18 February 2010

One of my patients e-mailed me and asked for my opinion about the drug ******* (I will not mention any names) This drug is a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) and is used to suppress stomach acid and is used as a treatment for heart burn and indegestion. I do have a low opinion about these drugs. They are designed to stop the stomach making acid, I do admit that they do work, they do prevent the stomach from making acid. The do give symptomatic relief.

HOWEVER....why does the stomach make more acid? Does it? As people age, all the organs slow down, become weaker...so why does the stomach get better with age, why does it start to make more acid? Well in actual fact (except for some rare conditions) the stomach makes LESS acid. Paradoxically the symptoms of LOW acid (Hypochlorhydria) is heart burn and indegestion.

Most people over the age of 40 have less acid, not more acid. We should not be suppressing the acid but supplementing it!

Stomach acid is needed for proper digestion, acid begins the process of protein digestion. Acid is also needed for the absorption of minerals such as zinc, calcium and some bitamins, notably B12. By suppressing the acid you are causing more long term problems by interfering with digestion and mineral and vitamin absorption. A study a few years ago showed increased osteoporosis in people on these drugs due to calcium not being absorbed.

We do get into a vicious circle: acid is needed to absorb zinc and zinc is needed to make stomach acid.

The way to treat these problems is to supplement MORE acid. A simple way is the take 1-2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar before each meal. Lemon juice before a meal also does a similar job...supplementing acid. If these aren't tolerated a capsule from the Health Food Shop, containing Betaine HCL and Pepsin is a good alternative.

Some may have lingering pain and this indicates some gastritis or oesaphagitis. This may need to be healed first...with things like Slippery Elm Bark and/or Aloe Vera.

Other than supplementing acid, dietary change is needed. A low carb diet, especially grains of any sort, is good to reduce the symptoms of heart burn. People should be on a higher protein, higher fat and lower carb diet, and the carbs should be in the fporm of vegetables, salads, nuts and fruits. Avoid grains, dairy and sugar. These foods should never have been introduced into the human diet.

11 February 2010

Did anybody see that article in the Advertiser on Tuesday 9 Feb 2010? The title read "Herbal Mix can be Lethal".

How many people have died of a herbal overdose? Not many, if at all. How many have died of a pharmaceutical reaction. A lot! Of course they do not make a big thing about the dangers of drugs and drug company manufactured products, or if they do it is in small print somewhere in the inner pages of the newspaper.

The article mentions contaminants such as arsenic, lead and mercury. What they should have done is to put in BIG LETTERS that this is the situation in America, not in Australia. This point was made in the article but not emphasised enough. In America, herbs and nutrients are classified under food standards. In Australia, they are clasified under pharmaceutical standards, making Australia the highest standard in the world for herbs and nutrients.

What a hypocracy. They complain of mercury contamination of herbs, yet they purposefully put mercury into vaccines that are injected into children.

Of course, herb-drug interactions do occur. A good herbalist knows this, a doctor who is trained in natural medicines knows this. The average GP knows very little.

If the herbs contain these heavy metals then probably so do the foods that are imported into Australia.

If people used herbs more than pharmaceutical drugs as well as nutrients and good diet, then the population would be just that much healthier. The figures show that up to a quarter of admissions into hospital are due to drugs or their side effects. It is unfortunate that the tax payer has to pay for this and not the drug company that made that product.

14 January 2010

I have been saying it for years and now it has been confirmed.....anti-depressants do not work. Well at least not in mild to moderate depression. A new study (JAMA 2010;303:47-53) finds that in mild to moderate depression, the antidepressants work no better than placebo. The medications have an effect on severe depression. Many of those who are diagnosed with mild to moderate depression, are they really depressed? or are they just upset, frustrated, sad, unhappy. They need exercise, sunshine, socializing, talking, councelling, etc, NOT DRUGS.

Funny how a piece of news like this is not broadcast widely. So far I have only seen it once on TV but not on radio nor in the newspapers.

4 January 2010

Here we are again, Christmas is over, the New Year is here, I've had my break and am back at work!

