Today's GMA Report on Supplements

Did you see today's GMA report on supplements? I was expecting a well-researched, well presented segment, as ABC usually does (at the very least) a satisfactory job on reporting events and stories. That said, they missed the mark today. There's probably a link to the report on their site, if you're so inclined. Here's the letter I wrote and mailed this morning:

ABC News/GMA Consumer Report: Dirty Dozen Supplements: Seriously??

I was disappointed in your terroristic-flavored reporting of three herbal supplements, which aired this morning on GMA. The teasers were attention-grabbing, but the content of the report was thin, lack-luster and manipulative in nature, especially since you admitted the first supplement, Aconite, isn’t even used in the US, but is in China. You are Good Morning, America...right? According to the American Cancer Society, Aconite is not commercially prepared in the US: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/aconite

The ACS goes on to mention:

“When used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine, aconite is first processed to reduce its toxicity, and small doses are used to treat pain related to arthritis, cancer, gout, inflammation, migraine headaches, neuralgia, rheumatism, and sciatica. Certain ingredients are extracted from the leaves, flowers, and roots of the plant. It is available as a tincture, tea, ointment, or highly diluted into a homeopathic remedy.”

Poisonous substances have obviously been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Chemotherapy is toxic, too, as it’s purpose is to kill off cancer cells. Side effect: It kills the good cells, too.

There are all kinds of toxic/poisonous substances around us every day. We breathe in cigarette smoke, vehicle emissions, commercial (plant) emissions, vapors from road and other construction, etc. Poinsettia plants are toxic when consumed by dogs, but that doesn’t stop people from displaying them at Christmas. Mercury dental amalgams (silver fillings) are still the standard, albeit archaic, practice used by many American dentists --- talk about toxic! And millions of unsuspecting, trusting people walk around with them in their mouths 24/7. And you report on a substance that’s not even used or manufactured in the US.....Oh, don’t get me started!!

Seriously -- why even bother mentioning this nonsense about Aconite, especially at the top of the story?

The ‘other’ story: Herbs are the root pharmaceuticals (synthetics). However, herbs cannot be patented, which is why scientists are employed by pharmaceutical companies to modify them to create a new (synthetic) substance, so that they can be patented, manufactured (at the cost of pennies), marketed and sold, resulting in millions, and even billions of dollars in revenues. But at what cost to the consumer? (Keep in mind that I asked that question as you continue to read.)

There’s a bigger picture. Here’s a list of the top 10 pharmaceutical drugs from the Top 200 Products in the US Market by Sales, 2009:

Rank Product Manufacturer Revenue ($)

1 Lipitor Pfizer 7,549,791

2 Nexium AstraZeneca 6,303,553

3 Plavix Bristol-Myers Squibb/sanofi-aventis 5,586,824

4 Advair Diskus GlaxoSmithKline 4,672,163

5 Seroquel AstraZeneca 4,153,251

6 Abilify Otsuka 3,999,490

7 Singulair Merck/Schering-Plough 3,739,883

8 Actos Takeda 3,416,227

9 Enbrel Amgen 3,251,203

10 Epogen Amgen 3,208,132

11 Remicade Johnson & Johnson 3,197,168

12 Crestor AstraZeneca 3,038,476

13 Avastin Genentech 3,028,784

14 Neulasta Amgen 2,991,317

15 OxyContin Purdue 2,895,064

16 Cymbalta Lilly 2,835,613

17 Effexor XR Pfizer 2,788,211

18 Lexapro Forest 2,760,507

19 Lovenox sanofi-aventis 2,731,950

20 Zyprexa Lilly 2,678,513

There’s 180 more: http://www.pharmacytimes.com/issue/pharmacy/2010/May2010/RxFocusTopDrugs-0510

Let’s looks at #1 ranked Lipitor, a drug that has done well because the American public is undereducated about optimum nutritional choices and generally malnourished (although obesity and diabetes are on the rise). Medical doctors are offered zero hours of nutritional training in medical school, rendering them unable to make qualified nutritional recommendations in the best interest of their patients. It doesn’t make them bad doctors --- just un- or under-qualified nutritionists.

