
Your Life-Your Choice                         ISSN 1488-0253 
                                              August, 2000 
                                              Issue 59 

Letter From the Editor
 
With each day more people are turning to herbs and vitamin 
supplements to ease their pain and/or enhance their overall 
health. People are taking control over their own health and 
we're telling the medical profession that they are NOT the 
only answer. We are pressuring our doctors to become more 
enlightened and to educate themselves on natural alternatives. 

I have only one concern. Too often people just jump onto 
the herbal bandwagon blindly without doing the necessary 
research. It's common to think that "herbs and vitamins are 
natural, they can't hurt you." Well, a cactus is all natural, 
but I wouldn't recommend you take a bite out of one! 

For those of you who are not convinced, let me give you 
this analogy. You decide that you're going to calculate 
your own income tax this year. Unfortunately this is new 
to you and you're not up on all the tax laws. A licensed 
accountant provides you with a sample income tax return 
from a "typical" family. Would you just copy those numbers 
onto your form and send it in? NEVER! Your income may 
vary significantly from the sample given and you may have 
more dependants than they. You may have health care 
expenses or investments that are not reflected in the sample. 
You may have to do some independent research to determine 
exactly what to claim, and how this is going to affect the 
final outcome of your tax return. You how devastating it 
can be to submit your income tax without doing the 
necessary research. Did that accountant give you bad advice? 
No. He gave you a guideline to work with, a starting ground. 
Now you need to incorporate your "unique" information 
into that guideline in order to make it work effectively 
for YOU.

Yes, herbs and vitamins can be very beneficial. But it is 
critical that you consider ALL of your health issues, and 
ALL medications you're on before deciding which 
supplements to take. You could be doing yourself harm, 
by helping one condition you may be hurting another. 
Here is just one example. It is well known that vitamin E 
is a powerful antioxidant and is helpful to your health in 
numerous ways. It is beneficial for all heart conditions, 
cancer, cholesterol, arthritis, cataracts, Alzheimers, and 
many other health issues. You have likely read articles 
encouraging the use of vitamin E. 

However, I caution you! If you are taking aspirin on a 
daily basis, or blood thining medications such as 
warfarin, DO NOT blindly take vitamin E. In fact, you 
should also be cautious of the following herbs in the 
same situation; garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginger and feverfew. 
Each of these herbs as well as vitamin E also prevent 
blood clotting. A combination of these could cause very 
serious health problems.  

So you see how easy it is for big mistakes to happen? 
You may have read an article written by a qualified 
naturopath suggesting how helpful vitamin E can be for 
arthritis. You think to yourself "Great! Finally, I'll get 
some relief. I'll try it. It's only a vitamin, it can't hurt."
Then off you go to your local health food store to buy 
vitamin E. Meanwhile there's been no consideration 
given to the fact that your doctor has you taking an 
aspirin every day for your heart. 

Understand that the articles and books you read are 
suggestions... starting grounds. Now you must determine 
how this suggestion fits into your "unique" situation. It's 
not a bad idea to keep a Health Diary. List all your health 
conditions and the medications you take. As you make 
discoveries like this make note of them in your diary, so 
you don't forget.

I encourage you to find about 6 credible sources that you 
can refer to when making these decisions. Remember that 
nobody knows everything, not even your doctor. If we are 
going to exercise our right to take control over our health, 
we must also take on the responsibility that comes with it. 
It is YOUR health after all. And nobody cares more about 
you than you!

Until next time I wish you the best of health,
 

Brigitte Synesael 
Editor of Your Life-Your Choice 
Make it your business to be informed! 
No one cares more about you than YOU.

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SIDS Protection
Certain fungal organisms, commonly found in baby 
mattresses, can produce poisonous gases from chemical 
compounds containing antimony and arsenic. Virtually 
all baby mattresses and bedding manufactured in the 
United States contain these chemicals.

