I was driving into work and heard that "Adenovirus 14" was a lethal and frightening new menace for our North Texas community to deal with.  The fact that Adenovirus 14 (or any other number for that matter) is a common cold "bug" was not discussed.  There had been several deaths over the past few years in association with severe colds that wound up in pneumonia in very sickly and immunocompromised people.  This is always a sad thing.  No one likes to see mortality from a common infection but I am really quite sick and tired of the fear-mongering about viral illnesses.  Instead we should be focusing on the ways that we can help to prevent the spread of these "bugs" and train a new generation of health-conscious folks who know the good and the bad from the ugly.  Specifically, washing the hands regularly and using disposable tissues are simple ways to reduce infections and help our community.  Fear reduces immunity and increases the risk of infection.

Next thing, I get an ad in a professional journal that offers flu vaccine with a "money-back" guarantee if you don't wind up using it all.  There is such a desperation to push "product" that the flu vaccine manufacturers are upping the ante so that more doctors will buy.  This news came on the same day that a groundbreaking article revealed research that flu vaccine has no significant impact on mortality.  In other words, if you're going to die from an illness, flu vaccine isn't going to make a difference.  Does the flu kill a few people every year?  Absolutely.  Is it more than a few?  Possibly.  Is it tens of thousands or more?  NO!

So my point is that we don't need to be propagandized into injecting more "product" into ourselves and our children to support the infrastructure of the flu vaccine manufacturers.  When we need to ramp up production of vaccines to save the lives of the populace from something like SARS or bird flu gone wild, we should have a clearly articulated public policy that says so.  Stop the foolish scare tactics about health hazards and start teaching healthy habits.  It's really pretty easy if people really want to be involved in their own health and wellness.  If they don't, there's not a whole lot anyone can do to "Make them healthy!"  I am thankful for the excellent medical system we have in place.  Let's not manufacture any more problems than we already have!

I just got off the phone with one of my patients who has a history of heapatitis C along with a serious obesity problem.  When we first saw him to treat his weight problems and blood sugar elevation (pre-diabetes) I never even considered that we may get a significant reduction in liver enzymes.  The initial lab showed an elevation of about 5X normal, which isn;t unusual in hepatitis.  The follow-up lab showed a 300% reduction in liver enzymes.  That's amazing.  It may not have cured his hepatitis but a liver that's less fatty is going to function better.  Fat itself can cause cirrhosis of the liver.  Apparently, less fat is where it's at!  Even with hepatitis!!!

The latest news shows what I've told patients for a long time.  If you take medicine to turn off the acid in your stomach it will definitely show up somewhere down the line (so to speak).  Now research is showing that the strongest drugs (Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix) cause overgrowth of bacteria in the intestinal tract that can lead to peritonitis and death.  So, that goofy guy in the commercial who says he can eat all the barbecue he wants now that he's taking "the little purple pill" may be slowly killing himself.  It's bad enough that he's eating food that his body is telling him to avoid, but to take a drug that may produce subtle lethal side effects......... that's just dumb.

Unfortunately that's juts the way people have been encouraged to look at drug treatment.  The foods, drink and behaviors that we've been conditioned to "love" are really just thinly veiled addictions that have been created by constant exposure to food additives and flavor enhancers.  Can you imagine just how many chemicals we're going to be slugging down if we don't start listening to our body's signals.

From the sublime to the ridiculous there was a hot time in Austin on Tuesday night October 23rd!  Over 25 physicians presented their personal concerns (some nightmarish) to the Texas legislature's Appropriations committee.  Since these ladies and gentlemen hold the pursestrings of the Board of Medical Examiners there is a possibility, although distant, that they may heed their recommendations.  The pressure for changing the way things are done in Texas and for Texans could be felt.  There was more than a little bit of disagreement about what the Board should be doing to discipline physicians.  Testimony revealed that many very bad situations were being ignored while those with more politically significant impact were the focus of great expense and attention by the Board's staff.  I had heard that politics played a large role in these activities but never dreamed that perverts and criminals would get a free pass while political enemies would be vilified.  Silly me!

