Latest Research
Beautiful weather, frustrating allergy season
Vancouver Sun May 13, 2013 By Erin Ellis Some allergy sufferers in Metro Vancouver may be longing for the miserable spring of 2012 when warmth and sunshine were not to be found. That’s because this month’s spectacular sunny days and warm, dry weather have unleashed a comparative flood of pollen from trees. “Last year it was [...]
How much Vitamin D do Infants need?
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin,is required in infants for healthy bones but recommendations for how much vary, depending on the organization (WHO, Canadian Pediatric Society) or location (Canada, US, Europe). A recent study has shed some light on this. This study looked at the effect of different vitamin D doses on blood levels in infants. Certain levels are associated with [...]
Probiotics for Mom too!
Several studies have revealed a link between probiotic supplementation in infants and reduced risk for allergic disease later in childhood. Does supplementing the mother, instead of the infant, during pregnancy and breastfeeding have any affect on this risk for allergies. A recent study suggests that it does. In this study, 241 expecting mothers received either [...]
Does Sublingual Immunotherapy Work?
A recent review of 63 studies involving 5000 children and adults found strong evidence that sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) works. In these studies, individuals with hay fever or asthma received either SLIT or placebo treatment. Those receiving SLIT had significant improvement in symptoms – reduced coughing, wheezing, nasal discharge, sneezing, and itchy eyes. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) involves daily [...]
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: a Risky Habit
I have emphasized the perils of sugar-sweetened beverages in many past posts and in my seminars. Sugar-sweetened beverages which include sodas, sports drinks and fruit drinks (including juices) have been shown to contribute to obesity and increased risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke) and some cancers (pancreatic, endometrial, breast, bowel and [...]
Antibiotic Exposure in Children Associated with Long Term Risks
There is yet another study demonstrating the long term negative effects of recurrent antibiotic use in children. This recent study looked at the association between antibiotic use for ear infection in early childhood and the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease later in childhood. Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of conditions (ulcerative colitis and crohn’s [...]
Can too Much Milk be Bad for Your Child
Milk and dairy products are an easy source of nutrition for toddlers (ages 1 – 3). It’s high in protein and excellent source of vitamin D and calcium, all of which are essential for normal growth and development. And, toddlers rarely resist consuming dairy products – most love it! But, can a child consume too [...]
Could Restricting Sugar Reduce Youth Violence?
I have treated many children that were brought to me by parents who were concerned about the influence of diet on their child’s behavior, particularly aggressive type behaviors – like physical abuse of play mates or siblings. In some of these cases, diet played a significant role while in others it didn’t. There isn’t a [...]
Food Sensitivities: a Common Cause of Illness
In our practice, we specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of adverse reactions to foods. Some of these adverse food reactions are obvious as is the case for immediate type food allergies, which can be confirmed by positive skin prick test. But, for the majority of these they are subtle delayed type reactions that are [...]
How Do I Get My Children to Eat More Vegetables?
This is a very common concern with parents, especially considering that we are in the midst of an epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes. Children simply eat too much sugared process foods at the expense of health promoting vegetables. To get children to consume more vegetables consider the following strategies: Persistence. Provide repeated opportunities (daily [...]
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