Old graves send us a message about how we should be trying to live and eat

One of my clients wrote:

"In December, while out riding round New Plymouth, we discovered a beautiful cemetery, we've never seen such old graves in such perfect condition, all the very old ones had beautiful gardens on them, it all covered a huge area, we were intrigued and wandered for ages. 

What intrigued me, besides the beauty and tranquillity of the park/cemetery, was that the graves were very old - most had died 150-200 years ago. Apart from a small no. of infant deaths, all the others were in their late 80's and upper 90's, all those years ago, when living conditions here were harsh and just natural remedies! The only younger deaths were during the war years. 

I thought that sends a huge message about the way we live, more importantly how we should be trying to live/eat."

If we were to take out deaths from infections, industrial accidents and wars I don't think we are much better off than we were 50 or 100 years ago health-wise.  When I look at our family's living conditions during the 1950's, the standard was appalling as compared to now - long drop toilet outside, no insulation at all in the house, just one open fireplace and bedrooms so cold that ice would form on the insides of the house.  Talk about cramped living during our early years: The kids slept top-tail in the same beds.  We walked to school in the frost, sometimes barefoot.  However, all five of my brothers and sisters are still alive and in excellent health.

Im my opinion, the professions of modern medicine and nutrition, including their research and education, has been hijacked by "for-profit" interests.  We may be living longer, thanks to no massive world wars, fewer industrial accidents and less infection; but are we actually healthier?  I don't think so.  We may actually be less healthy, being preserved by drugs that ruin quality of life as we get old.

Here is the best article I have send to date that explains how we have lost our way with nutrition science and what we need to do to regain good health.

By Dr. Mercola

Three decades ago, the food available was mostly fresh and grown locally. Today, the majority of foods served, whether at home, in school or in restaurants, are highly processed foods, filled with sugars, harmful processed fats, and chemical additives.

During that same time, obesity rates have skyrocketed, and one in five American deaths are now associated with obesity. Obesity-related deathsinclude those from type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, liver disease, cancer, dementia, and depression, as nearly all have metabolic dysfunction as a common underlying factor.

The featured1 article contains 11 telling charts and graphs, illustrating how the modern diet has led to an avalanche of chronic disease. As its author, Kris Gunnars says:

"The modern diet is the main reason why people all over the world are fatter and sicker than ever before. Everywhere modern processed foods go, chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease soon follow."

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/24/modern-diet.aspx?e_cid=1stBestOfNL_art_1&et_cid=DM53019&et_rid=819440480

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.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

There are healthy alternatives to modern medicine

Joan walking her dog

Thank goodness for Modern Emergency Medicine: if I was to be run over by a bus, suffer a raging infection or collapse with a heart attack the odds are my life would be saved. However; when it comes to dealing with chronic ill health that is associated with ageing, stress, poor nutrition and over and under-exercising, Modern Medicine is an abject failure. It is impossible to poison a human being into good health. Nor does removing an organ like the gallbladder, or stapling the stomach improve health over the long term.

We are constantly seeking the “Cure” in the form of the next wonder drug or a miracle surgical procedure. This is about as ridiculous as Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail. It does not exist. The Holy Grail is to be found within ourselves. Diseases such as fibromyalgia, hyper and hypothyroidism are said to be of unknown causes and incurable. Medically, all that one can do is manage the symptoms of these diseases using patent drugs that are laden with potent and nasty side effects, or with surgery such as removing the thyroid. This is not true. There are healthy alternatives. These ailments can disappear completely as they often do. The cure lies within: targeted nutrition guided by scientific testing, stress management, moderate exercise, fresh air, sunshine and loving relationships.

Joan’s story, that follows, best illustrates, what I am saying. Her story is compelling reading and I urged her to allow me to share it with readers of Walking Magazine. Joan consented (thank you Joan) and it is reproduced in full below.

(This article was first published in the Sept 2014 issue of Walking Magasine, issue no 200)

Gary Moller

________________________________________________

Joan:

I think this thing has been building up my whole life. You see, I virtually collapsed with what was eventually diagnosed as “chronic fatigue syndrome + fibromyalgia + hypothyroidism + anaemia” in 2009. I had struggled with anxiety, depression and tiredness for as many years as I can remember. 

My GP had been prescribing various antidepressant/antianxiety drugs for the last 22 years. I would go on different brands if the current one stopped working or simply take more of the same. Did it solve anything? Not really. It just put a band-aid on the situation. That is until 2009 when I could barely move. The pain was indescribable and complete and total exhaustion which was unbearable! 