The year that is planned already will be busy. There will be 4 ACNEM Meetings this year, March in Melbourne, May in Perth, August in Queenstown (NZ) and November in Sydney. There may also be an overseas trip later on in the year. In between this is my usual consulting.

I will again try to keep up this blog: generally I have only added things if there has been something controversial. We will have to wait and see what happens.

12 December 2009

Now that the Copenhagen Summit is now in progress, this would be an opportune time to talk a bit about climate change. I get regularly asked about my opinions.

Firstly "Climate Change" is a bit of an oxymoron. Climate does change, that what climate does. Every year, we have 4 seasons, the climate changes from hot to cold. In the past there has been hot periods and there have been ice ages. Geologically speaking we are just coming out of an ice age so the climate must be warming!

The greatest source of heat is the sun. The earth heats up or cools down depending on the sun. If the sun burns more brightly, it is warmer, if it cools down, then so does the earth. I am very suspicious of this notion of man made warming. If man has contributed then it is only a minor fraction: to put it bluntly, like a fart in a hurricane!

Is carbon dioxide really as bad as they make out? After all it is the most important plant food on this planet. Is it a green house gas, Yes but there are other gases that contribute much much more. The largest proportion of greenhouse gases is...is...water vapour.

Carbon dioxide levels have also been going up and down for millenia.

So, is the planet warming? yes

Are humans causing it? No

Is it a part of the sun-earch cycle? Yes

Is putting a tax on carbon going to change anything? No.

That does not mean that we shouldn't be conserving our recources, limiting pollution, etc. These are all good things but nothing to do with Global Warming.

Unfortunately, it will happen no matter what we do.

 

11 December 2009

The last few months have been busy. In November we went to New Zealand for the ACNEM Primary Course and the STP held in Auckland. We both lectured. Jenny gave lectures in both STPs and I gave lectures to the Primary Course and 1 of the STPs. They were well attended and the mood was very positive. ACNEM will be back in New Zealand next year, August in Queenstown. After the lecturing we hired a car and had a holiday. We drove north from Auskland, along the west coast across the top and down the east coast. Such a beautiful area. Pictures will be addded later!

The weekend after we got back we were again off interstate for a conference. The 6th World Conference of Chinese Medicine. Very intense, very interesting but very tiring.I am only now beginning to recover.

14 September 2009

A new report from the French Agency for Food Safety has found that organic foods are more nutritious and contain less pesticides and nitrates that commercial foods. Organic food has a higher level of minerals and anti-oxidants.

This flies in the face of the report released recently by the British Food Standards Agency.

Another topic of recent interest is the up-comming release of the Swine 'flu vaccine.

Many patients have asked me about this. Of course my reply is that the persons should make an informed choice about whether they take the vaccine or not. I will not/cannot tell them what to do.

Of course if they ask me my personal opinion, I tell them I don't think it is worth the risk. A vaccine with a study of a few hundred people for a matter of weeks is too dangerous. If you want to know...those who receive the vaccine ARE the experiment, they ARE the guinea pigs!

And the crazy notion that pregnant women and children and the elderly are the one who shoud be vaccinated first...how can people be so stupid. These are the last people that need to be vaccinated.

Various experts have entered the debate: Dr Wolfgang Wodarg a politician and a specialist in lungs, hygeine and environmental medicine. He is the chairman of the health committee in the German Parliament and the European Council. He has said that the nutrient solution for the vaccine consists of cancerous cells from animals and could increase the risk of cancer by injecting the cells. The side effects from the vaccine is worse than the actual swine 'flu.

From: Mail Online 15 Aug 2009 by Jo Macfarlane

"A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday, leading to demands to know why the information has not been given to the public before the vaccination of millions of people, including children, begins.

It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.

GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

The letter, sent to about 600 neurologists on July 29, is the first sign that there is concern at the highest levels that the vaccine itself could cause serious complications.

It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976"

6 August 2009

What was this I heard last week on the news? Commercially grown food is no better than organic? Who did this study? There have been previous studies that have shown that organic does contain more nutrients than the commercially grown foods.

