Colic

The new millenium has begun; and we at the RFHC hope that it finds you well and happy. We were well-prepared for Y2K, and had all of our systems up-graded well in advance.

A most interesting research article came across my desk which has already changed the way pediatrics is being practiced in Denmark. The question is: Will the American medical community take notice -- for the benefit of the children.

The University of Southern Denmark published the results of an important follow-up study on infantile colic in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics (JMPT, Oct 99). JMPT is a peer-reviewed journal of the highest caliber and the study’s design conformed to the randomized, controlled trial model so beloved of the medical profession.

It was a follow-up to a 1985 study which surveyed the results in 316 infants who had moderate to severe colic and who were brought in for chiropractic care to 50 clinics in Denmark. The results were impressive: 1. A dramatic reduction (>50%) in colic symptoms after the first treatment; 2. An overall success rate of 94% (colic stopped in 60% and improved in 34%) after an average of 3 treatments over the course of 2 weeks, with no adverse side effects.

In the new study (consisting of 50 infants between the ages of 2 and 10 weeks), the goal was to compare chiropractic manipulation to the most common medical treatment -- dimethicone. The results again were impressive! Dimethicone treated infants did no better than what was predicted for the “placebo” effect. The chiropractic results were a 67% reduction after 12 days. (The results are skewed downward due to the study design: 9 of the 25 babies in the medical group dropped out because of a worsening of symptoms during the course of treatment. The drop outs were excluded from the final analysis of the results. Therefore the 67% difference is even more impressive than it first appears.)

Why is this study important? It represents the best scientific documentation to date that infants benefit substantially from spinal manipulation. Infantile colic is common; it affects approximately 20% of newborns and can be very destructive to family life. The most accepted definition is “Unexplainable and uncontrollable crying in babies from 0 to 3 months old, more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for 3 weeks of more, usually in the afternoon and eveninig hours.” A variety of causes for colic have been suggested, and discarded, when no research showed no differences between colicky and non-colicky infants. Likewise, a variety of medical interventions (drugs) have been tried and discarded (often due to serious side effects).

Now, in a head-to-head comparison, chiropractic manipulation has been shown to be safe and effective for the relief of infantile colic. In Denmark, pediatricians have already begun referring babies for chiropractic manipulation. Will the American medical profession pay heed?

If you would like to read the full details on these studies, a copy of the review article can be found in our reception area -- in the blue binder entitled “Kid’s Health.” The article is in The Chiropractic Report, November 1999, page 1. When next you are in the office, take a few minutes to read it. I think you’ll be impressed. If you need a copy for friends or relatives, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and we will provide you a copy by return mail.

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An Asprin a Day Can Give You Cancer

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) 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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Vaccines?

How long have alternative health care practitioners been warning against the dangers of vaccines for children? To me, it seems like forever. We’ve been assured and reassured that the vaccines are perfectly safe for our innocent children. Well, have you heard the latest? Now that President Bush wants to reintroduce universal small pox vaccinations, the American Academy of Pediatrics is warning that the vaccine is unsafe, and may be life-threatening in certain cases. This after a world-wide campaign to eradicate small pox via vaccination. Didn’t the risks to people in other parts of the world matter? And, what about all of us who received the vaccine in the 50’s? Was our health also unimportant? I actually have a different question: If the smallpox vaccine is unsafe for the United States population as a whole, what makes vaccines safe for children? The incidence of side effects is very similar. Does anybody else notice how illogical this is?

Along the same line, there is an interesting article in the November issue of Discover magazine. Human DNA differs from chimpanzee DNA by less than 5%. (I just can’t remember whether it’s 1% or 3%!) The human genome project has revealed some interesting data. Our DNA is littered with bits of “junk” DNA that serve no clearly defined function; those scraps account for nearly one-half of our genome. For some time, scientists have believed that these bits were introduced by viruses incorporating themselves into our DNA. In comparing human DNA to primate DNA, the scientists compared a specific family of these “junk” segments and discovered that only one of them is present in humans, but not in chimps. So, the new thinking is that this one element caused humans and chimps to diverge and essentially making us human. Even without the evolutionary argument, the question remains: What are we doing, introducing attentuated viruses directly into the blood stream of our children? When vaccines were first developed, the virologists (scientists who specialize in the study of viruses) were appalled. Their contention was that we were introducing foreign DNA into the human genome and with unknown long-term consequences. The argument remains valid; and, this latest information only strengthens it.

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Aluminum Toxicity

I was appalled in September 2002 when I noticed that spray anti-perspirants have been reintroduced into the American market. You, too, may have noticed that for many years, spray anti-perspirants were quietly removed from the market place. Now, they’re back! The problem is: these products contain aerosolized aluminum, and I’m really concerned about the implications for Alzheimer’s Disease.

