Who Needs the Brothers Grimm When We Have Teen Screen

Anne Dunev, PhD
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there was a town called Edendale that had many little children. The children were very happy. They liked to run and play and giggle and tell stories, much like children have always done.

The parents of Edendale were very busy people. They had jobs to go to, and houses to run, and bills to pay, for the King demanded many taxes and the parents wanted a good life for their happy children.

Then one day a stranger came to town. He was dressed in a white coat, but his heart was black. He said that he was a new kind of doctor from the big University. He said that he was an expert in children’s development and had come to examine all the children of Edendale.

At first the parents of Edendale were skeptical about the stranger in the white coat. Their children were doing fine, they said. Look how happy and active they are. Their cheeks glow, their hair is shiny, they all read and write. They are normal children.

Oh no, said the stranger. I have observed your children. They gaze out the window during lessons. They lose their pencils and they run and skip far too much for their own good. They love their parents and they prefer to sing and dance rather than sit still. They have sick brains and sick minds. Every child must be tested! Immediately!

The stranger threatened the Head Master that he would lose his job if the children were not tested. A new Head Master from the capital could be found. So the Head Master told the parents that the children would not be allowed to attend school unless they had the tests.

The stranger brought in a group of testers who also wore white coats. One by one the children were interviewed. “Do you ever feel that other children don’t like you?” was one question. “Do you feel nervous about getting up and speaking in front of a group?” was another. “Do your parents ever have arguments at home?” “Have you ever felt sad?”

Many of the children answered yes to some of these questions. When their friends moved away or their pets died, they sometimes did feel sad. And sometimes they did get nervous in front of a group. And, even in Edendale, sometimes the parents had arguments. The tester marked with a big red pen and one by one the children who answered yes were taken to a little office. You are mentally ill, the stranger in the white coat said. You must be put in a special hospital. I want to see my mother and father, each child said. All in good time, when you are better, said the stranger in the white coat.

And many of the brightest and most dynamic children were taken away, locked up in a hospital far away from Edendale.

When the children did not come home from school, their parents went to find them. They asked the Head Master where are the children? The Head Master had no answer. The children had been taken by the man in the white coat.

The parents drove to the hospital. “Why have you taken our children?” they asked the stranger in the white coat. “Your children have an illness in their brains,” he told them. You must pay for their drugs and treatment and we will tell you when they are well enough to go home.

“We have never heard of brain illness before,” said the parents. How do you know our children have it? “We are doctors, so we know,” said the stranger in the white coat. He did not tell them that the only diagnosis was the way the children had answered their test questions.

In the days that followed it was very quiet in Edendale. There was no more laughter heard in the schoolyard, or in the neighborhoods. The children did not run and call to each other to come and play games. The children were afraid to make too much noise, or they might be taken away, too.

The stranger in the white coat stood once again outside the school and observed the children wandering listlessly at recess, or sitting, alone, on the benches. And for the first time he smiled, a very tiny smile.

***

A fairytale? Like the ones the Brothers Grimm gathered in Europe in the 1800’s that formed the basis for Western children’s literature? After all, we have rights and we would be protected from doctors who would diagnose psychiatric disorders from a questionnaire. But this is exactly what has happened to many kids and teenagers. The test is called TeenScreen, and it is part of a “mental health initiative” called The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, established by President George Bush in 2002. Its mission — to test all American school children. In one school in New York, 50% of the kids were found by this test to be “at risk.” The treatment? Psychotropic drugs that carry the all too real risks of suicide, suicidal ideation, homicide and homicidal ideation. Ideation means forming thoughts and ideas about it. And some American kids, after being tested, have been taken straight from school, without their parents’ knowledge or consent, to psychiatric facilities for treatment. If you think this could not happen here, please see http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/453/52/
For more information, go to www.ablechild.org and http://www.teenscreentruth.com/.

If you think you are safe because you are past high school, read all about the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The real goal is to test everyone, from cradle to nursing home. Call it a Brave New World.

Secrets to Avoiding Winter Flu Blues

Anne Dunev, PhD CN
I was amazed at how many people were down with the flu over the last month. We live in Los Angeles, and many of our friends headed for the shores of Florida or the mountains of Colorado. Expecting glowing reports of lazy days on the beach, or blissful hours schussing down the mountains, instead we heard glum descriptions of being bed-ridden with fever, aches and congestion.

It is common knowledge that wintertime is flu season. The Holidays produce extra stress, from close encounters with family and in-laws with the attendant emotional issues, to extra doses of sugar and fat that stretch the boundaries of the waist-line and suppress the immune system further. Add traveling across time zones, which taxes the adrenal glands, dealing with the TSA, and being packed into airplanes with other coughing, sneezing and stressed out folk, and small wonder some succumb to nasty viruses.

I just received some interesting and useful data on avoiding the winter flu blues from one of my favorite health newsletters, produced by the Health Sciences Institute.

