Too Many Snacks for Children

The article in the N.Y. Times is titled, “Snack Time Never Ends (NYT 1.20.2010).”  The author of the article was complaining about the number of snacks she and the other mothers have to bring to her children’s school.  She wrote, “Apparently, we have collectively decided as a culture that it is impossible for children to take part in an activity without simultaneously shoving something in their {mouths}.”  

When my children, Hailey and Jessi were in elementary school, I couldn’t believe how many snacks were brought to school.  Every birthday, school event, soccer game, etc., there were snacks.  Some mothers brought good snacks, fruit and vegetables, while others brought bad snacks full of refined carbohydrates (cookies, cakes, and such).  I would estimate that the good snacks were brought about 10% of the time.

I thought the snacks would be over as my kids got older.  I was wrong.  Even in high school, we get the dreaded snack notice.   I don’t recall my mother bringing a single snack to high school.  I don’t think anyone ever brought a snack to high school.

From 1977 to 2002, the department of Health and Human Services has reported a nearly 400% increase in snacking by Americans.  What do we have to show for this increase in snacking?  Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are all related to snacking on poor quality food and are occurring at epidemic rates.   In fact, all of these illnesses are occurring in our children at epidemic rates.

I believe this over-use of snacking is teaching our children how to eat poorly.  They would certainly eat better if they were not snacking.  Also, children should be conditioned to eat at mealtime. They do not need to eat constantly during the day, particularly high-calorie, low- nutritious food.   We are bound to see more and more childhood illnesses such as obesity and diabetes if we keep up this practice.  

What can we do?  For starters, the schools should limit the number of snacks brought in.  Also, there should be guidelines about what kind of snacks should be allowed.  What is wrong with fruit and vegetable snacks?  Instead of fructose-flavored juice, what is wrong with serving water with snacks?

I can assure you that if we do not change course with our children’s diet, we are in serious trouble.   You can forget about healthcare reform if our young population becomes too fat and too ill to work.   The looming health care debacle is the obesity epidemic.  This epidemic is a lifestyle epidemic and we all share in the blame. Unfortunately, this epidemic is already here.  On the other hand, we can all share in the cure for this epidemic; we can eat better and feed or children healthier food.  So, if you get  the dreaded snack letter, think about bringing fruit and vegetable snacks and water to drink.  At least if they have to eat, let them eat healthy food.   

Rise in Thyroid Cancer is Baffling?

The article is titled, “Rise in thyroid cancer among young woman baffles experts.” (KHOU.com. Accessed 1.10.10). The article states that over 27,000 women will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year which is a six percent increase from 2009.  The article also states that the reason the number of thyroid cancer rates is rising is a medical mystery and it is not understood why women are more likely to have thyroid problems as compared to men. 

I say, the rise in thyroid cancer should be no mystery nor should it be baffling.  How can I make that statement? 

When you study the relationship between iodine and the thyroid gland the story becomes less mysterious.  For over 100 years, Iodine deficiency has been linked to thyroid problems, including hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroid illness as well as the development of thyroid cancer.  Animal studies have clearly shown a relationship between thyroid cancer and iodine deficiency.  My own studies and many other studies have confirmed this same relationship in humans.

As compared to men, women have a much higher iodine requirement.  Therefore, women will suffer iodine-deficiency illnesses at higher rates as compared to men.  What are these illnesses?  Diseases of the breast and thyroid as well as autoimmune illnesses are examples of iodine-deficient conditions.  All of these problems occur in women at much higher rates as compared to men. 

Iodine levels have fallen over 50% over the last 30 years.  As a population, we have suffered greatly for this decline in iodine.  Children are diagnosed with ADHD and cancer at ever-increasing frequency.  Adults are suffering from epidemic rates of chronic illnesses (e.g., autoimmune disorders and immune system disorders) as well as cancer (e.g., breast and prostate).  All of these illnesses are related to iodine deficiency. 

Why has this not made media headlines?  Why doesn’t the medical profession promote the use of iodine?  The answer to those questions is not baffling at all.  Iodine is a non-patentable substance.  There is no reason for the Big Pharma Cartel to put any money behind iodine.   The Big Pharma Cartel is only interested in patentable items that can generate income.  Unfortunately, iodine does not fall into that category. 

The medical profession has lost its way.  It primarily relies on toxic drug therapies that do not treat the underlying cause of most illnesses.  Physicians no longer study biochemistry with the purpose of optimizing the physiology of the body.  Modern physicians are only `knowledgeable about pharmacology and have little or no interest in working with their patients to optimize their health. 

