If a matter of mind, body or spirit has you perplexed,
send your inquiries to Energy Times' Life Coach.
He'll track down the experts who can weigh in on what ails you.
Send Life Coach queries to arichter@energytimes.com
July/August 2010
Dear Life Coach,
Now that summer’s here, what sunscreen and SPF should I use to keep me safe?
Linda H.
Via Email
Dear Linda,
In its recently released annual sunscreen guide, the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen) gives a thumbs-up to only 39, or 8%, of the 500 beach and sport sunscreens it examined. Most of the sunscreens failed the EWG’s scrutiny because of exaggerated claims above SPF 50 and new information about potentially hazardous ingredients.
Choose a sunscreen with a 30 SPF or higher, but avoid higher than a 50 SPF because you risk the temptation to stay in the sun longer. Those higher-SPF suncreens may keep sunburn at bay but may not protect you from other skin damage, the EWG says.
Vitamin A is good for you to eat, but not to spread on your skin, the EWG cautions. Avoid sunscreens with this ingredient, typically listed as retinyl palmitate. The EWG also cautions against sunscreens with oxybenzone, a synthetic estrogen that penetrates the skin and contaminates the body. Sunscreens with zinc, titanium, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX are fine, EWG says, because they protect skin from harmful UVA radiation and remain on the skin, with little if any working their way into your system.
June 2010
Dear Life Coach,
The only way I can have my
hot coffee at work is by using
a company microwave to heat water in my coffee mug. I’ve heard that some ceramic mugs may leach harmful chemicals.
Any suggestions?
John C.
Via Email
Dear John,
We posed your challenge to green-living experts Beth Greer, author of Super Natural Home (Rodale), and Debra Lynn Dadd, author of Home Safe Home (Penguin). Both agree your safest bet is a glass drinking mug. If you can’t part with your mug, pick up a lead testing kit for about $12 at your local hardware store, Greer suggests. “Made in China” on your mug might prompt this test. Typically, adds Dadd, mugs with bright colors have been known to contain lead, though more neutral ceramics may also contain the element.
If you decide to use a paper
cup, Greer recommends buying unbleached cups (and using unbleached coffee filters when brewing) because bleached paper goods contain chlorine, which, she adds, may expose you to the toxic substance dioxin. Nor should you use chemical-leaching plastic.
Both Greer and Dadd would rather you use a coffeemaker over the microwave because of the latter’s potential harmful effect on the water and you. Your morning joe may be a
little less convenient—but safer.
May 2010
Dear Life Coach,
How do I know if I have a yeast infection or something else?
Nancy G.
Via Email
Dear Nancy,
You raise an important question since two thirds of women who self-diagnose a yeast infection actually have bacterial vaginosis, or BV, says Machelle M. Seibel, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Massachusetts. Symptoms are similar, and making the distinction is important, Seibel says, because untreated BV can increase the chances of premature birth and present a higher risk for urinary tract infections, pelvic inflammatory disease and STDs. Because of this confusion, it’s important to see a professional healthcare practitioner before self-treating. You can ask for a BV screening.
Yeast and bacteria are naturally present in the vaginal environment and need to remain in balance to avoid infection, Seibel says. A pH of 4.5 is normal; blood is more alkaline, with a pH of 7.4, so menstruation can bring pH levels up. “That tends to change the natural bacterial environment and shifts it towards the BV organism,” he says. Avoid excessive moisture; during the summer, don’t wear wet bathing suits too long, for instance. Probiotics and supplements can help. A professional can pinpoint the culprit behind any suspicious discomfort or discharge.
April 2010
Dear Life Coach,
Being a mom and now a full-time employee, I’ve always been on the go. My husband is always a great help. Lately, however, there’s just no downtime to relax and just let off a little steam. I’m concerned about my health.
Lindsey M.
Chicago
Dear Lindsey,
The Mayo Clinic offers a laundry list of time-management tips and strategies to take charge of your life. Among these are planning each day and keeping a diary of everything you do for three days. More aware of how you spend your time, you can take control rather than let time rule you (www.mayoclinic.com/health/time-management/WL00048). The Mayo Clinic also suggests that you consider your goals and current workload before taking on additional work, if you can. Commit to working for 10 minutes on tasks that are hard to bear; that short time is less of a burden and you may find that you can finish those tasks. If trying these and other tips don’t work, talk to a health practitioner.
