Researchers have sown that Vitamin D levels are lower in advanced breast cancer patients than less severe forms of breast cancer.??The Journal of Clinical Pathology, reported research that compared blood levels of vitamin D in 75 women with advanced breast cancer and 204 women with early-stage breast cancer.? The women with early-stage breast cancer had much higher levels of vitamin D compared with women with advanced breast cancer.? Previous studies have shown that healthy women have much higher levels of vitamin D than women with breast cancer.? It appears that vitamin D plays a big part in the development and progress of breast cancer.? It appears to be very helpful in preventing brain and nervous system disease as well.

SOURCES: Palmieri, D. Journal of Clinical Pathology, Oct. 17, 2006, online first edition. News release, BMJ Specialist Journals.

It sounds too good to be true but the latest research on drinking and heart disease supports the finding that two drinks a day, whether wine, beer or liquor, contributed to a reduction in heart attack risk.? The 8,867 healthy men exercised and had a "non-obese" BMI of 25 or less.? That made this a lower risk group to begin with.? The addition of a couple of drinks daily lead to an improvement in heart health.? I always get concerned when any behavior that may cause trouble is advocated.? Once in a while a couple of drinks is probably O.K. for most people, but to promote drinking as a health-enhancing tactic seems like a bad idea to me.? Alcoholism is too common and too easily developed when triggered through the use of alcohol on a regular basis.? My recommendations for heart disease risk reduction are less risky.

Source: Mukamal, KJ "Alcohol Consumption and Risk for Coronary Heart Disease in Men with Healthy Lifestyles" Arch Intern Med 2006; 166:2145-2150

Researchers have found that grape seed extract slows the growth of colon cancer cells.? The University of Colorado team fed mice grape seed extract and watched their progress.? They didn't have any serious side?effects except that the cancer cells in their skin grew more slowly than mice that didn't get the treatment.? Grape seed extract is a commonly available nutrient (supplement) that can be used for its anti-oxidant role as a proanthocyanidin.? If you?want to take an anti-oxidant, why not take one that may help kill colon cancer cells??

SOURCES: Kaur, M. Clinical Cancer Research, Oct. 15, 2006; vol 12: pp 6194-6202. News release, American Association for Cancer Research.

No kidding, antibiotics can reduce bloating and discomfort in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).? A study out of Cedars Sinai Medical Center has shown what we've known for years.? It just happens that a drug company sponsored a study that could net them millions of dollars a year to prove that antibiotics can kill the "bugs" that ferment food to create bloating.?

SOURCES: Pimentel, M. Annals of Internal Medicine, Oct. 17, 2006; vol 145: pp 557-563. Drossman, D.A. Annals of Internal Medicine, Oct. 17, 2006; vol 145: pp 626-628. Mark Pimentel, MD, director, gastrointestinal motility program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.

It seems that the dreaded "weigh-in" is worth doing after all.? The latest study on weight loss and weighing in (with accountability) shows that people maintain their weight loss much better when there's an objective number for comparison.? Face-to-face interaction worked the very best but it turns out that internet accountability was nearly as good.? That's pretty exciting news.? Community support, whether by internet or in-person makes a big difference in any health endeavour.? In this case it helped people maintain weight loss at 18 months.

Source: Wing RR, et al "A Self-Regulation Program for Maintenance of Weight Loss" N Engl J Med 2006; 355:1563-71.

Walnuts heal the lining of arteries so that the "ignition switch" for heart attack is turned off.? Apparently, the cells that line the arteries respond to walnuts even better than olive oil and can be?affected with only one handful of walnuts.? This recent "walnut" study proved that foods can make a big difference in preventing heart attack by immediately reducing inflammation?on the artery wall.? Olive oil can prevent inflammatory activity but can't reverse the effects of bad dietary choices.? Food can create problems but food can also heal.? If trans-fats are avoided and good fats from nuts and other sources are mixed into the diet all sorts of good things happen.? Crack open a few nuts for excellent health!? Does that count as "Breaking News?"