When I first heard about HCG weight loss I was convinced it was mostly "hype."  Now, I've had nearly every patinet who's willing to do the protocol get outstanding results.  From 2 pounds a day weight lost in the first week to an average pound-a-day after that I've seen truly amazing results.  The question has to arise "Why isn't everyone doing this in their practices?"  The Trudeau book "Weight Loss Cure" sums up the pressures faced by physicians and the medical community when it comes to providing novel treatments (especially that are very effective).  I think this is one explanation.

The other viable explanation is that many doctors don't really have the time to spend wiht their patients to manage the ins and outs of a complex protocol that involves:

• Extensive laboratory evaluations to rule out and address hormonal problems
• Diet counselling and review of preferences that may sabotage the protocol
• Coaching skills to assist in directing energy into the most positive outcome
• Encouragement to endure a 40-day 500 calorie diet (even though it is a pleasure usually)
• Follow-up to evaluate hormonal control and health promotion

In other words, it's a great protocol if you're oriented toward health and prevention but it's a whole lot different than writing a prescription and sending a patient out the door.

It's hard to separate how much of the pressure to confrom with the "drugs-and-surgery" model of modern medicine contributes, but it is sizeable.  The gratification of seeing really sick, sad, obese people regain their stamina, shape and sexuality makes it really worthwhile.  I'm always amazed at how much more there is to learn with every year of experience in medical practice.  Who says you can't teach an ol' dog new tricks?

I like to give people, groups and companies the benefit of the doubt.  I got a news flash that Genetech will be restricting availability of Avastin (a blood vessel growth-limiter that slows blindness from macular degeneration).  Lucentis will effectively become the only available treatment to the average "Joe" and their doctor.  Avastin ($40/per treatment every few motnhs) versus Lucentis ($2000/per treatment) seems to have lost the clash of the greenbacks.  I have always joked that effective medications often get pulled from the market more often than dangerous ones.  The danger is mostly to the drug company's bottom line in this case.  This is something that should become well-known to the general public.  Doctors are the patients best source for compassionate decision-making.  Accountants and executives at Genentech have made it clear where a patient should put their trust.  Thank God for the great things Genentech has done.  This ain't one of 'em!

If anyone wants to make the case that drug companies are "in it for the money" this would be difficult to impeach.  The drug that costs 50 times more may be equally as effective but the patient and their physician should be able to discuss those risks and benefits without the conflicting economic hardship created through this decision by Genetech.  Genentech's new byline ..."Blinded by the Cash!"

I hate to believe so much of what I hear about the sickening greed that comes out of this kind of activity.  It is hard for me to deny the truth.  Genetech sees profit as a more important driver than service to the health care consumer.  Both can exist with good corporate governance.  In Genentech's case they open themselves up to a PR nightmare.

I got an email today from one of the finest integrative medicine dostors in the state of Texas. Dr. Hotze practices a progressive form of medicine that can't be denied from the scientific literature or his patient's outcomes. They are both excellent. I would like to think my style of practice is or will be similar someday. The email told me about the temperature of complete and total discontent in the field of healthcare. Not because people want socialized medicine, but because they don't want anyone limiting their choices when it comes to being healed. The National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL) (with over 2000 elected women representatives from throughout the US) passed a resolution that makes me want to dance a jig!

They basically said, "Don't try to sneak around the back door and make a mockery of excellent doctors through administrative abuse!" They are attacking a dishonest and conflict-of-interest driven system of "quackbusting" that has held sway for many, many years. The State Boards of Medical Examiners have had the ability to strip doctor's licesnes on a whim for decades and have been the hidden police force that limits medical innovators and innovation (that doesn't rely on pharmaceuticals). At every conference I've attended on alternative medicine for the past twenty years I have heard stories of the abuse and recklessness of State Boards only praying that I wouldn't be exposed to their tactics. I'll come back to that another time.

The whole resolution tells the story best , so I post it here!

