PATH Family Center

Don't Miss PATH Family Center's Events: May 14 - May 20!

May 16

6:30 pm - Gluten Free/Casein Free Living Class

7:45 pm - Nutrition 101: Basic Clean Nutrition for Healing

8:30 pm - Spring Cleaning: Fermenting and Sprouting

We will be discussing techniques that can aid in healing. This class costs $25.

May 19

10 am - Picky Eater Workshop with Lisa Jiannetto

12 pm - 8 pm - PATH Family Center's Fundraiser for Epilepsy and PATH

Come join us at The Pour House in Bay Ridge for fun and to help raise money and awareness for PATH Family Center and epilepsy! Tickets are $20.?

May 20

10 am - (at Gabriel Pediatrics) Picky Eater Class with Rosie Johnston, Feeding Therapist

RSVP at (718) 833-2300.

For more information about autism and the benefits of nutritional interventions for individuals diagnosed with autism, visit PATH Family Center’s website or call us at (347) 682-2949. At PATH Family Center, we create a custom nutritional protocol with diet plans and integrative guides that begin the process of recovery, as well as offer educational guidance.

The Power of Juicing

By Elisa Moller, RN

I should have had a V8! Hindsight is 20/20 right?  (Of course the home made version with organic produce, not from a can or plastic bottle). The health benefits of juicing are numerous.  For parents like most of us that rarely think about ourselves due to the amazingly complicated, busy world we live in, juicing could provide just the right health benefit. When the sight and texture of a vegetable is enough to make our children gag juicing is especially important. With all the recent consumer reports about arsenic, lead and pesticides in fruit juices, juicing fruit is also a requirement if you continue to give your child fruit juice.  Don’t forget that smoothies are also a very good option for a busy life style. 

Practical Benefits

• Juicing will surely help you get your 6-8 servings of veggies per day- who gets that now?? Honestly??!
• Juiced produce is easier to digest; it’s “pre-digested”.
• Allows you to rotate your vegetables easier.
• Beneficial for alkalizing the body (veggies).
• You know what you are getting without additives
• You can make it entirely organic.
• For kids that have texture issues or only eat puree or baby food type consistencies juice is acceptable.
• You can’t replicate the benefits of juicing with supplements! The goal is to come off supplements and onto food.
• Using your juicer can allow you to enjoy further dishes like soups and even sorbets.
• Make big batches at one time and freeze if need be but use within 24 hours if not freezing for full benefits.

The Juicing Machine

There are many juicers on the market.  Most people don’t juice because they think it’s difficult.  But some tips to help are:

• Buy a medium priced juicer to start, the Jack LaLanne power juicer is reasonably priced for your first juicer and has a large chute so you don’t need to cut so much before you put the veggies in.
• Clean the blades right away after you juice.
• Use a tooth brush to clean the blades.
• Advance to a more sophisticated juicer once you get the hang of it!

What Vegetables to Use

• Don’t carb overload- do NOT use beets and carrots for the majority of the juice!
• Starting with organic celery cucumbers and lettuce will make for a lighter juice.  Or start with vegetables that you already like. Using the produce you currently enjoy will make the experience more pleasurable, especially for our picky eater children. 
• Add some stevia if need be for sweetness, add lemon or lime to cut the flavor of the more intense juices.  
• The addition of herbs, for example cilantro and parsley should be included once you are accustomed to juice. So, get into the routine of juicing before you add anything that may make you detox!
• Kale and dandelion are strong tasting and may need to wait a while J.  Add lemon or lime to help.
• Ginger is a nice addition to spice things up and is good for digestion. But may not work for your child initially.  Experiment on yourself!
• Add fats like avocado, coconut, ghee, olives- YUM!

The Importance to Health

So now we know it’s easy, practical and beneficial to juice. But the real importance of juicing is in the phytochemicals that are found in plant foods. Phytochemicals, biologically significant, are what provide the color to plants and vegetables as well as the organoleptic properties they possess.  They are powerful antioxidants, prevent damage to DNA, compete with excess hormones in the body, boost immune function, and help the body rid itself of carcinogens. Over 100,000 phytochemicals have been identified, the below are common types:

Allylic sulfides - protect against carcinogens, found in garlic, chives leeks.

Carotenoids - Antioxidants, protect against extra estrogen, found in parsley, carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, yams, cantaloupe, apricots, spinach, kale, citrus fruits.

Catechins - Boosts immune function, linked to improved gastrointestinal function, found in green tea and berries.

Flavinoids - enhances cardiovascular function, decreases platelet aggregation, blocks receptor sites for hormones involved in cancer promotion  found in parsley, carrots, citrus fruits, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, yams, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, berries, grapes.

Indoles - triggers the release of enzymes that block DNA damage and decrease the over activity of hormones in the body found in cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, turnips, and kale.

Lycopene - powerful antioxidant inhibits cell damage from carcinogens helps cardiovascular disease, and possibly diabetes found in tomatoes, watermelon and grapefruits.

At PATH Family Center, we create a custom nutritional protocol with diet plans and integrative guides that begin the process of recovery, as well as offer educational guidance.

Shades of Green: Lyme Disease Awareness

By: Leah Love Sosa

Irony: When a girl (me) who hates the outdoors goes on a hike for the one and only time in her entire life and comes home with a deer tick. Even more ironic that the particular tick (say that 5 times fast) was a carrier of Lyme disease and I didn’t discover it for at least 24 hours. I was clueless that a bacterium was introduced into my bloodstream that would change my life. 

