What happens when you are exposed to a germ, whether bacterial or viral? When the body recognizes foreign and possibly harmful material, the immune system communicates the information with the use of chemicals called cytokines. These are the same chemicals that cause many typical initial cold symptoms— sleepiness, fever, and mucus. It’s a great sign that the body is doing its job in fighting illness.

There can be too much of a good thing, as anyone who has gone through a box of tissue in an hour can tell you. You don’t want a hyper-reactive response to every germ. If your body pumps out a ton of cytokines for every passing germ, then you will feel like you’re are always fighting something.

Actually, you are always fighting something, but if your immune system is in balance you won’t notice 95% of it. What can we take to maintain balance and ward off those germs? Here’s what I recommend to my own patients:

• Cod Liver Oil. There’s a reason our grandparents took this stuff. At just a teaspoon a day, it provides a substantial dose of omega fatty acids. Most modern diets don’t contain enough omegas. These fatty acids are imperative for proper immune function and keeping inflammation low, countering some of the negative effects of those cytokines.
• Probiotics. Having the correct bacteria in your gut is a must for proper immune function. The “good bugs” are necessary for digestion and assimilation of food. Without them, the body begins to misinterpret food as a foreign invader. [The immune system, the majority of which is in the gut, starts working overtime, pumping out cytokines and increasing overall inflammation.] I recommend taking a minimum of 5 billion CFUs daily.
• Vitamin D. There’s been a lot of research on vitamin D in the last few years, much of it confusing and conflicting. Regardless, it is a fact that adequate vitamin D stores are required for proper immune function. A mid-range dose of 2000IU/day is a good starting point to maintain proper immune function.
• Adequate sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation can raise stress hormones. This decreases immune function while increasing inflammation.
• Moderate cardiovascular exercise. This means 20 minutes, three times a week. [This] should be a routine that increases circulation and creates a sweat. Exercise allows your immune cells to reach the farthest nooks and crannies of your body to wipe out any lingering viruses or bacteria. It also brings fresh oxygen and nutrients to the cells.

Do not forget the importance of a whole foods diet for maintaining a balanced immune system. While chocolate is an antioxidant, eating your weight in it is probably not the best choice. This also includes avoiding fast food and choosing nice whole grains and lots of bright veggies instead. Thriving during the cold and flu season is not about increasing your immune function. Once you are acutely ill, that’s when all the wonderful herbs really need to pack their punch. But as with life in general, the key to staving off those nasty symptoms is balance.

Dr. Juniper Martin has history as a biologist, an actress, a chemist, and a waitress. She is a mother of three children- two boys and a girl. She has helped nurse a parent through cancer and has trained as a midwife. She’s been blessed with having experienced both great joy and deep grief. Her passion is the human condition: why are we here, what is our purpose, what brings us, as individuals meaning? Her goal is to help her patients and their families live at their highest potential. Dr. Martin practices as a family primary care physician. She uses an integrated approach, combining her study of complementary treatments such as herbal medicine, homeopathy, and nutrition with her training in western diagnostics, pharmacology, and laboratory interpretation. Follow Dr. Martin on Twitter and Facebook.

Kids are very visual when it comes to eating. This makes feeding them easy if you create a rainbow of food. However, this can be challenging if you’re not the visually creative type. Here are some tips on putting together healthy, nutritious, and colorful meals for kids. The most important aspect of feeding your child is to add as many whole foods as possible and avoid anything overly processed. Unfortunately, processed foods and their fabulous colorful boxes and bags can persuade children to gravitate towards them. Do your best not to have these types of things in the house.

Talk to your kids about whole and processed foods. Ask them where they came from: store, tree, bush, or vine? These questions can lead to very lively talks at the supper table.

Why color?

Colorful foods are packed with many nutrients that allow us to function optimally everyday.