However, the truth does not need the Big Pharma Cartel.  When you study the biochemistry of iodine, the picture becomes clearer as to why iodine deficiency is related to such a wide array of illnesses.   It is baffling to me why conventional medicine has not recognized iodine deficiency as a major public health crisis.  In over 20 years of practice, I have yet to see a single substance -iodine- make such a profound positive change in the health status of the majority of my patients.   

What can you do?  Educate yourself about iodine.  Once you read about the effects iodine has on the body, I am certain you will come to the same conclusions I have come to.  More information about iodine can be found in my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, 4^th Edition. 

U.S. Government Keeps Chemicals Secret

An article in the Washington Post (1.4.2010) reported that of 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States, nearly 20% are kept secret.  Why the big secret?  The Environmental Protection Agency, the government agency designed to protect us, the citizens, worked with industry to help them protect trade secrets.

Why does industry need protection?  Industry claimed it needed protection in order to protect trade secrets and their market share. I guess their market share is more important than the health of the U.S. citizens.  “Even acknowledging what chemical is used or what is made at what facility could convey important information to competitors…,” said the president of the American Chemical Society. 

Of the secret chemicals, 151 are made of quantities of more than 1 million tons a year and 10 are used specifically in children’s products according to the EPA.  Only a small number of EPA employees know the identities of the chemicals and they are legally barred from revealing that information. 

Folks, I can’t make this stuff up.  Truth is truly stranger than fiction. 

What can you do?  You can make sure your detoxification pathways are optimally functioning by eating a good diet (free of refined food), drinking adequate amounts of water (generally two liters per day for adults) and ensuring you have adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals on board.  One vitamin that is particularly important is vitamin C.  Vitamin C aids in many detoxification pathways and can help neutralize toxins in the body.  I would suggest taking 3-5,000mg/day of vitamin C (assuming you don’t get diarrhea).  When you are ill, you may need to increase your dose.  

Toxic Chemicals in New Cars

An article on MSNBC (www.msnbc.msn.com on 3.21.07) reported on the toxic fumes found in new cars.  Bromine and chlorine were the most common toxic elements reportedly found in automobiles.  These elements are found in the seats, armrests, door trim and shift knobs and other areas of the car.  Think about it, you spend perhaps two hours a day in your car, with the windows rolled up and little air circulating.  It is any wonder that I have seen many patients who feel that they can become ill from exposure to the fumes in a new car?  I refer to these patients as the ‘canaries’ of our population.  Many of these patients have to undergo detoxification in order to help them cleanse from toxic items.

Bromine and chlorine are members of the halide family.  The halides are a group of elements which includes iodine.  If we are exposed to excess amounts of one halide, it will cause our body to release other halides.  My research has clearly shown that we are exposed to too much bromine and chlorine.  These elements are found in many plastic products including computers, televisions, as well as other appliances.  In addition, bromine is a fire retardant found in carpet, clothing, mattresses and many other consumer items.  The consequence of this overexposure to toxic halides has been a depletion of iodine in our bodies.  The end result of too much bromine and chlorine and not enough iodine is poorly functioning immune and glandular systems.  I believe the high rates of thyroid disorders as well as cancer of the breast, ovary and prostate are directly related to the increasing exposure to toxic halides.   I describe this in more detail in my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, 4th Edition.

Ann is a patient of mine. I had diagnosed Ann with Hashimoto’s Disease approximately three years ago.  After we treated her thyroid problem she felt much better.  I treated Ann with a combination of dietary changes as well as vitamins and minerals.  She was also prescribed iodine.   Approximately one year later, Ann came to my office complaining that all of her thyroid symptoms were back.   “I feel like I am back to square one.  I am tired, my muscles hurt and brain fog is back,” she said. 

Ann, complained that her health began going downhill when she purchased a new car.  The car dealer would not believe that a new car could cause her health concerns.  Testing found Ann severely deficient in iodine (nearly zero levels) and toxic with bromine.   Previous testing found Ann’s iodine levels were near normal.  Ann was detoxified from bromine with a combination of Vitamin C, unrefined salt, iodine, and magnesium.  I also had her do salt baths.  As Ann’s bromine levels fell and her iodine levels elevated, she began to feel better.   About 1.5 years after starting therapy, Ann felt that she had regained her health.   In fact, her thyroid blood tests now returned to normal, without the use of thyroid hormone.   Ann said, “All of my symptoms have improved.  I can’t believe how much better I feel,” she said.  