A Danish group has concluded that drug companies look at their drugs much more favorably than private researchers.? When commercially-funded studies were compared to privately-funded studies the results were striking.? The drug company recommended the medication or treatment "without reservation" when the private group never thought that was a good idea.? It probably comes as no surprise that the one paying for the study gets results that they pay for.? This is breaking News that just makes sense!

Primary source: British Medical Journal (online)
J?rgensen AW "Cochran reviews compared with industry-supported meta-analyses and other meta analyses of the same drugs: a systemic review."

The major news outlets are reporting that the flu shot is being neglected by too many kids.?? "Vaccine that remains in the refrigerator cannot prevent influenza," said Dr. William Shaffner, professor at Vanderbilt University.? The National Foundation for Infectious Disease has said that only one third of the children with chronic illness are receiving their recommended vaccine for flu prevention.? Since 5-10% of children have asthma (alone)?that would mean that all of them "should" be immunized.? Add all the other chronic diseases of childhood (like recurring ear infections) and you pretty rapidly get to tens of millions of children that "need" the flu shot.? I don't know whether that is a good idea or not.? I think each parent has to weigh the risks and benefits.? I have seen statistics that vary greatly depending on who provides the information.? I know of three great areas of deception.? Lies, D&#* Lies and statistics!? Breaking news for those who want to think before they act!

Dr. David Healy from Cardiff University and his colleagues are raising questions about the link between this class of drugs and violent behavior. Healy's team looked specifically at GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil and concluded the drug raises the risk of severe violence in a small percentage of people.? The study showed that violent episodes nearly doubled in people taking the medication and were found to have the worst effects in the individuals who had the mildest cases of depression.? This suggests that giving the drug to people who don't absolutely need it poses a significant risk for increased violence.? Natural remedies for depression are available but rarely offered in the traditional medical system.? Breaking News can be a "violent event!"

Nearly 15,000 patients were studied to see whether height and weight predicted probabilty of death better than belly size compared to hips.? Thay found that belly size was a much better predictor of death than height and weight ratios.? It makes sense that a muscular person who is well-proportioned would likely live longer than someone who is the same height and weight and carries much of their weight?around theior midsection.? Abdominal fat has lots of bad effects, most notably increased inflammatory signalling to the rest of the body resulting in higher risk for heart disease and diabetes.? A big belly really is bad for you!? Breaking news for our beer-drinking friends!

Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;118:669-682.

This week the American Psychological association had their annual meeting in N'Awlins (that's New Orleans to the phonically impaired) and presented more supporting study data that proves the benefits of trusting in God.? The study participants were interviewed before and after heart surgery and found to have much better outcomes if they held a positive view of their relationship with God.? In my?experience this is not a surprise.???Evidence?supporting the positive impact of healthy spirituality has become impossible to ignore.? Dr. Amy Ai, the lead author of the study, suggested that we ought to pay attention to patient's faith if we want the very best health care.? Now that's breaking news!

SOURCE: American Psychological Association Convention 2006, New Orleans, Aug. 10-13, 2006. News release, American Psychological Association.

Fat is never where it's at, especially in the abdominal wall where larger fat cells (adipocytes) make Type 2 diabetes worse.? So, if fatter fat cells make daibetes worse, what is the best way to shrink them?or remove them.? This recent study suggests that reducing fat cell size can't be accomplished with diet alone.? In fact, whether treadmilling gently along or really working up a sweat it appears that any good exercise helps slim the waistline and reduce type 2 diabetes risk.? Even though dieting is a useful tool it has nowhere near the power of diet and exercise.? It is also interesting to note that the intense exercisers didn't lose as much weight as the gentle exercise group.? This was offset by the fact that these intense exercisers had more muscle tissue at the end of the study.? This means that they are more likely to keep their weight off and feel better overall.? Intensity seems to me to be the answer to the question "Which exercise is best?"? Intensity is the breaking news!

Reference: Tongjian You et al. "Addition of aerobic exercise to dietary weight loss preferentially reduces abdominal adipocyte size." International Journal of Obesity 2006; 30:1211-1216.