• Red: Folate, lycopene, and flavonoids. Lycopene has been shown to fight cancer cells. Folate helps to prevent birth defects, depression, and irritability. Certain types of flavonoids (or bioflavonoids) are known for their active and powerful antioxidant activity. Your heart will appreciate red colored foods as they may help to fight heart disease.
• Green: Lutein is an antioxidant found in the eye, therefore associated with sight. Eating lutein-rich foods will decrease risk of blindness. Green foods are packed full of nutrients and fiber. There are many green fruits and vegetables to choose from: avocados, spinach, broccoli, kale, kiwis, and many more.
• Yellow/Orange: Vitamin A and beta-carotene. Yellow foods are packed with beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Vitamin A keeps the respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts healthy. This is a great help for the immune system.
• Purple/Blue: The flavonoids found in purple/blue foods aid in maintaining strong blood vessel walls. Eating blueberries may also help memory.

Next time you’re at the market, think about filling your cart with as much color as possible. This is easier if you keep to the edge of the store. With each meal you prepare, think of ways to color it up, perhaps by adding vibrantly colored peppers to your salad or blueberries to your morning cereal. Have the kids help you with this — they love to be creative and have a great imagination.

Introducing these colorful foods at every meal will set your child up for optimal health now and in their future. It will also allow for fewer sick days, which all parents appreciate!

Dr. Heather Manley received her medical degree from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon in 2001. She is a practicing physician whose primary interest is preventative healthcare for families. She is the author of Human Body Detectives, her children’s educational series of story-telling books, ebooks, and iPhone/iPad apps. She also promotes wellness and naturopathic healthcare on her website drheathernd.com. She lives on the Big Island of Hawaii with her husband and two daughters. She is currently at work on the next Human Body Detectives adventure and is very excited for her upcoming launch of HBDs Go to School elementary curriculum. Follow Dr. Heather on Twitter and Facebook!

Dr. Dennis Godby

WellWire: What was your inspiration for The Run?

Dr. Godby: My inspiration really began back in the 70’s and early 80’s where I was moved by accomplishments of activists like Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, in that one individual can really make a difference in stirring up a movement. Teaching social justice to about 1,000 students in a private school in the 90s, and my patients all deepened and inspired a greater commitment ! For me, it’s important to feel that I’ve contributed to the common good of this nation and planet. I feel this in my mind, in my heart and spirit, and it runs though my blood. I believe we can make a difference. My son, Isaiah had told me that when he was old enough he wanted to run across America and I made a commitment with him to do it, and now my other son Jeremiah has been inspired as has my nephew Jonas! I want to spread the word on natural medicine solutions and fairly simple lifestyle solution. These are drastic times and call for drastic measures, the steadily declining health of the American People is a national emergency.

WellWire: How long did it take you to train for this event? What’s your training schedule?

Dr. Godby: I started training around November of 2009, so about 20 months and I started by simply running one extra mile every single week.  What I discovered a few months ago was a training technique to dramatically reduce post-recovery time (which is especially important for an old guy like me). For every mile and a half I run, I walk for one minute. So in a 20 mile run, I would talk for 9 minutes.  Remember, it’s not about speed or records, it’s about determination and making it through.  I had a couple of setbacks with a hamstring injury which took 4 months to recover from and I wasn’t able to run in the California International Marathon. My younger son actually took my place, and I think that’s what inspired him to join us on The Run.

WellWire: Do you have any training tips for people looking to get in shape?

Dr. Godby: Always remember, not too far, not too fast, not too soon. I see the violation of this principle every day with friends, family and generally anyone who exercises. Realize that in the U.S. we have a ‘hurry up’ mentality and the body doesn’t work like that. Take time to build up and basically use common sense. Drink lots of water! I’ve been adding Ribose, by Researched Nutritionals along with electrolyes to all the water I drink. Remember that it’s more of a joint and ligament limitation as a pose to a cardiovascular limitation at the beginning. Give your body time to adapt, remember the basics. I’ve been taking a multivitamin by Douglas Labs, BCAA’s (branch chain amino acids by Pure Encapsulations), several adrenal products to supplement my training, and Nordic Naturals fish oil.

