Dementia is an ever growing, looming epidemic and we are watching our parents and grandparents disappear into this awful illness.  There were 30 million patients affected by Cognitive decline in 2012.  That is crazy!!  Until now, there were no cures or treatments to reverse this condition.  This is why I love Functional Medicine. There are so many causes of dementia to include vascular causes (hardening of the arteries), inflammation, diabetes, toxins, genetics, trauma (See the movie Concussion), hormone deficiencies, vitamin deficiencies and more.  Yet, all we have been offered is one pill to address one part of the cause.  I don't know about you but my body is pretty complex!  There is no magic bullet. In March, I attended the Institute of Functional Medicine's first conference on Reversing Cognitive Decline.  They discussed the MEND trial out of UCLA, nine of 10 participants displayed subjective or objective improvement in their memories, beginning within three to six months after the program's start. Of the six patients who had to discontinue working or were struggling with their jobs at the time they joined the study, all were able to return to work or continue working with improved performance.  This is amazing!!  They measured significant increases in size of the Hippocampus, a part of the brain that shrinks with this complex disease.  So measurable changes in the brain and function! This occurs by addressing the very complex human body and brain like never before.  Now the goal is to recognize earlier changes of neurodegeneration like memory loss, tremors, slow gait (how someone walks), increasing anxiety about things done with no difficulty before, word finding issues that are new (we all have some of this at times), worsening handwriting, and more.  We need to not just accept this is the way to go. I noticed my father-in-law start about 15 years before he passed away asking every day where the trash can was.  He was just forgetful enough to drive the family crazy but not enough for them to notice that he had Alzheimers.  From the time I noticed that, it took about 3 years to get the neurologists to diagnose him even though I kept pushing them.  He was smart so he did well on the testing.  I only imagine if I knew this stuff back then how it would have gone. When you notice this start happening in your loved one, get them evaluated.  The recovery from this is very complicated and needs a multi-disciplinary team approach on the medical side but also on the family side.  There is a lot involved and someone with memory impairment could not manage alone.  See a Functional Neurologist or ask your local Functional Medicine doctor to see if this could help your family member that is just not themselves anymore and don't wait too long to get help.

If you get the flu, odds are you will survive.  About 1000-3000 die annually out of over 300 million patients so you will likely be fine.  If you have fragile health or getting worse instead of better, then you should seek care.  Otherwise stay home and do some self care.  Here are the tips I would do  (and have done the one time we had it) for my family. First of all, there is no need for Tamiflu.  Studies show it may shorten the flu by 3/4 of a day.  It isn't worth the risk of psychiatric side effects for such little benefit.  Several studies show no benefit at all.  So here are several things you can do.  I recommend to get these items before flu season just in case so you don't have to go out sick and share it with everyone.  See my flu prevention blog to try to ward it off. Elderberry Syrup Elderberry Syrup is a great anti viral.  Email sweetsyrup@gmail.com or call 704-98902156 for some organic, locally made elderberry syrup by one of our best, Stephanie Rickenbaker.  They have some lower glycemic versions for diabetics and safe versions for infants as well.  Take that frequently through the day starting at the onset.  It is food so I can't imagine overdosing on this. Homeopathic Medicine Homeopathic aconitum, oscillococcinum/ Influenzinum (buy both aconitum and one of the other two).  At onset of fever and body aches, start one or both of these taking 3 pellets every 15 minutes for two hours and then as needed.  Safe for babies even. Take a Vitamin Burst Vitamin A -adults -15,000-25,000 IU three times a day for 2 days, kids under twelve twice a day for up to two maybe three days max, Infants can have up to two doses daily for max two days.  Vitamin D adults 100,000 IU daily (get the liquid higher dose kind) for up to 5 days, kids under 12 up to 10,000 IU daily for 5 days unless you have a parathyroid problem or super high calcium issue. Then vitamin C -adults 1000 mg 4-5 times per day,  kids under 12- 1000 mg 3-4 times per day, kids 1-5 500 mg 3-4 times per day, infants- buffered vitamin C pinch in each cheek every 1-2 hours.  Stop the vitamin C if there is stomach cramping or diarrhea as that is the sign of having more than enough. Use a humidifier with about 1/8-1/4 cup of peroxide depending on how large it is and inhale only into your nose that mist with the peroxide to kill off the virus in your nose. Do this often but if it burns your nose, either dilute more or do it less often. Then look at my cold handout on managing the other symptoms but in general, do hot epsom salt baths with apple cider vinegar baths, simply saline, and the wet sock trick. Avoid treating the fever, See this blog on fever, what to take instead of tylenol for fever , studies on fever and info about fever phobia. Here is an article for prevention for the next time. May you have a quick recovery. Legal disclaimer : If you develop shortness of breath or any scary purple rashes or mental status changes, get help ASAP!.