David Wood, author of Get Paid for Who You Are (Ninja Firewalk Press), believes time is better managed when we love our work. Wood tells people to find that one thing they are great at and love, and turn it into an online business. “Imagine how it feels when you’re really loving what you do,” he says. “Your body opens and flows.”
March 2010
Dear Life Coach,
I just turned 41 this past October, and for the past 1 to 1 1/2 years I’ve been experiencing what I consider to be perimenopause. Is it possible to go through this so early in life? Are there any natural supplements that can be taken at this time in my life?
Penny
Schullsburg, Wisconsin
Dear Penny,
If indeed you have experienced perimenopause at 40, it is early, says Lila Nachtigall, MD, an obstetrics and gynecology professor at the New York University School of Medicine. The operative word here is “if.” Lacking additional details about your symptoms, health and background, you cannot rush to the conclusion that this is perimenopause.
“Sometimes it’s thyroid problems. Sometimes it’s prolactin, the hormone from the brain that can give you very similar symptoms,” Nachtigall says. Even if your symptoms are those commonly associated with perimenopause, such as hot flashes and fatigue, you need a diagnosis to be sure. If it is perimenopause, soy products may help ease “the ups and downs,” but, again, be sure first.
“Women and doctors, too, once they’re over 40, seem to blame everything on menopause or perimenopause,” Nachtigall says, “and they shouldn’t.”
February 2010
Dear Life Coach,
I live in a northern region of the country in a relatively remote area, which puts a real crimp in my love of outdoor activities. I play plenty of tennis during warmer seasons, but there are no nearby indoor facilities for during winter. Treadmills and stationary bikes bore me. I worry about putting on pounds in the winter—any advice?
Tracy L.
Via Email
Dear Tracy,
For your question, we turned to actor and trainer Roland Kickinger, who appeared on our June 2009 cover. Your love of tennis shows that you embrace the idea of exercising with someone else; Kickinger suggests recruiting a partner for some home exercises using common household objects. Options: A towel can serve as a resistance bar with you and your friend pulling either end. Or do ballet squats, descending as far as possible while holding on to a door frame. “The key is implementing exercises with the least amount of breaks in between to create circuit training at home,” says Kickinger (www.kickinger.com), adding that exercise is important for strong heart health. Kickinger says it’s also important to make sure you’re getting enough potassium and magnesium. Coffee, soda, alcohol, caffeine and salt can flush out potassium, he adds.
January 2010
Dear Life Coach,
I’ve been cutting back on meals and trying not to eat too close to bedtime in the hope of losing weight, yet I don’t seem to be
getting anywhere. Please help.
Rosalie M.
Via Email
Dear Rosalie,
Your query couldn’t be more timely. We’re running a piece on health myths in this issue (see page 28) and you happen to have hit on a couple of big ones regarding weight loss.
To help hasten your metabolism, you should be eating more, not fewer, meals, albeit of reasonable calorie counts based on your particular needs. Jennifer Haas, MS, RD, of Nova Medical Group in Ashburn, Virginia, recommends five to six small meals daily. Haas encourages people to eat within an hour of waking and then every three to four hours during the day. “It’s a better way to increase metabolism and burn calories,” Haas says.
Though you should have breakfast soon after waking, there’s no harm in eating close to bedtime; what matters is the calories consumed. Consume more than you should, and you’re going to put on the pounds no matter when you eat. “I have a small snack before I go to bed because I think it helps me sleep better,” Haas adds. “But if you have acid reflux or a medical condition you may want to refrain from eating two hours prior to laying down.”
November / December 2009
Dear Life Coach,
I dread going to family dinners and get-togethers during the holidays. My family argues endlessly. Its dysfunction is on full display year after year. Yet I feel compelled to go for the sake of family unity. Is there anything I can do to help the family strife go down a little easier than the stuffing?
Lucille G.
