Am I crazy?

I was recently perusing the internet visiting parent sites, you know, because I want some information on how to be a better parent and help my kids be well.  So, while I'm on these parent sites, I see drug ads.  And I'm always interested in those drug ads - you know the ones that look like they have a really good web designer and have a really pretty website.  Well, I came across Abilify (R) - I wonder how they come up with these names (Intuitiv, Abilify...) - they really sound like they make your life better. [blog post =-removing a symptom versus making life better]

Anyways, of course I'm looking over the fine print (because I haven't written in a while and I need some good material) and oh my goodness, I didn't need to read very far until they were talking about death and stroke and diabetes, wow!  I was amazed at how many contraindications there were and how many side-effects beyond the minorly annoying ones like death and stroke.

Now keep in mind that depression is a serious issue, however treatment with drugs that produce a worse state than the actual "condition" scare me, especially when they're advertised!!!  I mean, it's ok that such drugs exist, but they shouldn't be TELLING people about them!

So, here's the kicker, look at this statement:

Elderly people with psychosis related to dementia (for example, an inability to perform daily activities as a result of increased memory loss), treated with antipsychotic medicines including ABILIFY, are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. ABILIFY is not approved for the treatment of people with dementia-related psychosis (see Boxed WARNING).

What does this statement mean?

It means that people actually DIED during the testing of this drug due solely to taking the drug!!!  

And it got approved!!!!  

How can we call this approach sane?

Now put that together with this statement:

If you have diabetes, or risk factors for diabetes (for example, obesity, family history of diabetes), or unexpected increases in thirst, urination, or hunger, your blood sugar should be monitored. Increases in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), in some cases serious and associated with coma or death, have been reported in patients taking ABILIFY and medicines like it

What are the major contributors to depression? 

That's right, lack of proper body movement (exercise) and eating horrible diets. 

What are the major contributors to diabetes?

 That's right, lack of proper body movement (exercise) and eating horrible diets.  So, if elderly people (a risk factor in and of itself for diabetes) have depression due to lack of exercise and are eating bad diets, then there isn't any time that this medication COULD be prescribed for these people without increasing the blood sugar levels and "in some cases...coma or death". 

Did you get that?  The warning might as well simply read:

Do not take this drug

The logic behind approving and using these drugs really does scare me.

I would NEVER knowingly allow my parents or anyone I love to fill one of these prescriptions without me getting in their face about it.  I would go over there myself and pull them around the block, I'd rather force feed them vegetables than allow them to get onto something that I KNOW will make them worse and could kill them!  I'm not saying there is never a time for this drug, but I am saying that there is never a time for this drug in place of walking every day and eating really good, wholesome food!!!!!

Phew, that was intense!  When you're ready to move beyond drugs and discover super simple, easy ways to get and stay the healthiest you've ever been in your life, seek out a wellness care provider.  They'll show you how to do it right - because your children need you to stick around for a few more years, and it wouldn't hurt to be healthy.

If you want some light reading, go ahead and peruse the fine print below:

Elderly people with psychosis related to dementia (for example, an inability to perform daily activities as a result of increased memory loss), treated with antipsychotic medicines including ABILIFY, are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. ABILIFY is not approved for the treatment of people with dementia-related psychosis (see Boxed WARNING).

Antidepressants may increase suicidal thoughts or behaviors in some children, teenagers, and young adults, especially within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. Depression and other serious mental illnesses are themselves associated with an increase in the risk of suicide. Patients on antidepressants and their families or caregivers should watch for new or worsening depression symptoms, unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. Such symptoms should be reported to the patient’s healthcare professional right away, especially if they are severe or occur suddenly. ABILIFY is not approved for use in pediatric patients with depression (see Boxed WARNING).

Contraindication: Patients should not use ABILIFY if they are allergic to aripiprazole or any of the ingredients in ABILIFY. Allergic reactions have ranged from rash, hives, and itching to anaphylaxis, which may include difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue.

Serious side effects may include:

• An increased risk of stroke and ministroke have been reported in clinical studies of elderly people with dementia-related psychosis
• Very high fever, rigid muscles, shaking, confusion, sweating, or increased heart rate and blood pressure. These may be signs of a condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), a rare but serious side effect which could be fatal
• Abnormal or uncontrollable movements of face, tongue, or other parts of body. These may be signs of a serious condition called tardive dyskinesia (TD), which could become permanent
• If you have diabetes, or risk factors for diabetes (for example, obesity, family history of diabetes), or unexpected increases in thirst, urination, or hunger, your blood sugar should be monitored. Increases in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), in some cases serious and associated with coma or death, have been reported in patients taking ABILIFY and medicines like it

Lightheadedness or faintness caused by a sudden change in heart rate and blood pressure when rising quickly from a sitting or lying position (orthostatic hypotension) has been reported with ABILIFY.

