Professionals of every kind have their favorite go-to tools for handling common problems. Let's take a look at one of our favorite tools for immune system support and upper respiratory challenges.

​Congaplex: Go-to Immune Support

Congaplex is one of our favorite answers when patients ask about what to do for stuffy sinuses, coughing, sneezing, and the other fun than comes with upper respiratory challenges. We especially keep it handy around our houses during the winter when those problems hit the hardest. 

Conga - plex can be thought of as a complex of whole food nutrients that fight congestion and support the immune system.

Congaplex is actually a specially formulated blend of other Standard Process supplements:

• Cataplex A-C includes whole food vitamins A and C, which support healthy mucous membranes (our first defense against microbial invaders) and immune system resistance. This is NOT synthetic vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is only the wrapper around the whole vitamin C complex. It also includes Echinacea which helps modulate a healthy immune response.
• Thymex includes thymus enzyme extract that helps support the thymus, a key gland that produces antibodies to fight infection.
• Calcium Lactate is a very absorbable form of calcium, which plays an important role in phagocytosis ("eating") of microbes.
• Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) involved in protein building.

We have found it to be a great choice and kids especially like the Congaplex chewable version that includes berry powder. We use it in lower doses for prevention or higher doses when fighting off a bug. 

Check out some of the good foods inside: bovine thymus extract, carrot root, bovine bone, nutritional yeast, wheat germ, bovine adrenal, alfalfa juice, oat flour, alfalfa flour, bovine kidney, veal bone, veal bone extract, mushroom, buckwheat leaf juice, buckwheat seed, peanut bran, soybean lecithin, carrot oil.

You could try Congaplex or eat all of these!

Enjoy the latest research on health care and healthy living:

American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) Says No to Antibiotics in Animal Feed

Feeding livestock antibiotics to artificially boost growth is big business and America's Pediatricians are finally saying that's enough. MedPage reported on the AAP's announcement discouraging use of antibiotics in animal fed due to the potential harm for children. While 7.25 million pounds of these drugs are sold for use in humans, more than 32.2 million pounds are sold for use in animals -- animals that often have no active infection.

The overuse of antibiotic medication in children was also briefly addressed: "Clinicians bear some responsibility for this problem because we ourselves are not always prudent in our use of antibiotics...Unfortunately, too many people still prescribe antibiotics for colds or sore throats without having an appropriate bacterial diagnosis. So, since clinicians are part of the problem, they can be part of the solution."

For your family's safety, choose meat that has been raised without antibiotics or other chemicals. And avoid antibiotic use for common colds, runny noses, and sore throats that are caused by viruses that cannot be killed with antibiotics.

Medical Errors Still Alarmingly High

Forbes recently reported: "A disturbing new study, published in the October 2015 issue of Anesthesiology, found that medication errors occurred in nearly half of all surgical procedures. Additionally, the study found that one-third of all errors resulted in adverse drug events or harm to patients." The study reviewed surgeries performed at a Harvard-affiliated hospital "considered a leader in patient safety." Clinicians weighing in on the study felt this actually underestimates the number of medical errors.

This follows research estimating deaths due to preventable medical errors at 400,000 per year in the United States. Furthermore, these estimates seem to only consider hospitalized medical care, not accounting for other medical treatment. It's always important to recognize the significant risks associated with even "non-invasive" or "minor" medical care, utilizing safer conservative care first whenever possible.

Now Some Good News: Americans Are Eating Better And Reducing Disease

Don't let us mislead you, researchers still conclude the diet of Americans is "poor". However, an analysis of diet trends (from 1999-2012) found small signs of improvement with a big payoff: 1.1 million fewer premature deaths, 8.6% fewer cardiovascular disease cases, 1.3% fewer cancer cases, and 12.6% fewer type 2 diabetes cases. Good job Americans - now keep going!

You're apparently drinking fewer sugary beverages and eating more fruit, but you haven't increased your veggies. Get those veggies in and keep cutting the sweets and carbs. Eat real unprocessed food and get moving!

While soft drink companies continue to promote sugary drinks as a reasonable part of a healthy diet, studies continue to show significant health risks for kids and adults drinking them.

