“If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as the souls who live under tyranny.”  Benjamin Franklin

Franklin’s sage advice is more relevant now than ever.

It is difficult and frustrating to sift through conflicting and complex health information to make healthy choices.  Reports over past decades, supported by scientific evidence, have unfolded the life cycles women experience and how there appears to be an epidemic of hormonal disruptions and the drive to medicalize women’s health, governed by prescription medicine.

Women Classified as Diseased

Ponder this for a moment.  Why:

are more babies born with brain tumors and cancers?
is a girl’s age of menarche (the first menstrual period) younger today than three or four decades ago?
do women increasingly suffer from dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), irregular periods and eating disorders?
do girls begin physical development earlier?
do so many women suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS), fibroids, endometriosis, infertility, breast and other cancers?
is it that twenty years ago the breast cancer rate was 1 in 20 and today it is 1 in 8?
does the United States have one of the highest hysterectomy and cesarean rates in the world?

Are these valid questions to explore?

Until the advent of modern pharmacology (the science of drugs), physicians were trained in nutritional and botanical medicine.  Doctors understood that specific nutrients were effective in treating specific disorders, particularly deficiency syndromes.  Many substances found in nature prevented disorders from occurring. 

Pregnancy and childbirth are now classified as medical conditions and treated as such, despite a several millennia history of being a normal and natural occurrence.  Between 1938 and 1971 women who suffered miscarriage were administered diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen with assurances of a healthy pregnancy.  Unintended consequences, covering more than three decades, included an increase in infant deformities, cancer in offspring and the mother, and infertility problems not only in the offspring but in their offspring a generation later.

The remedy to this devastating situation was electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), adopted as the standard of care, absent valid research.  New discovery has shown this technology leads to more delivery complications and is associated with higher cesarean section rates, lower five-minute Apgar scores, and a higher rate of respiratory distress.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), formerly known as Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT), was popularized by Robert Wilson, MD. in the 1950’s.  He coined the term “feminine forever” as he espoused a better life through chemistry.  Unwarranted enthusiasm, perhaps over profits, and skewed scientific evidence increased the use of these synthetic hormones.  Research now indicates they increase the incidence of cancer and other deadly conditions in women. 

It was not until the Women’s Health Initiative in 2002 reported an increase in heart disease, stroke, breast and uterine cancer and Alzheimer’s disease that enthusiasm floundered for the use of Premarin, the most widely used of the HRT synthetic hormones.  

Oral contraceptives are also synthetic hormones.  They have been popular since the 1960’s and supposedly liberated women from the jaws of a committed marital relationship and allowed for multiple partners without fear of pregnancy.  “The Pill” has been widely prescribed for other female maladies such as PMS, dysmenorrhea and other hormonal difficulties.  Evidence has raised fear in women who use them due to an increase in cancer, blood clots, anxiety, weight gain, osteoporosis and infertility.  It’s those unintended consequences again.

Additionally, infertility has skyrocketed over the past 15 years and continues.  Medicine’s answer to this dilemma is fertility clinics offering solutions that range from in vitro fertilization to procedures that require injecting a woman with high doses of synthetic hormones in hopes of stimulating an egg and sperm connection.  Reproductive specialists control pregnancy through invasive procedures that do not come without risks.

Keep this in mind.  Biogenesis is the natural law that states “life can only be passed on by living things”.  Just like only living food can sustain a living organism.  All life contains a vitalistic component that promotes and sustains the chain and cycle of life.  Remove the vitalistic component or replace it with synthetic substitutes and the cycle of life begins to deteriorate.

Women are being diagnosed with depression and mood swings at an alarming rate which is perceived as being “normal” due to PMS and other hormonal irregularities.  A class of anti depressant drugs known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), have been accepted as the “gold standard treatment”, however, little inquiry focuses on the serious side effects of these drugs.

Might these conditions, symptoms, breakdowns or maladies be the result of pharmaceutical therapies?  Is the body drug deficient?  Does it make sense to prescribe a drug or modality to treat a symptom or condition knowing that the side effects may cause other glaring problems that not only increase risk to other diseases and death, but also foster the need for the use of more drugs?  Aaaah!  Maybe, that is the purpose.
Restoring Women’s Health …a cultural movement

A fresher approach is needed to help women avoid the cycle of synthetic substitutes and restore their health and obtain balance.  Rather than treating or suppressing a symptom, the body’s attempt to heal, a better approach is looking for the cause and treating it while avoiding, or at least, diminishing risky lifestyle choices.

