One of the biggest lies in modern psychiatry is that depressed people have Prozac deficiency syndrome.  Despite physicial exam findings that can discover specific deficiencies/excesses in the brain and specific urine tests that can effectively evaluate neurotransmitter levels, the mainstays of modern psychiatry remain non-targeted antidepressant drugs.  The New York Times recently broke a story showing that as often as studies showing a benefit from antidepressants are published, studies showing that they don't work are suppressed (read the article here).

I always recommend having a neurotransmitter test done (I use a lab called NeuroScience) to pinpoint brain deficiencies and excesses in individuals with depression.  An excellent physcial exam can also reveal relevant therapeutic strategies, whether they include lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, exercise, supplements, or somatic therapies like chiropractic care. 

Two supplements are gaining attention in the treatment of depression that I would like to mention here; creatine monohydrate and whey protein.  For those of you who have worked on becoming no-neck muscle heads, these will be familiar, as they are mainstays in the world of fitness. 

Athletes use creatine monohydrate to re-energize muscle cells during workouts.  What new research shows is that that creatine does the same thing in your brain!  The study involved giving 3-5 grams of creatine monohydrate to people with "treatment resistant" depression for 4 weeks.  Astoundingly, all the patients improved significantly!  If this were a drug trial it would of headlined on every newspaper and television show in the world.  Since creatine is a cheap, non-patentable supplement, the research was only seen by people who read the journal Bipolar Disorders (you can read the study here).  One warning; the researchers gave the creatine to 2 people with bipolar disorder and they both developed hypomania/mania--people with bipolar should not use creatine.

Next, Whey protein has shown some promise in normalizing neurotransmitter levels in the brain.  Disturbances in these chemical balances is associated with depression.  One study (read it here) looked at serotonin levels and cognitive ability (memory, in this case) among people taking whey protein.  They found increases in serotonin and improvements in memory.  Another study again found increases in serotonin with use of a protein in whey protein, as well as better sleep, and "improved behavior patterns" in people who has poor sleep prior to supplementation  (see the study here).  Whey protein is a complete protein that both supplies the brain with precursors needed to create neurotransmitters, and increases the body's production of glutathione--your most potent antioxidant and detoxifier (see the whey protein page).   I offer an excellent whey protein product in my store--click here to view it.

Last, don't forget about omega-3's--you can read more about them in the treatment of depression in a separate article--click here.

The use of high-dose antibiotics to treat children's middle-ear infections increased over 20-fold between 1996 and 2004.  One would expect that dramatic results are obtained by this treatment in order to justify the huge increase in a treatment riddled with side-effects.  A new study shows that this is not the case.  Failure rates in treatment have dropped only 1.3%, and relapse rates have increased by only .3%!

We would be much more productive if we treated with a combination of prevention and natural remedies.  Most research over the past decade has actually supported using less antibiotics for ear infections (see this paper that supports rational guidelines for antibiotic use).  We also know these things:

• Using herbs during cold and flu season, or when your child's immune system is run down, decreases the risk of developing colds, flu's, and other upper respiratory problems that put your child at risk of developing an ear infection.  These include:  echinacea, propolis, and Andrographis .
• Eating fermented foods rapidly increases the presence of healthy bacteria in mucous membranes--the bacteria compete with "bad" bacteria to help prevent ear infections.
• Chiropractic adjustments reduce the risk of ear infections and hasten recovery.

We also know that there are a host of side-effects associated with antibiotic use--some of which can be life long (read more here).  That being said, there absolutely are times when antibiotics are appropriate--if your child has a sustained high fever (over 103 degrees f), is listless, or is unable to kick an ear infection after several days, take him or her to see your holistic doctor for an opinion.

Read the study here. 

The hepatitis B vaccine is in the news this week as a French lawsuit raises concerns regarding the association between the vaccine and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  In 1998 the vaccine was curtailed from routine use in France amid rising concerns of significant risk of the vaccine precipitating multiple sclerosis.  The best available research on the subject was published in 2004 in the journal Neurology.  That study was a prospective, well done project that showed a 310% increase in MS among people who received the hepatitis B vaccination!  

As with all vaccinations, it is important to weight the risks against the benefits.  The risks of the the Hepatitis B vaccine are significant.  A study reported in the journal Autoimmunity in 2005 reported the following increases in risk of autoimmune disease following hepatitis B vaccination:

•  520% increase in Multiple Sclerosis
• 1,400% increase in optic neuritis
• 260% increases in vasculitis
• 201% increase in arthritis
• 910% increase in lupus
• 1,800% increase in Rheumatoid Arthritis

The authors of the study conclude "...chances of exposure to hepatitis B virus in adults is largely life-style dependent. Adults should make an informed consent decision, weighing the risks and benefits of HBV, as to whether or not to be immunized."