A recent study of children ages 8-15 years old looked at how drinking sugary beverages affected their triglyceride (blood fats) and cholesterol levels over 12 months. Researchers found a significant worsening of triglyceride and cholesterol for those consuming more sugary drinks.

Another recent study analyzed over 40,000 men to determine whether sweetened beverages increase the risk of heart failure. Sweetened beverages for this study included soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and drinks with artificial no-calorie sweeteners. When researchers ruled out other causes, they found that sweetened beverages significantly increased the risk of heart failure.

Don't be fooled by marketing. You can't outrun or out-exercise regular consumption of sweetened beverages. Start reducing your intake today. Alternatives to consider include kombucha, coconut water, soda water with lemon, or good-old-fashioned water. Cut out sugary drinks for a week and feel the difference - then

The sweetest holiday of the year is almost here and if you don't want to end up dealing with an aftermath of boogery noses and coughing kids, it's time to get planning for Halloween. It's no coincidence that Halloween welcomes in cold & flu season. If you can limit your children's sugar intake this holiday, you'll also limit their risk of illness afterwards.

Try some of our tips and tricks to treat your children to healthier Halloween fun.

5 Healthy Treats for Trick-or-Treaters

1. Dark Chocolate - a sweet treat that avoids the extra sugars and junk in most milk chocolate candy.
   
2. Honey Sticks - what kid doesn't enjoy a honey stick? Honey is a natural sugar that the body can handle better than processed sugars.
   
3. Pumped-Up Popcorn - cook up some popcorn in a little coconut oil and add some spices or dark chocolate for a fun flavor.
   
4. Chocolate Covered Fruit or Nuts  - a piece of fruit or bag of nuts may get returned, so add some dark chocolate for a nice treat.
5. Lara Bars - our favorite snack bar comes in flavors like apple pie and cashew cookie, but only includes fruit, nuts, seeds, and spices. They have small snack size mini-bars that would be a good choice. Watch out for the new types that include sweeteners.

Click here to check out more healthy and fun ideas for your Halloween party.

MedPage Today reported on two recent studies linking indoor home insecticide use or outdoor herbicide use to a significant increase in risk for childhood cancers like leukemia and lymphomas.

Daniel S. Wechsler, MD, PhD, associate professor, pediatrics and pharmacology & cancer biology at Duke University Medical Center, noted, "The current study adds to the 'smoking gun' raised by other investigators that pesticides could contribute to the development of cancer in children...It certainly seems prudent to limit exposure of children (or anyone) to these agents, especially in indoor locations."

Harvard researcher Chesheng Lu, PhD, MS, noted, "Pediatricians should remind parents with young kids to try not to use pesticides in your household and if kids go to a daycare or school that uses lots of pesticides, parents may need to talk to the school or school district to see if there's a better alternative without using chemical-based treatment."

Before you start spraying your house for pests or bombarding your dandelions with herbicide, think about your children or your neighbors' children that will be exposed to the poisonous chemicals. Consider creating a healthier chemical-free yard with permaculture gardening to control your pests for you and provide a healthy place for children to play.

HealthDay News reports that the number of newborns treated for drug withdrawal in the United States has nearly quadrupled since 2004 - another sad result of the prescription opioid epidemic.

30% of mothers used prescription narcotic painkillers while pregnant

Recent studies have found the use of prescription narcotic (opioid) painkillers during pregnancy to be surprisingly common, noting "Nearly 30 percent of the Tennessee mothers-to-be in the Pediatrics study used at least one of these drugs while pregnant, and the associated risks [of newborn drug withdrawal] went up if they also smoked or took antidepressants."

Opioid painkillers include the drugs hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Oxycontin), codeine and morphine. They were often used in women who had reported headaches, migraines or other musculoskeletal problems, as well as depression or anxiety.

Along with drug withdrawal, the researchers noted that infants of mothers on prescription painkillers were "twice as likely as other newborns to be born at a low birth weight. They were also far more likely to have respiratory conditions, feeding difficulties and seizures."

