoride exposure from all sources—water, food, toothpaste, mouth rinse, or other products—contributes to enamel fluorosis."

This is as far as the CDC warnings go, however, and they continue to state that water fluoridation is safe -- and dental fluorosis is only a "cosmetic" problem. In reality, neither of these assertions is true.

Dental Fluorosis is a Sign of Excessive Fluoride Intake


Dental fluorosis results in white and brown spots on your teeth. It is only caused by fluoride -- typically due to ingesting too much fluoride during your developing years, from birth to about 8 years of age. According to the CDC, about one-third of U.S. children aged 12 to 15 years have very mild to mild forms of enamel fluorosis on their teeth.

Promoters of fluoridation say that these markings are "just cosmetic," but it can also be an indication that the rest of your body, such as your bones and the rest of your organs, including your brain, has been exposed to too much fluoride also.

As Dr. Paul Connett, a chemist specializing in environmental chemistry, explained in our recent interview:

"We know that 32 percent of American children have been overexposed to fluoride because you have this telltale sign of dental fluorosis, which in its mildest form is little white specs. But when it gets more serious, it affects more of the surface of your teeth and it becomes colored; yellow, brown and orange mottling of the teeth …

The teeth are the window to the bones. If you've seen the damage to the teeth, what damage can you not see?"

In other words, if fluoride is having a detrimental, visual effect on the surface of your teeth, you can be virtually guaranteed that it's also damaging something else inside your body, such as your bones.

Bone is living tissue that is constantly being replaced through cellular turnover. Bone building is a finely balanced, complicated process. Fluoride has been known to disrupt this process ever since the 1930s.

Why it's Dangerous to Swallow Fluoride

The United States is one of only eight countries in the entire developed world that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its water supply. It is added under the guise that it helps prevent and control tooth decay …

This is in spite of the fact that there never been any demonstrated difference in tooth decay between countries with fluoridated and non-fluoridated water, and no difference between states that have a high- or low percentage of their water fluoridated.

Even promoters of fluoridation concede that the major benefits are topical; fluoride works from the outside of the tooth, not from inside of your body, so why swallow it?

The fluoride added to your drinking water is in fact a chemical waste product! It is NOT something you should use as a supplement to your diet.

There are plenty of studies showing the dangers of fluoride to your health, such as:

* Increases lead absorption
* Disrupts synthesis of collagen
* Hyperactivity and/or lethargy
* Muscle disorders
* Brain damage, and lowered IQ
* Arthritis
* Dementia
* Bone fractures
* Lowers thyroid function
* Bone cancer (osteosarcoma)
* Inactivates 62 enzymes
* Inhibits formation of antibodies
* Genetic damage and cell death
* Increases tumor and cancer rate
* Disrupts immune system
* Damages sperm and increases infertility

As far as tooth decay is concerned, this is not caused by lack of fluoride.

Tooth decay is caused by acids in your mouth, typically created from sugar being metabolized by bacteria (Streptococcus mutans), and as you may already know, the number one source of calories in the United States is high fructose corn syrup.

The acid produced then attacks your enamel. Eventually the bacteria can get into the dentine, at which point tooth decay sets in. So there are far better options for decreasing tooth decay than using a topical or ingested poison, with a chief one being minimizing your intake of sugary foods and eating a healthful diet.

You typically don't find dental caries in more primitive societies that do not consume vast amounts of sugar like in the United States.

Make Sure Your Children are Not Exposed to Fluoride

One of dentist Bill Osmunson's main concerns is water fluoridation for infants. The ADA and the CDC now both recommend that infants NOT receive fluoridated water for drinking, nor for making their formula, as fluoridated water contains 250 times more fluoride than mother's milk.

"We shouldn't fluoridate water and harm our most vulnerable," Dr. Osmunson says.

It is my strong belief and recommendation to avoid giving your children fluoridated water.

