Book Recommendation

"Knockout" from Suzanne Summers

This book looks at cancer therapy from a completely different mindset.  Natural therapies that are curing cancer and having large success rates.  The success rate of the conventional therapies has been defined as meager, at best.  Many times it can actually weaken the body and cause the problem to worsen.  I personally have studied the method practiced by Dr. Gonzalez out of Manhattan.  His method was actually discovered in the early 1900's by Dr. John Beard, an embryologist, and it works and works well.

This book also describes the trials and tribulations of being a physician that utilizes natural therapies that put a "chink in the armour" of the establishment's stronghold on cancer therapy.  What the FDA has done to Dr. Burzynski should be considered harassment, at the very least. 

I am not a proponent of bio identical hormones (i think there are better ways of balancing hormones), however, most of the population thinks that the only way to "treat" cancer is through chemotherapy and or radiation.  This book talks about alternatives to conventional cancer treatment and I highly recommended it.  Anyone that knows someone that is dealing with cancer, either directly or indirectly, should read this book and recommend it to others.

Dr. Todd's soon to be famous energy bars

1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
1 cup chunky natural peanut butter
2 2/3 cups oatmeal
1 cup of flour
1/3 cup protein powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease a 8 X 11 Pyrex baking pan.  (Don not use non-stick cookware)
2.  In a large bowl, mix the syrup and peanut butter together.  Make sure to use a WOODEN spoon and not something flimsy.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.  Stir this into the peanut butter and syrup mixture a little at a time.  It gets think quickly and your arm will get a workout.
3.5 Or you could just put everything in a big mixer.
4.  Press into the Pyrex and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
5.  After they are finished baking, let sit for for 30 minutes.  Cut into bars while they are still warm.  They store easily in a gallon Ziploc or individually as well.

Now, before everyone starts to freak out, let me explain a few things.  First of all,  I understand the allergy aspect of things.  If you are allergic to peanuts, DON'T USE PEANUT BUTTER.  Use almond butter or whatever you would prefer to substitute.  I am also aware that peanuts tend to carry molds.  If you have a problem with yeast and or candida, this probably will not work for you.  Second, don't use soy protein.  I don't care what anyone says, soy isn't good for you (the Japanese do it differently, so that doesn't count).  Third, I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten free oats.  I don't think it's possible to get a completely gluten free oatmeal (I could be wrong), but I have patients that are sensitive to gluten and they do fine.  I haven't had anyone with full blown celiac disease try these.  If you are a celiac patient, be careful.  Don't just dive in.  "Test the waters" if you know what I mean.  Fourth, I don't use regular wheat flour.  I substitute 1/2 cup millet flour and 1/2 cup buckwheat.  Not only is it better texture, but they are gluten free grains.  Combining these two grains also makes a complete protein (contains all the essential amino acids).  Buckwheat can tighten your capillaries so it can help with easy bruising.

I don't know how these rank on the glycemic index, so don't ask.  I have eaten them for years and so has my wife.  We are very aware of how we feel when we eat things and have never had a problem.  I have had many patients who are hypoglycemic and they have done very well also.

Warning:  these taste very good, almost like an oatmeal cookie.  They are filling and will give lots of energy. 

These are great as snacks and great substitute for the crappy granola bars you can get anywhere.  I would tend to think they would be just as filling as cold breakfast cereal (better too).

Try them and see.  I would love feedback.

more on diet soda

I almost never watch the news.  Since we just moved to the Charleston area, we are trying to get acclimated to the area quicker, so we check out the local news every now and then.  They just aired the "medical" section and said that Americans, on average, drink 57 pounds of diet soda per year!!!!  They questioned whether those who drank it could be addicted to it.  The research they were referencing talked about caloric values and how diet soda "fakes out" your brain and causes cravings.  One woman said she drank 6 cans per day.  10 to 1 says she has big headaches right before her menstrual cycle.

a simple remedy for arthritis pain

Apple Cider Vinegar.  Yep...the stuff in your cupboard.  Not the Heinz stuff, but the good stuff you will find at your local health food store that has the "mother of vinegar".  Most arthritis pain is a biochemical imbalance where the stomach has become too alkaline.  Yes, that's right, apple cider vinegar is an acid and you are going to put it in your stomach. 

Some other symptoms ACV can help are:

• heartburn/indigestion
• acute depression
• lack of energy
• stimulate metabolism
• allergies

Two tablespoons in a 12-16 oz glass of water 1 to 2 times per day for 3 weeks.

There is one caveat...if you have a problem with candida (yeast) or are prone to yeast infections, vinegar and vinegar based products can feed that.  i.e. ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, etc.

Stay away from artificial sweeteners

Aspartame or Nutrasweet is a biological poison.  When it is heated above 86 deg F, it turns into formaldehyde.  That is what the dead frogs were preserved in in your high school biology class.  After it turns into formaldehyde, it turns into formic acid.  Formic acid is what makes the sting of fire ants.

It was discovered by accident, scientists were actually researching ulcer drugs.  Purportedly, the man discovered upon carelessly licking his fingers the substance under scrutiny tasted extraordinarily sweet. Thus was born the successor to saccharin (the pink stuff), which is a coal derivative that was popular as an artificial sweetener until reports of cancer-causing properties surfaced.