Any blog on migraines could be a mile long but we are going to focus on some easy tips for your common migraine.  This does NOT apply to the worst headache of your life (go to the ER) unless it is established as your normal migraine.  Also if you have worsening headaches, you need to see your doctor. For your occasional, standard migraine -light sensitivity, nausea, one sided or all over headache, here are some easy things to do.  First, you must treat any migraine ASAP!  Try peppermint oil to the temples (avoid the eyes completely) and back of the neck and just a dab under your nose.  Do the bicycle exercise where you lay on your back and put your feet in the air but try to touch the floor.  That stretches your whole spine.  When sitting, do good, slow head rolls. You can try acupressure which is where you squeeze the web of your hand between your thumb and forefinger for several minutes until it resolves.  There are several more points but you can look for those online. For any headache, a hot epsom salt bath with apple cider vinegar is awesome and get someone to rub peppermint oil to the back, neck, and temples (avoiding the eyes). If you have to take an Excedrin migraine tablet.  I am not a fan of Tylenol but it does work.  Another option if you have to resort to over the counter medicines is take some ibuprofen with a caffeinated drink like coffee.  The two work awesome together. If you have time, go see a chiropractor, acupuncturist,  or massage therapist.  They are helpful for acute and chronic migraines. If you have recurrent migraines, see chiropractor, acupuncturist, or a massage therapist as already mentioned.  You can also get a cervical traction kit from the local medical supply store for under $20 however, "less is more".  You have to put water in to the bag to just feel the tiniest pull.  Too much can cause injury.  More is bad! Keep a diary for your headache to see what could be triggering it.  Causes for migraines are many.  This may help you find one of many causes especially food related.  Common causes are MSG, gluten, preservatives, Computer work due to position and the light can cause headaches so work related headaches may warrant a visit with an ergonomics specialist or occupational therapist that cares for work related problems.

Fever is totally normal with illness and is the body's way of healing the body.  It should not be suppressed as that slows healing by stopping the action of fever which is the body’s natural response to sending the little healing factors.  I would reserve use of ibuprofen (not Tylenol-longer story there) for when they are miserable and you can’t get them comfortable by other means.  Ibuprofen is not recommended under 6 months of age.  Don’t even put Tylenol in your house. Reasons to worry about fever where you should go to the ER: Fever in an infant under 2 months of age.   Fever is 100.4 rectally Fever with mental status changes.  Most kids get sleepy with fever and want to sleep more but this refers to strange behavior or strange eye or limb movements. Fever with seizure- febrile seizures alone are not dangerous generally but the first time, you need to be checked out and to make a plan with a doctor. Fever over 105 Fever with purple spots like blood under the skin.  Rashes plus fever is common.  Don't worry too much Natural ways to bring down fever without suppressing healing mechanisms are: Wet sock trick- Cold wet cotton socks with dry wool socks on top. Feet must be warm for this. Essential oils- Lavender to feet of infants, can use peppermint oil diluted to feet of kids over 1, Can also use Frankincense to feet for any age, diluted with any oil Very warm to hot bath depending on age (safe temps only) with epsom salt and apple cider vinegar - I like this before doing the wet sock trick to warm the feet. Febrile seizures- You can also get Calcium Lactate , especially if you are concerned about febrile seizures which is an ionizable source.  Just dissolve 2-4 tablets in filtered water and drink in water or juice.  There is no lactose in this. In general, there is no need to come in to see the doctor right away for fevers.  Most illnesses are viruses that run the course.  Even ear infections often resolve themselves.  