Via Email
You are not alone. A study by the authors of Crucial Conversations (McGraw-Hill) showed that four of five adults have attended a
holiday family gathering that left them feeling blue. The good news: You have the power to do something about it. The same study showed that nine out of ten people who are skilled at knowing what to say enjoy their family gatherings despite the less-than-stellar behavior of their relatives.
Imagine how a get-together might play out to your liking,
suggests Teri-E Belf, MA,
CAGS, MCC, a life coach and coach trainer. Then imagine telling a good friend about the event as if it happened: what your feelings were, who you connected with and what the high points were. Reinforce those feelings by “practicing” the scenario in your mind again and again, Belf says. “When one part of a system changes, it changes the whole,” she notes. “It allows the system
to adjust. It requires the system to adjust.”
October 2009
Dear Life Coach,
I am self-conscious about smiling because I have white spots on my teeth. I brush and brush, yet they don’t disappear. Where did these come from and what can I do to remove them?
Rhonda Wilson
Via Email
A possible explanation for the white spots on your teeth is a condition known as fluorosis, which has its roots in too much consumption of fluoride during childhood. Before parents discard their kids’ fluoride toothpastes, however, know that excess consumption can come from many sources, including an overfluoridated water supply or drops from a pediatric dentist. Further, the dentists I spoke with say that, on its own, a little fluoride in your child’s toothpaste is not a cause. A third of all Americans have fluorosis, says Thomas Connelly, DDS, of New York.
Adults can’t get fluorosis so the white spots on your teeth, if indeed caused by this condition, developed during your childhood. In mild cases, teeth have white spots or streaks while more severe cases are marked by brown spots. In the latter case, the potential harm is more psychological, in the form of wounded self-esteem in a child, Connelly says. Bleaching teeth removes only some of the spotting, says Marc Sclafani, DDS, of New York; dental veneers, an irreversible process, are more expensive but more effective, he adds.
September 2009
Dear Life Coach,
Wherever I go, I smell smoke—
in stores, in the car, in my apartment—when no smokers are around. I’ve been told there could be several causes: hormone imbalance, candida, a toxic liver that needs detoxifying. This smell of smoke seemed to start when I started menopause. Could that be the answer? Please help me solve this odorous mystery.
C.L. Wood
Sarasota, Florida
We haven’t heard of this intriguing malady before. And until you receive further examination, the cause of your problem is a bit, well, hazy. However, the healthcare practitioners, from both conventional and complementary medicine, that I spoke with agree that menopause is not the likely source. “I see 3,000 menopausal women a year, and I never hear of that as a complaint,” says Lila Nachtigall, MD, director of the Women’s Wellness Program at NYU’s medical school. “There is something going on when you don’t satisfy the estrogen receptors in the brain, such as hot flashes themselves, and hot flashes can be associated
with other things, like chills.”
But chills and other “hot flash equivalents,” such as pins and needles, come and go; your smoke odor seems constant. Nachtigall rules out the other maladies you cite. She recommends an MRI to see if the problem is with your olfactory nerve.
July/August 2009
Dear Life Coach,
I live in Africa and we are told to bleach our fruits and vegetables to make sure that they do away with bacteria and other microbes. Is there a safer way to clean fruits and vegetables? I do not bleach those which I cook but I like raw vegetables and fruits also.
LaVerne Brown
Bamako, Mali
The guidelines for cleaning fruits and vegetables in parts of Africa and developing nations are likely to be more stringent than here in the US, where the risk of exposure to disease is not as great. That is why your health officials are likely suggesting bleach, presumably diluted.
To get an answer to your question, I called the Food Industry Center at Ohio State University, which has issued reports on the safe handling of fruits and vegetables. Jane Sholl, the center’s coordinator, polled the researchers there. New methods, including plant-based cleaners, are under study but are either too expensive or too early in development for current use. As a result, Sholl says, the consensus at the Ohio center was that bleach is probably the best bet for now. Check with your local authorities on the proper dilution; bleach can be toxic if too concentrated.
For the US the Ohio State food experts and the United Fresh Produce Association say a tap water rinse should suffice, with extra care given to leafy vegetables with crevices. Ohio State says avoid detergents because they can be absorbed in produce, which is porous; vinegar and baking soda can leave residual aftertastes.
