Dr. David Brownstein - Holistic Family Medicine

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Low Cholesterol = Higher Mortality

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:08:00 +0000

True or false:

1. Low cholesterol levels are healthy.

2. You will live longer if you have a low cholesterol level.

3. If you have congestive heart failure, it is better to take a cholesterol-lowering drug.

The answer to all three statements is easy: All are false.

How can that be? Have we been mislead by the media, American Heart Association, AMA, and nearly everyone else out there? This time, the answer is yes.

A study in the American Heart Journal (Dec. 2008) pointed out the problems with low cholesterol levels in those with congestive heart failure. This study looked at 17,791 hospitalized patients at 236 sites who were admitted for congestive heart failure. The researchers divided the patients into four quartiles:

1. Total cholesterol of <118

2. Total cholesterol of 119-145

3. Total cholesterol of 146-179

4. Total cholesterol of >180

The most important number to look for in any study is the mortality numbers. Guess who lived the longest in the above four groups? If you guessed group one, you guessed wrong.

Those in the lowest cholesterol group (quartile 1 above) had the highest death rate (3.3%). Those in the quartile 2 had a death rate of 2.5%. The next quartile (3 above) had a death rate of 2.0% and the group with the highest cholesterol levels had the lowest death rate at 1.3%.

Other data from this study showed that those with lowered cholesterol levels had longer hospital length of stay and worse symptoms on discharge. Compared to those with the highest cholesterol levels (>180), those with the lowest cholesterol levels (<118) had a 65% higher risk of mortality.

How can this be? Does it sound like Alice-In-Wonderland to you? It really isn’t that hard to understand when you understand the physiology of the body.

It is well known that lowered cholesterol levels have been shown in many studies to be associated with a higher mortality rate. Cholesterol is a necessary and important substance in the body. It is necessary for proper mineral absorption and utilization, cell wall strength, immune system functioning and vitamin D production. There are many other important functions of cholesterol.

My clinical experience has clearly shown that it is not wise to use a drug that blocks the production of cholesterol. It does not make physiologic sense and it does not make common sense. Cholesterol research studies do not prove that taking cholesterol-lowering medications prolong life. In fact, the best statin drugs have been shown to do is to lower the risk of a non-fatal heart attack by 1% over 2-3 years. This positive effect is seen only in the most favorable trials (i.e., those trials that Big Pharma Cartel decides to release for publication). However, there are many serious adverse effects of cholesterol-lowering medications including muscle and liver problems and an increased cancer rate.

What should you do? Read and educate yourself about any drug or natural item that you are prescribed. Look at how the item works in the body and look at the possible adverse effects. Then, make your decision on whether it is in your best interest to take that substance. If it does not extend your lifespan or improve the quality of your life then perhaps you should avoid the substance. Cholesterol-lowering drugs have never been shown to improve longevity or quality of life.

For more information on cholesterol and cholesterol –lowering drugs, I refer the reader to my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do, where I review the cholesterol controversy in more detail.

Big Pharma Cartel's Payoff

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Over half of the United States’ medical residency programs in internal medicine accepted financial support from the Big Pharma Cartel. While accepting this money, 75% of the residency directors found accepting the aid “not acceptable.”[i]

After graduating medical school, new doctors are required to undergo residency training where they are taught how to practice medicine by more senior physicians. It is a time for growth and learning for the new doctors.

A survey was conducted in 2006 and 2007 which found the Big Pharma Cartel paid for educational materials in 83% of the programs that accepted money. Furthermore, in those programs that took aid, the Big Pharma Cartel paid for meals in 90% and office supplies in 68% of the programs surveyed.

I remember my residency well. Anytime there was a Pharma Cartel-sponsored meal, I and my colleagues did not miss it. We never thought we were being influenced by the perk, but we were. Studies have shown that small gifts such as pens or meals can influence a doctor’s prescribing pattern. Think about it; do you really think the Big Pharma Cartel would spend millions of dollars per year paying for doctors’ meals if they were not influencing prescribing patterns? Of course not.

The most interesting part of the survey was that 72% of the residency directors felt Big Pharma Cartel financing was not desirable. However, most still took the money.

Looking back on it, of course Big Pharma’s presence at nearly every one of our lunches and many of our dinners was, most certainly, influencing us. They gave us pens, paper, books, stethoscopes and other items. I clearly remember hearing about a drug from a Pharma representative and trying it out with the next patient. I trusted that this industry-paid representative was telling the truth. Now, I regret using those medications on my patients. I should have studied those medications further before using them. I was being influenced and I didn't even know it. When I think back on it, I am amazed at how cheaply Big Pharma influenced us--with pens and paper. To top it off, Big Pharma-sponsored meals were never that good anyways (full of refine carbs and soda).

Unfortunately, nothing much has changed today. Big Pharma Cartel sales people can not give out as many items as in the past, but they still sponsor meals and still influence prescribing patterns. If the AMA was really looking for a way to improve medical decision making they should be looking to ban the practice of Big Pharma Cartel representatives going to doctors offices as well as ban any Big Pharma-sponsored meals and events. Perhaps if Big Pharma Cartel was spending less money trying to woo doctors, the price of prescription medications would go down (I won’t hold my breath for that one).