Here’s the skinny right off the Lipitor site:

http://www.lipitor.com/aboutLipitor/sideEffects.aspx

Who Should Not Take LIPITOR?

Do not take LIPITOR if you:

• Are pregnant or think you may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant. LIPITOR may harm your unborn baby. If you get pregnant, stop taking LIPITOR and call your doctor right away

• Are breast feeding. LIPITOR can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby

• Have liver problems

• Are allergic to LIPITOR or any of its ingredients. The active ingredient is atorvastatin *****see my note below, Drug Interactions*****

What Are the Possible Side Effects of LIPITOR?

LIPITOR can cause serious side effects. These side effects have happened only to a small number of people. Your doctor can monitor you for them. These side effects usually go away if your dose is lowered or LIPITOR is stopped.

These serious side effects include:

• Muscle problems. LIPITOR can cause serious muscle problems that can lead to kidney problems, including kidney failure. You have a higher chance for muscle problems if you are taking certain other medicines with LIPITOR.

• Liver problems. LIPITOR can cause liver problems. Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start taking LIPITOR, and while you take it.

Call your doctor right away if:

• You have muscle problems like weakness, tenderness, or pain that happen without a good reason, especially if you also have a fever or feel more tired than usual

• You have allergic reactions including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing, which may require treatment right away

• You experience nausea and vomiting

• You pass brown or dark-colored urine

• You feel more tired than usual

• Your skin and whites of your eyes get yellow

• You have stomach pain

• You have an allergic skin reaction

In clinical studies, patients reported the following common side effects while taking LIPITOR:

• Diarrhea

• Upset stomach

• Muscle and joint pain

• Alterations in some laboratory tests

The following additional side effects have been reported with LIPITOR:

• Tiredness

• Tendon problems

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have side effects that bother you or that will not go away. These are not all the side effects of LIPITOR. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a complete list.

Before You Start LIPITOR

Tell your doctor if you:

• Have muscle aches or weakness

• Drink more than 2 glasses of alcohol daily

• Have diabetes

• Have a thyroid problem

• Have kidney problems

Some medicines should not be taken with LIPITOR. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including:

• Prescription and nonprescription medicines

• Vitamins

• Herbal supplements

LIPITOR and certain other medicines can interact causing serious side effects. Tell your doctor if you are taking any medicines, especially those for:

• Your immune system

• Cholesterol

• Infections

• Birth control

• Heart failure

• HIV or AIDS

••••••••••

What they fail to mention specifically are:

DRUG INTERACTIONS: Decreased elimination of atorvastatin could increase levels of atorvastatin in the body and increase the risk of muscle toxicity from atorvastatin. Therefore, atorvastatin should not be combined with drugs that decrease its elimination. Examples of such drugs include erythromycin (E-Mycin), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), clarithromycin (Biaxin), telithromycin (Ketek), cyclosporine (Sandimmune), nefazodone (Serzone), and HIV protease inhibitors such as indinavir (Crixivan) and ritonavir (Norvir).

NOTE: Erythromycin is widely prescribed, yet not mentioned on the site. Most people don’t do the kind of research I do. Can’t pharmaceutical companies be more specific about their products --- especially when it comes to safety? I, for one, am allergic to erythromycin. Thankfully, I don’t have health issues, and therefore don’t find myself in a position to be faced with the decision whether or not to take Lipitor.

More here: http://www.medicinenet.com/atorvastatin/article.htm

Lipitor is a member of a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. The statins include lovastatin (brand name: Mevacor), simvastatin (Zocor), pravastatin (Pravachol), fluvastatin (Lescol), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and cerivastatin (Baycol) (Baycol was withdrawn from the market in August 2001). Statin drugs are known to cause muscle pains and inflammation around the muscle cells (myositis). It should also be noted that the risk of muscle injury is greater when a statin is combined with other drugs that also cause muscle damage by themselves. For example, when lovastatin (Mevacor) is used alone to lower cholesterol, muscle damage occurs on the average in one person out of about every 500. However, if lovastatin (Mevacor) is used in combination with other drugs such as niacin, gemfibrozil (Lopid), or fenofibrate (Tricor) to further reduce cholesterol levels, the risk of muscle injury skyrockets to one person out of every 20 to 100 who receive the combination. The risk of muscle damage is thus multiplied five- to 25-fold by using a combination of a statin and another cholesterol-lowering drug rather than by just using statin alone.

