An Aspirin a Day Can Give You Cancer

This article is from 2003 and was somehow deleted from my blog. I restored it today. I also did additional internet research. The data from the nurses study is being buried in claims that aspirin prevents cancer. However, there is very little data to buttress those claims.

I want to share a health alert with you. So many people today are taking an aspirin a day – many upon the recommendation of their doctors and many simply because they think it is the “healthy” thing to do. However, a recent study involving 88,000 nurses revealed a 58% increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer among those who took 2 or more aspirins per week for 20 years or more. (“Daily aspirin use linked with pancreatic cancer,” Reuters Health News, 10/27/03)(and, http://www.doctoryourself.com/safety.html)  I expect the standard disclaimers from the medical profession – something about balancing the risks with the rewards. However, pancreatic cancer is a doctor’s nightmare. It is very hard to diagnose and there is no cure. And, there are natural, safe alternatives to reduce the risk of inflammation and clot formation.

If you are taking an aspirin daily to prevent the formation of blood clots, I recommend a daily dose of vitamin E, high potency bromelain and gamma linolenic acid (found in evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil and borage oil). Some authorities also recommend a daily dose of fish oil. If you want to know more about how much you should take (since the dose is individualized to body weight), call the office for a brief consultation and I can give you your exact dosage.

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Microcirculation Protocol for Heart Disease, Erectile Dysfunction,Venous Insufficiency and Kidney Failure

Health – or disease – begins at the level of the microcirculation. The following is presented with thanks to Dr. Kerry Bone:

1. Microcirculation consists of the small arteries, leading into the arterioles, then to the capillaries and back out the venules and small veins.
2. This is the level at which Neurovascular Dynamics (NVD) operates via the pre-capillary sphincters. NVD is the reflex technique that I teach which directly addresses organ function. However, this protocol nutritionally supports the correction(s) provided by NVD.
3. Recent research has elucidated the importance of the microcirculation to a variety of disease states. The medical research has focused on nitric oxide.
4. “The fundamental role of microvessels is to supply target tissues with oxygen and nutrients; therefore, it appears logical that microvascular disorders will impact on tissue function, given the close coupling between flow and metabolism.” (Ref: Wiernsperger N, Rapin JR. “Microvascular Diseases: Is a New Era Coming?” Cardiovasc Hematol Agents Med Chem 2012; 10(2): 167-183.) In summary, any disease problem comes down to the tissue state. (i.e., ischemia is the root of all pathology)

 

Conditions that are related to poor Microvascular Function

Overweight/obesity	Cardiometabolic syndrome
Diabetes	Non-alcoholic steatotic hepatitis*
Hypertension*	Polycystic ovarian syndrome*
Low birth weight	Gestational diabetes
Sleep disorders	Acromegaly
Alzheimer’s disease	Rheumatoid arthritis*
Gout*	Scleroderma*
Erythromelalgia	Behcet Disease
Venous insufficiency*	Hyperdynamic circulation (RSD)*
Lupus	Mycardial infarct, stroke*
Hemochromatosis*	Beta-thalassemia*
High ferritin	HIV
Liver disease, generally*	Kidney disease*
Neuropathies, neuralgias	Restless Leg Syndrome*
Retinal disease*	Poor tissue healing, including arteriosclerosis*
Erectile dysfunction*

You will notice that NVD treats several of these conditions. (see *, as the ones I have had personal experience with treating.)

A key factor in the health of the microcirculation, in addition to working with the pre-capillary sphincters, is the quality of the blood, which includes: hematocrit, blood viscosity and RBC deformability and aggregation. Essentially, thin blood is good and elastic RBCs are good.

So, the following 5-point nutritional protocol is helpful in supporting the health of your microcirculation and optimizing your NVD treatments.

I have included the herbal options if the you don’t want to change your dietary habits. However, the only herb that is absolutely essential is Medi-Herb Gotu Kola Complex, 3 to 4 per day.

Gotu Kola Complex contains gotu kola, grape seed and gingko biloba. This combination strengthens connective and epithelial tissue, promotes tissue healing, supports blood vessel health, provides anti-oxidant activity and promotes lymphatic drainage from the tissues. In particular, gingko works at the level of the capillaries, by improving RBC deformability, allowing better transit of red blood cells through small vessels.

5-POINT DIETARY PLAN

1. Boost dietary nitrate: green leafy vegetables and especially beets. With regard to beets, they may be juiced, eaten raw or baked. Steaming or boiling removes the nitric oxide; however, they can be cooked into a soup because the nitric oxide is stable in the broth. Portion size: 8 oz. For diabetics, whole beets contain a lot of sugar. An excellent option is the powdered product Super Beets; it has an excellent effect on increasing nitric oxide without raising blood sugar. It is what I use myself.
2. Raw, freshly crushed garlic: ½ to 1 clove per day. Swallowing the clove whole is useless. Deodorized garlic is useless. Alternate: 1 Medi-Herb Garlic Forte tablet is the equivalent of 1 clove of garlic.
3. Eat 2 to 3 oz per day of berries with high anthrocyanin: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Alternate: Bilberry tablets, 4 per day (particularly important in eye disorders)
4. Increase intake of herbs and spices; especially, green tea, turmeric and ginger. Use Japanese green tea, which is steamed, not fermented (3-4 cups per day). (N.B.: in hypertension, add hibiscus tea, as well.) Use chopped ginger, not the tea, and only cook lightly. Lots of yellow curry. Alternate: 2 Medi-Herb Vitanox tablets per day.
5. 2/3 oz 85% dark chocolate per day. Green & Black organic chocolate is best.

In addition, the patient needs to STOP refined sugar and refined carbohydrates; and s/he needs to STOP smoking. Add 5-10 minutes of aerobic exercise daily.

