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If you’re trying to conceive or working on improving your fertility, you may be particularly concerned about the safety of these foods. Unfortunately, we don’t really know whether they are safe – for you or for your future children. They may be; they may not be.  One feature of some genetically-modified crops is the inability to produce viable seed. They are often bred this way to force farmers or consumers to purchase seed from the company each year rather than saving seed from last year’s crop.  From an energetic perspective, this certainly doesn’t bode well for fertility!

If you’re like me, you may have decided you’d rather steer clear of these foods. So how do you avoid them? Unfortunately, they are pervasive in the US food supply. Virtually all corn and soy products sold in this country that are not organic are made from GMO crops. And while organic certification used to signify that no GMO foods were used, this may be changing in the near future. You’ve got two options: move to Europe, where GMO foods must be labeled and consequently very few (if any?) foods sold there are GMO, or know your farmers and ask each one individually.

I believe that you shouldn’t have to go to that trouble – that if you want to avoid GMO foods, you should be able to do so. That’s why I wholeheartedly support this campaign to get GMO foods labeled as such. That way, people who don’t mind GMO foods can eat them, and the rest of us can run screaming the other direction. Check out this short video and sign the petition asking the FDA to require labeling of GMO foods if you’re so inclined.

p.s. Thanks so much to those of you who took action to prevent HB345 from being passed in Virginia. The bill will be rewritten and reviewed again in 2013, primarily due to public opposition to its current wording and content. We’ll keep you posted if action is required next year!

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) is currently pushing a bill that would grant a monopoly on nutrition counseling to Registered Dietitians (RDs).  This would be devastating for freedom of choice in healthcare, as well as whole-food-based nutrition and health in Virginia.  For more background on this nutrition licensing bill click here.

The bill (HB345) will be heard THIS TUESDAY, Jan. 31 at approx. 10am. It is in subcommittee 2 (http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+sub+H12002).

Why is this important?

• It limits the ability of people in Virginia to choose a nutrition care provider who meets their needs. While RDs are a great fit for some, others choose to work with nutritionists. The choice should lie in the hands of the consumer and not be made for the consumer by the government. Additionally, a bit of competition is healthy for any profession; monopolies fester, breed discontent, and generally don’t serve the greater good.
• It will prevent highly qualified practitioners from practicing their craft – nutritionists like myself – ones who are licensed in other states and who have extensive clinical experience and education – will not be legally allowed to practice here.  Will other types of nutritionists – ones with few qualifications – be allowed to keep practicing? Yes, they will. And that is another topic for another day. Let’s not prevent all nutritionists from practicing because some are “not qualified.”

What can you do?

• If you live in Virginia, please do one or all of the following:
  • Phone – Call your representatives, as well as the key delegates associated with HB345 (see list below)
  • Show up – Attend the sub-committee hearing on Jan. 31^st at 10 am (General Assembly Building, Room 521 (room subject to change) Capitol Square, Richmond, VA 23219, 804-698-1073; Give yourself extra time, as you’ll have to park away from the General Assembly Building itself. Parking may cost about $10.)
  • Email – Here is a form you can use, provided by the Alliance for Natural Health; fill it out and the service will automatically send emails to your lawmakers
  • If you do not live in Virginia, please contact any friends, colleagues, patients/clients etc who do and ask them to pitch in. This is important!

What is the Difference between a Dietitian and a Nutritionist?

• Education –  A registered dietitian must complete a bachelor’s degree with coursework approved by the AND, an internship of 6-12 months, and pass an exam in order to receive the RD credential.  Nutritionists have varying degrees or types of education; some states license nutritionists, some do not.  In order to receive the CNS certification that I have, I completed a master’s degree, 1000+ hours of supervised clinical work and an exam. In Maryland, this certification allows me to apply for licensure as a nutritionist. The same is true in many other states. Other nutritionists are trained by unaccredited programs – some of them quite good and some regrettable – or learn by practice, mentorship, etc.  Programs that train nutritionists typically do not have a curriculum set by an organization with sponsors like Coca-Cola.
• Philosophy – While of course individual RDs and nutritionists will buck tradition, there are generally philosophical differences between the two groups.  As mentioned before, RDs follow a very specific curriculum as specified by the AND (formerly the ADA), and may also follow a more rigid assessment/diagnostic/treatment plan as well.  RDs may rely heavily on things like the USDA’s food pyramid or healthy plate programs, or the “calories in/calories out” philosophy of weight loss. Nutritionists tend to have a philosophy based on consumption of whole-foods, a deep respect for individual needs and differences, and may be able to “think outside the box” a bit more when it comes to assessment & plan.
• Sponsorship – By definition, RDs are associated with the AND (formerly the ADA). The AND sets the curriculum for RD education, dictates best care practices for RDs, and provides or approves continuing education; unfortunately, these are potentially influenced by ulterior motives. A quick look at the major sponsors of the AND (!) will reveal how deep the conflicts of interest run: Hersheys? Coca-Cola? The American Dairy Council? Kelloggs? Yep, all of these and more are big-time sponsors. Do you think any of this is related to the AND position on diet soda? It’s no wonder that the AND/ADA needs to change more than its name. Nutritionists have generally been trained without ties to such corporate sponsors.

