Foods Can Help You Sleep

Things to avoid to prepare you for sleep are large meals at bedtime, chocolate, and alcohol. Things to help include lite bites of food (unless you have reflux), kiwis in the evening (increases serotonin), and tart cheery juice (increases melatonin). During the day, go outside for natural sunlight and some exercise and at night, sleep in a dark room with no electronics. See the AARP newsletter, Strive for Healthy Living, Fall, 2013. Celebration of Health Association website

Diabetic Drugs Cause Cardiovascular Disease?

In 2011, the FDA slammed restrictions on the diabetic drug, rosiglitazone, because it apparently increased the risk of vascular problems. Most diabetic complications are vascular. Other new diabetic drugs also had suspicious results. Now the FDA is saying there isn’t enough evidence to say they are safe or dangerous. A much better choice would be IV chelation therapy. The TACT study showed a 40% decrease in cardiac events in patients with diabetes and a history of a heart attack when they took chelation for only a year and a half. See Hunting for cardiovascular signals from diabetic drugs in Family Practice News, 11/1/13, p. 1, 17. and Google TACT.

Recent Evidence on Screening Procedures

A Family Practice journal’s editorial reports that evidence now states that testicular and breast self-exams are no longer recommended. PSA’s in men and mammograms for women younger than 50 have mixed benefits at best. But the most harm could come from genomic screening. What would you do with the information if you found out that at age 30 you have the gene that makes it likely that you will develop Alzheimer’s disease? Currently there are no early interventions “approved” to alter that gene, although in alternative medicine we have some nutritional approaches to try to alter gene expression. Some might take the information as a challenge, but others could develop crippling depression. My inclination is to focus on the factors we can do something about and act accordingly. See J Hickner, Will Screening Open Pandora’s Box? Journal of Family Practice 2013;62:465. Celebration of Health Association website

Do More Guns Make Us Safer?

The American Journal of Medicine published a study that answers this question in the negative. The United States has 88.8 guns per hundred people and a fire-arm related death rate of 10.2 deaths per 100,000 people. The United Kingdom has 6.2 guns per hundred people and a 0.25 fire-arm death rate. Japan has 0.6 guns per hundred people and a 0.06 fire-arm death rate. Canada is in between, with 30.8 guns per hundred people and a 2.44 fire-arm death rate. There was no correlation between the mental illness rate in a country and its crime rate, but there was a positive correlation between the mental illness rate and fire-arm related deaths. Interestingly, the crime rate in the U.S. is only about half the rate in Canada and in the United Kingdom, but Japan’s crime rate is less than half of ours. Obviously, there are multiple factors at play. See S Bangalore, American Journal of Medicine 2013;126:873-876.

First, Do No Harm

Hippocrates issued this often-repeated mantra for the medical profession. Unfortunately, with the side effects of medications and the complications of surgery, modern medicine often pays minimal attention to this important guideline. An article in the AMA journal goes one step further and advocates screening for financial harm. Patients without insurance are often shocked by huge medical bills, sometimes way out of proportion for the benefit gained. One of the leading causes of bankruptcy is medical bills for people who have insurance! Generally speaking, complementary and alternative medicine is much less expensive than conventional treatment, and it is often very successful. Be a mindful consumer. Choose wisely, and ask for the cost ahead of time. It will probably take you a while to get the cost, especially if a hospital is involved, but it is your right to know what you are getting yourself into. Moriates C and associates, JAMA, August 14, 2013, p. 577-8. Celebration of Health Association website healthcelebration.com

Are Fish Oil Supplements Safe and Effective

Lately, fish oil supplements, otherwise known as Omega-3 fatty acids, have come under fire both for effectiveness and safety. According to a meta-analysis by Rizos and associates, published in the AMA journal, the benefit in preventing cardiac events is less than previously thought. However, the benefit for treating bipolar disorder, autoimmune problems, and other illnesses remains unchallenged. A questionable link to prostate cancer has been reported. I have seen the benefits of fish oil for many conditions, but the problem lies in that many fish oil products on the market are contaminated with Mercury and other toxic chemicals. The company supplier that we use carefully tests all of its products to be sure that they are pure. That is extremely important. Further, fish oils are an adjunct to other therapies. Use them in conjunction with chelation therapy for vascular disease or nattokinase to prevent clotting. I would generally not recommend using them by themselves. See Monaco J and associates. The Journal of Family Practice, August 2013, p. 422-4. Celebration of Health Association website

Save the Bees

Bees are dying all over the world. The European Union has responded by banning Neonic pesticides, which have been linked to this massive destruction of bees. Bayer has responded by suing the EU to allow it to continue to use their product, even though it threatens to cause a huge disruption of our food chain. Food safety authorities say that this pesticide can easily by replaced by much safer chemicals. See EU insecticide ban triggers legal action. Nature News, 28 August, 2013. Celebration of Health Association website