More information about bromine toxicity can be found in my book, Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, 4^th Edition. Furthermore, I devoted a whole newsletter (Dr.  Brownstein's Natural Way to Health) to bromine.  For more information on my newsletter please go to:  http://w3.newsmax.com/newsletters/brownstein/bromine.cfm?PROMO_CODE=8988-1

I have treated many patients for bromine toxicity.  In fact, it is the number one toxic element that I find in the majority of my patients.  Bromine toxicity can be treated with a combination of nutrients such as iodine and salt. 
One statement I would make to those who are ill with chemical sensitivities:  Don’t give up. You can overcome your illness by detoxifying and supporting the body’s normal physiologic function.   Detoxification can be accomplished safely and effectively with a variety of natural substances.  Appropriate pre- and post- testing can help guide the detoxification process.    

Beware of Contaminated Supplements

Ginger is a good herb, right?  Good for many things including helping prevent motion sickness and improving digestion.  Where do we get our ginger from?  Nearly 78% of the ginger imported to the U.S. comes from China.  In 2006, 53.8 million pounds of ginger was imported from China.

Investigators in California found that ginger, imported from China, was contaminated with a dangerous pesticide—aldicarb sulfoxide.  Symptoms of adicarb poisoning include nausea, headaches, blurred vision, muscle spasms and difficulty breathing.  High doses of the chemical can be fatal.[i]  The U.S. EPA has not approved the use of aldicarb sulfoxide for use on ginger.  After discovering the contaminated ginger, California Department of Public Health ordered a recall of the tainted product. 

If that were the end of the story, it would not be so bad.  However, ginger is used in many products including soups and frozen meals.  Companies may unknowingly buy the tainted ginger and use it in the manufacturing of their products. 

So, should we just avoid ginger?  No, ginger, properly grown and used is a healthy and safe product.  The problem is the quality control of items made/grown in China.  There have been a slew of reports of contaminated items from China including kitchenware, children’s toys and lunchboxes.  

Approximately one month ago,  a sales representative from a vitamin company came to our office.  She wanted me (and my partners) to use her supplements.   The supplements she was detailing were mostly Chinese herbs, from China.   Due to all the negative articles about items made/grown in China, I was skeptical. I asked her if the items were pure.  She said, “Our Company would not sell anything that was not pure.  We have checked these products. “  I was not reassured by her statements when we received her company’s analysis of the different products.  The analysis showed no variation in the different products.  In other words, all of the toxicity reports were exactly the same—essentially zero. 

I had my nurse send out samples of many of the products to a lab that does heavy metal testing.  Our results showed that many of these products were contaminated with lead and other heavy metals.    When we called the company to report our findings, they were not happy with the results.  They questioned our testing and said they would do further testing.   To date, we have not received any of their testing results.

The take home message is to beware of what you are purchasing.  You should only use companies that have a reliable track record.  These companies should be able to provide certificates demonstrating that their products are safe.  I have been testing nutritional supplements for years.  I am continually amazed by the results.  Many items contain toxic elements.  We have not tested all of the supplements that we use in our office, but, we have tested a substantial number of them.  If a product tests for a contaminated substance or does not meet the amounts of nutrients stated on the label, I will not use that product or any products from that company.    

Due to all the bad press out there, at the present time, I would suggest not using any supplements derived from China unless the product has been analyzed.    Unfortunately, sometimes it is hard to find out where the raw ingredients come from.  The best results are to rely on a reputable company that will provide you with an analysis of a product when you request one.   There are many good supplement companies out there.  However, there are many that are not the best. 

The take home message is to get the best result, work with a health care provider knowledgeable about natural therapies.  Ask where the ingredients come from.  Ask if the company will provide certificates of analysis.  If you don’t get the answers to these questions that you would like, then it may be time to search for a new supplement company.

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[i] WSJ.  11.19.07

I Want My Money Back!

As I am sitting home on a Tuesday morning (I have a bad cold) instead of seeing patients, I became incensed over the Big Pharma Cartel.  No longer will I refer to them as Big Pharma as they have crossed a line.  Big Pharma Cartel more accurately portrays what is going on these days. 

What am I so irritated about?  No, not my cold, as that will pass (though, I am not happy about that either). 

If I buy something that is falsely advertised, I would expect when I take the item back to the store, the store would give me my money back.  I would also assume the store would not be happy with the manufacturer of the product.  In fact, the store would probably not buy future products from that manufacturer if enough people were unhappy with that particular product. 

