Illness Is Optional Health Blog

In a particular medicine you will find two main components: the active ingredient(s) and the inactive ingredient(s). The active ingredient is the product that is supposed to offer the therapeutic benefit. In the case of the vaccine, it is the dead or partially-dead virus that is used to stimulate the immune system. The inactive ingredients within vaccines are components that are present to maintain the integrity of the product until it is injected into the patient. Some compounds are also added to enhance the immune response to the vaccine.

Unfortunately, as you will see, many of the inactive ingredients hold great potential to cause harm. These are things such as formaldehyde (a neuro-toxin and potential carcinogen), aluminum (which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease), mercury (linked to everything from neuro-toxicity to cancer), monkey-kidney tissue, and many other hard-to-pronounce compounds that have unknown effects within the body.

To view this list, download it directly from the Center for Disease Control website through the following link:Vaccine Excipients & Media Summary

In people who have been taking Fosamax for long periods of time. A spontaneous fracture occurs when the bones break for no apparent reason; an example would be simply walking down the street or standing in a subway. To see the report on ABC NEWS click, Fosamax Scare: Those with Osteopenia Gauge Risk .

In the news story, they interview a doctor who had been taking Fosamax for osteoporosis for many years when the femur, one of the strongest bones of the body, broke in half while standing in a subway train. Another woman they interviewed, broke her femur while simply walking into another room of her house. Imagine just how weak the bone must get in order to break so easily.

This may seem like news to many, however, we reported on this issue a long time ago on our radio show. Fosamax, and any medication in the bisphosphonate class, works by preventing the body from clearing out old brittle bone. Over years, it gives the appearance of strengthening the bone, however, the truth is, it is simply causing the body to retain old, brittle bone. This chaotic bone structure will weaken even if the density appears to be improving or remaining the same. The FDA is stubbornly refusing to alert doctors to this potentially fatal effect of this useless class of medication.

The bottom line is, we must stop looking to the pharmaceutical industry for a solution to a problem that is almost entirely attributed to diet and lifestyle. You can stop osteoporosis in its tracks and even reverse it if you take the proper steps. See ourOsteoporosis Protocol for details.

Before I get into this discussion, however, I want to discuss the connection between fibrocystic breast disease and breast cancer. Due to conflicting research, conventional medicine does not acknowledge a connection. I feel that this is a grave mistake, let me explain why.

In many ways, our body works like a vehicle. When anything goes wrong, a little “Check Engine” light pops on. Although the check engine light is not the cause of the dysfunction, ignoring it can cause a breakdown. Fibrocystic breast disease is like the “Check Engine” light flashing. Covering it up with symptomatic treatment and/or surgical treatment could be the sin of omission that could ultimately allow breast cancer to develop.

So what would the fibroids tell us about what is wrong? We simply do not have all of the answers to this question; although, we have found certain correlations, such as iodine deficiency.

You can read the full article Here.

The Health Clinic has lots of resources in this topic, including professional Iodine supplement product comparisons and great deals at the store.

You can also post your questions or comments to this topic here.

According to the research, damage was present in greater than half of those who reported myopathy (muscle pain).

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
Muscle pain and weakness is a common side effect of statin medications and should be taken seriously. Although severe muscle damage is rare, it appears that a mild-moderate muscle injury is much more common and can persist for years after stopping the statin medication. To decrease the risk of muscle damage associated with statins, I recommend that those who take statin medication take 100 mg of Ubiquinol twice daily. Ubiquinol is an activated form of coenzyme Q10 and may be better absorbed and utilized. It is also recommended that those who take statins also supplement with a potent multi-vitamin and fish oil.

In a recent double-blind study of 24 patients diagnosed with dry eye syndrome, researchers gave one group an antioxidant blend while the other received placebo. After 12 weeks of supplementation, the group receiving the antioxidant blend showed significant improvements in stability of tears and significant decreases in symptoms such as itching, burning and the sensation of a foreign body in the eyes.
(Eur J Opthalmol, 2009 May-June; 19(3): 337-42.)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
I have a number of patients who suffer with this condition and any relief that we can provide to them is welcome. The current conventional treatment includes lubricating drops and a topical immunosuppressant called cyclosporine, which is being used to force the eye to produce tears. From a nutritional perspective we want to significantly increase the lubricating ability of the tears while trying to maintain the moisture. This study used an antioxidant blend called Oxyviane™ which unfortunately is not available here in the states. I feel, however, that we can achieve similar benefits by using other antioxidants and essential fatty acids. See my protocol for Dry Eye under our “Health Issues” section.

