We all know about the importance of minimum daily requirements for vitamins in our diets, but what about minerals?  Did you know that minerals are actually more important for maintaining a properly functioning body?  Shockingly, according to the National Institutes of Health, up to 80% of us are mineral deficient!

Minerals are necessary for many of the body’s processes, such as energy production, bone, teeth and blood formation, the transmission of nerve impulses and enzyme production.  Some minerals are more essential than others, and there are some about which little is known concerning daily-recommended intake. Known as trace minerals, or trace elements, deficiencies in these minerals have been linked to specific diseases including cancer, believed to be related to a selenium deficiency.

Much of the food we eat is grown in soil that has been stripped of its mineral content. Although trace minerals are naturally found in topsoil, flooding and over-irrigation, along with poor crop rotation, have eroded topsoil, affecting the mineral content of our foods.

Source: The Science of Health Index

The overuse of prescription drugs is another cause of mineral deficiency. Many antibiotics and over-the-counter pain preparations interfere with mineral absorption. Diuretics rid the body of potassium and magnesium. Sleeping pills lower the levels of calcium and magnesium in the blood. Since minerals are vital for normal immune system functioning, the use of mineral-depleting drugs has a direct affect on your health and your body’s ability to fight disease.

Aside from making sure you’re getting an adequate supply of minerals, either through the foods you eat or through good quality supplementation, obtaining regular chiropractic care can help you to stay healthy by ensuring that every system of your body (controlled by your nervous system) is functioning at its optimal level.

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

Do you love pizza! What’s not to love? It’s cheesy, crispy, and savory, a customizable food staple that can be tailored to anyone’s tastes.  From plain to gourmet, breakfast to dinner, pizza is where it’s at!  Unfortunately, after adopting a lower carbohydrate, gluten-free and grain-free diet several years ago, I assumed my pizza days were long over.  In moments of desperation I’d attempt to reproduce the classic pizza flavor by combining sauce, cheese, and various toppings in a bowl.  Not surprisingly, it tasted exactly like what it was…toppings in a bowl.  I learned never to underestimate the flavor and texture a good crust adds to the magical pizza equation.  Gluten-free pizza crusts (either grocery bought or homemade) weren’t the answer either, they don’t contain gluten but are still chocked full of inflammatory grains and carbohydrates that pack a higher glycemic punch than conventional gluten-rich crusts.  Just as I thought my pizza world was through, the heavens shined upon me, angels sang, and a gift from above made it’s way onto my computer screen…the recipe to cauliflower pizza crust, a gluten-free, grain-free, low carbohydrate pizza crust made from chopped and steamed cauliflower, egg, cheese, and spices.   I was skeptical.  Sure it looked like pizza, but what did it taste like?  There was only one way to find out…onward to the kitchen!  I must say it was love at first bite and was everything I needed it to be.  Cheesy? Check. Crispy? Check. Foldable? Check.  While not as “pizza-y” as delivery this pizza was pretty darn close. Don’t believe me? You may just have to try it for yourself!

Cauliflower pizza crust

Ingredients & tools per crust:

• 1 cup cauliflower
• 1 cup cheese (mozzarella works well)
• 1 egg
• herbs and spices of your choice (I prefer garlic powder, onion powder, chopped green onion, salt, and pepper)
• tomato sauce (if desired)
• toppings of your choice (if using a meat topping, cook before topping the pizza crust)
• parchment paper
• baking sheet

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, line baking sheet with parchment paper (the key to a crisp crust)
2. Start with a well rinsed and dried head of cauliflower chopped into florets (a defrosted bag of florets works too).
3. Add florets to a food processor and chop until fine.
4. Add 1 cup of finely chopped cauliflower to a microwave safe dish with a lid, cover, and microwave cauliflower for 5-7 minutes to steam.                                                                                                                                                                                              
5. Combine 1 cup finely chopped and steamed cauliflower, 1 cup shredded cheese of choice, 1 egg, and desired herbs and spices.  Mix well and spoon onto parchment paper covered baking sheet.  To achieve a crisp crust, spread mixture as thin as possible.
6. Bake thinned crust mixture at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown and remove from oven.
7. Add desired toppings (only a sprinkle of cheese topping is needed as the crust is very cheesy) and place pizza on top oven rack directly under the broiler.  Broil until toppings are crisp and the sprinkle of cheese topping is bubbly.
   

