Early life chemical exposures play a critical role in the healthy life of our children, sometimes altering courses of health that cannot be undone. In our world today, we see more disorganized eating than ever before as obesity (with all its complications) skyrockets alongside undernutrition, leading not just to classic underweight conditions but also to…
For millennia, man has asked what makes us do what we do, reaching a multitude of answers, some on target and some not. Ultimately, we are driven both by physical and spiritual factors. This particular study indicates that inflammation is one of the physical factors contributing to compulsions. Sidestepping those who want to pigeonhole our…
Phthalates not only plasticize countless everyday products but also the brains of babies born to moms using these products. Phthalates are added to so many different cosmetics and personal care products from daily life. These included detergents, shampoos, soaps, besides various plastic wrappings. This study looked at whether such phthalates exposures could affect a baby’s…
Our children carry the effects of our stress into their bodies as we prepare them for the world. A Yale study suggests that better stress management can lower our children’s risk of obesity and its poor health outcomes. As parents, we strive for our children to have a better life than we have lived, whether…
With many studies showing up to 1 in 5 teenagers suffer from a mental health disorder, Bournemouth University researchers looked for potential dietary explanations—and high sugar drinks topped the list. No one is surprised by other research showing dietary connections with obesity and metabolic diseases, but this research raises further questions about both mechanisms and…
Many skeptics challenge functional MD’s like myself when we diagnose mold toxicity as the explanation for a chronic illness, whether in adults or in children. The refrain goes like this: “Mold is everywhere! How could that explain the symptoms?” We understand that patients or their parents want proof and certainty before they embark on a…
Some would say the world is a rat-race, but today we focus on a food race between old-fashioned whole foods delivered by nature and new-fangled ultra-processed foods delivered by Big Food and its technology. In a sense, striving for excellence, especially in producing food for growing populations, is not inherently a bad thing. Understanding food,…
We are learning more and more about the connection between our gut microbiome and our health, and so this study about the intake of emulsifiers by mouse moms and its influence on their baby mice’s future health should be no surprise. These additives to processed foods are seemingly everywhere. They can be found in baked…
The well-worn cliché that children are not little adults reminds us in medicine that we must think rather differently about our little patients. At the very least, this means adjusting the dosing of both medications and supplements to decrease the chance of overdosing. Besides this obvious difference, we must also consider different illnesses in some…
While we may not turn back the overall wave of AI (Artificial Intelligence) impact on our lives, awareness of its dark side of its use by teens can save lives. Teens have easy access to AI interfaces and are subject to an increasing mental health crisis. The result has already taken the lives of a…