WellWire: How can people get involved with The Run?

Dr. Godby: We have an itinerary and a list of events you can attend. I’m taking support in the form of donations, a penny a mile. Sign up for a leg and run with me!  This is a movement and we need to get moving! Please go to TheRun.org and learn more about it, tell your friends, patients, through email newsletters, do what you can, where you can to spread the word. If you want a healthier America and more options in health care, we have to work for it.

Welcome back everyone! Things have been quiet over here, but behind the scenes we’ve been busy opening our new online shop.

We’ve brought together the highest quality vitamins, minerals, herbs and supplements we could find — the same professional, quality products we use in our private practices and the same wonderful goods we recommend to our friends and family (like our DHA junior chewables).

Right now, we’re excited about our selection of B vitamins, probiotics, and omega-3 fish oil. But the WellWire Shop isn’t just about buying great products — we want to inspire you to become engaged with your health and to take positive action. Every time we bring you a product, we’ll tell you why we think it’s great and how best to use it.

Lastly, we believe in making our store accessible, so our prices will always be discounted by at least 10% for you, WellWire readers.

So, dig in! Browse our great articles, check out the new shop, follow our daily health tweets and enjoy! As always, we welcome your feedback.

Photo by Mai Le.

Q: My son’s pediatrician just prescribed antibiotics for what she thought was bronchitis. I thought the antibiotic choice was strange since I was prescribed the same one weeks earlier for a stubborn urinary tract infection. I usually take herbs for infections and know that different herbs are used for different bacterias. Isn’t there a way to match antibiotics with particular bacterias as they differ? Jaycn L. Austin, Texas

A: Great question, the answer is yes! There is a procedure referred to as culturing bacteria for sensitivity that is employed in the lab to distinguish specific strains of bacteria from one another. Once the strain is determined, the proper antibiotic is administered to eradicate infection.

Culturing for bacteria takes time and has been criticized by some seasoned professionals as stalling treatment. The argument some clinicians make is that they’ve seen so many similar cases, why waste time when they can simply treat? The value of culturing however that is often overlooked is that it also rules out whether or not the infection is of bacterial or viral origin. Consider earaches for instance. Most earaches and ear infections are initially caused by a virus. The bacteria can come later, but doesn’t always. The point is to properly distinguish bacterias from viruses to ensure the most precise care.

Although compounding research reveals antibiotic resistance continues to grow, antibiotic overuse remains a serious public health issue. Usually patients visit their health care provider wanting immediate treatment and answers. In response to an ailing patient before them, health care providers often prescribe antibiotics based upon the clinical presentation of signs and symptoms without culturing. This quick-draw approach to antibiotic use however contributes to the still growing issue of anti-biotic resistance.

Being your own advocate is the best advice I offer patients on this hot-button topic. Give your naturopath or Chinese health care provider a call to see if antibiotic use can be avoided. If it is in fact necessary, insist your provider culture the bacteria to best match the medicine with the specific strain. Remember, by protecting yourself and your family, you’re playing a larger role in preserving community health!

Got a question for us? Drop your tricky, random, wacky or plain confusing health question into the Suggest-O-Matic, leave a comment, or tag your tweet questions with #wellwire and our team of experts will answer them in this weekly column.

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and was the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.

However drinking water, water and more water all day can get boring, quick.  Especially when soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit juices and even an ice cold beer are calling your name! So, to combat the urge for junky drinks, keep a batch of ice cold infused water in your refrigerator.

Infused waters originated from the Spanish aguas frescas, or sweet waters infused with fresh fruits or vegetables.  Most people have been lucky enough to enjoy “spa water,” or water infused with sliced cucumber or citrus fruits, while waiting for a massage or facial.  These infused waters have a very light, refreshing flavor that’s decidedly not just water, but not as heavy as a juice. It’s also surprisingly simple and practically free, looks beautiful in a pitcher and will be sure to impress your guests this summer. Here’s how to create this refreshingly light beverage yourself:

1. Thinly slice fruits or vegetables.
2. Tear fresh herbs to release the essences and aromas.
3. Add ingredients to a pitcher of filtered water and refrigerate (anywhere from 2 hours to overnight—the longer it sits, the more intense the flavor will be).
4. Pour over ice, garnish with a slice of fruit or a sprig of herbs, and enjoy!