For years, the American public has been conditioned to believe that scientific data will give us definitive direction and certainty on health issues. Well, we have compelling studies implicating inhaled aluminum in cognitive dysfunction and, specifically, Alzheimer’s Disease.

In The Lancet, 2 May 1987, researchers at New York City’s Mt. Sinai School of Medicine reported that they had reproduced the brain lesions found in Alzheimer’s disease by exposing rabbits to inhaled aluminum. The aluminum not only showed up in the brain, but it also accumulated in the exact regions were the lesions of Alzheimer’s disease occurs and in the frontal lobe, paralleling the olfactory nerve.

Another, unheralded, longitudinal study was published in November 1990 by Donald McLachlan at the University of Toronto. Longitudinal studies are important because they look at the effects of conditions over a long period of time. Between 1944 and 1979, gold and uranium miners in Northern Ontario were dusted with a finely ground aluminum powder in an attempt to combat silicosis, a lung disease caused by inhaling rock dust containing silicon. As they changed clothes before each daily underground shift, they were enveloped in a cloud of the powder for 10 minutes. The University of Toronto team tracked down these miners, gave them a test that measured cognitive function, and found that the dusted miners performed poorly compared with those not exposed to aluminum powder. And, the longer the exposure, the greater the loss in function. Some were even found to have impaired memory function.

The underlying problem is that Alzheimer’s research is big business in the United States, and there are a number of theories andall competing for funding. The aluminum industry heavily funds the competing theories, and have worked hard to discredit the aluminum hypothesis. However, each of us has only been blessed with one brain. I think it behooves us to err on the side of conservatism. I, for one, don’t want to hear “Oops, we were wrong” and after it’s too late.

I haven’t seen any new information contradicting this study; maybe the manufacturers hope it will simply be forgotten. For the future health of yourself and all your loved ones, please share this information. AVOID any aerosol products that contain aluminum in any form. In addition to spray anti-perspirants, the list would include baking aides which spray on flour, as well as leavening. We all must remain vigilant and read labels in order to protect our health.

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CoQ10 Drug Depletion

I have recently returned from the national symposium hosted by the Council on Family Practice, in Orlando, Florida. Some of the sessions were political, but several of the presentations were excellent.

In particular, I want to share with you some of the information from a presentation entitled, “Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletions.” I found the information shocking, and I thought I was well-informed in this area.

The presentation was very detailed and dealt with a variety of classifications of the most commonly prescribed drugs and what nutrients they deplete. Dr. Pelton pointed out that in his research he found over 600 articles documenting how popular prescription drugs deplete necessary vitamins and minerals.

However, for the moment, I’d like to concentrate on just one critical nutrient: CoQ10. As you may be aware, enzyme CoQ10 is an essential element of the mitochondrial electron-chain reaction, whereby we utilize oxygen to “burn” our food, producing energy without destroying our cells. CoQ10 is absolutely essential to protect the mitochondria from irreversible damage by the oxygen. Yet, many of the most common drugs prescribed today cause massive depletion of CoQ10, and there is no good food source which contains it. We either have to make our own or take it! And, making CoQ10 is a complex process involving 17 different steps and requiring multiple vitamins and minerals as co-factors.

The following is a partial list of the prescription drugs that deplete CoQ10:

TYPE OF DRUG CLASS SOME BRAND NAMES
Blood Pressure Medications Hydralazine
Thiazides
Beta-blockers
Clonidine/Methyldopa 		Hydra-Zide, Diuril
Hygroton, Lopressor
Tenormin, Catpres
Aldomet
Cholesterol Lowering Drugs Statins
Gemfibrozil 		Lovastatin
Mevocor
Lopid
Anti-diabetic Drugs Sulfonylureas
Biguanides 		Orinase, Micronase
Glucatrol, Diabinese
Glucophage
Psychotherapeutic Drugs Phenothiazines
Tricyclic antidepressants
Haloperidol 		Thorazine, Mellaril
Elavil, Limbitrol
Sinequan, Triavil
Haldol, Halperon

Of these, the cholesterol lowering drugs known as “statins” probably deplete CoQ10 most seriously. The drugs inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the liver. In that process, they also inhibit part of the enzyme pathway for CoQ10 synthesis.

You may be thinking, “Well, that’s interesting. So what? How does it affect me?” I’m sure you’ll see the relevance when you come to understand that the clinical picture of CoQ10 deficiency is heart failure: fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, retaining water, especially in the lower extremities, and, in extreme cases, water on the lungs and cardiac asthma.

The drugs are creating congestive heart failure (CHF)! In the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were several thousand cases of CHF diagnosed per year, and almost all of them were post-heart attack. Now, there are hundreds of thousands of cases diagnosed annually; and most of these people have never had a heart attack. And, you might notice that in the case of blood pressure medications, cholesterol lowering drugs and anti-diabetic drugs, heart disease is the very thing the treatments are designed to prevent and or at least that’s the way they’re marketed. Whatever happened to “First, do no harm”?

