Pink Ribbons: Think Before You Pink

Think before you PINK! Pink Washing (Pink Ribbons) can be a marketing ploy to sell products. Listen to Vicki and learn about some of the BIG cosmetic companies that sell products that contain the toxic chemicals (carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, etc.) that can cause breast cancer, as well as many other diseases. These companies that sponsor "Walks For The Cure" need to “Walk their Talk” and encourage prevention.

To check these companies yourself, go to Cosmetics Database and click on “Skin Deep”. Go to Vicki’s Healthy Skin Care Products for healthy suggestions.

For more information on this topic of Pink Ribbons and Pink Washing, Vicki recommends reading Stacy Malkan’s book, “Not Just a Pretty Face, the Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry”.

Serum B12 Levels Do Not Assess Deficiency Adequately

A new study documents that poor vitamin B12 status is a risk factor for brain atrophy and cognitive impairment and  highlights the importance of its metabolites that are not routinely assessed. Higher levels of several markers of vitamin B12 deficiency, especially methlmalonic acid (MMA), homocysteine, 2-methycitrate, and cystathionine, are associated with low B12 activity. Vitamin B12 is intimately related to energy production, red cell metabolism, protection against cancer and in immune function. Elevated levels of these metabolites was associated with decreased brain volume at 5 years.

ADD-ADHD Overview

ADD and ADHD are characterized by distractability, impulsivity, and disruptive behavior. About 5% of school kids are diagnosed; this is massive overdiagnosis. The influence of Big Pharma and drug therapy is revealed and the drugs used reviewed. The role of essential fatty acid metabolic defects and the importance of psychotherapy highlighted. 

How Much Calcium Does Your Body Need?

Increasing daily calcium does not reduce the risk of fractures beyond a certain amount, which is 750 mg per day. Most MDs in the US overdose supplementation, thinking that more is better to prevent or stop the progression of low bone mass...osteopenia and osteoporosis. Studies on more than 60,000 women showed that women had the lowest risk of having a fracture when they consumed about 750 mg of calcium per day. Higher levels of calcium intake had no additional benefit. We know that in women with osteoporosis who we treat with large doses of calcium, especially without sufficient vitamin D, are prone to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

Common Drugs Linked to Cognitive Decline

Medications with anticholinergic activity, which include many drugs taken by older adults, cause cognitive impairment. Over the counter sleeping aids such as Excedrin PM, Nytol, Sominex, Tylenol PM, and Unisom are especially problematic. Other drugs include Paxil, Detol, Demerol, and Elavil. Anticholinergics work by blocking the brain's neurotransmitter, acetylcholine.

In a study published in the June 24, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers studied the impact of these medications on 13,000 people over the age of 65 by measursing tests in cognitive function of those taking anticholinergic drugs and those not. The results were striking. Far too many doctors recommend these drugs and don't realize their impact.

MDs Too Quick to Reach for Prescription Pads

US doctors are too quick to reach for their prescription pads according to the Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice. Half of all Americans took at least one prescription drug during the previous month and 1/3 of all people over 60 take five or more drugs! MDs also tend to use the latest and greatest pills rather than those that have been time tested. Often what is bothering people can be resolved through lifestyle changes that include diet, exercise, stress reduction etc. There are billions of dollars spent every year on drugs with unproven benefits. Lastly, it is difficult for MDs to get information about drugs that is unbiased.

Resistant Microbes Found in Half of Infected Patient Rooms

Multidrug resistant microbes such as acinetobacker baumannii, MRSA, C. diff, and vancomycin resistant enterococcus are found in 50% of infected patients rooms up to 2 months later! Patients with weakened immunity are especially vulnerable. These microbes are found on places that include supply cart handles, floors, infusion pumps, ventilator touch pads, bed rails, and much more.

There is much that can be done to prevent the 1.9 million hospital acquired infections and about 100,000 deaths from them that is not happening. First we could be using copper on surfaces that harbor these infections to prevent most of them from occurring in the first place. We could consider using UVB lights in rooms where people with serious infections have stayed. We should be using lifestyle strategies to boost immunity and strengthen detoxification. When 5% of hospitalized patients who come in without an infection go out with an infection, we're not doing our job to prevent infections very well.

Occupy Wall Street Requires Both Revolution and Evolution

Occupy Wall Street is growing and global. The poor and middle classes are beyond outrage and are creating a revolution. The major issues are how do we take back democracy and how do we share the wealth of the land. The 1% is not happy with what they have and it is not enough that we no longer have a voice, that unemployment is devastatingly serious, that we have major disparaties in health care, and so much more. The 99% are saying, "No more!"

Revolution is what is fueling this movement. I support it. Yet we need something more than revolution. We must also evolve to a higher level of consciousness where the oneness of the universe is understood and supported...yes that includes the bad guys! We must evolve to a place where materialism is important but where giving, sharing, and loving come before materialism.