Decreases in white blood cells (infection fighting cells) have been reported in some patients taking antipsychotic agents, including ABILIFY. Patients with a history of a significant decrease in white blood cell (WBC) count or who have experienced a low WBC count due to drug therapy should have their blood tested and monitored during the first few months of therapy.

ABILIFY and medicines like it can affect your judgment, thinking, or motor skills. You should not drive or operate hazardous machinery until you know how ABILIFY affects you.

Medicines like ABILIFY can impact your body’s ability to reduce body temperature; you should avoid overheating and dehydration.

ABILIFY and medicines like it have been associated with swallowing problems (dysphagia). If you had or have swallowing problems, you should tell your healthcare professional.

Tell your healthcare professional if you have a history of, or are at risk for seizures, or are pregnant or intend to become pregnant, and about all prescription and non-prescription medicines you are taking or plan to take, since there are some risks for drug interactions.

While taking ABILIFY, avoid:

• Drinking alcohol
• Breast-feeding an infant

Most common side effects (≥10%) from all clinical trials involving adults include:

• ADULTS: Nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, dizziness, an inner sense of restlessness or need to move (akathisia), anxiety, insomnia, and restlessness

It is important to contact your healthcare professional if you experience prolonged, abnormal muscle spasms or contractions which may be signs of a condition called dystonia.

For patients who must limit their sugar intake, ABILIFY Oral Solution contains sugar.

For patients with phenylketonuria or PKU, ABILIFY DISCMELT^® (aripiprazole) contains phenylalanine.

If you have any questions about your health or medicines, talk to your healthcare professional.

INDICATION: ABILIFY is a prescription medication indicated for:

• Use as an add-on treatment to an antidepressant for adults with Major Depressive Disorder who have had an inadequate response to antidepressant therapy

Please see U.S. FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION, including Boxed WARNINGS, and Medication Guide, for ABILIFY.

The Doctor of the Future (part 1)

Today's post comes courtesy of one of America's all-time greats - Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

Edison is reported as saying:

"Nineteen hundred and three will bring great advances in surgery, in the study of bacteria, in the knowledge of the cause and prevention of disease. Medicine is played out. Every new discovery of bacteria shows us all the more convincingly that we have been wrong and that the million tons of stuff we have taken was all useless. 

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease...There were never so many able, active minds at work on the problems of diseases as now, and all their discoveries are tending to the simple truth — that you can't improve on nature." (emphasis added)

We'd have been wise to follow his advice in 1903.  What amazing foresight he had more than 100 years ago!  Amazingly, this is BEFORE antibiotics ever became available (did he know how devastating they would be?).

What profound knowledge to see ahead to a day when doctors would ultimately get back to doctoring (the word doctor comes from latin docere which means to teach).  According to this statement, Edison's formula for getting people well is:

1-No medicine
2-Care for the human frame
3-Discuss what foods humans require to be well
4-Prevention OVER treatment

I would add to Thomas Edison's sentiment the following:  Medicine is good for traumas, accidents, very rare genetic illnesses, and helping people feel better (numbing them) before they die.  For the many Americans who've had their lives saved by medicine or been at peace before they die, we all ought to be extremely grateful, however, we must maintain an understanding that once the life is saved, the ONLY way to get well is to promote an environment conducive to health by Eating Well, Moving Well, and Thinking Well.

Daily, when I review the scientific literature, I am amazed at how far we've gone from the core tenets of natural health here in America.  Americans act as if there needs to be a pill for every ill.

I envision a day when Americans are so healthy that we will look back and wonder why we ever took so many drugs.

Next Thursday - Thomas Edison's genius Reconnects you to something new that's actually very old - Dr. Steve

My current 9/11 (or The epidemiology of obesity)

When I returned from Afghanistan, I thought I left the war behind.  Little did I know that I was in for a rude awakening when I started working toward my doctorate in health and wellness and discovered how sore our health troubles were in the US.  The most shocking statistics I saw had to do with our children who are developing chronic illness (yes, diseases we thought were due to aging) faster than any other group.  Our US children are developing obesity, type II diabetes, and heart disease faster than any other age group.  So much for leaving the war behind, I'm knee-deep in it again.

The first thing I wanted to know was what the cause is.  There are some very intelligent people who seem fixated on the idea that there's a gene as the cause.

With over $1 Billion being spent right now trying to track down and "turn off" (with drugs) the obesity gene, someone like me has a hard time trying to decide whether to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the venture or to cry at the waste of time, resources, and talent.  This idea that we need to find the genetic cause of our obesity is not only ridiculous but is actually dangerous to our children and our economy.