   Half roasted red pepper and green onion and half classic marinara, mozzarella, and pepperoni

   Voila! A gluten-free, grain-free, low carbohydrate pizza that is cheesy, crisp, and satisfies any pizza craving!

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

Tired of the same old failed resolutions year after year?   Did you vow to lose weight, get into shape, eat nothing but healthy foods, run a marathon, go to the gym 7 days a week, and get a new job all while being stress and debt free?

According to www.usa.gov, America’s top New Year’s resolutions are to:

1. Drink less alcohol
2. Eat healthy food
3. Get fit
4. Lose weight
5. Manage stress
6. Quit smoking
7. Manage debt
8. Save money
9. Get a better education
10. Get a better job
11. Reduce, reuse, and recycle
12. Take a trip
13. Volunteer to help others

Have you made a popular resolution, or maybe even two, three, or four of them?  It’s easy to jot down all of your hopes and dreams on a piece of paper in December and promise the new year will bring a new you.  What’s not as easy is staring blankly at that same list in January, attempting to turn those dreams into reality.

Achieving results may be as simple as first discovering what it is you truly desire, breaking down goals into more manageable ones, and taking smaller steps that eventually add up to big changes.

If you have no specific goal in mind but would like to improve your life in general, first ask yourself what you truly want out of your life this year.  Are there facets you’d like to add or eliminate?  If your resolution or general desire is to manage stress, ask yourself what adds stress to your every day life? Write down every aspect of your daily life that creates stress or anxiety to bring to light exactly what can be changed. Does your morning commute stress you out? Do you really hate rushing to work, worrying whether or not you’ll make it there on time? To reduce commuting stress, you may choose to go to bed and wake up 10 – 20 minutes earlier, set out your clothes and make breakfast the night before to eliminate rushing in the morning. It may take getting used to but if your ultimate goal is to eliminate stress, every bit helps.

Do you wish to lose weight? Dissect that vague desire down to discover what you truly want to achieve with that goal. Is your true desire to fit into a certain clothing size? Elevate your self esteem? Feel more energized?  Be healthier? All of the above? Remind yourself of your true goal and to achieve it, set smaller ones and complete them one at a time. The seemingly impossible target of  losing 50 pounds becomes easier  by breaking it down into 5 pound increments.

Do you wish to eat healthier? Pick one meal per day and revamp it. Is your breakfast generally a cup of coffee with cream and sugar and a bagel to go? Does that routine meal send you on a blood glucose/insulin roller coaster, leaving you tired and irritable, causing you to continue to make poor meal choices for the rest of the day? Opt instead for a low sugar protein shake to start your day. Add unsweetened coconut milk instead water or cow’s milk for satiation, easy digestion, and for a good source of medium chain fatty acids like lauric acid and capric acid which are anti-viral, anti-microbial, and used as energy instead of stored as fat. Small changes can make a big difference, even adding one serving of vegetables per meal enhances your overall health.

Whatever your goals may be for the new year, if you can dream it, you can achieve it! Discover what you truly desire, create mini goals, and take one step at a time. You have the power!

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

Happy 2012! 

We’ve all heard this may be our last year on earth with a projected “Dooms Day” of December 21, 2012.  To all skeptics and apocalypse believers alike, I propose a challenge: Let’s live 2012 like it is the last year we’ll ever experience!

While overhearing a conversation concerning our “impending doom”, a moment of sweet coincidence occurred as the song, “Live Like You Were Dying,” by Tim McGraw began to play on the radio.  If you aren’t familiar with the song it is about a man facing a health challenge that may bring forth his demise.  He tells another how it changed his view of life and led him to take risks and freely experience adventures like sky diving, mountain climbing, and bull riding, living the rest of the life he had being a better husband and friend, loving others deeply, speaking kindly, and forgiving.  He tells the other, “Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.”

