Stranger Every Day

They Must Feel Threatened

Here are a few interesting things that I've found whilst cruising the net lately. It looks like there's some threat felt our there in meds-ville, as they're launching new, scary lists of the big, bad herbs that will kill you, or at least cause you to spend less on prescriptions. The first two are about herbs and heart health. Here's one from the CNN front organization called health.com. This helpful piece is entitled: Heart Trouble? 30 Herbal Remedies to Avoid. They sure do cover the gamut - from garlic and saw palmetto to echinacea and green tea. Evidently, many of these herbs will cause blood thinning, which may interfere with anticoagulants like Warfarin (derived from rat poison, BTW). Seems to me that one may be able to skip the Warfarin and use garlic and the like instead. Is all that garlic one reason why the Mediterranean diet loving Europeans have a lower rate of heart disease than Americans? Oh, one more thing. While you're looking at the pretty pictures of the evil botanicals, try not to get distracted by all the banner ads for Lipitor.  

The same kind of list is given in an article that appeared in Medscape Today. Can't give you the direct link, as its a password protected site for subscribers, and I'm not about to give out my password. Sorry (<- that's actually my password! Just kidding). The paper was publishsed in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, by Dr AraTachjian, et al. (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN). Mayo? Big guns!

Moving on to some better news, there's been a recent study published saying that Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent the transition from a subthreshold psychotic state to full-blown psychosis in adolescents and young adults. And the benefits were sustained at follow-up a year later (only 5% of the experimental group developed psychosis, compared to 27% of the placebo group). This article was also posted in Medscape Today, so the site doesn't publish only the anti-alternative stuff, bless them. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown in other studies to assist with mood modulation in Bipolar Disorder, so the extension of benefits to psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia is really promising.

Finally, in the I-don't-know-whether- this-is-worth-being-freaked-out-about department, it seems that there has been a bill introduced in the Senate (by none other than John McCain, my friends) that looks like it may restrict our access to some supplements. I'm really not sure whether this is the intent of the bill, but some people are up in arms about it. You can get an overview of he situation here. A word to the wise: It seem like every year or so, some story, bill, or meeting is alleged to be about to destroy our freedom to get the supplements we need, so read and assess this situation accordingly.

Bye for now. I'm off to scour the net (and my mind) for the exciting, the weird, etc. All those things that make our lives Stranger Every Day.

Almost Normal (a.k.a. Pre-Ill)

First off, thanks to everyone who has contacted me about the recent death of my father. Your kind sentiments are immensely appreciated.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

So, let me fill you in on what I've been thinking about lately. There is a trend, I think, to get as many people as possible into "pre-ill" categories. There are real advantages to this, from the standpoint of pharmaceutical companies and others in the sick care industry. Change a guideline and create thousands of new product consumers literally overnight. What a marketing strategy!

Look at blood pressure, for example. A reading of 120/80 used to be considered optimal. Over the past couple of years, it's been relabeled as pre-hypertensive (as can be seen in this article). Pretty slick, considering that the normal range of blood pressure measurements goes up to 140/90. Hmmm, maybe anti-hypertensive drugs can be taken by those with the new "bad" reading as a preventative. [Can't be too careful with your health, you know. Ask your family physician about it. In fact, demand to be put on our drug today!! You owe it to yourself, and your family (insert picture of puppy-eyed youngster here)]

Blood sugar (blood glucose) is another measure worth considering. Traditionally, a measurement of between 75 and 100 mg/dl (fasting) is considered normal. Between 100 and 125 mg/dl is often called pre-diabetic, while anything higher is classified as diabetes.  (A sometimes contradictory, sometimes scary article on the subject can be found here.) Turns out, this is not so cut and dried. Different labs have different ranges for what is considered a normal fasting glucose level. To muddy the waters even further, a recent AARP publication recommended that ideally, one should keep fasting glucose between 70 and 130 mg/dl. Who's right? Everybody? Nobody?

I believe what it boils down to is a tendency in the sick care industry to shoehorn everyone into a one-size-fits-all (see picture) characterization. In this view, individuality is to be shunned, because it is messy and not scientific - let alone unprofitable. Unfortunately, nobody told Mother Nature about this, as she goes about her merry way making individual after individual.

Of course, values will cluster about a mean, and large samples will approximate the so-called normal curve. However, single data points can and do vary widely. What makes one person normal may not work for another. How we feel and how we function would seem to me to make more sense than a given measure on a given day. That may sound heretical, but it is, I think, the way Nature works.

