First, thank you for entrusting the care of your children to me. I see this as a great privilege, and a huge responsibility. And as a parent, I know how difficult it can be to put the health of my children in the hands of a stranger, especially for surgery. Again, thank you for your trust.

Second, I regularly make recommendations in my clinics, and on this website, for certain products that I use personally, and that I use for my own children. Usually, I provide a website link for where to purchase those things – usually the same site where I purchase them.

Well, most of you don’t know that this site has an affiliate link to Amazon.com, where I have placed links to some of these products.

Many of the things that I use were not available through Amazon when I started this site 1 ½ years ago. Now they are. I have never mentioned it because I have an aversion to the notion of doctors selling things. What has changed? Well, these are the best prices that I have found for these products, and they are the products that I use myself, and my patients ask where to get them. So I wanted to share. Here they are.

You can find these products on the boogor doctor’s Amazon Store. The newest additions are on a new page on the boogor doctor’s Amazon Store, called “Evidence-Based Cures”.

Evidence-based remedies selected just for you!

Evidence-Based

All of these products have been found to have significant benefits through the best clinical trials available, the “gold-standard” of modern medicine: prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials. “Evidence-based.” As a PhD scientist before going into medicine, I need to see the data to be convinced.

Things like Nasal Saline Rinses, Manuka honey, Probiotics and Xylitol, all proven to significantly reduce upper respiratory infections (URI’s), sinusitis, otitis media (ear infections) – the things that our children struggle with. The things that my clinical patients struggle with.

It is interesting that these two examples, Probiotics and Xylitol, were brought to my attention, not from the medical literature or expensive ad campaigns from drug companies, but from mothers of patients.

Moms that were frustrated by needing to take their child to 6 different specialists who could not agree on a diagnosis or on a remedy. Moms who figured it out on their own. Amazing. Yet, when I searched Medline on these topics, the research is there. The clinical trials have been done, with astonishing results. In the case of Xylitol, we’ve had the results from clinical trials beginning in the 1970’s!! So why aren’t these remedies recommended by EVERY pediatrician?!?

Don’t get me started.

Well, I just discovered that Amazon has these evidence-based cures for less than I have been paying from some other online sources. So that you can save money too, I have just added them to the boogor doctor’s Amazon Store.

You may not be aware of my Amazon Store. It’s over in the right-hand column on this page, just a small “widget” box. If curious, just click on it and check out the things that I endorse. These are products that we use in our family.

Readers of this site know my aversion to plastics (BPA and other harmful chemicals), and I include some alternatives to using plastic containers for our children’s lunches; and I use various natural products like Xylitol (a naturally-occurring sugar that is antimicrobial) and Manuka honey (nature’s strongest antimicrobial). Read this article on the antibiotic properties of honey.

At this time of year, a good Steam Vaporizer humidifier is needed to minimize the risk of nose bleeds. The one we use in our home (we have five (yes, 5) of them!) is the Vick’s Steam Vaporizer. The Nasopure nasal saline rinse system is the best available, and the one that I use.

If interested, this is the best price for Manuka honey that I have found, and this is where I purchase mine from. It is also the best price for Children’s Probiotic Pearls (Integrative Therapeutics), the probiotic preparation that has made such a huge difference in reducing the frequency of colds in my own children (hallelujah!).

So there you have it. Nothing profound. Just the best prices that I have found for the things that I use to help keep me and my own children healthy, and my patients. Some great products!

Transparency: Yes, that boogor doctor’s Amazon Store is an “affiliate link.” That means that anything you buy through that link brings a few pennies (literally, pennies) back to this site. It doesn’t even come close to paying for having the site hosted, and it’s pretty inexpensive hosting – about a hundred dollars per year. So no, I’m not getting wealthy on this Amazon Store affiliate thing. I wish. If you want to avoid any pennies coming back to this site, simply note the products, and log into Amazon from a separate browser page to make your purchases.

I do have one complaint: I have not been able to figure out how to search for other products once I am in the boogor doctor’s Amazon Store. If any of you tech wiz-kids reading this know how to do that within the Amazon Store system, please let me know.

I hope these products help you as much as my family and I have benefited from them.

Please leave a comment / reply and let me know about some of the things that YOU are using to stay healthy, so that I can add them to this Amazon Store!

And thanks for visiting!

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Hi, I’m Russell Faust, author of this medical education blog.

Dr. Faust and friend

Let me know what topics are important to you and your child’s respiratory health.

Join the conversation by leaving a comment / reply below, or email me any time.

Thanks for visiting, see you here later.

In invite you to subscribe to this blog (it’s FREE).

Be sure to type in your best email address (the one that you actually use).  You will then receive an email with a “confirmation link” – click on that link to get weekly updates from this blog in your email.

It’s free, it’s convenient, it’s an easy way to stay up-to-date on information to keep you and your family healthy.  You can un-subscribe at any time.