June 2009
Dear Life Coach,
I have a constant itching & flaking dandruff of my scalp. It feels irritated no matter what kind of shampoo I use, even the anti-dandruff ones. I'm beginning to think a chemical in the shampoos may be causing my problem. I color my hair about every 10 weeks, but the problem continues even with my own growth of hair coming in. I recently installed a shower filter to eliminate the chlorine but I see no change. My scalp is very dry, flaky and itchy. I am so frustrated. Could you advise me?
Joan B.
Via email
The dermatologists I spoke with zeroed in on seborrheic dermatitis, which is essentially a severe form of dandruff in adults and cradle cap in babies, as your most likely culprit. Both Paradi Mirmirani, MD, of Vallejo, California, and Andrea Cambio, MD, FAAD, of Coral, Florida, also suggested that you could be afflicted with contact dermatitis, an allergic reaction perhaps to ingredients in a shampoo or hair care product. “A dermatologist can do some testing to find out whether she is allergic to any specific ingredients. But it’s going to require some more detective work and further evaluation,” Mirmirani says. More unpleasant possibilities are head lice and ringworm of the scalp, Cambio adds.
Because they do not address the root cause of the problem, many standard anti-fungal shampoos and topical treatments such as selenium sulfide and pyrithione zinc typically provide only temporary relief, says Nicole Sundene, a naturopath.
May 2009
Dear Life Coach,
I have food allergies that give me...hives [and] joint pain. I even react to organic foods. I’ve done lots of testing to determine which foods give me what symptom. Olives, whole wheat, brown rice, bananas, corn, sesame seeds, papaya and aloe vera give me hives, while beans, avocados, tomatoes, eggplant, flax and meat give me joint pain. I’ve had allergies my whole life, but it’s gotten worse now that I’m 57 and have gone through menopause. It’s difficult to get a nutritious meal. I eat mostly vegetables, fruit and dairy. Since I react to so many foods, how do I maintain a nutritious diet?
Linda
Huntington Beach, California
Continue to consult with an allergist and nutritionist to help you determine the severity or weakness of certain allergens so you can find that nutritious meal. Ask them about supplements as well. “She needs to go to a licensed allergist. If it’s severe, she might need to go to an allergy center,” says Allan Bock, MD, FAAAAI, of the Boulder Valley Asthma and Allergy Clinic in Colorado.
Often, Bock says, people who believe they are allergic to various substances present a long list of presumed allergens to an allergist only to find they are not allergic to many of those after all.
People with food allergies can usually find alternative foods that provide similar nutritional value as the problem foods, Bock adds. For instance, the potassium and fiber you’re missing in bananas can be found in most fruit, says nutritionist Dee Sandquist, MSRD, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman.
Here’s a list of some of the foods that Linda says give her allergic reactions, with their key nutrient and foods that Sandquist says are possible alternatives. Again, be sure to consult with health care providers such as a registered dietician and allergist.
Reaction—Hives:
Bananas (potassium, fiber): Most fruit have potassium and fiber, Sandquist says, so Linda can eat whatever fruit she’s able to tolerate—apples, oranges, prunes
Brown rice (B vitamins): Amaranth, quinoa, oats
Corn (B vitamins, and vitamin A): Amaranth, quinoa, oats
Olives (omega 3s): Canola oil
Sesame Seeds (fiber): Linda can choose other seeds that she can tolerate, such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
Whole wheat (B vitamins, fiber): Amaranth, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, a lot of bean flowers, teff (an ancient grain), sorgum flour
Reaction—Joint Pain:
Avocados (omega 3): Canola oil
Beans (B vitamins, fiber): Green peas
Flax (omega 3): Canola oil, chia (an ancient seed)
Red meat (protein): pork, turkey, chicken, seafood
Tomatoes (lycopene): watermelon, a variety of vegetables
April 2009
Dear Life Coach,
Two days ago I opened a letter addressed to our daughter from her college. Since she lives four hours away and uses our address as her primary, this has never been a problem. The letter said she flunked out of school. Do I know exactly what happened? Nope. I cannot speak to her, I am so very disappointed, disgusted, angry, etc. I am paying for most of this education and feel defeated. I told her dad I am done. I cannot call her, or have anything to do with the situation. Her dad, my husband, probably thinks I should handle this. He has never been the one to deal with situations. I am sick of being the one to handle things.
