October 2008 Health in the News Archive

[ Monthly Index of New Briefs ]

We have more bacterial in our bodies than we do cells – and we have about a trillion cells. It stands to reason that the health of the bacterial population is closely related to our own health. I wonder how many cases of colon cancer could have been prevented if we simply had encouraged the addition of probiotics with meals for all those people who took their prescribed antibiotics on an empty stomach.

I would add stress, gluten, food allergies, heavy metal toxicities, and vitamin D deficiency to the list of what can factor into rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatologists tend to treat first with the prescription pad. Patients are prescribed a pricey course of Enbrel or Humira; the new TNF blockers have been "black boxed" for their increasing cancer danger.

As a homeopathic physician, I can tell you that looking for food allergies pays HUGE dividends. Some people report that RA vanishes when they remove gluten and other inflammatory foods from their diet. Chronic inflammation can cause leaky gut and the resulting cascade of events is a breeding ground for low-level, chronic infections that play a role in autoimmune diseases. Determination of heavy metal toxicities is crucial. Almost every patient we test is significantly low in vitamin D and that is easy to correct. New research makes the case that vitamin D helps protect older women against rheumatoid arthritis.

Returning soldiers are often hobbled by prolonged physical and mental injuries from homemade bombs and the unremitting anxiety of fighting a hidden enemy along blurred battle lines. We owe our veterans the very best we have to offer, not denials, and not just pharmaceutical band aids on health problems. Ironically, because the government is balking at the high price of caring for veterans, the military may break through the blizzard of paid drug ads and teach the public about the value of non-toxic, alternative treatments.

Research started this past summer has already shown acupuncture to be effective in relieving depression and PTSD symptoms. An Army colonel told USA Today that improvements "were relatively rapid and clinically significant."

Of course. And if the military objectively studies alternatives for the treatment of depression, they will find treatments like hypnosis, brain training, and even a diet rich in omega-3s can also bring better results than Prozac.

What is wrong with the New Jersey legislature and the New Jersey Medical Society? We are now requiring parents to inject their children with a flu shot? First, the flu shot has mercury, the multi-dose vials are preserved with thimerosal. Second, the flu shots are notoriously ineffective because the doctors who decide the formula have to guess what strains of flu will come 'round the next year. Third, healthy children recover from the flu and have a stronger immune system for the experience. Have we learned nothing from the epidemics of autism, ADD and other developmental delays? Are we really so arrogant as to think that it can't happen to our own children? How many physicians do I know who have autistic children themselves? This legislation is a very sad commentary on a profession whose oath is "First, do no harm."

In 2003, the AAP cut the RDA for vitamin D from 400IU to 200IU. Now they are reversing themselves.

About 90 percent of the vitamin D in your body is made when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Just 15-20 minutes in the summer sun produces a blast of 10,000-20,000 international units. Ancient humans spent all their time outdoors and got such doses.

In the 1980s, dermatologists began warning about the dangers of sunlight. Their advertisements were heavily funded by the cosmetics and sun screen industry. Today, there is a virtual conveyer belt of research out about vitamin D's role in roles in cancer prevention, regulation of blood pressure, insulin production, mental health, and regulation of immune function and cell growth. The research is piling up that omega 3 deficiencies are a far more significant risk factor for deadly skin cancers than sun exposure.

"The recommendation is going to be essentially a supplement for every child and adolescent in the United States," said Dr. Frank R. Greer, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin and one of the authors of the guidelines.

Supplement? Is someone trying to sell something here that can be readily had for free?

At least the establishment is acknowledging that celiac disease is treatable by avoiding gluten in all forms. However, there are the millions of people with gluten sensitivity who have not yet progressed to the state of illness where they have organ damage and can be diagnosed with celiac disease. These are the people with vague abdominal pain, bloating, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, brain fog, and a host of other symptoms – even ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease - which their doctors insist could not possibly be related to gluten sensitivity, but which miraculously disappear when their sufferers go on a gluten-free diet.

It is interesting to note that Dr. Green also said the current "lack of pharmaceutical backing for the disease" — the fact that it is controlled by diet, not drugs — is behind the scant research, medical education and public awareness.

This explains at least part of the reason that specific diets work for some people and not for others. What is inflammatory for one person may not be inflammatory for another. In Chinese medicine, both sugar and red meats are considered to be "hot" or inflammatory. Edgar Cayce would prescribe an "alkalinizing" diet for people – no sugars, minimal meats, lots of fruits and vegetables. Some people do very well on a diet high in whole grains. Other people just want to eat the entire pantry when they start eating whole grains. Once insulin resistance is a factor, then blood sugar levels have to be higher and higher, in order to drive the glucose into the muscle cells to provide for the body's energy needs. At the Arizona Center for Advanced Medicine we make every effort to tailor our weight loss diets to our patients' metabolism. Whole grains for some, more meat for others, plenty of fruits and non-starchy vegetables for everyone.

It is interesting to note that the ADA Foundation's Corporate Sponsors include:

ADA Partner GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
ADA Partner Pepsico
ADA Partner The Coca Cola Company
Premier Sponsor SOYJOY
Premier Sponsor Mars, Incorporated
Kraft Foods
Premier Sponsor Kellogg Company
Shasta Sales, Inc.
Knorr Brands

You've read commentaries from professionals concerned that we are drugging far too many of our kids. We know soda pop is bad for the body. We know the evidence against unfermented soy is damning, and that sugar-filled candy bars and carb-laden macaroni and cheese is not healthy food. "Kid food" is one of the reasons why cancer has become the chief cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 14.

This type of corporate sponsorship is a pretty clear example of the conflicts of interest that cloud the nutrition messages. No wonder the American waistline is growing fatter and fatter and chronic illness is on the rise.

Many of the studies that the panel said the FDA ignored were reviewed by the National Toxicology Program, which concluded in September that it had "some concern" that BPA can affect brain and behavioral development in infants and small children.

BPA is used to harden plastic and is found in the lining of nearly every soft drink and canned food product, including infant formula. Infants and children are more vulnerable to the health effects of many chemicals. Last week, the Canadian government said it would ban bisphenol A in baby bottles. Parents would be wise to avoid BPA as soon as possible. The writing is on the wall.