Stay informed.

Stay healthy.

Until next time, remember … you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose (unless you’re a boogor doctor ;~D)

Many of us seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) remedies. But how many of us look to CAM remedies for our children?

It was recently reported that nearly 12% of all children in the United States have used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Based on the National Health Interview Survey of 2007, a group of researchers at Harvard Medical School gathered information on CAM use among more than 9,000 children younger than 18 years. Based on these data, the authors estimated that greater than 8 Million children below the age of 18 years used some CAM remedy during the year these data were collected (2007).

Their findings were published in the February issue of Pediatrics, 2010.

This study focused on chiropractic and osteopathy, homeopathy, yoga, herbal and natural products, and other similar CAM remedies. They did not include common supplements such as vitamins.

Like Parent, Like Child

Not surprisingly, they reported that the used of CAM among children was much more likely among children whose parents also used CAM remedies: like parent, like child.

CAM for Chronic Illnesses

CAM use was also more likely among these groups of children:

• Children with multiple and complicated heart conditions
• Adolescents aged 12-17 years
• Children for whom conventional medical care had been either delayed or avoided due to cost
• Children with chronic conditions such as pain, anxiety, stress, and sinusitis

The use of CAM in those with chronic conditions often represents a trial from patients who are disillusioned or frustrated with the lack of relief from conventional therapies.

Increased Prescription Drug Use Associated with Increased CAM Use

Use of CAM remedies was also associated with the use of prescription medications.

In other words, these people are more likely to be seeking ANY remedy that can help them. Think about the groups listed above – those with chronic illnesses are looking for anything that can help bring them to health.

Dr. Birdee, the lead author of the study, commented that this association raises the potential for drug-herbal interactions. He noted that only about half of adult patients report their use of herbal and dietary supplements to their physicians.

Better Communication for Safety

Many physicians forget to ask about use of herbs or supplements by children. Many parents forget to mention supplements that their children are taking. Thus, it bears reminding everyone that we should be communicating our use of supplements to our doctors, and we doctors should be remembering to ask.

The authors of the study concluded that more information is needed on CAM remedies, especially in children. Studies are being conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. There website is an excellent resource.

Points for Parents:

• Treat herbal and other nutritional supplements and vitamins with the same care and caution that you would for any other medication:
  • Store them out of reach of your children
  • Do not alter the dosing – use as any other medication: more is not necessarily better
  • Be cautious if pregnant or nursing – some medications, including herbs or supplements, can affect the developing fetus or nursing infant
  • Confirm the child’s diagnosis: you don’t want to be treating the wrong disorder, regardless of the remedy; unless you are a physician, avoid the temptation to diagnose
  • If your child experiences any reaction associated with conventional or CAM remedies, stop its use and contact your child’s physician

Resources:

The website for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health is an excellent resource for further information:  http://nccam.nih.gov/

Birdee, Phillips, Davis, Gardiner. Factors associated with pediatric use of complementary and alternative medicine. Pediatrics. 125: 249-256; 2010.

Breuner. Complementary medicine in pediatrics: a review of acupuncture, homeopathy, massage, and chiropractic therapies. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care. 32: 353-384; 2002.

Committee on Children with Disabilities, American Academy of Pediatrics. Counseling families who choose complementary and alternative medicine for their child with chronic illness or disability. Pediatrics. 107: 598-601; 2001.

Mehta, Gardiner, Phillips, McCarthy. Herbal and dietary supplement disclosure to health care providers by individuals with chronic conditions. J Alternative Complementary Medicine. 14: 1263-1269; 2008.

Faust. A few words about being natural: http://www.boogordoctor.com/2010/06/a-few-words-about-being-natural/.

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Hi, I’m Russell Faust, author of this medical education blog.

Image: Russell Faust

Let me know what topics are important to you and your child’s respiratory health. Join the conversation by leaving a comment / reply below, or email me any time.

Thanks for visiting, see you here later – we will be going into more detail on how to rid your children of allergies, rhinitis, sinusitis, and other chronic aero-digestive inflammatory disorders on this site.

In invite you to subscribe to this blog (it’s FREE).

Be sure to type in your best email address (the one that you actually use).  You will then receive an email with a “confirmation link” – click on that link to get weekly updates from this blog in your email.

It’s free, it’s convenient, it’s an easy way to stay up-t0-date on information to keep you and your family healthy.  You can un-subscribe at any time.

Stay informed.

Stay healthy.

Until next time, remember … you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose (unless you’re a boogor doctor ;~D)

Cool name. Sounds a little futuristic. In my mind, any name with X’s or Z’s sounds like something from a 1950’s scifi movie. Maybe an alien name.

First, to see the full image, click on the image that accompanies this blog post – it is the cover from a 1938 publication of Amazing Stories. Not only is that appropriate for the story of Xylitol, but it’s just a cool image.