My hair started falling out, my eyebrows virtually vanished and I just got fatter and fatter because I couldn't move! I used to watch my sons outside playing together – they used to shout through the window “come on mum – come outside!” That is probably the worst part - I couldn't play with my sons. I had to stop working. I stopped going out. I stopped meeting friends. I stopped people coming over. I had hit the wall. The body had given up. 

I went to my GP and a battery of tests were done and nothing untoward was found, just a slightly underactive thyroid. The GP prescribed Venlafaxine + Nortriptyline which are both antidepressants/ anti anxiety drugs that seemed to help with chronic fatigue and fibro patients plus thyroxine for the hypothyroidism. I expressed concern about taking these powerful drugs and said I was worried about withdrawal symptoms. The GP simply waved a dismissive hand “Don’t worry about that. You will be on these for quite a long time”. Once she had finished tapping the prescriptions out on the computer, I looked up from my wringing hands and asked timidly “is that all we are going to do?” Her frustration was palpable. She waved her hands around and said “what do you want me to do, wave a magic wand!?” I was crestfallen. So basically, just more of the same rubbish I had been taking for the last 22 years. As I struggled to get up to leave, she handed me a list of psychologists and counsellors in my area and said “here take this”. The message was clear - get your head read while you are at it.

Well, I took the drugs and went to a counsellor for 8 months. Interesting, but it did not cure my pain at all. The drugs were moderately effective, but only for a while. Then the pain flared up again along with the exhaustion. It felt like trying to run through a swimming pool or walking through concrete and just as tiring. I went back to the GP. Her suggestion was to increase the dosage of everything. I asked if there was someone she could recommend I see to do further investigations, such as a nutritionist? Could it be a food allergy? The GP simply said that she didn't think it was food allergy but “look in the phonebook, there are lots of nutritionists”. Surely this can’t be it for me for the rest of my life? I knew there must be something else out there somewhere, but I didn't really know what to look for or where to find it. 

I was tied to the GP by having to visit every 3 months for check up and prescription refill. I was enrolled in the “Care Plus” plan. The Care Plus plan is when a chronically ill patient needs medication for an extended length of time. These care plus appointments were a ridiculous waste of time. I was weighed each time (and was still fat) and the nurse would ask inane questions such as have you had a walk today? No. Why? Because I am in *&^T%)# PAIN! Well, try to set small goals and walk to the corner and then to the next corner the next day. Is anyone listening here? I couldn't believe the government was subsidising this rubbish. The nurse read out the next question on the list: “are you eating healthily?” No. I eat takeout because I am too exhausted to cook anything! Every 3 months the same questions, every 3 months no solutions.

My friend Sue had been seeing a guy who does health consultations. She kept telling me “go see Gary”. I had my doubts but it did work for Sue – she looked great. After a few months of fending off Sue’s enthusiasm, I had a discussion with my husband about whether I should go or not. The cost was an issue. I hadn't been working much since I had been ill. He said, that it worked for Sue, so I should go. Alright Sue, you win. Let’s go. My friend Sue walked me up the slight incline to Gary’s office. She had to hold my hand – I was in so much pain.

Gary was friendly and cheerful and superfit-looking! My gosh, what kind of vitamins is he on? The first question Gary asked me was “When was the last time you were in hospital. What was it for?” I was a bit taken back. No one had ever asked me that before. Well, I would have to say when I was 9 years old for a racing heart due to stress. And that is where we started. Gary said it was hardly a surprise that my adrenal glands had been in a state of exhaustion for many, many years and it is no wonder I am in the state I am in now. He was also of the opinion that I was over-medicated and that most of the drugs my doctor had me on were actually making matters worse, rather than better.

I realised that I had been suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome from childhood. Finally, someone could see that this is something real and we were actually going to do something about it! I couldn’t wait. He ordered a hair tissue mineral analysis test be done and in the meantime, started be on some vitamin and minerals for rectifying adrenal fatigue. I simply couldn't believe it but within 2 weeks I felt better! I have been going to Gary for 2 years now. It is a slow climb getting back to wellness with a few setbacks, but nothing like it was in the past. Last year I gathered up all my courage and came off all pharmaceutical drugs. I was terrified. What if I became crazy or depressed or so anxious that I couldn't leave the house? What if the world ended? It is hard to break away from what you know when that is all you know and when it is all you have been told. 

My GP’s nurse called to arrange another “Care Plus” appointment last month. I told her that I am no longer taking any medication and don’t need those appointments anymore. There was silence on the other end of the phone. The nurse said “well, you really should see the Dr”. I told her that I don’t need to because I feel better. She said “you should come in for a chat anyways”. Over the past few years, I had told my GP about Gary and even brought in the vitamins and minerals he had given me. There was little interest and even less acknowledgement of their success.

