What is Modern Medicine?

What is Modern Medicine?

In the 18 and 19th centuries, blood letting, leeches and purging were considered state of the art.

When I graduated from Medical School in 1967 - the major cause of heart attacks, strokes, cerebral haemorrhage, kidney failure, blindness and death was - believe it or not - high blood pressure (hypertension).  Since then BP lowering drugs have been developed so there are now very few people who suffer from this problem - drugs do save lives. We have antibiotics which kill bacteria and have again made feared diseases like puerperal sepsis (sepsis at birth), pneumonia, TB etc problems of the past.  However with the widespread use of antibiotics in medicine and veterinary practice, many of these are beginning to reappear in drug resistant forms. 
We still have no answers to cancer, immune diseases, virus diseases, neurological diseases - both in their prevention and cure, and most of modern medicine involves treating symptoms without necessarily improving survival or outcomes. 
Gene therapy, targeting cancer cells with immune therapy and similar techniques are probably the next step in the advancing march of medicine, but again all of this concentration is closing the gate after the horse has bolted.   Much much better, prevent the diseases from developing in the first place.
We have forgotten the wonder of the human body and also nature which has kept  us sustained and healthy for  hundreds of thousands of years - as far as we know, cancer, coronary disease, Alzheimer's, immune diseases were rare until the last century.   We need to look also  at our world - pollution and toxins which we put in and around our bodies, poor nutrition and lack of exercise are all creating bodies ripe for the development of today's diseases. 

This Pharmacists map from the 1930's click here (for full size)gives a fascinating commentary on how health is changing.  In modern medicine only approved drugs made by the pharmaceutical industry are considered appropriate to administer to our patients.  Natural, complementary or alternative therapies are discouraged or  even banned because they may  interfere with our  'proven' therapies -  even though the third  cause of death in the USA is pharmaceutical drugs.  But here we have evidence from the 1930's that many of today's  so called  'snake oils' were being used by doctors and health practitioners very effectively.   Why effectively -  well because many of them contained  drugs which we use today ( aspirin, quinine, local anaesthetics, caster oil, psyllium, cafergot, ipecac, morphine...the map is quite fascinating, and how many more of these early remedies may possibly be beneficial?   For example there is good evidence that cannabis oil,  CBD the non psychoactive ingredient of cannabis can help with epilepsy, other neurological diseases and even cancer.)


It will be many years before we reach the stage of having a wand that diagnoses and cures like Doc
in Star Trek, diseases, bacteria and viruses do have a cunning ability to change and become resistant to whatever therapy humankind can develop.   Concentrating on prevention, supporting and protecting our bodies, and looking more at what nature has provided will really become a Modern Medicine which will not need to change.

Informed consent before angioplasty

Most patients are not given informed consent.

Less than 2% of angioplasty patient are properly informed!

Before taking any prescribed drugs, or undergoing any form of elective treatment, in today's medical world it is assumed that the patient is informed about the need for the procedure, and also its risks and benefits. One of the most frequently performed

procedures in the Western world is coronary artery angioplasty, usually for patients with angina.  A recent study in the JAMA Internal Medicine makes horrifying reading.(click here).  In this paper 59 patients listed for coronary angioplasty had the discussion between themselves and their cardiologist concerning informed consent, recorded. (One would have thought the cardiologist knowing that he or she was being recorded would do better than usual).
There are seven basic elements to informed consent:
1. The patient knows they have a role of the decision.
2. Discussion of the issues and decisions at hand.
3. Discussion of the alternatives.
4. Discussions of the pros and cons of the alternatives.
5. Discussion of the uncertainties.
6. An assessment of the patient's understanding.
7. Exploration of the patient's preference.

Most patients believed that the procedure (angioplasty) reduces the risk of heart attacks and death, but in fact this is not correct. Angioplasty merely reduces the symptoms.

The findings of the study were very sobering – only 3% of the discussions included all elements of informed consent, and just 14% met a more limited definition of the procedure, alternatives and risks. 97% were good at discussing the procedure, but alternative procedures were offered only to 25% of cases. Also the majority of patients were not aware that they had a role in the decision-making process.