Researchers in Auckland, New Zealand studied the benefits of using antibiotics to treat a "purulent" runny nose.? This means that the stuff coming out of the nose is colored green or deep yellow.? This suggests that the infection is bacterial and might benefit from antibiotics.? They found that for every patient that was helped by antibiotics six could have been spared the bother of the effects and expense of drug therapy.? They chose Augmentin as the drug of choice for treatment.? The side effects with that specific antibiotic are common and pretty upsetting to the stomach and bowels.? I like the idea of letting things run their course if treatment doesn't create a significant benefit.? I always like to look at an infection?as a signal that the immune system may need more support.? Many of my patients start on Zinc supplementation at 50 to 100 mg. per day and have a dramatically reduced rate of infection.? I have found that my own frequency of upper respiratory infection has dropped since I've been supplementing on a regular basis.??I like people to know about all the possibilities for maximizing health.? Breaking news is happening all the time.? Read on to see how you can take action to prevent infection and boost immunity.

Source: Arroll B, et al, "Are antibiotics effective for acute purulent rhinitis? Systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo controlled randomized trials," BMJ Online First, July 20.

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise!"? Ben Franklin would be glad to hear about the latest findings on the relationship between sleep and obesity.? The people who slept five hours per night had much more trouble losing weight? than those that slept?more than seven hours per night.? Ben was right again.? If you want to be trim and healthy throughout your life it's important to take a balanced approach and sleep, eat and live well.? It may be old news but it's Breaking News once again!

Source reference: Patel SR et al. "Short Sleep is a Risk Factor for Weight Gain",?May 2006 American Thoracic Society Annual Meeting

A recent study showed that cancer of the prostate recurs much more slowly when 8 ounces of pomegranate juice is added to the daily diet of prostate cancer survivors.? If it helps with survivors after prostate cancer treatment doesn't it stand to reason that it might help with prostate health generally?? Well, maybe it would.? The studies to prove that might take years to complete and suggesting that pomegranate juice should just be wantonly consumed by every Tom, Dick and Harry sounds, uh, pretty good.? It's really nice on ice with a little slice of orange.? Then again, a little mint makes for a nice flavor addition.? Breaking News that's pomegranate flavored!!!

SOURCES: Pantuck, A.J. Clinical Cancer Research, July 1, 2006; pp 4018-4026.

The recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that iodine supplementation is probably going to "do more good than harm!"? The concept that iodized salt gives adequate results is not a matter of debate in the article.? the authors believe that iodized salt is "the way to go."? I have read credible evidence that supports the use of mixed potassium iodate and iodine for maximum benefit.? Since I look for maximized health as my marker of success I often see the absence of disease as a poor indicator of clinical victory!? It is exciting to receive a positive grade on a nutritional therapy from a mainstream medical journal.? That in itself is "Breaking News!"

Source Reference:? N Engl J Med. 2006;354:2783-2793, 2819-2821

To "B" or not to "B" that is the question.? It would be much easier to answer that question if there was a study that didn't use a "micro" dose of the B vitamins that were being studied.? The dose used by Abram Hoffer M.D. in his work with schizophrenics was several thousand times the RDA before a benefit was noted.? The possibility of toxicity exists in theory, but in practice it is virtually never seen outside of medical discussions.? The water soluble vitamins (all except vitamins A, D, E and K) are very efficiently removed from the body when doses become more than what is required.? The doses used in this study were so low that though it made a small change in the homocysteine level in blood samples there was little change in any other factor.? I'm not at all surprised as the evidence is accumulating that the RDA is pitifully inadequate to replace the deficiencies that are common in our culture.? Breaking news should be about breaking the shackles of disease not discrediting valuable treatments.?

Source: Robert Clarke. "Vitamin B₁₂, folic acid, and the prevention of dementia." New England Journal of Medicine 2006; 354:2817-2819.

Growth hormone has been a hot topic for years for many reasons.? The largest market by far is the anti-aging crowd.? Now, Pfizer is testing a drug that stimulates the secretion of growth hormone from the body's own systems.? This new drug acts like a native hormone called ghrelin that makes the body release growth hormone.? If there were other ways to improve growth hormone secretion and create the benefits of increased lean muscle mass, improved libido, better physical performance and even clearer thinking it just might be breaking news.? Well, there's probably something that might interest you in the next few paragraphs.