Why didn't my GP tell me there are other treatments available? Why doesn't the government subsidise “natural” treatments such as vitamins and minerals? Why don't the insurance companies reimburse people who are under practitioners like Gary for their health care treatment? There is no information or support out there – only a wall of silence if you challenge the pharmaceutical system. 

It makes me mad thinking about all those wasted years that I was on those dangerous drugs with all their scary side effects. 

I politely declined my three month GP appointment. I think I know which way I am going now. This

includes a daily morning walk around the neighbourhood with my dog Sam, something that was once a tiring struggle; but a pleasure to do nowadays!

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.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Brain damage during heart surgery may be widespread

"Sadly I left Government service after discovering that during the heart surgery that I had developed brain lesions (lack of blood or oxygen during surgery).

I was being regularly tested for 8 years before my psychologist suggested a brain scan and it was then discovered I had the brain lesions.

I had been suffering from short term memory loss, anxiety attacks, and inability to multitask."

(name withheld)

_________________________
Gary:
During heart surgery the brain may be damaged by stroke caused by blood clots.

"In summary, the problem has been reduced to a rather simple one. Stroke, produced mostly by arterial source emboli, is the cause of heart surgery–induced cognitive failure. The clinical syndromes fall on a continuum. A few strokes (<3%) are gross and singular, producing an obvious deficit (eg, hemiplegia), but most are multiple. When the embolic burden is high (&10%), an acute encephalopathy ensues. When the burden is lower, no deficit is noted in the acute period, but if the cerebral reserve is low (ie, there is an inevident premorbid brain disease such as hypertensive cerebrovasculopathy), then the patient suffers a nonprogressive cognitive deficit (&8%). In the subgroup of patients in whom the premorbid disease is an inherently progressive disorder (eg, presymptomatic Alzheimer disease that is made manifest by the stress of cardiac surgery), the patient later undergoes a progressive cognitive decline (dementia). This continuum hypothesis explains the disparate results of many studies, because very much like the aphorism of the wise men and the elephant, each investigator was examining a separate part of the problem, but none could see the problem as a whole. All we have to do to deal with the problem of cognitive failure in cardiac surgery survivors is to reduce the burden of cerebral ischemia in those who are selected to undergo the procedure. OPCAB does not address the major issue, arterial source emboli, and thus, not surprisingly, does not address the problem. By selecting patients more carefully with preoperative cognitive and brain imaging methods and then by minimizing intraoperative cerebral emboli using methods that require less manipulation of the heart and aorta, the neurocardiologists of the future might finally save the mind of the cardiac surgery survivor."
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/113/24/2784.long 

How common is heart surgery-related cognitive decline?

Official figures are about 8% but be aware that less than 10% of adverse events ever get reported.  Here in New Zealand, cases that I have had involvement with over the last 30 years have never been successfully reported.  My impression is that cognitive decline that is uncomfortably associated with heart surgery is more common than it is not.

Why is it so difficult to report a case of cognitive decline?

I have tried and failed miserably.  For several reasons:

• Because cognitive function was not measured before the surgery, we can not prove that there was any decline after the surgery!  Measuring cognitive function is simple and cheap, by the way and employed in contact sports like rugby.  So why not surgery?
• The initial decline may be put down to post surgery depression, or a temporary reaction to the anaesthetic. By the time a family or individual is convinced something is amiss, several months may have passed and proving a link with the surgery is as good as impossible.
• The surgeon may resist any suggestion that the operation was anything less than brilliant and may even accuse the patient or the family of being ungrateful!  (Yes - really!).
• Following on from the last point, the smart surgeon may avoid recording any exchanges on paper and/or in emails, thus ensuring an absent, or incomplete paper trail for future reference. (Yes - this does happen).
• The GP is reluctant to get involved.  
• It is as good as impossible to have an adverse reaction reported without the support of the patient's doctor.

 

Can anything be done to improve cognition?

Yes, definitely and the sooner one starts the better.  Even if years have slipped by it is still a case of better late than never.  There are various herbal formulas such as bacopa, vitamins and minerals and nutrients such as omega 3 oil and ubiquinol that may improve cognitive function. To be effective it is best to employ the services of a qualified natural health practitioner with access to accurate nutrient testing.

Many heart medications may expedite cognitive decline

Yes, folks, blood pressure and cholesterol lowering drugs are among the chief culprits for rapid decline into dementia!

There are usually safe and effective healthy alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs - alternatives that nourish and vitalise the body, rather than poinsoning it into submission.