These gases have been implicated in SIDS. Therefore 
baby mattresses, especially those that have been 
previously used and likely contaminated with mildew, 
significantly increase the risk of SIDS. The Babesafe 
Cover-designed by a New Zealand chemist to fit and 
completely enclose standard crib and bassinet mattresses-
has been slept upon by over 100,000 babies, over the 
past five years without a death. The Babesafe Cover is 
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Price $29.95/cover plus $5.00 shipping and handling.  
Contact Denton Davis, M.D. for more information
mailto:drd@criblife2000.com or 1-800-951-9255.
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ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE: 
1. LOWER BACK PAIN MYSTERIES REVEALED 
AND HEALED:  PART 2" by Laurel Duran, CMT
2. POUNDS AND PREDATORS by Danielle Carrie 
3.  A SIMPLE EXPLANATION FOR SIDS (Crib Deaths) 
By Dr. Denton Davis. MD
4. TIME ZONE CHANGE (jet lag) SYNDROME
5. Talk to GARLIC from Furry and Fed up!
===========================================

Section 1 
                  Lower Back Pain Mysteries 
                  Revealed and Healed: Part 2" 
                      by Laurel Duran, CMT


In part 1 of this series on healing lower back pain, I 
addressed proper exercise and diet. In this final 
installment I will address the pscyho/emotional causes 
and describe the therapeutic massage techniques I have 
successfully used to eliminate clients' lower back pain. 
If a person is in a state of fear about his physical safety 
and security, his lower back muscles can contract. Many 
areas of our daily lives seem to provide us with a sense 
of physical security: substantial bank accounts, secure 
jobs, happy homes, loving and supportive families, 
vibrant physical health. If any of these physical foundation 
areas of our personal lives seem to be endangered and 
beyond our ability to control, then the lower back, buttocks 
and colon can pick up the fearful psycho/emotional 
undercurrent and hold it. 

Every person I've ever met, including myself, has 
experienced periods in life when we feel our base of 
security is threatened. Losing a source of income 
unexpectedly, having a serious health problem, losing a 
family member to death or divorce are just a few examples 
of the major changes that life can present us with that we 
often have difficulty accepting and trusting. Many of these 
situations can threaten to hurl our lives out of control, 
but we may still try to hold onto control. Such a state of 
internal conflict can manifest as lower back, buttock and 
colon pain. Our thoughts and feelings are powerful affectors 
of our bodies, and just as negative thoughts and feelings 
can cause painful physical contractions, positive thoughts 
and feelings can relax and heal the body. 

When I had my near-death experience car crash that broke 
my neck and paralyzed me completely, I was going through 
a divorce, my business was in financial trouble, and I was 
in the earliest days of detoxification from alcohol addiction. 
You could accurately say that every aspect of my physical 
security (home, family, finances, physical health) was 
crumbling, but because I was also a quadriplegic, I literally 
could do nothing about it! This drastic life change called 
for one thing: spiritual faith. What got me through that 
period in my life was not a medical cure or a physical 
technique. It was an idea, a thought/feeling that I relied 
upon completely during my miraculous healing process 
and it went something like this: 

"Spirit, I trust that You hold me in your loving care. Please 
heal my body and my life. I safely rest in your power and 
rely on You to provide all that I need." 

While most massage clients' physical security issues take 
less dramatic forms than mine did, we are all fallible 
human beings who can occasionally become fearful for 
our safety. The same idea of faith and trust in divine 
intervention can universally be relied upon to help release 
tension in the lower back, buttocks and colon. I might say 
aloud as I massage a client's lower back, "I trust Life to 
provide all that I need. My muscles are relaxing now. All 
is well. I am safe." Such spoken ideas can help the client's 
psyche absorb a more positive healing reality into their 
tissue. 

Believe me, it works! 

Whenever a massage client complains of lower back or 
neck pain, I focus the bodywork session on emptying the 
excess tension out of their "bottom floor". First I massage 
the feet, particularly the heels, because the feet are the final 
spillage areas for the entire body, and the lower back, 
buttocks and sacrum regions spill out the heels. By 
clearing out the exits (feet), I've cleared the path for the
the lower back tension to leave. 