There’s an interesting historical note to all of this. In the 1950’s the therapeutic effects of CoQ10 were discovered by a research scientist working for Merck. He told them that CoQ10 was the best cardiovascular drug he had ever seen; however, they weren’t interested in developing it and sold the patent to the Japanese. For the last 30 years, CoQ10 has been the number one cardiac drug in Japan. Meanwhile, here in America, we’re still using physiologic poisons to treat heart disease.

If you’re interested in reading more about the topic of how drugs deplete vitamins and minerals, Dr. Pelton has published a book “The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs.” It’s $14.95 and can be ordered through Vroman’s bookstore in Pasadena. We will soon have a copy in our office lending library.

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Aspertame

It has been very difficult since September 11th to focus on anything other than the challenges we face as a nation. It has made many other concerns seem trivial. However, there is vital information which is not getting much attention and except on the Internet. And, in order to protect yourself and your loved ones, I believe it’s important to bring this information to your awareness. It is not an urban legend!!

One of the most dangerous substances in the US food supply is aspartame and otherwise known as Equal(R), Spoonful(R) or NutraSweet(R). There are over 5,000 “sugar free” products on the market which contain this neurotoxin. And, now that the patent has expired, we can expect many more!

Were you aware that aspartame is the only substance ever approved for use by the FDA that was demonstrated to cause cancer in laboratory animals? It was given a “conditional” approval, but for all practical purposes, the conditions were meaningless. Sugar free products have exploded across the US and in other parts of the world, as well.

The sad irony, aspartame is not a diet product. In the Congressional record it states that "[Aspartame] makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you fat.” It has been documented by Dr. H.J. Roberts, a diabetic specialist and world authority on aspartame, that patients lose an average of 19 lbs when they stop using aspartame. But, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

In diabetics, aspartame causes retinopathy, memory loss, confusion, diabetic coma and death, due to uncontrollable blood sugar levels.

For those of us without diabetes, aspartame is a neurotoxin. Dr. Russell Blaylock, in his excellent book, “Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills” documents the brain damage caused by this product. Aspartame at 86º F breaks down into phenylalanine and wood alcohol. The wood alcohol is a deadly poison and destroying the retina of the eye, and the kidney. Phenylalanine depletes serotonin in the brain lowering the seizure threshold, and can cause panic attacks, manic depression, rage and violence.

Dr. Roberts has also written a book entitled “Defense Against Alzheimer’s Disease” wherein he discusses the connection between aspartame poisoning and the escalation in Alzheimer’s Disease. Hospice nurses are now seeing women of 30 years of age with Alzheimer’s disease.

If you think you are safely using this product because you don’t cook with it, stop for a moment and reflect upon what happens during the process of shipping and storing products containing aspartame. Temperatures of 86ºF are common inside warehouses and trucks during the summer months. How do you know that that can of diet Coke(R) hasn’t been warmed beyond the safety limit?

Now, more and more authorities are sounding a warning concerning the epidemic of multiple sclerosis, Parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s in younger populations, as well as seizure disorder in children and out-of-control diabetes. The following is a partial list of the symptoms caused by this artificial sweetener: fibromyalgia, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, ringing in the ears, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, memory loss and tremor. If you have any of these symptoms -- and even if you don’t and please stop using this deadly neurotoxin before it’s too late. There’s very little that can be done after the damage advances.

If you have family members who use these products regularly, expose them to this information immediately. If they’re still resistant, obtain the books and share the opinions of medical authorities with them. I have phone numbers where you can order each book. Just call the office and we’ll be glad to give you additional information.

Every effort in Congress to put warning labels on these products has been killed by the food lobby. After all, Monsanto (who patented aspartame) is one of the largest companies in the world and has plenty of money to achieve its purposes. The only way people can protect themselves is through knowledge and accurate information. Tell your friends; tell your family; tell complete strangers! But, let’s unite to boycott this toxin and get it off the market.

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Lyme Disease. The Great Imitator

