By Dr. Mercola American health officials declared a public health emergency as cases of swine flu were confirmed in the U.S. Health officials across the world fear this could be the leading edge of a global pandemic emerging from Mexico, where seven people are confirmed dead as a result of the new virus. On Monday April 27th, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to four on its six-level threat scale,1 which means they've determined that the virus is capable of human-to-human transmission. The initial outbreaks across North America reveal an infection already traveling at higher velocity than did the last official pandemic strain, the 1968 Hong Kong flu. Several nations have imposed travel bans, or made plans to quarantine air travelers2 that present symptoms of the swine flu, such as: Top global flu experts are trying to predict how dangerous the new swine flu strain will be, as it became clear that they had little information about Mexico's outbreak. It is as yet unclear how many cases occurred in the month or so before the outbreak was detected. It's also unknown whether the virus was mutating to be more lethal, or less. Much Fear Mongering Being Promoted I suspect you have likely been alarmed by the media's coverage of the swine flu scare. It has a noticeable subplot - preparing you for draconian measures to combat a future pandemic as well as forcing you to accept the idea of mandatory vaccinations. On April 27, Time magazine published an article which discusses how dozens died and hundreds were injured from vaccines as a result of the 1976 swine flu fiasco, when the Ford administration attempted to use the infection of soldiers at Fort Dix as a pretext for a mass vaccination of the entire country. Despite acknowledging that the 1976 farce was an example of “how not to handle a flu outbreak”, the article still introduces the notion that officials “may soon have to consider whether to institute draconian measures to combat the disease”. WHO and CDC Pandemic Preparedness Seriously Broken The pandemic warning system has failed as it simply doesn't exist, even in North America and Europe. To improve the system, massive new investments in surveillance, scientific and regulatory infrastructure, basic public health, and global access to common sense interventions like vitamin D optimization are required. According to the Washington Post, the CDC did not learn about the outbreak until six days after Mexico had begun to impose emergency measures. There should be no excuses. The paradox of this swine flu panic is that, while totally unexpected, it was accurately predicted. Six years ago, Science dedicated a major story to evidence that "after years of stability, the North American swine flu virus has jumped onto an evolutionary fasttrack". However, maybe this is precisely what public health authorities desire. This is NOT the First Swine Flu Panic My guess is that you can expect to see a lot of panic over this issue in the near future. But the key is to remain calm -- this isn't the first time the public has been warned about swine flu. The last time was in 1976, right before I entered medical school and I remember it very clearly. It resulted in the massive swine flu vaccine campaign. Do you happen to recall the result of this massive campaign? Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis from the vaccine. The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths. However, several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome after they were injected with the swine flu vaccine. Even healthy 20-year-olds ended up as paraplegics. And the swine flu pandemic itself? It never materialized. More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu! .... Click HERE to read the rest of the article
The number of fatalities, and suspected and confirmed cases across the world change depending on the source, so your best bet -- if you want the latest numbers -- is to use Google Maps' Swine Flu Tracker.
4/29/09
Swine Flu - THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
4/28/09
Prescription Drug Statistics...
American Prescription Drug Use
“The average number of prescriptions [drugs] per
person, annually, in 1993 was seven.
The average number of prescriptions [drugs] per
person, annually, in 2000 was eleven.
[The average number of prescriptions drugs per
person], annually, in 2004 was twelve.
The total number of annual prescriptions [drugs] in
the United States now stands at about 3 billion.
The cost per year is about $180 billion,
headed to an estimated $414 billion by 2011.
Pretty soon, you are talking real money.”
Generation Rx
How Prescription Drugs Are Altering American Lives,
Minds, and Bodies
Greg Critser
Houghton Mifflin Company
4/27/09
Whole Spine Quote
Whole Spine Quote
“We tend to divide the examination of the spine into regions: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine clinical studies.
This is a mistake.