With regard to erectile dysfunction: Use the above protocol, PLUS the following herbs (all Medi-Herb):

Rhodiola & Ginseng, contains Panax ginseng, 2 to 4 in the a.m.

Tribulus, 3 to 4 throughout the day

Additional Gingko, if needed

 

With regard to venous insufficiency: the above protocol PLUS Horsechestnut Complex (2-3 per day).

In extreme cases, with ulceration, add 2 to 4 Echinacea Premium per day.

The primary symptom of venous insufficiency is brown discoloration around the ankles.

 

For chronic kidney failure, the following protocol has proven helpful: The above protocol, PLUS

Echinacea Premium, 4 per day

Vitanox, 2 per day

High potency fish oil (2 gms of omega 3 per day)

 

In the case that Dr. Bone shared, the patient went from an eGFR of 35 (kidney failure) to 74 after 18 months. A medical miracle! Two years later, his kidney function is still normal. His nephrologist said that he had never seen anyone recover like that in 20 years of practice. I add diathermy and NVD to the protocol. Remember: natural health care has much more to offer this condition than the medical profession does.

If you suffer from any of these problems and need help, please call for a consultation, so that I may assess your condition with appropriate lab testing and get you started on the road to recovery. Visit my web site for contact details:  http://www.RichardsFamilyHealth.com.

Protect Yourself from Unnecessary and Damaging Medical Intervention (Part 2)

This is my second article based on Dr. Hadley’s book, Rethinking Aging. To access the first installment, click here.

In his book, he devotes a great deal of thought and analysis to the incestuous relationship between “thought leaders” in medical research and the pharmaceutical companies who fund that research. He makes two excellent points: researchers in universities are almost totally dependent upon pharmaceutical grants to fund their work; and those self-same companies are unlikely to continue funding a center that doesn’t “deliver the goods.” (I.e. A favorable outcome with regard to a potential cash cow.) I’ll leave it to your good judgment to understand the enormous conflicts of interest this paradox generates. (pp. 36 – 43) {Side bar: It is also the reason the argument “more research is needed” is so disingenuous. No pharmaceutical company will fund research into natural therapies. There is no profit margin!}

His skepticism is confirmed by the recent revelation that the sugar industry paid three Harvard scientists the equivalent of today’s average American yearly income to review heart health studies that made sugar look less unhealthy than it really is – and to paint fat as the villain instead. The Sugar Research Foundation (the perpetrator of this hoax) cherry picked a handful of studies that they wanted spotlighted. The result has been a “low fat” craze that has serious consequences for our health. The article referenced above doesn’t even make the point that high cholesterol is a result of excess sugar consumption, not ingesting fat. Simply put: The American public has been subjected to so-called “scientific” data that is completely erroneous thanks to the infusion of large amounts of cash by interested parties. This misinformation seriously impacts the food that is available to you in the grocery store. It is almost impossible to find dairy products that are whole fat. Removing the fat increases the sugar content — increasing our cardiovascular risk.

Returning now to Dr. Hadley, he then pursues an in depth discussion of the evidence for “tight control” of blood pressure parameters. Would you be surprised to learn that no evidence of benefit to you, the patient, exists? This is particularly true with regard to so-called “essential hypertension.” He agrees with what I have been preaching for years: at age 45, a pressure of 140/90 is borderline hypertension, and both of those numbers increase by 5 points with each decade of life. In essence, what we have done by insisting everyone’s blood pressure reading be less than 120/80 is turn normal aging into a disease, which must be treated aggressively. (p.45) The problem with this model is that no one benefits except Big Pharma.

The actual curve when death rate is plotted against blood pressure is an inverted “J.” Death rates rise at both ends of the curve. Blood pressure that is too low increases the death rate in the elderly, just the way extremely high blood pressure does. (p. 25)

I have a personal anecdote that illustrates this issue. Currently, the medical protocol for Type II diabetes includes prescribing both a statin and a blood pressure medication, regardless of your actual blood pressure. This happened to a friend of mine. She was in her mid-70s, and the drop in her pressure caused her to fall in the kitchen, putting her head through the cabinet she fell against. She also was involved in a major car accident and developed hydrocephalus, increased intracranial pressure. Her doctor decided she needed a shunt to drain the excess fluid, a procedure he expected to be fairly straightforward. However, when they opened her skull, the area of her brain that had absorbed the impact was a tangle of indecipherable blood vessels. The surgery took four times longer than anticipated, and she never recovered. She developed a major brain infection that took her life. Without the blood pressure medication she would never have sustained the injury that complicated the surgery.

I personally believe that far too little attention is given to the maxim, “First, do no harm.”

To further illustrate the problem with high blood pressure medications, I think Dr. Hadley’s statement on pages 46 and 47 of his book is very important. “All [the drugs] on the market are licensed by the FDA because the agency was convinced that the drug actually lowers blood pressure without undue short term toxicities. None are licensed because of data showing that a meaningful reduction in untoward cardiovascular outcomes results over time.” {emphasis added}

To put it succinctly, the drugs may lower blood pressure, but they don’t improve health. Does that seem reasonable to you? Particularly in light of the side effects, which include heart failure and kidney failure, depending upon the class of drug you are given. In fact, multiple studies have been launched to demonstrate a health benefit. None were successful, although the authors did their best to massage the data to make it appear like there was a benefit.

On page 48, Dr. Hadley discusses the cognitive dissonance with regard to salt restriction – a much touted lifestyle change to control high blood pressure. In fact, it has now become a staple of federal health policy; the mandate has been to get sodium out of our food chain, restricting salt intake to 2 gms daily. This approach was shown to be ineffective in a study conducted and published by Dr. Hadley’s father in the prestigious Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in 1984. So much for research!

