Herbs, Vitamins, Drugs and Supplements

Alli™ — Weight Loss Boon or Health Fraud?
 I want to comment on the hype around Alli™, the newest, over-the-counter weight loss product. I couldn't believe it when it sold out all over the country on the first day of its release. I would like to inject some sanity into the conversation and offer a natural alternative. more...

Vitamin Propaganda Continues
I am completely disgusted and seriously alarmed by the tenor of "health news" of late. Have you noticed? Everything is aimed at discrediting vitamins. more...

Analysis of Misleading Medical Study re Calcium and Osteoporosis
 Are you as tired as I am of all these "scientific studies" designed to demonstrate that what you really need is drugs? The latest in a long list of poorly designed – or possibly, purposefully rigged – studies is the latest, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, on February 16, 2006. more...

Cholesterol Drugs - The Truth Behind the Advertising
 I have noticed a television ad that piqued my curiosity. It features an unconscious patient being wheeled into an emergency room and the doctor asking the EMT about what meds the patient had been taking. When the EMT answers cholesterol-blockers, the narrative points out that blocking cholesterol is insufficient to prevent heart attack. more...

Essential Factors in a Healthy Diet
 Paleolithic diet contained 5 times the amount of fiber we consume; most of it was in the form of fiber from fruits and vegetables, both soluble and insoluble. These fibers have been shown to nourish beneficial bacteria in our intestinal tract - e.g., protecting against reproductive cancer. more...

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. more...

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. more...

Debunking False Vitamin Information
I never cease to be amazed by the ignorance of the medical community regarding nutrition. Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld on Sunday Housecall on Fox News, June 29, 2008, stated categorically that Vitamin A is the only vitamin found in meat. Not only he is mistaken, he is dangerously wrong. more...

Dangers of Osteoporosis Drugs
 FINALLY! A study being presented this week (March 11, 2010) at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons' annual meeting links the use of bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, etc.) to an increased risk of fracture in women, particularly in the hip and thigh. more...

CoQ10 Drug Depletion
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. more...

Health Risks from Acetaminophen
 Acetaminophen (Tylenol the most familiar brand) is extremely dangerous. When I was in school, our instructor in drug toxicology (who was a pharmacist and had practiced at LA County General Hospital) pointed out that acetaminophen was the leading cause of death by accidental poisoning in the pediatric population. What made the statistic even more startling was that the drug was almost always administered by the parents - with the intention of helping their child. more...

Finnish Antioxidant Study
One of the most common questions I've been asked recently is: What about beta carotene? Does the most recent study mean I should stop taking it? Is it dangerous? You probably already know the answers -- it was a great deal of media hype and very little accurate science. more...

Fish Oils Supplements Vital During Pregnancy
 This is a huge win for all pregnant women and their babies. FINALLY, it has been demonstrated that babies born to women who takefish oil supplements in the last trimester of their pregnancy have better neurological development. more...

Heartburn Drugs Have Unexpected Consequences
Prilosec®, Nexium® and Zantac® (and other similar drugs used to suppress acid production in your stomach) increase osteoporosis, and the risk of hip fracture. more...

Herbal Alternative to Flu Shots
 Cold and flu season is upon us again. I would like to make some recommendations to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy during this time of year. It will probably come as no surprise to you that I don't think a flu shot is a good idea. Let me share with you some of the reasons why. more...

Herbs - Variations in Quality and Non-Estrogenic Menopausal Relief
There's a great deal of misinformation regarding herbs and particularly in the area of 'standardized extracts.' Often, a standardized extract simply means that there is a defined weight of herb per ml of extract. The problem comes in the quality of the raw materials. Let me give you two examples. more...

Herbs. Are they Safe and Effective?
 Herbs are clearly safer than household cleaners we all use on a daily basis so, why all the emphasis on herbal dangers? See the full article for poisoning statitics. more...

Rehmannia Complex - a Better Choice than Cortisone for Pain Control?
In particular, I am very impressed with Rehmannia Complex Phytosynergist (RCP). For those of us with auto-immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia, this product is really a God-send. It contains the following herbs: more...

Safe Supplements and the Fear of Mad Cow Disease
Were you alarmed by the article regarding supplements in the Sunday LA Times on February 11th? The author attributed a slight dip in supplement sales to a lack of consumer confidence in their efficacy and worry about mad cow disease. more...

Schlock "Science" Attempts to Debunk Vitamin D Effect on Cancer Study Shows No Link Between Vitamin D Level and Cancer Deaths — Except for Colorectal Cancer." Sounds authoritative, doesn't it? But, if you dig a little deeper, you find out that this so-called "study" can hardly be termed a study at all. more...

Seasonal Allergy Relief
I thought I'd share with you a natural approach to seasonal allergy control. A treatment plan that doesn't make you drowsy and doesn't have adverse side effects. more...

Vitamin D Benefits
 Prior to this, the media has hyped the notion that vitamin D is "toxic" and shouldn't be taken in high doses. However, Robbins, et al, Pathologic Basis of Disease clearly states that vitamin D toxicity begins at 1,000,000 IUs per day. more...

Vitamin Propaganda – Do Vitamins Really Shorten Your Life?
Are you dismayed by recent news reports that tell you not to take vitamins, because they may shorten your life? I can't tell you how upset I have been by this disinformation campaign. more...

Vitamin E and Health
 Vitamin E and Health Have you heard the latest? It's been on all the network shows (watch for my topic: How Controlled is the Media on Health Issues?). more...

Vitamin E, Asthma, and Pre-natal Risk
They found that low intake of vitamin E during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk among offspring for developing persistent asthma, beginning during the first two years of life and continuing to at least until age five. more...

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. more...

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. more...

Your Freedom of Choice in Health Care May Be at Risk
There may be a threat to your access to vitamins and minerals looming on the horizon. It's called the Codex Alimentarius, a United Nations regulation purporting to set international standards for nutritional supplements. I don't want to "cry wolf", but there may be some very disturbing developments on the horizon with regard to supplements. more...

Busting Nutrition Myths
 The current "wisdom" about cardiovascular disease is almost entirely in error. My research on the subject Cardiovascular Fitness - Is Running Enough? has certainly been eye-opening. more...

Calcium
 One of the most common questions I am asked - and one of the most difficult to answer is "Doctor, what calcium should I take?" There is no easy and straightforward answer to that. I am, however, very glad that everyone is becoming more aware of the importance of calcium - particularly since it is so deficient in most American diets. more...


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