Summary

This discussion stimulates many complicated issues. “Nutritionist” can mean many things. Can consumers tell the difference between a well-trained nutritionist and a poorly-trained one? Between an RD and a nutritionist? Should they be asked to? Do we trust consumers to make educated decisions when provided with information about the philosophy and training of a care provider? The answers are unclear. For the purposes of this argument, let’s say that “nutritionist” means “someone who works with clients around nutrition who is NOT a dietitian.” Some of these people are well-trained, some are not.  The question is – do we want ONLY registered dietitians to practice in Virginia, or do we want others to be able to practice as well?  If we choose to keep the practice of nutrition open to nutritionists as well as dietitians, then we can discuss whether and how nutritionists should be licensed. For now, this is what I believe:

• Nutritionists and dietitians are significantly different healthcare providers.
• Each group plays an important role in providing nutrition education & support to consumers.
• Virginians are better off having a choice when it comes to nutrition care.
• Virginia consumers can and should evaluate the credentials and philosophy of all of their healthcare providers.
• Let’s stop HB 345 now and then concern ourselves with whether nutritionists should be a licensed or regulated profession.

Contact Info for 10 Key VA Delegates:

John O’Bannon, M.D., Patron

804-698-1073

DelJOBannon@house.virginia.gov

Kaye Kory, Co-Patron

804-698-1038

DelKKory@house.virginia.gov

Robert Orrock, Chairman HWI Committee 

804-698-1054

DelBOrrock@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Robert B. Bell   (R) – House District 58

General Assembly Building, Room 720

Capitol Square

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 698-1058

email: DelRBell@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark   (R) – House District 6

General Assembly Building, Room 819

Capitol Square

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 698-1006

email: DELACrockett-Stark@House.virginia.gov

Delegate Roxann L. Robinson   (R) – House District 27

General Assembly Building, Room 806

Capitol Square

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 698-1027

email: delrrobinson@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Gordon C. Helsel, Jr.   (R) – House District 91

General Assembly Building, Room 812

Capitol Square

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 698-1091

email: DelGHelsel@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Joseph R. Yost   (R) – House District 12

General Assembly Building, Room 518

Capitol Square

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 698-1012

email: DelJYost@house.virginia.gov

Delegate David L. Englin   (D) – House District 45

General Assembly Building, Room 707

Capitol Square

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 698-1045

email: DelDEnglin@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Patrick A. Hope   (D) – House District 47

General Assembly Building, Room 712

Capitol Square

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 698-1047

email: DelPHope@house.virginia.gov

After finally getting a chance to read through it, I was pleasantly surprised. The book include a few short chapters on theory/background and then goes straight into descriptions of exercises that are helpful for strain in various parts of the body and general tips for proper alignment/posture. It is truly a self-care guide designed for the layperson. The key to these gentle stretches, according to the author, is practicing them in a specific manner. She recommends performing each movement only until the slightest stretch is felt. One then holds the stretch and waits to feel subtle muscular release (the stretching sensation disappears, typically), indicating that the body has accepted the stretch and is ready to continue on.

Practicing stretches like this requires close attention to your body, which I think is healing in and of itself. Finding and holding the exact place where the stretch has just started is actually quite a challenge. For someone who has practiced yoga for more than a decade, this type of movement requires even more concentration – I am used to looking for a slightly more intense body sensation! I found this practice a refreshing change, and because I needed to focus on staying with the slight stretch and not deepening it I found that my mind was more focused and less wander-y as well. (Note that you don’t have to do these stretches from a yogic perspective, and the author does not mention yoga at all in the text.)