Mint, basil and lavender are all great additions to spice up your water.

My favorite combinations:

• Strawberry-Basil Water (great bright red/green color contrast, and an amazing sweet, complex flavor)
• Cucumber-Lemon Water (oldie-but-goodie! Drink this on a super hot day and you’ll never go back to plain water again!)
• Pineapple-Mint Water (a fun, tropical flavor, pairs well with Southeast Asians foods like Thai and Vietnamese)
• Citrus-Lavender Water (envision a tall glass in the  late afternoon on your back porch—perfection! Of course lavender is also known for it’s calming/relaxing properties)

Infusing Tips:

• You can invent your own recipes for fruit-infused water with whatever you have on hand, or what’s ripe at the time.
• Infuse with various herbs from your garden and even flowers (check here to make sure they are safe first).
• If you’re watching calories or carbs, avoid high sugar fruits like tangerines and mango and opt for lemons, limes and blackberries.
• On the go and need a bottle?  Don’t have time to infuse yourself? Check out Hint flavored bottled waters.

Laura Seery creates memorable events for San Diego's most discerning eaters at Culinary Concepts Catering. A graduate of University of California, San Diego and a self-taught chef, Laura enjoys writing for her blog about all things delicious, nutritious and green.

What do you think is optimal nutrition for a pet?

Optimal nutrition is based upon the pet’s ancestral diet. Dogs and cats have very short digestive tracts and have not evolved to digest grains so we use grain free products. A lot of dogs and cats suffer from dermatitis and other allergy symptoms so you should really avoid feeding them beef, corn, wheat, soy and yeast. Some dogs and cats do okay with corn but others do not.

When we look at the ancestral diet of a cat or dog, we know that they most efficiently digest protein and fats, not carbohydrates. Cats and dogs were not eating any grains. They definitely weren’t farming. They definitely foraged for some vegetables and fruits, but definitely not wheat, corn, etc.

Before the modern grain-containing pet food, cats and dogs didn’t get obese, didn’t get diabetes, didn’t get thyroid disease.  Some estimate that 60% of overweight pets are because of too much grain consumption. People tell me that they don’t overfeed their pet too much cat or dog food, but overfeeding often sneaks in as too many unhealthy treats. Many pet treats found in the store contain a lot of what’s on the “avoid” list like artificial ingredients and lots of grains.

So for our store, we avoid the primary list of artificial ingredients, find products that use real meats and no by-products, and don’t use wheat or corn.

Do you recommend free-feeding?

We don’t recommend that you leave food out all the time. It’s best for your pet physiology and pancreas that they eat only twice per day. It’s also best for your pet’s sense of security that they know they will get food twice per day at a specific time. Pets don’t like to have to guard their food and worry about it all day long. If they know that at a certain time in the morning and certain time in the evening they are getting fed, its much less stressful. What a lot of pet owners who free-feed don’t notice is that most dogs and cats don’t nibble throughout the day and will actually choose on their own to only eat early in the morning and then again in the evening. Leave clean fresh water out all the time and pick it up 20 minutes before eating to preserve your pet’s healthy stomach acidity.

The raw food diet thing is probably the most controversial and debated subject in the pet food world right now. What’s your take on this?

I think the best diet you could feed your dog or cat is a well balanced raw food diet and the worst diet you could feed your pet is an imbalanced raw food diet. A lot of people try it, but the don’t do enough research to find out what the balance should be. A common mistake is for people to think that an all meat diet for their dog is healthy. Dogs will die with an all meat diet. Also, a raw food diet is not the same as feeding from the table. Dogs don’t do well with a lot of cooked foods or spices. A comprehensive well-balanced raw food diet is better than any bagged or canned food, but it’s the most challenging way to feed a pet. It also takes a lot of time.