The science of nutrition can be traced back to 400 BC when Hippocrates stated “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”  A perfect example of this is demonstrated in the use of folic acid. 

For about 15 years the March of Dimes has been teaching mothers about the need for folic acid (vitamin B9) prior to and during pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects and spina bifida by as much as eighty percent.  One study reported that multivitamins fortified with folic acid could lower the chances of contracting brain tumors by twenty-seven percent, leukemia by thirty-nine percent and neuroblastoma by forty-nine percent.  There is healing power in real food.
Women’s hormones are influenced by diet and lifestyle choices in many ways through:

fats
fiber
gastrointestinal flora
amino acids
dairy products
processed foods
xenobiotics (artificial hormones not known to man)
hormones and antibiotics in feed lot animals (factory farming)
trans fats
sugars and carbohydrates
artificial sweeteners
alcohol
environmental toxins (pesticides, herbicides
cosmetics
drugs
hormones

The inextricable link between nutrition and health is well documented.  Unfortunately, there is a major disconnect the way we look at chronic disease and conditions.  What is worse is the mindset that convenience, not only in foods, but everything we do supersedes common sense and personal responsibility.

Creating Balance

Hormone balance can be achieved through diet and lifestyle changes with the help of supplements.  Hormones can be stabilized and balanced through diet that in turn will decrease symptoms that plague women including:

hot flashes
mood swings
loss of libido
joint pain
bloating or weight gain
headaches
tender enlarged breasts
depression
uterine fibroids
cystic breasts
irregular menstrual cycles
heavy bleeding
infertility

Learning to make healthy, rational choices daily as a part of a new way of life is very different than popping pills to suppress symptoms, eating at fast food restaurants, and living as a couch potato.  The benefits are noteworthy in that you reduce risk of disease and enjoy a better quality of life.

Nutrition and Lifestyle… a safer and long term solution

Avoid drug therapies and consider the following if you experience painful breasts, cervical dysplasia, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) endometriosis, uterine fibroid tumors, vaginal dryness, mood swings, depression, weight fluctuations and lupus:

• Avoid organochlorine chemicals such as vinyl chlorides, dioxins, and PCB’s that are endocrine disrupters.  They are found in household products, cleaners, wall coverings, furniture and other artificial substances.
• Avoid chemicals such as phthalates found in nail polish products and other plastics.
• Avoid medications such as hormone replacement, oral contraceptives, tamoxifen and cimetidine.
• Avoid feed lot animals that are injected with agricultural hormones that fatten them up quicker for market.
• Consume foods close to nature such as fruits and vegetables including beans, peas, clover, alfalfa, lignans, flaxseed, wheat and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
• Exercise.  Managing weight is very helpful to facilitate estrogen metabolism and excretion which has a profound effect on many illnesses and diseases.
• Drink pure water preferably from a home water system.
• Consume fiber daily to improve digestion and to assist in reducing levels of free estradiol, one of the most potent estrogens our bodies produce.
• Increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of cold water fish like wild salmon (not farmed), sardines, and herring.
• Avoid simple carbohydrates and artificial sweeteners.  They have detrimental effects on blood glucose levels and stimulate the production of insulin resulting in hormonal imbalances.
• Consume Isoflavones in moderation.  Soy isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein, consumed in traditional Japanese diets are associated with low rates of hormone-dependent cancer.  American culture consumes genetically modified soy products such as soy nuts, beans, crackers, cookies and tofu that have been highly processed.  These are not the fermented forms like miso, tempeh and soy sauce consumed by the Japanese.
• Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) is a naturally occurring compound derived from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage that actively promotes the breakdown of estrogen.  Because our modern diets are deficient in these rich compounds, it is beneficial to consume concentrated I3C in supplemental form for those with health issues related to estrogen dominance.
• Consume supplements that include a multi vitamin, probiotics, and DHA/EPA fatty acids.  The multivitamin should contain minerals like calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D, all B vitamins like folate and B6, which plays a role in the development of brain neurotransmitters, helps prevent heart disease, and can relieve symptoms of morning sickness and carpal tunnel syndrome and  antioxidants such as selenium and vitamin E.  Augment these with Evening Primose oil and or GLA.
• Magnesium promotes estrogen detoxification and is necessary for calcium to enter the bones.  Take a good combination mineral supplement.
• Good hormone modulating herbs include black cohosh, chasteberry, ginseng (Panax ginseng), dong quai and licorice.  These herbs, valued by women for centuries, promote healthy estrogen balance.
• Use natural progesterone crème.  To learn more about the benefits of this miraculous cream, purchase a copy of Do You Know What You Don’t Know…About Women’s Health Issues at www.preservion.com
and visit JohnLeeMD.com