In fact, the manufacturers of statins recommend that any patient taking a statin "should be advised to report promptly any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness...When a muscle disease is suggested, the doctor stops the statin drug."

You see, statin drugs cause three types of muscle conditions. First, they can cause muscle aching. This condition generally reverses itself within weeks of discontinuing the drugs. Second, they can cause muscle pains and mild muscle inflammation that may also be accompanied by minor weakness. Blood testing for the muscle enzyme, CPK, is mildly elevated. This condition also generally reverses, but it may take several months to resolve. Third, statins can cause severe muscle inflammation and damage so that not only are the muscles painful all over the body, they also become severely weakened. Heart muscle can even (rarely) become affected. Blood testing for the muscle enzyme, CPK, is markedly elevated. When the muscles are severely damaged, the muscle cells release proteins into the blood that collect in and can damage the kidneys. This can lead to kidney failure and require dialysis.

More about that here:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=16431

And there’s much more. The FDA has received reports from AERS, the Adverse Event Reporting System, showing serious risks that have been identified for several pharmaceutical products, including Lipitor, which has shown cases of cognitive disorders.

AERS: https://www.prosoftedc.com/aers/lipitor.html

FDA: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Surveillance/AdverseDrugEffects/ucm199544.htm

The deal with high cholesterol is learning to make high quality nutritional food choices. It’s really that simple. Educate America.

There’s no need for me to go through the whole top 10 list....you get the point.

There are those who are sent home by their doctors to die. They are told, “there’s nothing more I can do for you,” and they’re sent packing --- with no mention of food or review of lifestyle choices.

Any practitioner worth their credential knows that:

Knowing one’s lifestyle choices is crucial in getting to the crux of their health issues.

When we find the source of the patient’s stress (condition, etc.), we are then able to make qualified decisions to correct the issue, and provide suggestions to pave a road to good health, rather than treat symptoms.

So next time you do a story on “herbs”, it would be helpful (and lend credibility) to provide solid information that makes sense, rather than “skim, scam and scare” your viewership. Why not do a story about herbs which can help people who cannot or unsuccessfully take pharmaceutical products for a given condition....Oh, heck, be a Rock Star and add solid nutritional information!

But get the information from a trained nutritionist, not a dietician. I’m not suggesting that one is ‘better’ than the other, but nutritional training would be optimum in this case as the training between the two fields is very different. (I don’t have the gardener rewire my house, but the gardener and the electrician both work on my house.)

In the very best of health,

Kristin Mills, ND, CNHP

*********

OC

Servando Perez Wins!

I just received this email from Charlie Brown,

Consumers for Dental Choice, as a follow up

to last week's story about Professor Servando

Perez:

Thank you, Servando!

After a month-long lock-in at a Spanish hospital and a bold

hunger strike, Professor Servando Pérez has won the right

to detoxification treatment for his dental mercury poisoning.

As president of the Spanish amalgam-poisoned patient

association Mercuriados, and First Vice President of the

World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, Servando is

a well-respected leader of the mercury-free dentistry

movement.

His Spanish court case established that Spain’s public health

care system is required to pay for the chelation of amalgam-

poisoned patients. When the hospital attempted to subvert

the court’s decision, Servando refused to leave the hospital

until he received treatment. Harassed and pressured by

hospital staff, he declared a hunger strike last week to

protest this egregious denial of treatment. People from

around the world contacted the hospital administrators and

the Spanish government, voicing their support for the Gandhi

of the mercury-free dentistry movement.

Finally, the hospital relented late last week. Servando was

referred to a toxicologist for treatment – a step hospital

administrators should have taken over a month ago.

While there remain concerns over the quality of treatment

he will receive, this achievement is nonetheless a

momentous leap forward in the battle to help amalgam victims.

