Who Does The F.D.A. Work For? Not Us!

Unbelievable. The headline in today’s New York Times reads, "F.D.A. Deems Mercury Level in Fillings Safe". The article states that F.D.A. believes that silver dental fillings containing mercury are safe for use by adults and children ages six and above. The F.D.A. claimed they reviewed more than 200 scientific studies to make the conclusion "...that mercury vapor released by the filling was not enough to cause brain damage". Furthermore, the F.D.A. states that mercury released from the fillings will not harm patients. I say, they need to look at the hundreds of other studies showing the toxicity of mercury.

Mercury is the third most toxic element known to mankind. I don't care if the F.D.A. looked at 2,000 studies to make the same conclusion. It is ludicrous to assume you can put a toxic substance (i.e., mercury) in someone's mouth and assume it will be safe.

How much mercury is in a dental filling? Each mercury fillings contains approximately 50% mercury by weight. It is estimated that from 3.8-21ug of mercury from fillings per day is absorbed, depending on the number of fillings, amount of teeth grinding, amount of hot liquids ingested and other factors. (Nat. Acad. of Sc. 2000. Toxic. Effects of Methyl mercury).

How much mercury is safe? That is an easy question to answer--no amount of mercury is safe. In fact, the amount of mercury absorbed from amalgam fillings is 60 times higher than the United Nation's recommendation on a safe exposure level for mercury. (Env. Toxic. 2003. March).

It is clear that the F.D.A. does not work for us, the citizens of this great country. The F.D.A. works for and is controlled by corporate interests. You cannot depend on the F.D.A.'s recommendations to guide you in your health care decisions. You must educate yourself and come to your own conclusions.

Mercury is a toxic substance. It needs to be avoided at all costs. It does not make common sense or scientific sense to put mercury anything in someone's mouth. If your dentist still uses mercury fillings, find a new one.

I will be writing more about this topic in my Natural way to Health Newsletter (more information on this newsletter can be found at www.brownsteinhealth.com/3reports. Offer code for the newsletter is: 7AOB-1).

What Can You Do About Food Allergies?

A report in the Detroit Free Press (10.22.08) reported on the rising prevalence of food allergies in American children. The article states that food allergies are estimated to affect 3 million children according to a federal study. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 in26 children suffer from food allergies, which is increased from 1 in 29 kids in 1997—an 18% increase.

The article states that nobody knows for sure what is driving the problem. The CDC estimates that 1 in 40 Americans have a milk allergy. Estimates are that nearly 1 in 100 has celiac disease. My clinical experience has shown that both dairy and gluten allergies (or sensitivities) are occurring at a much higher frequency. I would estimate that dairy allergies affect over 50% of my patients and gluten problems affect 25%.

Why are there so many children and adults suffering with food allergies and what can you do about it? When I was a child, I do not recall anybody suffering from food allergies. Now, many schools prohibit children from bringing nuts or peanut butter to the school due to highly sensitive , allergic children being adversely affected by the nuts.

I believe food allergies are more prominent for a couple of reasons. Now, people are more aware of food allergies causing problems in their children. But, the higher rate of food allergies awareness cannot explain the large numbers of children and adults suffering from severe food allergies. I think the large number of people suffering from food allergies is a direct result of the increased toxicity we have in our bodies. There is no question that we are all suffering from an onslaught of metals, pesticides and other toxic items. My clinical experience has clearly shown that mercury toxicity is the number one toxic item found in the majority of people. Where is mercury coming from? The two most common sources are amalgam fillings and vaccines (e.g., the flu vaccine).

These toxic items are inhibiting the normal function of our immune system. A distressed immune system may over-react or inappropriately react to a substance that should be considered benign. My experience has shown that detoxifying the body improves the functioning of the immune system and lessons allergies. I see it occur every day in my practice.

Besides detoxifying, there is a wonderful acupressure technique, NAET, which not only treats food allergies but also helps to diagnose which foods are causing problems. I have been doing NAET for nearly 10 years and have seen some of the most amazing results in my patients. NAET has proven successful for not only treating food allergies, it is effective for most environmental allergies.

Marilyn, age 70, felt like she was allergic to many items. “Everything bothers me. I can’t eat anything without getting a headache and a foggy brain,” she said. When I began to do NAET with Marilyn, I found her to be allergic to almost anything I tested her for. After treating the first 10 food items, which includes sugar and grains, she began to feel much better. “It felt like a weight was lifted off of me. Even my other allergies improved. I used to be so sensitive to new smells and now I can go into stores and not be ill,” she claimed. Marilyn’s story is not unique; I see it occur over and over in my practice.

At my office, I have two NAET practitioners; Hetty and Michelle. To make an appointment with either practitioner, please call my office; 248-851-1600. If you suffer from allergies, I encourage you to consider NAET.

You can also find a practitioner near you by going to: www.naet.com.

The Bias Against Vitamin Supplements

Every few months, headlines in the newspapers will proclaim that vitamin supplements are a waste of time and money. For example, headlines in the Wall Street Journal proclaimed, “Vitamin Pills: A False Hope?”. The article asked the question, “Are vitamins worth it?” The article went on to describe a study showing the failure of vitamins at providing any benefits. The article also contained quotes from doctors and researchers who commented that there is no benefit from taking vitamins.

