Metformin Can Increase Neuropathy

Metformin is a very commonly prescribed drug for Diabetes, polycystic ovaries, and even has been touted as an anti-aging therapy.  However, a Swedish study has found that metformin can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency, which in turn has been linked to peripheral neuropathies.  If you are taking metformin, you should be tested for B12.  If you already have a neuropathy a trial of B12 injections might be beneficial.

 See Family Practice News, October 15, p. 3.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website  

 

Chelation is Much More Effective than New Drug to Prevent CV Death for Diabetics

The new drug, empaliflozin, reduces the risk for future cardiac events, including premature death by 14% when added to conventional care.  This was in the front-page article of Family Practice News in October.  However, the TACT study of chelation produced a reduction of the same end points by about 50%.  Chelation also reduces the toxic metal load for patients, which might lessen the risk of cancer and other diseases.  If you are a diabetic, or even a pre-diabetic, I urge you to consider chelation.  Without chelation, having diabetes shortens the lifespan by 5-7 years.  Nothing works better.

See Family Practice News, October 15, 2015, p. 1.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website  

The FDA IS Going After Arthritic Patients and Their Docs?

Word is out that the FDA is formulating regulations to prohibit or restrict the use of Platelet Rich Plasma, which is spun down from a sample of your own blood and then injected into your unstable joints.  To me this is an outrageous intrusion into the patient/doctor relationship.  However, I have found by talking to many of my colleagues that simple prolotherapy using dextrose and lidocaine works just as well and is safer and cheaper than PRP.  We use prolotherapy all the time with excellent results for most patients.

See  The Pulse of Natural Health,  April 28, 2015.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Estimate Your Heart Age. If it is High, Do something About it!

Go to cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart-age.htm, and follow the instructions to calculate your heart age.  If it is higher than your chronological age, you can lower your heart age with diet, exercise, stress reduction, smoking cessation, and most importantly in my experience, by getting chelation therapy.  It is never too late—start today.  You can also go into much more detail about your risk of heart attack or stroke by going to an alternative doctor.

See cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart-age.htm.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website  

Why the Cost of Meds and Vitamins are Escalating Rapidly

Specialists in Infectious Disease are anticipating an increase in cost for Daraprim, which is a major drug to treat life-threatening parasitic diseases. Only one company makes.  The cost is $13.50 per tablet for this 62 y.o. drug.  Turing Pharmaceuticals has recently bought the company that makes the drug and has announced that it will now charge $750 per pill.  IV vitamin C until recently cost us about $12 a bottle.  Next thing we know the price jumped up to $65 per bottle, with no explanation.  We can get a blood test for vitamin D3 for about $40 for a patient.  The usual charge for free-standing or hospital labs for the same test can range from $200-400.  Corporate greed is killing our health care system.  I hope someone can stop this from happening.

See the Toledo Blade, September 21, 2015, p. 4.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website  

Poor Circulation Might be More Dangerous than You Think

Dr. Samih Bittar wrote a special article to the Toledo Blade on the dangers of poor circulation.  This affects 8 million Americans, many of who are not aware that they have a problem.  Signs and symptoms include pain in your calf with exercise, pain in the front of your foot, sore on your feet that do not heal easily, shiney skin or loss of hair in your feet, and a weak pulse on top of your foot or behind the medial ankle bone.  If you have these complaints, you should be tested by an ultrasound or at least by checking the blood pressure in the arm and leg.  The latter should be higher than the former.  What you can do is control your diabetes, BP, and cholesterol, quit smoking, get regular exercise.  Above all, see an alternative doc and get chelation therapy—it could make a big difference to feel better and to avoid getting a major heart attack.

See Toledo Blade,  Peach section, September 21, 2015.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website  

A Fresh Look at Saving a Million Hearts

The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians has launched the Million Hearts program in 20 sites throughout Ohio.  Mainly it consists on putting more targeted patients on drugs for hyperlipidemia and hypertension.  First of all, there are natural ways to accomplish these goals.  Secondly, the new Boston Heart Blood profile goes into far more detail about the risks that each patient has for developing vascular problems, while documenting nutritional and lifestyle approaches that can effectively reduce these risks.  The lab accepts assignment as long as you have Medicare or some form of insurance other than Cigna (so there is no cost to the patient).  Thirdly, we now have proof that chelation therapy is effective for preventing heart attacks.  If you procrastinate and ignore these effective treatments, you risk sudden death from our number one killer, heart disease.

Go to www.ohioafp.org.

Celebration of HealthAssociation website