Sunday, April 24, 2011

Vaccine Researcher Indicted for Fraud

According to CNBC, “Paul Thorsen, the principal coordinator of multiple studies funded by the CDC used to deny a vaccine/autism link was indicted April 13th on thirteen counts of fraud and nine counts of money-laundering. The charges relate to funding for work he conducted for the CDC which claimed to disprove associations between the mercury-based vaccine preservative, thimerosal, and increased rates of autism.” This was first reported by the consumer group, SafeMinds.

I remember when these studies came out. They came out in rapid-fire succession just after previously-released studies began to show there was a link between autism and mercury-preserved vaccines. I was not surprised that the Thorsen articles came out so fast as Big Pharma had to do something to quiet the growing complaints about mercury in vaccines.

Do I think that mercury-containing vaccines cause autism? Before I answer that, let me state a few points. I believe there is no justification for ever injecting in any living being the third most toxic element known to mankind. As the wise man Forrest Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does.” What do you expect will happen when you inject a known neurotoxin, in large amounts, to a small baby?

I have no doubt that mercury toxicity, in large part from vaccines, is probably one factor responsible for the rapid rise of autism. Even if mercury is not one of the underlying causes of autism, common sense as well as biochemical sense would dictate that mercury exposure is not a good idea. In fact, mercury toxicity is a common problem in many of the patients that I see. However, in our toxic world, there are many other items we are exposed to on a daily basis that can also disrupt the normal neurological development in a newborn such as lead, arsenic, nickel, cadmium and bromine.

What can you do? Number one; don’t let anyone inject mercury in your body. Most of the flu vaccines still have mercury in them; they should be avoided. Next, don’t let any dentist put a mercury filling in your mouth. Any dentist that still defends the use of mercury does not understand biochemistry and does not deserve your business. Next, eat a healthy diet free of pesticides and other chemicals that are harmful to your body. Finally, take the appropriate supplements to ensure that your detoxification pathways are optimally functioning.

Which supplements should you take? There are many items that aid the detoxification pathways including vitamins C and E, alpha lipoic acid, magnesium and glutathione. One product that I helped formulate (along with my partners Drs. Ng and Nusbaum) is Total Liver Care. Total Liver Care (TLC) was designed to provide the appropriate nutrients for both phase 1 and 2 liver detoxification. You can purchase TLC from my website: www.centerforholisticmedicine.com (look under detoxification at the website). The suggested dose is one scoop two times per day until the can is finished (about 3 weeks). I suggest using Total Liver Care every 4 months.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Japanese Radiation Iodine Update 8: No More News Coming Our Way

The earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011. Let’s take inventory of the situation. Is the nuclear situation under control? No. Are we being exposed to radioactive particles from this disaster? Yes. Are there things we can do to protect ourselves? Yes.

What is amazing to me is how the media has stopped reporting on this story. Here we have a continuing melt-down and release of radioactivity from Japan and now there is literally nothing being said about it.

Radioactive iodine has been found in water and milk samples throughout the U.S. In fact, many water supplies from Los Angeles to Detroit have tested positive for radioactive iodine. But, keep in mind, the authorities are not testing (or not reporting) for contamination with radioactive cesium, plutonium or uranium all of which have a longer half-life than iodine.
I have stated before that the amount of radioactive iodine that we are currently being exposed to is not lethal, but it is not innocuous. The danger is greater for those who are iodine deficient. Compared to iodine sufficient people, those who are deficient (i.e., the majority of Americans) are more likely to absorb and bind radioactive iodine.

Wherever radioactive iodine binds in the body, it destroys and damages cells. Where does this occur? Every cell in the body needs and utilizes iodine. However, iodine is concentrated in the glandular tissue—the breasts, thyroid, ovaries, and uterus are examples of tissue that concentrate iodine.

I believe the reason we are seeing such an epidemic of disease of the breasts, thyroid, ovaries and uterus is due, in part, to iodine deficiency. I describe this in more detail in my book, Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, 4th Edition.
One of the first steps that you can do to prevent problems with exposure to radioactive iodine is to become iodine sufficient. In our toxic world, my experience has shown that iodine supplementation in milligram amounts is necessary to accomplish this.