The problem with this recommendation for the general public is that it is only a small subset of the population who has the genetic predisposition that requires them to avoid salt. Dr. Hadley doesn’t mention this cutting edge genetic testing; perhaps it was not yet available when he published his book. However, I can highly recommend it if you have a family history of severe heart disease and are worried about your own health. The genetic test is extremely simple – a cheek swab – and offers you a wealth of information about how to manage your own risk. It is called CardiaX and is offered by Vibrant Wellness. Although it is not reimbursable by insurance, it offers you information unavailable any other way. It has recently had a profound benefit for one of my patients.

Now just a few words about open heart surgery and stents. I know you know someone who has had open-heart surgery and probably a stent as well. These interventions have become standard operating procedure (pun intended). Would you be surprised to learn that, despite a growing number of studies attempting to prove their benefits, no one can find any advantages to these invasive therapies? (p. 51) As Dr. Hadley puts it, “No patient is rewarded in terms of longevity, the incidence of heart attacks, or likelihood of chest pain for having submitted to these expensive technical and technological feats, and many suffer harm in the course of the procedure.” (p. 51) These procedures are so ineffective that, were they drugs, the FDA would never license them. However, procedures are not subject to licensing and devices (like a stent) are held to much lower standards than drugs. They must be safe in the short term, but there doesn’t need to be a demonstration that they actually work! (p. 53)

So, why are they so prevalent, you may ask? The answer is simple: profit. There is an enormous incentive to market them aggressively since an enormous industry has grown up in support of these procedures. Dr. Hadley calls it “a behemoth.” (p.51)

So, what can you do? First of all, find a doctor with a good understanding of natural, drug-free alternatives to standard medical care. There are herbal tonics that improve your quality of life without poisoning you.

Secondly, question every recommendation you receive. Always ask for evidence that the treatment will actually benefit you. Become informed; don’t just blindly go along with whatever the doctor says. Unfortunately, the medical profession operates on fear. It is standard for the doctor to warn you that you will die without treatment. He or she may honestly believe that to be true. He may not be aware of the information and statistics contained in Dr. Hadley’s book. Once doctors leave school, much of their information comes from drug company representatives.

You need to educate yourself with material like I’ve presented here and not become embroiled in a medical system where one procedure leads to another and then another. It’s a vicious circle and the goal is not your good health. Doctors are taught to “manage” whatever diagnosis you have been labeled with. There is no medical model for cure. That’s why you are expected to take pharmaceuticals for the rest of your life. Remember that and you will be much better off in the long run.

Protect Yourself From Unproven and Dangerous Medical Therapies (Part 1)

I have been reading an outstanding book entitled, Rethinking Aging, Growing Old and Living Well in An Overtreated Society, by Nortin M. Hadler, M.D. While he is very medical in his approach and doesn’t have much knowledge regarding natural therapies, his warnings about medical care are very on-point.

The second chapter of his book, “The Golden Years,” is an indictment of many of the most commonly prescribed medical interventions. I will touch on some of the highlights in this brief article:

1. Aging is a normal part of the life cycle and it comes with its own challenges. Not every symptom of aging needs to be labeled a “disease” requiring medical intervention. This is a direct contradiction of our pharmaceutical, profit-driven “health care” industry.
2. “The . . . assertion – that one is more likely to promote physical health by attention to social cohesiveness than by attention to human biology – is counterintuitive. . . [F]or every darkening shadow there are diagnostic tests, screenings for risk, and treatments galore. . . .America’s elderly swallow the prescribed remedies, often many simultaneously, to bring their laboratory numbers to heel. America’s elderly are hell bent to be normal. . . It’s all so sad. They are on a fool’s errand.” [p. 13]
3. The obesity “epidemic” has no basis in scientific fact, and is in fact a political construct. There are many studies that indicate that there is no difference in life expectancy between “normal” BMI and “obese” individuals. In fact, the risk of death was 13% lower for overweight elderly people than for those of normal weight. [p. 15] However, there is a huge financial incentive for the pharmaceutical companies and weight loss industry to bury these findings.
4. You have undoubtedly seen the Crestor commercials about how wonderful it is for reducing cReactive Protein (cRP). However, the touted benefit is not as great as you are led to believe. The abstract of the research paper in the New England Journal of Medicine announced a 56% reduction in adverse outcomes. Sounds impressive, yes? However, that’s not even close to the truth. The outcome of the study was that, after 2 years, about 2% of the 18,000 subjects had suffered any of the cardiovascular adverse events. Of those on Crestor, 1.6% were stricken; while 2.8% of the control group (not taking Crestor) were affected. This is a difference of 1.2%. At this point, it gets complicated due to the structure of the study. To summarize the data, the “composite outcome” is 0.77 on Crestor and 1.36 without Crestor. This is the 56% reduction that’s being touted. What it actually means is that 400 well people would have to take Crestor for a year to spare one a nonfatal heart attack, and about 600 to spare one a stroke. There is no evidence there is any life-saving benefit. So, the relative reduction of 56% turns out to be an absolute reduction of 0.59%. [pp.29-30]

I side with Dr. Hadler who said, “I am unwilling to let anyone test my cholesterol until I see unequivocal data that taking a statin yields meaningful benefit for me.” [p.27]

5. Hadler then addresses antihypertensive therapy for diabetics, specifically Actos & Avandia. He discusses at length the conflict of interest and financial incentives of both the researchers and the pharmaceutical houses to “prove” the efficacy of these substances. The data actually suggested that “[these drugs] were associated with an increase in the incidence of serious cardiovascular complications, including heart failure, heart attacks and death.” [p.37] The drugs were outlawed in the European Union; our FDA only saw fit to place a warning label on the packaging insert.
6. Part of his discussion regarding diabetes highlights the fact that current diabetic therapies, including insulin and oral hypoglycemics, are ineffective in preventing any of the adverse effects of diabetes. Please, read that sentence again. Does that make you wonder what is going on? According to a respected medical publication, A H R Q News and Numbers (issue no. 288, July 25, 2009), purchases of cholesterol and diabetes prescription drugs by elderly Medicare beneficiaries reached nearly $19 billion in 2007 – approximately 1/4^th of the $82 billion spent for medications for the elderly. [p. 35]

My personal experience with diabetes has convinced me that the important criterion that medical treatment completely ignores is the health of the micro-circulatory system. I have had Type II diabetes for more than 15 years, yet I have no circulatory pathology. My retinal fields are perfectly healthy and there is not a sign of atherosclerosis, based upon an exam I had just last week. I attribute this to my aggressive supplement program that prevents arterial plaque and lowers inflammation. I also have a protocol to improve microcirculation. This is incredibly important both to your vascular tree and to your kidneys – two areas that develop pathology with diabetes. I would be glad to share my insights with you if you care to make an appointment.

