Cataracts, tachycardia, arrhythmia and caffeine

I had cataract removal in 1977 and 1979 – at the age of 31 and 33. The doctors were stunned and made a test subject of me in a text book they were preparing.  Some years later I developed tachycardia and a variety of arrhythmias. Once, when I had been consuming inordinate amounts of caffeine I ended up in the hospital emergency department because of the rhythm problems. I was monitored for two days (no coffee during that time) and all seemed well – though the electro physiologist INSISTED I have a cardiac ablation. His office staff actually threatened me if I refused the procedure, but that's another story.

I did not have the ablation.

In the meantime I was prescribed atenolol (a beta blocker) to help control the arrhythmias. After improving my diet and eliminating caffeine, the problems diminished dramatically. I stopped the atenolol. The rhythm issues started again a few years later, so I again decreased caffeine and started taking atenolol when needed. That worked a little, but I was still experiencing a few bouts of rapid heart rate a couple of times a week. I wanted to not take drugs, but I sure didn't want electrical ablation of my heart.

During that time I discovered that there is a correlation between nitric oxide levels, heart rate, and humming. No, this is not a joke. Nitric oxide in the blood seems to calm the heart, slowing the rate, and the humming vibrates the nasal passages - the area in the body that can produce more nitric oxide when stimulated. Therefore, I tried humming when my heart rate seemed to be changing. Success. That's a trick anyone can use when confronted with a runaway heart rate. Also, massaging the vagus nerve can slow and calm an arrhythmia. The vagus nerve runs behind the eyes and also up the sides of the neck near the carotid arteries. Gentle massaging of these areas is also known to calm a runaway heartbeat.

Again, the humming and massage fixes were only temporary and I wanted something better.

By chance, six months ago I noticed a report connecting caffeine consumption with reduced levels of taurine and l-carnitine in some people. Also, by chance, I attended a presentation that mentioned the cardiac benefits of taurine and l-carnitine, both ingredients in a natural supplement product, Cardimax. I started taking two of those capsules twice daily and I can report that I am not having bouts of irregular or rapid heartbeats. There are no side effects except better heart rate, some improved memory, and a better ability to focus. I still have a cup or mug of coffee most days, yet my heart keeps a steady rhythm.

Is this a cure? Maybe. I'd prefer to think I have recognized some important things about my physiology and I've found a way to compensate for problems that cause high heart rate for me.

What's in Cardimax?

• Hawthorne Extract, long known to be a tonic for the heart.
• Taurine and L-Carnitine, both known to balance calcium and potassium, which are vital for heart function. Taurine also reinvigorates natural killer cells of our immune system.
• Quercetin, a bioflavonoid with numerous beneficial properties against high blood pressure.

My personal experience can certainly not be interpreted as proof that Cardimax does anything positive. Yet, using this product is the only change I've made recently in my life and my heart rhythm is normal and I don't have "attacks" of arrhythmias. Therefore, I heartily recommend Cardimax to anyone who is concerned about heart health, high blood pressure, and high heart rates.

Relieve Itching with Naltrexone Cream?

Naltrexone seems to offer numerous health benefits, particularly at low doses. For years, we've been making naltrexone HCl capsules. We can make any strength the doctor orders, but the most common are 3.0mg and 4.5mg. Lower strengths are often ordered so the patient can adjust their dose to find one that's best for them. These oral doses are taken at bedtime and seem to offer great symptom relief for many people with immune disorders (multiple sclerosis, arthritis, psoriasis, irritable bowel disease, Crohn's, and so on). Dr. Bernard Bhari (one of the original prescribers of LDN) once told me that he'd suggest trying LDN for any and all conditions that are associated with the immune system. It is safe and there have been limited reports of side effects - which is to be expected in that the daily doses are in the range of 1% of the standard approved amounts.

In addition, some doctors order transdermal doses (applied to the skin in a base that helps drive the medication into the body). There are many reports about how effective this can be for the treatment of conditions such as ADHD. This is particularly helpful for people who respond well to naltrexone, but who cannot swallow capsules or tablets.

I have recently become aware of studies in Korea where naltrexone is made into a cream and applied to burn patients to relieve itching. The authors report relief in about 40% of the patients and claim that scratching is reduced in 44.5% of the users. This suggests that naltrexone topical cream would also be helpful for relieving itching from any cause - from bug bites, to severe topical rashes, such as eczema.

People who suffer from itches to the point where their scratching can be harmful might want to talk to their doctor and compounding pharmacist about using a naltrexone cream for relief. We've made such a preparation and find that strengths of 0.5% to 1.0% seem to be equally effective against minor itching.

