Two More Reasons to Consider Chelation Therapy

According to the Mayo Clinic, women aged 70-89 who suffer a heart attack have twice the risk of a significant loss of memory afterwards. The New England journal reports that patients who undergo endovascular surgery for ischemic strokes to try to relieve the blockage in the affected artery do not do as well as those who receive standard care without surgery. Why not offer these patients chelation therapy? The risk is minimal and the potential benefits are huge. Obviously, further studies are needed, but TACT has documented the benefit of chelation for heart disease. This is the tip of the iceberg. See Family Practice News, March 1, 2013, p. 38, 41. Celebration of Health Association website

Acupuncture is Becoming Mainline Medicine

The family medicine departments at University of North Carolina and At Brown University medical schools have included acupuncture in their training of residents. Multiple papers were presented on the therapy at the annual meeting of the Primary Care Research Group last year. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine estimates that 3 million adults and 150,000 children received acupuncture treatments in 2006. I have been offering acupuncture at the COHA in Bluffton, Ohio for the last 5 years with impressive results. The greatest improvements are noted in pain syndromes, including fibromyalgia, back and neck problems, and headaches. See the Family Practice News, January, 2013, P. 1,56. www.healthcelebration.com

Look in the Mirror to See If You Are at Risk for Heart Disease

If you look older than your chronological age when you look in the mirror, your coronary arteries might be developing plaque at an increase rate, according to a landmark study from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which followed patients for 35 years. Other factors that were linked to increased risk for heart attacks were crown top baldness (40%), frontal baldness (14%), ear lobe creases (11%), and white patches on the upper eyelids (35%). Those with these findings should pay close attention to other risk factors, and should consider getting chelation therapy, which is now supported by the TACT study. I have been invited to give a presentation of TACT in Copenhagen in June, 2013. See the proceedings of the American Heart Association Meeting, Nov. 4, 2012 for the skin signs of heart disease and TACT. www.healthcelebration.com

Fatty Liver Disease: the Silent Epidemic

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a problem that affects 20-30% of the population and up to 75% of obese patients. In some cases it can lead to hepatitis, cirrhosis, and death. Genetic factors are suspected. Often there are no symptoms until the problem is advanced because the liver can function with as little as 25% remaining intact. There is no approved treatment other than transplant. Weight loss helps some, and vitamin E 800iu daily helps normalize microscopic changes. We also see liver enzymes improve with milk thistle and alpha lipoic acid. See New England Journal of Medicine 2010;362:1675-85. www.healthcelebration.com

Vision Impairment Rises Rapidly in the U.S. Population

During the last decade, vision impairment due to factors other than refractive changes of ageing rose by 21%. The main suspected cause is an increase in Diabetes. 700,000 additional individuals have developed such conditions as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. Holistic ophthalmologist Edward Konkrot has developed a comprehensive treatment to treat these conditions effectively. We at Celebration of Health Center in Bluffton, Ohio have been trained by Dr. Kondrot to provide this treatment. Call us for more information at 419-358-4627. See the NHANES survey, reported in JAMA, 2012;308:2361-8. www.healthcelebration.com

Bullying is a Significant Health Factor

Bullying can cause long-term health factors, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal ideation. Overweight children and those with food allergies are high risk to become victims. Not infrequently food allergies are a cause of obesity, one that is sometimes difficult to detect. An Elisa blood test followed by elimination and challenge can pin point the problem. We find that desensitization by tapping on acupuncture points (no needles) or by shots every two months can be very effective treatments for food allergies. See Mount Sinai’s Elliot and Roslyn Food Allergy Institute, reported in Pediatrics, Dec. 24, 2012, p. 1180. www.healthcelebration.com

Does Obesity Increase All-cause Mortality?—It Depends

A large study published in JAMA showed that prominent obesity (BMI >35) increased all-cause mortality, but that slight obesity (BMI >30) did not increase the risk and being just overweight (BMI >25) actually decreased all-cause mortality significantly. Thus a few extra pounds might be beneficial, but overdoing it certainly puts you at risk. Very interesting. See JAMA, January 2, 2013, p. 71-82.

Exercise Breaks Prove Valuable

According to an article in the AMA journal, moderate to vigorous exercise at regularly scheduled times for 5-10 minutes can improve health outcomes. If such breaks can be worked into the daily work schedule, it would help reduce obesity, decrease ischemic heart disease, improve mental alertness, and probably improve productivity. The article suggested that physicians lead the way to work exercise breaks into their daily schedules. See JAMA, January 9, 2013, p. 141-2.

FDA Warns About the Safety of Metal-on-Metal Hips

Metal-on-metal hip replacements have failure rates two to three times the rate of non-metal devices. In addition, they release toxic metal ions, according to a warning released by the FDA updated in January, 2013. The warning did not include testing for toxic metals. But a simple challenge test using EDTA can test for these metals, and chelation therapy can remove them from the body, hopefully before significant damage is done. Patients with metal hips should see a doctor knowledgeable in chelation therapy as soon as possible. See the web sites of the FDA, icimed.com, and acam.org.