In the United States the hepatitis B vaccination remains part of the infant vaccination routine.  Hepatitis B is transmitted via blood, with nearly all cases being transmitted through sexual activity or IV drug use.  The vaccination probably has benefits that outweigh the risks in  sex workers and IV drug users.  As far as the routine vaccination of infants, I believe this is inappropriate, and that we could learn from the French!

Read the Neurology study here.   Read the Autoimmunity study here.

A recent article in The New York Times does an excellent job outlining the problems with our current conceptions about cholesterol:

"The National Institutes of Health financed a handful of studies to determine whether these ''cholesterol fractions'' could predict the risk of cardiovascular disease. In 1977, the researchers reported their results: total cholesterol turned out to be surprisingly useless as a predictor. Researchers involved with the Framingham Heart Study found that in men and women 50 and older, '''total cholesterol per se is not a risk factor for coronary heart disease at all.'''  From the NYT article.

If you have concerns about your cholesterol read the full article--its very informative.  I have written an in depth article on cholesterol that goes into how to interpret your tests and what to do about it--you can read it here.

I’ve been writing since 2003 on the negative effects of statin drugs.  An article in today’s New York Times confirms everything I’ve written—it begins:

“For decades, the theory that lowering cholesterol is always beneficial has been a core principle of cardiology. It has been accepted by doctors and used by drug makers to win quick approval for new medicines to reduce cholesterol.  But now some prominent cardiologists say the results of two recent clinical trials have raised serious questions about that theory — and the value of two widely used cholesterol-lowering medicines, Zetia and its sister drug, Vytorin.”

The article goes on to highlight how in both of those studies the drugs killed more people than using no drugs.  This is not surprising, since this has been a theme in most published studies on statins, the papers usually go like this:

This is a study on our new drug—we gave our drug to 100 suckers, and followed a similar population of 100 who did not take the drug.  In the drug group 7 people died, in the none-drug group 3 people died.  The increases in death in the drug group were due to suicide, sudden cardiac death, and cancer.  All of these disorders have been linked to statins in the literature, but we don’t think our drug caused these things.
Conclusion:  Our drug did lower LDL cholesterol—we think that LDL cholesterol alone is related to heart disease even though the literature does not support this hypothesis.  Since our drug lowered LDL cholesterol and we think this reduces heart disease risk, we will spend 4 billion dollars in the next year educating doctors as to what a smashing success this trial has been.

The disgusting truth is that that is not an exaggeration—do a search on my site for “statins” and read more of the research yourself.  The other disgusting truth is that the doctors buy the hype—without carefully reading the studies.

While the Times article only highlights the two drugs mentioned—I think we will see the truth coming out on all statin drugs soon.

Read my Cholesterol Article here—it shows how to read your numbers, what they really mean, and what to do about it naturally.

Read the New York Times article here.

A new paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that data on antidepressants was grossly manipulated.  The researchers tracked all the studies, published and unpublished, on antidepressants such as prozac and paxil, to find out if outcomes affected publication. 

Prior to this new paper, it appeared that antidepressants held significant advantages over placebo treatments.  It was found however, that 86% of the studies that were negative were never published!  This is contrasted with 94% of the positive studies being published!  The researchers found that when all the results were accounted for, the drugs only held a slight benefit over placebo.

Recall the Marcia Angel, the former editor in chief at the New England Journal of Medicine quit her job and wrote a disturbing book about how drug companies misrepresent the efficacy of their products—the book is called The Truth About the Drug Companies, and I highly recommend you read it!

Here’s what you do with this data:  Remember that for some people antidepressants are effective—the problem is that this population is probably only about 10% of those currently taking them.  Also remember these things:

·        5-HTP, an amino acid precursor to serotonin is very effective for many people, without the side effects of the drug.  It’s available in my store.

·        Exercise is very important in overcoming depression.  The parts of your brain that make serotonin and dopamine (whose balance is essential for healthy mood) receive a great deal of input from you cerebellum—the part of your brain that processes movement.  Regular exercise “fires up” the cerebellum, and the cerebellum in turn helps stimulate healthy levels of serotonin and dopamine.

·        Omega 3’s are essential for healthy brain chemistry—read more in the omega-3 article.  An excellent omega-3 product is available in my store.

·        Stress reduction is vitally important in overcoming and preventing depression—visit my stress reduction page for techniques, inspiration, and information.

Last, if you would like to read a scary book about side-effects of antidepressants written by a Harvard psychiatrist, check out Glenmullen’s Prozac Backlash.

Link to the study here. 

Link to a write up in the New York Times here. 

"About 800 pediatric cough and cold products are sold in the United States that use one or more of 39 drugs. But every study performed in recent years shows that these medicines have no effect, and a growing number of reports have concluded that they can be dangerous. The American College of Chest Physicians recommends that these products not be used in children..."