The three units are closely interrelated structurally and functionally – a whole person with a whole spine. The cervical spine may be symptomatic because of a thoracic or lumbar spine abnormality, and vice versa!
Sometimes treating a lumbar spine will relieve a cervical spine syndrome, or proper management of cervical spine will relieve low backache.”
Disorders of the Cervical Spine
John Bland, MD
Professor of Medicine, University of Vermont College
of Medicine
WB Saunders Company
1987
Page 84
2009 Birth & Baby Fair
How you see yourself...
"It's not what you are that holds you back, it's what you think you are not!" - Denis Waitley
4/26/09
New Patient Form
If you are a new patient of ours and would like to save yourself some time in the office, feel free to print this form and fill it out at home.
4/25/09
Pediatric Patient Information Form
Feel free to fill out this form at home to save yourself some time in the office...
4/22/09
Edible Landscapes
We received an article from Earthscapes in SLO about Edible Landscapes.
Benefits to Growing Vegetables and Fruits within the Landscape
- Edibles are fresh and delicious, and are easily organically grown which minimizes the chemicals used in your landscape.
- Having a supply of fresh fruits and vegetables will help save on food costs.
- Drip irrigation is often utilized on vegetables and fruits. This method will typically lower your water use and the amount of weeds in the landscape compared to using spray irrigation.
- Deciduous fruit trees, in the summer, can effectively cool the yard with the shade from their leaves. Conversely, in the winter because the leaves have fallen, they allow for sunlight into the landscape.
- Unusual varieties of vegetables and fruits can be grown within the landscape which typically can not be found in grocery stores.
- Proper mixing of ornamental flowers with edibles can increase the protection of the edibles from garden pests such as insects. For example onions can deter aphids from surrounding plants, marigolds can fend off snails and petunias can repel bean beetles"
4/21/09
Taking a Peek at Your Feet
TWO LITTLE FEET
Greg Brown, a well known folk singer, sings, “two little feet, they’ll carry you away…” His song underscores the importance of our feet, helping us get to where we want to go. Unfortunately, we often neglect our feet, unless they begin to scream, “I’m hurting!”
Consider the following: There are 206 bones in our entire body, with 26 bones in each foot. Said another way, 25% of the bones in our body are found in our feet; their job is to function in synchrony to allow for a variety of actions from standing, to walking, to running. The feet provide a base of support from which the rest of our body can function.
ADJUSTING THE FOOT
Over the past few decades, Chiropractors have more convincingly demonstrated, both through research and clinical evidence, that joint motion, especially in the spine, is crucial for a healthy nervous system and subsequently a healthy body. While chiropractors are better known for adjusting the spine, some chiropractors take the same principles of joint motion, and adjust other bones of the body, including the feet.
FOOT FUNCTION
The feet are the body’s contact points with the ground, so they are critical in both moderating and modulating forces from the ground to the rest of the body and visa versa. If you don’t have proper foot function, it is possible to experience a whole host of different symptoms, from foot/ankle/knee/hip pain to low back/neck pain, to headaches.Just like for posture, everyone should have their feet checked to determine if abnormal anatomy and /or foot function is either creating problems or in the future may create problems. A chiropractor will first take a thorough history and then inspect the feet for bony abnormalities (i.e. bunions) or signs of abnormal function (i.e. abnormal callous formation, flat feet). Next, he/she will palpate the feet for proper motion between the bones of the feet and determine if they need to be adjusted. Adjustments consist of quick movements to help restore function to the feet.
WHATS AN ORTHOTIC?
Orthotics are supportive devices placed in one’s shoes for pain relief and functional restoration. While some patients benefit from chiropractic adjustments followed by muscle stretching and strengthening, others require the prescription of orthotics as an additional treatment protocol. There is great variety both within and between the various health care professions regarding types of orthotics. A conservative approach is to first consult your chiropractor, podiatrist or physical therapist for their recommendations regarding orthotics. They often will simply recommend first purchasing an “over the counter” orthotic to determine if a reduction in symptoms can be achieved. If a more specific orthotic is needed, an imprint of the foot can be made and a specific orthotic can be designed.
