Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.
The future health of our children and grandchildren may in fact depend on how well educated we become as it relates to the prevention and treatment of disease.
If we want to do the best for our children and grandchildren we MUST take a proactive role in their health.
As you become more educated in the role of functional medicine in the healthcare arena, you will quickly discover that there is much more to the treatment and prevention of the disease then simply drugs and surgery.
This in no way discounts the appropriate usage of drugs and surgery for disease but emphasizes the fact that the medical literature has an avalanche of scientific studies proving that there are many more answers than drugs and surgery.
Don’t ever think you will see this mountain of scientific evidence shown on the six o’clock news or better yet seen on any television commercial.
You can honestly say that the pharmaceutical industry owns the air waves.
With all that said and done, let’s get right to the meat of today’s powerful message.
Let’s save our little ones from getting childhood cancers, (the #2 cause of death under age 14), juvenile diabetes, damaged brain development, hormone problems such as hypothyroidism (which also impairs brain development), and much more.
So you may be asking what important action step can any parent or grandparent take to sidestep the potential to get one of the above diseases.
I am talking about what we commonly would consider the innocent little plastic baby bottles. The real concern is the leaching of bisphenol A (BPA).
Bisphenol A (BPA) is found mostly in plastics labeled with the recycling codes 3 or 7. BPA is a key ingredient used to produce polycarbonate plastic. This type of plastic is usually clear and shatter-proof. Other uses of BPA consist of epoxy resins, which are used to coat the inside of food and beverage cans. Exposure to BPA occurs mostly through digestion of food and liquids that have been stored and heated in plastic materials.
BPA is an endocrine disruptor. Endocrine disruptors weakly bind to estrogen receptors which can affect the endocrine, nervous, and immune systems as well as block thyroid hormone action. Exposure to these chemicals disrupt the proper function of the body’s endocrine system.
What is even worse is the fact that babies in the womb are most susceptible to hormonal and neurological development issues from exposure.
Plastic baby bottles tend to be one of the highest
sources of BPA.
As our children and grandchildren grow up they are fed breakfast cereals, canned soups and then soft drinks. Sadly these are just a few examples of the many unavoidable sources of plastics and associated BPA in foods.
I want to give a strong warning to mother’s-to-be and that is DON’T drink from plastic bottles.
You need to know that these plasticizers (BPA) pass right through the placenta and can trigger everything mentioned above and more.
We don’t want to be found guilty of being responsible for making our children sick.
Just remember pregnant women, fetuses, infants, and children are at high risk to even small amounts of exposure as it can cause problems in neurological development in fetuses and behavioral problems.
Other health problems associated with exposure to these plastics (BPA) include: obesity, adult onset diabetes, early puberty, r
eproductive system abnormalities, hormonal imbalance, thyroid disruption, ADD/ADHD, neurological development disorders, allergies, increased risk of cancer.
Now if you want to see if you have high levels of BPA in your body, I recommend getting tested. Here is a sample of a lab test showing high levels of BPA. This can be ordered from Metametrix laboratory (www.metametrix.com)
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Clearly if you find high levels of BPA in the body it is strongly recommended that one take the appropriate action steps to detoxify for a year before they get pregnant.
Not only can BPA be found in baby bottles but in in water bottles, food containers, beverage containers, plastic dinnerware, thermal paper receipts, medical and dental devices, eyeglass lenses and household electronics.
One of the best steps one can take to decrease the health risk to our newborns is to use glass baby bottles.
If for some reason you won’t take this important action step for heaven’s sake don’t let them microwave the bottles. This only accelerates the breakdown of plastics into the beverage/food.
As a final warning, high levels of plastics passed on to the unborn child has been found to increase the risk of developing adult cancers of the prostate and breast.
Here is a company I recommend that sells glass baby bottles:
Evenflo BPA-Free Glass Baby Bottles
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References:
Von Goetz N, et al, Bisphenol A: How the most relevant exposure sources contribute to total consumer exposure, Risk Analysis 30; 3:473-87, 2010
Brede C, et al, Increased migration levels of bisphenol A from polycarbonate baby bottles after dishwashing, boiling and brushing, Food Addit Contam 20 (7): 684-89, 2003
Ehlert KA, et al, Migration of bisphenol a into water from polycarbonate baby bottles during microwave heating, Food Addit Contam, 25; 7:904-10, 2008
Maragou NC, et al, Migration of bisphenol a from polycarbonate baby bottles under real use conditions, Food Addit Contam, 25; 3:373-83, 2007
Olea N, et al, Estrogenicity of resin-based composites and sealants used in dentistry, Environ Health Persp 104; 3:298-305, 1996
Sasaki N, et al, Salivary bisphenol A levels detected by ELISA after restoration with composite resin, J Materials Med, 16:297-300
The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com to find practitioners thoroughly trained in functional medicine. Look for practitioners who have successfully completed the Functional Medicine University’s Certification Program (CFMP).
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