An entertaining video with information that will help you cut your medication

James McCormack, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia, has produced an entertaining video“Bohemian Polypharmacy” – a parody of Queen’s classic song “Bohemian Rhapsody” – a song all about polypharmacy – taking more medicines than are clinically indicated.

Polypharmacy, as well as the lazy and ignorant prescribing of singular medications, is now widespread in New Zealand, making us one of the most heavily medicated nations in the world!  Which is appalling for a country that prides itself on its clean, green outdoors and healthy lifestyle - all fantasy - of course!

I would like to see the Good Professor produce a parody musical video extolling the virtues of non-drug treatments of modern ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure and depression.

 

The 21 day rule for medical treatments

Not really relevant to the article;
but I do like it!

The 21 day rule

I often come across people including athletes who have been undergoing a form of medical treatment for months; sometimes longer.

It raises the question:

"How long should one undergo a course of medical treatment before calling it quits?" 

As a general rule of thumb, I recommend applying the

"21 day rule"

If you are undergoing any form of treatment or therapy, be it physical therapy or medicine, apply the 21 day rule.

If, after 21 days of consistent application of the therapy, there has not been a significant improvement in your condition and at a rate or level above what would normally be expected if things were left up to Mother Nature herself, then you need to review what is being done. 

Far too often, ineffective therapies are continued with long after when their use should have been critically reviewed, modified or ceased altogether. In addition, progress is often erroneously attributed to the treatment or medicine when it is really just the natural healing processes that should be getting the credit.

Many medications (unlike herbs, vitamins and minerals) cease to be effective after a month of regular use.  In many cases, the body "habituates" (another term for "addiction") to medicines such as steroids, anti-depressants and pain medications).

Simple methods of monitoring progress, such as using a personal heart rate monitor, are often overlooked, therefore causing a loss of objectivity when assessing progress.  Always ask:

"How is my progress being measured?"

Nutritional and lifestyle strategies, including exercise and deep tissue massage, can be extremely effective. These enhance and support, rather than replace or inhibit normal body physiology. Sometimes no obvious benefit is ever demonstrated by exercise, eating well and supplementing where the need exists, other than looking good and feeling great over the long term. Give these strategies at least 3 months to take effect.

How beta blockers and drugs for anxiety ruin lives and kill

"Like surgeries, drugs are extremely valuable when used correctly. Unfortunately this is NOT how drugs are used in today's "modern" medicine! In fact, most doctors confuse "practicing medicine" with "automatic prescription writing." This hurts everyone except the drug companies.
Even in cases when drugs are beneficial, alternative drug-free treatments should alwaysbe considered first. Because along with chemical drugs come many harmful side effects that can often take years to surface. In fact, since many drugs cause more harm than good...patients wind up with even more prescriptions than what they started out with. It's a perpetual life threatening cycle that needs to stop!" W C Douglas MD

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Gary Moller comments:

The most common reason for going to the doctor in Wellington City is anxiety and depression. The standard treatment is drugs like beta blockers and various other drugs that variously to lower the blood pressure and reduce anxiety. Most of these drugs work by depressing the chemicals that regulate signaling between nerve cells. This means varying degress of brain fog, dry mouth and slowing of the digestive processes including gut peristalsis.
I have written previously about these drugs and soaring dementia rates. Let's talk about peristalsis, the rhythmic contractions of the smooth muscle of the digestive tract that steadily propels through the the digestive process and into the bowel where it is eliminated once or twice daily. Many drugs slow this process and the consequences can be dire. But, first a little about dry mouth.

Many drugs slow the production of digestive juices and this may be show as dry mouth. Have you seen the movie "Me, Myself & Irene"? In the movie, Jim Carrey plays a man with a split personality named Hank. In one really hilarious scene he takes his medication and suffers an excessive dry mouth reaction. While it was totally over the top, it served well to illustrate what millions of people must put up with daily. Interfere with the digestive juices, including saliva and the person tends towards sweet junk foods and what food is eaten is poorly digested.

Poor digestion along with slowed peristalsis leads to chronic malnutrition and diseases associated with putrid partially digested food accumulating in the lower tracts of the digestive system. Diverticulitis, Chrohn's disease, constipation Chronic obstructive bowel disease, bowel cancer and other ailments develop.

These diseases of the digestive tract may take 20 or more years to develop and the association with the offending medication may never be made.

The consequence is many years of ongoing surgery, more and more powerful drugs, chronic infections, colostomy bags, days, weeks and months in hospital and a gradual slide into disability that ends with a slow and undignified death well before time. The cost to the health system is measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The cost to the family is immeasurable.

What often blows me away is that the offending medication - the anti-depressant or the blood pressure medication continues to prescribed although the need for it may be long gone!

Modern drugs do have their place; but not when dealing with issues that are mostly to do with our lifestyles and the natural processes of ageing.

Is your blood pressure medication really working?  If you have been prescribed blood pressure medication then you should be monitoring your blood pressure daily with an Omron Blood Pressure Monitor.

