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.

What's wrong with the government? - a Nutrition approach

In this Article from JAMA - August 11, 2010 the limitations of our current understanding about food and nutrition (as promoted by nutritionists and dieticians) are emphasized.  I thought I'd add my two cents:

My major criticisms of the government's food recommendations are: 1) They are too influenced by industries (dairy industry and General Mills, specifically), 2) They perpetuate false ideas such as "low-fat is good for you", 3) They fail to acknowledge a "gold standard" for nutrition focusing instead on how much of certain nutrients will "prevent disease" (scurvy, rickets, beri-beri, etc), leading to criticism #4) The current guidelines are severely deficient in whole vegetables and fruits and allow for ignorant substitutions (like fruit juice to count the same as a whole fruit).

This brings me to the largest of all my criticisms which is the focus of the attached article: Nutritionists and dieticians have chosen to focus on nutrients rather than whole, quality foods. This approach has helped push the US to the current levels of diseases we suffer from in the US - Heart Disease, Cancer,  obesity, depression, and especially Diabetes plus more.

Here is my "best of" from this great article:

"The proportion of total energy from fat appears largely unrelated to risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or obesity"

"Countless highly processed products are now marketed in which refined carbohydrate replaces fat, providing an aura of healthiness but without actual health benefits."

"Despite its initial appeal, attempts to extend the nutrient deficiency–based approach for prevention of chronic diseases have been problematic. The RDAs are methodologically and conceptually inappropriate for this purpose..."

"Saturated fat...has little relation to heart disease within most prevailing dietary patterns."

"Typical recommendations to consume at least half of total energy as carbohydrate, a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement, conflate foods with widely divergent physiologic effects (eg, brown rice, white bread, apples)."

"...little of the information found on food labels’ 'nutrition facts' panels provides useful guidance for selecting healthier foods to prevent chronic disease." 

Steve's comment: EAT FOODS NOT NUTRIENTS!!! But the industries REALLY don't like when the government gives advice to eat apples and carrots and avoid their processed junk that parades as health food!

A fantastic book you should read (or listen to) to get a good understanding of the inadequacies of a nutrient-based approach is In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.

It's that time of year again...

It is that time of year again when the government and all the local drug marts are out in force trying to get everyone to take a flu shot ("jab" as they like to call it in the UK).

I was visiting the CDC's website yesterday to see if their knowledge and recommendations concerning flu and the immune system have caught up to the current research.  I wasn't surprised to see that they haven't.

The governement/CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) make recommendations for the population of the United States based on the "best evidence" they have.  This is scary as you'll see below, but not scary enough to get me to take the jab.

They use figures like 36,000 deaths annually to scare people into getting the flu shot without clarifying that the vast majority of these deaths are actually due to pneumonia in the elderly.  But somehow this number is thrown around to scare parents into vaccinating their children (and still no recommendations for keeping the immune system strong naturally).

Let's take a look at the governments recommendations for prevention:

Step #1 - Get a flu shot.  For anyone 6 months and older.  The CDC calls this the "most important" step for preventing flu (I can think of at LEAST 5 things that are MORE important than this unproven step.)

The major criticism I have is they recommend a stab in the arm to inject a foreign substance, yet they make no recommendation for increasing the body's natural ability to defend itself against ALL invaders (but especially flu) by reducing stress, eating proper foods for your body, and maintaining proper movement!  It is clear that sugar decreases your body's ability to defend itself against invaders as does emotional stress.  Not exercising and subluxation also has been shown to increase stress hormone production and weaken the immune system.  Sugar is a major immune system killer and I find it laughable that it's not mentioned as the #1 preventive measure by the Centers of Disease Control and "Prevention".

Is it just me or does this just seem silly?

Next week, we'll take a look at the #2 "Preventive" measure from the trusted government agency, who knows, maybe by next week, they'll get smart and put sugar on the list of things to avoid...not holding my breath.

Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom by boosting immune function naturally

Steve Perry

Tribute to the American Worker

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means




Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.
Reference:
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

What is Stress?