But it is not just a matter of suddenly stopping one's heart drugs - no way should you do that!  The process of weaning one off heart drugs is a slow and careful process, best done with the cooperation of your doctor with regular testing to monitor progress.  Rest assured that it can be done!

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.

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.

A fresh warning about the dangers of cortisone injections

I continue to receive inquiries from people who have had cortisone injections to treat injuries to joints, tendons and ligaments, or have recommended that they undergo such treatment. This type of treatment remains disturbingly common and the consequences can be catastrophic.

Photo: Example of chemical excision by cortisone injection causing permanent damage to the ankle joint (note the large indentation where the lateral ligaments of the ankle once were). Only one injection is required to cripple the recipient.

Cortisone is a form of chemical excision. It kills living cells, dissolving living tissue, killing off everything it has contact with. While the relief from pain may be immediate and lasting, the adverse consequences may not appear for weeks or months or even years later. The consequences may be the catastrophic snapping of a tendon or muscle, loss of protective ligaments or the loss of protective cushioning tissue, such as that found in the heel pad. While many people get away without apparent long term consequences, I can tell you that many people definitely are not so fortunate.

Why is it that cortisone continues to be used to widely and for so many different musculoskeletal problems?

• It is cheap, quick and easy and can be done in any medical consulting room
• Relief from pain is instant and it tends to lastJust 1-4 injections seem to do the job which is usually much better and quicker than one would get than other therapies like physio
• If there are any catastrophic consequences, the association with the cortisone injections may never be known and the injecting Dr will never be any the wiser

When a Dr tells you the "risk is 1/1000" bear in mind that this estimation may be based on worthless stats that do not take account the dozens and dozens of unreported adverse side effects that run parallel to each reported case!

If you have an injury that fails to respond to rest and/or medical treatment, or are bothered by chronic pain and treatment with cortisone has been recommended, you are welcome to write to me and I will do my best to assist with helping you with deciding on what is the best course of action to take.

"Gary - I loved your comments on bisphosphonates" - Doctor

"Gary
I loved your comments on bisphosphonates in particular. They caught my eye as I had just sent out a patient newsletter commenting similarly.

Your "dead bone analogy" was succinct, accurate and easy to understand (and better than my dry scientific depiction I admit)."

Michael Carlston, M.D. (USA)

Note: For Dr Carlston's Website and Newsletter and to learn more about his services:
www.carlstonmd.com

Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.

Why is there so much over-prescribing of medicine and why is there so much unnecessary medicine?

"You did ask why “perfectly healthy” patients with osteopenia are given medications like Fosamax.

From a primary care perspective, many relatively healthy patients are placed on preventative medications if they have even the slightest indication and no obvious contraindications because

1.) This is what primary care physicians do these days.
2.) It’s expensive for the patient but costs the doctor nothing.
3.) Many of our patients EXPECT us to do something when there is an abnormal test.
4.)We try to do everything to reduce the risk of a lawsuit (defensive medicine)."

(Cynical comments in correspondence with a US-based Dr)
________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
While I love modern emergency medicine, I am much less a fan of medicine's role in the management of the diseases of modern living, including those associated with ageing. I think medicine's track record is appalling. I think our impressive life expectancies have little to do with modern medicine as one sees practiced in surgeries and hospitals and more to do with wonderful public health measures such as sewage and water projects and road and industrial safety programmes.

I would not like to be a Dr nowadays; especially one in the USA. It is a thankless task and has nothing to do with the practice of medicine and more to do with bland processes that may, by chance, have a positive health outcome. This Dr's comments pretty much sum up how a Dr is between a rock and a hard place - they must choose the path of least risk and that means following the trail of "Best Practice Medicine" and ensuring that the patient leaves the consulting room with a script for a prescription drug or further tests. So long as they stick to best practice guidelines, the chances of being sued are minimal even if the patient is severely maimed by that practice.

A further constraint on the practice of good medicine is the fees structure. Good medicine requires time - up to an hour per patient. The way medical practices are structured, a Dr must process patients at the rate of about one patient per 15 minutes at the longest. If not, the practice is in financial trouble. The sad fact is that 10-15 minutes are just long enough for a quick chat and examination and just enough time to enter the details in the computer and to print out a prescrtiption script. This simply adds up to poor medicine. Sadly, this is the status quo and the solutions are not easy. Nor are they cheap and we would sure need a lot more doctors. But; then again, would we? If Drs spent more time with their patients and practiced real medicine, we might all be healthier; needing fewer visits to the Dr, less need for surgery and less need for drugs that often debilitate and finally kill!