I will write another post on ear infections so you can try these things before coming in.   Here is an awesome post on febrile seizures.  It was so good that there is no need to write it any other way by Ashley Everly A great resource is the AAP symptom checker that gives advice on when to call and common measures to follow. https://www.healthychildren.org/english/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/default.aspx Article About avoiding fever reduction in sepsis to improve mortality. https://www.escavo.com/2012/12/23/should-fever-reduced-septic-patients/ Effects of fever versus low body temp on mortality https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312347826_Fever_Is_Associated_with_Reduced_Hypothermia_with_Increased_Mortality_in_Septic_Patients_A_Meta-Analysis_of_Clinical_Trials In several other animal models, administration of antipyretic agents have been associated with reduce survival [26–29] during bacterial infections. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/31/Supplement_5/S234/335070 Fever is an important mechanism of intrinsic resistance against infectious disease. A variety of studies point to a potential detrimental effect of temperature lowering in infectious disorders, but high-quality evidence from randomised controlled trials is lacking. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2011/195/8/fever-and-antipyresis-infection

In general, most parents are worried about ear infections in kids.  There are inner, middle, and outer ear infections and this blog is referring to mostly middle ear infections. Most middle ear infections are viral and will resolve themselves but that doesn't help the worried parent watching their child suffer in pain.  So I will tell you the tricks used by many parents to avoid the need to see the doctor. During summer time with swimming pools, the outer ear or swimmer's ear infection is more common. Just tug on the ear and if it hurts, it is probably swimmer's ear.  You can use colloidal silver ear drops or mullein garlic ear drops and that can often do the trick.  Best is to do prevention with a little alcohol in the ear after swimming to dry up the ear. If that is not the issue and they are complaining of pain, then it may be a middle ear infection.  With my kids, I would do the wet sock trick, colloidal silver or mullein garlic ear drops, and a trip to your favorite chiropractor.  I was trained that chiropractic care is craziness but apparently craziness works wonders.  I have had very few kids that failed that with middle ear infections. Response is fast and typically within a few hours. Onion ear muffs can help ear infections. Make onion earmuffs. Gently heat an onion half and hold it over your child's ears. or your own if you are the sick one. The volatile oils are anti-microbial and decrease inflammation, while the warmth is soothing to irritated ears. Conscious food introduction can identify food allergies that increase inflammation If your child has sudden onset of pain with the ear infection, then homeopathic belladonna can work fast.  They are in the little blue tubes at your health food store.  Use three sugar pellets every 15 minutes up to two hours.  If better, then continue as needed for pain.  If it doesn't help, then sorry.  At least you didn't waste much money or time.  They probably need another remedy so see your favorite homeopath.  I have two great ones that I adore.  When it works, it will work like magic! Try the natural remedies first and reserve the motrin for failure of those to work and if your child has a lot of pain. Here are some videos on osteopathic relief of ear pain and this video too. If things are still not getting better after a few days, then come see me. Kids are more likely to be given antibiotics if you see the doctor too soon but this is not really good for their overall health and will likely lead to repeat illness.  Antibiotics are a God send when you need them as a last resort. Recurrent ear infections are typically related to food allergies.  Most common are dairy and soy allergies so stop that in the kiddo or breastfeeding mom.  I would combine that plus chiropractic or craniosacral therapy.  If that isn't enough, your child may need more functional medicine approach to correct the underlying dysfunction.