People who find the common anti-itching products ineffective may want to try naltrexone. It isn't available commercially, but your compounding pharmacist can make it for you. Naltrexone is a drug that requires a prescription, but that shouldn't be difficult to obtain. Just ask your doctor to order "Naltrexone 0.5% Topical Cream", specify the amount and allowed refills. The cream is applied 3 to 5 times daily as needed to relieve itching. 

J Burn Care Res. 2009 Mar-Apr;30(2):257-60; discussion 261. Efficacy of naltrexone in the treatment of chronic refractory itching in burn patients: preliminary report of an open trial. Authors: Jung SI, Seo CH, Jang K, Ham BJ, Choi IG, Kim JH, Lee BC. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Pruritus (itching) constitutes a source of severe distress for burn patients. The authors administered naltrexone to burn patients suffering from itching that was refractory to treatment with antihistamine and anticonvulsant medications to examine the efficacy of this medication as a treatment for pruritus in burn patients. Nineteen burn patients admitted to the Hallym Burn Center at Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul, Korea, with burns over 40.32% (+/-18.3) of their total body surface were recruited for this study. The mean number of postburn days before naltrexone treatment was 157.3 days (+/-114.7). The authors observed a significant decrease in itching sensations after 2 weeks of treatment with naltrexone (z = -3.32, P = .001). Scratching activity was also decreased in 44.5% (+/-20.5) of subjects. The authors propose that naltrexone constitutes a potential antipruritic medication for burn patients suffering from treatment-refractory itching.

Big Pharma spends $30 billion a year on marketing

The unholy alliance between Big Pharma and the medical profession

I've been in the "business" since the late 60s and I can attest to the facts presented in this article. Dr. Barbara Roberts is a cardiac specialist, on the payroll of a cardiac clinic in a hospital setting. She's been the recipient of gifts and trips - and numerous stipends for her lectures (as long as they toe the company line of the drug makers who paid her fees).


Dr. Roberts is blowing the whistle here and quotes a premier bioethicist, “When a gift or a gesture of any size is bestowed, it imposes on the recipient a sense of indebtedness. The obligation to directly reciprocate, whether or not the recipient is directly conscious of it, tends to influence behavior.”  (Daniel Katz - a person whose texts I studied in graduate school at Loyola University of Chicago).


She is the author of The Truth About Statins.


The drug makers spend approximately $100 per year on every man, woman, and child in the United States. There is no doubt those costs are handsomely recovered from the sales of drugs, legal ones that we all consume too many of.


When I was in pharmacy school, we were alarmed when we found people taking 3 or more different drugs. Today, the average is about 10 and people over 65 take an average of 15. 

Forget You Have Health Insurance. REALLY.

I recently had lab work done for testosterone because I basically felt all the signs and symptoms of having it be low. The results are as follows; Total testosterone is 103 and Free Testosterone is 18.5. These are extremely low for my age (36). My doctor wants to wait 3 months and do lab work again because levels can fluctuate. He originally told me I was probably just depressed when I wanted the lab work done. I have fired him. I refuse to sit and wait any longer. My body has drifted from healthy and firm to marshmallow status. I have just about any symptom that you can have for low testosterone. I just want to be fixed. It seems that the anti-aging clinics are only about money. They do not take insurance and want me to pay out of pocket to have labs done again through they're contracted lab. The cost just for the labs is $300. I am fully insured and refuse to pay out of pocket for a legitimate medical issue.
 I would like your suggestion on what steps to take and any recommendations on who to talk to. I would also Like a recommendation on a new doctor.

I'll start by saying that I don't have much faith in lab tests, especially blood tests for hormones. They are of little value if you don't start with a baseline value. Basically, what were your values when you felt great, and how do the values today compare with them? The idea that somehow there are actual standard levels for hormones is foolish. Everyone is different and blood values changes dramatically throughout the day - even hour by hour. To make matters even foggier, there are no standard values between laboratories. Yes, they may be similar, but high at one lab might mean normal at another. The only way to even have a chance to make some sense from the numbers you offered would mean I'd need to know the normals and ranges for the lab that did the work.

Symptoms of Low Testosterone are also the symptoms for other imbalances, and lifestyle choices. "Low T" is just getting the press these days - and it isn't accurate or relevent. 

The only rational approach is to step back and make adjustments in lifestyle before downing more pills or slapping on hormone creams - especially for someone as young as 36. Let's consider the following;

1. Everyone is estrogen dominant (from environment and food sources). 
2. unless handled properly, testosterone can become estrogen in the body. 
3. estrogen makes a person jittery, puts on weight - plus a whole host of other problems.