Source reference: International Congress of Neuroendocrinology, Merriam GR "Effects of chronic treatment with an oral growth hormone secretagogue on nocturnal GH and IGF-I in older men and women"

In?a recent study in Thorax the use of inhaled steroids for asthma and lung disease seemed to increase the risk for adrenal failure.? Adrenal failure causes nonspecific symptoms including fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss and nausea.? These are commonly found in people who need high doses of oral or injected steroids for long periods of time (weeks to months).? The increased use of steroids in all sorts of situations has made many people afraid to take these medications even if it might save or extend their lives.? It's a shame that so many opportunities to heal people are closed down because of a lack of knowledge.? The "Breaking News" section at CenterU is designed to make sense of new findings that might be scary or confusing to the average reader.? When choosing between breathing and adrenal failure it helps to know how to recognize problems with your treatment.? Read on and I'll explain the "ins and outs" of safe steroid use.

Source Reference: Thorax 2006;61:405-408.

New research suggests that?dangerous interactions occur less often than feared. Investigators reviewed the drugs taken by 7,652 Canadians, and found very few instances of such interactions.? The findings are to be presented tomorrow at the North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine.? This is good news because the claim that herbs are so dangerous that they need to be regulated loses much of its teeth in light of these kinds of studies.? St. John's Wort has proven to be effective at treating depression in some people but has been targeted as a serious interaction instigator.? This is probably important to remember but based on recent findings is less of a problem than we thought.? Breaking News when you have the blues.

A new study looked at what might increase the risk of Lyme disease in New York Forests.? Instead of identifying white-tailed deer as the culprits it pointed to our furry little friend the chipmunk.? (Poor Alvin will be so disappointed!)? Acorns were also found to increase the risk of Lyme disease.? Since chipmunks eat acorns and don't groom themselves of ticks very well they tend to be the major carrier of the parasite (Borrelia burgdorferi) that causes Lyme disease.? You thought it might be simpler than that?? Biological systems are incredibly complex and can be influenced by factors that you'd never even think about.? Lyme disease is one tough problem caused by a cute little chipmunk!? Breaking news from the forests of New York!

Source reference:? Richard S. Ostfeld et al. "Climate, Deer, Rodents, and Acorns as Determinants of Variation in Lyme-Disease Risk." PLoS Biol 2006; 4(6): e145. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040145

Drugs for bone loss appear to reduce the risk of the worst kind of cancer of the breast.? So do drugs for hormone blocking (aromatase inhibitors).? The only treatments that consistently make the grade for being considered by medical journals are drug therapies.? Large numbers of women take these products for reasons from cancer suppression to avoiding bone loss.? Some women take these products simply because their doctor?told them?it would be good for them.? Any way you slice it, these medications have side effects that are as serious as stroke and heart attack. If natural alternatives could be superioir or even equally effective wouldn't it seem wise to use them as a first choice?? That would be real "breaking news!"

Source:? www .cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/STARresultsApr1720

Cookies, cake, candy and all sorts of fried goodies are some of the great "comfort" foods of all time.? In some cases, they would be one way to "love someone to death!"? Recent research has shown that "trans-fats" dramatically increase the risk of major diseases like heart attack and diabetes.? The good news is that just simply avoiding them is enough to make a huge difference.? Since January 2006 food manufacturers have had to label foods that contain "trans-fats."? You might think that would make it easy to know which products to avoid.? Wrong!? You'll need to be armed with some key information if you want to make smart food choices!

Source:? Dariush Mozaffarian, et al, "Trans Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease," New England Journal of Medicine 2006; 354:1601-1613.

Synthetic hormones and horse hormones have taken center stage in the debate over whether or not women benefit from hormone therapy.? The question that's not being asked in the recent JAMA article is whether or not hormones that look and act just like the original cause problems.? Since these hormones can't be patented and mass-marketed they are relegated to the word-of-mouth promotion of women who have experienced the benefits they offer.? Synthetic hormones look like they cause strokes, breast cancer and clotting problems.? They're a killer option, which makes very little sense when we have an alternative that works nearly every time!