CHOOSE CHIROPRACTIC
Whether you are an avid runner or someone who is on their feet all day, you should take care of your feet. Remember, wherever your feet go, so goes the rest of your body. So, let those “two little feet” carry you into your chiropractors office today and get them checked.
4/20/09
Happiness = Health ... Health = Happines
"The unhappy person is the target for any and every type of illness."
4/5/09
Yeast & Bladder Infection
Yeast and Bladder Infections
Bladder Infections:
Boil parsley bunch in water for 20 min(water turns green). Let cool, drink the fluid.
-Add Cranberry capsules.
Yeast infections:
CandiGONE and ParaGONE
(purchase at www.renewlife.com/products/detail/paragone.)
4/4/09
Green Food - Product of the Month
Real or Synthetic: The Truth Behind Whole-Food Supplements
By Daniel H. Chong, ND
Americans are now spending more than $17 billion a year on supplements for health and wellness. Strangely enough, the rates of some forms of chronic disease have not changed, while the rates of others have actually increased. There are a number of reasons for these poor statistics and many things remain a mystery. One thing seems fairly clear, however. Most supplements aren't helping very much. I'm not saying there are no helpful supplements out there. There certainly are. What is becoming more apparent, however, is supplements will not help much if one does not first address the necessary basics of health and healing.
What is also clear is that not all supplements are created equal. The basics of health and healing were discussed in another of my articles, The Six Foundations of Healing. I believe these areas must be addressed for true healing to occur in any chronic disease. In this article, I will discuss some things you should consider if you need to or want to take some supplements. Specifically, I will address the differences between whole foods versus synthetic or isolated nutritional supplements.
Whole Food Nutrients Vs. Synthetic, Isolated Nutrients
Most people who read the eHealthy News You Can Use newsletter are at least somewhat familiar with the idea that whole foods are better for you than refined foods. Although there are numerous viewpoints on what kind of foods we should or should not be eating, as well as the ideal ratio of these foods, everyone from all corners of the diet and nutrition world seems to agree on one thing: No matter which foods we choose and in what ratios we eat them, whole foods are better for you than refined foods.
This fact has never really been argued. Everyone agrees raw honey is better for you than white sugar or that brown rice is better for you than white rice. Why should it be any different for vitamins? Often, I have been puzzled by the average nutritionist who goes on and on about the value of whole foods and how refined foods -- having been robbed of all the extra nutrients they naturally come with -- are not healthy for you. Then, they go on to prescribe a shopping bag full of isolated, refined vitamins for you to take!
Just like refined foods, these refined vitamins have been robbed of all of the extra accessory nutrients that they naturally come with as well. In turn, like refined foods, they can create numerous problems and imbalances in your body if taken at high levels for long periods of time. They can also act more like drugs in your body, forcing themselves down one pathway or another. At the very least, they won't help you as much as high quality food and food-based supplements.
Whole Food Supplements
Whole food supplements are what their name suggests: Supplements made from concentrated whole foods. The vitamins found within these supplements are not isolated. They are highly complex structures that combine a variety of enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, trace elements, activators and many other unknown or undiscovered factors all working together synergistically, to enable this vitamin complex to do its job in your body. Nutrients from within this complex cannot be taken apart or isolated from the whole, and then be expected to do the same job in the body as the whole complex is designed to do.
The perfect example of this difference can be seen in an automobile. An automobile is a wonderfully designed complex machine that needs all of its parts to be present and in place to function properly. Wheels are certainly an important part of the whole, but you could never isolate them from the rest of the car, call them a car or expect them to function like a car. They need the engine, body and everything else.
The same analogy applies to the vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or vitamin E (delta tocopherol) you can find on most health food store shelves. They are parts of an entire complex that serve a purpose when part of the whole. However, they cannot do the job of the entire complex by themselves.