There is a real concern worldwide that coronary angioplasty is being performed a great deal more than it should be. There is no evidence, other than reducing symptoms that it does any benefit, and this is not what the general public believe. Even the conservative medical bodies and journals are beginning to discuss this, as not only is the procedure expensive, but it also does have significant risks, and there are other alternatives.

Make absolutely certain that any drug or procedure that you are about to undertake does more good than harm!

Why do we still circumcise boys?

Why are we still circumcising boys?

I have just finished reading a superb blog by Spoony Quinn (click here) and a video by John Geisheker (click here) on the history and current status of circumcision in boys.  
Some religious faiths require this practice, but the majority of boys circumcised in the last 150 years were not for this, but in the belief that it protected against STDs and other diseases, and also to discourage boys from playing with themselves by making masturbation less pleasurable. (To quote the ancient Jewish scholar Maimonides: "circumcision is good because it decreases sexual pleasure for the man and the woman, so that they will keep their minds on God rather than the unclean flesh.")
However there is almost no good evidence that circumcision reduces STDs and more recently HIV, which was strongly advocated until recently.   The Cochrane review on the subject concluded that there was no evidence that this genital mutilation had any effect. 
It certainly did reduce sexual pleasure, especially when performed on teenage boys and older, not only in the shorter term but also for life.   The Spoony Quinn blog goes into this topic in fascinating detail. 
So it does not reduce STDs and makes sex less pleasurable for men - so why do we still do it on little babies?   It is almost always performed without anaesthetic on the assumption that they don't feel pain - says who???? 
( Typical pain responses include an extremely fast heart rate, very high levels of cortisol (stress hormone), and high-pitched screaming, sometimes until the infant turns blue from lack of oxygen. The fragile newborn's heart, lungs, and other organs can be damaged or ruptured from being overworked.  Although some parents may believe that their own son "slept through" his circumcision, this is what they are told when their baby goes into shock and doesn't respond to any stimulus.) One reason given by parents is "so he doesn't look different from the other boys".
Routine circumcision was stopped in New Zealand 40 years ago, and there the incidence of infections is less than the USA and other circumcising countries. 
Before you consider genital mutilation and punishing your son for life, I would recommend you read the Quinn  bolg and watch the Geisheker video - then make an informed decision. 

Vitamin C and infections

Vitamin C is one of the most powerful weapons in treating disease – from scurvy, to infections and cancer. It is almost completely ignored by the conventional medical profession - which is a tragedy.
Most of us know about scurvy and how it killed more sailors than other diseases and battles, and was simply cured by giving sailors lemons or limes.
When the vitamin C level in many patients in hospital, particularly those who are seriously ill is measured, it is often near scurvy levels, and because vitamin C is essential for holding the cells together, maintaining the immune system, fighting infections and cancer, and many other functions, one wonders how many patients in intensive

care and hospital beds do not recover simply because of low vitamin C levels. (In hospital they regularly measure electrolytes, kidney and liver function etc – but never vitamin C levels!)

I have had personal experience and seen the benefit of intravenous vitamin C, or even high dose oral vitamin C in patients with infection and cancer, it provides enormous hope for people with cancer, especially advanced disease. I will write about this in a later blog, but I felt the article below written by one of the world authorities on vitamin C (Dr Thomas Levy) is worth sharing with the rest of the world. The more people who know about the value of this essential vitamin and its potential use in many diseases, the more rapidly conventional medicine and doctors will start introducing into their treatment regimes.

Is the healing power of Vitamin C too good to be true? Can this inexpensive and convenient vitamin improve and heal the toughest of ailments? 

by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD

My ongoing relationship with vitamin C now spans a full 20 years, when I first

What to do when you have a heart attack

What to do when you have a heart attack

What happens:
One in three of us will die of heart disease, and although becoming slightly less common, a heart attack remains the major cause of death.With a heart attack a fat laden plaque in a coronary artery ruptures, causing a clot which blocks the artery. This can lead to a number of consequences:
1. Chest pain – a tight heavy feeling in the chest, throat, left or right arm,

2. Breathlessness, sweating, faintness and a feeling of being generally unwell frequently happen.
3. The heart can sometimes beat irregularly, causing palpitations, sometimes it can stop or beat in an uncoordinated fashion (ventricular fibrillation), leading to sudden death.