Mary C.
Via email
Your daughter is probably frightened and confused right now—difficult states of mind even for an experienced adult, let alone someone new to adulthood. As an adult she needs to take responsibility for her life, but a child’s passage into adulthood doesn’t disqualify her from her parents’ emotional support.
You say your husband “probably” thinks you should handle this; that indicates that you both urgently need to communicate with one another. Share the urgency by speaking with him calmly about both of you helping your daughter move her life forward. Find an unusual setting or circumstance to talk, like taking a walk, to help you both avoid earlier patterns of blaming each other. Although your daughter lives four hours away, she is probably attuned to tensions at home. Keeping your daughter in mind first and foremost may guide you to make the correct choices on this.
March 2009
Dear Life Coach,
Recent house guests told me that my antibacterial soaps and cleaning products may be doing me more harm than good. I don’t get it. Don’t I want as clean a body and home as possible?
Sarah C.
Springfield, Illinois
Your house guests are correct. Try simple soap or other natural, basic cleaners instead. Antibacterial soaps and cleaners don’t discriminate—as such, they may be killing good bacteria. That’s right, good bacteria. About 90 trillion microbes live in and on your body, and “many of them play an unbelievably important role,” says Mary Ruebush, PhD, author of Why Dirt Is Good: 5 Ways to Make Germs Your Friends (Kaplan). Some, Ruebush observes, live in the gastrointestinal tract, where they create the vitamins that help blood to clot properly; others help make essential B vitamins.
Yet even the “bad” bacteria have their important place, as the title of Ruebush’s book suggests, helping the immune system stay in tip-top shape. “If you want six-pack abs you’ve got to spend some time in the gym,” Ruebush says. “Your immune response requires exercise as well, and the exercise it needs is from exposure to normal things in the environment to allow it to sort of flex its muscles continuously.” Without that exercise, your lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) get flabby and don’t do their jobs as well—T cells (the generals giving marching orders to protect the body from disease) and B cells (the foot soldiers) are not as efficient.
Finally, antibacterial cleaners help bacteria mutate into more resistant superbugs.
January 2009
Dear Life Coach,
I wonder if, in forming a response to Elizabeth C’s question about sweating (Life Coach, Oct. ‘08), you had factored in the possibility that she is perimenopausal. At 48, she is unable to sleep because of night sweats, a classic symptom. Changes in a woman’s self-esteem (“I feel uglier and uglier everyday”) can also come about with the hormonal fluctuations that accompany this time of a woman’s life. I personally know about this frustration!
Leslie R.
Via email
Elizabeth C.’s case of constant, excessive sweating sounded like a condition known as hyperhidrosis. People with this condition sweat frequently, even when they are not warm. In contrast, sweating associated with perimenopause or menopause typically occurs only after hot flashes, says Lila Nachtigall, MD, obstetrics and gynecology professor at NYU’s School of Medicine.
Further, people with hyperhidrosis often sweat from their hands, which is quite unusual for menopause, Nachtigall adds. “With menopause, it’s almost always the upper body, particularly the face, the neck and the chest,” she says.
While more than two thirds of North American women endure menopause-related hot flashes, the North American Menopause Society notes that hot flashes have other causes: thyroid disease, infection and some drug therapies for cancer and osteoporosis, for instance. Consult a healthcare practitioner to rule out all possible causes.
November/December 2008
Dear Life Coach,
I need a life overhaul. First I need income. I recently left my gig at a private school as a second grade teacher. All my life I have been a “helper bee.” I love people, am generally a good people person and ready to go anywhere.
Amy K.
Atlanta, Georgia
We laud your giving nature but encourage you to take a deep breath and an even deeper introspective examination so you find true fulfillment and happiness.
The red flag here is your stated willingness to “go anywhere,” which smacks of some desperation. As Teri-E Belf, MA, CAGS, MCC, a life coach and coach trainer, points out, there are certainly places that you would not like to go, so put a much finer filter on finding a place to live and work. “You want to go someplace that supports your values so the surroundings outside of where you go to work will be congruent with what’s important to you,” says Belf, director of Success Unlimited Network, an international coaching and coach training organization in Reston, Virginia.