I want to bring to your attention some extremely important information I have been researching over the last 6 weeks. There is an undiagnosed epidemic of Lyme Disease in the United States that may be affecting millions of people. New research suggests that Lyme Disease is the underlying causative agent of many chronic health conditions, including but not limited to: allergies, heart arrhythmias, arthritis (both osteo and rheumatoid), ADD, auto-immune disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration, sensory or motor radiculoneuropathies (i.e., clumsiness in the hands or feet and/or burning, tingling or numbness), Alzheimer's Disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), Bell's palsy, irritable bowel syndrome and gastrointestinal distress, lupus, polymyalgia rheumatica (a more severe form of fibromyalgia), sleep disorders, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, brain fog, memory loss, joint pain/swelling/stiffness, lack of coordination, unexplained chills and fevers, recurrent infections, poor concentration, tremors, shortness of breath, anxiety or panic attacks, heart palpitations, weight changes (loss or gain), sore throats, loss of appetite, muscle pain or cramps, obsessive compulsive disorders, headaches/migraines, light sensitivity, trigeminal neuralgia, unexplained hair loss, and visual changes. And, this is only a partial list!! There are actually more than 300 references in the medical literature to conditions which have been linked to an underlying Lyme Disease infection. I printed such a list off of the Internet, with each disorder referenced to the Publ. Med. abstract.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one of the more conservative medical institutions in the US, estimates that there are 10 times as many undiagnosed cases of Lyme in the US than the 180,000 reported cases. That means approximately 2 million people have an undiagnosed, treatable bacterial infection that is severely affecting their quality of life.

The problem with diagnosing Lyme Disease is that -- until now -- our diagnostic tests have been quite inadequate. The serologic blood test for Lyme is insensitive, inaccurate and misses over 40% of cases (JA Whitaker, MD, "Q-RIBB A New Quantitative Rapid Test for Diagnosing Lyme Disease," Focus, Feb 04, p7.) This is because of the nature of the Lyme disease organism. The bacterium is a spirochete, which changes its shape from a spiral to a filament, cyst, granule, hooked rod or elbow, as it loses its cell wall (CWD forms). These CWD forms do not produce an antibody response, making it impossible for your immune system to respond and making the ELISA and Western Blot tests give false negatives. Additionally, in this form they are able to hide within most tissues of the body, thus protecting themselves from any adverse host response.

Furthermore, the bull's eye rash (the most diagnostic symptom in the medical community) occurs in only about 50% of all infected people.

Dr. Whitaker has tested over 3500 indivdiuals (500 of them very sick children) from a wide geographical distribution, and all of them have tested positive for Lyme Disease. Other researchers have done smaller studies with similar results (Mattman, 1995, 43 of 47 patients with chronic disease were positive for Lyme while 22 of 23 control cultures were negative). Since 1999, all blood cultures have been positive and there have been no negatives. Dr. Whitaker and other researchers believe this indicates the magnitude of the problem.

For many years, we have been taught that Lyme Disease is a disease found only on the East Coast and that it is transmitted by deer ticks. This information is false. Lyme Disease is endemic along the entire West Coast of the US, extending north into British Columbia. It is also found throughout the Eastern Seaboard and is particularly endemic in Florida and Connecticut. More alarming, the organism has been identified in bodily fluids, including semen, tears and saliva, so the suspicion is it can be communicated between individuals by close bodily contact. We know that it can also cross the placenta into the unborn child. We also know that it is carried by mites and mosquitoes, as well as ticks. Furthermore, birds can act as a reservoir for the disease.

Why am I bringing this to your attention? Primarily because there is now hope for people who have been chronically ill for years. And, there is hope that otherwise chronic, incurable conditions can be stopped, and in some cases, reversed. As an example, ALS patients have had their symptoms reverse when treated for Lyme Disease.

The problem is that the medical community is loathe to admit the widespread nature of the problem, and even more reluctant to treat it. One of my patients whom I recently diagnosed with Lyme took the information to her neurologist who abused her. He shouted at her that Lyme Disease doesn't exist in California (see the CDC web site www.cdc.gov) and that anyone who told her she had Lyme Disease was out of their mind. He refused to recognize the test result or to offer any assistance in treating her.

Fortunately, a recent study demonstrated the efficacy of Cat's Claw (Unicaria tomentosa) in destroying the Lyme organism. In fact, in the study, the control group of 14 patients all took antibiotics and only 3 improved slightly, 3 got worse and the remainder had no change in their clinical condition. The experimental group was treated with Cat's Claw and 85% of them were negative for the Lyme organism after 6 months and all the patients experienced a dramatic improvement in their clinical condition. (Cowden, WE, MD, et al., "Lyme Disease: Nutraceutical Breakthrough Using TOA-Free Cat's Claw", Focus, Feb '04, pp.3,4)

In utilizing Cat's Claw, it is extremely important that the quality and purity of the product be assured. This herb occurs naturally in 2 forms: the more common TOA form and the rarer POA form. For those of you with a chemical bent, TOA stands for tetracyclic oxindole alkaloid and POA for pentacyclic oxindole alkaloid. Only the POA form is effective in stimulating the immunity which destroys the organism. As little as 1% TOA can cause a 30% reduction in the immune system modulating properties that POAs provide. Unfortunately some commercially available products contain as much as 80% TOAs. (Ibid, p. 3)

The Medi-Herb Cat's Claw that we use at the RFHC is 1.5% to 2.0% POAs, the highest concentration available, and is TOA free. Therefore, the amount needed is less, making it much more affordable than other POA products on the market. We did a cost study and determined that using Medi-Herb Cat's Claw was very cost effective. ($60 for a month's supply vs. $325 for a month's supply from the other retailer.)