Reference:? Stefanick MI et al ?Effects of Conjugated Equine Estrogens on Breast Cancer and Mammography in Post Menopausal Women with Hysterectomy.? JAMA 2006; 295:1647-1657

At the Philadelphia meeting of the American College of Physicians on April 9, 2006 hormones were a "hot topic."? After the Women's Health Initiative proved that horse hormones weren't the ideal therapy for women (human women, that is), it became a goal of many doctors to take women off of hormones rather than finding acceptable alternatives.? Compounded ?human bioidentical (the same kind?a woman's?body makes) hormones have been available for years but aren't?sold to doctors by drug company salespeople.? Without this valuable link in the chain great therapies often go unnoticed and are frequently maligned.? Women in my practice often find blessed relief in hormonal therapy that is safe and can be used as along as necessary to stop hot flashes and any of the other problems that menopause can create.? The scientists (PhD's not clinical doctors) seem to think that depending on hormones is like being "hooked" on a dangerous drug!? I think a "real doctor" should be making those decisions.? Real doctors have to face the women who have to deal with the decisions they make!

Primary Source Reference: American College of Physicians, Stefanick, M.L. "Treatment of Menopausal Symptoms in the Post-WHI Era" MTP 040 Presented April 7, 2006

At the April 9th meeting of the American College of Physicians this year Dr. Paauw told a packed room that herbs could cause major problems in patient's drug treatments.? I just have one question.? "Why blame the herbs and not the drugs?"? Because there are many ways to treat coagulation problems that don't require drugs like coumadin I have to wonder why natural products are treated like they are not normal parts of the human body.? Coumadin, the focus of this conversation, doubles as rat poison.? In my emergency department experience I treated many elderly patients who had intracranial bleeding from minor head injuries that resulted from coumadin therapy.? Though they suffered the head injuries, I wonder who's head really needs to be examined.? I'll bet you can guess!

Primary source: American College of Physicians
Paauw, DS "Ten Common Prescribing Errors: Drug Interactions and Side Effects" MTP 106

At the April 9th meeting of the American College of Physicians this year Dr. Paauw told a packed room that herbs could cause major problems in patient's drug treatments.? I just have one question.? "Why blame the herbs and not the drugs?"? Because there are many ways to treat coagulation problems that don't require drugs like coumadin I have to wonder why natural products are treated like they are not normal parts of the human body.? Coumadin, the focus of this conversation, doubles as rat poison.? In my emergency department experience I treated many elderly patients who had intracranial bleeding from minor head injuries that resulted from coumadin therapy.? Though they suffered the head injuries, I wonder who's head really needs to be examined.? I'll bet you can guess!

Primary source: American College of Physicians
Paauw, DS "Ten Common Prescribing Errors: Drug Interactions and Side Effects" MTP 106

If I didn't know better I'd think it was April Fool's Day again.? Sadly, it's just the entrenched immunization industry throwing caution to the wind and with it their integrity.? The consensus is simple.? If we remove mercury from vaccines we will have admitted that we did something wrong.? There is more than a reasonable doubt that putting toxic mercury into newborns and infants causes problems.? I like to think that the debate is simply a misunderstanding but this latest salvo makes it look like arrogance of a malicious sort.? When it comes to mercury in vaccines, just say "NO!"

A new study from Harvard in cooperation with the Mind/Body Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital showed that patients who expected to be prayed for actually did worse than those who believed that they were not being prayed for.? The authors suggest that this outcome indicates that prayer is ineffective for reducing complications from open heart (CABG) surgery.? My Bible says "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.?? Someone has got to be wrong.? I'm betting that it isn't God!? This research is so flawed that it would be laughable if the consequences weren't so disastrous!

Source:? Benson H. et al. Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients. ?Am Heart J 2006; 151: 934-42.

Surprising results from a recent Canadian study appeared in this month's Annals of Family Medicine.? The surprise was the fact that in almost 100% of patients that were able to participate in precise drug studies, they had multiple medical conditions that could color the results of the study.? In other words, all of the results from all drug studies aren't able to be applied to real people.? Since all of my patients are real people I'm inclined to take this breaking news as a validation of what I've been saying for years: "Every patient is unique and their treatment has to fit them precisely.? The drugs that we use are too poorly understood to be used as first-line therapy unless all non-drug methods have been tried without success."? Brealing news for the medical community may be old news to my patients!