We must also not foget the powerful role of the Federal Reserve...it is totally corrupt, has no responsibility to we the people, and has managed to own America. Perhaps we should consider defaulting on this loan and reinvent a monetary system of our own that is built on a gold/silver standard and is owned by our own US government.

The FDA is Bragging that the US Approves Drugs Faster than Europe

Americans last year got access to 24 new medications before they became available in Europe. User fees from drug companies made this possible; they now provide about 1/3 of all funding that the FDA gets. This sets up a serious conflict of interest for the FDA that makes them beholden to Big Pharma's wishes.

Far too many look alike drugs are brought into the marketplace because patents run out and new sources of revenue are needed to provide a hefty return on investment. The FDA stated that user fees helped approve 34 of the 35 drugs they were planning to review.

Exercise Reduces the Effect of an Obesity Gene

Physical exercise can change the DNA in certain genes that stimulate obesity and lessen their effects by about 30%. Epigenetics has a lot to do with how the DNA in our genes manifests itself. This challenges the widely held belief that what is in our DNA is not changeable...thank goodness that this is not true.

We have found the same epigenetic changes with heart disease and with prostate cancer. Studies have shown that a diet high in fruits and vegetables lowers the risk for progression of coronary artery disease. We also know that the oncogenes stimulating prostate cancer can be turned off by health lifestyle changes.

Sensible Protection Against Skin Cancer

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and the American Academy of Dermatology are urging MD's to counsel fair-skinned youth about sun protection. They are pushing for tanning booth regulation for minors. The risk for vitamin D deficiency is highlighted. One person in 50 will get melanoma and there are 3.5 million skin cancers.

Can Probiotics Protect Against Swine Flu Deaths?

The 2009 H1N1 swine flu epidemic deaths in children were more related to MRSA than the virus itself. Simultaneous infection of MRSA and H1N1 increased mortality by 8 fold! Only 30% of children in ICU with swine flu did not have a co-existing serious disease. Of those, only 9% died. The potential value of the swine flu vaccine would not save many lives. Most of the 70% who need it the most have suppressed immunity and would be unlikely to respond to the vaccine. There is also question about what percentage of healthy children who had the H1N1 vaccine would benefit from the vaccine. To top it off we don't really know how many side effects occur from the vaccine.

A novel consideration would be to use nasal probiotics in effort to decrease or eliminate MRSA from the upper respiratory tract. This has the potential to reduce the number of children sick enough to be admitted to the ICU  who are carriers of MRSA and therefore at risk for developing serious MRSA pneumonias.

Does Eating Slow Reduce Food Intake?

New studies at the University of Rhode Island show that eating rate plays an important role in how much food we eat. Men eat faster than women, heavy people eat faster than thinner people, and refined grains are consumed faster than whole grains. Fast eaters consume 3.1 ounces of food per minute and slow eaters consume 2.0 ounces per minute. At lunch men consumed 80 calories per minute and women 52 calories per minute.

Perhaps it takes time for the body to process fullness signals and if we eat faster than this happens, satiety is not perceived quick enough to slow or end the eating process.

MDs Over-Prescribe Tests They Profit From

Financial reimbursement and ownership of medical testing equipment leads to over-prescribing of these tests. These types of conflict of interest extend to ownership of MRI and CT facilities, surgicenters, cardiac imaging equipment, laboratory services and much more. A recent article in JAMA documented that MDs over prescribe two types of cardiac stress imaging tests: nuclear scans and cardiac echograms. We need to be certain the tests we reimburse for are appropriate and not influenced by reimbursement structures if we want to practice the best medicine and affordably.

Water Disinfectant By Products are Dangerous

Clearly, we need disinfected water so we aren't at risk for many diseases such as cholera and hepatitis. However there are more than 600 water disinfectant byproducts have been discovered and many are toxic. The EPA regulates only 11 of these products. Haloacetic acid (HAAs), triclosan, dioxins, chlorine, fluoride, pharmaceutical drugs, and many other toxins are in our water supply reservoirs. It is important to filter the water delivered to our homes so we aren't exposed to such high levels of these toxins because they can cause birth defects, neurological problems, and even cancer.

US Healthcare Unimproved Over the Past Decade

US health care has failed to improve in most quality measures and there's been significant erosion in access to care and affordability. We rank last among all 16 industrialized countries with regard to deaths that might have been prevented with timely and effective care. This could account for 91,000 fewer deaths when compared to the country ranked number one.

We still spend up to twice as much money on health care as most other countries but overall our qaulity, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives we rank last! 81 Million Americans are under or un-insured. Insurance premiums have risen faster than wages. 40% of working -age adults had medical debt and the most common cause of bankruptcy is medical debt. We could save $55 billion per year in administrative costs and lower infant mortality by 35%

Colonoscopy Screening Questioned

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published an article saying that colonoscopy for primary screening might be going too far. I agree! The benefits, harms, and costs have not been determined. Checking the stool for ocult blood and flexible sigmoidoscopy have been shown to be of value but there's no data showing that colonoscopy gives additional protection. Virtual colonoscopy is even more questionable as if there are abnormal findings one still has to do a colonoscopy and there's the issue of radiation damage and later cancer risk.