Unfortunately, the only way to ensure your water is pure enough to drink is by installing ahigh quality water filtration system in your house, such as a reverse osmosis filter that can filter out much of the fluoride and other dangerous water contaminants like disinfection byproducts (DBPs).

Remember that most bottled water also typically contains fluoride, even though it's not stated on the label, and whatever you do, avoid using "nursery water," which is fluoridated water sold specifically for infants.

Fluoride in your drinking water is one more reason why breastfeeding your infant is so essential. Nature has kept breast milk virtually fluoride-free for a reason.

If you are unable to breastfeed and are instead using formula, make sure the water you use is fluoride-free. Again, for now the best way you can provide pure, fluoride-free water to your family is by using a reverse osmosis filter, which you can install in your home.

Even better, if you are unable to breastfeed use this recipe to make homemade infant formula using raw milk and no water at all.

Keep in mind also that if you are a pregnant woman it is equally important for your water to be fluoride-free, as this chemical can harm your developing fetus.

The Ultimate Solution is to Get Fluoride Out of Tap Water

Even though the ADA and the CDC have issued warnings that parents not use fluoridated tap water to make infant formula, neither of them has openly informed the public!

So there are millions of parents out there using tap water to make up formula, oblivious of the fact that the agencies that promote fluoridation in this country have issued a specific warning against using fluoridated water for this purpose.

Not only that, but by fluoridating the municipal water supply you doom many low-income families to fail to protect their young children from this dangerous drug, even if they have this information, as they simply don't have the resources to install a reverse osmosis system.

This is why the only real solution is to stop the archaic practice of water fluoridation in the United States.

The Fluoride Action Network is an absolutely phenomenal resource for further education, and they're doing much to pressure the US government for change. We will be working together to devise a complete game plan to tackle this issue head on. Once we reach the tipping point, which may be as little as 5 percent of the population, we will be able to reverse the policies of water fluoridation.

Our strategy will begin with addressing Canada, because 60 percent of Canada is already un-fluoridated. If we can get the rest of Canada to stop fluoridating their water, we believe the U.S. will be forced to follow.

You can visit www.FluorideAlert.org for the most recent updates and progress, as well as tips on how you can get involved and take action in this important cause.

In addition, I highly recommend getting a copy of Dr. Connett's new book, The Case Against Fluoride, for more information on the bad science and political agendas that got this toxic chemical in our drinking water and is, at least for now, keeping it there.

Prozac is a fluorinated drug called "fluoxetine"

In animals chronic administration of fluoxetine resulted in a decrease in both T4 and T3 levels. The authors reported that the major effect of the drug “seems to be stimulation of TSH synthesis and release via the inhibition of T4-mediated thyroid-pituitary feedback” (Golstein et al, 1983).

In rat brain, fluoxetine has also been shown to interfere with local T3 metabolism (Eravci et al, 2000; Baumgartner et al, 1994).... In the 1930s is was first observed that all fluoride compounds, organic and inorganic ones, inhibit thyroid hormones. Prof. Kurt Kraft exposed tadpoles(bufo vulgaris, rana temporaria) to fluoride compounds including sodium fluoride, fluorotyrosine and fluorobenzoic acid (Kraft, 1937). Litzka’s experiments (1937) showed that the thyroid inhibition was due to activity in the liver (similar to PTU). Numerous fluoride compounds were used subsequently as the first line of treatment for hyperthyroidism in various countries, for several decades.... Fluoxetine is a known inhibitor of multiple P450 isoenzymes, thus interfering with the metabolism of other substances (Thompson et al, 1997; 2003).

... Fluoxetine has been shown to cause severe liver dysfunction such as hepatitis (Cai et al, 1999; Johnston & Wheeler, 1997; Mars et al, 1991; Friedenberg & Rothstein, 1996).

Fluoxetine has also been shown to cause secondary hyperthyroidism - originating from pituitary dysfunction (Martinez & Ortiz, 1999)

. http://www.poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/html/prozac.html

...........