However, as I stated above, the disaster in Japan is more than just radioactive iodine leakage. Radioactive plutonium, cesium and uranium are also being released into the atmosphere. These items have a much longer half-life than iodine and are much more dangerous. What can you do to protect yourself from these items?

To protect yourself from radioactive toxins as well as other toxicities, it is important to ensure adequate hydration. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of drinking enough water. How much water? Take your weight in pounds, divide by two and the resulting number is the amount of water to ingest per day in ounces. My experience is that most new patients, especially those with chronic illness, are dehydrated. I always inform these patients they will not achieve their optimal health without maintaining adequate hydration.

There is one nutrient that can help combat nearly any toxicity. That nutrient is vitamin C. Ensuring adequate vitamin C intake is important. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient in the diet as the body cannot manufacture vitamin C; therefore, we have to ingest enough in our diet. What are the best dietary sources of vitamin C? Fruits and vegetables are the best food sources of vitamin C. However, most people do not eat enough fruits and vegetables to maintain optimal vitamin C levels. Furthermore, our toxic environment has increased our need for vitamin C as it aids all the detoxification pathways. I suggest taking 3-5,000mg/day of vitamin C. Buffered vitamin C seems to be the most tolerated form for this large dose. If you get diarrhea with these doses of vitamin C, you can lower the dose.

Other nutrients which help prevent damage from radioactivity include vitamin E—as mixed tocopherols at 200UI/day), alpha lipoic acid (300mg twice per day), and unrefined sea salt (1/2-1 tsp/day). Also, eating a healthy diet, free of refined foods, is a big help. Note: All of these supplements mentioined above can be found at my office; www.centerforholisticmedicine.com.




Sunday, April 3, 2011

Japanese Radiation Update 7: Why You Should Consider Iodine Therapy

I just wanted to give you a quick update on the Japanese nuclear disaster. It is clear that there has been a meltdown at the reactor core. The amount of radioactivity released into the air and the ocean is very large. This may surpass the amount released at Chernobyl.

There is no question that radioactive particles will be carried by the jet stream and deposited over North America. In fact, there have been multiple reports of radiation spikes occurring in a number of states. Now, the amount of radiation reported has been low. But, do not let that fool you. If you are iodine deficient, your body will try to absorb iodine from whatever source it can get it from, radioactive particles from Japan included.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it is important to ensure that you are iodine sufficient. How can you do that? The first step is to work with a health care provider who is knowledgeable about iodine. Next, you can get your iodine levels checked. Many labs will do this with a simple urine test. FFP labs and Hakala Labs do the most complete test on iodine, the 24 hour loading test. I describe this test in more detail in my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, 4th Edition. You don’t need a doctors order to complete this test.

Finally, ensure that you are taking adequate amounts of inorganic, non-radioactive iodine in order to maintain whole body iodine sufficiency. Iodoral (Optimox), Iodozyme HP (Biotics) and Lugol’s solution are examples of this type of iodine that are effective for maintaining whole body iodine sufficiency. The amount of iodine needed to achieve whole body sufficiency, for most of my patients, varies between 6-50mg/day. What do I mean by ‘whole body sufficiency’?

Many people and experts talking about the problems with radioactive iodine focus on the thyroid. The thyroid gland has the largest concentration of iodine in the body. However, every cell in the body needs and requires iodine to function optimally. The breasts, ovaries, uterus, prostate, and other tissues also contain large amounts of iodine. If the body is deficient, these tissues will take up radioactive iodine if given the chance. The whole premise of ortho-iodo supplementation that I discuss in my book is to ingest enough iodine in order for all the tissues of the body to be iodine sufficient. The consequences of iodine deficiency are severe—increases in cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus and thyroid. Radioactive iodine exposure in an iodine deficient state will increase the risk of cancer. Again, I discuss this in much more detail in my book.

The best results with iodine therapy are when it is combined with a holistic treatment regimen. This includes taking vitamin C and salt. Furthermore, correcting nutrient imbalances and detoxifying will help. Finally, ensure that you stay hydrated.

There is no need to panic over the Japanese disaster. You can use this situation as a wake-up call to ensure that you are doing all that is possible for maintaining your optimal health. Finally, remember to educate yourself about iodine so that you can make the best health care decisions.