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Teenage Orthodontics July 2007

Hands up if you had teeth extracted as a teenager?

I know I was about 11 when the dentist my Mum worked for attacked me with a huge set of pliers and pulled out 3 of my premolars. I guess I should be grateful I didn't lose all four, as was common at the time.

The extraction of healthy teeth became almost routine and although it happens less now, it still happens. We have come to believe in the myth that God put too many teeth in our mouth and it is our dentist's job to put right God's mistake. Hundreds of thousands of children have had perfectly healthy teeth pulled out and the rest of their teeth pulled together with braces.

This fallacy can promote a dangerous and unnecessary attack on their health.

Many enlightened dentists now believe that there are just the right number of teeth in your mouth, but sometimes there is not enough room for them because the bones of the maxilla and mandible did not develop sufficiently.

The work of Weston A. Price shows how modern refined and processed foods like flour and sugar affects the development of the jaw bones. Not only do people on primitive, unrefined diets have almost no decay in their teeth, they also have almost perfect bone development and no crowding of their teeth. Decay and crowding become common in the children of mothers who eat modern diets.

The same enlightened dentists tend to use non-extraction orthodontics to straighten teeth. They use appliances in the mouth that gently squeeze the bones apart, allowing room for the natural teeth to come through.

Treatment typically starts earlier than for traditional orthodontics. We are currently having this treatment for our daughter Alice, who is 8. My dentist tells me he treated his son at the age of 6. Even if your child is older, you can still have the orthopaedic (as opposed to orthodontic) approach.

Why should you try to preserve teeth?

First of all for cosmetic reasons. Extracting teeth can reduce the profile of the mouth and jaw, although controlled experiments seem to indicate that the differences is not noticeable in 80% of cases (pity if you're in the 20%?).

Secondly, the shape of the bite can influence the shape of the spine. In the 1970's a dentist named Harold Gelb published a book containing X-rays showing the correction of scoliosis with dental treatment. The alignment of the neck is dependent on the alignment of the teeth. To verify this, all you have to do is tap your teeth together with your head in its normal position and again while looking at the ceiling. You will feel how your teeth meet differently. If you change the alignment of the teeth, you will change the alignment of the vertebrae in the neck and if you change the neck vertebrae, you will change every vertebra.

The third, and in my mind, the most important reason is because the periodontal membranes that hold the teeth in their sockets, provide constant brain stimulation. Our brain only works by processing incoming information. If you lose a percentage of incoming information, your outgoing information will be less and you will lose overall strength.

If you know someone with extraordinary strength, ask to look at their teeth. You usually find a full set. This does not mean that everyone with a full set is strong, since there are many reasons why they might still be sick, but their potential to be strong is there.

So feed your kids good food, avoid doctors and drugs, don't let dentists put mercury in their mouth and if your children's teeth are crowding, find a dentist who practices orthopaedic (non-extraction) orthodontics.

Anna Baker, one of our Homeopaths, talks about the problems of Hayfever.

Every spring hay fever comes along to remind some of us that we have a bit of an allergy problem. It's difficult to escape the pollen, especially in this rural area and some people really suffer just when they want to be out and about as the weather's getting better.

The usual approaches to this are over the counter antihistamines to stop the body reacting to the irritation the pollen causes or more radical desensitization treatments to try for a long-term solution.

Confession - I've never had to try this because I don't suffer from hay fever, but my understanding is that some of these medicines can cause side effects such as drowsiness and that, to a homoeopath, means that something else is going on in your system that you don't want.

What if all you do want is to get rid of any or all of these classic symptoms: runny nose, sore nostrils, watery or sore eyes, sneezing, itchy palate or throat, nasal congestion, perhaps even asthmatic breathing? You might be losing your appetite because you can't taste anything or losing sleep at night because you're too congested to breathe through your nose. Your body is trying to tell you that your immune system is a little bit disordered but that's not a lot of help when you're reaching for another tissue.

Homoeopathy has a lot to offer hay fever sufferers.

Firstly, all homoeopaths want to know all about your own hay fever symptoms. What exactly happens, when and what does it feel like? This is because we have many remedies for hay fever, colds, sinusitis, rhinitis and various allergies. We match and cross reference each individual symptom and sensation to narrow it down to the named remedy that best matches your personal hay fever.

Some of these remedies (for instance Arsenicum Album, Natrum Muriaticum, Nux Vomica and Pulsatilla) are available over the counter and, if you like, you can buy home reference books and treat yourself. You stand every chance of getting a good result - removing or reducing your hay fever for the season - because sometimes homoeopathy is as simple as that. This is safe and cost-effective to try as at this level there's virtually no chance of making it worse. However, if you choose the wrong remedy nothing will happen at all as it has to match to work. Sometimes it is a bit more subtle than that!