NFWL
Health & Empowerment Policy Committee

Resolution
on State Medical Boards

Passed October 13, 2007

WHEREAS, the spectrum of services provided by medical
professionals in the United States comprises the foundation of our nation's
superior standard of living and enhances the very fabric of the lives of its
citizenry; and

WHEREAS, the State Medical Boards
(hereafter "the boards") exist for the purpose of maintaining the
high standards of excellence to which medical professionals in this country are
held, and the public good is served by the boards' oversight of these
standards; and

WHEREAS, the boards have
tolerated practices and behaviors that obstruct the sworn duty of medical
professionals in this country to provide health care services to the public,
namely:

(1) the acceptance of anonymous complaints
from insurance companies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, attorneys and
competitors;

(2) the acceptance of opinions from
“expert” witnesses;

(3) the lack of accountability of board;

(4) the prohibition of notes and recordings
in hearings; and

(5) the denial of physicians their due
process;

(6) the administration of disciplinary
action for menial and trivial records’ findings;

(7) the use of tactics of intimidation;

(8) the manipulation of assignments to the
Informal Settlements Conference (ISC) panels rather than a fair system of
random assignments;

(9) the forcing of settlements, and:

(10) the act of ignoring conflicts of
interest that arise regarding members of the board;

BE IT RESOLVED, the National Foundation of Women Legislators
Healthcare and Empowerment Commitment advocates the elimination of the practices
listed above and their replacement with the following:

(1) a commitment to the sacredness of the
patient/doctor relationship;

(2) the increased transparency of charges
and proceedings;

(3) the increased accountability of board
members for their actions;

(4) the increased integrity on behalf of
board members in carrying out their responsibilities;

(5) the acceptance of and giving equal
weight to evaluations of a physician’s care by physicians other than those
chosen as “expert “ witnesses by the board;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that
National Foundation for Women Legislators does hereby recommend for the
creation of independent and public Medical Board Oversight Committees in each
state, appointed by the legislature, and charged with a range of duties and
authority that will ensure the enactment and enforcement of such general
policies as advocated above, including the ability to receive and evaluate
complaints from patients and medical professionals against the boards and their
members.

I got an email today from one of the finest integrative medicine dostors in the state of Texas. Dr. Hotze practices a progressive form of medicine that can't be denied from the scientific literature or his patient's outcomes. They are both excellent. I would like to think my style of practice is or will be similar someday. The email told me about the temperature of complete and total discontent in the field of healthcare. Not because people want socialized medicine, but because they don't want anyone limiting their choices when it comes to being healed. The National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL) (with over 2000 elected women representatives from throughout the US) passed a resolution that makes me want to dance a jig!

They basically said, "Don't try to sneak around the back door and make a mockery of excellent doctors through administrative abuse!" They are attacking a dishonest and conflict-of-interest driven system of "quackbusting" that has held sway for many, many years. The State Boards of Medical Examiners have had the ability to strip doctor's licesnes on a whim for decades and have been the hidden police force that limits medical innovators and innovation (that doesn't rely on pharmaceuticals). At every conference I've attended on alternative medicine for the past twenty years I have heard stories of the abuse and recklessness of State Boards only praying that I wouldn't be exposed to their tactics. I'll come back to that another time.

The whole resolution tells the story best , so I post it here!

NFWL
Health & Empowerment Policy Committee

Resolution
on State Medical Boards

Passed October 13, 2007

WHEREAS, the spectrum of services provided by medical
professionals in the United States comprises the foundation of our nation's
superior standard of living and enhances the very fabric of the lives of its
citizenry; and

WHEREAS, the State Medical Boards
(hereafter "the boards") exist for the purpose of maintaining the
high standards of excellence to which medical professionals in this country are
held, and the public good is served by the boards' oversight of these
standards; and

WHEREAS, the boards have
tolerated practices and behaviors that obstruct the sworn duty of medical
professionals in this country to provide health care services to the public,
namely:

(1) the acceptance of anonymous complaints
from insurance companies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, attorneys and
competitors;

(2) the acceptance of opinions from
“expert” witnesses;

(3) the lack of accountability of board;

