Bambini Newsletter   April 16, 2012

The Most Nutrient Dense Botanical Known


Traci Simonton RD -- Part I
Traci Simonton RD -- Part I

Welcome to the latest feature of our newsletter!  This month, Dr. Malak speaks with Traci Simonton RD, a well-known pediatric nutrition expert.

    

Does any item in your pantry right now hold 92 different nutrients, including 46 anti-oxidants or 36 anti-inflammatory components?  Click on the image to left to learn about one that does.

 

Tune in next month as Traci shares her experience with coconut products.   

Chickenpox and Shingles:  What's the Story? 


c pox

Question: My 68 year-old Uncle Bob came for dinner a couple days ago. It appeared that he had a couple sores on his cheek. He was holding our 18 month-old daughter Buffy for several minutes. Today, he called and told us the doctor said he had shingles. Can my daughter get shingles from him?

 

Bambini: Well, she'll very likely get chickenpox. You'll know for sure in a couple weeks.

 

Varicella (more commonly known as "chicken pox") is caused by a virus called herpes zoster. Uncle Bob, you see, was just beginning to shed this virus. When her great uncle was a lad, no doubt he was exposed to this virus and came down with chicken pox. This virus never leaves us. It stays dormant in cells near our spinal column.

 

Years, sometimes decades later, if our immune system drops it's guard, the virus travels along a nerve and set up camp in a small area of the body, causing a patch of painful sores that resembles a bad case of chickenpox. It could be on the cheek, around the trunk, or down the leg. It usually hits only one side of the body. That condition is called zoster (more commonly known as "shingles").

 

So, the answer to your question is "yes," - but with two qualifiers:

  1. If Buffy does get chickenpox (a few children have such a mild case you can only tell through a blood test)
  2. And if, years or decades from now, she does get run down or stressed.

Why do we bring this up? April traditionally is peak season for chickenpox. But compared to say twenty years ago, the disease is now quite uncommon. In fact, the majority of the cases we are now seeing seem to be from exposure to an adult with shingles rather than another child with chickenpox.

 

Holistic Moms News       

chicken

Following the lively discussion of juicing by Dr. Josh Burckhard last week, the Dutchess County Chapter of Holistic Moms will feature a presentation on "Raising Backyard Chickens" on Tuesday May 15th at Waddle-n-Swaddle's Rhinebeck  location.  Click here for details.
 

 Now some good news for folks in Ulster:    

The first Chapter Meeting of the newly formed Ulster County Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network, a national holistic parenting network, will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at New Baby, New Paltz at 15 Plattekill Avenue in downtown New Paltz (childcare may be available-please call to inquire).

 

In addition to to an overview of the network and discussion of group interests, the topic for this first meeting/presentation will be birth choices. Guest speaker Connie Kieltyka, CNM, will be discussing Midwifery and Home Birth. Everyone is invited to attend and become familiar with this organization. There will be opportunities for group discussion, networking, and resource sharing.

 

The Ulster County, NY Chapter meets once a month  at New Baby New Paltz located at 15 Plattekill Avenue in New Paltz and welcomes volunteer guest speakers on a variety of holistic lifestyle topics.  For more information, please contact Donna Bruschi, New Baby New Paltz, at 845-750-4402, or Kimiko Link here, and visit the Chapter website for more details.

 

The Holistic Moms Network, which was founded in 2003, is a rapidly growing support organization with more than 100 chapters nationwide. "Through monthly meetings, our local chapters bring parents together in a non-judgmental environment that honors their lifestyle and parenting choices," says the group's Executive Director Dr. Nancy Massotto. 

 

More Help for Allergy Sufferers       

sneeezeThe results of a small study from the University of Chicago presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 2012 Annual Meeting suggest that vitamin D can take the edge off hay fever symptoms.   

 

Dr. Fuad Baroody, a pediatric surgeon and lead investigator, looked at adults that were already using a steroid nasal spray.  He found that adding in 4,000 units of vitamin D gave them a 50% reduction in symptoms.   

Does Milk Make Bones Strong?  


milk Apparently not, according to a new study published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

 

Researchers followed 6,712 adolescent girls for seven years, tracking their diets, physical activity, and stress fractures. Girls consuming the most dairy products and calcium had no added protection. In fact, among the most active girls-exercising more than one hour per day-those who got the most calcium in their diets (coming mostly from dairy products) had more than double the risk of a stress fracture, compared with those getting less calcium.

 

Researchers found that vitamin D intake did help cut risk. Girls getting the most vitamin D had half the risk of a fracture, compared with girls getting less vitamin D.