The next section of Dr. Hadler’s book deals with how badly the medical therapies mismanage coronary artery disease via antihypertensive meds, surgical interventions and stents. I will cover these in my next installment of my newsletter. If you don’t want to wait, you can always look for Dr. Hadler’s book on amazon.com. One word of warning, it is very heavy going.

Functional Hypothyroidism May Be Ruining Your Health!

Thanks to a concerned patient, I was introduced to a book that answered many of my concerns about thyroid function. It is a book that has the potential to be life changing for many of us. The book is available on Amazon.com and is called “Hypothyroidism Type 2, The Epidemic” and is written by Mark Starr, MD(H). He’s a medical doctor who specializes in homeopathy.

In this article, I want to explain the concepts and teach you how to self monitor your thyroid function. However, if you want all of the statistics, I recommend that you get Dr. Starr’s book on Amazon.com.

What we might call “functional” hypothyroidism, or Type 2, was first discussed and investigated by Dr. Broda Barnes in the early 1900s. He was a medical doctor and an endocrinologist who taught endocrinology at the University of Chicago. He devoted his life to researching thyroid function and published many professional articles and books. Perhaps his most famous book is “Hypothyroidism, The Unsuspected Illness,” which was published in 1976. Unfortunately, the medical profession has largely ignored his research results, despite the fact that he had evidence from 70,000 autopsy studies and many long-term patient outcomes.

Dr. Barnes believed that, as modern medicine wiped out infectious diseases of the past, more and more children with poor immune systems survived into adulthood and had children themselves—passing their genetic weaknesses on to subsequent generations. “Just one hundred years ago, half the population in all of ‘Western Civilization’ died from infection at an early age. Two hundred years ago, the figure was much higher.” (p. 45 of Dr. Starr’s book)

This concretion of genetic weakness has resulted in the modern-day epidemic of chronic, degenerative diseases.

A little physiology is appropriate at this point. Our thyroid hormones regulate our metabolic rate. Simple statement—huge implications. Here is a partial list of conditions Dr. Barnes showed to be affected by thyroid function:

• Disruption of sex hormone function, resulting in decreased sex drive, infertility, endometriosis, PMS and polycystic breasts and/or ovaries
• Heart disease, including high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, heart palpitations, heart attacks and stroke
• Fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome)
• Premature aging, including mental impairment and Alzheimer’s disease
• Hypertension OR hypotension
• Depression or nervousness
• Poor immune function resulting in repeated infections, including a susceptibility to yeast infections (think Candida)
• Intolerance to heat or cold
• Hyperinsulinemia and diabetes
• Cancer
• Multiple sclerosis
• Hair loss (this is important to me, obviously!)
• Headaches
• Muscle weakness and joint and/or muscle pain (including gout)
• Osteoporosis
• Weight gain
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Brittle nails
• Nutritional imbalances
• Birth defects
• Physical indications of the condition include dry skin, slow or hoarse speech, non-pitting edema and loss of the outer third of the eyebrows

Of particular interest to me is the connection between hypothyroidism and diabetes. Dr. Barnes found that all of his diabetic patients were hypothyroid. Remarkably, by treating their low thyroid, these patients almost all escaped the severe complications of diabetes, which include hardening of the arteries, kidney failure, blindness, heart attack and amputation. All of these problems are due to hardening of the arteries – a defining symptom of hypothyroidism.

So, do you think inadequate thyroid function might be important enough to be concerned about? And: Why would the medical profession essentially ignore Dr. Barnes’ research? The answer is relatively simple.

Big Pharma synthesized thyroxin (aka T4) and patented it. The generic name is levothyroxine and it is marketed under a variety of brand names, perhaps the most familiar of which is Synthroid, a patented and trademarked drug. Then, the lab test for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was developed and it was all over. Let me explain.

Currently, medical doctors only measure the TSH and, if it is within what the lab tells them is “normal” range, then you are fine. No attention is paid to your symptoms – after all, there’s another diagnosis for that, which requires a different drug, multiplying the drug companies’ profits. (Pardon my cynicism, but I have really seen too much.)

Problem is, TSH is completely invalid when it comes to evaluating whether your thyroid hormone is working in your body, at a cellular level. I want you to be aware of this issue because, if your M.D. checks your TSH while you are taking desiccated thyroid and finds it to be too low, he or she will take you off of your supplement. This recently happened to a patient/colleague of mine who has moved away and went to a new general practitioner. Please resist this advice, as she did. As we delve into the reasons more deeply, you will understand why.

One more word of warning: Dr. Starr has determined that levothyroxine is completely ineffective in reversing Type 2 hypothyroidism. It seems that the cells respond best to all of the thyroid hormone metabolites, not just T4. All of Dr. Broda Barnes’ work was done with desiccated thyroid.