Next, using both hands I combine kneading and friction 
ACROSS the fibers of muscle and connective tissue of 
the lower back and buttocks. Once this "digging up" of 
old excess tension has begun, I mentally picture what I do 
next while I am doing it. While I apply pain-point-holding 
with one hand, the other hand contacts the heel exit drain, 
thereby making myself like "jumper cables" for the excess 
static energy to move from the low back/buttock region, 
down the leg and out the bottom drain (heel). I say aloud 
to the client "You may notice the pain energy beneath my 
hand on your lower back is draining out your foot. Just 
watch as this happens." By sharing the mental picture 
suggestion with the client, we are joining our minds 
together as one, thereby strengthening the power of 
positive results. 

In every case, when I ask the client several seconds later 
if they feel reduced pain in the lower back point, the 
answer is always "yes". After I've thoroughly emptied the 
pain from the client's lower back, I address the neck. The 
neck and lower back are on the same Earth-element energy 
circuit, and as such, if there is a blockage in one it is 
inevitably shared by the other. I have also found that most 
neck tension is secondary to lower back tension, and that 
when working to relieve neck pain, I must first address 
their lower back tension. I usually apply the same kneading 
and cross-fiber friction to the muscles and connective tissue 
of the neck. 

Next I apply pain-point-holding with one hand, while 
using my other hand to contact first the lower back/buttock 
areas, and next, the feet. In this way I am again acting as 
jumper cables on the Earth-element energy circuit, 
unblocking and opening up the body's natural energy 
flow from the neck to the lower back/ buttocks to the feet. 
The exciting result is all circuits are cleared, the patient 
is at last released from pain, and all is right with the world!

----- 
Read about Laurel Duran on our Meet the Team page; 
http://www.Life-Choices.com/team.html

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Section 2 
                    Pounds and Predators 
                     by Danielle Carrie

Weight is an issue that affects a large majority of the 
population. With all the hype these days on looking good 
and being thin even people with mild or no weight problems 
are soon starving themselves to keep up to societies standards, 
or so it seems.  

Women, have been used as a pawn in the weight loss game 
for years.  Society plays on the role of the 'ideal' woman 
being slender and fragile.  It is more acceptable in this day 
and age for a man to be overweight then it is for a woman.  

It is time to stop!

I am not going to say that there are ANY quick fixes to 
weight loss. If I did, I would be one of "them".  I will 
however, try to show you that the solution lies within 
the problem, which in this case.  The solution is you!

You are your own best friend when dealing with weight 
loss and you are also your own worst enemy.

"Lose 10 pounds in 3 days", "lose all the weight you want 
for only 1 dollar per pound", "never crave food again".  
These are just some of the catchy ads you see, surfing the 
web, watching TV or reading through magazines.  I guess 
the real question is... do you believe in magic?  

Well of course you do, this is how the weight loss industry 
generates such a high revenue. With such a sensitive issue, 
people dream of a quick fix that will take away the 
problem and deal with itself,  by itself.  Leaving you 
stress and worry free. I hate to be the bearer of bad news , 
but this method does not work and also not very safe.

For example, how safe do you think it is to NEVER crave 
food again. Food is not always the problem and cutting 
your main source of energy that is needed to live an active 
and healthy life is not a reasonable weight loss solution.      

Think of it this way,  if  weight gain happens naturally 
then natural weight loss is a logical solution to loosing 
weight.  It is not filled with gimmicks and pills which 
just end up leaving you broke in the end, and its success 
comes from you and only you.  You have control over 
your own weight problem.  It is up to you to get involved 
and find out the reason for your weight gain and find 
reasonable natural solutions to help lose the weight.  

It is possible.  Fill yourself with positive self talk and 
believe in you. Not a product or gimmick. You are your 
own solution. Remember, what goes up must come down.
Naturally!  

I welcome any comments or questions you have related to 
diet or weight loss mailto:research@life-choices.com and 
put "Diets Don't Work" in the subject heading.
----- 
Read about Laurel Duran on our Meet the Team page; 
http://www.Life-Choices.com/team.html

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Section 3 
                A Simple Explanation for SIDS (Crib Deaths) 
                              By Dr. Denton Davis. MD

I am a physician who has become convinced that the crib 
environment consisting of chemical compounds, mildew 
and mites is a real hazard. Since 1995, over 50,000 New 
Zealand babies have slept on mattresses, which have been 
protected by a Babesafe cover, without a single crib death. 
Statistically speaking this means 100 New Zealand babies 
didn't die from SIDS. 