My Big Toe is very sore, sometimes swollen

"Could you help me please, My big toe is very sore, sometimes swollen and has very limited movement.

This has developed over the last couple of years and has now got to the stage I can not play 9 holes of golf.

I have have been to my specialist and he recommends surgery to fuse the toe bones together I'm not happy about this, have you a solution.

I had a number of heart attacks... and on the usual heart medication."

Anonymous

Medications as follows

Asperin 100mg

Dilitiazem 120mg twice day

Metaprolol suffocate 47.5 mg 

Simavistin 80 mg 

Omeprazole 40mg

Oxybutynin chloride 5 mg

Male, late 50's. Worked as a tiler up till about 10 years ago.

_________________________

Gary:

The big toe is your "canary in the coal mine" and is your early warning that not all is well elsewhere in your body.

In this case, the medications being taken for several years must be highly suspect.  The Simvastatin and Oxybutynin are both known to cause joint pain, swelling.  While drugs must undergo rigorous safety trials before release, I am not aware of any requirements that there be similar testing of the safety of mixing these very same drugs.  Each drug comes with its own set of side effects and the potential complications when these are mixed can be mind boggling.  In my opinion, prescribing six different medications is hazardous to health.  I accept that there is a good reason for prescribing each of the above; but this is an example of one drug leading to another: Omeprazole is prescribed to offset the digestion upsets of an earlier medication, as is oxybutynin.  This kind of progressive prescribing, while justified by the prescriber, is a slippery slope downhill, leading to further health problems such as the sore toe.  Chopping the toe may give relief to the current pain; but does not deal with whatever may be going on inside.  What will be next?  The other big toe?  The ankle? Liver problems?  Kidney?  You need to go back to your doctor and discuss the possibility that your sore toe is being caused by one or more medications.  I really do think you need to stop the suspect drugs.  See what your doctor has to say.

Lead is present in many
 materials used by tradesmen.
Lead damages arteries,
bones and joints.

Please read these articles about statins.  You will gather that I do not have much time for this class of drugs.

Please read these articles about "sore toe" of which there are over 30.  Massage and manipulation of the sore toe is an option; but not before the cause of the pain and swelling is first identified and then rectified.  You could start taking some of the supplements recommended in these articles - supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin.  While you search for the underlying causes.

Tradesmen who work with solvents, chalk, paint and timber are exposed to many toxic substances, such as lead, cadmium and arsenic, that build up in the body, wreaking metabolic havoc over the decades.  Years after exposure to these toxins has ceased, they remain in the body, rusting away the insides.  These toxic elements may contribute to conditions like heart disease, arthritis and even Parkinsons to name a few.

Good health, including resolution of the toe pain, getting up at night for a pee and so on, is not found through drugs and surgery, although these may be necessary for short term relief and survival.  The key to good health for life comes from identifying all of the underlying biochemical drivers that are leading to a progressive breakdown in health.  This is done with a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and then acting on the results and recommendations.

This article about arteriosclerosis is a good example of how good health is achieved by use of the Hair Analysis programme.  The Hair Tissue Analysis is not a substitute for medication that has already been prescribed; but it does help people chart a course to good health.  As health improves one of the wonderful benefits is being able to progressively reduce, or cease medications - but those are decisions to be made between you and your doctor!

The first action is to order a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and then get going!

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About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.  Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service!

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Do you have a question?  Email Gary: gary@myotec.co.nz. Include any relevant background information to your question.  Please be patient and be aware that I may not be able to answer every inquiry in detail, depending on workloads (My paying clients take precedence!). I will either reply by email or, most likely, by way of an article (Personal identifying details will be removed before publication).

I have been diagnosed with DeQuervain's tendinitis

I have been diagnosed with DeQuervain's tendinitis. I have been taking anti inflammatory meds and using a splint. Of course, the dr. wants to give me the cortisone shot. I do not want this. I have heard of a patch that uses electonic pulses to deliver the cortisone. Is this any better than the shot or with less side effects? Where can I find info or a dr. that can help me find the more "natural" remedies you write about, such as exercise, massage and nutrition? Will acupuncture help? 

Thank you, Sheila

My body started to fall apart after being prescribed Cipro!

I have to echo everything that Shells has said about this dangerous class of antibiotics. The Fluoroquinolones have probably done more grievous injury to more people than any other prescription drug. I know that is a broad statement, but the delayed time frame before damage occurs to the patient has disguised just how harmful the FQ's really are. Because of this delay, Dr's and patients are not making the connection between the damage and their use of the FQ antibiotic. The drug reps have done a great job of hiding the dangers as well to increase their sales. After all, they are just puppets for the manufacturers. Dr's seem to be completely ignorant of all the injuries these antibiotics are capable of.
Every Dr. including the one that prescribed Cipro to me has denied any connection between my injuries and the recent use of Cipro. I was very healthy and leading an active live when I was prescribed Cipro for a minor UTI. within days of finishing that scrip, my body started to fall apart. It started with severe insomnia and progressed to every Averse Drug Reaction there is listed about Cipro. It's been over 20 months now and I'm still crippled with Peripheral Neuropathy, Tendinitis, Joints that burn and ache 24/7, the list goes on and on.