The evidence is clear.  Women’s bodies are breaking down and they are NOT drug deficient.  Drugs beget drugs and are not necessary for women to be healthy.  The rules of Nature provide a comprehensive approach for women who wish to thrive and remain healthy.  A more natural approach will ensure a safe and smooth transition during all phases of a women’s life.
References

1.  Veurink M. Koster M. Bert LT. The history of DES, lessons to be learned.  Pharm World Sci. 2005;27(3):139-143.  Review.
2.  McCusker, D R Harris, and D W Hosmer, Jr, Association of electronic fetal monitoring during labor with cesarean section rate and with neonatal morbidity and mortality. Am J Public Health. 1988 September; 78(9): 1170–1174
3.  Prenatal Multivitamin Supplementation and Rates of Pediatric Cancers: A Meta-Analysis, Journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, February 2007
4.  Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients-February/March 2004 Pgs. 106-107
5.  Hyman M A, MD, The Life Cycles of Women:  Restoring Balance, Alternative Therapies, May/June 2007, Vol. 13. No. 3

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison
Copyright © 2007 www.thepeopleschemist.com

As a medicinal chemist, I’m often asked, “How can I live to be a 100 years old?”  My answer is simple, “Learn to control blood sugar and insulin.”

The biggest threat to longevity is high blood sugar and insulin.  Known as type II diabetes – or more accurately insulin resistance – it has become a nationwide epidemic that steals 11 to 20 years from a person’s lifespan.  It’s one of the main culprits behind depression, obesity, heart disease and even cancer. Being a person who once designed prescription drugs (and the occasional party drug – legal ones, of course) , I want to help you understand two simple facts about the pandemic killer that may help you avoid it – and live to be 100 rather than 65 or 70 years old!

Fact #1: Anti-Diabetic Drugs like Avandia and Actos are Deadly

To curb the threat, family physicians are madly prescribing Avandia and Actos in hopes of reversing type II diabetes, vaulting sales to over $4 billion annually.  Unknown to most, Avandia users have a whopping 30-40% increased risk of heart attack and other heart-related adverse events (heart failure) compared to patients treated with placebo. (1)  This side-effect is partly due to the drugs ability to lower “hemoglobin.” 

This pigment in the blood is used by the body to transport oxygen throughout the entire 100,000 miles of adult veins, arteries, and capillaries.  Without it, a condition known as “ischemia” sets in.  This is a fancy term for “suffocation.”  Clinically, heart attack or heart failure can result from the lack of oxygen. 

Actos belongs to the same class of medicine as Avandia – glitazones.  Not surprisingly, it carries the same risks.  Health Canada sounded the alarm as early as 2001!  But the danger is being hidden from the American public.

Commenting on the unannounced danger, the U.S. Congress stated that the, “FDA’s apparently callous disregard for the safety of diabetics taking Avandia is very reminiscent of the Agency’s failure to move on Vioxx when substantial safety signals first became known.  Like Vioxx, Avandia may have unnecessarily risked the lives of tens of thousands of Americans.” (2)

Fact #2: Natural Medicine Can Safely Reverse Insulin Resistance

In the process of designing anti-diabetic drugs, Big Pharma surveyed a myriad of natural products to find a “lead compound” that would show them how best to design a synthetic drug.  Corosolic acid from the banaba leaf was found to be the most potent. (3)

Corosolic acid successfully reverses insulin resistance as seen by lowered blood levels of insulin and glucose among users.  Rather than promote the natural medicine to the millions who suffer from insulin resistance, Big Pharma has been working rigorously to make a synthetic copycat – so they can monopolize it.  They have failed miserably.  Fortunately, the natural source is readily available as “banaba leaf” at local health food stores.

Nature’s diabetes cure - Banaba leaf – works at the molecular level by fine-tuning the damaged insulin receptor – the cause of insulin resistance.  This benefit rests in its ability to selectively initiate a chemical reaction known as “phosphorylation” at the receptor site.  In effect, what is “jammed,” becomes un-jammed thanks to the banaba leaf.  Akin to a key being inserted into a lock, insulin is free to interact with the receptor, thereby triggering the cell to open the doors for blood sugar.