The second best way to feed your pet is a using a frozen or dehydrated raw food diet. You don’t want to cook the frozen or dehydrated raw food, because heat destroys the raw food’s natural vitamins and enzymes making it less nutritious. I was one of the first retailers to have a frozen raw food section in my store. I used to buy hundreds of pounds of kidneys, livers and meat and make the food for my customers. Today, there are pet food makers that do this and I sell their products pre-packaged. I sell the best five frozen raw food diets. These are complete balanced diets.

The third best option is a dry kibble grain free diets. These somewhat match the balance of protein and vegetables in the form of dry food. We have the best three dry and canned grain free diets for dogs and cats. The problem with any consumer product is that there are a lot of other people trying to make grain free diets, but they don’t have the knowledge base on how to make a truly healthy and balanced diet.

What do you recommend for pet dental care?

The American Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS) came out with a study about 10 years ago that found that dry dog food is only responsible for 5% of tartar reduction. Their recommendation was to use some sort of dental cleaning chewing device. An example of this would be a natural and toxin free raw hide, raw bones, or Nylabone. Basically it would be something that would mimic your dog chewing on a stick – a dog toothbrush found in the wild. Another option is brushing their teeth from the time they are a puppy or kitten. This is a really good way to bond with your pet.

Let’s move on the subject of fleas. Is there a way to avoid poisoning our pets?

I wrote a book titled Flea Control: A Holistic & Humorous Approach. The purpose of the book was to help people understand how to control or eradicated fleas without resorting to poisoning their pets. Many of the conventional veterinary flea control methods involve using topical poisons or pesticides on your pet or in your home or yard. A conventional flea collar, Advantage (Imidacloprid), or a flea bomb are all insecticides and poisons to humans and pets. These are neurotoxins with serious side-effects that persist on your pet and in your house for weeks getting absorbed by all members of your household, humans and animals.

What are some of the signs of an adverse reaction to some of the spot-on treatments?

Convulsions, seizures, shaking, vomiting, drooling, and more. The problem is many people apply these flea control chemicals to their pets and usually don’t notice the connection. They just think that their dog or cat is getting sick. The CDC got so many adverse reaction reports to these flea control chemicals that now the EPA is investigating the topical spot-on flea and tick control products for safety. The EPA has made recommendations for clearer labeling.

My book educates pet owners on the life cycle of fleas and how they can stop flea reproduction not only on their dog, but also within the home and yard. There are stages of the flea life cycle in which it is much easier to eradicate fleas than other stages. Diet also plays a factor in making your pet a desirable place or host for fleas. In the book, I teach pet owners how to have natural flea control without using harsh and toxic chemicals. I teach people how to take a holistic approach by treating the cause of why fleas reproduce in homes and on pets. I like to remind pet owners that just because it says the flea control product is naturally derived; it still may harm their pet. Natural is not always safe.

Dr. Gibran Ramos completed his six year training and internship in Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine. Dr. Ramos helps patients transform their lives and optimize their well-being at a private practice in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by rioncm.

Next time someone tells you to watch your cholesterol, consider this: low-cholesterol diets have actually been shown to cause hormone-imbalances, obesity and diabetes. The emphasis on a low-fat diet reduces the intake of fat and causes an increased consumption of carbohydrates and trans fats. For women, lack of adequate levels of cholesterol in the body can be a real issue of hormone imbalances.

Why cholesterol is the most important molecule in the body:

• It is the main component of cell membranes and plays a major role in the endocrine system.
• It serves as precursor (a chemical compound that makes another compound) in the synthesis of steroid hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids.
• It is vital for hormone-making (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, aldosterone, cortisol, and DHEA)
• It is necessary for rescue-work (cholesterol plaques are formed when there is injury to the blood vessel wall)

Is there such a notion as low-cholesterol? Absolutely. But if you do not have enough cholesterol, you will not be able to make the hormones you need! In these cases, it is critical to explore the hormone imbalances all of which play an important role in the body’s hormonic orchestra.