There are thousands of injured people on multiple forums on the net that have finally figured out the 'cause' of all their mysterious health problems and why they suddenly developed body wide injuries to their joints, tendons, muscles and connective tissues. There are even more people that have not yet made the connection of the use of a FQ and their sudden dramatic health issues. Most patients are misdiagnosed by Dr's that don't have a clue as to the damage these drugs are capable of.

Most people have suffered major central nervous system problems also. Because of the fluoride in the FQ's, they are able to penetrate deep into the cellular structure of our DNA and affect our mitochondria. This translates to body wide damage to all of our systems.

Something has to be done to stop this madness and destruction of human life. We need help!
_______________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Please read the other postings about these drugs by clicking on the labels below. Please pass the articles to friends, family and work mates to ensure that they are forewarned before their next doctor's visit.

Sadly, the damage is done and much of it would appear to be permanent. However; there is still much good stuff that one can do to assist the body with coping the best it can. The first step is to complete the free Active Elements Assessment and then to use the results to develop a nutritional strategy to ensure that your body is able to repair and build strong collagen.


Talk to Gary Moller:

Ghost Authors Common in Medical Research Papers: Study

Drug companies initiating clinical trials often use ghost authors and medical writers whose contributions are not credited in the research papers, Danish scientists said on Tuesday.
This practice could be reduced by greater transparency and stricter rules that insist everyone who has worked on or contributed to a medical trial is named.
"Ghost authorship is common but it is often kept secret because it is in the interest of both the industry and the academic authors who lend their names to papers they have had very little or, in some cases, nothing to do with," Peter Gotzsche, of the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark, said in an interview.
The names of authors and researchers are omitted from the published research papers because this may serve the commercial interests of the company sponsoring the trial.
"We have seen again and again that the conclusions in trial reports and other types of articles are given a spin by industry so that the conclusions are too positive compared to the data presented," Gotzsche said.
"It is very important for the industry to get messages out that are useful for their marketing departments," he added.
Lending their name to a study can be beneficial for researchers because it raises their profile and the number of published studies they are linked to. Gotzsche and a team of international researchers believe that unless the role of all the authors is set out in the research paper, people reading the study will not be able accurately to judge or trust its conclusions.
The scientists analysed 44 trials approved by Danish ethics committees in 1994-1995 in the first systematic examination of ghost authorship. One of the studies had been initiated by a local company and 43 by one of 26 multinational drug companies.
The researchers identified 33 trials with ghost authors. In 31 of them the ghost writer was a statistician -- the person who analysed the trial data.
__________________________
Gary Moller comments:
These sorts of appalling practices help to explain why "research" that shows favourable results for commercial products always seem to be far more numerous than those reports that are less than favourable. Coupled with massive publicity machines behind them these reports of questionable repute then receive incredible publicity in the media - propaganda dressed up as news!

Menawhile, the free or cheap, self-help methods for keeping healthy, or regaining health are largely ignored. For example, if a drug was discovered that was shown to reduce cancer risk by as much as 50% it would be a news sensation. The discoverers would not only become incredibly wealthy, they would also be Nobel Prize winners. Or would they?

Well there is a drug that has been discovered that does just that - sunlight. Sadly, because sun is free it receives little in the way of recognition for its cancer preventing qualities. In fact, we are taught by the establishment to fear the sun. Some might think there is some kind of conspiracy going on here. Or is it just a case of willful neglect aided and abetted by powerful commercial interests?

Myopathy known to occur with statins

"While the statins are effective in providing protection from coronary and cardiovascular events, they are known to cause myopathy (usually dose-related) and, rarely, rhabdomyolysis. A clinical diagnosis of myopathy is made when there is muscle pain or weakness accompanied by a creatine kinase (CK) level more than ten times the upper limit of normal. Rhabdomyolysis is a severe form of myopathy with muscle breakdown leading to myoglobinuria, which may result in renal failure and death.

The Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM) has received eight recent reports (including two fatalities) of rhabdomyolysis occurring in patients taking between 20mg and 80mg of a statin daily."
___________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
This medsafe NZ report raises a number of interesting issues:

Officially myopathy and rhabdomyolysis are "rare" with rates of from 0.03% to 1%. Such rates depend on not just the Dr detecting the condition; but reporting it in such a way that it is recorded in offical databases. In m y experience, this hardly ever happens and only in the most serious cases leading to severe disability or death - assuming the disability or death were directly attributed to the culprit medication.

Co-morbidities and other medications complicate the detective work. So, for example; while the patient might have died from heart failure, the medication might have damaged the heart muscle. Or, as a result of the severe muscle weakness caused by the statin, the patient might have slipped, broken a hip and subsequently died from the complications of a blood clot. The official cause of death would not be the statin.