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

I extend my sincerest apologies for publishing unfinished posts earlier this week.  I guess that's what happens when you schedule rough draft posts (very rough on one occasion) for some arbitrary day in the future that seemingly will never arrive and then totally neglect your blog for a month.  I have since taken down the offending posts and will strive to be more "together" in the future.

Well, seeing as the last time I posted a real post was early in the month of December, I'll take this opportunity to say that I sincerely wish everyone had a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends and celebrating in the true "reason for the season".  If you don't celebrate Christmas I wish the very best for you and your family in whatever celebrations you hold.

I wish you all a very prosperous New Year.  I will continue to post (albeit short posts) filled with an increased knowledge of how our bodies interact with the environment we place them in and therefore how we can choose to be more well by modifying this environment.

Once again, blogosphere, please accept my sincerest apologies and my commitment to be more on it in 2011.

Doctor of the Future (part 2)

Previously we got Thomas Edison's take on health care in America, he discussed the fact that our whole approach to bacteria missed the mark.  I agree.  We may have done some very serious damage to ourselves and our children by disrespecting bacteria.

As previously discussed, medicine has its place for injuries and trauma but wellness doctors ("doctors of the future") will be needed to take care of people at all other times (even when they have NO symptoms).  You see, the sicknesses that we experience, with very few exceptions, are NOT due to our genes, but to an environment that is not in line with the human design.

In my research I am amazed at how far current "expert" recommendations are from what humans actually require in terms of what we eat, how we move, and how we think.

I find it interesting that Edison mentions bacteria.  Bacteria have been advertised to the American public as something we should be afraid of, something we need antibacterials and antibiotics to kill.  The lesser-known fact is that some of these bacteria are actually REQUIRED for us to be healthy.  And medical journals continue to report that indiscriminate use of antibiotics has been and continues to be very damaging to individual as well as public health.  Could it be that our need to use antibiotics is really a symptom of the fact that we are deficient in required beneficial bacteria?

Did you know you have a daily REQUIREMENT for friendly bacteria?  And without this daily need fulfilled your body cannot function as it was designed?

There is a natural balance of bacteria in the healthy human gut which helps us digest food, provides vitamins and other essential nutrients, and prevents overpopulation by harmful bacteria.  Despite all that we do know about them, I'm convinced that we probably will NEVER know the full extent of the beneficial functions these little "bugs" perform for us - and I actually don't really care.  I have seen the evidence that they are necessary and that most people are deficient.

Despite what yogurt advertisements proclaim, our bodies were designed to get a great deal of their bacteria not from dairy but from plants (especially lactobacillus plantarum).  Due to the US's current growing methods of veggies and fruits, the traditional healthful bacteria historically found in our food are killed by pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and soil nutrient depletion.  The sad fact is that in today's industrial food environment it is impossible to have a balance of healthy bacteria without supplementation.

Just like within our own bodies, there was a balance in nature that we changed when we "improved" our growing practices to grow more food more rapidly.  Beneficial bacteria are simply NOT available in modern day United States like they were throughout all of human history.  In fact, living in the United States today it is IMPOSSIBLE to ingest the right amounts and proportions of bacteria from food as our healthy predecessors did.  Proper gut microflora (balance of bacteria) is CRITICAL for proper immune system function.  Knowing this (and more) it is easy to see why Americans suffer so many immune system problems (cold, flu, autoimmune conditions, etc)

Are you supplementing with a high-quality probiotic from non-dairy (plant) sources in order to provide your body with its daily need?

Finding out what our body NEEDS in terms of food, movement, and thoughts is critical in order to fully express health.  As you come to a deeper understanding of what our bodies actually require, you will be amazed at how far off the American way of life is - even those who thought they were eating well (like myself) have a long ways to go.  And as Mr. Edison foresaw, you too will see that we don't need treatments, we need good information and true prevention.

Reconnecting you to the possibility of FULL health through better information - Dr. Steve