If you have low cholesterol:

• Increase your consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids, primarily omega-3‘s (fish oil, salmon, sardines, coconut oil, avocados
• Avoid low-fat, low-cholesterol diets and foods
• Consider having your other hormones checked

Dr. Igor Schwartzman practices naturopathic medicine with a strong emphasis in women's health, hormone imbalances, and thyroid disorders at Whole Family Wellness Center in Portland, Oregon. He is a co-founder of WellWire.com.

1. Buy seasonal produce when possible.
2. Buy heavy nutritious vegetables.
3. If it’s edible, eat it!
4. Don’t peel vegetables.

Buy in season

Most fruits and vegetables are a lot cheaper when they’re in season and obviously, shipping in produce  is not ecologically or economically good practice. Stick to seasonal produce when possible! Support your local farmers markets, which are usually cheaper and always seasonal. Wherever I am in the world, I always look up the local markets before I go shopping. I have come across some of the most amazing places that shame the inflated prices and often irradiated produce of the big stores. It is also great fun to wander around with a coffee and make a nice morning of it.

Waste not want not

Vegetables are one of the worst areas for waste in a kitchen. By the time that you have peeled, trimmed and prepared most vegetables, there is nothing left! After a good wash, there isn’t much that can’t be eaten, and often you’ll get more nutrition.

• Carrots: for example, up to 15% of the nutrients is in the skin. So don’t peel them, simply wash, slice and cook.
• Cauliflower: is another wasteful vegetable. More often than not the green leaves growing around the head equal the actual cauliflower. Keep these dense green leaves and slice and use as you would cabbage.
• Broccoli: don’t trim the stem off! Leave it on when steaming. It’s full of nutrients.
• Beets: Use the beet leaves- they are very similar to red chard. 
• Cabbage: Don’t be tempted to throw away the outer leaves on cabbage, dark green savoy leaves are excellent sliced into a rich Tuscan bean soup or hearty winter casserole. The dark green leaves are also a lot more nutritional.

Part of the points achieved in chefs’ exams comes from how little waste you have left at the end of a cooking session. Unfortunately, that training usually goes out of the window in a commercial kitchen where mountains of waste are generated. When I first started out as a chef in Europe, we had ‘pig bins’ which we would put all the food waste in which would be collected and used by the local pig farm as cheap nutritious feed. For his trouble the chef would get a couple of beers from the farmer. This sensible economic practice was recently outlawed and now all this ‘waste’ goes out with the garbage. Even a modest sized restaurant will produce dozens of tons of ‘garbage’ a year, that could be put to good use. It’s a crying shame.

Tasty to the root

One of the simplest ways to make your money go further is to think of food in terms of weight. The more you get for your dollar, the further your money goes. This is especially true of root vegetables. Dense, heavy, cheap and packed with nutrients, root vegetables are amazingly healthy and wholesome. They also have a reputation for being bland and boring–not so!

One of my favorite ways of using root vegetables is to roast or grill them. Use carrots, parsnip, sweet potato. Toss in olive oil, season well, scatter on an oven tray with thyme rosemary and whole garlic cloves. Roast in a moderate oven until golden and soft. (You will have to do the carrot separately as it takes a lot longer). Mix this with roasted zucchini and peppers. Serve on a big platter drizzled with balsamic syrup and parmesan shavings. A meal in its own! Seriously I have had many customers come into the restaurant just for a large plate of oven roast vegetables. Some other ideas:

• Carrots: Ideal for soups, sauces and casseroles, or grated into salads.
• Rutabaga (Swede): Use to bulk out casseroles or stews, like grating into Shepherds Pie. Can be mixed with carrots, butter and a little nutmeg, and pureed as a side dish (kids find this very acceptable!)
• Parsnips: Excellent for soups (try a lightly curried parsnip soup, delicious!). Roasted along with potatoes for roast dinner, or pureed like mash to go with lamb, a perfect match.
• Sweet Potato: Brilliant for soups, puddings, roasting grilling and baking. The sweet potato doesn’t need much to make it appealing.
• Beets: Quite possibly the healthiest vegetable on the planet. Wrap in foil and bake until soft and sweet. Boil and slice into salads. Thinly slice on a mandolin and fry for rainbow ‘chips’ along with sweet potato and parsnips.
• Celeriac: Combine with potatoes for celeriac mash or puree and serve with roast beef. It is also excellent grated in a remoulade, or mixing in with coleslaw.

