STUDY SHOWS AVERAGE AMERICAN DIET LEADS TO CHRONIC PAIN "These results highlight the negative effects of poor diet quality with respect to recovery from hypersensitivity and susceptibility to chronic pain. A complete understanding of the impact of diet can aid in treatment and recovery dynamics in human clinical patients." The conclusions of the study being discussed today. A study published in the current issue of the Journal of Pain --- the official journal of the American Pain Society (Total Western Diet Alters Mechanical and Thermal Sensitivity and Prolongs Hypersensitivity Following Complete Freund's Adjuvant in Mice) --- has some interesting things to say about the relationship between a crappy diet and Chronic Pain.
After watching the amazing movie, Woodlawn, last evening with my family (a football movie that took place early 1970's Birmingham), I immediately picked up on the fact that this study came out of the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Robert Sorge, a pain researcher in the IMPACT Lab (Immune Modulation of Pain and Addiction for Comprehensive Therapeutics), has a special emphasis in both CHRONIC PAIN and ADDICTION. In this study, Sorge's team divided mice into two groups --- one consuming a "healthy" diet (the control), and the other consuming something called a Total Western Diet (the experimental group) --- think JUNK FOOD here. After 13 weeks, "Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging revealed a significant increase in fat mass with a concomitant decrease in lean mass in the TWD-fed mice. In addition, there were significant increases in levels of serum leptin [a marker for INSULIN RESISITANCE & DIABETES] and inflammatory cytokines [learn more about inflammatory cytokines HERE]." None of this was surprising. But this wasn't the end of the study --- it is here that the real research began. Both groups of mice were then injected with something called Freund's Adjuvant --- a solution of inactivated Mycobacterium Tuberculosis emulsified in mineral oil (Adjuvants make vaccines work "better" by causing increased immune system responses --- the nearly-universal vaccine adjuvant is ALUMINUM). The purpose of this solution is to create a heightened immune system response (remember that INFLAMMATION is a huge part of said response), thus leading to pain. A popular online encyclopedia described Freund's Adjuvant thusly. "Its use in humans is forbidden by regulatory authorities, due to its toxicity. Even for animal research there are currently guidelines associated with its use, due to its painful reaction and potential for tissue damage. Intradermal injections may cause skin ulceration and necrosis. Intramuscular injections may lead to temporary or permanent muscle lesion, and intravenous injections may produce pulmonary lipid embolism." What there the study's results? "After chronic pain induction using complete Freund's Adjuvant, hypersensitivity was more pronounced and significantly prolonged in the TWD-fed mice. Therefore, prolonged exposure to poor diet quality resulted in altered acute nociceptive sensitivity, systemic inflammation, and persistent pain after inflammatory pain induction." If you want to understand some of these terms a bit better (particularly HYPERSENSITIVITY), I suggest you read my very short post on THE THREE TYPES OF PAIN. It's not really news that the SAD (Standard American Diet) or as these authors called it, the Total Western Diet, is bad news. We know that an inflammatory diet leads to health problems (even though mainstream medicine ACTUALLY RIDICULES PEOPLE FOR EATING TO AVOID INFLAMMATION). However, this study showed how a cruddy diet led to both Obesity and Chronic Pain, "Obesity and chronic pain are often comorbid and their rates are increasing." Why? Both issues, obesity and chronic pain are considered to be "inflammatory" issues. The pain journal Practical Pain Management weighed in by asking DR. DAVID SEAMAN, a chiropractor and functional neurologist as well as a Professor of Clinical Sciences at National University's Florida branch, about this relationship. An article by Rosemary Black called Unhealthy Western Diet May be Linked to Pain quoted Dr. Seaman as saying (I am cherry-picking here).... "A poor diet is one that is restricted in vegetation and heavily burdened by refined sugars, flours, and omega-6 oils that enhance inflammatory chemistry. Pain is the result of inflammation, and inflammation occurs when a person consumes refined sugars, refined flour, and omega-6 oils. (Omega-6 oils come primarily from corn oil, soybean oil, safflower and sunfllower oil. Corn oil is found in everything from farm-raised fish to chickens to salad oil.) This in turn can lead to pain for some and heart attacks in someone else." Although Practical Pain Management has been progressively coming around the these conclusions for several years, why doesn't the average treating physician grasp the conclusions of this study ---- that "A complete understanding of the impact of diet can aid in treatment and recovery dynamics in human clinical patients."? In other words, why is there such a CHASM between the medical research community and treating physicians? Mostly it's due to MONEY. And a LACK OF CONCERN for their patients (how could you come to any other conclusion?). And sometimes a LACK OF TIME. What does this mean to you --- the suffering patient? It means that if you are not willing to step outside of the box, you will continue to be saturated with "THE BIG FIVE". The thing that probably ticks me off the most is that the American Heart Association recently took a huge step backwards with this point when they issued their new guidelines on dietary fat (HERE). If you are really interested in breaking free from Chronic Pain caused by things like FIBROMYALGIA, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, and CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, it's not too late to make this the year you turn things around and begin taking your life back. To start, take a few minutes to begin learning how to create your own personalized EXIT STRATEGY.
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A CASE OF PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME |
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"The epidemic of heart failure and atherosclerosis that plagues the modern world may paradoxically be aggravated by the pervasive use of statin drugs." From the study being discussed today
Back in the Dark Ages, people believed that decaying flesh caused maggots. After all, turn over any dead animal with you foot, and what did you see? Despite our scientific advances, beliefs haven't changed much. We still have a medical profession that ERRONEOUSLY BELIEVES germs are the sole cause of infectious disease --- while the VERY DRUGS they prescribe to kill said germs destroy our collective immune systems. And while there are any number of other examples, the current example of STATIN DRUGS might just take the cake.
Although mainstream medicine has been increasingly squawking about HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVELS for decades, there is opposition --- a steadily growing group of renegades within the profession that thinks the hype over High Cholesterol is mostly a bunch of poppycock CREATED TO MAKE MONEY. This was brought to the forefront with Dr. Golomb's ground-breaking 2008 study (Statin Adverse Effects: A Review of the Literature and Evidence for a Mitochondrial Mechanism). According to the University of California in San Diego, "The UCSD Statin Study group, headed by Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD, has actively been researching statin medications and their risk-benefit balance, including possible side effects". After REVIEWING NEARLY 900 STUDIES on the topic, her group concluded that....
"Converging evidence supports a mitochondrial foundation for muscle adverse events associated with statins, and both theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction may also underlie many non-muscle statin adverse events. Evidence from randomized controlled trials and studies of other designs indicates existence of additional statin-associated adverse events, such as cognitive loss, neuropathy, pancreatic and hepatic dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction. Physician awareness of statin adverse events is reportedly low even for the events most widely reported by patient. Statins are a linchpin of current approaches to cardiovascular protection: however, adverse events of statins are neither vanishingly rare nor of trivial impact."
Golomb's researchers are not a lone voice in the wilderness. If you have the academic credentials, you could join a group called THINCS (The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics). Led by UFFE RAVNSKOV MD / Ph.D, the members of this organization believe that animal fats and cholesterol are not the primary culprits in heart disease and high cholesterol ---- something I myself have written about any number of times (HERE is one of them). Their website has a huge list of studies and articles to this effect. But there's more.
Although mainstream medicine has been increasingly squawking about HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVELS for decades, there is opposition --- a steadily growing group of renegades within the profession that thinks the hype over High Cholesterol is mostly a bunch of poppycock CREATED TO MAKE MONEY. This was brought to the forefront with Dr. Golomb's ground-breaking 2008 study (Statin Adverse Effects: A Review of the Literature and Evidence for a Mitochondrial Mechanism). According to the University of California in San Diego, "The UCSD Statin Study group, headed by Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD, has actively been researching statin medications and their risk-benefit balance, including possible side effects". After REVIEWING NEARLY 900 STUDIES on the topic, her group concluded that....
"Converging evidence supports a mitochondrial foundation for muscle adverse events associated with statins, and both theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction may also underlie many non-muscle statin adverse events. Evidence from randomized controlled trials and studies of other designs indicates existence of additional statin-associated adverse events, such as cognitive loss, neuropathy, pancreatic and hepatic dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction. Physician awareness of statin adverse events is reportedly low even for the events most widely reported by patient. Statins are a linchpin of current approaches to cardiovascular protection: however, adverse events of statins are neither vanishingly rare nor of trivial impact."
Golomb's researchers are not a lone voice in the wilderness. If you have the academic credentials, you could join a group called THINCS (The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics). Led by UFFE RAVNSKOV MD / Ph.D, the members of this organization believe that animal fats and cholesterol are not the primary culprits in heart disease and high cholesterol ---- something I myself have written about any number of times (HERE is one of them). Their website has a huge list of studies and articles to this effect. But there's more.
NEW STUDY SAYS STATINS CAUSE ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND HEART DISEASE
We have been browbeat with the idea that Stain Drugs can be our savior --- if we can just get enough people on them. For example, it's not science fiction that in similar fashion to CHLORINE & FLUORIDE, there is a movement within the medical community attempting to get Statins infused into our water supply (HERE). Stop for a moment. What if I told you something so shocking that you would probably dismiss it outright? What if it were discovered that not only are Statin drugs not helping us in terms of heart disease and hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis / atherosclerosis), but are actually making the problem(s) worse? Would you believe me or would you write it off as another rant?
It might be easy to write me off, but it's much tougher to write off a study published by a group of seven cardiology researchers in the February, 2015 issue of Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology (Statins Stimulate Atherosclerosis and Heart Failure: Pharmacological Mechanisms). Read the title of the study again, and pay attention to their conclusions.
"In contrast to the current belief that cholesterol reduction with statins decreases atherosclerosis, we present a perspective that statins may be causative in coronary artery calcification and can function as mitochondrial toxins that impair muscle function in the heart and blood vessels through the depletion of coenzyme Q10 and ‘heme A’, and thereby ATP generation. Statins inhibit the synthesis of vitamin K2, the cofactor for matrix Gla-protein activation, which in turn protects arteries from calcification.
Statins inhibit the biosynthesis of selenium containing proteins, one of which is glutathione peroxidase serving to suppress peroxidative stress. An impairment of selenoprotein biosynthesis may be a factor in congestive heart failure, reminiscent of the dilated cardiomyopathies seen with selenium deficiency. Thus, the epidemic of heart failure and atherosclerosis that plagues the modern world may paradoxically be aggravated by the pervasive use of statin drugs. We propose that current statin treatment guidelines be critically reevaluated."
Gulp! Although I have been beating this same drum for over two decades (HERE is the main reason why), I did not expect to see the day when doctors actually admitted that the drugs they are prescribing for high cholesterol and heart disease are causing the very problems they are prescribing them for in the first place --- an almost identical scenario to what we've seen with OSTEOPOROSIS DRUGS. And while a rapidly increasing number of researchers are coming to THE CONCLUSION that dietary cholesterol or saturated fat is not a health risk, our nation's treating physicians are slow to catch on. For instance, despite the recent revelation by our government that the cholesterol in your food has almost no bearing on the amount of cholesterol in your blood, we get a steady stream of this sort of thing from mainstream medicine --- and unfortunately, our government.
The government's new 'Dietary Guidelines' --- guidelines that still; despite the dietary debacle of the past three decades, continue to beat the drum for, "grains (at least half being whole grains), fat-free and low-fat dairy, soy...." On average we... are right on target for grains; and those under 13 years old consume only about 1/2 the amount of dairy recommended.... are very very low on fish-derived protein; and also high on solid fat consumption." The only fish that has any health benefit is wild, cold-water fish (HERE). And as to the solid fats (Saturated Fats), click on the previous link.
In the January 11th issue of the British Medical Journal's Evidence-Based Medicine Blog, Dr. Geoffrey Modest discussed these recommendations by saying, "Several very large observational studies have not found that eating foods high in cholesterol is much of a cardiovascular risk factor. Also, as a perspective, only a small minority of circulating cholesterol (about 20%) is from diet, most is from genes…." But are these two sentences really true?
The first sentence is completely true. However, the idea that we can blame our Cholesterol woes ON OUR GENES and not our diets is totally and ridiculously false. Wait a minute. How can this idea be false, when I agree with Dr. Modest's assertion that dietary cholesterol does not cause high blood levels of cholesterol? The problem is not the cholesterol we are consuming; it's our NATIONAL ADDICTION TO SUGAR AND JUNK CARBS! Although the government is telling us that our grain consumption is just about perfect, many of us know better (HERE is the ridiculous diet they continue to recommend). Grain is what you fatten farm animals with. And this doesn't even begin to touch on the issue of grains as they relate to FOOD SENSITIVITIES. It's no wonder that America is in the throes of an epidemic of Cardiometabolic Syndrome.
Although you may have never heard the term, Cardiometabolic Syndrome (sometimes referred to simply as Metabolic Syndrome or its old name, Syndrome X), it is yet another of the 'epidemics' currently raging in America. In order to be "officially" diagnosed with Cardiometabolic Syndrome, you must have three of the following.
When your doctor EXAMINES YOU and realizes that you have at least three of the above bullet points, you will be "officially" diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome. Rest assured that you will be put on Statin Drugs. I won't lie to you; these drugs lower cholesterol like crazy. But interestingly enough, they only lower your chances of heart attacks, strokes, and death, slightly --- MANY STUDIES say not at all.
Back to the dead-animals-causing-maggots example from the beginning of this post. We all know the maggots came from flies, not from the decaying meat itself. We need to think of cholesterol in similar fashion. Unless you truly have a genetic cholesterol issue (relatively rare, although this is what EVERYONE IS TOLD), cholesterol is not your problem. Cholesterol just happens to be the material that your body uses to patch the damage to your blood vessels caused by INFLAMMATION. It's also why TOM BRADY is largely correct as to the diet eaten by he and his family.
It might be easy to write me off, but it's much tougher to write off a study published by a group of seven cardiology researchers in the February, 2015 issue of Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology (Statins Stimulate Atherosclerosis and Heart Failure: Pharmacological Mechanisms). Read the title of the study again, and pay attention to their conclusions.
"In contrast to the current belief that cholesterol reduction with statins decreases atherosclerosis, we present a perspective that statins may be causative in coronary artery calcification and can function as mitochondrial toxins that impair muscle function in the heart and blood vessels through the depletion of coenzyme Q10 and ‘heme A’, and thereby ATP generation. Statins inhibit the synthesis of vitamin K2, the cofactor for matrix Gla-protein activation, which in turn protects arteries from calcification.