First an adult opioid epidemic, now drug withdrawal in newborns

The opioid drug epidemic started a few years ago when experts recommended doctors treat their patients' pains more seriously. However, instead of encouraging patients to try effective conservative treatment like chiropractic or physical therapy, doctors dramatically increased their prescriptions of addictive opioid drugs. States including Ohio are now fighting to fix this drug epidemic; and now we know it's causing harm to more than just those taking the drugs.

Pregnant mothers should minimize the medications they take to reduce the risk of health problems in their infants. Chiropractic treatment is proven to be an effective treatment for pregnant mothers with musculoskeletal pains and is a great way to avoid medications. Chiropractic care not only reduces the risk of injury to infants by avoiding medications, it can also provide further benefits by making labor and delivery easier.

Experts have warned mothers about eating fish during pregnancy due to mercury exposure, but a recent study indicated greater harm associated with eating grains and their oils due to high omega-6 content.

Researchers studied the babies of women frequently eating fish during pregnancy and looked at infant development scores to determine the health of the children.

The babies of women consuming fish regularly had healthy developmental scores and seemed to experience a protective affect from the good omega-3 fish fats that outweighed any harm from mercury exposure.

Mercury levels only showed a negative effect on health for the children of mothers who had higher levels of omega-6 fats in their blood. Common sources of inflammatory omega-6 fats include grains, beans, and their oils (canola, soybean, sunflower, "vegetable", cottonseed, margarine, shortening, etc.). Grain-fed animals like conventionally raised beef, chicken, and pork also provide more omega-6 fats.

This study confirms that pregnant mothers should not be afraid to include fish in the diet, but avoid common sources of omega-6 fats. Eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, good fats (olive oil, coconut oil, butter), and grass-fed or pasture-raised meats for a healthy diet. Click here are the best and worst fish to eat.

Read more about the research on pregnancy and eating fish at Medpage.

The risks associated with antibiotic use in children continues to grow as new research finds a strong link between antibiotic use and the development of arthritis in children.

Medpage Today reports, "Children who were exposed to antibiotics had an increased risk of developing juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)...any antibiotic use was associated with more than twice the risk of JIA."

Antibiotics are made to kill microbes throughout the body, but end up killing helpful bacteria with the harmful bacteria. Researchers noted this disruption of healthy bacteria has been linked to multiple autoimmune diseases..."including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and exposure to antibiotics has been linked with inflammatory bowel disease in children."

The researchers went on to note that 25% of antibiotics used for children are for respiratory infections and are not needed.

For a reminder of when antibiotics should NOT be used (common colds, flu, runny nose, bronchitis, fluid in ears, etc.) click here. To keep you and your children healthy, avoid antibiotics whenever possible and include probiotics or fermented foods in the diet to make sure there is plenty of good bacteria in the gut.

Britain's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently updated quality care guidelines for childbirth, noting that research shows it is safer for healthy mothers to have their babies at home, or in a birth center, than in a hospital.

"Women with uncomplicated pregnancies...were better off in the hands of midwives than hospital doctors during birth...For these low-risk mothers-to-be, giving birth in a traditional maternity ward increased the chances of surgical intervention and therefore infection, the regulator said."

The difference in safety is related to doctors' frequent use of cesarean sections, episiotomies, and epidurals (which increase the risk of protracted birth that requires forceps and tissue damage). All of these medical procedures carry increased risk of infection and other complications.

For years, doctors have recommended hospital delivery over home or birth center delivery, but the research doesn't support those recommendations for healthy mothers. Compared to the United States, home births are more common in Europe where the government provides health care and there is no financial incentive for doctors to recommend birth at a hospital.

Dr. Jeffrey L. Ecker, the chairman of the committee on obstetrics practice for American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists noted that if a recommendation for home births were made in the United States, doctors might worry about losing patients to midwives.

Read more of the article in the New York Times.

In recent years, researchers have noted potential harmful health effects when using the chemical BPA as an ingredient in plastic baby bottles. BPA is similar to female hormones and can leach from the bottles, accumulating in the body of an infant, and potentially contributing to health problems. Some concerned parents have switched to "BPA-free" plastic baby bottles, but a new study finds that these plastic bottles can often leach hormone-like chemicals as well.