Source: Fortin M et al. "Randomized Controlled Trials: Do They Have External Validity for Patients With Multiple Comorbidities?" Ann Fam Med 2006;4:104-108. DOI: 10.1370/afm.516.

The National Cancer Institute reported from their "Best Case Series" that Vitamin C given intravenously (IV) in high doses has a powerful toxic?effect on cancer cells.? With the ability to produce very high levels in the blood (14,000 micromoles per liter) cancer cells are selectively killed and healthy cells are spared in certain circumstances.? Three cases were?reviewed in the Canadian Medical Journal that all had unexpected remission of different types of advanced cancer.? These patients?had one thing in common that caused them to benefit from the treatment.??Can you guess what it was??

Source: Sebastian J. Padayatty, et al "Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer therapy: three cases" CMAJ 2006;174(7):937-42.

A British health research organization released their findings last week that showed that MRI scans provided very little valuable information in the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).? Since the diagnosis of MS is terrifying and treatment can be very toxic it makes sense to pay attention to what this study has to say about the value of clinical history and symptoms rather than MRI scans.? I have been concerned for years?because so many of my patients are diagnosed with MS because they have some numbness in their arms or legs and the doctor can't find anything else wrong.? After an MRI scan is performed the diagnosis is quickly followed by treatment with high-dose steroids if a "plaque" is found.? Maybe a thorough history and examination would reveal a structural problem or heavy metal toxicity.? If it's not MS it may be a reversible condition.? It's impossible to know if you don't check??

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If at first you don't succeed, drug, drug again!??The National Institutes of Health funded a drug study on major depression.? After three months only one third of patients?felt better on a single drug (Celexa).? By adding?another depression medication the response rate was much better.? The drug cocktail combined Celexa and one of the following antidepressants:

Source:? Rush AJ et al. Bupropion-SR, Sertraline, or Venlafaxine-XR after Failure of SSRIs for Depression. N Engl J Med 2006;354:1231-42.

The March 23 issue of Nature?reports that the human airway isn't particularly hospitable to the bird flu virus. Unlike most human influenza strains, which can infect cells high in the airway, the avian flu prefers cells that are mainly found deep in the lungs, according to Yoshihiro Kawaoka, D.V.M., Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.? This may be why?human-to-human transmission of the virus so far has been rare, said Dr. Kawaoka and colleagues.? If it dispels fear, it's breaking news!

Source:? Shinya K et al. Influenza virus receptors in the human airway. Nature. 2006;440;435-436.

Taking care of your brain can't wait!? A study from Sweden, published in the Lancet yesterday showed that using Alzheimer's drugs in advanced cases gave very little benefit.? Side effects were a small problem as well.? So many reports have shown that the brain can be supported with nutrition that it seems obvious that we should be working harder at targeted supplementation instead of using drugs when the damage is already apparent.? Genetic markers for Alzhemier's disease, heavy metal testing and family history all predict some tendency to brain disease.? Since drugs are very limited in their effects shouldn't we look at this study as a call to do a better job on brain support?

Source:? Winblad, Bengt, et al, "Donepezil in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease: doubleblind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study"

Cholesterol reduction from "nonsense" genetic code causes a dramatic heart-saving benefit according to the?The New England Journal of Medicine, March 23, 2006 edition.? The news is especially profound because the point being made?is that without drug therapy cholesterol reduction caused a HUGE reduction in heart disease.? That suggests that cholesterol reduction?by any means, including natural treatments will create a benefit.??Most of the previous studies have?been funded by drug companies?so they point doctors to medication as the cause of the benefit in cholesterol production!? Not so, according to my interpretation of this breaking news!