Speed is of the essence - both to reduce the amount of heart damage long term, and also reduce the risk of sudden death.   In the cardiology literature - "minutes mean muscle', ie the longer the delay, the more heart damage occurs. 
If we can dissolve the clot in the artery rapidly (less than 30 minutes) no damage is done at all. However there is benefit up to 6 hours, some believed 12 hours. However at any stage a cardiac arrest can occur, which is why the patient needs to be in a cardiac unit or close to a defibrillator as fast as possible.

While doctors can do –
1. Dissolve the clot with drugs given intravenously (thrombolysis). 

2. Remove the clot and open up the arteries in the cardiac catheter lab – angioplasty and stenting.
3. If the heart goes into fibrillation, this can easily be reversed with a defibrillator. These are routinely present in ambulances, places where people congregate (sports stadium, airports, shopping malls) and of course cardiac units.

What you can do –
1. Get to a cardiac unit (or ambulance) as soon as possible.

Call the ambulance using the emergency number (111, 999, 911) and say you have chest pain.
2. Sit down quietly and relax, if you feel faint lie down flat.
3. Chew one aspirin tablet (300 mg) slosh it round the mouth and then swallow it. This prevents the clot in the artery getting bigger.
4. If you have one, use your Nitrolingual spray one or two puffs every five minutes.
5. If you have some available, take some chewable magnesium or liquid magnesium (500 – 1000 mg), and 1000 mg of omega-3 fish oil. Both of these can  reduce the risk of cardiac arrest.

8 year survival curves, shortest delay (top) to slowest (bottom)

A recent study from the Netherlands has shown that in 3000 patients with a heart attack, the 30 day mortality was 2.6% in those with the shortest delay in reaching hospital catheter lab (mean 72 minutes), compared to 7.4% in those with the longer delay (160 minutes).   Five year mortality was also reduced from 22.6% in those with the longer delay to 12.8% in the shortest delay. 

So - getting to hospital as fast as possible saves lives in both the short and longer term.  DO NOT DELAY, don't worry about a false alarm or being a nuisance, any chest pain lasting more than 10 minutes, call an ambulance!

Trans Fats - dangerous from conception

More evidence against trans fats:

New studies show that babies whose mothers ate trans fats while pregnant become more hyperactive and have more psychiatric like problems such as mania.They also have memory problems and poor reaction to stress. 
While the babies of mothers who ate fish oil (omega 3

polyunsaturated oils) had the reverse effect - they were emotionally stable, had no memory problems and reacted well to stress.  
This is because the oils are incorporated into the brain cells of these babies.   
We know that trans fats cause heart disease, but the effect on unborn babies is frightening. 

So what are trans fats and why do we use them?
Fats are a chain of carbon atoms - each is attached to 1 or 2 hydrogen atoms
Saturated fats - every carbon has 2 hydrogen atoms - this creates a straight compound which can pack tightly together and so can form solid fats ( cheese, butter, cream).
Mono unsaturated fats - one carbon pair only has 1 hydrogen (arrow), this makes the molecule curved and so liquid (nut, seed and some vegetable oils - especially olive oil)
Poly unsaturated fats - a number of carbon pairs have only 1 hydrogen - but always on the same side, and again these are liquids (fish oils, walnut, flax seed). 
These are all natural fats.
However food manufacturers have created trans fats, where the hydrogen atoms of an unsaturated fat are on each side of the

carbons (arrow), and this straightens the molecule out, enables them to pack together and become solid.  These give the food extra long shelf life and they go rancid much later.  To do this the fats are exposed to high temperatures and chemical solvents - some of which remain in the fat.  These and the shape of the molecule make them toxic to the body - leading to diseases. 

Margarines, spreads and many processed foods and cookies contain trans fats.  You can tell from the label stating trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils (which are trans fats).


So for the sake of you and your children, stay clear of these toxic products - especially when pregnant or breast feeding.   You will have a happier baby - it's worth it!

Amazing results of CoQ10 in heart failure

Why are we not using CoEnzyme Q10 in heart failure?

