3 January 2012

Happy New year to all.

Its back to work today. I did have some time off though I did a few days work last week. I am beginning to realize that I do need more time off. I cannot continue to work the long hours that I used to. The few days I had off were wonderful. Getting up this morning to go to work was hard. The grind is starting again for this year.

9 December 2011

It is getting closer to the end of the year...WHOOSH...what was that?...that was the year speeding past!. Feeling like time is speeding up. Or is it that we are all getting older,after all, I am told by many elderly that time seems to go faster as you age. Be that as it may, another year almost over. We know Chirstmas is near because the Pagent was only a few weeks ago and there is the Chrismas decorations all over the place. Since my last blog entry, I was involved in the acupuncture meeting in Adelaide - same week end as the Pagent. Very good meeting. I was asked to present a short paper on "Aquapuncture and other injectable techniques". Went well. Two weeks later I was in Melbourne with ACNEM lectureing at the Primary Course and also at the STP on "Insomnia and Adrenal Problems". Again went very well. Now only just over 2 weeks to Christmas. I will take some time off for a well deserved holiday and then back to work on 3 Jan 2012.

 

1 September 2011

Again it has been some time since I blogged. Is it because I have such a boring life? Not really but it is fairly routine. Basically eat, work and sleep! We did have a few days break at the beginning of August - decided to chill out in Tasmania. A few days of rest, sleep ins and driving around looking at the wonderful Tasmanian scenery. The next exciting thing was that I went to the Gold Coast at the end of August. No - it wasn't another holiday - it was work. The ACNEM Primary and STP were held over 25 August to 28 August 2011. Here I was lecturing to both the Primary and the STP.

I am now back in Adelaide, doing the usual eat work and sleep till about November where I will be involved in 2 conferences. More later.

5 June 2011

It has been just over a month since I last wrote - what has happened since?

I went to a conference in Sydney "The Science of Nutrition in Medicine and Healthcare" 13 May - 15 May 2011. The conference was a joint effort with ACNEM, CSIRO and NSA. The most important aspect was the meeting of acedemics and clinicians, wherre the science was married to the nutrition practice. A very successful meeting. The week after we went on holiday. Yes a real holiday - no conferences, no lectures - just holiday. One whole week in Cairns. Warm weather, blue skies, though occasional rain and cloud but still warm. Not like cold Adelaide!

One week of driving, sight-seeing relaxing, - also managed to do some scuba diving on the Barrier Reef. Getting back to cold Adelaide work reality was hard!

Today 5/6/2011, I was asked to give a lecture to the Natural Practitioners Association The topic was Our food Past and Present. Went down very well. On reflection I should have added food of the future and discussed GMO but that is another story!

I will be involved with the ACNEM Primary and STP in August (Gold Coast) and November (Melbourne).

25 April 2011

Time has flown by, already April. Today is Anzac Day as well as Easter Monday. I spent the last few days in Sydney - just for a short holiday. Arrived back in Adelaide Sunday night, just in time to march in the Anzac Day Parade. Even though tomorrow is also a public holiday, I will be working ....1/2 day only.

Back to CFS. One topic I skimmed over is the role of Heavy Metals in CFS and perhaps also in any other condition where things aren't improving as well as they should. Testing heavy metals in not a first line test....unless there is a good reason to test, e.g. past history of exposure, living in Pt Pirie, a mouth-full of amalgams (which contain mercury), especially if there is any connection to dental work. Blood tests are useless in the chronic situation, blood tests are only of use in an acute exposure situation. A urinary heavy metal test is the best, the "gold standard" is a urine test before and after a chelation provocation. This will pick up any heavy metals in the body. Once heavy metals are found...as I always say...They are better out then in. Heavy metals need to be removed. This can only be done by chelation with other mineral and vitamin support. There are 3 main types of chelation 1/ intravenous EDTA, or 2/ oral DMSA. 3/ there is also a product called Zeolite. This is also an oral preparation. They all work differently and this should be discussed when chelation is proposed.

Note that the testing and the chelation is not covered by insurance or medicare. But if ther are synptoms of heavy metal poisoning, and they can be very broad, tireness, feeling unwell, moody, irritable..in fact any symptom that is not responding to the treatment given so far, then Heavy Metals are better removed. This possibly would include dental work and the removal of amalgams.

Finally...HAPPY EASTER to all.

21 Feb 2011

In the last entry, I did mention a few nutrients that may be useful in CFS, and possibly Fibromyalgia. Perhaps this is a good time to mention that CFS and Fibromyalgia do go hand in hand, many with CFS do have muscular aches and pains. Many with fibromyalgia with muscle aches and pains do get fatigued!