Studies indicate it is not the cold of winter that causes an increase in flu, but the lowered humidity. Remember that we have flu viruses around us all the time. They are opportunistic little buggies that only take hold when the internal “environment” of the body allows them to dig in. That helps explain why some people catch everything and others seem to be blessed.

So, using a humidifier in bedrooms in the winter may be your best weapon against the flu. Traveling across country or just around town? You might try a little added moisture touched to the edge of the nostrils. My favorite choice is Egyptian Magic Cream (available at Health Food Stores, my office in Burbank or online.) Egyptian Magic Cream is made of olive oil, bee pollen and propolis, and Royal Jelly and can be used as a skin cream for hydration or skin conditions — very soothing and healing. I much prefer it to petroleum jelly, which is an oil industry by-product.

Here are some other natural remedies to try. Author of Vermont Country Medicine, Dr. D.C. Jarvis, suggests apple cider vinegar (make it organic) and honey at the first sign of a sniffle. Mix a spoonful of the cider vinegar and a bit of honey in a cup of warm water and drink as a healthy toddy that changes the acid/alkaline balance of the body and can stop a virus in its tracks. May promote restful sleep, also.

Put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in each ear. Lay the head to one side and allow to bubble down in for a few minutes-then switch to the other ear. Some German doctors think that flu and cold viruses may enter the sinuses through the ear canal. The hydrogen peroxide will also soften wax. Don’t forget to be careful about sticking anything in the ear. Just twist a tissue and gently wipe out as needed.

For some people Oscillococcinium by Boiron, the French homeopathic company, is a lifesaver. Homeopathy means “like treating with like” and is made from tiny doses of plant and biological remedies. It can be very effective and I have used it with great success in my practice. You must use Oscillococcinium at the first sign of the flu, but it can knock the virus out before it has a chance to set up housekeeping.

Speaking of setting up house-keeping, viruses seem to linger when the liver/gall bladder is congested. I often treat liver/gall bladder in my practice when a cold or flu hits and patients want a quick recovery. I can usually move a virus through the body in record time, by doing some soft-tissue work on the liver and gall bladder. You can try massaging the area on the right side below and under the ribs. Also, liver/gall bladder supplements may help, such as the herb Milk Thistle and the B Vitamin Choline (best brand is Standard Process® — I love this product.) Avoid sugar and dairy products for the duration. Sugar may suppress the immune system for as long as four hours. The immune system is in action when the white blood cells attack bacteria and viruses and, like living Pac Men, actually surround and ingest the microbes. See the action here.

Flu shot or not? Guess what the side effects of the flu shot are? Achy muscles, congestion, fever and flu-like symptoms. Hmm, seems like that is just what we are trying to avoid. Here is the problem with the flu vaccine. No one can predict what the next flu virus will be- we can’t even make educated guesses, because there is no pattern. Viruses mutate at a rapid rate. That is why they seldom kill us- and only if the body is in greatly weakened state. A virus attacks healthy cells and takes over the cell’s replication process to create more virus cells. But in the process the virus changes into a more benign form, and the body is able to clean up the remains. That is also why it is hard to develop antibiotics against viruses. They change too rapidly for an antibiotic to chase them down and disappear like ghosts in the morning light.

Is there a risk to being vaccinated? Always. Why put more viruses, even weakened ones such as are in flu vaccines, directly into the blood stream? We have far more allergies, and allergy induced asthma, than we have ever had before. There is a constant assault on our immune systems, and that can trigger an inflamed immune system that goes into high alert at the slightest whiff of pollen or spore of mold. Nature developed a way for our bodies to fight infection, but over-use of modern medicine interferes in this natural process to your peril.

Many people say that the vaccines actually seem to make them more susceptible to flu’s. The key to being flu-proof is a strong immune system that knows the difference between a viral microbe and a healthy cell. The internal environment of the body, when healthy, is unwelcoming to disease causing bugs. Just as a well-tended garden repels weeds and pests, human health can be cultivated. It may be hard to find Eden with so many toxins in our environment, but surely a little knowledge about how the body works can be protective armor against the relentless marketing of prescriptions that are more poison than potion.

Effective prevention for colds and flu? As Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”

This post first appeared in The Huffington Post.

The One Unchanging Rule of Health

Anne Dunev, PhD (Los Angeles Certified Nutritionist and Holistic Doctor)
If you are not in completely optimum health, no matter what the “illness,” symptom or condition is — from a zit on your face to stress or mood imbalances, weight issues or being tired, feeling your age, or even being diagnosed with a terminal illness —

1. IMPROVE YOUR NUTRITION

This is the one thing you can always do which is never ill-advised and will always improve the condition. No matter what the medical intervention is, improving your nutrition is the best “medicine” possible to give your body what it needs to repair.

Most people know more about the their favorite sports team or their favorite celebrity than they do about how their own body works.

The word “doctor” comes from the Latin “docere,” which means to teach. But how many doctors have the time or inclination to teach us what we need to know to keep our body healthy?

