Monthly Archives: November 2010
Jacksonville Beach Chiropractor and Wellness Doctor, Dr. John Davenport, Says That Our Fish Are On Drugs!
| November 28, 2010 | Posted by Dr.John under Jacksonville beach nutrition |
Over one billion people now depend upon fish as their main source of animal protein, with billions more relying on it as an important part of their diets. As the world population continues to grow, so will the demand for fish.
It is estimated that an additional 16 million tons of fish annually will be needed by the year 2010. Unfortunately, the wild fish harvest from the oceans peaked in the late 1980s with little hope that it will ever return to those levels again.
New methods of fish farming have been developed to maximize production, and this has led to severe environmental problems. For example, expansion of shrimp farms in developing countries had resulted in a staggering loss of tidal flats, mangrove forests, and wetlands where the farms are commonly sited.
Because of overcrowding and unnatural conditions, disease is unavoidable in commercially farmed fish, so fish farmers must rely on the use of drugs to keep their stocks alive. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved five drugs for use in food: fishóTerramycine (an antibiotic), Sulfamerazine (an antibiotic), Romet 30 (an antibiotic), Finquel (an anesthetic), and Formalin (a parasiticide).
The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is responsible for approving drugs for use in animals, but it does not carry out routine inspections for enforcement purposes. In 1991, the National Academy of Sciences concluded that chemicals are not effectively controlled in fish farming under current conditions, and advised that additional safety studies be conducted on contaminant risks.
Under the FDA’s Investigational New Animal Drug Exemptions, experimental drugs can be used on fish. These treated fish can later be sold on the market, even though these experimental drugs have not yet received safety testing.
Another drug-related risk comes from the numerous drugs permitted by those countries from which we import much of our fish. While the FDA only considers five drugs adequately tested, European authorities have approved 15 drugs, while Japan allows 24.
I highly recommend a diet rich in deep cold-water fish. However, this article buffers my enthusiasm. Try to look for organic-raised fish, free of potentially dangerous drugs. Fish oil supplements offer a great way to reduce your risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.
In fact Andrew L Stoll, MD, in his book The Omega 3 Connection has this to say, “The implications of omega-3 deficiency on the brain are profound and span the entire human life cycle. Beginning in pregnancy, premature birth and its potential neurologic complications may result from omega-3 deficiency. Babies who are bottle fed or born from omega-3-deficient mothers will lack the omega-3 fatty acids necessary for optimal cognitive and visual development. Children deprived of omega-3s may have less ability to pay attention and control impulsive behavior and may be at higher risk for depression.
Teenagers and adults with omega-3 deficiency may be more prone to hostility or violence. In aging, the loss of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain may result in a higher risk of stroke, memory problems, or dementia. Individuals of any age without adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and body may also be at higher risk for depression, bipolar disorder, and possibly other psychiatric disorders.”
Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids is important and should be used daily. Many if not most of my clients get confused about the difference between fish oil and omega-3’s. Simply put, omega-3s are what’s in the fish oil that’s important to your health. Look at your label and you will see DHA and EPA, which are the omega-3 fatty acids. Add the two together and subtract from the total mgs of Fish oil. This leaves you with the amount of actual fish oil in the capsule. The less fish oil, the more omega -3s, and it’s these essential fatty acids that are good for your health, not the fish oil.
When purchasing fish oil supplements, make sure you get a pure supplement free of harmful chemicals. Usually the labeling will say molecularly distilled. This means it’s 99.9% pure and that includes being free of mercury and PCB’s. I recommend the Essential Therapeutics line of fish oil supplements – they’re pure and free of potential toxins.
If you would like to learn more about how you can get and stay healthy, Click Here to sign up for my free Health Matters Newsletter.
As a natural health care provider in Jacksonville Beach Fl., I see my job as educating, coaching, and nurturing my patients to better health and wellness.
Yours In Health,
Dr. John
Jacksonville Beach Wellness Doctor Tells You Why You Need To Take An Optimal Daily Allowance Multivitamin/Mineral Formula
| November 23, 2010 | Posted by Dr.John under Jacksonville beach nutrition |
Many so-called experts will tell you not to worry about taking vitamins if you are eating a balanced diet. Unfortunately, dieting alone can’t provide enough essential vitamins and minerals to promote optimal health. For Instance, you would need to consume 5,000 calories per day (mostly fat) in order to get the recommend minimum (400 IU) of vitamin E, and 12,000 calories per day to get the minimum amount of chromium.
70 percent of the population is deficient in magnesium, 65 percent are deficient in zinc, 48 percent are deficient in calcium, and 56 percent of the population are deficient in Vitamin C. Vitamin B1 has been reported to be deficient in almost 50 percent of the elderly. Could this be one of the reasons pre-senile dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have increased so dramatically over the last few decades?
Thousands of studies validate the benefits of taking a multivitamin/mineral formula on a daily basis. Taking a daily multivitamin/mineral formula reduces the incidence of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, glaucoma, depression, macular degeneration, diabetes, senile dementia, and various cancers.
Recommended Daily Allowance vs. Optimal Daily Allowance
Almost as unacceptable as not recommending vitamin and mineral supplements is the recommendation of them based on the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).
Needless to say, most of us don’t fit into the definition of the average person defined by RDA. In fact, most adult women don’t meet the RDA for zinc, Vitamin B, calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin E; likewise, most adult men don’t meet the RDA for zinc and magnesium. Fewer than 29 percent of people eat 5 fresh fruits and vegetables a day. Furthermore, 20 percent of the U.S. population doesn’t eat ANY fruits or vegetables at all.
The RDA is inadequate if your goal is for prevention and/or treatment of heart disease, cancer, cataracts, depression, senility, diabetes, arthritis, and other age-related disorders. For optimal health and well-being, many health practitioners are recommending many times higher than the RDA on certain nutrients. ??For optimal health, disease prevention, and increased longevity, I recommend my patients take a good optimal daily allowance multivitamin/mineral formula in place of an RDA supplement.
If you would like to learn more about how you can get and stay healthy, Click Here to sign up for my free Health Matters Newsletter.
As natural health care provider in Jacksonville Beach Fl., I see my job as educating, coaching, and nurturing my patients to better health and wellness.
Yours In Health,
Dr. John