CoQ10 is like power lines

CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is essential for transporting energy in the cell as well as a powerful antioxidant.   Energy created by burning sugars and fat in the mitochondrial 'furnaces' in the cell requires CoQ10 to transfer this energy to the muscle fibers, much like power lines take electricity from the power station to factories.  As we age our production of COQ10 drops, and heart failure and statin drugs further lower the levels.    Early trials of CoQ10 in heart failure had mixed results, possibly because low doses of CoQ10 were used and the numbers in the trials were small.

The recently published Q Symbio trial however showed a shattering benefit which should have resulted in headlines throughout the world and made CoQ10 a mandatory therapy for all patients with heart failure - but it has been almost universally ignored. Is it because it is classified as a supplement and cannot be patented or sold by drug companies?

Countries involved

The trial was conducted in 17 European, Asian and Australian countries, in over 400 patients with moderate to severe heart failure, given either CoQ10 100mg three times/day or placebo (dummy tablets) and followed for 2 years. The results were staggering - cardiovascular mortality was reduced from:  (16% in placebo to 9%) in the CoQ10 patients, all cause mortality (18% vs 10%) and hospital admissions (14% vs 7%).

We have no drug that can reduce events and mortality by almost 50%, and here is a safe treatment which had fewer side effects that the placebo which does just that!

Major cardiac events over time

In my view it is almost unethical not to offer this treatment to our heart failure patients!

Heart failure is a major problem in cardiology today, because we are able to treat heart disease with drugs and procedures, and most patients end up with heart failure.   In this study 90% of patients were receiving ACE inhibitors and 75% on beta blockers so they were receiving the best that modern medicine could offer, and yet CoQ10 almost halved their mortality and hospital admissions. 

This study can be placed beside a Swedish study in elderly people - where over 400 people over 70 were given either placebo or a combination of CoQ10 and selenium for 5 years.   Those on the active treatment had a much lower cardiovascular mortality 5.9% vs 12.6% in the placebo group. 

Maybe everyone over 70 years should consider taking CoQ10, and certainly those with heart disease. 

Managing menopause symptoms

Managing the symptoms of menopause

Menopause occurs in most women between the ages of 45 and 55 years. For some it causes few problems, but for others it can make life extremely miserable. Interestingly in Asian countries where there is a high intake of soy and other phyto-oestrogens, menopause is rarely a problem.  These people mainly eat fermented soy which may be different and healthier than most soy products on our shelves. 
At menopause the normal female hormone cycles (oestrogens and progesterone) shut down, and particularly the lack of oestrogens cause symptoms of hot flushing, sleeplessness, palpitations and others.
Why do they happen?
The hot flushes (flashes in American English) are probably due to the lack of oestrogen. This affects the thermoregulatory nerves in the hypothalamus which keep our temperature within a very narrow range. The sudden absence of oestrogen makes the hypothalamus much more sensitive, and instead of waiting until the core temperature rises 0.4°C above normal, the hypothalamus starts to dissipate heat from the body at a much lower temperature. This starts with a hot flushing feeling in the chest and face which spreads around the body – due to dilation of the small arteries – to try and lose heat. This is then followed by sweating and frequently palpitations. Sometimes these are followed by chills and shivering as the body temperature has been lowered. When this happens at night it frequently disturbs sleep.
What can we do about it?
Stop the body temperature from rising particularly suddenly, keep the room temperature low use fans etc, wear clothes in layers which can be removed easily.
Avoid triggers such as spicy food, stressful situations, caffeine, alcohol, cigarette smoke, tight clothes and possibly sugar (especially sweet food at night).

Complimentary (natural) treatments –

• Soy and soy products, also grains, brown rice, tofu, nuts contain a variety of compounds which can help.
• Isoflavones and phytooestrogens (plant oestrogens) – such as

folic acid reduces alzheimer's and stroke

Folic Acid supplements reduce strokes, Alzheimers and possibly heart disease

Folic acid is routinely given to  pregnant women to prevent neural tube defects ( spina bifida and hydrocephalus), and is routinely added to  many breads and other foods because it is deficient in many diets.  