There are many other considerations in treating Lyme Disease, as well, including managing the die-off reactions which occur in chronic cases by titrating the dosage and supporting the ancillary system s of the body. Also, since the treatment of Lyme may take 9 to 12 months, it is important to have the support of a health professional. I have developed a protocol to enable you to continue to function while eliminating the organism. If you suspect that you or anyone you care about may be suffering from this insidious disease, contact us today and arrange for the testing. If you would like to read more about Lyme Disease, send a self-addressed, stamped 11" x 13" manila envelope, and we will send you a copy of the Focus Newsletter quoted in this article.

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Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss − Is It Even Possible?

(This is an update of an article first published in 2001)

Ultra SlimFast™ is a medical food, suitable as a meal replacement or for weight-loss/maintenance programs. Ultra SlimFast™ has been studied in comparison to over-the-counter products, specifically, Ultra SlimFast™, and the results are very interesting. The Ultra SlimFast™ program, which was supervised by a doctor, lasted 10 weeks and consisted of 2 meal replacements per day, with one low-calorie meal of lean meat, fresh vegetables and fruit, with mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks of fresh fruit or vegetables. The Ultra SlimFast™ program was also 10 weeks, but was unsupervised, with no direction as to behavior and diet modification or exercise.

The results are enlightening: 64% of the Ultra SlimFast™ group completed the full 10 weeks; whereas, only 42% of the other group saw the program through to the end. In those who completed the program, differences in endpoint data were analyzed. Both groups lost weight; however, the most striking difference between them was that the Ultra SlimFast™ group lost a significant loss of weight as body fat, while the Ultra SlimFast™ group lost the majority of their weight from muscle protein, not body fat. The Ultra SlimFast™ group actually wound up with a higher ratio of body fat to lean muscle mass than before starting on the program.

The other notable difference between the two groups was that the Ultra SlimFast™ group showed a significant increase in thyroid stimulating hormone levels through the course of the program and indicating suppression of thyroid function while on the meal replacement. The Ultra SlimFast™ group thyroid stimulating hormone levels remained normal. It is generally recognized that the inclusion of high quality, bio-available protein in a weight loss program minimizes the risk of neuroendocrine disturbances. A number of studies have confirmed that extremely low calorie diets induced a decrease in thyroid function. It is the body's adaptation to a starvation state and conservation of what calories are available.

My take on this research is that Ultra SlimFast™ is superior to any over-the-counter product because it allows for weight loss without loss of muscle mass. It also does not alter thyroid function, making it easier initially to lose excess body fat and then to keep it off. Since you will have decreased your total percentage of body fat, you will also have an easier time maintaining your weight reduction.

I have an article from the Journal of Nutritional Medicine in my office containing all the data and references. If you would like all the details, send a SASE with the request for the "weight loss article" to the office, and we'll send you a copy.

At the Clinic, we are instituting a guided program to help you achieve your ideal weight. The program includes healthy, nutritious foods and herbal support to encourage your success.

So, if you're looking for a safe, proven weight loss program, make an appointment for a consultation. We have a limited number of appointments for participants in the program. On the other hand, if you simply need a quick, easy nutrition rich meal for breakfast or lunch, give us a call and order Ultra SlimFast™. A 14 serving container currently costs $31.


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Coral Calcium Alert

It has come to my attention that Coral Calcium can be very dangerous to people who are allergic to shrimp and shellfish. The product can contain traces of shrimp and at least one person has suffered anaphylactic shock after taking Coral Calcium.

Coral Calcium is nothing more than calcium carbonate (plus contami-nants), making it very hard to absorb. Save the coral reefs! Take calcium citrate and the most well-absorbed form of calcium!


Protect Yourself Against the West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus has reached Southern California. And, if you listen to the media reports, we are all doomed! So, I'd like to interject a little sanity into the discussion, in the form of cold, hard facts. I researched this information on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web site, in my medical microbiology texts, and on a consumer-friendly informational site. The statistics are all from the CDC.

First, a little history: West Nile Virus first appeared in the US in 1999. It appeared on the East Coast in and around New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. By 2001, it had spread West as far as the states bordering the Mississippi river (an approximate description). It was nationwide by the year 2002. In 2003 (the latest year for which the CDC has data posted), there were human cases reported in every state except Maine (where only avian cases were found), Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii. In California, there were 3 cases, and no deaths. This figure is quite low, even though the virus had been detected in California for 2 years. The state with the highest incidence in 2003 was Colorado, with 2947 reported cases and 61 deaths. The second highest incidence occurred in Nebraska, with 1942 cases and 29 deaths.