And for all the peri-menopausal women out there, did you realize that your osteopenia is based on measurements compared to 18 year-olds? Of course your bone mineral density is going down compared to someone in the prime of life. But the solution offered by Big Pharma? Take a drug which interferes with the action of your body's osteoclasts, the natural re-cyclers of bone. In other words, when you take such drugs you accumulate old bone, rather than increasing new bone. Books such as Dr. James Carter's Racketeering in Medicine look at studies which show just how much we are being drugged for no or minimal positive outcome. Unless you're a pharmaceutical company, that is.

The mind boggles.

Taking the Cure

For the past week or so, my wife and I have been in New Mexico and Colorado. (Yeah, that's why I haven't posted.) We decided to look at a few hot springs in the area to do a bit of compare and contrast -- as natural health practitioners, we have to explore these options. It's a sacrifice, but somebody's gotta do it. Besides, it's a great way to write off a trip, not that I would do that, or anything.

You may have heard about the "water cure" that is so popular in the natural healing movement. Spas and springs all over the world boast of the healing properties of their waters. Lourdes is sort of an outlier here, being pretty much a religious site. In fact, you don't even have to go to Lourdes. There are skads of places that sell it. Results may vary.

Nevertheless, it's in the water, as they say. While the use of mineral waters and hydrotherapy has been around for millennia, the modern movement is often attributed to Sebastian Kneipp, a Bavarian priest. The spa movement a la Baden-Baden was born and has been all the rage at times. These days, it's often seen as a way for the well-to-do to pamper themselves, or for the hippies that never changed to sit around wet and naked with others of like mind.

But on to our experiences. Two places stand out in particular and both places were in the San Luis valley of Colorado. In fact, the places were only a couple of miles from each other. However, the contrast between them was most interesting. [Disclaimer: I am not plugging either of these places, or any other, for that matter. I receive no kickbacks or other considerations for mentioning these institutions.]

Alliteration seems to be the thing with San Luis hot springs. Valley View (VV) is in a marvelous setting, in the foothills of the Rockies (on a land trust, it is entirely off the grid -- very cool). It is an extensive place, with trails winding about and camping available. Clothing is decidedly optional here, or as one local resident put it: You only stand out if you have clothes on. So, when in Rome . . .

Anyway, the experience was quite pleasant, soaking in a natural pool (pebbled, sandy bottom -- the pool's, not mine), surrounded by nature and, shall we say, a variety of naked humans. Now most people, as in all endeavors, are decent, considerate folk. They have their experience and let you have yours. However, there are those who feel that being in nature gives them license to be, well, exposed derrieres. We encountered one such couple in a pool that could comfortably accommodate about six. Believe me, it doesn't take much in the way of loud, somewhat boozy conversation to put a crimp in the experience. They did keep to themselves, in their way. But after about ten minutes of this, we took our leave for quieter places, as did the other guy who was sharing our pool when the boozers arrived.

The other, also alliterative hot springs I want to mention is Joyful Journey (JJ). More modest in its setting (and bathing suit required), it is located on the floor of the valley itself, surrounded by the quiet beauty of the desert. It has a set of rooms, but also yurts and tipis for those who wish to rough it a bit more. However, the real draw of Joyful Journey is its waters. VV has the silky quality of mineral water and one feels pretty good upon exiting the pools, but at JJ the feeling is quietly, calmly ecstatic.

You see, not all hot springs are created equal. Temperature is about the same, at anywhere from 98 to 106 degrees (we found 102 to be about perfect). But mineral content can vary widely, and herein lies the difference. JJ has lithium in its water, while VV does not. Many of you may know lithium as that stuff they give to people with Bipolar Disorder to keep them from bouts of mania. For sure, lithium is a mood modulator and those on high doses often complain that they miss the gyrations that their mood disorder can bring. I've heard it said that therapeutic levels of lithium can force one's mood into a nether region of neither too high nor too low. Well, I'm here to tell you that a bit of lithium is pretty darn good for what ails you. Aside from the usual magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, boron, etc. of mineral water (all of which is great for the body), the lithium adds that extra something that leaves the body feeling very peaceful.

I'd recommend the "water cure" for virtually anyone. These two places are very comfortable and definitely not snobbish, and prices are reasonable.

The next time somebody tells me to go soak my head, I know exactly where I'll do it.