Belf recommends starting with some free association to identify your life’s purpose. “That usually brings clarity,” Belf says. “The purpose includes what you do as well as how you experience what you’re doing.”
The next step: Write down your ideal job description and a perfect week of life. Once those are identified, Belf says, “tell everybody.” That networking may very well put you on track. Says Belf: “Be open to all the goodness that shall come to you.”
October 2008
Dear Life Coach,
I am a 48-year-old lady. I can’t sleep soundly because I sweat, sweat and sweat. I feel like a bag of sweat. I am very frustrated with this. I feel uglier and uglier everyday. I feel dirty from sweating. I only want to sweat when I exercise. Please help.
Elizabeth C.
Madison, Wisconsin
Excessive sweating is a condition called hyperhidrosis. It is genetic and people who have it can produce the equivalent of a shot glass of sweat per underarm each minute, says Marina Peredo, MD, a New York dermatologist who treats patients with the condition and has presented papers on it to the International Hyperhidrosis Society. The most commonly affected areas are the underarms, hands and feet, Peredo says, with some patients also sweating heavily from the forehead and scalp.
Hyperhidrosis causes more embarrassment and discomfort than medical risk, Peredo says. “There is not really a health risk associated with it but a lot of times the patient can become depressed,” she says.
The condition is gender-blind and affects about 6% of the population, though that number may be higher, Peredo says. “A lot of people won’t talk about it and don’t know that there is help available,” she says.
There are remedies in both conventional and complementary medicine.
If you are looking for a noninvasive solution, Peredo cites a process called iontohoresis, which employs water and electricity to block sweat-producing signals to the sweat glands. The good news, according to Peredo: “It is fixable.”
September 2008
Dear Life Coach,
My mother appears to have mild dementia that kicked in when my father died. Her live-in aide is not providing the best care. My mother is often unkempt, and the aide does not encourage her to walk for exercise, among other similar issues.
I want to replace the aide. The problem: My mother says she likes the aide and has become attached to her.
I worry that a rift could develop between my mother and me if I dismiss the aide, or worse, that the move could trigger more dementia.
Name Withheld
New York
Your concerns are on target. Change can lead to stress, and stress hormones can damage the brain’s hippocampal region, where memory is stored, says Florence Clark, PhD, OTR/L, vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association. As such, Clark says to try to work with the aide to see if the care issues you cite can be rectified.
On the other hand, physical activity can help reduce the likelihood of further memory loss. If the care concerns you have with the aide cannot be worked out, consider replacing the aide but handle the matter sensitively: As you make the transition to a new aide, see that your mother continues with other comforting, positive routines and familiar elements in her lifestyle. Thoroughly check the new aide’s background and references. Perhaps the aide will have likable attributes that are similar to her predecessor’s, easing the transition for your mother. It’s important that your mother and her caregiver are compatible.
July/August 2008
Dear Life Coach,
A friend told me that canola oil was harvested from “garbage” seeds that grow in a desert where nothing else grows. She said it’s full of toxins and Europeans use it for motor oil. I thought it was good oil to use. Now what do I do?
Christine Brown
Endicott, New York
Dear Christine,
If your healthcare practitioner has no objections, sprinkle some canola oil on a salad or use it to sauté some spinach, literally to your heart’s delight. Canola oil is safe and loaded with cholesterol-balancing monounsaturated fat.
Canola oil’s bad reputation probably stems from its shared botanical roots with the rapeseed plant, but canola oil comes from the seed of the canola plant, bred in the 1970s, according to Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD. Both rapeseed oil and canola oil contain chemical compounds called glucosinolates, also found in cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard and other cruciferous plants. These compounds are toxic, but “it’s kind of a stretch” to say they would harm people in the small doses we consume, says Mark A. Bernhow, PhD, research chemist with the US Department of Agriculture.