If these medicines have such nasty side effects, it begs the question: "Why do these things continue to be prescribed?" Especially when there are such effective non-medical alternatives that have absolutely no side effects other than looking and feeling great.

"Because they reduce heart disease risk and because the side effects are very rare", you might say.

"Rare?" At a recent presentation to more than 50 "Oldies" I was cornered afterwards by two women who had been prescribed statins. Both had suffered severe muscular pain and weakness and one had visible severe muscle wasting of her thighs and was having trouble walking. I was horrified at the damage.

Assuming that about 10 of the total audience were on statins, is this occurence "RARE"?

How much do drugs companies influence your doctor's treatment decisions?

"Approximately US$19 billion is spent annually by drug companies for marketing to doctors. Tens of thousands of sales representatives descend on doctors' offices every day. Patients in doctors' waiting rooms are often outnumbered by drug reps (typically young, female, attractive).

Drug companies write the package inserts of all drugs, carefully including the information they choose and omitting information they want to avoid.

Drug companies underwrite a large percentage of continuing education courses for doctors. In doing so, they make sure that the speakers represent the company view.

Drug companies design studies that are meant to produce favorable results and then publish the studies in medical journals. Studies with unfavorable results are not published.

Drug reps typically bring stacks of studies, all favorable, which impress doctors, who no longer have the time or motivation to search the medical literature themselves.

Drug reps do not include independent studies with less favorable conclusions. Many doctors never see these."
____________________________
Gary Moller comments:
What this article did not mention is the fact that drugs companies also invest millions in successfully influencing politicians and bureaucrats. For shocking evidence of the extent of this political lobbying in the USA, go here.

Back in the days when I hired physical education graduates straight from university to work in our rehabilitation programmes it was common for the attractive ones to be recruited within a year or so by our opposition: the drugs companies. Their new job over on the Dark Side was to promote drugs to doctors like blood pressure and cholesterol lowering pills. What is described that happens in the USA happens in NZ. Sadly, NZ allows the advertising of pharmaceutical drugs direct to the consumer using media like television.

Side effects of drugs medication is always underplayed, as is the reporting of any ill effects which consequently distorts official statistics to give the impression of a drug appearing to be much safer than it really is.

If a doctor is even aware of effective alternative treatments for conditions like weak bones, arthritis and high blood pressure these usually receive very low priority treatment that is little more than lip service, or else completely dismissed as a waste of a patient's time and money. I am still astonished at how often a doctor dismisses out of hand a therapy like glucosamine for arthritis despite the wealth of research evidence in its favour.

When a drug is prescribed for a condition like blood pressure this may be done on the basis of a handful of potentially flawed tests of blood pressure done in the artificial envirnoment of a medical clinic. The drug is then dished out with advice along the lines of; "Try this and we will see how it goes". Unless the medication is being closely monitored through the person's day, such as with a blood pressure machine, then the prescribing of this potentially harmful medication sure is a hazardous hit and miss exercise! Would you run a business without having accurate measures of key performance indicators? Of course not and why should your health be any different when ingesting potentially hazardous drugs?

Maybe it is not in the interests of the prescriber or the manufacturer to monitor these drugs properly because it might be discovered more often than not that they are not very good at doing what they are supposed to do and may even be doing more harm than good!

Treatment found for Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder (DSACDAD)!

HAVIDOL is for the treatment of Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder (DSACDAD). It is the only known medication available for this newly recognized disorder.

Important safety information:

Problems can be avoided if you take HAVIDOL only when you are able to immediately benefit from its effects. To fully benefit from HAVIDOL patients are encouraged to engage in activities requiring exceptional mental, motor, and consumptive coordination. HAVIDOL is not for you if you have abruptly stopped using alcohol or sedatives. Havidol should be taken indefinitely. Side effects may include mood changes, muscle strain, extraordinary thinking, dermal gloss, impulsivity induced consumption, excessive salivation, hair growth, markedly delayed sexual climax, inter-species communication, taste perversion, terminal smile, and oral inflammation. Very rarely users may experience a need to change physicians. Talk to your doctor about HAVIDOL

Go here to learn how to get HAVIDOL

Antioxidant supplements may raise death risk - study

CHICAGO - Beta carotene and vitamins A and E, antioxidant supplements taken by millions to fight disease, may actually raise the risk of death, a review of 68 studies on nearly a quarter-million people said today.
The finding drew fire from critics who said it was flawed and based largely on studies of people who were already chronically ill before they were treated with the supplements.
Tuesday's report related only to synthetic supplements and not to fruits and vegetables in everyday diets which are natural and contain less concentrated levels of antioxidants, said the study from the Centre for Clinical Intervention Research at Denmark's Copenhagen University Hospital.
_________________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Over the last year I have shifted away from advocating anything other than supplements that are from natural food sources. This is due to concern that the synthetic copies of naturally occuring vitamins and other nutrients may not improve health and may even have a deleterious effect.