What can you do? Make sure your doctor is not being influenced by the Big Pharma Cartel. If you see a line of Pharma drug representatives trying to see the doctor, your antennae should go up. Ask the doctor how much he knows about the medication he/she is going to prescribe you and how long has the medication been available. Generally, newer medications have not been appropriately studied for adverse effects. If you are prescribed a new medication, consider using an older medication if it is appropriate for your condition. Better yet, try and use safe and effective natural therapies to avoid using pharmaceuticals, if possible.

[i] New York Times. 2.22.10

Avoid Aspartame

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Over the years, I have written and lectured about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. One product seems to stand out from the rest: aspartame. Aspartame is used to provide a sweetened taste to food and drink. It is found in a wide range of food products including diet sodas and low fat foods. It is even found in most chewing gum products.

Aspartame was first synthesized in 1965. The FDA approved aspartame for use in food products in 1980. The FDA has concluded that aspartame is safe for consumption. “Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should proved the public with additional confidence of its safety,” the FDA claims. If only that statement were true.

Aspartame is presently marketed under the names Equal and NutraSweet. It accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA per year. I see many patients adversely affected by aspartame. Patients have reported a variety of negative symptoms from aspartame exposure including headaches, seizures, muscle aches and pains, weight gain, rashes, depression, insomnia, hearing loss, palpitations, vertigo, memory loss, and numbness. I ask every new patient if they are eating/drinking food and drink containing aspartame. If they are, I counsel them to remove it from their diet. I have found it nearly impossible for overweight patients to lose weight when they continue to ingest aspartame.

Aspartame is a known excitotoxin. It acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain and can kill brain cells by over-stimulating them. There are multiple illnesses associated with exposure to excitotoxins including: multiple sclerosis, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. I have successfully treated many patients, in part, by having them remove all aspartame from their diet.

The maker of aspartame, Ajinomoto, has announced a new name for aspartame—AminoSweet. It has the same ingredients as aspartame. The company is trying to give the product a friendlier name. Don’t be fooled. There is no difference between NutraSweet and AminoSweet. Both products need to be avoided. Especially avoid aspartame if it is heated such as in coffee or tea as it changes its chemical structure to a formaldehyde-like product. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.

If the FDA was truly looking out for us, the citizens, it would remove aspartame from the market place. I would advise you to avoid any food product (gum, soda, diet food, etc.,) which contains aspartame. And, remember, DO NOT use aspartame in any heated product.

No Cure for Heart Disease?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:15:00 +0000

The headline in today’s (2.12.10) Washington Post reads, “No cure for heart disease, Clinton’s case shows.” The article states, “Bill Clinton has a new lease on life, but there’s no cure for the heart disease that has twice forced the former president to get blocked arteries fixed.” Further in the article the writer states that bypass surgery grafts usually last around 10 years, on average.

Bill Clinton was taken to the hospital yesterday for chest pain and found to have one of his bypass grafts blocked. The doctors performed a cardiac catheritization where they placed a catheter near his heart and injected dye to find the blockage. Once the blockage is visualized, they put a stent (a mesh tube) in the artery to open it up.

Placing stents in blocked arteries have never been shown to prolong one’s life. But, stent placement can help with symptoms such as chest pain and fatigue. Furthermore, in an acute situation of an evolving heart attack or an impending heart attack, stent placement can be a life-saving procedure.

Having said that I can assure you people do not have heart attacks due to a stent-deficiency syndrome. They have heart attacks for a variety of reasons, but the main reason heart attacks occur is due to oxidative stress of the coronary arteries. How do you get oxidative stress in the cells of the coronary arteries? You can get increased oxidative stress by becoming nutrient deficient, particularly vitamin C deficient. Research has shown that vitamin C deficiency can cause scurvy or sub-clinical scurvy in the arteries and result in the development of plaque. Eventually plaque can build up and lead to a heart attack.

Other nutrient deficiencies can lead to oxidative stress in the coronary arteries including deficiencies of omega 6 fats, magnesium, vitamin E and CoQ10.

I assume Bill Clinton is being treated with statin drugs. In the Washington Post article it states that since Mr. Clinton’s original bypass surgery six years ago, “he has really toed the line. This (the new stents) was not about his lifestyle or his diet.”

Perhaps Mr. Clinton does not know that 50% of all heart attack patients have low cholesterol—below 200. This one statistic blows apart the whole theory that lowering cholesterol levels prevents heart attacks. That theory is nonsense. In order to decrease heart attacks, the most important idea is to lower oxidative stress. How do you do that? Eat whole foods, drink water and correct nutrient and hormonal imbalances. Exercise also helps to lower oxidative stress.