The virus is passed from infected birds to humans (and other mammals) by the bite of an infected mosquito. The incubation period is 3 to 14 days. The other mammals that have shown infection include: horses, squirrels, cats, bats, chipmunks, squirrels and domestic rabbits. However, a mosquito cannot bite an infected mammal and pick up the disease. The virus only passes from birds to mammals in its infectious state. Also, you can't be infected by an infected person or animal, nor can you get sick from the body of a dead bird. You must be bitten by an infected mosquito. There is one case of transplacental (mother to fetus) transmission of the virus, but the data is unclear whether the fetus had other health problems that made it susceptible to the virus. And, a few laboratory technicians have contracted the virus from inadvertent needle sticks. So, the disease is not very infectious.

More importantly, very few of the people who are bitten by an infected mosquito become ill. Approximately 20% will develop West Nile Fever, a mild condition which lasts a few days with symptoms of mild fever, headache and body aches. In some case a skin rash develops over the trunk and the lymph glands are swollen. Approximately 1 in 150 people will develop the severe form of West Nile Virus, meningioencephalitis. The symptoms include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis and coma. This illness lasts several weeks, requires hospitalization for supportive care and may leave permanent neurologic damage due to strokes. Those most at risk for the severe form of the disease are people over 50. Most deaths occur amongst the elderly. There is no data as yet on the risk to immuno-compromised people (HIV positive, transplant patients, etc.).

Once you have contracted the virus, even in its mildest form, you have immunity which is believed to be lifelong.

What frightens the public health community is that in the medical world there is no treatment for viral disease. They can only offer supportive care after the severe form of the disease manifests itself. All of the recommended health measures focus on mosquito control - an almost impossible task.

However, I have good news. The virus is an enveloped virus (i.e., it has a lipid coating). This makes it susceptible to St. John's Wort from Medi-Herb. I have been using this product for 2 years now with a variety of enveloped viruses (such as shingles and herpes) with great success. I've actually seen shingles begin to resolve within 48 hours, which is totally astounding!

If you are concerned about yourself or someone you love, for prevention I recommend a daily dose of 2 St. John's Wort in the morning for those in good health. For the elderly or frail, 1 tablet, 3 times a day is a better choice. I can only recommend the Medi-Herb product. I simply haven't seen this kind of anti-viral activity in over the counter preparations of St. John's Wort sold in the U.S.

If you want to get started on protecting yourself and your family from this virus, call the office before Friday to order a bottle. We place our supplement orders on Friday, and will have it in the office for you on Tuesday afternoon. A 40 tablet bottle is $15. And, the good news is that St. John's Wort protects against all enveloped viruses, including the flu virus.

One side note of importance: We now have an in-office answering machine. However, it doesn't always get messages from cell phones. So, if you haven't heard back from us, please call on a land line. Isn't technology wonderful?!

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West Nile Virus and St John's Wort

West Nile Virus, although new to the US, is well-documented. The Centers for Disease Control identifies it as a flavivirus, a member of the Togavirus family. It is closely related to yellow fever and dengue fever. This is important because the Togavirus family are encapsulated viruses, i.e., they are covered with a lipid (fatty) coating.

This is exciting, because it means the virus is accessible to treatment utilizing high quality St. John's Wort (SJW). Several studies have been done on a variety of encapsulated viruses, including herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, parainfluenza virus, vaccinia virus, cytomegalovirus and several retroviruses including HIV1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. Non-encapsulated viruses or "naked" viruses were also studied for comparison purposes10,13. SJW was a potent anti-viral agent across a variety of encapsulated virus families, but showed no activity against naked viruses.

Unlike a vaccine that is specific to each organism, SJW is active against encapsulated viruses by a variety of mechanisms, including light activation, interference with DNA transcription, impairing the assembly of intact viral particles and the lipophilic (fat-loving) nature of the ring structures (the quinone and phenolic groups)4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. These ring structures are critical to the biologic activity of SJW.

From these results, it is reasonable to use high quality, pharmaceutical grade SJW in combating West Nile Virus, since there are no effective pharmaceutical agents. Quality is critical since the level of hypericin and pseudohypericin are key. I can only recommend the SJW product produced by Medi-Herb, which is a pharmaceutical house in Australia, adhering to pharmaceutical manufacturing standards. The product is distributed by Standard Process through alternative health care practitioners, including doctors of chiropractic, acupuncturists and veterinarians. SJW is quite unstable and the active ingredients degrade on store shelves. An independent analysis of 3 products (all of which were certified to contain 0.3% hypericin) were shown to be widely variant, with one product 25% below label claims. It is critically important that the phytochemical integrity of the whole plant be preserved for maximum efficacy.16

Medi-Herb SJW is available at the RFHC and is the only brand we carry.