Clara Valverde, President of the Spanish environmental illness

association Liga SFC, issued the following statement on behalf

of Servando: “We want to thank all the scientists, doctors,

associations and individuals who, all over the world, during

Servando’s lock-in and hunger strike, have contacted the

Spanish and the Galician [provincial] authorities to protest

for Servando's situation and who have shown support for

our fight. We hope to continue to count on your support.”

Thank you to everyone who spoke out in support of Servando.

And thank you, Servando, for all the work you do for this

movement.

-- Charlie

Charles G. Brown
President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice
3 August 2010

Charlie greets Servando at the first session of the world

mercury treaty negotiations in Stockholm.

*********

Together, we DO make a difference!

OC

Sargenti Paste: Dental Negligence that Kills

The LNH blog feeds into other health related sites. I just received this email from one of them:

"My sister was severely harmed by a dentist using Sargenti paste. She and another injured patient started a website to alert the public about the harm that this toxic paste can wreak on the unsuspecting patient. It is www.worstrootcanalever.com. Please go there and check out all our information.

Would you be willing to share your story with us and identify the dentist that used it, we have a list of Sargenti Users.

Thank you!
Annemarie"

http://www.sargentipaste.org/

•••••••••

You bet, Annemarie! Email me privately at kristy@lagunanaturalhealth.com. Here's another shocking story on her website:

DEATH BY SARGENTI ROOT CANAL

A 1974 death of a California woman in a dentist office was connected to Sargenti Paste/N2. People have actually died from this and still nothing has been done. How many more cases of death are there?

Click on the link above for the rest of the story and more.

OC

Quote of the Month

"For evil to flourish, all that is needed is for good people to do nothing." ---- Edmund Burke That said, it's time all of us wake up and do something about anything that is happening around your town, and/or your nation that needs to be "fixed", and do your part to make a change. The easiest thing to do is to call/write your state representatives and voice your opinions and suggestions. They don't have all the answers -- and from what we've seen, they need viable suggestions! Simply google you state representatives, i.e. "california state representatives" -- their names and contact information will appear. Then call -- and write. It's that easy. We can't sit by anymore and let things 'go' by the wayside. They're not really going 'by the wayside' anyway....they're changing in ways that will dramatically and negatively impact the strength of our future as a nation. We've already let our foundation be chipped away at little by little...the more we let it go, the more is taken away. Our freedoms are shrinking every day. We've slowly declined from a nation of "we, the people" to "we, the sheeple", and the momentum is building in a downward spiral. We need to stop it NOW! Please make today the day you take action. And rally a friend! OC

Are You Sure You've Had Those Amalgams Removed?

I had all my mercury dental amalgams removed after 9/11 --- or at least I thought I did -- until yesterday. My routine x-rays yesterday showed all had been replaced with composite material -- except for one wisdom tooth. Yep, my former dentist left the 'silver filling' behind, and covered it with composite. How shady is that?

My current dentist is fabulous, green (no amalgam used in the practice), and very honest. I'm not a fan of radiation exposure, even for a split second -- but at the same time, I'm less of a fan of toxic materials in my mouth all the time. One must choose their battles, and this one was a no-brainer. Not only did he immediately replace the filling, but took an x-ray after the procedure to ensure that all amalgam was removed.

If you haven't had x-rays in a while, it's important to have them just to see what's going on in your mouth. Having them done is really easy, too, as many offices offer digital x-rays --- a small device that's moved easily from area to area in the mouth. It takes just minutes to x-ray your whole mouth, and you can see them immediately on the monitor. Very kewl.

Know yourself, inside and out.

Take control of your health.

Knowledge is power.

OC

What You Should Know if You've Had a Root Canal

Sargenti Paste.

Have you ever heard of it?

It's an unapproved root canal filling material which contains formaldehyde (a known toxin), and has been used by members of the American Endodontic Society (AES) since the 1960's. It was denied approval by the FDA for failure to prove safety and efficacy in 1993. Since the 1970's, accredited dental schools in the US have taught that Sargenti Paste is toxic, dangerous and below the standard of care, but that doesn't mean that dentists stopped using this dangerous substance.