Magnus Mumby is a British chef with a mission: enable diners to easily and inexpensively create healthy and delicious dishes. He was awarded the Top Ten New Chefs of the Year award by Esquire magazine, among numerous other accolades. To find out more and try his wholesome recipes, visit his site HealthyNutritiousRecipes.com.

 

Thumbs up!

• Bare feet: The foot is naturally and brilliantly designed for optimal standing and locomotion if it is allowed to function in the way that nature intended. Conventional footwear actually hinders our natural foot structure and function, and over time, this can cause many problems with the feet and the rest of the body’s structure. Believe it or not, there is no scientific evidence that shoes are good for children and it’s okay to allow your child to spend some time barefoot. Feet are very strong and adaptable, and if given the opportunity, they can acclimate to a wide variety of surfaces and activities. This being said, always avoid surfaces that might be littered with broken glass, rusty nails or anything dangerous.

Shoes that fulfill all these criteria are surprisingly difficult to find for all but the very youngest members of our society. But your persistence in seeking these shoes for your kids will pay dividends in the appropriate and healthy development of your child’s feet. Happy shoe hunting!

Photo by Kevin Lallier.

Gluten sensitivity affects one third of the American population. These are people who have mild to moderate symptoms from eating the proteins found in wheat and other grains. Celiac Disease, the most extreme form of gluten sensitivity, affects 1% of the population. A recent study showed that people who are gluten sensitive and have been properly diagnosed could save 30% in their health care costs. Sadly, 99% of people with this condition are not aware of it. Understanding and treating the root cause of disease will save money in frequent trips to the doctor and unnecessary medications. It will also set you on a path to wellness.

You don’t have to have full-blown Celiac’s to have major health consequences from eating gluten. Last year, a large study showed increased death due to heart disease and cancers in people with gluten sensitivity. The numbers are shocking. For people with gluten sensitivity the risk of death was increased by 35%. For Celiacs and people with active inflammation in the gut the risk jumps to 72%. How can eating a seemingly wholesome food cause so much disease? To understand this, we need to understand how the digestive system interacts with the immune system:

Gut physiology
The intestines are where things are permitted into the bloodstream. Food, broken down into its nutrients is absorbed from the tube into the blood. This is a dangerous proposition. There could be bacteria or parasites or poisons in the things we eat. The immune system has outposts along this border and monitors the particles that are absorbed and mounts an immune response when dangerous substances are detected.

When activated, the immune system fights infections. Sometimes, an activated immune system will respond to food as if it’s a dangerous invader. Your genetics make you more or less vulnerable to certain food sensitivities. Genetics alone don’t determine whether or not you’ll be sensitive to gluten or other foods. There is often a triggering set of circumstances like an infection or nutrient deficiency that sets the immune system in motion.

Leaky gut
In the process of responding to dangerous bacteria, viruses, parasites or yeast, the immune response can destroy healthy tissue. The lining of the intestines will become red and inflamed and the barrier function is lost. Larger and larger particles are allowed into the bloodstream. Waste material can enter the bloodstream and cause symptoms all over the body: headaches, skin rashes, joint pain.

Triggering other food sensitivities
Over time, the constant activated immune response and leaky gut can cause new food sensitivities. I’ve seen it many times where people avoid what they know they’re reacting to, feel better for a short time, then start reacting to all the new foods they’re eating and their diet gets more and more restricted and the overall heath takes a downward spiral. Unless the barrier function in the digestive system is intact, healing cannot take place.