Exactly WHAT to do depends on age, level of activity, diet, complaints, drugs being used, and so on. It is perhaps a better decision to look at the other elements before starting any hormone replacement, especially with testosterone. I understand that the media is aggressively promoting "Low T" as one of the new diagnoses especially for men, but that isn't always the cause. Heck, it is actually rare. It's good advertising and makes big bucks for the drug companies (and the labs who do the tests), but doesn't get to the root of the problems - and often causes more. It is very unlikely that someone age 36 would actually have low testosterone. Your doctors knows this and is probably why the reluctance to do something you think will fix your symptoms. A person should know why testosterone is low before blindly prescribing it - especially for a young man. 

Improved health starts with healthy living. That means a lot of work and attention - two things that most of us avoid. We'd rather take the pill, get the shot, or cut it out than do what we need to do. Everyone wants to be fixed, but few of us are wwilling to do what it takes in the messed up world we have today. Some thing just can't be fixed. Nobody cares about your health the way you do., Nobody. No, the doctor could care less. The doctor is a service provider that has to serve hundred or thousands of people - and it is impossible to actually care for that many. Sure, we'd like to believe our soctor give a hoot, but he/she just can't. It is 100% up to use to do what is necessary for our own health and well being. I wouldn't worry about finding the one doctor who will fix you. Therefore, I find it difficult to recommend anyone. 

I wouldn't demean the anti-aging clinics because they are interested in money. That's what every business wants. The fact that they don't accept insurance suggests that their business decisions are sound and prices are probably more legitimate than places that take insurance. I would prefer to pay cash for health assistance rather than look for benefits from an insurance plan. 

Here's somethng you probably won't like, but health insurance is a huge rip off and depending on it merely makes a person expect someone else to pay the bills. That's counterproductive to good health. We used to take insurance in our pharmacy and it almost put us out of business - twice. We will never accept any form of third party payment (Medicare, Medicaid, Insurance). Never again. I'm offering my ideas at no charge and with no expectations. That's how we operate our business. Doctors and labs - and most pharmacises - have become little more than just another small business - instead of the health professions they once were. The basic difference between a service station and a doctor (or pharmacist or lab owner) is that the service station operator is probably better at running her business - especially if she takes cash for service. What about all the premiums paid to the insurance company? Count them as a down payment for help when you really need coverage - when you're hit by a truck or shot by an arrow. Until then, forget you have health insurance. 

If you really want to be healthy and energetic you have to take responsibility for it yourself. I can't fix any health problems but I will offers suggestions that I know work. Here are some first steps: 

• no soda pop, 
• no sugar, 
• no artificial sweeteners, 
• no fast food,
• no canned food,
• no packaged food,
• no cereal,
• more good fat,
• more salt,
• a lot more water,
• no estrogen-laced milk, 
• no soy products,
• reduced flour (other glutens as well), 
• reduced meat intake, 
• take a daily probiotic,
• eat fermented foods (sauerkraut, Kefir, Kim Che, etc.)
• eat organic, 
• minimize caffeine,
• drink filtered water (remove fluoride),
• remove chlorine from bathing water,
• exercise three days a week, 
• no drugs, 
• minimal alcohol (especially beer and some wines that have estrogen-like action)
• daily meditation

After a few weeks/months, consider adding progesterone supplements in small amounts for men (more for women). Use herbal supplements (prostate specific supplements are excellent), multi-vitamins (especially B vitamins and vitamin D3), minerals.

Yes, this is an outline for a complete lifestyle of healthy living. A lot of us would prefer a magic bullet - a pill - that would take care of our problems and make us trim and fit. That isn't available and I am certain it will never be available. The drug makers continue to search and make promises, but they will always fail. I could write volumes on why it's a lost cause, but it is easier to trust my words than to hope for magic. 

Your Inner "House"

I observe that many modern doctors fit into the Myers-Briggs sensing trait. As the name implies, people with this trait get their information about life from their senses.

They are realistic, down-to-earth people, but they tend to see everything in rather simplistic, concrete, black-or-white terms. They focus on details; see through a microscope, depend on "studies" and statistics thus "standard of care”(everyone else is doing it). They employ very linear ways of getting information and making decisions. It blocks information coming from the unconscious which involves mystery, hunches, and connections. Those who have those intuitive gifts are demeaned, and the information coming from them is considered inferior. What, then, might be attracting sensates to the "doctoring" professions?