The world may not end in a few months, but why not live as though it will?  Now is the time for all of us to live our lives as if we were dying.  This is our time to seize every opportunity, cross adventures off of our Bucket Lists, love truly and deeply, help one another, speak kindly and lovingly, be the partners, parents, children, siblings, and friends we’ve always wished to be.  Let’s not wait until our true last year on earth to fully experience our lives.  It’s never too late to live like we were dying.

There is no doubt about it, pasta is delicious. Nothing satisfies on a chilly night like a warm plate of spaghetti or fettuccine. As yummy as it is, pasta also has the potential to wreak havoc on our waistlines, sending blood glucose levels soaring and triggering an inflammatory response that leave many of us feeling tired and bloated.

If you’re sensitive to gluten, following a grain-free diet Paleolithic diet, living the low carb life, cutting calories, or simply want to enjoy a plate of pasta without falling asleep at the table in food-induced coma, then boy do I have a recipe for you!

Zucchini pasta!

Trust me, it is much more palette pleasing than it sounds. This effortless recipe utilizes strips of zucchini as pasta noodles to create a delectable, filling, and healthy alternative to nutrient-poor conventional pasta.

Step 1. Select a zucchini (1 whole zucchini for every 2 people, or 1 per person if you enjoy larger portions) and a vegetable peeler.

Step 2. Peel zucchini lengthwise into strips.

Step 3. Stack strips on top of one another and slice into ribbons.

Step 4. Separate ribbons of zucchini (C’mon admit it, it’s starting to look like pasta!)

Step 5. Place separated zucchini ribbons into a heated skillet along with olive oil and seasonings of your choice.  Saute the ribbons until they are the texture you enjoy your pasta, either al dente or soft.

Step 6. Add your favorite sauce, top with a good source of protein (and if you’re feeling fancy, a garnish as well) and enjoy!

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

Labor Day has passed, summer is (unofficially) over, and once again it is time to send the kids back to school (Woo!).  A new school year is a great opportunity to implement positive changes like revamping your children’s school lunches. In order to ensure optimal nutrition for growth, development, and energy, packing your child’s lunches may be a necessity.

Packing lunches does not have to be a chore if you plan and prepare ahead of time. Talk to your children about foods that are nourishing and foods that are not so good for their growing bodies. Create a list of healthful and real foods you recommend for them and allow them to choose the foods they prefer from that list. NaturalNews.com recommends putting food choices into a context that kids can understand, like a traffic light model.  

Traffic Light Model of Food Choices

Green light foods are good for you and you can eat them more freely. Green light foods are nutrient dense like vegetables, fruits, nuts, and organic meats and dairy.

Yellow light foods are those you should limit consumption like whole grains (which are a better choice than white grains but still not nutrient dense and healthful one), desserts, white flour products, and juice (even 100% juice is sugar water, whole pieces of fruit are a better option).

Red light foods are foods kids should not eat like corn syrup, artificial sugars like aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet n Lo), and sucralose (Splenda), caffeinated beverages, and foods with artificial colors and flavors.

After a list has been created, stick to it when grocery shopping to avoid impulse purchases. Once your menus have been planned and the food has been purchased, make preparation for school lunches a family event! Gather your children in the kitchen and prepare lunches for the week together. They will be more apt to enjoy their lunches if they took part in creating them.

Healthy lunch blogs and recipe resources:

http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/01/31/food-for-kids-what-to-pack-for-lunch-quick-breakfast-and-more/

http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/09/11/school-lunch-and-a-trader-joes-find/

Another thing to keep in mind when packing a lunch for your child is the container the lunch is carried in.  Beware of plastic lunch boxes and containers that may contain BPA (bisphenol-A), a synthetic estrogen that contributes to hormone disruption and may be cancer-causing.  The vinyl lining of soft lunch boxes and lunch bags often contains lead. Seek out a BPA and lead-free tag on the bag to ensure that the food in your child’s lunch is not exposed to these toxins. Legal action was taken by the FDA and the Center for Environmental Health against lunch box manufacturers, but some of these may still contain toxins. Nylon, polypropelyne or cloth are safer materials that are also easy to clean as well! 