Statins inhibit the biosynthesis of selenium containing proteins, one of which is glutathione peroxidase serving to suppress peroxidative stress. An impairment of selenoprotein biosynthesis may be a factor in congestive heart failure, reminiscent of the dilated cardiomyopathies seen with selenium deficiency. Thus, the epidemic of heart failure and atherosclerosis that plagues the modern world may paradoxically be aggravated by the pervasive use of statin drugs. We propose that current statin treatment guidelines be critically reevaluated."
Gulp! Although I have been beating this same drum for over two decades (HERE is the main reason why), I did not expect to see the day when doctors actually admitted that the drugs they are prescribing for high cholesterol and heart disease are causing the very problems they are prescribing them for in the first place --- an almost identical scenario to what we've seen with OSTEOPOROSIS DRUGS. And while a rapidly increasing number of researchers are coming to THE CONCLUSION that dietary cholesterol or saturated fat is not a health risk, our nation's treating physicians are slow to catch on. For instance, despite the recent revelation by our government that the cholesterol in your food has almost no bearing on the amount of cholesterol in your blood, we get a steady stream of this sort of thing from mainstream medicine --- and unfortunately, our government.
The government's new 'Dietary Guidelines' --- guidelines that still; despite the dietary debacle of the past three decades, continue to beat the drum for, "grains (at least half being whole grains), fat-free and low-fat dairy, soy...." On average we... are right on target for grains; and those under 13 years old consume only about 1/2 the amount of dairy recommended.... are very very low on fish-derived protein; and also high on solid fat consumption." The only fish that has any health benefit is wild, cold-water fish (HERE). And as to the solid fats (Saturated Fats), click on the previous link.
In the January 11th issue of the British Medical Journal's Evidence-Based Medicine Blog, Dr. Geoffrey Modest discussed these recommendations by saying, "Several very large observational studies have not found that eating foods high in cholesterol is much of a cardiovascular risk factor. Also, as a perspective, only a small minority of circulating cholesterol (about 20%) is from diet, most is from genes…." But are these two sentences really true?
The first sentence is completely true. However, the idea that we can blame our Cholesterol woes ON OUR GENES and not our diets is totally and ridiculously false. Wait a minute. How can this idea be false, when I agree with Dr. Modest's assertion that dietary cholesterol does not cause high blood levels of cholesterol? The problem is not the cholesterol we are consuming; it's our NATIONAL ADDICTION TO SUGAR AND JUNK CARBS! Although the government is telling us that our grain consumption is just about perfect, many of us know better (HERE is the ridiculous diet they continue to recommend). Grain is what you fatten farm animals with. And this doesn't even begin to touch on the issue of grains as they relate to FOOD SENSITIVITIES. It's no wonder that America is in the throes of an epidemic of Cardiometabolic Syndrome.
Although you may have never heard the term, Cardiometabolic Syndrome (sometimes referred to simply as Metabolic Syndrome or its old name, Syndrome X), it is yet another of the 'epidemics' currently raging in America. In order to be "officially" diagnosed with Cardiometabolic Syndrome, you must have three of the following.
- HYPERTENSION: Hypertension is another name for HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. A study from the 2005 issue of Lancet (Global Burden of Hypertension....) said that over 26% of the world's adult population had Hypertension as of Y2K. The CDC puts the percentage of American adults currently dealing with Hypertension at almost 30% (70 million).
- HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES: This means you have too much fat in your blood. According to CDC statistics, somewhere between one in four and one in three Americans has High Triglycerides. What causes fat in the blood? I've shown you already that it is junk carbs and not dietary fat.
- CENTRAL OBESITY: In case you were not aware, BELLY FAT is a risk factor for every health problem you could name in the next five minutes. And on top of that, an estimated 7 to 10% of our population is MEDICALLY OBESE, NORMAL WEIGHT (MONW aka "Skinny Fat"). Likewise, if your BMI is over 30, or your waist is over 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men, you are OBESE. According to CDC statistics, nearly 7 out of 10 Americans are overweight or obese.
- HIGH FASTING BLOOD SUGAR OR ABNORMAL A1C TEST: This is largely due to LIVING THE HIGH CARB LIFESTYLE. Both are heavily associated with both early puberty and PCOS. However, it is critical to remember that DIABETES is not so much a blood sugar problem as it is a problem of unbridled Inflammation. The CDC says that nearly 10% of the American population (over 29 million) have Diabetes. The number with INSULIN RESISTANCE (pre-Diabetes) is thought to be nearly double this. My guess is that this last statistic is grossly underestimated. Interestingly enough, one of the main risk factors for developing Dysglycemia seems to taking medication --- virtually ANY OF THEM.
- CHOLESTEROL RATIO ISSUES: Although today's doctors are certainly concerned with Total Cholesterol levels over 200, you will earn a diagnosis of Cardiometabloic Syndrome if your HDL ("good" cholesterol) is too low, and your LDL ("bad" cholesterol) is too high. According to the CDC's 2015 article, High Cholesterol Facts, 73.5 million adults (31.7%) have this problem.
- PROTEIN (ALBUMIN) IN THE URINE: Your kidneys should be filtering protein out of the urine. Kidney damage is a hallmark of Diabetes. If you are not filtering protein, it's a good indication you have some sort of blood sugar dysregulation going on. In fact, WebMD's article on the subject states, "Albuminuria is most often caused by kidney damage from diabetes".
- INCREASED CRP (C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVELS: Although this test is fairly generalized, it is indicative of SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION. Because Inflammation is the root of virtually every health problem under the sun, it would behoove you to click the link and spend three minutes to understand it.
When your doctor EXAMINES YOU and realizes that you have at least three of the above bullet points, you will be "officially" diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome. Rest assured that you will be put on Statin Drugs. I won't lie to you; these drugs lower cholesterol like crazy. But interestingly enough, they only lower your chances of heart attacks, strokes, and death, slightly --- MANY STUDIES say not at all.
Back to the dead-animals-causing-maggots example from the beginning of this post. We all know the maggots came from flies, not from the decaying meat itself. We need to think of cholesterol in similar fashion. Unless you truly have a genetic cholesterol issue (relatively rare, although this is what EVERYONE IS TOLD), cholesterol is not your problem. Cholesterol just happens to be the material that your body uses to patch the damage to your blood vessels caused by INFLAMMATION. It's also why TOM BRADY is largely correct as to the diet eaten by he and his family.
CRIPPLED BY ANTIBIOTICS
Unfortunately, I get them all the time; people asking (usually on the message boards over at my DESTROY CHRONIC PAIN site) if I can help them with joint or tendon pain they got after taking Cipro (Ciprofloxacin, Levaquin) or any other of the slew of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics. Here is one person who has been "FLOXED" (Michelle) responding to another. It is under the comments section of my "FASCIAL ADHESIONS" page, and was received yesterday.
I too took cipro for a week and was so sick the whites of my eyes became inflamed and it was excruciating to blink. I have tendon issues and fascia stiffness as well as neuropathy in both legs from the calves down. I'm so sorry to hear about your outcome. After reading your comment it makes sense to me why I can't run anymore and I'm in so much pain all the time. I also had two tendons --- the pereoneals --- worked on and I still can't walk 1/4 of a mile without limping and exhausting myself with pain or fatigue. My Achilles' tendon has contracted and won't bend my ankle up and more than 90 degrees. This lack of dorsiflexion inhibits my ability to walk. Even after gastric recession [a surgery] it just won't budge. My prayers go out to you.
Thank you Dr. Russell for you informative posts.
I am truly crushed when I get these emails. The problem is, I get them all the time. I have no idea what the mechanism is for the tissue destruction, or how to help these people. My TISSUE REMODELING does not work on these people, and the problem is not simply "INFLAMMATION". The world wide web is littered with sites, individuals, and message boards, dealing with this issue. If you are interested in learning more, simply thumb through my posts on ANTIBIOTICS and look for Fluoroquinolones (or just click on the "Floxed" link at the top of the page).
I too took cipro for a week and was so sick the whites of my eyes became inflamed and it was excruciating to blink. I have tendon issues and fascia stiffness as well as neuropathy in both legs from the calves down. I'm so sorry to hear about your outcome. After reading your comment it makes sense to me why I can't run anymore and I'm in so much pain all the time. I also had two tendons --- the pereoneals --- worked on and I still can't walk 1/4 of a mile without limping and exhausting myself with pain or fatigue. My Achilles' tendon has contracted and won't bend my ankle up and more than 90 degrees. This lack of dorsiflexion inhibits my ability to walk. Even after gastric recession [a surgery] it just won't budge. My prayers go out to you.
Thank you Dr. Russell for you informative posts.
I am truly crushed when I get these emails. The problem is, I get them all the time. I have no idea what the mechanism is for the tissue destruction, or how to help these people. My TISSUE REMODELING does not work on these people, and the problem is not simply "INFLAMMATION". The world wide web is littered with sites, individuals, and message boards, dealing with this issue. If you are interested in learning more, simply thumb through my posts on ANTIBIOTICS and look for Fluoroquinolones (or just click on the "Floxed" link at the top of the page).
1/28/2016
UNDERESTIMATING THE "SERIOUS HARMS" OF ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS IS LIKE ME SHOOTING FREE THROWS
Read NowSHOOTING FREE THROWS
AND
THE SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS
"I recently set the world record for consecutive free throws --- 43,548 in a row. You might doubt me, but I really think that I can make at least that many three pointers in a row as well." Dr. Russell Schierling
"Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs. A 2004 UK review showed a noticeable discrepancy between published and unpublished trials and increased suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents. A recent review of clinical study reports showed that essential information on patient relevant outcomes was often missing in the published articles. Research undertaken by our centre [Cochrane] using nine clinical study reports on duloxetine [Cymbalta] found that data on major harms was missing from journal articles and in summary trial reports.... We suggest minimal use of antidepressants in children, adolescents, and young adults, as the serious harms seem to be greater, and as their effect seems to be below what is clinically relevant. Alternative treatments such as exercise or psychotherapy may have some benefit and could be considered, although psychotherapy trials also suffer from publication bias." Cherry picked from the brand new BMJ study being discussed today.
"Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs. A 2004 UK review showed a noticeable discrepancy between published and unpublished trials and increased suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents. A recent review of clinical study reports showed that essential information on patient relevant outcomes was often missing in the published articles. Research undertaken by our centre [Cochrane] using nine clinical study reports on duloxetine [Cymbalta] found that data on major harms was missing from journal articles and in summary trial reports.... We suggest minimal use of antidepressants in children, adolescents, and young adults, as the serious harms seem to be greater, and as their effect seems to be below what is clinically relevant. Alternative treatments such as exercise or psychotherapy may have some benefit and could be considered, although psychotherapy trials also suffer from publication bias." Cherry picked from the brand new BMJ study being discussed today.
YESTERDAY I told you of the government's plan to evaluate every American citizen for Depression. Not only should you be worried if you are a fan of the Second Amendment, but the myriad of PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS (SSRI's) are borderline freaky. This is born out in a new study (Suicidality and Aggression During Antidepressant Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Based on Clinical Study Reports) from this month's issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Allow me to shift gears for a second.
On April 28 of 1996 --- just a few weeks after Amy and I were married --- Ted St. Martin earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records by sinking 5,221 free throws in a row, over a span of nearly seven and a half hours. On the surface, you might be impressed. Don't be. He's got nothing on me. On any given day I could go out and make ten thousand, twenty thousand, or even thirty thousand consecutive throws. Truth is, I never miss. Ever. In fact, I shoot free throws so well, I make Rick Barry look like the Pontiff in high heels. What's my secret? How did I get to be so good at free throws? Easy. In my world, misses don't count. I only tally makes.
For a very long time, BIG PHARMA has been doing the same thing. Only what they are doing is far more sinister because unlike me who's doing nothing more than blowing a bunch of hot air, they're actually killing people --- MOSTLY CHILDREN. How are they doing this? THEY ONLY TALLY THEIR MAKES (they only publish studies favorable to their products). I did an entire series on this epidemic of what have come to be known in the industry as INVISIBLE AND ABANDONED STUDIES. Listen to what Megan Thielking of the medical daily, STAT Morning Rounds had to say just this morning.
"The side effects of antidepressants might be seriously underestimated. Youths have a doubled risk of aggression and suicide when they’re on one of the five most commonly prescribed antidepressants, according to a new meta-analysis of 68 studies. But even that may be a low estimate, as published trial reports often don’t contain full information on the harms of antidepressants, like case reports of suicide attempts. One big example: 90 percent of suicide attempts by patients were missing in summary trial reports from Eli Lilly. To fix the problem, companies would have to cough up those case reports. 'All the data needs to be made publicly available,' said author Tarang Sharma of Denmark’s Nordic Cochrane Center."
Guess what happens when all the data on antidepressant medications becomes "publicly available"? We see that these drugs --- just like I showed you yesterday --- are little better (many would argue no better) than placebo. Not surprising, since they don't address THE UNDERLYING CAUSE of Depression. If you want to get down to the brass tacks of conquering your Depression, at least READ THIS ARTICLE.
On April 28 of 1996 --- just a few weeks after Amy and I were married --- Ted St. Martin earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records by sinking 5,221 free throws in a row, over a span of nearly seven and a half hours. On the surface, you might be impressed. Don't be. He's got nothing on me. On any given day I could go out and make ten thousand, twenty thousand, or even thirty thousand consecutive throws. Truth is, I never miss. Ever. In fact, I shoot free throws so well, I make Rick Barry look like the Pontiff in high heels. What's my secret? How did I get to be so good at free throws? Easy. In my world, misses don't count. I only tally makes.
For a very long time, BIG PHARMA has been doing the same thing. Only what they are doing is far more sinister because unlike me who's doing nothing more than blowing a bunch of hot air, they're actually killing people --- MOSTLY CHILDREN. How are they doing this? THEY ONLY TALLY THEIR MAKES (they only publish studies favorable to their products). I did an entire series on this epidemic of what have come to be known in the industry as INVISIBLE AND ABANDONED STUDIES. Listen to what Megan Thielking of the medical daily, STAT Morning Rounds had to say just this morning.
"The side effects of antidepressants might be seriously underestimated. Youths have a doubled risk of aggression and suicide when they’re on one of the five most commonly prescribed antidepressants, according to a new meta-analysis of 68 studies. But even that may be a low estimate, as published trial reports often don’t contain full information on the harms of antidepressants, like case reports of suicide attempts. One big example: 90 percent of suicide attempts by patients were missing in summary trial reports from Eli Lilly. To fix the problem, companies would have to cough up those case reports. 'All the data needs to be made publicly available,' said author Tarang Sharma of Denmark’s Nordic Cochrane Center."
Guess what happens when all the data on antidepressant medications becomes "publicly available"? We see that these drugs --- just like I showed you yesterday --- are little better (many would argue no better) than placebo. Not surprising, since they don't address THE UNDERLYING CAUSE of Depression. If you want to get down to the brass tacks of conquering your Depression, at least READ THIS ARTICLE.