Fluorine is also found in mind-affecting drugs like Prozac and the "date rape" drug Rohypnol. Click here for a more complete list of drugs containing fluorine. :http://www.just-think-it.com/no-f.htm


http://www.thehealthvine.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36&Itemid=58

Organofluorine compounds.

Today the chemical industry is making more and more organofluorine compounds which are used as solvents, propellants, refrigerants, (e.g the CFCs or chlorinated fluorcarbons), plastics (e.g. teflon), pharmaceuticals (e.g. prozac) and pesticides. The problem with these organofluorine compounds along with their organochlorine cousins, is that they produce very dangerous byproducts when burned, are fat soluble, are highly persistent in the environment, resist detoxification in our bodies, frequently interfere with hormonal signals, accumulate in our fat and are transferred to the fetus during pregnancy.

So just like the organochlorine compounds, which were often exploited for their "apparent" non-toxicity and their persistence, it is their very persistence which is coming back to haunt us as well as their more subtle toxicity.

In this connection, of particular concern are the perfluorinated octanyl compounds or PFOs e.g. PFOA (perfluorinated octanoic acid). These substances comprise a chain of 8 carbons completely saturated with fluorine at all positions (this is what the prefix "per" means) except the terminal group. These substances are being found throughout the environment and in human tissues throughout the world (See a recent discussion of this topic entitled "Fluorine Persists" by Stephen Ritter in C &EN, June 14, 2004). The PFOs are thought to be strong endocrine disrupters (i.e. they interfere with various hormonal signals in both animals and humans). One example is perfluorinated octanyl sulfonate (PFOS) which was manufactured by 3M corporation (skotchguard) but which it voluntarily ceased manufacturing in May, 2000.

The fluorine atom is very small and so when pharmaceutical companies develop a therapeutically active molecule (i.e. a drug) they will often put fluorine into the molecule in place of an hydrogen atom and usually at a place where the molecule is normally metabolized because the C-F bond is much more stable to enzymatic attack than a C-H bond. They do this in order to increase the time the body takes to metabolize the drug and thus enable the prescription of smaller doses. This is where we get into a highly contentious issue among those opposed to fluoridation. Some have assumed that the fluorine present in these drugs (such as prozac) represent another source of fluoride in our daily lives. However, this would only be the case if the drug is actually metabolized at the C-F bond. However, for most pharmaceuticals, this is unlikely. Other sites in the molecule are more likely to be attacked and the excreted water soluble metabolites are thus likely to still contain the fluorine atom covalently attached to the molecule. However, this is not always the case as has been demonstrated for some of the fluorinated anesthetics and propellants. To resolve the issue for drugs like prozac we need to have confirmation from the drug companies (and/or the FDA) that based upon mass balance studies all the fluorine can be accounted for in the excreted water soluble metabolites for the drug in question.

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Saturday, April 23, 2011

OT: Curing Cancer Naturally

Off topic, but too good not to share... From Dr. Mercola:

Gonzalez's Three-Pronged Approach to Cancer Treatment

Although most of the studies done on this approach were done on pancreatic cancer, Dr. Nick Gonzalez uses it to treat ALL cancers, from brain cancer to leukemia. His treatment, which is based on Dr. William Kelley's work, consists of three protocols: diet, supplements and enzymes, and detoxification.

The Dietary Protocol:

The cornerstone of the treatment is a personalized diet based on your nutritional- or metabolic type.