My father was a textbook case of what holistic medicine can do for heart disease. In fact, he was my first heart disease patient treated with holistic medicine. He had his first heart attack at age 40 and a second heart attack a few years later. He was treated with two bypass surgeries and numerous angioplasties and drugs. At age 60 he was dying from heart disease. Unfortunately, my dad never took care of himself. He smoked cigarettes, was overweight and never exercised. When I began using holistic medicine, I treated him with bioidentical hormones and a nutritional regimen of vitamins and minerals. The change in his heart disease symptoms was astounding; 25 years of continual angina went away in a week. He lost weight (without changing any bad habits) and, more importantly, he looked better and felt better. His story is in my book The Miracle of Natural Hormones. After using a holistic approach, he lived another 10 years and had a good quality of life during that time.

Heart disease can be helped and, in some cases, cured. However, heart disease is not cured from stents or prescription drug use. Poor lifestyle choices which lead to nutrient and hormonal deficiencies as well as oxidative stress lead to heart disease. I believe Bill Clinton needs a holistic evaluation to treat the underlying cause of heart disease. There is no reason he cannot get the same positive results that I see from my patients.

Eat Your Vegetables

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Maybe your mother and grandmother were right when they told you, “Eat your vegetables.” A new study (Cancer Causes Control. 2009. 20:75-86) pointed out that among dietary factors, vegetables were the only food group shown to have a favorable effect on thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer encompasses approximately 1% of all malignancies diagnosed worldwide. There were approximately 140,000 cases and 35,000 deaths worldwide occurring in 2002.[i] Thyroid cancer has been increasing in the U.S. at near-pandemic rates over the last 20 years. Fortunately, most people with thyroid cancer survive with appropriate treatment.

The authors of this study looked at 42 original research papers that studied the relationship between thyroid cancer and dietary factors. The scientists compared two groups of vegetables—cruciferous and non-cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprout, broccoli and bok choy. These vegetables contain enzymes which can inhibit thyroid function. I have found people eating a raw food diet who consume large amounts of cruciferous vegetables usually have thyroid abnormalities. However, small amounts of these items eaten as part of a healthy diet usually do not interfere with thyroid function.

The authors found that a diet that contains the largest amount of vegetables (non-cruciferous) as compared to a diet with the smallest amount of vegetables had a 20% lower risk (relative risk) of thyroid cancer. Those that ate cruciferous vegetables did not have a significant decline in thyroid cancer rate.

Why would vegetables lower your risk for getting thyroid cancer? Vegetables contain many antioxidants and flavinoids which are known to inhibit cancer cells.

What other things can you do to prevent thyroid cancer? Ensure that you have adequate iodine levels and avoid exposure to ionizing radiation. For more information on thyroid cancer, I refer the reader to my books, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, 4^th Edition, and Overcoming Thyroid Disorders, 2^nd Edition.

Cancer Causes Control. 2009. 20:75-86

Too Many Snacks for Children

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:58:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:56:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:06:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:21:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:47:00 +0000

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.

[i] WSJ. 11.19.07

I Want My Money Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:42:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:54:00 +0000

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.

Another Nail In The Coffin for Cholesterol-Lowering Medications

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:17:00 +0000

How many studies have to be done which show a drug is a failure before doctors will stop using it? It is a very interesting question in light to the news headlines today about the block-buster cholesterol drug Zetia (Zetia is also part of the drug Vytorin).

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM. 2009;361) released a study today (11.16.09) which showed Zetia, a drug that brought in over $3.5 billion for Big Pharma Merck in 2008, causes more harm than good. In fact, this study compared Zetia to the b-vitamin Niacin and its effects on atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries. The authors of the study reported that the Niacin-treated group had showed a 2% decline in buildup of the carotid arteries while those treated with Zetia had no effect. Furthermore, there were fewer heart attacks in the niacin-treated group (2) as compared to the Zetia group (9).

You might guess that Zetia must have raised cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. Wrong. Zetia lowered both cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol more than the niacin-treated group. What is going on here?

What happened in this study is explained in my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do. Cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are not bad chemicals. They are necessary agents for the body. Chemically blocking their absorption (the mechanism of Zetia) is a recipe for disaster.

This study is another nail in the coffin of the cholesterol=heart disease hypothesis. You must educate yourself about the mechanism of action of the most commonly prescribed drugs in order to make an appropriate decision if taking that drug is right for you. Thirteen million prescriptions for Zetia were written in the U.S. in 2008. This is a travesty. This is a drug that not only does no good, it causes harm. This drug should be removed from the market. If you are on Zetia or Vytorin I suggest you ask your doctor to reevaluate your situation.

Big Pharma Misrepresents Studies

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:54:00 +0000

A series of articles in JAMA (4.16.08) documented how Merck misrepresented the data on the early Vioxx trials and manipulated the clinical research. This series of articles came to light due to the litigation over the 50,000 people who died by taking Vioxx. The authors of this series were privy to the court documents during the ongoing trials for Vioxx.

The authors found that published, peer-reviewed studies were written by Merck employees but given first authorship to someone else(the first name reported in the final published version). The first name on the final study is supposed to go to the researcher who was intimately involved in the project. However, Merck used ‘big name’ academicians to give the article more validity. The problem is that these ‘big name’ academically affiliated physicians often did little or no work on the study. Merck was using them (and paying them) for their name to give the article more merit. The consequence of doing business this way is that these ‘evidenced-based’ articles are taken as the gospel and physicians change their prescribing habits based on these articles. To add insult to injury, there was often no disclosure of the financial support from Merck in these articles.