SCREENING ALL AMERICANS FOR DEPRESSION
Not only is the medical community recommending screening pregnant women and new mothers for Depression, they are actually saying that all American adults need to be screened. An organization called The US Preventive Task Force just published new recommendations in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association saying that they have, "reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression in adult populations 18 years and older; the accuracy of depression screening instruments; and the benefits and harms of depression treatment in these populations. Screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate follow-up."
The article from JAMA contained the words "EVIDENCE" over and over again. But is their approach really following what the 'Evidence' (Evidence-Based Medicine) really says? The truth is that "Preventative Medicine" is not nearly as effective (or as 'Evidence-Based') as we have been led to believe. Another of those dirty little secrets of the medical field is that not only do DEPRESSION MEDICATIONS not perform as touted, but best evidence shows that when it comes to testing, less is better --- usually way better. This is because PREVENTATIVE TESTING is heavily associated with something called "Overdiagnosis / Overtreatment". In case it looks fairly harmless, be aware that it's deadly.
Q: How does JAMA propose that this is going to be accomplished (accurate diagnosis and accurate treatment)? A: Questionnaires. Q: How is it going to be treated? A: Meds. There are BIG problems with this approach. Q: Why are there big problems with this approach? A: Because Depression is not what you think it is.
As I have shown you HERE and HERE, Depression is an inflammatory problem (i.e. it's caused by inflammation). Why in the world would we screen for the problem itself, when we could just as easily be screening for the cause of said problem? (HERE is a little self-test you can do at home) You already know the answer to that question. Money.
The goal of BIG PHARMA is to get as many people on Antidepressants as possible -- it's why they're one of the most-prescribed classes of DRUGS in the nation. The problem is, this class of drug is SIMILAR TO FLU SHOTS as far as their efficacy is concerned --- near zero (HERE and HERE). If you are truly struggling with Depression, at least contemplate dealing with it at its source. And this doesn't even touch the whole "since-we-diagnosed-you-with-Depression-you-can't-own-a-gun" thing.
HERE is how I recommend my patients go about dealing with virtually all stubborn inflammatory conditions, including Depression.
The article from JAMA contained the words "EVIDENCE" over and over again. But is their approach really following what the 'Evidence' (Evidence-Based Medicine) really says? The truth is that "Preventative Medicine" is not nearly as effective (or as 'Evidence-Based') as we have been led to believe. Another of those dirty little secrets of the medical field is that not only do DEPRESSION MEDICATIONS not perform as touted, but best evidence shows that when it comes to testing, less is better --- usually way better. This is because PREVENTATIVE TESTING is heavily associated with something called "Overdiagnosis / Overtreatment". In case it looks fairly harmless, be aware that it's deadly.
Q: How does JAMA propose that this is going to be accomplished (accurate diagnosis and accurate treatment)? A: Questionnaires. Q: How is it going to be treated? A: Meds. There are BIG problems with this approach. Q: Why are there big problems with this approach? A: Because Depression is not what you think it is.
As I have shown you HERE and HERE, Depression is an inflammatory problem (i.e. it's caused by inflammation). Why in the world would we screen for the problem itself, when we could just as easily be screening for the cause of said problem? (HERE is a little self-test you can do at home) You already know the answer to that question. Money.
The goal of BIG PHARMA is to get as many people on Antidepressants as possible -- it's why they're one of the most-prescribed classes of DRUGS in the nation. The problem is, this class of drug is SIMILAR TO FLU SHOTS as far as their efficacy is concerned --- near zero (HERE and HERE). If you are truly struggling with Depression, at least contemplate dealing with it at its source. And this doesn't even touch the whole "since-we-diagnosed-you-with-Depression-you-can't-own-a-gun" thing.
HERE is how I recommend my patients go about dealing with virtually all stubborn inflammatory conditions, including Depression.
BIOMECHANICAL COMPENSATION AND
CHRONIC PAIN
"Baseball injuries are common and can impact a player's ability to participate. An injury to any region can influence the player's ability to swing the bat. As a part of the athlete's rehabilitation, a sports-specific program should be implemented re-introducing the hitting cycle that addresses proper biomechanics...... Use of appropriate hitting mechanics must be ensured during rehabilitation to avoid compensation." From the December 2015 issue of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (Return to Hitting: An Interval Hitting Progression and Overview of Hitting Mechanics Following Injury)
I've heard it a thousand times --- Doc, my problem is spreading. What was originally hurting at point X is now hurting at points X, Y, and Z. What's really going on here? Does this person have some sort of "disease," or is it something else? Truth be known, there is a good chance that the problem is compensation. The best way to grasp compensation is to have a basic understanding of Biomechanics.
- BIO = Living
- MECHANICS = The way that forces act on objects, either moving or resisting movement.
- BIOMECHANICS = Applying mechanical principles and physics to the human body
In order to create torque, muscles apply forces to bones that act as levers. The joints themselves acting as fulcrums. As long as the object you are attempting to move is not too heavy, or there is too much friction present, movement will occur. When we move, we are always trying to gain mechanical advantage. For example, when a baseball player is trying to hit a home run, he does not "choke up" on the bat (move his hands further towards the barrel). He grasps the bat at the very end of the handle because greater bat speed can be generated from that position. When using a simple lever; pushing on the very end of said lever is where the most force can be generated. Almost everything we do on a day to day basis involves an attempt to gain mechanical advantage.
Due to injuries, athletes lose mechanical advantage. What does this mean? Allow me to give you an example using an elite swimmer I saw yesterday. This individual (we'll call him Joe), currently a scholarship swimmer at a major college program, has been swimming competitively since kindergarten. Competitive swimming entails hours upon hours of repetition, always refining your form to be as biomechanically efficient as possible. A couple of years ago, Joe felt something "give" on the right side of the bottom of his chest.
Being a hardcore competitor with a self-proclaimed "high tolerance for pain," the plan was simply to suck it up and work his way through it. Before long, the injury to the chest started working its way to the shoulder, and around his ribs. As might be expected with what turned out to be FASCIAL AHDESIONS; the trainers and team clinicians COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH JOE. Needless to say, his coach pushed him to continue to work through the problem. It wasn't long before the pain had moved into his neck, upper back, and entire left side --- from his triceps to his TENSOR FASCIA LATA.
Joe's times continued to increase until the day came when he simply couldn't compete. What started out as a small injury to the front of his RIB CAGE, had, due to Biomechanical Compensation, engulfed a quarter of his body. When examining Joe, it was obvious that there were any number of areas of his body that were tethered, and unable to move properly. After spending an hour and a half with Joe, the difference was immediate and significant. Hopefully, those results hold, and I will be able to provide you an update to Joe's situation in the near future.
It is important to remember that all tissues compensate all the time. Bone grows in response to mechanical pressures put on it, whether normal or abnormal (Wolff's Law). Cartilage degenerates and thins in response to aberrant mechanical stresses. Muscles will either atrophy or hypertrophy, depending on the tensile forces (or lack thereof) they must deal with. Not only are FASCIAL ADHESIONS usually a compensatory reaction (PLANTAR FASCIITIS is a great example), so is TENDINOSIS. And although it's not a musculoskeletal issue, LIVING THE HIGH CARB LIFESTYLE will eventually burn out your pancreas (can anyone say Diabetes?), forcing some of that load to the ADRENAL GLANDS (can anyone say Fibromyalgia?). What can be done to prevent harmful compensatory reactions in the body --- particularly in athletes? Although we could probably come up with dozens, let me give you just a few.
- MAINTAIN A NORMAL WEIGHT: Thirty years ago, this bullet would never have had to been included --- especially for athletes. But with 70% of the population overweight or obese (and another 7 to 10% considered "FUNCTIONALLY OBESE"), it bears mentioning. Here is a simple example. When you gain weight (most particularly BELLY FAT), you move the fulcrum point of your vertebrae (it's called the IAR or Internal Axis of Rotation) not only outside of the vertebrae where it belongs, but depending on the size of the belly, potentially completely out of the body. As you might guess, this puts a massive abnormal stress on spinal discs. If you are overweight or obese, you are forcing your body compensate in hundreds upon hundreds of ways --- none of them advantageous to your sport or your health.
- DON'T OVERTRAIN: I have had the privilege of treating professional athletes in my practice. Although some might look it on the outside, few of them claim that what they are doing as far as their training is healthy. If you spend six to eight hours a day performing repetitive motions, not only are you likely to end up having a wide array of injuries, but INTENSE CARDIOVASCULAR OVERTRAINING tends to push people towards LEAKY GUT SYNDROME.
- USE PROPER TECHNIQUE AND EQUIPMENT: Although this might sound like a no-brainer, you would be surprised how often it's not followed (many times inadvertently). For instance, due to my insanely high arches, I couldn't function on any level, let alone as an athlete, without my orthotics from Shawn over at Xtreme Footwerks. Whether it's proper footwear, braces, taping techniques, correct form, cross-training instead of doing the same thing all day long, or any number of others; following this simple advice will prevent injuries. Likewise, if you are injured; deal with it today. Do not wait until its compensatory effects have swallowed you whole.
- UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS INFLAMMATION: Although it's beginning to change, too many athletes don't think about INFLAMMATION until they are injured. If you could get ahead of the eight ball by stopping Inflammation before it starts, you might be able to head off real problems. A doubly big deal considering INFLAMMATION ALWAYS LEADS TO SCAR TISSUE. I just wrote an article about an athlete doing this very thing --- YOU HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY HEARD OF HIM.
For those of you who have just undergone Tissue Remodeling, don't confuse "BULLSEYING" with compensation. And if you feel you are losing ground as far as your health is concerned, make sure to take a quick at THIS POST.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
THEY'RE NOT SYNONYMOUS
 en:User: Daderot |  Arnaud 25 |
How many times have you heard it; eat your fruits and vegetables? This is because the one thing that most nutritional experts seem to agree on is that fresh fruits and vegetables are a good for your health. Although I would mostly agree with this assessment, today I want to show you a slightly different twist to something you thought you knew to be gospel truth.
When we hear experts (whether from the media or medicine) talk about fruits and vegetables, they almost always mentioned as though they were a single entity (Fruit&Vegetables). They are not, and depending on what your health-related goals are, cannot necessarily be treated as such. It's true that whole fruits are high in the GOOD KIND OF FIBER, ANTIOXIDANTS, as well as certain VITAMINS & MINERALS (not to mention phytonutrients). It's also true that the peer-reviewed literature on the subject is replete with studies showing that consuming whole fruits is beneficial to your health. Bottom line; in most cases, there are ample reasons to, at least with some degree of moderation, consume fruit. Allow me, however, to give you a few "for instance" situations when avoiding fruit would be prudent.
In almost any case of DYSBIOSIS, you should avoid fruit. For instance, SIBO or CANDIDA OVERGROWTHS both feed on higher glycemic index carbohydrates and SUGAR, including fructose (fruit sugar) On top of this, any number of neurological problems (EPILEPSY being the most well known of the lot) have been shown to respond to a KETOGENIC DIET in a manner that can often times only be described as life-changing.
Another reason you might want to either avoid fruit, or at least cut way back on certain fruits, would be WEIGHT LOSS. For instance, I absolutely love bananas and could eat several (or more) a day. However, I have figured out that because of their high position on the GLYCEMIC INDEX, it doesn't take long for for me to gain some serious weight --- right around THE MID-SECTION if I am not extra careful with them.
Because solving serious weight issues is greatly related to properly controlling blood sugar (HERE), those of you struggling with your weight will probably need to cut back on (or cut out) the fruit. I have seen any number of people who use fruit (or even worse, fruit juice) to play the "SUBSTITUTION GAME". And on top of all this, I routinely see people who are excited about the fact that they gave up soda and junk, unwittingly using fruit to feed their SUGAR / CARB ADDICTION. These are the people who, when someone says "fruits and vegetables," only hear "fruits".
If you feel you have done everything right and are finding it impossible to lose weight or solve other chronic issues (even though you are eating a strict PALEO-LIKE DIET), there are undoubtedly other issues in play (probably GUT or ENDOCRINE). As a side note to all of this, there are people out there that actually have issues not only with fruits, but with vegetables (HERE). The great thing is that most of you can enjoy moderate amounts of fruit and unlimited vegetables without any worries.
By the way, we have a couple of cases of GREENS FIRST (greens, not reds) that we are selling for $15.00 / can --- a greater than 50% savings. When they are gone, they are gone.
When we hear experts (whether from the media or medicine) talk about fruits and vegetables, they almost always mentioned as though they were a single entity (Fruit&Vegetables). They are not, and depending on what your health-related goals are, cannot necessarily be treated as such. It's true that whole fruits are high in the GOOD KIND OF FIBER, ANTIOXIDANTS, as well as certain VITAMINS & MINERALS (not to mention phytonutrients). It's also true that the peer-reviewed literature on the subject is replete with studies showing that consuming whole fruits is beneficial to your health. Bottom line; in most cases, there are ample reasons to, at least with some degree of moderation, consume fruit. Allow me, however, to give you a few "for instance" situations when avoiding fruit would be prudent.
In almost any case of DYSBIOSIS, you should avoid fruit. For instance, SIBO or CANDIDA OVERGROWTHS both feed on higher glycemic index carbohydrates and SUGAR, including fructose (fruit sugar) On top of this, any number of neurological problems (EPILEPSY being the most well known of the lot) have been shown to respond to a KETOGENIC DIET in a manner that can often times only be described as life-changing.
Another reason you might want to either avoid fruit, or at least cut way back on certain fruits, would be WEIGHT LOSS. For instance, I absolutely love bananas and could eat several (or more) a day. However, I have figured out that because of their high position on the GLYCEMIC INDEX, it doesn't take long for for me to gain some serious weight --- right around THE MID-SECTION if I am not extra careful with them.
Because solving serious weight issues is greatly related to properly controlling blood sugar (HERE), those of you struggling with your weight will probably need to cut back on (or cut out) the fruit. I have seen any number of people who use fruit (or even worse, fruit juice) to play the "SUBSTITUTION GAME". And on top of all this, I routinely see people who are excited about the fact that they gave up soda and junk, unwittingly using fruit to feed their SUGAR / CARB ADDICTION. These are the people who, when someone says "fruits and vegetables," only hear "fruits".
If you feel you have done everything right and are finding it impossible to lose weight or solve other chronic issues (even though you are eating a strict PALEO-LIKE DIET), there are undoubtedly other issues in play (probably GUT or ENDOCRINE). As a side note to all of this, there are people out there that actually have issues not only with fruits, but with vegetables (HERE). The great thing is that most of you can enjoy moderate amounts of fruit and unlimited vegetables without any worries.