 However despite the fact low folic acid can lead to:  Raised homocysteine which is associated with coronary artery disease, Depression, diabetes and some forms of cancer - trials of supplementing people with folic acid have been disappointing - with little benefit seen, but none have shown any adverse effects. 
A number of recent studies however suggest that taking folic acid supplements might be very beneficial:

1. Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease - in a study of  579 elderly non demented American men and women (click here) , those who took folic acid supplements had a 50% reduction in developing Alzheimer's in the subsequent 10 years. 
2. Reduces risk of stroke in people with high blood pressure - a presentation at the 2015 American College of Cardiology reviewed the China Stroke Primary Prevention trial.  They followed for 4.5 years, over 20,000 men and women with high blood pressure, half were given the BP reducing agent enalapril, and half took an enalapril combination tablet containing 0.8mg of folic acid.   The addition of folic acid reduced the development of stroke by 21%.   
3. May possibly reduce coronary heart disease.   In many trials using folic acid in patients with heart disease, aspirin was also given to the patients, and this may have a similar action to  folic acid and so mask any benefit from the folic acid. A London group reviewed 75 studies using folic acid (click here) in people with the MTHFR gene which raises homocysteine levels.  In the 5 trials with the lowest aspirin use, there was a 60% reduction in heart disease, but the 5 studies with the highest aspirin use, there was only a minimal insignificant benefit seen. 

So folic acid supplementation may reduce some cancers and coronary heart disease, but has now been shown to reduce the development of Alzheimer's disease and strokes (in people with high blood pressure).  

It does seem prudent  for everyone to take a good multivitamin supplement regularly that includes at least 0.5mg of  folic acid. 

Mediterranean Diet is best

The Mediterranean is the best diet

There is enormous confusion about what is the best diet to follow - low fat, low saturated fat, low trans fat, low carb, high protein, paleolithic, fasting day diet....the list is endless.  Most are complicated and unpleasant to follow for the rest of one's life.    Unfortunately Cardiology has made saturated fat the sole culprit for many years and is having difficulty in saying "we got it wrong".   The diets usually concentrate on what you cannot eat rather than what you can.
Many cardiologists (me included) have for years suggested that the mediterranean diet is the best and healthiest, from looking at the incidence of heart disease in countries round the north Mediterranean shores.   Even though many smoke, drink, are overweight and do little exercise, the incidence of heart disease in those is incredibly low (see graph).  Arrows point to NZ, the UK and Australia, the bracketed countries are Portugal, Spain and France
They also eat saturated fat in the form of cheese, and some meat as well.   It seems that it is what you eat that is important, not necessarily what you 'should not'. 

In a paper presented to the American College of cardiology 2015, a Greek study followed 2,500 adults for 10 years.  those eating the typical mediterranean diet (rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, oil and fish) developed 47% less heart disease! That is HUGE - heart disease was halved by eating this very palatable diet. (It also reduced diabetes, obesity and blood pressure).

So what should we eat?

• Avoid processed foods as much as possible (filled with trans fats), and also reduce the sugar intake, which is the major cause of today's obesity epidemic.  Moderation with salt and red meats.
• Add the mediterranean foods : fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, olive oil and even a glass of red wine.     

That does not seem a hard diet to follow, in fact it is probably nicer than the ones we currently are trying to stick to.  Throw away all the diet books you have, none have been proven to be beneficial in the long run (even the low fat diet) - and here we have double proof with both population and trial evidence

Exercise program helps Parkinson's disease

Exercise helps patients with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is not nice, especially as most patients are aware of their disease and cannot do much about it.    There are some good drugs, and supplements can help (see my web site (click here)), but patients wonder if there is more they can do.    Because of instability and the risk of falls, they have had a mixed picture on the benefits and disadvantages of exercise.    

How ever two recent studies leave no doubt that mild exercise is very beneficial:
1. In a paper in neurology (click here) half of 230 patients with Parkinson's disease were given 30-40 minutes exercise 3 times per week.   The exercise reduced the risk of falls by 60%, in those with mild disease, but made no difference in those with more severe disease.   However at all levels there were major benefits :  "the exercise group scored significantly (p < 0.05) better than controls on the Short Physical Performance Battery, sit-to-stand, fear of falling, affect, and quality of life,"  So starting exercise early after the diagnosis is made is best. 
2. A study of Tai Chi in Parkinson's patients (click here ) had similar results - with improved functional capacity and reduced falls. 

