CAT Scans are Dangerous

Yes, it is true that CAT scans expose patients to far more radiation that previously thought, and this could be very dangerous to your health. The Archives of Internal Medicine estimates that the overuse of CAT scans might contribute to 29,000 new cancers and 14,500 deaths each year. Because CAT scans are now available at many community hospitals now, and they do give good information to follow patients, their use has exploded. However, there are other tests, such as ultrasounds and MRIs that are much safer because they do not use Xrays, which cause cancer. Always ask if there is an alternative test to use or if the CAT scan is really necessary at this point. It is your total lifetime exposure that is the major factor. Save it until you really need it.

See Archives of Internal Medicine (click here) and USA Today (click here), December 15, 2009,

New Acne Guidelines

The Global Alliance to Improve Acne Outcomes has updated its treatment guidelines. No longer are oral antibiotics recommended for long-term use. The reason is that antibiotic resistance is emerging. A far more important reason, in my opinion, is that yeast overgrowth commonly occurs and wrecks havoc on the immune system. Topical retinoids like Retin-A, topical antibiotics, and Benzoyl peroxide at prescription strength are now recommended with the use of laser therapy if needed. Severe cases should be treated by a dermatologist. Diet supposedly plays no role, but in my experience, food allergies sometimes play a role.

See Family Practice News(click here), July 1, 2009, P.32.

New Drug to Treat Fibromyalgia

Forest Pharmaceuticals introduced Savella this fall to treat fibromyalgia, and it might be helpful for a few patients with this debilitating problem. Listed side effects include life-threatening serotonin syndrome or neuroleptic malignant syndrome, severe hypertension, tachycardia, mania, seizures, tripling of liver enzymes, increased risk of bleeding, headaches, constipation, insomnia, urinary retention, and others. Why not try thyroid and adrenal support, yeast treatment, and the many natural methods to control pain and inflammation? They are many times safer and usually quite effective, albeit different combinations are needed for each patient, which eliminates success in double-blind clinical trials.

See side effects for Salvella (click here) go to bottom of page and pull up the medical information.

Do Contaminated Dietary Supplements Pose a Threat?

The New England Journal of Medicine posted an alert on October 7, 2009 that 140 products on the market have been identified as having contamination with potentially toxic substances. Many are from outside the United States. NEJM calls for more regulation. Yes and no. Even with such contamination, vitamins and minerals are far safer than drugs. Hardly anyone dies of supplement ingestion and thousands die of drugs each year. If supplements were required to undergo the same testing as drugs, they would rapidly disappear, because their cost would be prohibitive. And they are far too valuable and much safer for that consequence. This was affirmed by the DSHEA act of Congress several years ago. However, the NEJM has a point. Some testing for toxicity should be required, and the best companies already do this on their own. It would be a disaster for Big Pharma and the AMA to successfully outlaw supplements so that all we would have to use are drugs. For now, the answer should be to get your supplements from a holistic physician or from a source recommended by one—they will know which ones are reliable and which ones are not.

See healthcarereform.nejm.org

Vitamin D Protects Against H1N1 Flu

A report from Dr. Norris Glick at the Central Wisconsin Center in Madison, WI concludes that vitamin D protects against the swine flu. CWC is a long term facility for people with developmental disabilities. For several years, the 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood levels have been monitored and patients have been treated if they are low. However, staff have not been so treated. In June, 2009, there was an outbreak of H1N1 flu. Only 2 out of 275 patients in the facility came down with H1N1, while 103 out of 800 staff members got the disease. Unfortunately, the CDC and state health authorities have ignored these findings. I recommend vitamin D supplements for most of my patients. I also want to protect them against heart disease, strokes, cancer and autoimmune problems.

Contact vitamindcouncil@vitamindcouncil.org

Growth Hormone Would be Very Useful if not Suppressed by the American Medical Association

A Harvard study showed that overweight patients have 75% less Growth Hormone than normal, and that this risk translates into a higher incidence of atherosclerosis. One might think that cardiologists would rush to treat their obese patients with HGH to prevent heart attacks and strokes. However, the AMA and thus state Medical Boards repeatedly harass physicians for using this natural hormone for treating practically any adult patient. In my opinion, it should be malpractice not to treat such patients, not the other way around. This amounts to just another catastrophe in the politics of medicine.

See Family Practice News, September 1, 2009, p. 16.

Tight Blood Pressure Control has Mixed Results

We know that controlling BP to 130 mm Hg instead of 140 in diabetic patients significantly reduces the risk for heart attacks. A group in Italy studied non-diabetic patients with hypertension to see if they could get similar results. They did reduce the incidence of Left ventricular enlargement by about half (from 9% to 5%). Because they needed to use more drugs to accomplish this improvement, the incidence of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and death were the same in both groups. Since the study was funded by a major drug company, they did not state the obvious conclusion, that yes we should lower the blood pressure more than we do now, but we need to use non-drug methods to do so. When will we ever learn?

See Family Practice News (click here), September 1, 2009, p. 15.