Some problems and sensitivities can resolve with the removal of the main food offender and time. For most people, though, the cause of digestive disease has not been identified and treated and they will need more thorough investigation and advanced healing protocols. It’s important to have support and an expert to help guide this process. The specifics need to be tailored to the individual.

Addressing the root cause of disease
Diseases caused by gluten sensitivity are completely curable. Some diseases like anemia and osteoporosis are obviously related to malabsorption. Some diseases like Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis involve a complex interplay of the immune system. Others involve an even more complex cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters. Gluten sensitivity is a condition that can affect any system in the body. Instead of managing and treating various conditions individually, directing efforts and resources to the root cause of the problem can allow for optimal wellness.

Safe foods:

• Buckwheat
• Rice
• Corn
• Quinoa
• Millet
• Amaranth
• Potatoes
• Gluten-free oats
• Garbanzo flour
• Tapioca
• Teff

Author and resident gluten-free living expert Dr. Misty White is in private practice in Milwaukie, Oregon at Northwest Natural Medicine. She is also an adjunct clinical faculty member, training the physicians of the future at the National College of Natural Medicine.

Photo by yummy-porky.

When you indulge in a wonderful cheese or splendid wine, think about what’s making it taste so good: it’s rotting. Of course, in the case of the cheese or wine, the rot has taken place in a specific manner, allowing us to control the flavors.

We’ve been fermenting foods since we’ve been cooking to prevent and minimize spoilage and extend the life of our foods. When food is fermented, a bacteria or fungus is involved in breaking down the complex carbohydrates and sugars into by-products that give the food item a much more complex flavor, yet are often much more easily digestible.

With proper preparation, milk can become a thick yogurt, a satisfying buttermilk, an effervescent Kefir, a cooling Lassi, or a salty Ayran. A common milk allergenic substance like lactose is fermented by a bacteria, lactobacillis, making milk more easily digestible, even by those who are lactose intolerant.

Many cultures fermented grains to make drinks like beer. Beer can be made out of any grain from wheat and barley to millet and sorghum. Beyond being an alcoholic drink, fermented grains give us wonderful items like sourdough bread. The benefits of eating whole grains are known to most modern nutritionist as a good source of vitamins and minerals. Fermenting grains before cooking eliminates much of the mineral binding phytic acid.

It’s not just about the delicious flavor though–there is increased nutrient availability when legumes are fermented. Like grains, legumes contain many vitamins and minerals. But unlike grains, legumes also contain the essential omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Many of us have repeated the childhood rhyme about the magical fruit (the more you eat, the more you toot). But if beans are prepared correctly through a soaking and fermentation process, gas is decreased.

Asian cultures most famously prepare the soybean through fermentation. From this process, tempeh, miso, and natto is made. Tempeh has a complex nutty flavor and can be grilled. Miso can be used for as a base for the traditional miso soup, or added to a marinade for your favorite fish. Natto has a very unique flavor that can take some getting used to, but it contains many beneficial substances like the clot busting nattokinase.

Vegetables are another category in which food is fermented. Most are familiar with sauerkraut’s astringent sour and crunchy texture. Some may have tried the pungent and spicy Korean kimchi. Both of these dishes are based on cabbage (which when eaten raw, tend to give people gas). When fermented, cabbage increases the gut nourishing amino acid, glutamine.

Although fermenting foods used to be a necessity, it is became an almost a lost art as food sterilization and refrigeration methods were developed. Today food fermentation is back as science has revealed the health benefits from more highly available nutrients, to the beneficial probiotics, and the more satisfying and appetite curbing fifth taste.

To find out more about how to become more involved in food fermentation you can:

• Join in on a community food fermentation class or club.
• Subscribe to a Tribe, Yahoo or Google Group.
• Pick up a copy of a Wild Fermentation or Nourishing Traditions cookbooks that contain lots of fermented food recipes.
• Purchase cultures to start making your own fermented foods.