Co Enzyme Q10 is a mitochondrial nutrient that is involved in energy production. It can be used in those with heart failure. The heart is a muscle and needs energy to work. One study did find significantly low CoQ10 levels in people diagnosed with CFS compaired with normal controls. The researchers suggested that these patients could benefit from Co Q10 supplementation. (Neuro Endocrinol Lett, 2009;30:470-6) An interesting fact to point out is that the statins (drugs used for cholesterol lowering) block the enzyme that makes CoQ10. Many of the side efects of statins are related to CoQ10 deficiency.

Acetyl L Carnitine, has been shown to be useful in Fibromyalgia patients (here we could also add CFS patients) Researchers gave Acetyl L Carnitine 500mgs twice a day to patients suffereing from Fibromyalgia, (note one of the symptoms is chronic tiredness) with positive benefits.(Clin Exp Rheumatol 2007;25:182-8)

D Ribose is basically a sugar which has been shown to increase cellular energy synthesis in heart and skeletal muscle. Patients with CFS and/or Fibromyalgia were given D Ribose 5 grams three times a day. The conclusion was that D Ribose significantly reduced clinical symptoms in patients suffering from Fibromyalgia and CFS (J Altern Compement Med 2006;12:857-62)

I have made the comment that CFS can be related to Adrenal Fatigue and that the supplentation of cortisol can have a positive effect on CFS. Many patients with CFS have been shown to have hypocortisolism (low levels of cortisol) so researchers gave CFS patients low dose cortisol replacement. Certainly in the short term, many patients improved. (Lancet 1999;353:455-8)

While we are on the topic of the Adrenals, there is another hormone produced by the adrenal and that is Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Studies have shown low DHEA levels in CFS patients. DHEA supplementation has shown improvement is some of these patients. (J Clin Rheumatol 1999;5:56-9)

The treatment of CFS can be difficult. Obviously any job is difficult if you do not have the right tools. Orthodox doctors have difficulty treating CFS as they do not have the right tools. Many of these tool belong to the category of "alternative" or "complementary" or "natural" medicine. Sadly, many orthodoc doctors also consider CFS a psychological or psychiatric condition - not so. It is definitely a physical condition, though many do get depressed...but this is secondary. Who wouldn't feel depressed or frustrated after feeling fatigued for so long!

Treatments include - Vitamins C and B complex.

Herbs such as ginseng or liquorice.

Nutrients like CoQ10, Acetyl L carnitine and D Ribose. Hormones such as Cortisol and DHEA.

The use of these substances are generally safe, especially in competant hands. They have been shown to be a great help in the treatment of CFS/Fibromyalgia.

The biggest problem is the cost as they are not covered (except foer the cortisol) by Government Subsidy. The person with the CFS, one who probably hasn't worked for some time, who is quite debilitated is the one most least likely to afford these things.

To be continued.

19 Feb 2011

There are other possible causes of CFS.

1/ Infections. I have already mentioned a "post infection fatigue" e.g. after Glandular Fever, but there has been some evidence that other infections such as Mycoplasma and Rickettsia can cause a chronic infection that leads to CFS. There are some protocols where antibiotics are used for long periods to kill off these bacteria.

2/ Fluoride. This toxic substance is added to your drinking water for the supposed benefit for dental health. Fluoride is a very toxic substance and is a known enzyme disruptor. Fluoride is also known to have an effect on thyroid function. In past years, fluoride was used to TREAT hyperthyroidism (over-active thyroid.) what is this substance doing in out water? Funny how there is so much hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid function) around lately! We all need to drink water but fluoride needs to be removed. A simple carbon water filter cannot do this. The only way fluoride and other nasty chemicals can be removed from the water is to use a Reverse Osmosis Filter.

3/ Heavy Metals - such as lead, mercury, cadmium, aluminium. These heavy metals have no place in our bodies. They are part of the general pollution that we are all exposed to.

Lead was in the paint and in the petrol. Mercury is in dental amalgams and as a preservative (thiomersal) in vaccines. Aluminium was used in cookware. Cadmium is found in tobacco. Some overseas tobacco is very high in heavy metals. Always a good reason to stop smoking.

Heavy metal testing should be done when the diagnosis is not clear or when the patient is not improving as well as they should, or if there has been definite exposure. Heavy Metals can be removed with Chelation Therapy.

Nutrients:- I have already mentioned some nutrients to treat CFS. Other include Co enzyme Q10, Acetyl L Carnitine and D Ribose. These nutrients have been shown to have a positive benefit in the treatment of CFS and associated Fibromyalgia.

To be continued.