This latest study comes from the Food Standards Agency the UK government's so-called independant watch dog.

An article in the Daily Mail 31 July 2009 by Joanna Blythman.

"Ever since its creation in 2000, the Food Standards Agency has been biased against organic farming. The first chairman, Sir John Krebs, was supportive of the biotechnology lobby and only too keen to promote GM as the future of farming."

"Yet even in the context of the latest report from the FSA, the spin does not match the reality. For, contrary to all the hype this week, the Agency's own published research shows that organic foods are clearly far better for the consumer even just in nutritional terms.

According to the FSA's findings, organic vegetables contain 53.6 per cent more betacarotene - which helps combat cancer and heart disease - than non-organic ones.Similarly, organic food has 11.3 per cent more zinc, 38.4 per cent more flavonoids and 12.7 per cent more proteins.In addition, an in-depth study by Newcastle University, far deeper than the one conducted by the FSA, has shown that organic produce contains 40 per cent more antioxidants than non-organic foods, research the FSA appears to have overlooked."

Another aspect of the study was that not that it look at what is in organic food compared to commercial grown food BUT what is not. Organic food does have lower levels of chemicals, pesticides,antibiotics hormones, GM, etc which certainly I do not think is healthy for anyone.

They did conclude that " differences in nutrient content detected mostly related to differences in production methods." ...Well isn't that what organic is all about?

6 June 2009

Back from holidays and back to the usual grind.

We spent a week in Tasmania...what a beautiful place. Just thought I would share some photos.

This was a sunset, one of my favourite photos. I just love sunsets!!

The bridge at Richmond and Russel Falls in the Mt Field National Park.

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Another sunset. Such beautiful colours, Salamanca Place with Mt Wellington in the background.

The last picture is the bridge at Ross.

 

On Tuesday, 2 June 2009 I was interviewed by Radio 4BC in Brisbane re my latest book "Death by Civilization". I hope that many Brisbane residents heard the interview and are thinking about what I said. Your health is in your hands, your health is based on choices you make....what you eat, how you live your lives, all these are very important. These choices MUST be made on an informed basis.

Some of you have e mailed me and have ordered my book. I hope you enjoy reading it and helps you to make positive changes to your life.

I will be in Brisbane in September giving lectures to the ACNEM Primary course and the Specialty Training Programme (STP).

21 May 2009

To all my avid blog readers out there, I appologise for the website being down for, I really do not know how long! Only last week I tried to look at my website and I couldn't get on. So after some frantic e-mailing, I found the problem and was fixed immediately. So I am now back on the air!

Yes I have been quiet for awhile. I had plently to do. I was preparing for the ACNEM meeting in Adelaide, updating the lectures and referencing them, After that I was aked to give a lecture to the Naturoathic Practitioners Association, which was on Monday, just gone.

I will be on holidays next week, so when we get back, then I will have more time to add to my blog.

Perhaps there are people out there who have wondered why I haven't discussed the Swine 'Flu.

So far it does seem a fizzer. That is not to say that I do not feel for the people who have died but that so far seems to have only occurred in Mexico. Any where else this strain has struck seems to be no worse than the usual yearly flu, except for the hype.

What is it about Mexico? Poor living conditions? Poor nutrition Poor infrastructure? So far not sure. What were the demographics of the people who died? Were they living in the slums or in well-to-do suburbs? This I do not think has been revealed.

Am I personally worried? NO. A person with a good immune system should be able to deal with it. If something does happen, I will not take any of those anti-viral drugs...I will give myself an IV Vitamin C drip.

Why Swine 'flu? Years ago we had the Spanish 'flu, then the Hong Kong 'flu. Why not call this the Mexican 'flu?

10 April 2009

Happy Easter to all.

29 March 2009

What is this latest nonsense that red meat causes cancer?

This is not correct.

Red meat with preservatives such as nitrates may cause cancer, but then it is not the red meat but the nitrates.

How the red meat is cooked is also a factor. Char-grilled, burned red meat can be carcinogenic, then it is not necessarily the red meat but the burned, char-grilled meat.

