Dear Steve,

DID YOU KNOW that a new study from Frontiers in Nutrition found that artificial sweeteners pass through the placenta and are detected in amniotic fluid and breast milk, indicating a potential risk for the developmental programming of adult diseases?

The authors also suggest artificial sweeteners may program offspring to develop obesity or metabolic syndrome, which are known risk factors for hypertension, among numerous other maladies.

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Steve: In the last 10 years, the trend has been early (under 6 months of age) introduction of allergenic foods prevents the development of food allergies, especially in children that are at high risks. This has resulted in international guideline changes by several allergy societies. They all recommend not delaying the introduction of allergenic foods beyond 6-12 months.

The remaining questions include the dose, frequency and duration required to achieve oral tolerance induction, the role of maternal dietary exposure (or the triple exposure hypothesis), what adjuncts may help with avoiding immune skewing (vitamin D, immunization) and the role of other environmental (i.e., detergents, pollution) and nutritional factors.

The results have been mixed. For example, although peanut introduction in the first year of life in Australia increased from 28.4% to 88.6%, the rates of peanut allergy did not significantly reduce.

One exciting consensus has been found. Increased diet diversity in the first year of life was associated with reduced odds of food allergy by age 6. Provide your infant with a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, fats, and proteins.

For those who children have food allergies, there are now several treatments to explore beyond allergy shots.

• Oral immunotherapy (OIT) - this is food challenges (usually starting with a very small amount and building up); Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) - these are drops or dissolvable tablets put under the tongue); very good for high risk children

• Epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) - traditional allergy shots under the skin

• Probiotics & OIT versus OIT alone - some allergists now recommend probiotics during food challenges to help with the body's response

• Biologics & OIT versus OIT alone - biologic medications given during food challenges to mute the allergic response

Environmental Allergies

Let this be a reminder that very soon tree and flower pollen season will be upon us. Grass pollen season will overlap with tree/flower, and mold and ragweed pollen season will overlap with grass. To help some of our most allergic clients, it is a good idea to minimize cross-reacting foods during the height of each pollen season to reduce symptoms. For example, those with tree pollen allergies should avoid apples during the height of the season.

Our Conquering Allergy and Intolerance Action Plan lists all cross-reacting foods for every pollen season and what to replace them with short-term. Action Plans are free to paid newsletter members (access at Members-Only Archives) or can be purchased a la carte by free newsletter members.

This case report concerns a group of female clients with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Their individual needs always differ, but the impetus for a consultation is very much the same. Many come to see Steve because they are concerned about their post-DEXA scan diagnosis, concerned about taking bone drugs, and want to know if there are alternatives.

The first thing Steve explains is that DEXA scans only assess bone mass. If you have a small frame, you are very often categorized with osteopenia right off the bat. However, unless the DEXA scan is accompanied by a trabecular bone score (TBS), which is very rare, there is no assessment of bone quality. Bone quality is just as important as bone mass. Many women with good bone quality and less bone mass never fracture.

If a DEXA with TBS is not available in your area, there are two blood tests Steve recommends to his clients to assess how well his clients are forming bone and resorbing bone to ascertain bone quality. If needed, he lays out the possibilities for building, maintaining, and preventing breakdown of bone. In most cases, there is so much that can be done with diet and lifestyle. For the rare instance where medication is the only option, Steve also knows how to help you minimize the negative effects.  

Did you have a great experience working with us? Please let others know by leaving a review here.

Disclaimer: Case reports are not intended for self-healing. Case reports are for references purposes only and should be discussed with your health professional.

Pubmed cited “Neuroplastic Responses to Chiropractic Care: Broad Impacts on Pain, Mood, Sleep and Quality of Life” by Heidi Haavik et al. Brain Sci. 2024

This study consisted of seventy-six people with chronic low back pain. Half received chiropractic care for four weeks and the others did not. All patients were tested before and after with EEG’s, SEPs and a questionnaire, along with being measured by a Fitbit the entire time.

Results indicated a significant increase in the following brain waves: Theta, Alpha and Beta, and a significant decrease in Delta in the chiropractic group. Significant improvements in light sleep stage were observed in the chiropractic group along with enhanced overall quality of life 4 weeks after care. Positive changes included significant reductions in anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain.

The conclusion of these findings: health benefits from chiropractic are due to the altered brain activity that occurs when the spine receives an adjustment. This makes sense since the brain and its components narrow at the base of the skull to form the spinal cord. The spinal cord travels down the spine releasing nerves, arteries, veins and lymph into the body. This is one reason why everything inside of us is so interconnected.

Dr. Liselotte Schuster is a Holistic Family Chiropractor and has been in practice with Nutritional Concepts since 1989. She uses a variety of techniques, including low level laser, to help patients reach their full potential. Contact Dr. Schuster at (847) 509-9067 or drliloschuster@sbcglobal.net.

PureInsight (formerly )Genomics harnesses the science of nutrigenomics so you can understand the relationship between your genes, nutrition, and wellness at the deepest level. Covering 72 genes in 11 trait categories, we've used Pure Insight since 2015 to help clients live longer with better quality of life.

How to Get Started

1. Order a genetic kit directly from 23andMe.com or Ancestry.com and send back your saliva specimen.
2. When your results are ready, request that we set up a PureInsight account for you. We just need your full name, email address, and date of birth.
3. You will receive an email invitation from PureInsight with a link to set up your account and instructions for how to upload 23andMe or Ancestry data.
4. You will receive a confirmation from PureInsight when your report is ready and we can then set up an appointment to go over your results.

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