To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate, This is the Question

Here's a great book that tackles the issues around Childhood vaccinations: The Vaccine Guide

Mutant Strain of Chicken Pox in Portland, Oregon!

There appears to be a new strain of Chicken Pox affecting children who have received the varicella-zoster vaccine. What's particularly interesting is its ONLY the children who have been vaccinated who are getting it, according to the information available to date.

I had a patient call me because her 10 year old son was complaining of a slight fever, lethargy, and had a mild semi-vesicular rash along his abdomen and back. It certainly did not fit the classical symptomology of Chicken Pox, and knowing that he had been vaccinated put it at the bottom of my possibility list. But lo and behold! Six of his fellow students were also out with exact same symptoms!

I'll try to get pictures of the dermatological manifestation FYI ASAP. Additionally, there have been outbreaks in Alabama reported. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has not published anything about this to date. I'll keep you posted.

Motrin/Advil Dangerous for Children?

Here's the latest news about the evils of Motrin (Ibuprofen) and its affects on children.

Nine-year-old Kaitlyn Langstaff of Saratoga California died, apparently as a result of taking Children's Motrin. She died after a 20 months illness which left her unable to see, speak, breathe on her own or eat without a feeding tube. Her parents' court case was settled in November of 2004 for an undisclosed amount. Her parents cannot discuss the case.

Three-year-old Heather Rose Kiss of New Jersey died a week after taking Children's Advil.

Seven-year-old Sabrina Brierton Johnson of Los Angeles went blind after taking Children' Motrin. In December 2004 her parents filed a lawsuit against the drug manufacturer Johnson &Johnson. Retailers Ralph's Grocery and Albertsons Sav-On pharmacies were also named in the lawsuit.

Sabrina took Motrin for a fever when she came home from school. The next morning she woke with a high fever and was taken to the hospital. By the next day she was blind in both eyes. Her parents want Children's Motrin taken off the market until the product carries a warning label about the drug's risks.

The rare disorder known as Stevens' Johnson Syndrome (SJS) has been recognized as an adverse effect of Motrin (ibuprofen) since the 1980s. At that time Motrin was a prescription only drug and it included a warning of this risk.

The lawsuit accuses the manufacturer and distributors of negligence, breach of warranty, and of concealing from consumers and doctors potential health risks of the drug.

Well, this certainly reassures me that the Pharmacidal Companies have our (collective) childrens' interests at the top of their lists. If you either have or treat children, please avoid ibuprofen at all costs!

Source: Holistic Pediatric Association

Tums....

Let's talk about how mass marketing affects our perception of health and how the individual's best interest (Health wise) is purposely thwarted due to corporate greed. Today, lets talk about "Tums", the world's most famous "anti-acid".

Its common practice for the typical MD to suggest that patients take Tums as a source of Calcium. You'll notice the label on the bottle that advertises "Calcium", so far so good right? Wrong! There are several pieces missing in this nice little equation.

First, the Calcium is in the form of Calcium Carbonate (aka Chalk) - mmmmm, chalk (drool - Homer Simpson style). The body has a very difficult time absorbing this form of Calcium as chalk isn't in any of the major food groups.

Second, there are several conditions in the digestive tract that need to be met before Calcium (of any sort) can be absorbed into the body. The Calcium requires Vitamin D3, Magnesium, and acid (as in stomach acid).

Tums doesn't contain Vitamin D3, so we can scratch that from the list. It also lacks Magnesium - mainly because its very expensive, so Tums avoids it entirely - but it plays a dirty trick in it advertising regarding this point. During the commercial either actor or the voice over will say something to the effect of: "Tums has Calcium, something the body needs." (in a accusatory tone they continue): "The other brands contain Magnesium" They say it as if this is a bad thing, when in fact the manufacturer of Tums is too cheap to put in a necessary mineral.

As we said earlier, acid is necessary to break down Calcium, but what is the main function of Tums? Its a bleedin' antacid! It neutralize the pH in the stomach, so there's no Calcium getting out of that Tums tablet you just took! Waste of money is what it is! This is just one small part of the corporate greed that is crippling the health of this and other nations.

Next episode: Antacids - part II: The Vicious Circle

The Start of Blasphemy

Through this blog, I intend to explore, expose, and explode the commonly held medical beliefs and practices using nothing more than the sciences that the dominant medical model is based upon. The premise of all the following works being that the majority of medical doctors and their organizations have become so enmeshed with the Pharmaceutical companies that the most basic of sciences learned in the first two years of medical school have been abandoned either through greed, excessive workload, and/or exhaustion. So, let the games begin.