Insurance.  Oh the quandary we are in.  Insurance is a God-send for a crisis and there is no other country I would rather be in for a crisis whether it be due to a severe infection, trauma, heart attack, strokes, or any other crisis.  However, how are we for chronic diseases though or the average day to day? We ranked 34th in the world per JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) 2014 for quality of health care systems in the world! We are number 1 for Infant and Maternal Mortality. We have to realize insurance covers physical exams which helps us check off those boxes but how much wellness do we help with? Insurance has limited if any nutritionist visits covered and many nutritionists are still teaching on the 1980's food pyramid that has contributed to the obesity, heart disease, and diabetes crisis. Wellness needs to be disconnected from the insurance/"healthcare" model.  We need to realize that we need to invest in our own health and not wait until we are in the crisis to bank in on our insurance investments.  Proper nutrition and exercise are not covered by insurance.  Nutraceuticals (natural supplements) often are not covered by insurance.  Extra time with your doctor is definitely not supported by insurance. Our healthcare system certainly needs to be revamped.  I think your average person is realizing that something is amiss.  Let's speak with our dollars and our motivation to take health into our own hands! Functional Medicine is an answer to this crisis.  We address the system as a whole. We address hormones, inflammation, gut health, environmental health, sleep issues, mood disorders, spirituality and more.   You have to have all the pieces of the puzzle to get health back on track because you can't fix one piece and expect the rest to improve.  That is what I love to do because we are getting people to a greater state of wellness and less dependence on the system by looking at the entire system of a person.  Check out www.bentonintegrative.com for a list of my services.

Last week we were talking about toxins to avoid when you’re trying to conceive. This week we’ve got another toxin on the docket. The toxin is acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol (known as paracetamol in Europe). No doctor should ever recommend Tylenol again. Not to pregnant women. Not to newborns. Not to small children. “But my doctor says Tylenol is safe.” I am a doctor myself and a nice southern girl. I don’t like to criticize other doctors but I’ll be honest with you: your doctor does not know what he does not know. Tylenol has not been shown to be safe for children. If your doctor would spend just half an hour reviewing the peer-reviewed medical literature about Tylenol, your doctor will realize it has not been proven safe. Acetaminophen may very well be a main trigger for certain childhood neurological disorders, including autism, as well as childhood asthma. Just ask a team of research scientists and medical doctors from Duke and Harvard Universities whose review article, “The Role of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Acetaminophen Exposure From Birth to Early Childhood in the Induction of Autism,” was published recently in the Journal of International Medical Research. The article compiles an exhaustive amount of published peer-reviewed scientific evidence against America’s go-to choice for pain relief, explaining that the use of acetaminophen in young children may be extremely dangerous if they have something called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress happens when inflammation gets ahead of the body’s ability to cope with it. Inflammation can lead to digestive problems, allergies, autoimmune disorders, and neuropsychiatric problems. Tylenol: A trigger for autism? The study’s lead author, William Parker, Ph.D., is an internationally known and widely respected research scientist who is an expert on the immune system. He discovered that the appendix is not a vestigial organ but rather an important part of human anatomy that produces and protects beneficial microbes, which are one of the first lines of a body’s immune defense. This guy knows his stuff. More than your doctor! (More than me.) Dr. William Parker is an associate professor of surgery at Duke University’s School of Medicine. He has spent almost two decades of his scientific career looking at why inflammation is on the rise in Western society. And Dr. Parker contends that in the case of autism, the specific trigger that leads to brain inflammation may be exposure to acetaminophen. “Based on available evidence, I believe that exposure of babies and young children to acetaminophen probably accounts for more than 60% and as much as 90% of all cases of autism,” Parker wrote to one my colleagues recently. “We could hide this in a corner and wait possibly for years until conclusive studies are conducted, but clinicians and parents need to be informed of all available information.” Erring On The Side of Caution I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to convince me—and my integrative medical colleagues—that we should err on the side of caution. As Paul Thomas, M.D., a pediatrician with a large practice in Portland, Oregon, explains in his recent book: “Until we have more information, I believe it is irresponsible, even dangerous, for doctors to recommend acetaminophen-containing products to pregnant women or small children.” Acetaminophen has never been proven safe for our babies’ developing brains. Every doctor in America needs to stop recommending it. It’s not safe for women who are trying to conceive, for pregnant women, or for small children. Have I successfully convinced you now that it’s time to toss the Tylenol?

