Category Archives: Health

Political Irony

This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US department of energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal departments of transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issed by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to ny house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal’s inspection, and which has not been plundered of all it’s valuables thanks to the local police department.

I then log on to the internet which was developed by the defense advanced research projects administration and post on freerepublic and Fox news forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right.

My Aminoplex Replacement – Synerplex Amino Acids

This is a small plug for the new amino acid blend I created recently called Synerplex Amino Acids. It is meant to not only replace My Aminoplex which was carried by another company for a few years but to greatly improve the formula. The new formula contains increased levels of co-factors that were in the My Aminoplex namely vitamin B6, magnesium and zinc. New to the formula is vitamins B12 and B5 (Pantothenic acid). I decided to remove folic acid as there is quite a bit of folate being added to our diets and supplements and I felt that having another source may cause oversupplementation of this B vitamin.

More unique supplements, electrolytes and herbals will be available at the Knowledge Through Solutions website in the coming months. Hopefully in a week or so, a new and improved version of Peltier Electrolytes will also be available. We are naming it Synerplex Electrolytes Maintain (similar to the old standard formula), Recover (replacing the executive formula) and Active (replacing the sports formula).

New Epilepsy Drug – Vimpat

Finally, after 6 months of waiting, we were able to see a new neurologist and she suggested that we try Tasya on a new drug called Vimpat®. We were desperately trying to get our daughter off of Topamax® as it was hurting her cognitively and she was beginning to have breakthrough seizures again.

So one day on it shouldn’t make much of a difference but something happened that hasn’t occurred ever before. Tasya was about to have a seizure upon waking (her most common type) but it didn’t happen. I rushed to the room hearing the cry that she has right before a seizure and there she was, clear eyed and talkative. She told both my wife and I how different she felt and that she felt clearer and sharper than before.

Vimpat’s® mode of action supposedly is to stop a seizure by changing the sodium channel slowly as opposed to older drugs which did it very quickly. Side-effects seem to be less than other drugs which try to dampen the entire brain like Topamax®.

While we are in the early stages of trying this med out on Tasya and the fact that it is only approved for people over the age of 17, we remain hopeful but not fully convinced of Vimpat’s® efficacy. Still, the fact that Tasya showed such a quick positive reaction makes us feel that maybe, just maybe, we have the answer to help stop her seizure activity completely.

Two New Podcast Series

Now that my creative juices are strating to flow, I’ve started two new series of podcasts with my Let’s Talk Real Health podcast. The first one is on amino acids starting with my favorite, Glycine. The second coming out tomorrow is on the question I get asked more often than any other which is “What test should I run if my patient has _______”? I will be answering that question for 21 different health disorders.

Hope you enjoy them and have a great Independence Day weekend.

Podcast update

After another long hiatus, I’ve restarted my podcast and vow to keep up with a regular schedule. The latest interview is with Shari Kingston Adams who runs the Sykia Group, an educationbased marketing agency focused on the health lifestyles industry. For any health care professional who wants to improve their practice and increase the educational component of their practice, this is a can’t miss podcast.

Future podcasts already in the works includes information about amino acids, what laboratory tests to run for over 21 different disorders and health concerns and more interviews with top people in the complementary and alternative health industry.

Zeolite Criticisms – The Truth Hurts Sales?

Of all the issues I blog about, my criticism of zeolite, a much hyped, poorly researched, money maker, is one I get the most comments about. Usually, it is in the form of threats (I refuse to allow those to see the light of day), angry diatribes, accusations which border on the ridiculous and downright silly comments. But the one thread I see is a total lack of any responses to my belief that zeolite is nothing but volcanic ash that has uses in industrial cleanups but no value in promoting human health.

I cannot wait to hear from the supposed cancer survivors who claim zeolite cured them. Of course, when confronted with the request to prove they had cancer and to publicly reveal their name with the proof, they vanish. When asked to provide research papers that have gone through the peer-review process, the constant whining that “it is about to be published in a major journal” comes out. Unfortunately for them, this claim has been going on for years with no paper being published.

Then we see the conspiracy theory coming out that the big, bad establishment is out to get them and wants to hide the positive effects of zeolite so big pharma can make more money. When you have nothing to stand on, it is time to bring out the boogie man. Why can’t they can’t release the studies on their own? Maybe because they show that their product does little but chelate money from peoples wallets into their coffers.

Boy, I can’t wait to see the comments I get on this post.

Another Series of Pharmaceutical Studies in Question

I know I sometimes harp on the pharmaceutical industry and how so many studies that show negative effects or less than positive ones, but a report out of Massachusetts has me very concerned about the validity of many studies out there. If you read this report from MSNBC.com, you can see why I am so disturbed.

It seems that Dr. Scott Reuben was fabricating data about the effectiveness of a number of drugs, including the pain killer Celebrex made by Pfizer and the antidepressant Effexor XR made by Wyeth among others. While this is certainly bad news for the two pharmaceutical companies, it should make us wonder how pervasive this is not only in the pharmaceutical world but also in the nutraceutical community.

I have often times railed against outrageous claims made by the makers of supplements that seem to be heavily anecdotal and curiously non-scientific. One case is the zeolite claims of chelating heavy metals. Still waiting for that study that is due any day showing how great it really is. Been waiting for over three years for something that was supposed to be out already. I’ve heard doctors get on stage and claim super high “cure” rates for autism, only to hear different numbers every conference he spoke at.

Research fraud is more common than you might think which means you need to read the studies with a more critical eye and not to jump on the latest hot drug or supplement. The studies have to make biochemical sense and not just report possible effects that seem too good to be true. There are a lot of Bernie Maddoff’s in science so approach those claims from the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies with a grain of salt. The life you save could be your own.

Latest Presentation

The Effects of Petrochemical and Related Toxins on Human Health

Just last weekend, I gave a presentation at a conference put on by the Klinghardt Academy of Neurobiology on petrochemical toxicity and its effect on human health. Here is the Powerpoint of my talk. Please use whatever you want out of the presentation, please make sure you site me if you do.

Tara Parker-Pope: A Reporter Who Needs a Different Job

The New York Times, a newspaper you either love or hate, typically has a fine line-up of reporters and writers but one in particular needs resign from her position and find another line of work that does not require the ability to do careful research and intelligence. Tara Parker-Pope, needs to switch from reporting to something that only requires manual labor. Her recent article, “News Keeps Getting Worse for Vitamins” is an embarassment and is just another example of an inability she has to find out what the word truth means.

If she had bothered to research the studies she cites instead of choking the nonsense down like an obese person at an all you can eat buffet, she would have seen that what was presented was biased and consisted of terribly constructed research. The quantities of vitamin C and E used in the cardiovascular and cancer study were ridiculously low. Go to my podcast site labinterpretation.podhoster.com and listen to episode 13 where I discuss the issues that should have made the studies Ms. Parker-Pope cites go unpublished.

One of the major problems I have with the study on Vitamin C was the insanely low dose used. They used 500 mg of C daily when all intelligent researchers and clinicians know that you need a minimum of 2 grams and with cancer, 10 grams daily to get the needed effect. It is similar to the nonsense from the Mayo Clinic when they tried to disprove Dr. Pauling and Dr. Cameron’s work on cancer. They used intravenous vitamin C and Mayo used oral C and yet they claimed it was the same (it is definitely not). This is blatant dishonesty and the media is supposed to be objective and uncover the truth, not chow down on anything the so-called experts say. Ms. Parker-Pope, find a new job.