Commercial red meat does contain hormones, antibiotics and who-knows what other chemicals.

Free range red meat does not contain these chemicals and probably wil not cause cancer.

The study was done on very unhealthy Americans who also have a very unhealthy diet full of sugar and refined carbohydrates. This is more likely to cause cancer than the red meat.

There are so many variables that just by saying red meat causes cancer is just media beat up.

 

19 March 2009

The Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) will be holding a Primary Course in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine in Adelaide from 7-10 May 2009 at the Sebel Playford Hotel, 120 North Tce Adelaide. I will be lecturing in the Primary as well as the 2 day STP (Specialty Training Programme) on Metabolic Syndrome. There will also be another 2 days STP on Andropause and Menopause.

4 March 2009

I will be giving a lecture to the chiropractors on Friday 6 March 2009.

I will be in Sydney from 12 March to 15 March 2009, giving lectures at the ACNEM Primary Course as well as at the STP

26 January 2009

Did you see that article in last week's Advertiser? There is a trial of a new contraceptive pill in Sydney and is going to be much safer and will "reduce the suffering of millions of Australian women." So what is this new miracle drug?

It is NATURAL OESTRADIOL!!!

Funny that. Using a natural hormone and saying it is safer, safer than all those synthetic hormones they have been using since the 1960s.

Up till now, the orthodoxy have been saying that these natural hormones are dangerous, unsafe, etc. NOW they are using it and saying it is safer and therefore better. We doctors who use natural, bio-identical hormones have been vindicated.

Unfortunately, they will still be using a progestin with the natural oestrogen. A progestin is a synthetic, similar molecule to progesterone, the hormone we all have. Progestins have been shown to be more dangerous than progesterone.

To be really safe, this new contraceptive pill should have progestreone, Yes "the real thing" in combination with the real oestrogen.

 

22 January 2008

In my latest book, "Death by Civilization" on page 152, I wrote:- "Since mammograms came into vogue, the rate of detecting Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has increased dramatically (328%):these are pre-cancerous lesions. Figures may vary but 30-50% can become cancerous, conversely, up to 70% may not become cancerous. What really is not known....which ones become cancerous: so they are all treated the same: lumpectomy or mastectomy. Since mammography started, the rate of mastectomy has increased. At present there is no answer as to which cancers will spread."

I mention this because a study was released at the end of 2008, Archives of Internal Medicine 2008;168:2311-6. Here researchers looked at women in Norway. They compared a group of women who had 1 mammogram in 6 years and compared them to women who had 3 mammograms i.e. 1 every 2 years for 6 years.

You would expect the groups to have roughly equal rate of breast cancer. Some may say the the 1 in 6 years group should have had more because they weren't screened. Yet the researchers found that the group which had the 2 yearly screening had the higher rate. We could say that perhaps the mammograms caused the extra cancers. However the researchers said that some of the cancers must have gone away.

I would assume with the frequent screening, some of these DCIS were found and treated. If left alone, they may go away. So what do we do? Do we do a " watchful waiting" as we do for prostate cancer in males? This is yet to be answered. Perhaps more frequent ultrasound examinations can be done and if the lesion is not growing, or even shrinking, then it can be left alone. Other things can be done to improve the body's ability to fight the tumour, e.g. Vitamin D, Progesterone, Selenium, etc

 

15 January 2009

Recently I heard the news that Heath Ledger received a Golden Globe posthumously: it has been 1 year since his death. I think we all remember what happenned. He was found surrounded by many different types of pills and medications and drugs and he died of a " accidental drug overdose". I was thinking. If he was taking herbs and vitamins and he was found dead surrounded by herbs and vitamin and mineral pills, you can immagine what would have happenned. They would be trying to BAN all these herbs and vitamins and minerals.

Yet when his death was cused by pharmaceutical, was there any attempt to ban them? No of course not. There seems to be one rule for the herbs and natural products...ban them at any cost; and one rule for pharmaceutical, keep them going no matter how dangerous they are.