Did you know there are approximately 60 to 100 trillion cells in the adult body? Every hour approximately 1 billion cells must be replaced.

Start with increasing your protein. Your body needs at least half your body weight in grams of protein (weigh 140? That’s 70 grams of protein) and may need twice that amount under severe stress or need to heal. All muscle and tissue is formed out of amino acids from protein. Don’t forget seeds, nuts, legumes like lentils and dairy products, as well as meat, poultry and fish.

Eat only complex carbohydrates. This includes vegetables, from certain root veggies to leafy salads, some fruits, and whole grains (brown rice, barley and oats are better than wheat). You can’t afford the calories from “white” flour and sugar products, except as a rare treat. White flour and sugar require the body to use nutrients in order to metabolize them, so they rob the body, instead of enhancing it.

Eat at least two tablespoons of fat a day, but only unrefined oils. Unrefined, unprocessed vegetable oils “mobilize” saturated fats from meat and dairy products and help protect the arteries. Omega 3 oils and fish oils may be used, also. Try to use only organic milk and cheese products. Toxins store in fat tissue and have affinity for the fat in dairy foods.

Unrefined walnut, sesame, sunflower and avocado oils can add wonderful flavor to your salads and veggies.

Eat organic food whenever possible. Pesticides are neurotoxins. They attack the nervous system of insects. They also attack the nervous systems of humans. No one has calculated the amount of pesticides and petrochemicals that accumulate in the human body, but we do know that these chemicals are harmful. Your body deserves the very best — it is a reflection of you.

Starring: Your Body!!

Anne Dunev, PhD CN – Burbank CA Nutritionist and Holistic Doctor
Most people know more about the their favorite sports team or the latest celebrity news than they do about how their own body works.  The word “doctor” comes from the Latin “docere”, which means to teach. But how many doctors have the time or inclination to teach us what we need to know to keep our body healthy?

Here are some astounding facts about your body.

There are approximately 60 to 100 trillion cells in the adult body.

Every hour approximately 1 billion cells must be replaced.

Where do dead cells go? To the kidney, to be excreted.

A human body has 60,000 miles of blood vessels.

3 million red blood cells are made in the human body every second.

One million white blood cells are made every second.

The heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood through those vessels every day.

The average heart beats 100,000 times per day.

The average human heart will beat 3,000 million times in its lifetime and pump 48 million gallons of blood.

There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body.

There is about 6 quarts of blood in the adult body. The blood circulates through the body three times every minute.

400 gallons of blood are pumped (and filtered) through the kidneys every day.

Each red blood cell lives an average of 120 days. The spleen is a recycling plant for red blood cells.

Laid out, all the blood vessels in the body would cover 60,000 miles.

The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet.

The human body is comprised of about 75% water.

The lining of the digestive system is shed every 3 days.

The average surface of the human intestine is 656 square feet.

The heart is the strongest muscle. There are 650 muscles in the body.

It takes 30 muscles to smile and 200 muscles to take one step.

The eye blinks over 10,000,000 a year.

Your skin weighs twice as much as your brain.

The skin is about 1/20 of an inch thick.

Every square inch of the skin contains about 19,000,000 skin cells.

There are 450 hairs in the average eyebrow.

Each human tooth has about 55 canals in it.

The surface of the human skin is 25 square feet.

There are 45 miles of nerves in the human skin.

You lose enough dead skin in your lifetime to fill 8 five pound flour bags. That is 600,000 cells of skin every hour!

The human nose can remember 50,000 different scents.

During a 24-hour period, the average human will breathe 23,040 times.

Adults lungs have over 600 million tiny air sacs called aveoli.

20% of the oxygen we breathe goes to the brain.

The air from a human sneeze can travel at speeds of 100 miles per hour or more.

In a lifetime, the average person produces about 25,000 quarts of saliva — enough to fill two swimming pools!

The small intestine is 22 feet long.

Stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) is strong enough to corrode steel, but the stomach protects itself by making a new mucosa lining every three to four days.

The liver performs 500 functions in the body, including detoxifying chemicals and otherr toxins that enter through the mouth or nose.

Pound for pound a human baby is as strong as an ox.

A pair of feet have 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a day.

There are 54 bones in each hand and wrist.

The hardest substance in the human body is tooth enamel.

The femur (thigh bone) is the strongest and longest bone in the body, and the bone itself is harder than concrete, but the femur is hollow so that it is light enough to be lifted.

The average adolescent girl has approximately 34,000 egg follicles in the ovaries.

The smallest cell in the body is the sperm cell.

Each cell in the body has its own energy plant, called the mitochondria.

It is through the circulation of the blood that each cell receives nutrients to perform its job, and to remove waste products.

Now that you know more about the body, can you see why you need a lot of nutrition for fuel, maintenance, and repair? You are the mayor of an amazing biological city, and each cell looks to you to provide it with life-giving nutrients.

If your cells could vote, would you be re-elected?