(From CNN.com, June 27, 2008) — Bud Offermann’s targets are invisible contaminants, like dust mites, mold spores, or volatile organic compounds, that homeowners worry might be damaging their health. “People come to me with all sorts of concerns,” says Offermann, president of San Francisco–based Indoor Environmental Engineering, an air-quality consulting firm. “They have small kids with allergies, or they are having symptoms themselves.”

For $1,500, he conducts a complete air-quality checkup. If the complaint is a respiratory ailment, he checks for mold in bathrooms, kitchens, and air-handling systems. If nothing turns up, he’ll explore inside wall cavities and take air samples for laboratory analysis. Offermann’s more chemically sensitive clients sometimes call complaining of a generalized funk he terms “brain fog.” In those cases, he tests for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemical compounds that can be emitted by wall-to-wall carpet, finishes, plywood, and other construction materials.

“It’s kind of like detective work,” he says. And these days, Offermann is busier than Mike Hammer after a triple homicide. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the air inside our homes and offices is up to five times more polluted than even the smoggiest industrial town.

Asthma in children, who inhale 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults, has been directly linked to the presence of dust mites, mold, and pet dander. More formidable airborne enemies include radon, an invisible gas produced by uranium in the soil under your house; secondhand smoke; and poisonous gases like carbon monoxide, which can be emitted from poorly maintained gas stoves, furnaces, or fireplaces, and can cause headaches, chest pains, even death. (more…)

The FDA now states that mercury from amalgam dental fillings may be toxic to children and developing fetuses, in response to a lawsuit filed by consumer groups and individuals concerned about mercury exposure.

Amalgam fillings are silver-colored and are made of nearly equal parts of liquid mercury and a powder containing silver, tin, copper, zinc and other metals. Mercury concentration in dental amalgams is generally about 50% by weight, while the silver concentration ranges from 20-30%.

Until now, the FDA has long taken the stance that amalgam dental fillings were safe, despite an overwhelming body of research and patient groups indicating that they are neurotoxic and associated with various neurological conditions. (more…)

(From WebMD.com June 5, 2008)

Mercury from amalgam dental fillings may be toxic to children and developing fetuses, the FDA now admits.

Experts say there’s no proof that dental fillings cause harm to consumers. But they also say there’s no proof that the fillings — which are half mercury by weight — are entirely safe.

On its web site, the FDA has dropped much of its reassuring language about dental amalgam. And it’s added what amounts to a warning: “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.” (more…)

The incidence of diabetes is rising in both children and adults.  Overweight and obesity, physical inactivity and poor food choices are responsible for the rising tide of type 2 diabetes, where resistance to the action of insulin leads to increasing blood sugar levels.  Symptoms include frequent and profuse urination, nocturnal urination and sometimes incontinence, fatigue, and blurred vision.  A child with one or more of these symptoms should immediately be tested for blood sugar or sugar in the urine.

According to a recent Time Magazine article, 19% of 6-11 year-old children are obese, as are17% of 12-19 year-old children, and 14% of 2-5 year-old children.  Fully 1/3 of children are overweight.  This leads to a rising tide of diabetes in children. (more…)

Allan Sosin MD has been chosen to speak at the Body Mind Spirit (BMS) Expo on “Reversing the Trend” – how alternative medical practices are often overlooked before traditional drug therapies are prescribed to patients. The BMS Expo will be held at the Pasadena Masonic Temple in Pasadena, CA

Dr. Sosin will speak on the increasing prevalence of chronic health problems, such as diabetes and hypertension, the major causes of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure and how those diseases can be improved or reversed safely and effectively using lifestyle measures and specific supplements rather than prescription drugs. Dr. Sosin will present the current status of these conditions, the factors leading to their increase, and success treating the conditions with lifestyle changes, combined with medications when necessary.

Please CLICK HERE for more information

People who take vitamin and mineral supplements know how much these supplements can help. It is not really a matter of manufacturing expensive and bright yellow urine. I have not had so much as a cold in over a year, and have missed only three days of work due to illness in the last 30 years. I take a lot of regular supplements, but no medications.

I also take intravenous nutrients. Our medical office specializes in lifestyle and nutritional therapies in preference to drugs and surgical treatment. Many patients come in for treatment with intravenous infusions containing high-dose vitamin C, glutathione, B vitamins, magnesium, and trace minerals. The combination is often called an immune drip. It takes about 60-75 minutes to complete through a vein in the hand or forearm.

The immune drip helps people with: (more…)