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Part 2 of my interview.

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Here’s an interview that I did talking about environmental toxins.  Part 1 of 2.

www.facebook.com/velocitywellnesscenter
www.twitter.com/drmikeo
Subscribe to PODCAST in iTunes

The wild fires in California has been a real tragedy for many.  Many have lost their homes, precious memories and their spirits.  My thoughts are with you.

A patient recently came in who was in the middle of the fires and complained of difficulty breathing.  The fires were literally a mile or so away from her home.  Her garage was covered with ash and soot.  Her house and car smelt like smoke.  If her home was covered in ash and soot, just imagine what she was breathing in.

I live about 20 miles away from some of the fires and it affected my breathing.  I can’t imagine what it would be like if I lived closer.  One of the first things that comes to mind regarding these fires are the chemicals released into the air from the burned homes.  Even more significant are the chemicals used in the fire retardants that are dropped from planes.

“It’s fairly well known that it’s toxic to aquatic organisms, to fish,” said Sue Husari, the fire management officer for the Pacific West region of the National Park Service. “In a lot of cases, we prefer to limit its use, but it’s definitely one of the tools we use.”

The use of the most common type of retardant, a fertilizer-like, phosphate-based compound, can vary by state or by who oversees the land where a fire is spreading. Among federal agencies, the Park Service is relatively cautious with retardant because part of its mission is to protect natural and cultural resources for public use. The State of California, however, has the largest aviation fire operation of any state and uses retardant aggressively not only to contain fires — retardant’s intended purpose — but also to try to extinguish them before they reach populated areas.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/us/16wildfires.html?ref=earth Read the rest of this entry »

Roughly 25% of the 700,000 soldiers who have served in the Gulf War suffer from a myriad of symptoms termed “gulf war syndrome.”  I’ve personally seen a handful of veterans who suffer from this syndrome in my practice and they all present with similar symptoms of fatigue, joint pains, digestive disturbances, skin rashes and really bad headaches.  The government typically takes the stance that the symptoms these veterans are having are not linked to toxic exposure in the gulf war.  But recently a congressional research committee has published a report saying that “gulf war syndrome” is definitely linked to toxic chemical exposure while serving in the war. (See the report)

Ask any veteran suffering from the syndrome and they’ll say “duh?” Read the rest of this entry »

I recently did a podcast interview with “Cravings Coach” Diana Walker on the subject of Environmental toxins, which is something that I’m really passionate about.  Environmental toxins are not limited to the industrial waste products, but can also come from everyday household items such as the plastics we use for food storage and the water we use to take a shower.

Listen to the podcast here.

Again, thank you Diana for giving me the opportunity to share my passion with your listener audience.