Five Immune-Boosters Under $5

February is well behind us and it's time to "March onward"!  Keeping healthy through the end of winter just got a little easier with these five ways to increase your immune system that are all free or nearly free!

1. Run for it (or brisk-walk, or cycle, or wheel, or...you get the idea!) Moderate physical activity throughout the winter season has its benefits - among them, improved circulation in your arteries helps to move the lymph, the fluid in which the immune system is very active. The condensation of water vapor from your own breath helps to drain out discharge that would otherwise be stuck in your sinuses.  I myself this week worked off a mild cold with some light jogging (and a few other simple naturopathic home care goodies). 

Cost: FREE

2.  Hot and Cold - try a time-tested hydrotherapy technique called the "contrast shower" - enjoy your hot shower for 3-4 minutes, then switch to cold water (as cold as you can stand it!) for 10-30 seconds. Then go back to hot and repeat the cycle a few times. Always end with cold!  WHY, you ask?  The hot and cold contrast encourages more lymph-moving circulatory activity, and when you end with cold, your body naturally shunts warm blood to your core, increasing your core temperature and making you more resistant to infections.

Cost: maybe a few extra pennies per shower

3. Rest Up - we're getting longer sunsets these days (yay!) but winter still has a lovely way of reminding us to hibernate a little more - take advantage of the long, cold nights as a cue to go to bed a little earlier and let your body - including all your immune faculties - restore and rejuvenate while you sleep.

Cost: FREE

4. Get Garlicky - sulfur compounds in garlic are not only flavor-giving but are naturally anti-microbial! As a bonus, garlic doesn't kill off your resident populations of friendly, beneficial bacteria or probiotics. Garlic is most antibiotic when eaten raw, so get out that garlic press and add some pungent goodness to your next hummus, bean dip, guacamole or pasta sauce.

Cost: 10-25 cents per clove

5. Change with the Seasons - in late winter, it's important to protect our bodies from the stress of the seemingly day-to-day weather changes: one day a sunny thaw, the next day rain, the next day a quick refreeze and snow.  I tend to see more coughs, colds and flus in the clinic when the weather has been changing back and forth like this. Here's where I recommend a batch or two of Change of Season Soup - a mixture of traditional Chinese herbs that can be taken by most people (check with your health care practitioner for all herbal medicines), just boiled into your favourite soup stock recipe and freeze in portions or use in soups, stews, sauces etc. throughout 3-7 days. The combination helps the body adapt to the stress of quickly changing weather patterns at the change of seasons.

COST: $5 per packet 

So there you have it! Five easy, super low-cost ways to enjoy the rest of winter in good health and March onward right into a healthy spring! 

-Dr. Liz

Top 3 Nutrients for Kids

Excellent child nutrition is important to learning capacity, behaviour, growth and development. Here are three key nutrients to make sure kids are consuming daily:

FABULOUS FAT - It's true, kids need fats and oils in even higher proportions than adults. Think eggs, raw olive oil, avocados, organic butter, organic full-fat dairy products, coconut oil, raw nuts and seeds. Fats and oils support the health and development of the brain, skin, cell membranes, and are required to enable kids to absorb their much-needed vitamins A, D, E and K. These foods also help kids feeling satisfied between meals, giving them extra fuel for learning and physical activity, and less chance for sugar cravings. Having a some healthy fat and protein (see below) in a bedtime snack can help prevent kids from waking during the night due to low blood sugar levels.

REMARKABLE RETINOL - Known more commonly as vitamin A, this fat-soluble nutrient is required for good vision and healthy skin. The immune system also requires vitamin A to support anti-infection and barrier functions of the mucus membranes such as the inner surfaces of the mouth, throat, nostrils and lungs. Vitamin A also supports the production of white blood cells, the body's anti-infection cells. Bone growth also requires adequate levels of vitamin A.  Egg yolks and liver from free-range animals are healthy sources of vitamin A. Kids won't eat liver? Try chopping finely and cooking into soups, stews or gravies.

PERFECT PROTEIN - Providing the building blocks of muscles, bones, hair, nails and even teeth, protein is an essential nutrient that many kids, especially more finicky eaters, don't get enough of, especially when sugars and other carbohydrates take up a higher proportion of their food intake. Most children over 1 year tolerate poultry, meat, egg, soy, nuts, seeds, cow's milk and/or goat or sheep milk proteins. Offering protein choices at all meals and snacks helps to keep kids' blood sugar balanced, supporting their ability to learn, focus and behave well at school. Kids also need protein to support growth. In addition to animal products, complete proteins are also available from combinations of legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. 