Users of Banaba leaf not only avoid dangerous prescriptions while increasing insulin sensitivity, but they also melt fat and build muscle in the process.  This beneficial effect comes from the subsequent balancing of hormones that occurs once blood levels of insulin and glucose are normalized.  Men rid their body of excess estrogen and boost testosterone and vice-versa for women.  Of course, lifestyle habits such as exercise and minimizing sugar while increasing healthy fat and protein consumption are pre-requisites to the success of banaba leaf.

Closing

Among those populations who live the longest, they thrive courtesy of being ultra sensitive to insulin - naturally.  And conversely, those who die the youngest from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are grossly insensitive to it courtesy of type II diabetes.  Or they are “following doctor’s orders” and swallowing prescription drug like Avandia or Actos. 

About the Author

Ellison’s entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design.  His combined experience taught him real answers to the biggest health problems. Learn to Live Young naturally at www.thepeopleschemist.com. Don’t miss his Stinky Sulfur Awards!

References:

1.http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01636.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-05-21-avandia-diabetes_N.htm
2.http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/05/21/congress-steps-up-scrutiny-of-fda/
3. Katsuji Hattori, et al.  Activation of Insulin Receptors by Lagerstroemin.  Journal of Pharmacological Sciences.  Vol. 93 (2003) , No. 1 pp.69-73 
 

If you could make one simple change in your diet to help you melt fat, sleep better, and improve your memory … wouldn’t you do it? What if that same simple dietary change could increase your energy, conquer depression, save your eyesight, restore your mental alertness, get your bedroom energy rockin’, and increase your lifespan? 

This may sound too good to be true. But it’s not. And you don’t have to take drugs. Nor do you have to try some newfangled experimental supplements. Or stop eating. Or even give up the foods you love.
It’s as simple as reducing the amount of sugar you eat. 

This is not a trick. I said you don’t have to give up the foods you love. And that includes sweets. You can actually give up sugar and keep your sweet tooth happy. This is the greatest health secret of all time. And I’m gonna teach you how to incorporate it into your life.

Before I tell you how, I want you to know just why you should give up sugar.

It’s not just because of all the aforementioned benefits. It’s because sugar can have serious health consequences.
Have you ever been plagued by hard-to-diagnose health problems? You know something is wrong, but your doctor can’t seem to figure out what’s causing them? You …

* can’t lose weight, no matter how hard you exercise or diet
* feel depressed, even though you’re typically a happy person
* can’t get a solid night’s sleep
* feel sluggish at work
* lack mental focus
* have lost your libido
* suffer from rising blood pressure

Well, it’s not all in your head. It could be your sugar addiction. 
My six-year-old can recite all the dangers of sucrose (table sugar) in a matter of two minutes. She can also warn you of the risks associated with those artificial sweeteners in pretty packets. And because she still likes to get her “sweet fix,” she can tell you which natural sweeteners are best to use in tea, cookies, and cake. Not bad, considering that the self-appointed custodians of our health - physicians - are totally clueless about the sweetener epidemic that is sabotaging us.

If a first grader can master the problems with sugar and understand how to choose the right alternatives, you can too.

We all have the need to get a sweet fix. It’s part of our biological makeup. When consumed, sweets elicit a chemical cascade of events that lead to the triggering of feel-good receptors within the brain. If this happens repeatedly, an emotional bond between happiness and sugar is formed. We become fully dependent on sweets.

Sugar addiction is be st illustrated by children who break down with temper tantrums if not given sugar, women who consume chocolate in times of stress, and men who suck down soda to make it through the “afternoon blues.” In a study comparing the addictive properties of sweeteners, saccharin and sucrose proved more addictive than cocaine!
The irony is that your body doesn’t actually need any sugar. What you do need is glucose for energy. And you can obtain it from fruit and vegetables.

If left unchecked, an addiction to sweets spikes blood sugar and the fat-storing hormone insulin, disrupts satiety (causing users to overeat), and gives rise to age-accelerating molecules known as AGE products (advanced glycation end products).  These aging molecules (not cholesterol) are responsible for causing wrinkles and age-related blindness, as well as premature heart attacks and stroke. 