Who do I want my money back from?  Roche, the manufacturer of Tamiflu. By the spring of 2009, the U.S. government, MY government, OUR government bought 50 million doses of Tamiflu to combat the flu.   In fact, since 2005, the U.S. government spent over $1.5 billion dollars on Tamiflu.  Did we get our money worth for purchasing all that Tamiflu?

The Cochrane collaboration is an international not-for-profit and independent organization that produces systematic reviews of healthcare information.   I have found the Cochrane collaboration a very good source of information. 

 An article in the British Medical Journal (published 12.8.09--BMJ 2009;339:b5351) from the Cochrane group reviewed 20 studies on  the effectiveness of Tamiflu and other flu drugs at treating/preventing the flu.  Cochrane reported that the flu drugs have “modest effectiveness against the symptoms of influenza in otherwise healthy adults.”  However, they point out a “paucity of data” on these drugs.  Cochrane further reported that only five trials out of the 20 trials that were reviewed were judged to be of sufficient quality.  They  tried to locate the original data from these five trials by contacting the lead authors of the five trials.  However, the authors referred Cochrane to the manufacturer (Roche—Tamiflu).  Roche could not supply them with the data.  In fact, Roche “initially declined to provide the necessary data.”  Furthermore, an accompanying editorial at the British Medical Journal (BMJ) claimed the biggest trial of Tamiflu had an academic author named in the abstract. This author told the BMJ that he was not involved in the trial.  Sounds like ghost-writers are still at it for Big Pharma Cartel--see my earlier post in August, 2009 ( titled, “Fraud, Ghosts and Big Pharma”) about ghost writers. 

Why would Big Pharma Cartel not send them the data?  I am sure they don’t want to send the data because it either does not exist or is of such poor quality it would expose Tamiflu to being the fraud that it is.  Furthermore, all of the studies were co-authored by Roche employees and paid academic consultants.  The Cochrane reviewers could not find any independently funded trials of Tamiflu in healthy adults.   

So, where are we?  We, as U.S. citizens have spent billions of our dollars on a drug that, at best, decreases the duration of the flu for one day.  At worst, it doesn’t work at all and has been associated with a host of adverse effects.  The drug has never been shown to prevent deaths from the flu or prevent serious complications from the flu. More information about Tamiflu can be found in a previous post to my blog (4.29.09). 

This is total nonsense.  As consumers, we would not put up with spending our hard-earned money on falsely advertised products.  The U.S. government should investigate this and demand repayment from Big Pharma Cartel.  How can we trust them on health care if they can’t get this right?

Speaking to Conventional Medicine

A few months ago, I was invited to give a talk at the hospital that trained me.  The chief of cardiology (Dr. David) asked me to give a talk on the holistic approach to the hyperlipidemic patient (or the high- cholesterol patient).  Dr. David has been a friend and colleague for many years.  He took excellent care of my father and to this day I rerfer him many patients.  When he asked me to speak to the internal medicine/cardiology students, fellows and faculty, I told him I did not think it would be a good idea.  Dr. David felt that since his group was seeing many patients who were using alternative modalities it was important to educate everyone about the different approaches that are available.

As he was asking me to do this talk, my stomach started churning (a little).  I have lectured to conventional doctors before and it is generally not a pleasant experience.  I agreed to do this talk due to my relationship with Dr. David. I gave this talk two days ago. 

I would say that after five minutes into my talk, I could feel the tension building.  I was glad they did not have metal silverware as that would hurt more than plastic silverware.  By the way, the luncheon was sponsored by a pharmaceutical rep. 

By the end of my one hour talk, many in the audience were visibly and audibly agitated.  One prominent doctor claimed that I was misleading the students and the fellows in my interpretation of the data (at least that is how I took his arguments).  He claimed that the benefits for statin drugs (at best is 1% lowered risk of non-fatal heart attack over 3 years) will be borne out over time.  He claimed that in 10 years, this benefit will be 3-10%  better and in 20 years it may be higher yet.

I asked him how could he make that claim? That is simply conjecture.  I could just as easily make the claim that the long-term poisoning of an important enzyme (which statins do) will eventually result in more adverse effects and death (which is my educated guess).  Furthermore, I believe the research is clear; statin drugs are largely a failure and a waste of money.  They have never been shown to prolong anyone’s life.  More information about statins and other drug therapies can be found in my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do, 2^nd Edition.   

I hope this talk at least opened some ears and eyes for the doctors and students and inspired them to look at these research studies with a more critical eye.  I also hope I convinced them to look more closely at how these drugs are interacting with the biochemical pathways in the body.  Finally, I hope I provided them with information about how to use safe and effective natural therapies to treat cardiovascular problems.