For thousands of pre-med undergraduates, Harvard University appears at the top of a list of highly regarded medical schools. With a reputation as one of the most rigorous academic institutions in America, Harvard deserves a place at the top of every graduate program list, right? A recent report from the American Medical Student Association challenges Harvard’s integrity, giving the school an “F” and showing the school may be a biased source of learning due to the school’s ties to pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Joseph Mercola’s “Harvard Medical Students Rebel Against Big Pharma Ties” reveals that many of our nation’s medical students are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn from professors who have strong financial ties to prescription drug manufacturers. The AMSA’s report supports a shocking truth: many of the country’s most well-respected professors are essentially paid off by drug companies. Mercola’s article shows that nearly 20 percent of Harvard’s professors have ties to pharmaceutical “companies that could bias their teaching or research.” What does this mean for all of us that are patients in offices and hospitals around the country? Our diagnosis and expensive prescriptions might be tied to the drug companies that have overwhelming presences in medical school across America. Prescription drugs may, in fact, work well in many cases. However, Mercola’s article supports the fact that holistic healing practices were very common (and effective) throughout the 19th century. In 1847, the American Medical Association emerged, and in order to solidify a profitable and powerful position in the medical world, the organization wanted companies to pay for advertisements in their medical journal. The AMA soon became a trusted organization and made forms of natural healing appear to be forms of “quackery.” Mercola’s article proves that drug companies exert their influence via two major outlets: a $4 billion direct-to-consumer advertising campaign and a $16 billion campaign to influence doctors. All of this information leads to a very important question: who are you trusting? Your doctor or the drug company behind your doctor’s prescription? About Company A Santa Monica, California Hydrotherapy Colonics company, TransformYourHealth.net specializes in internal body cleansing, nutrition education and wellness promotion. As a Santa Monica Hydrotherapy Colonics specialist and Palos Verdes Hydrotherapy Colonics specialist, many California residents rely on TransformYourHealth.net for hydrotherapy products, resources and information. For more information and to browse a selection of high-quality natural products, please visit TransformYourHealth.net. You’ve heard of it. You may eat it everyday. Most likely, you aren’t aware of the serious consequences it can have for your body. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is found everywhere: grocery store shelves, restaurant menus and your kitchen pantry. While MSG’s use in Chinese take-out restaurants is well-documented, it is not confined to one type of cooking. Joseph Mercola recently devoted his attention to the dangers of MSG in “MSG: Is This Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets?” Mercola’s coverage includes the many tests that have been conducted on the food additive over the past five decades, most of which share one common thread: a healthy diet does not include MSG. The article uncovers the way that MSG affects your taste buds and your body by exploiting the fifth basic taste, umami. Because of this savory taste, foods with MSG taste more robust. However, this perceived extra flavor comes with extra costs to the millions of people whose bodies cannot process MSG. Studies in the 1970s supported that up to 30 percent of the U.S. population was intolerant to MSG. With such a large portion of people adversely affected by this unnatural food aid, shouldn’t all of us be concerned with its place in our daily diets? Some medical experts, including neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, believe that MSG can be linked to brain damage and may trigger the causes for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Perhaps the most alarming fact regarding MSG is the Food and Drug Administration’s seemingly carefree attitude about its place in our food. While the FDA lists a number of symptoms that people with MSG Symptom Complex can experience that includes headaches, nausea and rapid heartbeats, the organization does little to ensure that shoppers know what foods carry MSG. Mercola’s article reinforces the importance of reading the nutritional labels and ingredient statements on your food with extra caution. The article’s list of 37 ingredients used as masks for MSG prvoes that food manufacturers are aware of the negative impact MSG can have on a shopper’s opinion of the food’s safety. Looking out for these ingredients is essential to maintaining a healthy diet. About Company A Santa Monica, California Hydrotherapy Colonics company, TransformYourHealth.net specializes in internal body cleansing, nutrition education and wellness promotion. As a Santa Monica Hydrotherapy Colonics specialist and Palos Verdes Hydrotherapy Colonics specialist, many California residents rely on TransformYourHealth.net for hydrotherapy products, resources and information. For more information and to browse a selection of high-quality natural products, please visit TransformYourHealth.net. Dr. Mercola posted an an amazing and informative article on mammograms last month. I feel it's important for all of you read it and know you that women have alternatives to the traditional mammograms. Are Mammograms a Good Idea? Aside from breast self-exams, the other mainstay in the U.S. medical system is the mammogram. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women get a mammogram every year or two after age 40. But I strongly disagree. The benefits of mammograms are highly controversial, while the risks are well established. Back in 2001, around the time that U.S. health officials widened the use of mammograms to included women over 40 (previously it was only women over 50), a Danish study published in The Lancet revealed some startling data. The study concluded that previous research showing a benefit was flawed and that widespread mammogram screening is unjustified. Specifically, the Danish researchers argued that earlier studies in Europe and North America were improperly randomized and that they used a faulty definition of breast cancer survival. Meanwhile, the technology carries a first-time false positive rate of up to 6 percent. False positives can lead to expensive repeat screenings and can sometimes result in unnecessary invasive procedures including biopsies and surgeries. Just thinking you may have breast cancer, when you really do not, focuses your mind on fear and disease, and is actually enough to trigger an illness in your body. So a false positive on a mammogram, or an unnecessary biopsy, can really be damaging. Not to mention that women have unnecessarily undergone mastectomies, radiation and chemotherapy after receiving false positives on a mammogram. An Amazing Deception “They were conscious, chosen, politically expedient acts by a small group of people for the sake of their own power, prestige and financial gain, resulting in suffering and death for millions of women. They fit the classification of "crimes against humanity."”
Not surprisingly, as often happens when anyone dares speak out against those in power, both the American Cancer Society and NCI called Dr. Epstein’s findings “unethical and invalid.” But this didn’t stop others from speaking out as well.
Safe Screening Methods do Exist: The Benefits of Thermography But you’re not likely to hear about them from your general practitioner. “ … The establishment ignores safe and effective alternatives to mammography, particularly trans illumination with infrared scanning,” Dr. Epstein points out. Most physicians continue to recommend mammograms for fear of being sued by a woman who develops breast cancer after which he did not advise her to get one. But I encourage you to think for yourself and consider safer, more effective alternatives to mammograms. The option for breast screening that I most highly recommend is called thermography. Thermographic breast screening is brilliantly simple. It measures the radiation of infrared heat from your body and translates this information into anatomical images. Your normal blood circulation is under the control of your autonomic nervous system, which governs your body functions. Thermography uses no mechanical pressure or ionizing radiation, and can detect signs of breast cancer years earlier than either mammography or a physical exam. Mammography cannot detect a tumor until after it has been growing for years and reaches a certain size. Thermography is able to detect the possibility of breast cancer much earlier, because it can image the early stages of angiogenesis (the formation of a direct supply of blood to cancer cells, which is a necessary step before they can grow into tumors of size). Is there a right way to check your breasts for early signs of cancer? Many women remain confused as experts now say there is no evidence that rigorous monthly "self-examination" — widely recommended in the United States — reduces breast cancer deaths. Plus, it can lead to unnecessary biopsies. Two large studies looking at a total of more than 388,000 women found that death rates from breast cancer were the same among women who rigorously self-examined as those who did not, while there were almost twice the number of biopsy operations in the self-examination group. According to some experts, the best way for a woman to check her breasts is not to follow a strict examination routine, but to get to know what is normal, and feel them regularly for signs of any changes. According to Dr. Mercola, "breast self-exams have long been recommended as a simple way for women to keep track of anything unusual in their breasts. Now, after studies have found that such exams do not reduce breast cancer death rates, and actually increase the rate of unnecessary biopsies, many experts are recommending a more relaxed approach known as “breast awareness.”
Breast awareness is really self-explanatory. It means women should regularly check their breasts for changes, but can do so in a way that feels natural for them. In other words, you don’t have to do it on the same day each month, or using any particular pattern. Simply be aware of what’s normal for you so you can recognize anything out of the ordinary. What should you keep an eye out for?