Kiwis Hand Hygiene Habits And Attitudes Worrying

Monday, 17 April 2006, 1:27 pm
Press Release: TNS Research 16 April 2006

Kiwis Hand Hygiene Habits And Attitudes Worrying Given Threat Of Viral Pandemic

New research indicates that New Zealanders are not cleaning their hands well enough to stop the spread of disease.

Gary Moller comments:
This is hardly a surprise, since the teaching and practice of hand washing during childhood is a farce. If people do not have this essential habit in place during their formative years, it is unlikely that it ever will be. The sad fact is that childcare facilities and schools are physically and financially unable to provide proper hand washing training for children.

Here is what I have written about hand washing in the past. Go to this PDF, download it and then click on the link to "I wash my hands - Yeah right!" Enjoy the read

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!

Should I allow my injured child to have an Xray or a CT Scan?

"Let's play a new game: Its called Fry Teddy"

Fact: Repeated doses of x-rays from x-ray imaging do increase your risk of developing cancer. The most potent is CT scans, one session of which carries a 1/1,000 risk of developing cancer. The risk is greatest by far with children who have rapidly dividing cells (DNA is most vulnerable to damage during the process of cell division - mitosis).

If your child is injured, such as from a fall, a CT Scan may be ordered as a matter of course to assist with making an accurate diagnosis. An accurate diagnosis is most important, especially if internal injury to the abdomen or brain is suspected. However; those regions of the body are the last places one would ever want to irradiate, especially of a child.

I have written about this before and am writing about it again because the use of the CT Scan continues to be routine in this country and my questioning of doctors and radiologists shows an appalling level of ignorance and lack of any concern about the known health risks of CT Scans. This continues despite the facts and the availability of excellent alternatives.

You can curb the risk from excessive radiation by insisting on using other imaging methods that do not involve radiation these include MRI and ultrasound.

If you are asked to consent to your child undergoing a CT SCan, my advice to you is to refuse to allow it. Insist on readily available alternatives and do not allow yourself to be fobbed off by excuses about availability or extra cost, or flippant comments about how miniscule the risks are - this is your child's long term health that you are dealing with here!

Please read my earlier articles about this most important health issue.
Here and
Here is the original.

Treat the whole person and not the disease

"Gary
My Vit D was 63 - which is the lower end of the scale.??
Mum's was 41.
Dr said he has no idea what is wrong with my calf, never struck it before. Have had little pain for over a week now, then Wednesday I felt my calf ' clinch' again and it has ached ever since. I was aware of it as soon as I woke up this morning too. No walk. Tried to get appt with Dr today so he could see what it is like when sore, no go. Tried to get appt with physio, no go. She must have realised that I was close to tears as she rung back and said if there was a cancellation she would fit me in. Told me not to walk meanwhile. Seeing her on Monday. Really really depressed and fed up now!"
Anon
_________________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
The modern health system is failing many people because it is based on an inapproriate medical-financial model that treats all diseases as it would an infection or a broken bone.

This woman has been struggling for years with all kinds of health problems, aches and pains, depression and very gradually getting worse. It took several months for us to get the vitamin D test completed and the results are revealing. Cause for concern while also being very good news. Bear in mind that these vitamin D results are her seasonal peak, having been taken towards the end of summer. They will now begin to plummet with winter setting in. Bad news unless corrective action is taken.
Optimum for vtamin D is 120+ especially if one is struggling with illness. Low vitamin D is a factor in depression and muscle and joint pain.

Ongoing physiotherapy, anti-depressants, pain killers and anti-inflammatories are largely a waste of time for her because none of these deal with the root causes of her pain which are to do with lifestyle factors that have been in place and have been doing their damage for decades.

She should also be referred for counselling because she could do with this as support and the Dr can not provide this service during appointments that are just 15 minutes duration. The problem is that a referral to counselling is costly to the patient and this may be a further source of stress. With 99% of the national health $$ tied up in pharmaceutical and surgical based healthcare, there is little funding or investment in these ancillary services.

This lovely person needs to make significant longterm changes to diet and lifestyle, including the way she exercises and she needs to get out in the sun more (without burning of course!). Sadly, the medical system, as it is, is very limited in what it can do to help.

Is it iliotibial band syndrome - or is it Wobbly wheels syndrome?

"Hi Gary
I did my first marathon in July last year and had very tight ITB bands afterwards. I had a few weeks off then starting running again. When I did my first few runs I developed a shooting pain around my knee. I have been for physio treatment on and off and had a big break from running but I’ve just tried starting back again and the knee pain has come back. It is where my ITB band joins my knee on the outside of my left leg. Do you have any suggestions/advice on how to overcome this injury so I can get back to running again.