Over time, “sweetener addiction” leads to the hard-to-diagnose symptoms listed above, and a host of dreaded diseases like insulin resistance, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. To avoid the sabotage, you must understand how to get your sweet fix without becoming addicted.
 
Years ago, people didn’t eat much sugar - as little as 10-15 pounds per year. And their health was much better for it. As time passed and sugar production became easier, people gave into their sweet cravings and began to overindulge. Today, the average consumption of sugar is a whopping 160 pounds! It’s suicide in slow motion. Sugar addicts eliminate a 11-20 years from their lifespan. 

Few people realize how much sugar they are putting into their body. They are simply giving into an addiction while slowly ruining their health. To judge whether or not you are at risk, read your food labels for one day and count how many grams of sugar you are eating. Insert that number into my People’s Chemist Death by Sugar Calculator found at http://www.thepeopleschemist.com.  Watch as the graph calculates how many pounds of sugar you are stuffing into your mouth annually.
 
But that doesn’t mean you should replace sucrose with artificial sweeteners to get your sweet fix. Artificial sweeteners are nothing more than drugs in disguise. Splenda is a perfect example.

Splenda contains the drug sucralose. Invented in a pesticide lab, this chemical is 600 times sweeter than sugar. To make sucralose, chlorine is used. Chlorine has a split personality. It can be harmless or it can be life threatening. In combo with sodium, chlorine forms a harmless ionic bond to yield table salt. When used with carbon, the chlorine atom in sucralose forms a covalent bond. The end result is deadly organochlorine, known simply as RNFOC (a Really Nasty Form of Chlorine). Unlike ionic bonds, covalently bound chlorines are a big no-no for the human body. They yield insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides - not something you want in your sports drink or your child’s lunchbox.

Think aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet) is safe? Think again. Teaching organic chemi stry, I taught my students how to identify the active ingredients in soda using a technique known as TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography). The byproducts of sodas containing aspartame are all known poisons (that would slowly kill you): methanol, phenylalanine, and aspartic acid. I never saw my students with a diet soda after that. 

Safe alternatives to artificial sweeteners are abundant: erythritol, agave, xylitol and luo han guo.

Choosing which natural sweetener to use depends on which one tastes best to you. Agave nectar usually wins. It stimulates taste buds exactly the same way sucrose does. But unlike common table sugar, very little of its active ingredient - inulin - is absorbed. Therefore, you are protected from the dangers of sugar addiction. 

As a “nectar,” agave is a bit harder to bake with. This is where the safe and natural erythritol wins.  You can replace it gram for gram with sugar.  Even better, I like to use 25% table sugar and 75% erythritol in baking and ice cream.  You won’t even notice the healthy difference.  That’s the real magic here!

All natural sweeteners are known to help control appetite, keep insulin and blood sugar low, and prevent the formation of age accelerating molecules in our body.  None of them are addicting, nor will they diminish your lifespan.  They are perfect to use with my Hormone Intelligence Therapy (HIT) program for reversing diabetes, losing fat and feeling great in 90 days.

Getting your sweet fix doesn’t have to be deadly. If you learn to gauge your sugar intake with The People’s Chemist Death by Sugar Calculator and start using natural sweeteners, you won’t be plagued by hard-to-diagnose health problems. And you’ll have more years to enjoy life and those you love.

About the Author

Ellison’s entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and is the originator of the Hormone Intelligence Therapy (HIT) program for reversing diabetes, losing fat and putting mom’s-in-thon gs.  Read the free report at www.thepeopleschemist.com/fatloss

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison
Copyright © 2008 www.thepeopleschemist.com 

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 38% of women will be diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. during their lifetime and other scientists predict a much higher percentage. Today, about 600,000 US women are diagnosed with cancer each year.  Breast cancer is the leading cause.

Women continue to promote “pink” associated with runs, walks, fund raisers and fashion shows that raise millions of dollars for the “cure”, yet the incidence of breast cancer have been increasing the past 40 years. 

On the brighter side, evidence shows that the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer abruptly began falling after the Women’s Health Initiative study in 2002 reported the direct link of the use of synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to an increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, dementia, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.

Donald Berry at the University of Texas who led the analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine can hardly believe it and states, “But it really looks like it’s a story that holds together.”

Choosing NOT to use HRT is in every woman’s best interest. 