10 Feb 2011

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a condition where the fatigue is of an unknown origin. If we investigate and find a cause, then it is no longer CFS. Over the years I have treated many with CFS, some got better, some did improve and some didn't. There are some things that needs to be looked at that are generally not thought about. I mentioned in my last entry about Adrenal Fatigue. This is a condition not generally accepted by orthodox medicine - however I do believe it exists. It goes without saying that we do live in a stressful society, and by using the word "stress" I am referring to a wide spectum of things. Not just emotional stress, bad marriage, work difficulties, financial stress but also physical stress such as normal events such as pregnancy and childbirth, trauma and accidents, surgery, viral illness...how many times does the problem come on after an event. No organ can function optimally indefinitely - eventually something must give.

If you look at the work of the Hungarian-Canadian researcher Hans Selye, you will see how this all fits in. Hans Selye is known for his discovery of the General Adaptive Syndrome. Stage 1 is the familiar "Fight-Flight Reaction" Stage 2 is Adaption wherre all seem to be OK, the body is coping with the stress, Stage 3 is "Exhaustion" where the function gets to a point where it can no longer function optimally. If a person is under long term stress, the adrenals continually secrete hormone, mainly cortisol. Cortisol is the energy hormone. (In contrast Melatonin is the sleep hormone) These two hormone work together. When cortisol is high, melatonin is low and vice versa. Hight stress, causes high cortisol and therefore low melatonin. Sleep is interfered with. How many people have the situation where they cannot sleep at night but finally get to sleep and sleep till midday...the body clock is upsett. During Stage 2, the adrenals are working overtime, secreting cortisol to protct the body from the stress and keeping it going. Crunch time comes when the adrenals cannot cope any more. It doesn't fail completely...that is Addison's disease. The adrenals only work at a reduced rate. These people are Tired All The Time (TATTs) One of the main clues is that they wake up tired. Even if they sleep well, they wake up tired. The morning cortisol peak is not there.

Cortisol levels can be measured. Unfortunately a morning serum cortisol is inadequate. The "normal levels" are so wide that the result does not have much meaning. A better test is a salivary cortisol. The problem here is that it is not covered by Medicare and costs are around $140.00. Not everyone could afford this. Salivary cortisols are measured at 0700, 1200, 1800 and 2300. This will give us an idea of the cortisol levels. Treatment can include nutrients such as Vitamin C, Zinc, B complex, esp B5 and herbs such as Ginseng and Liquorice. These nutrients and herbs support the function of the adernals. On a gram for gram basis, the adrenals have the highest amount of vitamin C in the whole body. Vitamin C is needed in the production of cortisol, so you can see how critical Vitamin C is. I have already mentioned in my previous post that a post-viral CFS can be treated with Vitamin C, especially intravenous Vitamin C. Oral Vitamin C is good but cannot get the serum levels high enough.

In some cases, supplementing cortisol as a temporary measure can be useful. People do get scared as it is common knowledge that steroids do cause lots of problems. Yes, the synthetic analogues (e.g. Prednisolone) given in large doses for pharnaceutical purposes does cause problems. This does not apply the the bio-identical hormone (Cortisol) is given in small replacement doses. The average adrenal gland can secrete about 25 mg of cortisol daily. If it is secreting less, then all it need is a small dose to make up the difference. Studies have shown that a small dose of cortisol can help people diagnosed with CFS.

To be continued

 

5 Feb 2011

Recently I received an e-mail from one of my patients who suggested I wrote a blog on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). I thought that it would be a good idea to write about CFS over several weeks. Firstly, CFS applies to someone who is chronically tired and fatigued and any activity makes worse. Of course, if you are tired after working 26 hours a day, that is not CFS!

The first thing to say is that in some ways CFS is a pigeon-hole diagnosis, meaning tiredness/fatigue for unknown reqasons. So the first thing is to investigate. It has been said that there are no specific tests for CFS. That is partly correct however, tests can pick up other causes of chronic tireness - such as anaemia, hypothyroidism, etc

Taking a good history can give clues. When did it start? If it started after a viral illness, e.g. a 'flu, or more commonly after Glandular fever, then we can consider a post-virus fatigue.

A good physical examination and some routine tests could exclude these conditions. Is the person pale (anaemia), jaundiced (liver problems), do they "look" hypothyroid. ...all these things can add up. Like a detective, all the clues come together and a working hypothesis can be formulated.

Once a deficite diagnosis is made, it is no longer CFS but that condition you diagnosed. Also note also that a " normal" blood test does not necessarily exclude a diagnosis. A basic thydroid function test does not necessarily exclude a thyroid problem.