By the way, we have a couple of cases of GREENS FIRST (greens, not reds) that we are selling for $15.00 / can --- a greater than 50% savings. When they are gone, they are gone.
MOONSHOTS AND ROCKET SCIENCE
CAN WE SPEND OUR WAY OUT OF THE CANCER EPIDEMIC?
Few would argue that Cancer is one bad dude. All of us have friends and loved ones that have been laid low. In fact, it was just a couple of weeks ago I was a pall bearer for a dear friend who left behind his wife and six children under the age of 12. Similar stories are common.
The death of Vice President, Joe Biden's 46 year old son from a brain tumor last May was just another confirmation that Cancer is no respecter of persons. Although it's not difficult to understand why Biden issued still another "moonshot" for a cure ---- this one for Cancer (there are currently other "moonshots" going on for other diseases, including ALZHEIMER'S), we have to ask ourselves whether his plea a good use of resources (i.e. tax dollars).
Despite the fact that Richard Nixon declared war on Cancer back in the 1971, another of the dirty little secrets of medicine is that we have not seen nearly as much progress against the disease as we have been led to believe. Writing for the New England Journal of Medicine back in 1986 (Progress Against Cancer?) researchers crunched thirty years of data and concluded that Nixon's war was an abject failure. "We are losing the war against cancer, notwithstanding progress against several uncommon forms of the disease, improvements in palliation, and extension of the productive years of life. A shift in research emphasis, from research on treatment to research on prevention, seems necessary if substantial progress against cancer is to be forthcoming." But the beat went on.
Are we doing any better today. Despite what we would be told, unfortunately not (HERE). In fact , those in the know tend to believe that this is another of the medical problems that we cannot spend or treat our way out of (HERE). And just how much is all of this costing us? According to Alex Lubischer of Chicago Health (Funding the Cancer War) Cancer carries a huge price tag.
"According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), all U.S. healthcare expenditures related to cancer in 2009 cost the U.S. an estimated $86.6 billion. If you factor in $130 billion for indirect mortality costs (the toll of lost productivity due to premature deaths), that’s $216.6 billion in one year. Furthermore, The National Cancer Institute (NCI, a branch of the NIH) has spent roughly $90 billion on research and treatment since 1971. Additionally, about 260 nonprofit organizations in the United States have dedicated themselves to cancer research, which amounts to combined annual budgets of $2.2 billion."
Part of the problem is that if you ask different experts what Cancer is, you'll get a rather wide array of answers. This is because "cancer" is not all the same stuff. Furthermore, if all we have to show for trillions of dollars spent is the fact that Cancer is little more than a "random" event (HERE), we really are spinning our wheels --- a thought recently echoed by any number of medial outlets, including STAT's recent Moonshot to Cure Cancer. We've Heard that Before. Many Times.
The problem is that we are going about this all wrong. JFK's original "Moonshot" was handled by engineers, physicists, and rocket scientists. It was an incredible feat of engineering that essentially required us to overcome gravity and other laws of physics. For any number of reasons, curing Cancer is different. The reality of the situation is that "curing" Cancer is going to require something of us besides more tax dollars. We are actually going to have to follow the advice of NEJM's 30 year old study I quoted from earlier ---- emphasizing prevention instead of cure. What does prevention look like?
First, let me say that nothing in this life is foolproof --- including Cancer Prevention. We all know healthy people who have died of Cancer (my friend was as healthy as they come), as well as living mummies that have been walking this earth for 80 or 90 years, embalming themselves with liberal amounts of cheap vodka and the preservative powers of THREE PACKS a day. However, there are some generalities we can make in our own personal war against Cancer.
What should you do if you've already been diagnosed with Cancer? Not sure what to tell you. One thing I can tell you is that you can follow at least part of this or a similar protocol even if you are dealing with your Cancer in the traditional medical manner (chemo, RADIATION, etc) --- something few doctors ever talk about (HERE and HERE). For the most part, preventing, or at least slowing down, Cancer does not require a moonshot. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that by and large we are our own worst enemies. A national change of diet and lifestyle would go a long way toward Biden's goal.
The death of Vice President, Joe Biden's 46 year old son from a brain tumor last May was just another confirmation that Cancer is no respecter of persons. Although it's not difficult to understand why Biden issued still another "moonshot" for a cure ---- this one for Cancer (there are currently other "moonshots" going on for other diseases, including ALZHEIMER'S), we have to ask ourselves whether his plea a good use of resources (i.e. tax dollars).
Despite the fact that Richard Nixon declared war on Cancer back in the 1971, another of the dirty little secrets of medicine is that we have not seen nearly as much progress against the disease as we have been led to believe. Writing for the New England Journal of Medicine back in 1986 (Progress Against Cancer?) researchers crunched thirty years of data and concluded that Nixon's war was an abject failure. "We are losing the war against cancer, notwithstanding progress against several uncommon forms of the disease, improvements in palliation, and extension of the productive years of life. A shift in research emphasis, from research on treatment to research on prevention, seems necessary if substantial progress against cancer is to be forthcoming." But the beat went on.
- Taking a page out of Nixon's handbook and putting far too much emphasis on the new found power of genetics (HERE), in his 1998 State of the Union Address, President Bill Clinton stated, "Tonight, as part of our gift to the millennium, I propose a 21st century research fund for pathbreaking scientific inquiry, the largest funding increase in history for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Cancer Institute. We have already discovered genes for breast cancer and diabetes. I ask you to support this initiative so ours will be the generation that finally wins the war against cancer and begins a revolution in our fight against all deadly diseases."
- That same year, Vice President Al Gore told the Toledo Blade that, "We want to be the first generation that finally wins the war on cancer For the first time, the enemy is outmatched."
- Not to be outdone, President GW Bush not only had his own cancer initiative and medical moonshot while in office, promising to "fund and lead a medical moonshot to reach far beyond what seems possible today". Since turning over the presidency to Obama, he and his institute have been active in fighting both BREAST CANCER and Cervical Cancer, as well as crusading against Cancer in Africa.
- Not one to be left out, last July, President Obama issued his overly optimistic 21st Century Cures Act --- which in rare fashion, was passed into law with heavy bipartisan support. In it, an outline to "cure" any number of diseases, including Cancer.
- Former FDA Commissioner and Director of the National Cancer Institute, Andrew C. von Eschenbach (a true industry insider) said back in 2003 that our government would, "eliminate suffering and death" of Cancer. His goal for accomplishing this feat? Last year.
Are we doing any better today. Despite what we would be told, unfortunately not (HERE). In fact , those in the know tend to believe that this is another of the medical problems that we cannot spend or treat our way out of (HERE). And just how much is all of this costing us? According to Alex Lubischer of Chicago Health (Funding the Cancer War) Cancer carries a huge price tag.
"According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), all U.S. healthcare expenditures related to cancer in 2009 cost the U.S. an estimated $86.6 billion. If you factor in $130 billion for indirect mortality costs (the toll of lost productivity due to premature deaths), that’s $216.6 billion in one year. Furthermore, The National Cancer Institute (NCI, a branch of the NIH) has spent roughly $90 billion on research and treatment since 1971. Additionally, about 260 nonprofit organizations in the United States have dedicated themselves to cancer research, which amounts to combined annual budgets of $2.2 billion."
Part of the problem is that if you ask different experts what Cancer is, you'll get a rather wide array of answers. This is because "cancer" is not all the same stuff. Furthermore, if all we have to show for trillions of dollars spent is the fact that Cancer is little more than a "random" event (HERE), we really are spinning our wheels --- a thought recently echoed by any number of medial outlets, including STAT's recent Moonshot to Cure Cancer. We've Heard that Before. Many Times.
The problem is that we are going about this all wrong. JFK's original "Moonshot" was handled by engineers, physicists, and rocket scientists. It was an incredible feat of engineering that essentially required us to overcome gravity and other laws of physics. For any number of reasons, curing Cancer is different. The reality of the situation is that "curing" Cancer is going to require something of us besides more tax dollars. We are actually going to have to follow the advice of NEJM's 30 year old study I quoted from earlier ---- emphasizing prevention instead of cure. What does prevention look like?
First, let me say that nothing in this life is foolproof --- including Cancer Prevention. We all know healthy people who have died of Cancer (my friend was as healthy as they come), as well as living mummies that have been walking this earth for 80 or 90 years, embalming themselves with liberal amounts of cheap vodka and the preservative powers of THREE PACKS a day. However, there are some generalities we can make in our own personal war against Cancer.
- UNDERSTAND INFLAMMATION AND EAT ACCORDINGLY: Cancer is one of THE MYRIAD OF HEALTH ISSUES driven by Inflammation. Problem is, I don't find one in a thousand people who can really tell me what Inflammation is. Using anti-inflammatory herbs and supplements are wonderful, but if you want to get down to brass tacks, mopping up Inflammation after the fact is not the best way to accomplish this. Instead, stop Inflammation at its source (HERE). Reading my article SUGAR DRIVES INFLAMMATION is a good start. Make sure to follow it up with SUGAR FEEDS CANCER (there are two parts).
- UNDERSTAND GUT HEALTH: I won't belabor this point, but it might be the most important in this list. HERE are my posts on the topic.
- REALIZE THAT CHEMICALS (DRUGS INCLUDED) ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND: Your immune system is mostly made up of the bacteria that live in your Gut. Just yesterday the CDC's American College of Physicians said that half of all prescriptions of ANTIBIOTICS are unnecessary (not to mention, THEY THEMSELVES ARE A KNOWN CAUSE OF CANCER). It is critical to understand that the DRUG CULTURE we live in is not doing us any favors as far as Cancer is concerned. Although most of us would agree that things like pesticides and herbicides are bad news, most of us fail to grasp that we are polluting ourselves daily with the multitude of chemicals we use in our bathrooms (think personal HYGIENE here).
- DON'T FORGET TO EXERCISE: There is plenty of research showing the benefits of exercise as far as Cancer is concerned. However, it is also important to remember that intense exercise for substantial periods of time --- i.e hardcore cardio ---- leads to the precursor of all disease, including Cancer; LEAKY GUT SYNDROME. EXERCISING properly is important, but not a fraction as important as diet.
What should you do if you've already been diagnosed with Cancer? Not sure what to tell you. One thing I can tell you is that you can follow at least part of this or a similar protocol even if you are dealing with your Cancer in the traditional medical manner (chemo, RADIATION, etc) --- something few doctors ever talk about (HERE and HERE). For the most part, preventing, or at least slowing down, Cancer does not require a moonshot. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that by and large we are our own worst enemies. A national change of diet and lifestyle would go a long way toward Biden's goal.
MEDIA RIPS THE BRADYS OVER THEIR DIET
ONE MORE PROOF THE MEDIA IS CLUELESS
"Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is basically eating a diet heavy in plants and low in junk food. And that's about as far as the science goes. Anything more is overkill." Cherry-picked from Belluz' piece we are discussing today
As I sit here and type this, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is getting ready to lead his team against the upstart Kansas City Chiefs --- a team that has now won ten games in a row after starting 1 and 5. Growing up in Kansas, I have been a Chiefs fan for as long as I can remember, although there were some lean years when I was young. Can the hottest team in the NFL pull through and beat the Patriots --- especially considering the game is at Foxboro? We'll find out Saturday at 3:30. Much of it depends on whether KC's vaunted defensive front can put some serious pressure on Brady.
Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. You might not like him, but you can't debate his four super bowl rings, three Super Bowl MVP's, two NFL MVP awards, 11 Pro Bowls, numerous passing records, and more division titles than any other Q in the history of the game. His wife Gisele --- a Brazilian of German descent --- has been the world's highest paid supermodel over the course of the past decade. Needless to say, a family with this sort of curriculum vitae lives under a microscope. The latest aspect of their life to be brought to the public spotlight is their diet.
Just the other day, Vox published an article by Julia Belluz called "Most 'Anti-inflammation' Diets are Overkill. Tom Brady's is a Case in Point". There have been any number of other authors publishing similar (yesterday was "My Husband and I Tried Gisele and Tom Brady's Ridiculous Diet" from Woman's Day). Most of this is the result of an interview he did for Boston's Sports Radio 97.3 (WEEI) back in October. Along with ripping Frosted Flakes, Coca Cola (he correctly called it "poison"), and the FOOD PYRAMID, Brady had this to say (I'm cherry-picking).....
"Much of my diet is based on an acid-alkaline principle, which for me does reduce inflammation in my body. When you run around and take hits all day for a living, that’s a really positive thing for me. I would love to encourage all my teammates to eat the best way they possibly can, to have high school athletes do the same. I think we’ve been lied to by a lot of food companies over the years, by a lot of beverage companies over the years. But we still do it. That’s just America, and that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe. We believe that Frosted Flakes is a food. … You just keep eating those things, and you keep wondering why we have just incredible rates of disease in our country. No one thinks it has anything to do with what we put in our body."
Although I can't really argue with what he's saying here, this led to an interview with the family's personal chef (Allen Campbell) over at BOSTON.COM. Of course Campbell avoids feeding the Bradys processed foods, SUGAR, and white flours (their children --- ages 6 & 3 --- eat the same thing they do). Among other things, he also avoids serving them NIGHTSHADES (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc). It's not difficult to see that the Brady's diet is essentially a PALEO DIET. Interestingly enough, Dr. David Seaman prescribed a similar diet in the pain journal Practical Pain Management several years ago, promoting something similar as a way to solve Chronic Pain caused by Inflammation (HERE). About their diet, Campbell stated......
"80 percent of what they eat is vegetables. I buy the freshest vegetables. If it’s not organic, I don’t use it. And whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, millet, beans. The other 20 percent is lean meats: grass-fed organic steak, duck every now and then, and chicken. As for fish, I mostly cook wild salmon. It’s very different than a traditional American diet. But if you just eat sugar and carbs—which a lot of people do—your body is so acidic."
Again, sounds pretty good to me. I do think, however, that Campbell might benefit from a lesson in mathematics. If 80% of their diet is vegetation and 20% is lean meats, I'm not sure how much grain they are really consuming. My personal opinion is that the GRAINS and beans (lectins) might be more inflammatory for the Bradys than the nightshades --- unless they have an actual nightshade sensitivity. Although you can get tested for this in several different ways, the best is one than anyone can do on their own, and it doesn't cost them a thing ---- an ELIMINATION DIET. Nightshades can be extremely good for you --- even anti-inflammatory --- if you are not sensitive to them (most people are not). However, I have treated any number of patients for which nightshades are a nightmare. This is especially true in those with chronic, severe, all-over joint pain.