Photo: Here is an example of useless therapy in action - Get the cart after the horse please: This patient needs to improve nutritional status first before any kind of physical therapy can be expected to give lasting benefit.

_____________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Further discussion with this 30'ish very active woman revealed that this injury is just one of a whole succession of injuries over the last few years, all of which have been pushed, prodded, massaged, manipulated or exercised in various way, including the near mandatory fitting of the dreaded orthotics. I have concluded that she is suffering "Wobbly Wheels Syndrome" (WWS). "

I clicked to WWS several years ago because I kept getting inquiries like this: "Gary, I get a week into exercising in the gym and my knee flares up. I rest for a couple of weeks, and go see the physio several times and then my hip goes and then its the knee again. Then its my back and and then my doctor tells me I have blood pressure! I feel as if my body is falling apart. Am I just getting old? Should I just give up and go buy a rocking chair?"

No, it is not really about getting old and this person does not need the rocking chair - But his wheels and other part are getting loose and worn. Time to put the body into the Body Workshop for some major tender loving care.

WWS has little to do with getting old. I think it is a case of the body getting exhausted and depleted. The body needs to recharge its batteries. This means a physical and emotional rest from the rush of modern life and a diet with some supplements to restore depleted stocks.

The therapy that I usually recommend for conditions like recurrent iliotibial band pain, glandular fever or high blood pressure is a combination of corrective exercises, rest, sun and nutrition. This may include advising the person to take a lenghty holiday in the sun in a place like the peaceful and isolated Cook Islands and living on the locally grown fruits and vegetables. This advice works without fail. Their injury and health problems resolve within a few weeks and the person is able to resume exercise later on with energy and enthusiasm and without recurrence of health or injury issues.

I have thought often about setting up a health resort in a place like the Cooks as an alternative to the costly, wasteful and mostly ineffective medical treatment that goes on for conditions like cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression and anxiety, chronic fatigue and arthritis (to name a few). Unfortunately, all the health money has been sucked up by these wasteful therapies, leaving little over for the therapies that actually work.

Gastric Bypass Horrors

Hi Gary,

Well after 16 weeks my XXXX still has problems from his gastric bypass! The stomach still hasn't healed and his body is rejecting the naso-esophageal feeding tube. He's vomiting most nights and looks like shit!

But he has lost 80kg (or more) from the virtual starvation regime he has been on, so guess that's what they're going to do? He's been told that in the long run it was a success (well.. he has lost the weight...) so now they're going to reverse the procedure. That means another complicated operation and so naturally he's very depressed and more than a little afraid.

He still has a now somewhat deflated spare tire hanging around his waist so will probably need further "body sculpture" surgery to fix that.

He would have achieved the same result if he had not had the surgery and simply drunk the milkshakes he's been squirting up his nose and left it at that.

We are actually concerned about his chances of suviving another operation in his current condition.

Isn't medical science great!

Cheers,

Anonymous
____________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Well, it seems that the pre-holiday hype by the weight-loss surgeons worked and they had at least one taker looking for a "new me" for the New Year.

In my last occupation I got to see a regular procession of failures of routine surgery. For these people that "one in ten thousand" failure rate was 100%. Here in NZ the victim ends up carrying the can. It is very difficult and very costly to sue and the assistance from Accident Compensation is measley to the point of being a miserable insult.

In this case, it would appear there is leakage occuring at one of the points where the stomach and intestine have been severed and joined. The tube is feeding a liquid meal (A poor version of my Super Smoothie) into the gut past the point of leakage. The operation has been a failure and the plan to surgically reverse the procedure is fraught with risk. This poor man is already in a malnourished and weakened state and his friends have every right to fear for his survival.
 
This botched operation has probably cost well over $30k and rising by the day. The reversal will be another $20k. If only there was public funding for a team approach for closely supervised lifestyle, diet and exercise weight loss programmes, similar to what we see on TV reality programmes.

We hear littel about these failures - about 3,000 dead per year in NZ.

In this case, the poor recipient will eventually be chalked up as a success, although with complications. After all - he lost weight didn't he? Let's hope the success is not because he makes a good looking corpse in a regular-size coffin!

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.