(4) the prohibition of notes and recordings
in hearings; and

(5) the denial of physicians their due
process;

(6) the administration of disciplinary
action for menial and trivial records’ findings;

(7) the use of tactics of intimidation;

(8) the manipulation of assignments to the
Informal Settlements Conference (ISC) panels rather than a fair system of
random assignments;

(9) the forcing of settlements, and:

(10) the act of ignoring conflicts of
interest that arise regarding members of the board;

BE IT RESOLVED, the National Foundation of Women Legislators
Healthcare and Empowerment Commitment advocates the elimination of the practices
listed above and their replacement with the following:

(1) a commitment to the sacredness of the
patient/doctor relationship;

(2) the increased transparency of charges
and proceedings;

(3) the increased accountability of board
members for their actions;

(4) the increased integrity on behalf of
board members in carrying out their responsibilities;

(5) the acceptance of and giving equal
weight to evaluations of a physician’s care by physicians other than those
chosen as “expert “ witnesses by the board;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that
National Foundation for Women Legislators does hereby recommend for the
creation of independent and public Medical Board Oversight Committees in each
state, appointed by the legislature, and charged with a range of duties and
authority that will ensure the enactment and enforcement of such general
policies as advocated above, including the ability to receive and evaluate
complaints from patients and medical professionals against the boards and their
members.

I got an email today from one of the finest integrative medicine dostors in the state of Texas. Dr. Hotze practices a progressive form of medicine that can't be denied from the scientific literature or his patient's outcomes. They are both excellent. I would like to think my style of practice is or will be similar someday. The email told me about the temperature of complete and total discontent in the field of healthcare. Not because people want socialized medicine, but because they don't want anyone limiting their choices when it comes to being healed. The National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL) (with over 2000 elected women representatives from throughout the US) passed a resolution that makes me want to dance a jig!

They basically said, "Don't try to sneak around the back door and make a mockery of excellent doctors through administrative abuse!" They are attacking a dishonest and conflict-of-interest driven system of "quackbusting" that has held sway for many, many years. The State Boards of Medical Examiners have had the ability to strip doctor's licesnes on a whim for decades and have been the hidden police force that limits medical innovators and innovation (that doesn't rely on pharmaceuticals). At every conference I've attended on alternative medicine for the past twenty years I have heard stories of the abuse and recklessness of State Boards only praying that I wouldn't be exposed to their tactics. I'll come back to that another time.

The whole resolution tells the story best , so I post it here!

NFWL
Health & Empowerment Policy Committee

Resolution
on State Medical Boards

Passed October 13, 2007

WHEREAS, the spectrum of services provided by medical
professionals in the United States comprises the foundation of our nation's
superior standard of living and enhances the very fabric of the lives of its
citizenry; and

WHEREAS, the State Medical Boards
(hereafter "the boards") exist for the purpose of maintaining the
high standards of excellence to which medical professionals in this country are
held, and the public good is served by the boards' oversight of these
standards; and

WHEREAS, the boards have
tolerated practices and behaviors that obstruct the sworn duty of medical
professionals in this country to provide health care services to the public,
namely:

(1) the acceptance of anonymous complaints
from insurance companies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, attorneys and
competitors;

(2) the acceptance of opinions from
“expert” witnesses;

(3) the lack of accountability of board;

(4) the prohibition of notes and recordings
in hearings; and

(5) the denial of physicians their due
process;

(6) the administration of disciplinary
action for menial and trivial records’ findings;

(7) the use of tactics of intimidation;

(8) the manipulation of assignments to the
Informal Settlements Conference (ISC) panels rather than a fair system of
random assignments;

(9) the forcing of settlements, and:

(10) the act of ignoring conflicts of
interest that arise regarding members of the board;

BE IT RESOLVED, the National Foundation of Women Legislators
Healthcare and Empowerment Commitment advocates the elimination of the practices
listed above and their replacement with the following:

(1) a commitment to the sacredness of the
patient/doctor relationship;

(2) the increased transparency of charges
and proceedings;

(3) the increased accountability of board
members for their actions;

(4) the increased integrity on behalf of
board members in carrying out their responsibilities;

(5) the acceptance of and giving equal
weight to evaluations of a physician’s care by physicians other than those
chosen as “expert “ witnesses by the board;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that
National Foundation for Women Legislators does hereby recommend for the
creation of independent and public Medical Board Oversight Committees in each
state, appointed by the legislature, and charged with a range of duties and
authority that will ensure the enactment and enforcement of such general
policies as advocated above, including the ability to receive and evaluate
complaints from patients and medical professionals against the boards and their
members.