What is the consequence of this practice of hiring ‘big-name’ academic doctors to put their names as the lead authors in main stream journal articles? In the case of Vioxx, it became a multibillion dollar drug for Merck. Of course, in this case the downside was the deaths of 50,000 Americans who took this toxic drug. The accompanying editorial commented, “The profession of medicine in every aspect-clinical, education, and research- has been inundated with profound influence from the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. This has occurred because physicians have allowed it to happen, and it is time to stop.”

It is time to stop. It will only stop when the patients take control of their health care. Patients can only do that with knowledge. I encourage you to study the mode of action of the drugs prescribed to you and to further study the mode of action of natural therapies. You need to make the right choices about the types of therapies you will take. I believe once you learn about the safe and effective natural therapies that are available, the choice will be an easy one.

Dangerous Chemicals in Fast Food

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:17:00 +0000

There is no question we are suffering an obesity epidemic in the United States. Nearly two out of three people are overweight and one out of three adults are obese. I have no doubt that the main reason there is so much obesity in the U.S. is due, in large part, to lifestyle choices. In particular, Americans eat too much fast food.

Fast food products contain too many bad fats and a large amount of refined salt. These items supply little or no good nutrition in our bodies. I believe the body’s reaction to all this bad food that we are eating is to become heavier. Today, many people are actually malnourished from all this poor quality food.

I believe the obesity epidemic can be explained by the body trying to compensate for this malnourished state it is in. In other words, becoming obese is a defense mechanism for the stress the body is in due to eating a poor diet.

When I say malnutrition, what I am referring to is the food many of us are eating is not supplying the crucial nutrients our body needs to function. Malnutrition can either be caused by a lack of food or by eating poor quality food.

What is an example of poor quality food? Unfortunately we have much to talk about here. Let me tell you about a recent study from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (Autumn 20009. VOl. XVIII, No. 4). The researchers went to six Kentucky Fried Chicken stores and obtained two samples of grilled chicken from each store. KFC was advertising their grilled chicken as “the better-for-you chicken for health-conscious consumers.”[i] Tests sent to an independent laboratory found that every piece of grilled chicken contained PhIP which is a chemical that has been shown to increase cancer risk.

Presently there are no safe levels of PhIP consumption. Grilled chicken is the largest source of PhIP. PhIP’s can be found on all meats that are grilled. Pan frying and barbecuing can also cause PhIP’s to form on meat products. They are produced by long cooking times and high temperatures.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is suing KFC for not informing consumers of PhIP contamination in their products. KFC is not the only restaurant with this problem. PCRM also filed suit against McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, T.G.I.Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, Burger King, and Applebee’s for knowingly exposing consumers to PhIP without warning them of the risk. Only Burger King has posted warnings to its customers that its grilled chicken products contain PhIP. The other restaurants are fighting the lawsuit.

We have a right to know what is in our food. If there are toxic chemicals, we should be informed. Then we can decide if we want to ingest the product. Most importantly, don’t feed any of these toxic chemicals to our children. They deserve better. Fast food products should be minimized, or better yet, eliminated from their diet.

What can we do? Become informed. Educate yourself about good food choices. Avoid food that has been grilled at high temperatures and for long periods of time. Remember, if you eat poorly, expect to feel poorly. More information on a healthy diet can be found in my book, The Guide to Healthy Eating.

[i] Good Medicine. Autumn 20009. VOl. XVIII, No. 4

Why Does Iodine Get a Bad Rap?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:40:00 +0000

I have received many emails this week asking me to comment about a recent article claiming that taking iodine causes/exacerbates thyroid problems.

Let’s think about it. Thyroid problems have been increasing at epidemic rates over the last 30 years. Hypothyroidism affects from 13 million to 45 million Americans. Another 10-15 million Americans are affected with an autoimmune thyroid disorder. Clearly these numbers are unacceptable and we should be searching for the underlying cause of why thyroid illness affects so many people.

When I lecture about iodine, I describe iodine as, “The most misunderstood nutrient.” Iodine has been vilified over the years as causing/exacerbating thyroid illnesses. In medical school I was taught that iodine supplementation was not needed by anybody. I can assure you that statement is incorrect.

Over the last 30 years, as the rate of thyroid disorders has been increasing at epidemic rates, iodine levels have fallen by over 50% in the U.S. (NHANES--from cdc.gov). If iodine were the cause of thyroid disorders wouldn’t you expect thyroid disorders to be decreasing over the last 30 years? In fact, I believe it is iodine deficiency, coupled with the increasing exposure to toxic halides bromide and fluoride that is the driving force behind the epidemic rise of thyroid disorders.