Criminalizing Alternative Health Care

It seems very appropriate that this topic occurs to me today. It's Memorial Day, a day when we honor those who have sacrificed their lives for this country, its ideals, and its interests. A synchronicity, perhaps, but today I read an article in the The Daily Mail from the U.K. about Colleen Hauser. She's the mother of Daniel Hauser, the 13 year old boy with Hodgkin's lymphoma who was court-ordered to continue chemotherapy. Daniel's parents, Colleen and Tony, would rather try alternative treatments through the Nemenhah system, based on Native American healing practices. Evidently, Ms. Hauser (Colleen and her son Daniel are pictured at right) chose to flee her native Minnesota, possibly heading to Mexico, so that her son wouldn't be forced to continue the chemotherapy regimen. The family claims that the Western medical treatment for Daniel's illness is "poisonous" and would ultimately be detrimental to his health. During the original hearing, oncologists, on the other hand, claimed that chemo is 80% to 95% effective in treating Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The particular merits of this case, however, are not going to be argued here. The greater issue is whether government can force someone to pursue a particular treatment for an illness. It becomes especially thorny when the patient is a dependent child. Should the state be allowed to force parents to use one treatment regimen over another?

Child neglect or endangerment is often the argument raised in these cases. This makes it akin to denying critical care or providing food, shelter, and clothing to the minor. But, is that the situation here? The Hausers are pursuing care for their son, but not that which the state deems appropriate. This begs the question of when would the Western medical approach be inappropriate? When it is only 75% effective, 50%, 25%?

When does it become OK to do something other than standard, Western, technological medical care? How about when it's too late for the individual? When Western medicine has fired all it can at the problem and come up empty? When the critical time for alternative interventions has passed? Would it be OK then? After all, at that point alternative care "wouldn't hurt anything," as some Western medicos like to say. Of course, at that point, would anything help? After the person dies, we can sadly shake our heads and say that alternative medicine isn't any good at treating condition X.

How about this for an analogy? The state now demands that parents feed their children only organic fruits and vegetables, and only grass-fed meats are allowed for those who eat meat. After all, it has been shown over and over again that the fast-food, hyper-adulterated, GMO riddled, sugar and fat-laden standard American diet is linked to increasing rates of obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. I mean, it's even been on Oprah, so it has to be true!

So, are parents who feed their children fast food guilty of child endangerment?

Seriously, though, how far would an action like that go? Would the large agribusiness firms stand by for that? Yet, an "organic food only" action such as the one outlined in the paragraph above would do more to prevent death than forcing people to pursue a specific health care intervention.

Of special concern is that the Hauser case is unfolding in Minnesota, where an act was passed in 2000 protecting freedom of access to alternative and complementary health care, and the home of Northwestern Health Sciences University. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.

Let me be clear. I'm not arguing for or against a specific course of treatment. I'm arguing that the choice of treatment is one to be made by the person or, in the case of dependents, by those who care for the person. When the state can decide for us, claiming that good faith choices made just don't fit the dominant paradigm and are therefore wrong, we have lost one of the freedoms defended by those whom we remember today.

Oink, oink, a-chooo! (with apologies to The Beatles)

---

(This article will also appear in the Eastwind Healing Center newsletter, but the issue of pandemic swine flu is serious enough to justify the "double dipping" that I'm doing here. BTW, you can subscribe to the newsletter by emailing Eastwind Healing Center with "subscribe" in the subject line. Old newsletters can be accessed here.)

---

"Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you, but pigs accept you as an equal." - Old saying.

The attempted levity of the title aside, this article is about swine flu and the impending pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) seems poised to declare a full-scale pandemic over the outbreak of the swine flu variant that arose in Mexico. According to their pandemic scale, this would indicate a level 6 event (human-to-human transmission in at least two regions of the world).

What's it mean? How can one prepare? If ill, what then? Are we all gonna die? Did the New World Order (NWO) finally get the population-decreasing superbug for which it has so long pined? Read on.

First of all, don't panic. If you're over the age of 52, you've already lived through two pandemics (1957 and 1968) and are quite likely to live through another. However, this virus presents an odd picture.

This variant is a mix of pig, avian, and human viral components (chalk one up for the NWO) and is denoted as a type of influenza A(H1N1). The H and the N stand for hemagglutinin and neurominidase, respectively. These are surface proteins on the virus and are used to determine its subtype. As you probably know, viruses commandeer cells by penetrating them and taking over their replication mechanisms to produce more viruses. The infected cell then explodes, scattering the viruses around to find other cells. Nasty things, viruses. Are they alive? Are they the undead? That's a matter of opinion. They replicate, and that's sounds like alive. Need a host to make it happen . . . sounds a little undead to me.