Sounds alien. But it’s not. It’s natural, grown right here on Earth.

Xylitol is a naturally-occurring sugar substitute. It is found in nature in various fruits and vegetables, but is usually prepared for human consumption by extracting it from corn or other vegetable sources.

Xylitol was discovered late in the 19^th century.

Since then, it has been shown to have many benefits:

1. Xylitol has about 1/3 fewer calories than table sugar (sucrose)
2. Xylitol has about the same sweetness for taste as table sugar
3. Xylitol has a low glycemic index – this makes it safer for diabetics
4. Xylitol consumption reduces growth of yeast (Candida)
5. Xylitol in the diet reduces dental caries
6. Xylitol inhibits the growth of various species of bacteria
7. Xylitol inhibits the attachment of various bacteria to the mucosal lining of our respiratory tract
8. Xylitol increases neutrophil activity in experimental models (rats)
9. Xylitol reduces sinusitis in experimental models (rabbits)

Most of these benefits have been demonstrated from human studies. The features #5-7 above are probably responsible for the reduction in ear infections in clinical trials!

Only those last couple – #8 & 9 – are from experimental animal studies. Those have not yet been studied in humans, but the findings are encouraging.

Bottom line: most bacteria and yeast (fungus) cannot easily metabolize Xylitol. They prefer a 6-carbon sugar like glucose (Xylitol is a 5-carbon sugar). Incorporation of Xylitol into the surface polysaccharides of our mucosal cells – lining our aero-digestive tract – prevents bacteria from adhering to the surface. If the bacteria cannot stick to the lining of your nose, or your throat, they cannot have their evil way with you. You win.

What HAS Been Studied in Humans?

Xylitol and Otitis Media

Xylitol has been found to reduce the incidence of acute otitis media – ear infections – in children.

Now we’re getting to the interesting stuff, no?

In the 1970’s there were studies from Finland that showed significant reduced ear infections in children who chewed gum that was sweetened with Xylitol instead of sucrose or fructose. These results have been reproduced in multiple clinical trials in children.

So now you’re thinking, “Well, that doesn’t do me much good, my 1-year-old with the ear infections can’t chew gum.”

That thought occurred to Dr. Lon Jones, too.

Image: Dr. Lon Jones, and Jerry

He was treating otitis media in children, looking for ways to prevent it, to treat it, without surgery.

So he asked whether there were other ways to get Xylitol into children. His goal was to get Xylitol into children without changing their diets, but to get the Xylitol to the area it is needed to achieve the benefits listed above – namely, to reduce adherence of bacteria, to inhibit growth of bacteria and yeast – in the upper respiratory tract of children.

Dr. Jones settled on a simple solution: he added Xylitol to salt water and used it as a nasal spray in children. His clinical trials found a similar reduction in ear infections to those already seen for Xylitol-chewing gum.

So: Xylitol can reduce ear infections. Big up-side benefit.

What is the downside?

None known.

Xylitol in saline nose spray is a safe means of reducing ear infections, and reducing upper respiratory infections in general.

If this is so effective, must cost a lot, no?

No. Xylitol is cheap, cheap. The Xlear patented brand of Xylitol nasal spray can be found online for less than $10. This brand has the optimal concentration of Xylitol to help prevent ear infections and sinus infections, based on medical studies. (Most other sprays that list Xylitol on their ingredients contain only the minimal concentration to be able to meet legal requirements to list it as an ingredient. Scammy.)

If this is so effective, why haven’t I heard about it before?

Perhaps it’s because there are no big pharmaceutical companies behind the product. No advertising.

I’m not a conspiracy-theorist. It is just a simple fact that a generic, inexpensive product like Xylitol cannot make a company a lot of money. As a result, there are no big advertising campaigns behind Xylitol.

So, what are you waiting for?

Image: Xlear Saline Nasal Spray with Xylitol

If YOUR child has recurrent or chronic ear infections, frequent URI’s, rhinitis, or sinusitis, why not give Xylitol a try?

Transparency:

1. I have no financial arrangements with any sources of healthcare products that contain Xylitol.
2. After reviewing the medical literature and all available data, I DO use Xlear Xylitol products for myself and my family, and recommend them for my clinic patients.
3. After using Xlear products, and reading Dr. Jones’ books, I made an effort to meet him (and his wonderful wife, Jerry). For complete transparency, I consider them friends.
4. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and will make some pennies from any purchase through the Amazon Store link. Yes, pennies :))

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Hi, I’m Russell Faust, author of this blog, and I appreciate your comments and questions.  Keep ‘em coming.  Please, “be excellent to one another.”

I invite you to subscribe (it’s FREE) to this blog for weekly updates – you won’t be swamped by updates, I simply cannot write for the blog everyday.