Cancer institutions across the country tout new technology for treatments and detection devices while assuring women they are in good hands.  Tamoxifen, a very popular drug prescribed to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer promotes uterine cancer, strokes, blood clots and eye disorders.  Women are told not to worry because a hysterectomy is a viable solution.  Interestingly, Tamoxifen is on the US Government’s list of known human carcinogens. 

Chemotherapy, the drug of choice to treat breast cancer as well as others, is thrust upon women and men as the gold standard. Heaven forbid if one refuses.

Recently, sixteen year old Abraham Cherrix, who has been battling Hodgkin’s Disease refused a second round of chemotherapy after he became debilitated by three months of the regime. After thoroughly researching their options, he and his parents decided upon an herbal treatment called the Hoxsey method to treat the disease. This enraged the medical establishment. His doctor reported him and his family to the authorities. He was taken from his parents by social workers and the legal system, accusing them of child abuse and neglect because they refused to comply with doctors orders.

Finally after a battle, Abraham and his parents won the right to make a personal choice of treatment. However, the family must report into the courts with updates every three months on his progress. This emotional turmoil is more than any family should endure during this time.

How have we arrived at this point in America where it is illegal to choose our own medical care? Who can fault this family for choosing an alternative option when the outcomes of chemotherapy are dismal at best?

How interesting that a confidential survey taken at Canada’s McGill Center, one of the most prestigious mainstream cancer treatment centers in the world reported that 58 out of 64 oncologists claimed that they would NOT undergo chemotherapy themselves if suddenly faced with a cancer diagnosis of their own. In addition, they would not allow any of their family members to undergo this treatment either.

Why is it that 90.6% of the expert cancer specialists at a world-renowned cancer treatment center would not have anything to do with chemotherapy, even if their lives depended on it? But they have no problem prescribing it to folks like you and me.

Their reasoning is that it is ineffective and toxic, it does not work and can hasten death, yet we as consumers have accepted the insidious idea that a toxic chemical will heal us. Perhaps this analogy puts it in perspective. Using chemotherapy is like trying to kill a mouse in your garage by blowing up the garage. You may kill the mouse, but destroy everything else.

This is more of a reason why we need to learn about preventive measures regarding not only breast cancer, but all illness and disease. The informed person has a chance of winning this battle.

Another disturbing study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported that adverse events related to chemotherapy and the associated costs may have been underestimated. Women experienced more hospitalizations and emergency room visits for side effects of chemotherapy. Also reported is that only one study has been done to measure the side effects of chemotherapy in the general population! Again, understand this treatment is considered the gold standard and is fully supported by our medical institutions.

Asked why this could be happening, Dr. Michael Hassett, a clinical instructor in medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston said, “There are a number of possible explanations. Clinical trials may not detect all of the side effects that occur. People enrolled in clinical trials may be less likely than those treated in the general community to experience serious side effects of chemotherapy. Clinical trials may not have enough power to detect rare side effects. Or, our study could have overestimated the likelihood of experiencing serious side effects of chemotherapy, because we used hospital bills rather than medical records to identify these events.”

Did you get that? This sounds like political/cover your bases psycho babble to me. There are too many hidden agendas in drug trials today, not to mention the self interests and conflict of interests that exist between scientists, pharmaceutical companies and other big business.

He ends with, “Hopefully, women with breast cancer who hear about this study will understand that deciding whether or not to have chemotherapy must be made on an individual basis.” “Women should talk with their doctors about both the benefits and risks of chemotherapy. For women with small cancers, the benefits may not outweigh the risks.”

What can you do to make good choices about health care?  Think Prevention…it’s the best cure.  Ask questions, use your common sense, and research like your life depended on it. It does! And do not hesitate to consider other options even when others disagree with you.

References
1. realhealth@healthiernews.com August 14, 2006
2. Michael Hassett, M.D., clinical instructor, medicine, Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston; John Erban, M.D., director, breast cancer program, and associate professor, medicine, Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston; Aug. 18, 2006, Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Visit the links below for more information.
www.navi.net/~rsc/chemorad.htm - for information on chemotherapy and oncologists
http://www.whale.to/cancer/kelley/app3.html - for information on the war on cancer
http://www.westonaprice.org/women/mammography.html for information about mammography madness.

No one would care to look twice - or even once - at the origin of statin drugs. Except, perhaps, if you needed one more reason not to use them or were an FDA-approved drug addict looking for an inexpensive alternative.