It is sensible to be cautious about the small one-per-day capsule that claims to contain every known vitamin, mineral and antioxidant needed by Man. To get all of that into such a small container probably means the contents are from pure synthetic sources. Supplements that are derived from natural sources, like herbs, look and smell like food concentrates and are usually the size of horse pills. Other forms for the Purists among us are elixirs like the Floradix range that are certified organic plant concentrates.
Synthetic vitamin E is not the same as the natural substance, nor is vitamin A. In their natural forms these vitamins actually include hundreds of different compounds (co-factors) that work together to do their healthy work. Pure synthetic Vitamin A, for example, can be highly toxic and is implicated in birth defects and should only be taken in small amounts, if ever. The natural form of vitamin A is derived from sources like egg yolk, butter and cod liver oil are very safe to take, despite the dire warnings that may come on the labels.

Funny isn't it? - Many of the best foods that contain the essential fats, minerals, vitamins and proteins are the ones that are bad for you - eggs, liver and butter! These are the high cholesterol foods that don't get the Heart Foundation tick. Do they really believe that margarine with synthetic vitamin A and cancer-producing trans-fatty acids is really better for you than pure New Zealand butter?

There is also the debate about "more being better". Of course, this is not the case and one should errr on the conservative side with vitamins unless the evidence tells you otherwise.

As an observation, when people with chronic health problems do consult me, there is usually more than a few signs of nutritional deficiency, such as magensium deficiency or low vitamin D. Often supplements are being taken but these may be synthetics that are poorly targetted to need. Another potential pitfall is to be taking too much of a single vitamin which may create an imbalance with others - nutrients need to be in balance with each other to be able to do their work.

So, take vitamins; but ensure they are mostly from natural sources. Take according to established need. Continue to ensure that your diet is your principal source of quality nutrients - quality meats, fruits, nuts, vegetables and whole grains.

Therapeutic Goods Authority looms large - stop it now!

The Therapeutic Goods Authority (TGA) which the Government has committed to setting up without proper consultation with the public is well on the way to being established. Staff have already been hired making a farce of any consultation.

How will this regulatory organisation benefit the NZ public? We deserve to know.

The TGA will regulate natural therapies, natural medicines and nutritional supplements as if they were hazardous prescription pharmaceuticals. It is doing so on the basis of safety - premise that nobody has been able to substantiate (There is not a single recorded death in recent NZ history from taking a natural medicine or supplement).

If the TGA goes ahead, as would appear inevitable, your ability to decide what is best for your health will be severely diminished and the cost will rise.

Maori traditional healing will be seriously compromised and the development of herbs and medicines based on native NZ plants will probably not be possible without the financial muscle of Big Pharma.

Submissions are being called for; but you have only a few weeks to get one in. A Maori Hui is being organised to opposed the TGA. Details below and please get involved, if only by writing to your MP.

Here are the PDF files for these:

• Hui Invite
• Impact of TGA on Maori
• Hui Expression of Interest
• Maori Party Letter and Speech

Please act now and retain our freedom to manage our own health. Throw out the TGA!

Warfarin linked with brain bleeds

"Warfarin is often prescribed to prevent blood clotting and help combat the most common type of stroke, known as ischemic stroke. However, warfarin itself has been linked to intracerebral brain hemorrhage, another type of stroke caused by ruptured blood vessels and subsequent bleeding in the brain." (Click on the title for the full article).
_________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
As with most medicines, the full extent of adverse side effects goes largely unnoticed. This is because there is usually no direct link between taking a drug and the adversity.

For example (A real one), a dentist may be conducting a routine tooth extraction to be horrified to find that a chunk of dead jaw bone comes out with the tooth! Of course this means the patient is in real trouble. The condition is called osteonecrosis for which there is no effective treatment. Tests are completed, specialists are consulted and there is no reason for this happening in a 50'ish patient. The only suspiscion the dentist has is that the patient has been taking Warfarin (rat poison) for a decade for a heart condition; but the association is dismissed by the experts.

Here is my take on what is happening: The Warfarin is causing micro-bleeding into the bone of the jaw. Why it shows mostly in the jaw is because the jaw is constantly stressed by the action of chewing on the teeth, thus causing the micro bleeds. Bone is very sensitive to bleeding - the delicate bone cells die off similar to what happens when taking biphosphenates that cause "Fossy Jaw".

My experience is that the majority of people I come across who have been placed on Warfarin need not be on it and non drugs strategies should first have been explored and exhausted.

If for example a patient has atrial fibrilations that may increase risk of a clot that might settle in the brain, how about a course of:

• Fish oil plus vitamin E to stabilise the heart electrical activity and condition the blood to reduce clotting risk
• A multi mineral with magnesium and calcium that relax the heart, nerves and stabilise blood pressure
• A course to learn to breathe properly using the diaphragm and thus stabilise body PH - over-breathing is known to cause heart irregularities that can be so severe as to be mistaken for a heart attack
• Sunbathing to increase vitmamin D levels to at least 120 nmol - low vit D is associated with heart disease (Have you had a blood test for your own vitamin D yet?)