References:

  1. Andersen DO, Weber ND, Wood SG et al. Antiviral Res 1991; 16(2): 185-196.

  2. Lopez-Bazzocchi I, Hudson JB, Towers GHN. Photochem.Photopbiol. 1991; 54(1): 95-98.

  3. Moraleda G, Wu TT, Jilbert AR et al. Antiviral Res 1993; 20: 235-247.

  4. Tang J, Colacino JM, Larsen SH et al. Antiviral Res 1990; 13 (6): 313-325.

  5. Hudson JB, Harris L, Towers GHN. Antiviral Res 1993; 20 (2):173-178.

  6. Lenard J, Rabson A, Vanderoef R. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1993; 90 (1): 158-162.

  7. Degar S, Prince AM, Pascual D et al. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1992; 8 (11): 1929-1936.

  8. Carpenter S, Kraus GA. Photochem Photobiol 1991; 53 (2): 169-174.

  9. Lavie G, Valentine F, Levin B et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1989; 86 (15): 5963-5967.

  10. Meruelo D, Lavie G, Lavie D et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1988; 85 (14): 5230-5234.

  11. Kraus GA, Pratt D, Tossberg J et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1990; 172 (1): 149-153.

  12. Takahashi I, Nakanishi S, Kobayashi E et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1989; 165 (3): 1207-1212.

  13. De Witte P, Agostinis P, Van Lint J et al. Biochem Pharmacol 1993; 46 (11): 1929-1936.

  14. Panossian AG, Gabrielian E, Manvelian V et al. Phytomed 1996; 3 (1): 19-28.

  15. Lavie G, Mazur Y, Lavie D et al. Transfusion 1995; 35 (5): 392-400.

  16. Constantine GH, Karchesy J. Variations in Hypericin concentrations in Hypericum perforatum L. and commercial products. Pharmaceutical Biology 1998; 36 (5): 365-367.

If this article is of interest to you, see our other information on West Nile Virus

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Death by Medicine

I submitted an article detailing the effectiveness of St. John's Wort with West Nile Virus to a PR website where reporters research information for broadcast/publication. We got almost 88,000 hits, but no one wanted to disseminate the information. I spoke to one reporter with a newspaper in the Inland Empire. We're still waiting to see if she will publish anything. Whole Life Times was also possibly interested. When my publicist called NBC, the response was informative. The call screener was immediately interested. He wanted to know what the substance was, where he could obtain it, and how much he should take. However, the next person up the chain, the actual producer for all their medical programming (who also was interested and who takes herbs herself), told her that she was sorry, but Dr. Bruce Hensel, the medical director, wouldn't let anything on the air that wasn't AMA approved.

You can draw your own conclusions. Mine is that there are some people who would rather see others die than put out information that is not flattering to the medical community. And, this ties right in the next item I'd like to share.

In March of this year, Dr. Gary Null published an article entitled "Death by Medicine" on his web site regarding life extension. As pointed out in the introduction, the authors note: "Never before have the complete statistics on the multiple causes of iatrogenesis been combined in one paper. Medical science amasses tens of thousands of papers annually - each on a tiny fragment of the whole picture. … Each specialty, each division of medicine keeps their own records and data on morbidity and mortality like pieces of a puzzle. But the numbers and statistics were always hiding in plain sight. We have now completed the painstaking work of reviewing thousands of studies. Finally putting the puzzle together, we came up with some disturbing answers."

  • "The total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year."
  • "The number of people having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is 2.2 million."
  • "Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20 million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary antibiotics."
  • The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million."
  • "The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million."
  • "It is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States." (See statistics below to confirm this statement.)
Finally, the authors are especially concerned that "(a)s few as 5% and only up to 20% of iatrogenic acts are ever reported." That's frightening, considering how large the numbers are, even with this poor reporting record.

The following table is from the CDC web site which gives the numbers for 2001, the last year for which statistics have been compiled:

Deaths - Leading Causes
(Data are for US in 2001)
Heart Disease: 700,142
Cancer: 553,768
Stroke: 163,538
Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases: 123,013
Accidents (unintentional Injuries): 101,537
Diabetes: 71,372
Influenza/Pneumonia: 62,034
Alzheimer's Disease: 53,852
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 39,480
Septicemia: 32,238

Compare this to the 783,936 deaths caused by conventional medicine, as stated in Dr. Null's article.

Yet, no one has considered this information newsworthy. I haven't heard about it on any of the major news outlets, have you? Don't you think it's important? Particularly, in light of the on-going debate in this country about health care and health care costs.

If you would like a copy of the entire article (it runs 31 pages), please send RFHC a self-addressed, manila envelope, with extra postage ($1.52), and we will be happy to send you a copy. I printed it out and formatted all the tables so that is easily read. There are 152 references, so the media's lack of interest certainly isn't due to lack of documentation.