When I was in high school, I had this horrible discomfort in my legs that drove me bonkers!  At that time, I was super flexible so I blamed it on not being able to feel the stretch enough.  It would be worse around my periods but would bother me daily enough that I would have to leave the classroom to stretch. I remember it was worst in my first class of the day with Ms. Drye. Sorry Ms. Drye but now I have a reason!  I am sure she didn't know what to do with me.   At night, I would literally feel like I had to hit my legs to get them to calm down. I never told anyone because it was just weird and hard to explain.  Now that I know it was restless legs, I realize that back in the 90's they probably wouldn't have known what it was anyway. I am not sure it was even a diagnosis at that time.  When I got married and went on birth control it totally resolved and I was so relieved.  Once I learned about it in medical school, I learned that one cause is anemia and I probably had anemia due to my super heavy periods that whole time! There are many causes for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).  Causes for RLS include disease that affect the nerves like diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson's, kidney failure, and iron deficiency.  Iron deficiency is common in females with heavy periods, people with stomach and intestinal problems that lead to bleeding, lack of dietary intake of iron and much more.  Metformin, a commonly used medicine for diabetes and polycystic ovaries can cause deficiency in vitamin B12 which can lead to neuropathy, then potentially restless legs. RLS may be caused by medications.  I have found that statins have caused quite a bit of restless legs in my patients, possibly because Coenzyme Q 10 gets depleted when you take it.  So if you really need statins, be sure to take Coenzyme Q10 up to 200 mg with something fatty to help replete that.  If you haven't had a history of a heart attack or stroke, be sure that you would really benefit from taking a statin.  There is increasing controversy over this because it isn't likely helpful for those without a history of heart attack or stroke, or those with very high risk factors.  Do your research on that and discuss with your doctor whether the benefits outweigh the risks.  Stomach medicines like Prilosec or Nexium cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies due to change in absorption of nutrition from food.  It is worth working with a provider to try to get off these medicines when appropriate and replace the nutrients that have diminished.  Believe it or not, there are tons of options to improve your gastrointestinal HEALTH without just suppressing acid that will improve your overall health.   Some antidepressants, antipsychotics often used for depression, and antihistamines can contribute to restless legs.  Birth control can deplete B6, zinc, and folate.  The list goes on as to medicines causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Many sleep remedies that end in "PM" have antihistamines so you could be making things worse!  Magnesium glycinate up to 400 mg nightly may help with restless legs and night cramps (caution in kidney disease). Restless Legs During Pregnancy Pregnancy!  To add to the litany of issues plaguing some pregnant ladies, restless legs can top the list causing misery and lack of sleep.  Exercise earlier in the day, massage your legs, consider vibrating pads underneath the legs for distraction, warm baths with epsom salts may help, get your iron levels checked as well as B12/methylmalonic acid, and RBC magnesium.  Also consider drinking 2-3 ounces of tonic water before bed.  Considering minerals as a cause, a safe and cheap way to add minerals is by making a Himalayan Sole.  Buy Himalayan Pink Salt.  Mix 1/3 pink salt to 2/3 hot water and dissolve.  Take 1-2 tbsp daily as this provides all 84 trace minerals and is pretty cheap. So glad to have figured out my affliction from high school.  I am going to share this with my teachers so hopefully they forgive me ;-).  I imagine we will find more causes which hopefully means we can find more solutions!