I never heard of Sargenti Paste until yesterday. Years ago, a very highly respected (and priced) dentist used this substance in my mouth ago. It has since leaked through the bottom of the root into the surrounding tissues. This would explain why I've suffered many symptoms over the years, and have had to fight so hard to keep up my standard of health. There have been others who blame my symptoms on the aging process. I didn't -- I wasn't that 'old'. Who knew that my old dental work was wreaking havoc inside me all these years?

Toxic dental materials can cause many diseases, infections, and significantly reduce general well being. Your dentist can look at x-rays to determine what materials have been used in your previous dental work. I looked at the x-rays and could see differences in the materials!

It's important you know what dental materials have been placed in your mouth. It's in the best interest of your health and well being to have all amalgam and other toxic materials replaced by a dentist who is familiar with the proper replacement procedures.

If you've had a root canal, go to:

http://mediasyndicate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13800

for more information.

Ask questions before a procedure. Do your due diligence.

Live optimally.

OC

FAQ's How You Can Stop Dental Mercury Pollution

CALIFORNIANS FOR GREEN DENTISTRY

P.O. Box 664, Newport Beach CA 92661 • Telephone: 714.825-0224 • www.toxicteeth.org

Ban Dental Mercury!

What is Dental Mercury?

· Dental amalgam (also deceptively called "silver fillings") is a primitive, polluting, 19th century cavity filling material made up of 50% mercury – a neurotoxin and reproductive toxin that is a particularly dangerous for children and pregnant women.

· Dental mercury is no longer needed to fill cavities (modern dentists have stopped using it and started using safe resin composite materials), but pro-mercury dentists are still the second largest buyer of mercury.

The Dental Mercury Crisis

The mercury implanted into the mouths of unsuspecting dental patients ultimately ends up back in our environment:

· in our water via dental office releases and household waste

· in our air via cremation, sludge incineration, dental office emissions, and human respiration

· in our land via landfills, burials, and fertilizer.

California taxpayers are being ripped off by pro-mercury dentists. We are footing the bill for the environmental clean-up of dental mercury – by far the largest source of mercury in our wastewater and a major contributor to mercury in our fish. Meanwhile, the California Dental Association 1) blocks all laws that would require dentists to catch some of their mercury waste before it is dumped into our water and 2) refuses to address dental mercury that gets in our air and land.

You Can Stop Dental Mercury Pollution

· Sign the petition to ban dental mercury in our community by emailing consumer director Anita Vazquez Tibau at anitatibau@hotmail.com

· To receive email updates on the fight to eliminate dental mercury, join our mailing list at http://www.toxicteeth.org/mailingList.cfm

••••••••••

OC

The Flu: Vitamin D Deficiency

Well, the first push to get flu vaccines is already under way. But before you run out to get vaccinated with a questionable list of potentially harmful ingredients, you should know that the 'flu' virus is around us all year long. So why do "they" call it a flu "season"? And why does North America have a flu "season" during winter months, when it's summer in Australia?

Simple answer: We get Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D deficiency causes the immune system to stall out. People with sufficient Vitamin D supplies in their blood have a stronger immune system than those who don't -- and viruses are powerless against a strong immune function.

Twenty (20) minutes of unprotected sun exposure a day at peak sun hours is enough to keep your body manufacturing sufficient quantities of Vitamin D, and help keep you immune system strong.

I know, I know....this goes against everything the sunscreen manufacturers advertise and some doctors advise.....ever wonder why? Studies have shown that regular use of sunscreens and sunblocks prevent our bodies from naturally manufacturing enough Vitamin D to keep our immune function healthy.

We don't suggest you toss your sunscreens, but 20 minutes of sun on unprotected skin (arms and legs are usually more tolerant of sun) will help increase immune function. Sun-sensitive folks should shade sensitive areas (face, etc). Eating clean, organic foods, getting sufficient exercise and rest, drinking sufficient quantities of pure water, etc., will also help keep your body at top form and disease-free.

For more information about flu shots and their adverse effects, go to:

http://www.naturalnews.com/029334_flu_vaccines_seizures.html

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

OC