Healthy by Nature radio show this week

I am so excited about her work that I invited Dr. Janet Starr Hull, PhD, CN back and into the studio for the whole show so you can ask her your questions about artificial sweeteners. Dr. Hull is the author of Sweet Poison: How the World’s Most Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us – My Story (Aspartame); Splenda: Is it Safe or Not?; and The Richardson Cancer Prevention Diet: A Nutrition and Diet Regimen for the Prevention of Cancer. She teaches at Texas A&M University and writes a monthly health blog.

Watch Your Step

Dear readers,

In March my sweet husband, Bill, fell after he got tangled up somehow with a garden cart and a landscaping border. Thank God he didn’t land head first on a nearby brick wall.

However, the fall didn’t do his collarbone a bit of good. If you saw him at Natural HealthFest and wondered what was with the sling, it was because he had actually broken that bone. Let’s shorten a long story that involved slings and physical therapy that probably started too soon. Suffice it to say the bone looked okay on the frequent X-rays, but not on a CT scan that was ultimately needed to figure out why the area was still sore. From a totally different angle than had been viewed before it became apparent that the break was not lined up well enough to join. So, all our micro-currents, homeopathy, supplements and other adjunct therapies were trying to mend a bridge too far.

Yesterday Bill had surgery to clean up the scar tissue, trim the bones, line them up with a plate, fasten with screws and installed some mesh. As best as I understand surgeon-speak, the doc also spackled the area with bone grafting material. (Sounds more like an episode of This Old House.) Bill did much better than I did. I was a nervous mess thinking of all the things that can go wrong with what should be pretty straight forward. (Just ask Joan Rivers’ family).

The main reason that I’m sharing this story is that I wanted to talk about a fascinating medical innovation. When Bill originally broke the bone, we nearly wore out the freezer getting out various types of ice packs and then swapping them after they thawed. This time the surgeon mentioned The Polar Care Cube. It is essentially an igloo cooler full of ice and water which is pumped through an insulated tube to a cold pad. The pad is held in place by a couple of elastic/Velcro straps. Easy peasy. (We just have to remember to unplug the power when we disconnect the tube or it pumps water everywhere.)

The cooling worked so well that even after such invasive surgery Bill only took one pain pill during the night…and that was because his neck was suffering from the irritating edge of the tape used to keep the wound dressing in place. Pain drugs can be a blessing, but they do have potentially serious side effects, so I’m very happy to trade those for old-fashioned chilling, even if that is delivered by a new-fangled device. Perhaps this concept is only new to me because here is a link to one with a larger ice container sold on Amazon.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

October 2-4, Dallas, Homeoprophylaxis Conference (That is the homeopathic alternative to vaccinations.)

October 17 (Saturday) 9:30-4:30. NEW Fall Edition Natural HealthFest in North Dallas. The Wyndham Dallas Suites – Park Central (7800 Alpha Road Dallas, TX 75240). Click here to see the seminar schedule Unlike our previous March mega-events, this is exclusive with limited seating. (Only ticket holders can see exhibits.) Assure your seat and SAVE $4 (or more) by ordering tickets today. Click here to do that and to get in on the far infrared sauna raffle.

NOW. It is not too late to participate in the world class Mental Wellness Summit. Enjoy the lectures at your leisure. Click here for more information.

Last Week Follow-up

LISTEN to that show in the archives. 

Sports nutritionist registered dietitian and nutrition consultant Christopher Mohr, PhD talked to us about foods and types of exercise that rev up our metabolism. I also asked him about fats. Then Naturopathic Physician Heather Manley, ND  discussed how to get children to eat better in part by helping them make a connection between foods and how they feel after they eat them. Her beautifully illustrated books also help them become invested in health by better understanding how their bodies work. She is the author of The Human Body Detectives book series. This is one example: The Lucky Escape: An Imaginative Journey Through the Digestive System.