A mother-to-be probably never gives much thought to the 
bassinet or crib mattress she is about to place her newborn 
on when she returns home from the hospital. After all, 
what was good for a prior child is probably good enough 
for the new baby. And besides, what could possibly be 
dangerous in a used mattress, anyway? The answer may 
be shocking to many mothers, as well as grandparents, 
nurses, midwives, and also doctors who have collectedly 
taken mattress safety for granted. This sense of security, 
however, may not be well founded for several reasons. 

First the material which is used in the mattress manufacturing 
process is most often polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The epidemic 
of sudden unexplained infant deaths appeared at approximately 
the same time that PVC was introduced and placed in and 
around baby mattresses. Chemical compounds were added 
to the PVC to soften, strengthen and to prevent fires. No 
one appears to have been concerned about the possibility 
that certain common forms of mildew would be able to 
digest these chemicals and release poisonous gases. 
Herein may lay the environmental mistake and the disaster 
we have sadly come to know as SIDS. 

Simple microorganisms consume large amounts of nitrogen. 
A baby's environment is rich in nitrogen containing 
chemicals, which are found in detergents and fabric 
softeners. Ammonia is an example of a gas, which is 
produced by microorganisms consuming nitrogen. 
Unfortunately, a common household mildew can form 
other gases from the other chemical elements found in 
PVC. These elements include phosphorus, arsenic and 
antimony. The gases of these elements are poisonous and 
may even become deadly, especially for an infant. Over 
time, all mattresses develop mildew. The fact that over a 
thousand babies died from the mildew generated gas of 
arsenic 100 years ago should have served as a warning. 
The gases of antimony and phosphorus resemble the gas 
of arsenic. Therefore, none of these chemicals should have 
been placed in crib mattresses. The likelihood of a crib 
mattress becoming contaminated and dangerous is 
extremely high. Sadly, no one appears to have paid much 
attention to mildew's potential harm until 1989. Barry 
Richardson, an English chemist and materials preservation 
expert, was asked if crib mattresses might be a cause of SIDS. 

A report surfaced from his laboratory that a danger could 
exist, if this interaction took place. His subsequent work 
confirmed that a mildew he identified in crib death 
mattresses could release the poisonous gases of 
phosphorus and antimony. Dr. Richardson recommended 
the removal of the dangerous elements, the back position 
for sleep, and a simple polyethylene cover to enclose the 
dangerous mattress if a new one could not be purchased. 
While Richardson was conducting his experiments, a 
friend named Peter Mitchell was analyzing SIDS data. 
He recognized a pattern he found very disturbing, because 
it appeared the risk of SIDS was not equal, for every baby. 
He found the risk of SIDS was twice as great for a second 
and still greater for a third or later child born to the same 
mother. He also noted a strong correlation of SIDS with 
mothers in lower socioeconomic circumstances, especially 
those mothers who were unmarried. Mitchell's work 
forced him to also conclude that used mattresses were the 
most important risk factor for SIDS, but his data, like 
Richardson's, has gone largely ignored by the medical 
community. Fortunately, the media, at least in England 
and New Zealand, made this information available to 
parents. 

The poisonous gas explanation became big news in the 
newspapers, and on television in these countries, because 
of the apparent link to SIDS. Simply covering older, 
previously used baby mattresses, with a thick non-porous, 
polyethylene material, which is free of phosphorus, 
arsenic, and antimony, would be protective. In New 
Zealand a polyethylene cover called Babesafe, was 
designed and developed in 1995 by a chemist, Dr. T. 
James Sprott. Since the introduction of this cover there 
have been no SIDS deaths in the last five years among 
those babies protected from their mattresses by a Babesafe. 
As an emergency physician, I believe in the old expression, 
"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I am 
currently recommending that no infant during the first 
year of life be placed upon any new or old, unprotected 
mattress made from PVC. In addition, I would recommend 
that all babies be placed on their backs upon mattresses 
protected with a polyethylene cover. 