1 January 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

25 December 2008

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2008 was a good year, lets make 2009 even better.

Just to let everyone know, I will be on holidays till January 4 2009....yes it's back to work on January 5 2009. Until then I will catch up on my sleep and my reading and just relaxing, preparing for the onslaught in 2009.

23 December 2008

Yes, I know, I did promise to keep my blog up to date...there are always excuses, such as...I was too busy!! So I will try to make up by doing a summary of 2008.

The year is almost over and what did I do this year? Besides sleeping, eating and working!!...we did go on a 5 week Europe trip travelling to London, Paris, Vienna, Budapest and Amsterdam. We did spend about 2 weeks in Hungary, which is my ancestral home. The trip was not all pleasure: I was invited to give a lecture to the Hungarian Homeopathic Doctor's Association on 19 September 2008. The title was "Vaccinations and Homeoprophylaxis". The lecture was presented in Hungarian and was well received.

During the course of the year, the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) held courses in Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast. I was one of the lecturers and presented many lectures on Metabolic Syndrome, Gut Problems, Women's Issues and Vaccinations.

Next year, there will be 4 courses held, in Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Auckland. I will more than likely be attending and giving lectures.

Again, I will try to keep my blog going.

Now that I think about it, there were items on the news, relating to medical matters that I should have commented on.

One that comes to mind is the study about a certain brand of statin and how it can prevent heart disease, not really concentrating on cholesterol levels but looking at CRP levels in normal people. This was a flawed study in some ways. Firstly the study was stopped very early. Yes, there may have been some (early) benefit but this also may have been before any side effects become apparant, which could have produced an overall null effect.

The second flaw was that the benefits were expressed as a relative improvement NOT as an absolute. In absolute terms the improvement was a small percentage, probably not really statistically significant.

Note, expressing the results as a relative figure and not as an absolute figure is a very common way of mis-representing a study, making it look better than it really is and also note, the side effects are expressed in absolute figures, making it look safer than it really is.

23 April 2008

Its official! My new book "Death by Civilization" has been printed and is for sale. $25.00. Order online or buy it from my surgery.

25 March 2008

Antidepressants are no better than placebo. Study by British researchers show that antidepressant medication only slightly better than placebo. However when un-published data is added, the results are even worse. (it is well known that many "negative" studies never see the light of day) Efficacy of antidepressants is related to the severity of the initial depression. Perhaps they do work only in "real", severe depression. What is happening is that depression is being over diagnosed. Anyone who is angry, upsett, "pissed off","down", emotional, etc is now diagnosed as depressed and is given an antidepressant, which probably doesn't really help much, perhaps is as good as a placebo.

 

21 March 2008

I will be giving a talk to the Lupus/scleroderma/Sjorgen's SA group on 8 April 2008. The talk will be on Diet, Alternative medicine and Auto-immune Disease. To be held at Arthritis House, 1/202 Glen Osmond Rd Fullarton, starting 7.30 pm

4 Feb 2008

I will be giving a lecture on "Cancer, Diet and Environment" on 16 March 2008 for the Cancer Care Centre at the Goodwood Community Centre, 32 Rosa St, Goodwood from 1000 to 1200.

10 Jan 2008

New study shows the benefits of sunshine. Scientists admit that sun exposure benefits outweigh risks. (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2008 Jan 7 [Epub ahead of print]

"These data, together with those for internal cancers and the beneficial effects of an optimal vitamin D status, indicate that increased sun exposure may lead to improved cancer prognosis and, possibly, give more positive than adverse health effects."

People think I am funny when I tell them to get more sunshine: I have now been vindicated.

Recent reports in mainstream media have indicated that a a study has disproved any link between mercury (thiomersal) in vaccines and Autism. A new study in J Child Neurol 2007;22:1308-11 states otherwise. The researchers re-analysed the data and found an error in the calculations and found that a significant relation does exist between the blood levels of mercury and diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder.

23 December 2007.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I will be on holidays till early January 2008.

A New Years Resolution is to regularly add interesting entries to my Blog.