Let me ask you a question--what percentage of the American population has been taking iodine supplements over the last 30 years? I don’t have the exact numbers to quote here, but I would venture a guess that the number is pretty low. So, during the last 30 years, as iodine levels have fallen over 50%, what is the problem that is causing this new epidemic of thyroid problems? Maybe thyroid diseases have increased so dramatically because of televisions. Americans have more televisions now than in the past. Perhaps it is more televisions that are causing the increased thyroid problems. (As a side note—televisions do contain large amounts of bromine which can cause thyroid problems!).

I know the above argument is ridiculous (except for the bromine info). But, so is the idea that iodine supplementation is responsible for exacerbating/causing all thyroid problems. Over the last 20 years of practice, I have seen thousands of patients who have presented with hyperthyroid or hypothyroid symptoms who were not taking iodine. What caused their symptoms? Why does iodine always get a bad rap?

Now, that is not to say that iodine is safe for everyone to take. Just as drinking too much water can cause problems, iodine supplementation can also cause adverse effects in certain patients. By far, the most common adverse effect of iodine supplementation is due to the release of toxic halides bromide and fluoride. Iodine supplementation causes the release of bromide and fluoride from the body creating a detoxification issue for the body. If the body is not able to effectively release these toxic halides, the patient will experience a detoxification reaction. What are the signs of a detoxification reaction? A detoxification reaction can include fatigue, palpitations, nervousness, anxiety, and headaches. Sometimes you can even see elevated thyroid function tests associated with the detoxification reaction. Most of the time, these symptoms can easily be managed by supporting the body’s detoxification pathways.

In my experience, I have found the proper use of iodine to be a safe and effective treatment for the vast majority of patients. In order to get the best results with iodine, it is important for iodine to be taken as part of a holistic treatment regimen. This minimizes detoxification reactions. I suggest getting your iodine levels checked before and after supplementation with iodine. More information about this can be found in my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It.

Does iodine cause hypothyroidism? No. Iodine deficiency causes hypothyroidism.

Does iodine cause goiter? No. The most common cause of goiter is iodine deficiency.

Does iodine cause autoimmune thyroid disease? No. Autoimmune thyroid diseaes is caused, in part, from iodine deficiency.

Does iodine cause thyroid cancer? No. Iodine deficiency is related to the development of thyroid cancer.

How to Treat Inflammation

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:16:00 +0000

Big Pharma is now making a push that cholesterol lowering medications should be used in anyone with signs of inflammation. The Jupitor study (NEJM. VOl 359; 2008) looked at the use of Crestor (a statin drug) in “healthy” individuals who had elevated laboratory tests showing inflammation (via a blood test known as the CRP test). The use of Crestor was reported to decrease CRP by 37%. Inflammation has been thought to be the underlying cause (or one of the underlying causes) of a wide variety of illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. The CRP test is a well-accepted laboratory measure of inflammation.

Unfortunately, inflammation is occurring at epidemic rates in our society. I routinely check my patients for inflammatory markers and I am amazed at the numbers of patients suffering from elevated inflammation markers and inflammatory diseases.

What are the signs of inflammation? Pain, swelling, and redness are the most common signs. A bloated abdomen, fatigue and even brain fog can be related to inflammation. You can see that inflammatory conditions can cause a wide range of problems.

Why do so many suffer from inflammation? I have no doubt that diet is the main cause. Eating a diet full of refined foods markedly increases your chances of developing inflammation. The Standard American Diet (SAD ) ensures your body will be deficient in vital nutrients which prevent and heal inflammatory conditions. Obese patients suffer from more inflammation as compared to non-obese patients. Finally, failure to drink adequate amounts of water worsens any inflammatory condition.

So, what can you do if you have signs of inflammation? A recent study showed that Vitamin C reduced CRP by 25% versus placebo (Free Rad. Biol. and Med. 46;2009). The authors of this study claimed that the effect of vitamin C was similar to those of statins.

I say, take your vitamin C (2-5,000mg/day), drink adequate amounts of water and eat a diet full of unrefined foods. This is an inexpensive way to treat or avoid getting an inflammatory condition. Furthermore, this therapy is virtually free of adverse effects.

Why You Should Avoid The Flu Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:14:00 +0000

I decided a week ago that I was not going to write about the flu vaccine anymore. However, every time I see our Government spinning lies about the flu vaccine I get irritated. Due to this week's heavy media push about the flu vaccine, I feel the need to write one more article (or…perhaps a few more) about this vaccine.

This is truly an unusual time we live in. The U.S. government is spending billions of our dollars promoting the mass vaccination of the U.S. population for the flu virus and the swine flu virus. The U.S. government is making the vaccines widely available and virtually free. They are spending our hard-earned money to ‘educate’ us that the flu vaccine should be taken by all, from babies to the elderly, and that it will save many thousands of lives. Furthermore, they have begun a major public relations blitz criticizing those of us that give a differing opinion on the value of these vaccines.

Let’s look at some of their claims and the research behind them. The U.S. government and pretty much all mainstream groups claim that the flu shot prevents the flu in those that get the vaccine. However, the flu shots have not been shown to be effective in healthy babies, children with asthma, adults, and the elderly.

In Children: A review of 51 studies which included more than 294,000 children found “no evidence that injecting children 6-24 months of age with a flu shot was any more effective than placebo. In children over two years of age, it was only effective 33% of the time in preventing the flu. (Chochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2. 2008).

