Often, when I see a child or teenager in my office, with a health concern, the question turns to what could be an environmental trigger for that condition. Whether it is gaining pounds too quickly, having rashes like eczema or dry skin, sleep issues, asthma, allergies, or behavioral problems, all these conditions may stem from an underlying dis-order in the body.

By environmental triggers, I mean what affects the body on the inside, like the food that we eat, the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and what affects us on the outside, like the skin products that we use, the water that we bathe in, and whether or not we sweat to remove toxins from the body.

With the rise of convenience food and sugar and dye additives, preservatives and synthetic derivatives and fillers, we are seeing a rise in disorders of the body. “You are what you eat” is still a true principle, and “you are what you eat ate” is an even truer principle these days. If a cow grazed on GMO corn and Round-up sprayed and finished grain, that cow’s muscle or meat protein, and milk protein, have now been denatured and your body will react to them because it doesn’t recognize the protein as natural any longer. The body’s innate defense system will rise up to fight this franken-food, but because of molecular mimicry, where the molecules of the denatured protein resemble molecules in the body tissues, the immune system continues to attack the self, long after it has cleared the franken-food.

That is why I recommend that my patients buy organic, grass fed beef, free range chicken and pork, wild caught fish and seafood, organic fruits and vegetables that are on the dirty dozen list from EWG.org, in order to avoid these unnecessary toxins that they consume every day.

Parents and children need to learn to read labels, and avoid products that have more than 3 ingredients whenever possible. Cook at home from scratch. When you learn to buy groceries the old fashioned way, you will find affordable ways to feed your family. Organic isn’t necessarily more expensive, but it is much better for your body! Eliminate sugary drinks like juice, sodas, sports drinks, Coolaid etc…., and make your own lemonade of squeezed fruit drink at home. Use filtered water always!

EWG.org also has extended lists of skin products and home cleaners that contain harmful chemicals, and ones that are safe to use. You can click on the link above to check those out.

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Here is a simple lemon water recipe that the whole family can enjoy, and remember to drink half your weight in ounces each day, for optimal hydration and to alkalinize the body:

1. Juice of 2 lemons
2. 2 Liter filtered water in a jug
3. 1-2 packets of Stevia, to taste
4. If you want a little more zing, take 1 inch of ginger root, and blend with 1 cup of water, then strain contents to add to the lemonade jug. Or add a few sprigs of mint to steep overnight for extra fresh flavor !

To your health !