With similar logic in place, one can analyze what a typical multivitamin truly is. The automobile equivalent of creating a multivitamin would be going to a junk yard, finding all of the separate parts you would need to make up an entire automobile, throwing them together in a heap (or capsule in terms of the multivitamin) and expecting that heap to drive like a car! Obviously, there is a difference. Science cannot create life. Only life can create life.
Synthetic or Isolated Nutritional Supplements
Isolated nutrients or synthetic nutrients are not natural, in that they are NEVER found by themselves in nature. Taking these isolated nutrients, especially at the ultra-high doses found in formulas today, is more like taking a drug. Studies show the body treats these isolated and synthetic nutrients like xenobiotics (foreign substances). By the same token, food-based supplements are never treated like this by your body. For example, your urine will never turn florescent yellow, no matter how much meat (a good source of B vitamins) you eat. This sort of rapid excretion happens only with foreign substances in your body. Not only are isolated nutrients treated like drugs or other chemicals by your body. Like drugs, they can create problems for you too. Nature does not produce any nutrient in an isolated form. The nutrients in foods are blended together in a specific way and work best in that format. For an isolated nutrient to work properly in the body, it needs all the other parts that are naturally present in the food too.
If the parts are not all there from the start, they are taken from the body's stored supply. This is why isolated nutrients often work for a little while, then seem to stop working. Once your body's store of the extra nutrients is used up, the isolated nutrient you're taking doesn't work as well anymore. Worse yet, a deficiency in these extra nutrients can be created in your body.
And, because most nutrients are isolated from the foods they come in -- using a wide array of potentially nasty solvents and other chemicals -- taking high amounts of these products can also expose you to these potentially toxic chemicals, if care is not taken to remove them. With the burden we are already facing from the high number of chemicals in our environment, why would anyone want to add more?
Synergy and Potency
The various parts of a natural vitamin complex work together in a synergistic manner. Synergy means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Nutritionist Judith DeCava puts it best: "Separating the group of compounds (in a vitamin complex) converts it from a physiological, biochemical, active micronutrient into a disabled, debilitated chemical of little or no value to living cells. The synergy is gone." In other words, the automobile, in its original form, will drive better than a pile of its individual parts. Most people don't follow this logic when examining a nutritional supplement.
Supplement makers typically try to stuff as much as possible in a capsule, telling us that the more we take, the better it is for us. This is simply not the case. As you now know, it is not necessarily the amount of a nutrient you ingest that is important, but its form and how much is bioavailable that counts the most. In fact, remembering that ingesting single nutrients can actually create imbalances in the body, logic would dictate the higher the level of a single nutrient that you take in, the quicker this imbalance will occur.
What all of this means: The potency of a supplement has much more to do with synergy than with actual nutrient levels. It is a combined effect of all the parts of the food, rather than the chemical effect of a single part, that is most important.
Don't Forget the Basics
I fear all of this talk of supplements -- food-based, isolated or synthetic -- has detracted from the most important part of health and healing. The basics of proper diet, exercise, detoxification, structure, mental/emotional and spiritual health must all be in order for true healing to occur. No supplement will work on its own if these foundations are not in place.
However, even when these foundations are in place, or if the situation is acute enough to necessitate a more immediate treatment response, supplement support may still be needed for a while. You may also want to take one or more food-based supplements to ensure you are getting an adequate array of nutrients in your diet. When these situations arise, I strongly recommend food-based supplements be your first choice.
Keys to a Good Nutritional Supplement
How do you tell whether or not a supplement you're looking at is a good choice? For starters, make sure:
* It is as close as possible to its natural form.
* The utmost care has been taken in all phases of its production, from growing its ingredients, to manufacturing, testing for potency and quality control.
* It works! We always try to select from companies that have a long track record of providing high quality products that produce good clinical results.
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