Who longs for the days of the family doctor having time to spend with you and actually listen to your issues?  How about those home visits you remember as a child when you were too sick and the doctor actually came to your home?  Those were the romantic days of family medicine and what many of us dream of when we sign up for medical school. These days, thanks to corporations and insurance companies, the clinic has become a patient mill where patients see the doctors for 8 minutes to squeeze in their concerns.  It isn't the doctor's choice to do this but they are owned by companies dictating their schedules.    More and more insurance companies and especially Medicare are dictating medical choices and doctors have to choose the path of least resistance to survive so they give up the fight.  The patients become the diabetic with the ulcer or the sickly kid instead of Mr. Johnson who has diabetes and suffering from an ulcer and little Jay who is having recurrent ear infections due to daycare.  The person with multiples issues is dreaded and given time for one issue at a time when the issues are all really connected and should be considered as a whole. Soon doctors will be graded on being compliant with what Medicare dictates.  It sounds good on paper that we have a high percentage of patients with well controlled diabetes and blood pressure but the reality is that doctors are firing patients that are non compliant to improve their scores.  It is mostly a subconscious thing I believe but still if I fire a patient for uncontrolled diabetes where do they go?  I am the frontline in medicine.  Maybe they only have $200 per month to eat and they can only afford cheap quality food? Maybe they are sharing their insulin with their husband because insulin is too expensive?  Maybe the patient just isn't ready to change their diets?  After all most of us have some bad habits and it is hard to change!  So we are forced to have potentially worse scores and keep those patients who just don't want to change or we justify dismissing them for noncompliance.  After all, we have tons more patients so we will help those who want help right?  Terrible! The Revolution I can't take it anymore so now for the revolution!  Well over 6,000 doctors nationwide are taking back our dreams of providing premium care to patients we love by the model of Direct Primary Care.  The goal is higher quality and value care rather than volume.  We eliminate the fee for service that creates a need for increased volume to be profitable and the patient feels like they need to squeeze everything out of that visit to get the most out of it.  Neither create a system for focus on wellness.  By having monthly payments to cover costs instead of depending on insurance and Medicare, patients can get care when needed and not worry about the additional cost.  I will limit the number of patients to a panel of about 400 patients compared to 2000 that I had at a previous job so I have time to focus on getting our patients well with longer office visits, home visits, hospital visits (although we don't admit) and we won't be limited by the insurance companies and Medicare.  Some things may be managed by phone instead of having to come in to be seen.  In a regular model we only get paid if you are seen even if it is for minor things.  Basic labs, paps, skin procedures, phone visits, office visits, and more are covered by the monthly fees and they will see me and call me! No more difficulties getting to talk to the actual doctor!  I finally get to be that country doctor I dreamed of and now I have the integrative medicine on top of it so I can provide holistic medicine to the average person to get to the root of illness to create true wellness.  I will be opened Benton Integrative Primary Care in July at the Acupuncture and Healing Arts building in Denver, NC and we grew so quickly that we had to move to Huntersville where we expanded and then opened a second location in Costwald. Check out www.bentonintegrative.com for details My dream ultimately is to build a clinic that has a teaching kitchen with a health coach to teach people how to grocery shop and cook.  I want a yoga/exercise room and classroom to teach people how to live more healthfully.  I hope to have an IV therapy room so instead of going to an expensive ER or infusion center for a $5 bag of fluids, we can do it and get better faster and cheaper.  I will have a full integrative team of health care providers to tap into all kinds of modalities to get better in the healthiest way possible.  My goal is to treat the whole patient-mind, body, and spirit and partner with them to create wellness. I have to make a shout out for Catawba Valley Medical Group where I worked prior to opening Benton Integrative because it is a real not for profit community hospital and is really great minus me having to see more patients than I really want to but it is reasonable compared to most clinics these days.  They also really care about patients and have awesome providers.  I have nothing but gratitude for them.    Most "not for profits" manage to meet that criteria only through loop holes but practice as for profit and the well being of the patient really doesn't matter.  These community centers and DPC clinics are making the medical system a better place for patients to seek care.

