I am often called a quack for providing nutrients or herbal remedies that are not proven to scientific satisfaction. If that is the definition of a quack, then I am guilty as charged. But so is conventional medicine. The difference is my quack solutions are safe and effective! I wish I could say the same for conventional medicine.
Take mastectomy as a case in point. For generations, chopping off a breast with even the tiniest amount of cancer and dissecting out the whole armpit for lymph nodes has been the standard of care. Its barbaric! You have a very high risk of arm dysfunction and untreatable lymphedema (swelling in the lymph nodes).
In fact, a British study confirmed 37% of women had some loss of arm sensation at six months with a total axillary dissection. They also had higher rates of lymphedema.
Even though it is standard treatment, mastectomy and lymph node dissection have never been put to the test … until now.
Recently, a federally funded study showed that removal of just one to three key lymph nodes (called sentinel nodes) gives at least a 90% accurate diagnosis of breast cancer spread. In the study, 5,260 women were divided into two groups. One had sentinel node biopsy and the other had the full dissection. Only 14% who had the sentinel node approach had any loss of arm sensation or lymphedema. Better late than never, I guess, to stop barbarism.
Now there is even a better question that the pundits will likely never evaluate: Is it good to do any surgery at all?
Many years ago, a study found that chemotherapy (with agents added to make it more effective) was as effective as surgery plus chemotherapy. You see, just like men with prostate cancers, many breast cancers will never progress to kill a woman. Problem is, we just do not know which ones will or wont.
Additionally, it is my supposition that by the time a breast cancer is large enough to be detected by palpation, it has spread. And many cancers detectable by mammography, especially the type called DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) will never cause a problem.
Further, the latest cancer research confirms my previous reports to you. Removal of a primary tumor lesion often leads to more rapid growth of secondary tumors. Its like the primary tumor acts as a hedge against the secondary tumors. Its presence suppresses angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) in the secondaries. Take out the boss, and the auxiliaries are free to raise havoc.
Action to take: With this study, it is a no-brainer not to have all your nodes removed. And that pertains to any cancer surgery. If you do have reason for biopsy, absolutely refuse lymph node dissection. Neither Terri nor I would consider any type of lymph node biopsy. Our belief is that if it is in the nodes, the cats already out of the bag. The cancer has already spread, and taking out that one node is unlikely to make any difference in the long run.
Of course, your first action should be prevention. Stick to my dietary advice. Regarding nutritional supplements, please search previous editions of Second Opinion on my website. I also suggest you look for degenerative changes years ahead with thermography. It can see abnormal cell growth before it turns into cancer. This is far superior to mammography, which detects cancer AFTER it is already there.
Ref: Associated Press, December 9, 2004.
The FDA and the drug companies are under heavy scrutiny these days … and with good reason. Heres more proof that if Big Pharma were to disappear today, more people would be alive tomorrow.
Plavix is the 12th best-selling prescription drug on the market, with $2.2 billion in sales each year. Like many Big Pharma potions, it is heavily promoted to unsuspecting people on television. They are encouraged to go to their doctors and beg them for a prescription. Why? Well, it is been touted as a safer alternative to cheap aspirin to prevent blood-clotting problems.
The big problem with aspirin is that it causes intestinal bleeding and ulcers. A new study, however, shows that Plavix is eight times as likely to cause an ulcer as aspirin.
A Hong Kong study was the first to look at patients who had already suffered from an ulcer in the past. (The original studies on Plavix, which showed the drug to be safe, were performed on healthy people with a normal ulcer risk.) In the new study, 320 patients were assigned to either Plavix or aspirin. Eight percent of the Plavix group got a recurrent ulcer, compared to only 1% of the aspirin group. In other words, if you have had an ulcer in the past (usually caused by aspirin, thus the need for something different), Plavix is eight times more likely to give you another ulcer than aspirin.
This study could upend treatment guidelines for thousands of Americans duped into thinking this expensive chemical was safer than aspirin.
Of course, and as always, the Big Pharma company (in this case Sanofi-Aventis) defended it is chemical. A spokeswoman said that it has been used by millions worldwide with a good record of safety. Well, so were Celebrex, Bextra, Prozac, Vioxx, Premarin, and dozens of other drugs. Then, someone other than the manufacturer actually looked for problems.
Big Pharma chemicals are initially tested on healthy volunteers! That is how the companies can legitimately (but in my opinion fraudulently) present good safety data to the FDA. However, when approved, the chemical is used on the real target audience – sick people whose bodies are more fragile than healthy, robust, and strapping 25-year-old male test subjects. Then you begin to see the real problems.
You need only to look at why Plavix is now in trouble to understand the whole fraud of Big Pharma.
Action to take: If you need thinner blood, you do not need drugs. Simply go to my website and search the archives for my recommendations for atrial fibrillation. I also recommend you read my articles about nattokinase. These are healthier alternatives that work.
If you are using any treatment, alternative or conventional, to lower your cholesterol, there is a nutrient that can improve the treatments effectiveness and help you avoid a heart attack.
A National Institutes of Health study shows that patients who use this nutrient along with statins can lower their risk of coronary problems by as much as 80%.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled study was presented at a recent meeting of the American College of Cardiology by Dr. Xue-Qiao Zhao. It followed 77 coronary artery disease patients with syndrome X (insulin sensitivity) for 36 months. They were divided into two groups, one that received simvistatin (10-20 mg daily) and niacin (two to four grams daily) and the other group received a placebo. Both groups were followed for all coronary events including death.