Should these fail to brig about a resolution after about 21 days then the option of medication can be considered.

Dry Mouth Advice

DRY MOUTH By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
"Dry mouth can be caused by infections, nerve damage and drugs such as blood pressure medication like clonidine, Prilosec and other ulcer medications, antihistamines, stimulants such as amphetamines and intestinal medication called atropine. It can be associated with a type of arthritis.

Lack of saliva causes mouth and neck pain, infections, difficulty talking and sleeping, dental cavities, and difficulty swallowing because saliva lubricates the food and allows it to pass down your throat. Since the mouth is normally full of germs that belong there, it is very difficult to culture a bacteria that causes dry mouth, but some people are cured by taking the antibiotics metronidazole and clarithromycin for a couple of weeks. If that doesn't cure you, you may have to take a 5mg pilocarpine pill four times a day, but they can cause sweating, nausea, running nose, chills, dizziness and frequent urination.

You can also try a machine called Salitron made by Biosonics in Pennsylvania. It uses an electrical probe in your mouth to stimulate the salivary glands to produce saliva. "
____________________________
Gary Moller comments:
I thought you might be interested in this article by Dr Mirkin. While the advice might be spot on for treating medical conditioins like Sjogren's, it is not suitable for the majority of people with this problem. Adding more medicine to the pile pills is potentially dangerous and few people can afford extortionately over-priced medical machines. Dry mouth is a potentially serious conditioin that can lead to:

• Severe tooth decay, bad breath and gum disease
• These infections are assoiated with cardiovascular disease
• Diseases of the digestive tract
• Malnutrition

Here is my advice:

• If you are on medication that might be causing dry mouth, talk to your Dr and ask if it is absolutely necessary and ask about alternatives.
• If you have digestive problems, high blood pressure or feeling depressed, for example, and you are taking medication there are usually very good lifestyle and nutrition alternatives to medication that has side effects like dry mouth.
• If you are a mouth breather, then you need to get to the root cause of this which may be anything from a nasal obstruction, allergy or being over-weight
• Cut out stimulants, including tea, coffee and chocolate
• Drink plenty of fresh water so that urination is regular, like every couple of waking hours
• Get on a nutrient rich wholefoods diet and cut out sugars and refined flours, artificail sweeteners, colourings and flavourings
• Take a multi mineral with magnesium, like Calcium Complete, a selection of omega oils and a natural B Complex that support proper functioning of the nervous system
• Go to sleep and awake the same time every day
• Exercise outdoors daily to stimulate mind and body
• Sip fresh fresh cool water frequently and swill and gargle it about the mouth
• Brush and floss morning and evening and see a good dentist regularly
• Chew gum, eat apples and other fruit to stimulate the production of saliva and massage the gums

Codex Guidelines and the Therapeutic Goods Authority are not good for your health

One day, possibly in 2009, you will wake up to find that high potency vitamins, minerals and nutrient-dense supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin will be illegal.

This is no joke; the legislation before the NZ Parliament to set up the Trans-Tasman Therapeutic Goods Authority is part of a global movement to restrict your access to these safe products.

Your only choice for prevention and treatment of many ailments will be poisonous pharmaceuticals that will bleed our economies dry.

For a good overview of the issues, have a listen to this video (about 14 minutes long):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5266884912495233634&q=Nutricide

Why regulate and restrict products that are safe? Here in NZ there have been no deaths in the last decade or so from taking nutritional supplements, other than a child who tragically choked to death on a vitmain pill.
More information here

How Medication Causes Anaemia in Senior Citizens

Anaemia should be considered a critical health concern for everyone over the age of 50. This is especially so for those who are taking prescription drugs, because many have a side effect that you'll never see mentioned on the label: the impairment of essential vitamin and nutrient absorption.

Red blood cells deliver oxygen from the lungs to the tissues throughout the body. Anemia occurs when the red blood cell count becomes depleted, resulting in fatigue, weakness, and hair loss in extreme cases. The two primary causes of anaemia are iron-poor blood (often triggered by menstruation or internal bleeding), and a deficiency in two critical vitamins: folic acid and vitamin B-12. Getting good amounts of these nutrients is very important for seniors because as we age our ability to absorb vitamins from food diminishes. Consequently, our tendency to develop anaemia rises.

Unfortunately this absorption problem is just the first link in a chain of events that adds up to a health issue that's far more serious than simple fatigue.

Many prescription pharmaceuticals interfere with the absorption of nutrients. For instance, drugs that inhibit stomach acids have been shown to significantly decrease absorption of vitamin B-12; one of the primary vitamins needed to prevent anaemia.

Other medications that are known to play a role in nutrient depletion are among the most frequently prescribed medications on the market. Antibiotics, anti-depressants, anti-inflammatories, blood pressure medications, cholesterol- lowering drugs, estrogen, and tranquilizers can all strip valuable vitamins and minerals from the body. When any of these drugs are combined - especially in an older patient - the risk of developing anemia rises.