The origin of statin drugs is not a testament to the ingenuity and innovation of drug companies.  Despite enjoying an unprecedented surge of momentum in popularity, statins are nothing more than an isolated poison derived from the fungus known as red yeast rice (Monascus purpurus).  

In a natural response to  the threat of a predator, red yeast produces the drug known as lovastatin (as well as other chemicals).  Utilizing fundamental laboratory research, the discovery and isolation of lovastatin from red yeast rice was paid for by the U.S. government in the 1970s.   This secured a monopoly of knowledge, allowing for the censorship of the truth behind the wildly popular cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Commercially, lovastatin is known as Mevacor.  It was the first statin drug, released in 1987 by the U.S. government-influenced company named Merck.  Using a technique known as combinatorial chemistry, other drug companies have since unleashed their own versions.  These versions include Zocor, Lipitor, Pravachol and Crestor. 

As a toxic agent, the consumption of lovastatin via red yeast rice by its predators leads to sickness and in some cases, death.  This is true for humans as well.  Lovastatin’s (and all other statin drugs) toxicity is attributed to its ability to block cholesterol and CoQ10 production. 

Low levels of cholesterol and CoQ10 limit lifespan in humans.  In 2005, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that elderly people with low levels of total cholesterol were approximately twice as likely to die as those with high cholesterol.   CoQ10 is a coenzyme necessary for the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is the source for cellular energy within the human heart.  As CoQ10 is diminished, the heart weakens.  Over time, this can result in congestive heart failure (CHF).

Humans appear to be so advanced, and yet they are the only species unable to recognize this simple defense mechanism of red yeast rice.  Millions are blindly consuming statins as an elixir for longevity.  Consumption of this poison fungus has grown worldwide. 

The statin craze serves as a terrific example of how a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous.  Nowhere in the history of man has an acknowledged poison been touted as a daily vitamin for every man, woman and child.  The scientific community should be proud.  Statins are the best selling drug of all time.   

About the Author

Ellison’s entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design.  His combined experience gave him access to unique research that has proven to be invaluable for obtaining real answers to the biggest health problems. Learn to Live Young naturally at www.thepeopleschemist.com. Don’t miss his Stinky Sulfur Awards!

The conversation about hormones is raging around the country, in households and in the healthcare fields. Conventional medicine addresses hormones in the setting of synthetic hormone replacement therapies and treatments for diseases like cancer, thyroid, diabetes, prostate cancer and pituitary abnormalities. Alternative doctors see hormones as the fountain of youth.

Media trails behind unsuccessfully attempting to clarify the muddy waters of the world of hormones so few understand.

As my column develops, I will try to help shed light into the overall issue of hormones, how they affect our lives, identifying symptoms of hormonal imbalance and safe methods of treatment with an eye for balance and honest, unbiased reporting.

Understanding Hormones

Hormones are agents of change. Hormones are invisible to the naked eye, they are manufactured by specialized cells in specific organs in our bodies and they float throughout our blood stream affecting the action of every cell in our body and helping or ruining our lives depending on their balance, quantity, strength and body’s reaction.

Hormones are made in the ovaries, testes, adrenals, pituitary, pancreas, brain, thyroid, parathyroid, hypothalamus and other areas still not known to science.

By hormones I mean: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin, thyroid, cortisol, adrenalin, dopamine, serotonin and others either labeled as hormones or neurotransmitters. They are all hormones.

When our hormones are in balance we are young, healthy, radiant, fertile, wrinkle free and excited abut the possibilities life can offer.  Young people with healthy hormone balance have low incidence of heart disease, cancer, arthritis or other chronic illnesses.

Hormone levels that have declined or out of balance produce and contribute to chronically ill, dried up, sexually disinterested, overweight and fatigued people. In fact when you have no hormones, all you get is an old person.

So if, hormones are great for you in your 20s and keep you beautiful and healthy, then why would anyone debate their usefulness and desirability as we age?

Of course we would all benefit from a little hormone support as we age and in fact those of us who do, find aging a lot more fun and certainly trouble free. So, why doesn’t every doctor in the country prescribe hormones that are safe to the aging or hormonally challenged throngs?

Why Are Natural, Bioidentical Hormones a Secret or a Threat to Conventional Medicine?

Well, to answer that question we need to look at the pharmaceutical industry.

While everyone in both conventional academia and alternative circles agrees that we all need hormones and hormones are crucial to youth and health, drug companies are reluctant to improve our health with natural methods of hormonal supplementation.