Yet the American College of Gastroenterology and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network continue to recommend colonoscopy as a primary screening tool. Because of the obvious conflict of interest this is not very surprising.

The benefits of colonoscopy is that 1 in 200 people will have a major benefit from the procedure. However the same number will have either a perforation of the colon or major bleed that requires transfusions. In addition colonoscopy misses a lot of right sided cancers even though it is recommended that all polyps are removed, even those that are of no danger.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect the Heart

Patients with diabetes who've had a previous heart attack have an 84% lower incidence of dangerous ventricular arrhythmias and 72% lower risk of a fatal heart attackif they use omega 3 fatty acids than those only on drug protection. One thousand patients were followed for 40 months and included those between the ages of 60 and 80. They were given EPA, DHA, and alpha lenolenic acid at a dose of 2 grams per day. Previous studies have shown that fish oil is as powerful as any drug in medicine to control ventricular rhythm disturbances, yet cardiologists and internists feel more secure with drugs than fish oils. Fish oil has virtually no side effects and all antiarrhythmic drugs have the capacity to cause serious life threatening heart rhythms.

Supplementing for Low Vitamin D Reverses Heart Disease

Supplementing with vitamin D in people with low levels lowers the risk of dying from any cause by 60% according to an article in the November 7, 2011 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology looking at 10,000 people. This is a landmark study documenting that elevating low levels of vitamin D makes a profound difference in mortality.

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with twice the risk of type 2 diabetes, 40% higher risk of hypertesion, 30% increased risk of cardiomyopathy, and a three times higher risk for all cause mortality.

Replacement is usually between 2 and 5000 IU of vitamin D, but it is very important to measure the level of vitamin D to determine the dosage needed. Factors making it difficult to get sufficient vitamin D include, use of sun screen, dark skin, clothing, season, and age. UVB rays provide 90% of our vitamn D; they are needed to make vitamin D in our skin, but the rays are absent during winter, and they don't penetrate clothing, fog, smog, clouds or windows.

Don't Underestimate the Power of Big Pharma

Merck Pharmaceuticals murdered 50,000 people by causing heart attacks and strokes from their drug, Vioxx, that they knew would cause these problems, yet they still withheld this information from the FDA and the general public. Merck's internal records that we supoened under the Freedom of Information Act dislosed that they were aware of these problems in 1995. Nonetheless they came out with the drug in 1999 and only removed it from the market in 2004 when the FDA was about to take the drug off the market.

Merck will pay about $6 billion in fines and law suits from patients, but made more than $20 billion in sales. This was still a good business deal for them! Merck plead guilty to a misdemeanor and still denied wrongdoing! It is hard to believe that crimminal charges have not been filed against the company and those individuals responsible for the death 50,000 people.

It is also shameful that the FDA has not removed the vast majority of NSAIDs that remain on the market despite the fact that we know they cause heart attacks and strokes too!

Tylenol Over Use Can Be Fatal

Repeated doses of slightly too much Tylenol can be fatal. These patients had a higher fatality rate than single doses taken as a suicidal attempt. It take about 15 grams of a single dose to lead to liver failure and the possible need for a liver transplant. Taking just 3 times the recommended dosage can lead to liver failure and death in some people. Generally these people are older and tend to drink too much. One quarter of all liver transplants or fatalities are in these people taking slightly higher doese than recommended.

Liver detoxification with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) may be compromised and explain why relatively small over doses of this toxin (acetamenophen) can be fatal. Treatment should always include NAC as soon as possible as it may allow the detoxification and excretion of Tylenol much faster.

It is interesting that aspirin, Tylenol and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen inhibit an enzyme called cytochrome C oxidase, which leads to a deficiency of ATP (the energy currency of our cells) and further damage to the liver. It is also little known that Tylenol in dosages above 2 grams a day causes bleeding just like aspirin. Tylenol is not an ideal drug to use and certainly it should not be used in hospitals where detoxification is often a very significant problem.

Mitochondria: The Achilles Heel of Cancer Cells

Cancer cell mitochondria are the powerhouse and Achilles heel of tumor growth and metastasis. Cancer cells consume more than 5 times the energy than normal cells. This is contradictory to Otto Warberg's Nobel Prize winning thesis that cancer cells produced only limited amounts of ATP by burning glucose (glycolysis). Apparently, Warberg was measuring the combined energy production of both cancer cells and their surrounding stromal cells. Warberg believed that cancer cells derived their energy from sugar, but it turns out that it is the mitochondria that is making ATP. This effect may also explain why cancer patients lose weight as they get closer to dying. There are drugs such as Metformin and methyl jasmonate that can preferentially destroy mitochondria from cancer cells and leave normal mitochondria alone.