In asthmatic children, the flu shot was found to not provide any benefit in preventing asthma exacerbations. The authors of this study compared 400 asthmatic children who were vaccinated with a similar number of asthmatic children who were not vaccinated. They found no difference between emergency visits, clinic visits, or hospitalizations in the vaccinated versus the non-vaccinated group. (Arch. Dis. Child. 2004. Aug;89(8):734-5). If this study wasn’t enough to get your attention a new study found that “Children who get the flu vaccine are three times more at risk for hospitalization than children who do not get the flu vaccine.” (American Thoracic Society 105^th International Conference, May 15-20, 2009, San Diego, CA.).

According the CDC, the elderly are a population at increased risk for acquiring the flu and developing complications of the flu. In nursing homes or for the elderly living in the community, researchers found the flu shot was ineffective for preventing the flu. (Chochrane Databse of Systemic Reviews. 3(2006). In fact, the flu shot has never been shown to lower the rate of mortality from the flu in any population, including the elderly.

Clearly, there is NO reason to get the flu shot. It doesn’t prevent the flu and has not been shown to prevent complications from the flu.

This article used information from “The Truth About The Flu Shot” informational sheet from Dr. Sherry Tenpenny. She has been lecturing about the problems with vaccines for years. More information about the flu vaccine can be found at www.drTenpenny.com.

Bromine Toxicity

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:39:00 +0000

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 no wonder that I have seen many patients who feel that they can become ill from exposure to the air in a new car. These are the canaries of our population. Many of these patients have to undergo detoxification for the buildup of dangerous chemicals in their body.

Bromine and chlorine are members of the halide family which is a group of elements that includes iodine. If we are exposed to too much 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. 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. Clinically, the result of too much bromine and chlorine and not enough iodine are the high rates of thyroid disorders as well as cancer of the breast, ovary and prostate. I describe this in more detail in my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, 4th Edition.

One patient, Ann, complained that her health began going downhill when she purchased a new car. I diagnosed Ann with Hashimoto’s disease (an autoimmune disorder) of the thyroid gland. The car dealer would not believe that a new car could cause her health concerns. Testing found Ann severely deficient in iodine (nearly zero) and toxic with elevated bromine levels. Ann was detoxified from bromine with a combination of Vitamin C, unrefined salt and magnesium. I also had her do salt baths and she was treated with iodine. 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. I never knew anything about bromine,” she said.

One statement I would make to those who are ill with chemical sensitivity: Don’t give up. You can overcome your illness by detoxifying and supporting the body’s normal physiologic function.

Don't Blame the Flu Shots?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:29:00 +0000

In the New York Times today (9.28.09), the headline reads, “Swine Flu Officials’ Message: Don’t Blame Flu Shots for All Ills”. The article goes on to point out that when the swine flu vaccination program begins, some people will naturally die of strokes and heart attacks, therefore the flu vaccine should not be blamed for these deaths or other naturally occurring illnesses. Further in the article it states that every year there are 1.1 million heart attacks in the United States, 795,000 strokes and 876,000 miscarriages. Furthermore, 200,000 Americans will have their first seizure.

“The government is right to expect coincident deaths, since people are dying every day, with our without flu shots,” said Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine. The article further states, “Government officials are particularly worried about spontaneous miscarriages, because they are urging pregnant women to be among the first to be vaccinated.” This year there is more pressure for pregnant women to get the flu shot.

My wife brought this article to my attention. She said, “Can you believe this? On the one hand they are saying that people get sick and die every day, so the flu shot can’t be causing that. On the other hand, they seem to be saying if more people are going to become ill from the flu shot we are going to fight that tooth and nail and not admit any possible relationship to an increase in illness that may be related to the flu vaccine.”

No one in their right mind would suggest that the yearly 1.1 million heart attacks are somehow related to the flu vaccine. However, perhaps there is a relationship between an illness, such as a seizure disorder that starts within a short period of time from the vaccination, and the flu vaccine. Governmental agencies have been loathe to admit any illnesses associated with any vaccine. I see parents in my office that have a normal, healthy child and shortly after a childhood immunization their child’s life has been suddenly altered. We know all vaccines cause changes in the brain associated with inflammation. Why is it so impossible that this inflammation cannot manifest as disease of the brain such as autism or seizures? Perhaps some (or many) of the 200,000 Americans who experience their first seizure each year are having problems with vaccines? We would not know because the studies have not been properly done.

As for vaccinating pregnant women, I have a statement: “You have got to be kidding me.”. This new swine flu vaccine has been fast-tracked and has not been properly studied. There is no way I would recommend a pregnant women receive this vaccine. Why are we experimenting on anybody with a vaccine that has not been properly studied? And, for god’s sake, why would we be promoting experimentation on pregnant women? Sometimes I feel like we all live in Alice in Wonderland.

