Anger, Hostility, Depression Linked to Heart Disease

Studies in both the United States and Britain published in a leading cardiology journal showed a higher incidence of coronary artery disease and a worse prognosis in patients that exhibited anger, hostility and depression. Antidepressant use was not particularly helpful, because it increased the incidence of sudden death, probably from arrhythmias. A simple test called Heart Rate Variability can assess the balance between the parasympathetic (relaxing) and sympathetic (stimulating) parts of the nervous system. This will identify your degree of risk. There are many ways to learn to relax more effectively and reduce your risk substantially.

See Journal of American College of Cardiology(subscription required) 3/17/2009

Vitamin C to Prevent Gout

Researchers from Canada found that those who took vitamin C supplements in excess of 1500 mg a day had a much less risk of developing Gout, a painful swelling of the joints, especially in the feet. Those with the highest risk took less than 250 mg a day. This is a particularly important finding because there are drugs that are pretty effective against Gout (Indocin, Alopurinol and Colchicine), but they have potentially severe side effects. Cherry juice is another preventive agent for gout.

See Archives of Internal Medicine (subsciption required) 3/9/09

Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease

The Los Angles Times reported on April 20, 2009 on the work of Beate Ritz of UCLA that showed a 75% higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease in those who lived within 500 yards of fields that were sprayed with the common fungicide maneb, and herbicide paraquat. Chemical toxicity might be an important cause of Parkinson’s disease, leading to therapies such as milk thistle to detoxify chemicals, chelation therapy to reduce heavy metals, and various techniques to increase glutathione, which helps in the detoxification of the brain.

See American Journal of Epidemiology (click here) and Los Angles Times (click here)

Swine Flu “Epidemic”

Sorry about the delay in getting my views on the swine flu scare. First, at least in the United States, this seems to be a mild flu that is spreading fairly slowly. The last swine flu scare was in 1976, and more people died from the hastily-prepared vaccine than from the flu. And many others developed Guillain-Barre syndrome (ascending paralysis), tragically. The FDA and the FTC are patrolling the internet looking for “fraudulent advice” from people with vested interest. The anti-viral drug, Tamiflu, has been suggested as a treatment, but it is not approved for swine flu, nothing is. And Tamiflu has a host of side effects. Your doctor can test you for flu with a nasal swab, and currently if positive, the lab will proceed to test for swine flu as well. For treatment, I would suggest high doses of vitamin C and D and garlic, as well as other herbal remedies and perhaps homeopathics against viruses. I would be wary of any vaccine for this problem, and Joe Biden’s suggestions of avoiding crowds and washing hands actually sounded pretty good to me.

Don’t Let a Hospital Make You Sick

A recent article in Parade Magazine listed ways you can avoid being one of the 98,000 Americans a year that die due to medical mistakes. Many more die as expected complications of drugs and surgery provided according to accepted guidelines. Some of the measures you can take are making sure your doctor is actively trying to prevent blood clots from lying in bed, being sure your surgical site is marked on the correct side, asking nurses and doctors to wash their hands and stethoscopes prior to examining you in the hospital, and asking the IV lines and catheters be removed as soon as possible. Better yet, if you use integrative medicine, which includes office-based IV’s of vitamins and minerals, you might be able to avoid going to the hospital in the first place.

See Parade magazine, February 8, 2009, page 12-13(click here)

The Need for Medical Homes and Natural Therapies

Medicare patients saw an average of 7.9 physicians a year, according to a report delivered at the American Heart Association. And those with congestive heart failure saw an average of 23 physicians per year. In 2005 the CHF patients accounted for 37% of the total spent on Medicare, and 50% of the inpatient costs. The American Academy of Family Physicians are pushing for designated Medical Homes that would coordinate all the care received by a patient. This would reduce costs substantially, but an even greater decrease in costs and increase in effectiveness could be achieved by using l-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, d-ribose, magnesium and heavy metal detoxification, as recommended by integrative cardiologists Stephen Sinatra and James Roberts.


See Family Practice News, January 15, 2009 issue, page 1. Subscription required.

Synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy in Dangerous

The Women’s Health Initiative, a large ongoing study centered in Harvard, reports that women who stop synthetic PremPro products had an abrupt 8.6% decrease in the incidence of breast cancer beginning in 2003. Some argue that decreased use of mammograms also played a role in the lower incidence. This could be due to a lower detection of existent cancers OR an increased risk due to radiation exposure with compression of the breasts. A safer policy would be to use bio-identical hormones if needed, especially natural progesterone instead of the worst culprit, progestin. Further, use thermography for breast screening. Dr. Michael Godfrey in New Zealand reports that he has detected a number of cases of documented breast cancer detected by thermograms and missed by mammograms that were cured by nutritional therapy and detoxification. He is having difficulty getting his findings published. Wonder why?

See Family Practice News, January 15, 2009 issue, page 1. Subscription required.

Natural Treatment for Nail Fungus

Toenail and fingernail fungus can be difficult to treat and might take months to heal. Tea tree oil sometimes helps. An ad in Mother Earth News provides a money-back guarantee for an herbal soak product that sounds very good, not only for nail fungus but also for athlete’s foot and cracked heals. If the problem returns, an anti-fungal program would include at least a low carb diet, probiotics, and oral antifungal agents, such as capryllic acid and oregano oil.

Contact Long Creek Herbs (click here)