Increasingly, thyroid hormone resistance is becoming a huge problem. There are multiple reasons for this, which Dr. Starr goes into in great detail. One of the primary offenders is the environmental toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis. These toxins include:

• Halogens: chlorine, fluorine and bromine.
  • We no longer add iodine to our baked goods due to the misconception that we were getting too much iodine. This is incredibly unlikely, since nearly every person I have tested is iodine deficient. Now, bromine is used as a dough conditioner, which displaces the iodine in our thyroid.
  • Our water is both fluoridated and disinfected with various chlorine compounds. We actually absorb more chlorine in the shower than we ingest in our drinking water.
  • Swimming pools and spas are loaded with chlorine
  • If you use Splenda, also trademarked, you are ingesting a chlorinated hydrocarbon. It is basically sucrose with 3 chlorine atoms added to it.
  • Many of our anti-fungal and pesticide compounds contain halogens. We ingest them if we do not eat organic produce.
• A huge variety of synthetic chemicals. There is a three-page, small print list in Dr. Starr’s book. Some of these include: organophosphate pesticides, a huge array of other pesticides, fungicides and insecticides, and the many industrial chemicals that are part of our every day life. The industrial chemicals include heavy metals, phenols and phthalates. If you are not familiar with phthalates, they are added to plastics to create pliability. If you use plastic wrap in the microwave, you are simply worsening the problem. All of these chemicals interfere with thyroid function.
• For more details, I recommend you read Dr. Starr’s book.

Over the last several years, I have been to multiple seminars on assessing and treating thyroid function. I have only gotten more and more confused, because the instructors made the topic way, too complicated and tried to use blood tests to monitor therapy. There are a couple of reasons for this: the widespread dependence in our education on laboratory testing, rather than physical signs and symptoms; and a worry about depressing the TSH too far since the medical textbooks say it is dangerous to do so. The worries include osteoporosis and heart problems. However, Dr. Barnes and Dr. Hermann Zondek both demonstrated the exact opposite. Dr. Zondek was a giant in the early study of hypothyroidism and endocrine disease. He published in 1918 an account of the first successful treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF) patients with desiccated thyroid. He also wrote a famous textbook, in German, entitled “Disease of the Endocrine Glands.” Of course, levothyroxine does promote osteoporosis.

Dr. Barnes did a statistical analysis on his patient population paralleling the Framingham heart disease study that was on-going at the same time. He clearly showed that his patient population suffered almost no heart disease. He treated 1,569 patients, the equivalent of 8,824 patient years. The Framingham study predicted 72 deaths from coronary disease in a population this size; Dr. Barnes’ result was only 4. (page 34 of Dr. Starr’s book)

In Dr. Starr’s 14 years of practice, none of his patients have developed CHF and only 2 had a heart attack.

These are powerful results because heart disease is the #1 killer in the U.S., despite every drug prescribed for prevention. (An oxymoron, if I may say so, since all drugs are metabolic poisons. I know, my prejudice is showing.)

So, if blood work is inadequate (at best) and misleading (at worst), just what parameters are measured to determine thyroid status? There are two:

• Iodine status is monitored by the iodine test.
  • I paint the abdomen with a half-dollar size patch of 3% iodine. Since homeland security has designated iodine a dangerous product with regard to homemade bombs, I recommend you call for a brief, 5 minute appointment to get the iodine applied.
  • The brown patch should last for 24 hours. In some cases, I find that the color is fading as I am applying it! With most clients the stain is gone within 12 hours or less.
  • The therapy for this is Iodizyme, a nutritional product which contains both iodine and iodide. Many companies promote organic iodine or kelp supplements for this use. After 30 years of practice, I can state unequivocally that these products are ineffective in promoting iodine sufficiency.

• The second critical test is basal metabolic rate, which is expensive and not readily available. Instead, first morning body temperature – before you get out of bed – is an excellent approximation. Let me tell you how to perform the test:
  • Shake down a thermometer the night before and place it by your bedside.
  • When you first wake up, put the thermometer in your armpit for 10 minutes. Lie quietly; don’t worry; don’t wiggle around. If possible, snooze for 10 minutes. The temperature should be above 97.8º. That is the lower limit of normal cellular function.
  • A word about the proper thermometer to use. Digital thermometers are ineffective and inaccurate. You need to obtain a non-mercury oral thermometer. It is available on Amazon.com at this link.
  • If you contact me, I can send you a form to complete so that I can locate it in your file.
  • The therapy that I use is a nutritional supplement, which is desiccated, whole thyroid without the T4. It is much better tolerated than Synthroid. It comes in several different potencies and I will titrate your dose, based upon your body temperature. I have not published the name of this product to avoid causing problems with the FDA. If you call me, I will be happy to give you more information. I can also order it for you. This is a professional product, since you need to work with a doctor to establish the appropriate dose.

Although this may seem like a lot of work, the health benefits are more than worth it. I strongly recommend that you perform these two tests to see what support you need to optimize your health.

A personal story: I added a small amount of thyroid to my personal supplement program about 4 years ago, because I couldn’t think clearly. I instantly noticed a remarkable improvement in my cognition. However, when I ran a blood test, my TSH was low, so I was concerned about taking “too much” thyroid support. None of the various seminars I went to cleared up my confusion. After reading Dr. Starr’s book, I found that my first morning temperature was only 95ºF, even though I awaken drenched in sweat. Needless to say, I am titrating my dosage upwards to normalize my body temperature. Already, I am seeing new hair growth and greater stamina. I hope that eventually it will have a positive effect on my blood sugar issues, as well.

I strongly encourage you to perform these tests, so that you can age gracefully – without resorting to the pharmaceutical merry-go-round that never gets to the root of the problem. Let me know what you find out.

Zika Virus is Spreading – Are You Concerned?

The recent information about information about zika virus is very alarming. I would like to bring you up to date about the dangers and a natural solution.