Source for BPA and lead-free lunch bags:

http://amomsblog.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/bpa-pvc-and-lead-free-lunch-boxes-for-back-to-school/

Best wishes for a happy and healthy school year!

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

What Exactly Is Chiropractic?!

When we meet someone new, we’re often asked what we do for a living.  I love being asked this question because the responses I receive when I tell them I’m a chiropractor are so varied, unpredictable, and nearly always filled with curiosity. When I was growing up, there never seemed to be anything mysterious about chiropractic.  In a household with an ER nurse mother who spends 12 hour shifts on her feet jumping from one emergency to the other and a contracting firm owner father who’s work ethic is unparalleled, chiropractic care was an integral part of our normal lives just to keep the family moving. To those who are relatively unfamiliar with chiropractic, I will explain exactly what it is and how and why it works!

So what is chiropractic?

According to the American Chiropractic Association, the formal definition of chiropractic is “a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health.”

Correct! …but what does that exactly mean?

Let’s break it down.

Chiropractic is a health care profession and chiropractors or chiropractic physicians are doctors who completed a 4 year bachelors degree and an additional 4 year doctorate degree.

Chiropractors …”focus on disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health.”

but how?

To sum up how chiropractors focus on disorders of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, and the effects on these disorders on general health, we have to talk about subluxations.  Chiropractors manage vertebral subluxation complexes, most often referred to as subluxations for short. Subluxations are simply spinal joints that are restricted and not moving or functioning as they should.  This joint dysfunction causes spinal motion to be restricted or completely lost in some places and possibly exaggerated in others to compensate for the lack of motion in another area. Abnormal motion of a segment also creates mechanical stress which accelerates wear and tear on the surrounding spinal muscles, ligaments, discs, joints, and other spinal tissues.  When this abnormal motion occurs, the nerve function in that area is compromised and communication between the brain and the cells, tissues, muscles and organs that nerve supplies (and vice versa) is less effective.

Considering the body is a self functioning, self healing organism ruled by the nervous system, great communication between the brain and every cell in your body is necessary!  When this communication is diminished, abnormalities in the function of the corresponding cells, tissues, muscles, and organs result.  Muscles might weaken, spasm, and develop tender points and scar tissue. Spinal joint capsules, ligaments, and surrounding tissue may become inflamed, restricted, or stretched.  Over time, degeneration of spinal joints, discs, and bones could break down spinal integrity and function.

Pop quiz time!

Have you noticed a reoccurring word?

It’s the take home lesson, the main idea, the key part of chiropractic! That word is…FUNCTION! Chiropractic isn’t about neck pain, back pain, or headaches, those are simply symptoms of dysfunction. Chiropractic is about function!  By restoring joint motion through specific skilled spinal adjustments, you restore joint function! By restoring joint motion and function, you restore nervous system function! By restoring nervous system function, every cell, tissue, muscle, and organ supplied by that nerve gets the proper signal from the brain to do its job and your body functions exactly as it’s supposed to!

That is the true power of chiropractic!

How do you know if your spine is subluxated? Stiffness, tight muscles, decreased range of motion, postural distortions (Do you have one shoulder higher than the other? Does your head tilt to one side? Are your hips level?), low energy, and poor overall health may be indicators of altered joint and nerve dysfunction.

Other signals like pain are not a good indicator of subluxation because your brain only perceives pain when sensory nerves are fired above a certain threshold and generally subside well before tissue healing and mechanical normalization has completed. The very best way to determine if you are subluxated is by specific chiropractic analysis.

Every new patient in my office receives a comprehensive examination that includes orthopedic, neurological, and chiropractic testing to determine the cause of their health problems, detect vertebral subluxation, and to see if chiropractic care is right for them. If I can help you I’ll let you know, and if it can’t, I’ll let you know that too!