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The Flu and St John's Wort

Have you noticed the recent media hysteria regarding the lack of flu vaccine this year? Are you concerned about the possible ramifications for you and your family? If so, please read on.

Influenza viruses (strains A, B and C) are members of the Orthomyxovirus family.  They are encapsulated viruses, i.e., they are covered with a lipid (fatty) coating.

This is exciting, because it means the virus is accessible to treatment utilizing high quality St. John's Wort (SJW). Several studies have been done on a variety of encapsulated viruses, including herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, parainfluenza virus, vaccinia virus, cytomegalovirus and several retroviruses including HIV 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. Non-encapsulated viruses or "naked" viruses were also studied for comparison purposes10,13. SJW was a potent anti-viral agent across a variety of encapsulated virus families, but showed no activity against naked viruses.

As you may be aware, a vaccine must be specific to each organism. With influenza virus this represents quite a challenge, because there is no way to know which strain will circulate in the coming year. Since it takes many months to cultivate the vaccine, authorities make an "educated guess" each year as to which strains to grow to produce the vaccine.

By contrast, SJW is active against all encapsulated viruses by a variety of mechanisms, including light activation, interference with DNA transcription, impairing the assembly of intact viral particles and the lipophilic (fat-loving) nature of the ring structures (the quinone and phenolic groups)4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. These ring structures are critical to the biologic activity of SJW.

From these results, it is reasonable to use high quality, pharmaceutical grade SJW prophylactically against the flu; particularly, since there are no effective pharmaceutical agents. Quality is critical since the level of hypericin and pseudohypericin are key. I can only recommend the SJW product produced by Medi-Herb, which is a pharmaceutical house in Australia, adhering to pharmaceutical manufacturing standards. The product is distributed by Standard Process through alternative health care practitioners, including doctors of chiropractic, acupuncturists and veterinarians. SJW is quite unstable and the active ingredients degrade on store shelves. An independent analysis of 3 products (all of which were certified to contain 0.3% hypericin) were shown to be widely variant, with one product 25% below label claims. It is critically important that the phytochemical integrity of the whole plant be preserved for maximum efficacy.16

In my opinion, using St. John's Wort instead of getting a flu shot is a much better and safer choice. Two per day should be sufficient. If you feel like you are becoming ill, you can increase that dose to 2, 3 times a day for several days to nip it in the bud. The only caveat is that St. John's Wort is not effective against one of the families of virus that cause the common cold (although it is effective against the other). An additional plus is that St. John's Wort protects against ALL encapsulated viruses, including the entire Herpes family (chickenpox, shingles, Epstein Barr, oral and genital herpes), hepatitis B (but not A), West Nile Virus, Rubella (i.e. German measles), respiratory syncytial disease, measles, parainfluenza, rabies and HIV (although I doubt it can protect you from infection with HIV). That's a lot of bang for your buck!

Another issue which may be motivating the media uproar is that the vaccination rates in the US are dropping. A shortage in the vaccine supply creates market demand. What do you think?

References

  1. Andersen DO, Weber ND, Wood SG et al. Antiviral Res 1991; 16(2): 185-196.

  2. Lopez-Bazzocchi I, Hudson JB, Towers GHN. Photochem.Photopbiol. 1991; 54(1): 95-98.

  3. Moraleda G, Wu TT, Jilbert AR et al. Antiviral Res 1993; 20: 235-247.

  4. Tang J, Colacino JM, Larsen SH et al. Antiviral Res 1990; 13 (6): 313-325.

  5. Hudson JB, Harris L, Towers GHN. Antiviral Res 1993; 20 (2):173-178.

  6. Lenard J, Rabson A, Vanderoef R. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1993; 90 (1): 158-162.

  7. Degar S, Prince AM, Pascual D et al. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1992; 8 (11): 1929-1936.

  8. Carpenter S, Kraus GA. Photochem Photobiol 1991; 53 (2): 169-174.

  9. Lavie G, Valentine F, Levin B et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1989; 86 (15): 5963-5967.

  10. Meruelo D, Lavie G, Lavie D et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1988; 85 (14): 5230-5234.

  11. Kraus GA, Pratt D, Tossberg J et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1990; 172 (1): 149-153.

  12. Takahashi I, Nakanishi S, Kobayashi E et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1989; 165 (3): 1207-1212.

  13. De Witte P, Agostinis P, Van Lint J et al. Biochem Pharmacol 1993; 46 (11): 1929-1936.

  14. Panossian AG, Gabrielian E, Manvelian V et al. Phytomed 1996; 3 (1): 19-28.

  15. Lavie G, Mazur Y, Lavie D et al. Transfusion 1995; 35 (5): 392-400.

  16. Constantine GH, Karchesy J. Variations in Hypericin concentrations in Hypericum perforatum L. and commercial products. Pharmaceutical Biology 1998; 36 (5): 365-367.
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Health Blog
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