Source:?? Cohen JC et al "Sequence Variations in PCSK9, Low LDL, and Protection against Coronary Artery Disease" N Engl J Med 2006; 354:1264-72

Today, reseachers at the University of California, Davis, released a report that showed the immune damage caused by thimerosal (common vaccine preservative).? They showed that the dendrites (long fibers) of nerve cells have weakened resistance to infection when exposed to thimerosal.? Though thimerosal has been removed from many vaccines it is still used in some multi-dose vials for flu and other illnesses.? I am concerned that many of the other problems with vaccines are similarly "brushed under the rug."??When enough damning information accumulates?the manufacturers and medical establishment finally respond.? I see patients all the time who ask "Could vaccines have caused my child's autism?"? Now I can point them to this article!?

Source reference: Goth SR et al. Uncoupling of ATP-mediated Calcium Signaling and Dysregulated IL-6 Secretion in Dendritic Cells by Nanomolar Thimerosal Environmental Health Perspectives. doi:10.1289/ehp.8881

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The March issue of the Archives of Surgery included a study that showed that the older you get the worse your outcome with weight-loss surgery.? The death rate was around 1%, serious?complications?10% and minor problems around 13%.? That seems pretty high to me.? In fact, I know that weight loss can be accomplished with aggressive customized nutrition and exercise counseling in almost anyone who is highly committed.? With the reports of complication rates this high I think you'd become highly commited.?

Primary source: Archives of Surgery
Source reference: O'Rourke RW et al. Perioperative morbidity associated with bariatric surgery. Archives of Surgery. 2006; 141:262-268.

Mayo Clinic researchers found that?one in five newspaper articles about neurological conditions?including Alzheimer's disease?and brain injury contains errors.? More than that, roughly 21% of news stories about neurological conditions contain "stigmatizing language" that portrays patients?as socially undesirable or reduced in personal wealth.? Since newspapers sell according to how they stimulate a readers interest it makes sense to take what they have to say with a grain of salt.? Medical journals have their own biases so if you don't like medications as your number one choice of treatment you better think twice there as well.

Primary source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Source reference: Caspermeyer JJ et al "Evaluation of Stigmatizing Language and Medical Errors in Neurology Coverage by US Newspapers" Mayo Clin Proc 2006; 81:300-306

In the February 2006 edition of the British Journal of Nutrition Dr. Elizabeth Mayer-Davis reported on a study that showed people eating a low-glycemic diet had the same kind of blood sugar problems as those who ate freely. ?So much for another one-size-fits-all solution to health and diet. ?Low-glycemic diets are designed to slow the rush of sugar into the bloodstream. ?Unfortunately, there?s a lot more going on in your body and mine than a single number that tells us how sweet our blood is at the moment. ?Diet success has to include lots of other factors. ?Dare I say, exercise, supplements and more?

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A study?funded by the National Institutes of Health will tell everyone?at the American Heart Association conference in Phoenix just how simple it is to reduce "belly fat."? By lifting weights for as little as twice a week for an hour, midsection fat was "significantly reduced!"? How much is significant?? Well, for most people any loss would be welcome.? The numbers in this study were excellent!

The New York Times reported today that America's largest companies expect the federal government to pay them about $4 billion over the next four years to help keep their retiree health plans alive at a time when such benefits are increasingly on the chopping block, according to a new study by Credit Suisse First Boston.? These payments are directed to pay for medication, not education or prevention.? That's your money and mine that's being given to finance a system that is going to break us all if we don't make some serious fundamental changes.

San Diego, February 25, 2006 will be the site and date for a phenomenal course on "Five element Acupuncture."? This ancient form of acupuncture focuses on the relationship between the character and genetics of each individual as it relates to their health and wellness.? The idea of "patient-centered" care is nothing new in Eastern Medicine disciplines and has been worked out for thousands of years in India and China.?

The Journal of General Internal Medicine, February 2006 reported that the new National Cholesterol Educational Program (NCEP)?s recently updated "optional" goals?for "bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) aren?t being met by millions of Americans.?The lead investigator Dr. Stephen D. Persell told Reuters Health, "Many more people with intermediate or high risk of heart disease will need to adopt lifestyle changes and use medication to reduce their cholesterol."?It's no wonder that so many people aren't meeting these goals.? They're just not realistic or even that important!