Who needs to be checked for subluxations? Everyone with a spine!

Who do you know that should to be checked for subluxations?

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

I will admit it, I am an apple cider vinegar junkie. To be more specific, I am an organic raw unfiltered unpasteurized apple cider vinegar junkie. There are few other natural products that serve so many diverse purposes.  For centuries people have been using natural apple cider vinegar as both a food and a medicine.  You can drink it, eat it, gargle it, and even bathe with it! Different from the refined and distilled vinegars usually found in supermarkets, natural apple cider vinegar is made from crushed organically grown apples matured in wooden barrels, boosting its natural fermentation qualities. Natural apple cider vinegar contains nutrients, enzymes, and acids that offer impressive health benefits.

Need an energy boost? To jump start your day, drink one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (ACV) every morning.  It’s recommended to mix 1-2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of ACV with 8oz of water and sip throughout the morning. If you find that tolerable, more power to you! Unfortunately, as much as I love ACV, I dislike the taste of it, heck I don’t even care for the smell of it!  I’ve never been a fan of the sour and tangy flavor of vinegar so in order to get my daily dose of ACV, I have to revert to my college days and down it quickly from a shot glass followed with a glass of water as a chaser. It may not taste pleasant but it boosts my energy and gets me ready for the day!

Feeling bloated? Apple cider vinegar helps with that too!  One shot of ACV and water and the bloat is gone almost instantly.

Want clearer skin? To keep skin fresh, clean and glowing, mix 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup warm water and cleanse your face using the mixture and a washcloth. It removes makeup, diminishes blackheads, shrinks pores, and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth.

Have a sore throat? Mix 2 tablespoons ACV with 1 cup warm water. Drink 1 tablespoon of the mixture then gargle with another full tablespoon of the mixture once per hour, every hour. Miraculously, most sore throats will disappear within a day or two.

Need a quick and healthy salad dressing or marinade? Mix 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar with 2/3 cup cold pressed olive oil, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper and voila! A quick and tasty vinaigrette!

For only a few dollars a bottle, this cloudy amber hued concoction of pure goodness and versatility offers a great bang for your buck! I recommend using Bragg brand organic raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the “mother”.  Why? Not because they’re paying me (although if they were I’d gladly except payment in the form of more vinegar, it’s worth its weight in gold!) but Bragg is all I’ve ever used and have never found any reason to switch.

According to the handy locator on their website http://bragg.com/reseller/retailerlist/locator_entrypage.html, Bragg apple cider vinegar is available in many Price Choppers, Hannafords, GNCs, and health food stores in the Capital Region. Give it a try and see for yourself how apple cider vinegar can help you!

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

This past weekend I had the privilege of returning to my former graduate school to attend several continuing education seminars.  Sitting in that familiar lecture hall where I have spent literally thousands of hours, I was reminded of a simple lesson learned there that was never formally tested upon, but was so crucial to our development not only has students and healthcare providers, but as human beings.  Several years before, in that same lecture hall, one of our beloved professors, Dr. Maggie Finn, was joyfully demonstrating how to conduct a proper patient history when she paused, her jovial demeanor suddenly becoming solemn as she pronounced, “…and always remember to treat everyone you meet as if they have a secret that would break your heart, because they probably do.”

Out of all the advice throughout the years, that lesson has resonated  with me tremendously.  We have no way of knowing exactly what challenges others are facing in their lives. No one carries a sign stating what issues they’re struggling with or have overcome in their past. If we treated others as if they had a secret that would break our hearts, would we be more kind?  Would we treat others more gently and with more respect?  Would we honor each one of those around us as vitally important to this world? It’s easy for us to become wrapped up in our daily lives and ignore those around us, but what if we were to take the time to acknowledge one another? What if we chose to start showing kindness to those we met throughout the day?  By showing simple kindness to others, this world might be a better place for all of us to live.