Dr. Kelley originally had 10 basic diets and 90 variations that ranged from pure vegetarian and raw food, to heavy-protein meals that included red meat three times a day.
"In terms of diet, Kelley… found that patients diagnosed with the typical solid tumors: tumors of the breast, lungs, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, uterus, ovaries, and prostate needed a more vegetarian diet," Dr. Gonzalez explains. "But he had all gradations of a vegetarian diet; one that was 80 percent raw, one that was 80 percent cooked. So even on the vegetarian side, there were all different variations.
Some had minimal animal protein, some had fish, some had also red meat.
A patient with immune cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and sarcomas,( which are connective tissue cancers that are related to immune cancers) tended to do best on a high-fat, high meat diet.
… Then there are balanced people that do well with a variety of foods, both plant foods and animal products, but they don't tend to get cancer.
Cancer tends to occur on the extremes, in the extreme vegetarians—those that tend to be too meat—or in the extreme meat eaters, who tend to be too alkaline. Balanced people don't tend to get cancer too much. So we continued the individualized approach, as did Kelley."
Individualized Supplementation and Enzyme Protocol:
The second component is an individualized supplement protocol, designed for your particular metabolism.
"For example, our vegetarian patients need completely different supplements from our meat eaters. The vegetarians do very well with most of the B vitamins, while the meat eaters don't. The vegetarians don't do well with vitamin A, but the meat eaters do. The vegetarians do well with vitamin D; the meat eaters not so well with large doses, and so on," Dr. Gonzalez explains.
"The meat eaters do well with calcium ascorbate as a vitamin C source, while the vegetarians do well with large doses of ascorbic acid. So the supplement protocols are very individualized and very precisely engineered."
Omega-3 fats are also prescribed, but even here Dr. Gonzalez prescribes different types of omega-3's depending on the patient's nutritional type. In his experience, vegetarians, or carbohydrate types, tend to fare better on flaxseed oil, which contains alpha linoleic acid (ALA) – a plant-based omega 3.
"It is thought that the conversion of the plant-based ALA into the fish-oil based eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is not that efficient," he says, "But we find that our vegetarian patients actually do it very well and don't use the fish oil or animal-based omega-3 fatty acids as effectively."
Chia and hemp seed oils can also be used.
Protein types, on the other hand, appear to need the EPA and the DHA and do better on animal-based omega-3 such as krill oil.
"They don't do well with flaxseed," he says. "Those are the people who can't make the conversion."
In addition to vitamins, minerals and trace elements, he also prescribes large doses of pancreatic enzymes.
"The essence of Kelley's work was based on the work of Dr. Beard, which goes back to the turn of the last century, about 110 years ago. Beard was a professor at the University of Edinburg, an embryologist actually, not a medical researcher, who first proposed that pancreatic proteolytic enzymes are the main defense against cancer in the body and are useful as a cancer treatment," he explains.
When treating cancer, however, he found it's important to take the right ratio of active and inactive enzymes. The inactive precursors are particularly active against cancer. They also have far longer shelf life, and are more stable.
"That would be my advice – get an enzyme that isn't completely activated," Dr. Gonzalez says. "More active isn't better when it comes to pancreatic enzymes, just like more and more D isn't better than getting the right dosage. You want the right proportions of activated and inactive—most of it as an inactive precursor."
His proprietary enzyme formula is manufactured by NutriCology. According to Dr. Gonzalez, pancreatic enzymes are not only useful as treatment for active cancer but are also one of the best preventive measures.
Antioxidants, such as astaxanthin, are also very helpful, both in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
The Detoxification Protocol:
The third component is a detoxification routine. Coffee enemas are used to help your liver and kidneys to mobilize and eliminate dead cancer cells that have been broken down by the pancreatic enzymes.
Coffee enemas, although often scoffed at today, were actually used as part of conventional medicine all the way up to the 1960s, and were included in the Merck Manual, which was a handbook for conventional medical treatments into the 1970s.
"They fell out of favor not because they didn't work, but because the drug industry took over medicine, so things like coffee enemas were kind of laughed at," Dr. Gonzalez says. "So Kelley learned about coffee enemas from conventional literature and incorporated them into his program and found them extremely helpful."
When you drink coffee, it tends to suppress your liver function, but when taken rectally as an enema, the caffeine stimulates nerves in your lower bowels, which causes your liver to release toxins as a reflex. Other detox strategies include colon cleanses and liver flushes developed by Kelley.
It's important to realize, however, that conventional coffee should NOT be used for enemas. The coffee MUST be organic, naturally caffeinated coffee, and were you to do this at home, you'd also want to use non-bleached filters to avoid introducing toxins into your colon.
"[Organic coffee] is loaded with antioxidants," Dr. Gonzalez says. "In fact, there are recent studies showing that coffee loaded with antioxidants can have an anti-cancer effect and that coffee may actually help suppress cancer.
But you have to use organic coffee, it has to have caffeine, and you have to use a coffee maker that doesn't have aluminum, and preferably no plastic."
Dr. Gonzalez also relies on sodium alginate as a detoxifying agent.
"We have a preparation that we put together and it's very effective... It's an algae and it chelates heavy metals and halides. I never use intravenous chelation; we just use sodium alginate."
He recommends taking three capsules three times a day, away from meals, for six weeks to detoxify your body of heavy metals, such as mercury, and halides.