So for patients with Parkinson;'s disease, starting an exercise programme or Tai Chi or both will both slow down the disease process and hugely reduce the risk of falls. 

lowering BP in the elderly reduces mental function

Are we lowering Blood Pressure too much in the elderly.

For many years doctors have strived to bring the blood pressure down to what was considered ideal levels ( 120-130/80-90), no matter how old the patient was.   In the elderly with stiff arteries this is difficult and often requires high doses of multiple drugs to achieve this.

 There is little to no evidence that this is beneficial in the elderly, and the side effects and in many cases falls due to a drop in BP on standing are common. 
Now comes a study from an Italian group published this year in JAMA (click here for abstract) which also shows that lowering BP in the elderly affects their mental function.   They studied 172 people with a mean age of 79 and followed them for 9 months, measuring cognitive function using the Mini Mental score.  Those on BP lowering drugs with a BP lower than 128 systolic had a significant decline in mental function compared with those with BP 129 - 144, and even those above 145mmHg systolic.
So lowering BP to low levels in older people has not been shown to reduce the risk of adverse events, and now we discover it reduces mental function!
The answer - don't try to lower BP with drugs unless the BP is consistently greater than 145-150 systolic

statin drugs cause diabetes

Statin drugs definitely cause diabetes

Statin drugs are the probably most successful drugs of all time, and are being recommended for many conditions beyond high cholesterol and artery disease - usually following some small change when data from studies is dredged or combined - this type of analysis can usually achieve any answer the researcher is seeking and needs to be considered with great caution - especially when there is a downside to the therapy.   For a while people were considering adding a statin drug to a 'polypill' to be taken by everyone over the age of 45 - 50 years. (The polypill was to contain a statin, ACE inhibitor, beta blocker, aspirin and folic acid).  But the adverse effects of statins on muscles, brain and nerves, liver, and other organs are becoming increasingly appreciated.   Many of the trials with statins started after a run in phase where people were on statins, but if they had significant side effects, they did not enter the trials. 

NOW we have proof that statins cause a major increase in the development of diabetes (almost doubles the risk), in a well researched trial from Germany (click here for full article). They followed 8,749 non diabetic people for almost 6 years.  625 developed diabetes and those on statin drugs had a 46% increase in diabetes compared to those not on statins (Fig 1).

  The dose of statin also made a difference (fig 2). 
So statins reduce the risk of heart attack and death, but double the risk of diabetes.  Where does this put us now?
First - medicine is always balancing the risk vs the benefits of treatment, and there seems little doubt in people who have definite heart disease ( heart attack, coronary disease, angioplasty, bypass surgery) statins do reduce the risk of further events and should be recommended.  However if there is a risk of diabetes, then only a low dose of the statin drugs should be used.
However in primary prevention, and especially in women, where the risks are small and evidence of absolute benefit is not very strong - many people, including me, are suggesting caution unless the cholesterol is exceptionally high or there is a very strong family history.   (In these people, I would probably recommend a coronary calcium scan before starting them on statin drugs.)  If there is a risk of diabetes, then possibly Pravastatin would be the best one to use.  In the West of Scotland Study (WOSCOPS), using this drug in primary prevention, there was actually a reduction in diabetes in those taking the drug.   There were too few in this recent German Study on Pravastatin to reach any answers. 

Mobile phones do not seem to cause brain cancer

Mobile phones do not seem to increase the incidence of brain cancer

Case reports have suggested the development of brain tumours in the temporal and parietal lobes and blamed the excessive use of mobile phones as the cause.There have been conflicting evidence from a number of studies (Swedish Hardell group study (small increase in some specific cancers), and Interphone studies (6,000 people - no effect), the Million Women study (no effect), and a Danish study of 420,000 people - also no effect on any cancers.  
Nevertheless people are still being cautious, especially in their prolonged use in children today who seem to be unable to function without some device attached to their ears. 