I am thankful for Western medicine for acute issues.  It is life saving and life prolonging many times. Thankful for everyone who works in a hospital all the way down to the person who cleans the room as this can be just as important as the medicine they get.  However, I am not thankful for a system that tries to squeeze blood from a rock.  To save the almighty dollar, it seems every hospital is short staffed for the true needs of good patient care.  Saving this almighty dollar sets us all up for failure and risk and contributes to the statistic in the JAMA article about western medicine being the third largest killer of patients behind heart disease and cancer. Due to shortages, a lot of mistakes are made.  I hear so many cringe worthy stories from my patients of the wrong medicines being given or the wrong doses given.  I have seen a few die due to medical errors.  None of us are perfect and it is terrifying to have a medical error or over look an allergy but it happens more when there is precious little time to spend doing things well. One person I know had her husband die to pure overmedication of medicines that were not even his!  He was given double doses of pain patches and triple doses of insulin that he didn't even need.  Turns out his nurse had mild dementia that the staff apparently had not noticed but there was a shortage and she came out of retirement to help since they needed nurses so badly.  They noticed something was weird but felt uncomfortable questioning the nurse since she was so certain he was getting what he needed.  It turned out to be fatal!  The wife was hospitalized just a few months later and she questioned everything and found them trying to give her the wrong medicine twice!! I hear these stories way too often and fortunately most do not end up fatal but we have to empower patients to ask questions.  Ask every time a family member is given a medicine.  It is ok to question what it is and what it is for.  If you feel like it isn't right, have them check with the doctor.  If you are still concerned, ask to speak to the doctor.  The life of your loved one may depend on it.  Medicines are powerful and as life saving as they may be, they can also kill.  Even highly qualified people can make mistakes. Ask questions and don't leave your loved one alone if they are not capable of asking the questions themselves.

My grandpa Virgil died a few years back. He had 9 lives for sure but one time was more due to imposed dietary restrictions. This guy was hardcore.  He survived a ruptured abdominal aneurysm that should have killed him. He had survived a dense stroke many years ago that affected his speech and the use of the right side of his body. That slowed him down but he found creative things to do to still be productive. He was an illiterate genius with a third grade education who was tough as nails and could fix anything. He finally got diagnosed with lung cancer near the end and had broken his hip.  This starts the part of the story I want to share. He was found on the floor at the front door when he broke his hip waiting on someone to check on him.  Plug for lifeline here for anyone left alone that is at risk for breaking hips even if someone checks on them regularly.  The typical story I have been trained is that once a feeble grandparent breaks a hip, that often signals the end.  The same seemed true for him. While in the hospital, he was evaluated by everyone and given the typical recommendations of "thickened" feeds which he HATED and refused!  It was for his own good you know.  We wouldn't want him to aspirate (have food go into his lungs) and complicate things more.  Being the doctor in the family, naturally the family asks me my opinion regarding end of life issues as he was wasting away in the hospital bed.   I give them the same information I had always been given regarding the unavoidable downward spiral.  This is a natural process right? The family decided to let him go home on hospice as he was too weak for treatment of his hip fracture and lung cancer.  I love hospice and felt good with this decision.  When he got home, my aunt decided to go against the thickened feeds and give him what he wanted since she wanted him to be happy his last days.  He just wanted some good country cookin'. Being able to eat what he wanted more than made him happy.  He was on his riding mower a week later mowing the yard!  The guy that was about to die was riding his mower.  Basically he was starving to death on hospital food!  Yikes! There are many lessons to be learned here.  Listen to the patient.  Feed the patient.  Certainly one has to balance risks and benefits but why deprive a dying man some good food for risk of him dying sooner?  If the risks are understood, then give them the choice.  This doesn't mean to sneak food in without permission as you don't want to mess up any plans for procedures but really think about how you feel when you are hungry.  I am going to be an old person with a chip on the shoulder.  I don't like being told what to do and what to eat now so I imagine that will not change with gray hair.  If anything, it will be stronger!  We forget that our elderly still have their own desires and thoughts and are not children even if we want to treat them as such.  If they have their cognitive abilities, then we need to include them in decision making. My grandpa did die sometime after that but he died happily eating his eggs and grits and drinking coffee.