More Information

This is one of the most fascinating interviews I've ever done, and it is chock full of information—far more than I can summarize here. So please, I urge you to take the time to listen to the interview in its entirety.
In addition to expounding on the subjects mentioned above, Dr. Gonzalez also reviews the benefits of optimizing vitamin D during cancer treatment, and how iodine supplementation can benefit breast cancer—not to mention help protect against thyroid cancer, in light of the current nuclear crisis in Japan.
We discuss the benefits of juicing and chiropractic adjustments, and the importance of regular exercise for cancer patients. We also review the dangers of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure, in terms of how it may aggravate cancer growth and hinder cancer recovery, and the benefits, along with some surprising precautions, of Earthing or grounding.
For more information about Dr. Gonzalez and his practice, see www.dr-gonzalez.com. He's also working on a series of books, two of which have already been published and received five-star reviews: The Trophoblast and the Origins of Cancer, and One Man Alone: An Investigation of Nutrition, Cancer, and William Donald Kelley , which is the original monograph of Dr. Kelley's work that he couldn't get published 23 years ago.
This written summary is only a small glimpse of the insights that were shared in our interview. If you or anyone you know struggles with cancer I would strongly encourage you to listen to the entire interview
Thankfully Dr. Gonzalez is still on the front lines and actively engaged in helping people by helping coach them with natural alternatives to toxic drugs and radiation. His office is in Manhattan and he can be reached at 212-213-3337.
Full article and video
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/23/dr-nicholas-gonzalez-on-alternative-cancer-treatments.aspx
Head and Neck Cancer

Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed. See full article:

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-grape-seed-neck-cancer-cells.html

Colon Cancer

Yerba Mate tea is able to kill colon cancer cells. See full article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123115539.htm

Cancer and immune system protection of the skin, liver, colon and more. Many of the flavonoids in Rooibos possess anti-mutagenic activity, with animal studies showing that Rooibos has potent anti-cancer and immune system protecting action.
Skin Cancer Prevention
Astaxanthin
Here's more info: http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2011/01/18/joe-mercola-astaxanthin/
Here too: http://www.naturalnews.com/026309_astaxanthin_cancer_disease.html
Broccoli Sprouts
http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/cb/Volume/2010/03/broccoli_sprouts.as
http://mimipost.com/tag/watercress-prevent-skin-cancer
Rooibos has also been shown to help inhibit skin tumors as well as help with skin infections, and as a result many in the skin care industry feel that Rooibos may be the new frontier for inclusion in skin care products. In South Africa, many apply Rooibos tea directly to the skin daily to help with everything from sun damage to age spots to infections and more.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
New study reveals that GSE users had a significantly decreased risk of cutaneous SCC (adjusted odds ratio 0.26, confidence interval 0.08-0.89, P = .031). Multivitamin use was associated with a borderline significant reduction in SCC risk (adjusted odds ratio 0.71, confidence interval 0.51-1.00, P = .049). Use of vitamins A, C, D, and E was not associated with SCC risk.
I use GSE as a natural antibacterial agent in cleaning around the house (Non Toxic Homemade Cleaning Products), but will now take it to reduce my risk of skin cancer!
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962210010583
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