The compounds’ toxicity acts as a defense mechanism that lets plants drive off predators, protect themselves from UV and endure myriad stresses, Bernhow tells me. Bernhow says he would have no problem consuming both canola and rapeseed oil, though he says the former “is cleaner, it’s clearer, it doesn’t have the smell and it probably has lower levels of some of these ancillary compounds.”
June 2008
Dear Life Coach,
What is leaky gut, and how can one get rid of it? This person has real good bowel movements, eats lots of fiber and water, but the stuff still leaks out and smells terrible. Exercise and certain foods get it going, even walking. Please help.
Edna Kish
Epworth, Georgia
Dear Edna,
Healthcare providers define leaky gut syndrome as increased permeability in the lining of the small intestine. When this happens, excess fluid is pulled from the cells in the lining of the small intestine to the lumen, or the intestinal inner tube, explains Tarun Mullick, MD, of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Oak Brook, Illinois. The generic term—malabsorption—indicates the consequences of this leakage: diarrhea, nutrient and vitamin deficiencies, reduced energy and problems warding off infection.
The science is inconclusive on this subject, but Mullick says published data suggests a number of possible causes and instigators: chemotherapy, excessive alcohol and Crohn’s disease are among them. Zinc or vitamin A deficiencies, digestive tract infections, parasites and consumption of allergenic foods have also been implicated.
Treating the instigator or disease first, then letting the healing process play out, is key, Mullick says. “You look for what you think is the most likely cause,” he notes. A healthcare provider may suggest minimizing concentrated sugars by halving the strength of concentrated grape or apple juices, for instance, and replenishing lost electrolytes and vitamins.
May 2008
Dear Life Coach,
Does the silver that is used in tooth fillings have mercury in it? And how dangerous is this? I’ve had a mouth filled with silver for 50 years.
Sandra C.
Port Republic, Virginia
Dear Sandra,
When mining for riches, silver is silver. In the context of mining our mouths, silver is typically an amalgam of materials—including mercury. In fact, such fillings are often known as amalgam. The conventional wisdom, as cultivated for decades by the US Food and Drug Administration, is that mercury in this context is safe. The American Dental Association concurs.
But a Washington DC-based advocacy group, Consumers for Dental Choice (CDC), wants to eliminate mercury in dentistry. It has tried to prod the FDA through legal channels to recognize and label amalgam fillings for the dangers that the group believes the fillings pose. Besides the obvious direct contact in mouths, the group points to the environmental risks created by human waste, when dentists drill out mercury particles that work their way to the public through dental wastewater. One way is that fish may eat mercury that enters waterways.
Some efforts to remedy the risks are underway. In March, a bill requiring dentists to disclose details about materials used in crowns, implants and other prostheses was introduced in the New York State Assembly. And in Missoula, Montana, dentists are recycling fillings under a pilot program.
Erring on the side of caution, Life Coach recommends that you speak with CDC-listed dentists who favor fillings free of mercury (www.toxicteeth.org). Three are in your state. Keep flashing your pearly whites.
April 2008
Dear Life Coach,
I am a cancer patient survivor twice. Through the years I have read articles stating that cancer patients should not drink wine. Now I see articles stating that there are benefits to wine and/or resveratrol for cancer patients. Any chance you can find out more about this? Is it safe for cancer patients to drink wine or not? Hope I will be able to raise a glass to your findings.
Patricia J.
Wilmington, Vermont
Dear Patricia,
We may have to toast your health with grape juice. Cancer patients and survivors should treat alcohol with caution. Don’t fret: Resveratrol can be found in supplements and sources like grapes, raspberries and peanuts.
That said, the two American Cancer Society-referred experts I spoke with say consuming alcohol is an individual call based on age, the type of cancer you’ve been afflicted with and other factors. People who have had head or neck cancer, for example, should probably shun alcohol since it has been linked to their recurrence, says Cheryl Rock, PhD, RD, professor at the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine University of California, San Diego.
Drinking alcohol has been linked to breast cancer, but studies also suggest that moderate consumption helps
protect against heart disease. A 70-year-old woman who has had one lumpectomy and a family history of fatal heart disease might explore the option with her healthcare practitioner of a drink a day more readily than a woman with a family history of breast cancer but little exposure to cardiac problems, says Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD, behavioral science professor at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center.