Belluz is not too hip on diets like the Bradys. After sharing with us that there is not much science backing these sorts of "restrictive," diets, she lets us know that for the average person, "cutting out junk food tends to be enough to do the trick." On some level I would agree with her. At the very least it's a FANTASTIC START. But who is 'the average person' here in America? They are are sedentary, OVERWEIGHT, fighting some sort of AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, DEPRESSED, and extremely INFLAMED (take THIS simple test to see if you have too much Inflammation). The Brady's are different. They aren't average in any sense of the word.
Each relies on their body to make a living. And while Gisele has "retired" from modeling, Tom has said that he wants to continue playing professional football until he's 45. Although I personally believe this is wishful thinking, more power to him. The only way he could conceivably accomplish this is by taking extraordinary care of his body. Think about it this way. With the tens of millions of dollars Brady makes each year between football and endorsements; if an ultra-strict diet can extend his career by even one year, he has paid for their personal chef and organic food a thousand times over. Worst case scenario, he missed out on some ice cream sundaes --- eating in this manner is not going to somehow make him worse.
The biggest problem with Belluz' article is not about what the Brady's are doing with their diets, but the terrible advice being promoted by some of the experts she used to refute them --- namely one Christopher Cannon, a Harvard cardiologist.
"Many of the popular diets out there -- Mediterranean, low-carb, low-fat -- all help reduce inflammation. In any of these diets, people are cutting out saturated fat, doughnuts, french fries, all the bad things that promote inflammation. So that helps reduce inflammation very quickly."
Belluz goes on to talk about the basic principles set forth in a book that Cannon wrote a decade ago called The Complete Idiot's Guide to Anti-Inflammation Diet. Much of his advice is great. Some of it is terrible. For one, he actually tells readers to, "eat only unsaturated fats." This goes hand in hand with him telling readers that LOW FAT DIETS are equal to LOW CARB DIETS (not surprising once you grasp THIS SAD FACT). We've KNOWN FOR QUITE SOME TIME THAT SATURATED FAT is not the great pariah is has been vilified as, and that following such advice is dangerous. It is the low fat / fat free era that helped dramatically speed up the demise of our national health (HERE).
Other advice like, "eat lots of whole grains" sounds like a revival of the Food Pyramid --- or our government's recommended diet --- DASH. Because of hybridization, GMO, and OTHER FACTORS, grains --- and particularly WHEAT and CORN ---- are nothing like they were 100 years ago. And never forget that grain is what you feed farm animals to make them fat. And as for his advice to, "eat plenty of fruits and vegetables" --- vegetables are distinctly different than fruits (HERE), and depending on what you are trying to accomplish with your diet (weight loss or ANTI-CANDIDA are two that come immediately to mind), you might want to all but totally avoid fruits --- at least for awhile.
On top of all this, Cannon is one of the researchers --- a true industry insider who has heavily promoted any number of drugs, including EZETIMIBE / VYTORIN --- whose stated mantra, "lower is better" when it comes to cholesterol, actually changed governmental guidelines (HERE). On his Amazon biography he goes on to talk about the, "benefit of lowering of LDL cholesterol to even lower levels than the currently revised guidelines using a new type of cholesterol-lowering medication in addition to statins." As you can see from THIS POST, the lower-is-better thought process is another of the ideas that puts serious amounts of money in Big Pharma's pockets, even though it goes directly against the "EVIDENCE".
For those who want to understand why a Paleo Diet is the best overall diet for controlling inflammation, helping create your own personalized EXIT STRATEGY for getting out of pain or solving your chronic illnesses, or even LOSING WEIGHT and building lean body mass, all you need to do is follow THIS LINK (here is more about "WHY PALEO?")
We can't all afford a personal chef, but eating healthy is MORE AFFORDABLE THAN YOU REALIZE. Instead of bashing Tom and Gisele for the way they eat, we might all take a couple of lessons. For those of you who are truly struggling with Chronic Pain and Chronic Inflammatory Degenerative Diseases or Autoimmunity, HERE is the post you need to read.
Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. You might not like him, but you can't debate his four super bowl rings, three Super Bowl MVP's, two NFL MVP awards, 11 Pro Bowls, numerous passing records, and more division titles than any other Q in the history of the game. His wife Gisele --- a Brazilian of German descent --- has been the world's highest paid supermodel over the course of the past decade. Needless to say, a family with this sort of curriculum vitae lives under a microscope. The latest aspect of their life to be brought to the public spotlight is their diet.
Just the other day, Vox published an article by Julia Belluz called "Most 'Anti-inflammation' Diets are Overkill. Tom Brady's is a Case in Point". There have been any number of other authors publishing similar (yesterday was "My Husband and I Tried Gisele and Tom Brady's Ridiculous Diet" from Woman's Day). Most of this is the result of an interview he did for Boston's Sports Radio 97.3 (WEEI) back in October. Along with ripping Frosted Flakes, Coca Cola (he correctly called it "poison"), and the FOOD PYRAMID, Brady had this to say (I'm cherry-picking).....
"Much of my diet is based on an acid-alkaline principle, which for me does reduce inflammation in my body. When you run around and take hits all day for a living, that’s a really positive thing for me. I would love to encourage all my teammates to eat the best way they possibly can, to have high school athletes do the same. I think we’ve been lied to by a lot of food companies over the years, by a lot of beverage companies over the years. But we still do it. That’s just America, and that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe. We believe that Frosted Flakes is a food. … You just keep eating those things, and you keep wondering why we have just incredible rates of disease in our country. No one thinks it has anything to do with what we put in our body."
Although I can't really argue with what he's saying here, this led to an interview with the family's personal chef (Allen Campbell) over at BOSTON.COM. Of course Campbell avoids feeding the Bradys processed foods, SUGAR, and white flours (their children --- ages 6 & 3 --- eat the same thing they do). Among other things, he also avoids serving them NIGHTSHADES (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc). It's not difficult to see that the Brady's diet is essentially a PALEO DIET. Interestingly enough, Dr. David Seaman prescribed a similar diet in the pain journal Practical Pain Management several years ago, promoting something similar as a way to solve Chronic Pain caused by Inflammation (HERE). About their diet, Campbell stated......
"80 percent of what they eat is vegetables. I buy the freshest vegetables. If it’s not organic, I don’t use it. And whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, millet, beans. The other 20 percent is lean meats: grass-fed organic steak, duck every now and then, and chicken. As for fish, I mostly cook wild salmon. It’s very different than a traditional American diet. But if you just eat sugar and carbs—which a lot of people do—your body is so acidic."
Again, sounds pretty good to me. I do think, however, that Campbell might benefit from a lesson in mathematics. If 80% of their diet is vegetation and 20% is lean meats, I'm not sure how much grain they are really consuming. My personal opinion is that the GRAINS and beans (lectins) might be more inflammatory for the Bradys than the nightshades --- unless they have an actual nightshade sensitivity. Although you can get tested for this in several different ways, the best is one than anyone can do on their own, and it doesn't cost them a thing ---- an ELIMINATION DIET. Nightshades can be extremely good for you --- even anti-inflammatory --- if you are not sensitive to them (most people are not). However, I have treated any number of patients for which nightshades are a nightmare. This is especially true in those with chronic, severe, all-over joint pain.
Belluz is not too hip on diets like the Bradys. After sharing with us that there is not much science backing these sorts of "restrictive," diets, she lets us know that for the average person, "cutting out junk food tends to be enough to do the trick." On some level I would agree with her. At the very least it's a FANTASTIC START. But who is 'the average person' here in America? They are are sedentary, OVERWEIGHT, fighting some sort of AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, DEPRESSED, and extremely INFLAMED (take THIS simple test to see if you have too much Inflammation). The Brady's are different. They aren't average in any sense of the word.
Each relies on their body to make a living. And while Gisele has "retired" from modeling, Tom has said that he wants to continue playing professional football until he's 45. Although I personally believe this is wishful thinking, more power to him. The only way he could conceivably accomplish this is by taking extraordinary care of his body. Think about it this way. With the tens of millions of dollars Brady makes each year between football and endorsements; if an ultra-strict diet can extend his career by even one year, he has paid for their personal chef and organic food a thousand times over. Worst case scenario, he missed out on some ice cream sundaes --- eating in this manner is not going to somehow make him worse.
The biggest problem with Belluz' article is not about what the Brady's are doing with their diets, but the terrible advice being promoted by some of the experts she used to refute them --- namely one Christopher Cannon, a Harvard cardiologist.
"Many of the popular diets out there -- Mediterranean, low-carb, low-fat -- all help reduce inflammation. In any of these diets, people are cutting out saturated fat, doughnuts, french fries, all the bad things that promote inflammation. So that helps reduce inflammation very quickly."
Belluz goes on to talk about the basic principles set forth in a book that Cannon wrote a decade ago called The Complete Idiot's Guide to Anti-Inflammation Diet. Much of his advice is great. Some of it is terrible. For one, he actually tells readers to, "eat only unsaturated fats." This goes hand in hand with him telling readers that LOW FAT DIETS are equal to LOW CARB DIETS (not surprising once you grasp THIS SAD FACT). We've KNOWN FOR QUITE SOME TIME THAT SATURATED FAT is not the great pariah is has been vilified as, and that following such advice is dangerous. It is the low fat / fat free era that helped dramatically speed up the demise of our national health (HERE).
Other advice like, "eat lots of whole grains" sounds like a revival of the Food Pyramid --- or our government's recommended diet --- DASH. Because of hybridization, GMO, and OTHER FACTORS, grains --- and particularly WHEAT and CORN ---- are nothing like they were 100 years ago. And never forget that grain is what you feed farm animals to make them fat. And as for his advice to, "eat plenty of fruits and vegetables" --- vegetables are distinctly different than fruits (HERE), and depending on what you are trying to accomplish with your diet (weight loss or ANTI-CANDIDA are two that come immediately to mind), you might want to all but totally avoid fruits --- at least for awhile.
On top of all this, Cannon is one of the researchers --- a true industry insider who has heavily promoted any number of drugs, including EZETIMIBE / VYTORIN --- whose stated mantra, "lower is better" when it comes to cholesterol, actually changed governmental guidelines (HERE). On his Amazon biography he goes on to talk about the, "benefit of lowering of LDL cholesterol to even lower levels than the currently revised guidelines using a new type of cholesterol-lowering medication in addition to statins." As you can see from THIS POST, the lower-is-better thought process is another of the ideas that puts serious amounts of money in Big Pharma's pockets, even though it goes directly against the "EVIDENCE".
For those who want to understand why a Paleo Diet is the best overall diet for controlling inflammation, helping create your own personalized EXIT STRATEGY for getting out of pain or solving your chronic illnesses, or even LOSING WEIGHT and building lean body mass, all you need to do is follow THIS LINK (here is more about "WHY PALEO?")
We can't all afford a personal chef, but eating healthy is MORE AFFORDABLE THAN YOU REALIZE. Instead of bashing Tom and Gisele for the way they eat, we might all take a couple of lessons. For those of you who are truly struggling with Chronic Pain and Chronic Inflammatory Degenerative Diseases or Autoimmunity, HERE is the post you need to read.
FLU SHOTS FOR CHILDREN
ARE THEY EFFECTIVE?
"There is a big gap between policies promoting annual influenza vaccinations for most children and adults and supporting scientific evidence. Given the significant resources involved in annual mass influenza campaigns, there is urgent need for re-evaluation of these strategies." Epidemiologist Tom Jefferson of the Cochrane Vaccines Field / Cochrane Collaboration of Rome, Italy. His quote was taken from the October, 2006 issue of the British Medical Journal (Influenza Vaccination: Policy Versus Evidence)
"As for children, Cochrane again found the available studies to be of poor quality." From Margaret McCartney: What Use is Mass flu Vaccination? in the October, 2014 issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ)
"As for children, Cochrane again found the available studies to be of poor quality." From Margaret McCartney: What Use is Mass flu Vaccination? in the October, 2014 issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ)
It was just a couple of months ago that I revealed to you one of those dirty little secrets of the medical community ---- that Flu Shots, on average, are about 1% effective in the elderly population (HERE). Add to that the fact that when you get said shot in successive years, it's effectiveness drops further still (HERE). It seems they don't work for non-elderly adults either. Numerous meta-analysis on the topic have revealed that serious complications and death from flu are both rare outcomes, even though the CDC has inflated these stats by several magnitudes of order (HERE).
"The results of this review seem to discourage the utilisation of vaccination against influenza in healthy adults as a routine public health measure. As healthy adults have a low risk of complications due to respiratory disease, the use of the vaccine may be only advised as an individual protection measure against symptoms in specific cases. ......rare outcomes [of flu] such as complications and death."
If you are a parent or grandparent, the fact that flu shots are not effective for adults begs the question of whether or not FLU SHOTS are effective for children since they are universally recommended from cradle to grave. The CDC claims that about 60% of Americans under the age of18 are receiving the vaccine annually. Now ask yourself this; does the CDC have an agenda? Are they to be believed? Can we trust them to do what's best for our children? Listen to what the independently funded Cochrane Review (an extremely mainstream medical research organization) said about the CDC and Flu Research in their Review of Influenza Vaccine Efficacy & Safety Studies... "The CDC authors clearly do not weight interpretation by quality of the evidence, but quote anything that supports their theory."
How special. But then again, we can't be surprised seeing that we already know how corrupt similar organizations such as the FDA are (HERE). But back to the question asked in the title of this post --- are Flu Shots efficacious for children? Not only are they not effective, we've known it beyond the shadow of a doubt for well over a decade. Unfortunately, the medical community treats "EVIDENCE" as a buffet. They get to pick and choose the most convenient tidbits to base public policy on (HERE and HERE are examples of this all-too-common phenomenon). This is how MEDICAL GUIDELINES are thus created. As always, just follow the money trail.
Several Cochrane Reviews on the efficacy of Flu Shots in children have addressed this issue an almost word-for-word fashion over the past decade and a half. Here it is from their latest statement (2012) in its cherry-picked version.
"Little evidence is available for children younger than two years of age. There was a difference between vaccine efficacy and effectiveness, partly due to differing datasets, settings and viral circulation patterns. In specific cases, influenza vaccines were associated with serious harms such as narcolepsy and febrile convulsions. This review includes trials funded by industry.
An earlier systematic review of 274 influenza vaccine studies published up to 2007 found industry-funded studies were published in more prestigious journals and cited more than other studies independently from methodological quality and size. Studies funded from public sources were significantly less likely to report conclusions favourable to the vaccines. The review showed that reliable evidence on influenza vaccines is thin but there is evidence of widespread manipulation of conclusions and spurious notoriety of the studies."