I will also report that the techniques have brought me a measurable degree of symptom relief. They feel good to perform and the effects seem to last and accumulate (over days, so far). I would recommend these exercises to clients with repetitive strain injuries – or anyone who is at risk for them – and may incorporate some of them into future yoga classes as well.  And with used copies of this text available for $5, it certainly seems worth a try!

My one gripe with this book is that the importance of making changes in posture, alignment and/or movement is not particularly emphasized. The author seems to assume that readers will continue to perform the movement(s) that caused the injury/strain in the first place. Clearly, the exercises would best be done in conjunction with changes in these areas that would help avoid further strain to the affected area. Overall, I would highly recommend this text as a useful resource for bodyworkers, yoga teachers and anyone experiencing repetitive strain injury.

If you’ve ever actually tried this relatively tedious method (drip…drip…drip…), you may be both relieved and mildly irritated to find that it probably makes no difference at all. Check out this post on OChef.  The relevant information:

• After adding alcohol to boiling water removed from heat, 85% of the alcohol remains.
• Storing the preparation overnight with no heat (presumably in open air) will leave 70% of the alcohol.
• If you stir the alcohol into the mixture and bake it, you will be left with anywhere from 40% of the alcohol (after 15 min) to 5% (after 2.5 hours)

Okay, so I’m not entirely sure how that last bit would be relevant to herbal medicine, but it does go to show that even after HOURS in the oven you’ll still have some alcohol left over. Looks like it’s time to change my tune and stop perpetuating misinformation! While the clinical/biomedical significance of the amount of alcohol found in a typical dose of tincture (on average 3-5 ml or approx. 1 tsp) is negligible in most cases, this information is still important for those who are taking larger doses, those who are sensitive to small doses, and those who choose to avoid alcohol for reasons such as addiction, religious beliefs, etc. While the water-dropping method may help remove some alcohol, from this point forward I’d be hesitant to say that it will remove a significant amount – possibly not even enough to make it worth the effort.

The fact raspberry leaf use and Cesarean were related in this study could mean several things, the most likely two being:

1) Use of raspberry leaf somehow increases risk for Cesarean. To prove this, we need to see more substantial evidence, hopefully from double blind, placebo-controlled RCTs. If this is true, we need to know how much raspberry leaf is needed to cause this effect, what form(s) are being used, at what point(s) in pregnancy, and of course WHY does this happen? We would also need to see evidence of this in other populations.

2) Women who use raspberry leaf are more likely to have a Cesarean due to other factors. It’s my GUESS that this is the case.  An example – one that I believe could well be true – would be that women who are approaching or past their “due date” and threatened with medical induction of labor. These women look for things they can do on their own to get labor started. In their search, they find information about red raspberry leaf being a late pregnancy tonic and give it a shot (most likely along with a host of other things, including long walks, sex, spicy foods..). It doesn’t work because a) red raspberry leaf doesn’t work like that that in the first place (see below) and b) their “due date” is incorrect and the baby is still cooking.  Once they go beyond their “due date” they are more likely to be induced, which increases the risk of a host of other interventions, including Cesarean.

So why do I think raspberry leaf is unlikely to work to stimulate labor? Check out this description from William Cook’s Physiomedical Dispensatory (1869):

“The leaves of the red raspberry are mildly astringent, and of a peculiarly soothing nature, being very acceptable to the stomach, always leaving a slight tonic impression, often allaying nausea and vomiting, and not unfrequently soothing and sustaining the nervous system … Dr. S. Thomson found it exerted a fine influence on the uterus, sustaining it in flagging labor; for which purpose he usually made it. into an infusion with cypripedium, and added a minute portion of capsicum when needed. It also anticipates flooding and relieves after-pains.”

Does that sound like something that would stimulate labor to you? Didn’t think so. Raspberry leaf is a very gentle medicine, and while it is found in many pregnancy teas, tonics and so forth, it’s more suited to gentle uterine toning than to stimulating labor. As far as potential to lead to Cesarean birth, that is another story.  Could it be so? Sure, could be. Is it worth considering? Yes, definitely. However, I’d like to see a lot more evidence before declaring Rubus spp. unsafe during pregnancy.

I particularly appreciate the concept of “positive health,” which is simply another way of saying that health is more than the absence of disease. Similarly, Dr. Seligman advocates “positive psychotherapy” – the idea that psychotherapy should not only alleviate depression and other woes, but should also increase well-being and happiness.

These ideas are well worth checking out for professionals who advocate a holistic approach to healthcare and for individuals seeking a more balanced life.

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