NSAIDs Increase Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke and Cardiovascular Death

Clear Cardiovascular Risk with NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) Use

A very large-scale meta-analysis published last week by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) confirmed that use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) increases risk of heart attack or stroke.

Incredibly, there has been an eerie media silence on this important study, so I thought I'd highlight some of the details.

Data from 31 high-quality, randomized controlled trials involving a total of 116,429 patients with 117,218 patient years of follow-up were covered in the analysis. The following drugs were analyzed in comparison to one another and to placebo:

• ibuprofen (e.g. Advil; Motrin) 
• celecoxib (e.g. Celebrex) 
• rofecoxib
• lumiracoxib 
• etoricoxib 
• diclofenac
• naproxen (e.g. Anaprox; Aleve)

NSAIDs are among the most widely prescribed pharmaceuticals, accounting for an estimated 5% of physician visits in the U.S.  However, the following findings should be considered before prescribing or taking NSAIDs:

• Ibuprofen, celecoxib, rofecoxib, and lumiracoxib were associated with increased risk of heart attack
• All 7 NSAIDs were associated with increased risk of the triad of non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke, and cardiovascular death, compared to placebo
• All 7 NSAIDs were associated with increased risk of death by any cause, compared to placebo
• All NSAIDs except naproxen showed evidence of increased risk of cardiovascular death
• All 7 NSAIDs were associated with increased risk of stroke
• The drug manufacturer Merck declined to provide unpublished safety data on its drugs, rofecoxib and etoricoxib
• Nonspecific NSAIDs are no more safe than the "new generation NSAIDs", i.e. selective COX-2 inhibitors, which have previously become known for cardiovascular risk
• All NSAIDs, even those not included in the meta-analysis, have been observed to increase risk of cardiovascular adverse effects

This meta-analysis strongly cautions us to consider whether the cardiovascular risk of NSAIDs  outweighs their clinical benefit in chronic musculoskeletal pain management.

"Work Life Balance is an Ongoing Battle" - Nigel Marsh

This is a great 10-minute talk by Nigel Marsh on work-life balance and taking on the role and responsibility of choosing the right work-life balance for ourselves and our families. 

Enjoy!

-Dr. Liz

Acetaminophen Safety

Health Canada Reminds Canadians of Acetaminophen Risks

Health Canada issued an information update this week reminding Canadians of tighter dosage recommendations for acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol; Tempra; paracetamol). Acetaminophen is used to counteract fever and pain and has been used safely for this purpose in many instances, however, overdosage can cause severe liver toxicity and death. 

What Makes Acetaminophen Toxic?

Have a Healthy January

Happy and healthy new year!

January is an inspiring month for getting healthier and making plans to stay that way throughout the year. Already we notice the days getting a little longer, and here in Guelph the continuous cold keeps the pretty snow on the ground and our favourite winter activities accessible.

4 Ways to Stay Healthy in January

1. Humidify. Cold outdoor air holds little moisture, and indoor heated air holds even less. This means that if we don't add extra humidity to our indoor air, our protective mucus membranes (the inner linings of our nostrils, mouth, throat and respiratory passages) can dry out and become susceptible to infection. Ensure your furnace's humidifier is in good working order and keep a humidifier running in your bedroom at night. A few drops of your favourite essential oil added to the humidifier water can make this into a bedtime treat. Try 5 drops of lavender for sweet dreams or eucalyptus as a decongestant.

2. Nourish. January weather inspires warm and nourishing meal planning. In the heart of winter, choose the easily-absorbable nutrients of soups and stews over raw foods (which can take energy away from the body as it tries to break them down). Try your green leafies lightly steamed, your root vegetables roasted, and beans, lentils or poultry simmered and stewed. Add herbs to liquid cooking methods for boosts of flavour and antioxidants. Ginger, garlic and onions are tasty additions that also help you fight of viral infections like common colds and influenza. Think "slow food" and take the time to sit, savour and your meals.  

Homeopathy is Good Medicine

CBC to Critique Homeopathy?

Tonight, CBC Marketplace is set to air "Cure or Con", an apparent investigative journalistic piece that, based on its trailer, aims to discredit homeopathy. This isn't the first - and is unlikely to be the last - media attack on homeopathy, one of the world's most effective, safe and affordable systems of medicine. Trying to make the argument - in 2011 - that homeopathy isn't scientific or evidence-based only reflects ignorance of the massive body of evidence in support of homeopathy. In fact, there is so much evidence, it would probably take one's entire career just to skim over the titles.