Replacing BPA with other chemicals

Recognizing the demand for an alternative to BPA, plastic bottle producers have switched to a variety of other chemical ingredients to replace BPA and market their bottles as "BPA-free". Researchers recently tested common "BPA-free" baby bottle brands (and other "BPA-free bottles) under various conditions to check for the leaching of female hormone-like chemicals.

Heating the bottles (like in a microwave) or exposure to sunlight or sterilizing lights often increased chemical leaching. Using certain dyes to color a bottle even made a difference (some colors protected the bottle from leaching chemicals).

Overall, the researchers were surprised with the number of "BPA-free" plastic bottles that leached other hormone-like chemicals. Click here for a more detailed explanation of the results and to see which brands performed better.

What's in your bottle?

While the focus of public concerns has been largely on baby bottles, it's important to note that these chemicals are also used in other types of drink bottles and coat the inside of cans (to avoid corrosion from contact with food). While the research showed some plastic bottles performed well with testing, it may be safest to use glass or metal bottles, especially when feeding babies.

Vitamin D Reduces Recurrent Ear Infections in Kids

A recent study looked out how vitamin D supplements affected children with recurrent ear infections. Researchers found that the average blood level of vitamin D was lower than recommended in children with recurrent ear infections. They gave some of the children a daily 1000 unit supplement of vitamin D and found those children had significantly fewer episodes of ear infections.

Seattle Children's Hospital Researcher Craig Rubens noted this study confirms that doctors need to pay more attention to nutrition in cases of recurring ear infections.

Many kids with recurrent infections rely on repeated rounds of antibiotics and eventually ear tubes to control the infections. This study highlights the need to look into the nutrition of these kids.

Parents shouldn't fear child exposure to the sun.

Low vitamin D is frequent in our area of Northeast Ohio, especially in the winter, due to limited sun exposure. Repeated warnings about sun exposure during summer have also contributed to adults and children receiving less than a healthy amount of sun to produce adequate vitamin D. This leaves us more dependent on our foods which do not provide an abundant source of vitamin D.

It's a good idea to have your vitamin D level checked, especially if noticing recurrent ear infections.

What's hiding in your child's school milk? If the Food and Drug Administration approves a petition by the International Dairy Foods Association and National Milk Producers Federation, it's going to be harder to find out.

What is "milk"?

These dairy associations have asked the FDA to redefine what "milk" is, so they can add additives without including special labeling. Currently, if milk has been altered to include artificial sweeteners, milk manufacturers are required to label milk as "low calorie" or "reduced calorie" or print similar language on the front of the package. The dairy associations' primary goal is to add artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose without the current required labeling.

It doesn't stop with "milk"

The dairy associations are also requesting a revision of the definition of 17 other dairy products including yogurt (with help from the National Yogurt Association of course), to play the same game with those food labels. Dr. Oz and The Environmental Working Group have a nice explanation of the topic.

Would you define "milk" or "yogurt" as foods that contain artificial sweeteners? The research showing potential harm from the consumption of artificial sweeteners has only grown over the past few years. Milk is heavily processed as it is - removing fat, homogenizing, ultra-pasteurization, hormone use...

For those who enjoy dairy, we recommend using less processed dairy whenever possible. If you don't like dairy or have trouble digesting it, don't worry. You can get plenty of calcium from eating your veggies, especially dark leafy greens. The best alternatives to dairy are coconut or almond milk (but watch out for sweeteners).

Here's a roundup of recent natural news stories on kidney stones, pacifiers & allergies, and hungry shoppers:

Exercise Cuts Kidney Stone Risk

A recent study found physically active women had about a 30% lower risk of kidney stones compared with women who reported no exercise. While more exercise activity during the week decreased the risk further, the intensity of the exercise did not matter much. Even those who performed light exercise had a significant reduction in the risk of kidney stones.

The study also found a higher BMI (body mass index) or increased energy intake (eating more) increased the risk of developing kidney stones. This study confirms previous research that found healthy habits significantly lower the risk of developing kidney stones. Regular exercise (even gentle low intensity exercise) and a healthy diet help reduce systemic inflammation and associated problems like kidney stones.

Pacifier-Sucking Parents Reduce Child Asthma & Allergies