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Acute Corner

Gearing up for Back to School

Submitted by on August 19, 2010 - 9:59pm.
August is a great time to regroup and assess what might make the next school year more fulfilling for your child. Common reasons people call to make appointments are the following:
 
1) Help with adjustment to new school or daycare situation. 
Children do better when we address these changes proactively to keep them balanced through the change. Any observations you have on how your child has handled change/stress in the past will help us treat them holistically. For example, does your child tend to have trouble sleeping or act out with tantrums during times of change? If so, we can help balance the nervous system ahead of time to minimize these problems in September. Families that stay ahead of the curve are happy families!
2) Lingering health problems such as ADHD, asthma, allergies, stomachaches, or eczema. August is a perfect time to start treatment for these issues, and get into a new routine before school starts.  
3) Sleep problems. Nothing brings out sleep difficulties like a Portland summer. If your child is up until 10 pm and groggy in the morning, we can help shift those patterns so that schoolnights are spent in valuable sleep instead of power struggles. Proper sleep enhances learning, mood, and optimizes music and sports performance (not to mention quality of life!). 
 

Dr.

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Reconnecting with yourself: Autumn as a time of healing

Submitted by on August 19, 2010 - 9:57pm.
As we prepare to leave the fun, expansive energy of summer, and look forward to the contemplative regrouping that Fall often brings, we invite you to take stock of what will nourish you in this coming season. Fall is a time of organization and new beginnings; it is a time when the growth of summer turns to the contraction toward winter. Fall is a wonderful cleansing and healing time—a superb time to start new routines, lose weight (as opposed to the winter, where the cold tends to make us want to hold onto weight), and a superb time for healing. Fall is an ideal time to balance the immune system before winter is here, address fatigue or depression, and to heal endocrine imbalances (female and thyroid hormone problems) as well as concentration or memory deficiencies. 
 

If you (or someone you care about) have been waiting to improve your physical or emotional health, this Fall is the perfect time to take charge and try a new approach. Why are we mentioning Fall when it is August? Because we are now booking new patients for the second week of September! We have experienced huge growth and are planning ahead ourselves.   Turn to September on your calendar and give us a call to schedule your first appointment, which will include a full health evaluation, physical exam, and customized treatment plan to get you started on your individual goals toward health and wellness.    You’ll be glad you did! 

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Infant Food Introduction Comments from the AAP

Submitted by on April 28, 2010 - 10:08am.

We wanted to share an article that further validates the advice we have been giving to parents at Insights to Health for years.  Although the article does not mention this aspect, an child does not produce the enzymes to best digest grains until 22 months of age.  AT ITH, we counsel parents on which foods to introduce at which stages of development in order to create optimal health and well-being and to decrease the risk of allergies and asthma.

 

Rice Cereal Can Wait, Let Them Eat Meat First: AAP committee has changes in mind

Pediatric News Volume 43, Issue 11 (November 2009)

 

There is no good reason not to introduce meats, vegetables, and fruits as the first complementary foods, according to Dr. Frank R. Greer, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics's Committee on Nutrition.

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No Head Shots!

Submitted by on March 26, 2010 - 9:07pm.
March is Brain Injury Awareness month. There are over 3.8 million new brain injuries in the US every year. In fact, these injuries have increased 21% since 2004, due in part to greater sports involvement in the young and falls in the elderly. Head injury may or may not involve a concussion or loss of consciousness. According to a new report, the groups at highest risk for brain injuries are children from birth to 4 years of age, adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, and adults 65 years and older. Falls were the leading cause of brain injury (35.2%), and rates were highest for children from birth to 4 years and for adults 75 years and older. At a recent American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting Douglas Smith, MD, a professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania stated that there is not such thing as a mild head injury. While the treatment up until recently has been observation and release, we are now learning that there are often health problems directly related to the injury, be it whiplash, a fall, or a sports injury. Some of the symptoms that may present 6 or more months after the injury are: cognitive deficits, anxiety, insomnia, depression, infertility, headaches, sleep apnea, and gastrointestinal problems.  
 
What can be done about it?

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The Not-so Mild Knock on the Head

Submitted by on March 1, 2010 - 4:42pm.

 At a recent American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting Douglas Smith, MD a professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania basically said there is not such thing as a mild head injury. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects over 1 million Americans every year. While the usually treatment is observation and release, we are now learning that these injuries are not so mild. Patient's persists in neurological and cognitive deficits and may also experience anxiety, insomnia, depression, headaches and gastrointestinal problems.  Even more disturbing is that one does not have to hit one's head to have a head injury!

What can be done about it? Noticing there is a problem is the most important thing. If you or someone you know has been in an accident or diagnosed with a mild concussion, pay attention. Notice if there have been changes in the person (or yourself). If you aren't sure, get to a clinician who is adequately trained to assess the situation. If you have any of the above problems see your doctor even if the incident was many years ago.   Neurofeedback, vitamin D, homeopathy, and fish oil are amazing at not only reducing brain injury but helping the brain recover from the injury. In particular, LENS or Low Energy Neurofeedback System is showing great promise in improving symptoms of 80% of patients with TBI!

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Marji's Magic Beans

Submitted by on February 17, 2010 - 10:23pm.

While on vacation in California, we visited Dr. Christie's sister Marji, who introduced us to her pressure cooker. Marji made the most amazing black beans in about 20 minutes without pre-soaking the dried beans! We thought that it was so amazing that we would share the recipe. This recipe requires a pressure cooker, which we highly recommend. Pressure cookers allow people to prepare wholesome and healthy meals quickly that they would otherwise be too busy to prepare. Enjoy!

Quick Soak of Beans 

1.5 cups of black beans

6-8 cups of water

Cook at full pressure for 1 minute then cold water release and rinse beans and pot thoroughly. 

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Health To Wealth: Decision-Making and Blood Sugar

Submitted by on February 2, 2010 - 3:20pm.
You've heard the saying, "Don't make important decisions on an empty stomach?"  A recent study shows this to be very important advice, particularly for long-term decisions. When people were given a choice between short-term but small gain versus long-term large gain, the people on empty stomachs consistently chose immediate gain instead of the long-term large gain, while people who had higher blood sugar levels did the opposite.
 
These results point out that having appropriate blood sugar levels is imperative to success of any business. But for some people that is easier said than done. For example, many people really don’t pay attention to their hunger and other bodily queues on a regular basis. They eat foods that do not foster optimal blood sugar levels.  Or they do not take the time to eat prior to meetings, conferences or even going to work.  They have been taught over the years to ignore the simple warning queues that healthy people take for granted. Rediscovering those bodily signals is something that we help our patients with, whether the message is to eat nourishing food, slow down, take some deep breaths, drink water, or get some exercise.
 
There are many simple things that you can do to help improve blood sugar regulation, but learning them may require breaking some habits. In the next month's newsletter, we will discuss what you can do to help regulate your blood sugar. When there's enough blood sugar, your brain can relax and focus on long-range planning.

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Acute Corner: November

Submitted by on November 10, 2009 - 9:37pm.


Ear Infection

4 year old boy with ear pain was evaluated at ITH and diagnosed with a double ear infection.  The pain was disrupting his (and his parents’) sleep.  Instead of antibiotics, which are no longer the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for otitis media, he was given a homeopathic remedy prescribed specifically for his individual symptoms by mouth and some garlic/mullein oil in each ear with  warming compresses to the exterior of the ears. The pain subsided immediately; his ears (and thus the infection) cleared completely within 36 hours.  The child and the parents were very happy with the outcome!

 

 

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