The other main thing that we can offer is time. Even if you only want to get your hay fever better I still want to see you for at least an hour for the first appointment. This is because finding out anything else that's going on and what's on your mind puts the hay fever in context and points me in the right direction to try for homoeopathy's greatest strength - improving your immune system so that you won't get such strong symptoms next year, or even stopping the hay fever coming back altogether. This is called constitutional prescribing but the principle is the same - I cross reference what makes you you and choose one of hundreds of time-honoured remedies to make you feel as good as possible in whatever area needs to be tackled.

Lastly, homoeopathy is good for all ages and levels of existing health. Whatever else is going on I should be able to adjust your treatment to suit your energy, symptoms and lifestyle to maximise your total health as best I can.

Your hay fever might just be the beginning!

Back in February I talked about the hazards of Compact fluorescent lighting. If anyone is still not convinced, ask me to turn on the set in my treatment room above the couch which I use to demonstrate the effects.

Well it turns out the problem is much worse than I thought. Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury vapour which will create an environmental hazard when they are disposed and could create a personal health hazard if they are broken in your home. I urge you to have a good look at this article: http://www.newstarget.com/021907.html

Be SunSmart this year but get all the vitamin D you can.

Although you need as much sun exposure as you can get, you don't want to burn.

You also don't want to be putting carcinogenic and toxic chemicals on your skin.

So be careful what you buy.

We are stocking a good all-round natural brand from Lavera.

Don't forget to include plenty of calcium-rich foods in your diet like oily fish, green vegetables and eggs (NOT ICE-CREAM, YOGURT, MILK AND CHOCOLATE) else you could still burn as the newly-formed vitamin D runs out of calcium to work with and leaves your skin suffering. If in doubt, add phytofood calcium from www.cytoplan.co.uk just to make sure.

From The sublime to the ridiculous department:

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.

Nobody in the game of football should be called a genius. A genius is somebody like Norman Einstein.

Joe Theismann, Former Quarterback

Great talking to you. Thanks for being part of Naturality. If you have any stories you would like to share or ideas for the newsletter, please drop me a line.

Whatever you're doing over Summer, have a great time doing it. Stay safe and stay healthy.

Simon King and the team at Naturality.

From the first of August, Simon King's Initial Consultation fee is rising to £120 and follow-up treatments are increasing to £60. Actually, the hourly rate is staying the same but we are allocating more time in the early stages of treatment. The good news is that existing client visits will stay at £30.00. So if you know ANYONE who has been thinking about coming to see Simon but hasn't done so yet, tell them to get on the phone NOW and book an appointment before August 1st.

Did you know that regular checkup visits can be even cheaper? Take a look here.

Raw Cacao Nibs

Jane's treat for Summer

Raw cacao nibs (or raw cocoa nibs) are absolutely, amazingly delicious. Whether you prefer to call them cacao nibs or cocoa nibs, the bottom line is that they are chocolate at its most pure.

(According to Ghirardelli, "historically, "cacao" and "cocoa" were used interchangeably since "cocoa" is easier to understand. However, technically, "cocoa" should be used in reference to powder products, while "cacao" should be used when referring to the bean".)

And they are so good for you!

The Yale-New Haven hospital says that "Over 300 naturally occurring chemicals are found in chocolate. In a study conducted by Andrew Waterhouse, chocolate was found to have potent antioxidants," and USA Today explains that medical research has revealed that "chocolate is rich in cell-protecting antioxidants", that the antioxidants in chocolate "help block chemical changes in bad LDL cholesterol that lead to clogged arteries," and "act like aspirin to reduce blood platelet stickiness and thus the clotting that triggers heart attacks and strokes

In any event, raw cacao nibs (or cocoa nibs) are an absolute treat. Crunchy, chocolatey, and not at all bitter like baking chocolate (although not sweet either - they are just perfect!) they can be eaten plain, mixed into recipes, sprinkled over fruit or ice cream, or just eaten with nuts and dried fruits by the handful!

You can mix them into pretty much any sweet (or indeed some savoury!) recipes. Leave them 'whole' for some crunch, or mix them in with other ingredients in your food processor or Vitamix to grind them up.

They are wonderful added in to smoothies and nut-based drinks, and divine mixed into home-made ice creams.

Banana Split in a Glass

This raw food drink is delicious, and sweet, and yummy, and so good for you!

1 banana
1-2 Tablespoons raw almond butter
1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs
1/2 to 1 cup filtered water
3 ice cubes

Combine the banana, the raw almond butter, the raw cacao nibs and the water in a blender and process until smooth. Add the ice cubes and process another 20 seconds until smooth.

Use more or less almond butter, and water, according to taste.

Raw cacao nibs are available at Cook's Delight in Berkhamsted or via the internet.

Don't let hay fever get you down - homoeopathy can really help!

Sun Safe

From The sublime to the ridiculous department:

Banana Split in a Glass