For thousands of years, humans have existed without the current problems of obesity.  It wasn't until about the 1980s that the US and England started plumping up like ripe fruit.  

Does anyone think we've had a genetic shift in the last 30 years - that all of a sudden the genes of certain populations changed?

This is the idea that's being perpetuated with all the outside-in chemical solutions to everything from high cholesterol to eyelash shortness.

The idea of a sudden gene change is absurd, but many people in academia and the public have fallen for it because it's very appealing to think that we had nothing to do with our problems.  It's an easy idea to sell.  

If the problematic obesity gene is "found", the researchers will get glory, the drug companies will get filthy rich for providing the "solution" and the Medical Doctors will push the drug on our kids.  Forget the fact that this has never happened before EVER in the history of all humans.  But today, all of a sudden, it's a gene that caused the obesity.

There's a lot riding on this.  But what's at stake is more than glory for a few researchers, trillions of dollars for drug companies, and more hand-tying for our medical doctors (it'll become malpractice if you DON'T prescribe the "solution").  What's at stake is the identity of our kids as capable and self-actualizing, and as being able to own the consequences of their choices.

What worse sentence can you give someone than telling them, "It's genetic, there's nothing anyone can do"?

If your doctor tells you "It's in your genes and here's the drug to fix your problem, but you should probably exercise and eat right too", what reason in the world do you have for actually eating right and exercising?  They just told you that's not what caused the problem.

What's the point of changing anything if it's in your genes?  What's the point in changing if a drug is the solution?

Wellness and Prevention are illogical within this understanding of the genes as the cause and so too is personal responsibility.  You see, the major fruits of the last 30 years are a production of people unwilling to own the consequences of the things they do.  And why should people take responsibility with everyone (especially the TV and their doctors with pills) telling them they had nothing to do with it anyway?

Please look at the chart above again and realize that the recent spikes in diseases of affluence, also called "Western Diseases" (type II diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity and strokes) are NOT due to a recent genetic shift.  With our kids growing up in this time where everything that's wrong with them can be "undone" by taking a pill (including the length of their eyelashes), is there any worse concept that the TV or their doctor can tell them day after day than "You're genes are messed up, there's nothing that can be done to change, and a prescription is the only solution?"

My question is - If it's not genes that are the problem, what could it be?

- It couldn't be the fact that we are underconsuming diets of fresh, whole foods - foods that humans have consumed forever (except for the 20th century).  

When was the last time you saw a regular apple advertised on TV?  Raw broccoli?  Raw peppers?  Raw zucchini?  Is there any wonder why we eat mostly processed foods?

- It couldn't be that families are consuming things (food additives, chemicals, artificial sweeteners, etc.) that have NEVER been introduced to the human species EVER until the 1980s.  

- It couldn't be that mothers and families are moving (or not moving) in ways that are completely foreign to their genes.  

When was the automobile invented? the escalator? the motorized scooter? the television (where our kids spend hours a day)?

- It couldn't be that kids and parents are plagued with emotional stresses such as constant impending doom and gloom on the NEWS.

- It couldn't be a lack of feeling of belonging and acceptance and love and contributing to a society.

- It couldn't be the fact that many of us don't know our neighbors and live in constant fear of attack from the outside.

9/11 anyone?

Stressors like eating, moving, and thinking in ways that are not genetically compatible have been linked to obesity and every other Western Disease.

Which drug are they going to come up with that will solve the problems we create by putting ourselves in such a stressful environment?  

With a billion people starving in the world right now, is it really a good idea to develop a pill to get Americans to eat more without gaining weight?

Only when we realize the actual cause of the problems do we have any chance of coming up with a viable solution.

Our physiology (or state of function - health or illness) is the genetic expression of our choices.  It's the expression of our past and current environments.  If we develop a problem, the first place we should look is the environment of how we are eating, moving, and thinking instead of assuming that a gene caused the changes in our health status.

Reconnecting you to freedom through responsibility.

In Health, Love, and Freedom with informed choices - Steve Perry


PS - next time someone hears an advertisement on the radio or TV for raw eggplant shoot me an email.



Graphic from:

Journal of Internal Medicine Volume 263, Issue 4, pages 336–352, April 2008

Resource:
http://www.epidna.com/abstract/pm/18312311

Don't watch this while eating!!!

At a recent health fair in Alameda County, I was thrilled to see a booth from the Health Department and to learn of their campaign this summer.  The campaign is entitled "Have a Soda-Free Summer". 

I love the idea. 

But, I knew we'd be going to Aunt Sue's for the 4th of July, and what would the 4th be without a root beer?  So, although I did NOT make the pledge to go all summer without a soda, I did reaffirm my commitment to focus on healthy drinks ALL YEAR LONG (with an occasional toxic soda).  The BEST choice for a healthy drink is pure water or pure water with a squeeze of lemon or lime. 