A paper in the Australian and NZ Public Health Journal (click here) gives more reassurance. In a country of 4 million people with an almost 100% uptake in the cancer register, they have studied the incidence of brain cancer between 1995 and 2010 - starting just after mobile phone use became widespread in this country.
They found no increase in the incidence of brain tumours in fact there was a significant fall in all brain cancers between the ages of 10 and 65 years of age.    There was a slight rise in people over 70 years, but these people probably use mobiles the least and improved diagnostic testing probably explains this rise. 
So should we be using mobile phones with impunity?   I dont think so, any radiation does have the potential of damaging DNA and I still believe we should be cautious.   Use mobile phones - yes, but not for prolonged periods and also do not 'store' the phones near the reproductive areas ( pockets and pouches) as they are always searching for signals.   In a world where we are being continually bombarded with radiation, sprays, toxins etc, it seems prudent to reduce these exposures to our bodies to the minimum - they can do us no good, and additively, they may cause harm. 

free on line medical journals

Free Medical Journals on Line

Information is so available now, but the quality and accuracy of many papers and statements just cannot be checked or trusted, so many Authoritative Medical Journals are making their publications this link  which gives links to a huge number of journals including New England J of medicine, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Canadian/Australian/British medical journals and many more.    You can also search by topics.

These journals are free, and for many they provide an index of previous journals which can be searched to look up out references you want to check. 

This openness in sharing information which is usually only available to the medical profession or medical libraries, enables much better integration of our health services, and hopefully more complementary therapies will start entering these medical journals. 

Benefits of probiotics in children

Probiotic Benefits for Children

Most people appreciate the value of pro and prebiotics in children who have had antibiotics or diarrhoea, but the blog GreenMedInfo  lists a spectacular number of benefits (the web link can be seen by clicking on the green link words), especially to do with infections and allergies.   
This is not totally surprising as we are now realising the importance of gut health, the bacteria in our gut, the immune component of the gut and relationship to many of today's diseases.
Maybe we should be giving them regularly to our kids (as well as ourselves) from the time they start taking solids.

1. There is evidence to suggest probiotics are safe and effective in treating persistent diarrhea in children.
2. Saccharomyces boulardii has therapeutic properties in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children.
3. Lactic acid bacteria as probiotics reduce the risk for infantile eczema.
4. Probiotic and prebiotic supplementation improves the symptoms of children with atopic dermatitis.
5. Probiotics and prebiotics significantly prevent eczema and atopic eczema in infants.

Homeopathy does work

Homeopathy proven to be effective. 

A paper published in 'Systemic review Journal'  (click here for full text)  reviewed for the first time Randomised Controlled trials published in peer reviewed journals - comparing Homeopathic treatment vs placebo (dummy treatment).  They analysed 32 controlled trials involving 24 different medical conditions, and confirmed that Homeopathy worked.  To quote the paper:  "There was a small, statistically significant, treatment effect of individualised homeopathic treatment that was robust to sensitivity analysis based on ‘reliable evidence’."

The Forrest graph (see fig) shows all of these trials with the 'mean' and 'one standard deviation' for each trial and sum of results at the bottom.    For the majority of the trials the 'mean' was on the right of the vertical line showing benefit from homeopathy, with the sum (meta analysis) at the bottom confitming a definite statistically significant benefit from homeopathy.    Many drug trials do not have results better than these. 
Yet again in medicine, we need to appreciate that "just because we do not understand how a therapy works - does not mean that it is not effective".   To be brutally fair, at the cellular level, we have no idea how most drugs work either. 

More benefits from Breast feedfing

Breastfeeding prepares baby for solids

Here’s another good reason to breast feed: it prepares the baby’s gut for solid foods. The milk also reduces a baby’s chances of suffering colic when solids are added to the diet, a new study has found.

Breast milk appears to build healthy microbial communities in the baby’s gut that is the perfect preparation for solid foods, and babies who are not exclusively breastfed in the first few months of life are more prone to stomach ache and colic, say researchers from the University of North Carolina.

Adding solids or formula in the first few months changes the gut bacteria, and makes the introduction of solids more difficult.
The researchers analysed the gut bacteria of babies aged from two weeks to 14 months, and discovered a clear difference in the microbiomes of babies that had been exclusively breastfed andthose given formula as a supplement.

Once solids were introduced, babies that were exclusively breastfed started producing 20 new bacterial enzymes that eased digestion, and which were not found in the gut of babies who had also been given formula.