According to the results of this study, the subjects who had the highest fruit and vegetable intake were 24% less likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer and 16% less likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
(Am J Clin Nutr, 2009; 89(5): 1441-52.)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
We briefly discussed the link between fruit and vegetable intake and cancer in our radio program last week, this study seems to confirm our findings and the findings of numerous studies to date. The data is nearly indisputable that fruit and vegetable intake is extremely important in the prevention of cancer. The question that we have yet to answer is just how much is enough to provide optimal benefits. A book called “The Enzyme Factor”, written by Dr. Shinya – the father of the colonoscopy – hypothesizes that these raw foods contain a “mother enzyme” that is responsible for health and vitality of our cells. Having performed thousands of colonoscopies he found that he could determine the relative health of the person simply by seeing the health of the patient’s colon. He then determined that the health of the colon was almost entirely related to the amount of fruits, vegetables and live food in the diet. In a nut shell, EAT TONS OF RAW HEALTHY FOODS!

Researchers recently determined that limb length was the most important determinant of energy expenditure during activity! This means if you are “vertically challenged” then you will burn fewer calories than a taller acquaintance who works just as hard on the treadmill. I wonder if this explains why the six foot tall models can stay so skinny?

Take heart, your efforts are in vain, this simply means that the “vertically challenged” will need to challenge themselves a little more when they hit the treadmill or stair climber! Move faster, work longer, try interval training, add ankle weights, whatever you do just pump up the volume. (Journal Experimental Biology, 210; 484-494,2007)

esearchers at Arizona State University studied 20 overweight subjects and followed them through a weight loss program. As the subjects lost weight, those people who were supplementing with 500 mg vitamin C daily enjoyed stable vitamin C levels while the other subjects levels dropped steadily. As vitamin C levels dropped so did the ability of the subjects body to burn fat through a process called oxidation.

It has been noted in previous research that subjects with higher blood vitamin C levels burn 30% more calories when they exercise than subjects with lower vitamin C levels. This connection may have to do with vitamin C’s role in the production of l-carnitine, an import fat burning nutrient. When supplementing with vitamin C, I prefer to use food sources of vitamin C such as amla, acerola cherry powder, etc. As a supplement, I use a daily dose of food source vitamin C from a manufacturer called The Synergy Company.

(J Am Coll Nutr Johnston 24 (3): 158.)

It was discovered that folic acid deficiency was significantly correlated with risk of fall. In fact for every one point drop in blood levels of folic acid there was a 19% increase in risk of fall. Other factors that were correlated to falls was vitamin D deficiency and depression.
(Ann Nutr Metab, 2009; 54(1): 59-66)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:

Is folic acid deficiency to blame for many falls in the elderly? Well, even with this research I could not be sure. Is it possible that people with low folic acid have some other dietary or lifestyle situation that is correlated with the risk? Yes, it is possible.
But…

Why take the risk? Folic acid is inexpensive, free from side effects and beneficial on many levels. Simply make sure that you are getting at least 800 mcg of folic acid in your diet and/or supplements. Every one of the multi-vitamins that I recommend contain at least 800 mcg of folic acid to meet these requirements. These Mutli-vitamins are listed in the Virtual Pharmacist Section of our website.

Nattokinase is an enzyme that helps to digest fibrinogen which works to normalize the clotting process and prevent unnecessary and potentially harmful blockages. Best of all, it appears to achieve this benefit without increasing the risk of hemorrhage (inappropriate bruising or bleeding).

The majority of the research to date has assessed the impact of nattokinase in the diet of Asian cultures. Few studies have been performed on the nattokinase supplements and how they impact fibrinogen levels. Recently, scientists completed a study that was designed to see how nattokinase impacts the levels of fibrinogen as well as a number of other clotting factors. Scientists gave 45 healthy subjects, two capsules of nattokinase standardized to 2000 FU each day for 2 months. At the end of the study, fibrinogen levels dropped by 7-10%, Factor VII dropped by 7-14% and Factor VIII dropped by 17-19%.
(Nutr Res, 2009; 29(3): 190-6)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:

I am glad to see that the researchers are beginning to test the potential of nattokinase. This study used a fairly modest dose of nattokinase in otherwise healthy subjects. I hypothesize that when they start to study people who have elevated fibrinogen along with higher risks of heart disease we will see even more significant drops in fibrinogen. Ultimately I hope to see studies that also evaluate outcomes such as risk of heart attack, stroke, etc. I do recommend nattokinase as a tool for people at high risk of heart attack, stroke and/or those who are diagnosed with high levels of fibrinogen. Nattokinase would make a suitable alternative to aspirin therapy in many people. Time will tell if nattokinase could even replace Plavix and Coumadin in many patient populations. For now, we must wait and see.
If you are currently at high risk of heart attack or stroke, I would recommend using a product that contain 2,000 FU potency units three times daily. We have used the Doctor’s Best Nattokinase in our practice.