I didn’t get sick after the tick, no flu like symptom, no lethargy, no rash that I can remember. So I was fine, right? Fast forward six years, right after the birth of my third son. I began exhibiting what I now believe were symptoms, but at the time thought were weird hormonal issues. Couldn’t stand being warm, I would get nauseated from being in the sun for just a few minutes. My limbs felt heavy and joint pain began. Some days I wouldn’t be able to turn my head at all because my neck pain was so bad. In the summer of 2007 things began to get weird. I was a dancer and in rehearsal my shoulder came out of its socket. Just from dancing. That wouldn’t have been such a big deal except that it began happening on a regular basis. Then my hips became unstable and my knees. I began the doctor-to-doctor hunt which seems to characterize these silent illnesses, and although damage was found in just about every area of pain, there was no explanation or diagnosis, just physical therapy and pain killers prescribed.

Lyme disease is one of the “silent” diseases, a fact for which I was very grateful. I’ve spoken to other Lyme sufferers who have a different opinion on this one, that it’s so exhausting to “look OK,” but be as sick as you can become. I agree that it brings with it many challenges, but the only one that truly bothered me is the lack of medical knowledge in healthcare professionals.  They don’t know what to do with a 23 year old girl who looks totally healthy and has no reason to have bursitis in her joints and widespread nerve damage. So they give the useless diagnosis of “fibromyalgia.” A lot of people even get sent for psychiatric help. Sure, it sounds crazy that one day your shoulder is killing you, and the next day it’s the knee on the opposite leg. But that’s how Lyme works. Attacking wherever it chooses.

Fast forward again another three years.. Thank God for the PATH team, because it was while working here that my coworkers suggested I get tested for Lyme to see if it could be the underlying cause of my osteopathic problems. My initial test came back “equivocal,” not positive, but then I had the Western Blot and was positive for 9 out of 14 bands of Lyme bacteria. The day in August 2010 when I got my diagnosis was actually one of the best days. It felt so good to have a name to put on what was wrong. Funnily, New York State only recognizes one particular band of Lyme, so the fact that I had 9 wasn’t helpful with insurance since I don’t have the ONE that NYS requires. This made insurance coverage a hassle!

Many know already, the story of how my sickness progressed and culminated in a very scary ordeal last year, but I am doing MUCH better now, and am trying a vitamin C protocol to kill the Lyme. Most use antibiotics as I did, but my Lyme is very advanced. I must use all resources. Getting back to Lyme being a silent disease, I’ve realized that there is a major downside. People don’t know about it. There is a serious lack of awareness. Even medical professionals are still learning just how devastating and debilitating this disease can be. I want people to know about it now! Knowledge is power. With knowledge of the dangers and what the symptoms can be, not only can you take charge of your health, you can also spread the word and take precautions. Make your own bug pray by combining citronella essential oil with a drop of tea tree and lemon oil in either a witch hazel or grapeseed oil base.   This season there have already been a lot of ticks out. PLEASE, dress yourself and your children appropriately for the outdoors and ALWAYS do a thorough check head to toe (and don’t forget they can embed themselves into your scalp!) when you come inside. Check your pets, as well. If Lyme is caught at the beginning it’s easily treatable. Chronic Lyme that’s taken its time festering in your blood, no one should have to deal with. Also remember that you are your own and your child’s best advocate.  Ask questions. Do research. Get a diagnosis! And please spread the word about safety and awareness. Have a happy and healthy spring! 

For more information about autism and the benefits of nutritional interventions for individuals diagnosed with autism, visit PATH Family Center’s website or call us at (347) 682-2949. 

Don't Miss PATH Family Center's Events: May 6 - May 12!

May 6

PATH's Carla Coriaty-Hulla, RD ia speaking in San Francisco at the NANP conference to discuss Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy. 

May 9

7 pm - Doctor Gabriel Seminar

We will be talking about biomedical interventions for ASD, ADHD and related conditions.

May 12

10 am - (at Gabriel Pediatrics) Nutrition Workshop with Dina Lipkind, RD

We will be discussing food allergy safety.

For more information about autism and the benefits of nutritional interventions for individuals diagnosed with autism, visit PATH Family Center’s website or call us at (347) 682-2949. At PATH Family Center, we create a custom nutritional protocol with diet plans and integrative guides that begin the process of recovery, as well as offer educational guidance.

PATH's Carla Coriaty-Hulla to Speak at the Annual National Association for Nutrition Professionals Conference

We are pleased to announce that PATH Family Center's own Carla Coriaty-Hulla will be a speaker at the 2012 Annual National Association for Nutrition Professionals Conference in San Francisco.

On May, 6 Carla will be leading a breakout session on "Eating for Healthy Pregnancy and Baby: Preventing Childhood Epidemics Before, During, and After Conception." She will be focusing on

• How eating healthy can support you and your baby's immune system
• How breastfeeding and Vitamin D prevent childhood immune and gut issues
• Why prenatal multivitamins need to contain methyl tetra hydrofolate
• How vitamin deficiencies in pregnant women are proven to be related to childhood epidemics
• How and why Autism severity is preventable
• Why GI well-being and adequate gut flora is an important component in preventing autoimmune diseases

For more information about autism and the benefits of nutritional interventions for individuals diagnosed with autism, visit PATH Family Center’s website or call us at (347) 682-2949. At PATH Family Center, we create a custom nutritional protocol with diet plans and integrative guides that begin the process of recovery, as well as offer educational guidance.