Regardless, that's how they reproduce. Initial infection comes from inhaling particles from the aerosol of sneezes and coughs of infected individuals, though sometimes it's done by contact with an infected surface. So, big preventative measures include staying away from infected individuals (duh!), washing hands frequently, and being conscious about where/how you cough or sneeze if you are infected. Masks are nice, too, if used properly. I swear to God, I saw an Associated Press picture of a person walking through an airport with a mask covering their mouth, but not their nose. Think, dammit!

A vaccine for this strain of flu is in the works (by, of all people, Baxter Labs, who recently had an "oops!" episode with avian flu mixed with its ordinary flu vaccines. You can read my blog posts about it here (part 1) and here (part 2). However, vaccine development is a slow process and it will take months to get one to market. Also, there will probably be some resistance to the vaccine, due to mistrust, perceived ineffectiveness, etc.

According to my back-of-the-envelope figuring, this disease has a mortality rate of about 6%, which is much better than the estimated 60+% mortality rate of avian flu (H5N1) in its current form. That's important, because avian flu has a tough time passing from human to human in its current configuration. However, viruses are notorious for mutating, grabbing bits and pieces of other viruses, etc. to become better infectious agents. So keep your fingers crossed, because if that sucker ever hits the big time, we may have some serious trouble.

(Time for the disclaimer: Remember, the information presented here is for informational purposes only. Don't ever assume that I know what I'm talking about. Always consult your health care practitioner before embarking on any course of treatment, etc., etc.)

As far as prescription meds go, Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir) may work, but avian flu is already showing resistance to these drugs, and since this flu has avian characteristics, can resistance be far behind? These drugs work by interfering with neurominidase, in essence keeping the virus a prisoner in an infected cell. However, they lose much of their effectiveness if a course of treatment is not begun within 6 to 12 hours of symptom appearance. That means getting to a physician, getting the prescription, getting it filled, and taking it - all within that 6 to 12 hour time frame. While Tamiflu is a bit more time tolerant than Relenza, the time constraints are a factor to be considered.

There is a natural neurominidase inhibitor, however. Elderberry (sambucus nigra) has been shown to impact the influenza virus effectively by keeping it from entering cells in the first place. Elderberry does this by "blunting the spikes" that the virus uses to attach to cells in order to gain entry. Sounds great. Any downside? Yes, there is. A potentially serious downside. The cytokine storm.

This flu shows early signs of being more lethal with young, otherwise healthy, adults. This was also a characteristic of the infamous 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Why? Precisely because these individuals are so healthy. You see, their immune systems mount a serious counterattack against this invader, including the massive release of inflammatory cytokines. Ordinarily a good thing, certain cytokines help us fight off invaders and are important in cell communication. Under some conditions, though, the normal feedback loop limiting the impact of cytokines gets disturbed, and the system overloads. This leads to an "over-kill" immune response (the so-called cytokine storm), and the immune system begins attacking the internal structures of the body. Many times, the lungs fill with fluid from this response and this is what kills the individual. At this point, the CDC states that there is insufficient evidence to indicate that the current flu pandemic will produce this effect, but other pandemics have. So why take chances?

What does this have to do with elderberry preparations? Well, elderberries have an effect of increasing cytokine production. This could be a very serious problem for those with vigorous immune systems. In fact, it has been recommended by Dr. Peter D'Adamo, naturopath and formulator of the Blood Type Diet protocols, that those between the ages of 15 and 35 not take elderberry preparations during the acute phase of this flu. It can be used as a preventative at other times, however.

If you have concern about your immune system running amok if you fall ill, you can moderate the cytokine release to some extent. Turmeric, astragalus, and omega-3 fatty acids, for instance, have been found useful in managing cytokine levels. Using these as adjunctive treatment when using elderberry may have some merit. (Re-read disclaimer)

There are also blood type differences in the response to the flu. In a nutshell, type A blood does best generally, and type AB does the worst. Type B does great against influenza B, not so well against influenza A. Type O blood is somewhere in the middle, but tends not to do well against very virulent strains of the flu. For a good, informative article about all this, go here.

Bottom line: prevention is best. Avoid contact with the virus if at all possible, and don't spread it to others if you get infected. If you fall ill, it is recommended that you take the usual precautions about rest, fluids, etc. Use pharmaceuticals and herbals responsibly and appropriately. And remember, like King Solomon's ring said: This too shall pass.