First of all, here in California, we are susceptible, because the vector, the tiger mosquito is endemic here. The map below indicates reported cases. (data from Scientific American) The darker the color, the greater the number of cases. Specifically, here in California 6 cases have been reported (2 from 2015 and the rest from 2013 and 2014). The problem is that, with the prevalence of the mosquito in this area, an infected person can be bitten and pass the virus to others.

author: Amanda Montanez ‏@unamandita

In addition to birth defects in pregnant women, the CDC lists the following symptoms in adults from the zika virus:

• No symptoms at all
• Fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes) are the most common symptoms in people who have any symptoms at all
• Other common symptoms: muscle pain and headache
• Rare, but serious, symptoms include Guillain-Barre syndrome, a paralyzing neurological disorder which it is possible to recover from

The following information is also from the CDC. The incubation period is unknown, but is probably a few days to a week. The danger is that during the first week of the infection, if you get bitten by a mosquito, that mosquito can then pass the virus to the next people it bites.

The CDC reports the distribution of zika in the U.S. on the following map. There have been a total of 354 cases reported in the U.S. currently, primarily travel related.

This is, of course, an epidemiologist’s nightmare. I remember when I was attending USC in the late 1960’s. Our bacteriology professor had worked for the World Health Organization and was very concerned about Vietnamese malaria coming to the U.S. with returning servicemen. The problem with the Vietnamese strain was that it did not respond to synthetic quinine products; only the natural extract would do. And, the U.S. had just sold off all of its natural stores, now that a synthesized pharmaceutical was available! Fortunately, that scenario never developed, but we are now in the midst of a similar, and far worse, one.

However, there is good news! It turns out that zika is an encapsulated, RNA virus, much like West Nile Virus. Therefore, it too is susceptible to medical grade St. John’s Wort from Medi-Herb. Read my prior article here on my blog regarding the efficacy of St. John’s Wort for a variety of viral diseases. Please remember: the over the counter preparations don’t work, because they aren’t extracted properly and don’t preserve the anti-viral compound.

The dose is 2 tablets, 3 times per day, for a week to 10 days. Prophylaxis (prevention) is 2, 2 times per day. I take it regularly due to my susceptibility to shingles. I always have some on hand, so don’t hesitate to call if you need it.

Nutrition for Brain Health (3rd in a series)

This is the promised third article in my neuro-degeneration series. I will attempt to summarize what nutrients are most effective in preserving brain function.

One of the most important antioxidants for brain health is glutathione. It actually protects against brain cell death. The two primary nutrients from which the body makes glutathione are n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or undenatured whey protein. If you are dairy sensitive, NAC is obviously the best choice. Another important point about glutathione is that Tylenol depletes it. So, it is important to avoid any product containing acetaminophen (generic Tylenol).

Further dietary and lifestyle changes include: no aspartame, no hydrogenated oils (or other sources of trans-fats, like canola oil), reduce your intake of warm weather oils (corn, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, peanut and soy oils). You can also take pure sesame seed oil capsules to prevent the conversion of these oils into pro-inflammatory prostaglandins.

Take the following basic nutrients:

• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Antioxidants

Minimize your intake of refined carbohydrates; think deserts, sugary drinks, bread, pasta, white potatoes and white rice. You can substitute brown rice and quinoa pasta for regular pasta; brown rice for white rice; and sweet potatoes for white potatoes. Another choice to lower your carbohydrate intake is riced cauliflower. It is quite bland and works well with sauces and gravies.

You also want to rebuild your brain nutrient reserves. The best way to do it is to:

• Take omega-3 oils, as much as 10 gm/day for 4 months. Then, reduce the level to 2500 mg per day for maintenance. However, it isn’t wise to take this much without a doctor’s supervision. I would advise a red blood cell fatty acid ratio test to determine your need for omega-3 oils and to monitor your progress. As I mentioned in the prior article, I have access to a lab where the test is only $70.
• Make sure to keep your antioxidant intake high to protect the fats in your body from going rancid. Remember: Your brain is almost exclusively fat.
• Avoid cheap over-the-counter oils, as they may contain mercury and carcinogens. Also, many of them are processed with heat and are, therefore, hydrogenated, even if it doesn’t say so on the label.
• Do NOT eat farmed (Atlantic) salmon, ever. Wild salmon is OK; as much as 6 nights per week.
• Avoid tuna, swordfish, shark and other large, predatory fish. The toxins in the ocean are more concentrated the higher up the food chain you go.

The following section is specific nutrients that cover these areas (NOTE: all dosages are for adults. If you need children’s doses, please contact me):

• N-acetyl Cysteine (NAC): 240 mg per day or
• Un-denatured whey protein: 21 grams per day (usually 3 scoops)
• To protect your mitochondria:
  1. CoQ10, a minimum of 10 mg per day, although I find 200 mg or more is a better choice. Personally, I take 600 mg daily and have done so for years.
  2. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) has been shown to both protect mitochondria and to help them multiply. Damaged or decreased numbers of mitochondria are a key factor in aging.
  3. Acetyl-l-carnitine, 680 mg per day
  4. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), 240 mg per day. Food sources of ALA include organ meats and dark green leafy veggies, as well as high quality flax seed oil or freshly ground flax seed. Preground flax seed goes rancid too fast. ALA also increases insulin sensitivity in diabetics and inhibits tumor growth. Extra benefits!
• Omega-3 fatty acids are important to brain health, as well as being anti-inflammatory. A red blood cell fatty acid test will tell us how much you need to take.
• A good complete B-complex. I favor High Performance Stress Relief, which is an all-natural, low potency, highly absorbable B-complex. The dose for the average individual is 1 with each meal.
• Vitamin D3. Nearly everyone I have tested is deficient in this critical vitamin, which acts more like a hormone. I generally prescribe 2,000 to 5,000 IUs per day. In some instances, I give 10,000; but, in that case we need to monitor the blood concentration with periodic blood tests.
• Resveratrol is a powerful anti-oxidant that preserves the length of the telomeres in cellular reproduction, slowing the aging process. I have two products containing resveratrol: HerbaVital from Medi-Herb (3 per day) and Reseravert-HP from BIotics, (1 per day). I prefer the Medi-Herb product, because resveratrol has a maximum dose daily of 240 mg. Higher doses can be counterproductive.
• Turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory effects. 1500 to 3000 mg per day are very helpful. I have an excellent product, or you can take 1 tablespoon in coconut milk for absorption. I tried it, but I don’t find it palatable. The capsules are much more doable.