The WSJ article was reporting on the data from the Women’s Health Initiative, which tracked eight years of multivitamin use in 161,000 women. The study found that there was no lowered risk for heart disease or certain cancers in those that took a multivitamin.

There are so many flaws in this study, I don’t know where to begin. This study was done via a questionnaire which asked women if they took a multivitamin. No vitamins were given to women; it was up to the individual to purchase and take it themselves. This is not a way to do a study. Many people say they take a multivitamin when they actually do not. Furthermore, many of the most commonly used multivitamins in the market place are of poor quality and full of synthetic vitamins. I can look at a vitamin label in a few seconds and have an idea about the quality of the product depending on the source of nutrients the manufacturer is using. In fact, most of the reported negative outcomes related to specific vitamin therapies (such as beta carotene and vitamin E and lung cancer) are due to the use of these synthetic, toxic vitamins. Vitamins need to be from a natural source and have the same bioidentical structure as naturally-occurring vitamins found in the human body. Synthetic vitamins need to be avoided. Without controlling what form of vitamins these subjects were using, I don’t feel any valid conclusions can be drawn from this study.

I wish these doctors and researchers would come to my office and observe my practice for a day. They can see the positive results I see from my patients taking the correct nutrients. In today’s world, with our food supply overloaded with devitalized, refined products, is it any wonder there are so many people suffering from nutrient imbalances? I routinely check vitamin and mineral levels and I am continually astounded by the numbers of nutrients that are imbalanced in my patients.

I am constantly trying to keep up with the research on natural items. There are literally hundreds of studies each week reporting on the efficacy of natural items. The naysayers of natural items need to look at this research. Much of it shows positive results when the right supplements are used for the appropriate condition. I see the positive results in my practice every day.

One final note. This study was poorly done. Why would it make headlines in every major newspaper? There is a bias against natural items. Big Pharma does everything in its power to discredit natural therapies in order to leave prescription items as the only available treatment for the consumer. Perhaps a multivitamin does not treat cancer or prevent heart disease. This question can only be answered by doing the appropriate study and employing a good supplement that contains natural, bioidentical supplements. Until this study occurs, I say taking a good multivitamin should do no harm and can provide a wide range of nutrients necessary for maintaining optimal health.

Do Children Need Iodine?

One of the most frequent questions I receive from my patients is, “Do my children need iodine?” Over the last 30 years, iodine levels have fallen over 50% in the U.S. population (NHANES at www.cdc.gov). My research has shown over 95% of my new patients are iodine deficient by the WHO criteria. As I have discussed in Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, there are many reasons for this widespread deficiency including the overexposure to toxic halides such as bromine and fluoride as well as the decline in the use of iodized salt. Also, living in the Goiter Belt (i.e., Great Lake States) doesn’t help the situation either. Our soil is one of the most iodine depleted soils in the U.S.

So, back to the original question about children needing iodine. An article in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (2007;92:437-442) claims that iodine repletion in a moderately iodine-deficient European school age children significantly improves height and weight gain. Children need iodine supplementation just as adults do. The WHO estimates nearly 300,000,000 children world-wide are iodine deficient. I can assure you that many of these children are located in the U.S., as I have been testing iodine levels in children for seven years. Iodine supplementation helps the thyroid gland work better and it helps the entire hormonal system to function at a higher level. Iodine has also been shown to help to improve the IQ.

Children need adequate iodine supplementation from either their diet or nutritional supplementation. I would suggest working with a knowledgeable holistic practitioner to help you supplement your children with iodine.

Dangerous Osteoporosis Drugs

The FDA releases a quarterly newsletter known as the FDA Drug Safety Newsletter. This newsletter gives information about problems with approved drugs. The latest newsletter (Vol. 2, N. 2, 2009) was recently released.

This newsletter provided information about Zoledronic acid, marketed as Reclast and Zometa which are bisphosphonate drugs used to treat osteoporosis. These drugs have been approved for once-yearly intravenous administration infusion for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal men and women.

This article reported that there have been 24 cases of renal failure associated with the use of Reclast. The median time form the onset of renal failure from the infusion until the event was 11 days. Seven deaths were reported and three patients required dialysis from the drug.

Due to this problem with Reclast, FDA encouraged physicians to avoid the use of Reclast in patients with renal impairment, ensure patients are well hydrated, and report cases of renal problems to the FDA.

I say the FDA should have included one other point; pull the drug from the market. I wrote about the problems with the osteoporotic drugs in Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do. Why does Reclast cause this problem? All of the bisphosphonate drugs, Reclast included, are toxic substances to the body. They work by poisoning one of the main bone-building cells in the body—the osteoclasts. Furthermore, the half-life of these drugs is much too long. That is why you can give this drug once/year. The body has no way to detoxify from it. Remember, you can’t poison an enzyme for the long term and expect a good result.

I say, eat a better diet, exercise, drink water and take the appropriate supplements you are lacking. That is a much more effective and safer approach for treating osteoporosis.