Re-read these two paragraphs and let the sheer magnitude of what they are saying wash over you. And as for the evidence for Flu Shots in children older than two years; it shows the vaccine is better than placebo --- but not by much. Listen to how bad things really are. The August, 2012 Cochrane Review (Vaccines for Preventing Influenza in Healthy Children) reviewed dozens of studies involving over 300,000 children, and then crunched the data. The results? "Twenty-eight children over the age of six need to be vaccinated to prevent one case of influenza". For real? Are you joking me? This for a disease they earlier revealed has, "rare complications".
For those who are curious, the Cochrane Review / Cochrane Collaboration is the world's number one producer of systematic reviews of scientific information about health care. It is a non-profit (it's actually a charity) located in England. As such, they are not beholding to industry (chiefly BIG PHARMA). Research and studies done by Cochrane are universally considered the gold standard for determining the effectiveness of the various health care interventions they review (HERE).
CHRONIC PAIN? TRY EXTENSION THERAPY
THE POSTURAL WAR BETWEEN
FLEXION AND EXTENSION
 AlterWolf49 |  Robert Bejil |
Force takes the path of least resistance, water always seeks lower ground, and the body will always revert to a posture of flexion if you let it. When we speak of flexion in terms of posture, we are always talking about things like HEAD FORWARD and SLUMPING. I typically refer to it as, "The Posture of Age," although it happens to be the posture of CHRONIC PAIN and CHRONIC DISEASE STATES as well. Realizing this, it's not a leap to grasp that chronic flexion is bad news on many different fronts.
I've shown you previously that it's a huge factor in CHRONIC UPPER TRAPEZIUS TRIGGER POINTS as well as the oft-mistaken triggers of the LEVATOR SCAPULAE (in my experience, the single most common muscle to become "TRIGGERED"). It's also a significant factor in the degenerative changes that occur with OSTEOPOROSIS. As the body slumps forward, the fronts of the vertebrae must bear the excess mechanical load that's supposed to be handled by the FACET JOINTS in the back of the spinal column. This this additional forward stress causes the fronts of the vertebrae to compact (they actually become wedge-shaped), forcing a person even further forward ---- a vicious cycle of pain, distortion, and dysfunction. The cool thing is that you can do something about this problem.
Because almost everything we do (sitting, driving, working at a computer, reading, watching TV, and even gardening) has the propensity to draw us into a forward posture of flexion, we must consciously do things to reverse the trend. In other words, we must focus on good posture and purposefully pursue extension. Beyond any number of stretches, there are a few things that I highly recommend for people to try.
In order to fight off the effects of both gravity and society, think in terms of extension. It's certainly not that most of us couldn't benefit from working on flexion (see point above), however, flexion is a much more natural posture --- one we all tend to default into if we aren't careful. Extension will not only help you build a strong body, it's the posture that also heavily stimulates the BRAIN.
Although extension is what the McKenzie Method of spinal rehabilitation exercises is based on, it's important to be aware that there are some people who are extension intolerant. This is why you must always start any stretching or exercise program very slowly; easing your way into it as you go. Good stuff; be sure to like us on FACEBOOK as it's a great way to help reach the people you love and care about most.
I've shown you previously that it's a huge factor in CHRONIC UPPER TRAPEZIUS TRIGGER POINTS as well as the oft-mistaken triggers of the LEVATOR SCAPULAE (in my experience, the single most common muscle to become "TRIGGERED"). It's also a significant factor in the degenerative changes that occur with OSTEOPOROSIS. As the body slumps forward, the fronts of the vertebrae must bear the excess mechanical load that's supposed to be handled by the FACET JOINTS in the back of the spinal column. This this additional forward stress causes the fronts of the vertebrae to compact (they actually become wedge-shaped), forcing a person even further forward ---- a vicious cycle of pain, distortion, and dysfunction. The cool thing is that you can do something about this problem.
Because almost everything we do (sitting, driving, working at a computer, reading, watching TV, and even gardening) has the propensity to draw us into a forward posture of flexion, we must consciously do things to reverse the trend. In other words, we must focus on good posture and purposefully pursue extension. Beyond any number of stretches, there are a few things that I highly recommend for people to try.
- DAKOTA TRACTION: The Dakota Traction device is a simple, inexpensive, unit that is used to help restore the normal curve in the neck. You can read more about it HERE. This should be done under the supervision of a Chiropractor.
- EXERCISE BALL: One of my favorite extension exercises is to lay my mid back on an EXERCISE BALL with my arms out to my side and slightly up --- almost like a crucifix position with the hands slightly higher than the shoulders. Simple, simple, simple. Keep it in your living room or bedroom and use it for a minute every hour you are home (or half hour).
- RING ROPE: I have a three foot long piece of rope that runs through a 1 inch metal ring I bolted through one of the rafters in the ceiling of my gym. I grab both sides of the rope and simply lean forward. This stretches my arms and shoulders, and arches my back into extension as well. You can control the intensity of the stretch by where you put your feet (further back / further forward) as well as how high or low you grab the rope.
- PLANKS ON A WBV MACHINE: I love to do planks (and especially reverse planks --- see pic of guy with red shirt above) with my arms / hands resting on my WHOLE BODY VIBRATION unit. No matter what version of plank I do, I make sure I keep my head up (in extension).
- EXERCISES: Besides simply watching your posture, you can do scapular retractions (pulling your shoulder blades back to each other and downward at the same time), chin tucks (simply pushing your chin straight backwards). BTW, make sure to stretch the muscles in your back as well as this can be helpful. Because I personally fight those nasty levator TP's, I use a wide variety of tools to control them, but the very best is the stretch in the pic at the top of the page, only I do it with my hands locked behind my head.
In order to fight off the effects of both gravity and society, think in terms of extension. It's certainly not that most of us couldn't benefit from working on flexion (see point above), however, flexion is a much more natural posture --- one we all tend to default into if we aren't careful. Extension will not only help you build a strong body, it's the posture that also heavily stimulates the BRAIN.
Although extension is what the McKenzie Method of spinal rehabilitation exercises is based on, it's important to be aware that there are some people who are extension intolerant. This is why you must always start any stretching or exercise program very slowly; easing your way into it as you go. Good stuff; be sure to like us on FACEBOOK as it's a great way to help reach the people you love and care about most.
CHRONIC PAIN
PREVENTING IT BEFORE IT STARTS
"It is estimated that 120 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain conditions have become the most prevalent chronic conditions and the primary driver of health care, costing more than diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, and is the most common cause of work loss and disability. If initial efforts to improve pain fail, care often escalates to higher-cost, higher-risk passive interventions such as poly-pharmacy, implantable devices, injections, physical therapies, and surgeries. Most people who have pain that lasts longer than one month still have persistent pain 5 years later, despite extensive treatments." Cherry picked from the first two paragraphs of this month's issue of Practical Pain Management (Can We Prevent Chronic Pain?). Much of this article was based on 2011's Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research
The paragraph above tells a story. CHRONIC PAIN is not only a colossal and costly problem in America, it is painfully obvious (no pun intended) that we are losing the battle. I am going to show you today that some of this is due to the fact that we have declared war on the wrong thing (we continue to chase symptoms instead of dealing with underlying causes).
In the paper the authors speak about risk factors for Chronic Pain (some that are mentioned include "DEPRESSION, POOR SLEEP, and MALADAPTIVE POSTURES". The problem is, I rarely see these being addressed other than drugs (HERE and HERE are two examples). The result is "POLY-PHARMACY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, INJECTIONS, and SURGERIES". The medical community is at least partly to blame for this. "Despite recognition that many of these factors can be improved with self-management strategies, they often are not addressed in routine care, leading to pain persisting for years." I'll address why they are not addressed in routine care momentarily.
The authors have a bold plan --- to stop Chronic Pain before it ever starts. Their hope is to accomplish this via something called a Human Systems Approach. Last January's issue of HHS Public Access (Human Factors Systems Approach to Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety) loosely defined this as a system of healthcare that emphasizes things like collecting patient data, patient education, REPORTING DRUG ERRORS, proper ergonomics, integrative care, and of course, EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE.
"Systematic reviews of biomedical treatments for chronic pain have found that even with the most efficacious treatments, improvement is only slightly above placebo."
In other words, we are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on treatments (discussed earlier, including "THE BIG FIVE") that are barely better than sugar pills. Gulp! What does the model that the authors suggest we replace this with (Human Systems Approach) look like? It sort of reminds me of the hobo's pie-in-the-sky-in-the-great-by-and-by Big Rock Candy Mountain. "Clinicians are to become agents of change. Combining evidence-based biomedical treatments with robust patient training to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors can transform a person’s life from one beset by illness to one characterized by health and wellness. This is the basis for a transformative model of care. To prevent chronic pain, clinicians must evaluate and manage the whole patient. By not addressing underlying risk factors, medical treatment alone is unlikely to succeed long-term." I think it's a great idea, but foresee some potentially insurmountable roadblocks ahead.
If you have spent any time at all kicking the tires on my website, you'll quickly realize that this is what I try to do in my practice. I have any number of articles on any number of topics that I can send patients to. I use a unique approach to help people with their Chronic Pain (HERE). Plus, I always try and show patients that INFLAMMATION is at the root of their problem (even if their problem is the result of FIBROSIS / SCAR TISSUE) and can be successfully addressed in any number of ways that do not involve drugs. In fact, this issue of PPM had an article on the common link (Inflammation) between both ARTHRITIS and OBESITY. But here's the rub.
Firstly, even though the words "healthy diet" are mentioned in this article, "inflammation" is not. Both are huge mistakes. I have learned that vague terms like "healthy diet" can mean almost anything to patients. And unfortunately, it means EVEN LESS TO MOST PHYSICIANS. If the goal is stopping inflammation ---- THE ROOT OF NEALY ALL SICKNESS, PAIN, AND DISEASE --- in its tracks, diet is going to have to play a huge part. If doctors don't know much of anything about real nutrition (see first link in this paragraph), how in the world is this going to happen?
Secondly, even if the average physician knew and passed on mountains of information on nutrition, what makes anyone think that the average patient is going to follow it? We live in a country where even though people realize that things like SUGAR, SODA, JUNK FOOD, and CIGARETTES are all bad, as long as someone else is paying for their healthcare (the American taxpayer or those in their health insurance pool), a large percentage frankly don't care. How else do you explain ever-expanding rates of virtually all sickness and disease (Chronic Pain included), not to mention the fact that only 3 of 10 of us are of a normal weight?
Thirdly, do you really think that doctors have time for this sort of thing? Every doctor I know is stressed to the max, mired in bureaucratic BS, and completely bogged down with paperwork (HERE). They are constantly running behind, finding it virtually impossible to meet all the criteria that the government has piled on them. That's why your doctor visit consists of them looking at their computer and typing instead of paying attention to you. In a word, they are overwhelmed. A transformative type of healthcare would be fantastic, but the average doctor is not even taking care of himself / herself (HERE). How in the world are they going to transform their patients --- especially in a world where our talking-out-of-both-sides-of-our-mouth government is working against them on any number of fronts (HERE and HERE are a couple).
And lastly, how do we overcome the system we are currently bogged down in? Don't kid yourself people --- Big Pharma (they're the ones that actually control most of the field of medicine) doesn't want you healthy. THEY WANT YOU SICK! That way they can "manage" your diseases for the rest of your life. Pharmaceutically, of course. If you want to know who's pulling the healthcare strings in this country, just follow the money.
And as for the "integrated medicine" part of this shindig, I guess I'm not quite sure what that really means. Especially in relationship to an article run by the same journal last month (Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation: Information for Pain Practitioners ---- Understanding the Role of Epidurals, Nerve Blocks, Neurostimulation, and Osteopathic Manipulation can Help Improve Treatment and Alleviate Suffering). The author of the part on Osteopathic Manipulation (a DO himself) insinuated that manipulation by a DO is better than that from a DC because, "A chiropractor is not a licensed physician and has not completed residency training in a hospital......." He then turns around and says that only about, "6% of DOs surveyed reported treating more than 50% of their patients with OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy), whereas nearly one third reported using OMT on less than 5% of their patients." So; even though it's chiros who do something like 95% of the manipulative therapy here in America, we are supposed to believe that DO's do a better job? Just another example why real integrative care is a pipe-dream --- at least for the foreseeable future.
Again, the goals are noble. "By accomplishing these goals, we will be able to address the Institute for Health Care Improvement’s triple aim to improve the patient’s experience of care, enhance the overall health of the patient, and reduce the cost of health care." The goal of IHI is that, "everyone should get the best care and health possible." Certainly sounds good on the surface. But until we dramatically change the way we do things here in America (hint: there has to be some personal responsibility and consequences attached), this initiative isn't going anywhere. It will likely make its way to the pile of failed government initiatives that cost a bundle but didn't really do anything but feed the bureaucracy. Then we can start the next failed initiative.
So; to answer the question, "Can chronic pain be prevented?, maybe. It helps to be following THIS ADVICE before you get into trouble. However, life happens. Injuries occur. ACCIDENTS are called "accidents" for a reason. If you are one of those individuals who is already struggling to cope with Chronic Pain, begin creating your personalized EXIT STRATEGY today. If you are simply looking to prevent Chronic Pain in the future, you can undoubtedly do better than the suggestions in this article.
In the paper the authors speak about risk factors for Chronic Pain (some that are mentioned include "DEPRESSION, POOR SLEEP, and MALADAPTIVE POSTURES". The problem is, I rarely see these being addressed other than drugs (HERE and HERE are two examples). The result is "POLY-PHARMACY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, INJECTIONS, and SURGERIES". The medical community is at least partly to blame for this. "Despite recognition that many of these factors can be improved with self-management strategies, they often are not addressed in routine care, leading to pain persisting for years." I'll address why they are not addressed in routine care momentarily.
The authors have a bold plan --- to stop Chronic Pain before it ever starts. Their hope is to accomplish this via something called a Human Systems Approach. Last January's issue of HHS Public Access (Human Factors Systems Approach to Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety) loosely defined this as a system of healthcare that emphasizes things like collecting patient data, patient education, REPORTING DRUG ERRORS, proper ergonomics, integrative care, and of course, EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE.
"Systematic reviews of biomedical treatments for chronic pain have found that even with the most efficacious treatments, improvement is only slightly above placebo."
In other words, we are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on treatments (discussed earlier, including "THE BIG FIVE") that are barely better than sugar pills. Gulp! What does the model that the authors suggest we replace this with (Human Systems Approach) look like? It sort of reminds me of the hobo's pie-in-the-sky-in-the-great-by-and-by Big Rock Candy Mountain. "Clinicians are to become agents of change. Combining evidence-based biomedical treatments with robust patient training to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors can transform a person’s life from one beset by illness to one characterized by health and wellness. This is the basis for a transformative model of care. To prevent chronic pain, clinicians must evaluate and manage the whole patient. By not addressing underlying risk factors, medical treatment alone is unlikely to succeed long-term." I think it's a great idea, but foresee some potentially insurmountable roadblocks ahead.