Normal Bowel Function The function of the colon is to reabsorb water, store, and evacuate stool. About two quarts of fluid and residue enter the colon from the small bowel each day. The lining of the colon actively reabsorbs water and minerals, leaving a solid, formed stool. Stool is stored in the left side of the colon. Contractions in the sigmoid colon hold the stool above the rectum. When the colon fills with stool, the stool moves into the rectum: This is sensed as an urge to defecate. The anal sphincter muscles relax and a wave of contraction in the colon pushes out a large amount of stool. This is termed a mass movement. What is Constipation? Constipation is a common problem with a variety of possible causes. This term may be used to describe several different symptoms. The normal frequency of stool passage is from three times a day to a movement every three days. Going more than three days without a bowel movement is therefore considered abnormal. Some people feel miserable if they do not defecate on a daily basis. Hard stools, straining to pass a bowel movement, or a sense of incomplete evacuation may also be termed constipation. If a person is uncomfortable as a result of bowel problems, then treatment is justified to relieve or minimize these symptoms. Laxatives used to alleviate constipation Laxative dependence is a frequent problem associated with constipation. Ideally, constipation should be managed solely with fiber, and laxatives should rarely be used. Stimulant laxatives bypass normal reflexes involved in defecation. They work on the nerves and muscles in the colon. The result is strong contractions that push the stool out of the colon. With continued use, they gradually become less effective. Some examples of stimulant laxatives are senna, bisacodyl and cascara sagrada. Many herbal preparations contain various combination of stimulants. If a patient has been taking a stimulant laxative on a regular basis, it may be impossible to abruptly stop taking it. It may be necessary to continue a mild stimulant such as senna every night in addition to Miralax and adequate dietary fiber. Once a normal bowel habit has been established, the senna should be gradually tapered and eventually stopped completely. There are many long-term side-effects of abusing laxatives, such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps and flatulence. The more serious dangers include persistent constipation (because the body becomes dependent on laxatives for a bowel movement), chemical imbalances in the blood and dehydration. Laxative abusers risk chemical imbalances due to the loss of salts and minerals. These chemical imbalances can seriously affect the body’s electrolyte system and hinder the body’s ability to absorb vitamins. Laxative abuse can also lead to gastrointestinal tract damage and the weakening of the intestinal musculature. Liver disease in extreme cases is possible. Laxative abuse is particularly common with stimulant purgatives, which raises several concerns. The first concern is laxative dependence (mentioned above), in which the peristalsis (wave-like contraction of the colon) can no longer be achieved naturally and must be stimulated through various substances. Another concern is potassium imbalance, resulting from the force movement of digestive materials and the inability of the intestines to absorb the nutrients fast enough. Yet another concern is the possibility that laxatives could permanently damage the digestive tract after years of abuse. Laxatives used as colon cleansers Many colon cleanse products on the market contain harmful or addictive laxatives. A true cleanse should make your body stronger, not make it dependent. Supplements and do-it-your-self cleanses represent a big market nowadays and large pharmaceutical companies join the selling campaign. Unfortunately, to feed consumer's need for 'instant gratification', laxatives are added to many cleansing products, because the result is rapid bowel evacuation. Aside from being a harsh way to evacuate the bowels, laxative use can be habit forming, bringing the opposite effect desired by those who cleanse. Read the rest of this entry » Very cute clip about one of our favorite subjects…colon cleansing! A great clip explaining the link between exercise and mental health. Video exploring mental health and treatments to depression by exercise. We live in an age of constantly evolving health fads, 'wonder' foods and scientific discoveries relating to how we are supposed to eat. A lot of this information is confusing, passionately argued and often unsubstantiated! One of the most topical foods of the millennium is soy: it has alternately been claimed as the save-all food for the future, a virtual replacement for HRT, a super-protein, a complete alternative to meat, a dangerous carcinogen, a hotbed of GE trouble – you name it, it's been claimed! While science plays its part to work through these claims and separate fact from fiction, the following two videos delineate most of the popular claims about soy consumption, broadly, the pros and cons. We believe that (like most things in life) moderation is key and highly processed/concentrated soy (like all processed/concentrated edible goods!) should only be eaten occasionally. Video discussing health benefits of soy, particularly for post-menopausal women. Video discussing the possible dangers of soy consumption. Cool community initiative combining investment into the health of school children with investment into local farmers. The way of the future!!! Interesting article on the popular health craze: eating only raw foods. While popular consensus is that raw food diets can aid detoxification, there is no comprehensive scientific evidence to support the adoption of a fullscale, permanent switch to raw food…The article below can be found by following the link provided and makes for some interesting reading!!!! The raw food diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western diet. It is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals. These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that consumption of a raw food diet lowered plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Raw_Food.htm |