Click here to receive free weekly updates: (http://eepurl.com/FGnP)

Type in your best email address (the one you actually use).

Your email is safe - will never be shared or sold. Ever.

Click here to read our Privacy Policy: http://wp.me/PR4iB-r

When the confirmation email from boogor doctor arrives, click on the link to give your okay to receive free weekly updates, occasional book reviews or product reviews, occasional discount-coupons for products that I use (not affiliates), all without needing to visit the website.

It’s free, it’s convenient. No ads. No spam. You can un-subscribe at any time. How cool is that?

Stay Informed.

Stay Healthy.

Best of health and success to you and your families.

Until next time, remember … you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose (unless you’re a boogor doctor :~D)

I want to recommend 2 great sites for soon-to-be mothers, mothers of newborns, and mothers of babies in their first year of life (Dr. Greene’s site is for all children, too):

• www.HealthTap.com

• www.DrGreene.com

Ron Gutman is founder and CEO of HealthTap, “your Home for Health”. The site officially just launched last month, April 2011. Before HealthTap, Ron co-founded Wellsphere, another pretty cool source for general healthcare information. Wellshpere was acquired in early 2009.

So, it stands to reason that he might put together a pretty cool healthcare site. He has done successfully it before.

Let’s talk a little about the site, HealthTap.com

Image: HealthTap Logo

HealthTap strives to develop a Home for Health that personalizes health information so that you can understand your health, and make the best evidence-based decisions (of course, that appealed to me immediately).

Other features that appealed to me about HealthTap:

• unbiased expert knowledge
• shared insights and experiences from the community
• ability to “rate” the experts, by voting up their answers to your questions
• it’s FREE
• the people who work there are passionate about making this a valuable resource
• that includes the physicians and other experts who volunteer as resources
• you can use it anonymously – your questions are seen only by your username (anything you like)

How to use the site?

Go to www.healthtap.com and click on “Member Sign up”. You can also watch their video on the home page (easily enough, click on “Watch our video”). They don’t ask for much personal info, and it is safe! It’s pretty easy, and the answers to any of your questions are top-notch. And, like Twitter or Facebook, you can “follow” the experts that you seem to feel a connection with.

Right now, the Beta release of the site, launched in April 2011, is focused on pregnancy and the first year of your baby’s life. The site is so great, so successful, that it will likely grow to cover other areas of your healthcare.

Also, be sure to check out the blog too: HealthTap Blog - http://blog.healthtap.com/

Transparency: I am one of the “Founding Medical Experts” for HealthTap. What does that mean? I simply login when I can, spend a few minutes answering your questions, perhaps write a healthcare tip, and connect with people. It’s sort of a sophisticated Facebook for your medical questions.

This is a volunteer position. I do it because I believe in the potential of social networks to improve our healthcare. And because I have profound respect for the Medical Director for HealthTap – Dr. Alan Greene, Pediatrician and Founder of the DrGreene.com site for natural pediatric healthcare. Be sure to check out his site too!

Image: Dr. Alan Greene's Website

Dr. Alan Greene is a Pediatrician at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford in California. He is author of some great books, including Feeding Baby Green (Earth-Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nutrition), and Raising Baby Green (Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care). Dr. Greene is passionate about keeping your pregnancy and baby safe from toxins, and being kind to our environment – a passion that we share.

More about Ron Gutman: Ron is also an angel investor and advisor to early stage technology companies, an advisor to Harvard Medical School’s SMArt Initiative, a host of health “hackathons,” and serves as the curator of TEDxSilicon Valley.

Speaking of TED Talks, take a look at Ron’s own TED Talk on the Hidden Powers of Smiling. It will make you smile. And like nearly every TED Talk that I have watched, this one is inspiring, and worth the few minutes it takes to watch. (this one is less than 7 1/2 minutes)

In Summary

If you are an expecting mom or dad, or parent already, check out these two sites, you won’t be disappointed.

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Hi, I’m Russell Faust, author of this blog, and I appreciate your comments and questions.  Keep ‘em coming.  Please, “be excellent to one another.”

I invite you to subscribe (it’s FREE) to this blog for weekly updates – you won’t be swamped by updates, I simply cannot write for the blog everyday.

Click here to receive free weekly updates: (http://eepurl.com/FGnP)

Type in your best email address (the one you actually use).

Your email is safe - will never be shared or sold. Ever.

Click here to read our Privacy Policy: http://wp.me/PR4iB-r

When the confirmation email from boogor doctor arrives, click on the link to give your okay to receive free weekly updates, occasional book reviews or product reviews, occasional discount-coupons for products that I use (not affiliates), all without needing to visit the website.

It’s free, it’s convenient. No ads. No spam. You can un-subscribe at any time. How cool is that?

Stay Informed.

Stay Healthy.

Best of health and success to you and your families.

Until next time, remember … you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose (unless you’re a boogor doctor :~D)