And now it seems that this chain of events is being rushed along more quickly than ever. Did you know the average American senior receives 25 prescriptions annually - a 100 percent jump in just four years! So as the over-medication of seniors grows at an alarming rate, we see two serious problems becoming even greater health threats:

• The wider variety of drug intake creates conflicting side effects (and as know, many doctors treat drug side effects with other types of drugs), and
• These potent drug mixes rob patients of the very nutrients they need most when fighting an illness.

But the chain of events just keeps getting worse. Many mainstream doctors see so many elderly patients who have anaemia that the condition is widely regarded - somewhat lightly - as a normal part of ageing. As a result, when anaemia is diagnosed it often goes untreated. This is a mistake because anaemia dramatically increases the risk of mortality for those with chronic health problems such as heart disease. At the same time, anaemia can also promote cancer, which thrives in a cellular environment that's starved of oxygen.

Anaemia is easily diagnosed with a blood test, so during your next check up, ask your doctor for a test of your red cell blood count - especially if you're feeling unusually fatigued. If you do have an anaemic condition, the next step is to find out the cause. If your doctor downplays anaemia's importance, or if a prescription drug is recommended to address the problem, you should get a second opinion.

As for treating anaemia, you simply can't go wrong with the right nutrition and supplements. High doses of B group vitamins can be helpful, but not necessarily iron supplements. Take a broad spectrum Natural vitamin B supplement twice daily with iron rich food. The best source of iron is from natural dietary sources, plus a supplement from natural sources that steadily restore levels to normal.

The best dietary sources of iron red meat, fish, pork, and poultry, with beef liver and chicken liver having the highest amounts of iron. An additional intake of high quality vitamin C with iron rich food can also help the body absorb iron. Even an orange juice with your meal will help.

Talk to your doctor about discontinuing the use of any drugs that aren't absolutely necessary.

Natural medicines – the safest way to avoid death

"A report just released by the Acting Chair of the Coroner’s Council has shown natural medicines have the lowest fatality rate of all medical treatments in this country.

Despite extensive research, coroner Dr Wallace Bain found no deaths have occurred in this country due to natural medicines such as vitamins, minerals and herbal products.

Dr Bain, who is also a trained pharmacist and lawyer, undertook the study in light of growing opposition to new legislation that will see New Zealand’s natural health industry come under Australian laws.

The safety of natural products is often sited as a reason for the need for such a move.

The Labour government plans that the Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority (ANZTPA) will soon replace the current Medsafe agency as part of a `trans-Tasman harmonisation’ push. Opponents fear this move will decimate New Zealand’s natural health industry as has already occurred in Australia."
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Gary Moller comments:
Dr Bain correctly points out in his report that, in contrast, in 1998 (the last year of detailed official statistics available) adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs killed 1524 New Zealanders and deaths associated with medical injury (mistakes by doctors and medical staff) killed 4222 New Zealanders.

These horrific statistics that dwarf even the national road toll of about 4-500 per year and which generates much outrage and receives huge funding.

The question: 'Why is there is such an enthusiastic push by ther NZ and Australian Governments to regulate a group of products when there is absolutely no credible evidence whatsoever of the need for this kind of thing on the grounds of safety?" Is it a conspiracy by big business with political buddies to wipe out alternative and traditional therapies?

It is interesting to note that many of my mail order internet nutritional sales via Myotec are directly to Australians who find that purchasing directly from New Zealand is easier and cheaper than from their own country. This is a good indication of what will happen to the NZ market if we go the Australian Way as our politicians would have us.

Please visit your local MP and write to the Minister of Health, Anette King, and express your opinion on this matter (Therapeutic Goods Bill). No stamp is required when writing to your MP c/o Parliament, Wellington. Please also refer to my earlier article on this important topic.

Eli Lilly Said to Play Down Risk of Top Pill

Sunday 17 December 2006
The drug maker Eli Lilly has engaged in a decade-long effort to play down the health risks of Zyprexa, its best-selling medication for schizophrenia, according to hundreds of internal Lilly documents and e-mail messages among top company managers.

The documents, given to The Times by a lawyer representing mentally ill patients, show that Lilly executives kept important information from doctors about Zyprexa's links to obesity and its tendency to raise blood sugar - both known risk factors for diabetes.

Lilly's own published data, which it told its sales representatives to play down in conversations with doctors, has shown that 30 percent of patients taking Zyprexa gain 22 pounds or more after a year on the drug, and some patients have reported gaining 100 pounds or more. But Lilly was concerned that Zyprexa's sales would be hurt if the company was more forthright about the fact that the drug might cause unmanageable weight gain or diabetes, according to the documents, which cover the period 1995 to 2004.

Zyprexa has become by far Lilly's best-selling product, with sales of $4.2 billion last year, when about two million people worldwide took the drug.