New York apparently thinks going soda-free is a good idea as well, here is a commercial for their campaign.  This one gives a great visual of just some of the nastiness sodas can cause to a body.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the dairy industry was able to get a promotion snuck into this campaign (fat-free milk with the same color design as the water - sneaky). 

This leaves some explaining to do seeing as how fat does not make you fat (blog topic coming soon).

The best drink you'll drink this summer is pure water - get your energy from food not drinks.

Reconnecting you with a correct understanding of consequences.

Enjoy the video:

What happens to your body when you drink Coke?

Watch what happens when you drink a can of Coke…

In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

After 60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

After 60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

After 60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, excreted away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like being able to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth leaving you more susceptible to the diseases that plague Western Countries - Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, Dental Problems, Fatigue, etc.
 
From Nutritional Research Center
http://www.nutritionresearchcenter.org/healthnews/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/

If you don't like flies...

Today as I was picking something up from the store for my lovely wife who is preparing for tomorrow's yard sale, I noticed the hand sanitizer by the counter. I thought to myself, "Hmm, they're still selling that stuff?" You see, it's been a long time since I've used it even though it sits on every counter in the Health Clinic. I personally prefer rubbing my hands under running water rather than putting toxic substances, like alcohol, on my skin. (Did you know kids have eaten that stuff and been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning?) I'm very selective about what I put on my skin because the skin is a very absorptive organ and what you put on it goes into your blood similar to if you had eaten it.

So, my next thought was "Why are they still selling that stuff?" and realized, "Oh ya, the flu," - in other words 'bugs'. When reflecting on the last time I was sick, I don't really recall when it happened, and I haven't had a flu shot since 2004, so it's not due to being up on my vaccinations.

There's a better explanation to "epidemics" of flu and illness than lack of hand sanitizer and flu shots. A great doctor said it very well when he described the following scenario:

A woman in the kitchen was annoyed that there were so many flies coming in through the window and insisted that her husband take a look at the scene and kill all the flies. He complied by noting that there were indeed many flies and so sprayed toxic chemicals around where the flies were hanging out. Sure enough, soon there were no longer flies buzzing about. The wife was happy, and when wife is happy, husband is happy too.

But after a couple of days one or two flies started buzzing and by day three there were just as many flies as before. Wife knew just what to do, called in the husband who also understood what was to be done. Again with the poisonous chemicals, again with the mass death of the flies, again one satisfied couple, and again with a couple of days' silence followed by a renewal of flies buzzing.

This carried on for a number of weeks and finally the wife decided she didn't like the continuous exposure to toxic chemicals. She got smart and asked a very important question- "Why are those darn flies buzzing about anyway?" The husband looked outside and saw that the garbage can was directly beneath the kitchen window. Now he had a decision - spray down the garbage can, which, from experience he knew would only be a temporary fix - or he could get rid of the garbage. What do you think he did?

Many of us experience repeated bouts of illness and disease and have been trained to ask what chemical we can use to sanitize the area to kill all those bad bugs and take away the symptoms of the disease. This seems like a logical question, but misses the bigger picture. If we never ask the right questions, we'll never arrive at the right answer.

So, why DO some people get sick when others stay well? Why doesn't everyone at the office "get" what's going around? The answer is NOT that they are exposed to less bugs. The answer, as in the story above, is that they have an internal environment that is less hospitable to the "bad" bugs. They have less areas of garbage in their system, and their body's systems which respond to those bugs are working properly.

The answer is that they have an internal environment that is well-balanced. Could the couple in the story have continued to spray down the garbage and repeatedly kill the flies? What would have been the result? What is it about spraying with chemicals that can EVER get rid of the garbage?

The moral of the story is two-fold:

1. Asking the right question is EVERYTHING. The quality and quantity of our lives is determined by the quality of the questions we ask ourselves.

AND

2. Finding out what garbage we have in our systems is critical because only when we identify it do we have any chance of purposefully removing it.

As a wellness expert, I train people to identify areas of "garbage" in their lives and show them easy, gradual, and comfortable ways of removing them thus allowing their bodies to regain NORMAL, optimal function - NATURALLY. In other words, I help people look for the CAUSE.

The major causes, or categories of garbage, in our lives are:

CHEMICAL (e.g. sugar)
EMOTIONAL (e.g. unmanaged stresses)
PHYSICAL (e.g. chronic sitting, injuries, subluxation)

What drug is ever going to solve the problems caused by an unhealthy diet?

What drug can overcome a problem caused by not moving enough?

What drug can solve a problem created by not feeling loved, appreciated, and having a sense of belonging?

Until next time, live well, naturally, and remember - if you don't like flies...take out the garbage.