The propaganda that follows this stuff is monumental in size.  A simple Internet search will show LOTS of political ties and at one point it was actually on our country's list of biological warfare weapons.  Now it's in virtually everything, so read labels. 

It is touted as being safe for diabetics; however, the big print giveth and the fine print taketh away.  It actually causes more sweet cravings.  Which, as we all know, is not really a good thing.

Stevia is a plant-based sweetener from South America that is many times sweeter than sugar and has no appreciable affect on pancreatic function, so it is actually safe for diabetics.

Evading Sorrow

Most of us have sorrow in different forms -in relationship, in the death of someone, in not fulfilling oneself and withering away to nothing, or in trying to achieve, trying to become something, and meeting with total failure. And there is the whole problem of sorrow on the physical side:illness, blindness, incapacitation, paralysis, and so on. Everywhere there is this extraordinary thing called sorrow, with death waiting round the corner. And we do not know how to meet sorrow, so either we worship it, or rationalize it, or try to run away from it. It would be a marvelous thing if in the process of your listening,unemotionally, not sentimentally to what is being said, you could really understand sorrow and be totally free of it; because then there would be no self-deception, no illusions, no anxieties, no fear, and the brain could function clearly, sharply, logically. And then, perhaps, one would know what love is. - J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

Most of us are familiar with the pysical side of symptoms, and some even realize the chemical side of pain, but very few people realize the emotional side of pain.  This is a great quote from one of the greatest thinkers in recent history.  There is a reason why the first post on this blog is a quote on understanding.  Something to think about.

some truth about osteoporosis

Most of society has been bombarded with the idea of osteoporosis being an issue with calcium.  Taking calcium to prevent or help osteoporosis is like going to a car lot and buying a tire.  It is a small portion of a large picture.  Society is also inundated with the vitamin D aspect as it pertains to calcium absorption and while it is true that vitamin D aids calcium absorption into you bloodstream, this has very little to do with osteoporosis. 
Let me explain it this way, Osteomalacia is derived from Greek: osteo- which means "bone", and malacia which means "softness".  If bones are soft they can't break, they bend and become pliable.  The major factor is an abnormally low vitamin D concentration in blood serum. Now, if a vitamin D deficiency causes your bones to become soft and pliable, how can it create osteoporosis and make your bones brittle?  It can't.
There are two major constituents of bone; minerals such as calcium, manganese, boron, etc. and protein. 

Let's say you take away the protein from bone, what do you have left over?  Minerals.  Basically a bunch of rocks.  So, to really change your bone health, you need to look at not only protein intake, but also protein digestion and absorption.  Liver function and kidney function are also important factors when dealing with protein metabolism.  So you can see that osteoporosis is more complicated that what the establishment has made it out to be.

Also, on a nutritional note, overconsumption of calcium creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances, which then increase your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. 

Avoid sugar and soda.  These two problem makers can not only alter your mineral metabolism, but also your protein metabolism.  A double whammy.

The FDA sent out a nationwide announcement about "the potential side effects of osteoporosis drugs like Fosamax."  The agency said in their announcement..."physicians need to watch for the possibility of possible risk of femur fractures. And this didn't just apply to Fosamax, this applied to all four drugs that are in this group Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, and Reclast."

 Fosamax and similar drugs poison your osteoclasts (the cells that resorb old bone tissue), permanently killing them—the normal bone repair process is halted. So, your bones will indeed get denser. However, denser bones are NOT stronger bones, which is the part they don’t tell you. In fact, eventually your bones become weaker and more prone to fracture. Why?  Because bone is a dynamic structure that requires the removal of unhealthy bone and REPLACEMENT with new bone to stay strong. Fosamax does NOT build any new bone. It only kills the cells that break bone down, so your bone is not benefiting from its natural regenerative process.  Essentially, you have a bunch of old brittle bone which is very easily fractured.

more on thyroid

The Journal of the American Medical Association published research that showed an increase of breast cancer with the use of synthroid/levoxyl along with an iodine deficiency. 

The RDA for iodine is in micrograms and is drastically low.  Most patients I see that need iodine need milligram dosage.

Iodine is necessary for proper thyroid function and iodized salt does not count.  Iodized salt was distributed to prevent goiters from developing in people primarily in the Midwest/great lakes area (the goiter belt).  Currently, 200 million people are affected by goiters.  Not only would tablespoons of iodized salt not supply therapeutic doses of iodine, but the aluminum that is used as a anti-caking agent can build up in some sensitive individuals.  Aluminum is implicated in Alzheimer's disease.

How to tell if you have a thyroid problem

Do you have low energy levels?

Do you have difficulty losing weight?

Do you suffer from mood swings?

Is your hair dry?

Is your hair thinning?

Do you have high cholesterol?

Is your skin dry without the use of lotion?

Is the outer third of your eyebrows missing or thinning?

Are your nails brittle?

Do you suffer from constipation?

Time and time again, I hear, "my doctor tells me that my thyroid is fine".  Most doctors are taught to look at only one thing on a blood test and are told that this is the "gold standard" for thyroid diagnosis.  If you have answered yes to several or all of these questions, chances are your thyroid is not balanced.  Even if your doctor has told you that your thyroid is fine. 

Great quote

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.  Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.  -Marie Curie