Why would they be reluctant to give us a safe alternative to keeping us out of harm’s way?  Enter natural/bioidentical hormones.

Natural hormones or bioidentical hormones are molecularly identical to the chemical formula of hormones that our bodies make when we were young and healthy. Anything that occurs “naturally”, made by Mother Nature and not tweaked by human hands, cannot be patented. In business terms that translates into no dominion or ownership over the product, because everyone can use it without paying a fee to the owner.

To drug companies, who are only interested in making a profit, having no patent means not making enough money. So natural, bioidentical hormones are undesirable to the drug companies. Forget about the fact that they have been around since Adam and Eve and have been safely used by millions of people.

Enter Synthetic Hormones

Synthetic hormones are hormone impostors. Odd shaped molecules, which have been tweaked to look totally different from Mother Nature made hormones, become the desirable option for drug companies because they can own a patent on them.

Billions are spent on marketing them, supporting academic research and eliminating the bioidentical hormone distinction in the physician and public consciousness. End result: a patented product with no competition, a billion dollar industry and many sick people who need more and more drugs and procedures.

Back to Natural, Bioidentical Hormones

Supplementation of natural, bioidentical hormones have been used as an effective method of treatment for more than 30 years and there have been no reports of cancer or other side-effects. The fact that our bodies recognize bioidentical hormones as their own and do not react to them negatively is significant to you and me since all we care about is to be able to stay health and well for as long as possible.

To summarize the facts;

1. Hormones in balance are good for us. They keep us healthy, young and free of disease.
2. Only bioidentical hormones can help achieve the above goal due to their similarity to our own hormone structure.
3. Synthetic hormones are created to provide financial profit for big drug companies, not to help us feel healthy and well.
4. As we age and our hormone levels decline or become imbalanced, we can help boost our hormone levels safely and naturally by supplementing with natural, bioidentical hormones. 

Next week, I will address symptoms of hormone imbalance and how to identify the problems caused by hormone issues regardless of your age.

I know people have thanked you for rescuing them but I would like to take a moment to tell you what I was rescued from.Until about three years ago my life was a pleasure cruise.Great family, great friends, everything was great.  Suddenly I fell overboard.  No one noticed because I didn’t yell or scream; I was too embarrassed.  I finally called out to doctors, only to receive leaky lifeboats and lead-weight life preservers.  As I sank further under the water, I could see the party going on above me.  People were waving at me, telling me to swim faster, try harder, and hold my breath.  I began to understand why some people decide to breathe in the water, to make the decision to drown.  I was so tired; I just couldn’t swim one more minute.

Imagine being so very tired that you just want to give up and drown to have yet another doctor diagnose you with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and tell you to take anti-depressants and get more exercise!  I have five children under the age of six; I don’t need to tell you how much exercise I get every day! 

That diagnosis came at the end of a long stressful week and I just fell apart.  I called my mother-in-law in Katy and she told me about the Hotze Health and Wellness Center.   When I spoke with the new guest coordinator, she threw me a real life preserver, and told me to hold on – that help was coming.
 
When I walked into the office, the smiling, genuinely concerned faces I saw was like looking up to see the Coast Guard coming to rescue me!  Me of all people!  I was worthy! I was important!  Somebody stopped the boat just to rescue me.  They didn’t think I should keep trying to swim.  Not only did Sheri Gruener, Dr. Phillips and the support staff rescue me, they dove in after me, carried me back to the ship, dried me, gave me fresh clothes and put me back in the middle of the party.
 
Everyone knows a Coast Guardsman by his uniform.  My rescuers wore nicely tailored black suits.  Just like you know the man in a uniform is a highly trained professional, the office atmosphere, décor and the uniforms, let me know that I was in good hands.
 
I don’t know how much longer I could have held on.  With no hope of rescue, no sign of land anywhere, I was tempted to give up.  I can hardly believe that I have changed so much in one short month.  The combination of medication, supplements, and a staff that cares has given me real hope.  And that is enough to put me back into my life, my party.  Thank you for all you do and all the effort you put into expanding your knowledge.  It has really made a difference in my life.
 
My husband Chris, and our children, Justin, Micah, Desi, Renee, and Rebekah would like to thank you as well.  Despite what I believed while under water, I realize now my family and friends really did care and missed me, they just didn’t know how to help.
 
With sincerest love and gratitude,
 
Jessica- A renewed wife, mother, daughter and friend!