Small ways to show kindness to others

• Smile
• Say hello to someone in passing
• Send someone a written note of thanks
• Tell your friends and family members how much you appreciate them
• Hold the door for someone
• Give a genuine compliment
• Think of how your actions may affect someone else

I’m reminded of a quote by Ghandi, no doubt more famous than the words of Dr. Finn but equally as powerful, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Perhaps one day Dr. Finn’s words will resonate throughout the world as Ghandi’s have, causing a cascade of kindness, and as B. J. Palmer said, “You never know how far reaching something you may think, say, or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”  A little kindness shown today has the potential to change the tomorrow’s world.

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000

The bright summer season is finally here and the Capital Region is alive and bursting with color! The sun is radiant and golden in a brilliant azure sky, lush green leaves sway in the warm breeze, and the vibrant season has provided a beautiful array of produce. From rich green salad greens and bright pink watermelon to deep red heirloom tomatoes, our plates are alive with striking color. Eating naturally colorful foods not only nourish our bodies but are also highly visually appealing. The visual appeal of eating colorful foods has created the demand for manufactured food products that are as bright and eye-catching as the foods provided by nature. From soda and juice drinks to cereal and baked goods, 15 million pounds of artificial dyes are added to United States manufactured food products each year to make them more attractive to consumers. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, numerous studies have shown these synthetic dye additives contribute to hyperactivity in some children, allergic reactions, and even contain possible cancer-causing substances.

According to the Food Freedom Network, here are some of the most common food dyes used today.

Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue)

In baked goods, beverages, candy, cereal, drugs, and other products

Inadequate tests suggested a small cancer risk and an unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue #1 caused kidney tumors in mice.

Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine)

In beverages, candy, pet food, and other food and drugs.

The largest study suggested that it causes a statistically significant incidence of brain tumors (particularly brain gliomas) in male mice. Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration concluded that there is “reasonable certainty of no harm.”

Citrus Red #2

Colors the skin of Florida oranges

Studies indicated that it is toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors in the urinary bladder and possibly other organs.

Green #3 (Fast Green)

In beverages, candy, personal care products, cosmetic products, beverages, ice cream, sorbet, and drugs.

A 1981 industry-sponsored study showed significant increases bladder and teste tumors in laboratory animals.

Red #3 (Erythrosine)

In baked goods, candy, sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, and cherries in fruit cocktail.

The FDA recommendation that Red 3 be banned in the 1980′s based on evidence that it caused thyroid tumors in rats. In 1990, the FDA recognized Red #3 as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and it was banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs but it still being used in other products to this day.

Red #40 (Allura Red) * This is the most widely used and consumed dye.*

In candy, gelatin desserts, pastries, pet food, sausage, cereals, drugs, cosmetics, and soda.

An FDA review committee acknowledged that the most widely used food dye caused problems in mouse studies, but said that evidence of harm was not “consistent” or “substantial.” However it may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice, cause hypersensitivity and allergy-like reactions in some consumers, and trigger hyperactivity in children.

Yellow #5 (Tartrazine) *The second most widely used and consumed dye*

In baked goods, candy, gelatin desserts, beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and pet food.

The second most widely used coloring may cause severe hypersensitivity reactions (especially to those allergic to aspirin) and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children.

Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow) *The third most widely used and consumed dye*

In baked goods, beverages, candy, gelatin desserts, cereals, cosmetics, drugs, and sausage.

Industry-sponsored animal tests indicated that the third most widely used dye caused tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney. Small amounts of several carcinogens can contaminate Yellow 6. Even so, the FDA concluded that the coloring doesn’t endanger humans. Yellow 6 may also cause allergic reactions.

For a healthier and happier Capital Region, New York State, United States, and world, let’s choose to put down those electric blue “Blue Raspberry”  candy pieces and choose real raspberries instead. I don’t believe blue raspberries exist in nature (do they?) so we may have to “settle” for vibrant red deliciously juicy morsels of nature’s candy. Bummer.

Dr. Keri Hagenston is a chiropractor at East Greenbush Chiropractic in East Greenbush, NY. http://www.egchiro.com Appointments with Dr. Hagenston can be made by calling (518) 477-5000