Heart Attack – One runner’s story

“Hi Gary,
I had a 'health challenge' over 11 years ago' at 43. I was lucky to survive the initial episode. Had my wife not decided to have an extra few minutes sleep-in one Saturday morning, she would have been in the shower and I most probably would not have survived it. Some CPR, (not perfect - but just enough before the ambulance guys arrived) helped and a helicopter lift off the flat roof of our house and I was in hospital within the golden 1hr.
I never had any warning symptoms. I had run everyday for 5 & 1/2 years. Was 5th in my club's xc champs masters grade the weekend before when club was strong with masters. The anaesthetist said I had the best set of lungs he had seen. Probably the fitness was also a factor in me surviving.
Of course there have been other runners who did not have my luck in similar circumstances, a number come to mind.”
____________________________
Comment by Gary:
Heart attack can strike the unwary without warning - sometimes while still quite young. The very fit are far from immune and the fitness itself may lull the person into a false sense of security.

Often, there is prior warning that may go on for as long as several days; however, this can be so subtle to be ignored, or easily mistaken for something else, like a touch of the flu or a pulled chest muscle, a strained shoulder, or just a feeling of being a “little under the weather”.

One of your best tools for assessing the health of your heart and circulation is using a digital blood pressure and heart rate monitor. A set of unusual readings of blood pressure and/or heart rate, as compared to your regular norms may be your first and best warning that not all is well - that it is time to seek medical assistance. This could be as simple as a quick phone call made to your doctor.

See your doctor while you are healthy: Have regular health checks, including blood profiles. The fit person who thinks they have a heart like a sturdy Diesel engine and a “good diet” is liable to neglect these with the result that an underlying disorder like excessive cholesterol levels or heart defect may go undetected for many years. Men are the worst when it comes to these matters, including ignoring the obvious hints of a poor family history.

Arrange for you, your family and friends to undertake training in basic CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation). The one thing for sure is this life-saving skill will be called upon when least expected.

As is nicely illustrated in this letter modern emergency medicine is a wonderful life saver.

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

Depression link with chronic cough

"Among people suffering from chronic cough, more than half have symptoms of depression, new research shows. The good news is that the depression seems to lift as the cough improves."
_____________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Duuh? Did we miss something? Ok, so I am looking awful and coughing all over the place, grossing other people out. That's depressing.

So, what do we do? Place the person on antidepressants and antibiotics - one or both? Do we take a cough suppressant? This is leading medicine down the wrong path of treating the symptoms and not the cause. Symptoms are being treated to treat symptoms.

While a course of antibiotics may be necessary to get on top of any infection; to really get to the heart of the matter of conditions like chronic chest infections and depression, we need to investigate and deal with the real underlying causes. In doing so, we might find any of the following at work:

• Vitamin D deficient which is linked with chronic respirattory infections and depression
• Malnutrition related to a junk diet that usually goes hand in hand with feeling depressed
• Poor living conditions
• Abuse of drugs including cigarettes, marijuana, prescription drugs and alcohol
• Sleep disturbances
• Chronic stress - financial problems, a lousy marriage or job, no job, no goals, too many committments, out of control kids etc

To not deal with these by means other than drugging is to leave the wolf at the door waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

Medical students feel unready to practise safely

" Senior medical students lack confidence in their abilities and some believe they have insufficient knowledge to practise safely, a survey shows.
The survey, published in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal, found that just over half of fourth and fifth-year Auckland University students questioned had doubts about their level of knowledge.
Only one-third of the 156 students surveyed felt their knowledge of anatomy was sufficient to practise safely and fewer than 20 per cent felt they knew enough about pharmacology."
_______________________________

Gary Moller comments:
As per usual, I have a different take on this "disturbing" study: This is very good news. If the level of confidence was higher, I would be really worried. A doctor never knows everything, skills as routine as listeningto a phlemy chest take years to perfect and it is probably not until 10 or so years of full-time practice that one can be confident that a medical practitioner is really hitting his or her straps.The worst person a patient can encounter, next to a doddery old fool who has not kept up with the play, is a young graduate who thinks he or she knows everything from Day One.

Fortunately, nowadays, the vast majority of medical graduates are in some kind of supervised setup and this includes the inexperienced general practitioner who was often quite isolated from immediate professional support. All but a few General Practitioners now work in group practices.Medical and drugs mistakes kill at least 3,000 New Zealanders per year. Many more survive; but must live with the ongoing consequences. Don't be one of them. Don't be an unwitting medical experiment:

• Always seek treatment by a doctor with 10 or more years experience See a doctor with training in your area of need: If you have a knee injury, don't go to a doctor who is interested in gynaecology; see a doctor with post-graduate training in sports medicine
• Stay away from hospital emergency rooms if you can - the lengthy wait is not healthy and the odds are you will encounter a trainee doctor when you are eventually seen to.
• If you are sure the problem can wait, then do so and go see your regular doctor at the earliest you can get in.
• Not sure about waiting? then ring your doctor and seek his or her advice. Ring even if its after hours, you will get the after hours duty doctor.
• If your inner voice is expressing doubts about the diagnosis or the course of treatment, do not hesitate to ask for a second opinion before proceeding.
• If the need for treatment is not urgent; always ask about alternatives, like waiting a while, or alternative therapies like exercise, nutrition, massage, or even a relaxing holiday on a sunny tropical atoll.