Dairy!  I how I adore a cup of whole milk hot chocolate.  I adore butter.  I adore cheese.  Unfortunately, the bodies of myself and kids do not love dairy.  Each of us has had a different reaction to it so it has taught  me a lot how to recognize and fix problems I see in my patients. Giselle, my oldest had big tonsils.  Kissing tonsils they say.  She would snore like a man and have pauses, like she wasn't breathing for seconds at a time.  She didn't drink milk but ate her much loved mozzarella cheese sticks daily.  My naturopath said to stop dairy.  I was like " but it is only one a day and she LOVES them".  He repeats.."Stop dairy".  So we did and within a week, no more snoring.  She still has occasional cheese but if she eats it more than three times in a week, she starts getting tonsillar stones and it drives her nuts.  She is able to do ice cream and yogurt but not milk or cheese on a regular basis. In retrospect, she had significant cradle cap for a long time which turns out to often be dairy related. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy averted! Sofia, my middle child, had chronic otitis effusion which means that she had fluid in her ears for more than 6 months straight.  We saw ENT who said to give it 6 more weeks and if no better, she needed tubes in her ears.  Naturopath says stop dairy.  Now this kid was a crazy milk drinker so I switched her to almond milk (now we use rice milk which I like better) and within a week, it was better.  We went back to the ENT dutifully to verify resolution and indeed he agreed.  With excitement I told him how we did it.  He looked at me funny and just changed the subject.  Hmmmm.  I would have thought he would be excited to find ways to get kids better.  I guess he wants to only get them better through surgery but that is another subject. In Sofia, her cradle cap was so bad, it went down the face and neck.  I put a little hat on her to cover it up in August!   She also had quite the case of eczema.  The little bit of eczema she had cleared right up with cessation of milk.   She eats yogurt with no problem though. Isabella, poor Isabella.  My main pregnancy craving was milk in the last trimester.  I mean I was drinking 2 gallons of milk per week plus cheese and yogurt.  It was an out of control craving and it turns out lactose was her enemy.  She was born and within the first 24 hours, she had redness and blisters around her labia and rectum.  We thought it was a diaper allergy so she was in the nursery with oxygen blowing on it and we just used cloth diapers.  Nothing helped it.  We did all kinds of prescription creams and still a nasty diaper rash but not in her full diaper area.  So I though maybe it was a milk allergy.  Pediatrician says "impossible", "she would have bloody stools".  Well I stopped dairy (since I was breastfeeding) and within two days, it was gone!   Turns out if I had something with soy or dairy, even down the ingredient line, she would blister up.  Since I figured that out at 12 days of life for her, she never had an ounce of eczema or cradle cap like my other two.  Now that I have done some gut healing things like fish oil, probiotics, and bone broths, she can now be exposed to dairy and not have that happen.  She can't do much but before it couldn't even be an ingredient. So it comes to me.  When I quit dairy for the first time, my dandruff I had my entire adult life cleared up!  I need to do the gut healing stuff myself (too busy with the kids and work so lazy there) because if I have as little as 3 tablespoons per week of butter ( my favorite is Bulletproof coffee), then I get an itchy scalp and it flakes.  My mother-in-law made these yummy bunuelos that have corn meal and cheese when she was visiting.  I just had 2-3 of these hushpuppy like treats three times over the course of a week and I had scabs on my scalp.  Disgusting scabs.  I will just keep dairy to the occasional treat to avoid that.  I also realized my joint pains in my hands were affected by dairy.  I can do small amounts before that happens but if I have two cups of hot scrumptious whole milk hot chocolate (my mouth is watering), then my finger joints swell up.  Ahem! No dairy for me either. Moral of the story, always assess nutritional causes of disease.  It may not always work or it may not always be the obvious foods like dairy, wheat, or corn but look there first.  It may be an easy fix and with some gut healing, we may be able to tolerate some amount of that food.  We also need to clean up our food supply but that is another story.