A Ticking Time Bomb

I recently had an opportunity to view the film “Under Our Skin.” If you have even the slightest interest in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, arthritis, Chronic Fatigue, ALS (Lou Gehrig), MS, or other difficult-to-diagnose disease, you will not want to miss this challenging and provoking film.
I'm sure that I didn't catch everything, and quite likely I misunderstood parts, but following are some of my observations.

• The most effective treatment for Lyme Disease is that administered immediately and aggressively.

• For severe cases, the greatest improvement comes after about three years of treatment.

• Research has found Lyme DNA connections to many chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Chronic Fatigue, ALS, and MS.

• "Chronic lyme disease" is not recognized by medical authorities as a treatable condition.

• Treatment recommended by medical authorities, as reported at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508667?cookieSet=1, is very restrictive. “A single dose of doxycycline may be offered to adult patients (200 mg dose) and to children 8 years of age (4 mg/kg up to a maximum dose of 200 mg) (B‐I) when all of the following circumstances exist: (a) the attached tick can be reliably identified as an adult or nymphal I. scapularis tick that is estimated to have been attached for 36 h on the basis of the degree of engorgement of the tick with blood or of certainty about the time of exposure to the tick; (b) prophylaxis can be started within 72 h of the time that the tick was removed; (c) ecologic information indicates that the local rate of infection of these ticks with B. burgdorferi is 20%; and (d) doxycycline treatment is not contraindicated.”

• The treatment that has been found most effective by treating physicians includes several years of care, using antibiotics. Physicians in several states have been hounded out of practice by aggressive regulators following the recommended guidelines. For example, see http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/the-state-of-connecticut-vs-dr/ or http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/jemsek/charges.shtml

This is a subject to watch. It has every appearance of being one in which patients will have to search far and wide to find a physician who is able and willing to treat their condition.

Love That Olive Oil!

This research report fits right in with my emphasis on wholesome, natural foods such as extra virgin olive oil. Other than my daily flax oil and an omega 3 capsule, about the only fat I consume is extra virgin olive oil.

September 30, 2009 | