JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) just published an article on their website (can be found at http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/298/15/1763) about the pervasiveness of a type of super bug known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.)
This is huge!  The study states that “More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph super bug.”
Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study.
Most drug-resistant staph cases are mild skin infections. But this study focused on invasive infections — those that enter the bloodstream or destroy flesh and can turn deadly.
An invasive form of the disease is being blamed for the death Monday of a 17-year-old Virginia high school senior. Doctors said the germ had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and muscles around his heart.
There were 988 reported deaths among infected people in the study, for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000. That would translate to 18,650 deaths annually, although the researchers don’t know if MRSA was the cause in all cases.
The results underscore the need for better prevention measures. That includes curbing the overuse of antibiotics and improving hand-washing and other hygiene procedures among hospital workers, said the CDC’s Dr. Scott Fridkin, a study co-author.
Some hospitals have drastically cut infections by first isolating new patients until they are screened for MRSA.
A survey earlier this year suggested that MRSA infections, including noninvasive mild forms, affect 46 out of every 1,000 U.S. hospital and nursing home patients — or as many as 5 percent. These patients are vulnerable because of open wounds and invasive medical equipment that can help the germ spread.
Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, said the JAMA study emphasizes the broad scope of the drug-resistant staph “epidemic,” and highlights the need for a vaccine, which he called “the holy grail of staphylococcal research.”
Health Warrior’s Take on this:
Check out www.allisure.com.  This is a garlic compound imported from Europe.  They test this stuff on MRSA to make sure that it is active and strong.  Check out the website and you will see what this stuff can cover.  It KILLS MRSA!  Now I am not saying this is the answer for the 90,000 cases noted above, but given the evidence it sure shows some promise.
In our clinic and QRA practice we utilize two of the companies that import this to our country.  We find it has applications for everything from acne, sinus infections, issues of Candida and more.  We even use a liquid nanized version of this product for deep seated infections related to diabetes, blood pressure and even kidney infections.
Research is showing that underlying infections may be the cause for many of our society’s health problems for blood pressure to arthrities to diabetes and more.  This study is just looking at one type of bug and infection.  It is the job of clinicians and practitioners to more efficiently hunt down these infections eradicate them so that we have the immune system that does not allow us to fall victim to a super bug such as this.
On the topic of vaccinations for MRSA.  I feel Dr Buddy Creech either has a vested such interest or is that hoodwinked by the flawed vaccination policies that our medical system holds dear.
How many times have vaccinations shown not to be the answer?  Just look at the issues that are popping up with the new vaccination, Gardisil. (new article post soon.)
Please see our following article on vaccinations, the assault they cause on the immune system, and how they can be cleared for proper immune support.
In Warrior Health,
R-n-A
 

Ted Danson was on Regis and Kelly this morning, I do not necesarily know what we was promoting, though I tuned in when he was talking about his health.  He mentioned that in the effort to take care of himself through dietary changes and taking some “chinese herbs and yeast” the result was a total cholesterol of 129. 

I assumed the herb he was speaking of was red rice yeast which is actually a whole food source in China.  I sometimes reccomend this herb, it actually works very well.  One thing for sure though is that you cannot be too careful of the source.  There is a lot of herbs coming from China (and other places, and here in the US) that are riddled with pesticides and herbicides and fumigated to boot.  We only recommend one red yeast rice brand because we know where they grow it and the measures they insist on for purity.

 Back to his total cholesterol of 129…He was elated about it, very proud to have a number so low.  People are being programmed to believe that the lower the cholesterol the better.  This is so untrue. Cholesterol numbers in this realm have shown in studies to increase issues of morbidity.

Cholesterol is a pro-hormone which means it is a precursor to other hormones,   Hormones that are our great communicators and keep us alive with vitallity.  Could keeping cholesterol too low keep us low in hormones?

Ted, if you are reading this…buy our book, you will see a reference section full of practitioners that can adequately manage your cholesterol and check those hormones, I am worried, and check out the book link on cholesterol to the bottom right by Dr. Dick Tapert.

In Health,

R-n-A

We have not written much on autism on our site as of yet, though you will be hearing a lot more from us.  Autism is a disease of our generation, growing by leaps and bounds while our conventional medical system is not only doing nothing about it, their practices are believed to be part of the cause.

Did you know there is a vaccination defense fund?  From every vaccination shot given, a portion of the cost (whether paid by the patient, insurance company, etc) is put into a fund to protect vaccine manufacturers from litigation.  So far billions have been awarded to affected families… And your Dr. will still tell you they are not a problem?  Or even have a closed practice to those who want to express their individual right not to vaccinate there children…unconscious acts from ignorant individuals.  There is a link to autism.

 On a recent Oprah Winfrey show titled, Jenny McCarthy & Holly Robinson Pete-Their fight to save their autisic sons (www.oprah.com) these two mothers spoke about the challenges and the victories that they have had to bring their children back to health.

We want to give tremendous kudos to Oprah and both of these mothers not only for bringing attention to this topic, inspite of phsicians and most of the medical establishment not listening, but for the tremedous work they have done for their own children.

Often times healing does not happen overnight and one needs that Health Warrior Attitude to keep pushing through, despite the obstacles that present themselves.

We will have follow up posts on autism, what people can do, until them we encourage you to read the transcripts from the show.

In Warrior Health,

Robert and Amy

The Journal of the American Medical Association Sept. 13 report outlines that the diabetes drug Avandia increased heart attacks by 42 percent and doubled rates of heart failure.  The report mentioned was based on a meta-analysis which means that the reasearchers used data from multiple studies.  An interesting factoid is that in the package insert, the drugs maker, Glaxo Smith Kline, notes under adverse reactions relating to cardiovascular events: Carviovaxular edema (5%) and an exacerbation of Congestive Heart Failure (<1%)

The way that Avandia works is by lowering blood glucose levels by improving target cell response to insulin, without increasing pancreatic insulin secretion.  This mechanism of action is much better than many of the older classes of oral diabetic drugs which basically increased pancreatic insulin secretion, basically over working and wasting the pancrease without addressing the underlying core issue.  This being said, such an increase in cardiovascular issues is uncceptable, the end result being a need for better education and a preventative focus so people do not have to find themselves in such a predicament.

Avandia is used to treat type 2, or non-insulin dependant diabetes.  This was once known as adult onset diabetes, though the disease is finding itself in younger adults and children.

Non-insulin dependant diabetes means that the body is still producing its own insulin, though possibly not enough, or there is a problem in the effective utilization to control blood sugar.

Insulin dependant diabetes is basically when the body is not kicking out the insulin, possibly the islet cells that do so are destroyed, thus requiring the need for an outside source.  Insulin dependant diabetes can occur at any age, though commonly in earlier years.  There is worldwide research now showing that there might be an element of infection at work here.

The interesting thing about this study is that it focus’ on a drug that treats the type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependant diabetes), which is often controlled, improved and even eradicated by diet, lifestlye and nutritional changes.  People who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are often at risk for heart disease and other illness’ that fall under the metabolic syndrome title (see previous article on hidden sources of sugar).  This being said would’nt it be prudent to monitor peoples blood sugar levels and take action BEFORE they need such medication. 

Ok, if its not enough that cigarette smoking can be killing you and your children, now there is proof that it can be killing your pets!

According to the California Environmental Protection Agency second hand smoke exposure causes thousands of lung cancer and heart disease deaths among nonsmokers every year.  126 million Americans who don’t smoke are exposed in their homes, vehicles, workplaces, and other public areas.

This is one of the biggest issues we had to deal with in moving to Michigan (a state that does not yet ban smoking in restaraunts) and it is still a challenge, though we fully support patronizing establishments who take such responsibility on for themselves.

Carolynn MacAllister of Oklahoma State University states, “there have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke posts to pets.  Second hand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds.”

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to believe this to be fact, though I suppose ignorance can cloud anyones perception.”

In Health,

R-n-A

An article through Reuters states that doctors often write off patient side-effect concerns.  The truth of the matter folks is that its not only doctors who do this.

A survey of 650 patients was done with the popular drug class of medications called statins by a Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb and fellow colleques. 

I personally feel this class of medications is slowly killing people, though for now that is neither here nor there.  For information at the present time I refer you to our blog roll to the book written by Dr. Dick Tapert (the proof is in the science)

The researchers investigated the response of doctors to statin patients who believed they were having adverse drug reactions.  In the great majority of cases, the patient, not the doctor, intitiated the discussin. 

Forty-seven percent of patients with muscle problems or cognitive prolems said their doctors dismissed the possiblitly that their symptoms were statin-related, while 51 percent of patients with peripheral neuropathy, a type of nerve pain affecting the extremities, said their doctors denied a possible connection with statins.

The investigators were surprised at how frequently patients reported that their doctors dismissed their concerns, Golomb said.  While her study wasn’t designed to find out why, the researcher notes that while the pharmaceutical industry is sure to get the word out about a drug’s benefits, there is “really no corresponding interest group to make sure that physicians learn about adverse affects.”

This is a very big problem.  Daily in your average pharmacy and Dr office their will be complaints of side effects with various medications.  Not appropriately addressing this is just one concern.  Should’nt these be documented, than this will give us a much clearer picture of the risks at hand since many studies that side effects are noted in in clinical trials have proven to be designed in a biasis fashion.

 Robert B Kress RPh CCN

An article that has recently been released through the Assosciated Press states that pain medication use is on a dramatic rise.

The article states that the amount of five major painkillers sold at retail establishments rose 90 percent between 1997 and 2005, according to an Associated Press analysis of statistics from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Why do you think this is?  Are more people getting in accidents?  Are more children playing outside these days and not playing video games, thus more injuries?

Doubt it!

We feel this is a perfect representation of how our inner world health affects our outter world health.  This represents a lot of pain that is being felt within peoples lives.  More information on the inner game of health that relates to you outter health can be found in our New Book, Health Warrior..Conquering the Inner Game of Heath.

Let us look at the addiciton potential.  These pain relievers are highly addicting.  I have seen this more times than I wish working in the retail pharmacy setting.  What is a source of addiction, aside from the physical element?  Self Esteem!  In our book we speak about the identiy of illness and how this can unravel to other issues such as addiction.

What we really need to do here is begin playing our inner game.  There are so many tools that we can use to prevent such situations. 

Thanks goodness we have the emergency pain management system that we have in our country.  The problem is that the system tends to fail us when we need to convert to the maintence and preventative health mode.

In Health,

R-n-A

Genetically modified foods (GMO) have flooded our grocery stores and our kitchen tables.  Regulations that govern them continue to become looser and looser, with many fingers pointing at the almighty dollar.

 An interesting article has come out of the United Kingdom that the Bio Tech giant Monsanto (one of the worlds largest, if not the largest producer of GMO foods) will be eating only non-genetically modified products on their lunch breaks.  Foods containing genetically modified soy and corn are no longer available in the company cafeteria.

 ”Granada Food Serfices, which manages the canteen, is said to be concerned about health risks.”

Monsanto’s press department contends the action was not the result of a boycott initiated by worried employees of the company.

Now, what does this say to you about GMO??  Maybe its time to bring real food back into the kitchen.

 In Health,

R-n-A

I dont know if anyone caught this news release this weekend, but it has just been released that the united states is dropping in life expectancy, now behind 41 other countries.

 ”Somethings wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

 Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, had the longest life expectaany, at 83.5 years followed by Japan, Macau, San Marino and Singapore.  The United States average is at 77.9 years for a baby born in 2004.

 As you will see in our book Health Warrior, Secrets to Conquering the Inner Game of Health, there is a lot of factors at play here, and no we do not feel its due to lack of health insurance (thank you Michael Moore)

Our own medical system is at fault for unecessary deaths, as well as our industrialized diet, saturated toxic environments and so much more…

 Folks, we dont want you to worry about statistics, though at the same time, nor do we want you to become one.  Its time we empower ourselves with all the knowledge and resources we have to live a life of extraordiary health.

 In Health,

R-n-A

An interesting tid bit of information.  We just read an article on how the FDA will be requiring much more restrict guidelines on nutritional supplements.

The article also went on to say that they will be targeting companies of 20 or less employees.

Two ways to look at it. 

Many of the comments were of a “witch hunt” mentality upon the nutritional industry.

Another way to look at it is that the FDA is actually doing something good for the nutritional industry in requiring quality products to be produced and holding people accoutable, if no quality, product doesnt hit the shelves.

This was done for the homeopathic industry, and I think it had a lot to do with bringing them back from their early 1920’s demise.

We only carry pharmaceutical grade nutrients and thats all anyone should consume.  You are being assured through assay’s that the products are safe and effective and are free of impurities such as heavy metals, pcb’s, bacteria, etc.  Many of our companies (if not all) have over 20 employees (not to say companies with less than 20 employees are bad)

If the over/under 20 rule is correct, than my feeling is that a lot of really bad companies, like the ones who make bulk repackaging versions for the giant retailers of the world, multi level marketers with sub par standards, etc will fall through the cracks, maybe such cracks made larger by the FDA?

All we can do is to recommend to buy from us (ha ha) but really, this will ensure you are getting a quality and effective product.

 Refer to our recent posts on how to find a quality vitamin and nutrient and for information on keeping your freedom to utilize supplements visit www.healthfreedomusa.org

In health,
R-n-A