That is an excerpt from an article in the New York Times describing a federal drug safety official's rationale for his request that children's cough and cold medicines be banned.  Kudos to this guy.  We know these drugs have no positive effect on the viruses that cause cough and cold, that some ingredients in them actually depress the immune system (like like Tylenol), and that these drugs basically exist to line the pockets of their makers at the expense of the users health.

The best things to ward off colds and cough in children are: loving and caring parents, excellent nutrition, lots of exercise and sunshine, and lastly, Andrographis Paniculata--the one herb that has been shown again and again to both prevent and decrease the severity of colds and flu.  You can buy it right here or at my office in town.

A new study shows that the popular diabetes drug, Avandia, is associated with a 43% increased risk of heart attack, and a 64% increase in cardiovascular death!  Reading the report, it is frightening to realize that the paper is the result of combining 42 existing clinical trials of the drug--in other words, the research has been around for quite some time, but the drug has continued to sell like hot pancakes.  The research analyzed by the article dates back to 2000, and continues through 2007.  That's scary stuff, and one more reason to do your own research and consult a holistically minded doctor before beginning drug use.

In contrast, several studies over the years have shown that proper nutrition and supplementation, an exercise program, and stress reduction can control about 70% of type 2 diabetes cases.  I ran a 6- week lifestyle modification program last year and the results were phenomenal--people required less or no medication by the end of the 6-week program.  As type 2 diabetes rates continue to skyrocket, we need to remember that most cases are lifestyle related--by building health from within, most people can control the disease.  Medications do drop blood sugar levels, but they do not necessarily reduce suffering and death in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Here is an article highlighting some of the most powerful supplements for treating type 2 diabetes.  Here is an article on the role of omega-3 fatty acids in treating type 2 diabetes.  Here is a link to our exercise page.  Here is a link to the greatest article on controlling cholesterol (and type 2 diabetes) on the planet.  If you are interested in learning more about diabetes, click here to request a copy of my "Lifestyle Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes" book.  Learn, Enjoy, and Act!

Read the original study here.

You don’t have to go to the hospital to pick up a drug resistant infection anymore.  Researchers in Chicago published new research documenting a seven-fold increase in drug resistant staph infection over just 5 years! 

Drug resistant bugs (bacteria that have developed a resistance to antibiotics) have been rampant in hospitals (probably responsible for most of the 88,000 deaths per year associated with infection caused by medical treatment) for years, primarily due to the ubiquitous use of antibiotics there. 

Now, it seems that these bugs are showing up everywhere.  This is largely due to over-use of antibiotics.  As I have said before, antibiotics do have a place in combating life threatening disease, but there blatant overuse in treating colds, ear infection, flu, sore throat, sinus infection, and bronchitis is truly alarming.  The majority of the time these common illnesses do not require antibiotics.  I highly recommend reading this article, which highlights rational antibiotic guidelines from The American Family Physician.

Another recent study concluded “The main reason for suboptimal use of antimicrobials was the over-prescribing of broad-spectrum antimicrobials. This situation should be corrected e.g. by changes in the post-graduate medical teaching program.”  In other words, our medical schools need to do a better job of teaching students when not to prescribe.  

The biggest problem reported in the literature is that patients believe they need antibiotics to get well, and so doctors give them to them.  Consider this quote from the British Medical Journal, “The amount of antibiotics used in general practice can be reduced if general practitioners share their uncertainty over the necessity for antibiotics with patients who present with acute bronchitis. Macfarlane and colleagues found they could reduce the number of patients who took antibiotics by nearly a quarter among patients who the general practitioner thought did not definitely need antibiotics. This strategy could save about 750 000 courses of antibiotic nationally each year.”   Seven hundred-and fifty thousand courses just for patients with bronchitis in the U.K. alone!  Imagine how drastically we could slow the evolution of superbugs if the whole worl participated in rational antibiotic use!

The sunblock you are using may be destroying your skin.  The culprit is Methylparaben.  This preservative is used in most sunblocks as well as many shampoos, conditioners, and skin products.  Researchers (who published their findings in the prestigious journal, Toxicology) found that when methylparaben is exposed to sunlight it results in the following:

• Cell death
• Oxidative stress (related to aging and cancer)
• Lipid peroxidation (creating free radicals and destroying the healthy fats in your skin)

The researchers concluded "These results indicate that Methylparaben, which has been considered a safe preservative in cosmetics, may have harmful effects on human skin when exposed to sunlight."

As for methylparaben being safe, several studies have shown it to be a xenestrogen--a chemical that binds estrogen receptors and alters physiology.  Most importantly, it has been linked to breast cancer--as you will read in this study.  Stay away from all parabens--read your labels and shop accordingly! 

Read the study here.