If you have spent any time at all kicking the tires on my website, you'll quickly realize that this is what I try to do in my practice. I have any number of articles on any number of topics that I can send patients to. I use a unique approach to help people with their Chronic Pain (HERE). Plus, I always try and show patients that INFLAMMATION is at the root of their problem (even if their problem is the result of FIBROSIS / SCAR TISSUE) and can be successfully addressed in any number of ways that do not involve drugs. In fact, this issue of PPM had an article on the common link (Inflammation) between both ARTHRITIS and OBESITY. But here's the rub.
Firstly, even though the words "healthy diet" are mentioned in this article, "inflammation" is not. Both are huge mistakes. I have learned that vague terms like "healthy diet" can mean almost anything to patients. And unfortunately, it means EVEN LESS TO MOST PHYSICIANS. If the goal is stopping inflammation ---- THE ROOT OF NEALY ALL SICKNESS, PAIN, AND DISEASE --- in its tracks, diet is going to have to play a huge part. If doctors don't know much of anything about real nutrition (see first link in this paragraph), how in the world is this going to happen?
Secondly, even if the average physician knew and passed on mountains of information on nutrition, what makes anyone think that the average patient is going to follow it? We live in a country where even though people realize that things like SUGAR, SODA, JUNK FOOD, and CIGARETTES are all bad, as long as someone else is paying for their healthcare (the American taxpayer or those in their health insurance pool), a large percentage frankly don't care. How else do you explain ever-expanding rates of virtually all sickness and disease (Chronic Pain included), not to mention the fact that only 3 of 10 of us are of a normal weight?
Thirdly, do you really think that doctors have time for this sort of thing? Every doctor I know is stressed to the max, mired in bureaucratic BS, and completely bogged down with paperwork (HERE). They are constantly running behind, finding it virtually impossible to meet all the criteria that the government has piled on them. That's why your doctor visit consists of them looking at their computer and typing instead of paying attention to you. In a word, they are overwhelmed. A transformative type of healthcare would be fantastic, but the average doctor is not even taking care of himself / herself (HERE). How in the world are they going to transform their patients --- especially in a world where our talking-out-of-both-sides-of-our-mouth government is working against them on any number of fronts (HERE and HERE are a couple).
And lastly, how do we overcome the system we are currently bogged down in? Don't kid yourself people --- Big Pharma (they're the ones that actually control most of the field of medicine) doesn't want you healthy. THEY WANT YOU SICK! That way they can "manage" your diseases for the rest of your life. Pharmaceutically, of course. If you want to know who's pulling the healthcare strings in this country, just follow the money.
And as for the "integrated medicine" part of this shindig, I guess I'm not quite sure what that really means. Especially in relationship to an article run by the same journal last month (Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation: Information for Pain Practitioners ---- Understanding the Role of Epidurals, Nerve Blocks, Neurostimulation, and Osteopathic Manipulation can Help Improve Treatment and Alleviate Suffering). The author of the part on Osteopathic Manipulation (a DO himself) insinuated that manipulation by a DO is better than that from a DC because, "A chiropractor is not a licensed physician and has not completed residency training in a hospital......." He then turns around and says that only about, "6% of DOs surveyed reported treating more than 50% of their patients with OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy), whereas nearly one third reported using OMT on less than 5% of their patients." So; even though it's chiros who do something like 95% of the manipulative therapy here in America, we are supposed to believe that DO's do a better job? Just another example why real integrative care is a pipe-dream --- at least for the foreseeable future.
Again, the goals are noble. "By accomplishing these goals, we will be able to address the Institute for Health Care Improvement’s triple aim to improve the patient’s experience of care, enhance the overall health of the patient, and reduce the cost of health care." The goal of IHI is that, "everyone should get the best care and health possible." Certainly sounds good on the surface. But until we dramatically change the way we do things here in America (hint: there has to be some personal responsibility and consequences attached), this initiative isn't going anywhere. It will likely make its way to the pile of failed government initiatives that cost a bundle but didn't really do anything but feed the bureaucracy. Then we can start the next failed initiative.
So; to answer the question, "Can chronic pain be prevented?, maybe. It helps to be following THIS ADVICE before you get into trouble. However, life happens. Injuries occur. ACCIDENTS are called "accidents" for a reason. If you are one of those individuals who is already struggling to cope with Chronic Pain, begin creating your personalized EXIT STRATEGY today. If you are simply looking to prevent Chronic Pain in the future, you can undoubtedly do better than the suggestions in this article.
HOW CAN MY THERAPY BE MAKING ME WORSE?
 L0011095 |  All 3 pics from Wellcome Trust L0011094 |  L0011093 |
Can therapy really make some people worse? It certainly does, and happens more often than you might realize. I am not just talking here about therapy done by therapists, but by chiros, physiatrists, DO's, athletic trainers, etc, etc. On many occasions I HAVE PICKED ON CHIROS for sometimes promoting the idea that given enough adjustments, chiropractic can solve anything --- including CHRONIC PAIN. Today I am going to tackle similar situation in a related field. Why do some people get worse with their therapy?
It's certainly not like most people are getting worse with their therapy. In fact, therapy is highly beneficial for most people. There is, however, a significant group of people who actually get worse with therapy. I probably see a disproportionate number of these folks because I deal with so many Chronic Pain patients, but believe me when I tell you they are out there in numbers greater than anyone cares to admit. Let's talk about this group for a moment, and cover a few of the reasons they might fail to respond to their therapy.
It's certainly not like most people are getting worse with their therapy. In fact, therapy is highly beneficial for most people. There is, however, a significant group of people who actually get worse with therapy. I probably see a disproportionate number of these folks because I deal with so many Chronic Pain patients, but believe me when I tell you they are out there in numbers greater than anyone cares to admit. Let's talk about this group for a moment, and cover a few of the reasons they might fail to respond to their therapy.
- SEGMENTAL MOTION NOT ADDRESSED: It's fairly easy to see whether or not RANGE OF MOTION is diminished in a given area, and begin stretching that area in an attempt to increase motion. This approach works on many people. In fact, it works on most people. However, if we are talking about certain areas of the body (for instance, THE NECK); because there are seven individual vertebrae that make up the neck's bony skeleton, each and every individual bone must be moving freely and independently of the vertebrae both above it and below it in order to have normal range of motion. Attempting to stretch the neck without first making sure that each individual bone is moving freely, PUTS TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF MECHANICAL STRESS on surrounding vertebrae and discs (think about a BICYCLE CHAIN where multiple segments are fused together ---- HERE is an anatomical animation). The problem is, mechanical stress not only causes pain, but is the known cause of Degenerative Arthritis as well (HERE).
- SPINAL ALIGNMENT / POSTURE NOT ADDRESSED: The best example I can think of has to do with the proper lordotic curve of the neck (HERE). When you don't have it, your chances of any number of bad outcomes rise dramatically (HERE).
- SCAR TISSUE (FIBROSIS) NOT ADDRESSED: This one is huge. In similar fashion to chiros who believe that with enough adjusting, they'll restore range of motion, therapists are doing something similar. Only instead of adjustments, they are using stretching. Stretching is great. However, you can't stretch your way through the serious SCAR TISSUE and FIBROSIS (HERE or HERE) that so often results in CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROMES.
- RESISTANCE TRAINING TOO SOON: If you follow my site, you see that I am a huge fan of RESISTANCE TRAINING. The problem is that if Scar Tissue is not addressed properly, Resistance Training could quite possibly make things worse. The whole goal of addressing Scar Tissue is to untangle and lengthen the tissue. Working muscles against resistance contracts (i.e shortens) them. Once you are ready; fine. But starting Resistance Training too soon is a recipe for problems.
- TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON MODALITIES: Although they aren't really making people worse, 25 years of experience has shown me that most modalities (ultrasound, electric stimulation, etc) are not incredibly effective --- particularly for helping those dealing with Chronic Pain. The only modality I use in my clinic is COLD LASER because it works completely different than others do (I do use both OXYGEN and WBV with our SPINAL DECOMPRESSION protocol. If you love modalities and feel they are beneficial, that's fine. Instead of paying someone else to use these on you, go on Ebay and buy your own so you can use them whenever you want.
- INFLAMMATION NOT ADDRESSED AT ITS SOURCE(S): A therapist that's done an incredible job of this is , author of IT STARTS WITH FOOD. Although most doctors and therapists would tell you that this bullet point has been addressed because the patients is on "THE BIG FIVE," NSAIDS and Corticosteroids are not addressing inflammation at it's source. They are mopping up a continual mess, instead of trying to shut of the source of said mess. If you want to really understand why INFLAMMATION is such a huge, but largely misunderstood piece of the Chronic Pain puzzle, just click the link. I could have actually added another bullet here that says, "NOT RECOGNIZING THAT CERTAIN PROBLEMS ARE SYSTEMIC INSTEAD OF LOCAL".
Therapy is awesome. But it has to be done properly, and in the right order. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to Chronic Pain. However, a failure to deal with SUBLUXATION and Scar Tissue before progressing on to more intense stretching and various forms of exercise (therapy) can result in less than optimum results --- or even make you worse.
WHAT KIND OF PERSON
COMES TO SEE DOCTOR SCHIERLING?
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL 1ST VISIT LOOK LIKE?
"Is there another way to get from here to there that doesn't take eight years?" I was asked this question by a prospective patient (a PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN) telling me about the thought process that helped him develop a unique method of teaching instrumental music that dramatically shortens the time it takes to become proficient with a violin, fiddle, cello, viola, etc. The fact that I have essentially done something similar with the practice of chiropractic resonated with him. As you might imagine, he had been going through the very same things that THESE INDIVIDUALS had gone through --- the promise that all it would take to fix his problem is lots of chiropractic adjustments (HERE) or therapy (HERE).
As of today, I am in my 25th year in practice. One thing that I can tell you for sure is that when it comes to healthcare, change is the norm. Despite the fact that governmental regulation and out-of-control bureaucracy have made certain aspects of practice more difficult and complicated (HERE, HERE, and HERE), the general principles of health remain the same. My goal is to help you tap into these principles to get out of pain and start the process of taking your life back. For many of you, the process will be as simple as a visit or two to my office (HERE). For others, it may require you to radically change your lifestyle (HERE).
If you are one of the hundreds of millions of Americans dealing with some sort of AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE or CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE, you'll have to spend some time studying and pondering what it's going to take to create a personalized EXIT STRATEGY (hint: your doctor has not been able to do this for you because he / she is not trying to 'solve' your problem; just 'MANAGE' it). Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to health, the good news is that BECAUSE MOST DISEASE PROCESSES HAVE SIMILAR ORIGINS, one size fits most. The bottom line is that if you are not doing something to deal with the INFLAMMATION that is driving your problem(s), sooner or later its effects will catch up with you --- often in ugly and debilitating fashion.
If you are one of the hundreds of millions of Americans dealing with some sort of AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE or CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE, you'll have to spend some time studying and pondering what it's going to take to create a personalized EXIT STRATEGY (hint: your doctor has not been able to do this for you because he / she is not trying to 'solve' your problem; just 'MANAGE' it). Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to health, the good news is that BECAUSE MOST DISEASE PROCESSES HAVE SIMILAR ORIGINS, one size fits most. The bottom line is that if you are not doing something to deal with the INFLAMMATION that is driving your problem(s), sooner or later its effects will catch up with you --- often in ugly and debilitating fashion.
WHAT DOES A VISIT TO DOCTOR SCHIERLING LOOK LIKE?
First, let me tell you what a visit to Dr. Schierling does not look like ---- a recommendation for visits to my clinic three times a week for six weeks, twice a week for three weeks, once a week for several months, and "CHIROPRACTIC MAINTENANCE" for the rest of your life. Don't get me wrong, there is tremendous value in some degree of maintenance, whether we are talking about your car (mechanic), your teeth (dentist), your house (handy man), your soul (church), your body (the gym), or your spine (chiropractic). The problem is that most chiropractors have the definition of "maintenance" completely backwards.
Maintenance means that you are 'maintaining' something ----- i.e. taking care of it before it breaks --- in the absence of visible symptoms / problems. In my profession, "maintenance" is frequently not really maintenance at all because it's the only thing that controls the pain. Unfortunately ---- JUST LIKE DRUGS --- visit after visit after visit after visit of Chiropractic Adjustments are used to manage instead of solve. Sometimes that's all you can really do. Sometimes, but not usually.
There are large numbers of people whose only real pain relief is through CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS (sorry; HYDROS, NSAIDS, and IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPRESSION don't really count as 'maintenance'). Unfortunately, for a significant portion of this same group, the effects of said adjustments are short-lived. For some of you, the adjustment might last a few weeks. For many of you, it might only be a few days --- or even worse; a few hours (HERE).
What makes a trip to Doctor Schierling different? And what does a visit to Schierling Chiropractic, LLC look like if you've never been here before?
Things at Schierling Chiropractic, LLC are simple. There is never a sales pitch. And while I do carry a few WHOLE FOOD SUPPLEMENTS in my office, I do not sell them through my website. Neither will you will not hear me chiding you for not coming to see me often enough, or that if you would just let me give you enough adjustments I could solve all your problems. Again, if I think I can help you, I will help you. If I don't, I won't (HERE is an example).
Below is a short transcript of an email conversation I had with a DESPERATE PATIENT earlier this week (I get so many of these --- many in the form of "Blog Comments" over at DESTROY CHRONIC PAIN --- that I cannot possibly answer them all). If I do answer them at length (HERE are several), it's in the form of a blog post so that everyone gets to share in it.
"Dr. Schierling, I had gall bladder surgery last February and never felt like I recovered from the surgery because I have had stomach problems every since. Shortly after, I got bile gastritis that made my stomach inflamed and raw. I also ended up going to the ER one night with pain under my front ribs on both sides. The Dr. Immediately told me it was costochondritis and would heal itself within a couple months. That was 10 months ago and the soreness of my ribs has only spread and now Drs have told me that's not what I have.
No one knows what it is and I am so miserable. It has never hurt me when I cough or breathe deep. Now all across my front ribs hurt and at times I feel like there's a tight band from my left side to my right side. Putting any pressure on any of my ribs in back also is very painful. When I have any extra stress at all, it gets worse and the band across feels tighter and all I can do is lay down with a heating pad which helps a bit but does not take it away.
Drs have prescribed me all sorts of pain medicines but none seem help in any way and I don't like taking them in regards to not getting gastritis again with anti-inflammatory's etc. I'm reaching out for any answers for this. I could live my life the way I want to if I didn't have this misery all the time. It's better at night when I'm sleeping, and when I first wake up to start my daily routine it flares up immediately.