The latest nonsense from vaccine manufacturers and their willing accomplices is that we can get more "compliance" with loading 5 shots into just one injection. The immune response is just as good, so why not? Well, the fact that the children who received the new vaccine had much higher fevers for much longer didn't seem to make a difference to the researchers. I believe that the hundreds of autistic children who I've treated are a significant testimony to the ham-handed approval of vaccines for the purpose of improved "compliance." This is the kind of language that's used in veterinary medicine to describe the passive acceptance of a treatment by an animal that lacks informed consent ability to refuse treatment. I am nauseated by the thought that the groups that are supposed to be looking out for the best interests of our children have been bought and paid for................

I don't believe that we need to fight for compliance but informed consent. That means that everyone is capable of being educated about the risks and benefits of vaccination. Instead of insisting that the data is too complex, it is better to acknowledge that all people ae capable of being taught. Unlike animals, the ultimate goal is to allow all participants (who have to manage the brain-damaged children who suffer from their complince) to choose what they want to do. Infections or vaccination? Your choice. I've made mine!

I can't believe the steady stream of nonsense from the American Acedemy of Pediatrics we have to put up with every time they opine about nutrition.  This is a subject they know virtually nothing about.  I only make this comment because if they actually did know then I'd have to say they are liars because the preponderance of evidence shows a clear benefit from nutritional supplementation in both academic performance and overall health.  ABC News just spewed back the opinion of the Academy that "We really don't have any evidence that nutritional supplementation really helps children!"  What?!

I have had the pleasure of working with some of the brightest and best minds in nutritional medicine over the past decade and they all have concluded that nutritional supplementation is critical to optimal health.  Dr. Kyl; Smith penned Brighter Mind to showcase a simple plan to augment brain function through nutritional supplementation, exercise and diet (among other things).  I bring this to your attention because the book has hundreds and hundreds of scientific references from peer-reviewed medical journals that support the use of supplements.  It's not as if the studies were inconclusive or more needs to be determined to establish safety.  Supplementation is safe and effective in nearly every circumstance.  The American Academy of Pediatrics freely supports immunization for every illness imaginable (and halucinated) but shies away from the "shadowy world" of vitamins and minerals.  Who knows, God may have been having a bad day when He created them.

It makes me angry that people are given such lopsided advice from the medical establishment that is supposed to be encouraging the best practices.  Natural remedies are nearly always given negative press and highly profitable drug therapies are cheered for their wonderful impact on the life and health of all parties involved.  If you want to know what to do to help your children be at their best, ignore the mainstream press when they tell you to be "careful" about nutrition.  Eat well and organuc.  Supplement wisely (read Brighter Mind) and exercise.  It's highly likely you'll find yourself at the top of the heap "healthwise!"

I get a regular feed from Medscape (a medical news aggregator) that is usually somewhat helpful.  In the section "What your patients are reading" they carried a ridiculous encapsulation of the problem with journalistic ignorance and mindless buy-in to the mainstream medical model.  Instead of getting the "news" which would inform and support health, they simply parrot the pharmaceutical-sponsored studies that discourage patient empowerment.  It wouldn't be so bad if there was a news feed like "Natural Health Coach" to fill out their offerings.  Sadly, I think we have a long "row to hoe" before that happens.