Dr. Zhao said only 18% of those taking the combination had events compared to 30% for those on placebo.
Another 83 patients without Syndrome X were followed. In this group, 14% of placebo patients developed heart problems compared to just 2% of those taking the combination.
In other words, there was an 80% reduction in events in those without Syndrome X and a 40% reduction in those with insulin intolerance. Most statins reduce coronary events by only 23-34%. That is a substantial boost in effectiveness.
The researchers initially thought the results were due to a decrease in insulin sensitivity. But the insulin and glucose levels remained the same in both groups, indicating that the effect was not based on alteration of insulin sensitivity.
Niacin is a very effective treatment that can enhance your cholesterol treatment. However, I do not recommend statins. There are better ways to control your cholesterol, including policosanol, guggul, essential phospholipids (Lipoflow), red rice yeast, and magnesium. All of these have cholesterol-lowering ability, and have been proven to lower coronary events on their own. In combination with niacin, which also lowers cholesterol, the benefits might be multiplied.
If you do want to take statin drugs, for whatever reason, this is good news. Just be sure to take CoQ10, since all statins lower your production of this critical nutrient.
If you would like more information on why statins are not a safe way to lower your cholesterol, there are many articles on my website that detail the problems these drugs cause. There is also a lot more information on the nutrients I’ve mentioned here.
A few months ago, I said the first nutrient you should take for lowering your cholesterol is magnesium. Now there is evidence that magnesium will do a lot more for your heart than just lower your cholesterol.
I’ve repeatedly mentioned in these pages that your cholesterol numbers mean very little. Whats far more important is what your body does with cholesterol. If your overall cholesterol is high, but your HDL is high as well, your body is likely handling the high cholesterol very effectively.
So if you want to accurately evaluate your heart health, you have to look much deeper than cholesterol. One of the best markers for determining your vascular health is C-reactive protein, or CRP. CRP is a marker of inflammation.
According to a recent study, the best way to reduce your chances of having a heart attack is to have your LDL cholesterol below 70 mg/dL and CRP below 2 mg/dL. A rise in either marker will cause an equivalent rise in risk. Dr. Paul Ridker presented these findings at the annual scientific session of the American Heart Association.
But the best news about Dr. Ridkers study was that he determined the best way to lower your risk factor is not by taking drugs. Its best done through smoking cessation, exercise, and diet.
While I would agree that these are vital to your heart health, there is even more you can do to lower your CRP levels. I am very pleased with the CRP-lowering ability of the spice turmeric and it is powerful anti-inflammatory ingredient curcumin. You can also lower your inflammation with foods such as ginger, garlic, onion, ginkgo, green tea, and proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain.
However, there is something that works even better – magnesium.
Dr. Dana King led a team of researchers who followed 5,021 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. The team found that 75% of the adult population studied consumed less than 309 mg of magnesium per day. That is nearly 100 mg below the paltry RDA of 400 mg. Those with low magnesium intake had a significant elevation of CRP. That is huge news!
Dr. King noted that most Americans consume magnesium far below the RDA, and that CRP is a marker for ischemic (lack of blood supply) heart disease. It is possible that increasing dietary magnesium can reduce heart disease risk substantially, she said.
Shes absolutely correct, but I think it is still an understatement. Magnesium is the spark plug for hundreds, if not thousands of enzymes in your body. A deficiency of magnesium reduces everything from energy production to immunity.
Magnesium is your primary calcium channel blocker. Your cells crave magnesium, which, if sufficient, can keep unwanted calcium from entering your cells. If calcium enters your tissues, it causes tissue calcification and energy-chain poisoning. Magnesium dilates your blood vessels, protecting you from hypertension. Its been used successfully in mitigating the damage of acute heart attacks. And now deficiency is linked to higher CRP!
Action to Take: (1) Have your cardiac CRP levels measured. If elevated, it may be a sign that you are low in magnesium. Magnesium is not routinely measured. Even if it is, usually it is measured as serum magnesium, which is the mineral outside of your cells. Serum magnesium may be normal while your intracellular magnesium is low. With Dr. Kings findings that 75% of the population consumes less than the RDA, I now believe that red blood cell magnesium should be part and parcel of every lab risk panel.
(2) Take plenty of supplemental magnesium. Its very inexpensive. Unfortunately, taking magnesium from your local drugstore wont help much if you are deficient. Low magnesium levels make it harder for your intestines to absorb the mineral. So injections are preferred by integrative physicians to quickly bring up levels. Two grams of magnesium sulfate injected intramuscularly twice a week has brought relief of fibromyalgia (inflammation) and hypertension to many patients. But you need to see a doctor for that. There is another way, though.
(3) One of my mentors and former NIH researcher Russell Jaffee, MD has a suggestion. A supplement called choline citrate, when taken with water and magnesium, can form small particles called micelles around the magnesium. The micelles can be absorbed fast and without effort by your stomach. Dr. Jaffee suggests that you first take magnesium (200 mg as glycinate, ascorbate, or citrate), followed by one teaspoon of choline citrate in four ounces of water.
You can find magnesium at any health food store and choline citrate is available from Farmacopia (800-896-1484). The latter will form micelles around the magnesium and quickly and effortlessly usher the needed mineral into your body.
In the meantime, know that your high CRP could be linked with low magnesium. You should have both checked and consider the wonderful new information provided in these pages for your benefit! Magnesium is found in abundance in many vegetable foods. So make sure you eat plenty of vegetables.
Family Practice News, December 13, 2004.