In conclusion, Dr. Richardson and Dr. Sprott have made 
the recommendation to cover crib and bassinet mattresses 
containing these potentially harmful chemical and 
biological ingredients, or to entirely remove them from 
the manufacturing process. 

This makes excellent common sense and, in the process, 
can do NO harm. A simple heavy gauge cover, such has 
the Babesafe, has not been a cause of any other problem 
such as overheating or suffocation over the past five years. 
Therefore the choice becomes relatively simple: a mother 
can choose to continue to ignore the fact that they are 
placing their baby in a contaminated environment that has 
the possibility of creating dangerous gases, or she can 
choose a new mattress for each additional baby. If it is 
not possible to buy a chemical free mattress, a cover made 
similar to the Babesafe may be lifesaving.

---
Dr. D. Denton Davis, M.D. is an independent contractor to 
Associated Emergency Physicians (Richard Stennes, M.D.) 
for clinical work at Scripps and Paradise Valley Hospitals 
and to the Martha's Vineyard Hospital through Nolan and 
Nolan Physician Services, Orlando, Florida. I have 
organized, staffed, directed and provided clinical services
for numerous hospitals from 1971-1986, total clinical hours 
were 30,000. My hours each of the last eight years have 
averaged 2100/yr., primarily at Paradise Valley Hospital, 
which is an extremely busy facility with high acuity. 
Recently, the Scripps East County Hospital contract was 
taken over by EPMG San Francisco. I have worked as a 
locum tenens for EPMG. Also I have worked as a locum 
tenens for JJ&R Emergency Group in Marina Del Rey at 
Punta Gorda Hospital in Florida.
Website: http://www.criblife2000.com

*********************************************** 

Section 4.
                            Jet Lag Syndrome

Time zone change (jet lag) syndrome consists of varying 
degrees of difficulties in initiating or maintaining sleep, 
excessive sleepiness, decrements in subjective daytime 
alertness and performance, and somatic symptoms (largely 
related to gastrointestinal function) following rapid travel 
across multiple time zones. The severity and duration of 
the symptoms vary considerably, depending on the number 
of time zones crossed, the direction (east or west) of the 
travel, the timing of takeoff and arrival, and individual 
susceptibility. The sleep-wake disturbances generally 
abate after two to three days in the arrival location. 
Symptoms are often associated with, but are not entirely 
dependent upon, sleep deprivation. Symptoms typically 
last longer following eastward flights. Adaptation of the 
timing of physiologic functions other than sleep and 
waking may take eight or more days. Individuals who 
routinely travel back and forth across time zones (e.g., 
airline flight personnel, diplomats, multinational 
corporation executives) may experience chronic symptoms 
of sleep disturbance, daytime malaise, irritability, and 
performance impairment similar to those experienced by 
shift workers.

---
Resource: 
American Academy of Sleep Medicine 
http://www.assmnet.org
***********************************************
Section 5.

Dear Garlic, 
My best friend has 10 cats, they are her babies !! 
Whenever I visit they are everywhere, on the table 
when we eat, on my head!! 
I go home covered in Cat hair, ugh! 
Help... how can I tell her I don't like being 
covered in Cat hair or having those darn cats 
at the dinner table, without hurting her feelings? 
Signed : Furry and Fed up!

Dear Furry and Fed up!
I understand how annoying this could be.  First of all,
unless your friend lives on a farm I am not to sure how legal 
it is to have that many cats in one house. However, that is 
beside the point.
I suggest you take control when you are there. Put the kittens
back on the floor when they jump up on the kitchen table. 
Let them know who is boss. It is simple, what would you 
do if a person walked across the dinner table? You'd say
 "Get Down!"  Don't feel ashamed. It is a completely
natural reaction.  Take the opportunity to explain to the 
cats how rude and impolite it is to do that. Maybe your 
friend will clue in.
 
***************************************** 
Like to talk to Garlic? Yes, men are welcome too: 
put "Dear Garlic" in Subject line. We can talk about 
*Note that the Dear Garlic segment of Your Life-Your Choice 
is for entertainment purposes only. The advice is intended 
to tickle your funny bone so put your Sense of Humor hat 
on and let's take a look at the "lighter side" of life. 
After all, LAUGHTER is supposed to be the BEST medicine.

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