(Source: Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2015; doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2015.00003)

Story from WDDTY:  http://www.wddty.com/breastfeeding-prepares-baby-for-solids.html

Low vitamin D levels doubles size of a stroke

Low levels of Vitamin D double the size of a stroke.

In a paper presented at the International Stroke Conference 2015,  studied 96 patients after strokes – those with low vitamin D levels (<30ng/ml) had MRI evidence of brain damage TWICE that of those with higher Vitamin D levels (17 vs 8 mls).  The ‘poor 90 day outcome score’ was also doubled in those with low vitamin D levels.

Neurologists are seriously looking at checking vitamin D levels, but this is really after the horse has bolted.   Other studies which have shown low vitamin D levels increase cardiovascular risk, double the risk of having a stroke, increase risk of hip fracture post stroke – it does seem logical to maintain adequate vitamin D levels, and the only guaranteed way to achieve this is with supplementation.  

As you will see with this and subsequent posts, there are many good scientific and proven reasons why in today’s world we need to supplement our diet to enable our bodies to function the way they were designed to.   Until, we start doing this, from childhood all through life, then the disastrous direction that health is going, will continue unabated.

Dietary fat intake advice has been wrong for 30 years

No Evidence to support dietary UK and USA fat recommendations

The British Medical Journal states that the advice the profession has been giving people on diet for the past 40 years  – was untested, and was frankly WRONG.

A paper in the BMJ Open journal full paper reviews all the worthwhile trials where a low fat and saturated fat diet was compared with controls.  With over 1200 people in each group followed for over 5 years, the mortality from heart disease was 30.2%  in the treated and 29.8%, even though those

on the low fat diet had 6% lower blood cholesterol levels.

By reducing the fat in the diet, doctors have encouraged the increased intake of sugars – which many believe has led to the huge increase of obesity and diabetes in our world today.

In 1977 the USA and 1983 the UK health authorities advised people to eat less than 30% of their energy as fat and less than 10% saturated fats.  They had no research showing any benefit from the low fat diet, the ‘Ancel Keyes 7 countries study’ showed those countries with the highest fat intake had, the greatest incidence of heart disease (BUT it was in fact a 22 country study, and Keyes only published data from the 7 countries which fitted his theory).

So for almost 40 years people have been told to eat the wrong diet, and the incidence of obesity, diabetes, heart failure, cancer, neurological diseases… have all risen – and we wonder why – or do we?  More sugars, fructose, packaged food, preservatives and sprays – are all the result of reducing the ‘natural’ fats from our diets.   Fats our grandparents ate with impunity and which we were designed to eat. 

Integrative health blog - what is it?

Do we really need another health blog?Why is this one any different?

Health today is going out of control.   Diseases which were rare in our grandparent’s time and before ( diabetes, coronary disease, cancer, obesity, Alzheimer’s and other neurological illnesses..) are all rising with frightening speed (see graphs).

People are aware that the medical profession, while in most cases doing its best, is very effective in treating symptoms, is almost useless in preventing these diseases, and rarely provides a cure - ‘Band aid’ medicine.   

Many a so called ‘Alternative practitioners’ attempt to provide what the medical profession does not, in many cases with success, but often one wonders if the care and concern they show for their clients also plays a part in their ‘success’.   We are now understanding the power of mind body medicine, the placebo effect and the ability of the patient to heal him/her self.

The patient/client has the choice of seeing one of these practitioners, but is almost never given the advice or option of seeing others who may be able to help better, or complement the therapy.   This is where Integrative Medicine is slowly establishing

a role.   Where a medical practitioner acts as a conductor and suggests therapies which may help, and looks at the patient as a whole, not a mixture of spare parts ( heart, kidneys, brain, lungs, gut, mind etc).

In this blog I will give my honest opinion on modern medical treatments and complementary therapies taken from over 30 years of specialist medical practice, and having spent the last 15 years working in conventional and complementary practices.   Although I have a subspecialty of Cardiology, I have remained a General Physician role, so look at the whole body, not just organ systems.    I also have a web site (www.drgerald.co.nz) which provides my recommendations for specific diseases.   I am also happy to advise people and give consultations on line if they wish (geraldlewis@zoho.com).