I would first think that intuitives (see the big picture, seek truth, question everything, search for reasons and causes) would flock to a profession where their reasoning skills and curiosity would be rewarded. Then, I recall how doctors are TRAINED - like Pavlov's dogs, for the most part. The process of training and indoctrination seems to effectively weed out the intuitives. The book, Forgive and Remember by Charles Bosk, presents a detailed narrative on how doctors are made. Those who question the status quo are eliminated early on.

A friend tells about her doctor who commented on medical school requirements. He said that people in admissions reportedly went back on transcripts as far as high school and every person they accepted had to have earned an A in all science courses. Nobody else need apply.The doctor’s comment was: can you imagine what kind of people we are attracting? And those who get in, who have additional gifts of intuition or feeling, have it pounded or shamed out of them (see Bosk). Curiosity is considered a negative. Compliance is rewarded.

What about doctors like Gregory House, MD, the fictional antihero in the TV series, HOUSE? He doesn’t exist and could never exist in the real medical world. His name "House" is a play on Sherlock "Holmes", the "curious investigator." If he did exist, he surely would not be in a large teaching hospital. He would not be allowed to supervise residents or interns. In the TV series, he's tolerated with exasperation. In the REAL WORLD he would loose is license - and maybe tossed in jail for illegal drug use.

Personally, I'm becoming much more comfortable with my own MBTI category (can you guess what it is?). It is helpful to know that I will almost always be misunderstood - and that it is okay because I'm happy with the truth as I see it, particularly the big picture. I have learned to keep my opinions to myself unless asked directly (except in my book and blogs). I sit back and observe. Ask me, however, and I'll give you everything I have at hand.

A reader asked me today if I had reports or studies about using low doses of naltrexone for psoriasis. I responded that I could do better - I would use what I know about LDN and psoriasis to arrive at a conclusion. I wonder what the reader will think - or if he'll even mention it to his doctor. Sad, there is a method for relieving his suffering, but chances are good that he'll never act on my suggestions. Its his life, after all. I am not in charge.

As a society, we will probably never overcome the Doctor/God thing. The forces that perpetuate it are very great. Individuals, however, will continue to recognize the truth and will join Tribes. (Seth Godin,Tribes) that meet their personal needs and psychological type.

No, I am not so arrogant as to believe that the above is fully accurate. However, my experiences suggest that there is far more than just a kernel of truth in it. Like any system, Myers-Briggs typing is not perfect. Yet it generally does very well in helping people recognize and understand their own traits - and those of the people around them.

Even though Dr. House is fictional, I suggest there is much we can learn from the character - if welook and think. I encourage everyone - especially health practitioners - to locate and cultivate their “Inner House”. 

Too Many Drugs? You Bet!

Americans filled some 60 million RXs for sleeping pills last year, up from 47 million in 06. If there were just 30 in each RX, we gulped down 1.8 BILLION pills. Do you think that's a lot of sleeping pills? 


Let's keep in mind that this data is ONLY about sleeping pills. There are hundreds of other drugs in a myriad of categories.


Drugs are the ONLY legal treatments for disease. That's harebrained, but true. The Diamond nut company recently received a letter from the FDA informing them to stop referring to the health benefits of their walnuts. If walnuts actually did what Diamond wrote, they would have to be considered a drug. Since Diamond has not gone threough the new drug application process and received FDA approval, their new drug (walnuts) cannot be marketed as such. 

 I KID YOU NOT.

What We Can Learn From How Doctors Choose to Die

 It fascinating that our medical system is designed to prolong life at all cost, yet the very people responsible for doing this TO US are the ones who decide not to allow it for themselves. Their reasons might be many, including;

• fear of litigation, 
• pressure from the patients' family, 
• operating on "auto-pilot",
•  or even flat out desires for more revenue.

Regardless, if this report is true, we should pay attention and learn something important from it. We can learn that when death is imminent, prolonging life with medical intervention may not be appropriate. It might even be wrong.

Please, think about it.

Where ARE the Journalists?

URL:  http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2Fgsa...

"The hard part of professional journalism going forward is writing about what hasn't been written about, directing attention where it hasn't been, and saying something new."

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Magic Mouthwash

URL:  http://www.thecompounder.com/alternative-treatments/spe...

One of the most popular page on our website - several hundred visitors each month - is about a compounded preparation that we refer to as Magic Mouthwash. Actually, there are many versions and variations. It is a preparation used to relieve pain and discomfort associated with mouth sores (stomatitis). Our page explains the differences and similarities.

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