Swine Flu Vaccine: To Vaccinate Or Not To Vaccinate?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:49:00 +0000

By far, the most frequent question I am asked is, “Do you think I should get the flu vaccine?” Of course, the question in present time refers to the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine. The CDC is recommending five target groups of individuals to be vaccinated including: pregnant women, persons who live with or provide care for infants aged <6 months—24 years, children and young adults aged 6 months to 24 years, persons aged 25-64 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza related complications, as well as health care personnel. Most people that have become ill with this strain of influenza have been between the ages of 5-24. The vaccine is expected to be released by mid-October.
The regular flu vaccine is not very effective at preventing the flu for those most vulnerable to flu-related complications—the elderly. In fact, the higher rate of immunization against the flu has never resulted in a decline of mortality from the flu. What about children under 2 years old? There is absolutely no evidence that the flu vaccine gives this age group any protection against the flu. In fact, the flu vaccine has never been shown to prevent either hospitalizations or death from the flu.
The regular seasonal flu vaccine, like other vaccines, contains contaminants such as mercury which can damage the neurological tissue including the brain. Although mercury has been removed from some vaccines, it has not been removed from the seasonal flu vaccine. I have seen patients who were in good health one day, received a flu vaccine and found their health in a decline. I say, it is not worth it, especially for the swine flu. The present-day swine flu has been shown to cause a mild strain of flu.
This new swine flu vaccine also contains an adjuvant known as squalene. Squalene has been shown to cause autoimmune disorders in animals that are injected with it. In humans, it has also been shown to be associated with an increased rate of autoimmune disorders. There has been little research on injecting squalene in humans. Squalene-containing immunizations were given to Gulf War soldiers in the first Gulf War. There were reports of many soldiers suffering from neurological disorders such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Furthermore, this swine flu vaccine has been fast-tracked by Big Pharma and the U.S. government. There are no safety studies being properly performed. The safety studies will be performed after-the-fact—after the population has been vaccinated. In other words, those that are injected will be guinea pigs for this vaccine.
I say there is no reason to receive the flu shot. Prevention is best achieved by eating better, maintaining proper hygiene, and taking correct nutrients. Vitamins A, C and D as well as iodine are incredibly helpful substances to prevent one’s risk of becoming ill from the flu. And, if you become ill from the flu, increasing your doses of these nutrients has been very effective. Also, my clinical experience has shown that Lauricidin, (containing the fatty acid monolauren) a great antiviral product. I suggest taking 1 scoop twice per day from fall until spring. This product is available at my office—www.centerforholisticmedicine.com.
Finally, it is best to do your research and make an educated decision about whether the flu vaccine is the right thing to do for you and your family.
I believe that once you do your own research, you are bound to come to the same conclusions about the flu vaccine that I have reached.
More information about the swine flu vaccine will be published in my October newsletter (Dr. Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health). This newsletter can be obtained from www.brownsteinhealth.com/3reports.

ADHD Medications: Over-Prescribed

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:40:00 +0000

Can you believe it? How could 1 in 25 U.S. children be on a potent psychiatric medication? The U.S. presently leads the world in diagnosing and treating ADHD. We fill approximately 83% of the world’s prescriptions for ADHD (2007 Reuters. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17503743).

This report (cited above) is very disappointing. There is no objective test for ADHD. It is a compilation of symptoms that are viewed as abnormal including distractibility, hyperactivity, impulsiveness and other symptoms. How could we go from no children being treated with these medications when I was a child to 1 in 25 U.S. children currently being treated? Either we have some new major health crises that was not present in previous generations or there is a problem with over-diagnosing and over-treating unacceptable behaviors.

What are the long-term effects of treating all these millions of children with potent psychiatric drugs? No one knows since long-term studies have never been done on these medications.

Some years back, a close relative of mine, Conner, was told to go on a stimulant medication by the counselor at his school. The school called a meeting with the parents and told them they wanted to place Conner on Ritalin. The parents asked the counselor why she recommended it and the counselor claimed Conner needed medication in order to make him more attentive. When the parent asked the counselor if she did a psychological and neurological exam on Conner, she (of course) said “no”. I sent Conner to a psychologist who performed an exhaustive examination. The conclusion of the psychologist was that Conner did not need medication, he just needed to be challenged. The psychologist said he was bored at school. The parents chose another route and did not medicate him. I think they made the right decision.

This case is repeated over and over in schools all over the country. Stimulant medications should be the last resort for our children--not the first thing given when there are problems. I think the report on the wide spread medical ‘drugging’ of our children is a travesty. There is a lot of blame to go around for this; doctors who prescribe too many medications without performing a thorough workup as well as parents who look for the easy fix.

I advise you to not medicate your children without seeking a full evaluation and carefully considering all the options available. Perhaps many of these children have nutritional and/or hormonal imbalances that need attention. All children diagnosed with ADHD should have a complete nutritional, hormonal, and toxicity evaluation before instituting drug therapies.

The Desiccated Thyroid Hormone Mess

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:36:00 +0000

I know I have been late to comment on the desiccated thyroid availability, but, I have been closely following the situation and trying to sort through the mess. Here is how I see it.

Natural, desiccated thyroid hormone (NDT) comes in different brands such as Armour thyroid, Naturethroid, and Westhroid.