Finally, with regard to lifestyle, the following recommendations are important:

• Regular spinal adjustments. As I pointed out in the first article in this series, spinal adjusting has a very positive impact on brain function. {Ogura, T, et al, Division of Cyclotron Nuclear Medicine, Tohoku University (Graduate School of Medicine), Sendai Japan, published in Alternative Therapies Health Medicine Nov-Dec 2011; Vol 17; No. 6; pp.12-17}.
• Low-level laser therapy to the brain. I have such a laser and have been using it on my head injury, with good results.
• Walking (30 minutes per day)
• Other exercise in moderation that you enjoy: yoga, swimming, biking, dancing, etc.
• Puzzles (crossword or Sudoku) that engage the brain. I start each day with this to get my brain going.
• Piano playing. One 30 minute lesson per week, with practice 30 minutes per day. This is much better for our brains than our addiction to electronic devices.
• Minimize or avoid television watching.

If you want to add any of the items in this article to your brain health protocol, please let me know so that I may order what you need. I also highly recommend the fatty acid test (obviously, since I’ve mentioned it multiple times!). Knowing your ratios can tell us how seriously your brain function is at risk. If you already have early symptoms – memory loss, tremor, coordination problems – it becomes even more important that you get tested, so that we can reverse the process.

Salt Restriction and Heart Disease – Are The Facts Being Hidden?

This morning (December 29, 2015) I received an alert on my computer home page regarding increased mortality in heart failure patients when their salt intake is restricted. Three hours later, it was gone!  I couldn’t find it anywhere!  However, I did locate this article on the National Institutes of Health website discussing the inadvisability of overly restricting salt intake in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients.

Reasons cited include the way the lack of salt messes up the blood flow to the kidney and disrupts the kidney hormones needed to maintain vascular volume and regularize blood pressure. The same article also mentions the importance of micro-nutrients to these people’s health and well-being.  Of course, they damn the findings with faint praise, since vitamins and minerals are not part of the medical model.

I also found a second article from 2013 that highlights the fact that salt restriction results in worsening of cardiovascular disease, as well as increased mortality.  This article was published in the American Journal of Medicine, but has still to find its way into current medical practice.  The gold standard is still excessive salt restriction for all heart disease patients.

So much for the canard “More research is needed.” It’s clear that if the medical profession doesn’t agree with the research findings, it simply buries them; and, then, ignores them!

Factors in Brain Degeneration (2nd of a series)

This is the second article in my series on traumatic brain injury (T.B.I.).

In this article I want to discuss what is needed to protect your brain from neural degeneration resulting in all sorts of things from mild memory issues to brain fog to Parkinson’s disease to severe Alzheimer’s disease.

It is first important to understand the role of essential fatty acids (EFAs) in brain development and structure. You are probably aware of the terminology “omega-3” and “omega-6.”

Omega-6 fats are what could best be described as warm weather oils. These include: corn, soy, sunflower, safflower and canola oils. Canola is particularly bad because it is an over processed, non-food oil. It has been processed to make it “food grade,” but in the processing it becomes loaded with trans-fats and toxic chemicals.

Omega-3 oils are found in very few of our modern foods. Sources include: liver, cold-water fish (think herring, cod and salmon), fish oil, organic meats, organic, range-free egg yolks and (in much lesser amounts) flax oils, whole grains, walnuts and dark green leafy vegetables. Many of these foods are no longer part of the Standard American Diet (SAD) due to the mistaken and harmful recommendations of the American Heart Association. How many of us have reduced our intake of eggs due to cholesterol concerns? A recommendation that has now been found to be totally unwarranted. And organ meat? Heaven forfend!

During pregnancy and infancy, brain development and architecture is dependent upon adequate amounts of omega-3 EFAs. I read a book some years ago, Smart Fats, that pointed out that with the ubiquity of fast foods like McDonald’s french fries, we are actually changing the architecture of our children’s brains. An omega-6 derivative is being substituted for DHA (the omega-3 component); this is a key difference between human and chimpanzee brains. Why do I mention brain development? Because our brain cells have the same needs throughout our lives to maintain both structural integrity and cognitive function.

A very important article regarding the development of our brains is found on PubMed. It’s title “Evolutionary Aspects of Diet: the Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio and the Brain.” The author points out that during the Paleolithic period (40,000 years ago), human beings developed eating a diet that had a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids of about 1:1. Today, with our overuse of warm weather oils our diets now have a ratio of between 10:1 to as much as 20 or 25:1.

However, even more importantly, our genes have not changed in that relatively short period of time. So we have altered our nutrition without regard for what our bodies are genetically equipped to handle. We still don’t know what all of the consequences will be, but some of them are now coming to the surface in the guise of chronic degenerative diseases like senile dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinsonism.

Another important function of EFAs in our diet is their function in the production of tissue hormones, called prostaglandins. This is why they are called “essential.” To clarify, we now need to make a short excursion into biochemistry. I promise to make it as painless as possible!

The two major groups of these hormones are PGe1 and PGe2. PGe1 is anti-inflammatory and is made from omega-3 precursors. PGe2 is pro-inflammatory and is made from omega-6 precursors. As previously stated, the problem we currently have is that due to our food production practices, we now have far too much omega-6 and almost no omega-3 in our diet.