Critics, including the American Diabetes Association, have argued that Zyprexa, introduced in 1996, is more likely to cause diabetes than other widely used schizophrenia drugs. Lilly has consistently denied such a link, and did so again on Friday in a written response to questions about the documents. The company defended Zyprexa's safety, and said the documents had been taken out of context.... Last year, Lilly agreed to pay $750 million to settle suits by 8,000 people who claimed they developed diabetes or other medical problems after taking Zyprexa. Thousands more suits against the company are pending. (Read the whole article by clicking on the linked headline).
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Gary Moller comments:

Now, let's see, $4 billion+ per year over 10 years = $40 billion. The cost of suppressing this health information = only $750 million - so far. If I was the CEO of this company, I think the maths is very much in favour of that decision to suppress, rather than disclose. Similar to pill-popping this behaviour is becoming a bit of a bad habit.

Do you think the US politicians are ever going to get tough on these guys with stiffer penalties that make non-disclosure uneconomic? No way! They will not do anything to hurt their buddies any further than a token slap on the hands with a wet bus ticket.

Politicians have allowed themselves to be compromised on this and other issues. For evidence of the millions of $$$ that are pumped into the political coffers of the USA political parties and individual electorates by pharmaceutical interests go here.

While we are at it; if you want evidence that the Iraq war is very good for business and benefiting politicians at the same time - and to see just how compromised both Republicans and Democrats are on these issues - then take a look at these charts. (Now that the balance of power has shifted in the US, it will be interesting to come back in several months from now and see if the "balance of payments" has shifted during that time).

Dreaded droopy dick syndrome

"Dear gary,
IT is interesting to see the plethora of ads and products being promoted for the treatment of the dreaded droopy dick syndrome in the middle aged men,apart from the Viagra type products there are many natrual products such as "Horny goat weed" or "Macca"
Although I am not suffering any problems in this department yet , I very much want to look after my best mate and keep him in good working order for the coming challenges .
I was wondering if you have any experience with this problem ,and could recommend any of the natrual suppliments, or methods to prevent this from becoming a problem.

John Holmes"
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Gary Moller Comments:
John, I am pleased to know that you are without the above-mentioned matters.
There are several key factors at work that may combine to bring about declining libido in both men and women. While I am not, for one moment a medical expert on these matters, I feel I do have a reasonable grasp of some of the contibuting physiology underlying this gradual decline in sexual performance as age has its way:

• Stress, fatigue, sleep deprivation and depression
• Hum-drum relationships
• Mineral depletion; especially magnesium
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Loss of physical condition and muscle tone
• Gradual loss of circulation mostly affecting the periphery of the body
• Side effects of prescription medicines
• Hormonal changes associated with ageing

Referring directly to your question about Viagra, Horny Goat Weed and so on, these may or may not be of any use and, if they do have an effect, these should only be regarded as temporary fixes or "jump starters", since they may not deal with the underlying issues, such as stress and fatigue.

I am going to try to tackle each of the eight factors listed above over the next few weeks.

John, Thankyou for raising this important and topical subject.

Fossy Jaw - jawbone death, bone decay, or jaw rot

"As potent inhibitors of osteoclast activity, the nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates might retard skeletal repair processes associated with trauma to or infection of the oral mucosa that involves the underlying bone. Since the jawbones are in constant use and are characterized by active remodeling, bisphosphonates might accumulate there preferentially, resulting in concentrations that exceed those found elsewhere in the skeleton. "
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Gary Moller comments:
Losing your jaw is not pleasant. More to the point: horrific!

While this is the most commonly reported side-effect of these anti-osteoporosis drugs, I think this is only one of many possible adverse side effects that are coming to the fore. This class of drugs may be causing damage to arterial walls and kidney leading to early onset of cardiovascular disease of various forms and even dementia. Rather than preventing fractures, the longterm result may be more fractures and poor healing because the poor victim is left with old bone that does not heal.

These drugs have an estimated 1/2 life of 10 years, so if a user stopped today it could be as long as 20 years before the drug is completely eliminated.

Its not worth the risk taking these things. If you are diagnosed by a bone scan or blood test as having osteoporosis or close to it here is my advice:

• Challenge the accuracy of the test because these tests are more often unreliable than reliable.
• If you are small, the odds are the bone density test will have you with a low bone mineral density which is probably dead wrong.
• If you have been unwell or in hospital for any reason and your blood calcium levels are high (A reason for putting you on these drugs) and you are given a biphosphenate don't take it.
• Blood calcium goes through the roof if you are deprived of sunlight and unable to exercise - its a normal thing.
• Read Gillian Sanson's book about the Myth of Osteoporosis first.

Instead of taking these awful drugs that also cost a fortune:

• Insist on getting your vitamin D levels tested. If below 120 then:
• Get some sunlight on your back and tummy and thighs 3 times a week for about 10 minutes. Failing that, find a sunbed and get a few minutes that way (No burning and no excessive tanning please).
• Repeat the vitamin D test about 3 months later to see how you are going.
• Take a multi mineral like Calcium Complete daily and take cod liver oil.
• Cut right down on dairy and refined grains and eat your veges, especially ones like brocolli and cabbage.
• Walk briskly daily, do housework, dig the garden and lift light weights above your head.