It's only gotten worse since it started last February and no Dr. I've seen has helped me figure it out. I'm so frustrated not knowing what is causing it and how I can get relief from it. I'm desperate now for answers or any ideas of what it could be. What test will show what's going on in my rib cage. I will so much appreciate any help you can give me! Thank you."
Hello Jane,
Unfortunately, this is probably not something I can help you with.
Sincerely,
Dr. Russ
"In response to my first contact form I didn't go into all the details. Please read and see if this changes anything in regards to what you could possibly do for me.
My gall bladder surgery was due to it being inflamed. Then just short of a month later I got an inflamed stomach. Then my ribs started hurting and the Dr diagnosed me with inflammation /costochondritis which still hurts me daily. My abdomen has hurt me down my right side and all through the middle of my abdomen. I've had all kinds of test for that cat scans, mri's, ultrasounds, x rays, gastropariesis test, ekg's which all turned out with everything normal nothing was wrong. I've been in and out of the ER to no avail. I saw a gastroenterologist for two years. Had two colonoscopy's, two endoscopy's
A stool test last August showed C Diff bacterial infection-inflammation of my intestines. Multiple blood tests showed inflammation. After getting rid of the C Diff infection which took 3 months of 4 rounds of antibiotics I'm still suffering daily throughout my abdomen. All across my ribs and down my right side throughout the middle. I've had two additional surgeries. Appendix removal in 2010, C-section in 1999, then gall bladder Feb 2015.
My Dr. told me after all the tests I've been run through, they have run out of ideas for helping me. I'm so miserable still, something is wrong. I started feeling I was being considered a hypochondriac or something just complaining. The truth is I've been through so much with medical Drs. And hospital ER Drs. That I'm not very trusting of them anymore. I've gotten no where with them helping me find relief from constant pain and misery in regards to all my inflammation.
I also have been dealing with nerves and nerve pain for 6 months on top of this. I have got carpel tunnel too. Was put on medicine for anxiety and depression and I don't like the side affects of the medicine I have no genetics for anxiety or depression. As you can see I'm very very frustrated and don't know where to find my relief. I'm a Mother to five children and am not able to function properly and of course don't like to lay down in bed from pain and misery during the day and suffer through making dinner etc. For my family. I try hard to not show how I feel to my children and my husband has a stack of Dr/hospital bills to pay and I'm still needed answers for relief.
I don't sleep well. My joints started hurting. I feel stiffened when I walk. I feel like my abdomen is swollen and it protrudes. This is all due to lots of inflammation, and Drs have no answers for me since finding nothing with all the tests. I have zero energy. I'm suffering day and night with my ribs and abdomen. I often cry from frustration. My husband will go to any length to get me better. Please reconsider if you can possibly give me any relief at all. I need some relief to at least function a little more than I'm able to now. I love my life and want to enjoy it with out all the suffering I'm going through at this time.
Thank you so much for your time and concern in reading my emails :)"
Hello Jane, I am pulling for you. I am just not convinced that your problem is something I can help you with in my clinic. However, I turned your letter into a blog post for everyone to share in (HERE). Sincerely, Russ S.
Maintenance means that you are 'maintaining' something ----- i.e. taking care of it before it breaks --- in the absence of visible symptoms / problems. In my profession, "maintenance" is frequently not really maintenance at all because it's the only thing that controls the pain. Unfortunately ---- JUST LIKE DRUGS --- visit after visit after visit after visit of Chiropractic Adjustments are used to manage instead of solve. Sometimes that's all you can really do. Sometimes, but not usually.
There are large numbers of people whose only real pain relief is through CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS (sorry; HYDROS, NSAIDS, and IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPRESSION don't really count as 'maintenance'). Unfortunately, for a significant portion of this same group, the effects of said adjustments are short-lived. For some of you, the adjustment might last a few weeks. For many of you, it might only be a few days --- or even worse; a few hours (HERE).
What makes a trip to Doctor Schierling different? And what does a visit to Schierling Chiropractic, LLC look like if you've never been here before?
- CONTACT THE OFFICE: If you are considering becoming one of our OUT-OF-STATE OR INTERNATIONAL PATIENTS, you need to send me your history via our CONTACT PAGE. This same page is where you can see what the clinic looks like and sort of kick the tires. Otherwise just call Cheryl at (417) 934 6337 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are always welcome and will be worked in as time allows.
- PAPERWORK: Unfortunately, if you are coming in as a new patient, there will be some paperwork for you to fill out. However, to make things easier, simply go HERE, print it out at home, and bring the completed forms with you.
- CONSULTATION & EXAM: I will bring you back to my office, discuss YOUR PROBLEM(S), then examine you. If I think I can help you, I will help you here and now. If not, I will try and point you in the right direction (OFTEN LIKE THIS or maybe LIKE THIS). If I am UNSURE, I will tell you that as well.
- TREATMENT: Whatever treatment(s) I do; in most cases my goal is to address the UNDERLYING CAUSE of your pain. For most of you, that goal includes making an immediate here-and-now change (HERE are numerous examples of what I'm talking about). Sometimes --- particularly with acute problems --- this is not possible (HERNIATED DISCS are possibly the best example of this). However, with most chronic, long-standing problems, you will know after one treatment whether or not my approach is going to benefit you. This does not mean that a single treatment will necessarily provide the complete solution, but that you will know whether my approach is helpful.
- POST-TREATMENT: Depending on what problem(s) you saw me for and what we did, I may send you out with advice from my website, EXERCISES, STRETCHES, NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS, POSTURAL REHAB, HOW TO ADDRESS YOUR OWN BACK PAIN, etc, etc, etc (HERE is my clinic's online checklist of handouts). In most cases, I will not make you a follow-up appointment. If you like what I do and feel it's beneficial, fantastic. Call me if and when you want to come back. If not, that's OK to. I don't claim to be able to solve everyone's problems. What I will do is go out of my way to help you in any way I can (example coming momentarily).
- AS YOU LEAVE THE OFFICE: Because our fees are so low --- typically lower than most health insurance co-pays (adjustments are $35.00 and TISSUE REMODELING is $45.00) --- payment is expected at time of service. For new patients, there will be a $40.00 examination fee. If you have questions about anything else, just visit our FAQ PAGE.
- OUT OF STATE OR INTERNATIONAL PATIENTS: For those who are coming from great distances to see me (HERE), make sure to take a look at THIS PAGE as it will answer almost any question you could ask --- other than "Can you help me with........?" or "Who do you know that does the same thing in.....?"
Things at Schierling Chiropractic, LLC are simple. There is never a sales pitch. And while I do carry a few WHOLE FOOD SUPPLEMENTS in my office, I do not sell them through my website. Neither will you will not hear me chiding you for not coming to see me often enough, or that if you would just let me give you enough adjustments I could solve all your problems. Again, if I think I can help you, I will help you. If I don't, I won't (HERE is an example).
Below is a short transcript of an email conversation I had with a DESPERATE PATIENT earlier this week (I get so many of these --- many in the form of "Blog Comments" over at DESTROY CHRONIC PAIN --- that I cannot possibly answer them all). If I do answer them at length (HERE are several), it's in the form of a blog post so that everyone gets to share in it.
"Dr. Schierling, I had gall bladder surgery last February and never felt like I recovered from the surgery because I have had stomach problems every since. Shortly after, I got bile gastritis that made my stomach inflamed and raw. I also ended up going to the ER one night with pain under my front ribs on both sides. The Dr. Immediately told me it was costochondritis and would heal itself within a couple months. That was 10 months ago and the soreness of my ribs has only spread and now Drs have told me that's not what I have.
No one knows what it is and I am so miserable. It has never hurt me when I cough or breathe deep. Now all across my front ribs hurt and at times I feel like there's a tight band from my left side to my right side. Putting any pressure on any of my ribs in back also is very painful. When I have any extra stress at all, it gets worse and the band across feels tighter and all I can do is lay down with a heating pad which helps a bit but does not take it away.
Drs have prescribed me all sorts of pain medicines but none seem help in any way and I don't like taking them in regards to not getting gastritis again with anti-inflammatory's etc. I'm reaching out for any answers for this. I could live my life the way I want to if I didn't have this misery all the time. It's better at night when I'm sleeping, and when I first wake up to start my daily routine it flares up immediately.
It's only gotten worse since it started last February and no Dr. I've seen has helped me figure it out. I'm so frustrated not knowing what is causing it and how I can get relief from it. I'm desperate now for answers or any ideas of what it could be. What test will show what's going on in my rib cage. I will so much appreciate any help you can give me! Thank you."
Hello Jane,
Unfortunately, this is probably not something I can help you with.
Sincerely,
Dr. Russ
"In response to my first contact form I didn't go into all the details. Please read and see if this changes anything in regards to what you could possibly do for me.
My gall bladder surgery was due to it being inflamed. Then just short of a month later I got an inflamed stomach. Then my ribs started hurting and the Dr diagnosed me with inflammation /costochondritis which still hurts me daily. My abdomen has hurt me down my right side and all through the middle of my abdomen. I've had all kinds of test for that cat scans, mri's, ultrasounds, x rays, gastropariesis test, ekg's which all turned out with everything normal nothing was wrong. I've been in and out of the ER to no avail. I saw a gastroenterologist for two years. Had two colonoscopy's, two endoscopy's
A stool test last August showed C Diff bacterial infection-inflammation of my intestines. Multiple blood tests showed inflammation. After getting rid of the C Diff infection which took 3 months of 4 rounds of antibiotics I'm still suffering daily throughout my abdomen. All across my ribs and down my right side throughout the middle. I've had two additional surgeries. Appendix removal in 2010, C-section in 1999, then gall bladder Feb 2015.
My Dr. told me after all the tests I've been run through, they have run out of ideas for helping me. I'm so miserable still, something is wrong. I started feeling I was being considered a hypochondriac or something just complaining. The truth is I've been through so much with medical Drs. And hospital ER Drs. That I'm not very trusting of them anymore. I've gotten no where with them helping me find relief from constant pain and misery in regards to all my inflammation.
I also have been dealing with nerves and nerve pain for 6 months on top of this. I have got carpel tunnel too. Was put on medicine for anxiety and depression and I don't like the side affects of the medicine I have no genetics for anxiety or depression. As you can see I'm very very frustrated and don't know where to find my relief. I'm a Mother to five children and am not able to function properly and of course don't like to lay down in bed from pain and misery during the day and suffer through making dinner etc. For my family. I try hard to not show how I feel to my children and my husband has a stack of Dr/hospital bills to pay and I'm still needed answers for relief.
I don't sleep well. My joints started hurting. I feel stiffened when I walk. I feel like my abdomen is swollen and it protrudes. This is all due to lots of inflammation, and Drs have no answers for me since finding nothing with all the tests. I have zero energy. I'm suffering day and night with my ribs and abdomen. I often cry from frustration. My husband will go to any length to get me better. Please reconsider if you can possibly give me any relief at all. I need some relief to at least function a little more than I'm able to now. I love my life and want to enjoy it with out all the suffering I'm going through at this time.
Thank you so much for your time and concern in reading my emails :)"
Hello Jane, I am pulling for you. I am just not convinced that your problem is something I can help you with in my clinic. However, I turned your letter into a blog post for everyone to share in (HERE). Sincerely, Russ S.
MY GOAL IS ALWAYS TO SEE YOU LEAVE WITH A SOLID GOLD BRICK IN YOUR HAND
As you might guess; in similar fashion to people who are desperate to LOSE WEIGHT, people struggling with Chronic Pain are easy marks for unscrupulous salespersons / healthcare providers. Earlier this week I saw a new patient (a woman) who came to see me because she had 'tendinitis' in her shoulders, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. Her doctors had run a bunch of tests on her and told her they could not find anything wrong, and that she was a hypochondriac. Unfortunately, her problem was not a bunch of localized problems but some sort of systemic problem --- probably autoimmune (HERE or HERE). If you have a systemic problem, your pain will not likely be fixed by adjustments, Tissue Remodeling, supplements, or other similar measures. Plainly stated, it's going to take some radical work on your part.
I also saw a man (Wed) who had been dealing with low back pain since eighth grade and NECK PAIN & HEADACHES for the past three years (as you might imagine, he had received a ton of chiro care and THERAPY both). After discussing his history and examining him, I did Scar Tissue Remodeling on his neck (a lot) and his low back (just a bit), adjusted him, and gave him THIS INFORMATION for his low back, and THIS INFORMATION for his neck and CHRONICALLY TRIGGERED trapezius muscles. The difference was immediate and it was huge. Sure, he will probably need to see me a couple more times. But there's no rush. I told him to call me when his neck, to which we completely normalized his RANGES OF MOTION, starts feeling tight again (Yes, I sent him out with a DAKOTA TRACTION DEVICE so he could get rolling on PHASE II).
Simple. Easy. Inexpensive. Other than the fact that my family never pays for my services, I promise to treat you like I would treat my own family. PUTTING A GOLD BRICK IN YOUR HANDS. It's a pretty good combination. If you are interested in looking at a few of the hundreds of testimonials on our site, HERE is the place to go. If you are wondering what it might take to solve your particular problem(s), look no farther --- it's always a great time to TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.
I also saw a man (Wed) who had been dealing with low back pain since eighth grade and NECK PAIN & HEADACHES for the past three years (as you might imagine, he had received a ton of chiro care and THERAPY both). After discussing his history and examining him, I did Scar Tissue Remodeling on his neck (a lot) and his low back (just a bit), adjusted him, and gave him THIS INFORMATION for his low back, and THIS INFORMATION for his neck and CHRONICALLY TRIGGERED trapezius muscles. The difference was immediate and it was huge. Sure, he will probably need to see me a couple more times. But there's no rush. I told him to call me when his neck, to which we completely normalized his RANGES OF MOTION, starts feeling tight again (Yes, I sent him out with a DAKOTA TRACTION DEVICE so he could get rolling on PHASE II).
Simple. Easy. Inexpensive. Other than the fact that my family never pays for my services, I promise to treat you like I would treat my own family. PUTTING A GOLD BRICK IN YOUR HANDS. It's a pretty good combination. If you are interested in looking at a few of the hundreds of testimonials on our site, HERE is the place to go. If you are wondering what it might take to solve your particular problem(s), look no farther --- it's always a great time to TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.
Dr. Schierling completed four years of Kansas State University's five-year Nutrition / Exercise Physiology Program before deciding on a career in Chiropractic. He graduated from Logan Chiropractic College in 1991, and has run a busy clinic in Mountain View, Missouri ever since. He and his wife Amy have four children (three daughters and a son).
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