The problem began nearly a year ago, when the supplier of raw thyroid changed their manufacturing process. This caused both major manufacturers of desiccated thyroid, Forest (Armour thyroid) and RLC Labs (Naturethroid and Westhroid) to have problems with their manufacturing process. This started the first wave of desiccated thyroid shortages. After this problem was rectified, Forest decided to alter the formula for Armour thyroid. This alteration caused a lot of patient problems as the drug was not having the same beneficial effect it was previously having. I had many patients report a sudden decrease in effectiveness with the ‘new’ form of Armour thyroid.

The next problem began when Forest Pharmaceutical, the maker of Armour thyroid, recalled a large portion of their thyroid doses due to stability concerns and back-ordered all of their strengths. Forest currently is the largest manufacturer of NDT. This created an immediate nationwide shortage of NDT.

When I asked if they can supply enough thyroid to make up for the shortage of NDT, RLC responded that they were not prepared to meet all of the current demands for NDT product, however, they are diligently working to fill it.

As for Forest pharmaceutical, I am not sure what to say. Why a company that manufactures a product for over 80 years and suddenly changes the formulation is beyond me. It is unclear when or if Forest will begin producing Armour thyroid.

So, where does that leave doctors prescribing and patients using desiccated thyroid? I say, don’t panic yet. First of all, panic serves no purpose. Secondly, RLC Labs is still producing NDT and will continue to produce NDT. I do not believe that NDT will be totally unavailable in the future.

Right now, I suggest those patients who currently use Armour thyroid to try RLC labs’ Naturethroid or Westhroid. I have successfully used these products for years. In fact, with the recent formulation change of Armour, I have been successfully changing many of my patients to Naturethroid. I have personally found Naturethroid a very good product for my own thyroid condition. If Naturethroid or Westhroid are not available, a compounding pharmacist can temporarily fill your desiccated thyroid hormone needs.

Finally, ensure that you have adequate iodine intake. I have found much fewer problems switching between thyroid medications when iodine levels are maintained at optimal levels.

One final note. I have been in close contact with RLC Labs for a number of years. I believe this company to be fully supportive of supplying a sound medication to help thyroid patients. It is my personal opinion that RLC labs will stand with all of us, doctors and patients alike, in a time of crisis. This is the type of company I am proud to endorse.

Fraud, Ghosts, and Big Pharma

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. David Brownstein) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:11:00 +0000

What if 26 major scientific papers that shaped and guided medical therapies for over 10 years were not actually written by the authors stated in the papers? What if the papers only promoted the positive effects of a particular therapy and de-emphasized the negative effects in order to increase pharmaceutical sales? What if the scientific papers actually promoted a now discredited therapy that ended up causing tens of thousands of cases of breast cancer, heart attacks, stroke and deaths? Do you think there should be an investigation into these allegations? Perhaps that responsible need to be made held accountable for their actions. Maybe there should be a full congressional investigation into this billion dollar fraud that was perpetrated on millions of American women.

Who committed this fraud? Wyeth pharmaceutical, the maker of the synthetic hormones Premarin and Provera, committed this act by paying for ghostwriters to write scientific articles (more about this below). For over 25 years, Wyeth has been promoting Premarin and Provera as the treatment-of-choice for menopausal symptoms in women. Wyeth has spread misinformation about these synthetic hormones including the use of these foreign substances will prevent heart attacks and not increase the rate of breast cancers. Unfortunately, this synthetic hormone combination has been proven to significantly raise the risk of heart attacks (29%), invasive breast cancer (26%), stoke (41%), Alzheimer’s (205%) and pulmonary embolism (2,100%).[i]

According to a front-page article in the New York Times (8.5.09), while thousands of women were being harmed from these dangerous, synthetic hormones, Wyeth was paying ghost writers to author biased papers supporting the use of Premarin and Provera. Sales of these drugs rose to over $2 billion dollars in 2001. Ghostwriters were paid to promote the company line on these synthetic hormones and then prominent doctors were paid to put their name as the lead authors. The physicians had little or no input on these articles. These papers were published in many respected medical journals and certainly influenced medical opinion.

It all fell apart for Wyeth in 2002 when the findings of the Women’s Health Initiative was announced. The results (see above) clearly showed the synthetic hormones were dangerous and needed to be avoided.

How did Wyeth respond? The company responded by attacking natural, bioidentical hormones. Wyeth has filed a citizen’s petition with the FDA to remove a safe and effective bioidentical, natural hormone, estriol, from the market.

What can we all do? We can write to our congressmen and the President and let them know how we feel. Also, please look at http://www.bioidenticalhormoneinitiative.com/, which is a group I co-founded to promote the education of natural therapies. Finally, we can educate ourselves about safe and effective natural therapies so that we can make the best medical decisions for ourselves and our family.

Synthetic, foreign hormones like Premarin and Provera need to be avoided. For any therapy, a bioidentical, natural hormone is the safest, and most-effective approach. More information about these hormones can be found in my book, The Miracle of Natural Hormones, 3^rd Edition.

[i] JAMA. 7.17.02. VOl. 288, No. 3