PGe1 has the following positive actions:

• Helps remove excess fluids and sodium from the body
• Improves circulation
• Decreases inflammation
• Improves nerve function (including brain cells, resulting in improved cognitive function; reduce the risk of depression and other central nervous system disorders)
• Boosts the immune system by causing the death of cancer cells
• Regulates calcium metabolism (important in muscular contraction, including the heart)
• Increases protein synthesis in muscle cells
• Elevates levels of intramuscular glutamine
• Increases growth hormone secretion
• Makes insulin work more effectively

By contrast, PGe2 increases inflammation and interferes with the normal cell membrane structure. Trans-fats are also implicated in decreasing the elasticity of the cell membranes and increasing the incidence of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Trans-fats should be avoided at all costs. One easy switch is to remember organic butter is healthier than margarine, a non-food.

I have already enumerated the best food sources of omega-3 oils, particularly cold-water fish. One word of warning, however, because much of the fish we consume is now farm raised (particularly salmon), their flesh lacks high levels of omega-3 oil. In the fisheries, they are fed corn meal, resulting in a replacement of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 with omega-6 oils.

The same is true of much of the meat we consume. Feedlots use corn to fatten the steers for slaughter. In the wild, grazing animals have a ratio of 1:1 omega-3 to omega-6 in their flesh. I recommend that you only consume organic, grass-fed beef or buffalo. The advantage to buffalo is that they cannot be raised on feedlots, so you know that their EFA ratios are what they should be.

Let’s now tie all of this back to chronic neurodegenerative diseases. A short summary of the primary culprits follows:

1. The proliferation in the brain of destructive chemicals called free radicals.

• Therefore, you need to maximize your intake of anti-oxidants that protect the brain.
• You also need to protect your brain from oxidative stress; a primary source of this damage is excessive exercise.
• Free radicals also promote inflammation, which results in the death of brain cells. This is in addition to the inflammatory effect of PGe2.
• The rapid increase in the American diet of chemicals that are actually neurotoxic. Examples include: aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and Splenda. Nearly all prepared foods contain some form of MSG as a flavor enhancer, even foods purchased at the health food store. Some common synonyms include: hydrolyzed protein, textured protein and yeast extract. (The article referenced above contains a more exhaustive list.)

2. Many drugs also compromise brain function. They include: Tylenol (which depletes glutathione, an essential anti-oxidant in the brain that protects brain cells) and anti-cholesterol drugs (which have been shown to cause permanent memory loss.
3. The decline in the ability of the brain cells to make energy (ATP).

• Since diabetics have difficulty metabolizing glucose (the primary fuel for the brain), they lack the ability to create ATP from burning glucose.
• The result: the brain cells suffer from this lack of energy, which is why Alzheimer’s is sometimes called Type 3 diabetes.

So, what should you do? I will answer that question in detail in my next article. For right now, let me recommend that you have a test to determine your personal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in your red blood cells. I have a lab test available for only $70.00 (which is much less than other labs) that can give you your personal ratio. Then, you will know how many and how drastic may be the changes you need to make to your diet and supplement program. This is particularly important if you are experiencing memory loss or the resting tremor commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease. Another indicator that you should seriously consider taking this test is if you are having balance or coordination problems. Just give me a call and I can arrange to have the test done for you.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Aftermaths – Dementia, Parkinson’s and Encephalopathy

This is the first in a series of articles. I recently attended a conference on Brain Injury and Neurodegeneration taught by Dr. Dan Murphy. Much of his information is extremely relevant to what is happening in America today, especially with regard to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. So watch this space for additional articles.

The first topic I would like to address is brain injury. That may seem like it doesn’t apply to you, but rest assured brain injury is ubiquitous in America today. Typical sources of trauma include:

1. Sports injuries – whether with a concussion or without. Some of the sports with the highest incidence of brain trauma include football and soccer.
2. Car accidents with whiplash injuries. In the U.S., these are the primary cause of traumatic brain injury. {Amen, Daniel MD, Making a Good Brain Great, Harmony Books, 2005, p. 28}
3. Clear-cut accidents where you bump your head – either from a fall, on a kitchen cabinet or on the car door. The kind of injury most of us just brush off.

The reason I took the class is that I had a serious concussion about 20 years ago and am now experiencing some effects from it.

So, first of all, what causes traumatic brain injury? Remember, the brain is very soft, gelatinous tissue housed in a very hard skull. When you experience a blow to the head, or a whiplash type event, your brain slams “against the walls, ridges and sharp bony edges in the skull, ripping small blood vessels, causing multiple minute bleeds and over time many areas of tiny scars.” {Ibid. p. 25}

Furthermore, brain injuries are additive. A person may not initially have symptoms when they injure a certain part of the brain, because the brain has built-in reserves. “The next brain injury, even if it seems minor, may wipe out the reserves, causing major problems.” {Ibid. pp 25-26} Therefore, it is important to build your nutrient reserves to protect your brain. I will cover that topic in my next article.

According to the Rand Corporation, the top four degenerative diseases that will bankrupt the U.S. health care system are dementia, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. They all have a common denominator – INFLAMMATION! Watch this space for further discussion of how you need to change your lifestyle and your nutrient intake to reverse the adverse effects of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.).

Additionally, a very important tool to affect brain function is chiropractic adjustments.  A recent in-depth study of the effects of chiropractic adjustment validates the effect adjusting has on brain function. {Ogura, T, et al, Division of Cyclotron Nuclear Medicine, Tohoku University (Graduate School of Medicine), Sendai Japan, published in Alternative Therapies Health Medicine Nov-Dec 2011; Vol 17; No. 6; pp.12-17}.  There have been a variety of studies from Winsor (1921) through Korr (1979) that have claimed that compromised spinal function causes increased sympathetic tone, which is linked to immune system dysfunction, pain, vascular compromise with subsequent additional neurological dysfunction and reduced systemic health. This study, using the most advanced technology currently available, supports this model. What can we deduce from this? Regular chiropractic adjustments maintain the flexibility of the spine, reduce pain and inflammation – including in the brain. The overall result: improved mental and organ function and improved quality of life.