Another clue is stress. This could be a life long emotional stress, a physical stress, an illness, childbirth, loss of a loved one, work stress, divorse...the list can go on. Here we can consider a diagnosis of Adrenal Exhaustion. This is a condition not generally recognised by mainstream medicine. They do recognise adrenal disease at either end of the spectrum - over active adrenals - Cushing's disease and underactive adrenal function - Addison's disease. They do not recognise the grey area inbetween. It goes without saying that stress is a very big issue in today's society. Stress is everywhere. We are all effected by it. The main gland that keeps us going are the Adrenal glands. These are 2 almond sized glands sitting on top of the kidneys. Their main job is to secrete cortisol, the hormone that gives us energy and protects us from stress. Too much is not good, too little is also not good. We need the right amount.

It goes without saying that no organ can function at maximal capacity indefinitely. There is a time when function will be compromised. This does vary. Some people can cope with stress for years, others could decomponsate in days. The more I think about it and the more I look for it, Adrenal Exhaustion is possibly one of the main reasons for the epidemic of tiredness and fatigue we see today.

Studies have looked at people diagnosed with CFS and they have found a low cortisol (Hypocortisolism). These same studies have tried replacing cortisol and the researchers have found some improvement.

A serum cortisol is not the best test. Salivary cortisols done at 0700, 1200, 1800 and at 2300 possibly is a better way of testing the adrenal function.

...to be continued.

 

2 Jan 2011

Happy New Year to all. Have just come back from NZ after 1 weeks holiday.

It's back to work on Tuesday

21 Dec 2010

It is getting closer and closer to Christmas and therefore I would like to wish everyone out there in cyberland, especially those that take the time to read my blog - a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. Hopefully next year will be better than this year.

I hope that all you avid blog readers will continue to read my blog and I will try to write more next year.

16 November 2010

Its ready! My book is now available for purchase from either of my surgeries. The book is called "You and Your Hormones" and, obviously, is about hormones. Female hormones, male hormones, DHEA, Cortisol, Melatonin are all included. There are actually 2 parts to the book, placed bak to back. Part 1 covers the research into hormones, especially the natural hormones (Bio-iodentical Hormones) versus the synthetic hormones. Treating hormones is not only just replacing them. Hormonal issues can be treated with nutrition, life-style, herbs, and in some cases can be supplemented. Price $30.00.

I will be in Sydney at the end of the week for an ACNEM meeting. I will lecture at both the Primary Course as well as the STP. I am planning a short book launch at this meeting.

7 November 2010.

The last 3 weeks we have been in China. This trip was partly work but mostly holidays. The work part consisted of an International Acupuncture Conference in Hefei, Anhui Province. I was asked to present a short paper which was on the integration of Acupuncture, Nutrition and other Naturopathic techniques with western General Practice in Australia. As I was the only westerner there (the "token westener") my presentation was in english. I had to stop after each sentence so it could be translated. we also visited TCM hospitals in Beijing, Hefei, Nanjing and Huaiyin. Here the whole hospital is largely for Acupuncture and Chinese herbs. These hospitals are bigger than the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Imagine a hospital, larger than the RAH just for acupuncture and herbs. There are western style hospitals as well. There is a choice. You can be treated the western, modern medicine way or the tradition way with herbs and acupuncture!

The rest of the holiday was sight-seeing. Beijing, the "Forbidden City", of course, the Great Wall, Xian, the Terracotta Warriors, The Yellow Mountains, Nanjing and Shanghai. A great holiday but after all the walking and sight seeing we got back more tired than when we left. We definitely need a holiday after the holidays!!

Its back to work now. I am now taking new patients.

My new book is almost ready. It is printed but is being bound at this very moment. Be ready next week.

19 August 2010

I know it is not April so it cannot be an April Fool's joke. A British researcher has suggested that fast food outlets should supply a statin drug to the customers when they but a fast food item! They should hand out a sachet of statin, along with the tomato sauce! How ridiculous. They argue that a statin will offset the harm caused by the fast food. May be it would be better not to eat that food at all!

8 August 2010

OMG!! Has it been so long since I wrote my blog. Things have been so busy, there is always something else to do. Just writing something for the sake of writing is not my style. There has to be something to say.

Yes, I am still alive and working hard. All I seem to be doing is eating, sleeping and working!! Since February, I have been to Melbourne and Perth to do ACNEM lectures. Next lot will be in November when the ACNEM Primary and STP will be in Sydney. I will be lecturing at the Primary and the STP - Thyroid and Adrenal Issues.

I suppose a lot of my spare time was filled up by writing my latest book and it is in the finishing stages.

Here we have it, an official announcement. (Drum rolls, cymbals clash) My new book, You and Your Hormones, is almost finished. Hopefully will be published in September and released soon afterwards.

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.

.

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.