The "so-called news" was that patients aren't availing themselves of the flu vaccine as hoped and a public relations effort was underway to insure acceptance.  Unforunately for the purveyors of vaccines, the frequent reactions, contaminants and toxins in the shot have been well-discussed on the internet for many years.  People are beginnning to question the sensibility of taking agents like this into their systems without a real compelling need.  The question becomes even more difficult to answer as the promotional efforts overshadow reasonable scientific inquiry and become the focus of the vaccine effort.  The agencies involved in promoting vaccine use are charged with the responsibility to get an increasingly well-informed populace to take an increasingly unpopular treatment.  It's hard to tell where the public health officials start and the drug company representatives end.

In the same news blast from "Medscape" there was a simple relationship that should be understood by everyone.  The method for determining the benefit of a treatment for any problem, especially cancer, has to be structured in a way that will ultimately support the ongoing use and increased use of profitable drugs.  The two articles said:

1. There's not enough evidence to support the theory that tomatoes (and the lycopene found in them) are really helpful against cancer.
2. Even though there's not been any good evidence that chemotherapy helps the patient with very early breast cancer, it's a good idea to start as early as possible.

That is the most ridiciulous argument I can imagine.  Though there's not enough evidence to support the use of a harmless food, a very toxic drug should be considered because it might work.  It's no wonder that people are driven into the arms of untrained and possibly unscrupulous alternative medicine treatments.  When every possibility of using natural foods, herbs and extracts is given a painfully difficult path to acceptance, people will probably take their chances with what makes common sense to them.  We should be helping people make better decisions about their health care, not protecting vested interests in the medical bnusiness world.  Disgraceful!

These articles are pulled from two prominent news sources for doctors to "Know what your patients are reading...........................

Medicare just announced its new round of pay cuts for physicians.  The Centers for Disease Management (CMS) plans to cut pay for doctors 10% next year and 40% over the next 9 years!  Isn't that exciting?  I know you would be thrilled if you heard that regardless of how hard you worked or how much you strove to improve yourself you were guarantedd to get a 40% pay cut over the next 10 years.  Doctors are reacting the same way!

More than half the doctors surveyed said that they are no longer going to continue developing their ability to enhance their practices.  In fact 16% said they will likely stop practicing altogether.  I can't blame them.  I stopped participating in government medicine 7 years ago and have been happy about it ever since.  All doctors should recognize the dire straits that patients are placed in by this foolish system that punishes patients and doctors for excellence.

Socialized medicine will put all the power for decision-making in the hands of our elected politicians.  I can't wait to see what kind of pay cuts we'll be looking at then.  I've always dreamed of owning a sandwich shop.  Now may be the best time to diversify!  Sorry about that, CMS!

The more I see the impact of "modern medicine" on the real lives of patients the more I love the internet's effects on how people learn and form opinions of their options.  I have recently been treating a beautiful 70 year-old woman who has had severe arthritis since she was 7 years old.  She has had all the drugs, pain pills and surgery that modern science has to offer and still her disease pressed ahead taking her painfully through another difficult day.  She has been very successful as a grandmother and businesswoman despite her crippling joint problems.  She came to me because I did some TV work with her granddaughter.  Her grandchild had her ear so she skeptically but willingly made the effort to tell her story one more time.  I listened for about an hour and figured out her problem. 

I decided to try the Brown protocol with her permission.

Brown Protocol for Arthritic Illness

 

1. Remove sugar from the diet as much as possible and avoid foods that upset digestion in any way.
2. Begin by taking Minocycline 100 mg. twice daily and reduce the dose to 100 mg. daily by two weeks and reduce the dose further to 100 mg. every other day as soon as symptoms are improving consistently.
3. Consider anti-fungal treatment when breakthrough pain is a problem from excessive sugars in diet or during an extended cycle of antibiotic treatment.
4. Always check with your doctor if there is an unexplained increase in pain or decrease in function.
5. Prepare to rest and take supplements every day regardless of symptoms for the remainder of your life.

 

Further complete description of this protocol can be found at the following websites:

 

1. http://rheumatic.org/protocol.htm
2. http://rheumatic.org/malis.htm
3. http://arthritis.about.com/cs/antibiotic/a/antibiotictreat.htm

 

The referenced web resources will fill in any blanks and provide extensive support for your further study.

It's worth considering.