Herniated Disk Improves With Either Surgical or Nonsurgical Treatment

"Patients with herniated disks had improved outcomes during 2 years whether treated surgically or nonsurgically, according to the results of a randomized trial with an accompanying observational cohort reported in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA.

"these findings suggest that in most cases there is no clear reason to advocate strongly for surgery apart from patient preference. For the patient with emotional, family, and economic resources to handle mild or moderate sciatica, surgery may have little to offer."

_______________________________________

Gary Moller comments:

The terrible suffering and restriction on that severe back pain causes can probably never fully appreciated by others more fortunate.

With modern imaging techniques, detailed pictures can be obtained showing herniated discs and other mechanical abnormalities. Modern keyhole microsurgery makes the surgical solution increasingly attractive. But is it really that more effective than a decent physical therapy programme and the progress made by Mother Nature herself over time? This study, and many others over many years, show little extra benefit in most cases of going down the surgical track.

In most cases surgery must still be supported by months of progressive exercise to regain as close to full strength and mobility. This is more or less the same path as the non-surgical treatment approach anyway. Over the long term, there is little to separate the two paths in terms of final destination. I know that from experience of working in back rehabiliation for about 15 years.

If you are suffering back pain; unless you are losing sensation and function, then my advice is to take your time with deciding whether or not to take the surgical path to recovery.

Get the imaging done by MRI or ultrasound (DO NOT allow your internal organs to be irradiated by a cancer producing CT Scan). Discuss the results and the need for surgery with your specialist. Before making a final decision, if surgeryt is recommended, take the results of the imaging away with you and consult a range of back experts who have been in practice for at least 10 years - a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, various doctors and don't forget the Chinese therapist with the incomprehensible qualifications. If you undergo any treatment with any of them, do not allow any procedure to continue if you feel uncomfortable - tell the therapist to stop and discuss your concerns. Sometimes a regime as simple as a proper exercise programme, massage, stretching and a few key nutritional supplements can give gradual and lasting relief.

All surgery involves an element of risk. The outcome is never assured. The big worry nowadays is hospital based infections. Ask your Dr what the post-operation infection rate is in the hospital you are being referred to. If he/she does not know, you should insist on finding out. Hospitals prefer to keep this kind of information quiet for obvious reasons. Your Dr should know and so should you.

If you have back pain or a friend or relative who is suffering, a good present for the Xmas stocking is my book on Back Pain. You are always welcome to write in with your questions and concerns.

Pfizer ends development of "blockbuster" cholesterol drug after excessive patient deaths

"I'm convinced that it works," said Dr. Norman Lasser, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.

Study: Drug Lifts Good Cholesterol Level
April 8, 2004

Oops! I think he spoke too soon:

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced that it has ended a clinical trial for the highly anticipated cholesterol drug torcetrapib -- which raises levels of "healthy" HDL cholesterol -- after a high number of patients participating in the trial died or experienced cardiovascular problems.
Pfizer, the world's largest drug firm, was informed over the weekend that an independent board monitoring a study of torcetrapib found that 82 patients out of 7,500 who were taking the drug had died. Fifty-one patients out of 7,500 in the same study who were taking Lipitor -- Pfizer's best-selling cholesterol drug -- also died, though the company said it was not concerned over Lipitor's safety.

___________________________________

Gary Moller comments:

Chemically tinkering with the way the body does its job and expecting a favourable health outcome is a long shot. Its just another attempt to suck more money out of you via your body.

If you are on Lipitor, or similar cholesterol lowering drugs, talk to your Dr about natural alternatives. If you suffer any joint or muscle pain or feel weak, then go talk to your Dr right away.

Doing it naturally (before the Therapeutic Goods Authority gets in the way)

If you want to improve your good cholesterol naturally, try taking a quality natural vitamin B complex that contains niacin, boost your vitamin D by exposing your skin to sunlight, take cod liver oil during winter or if not going out in the sun often; take flax seed oil and fish oil daily, and use olive oil in your cooking. Reduce your intake of dairy, refined grains and sugars. Exercise briskly each day and go for a long walk along bush trails for up to 3 hours in the weekends, preferably without eating anything. Drink fresh water.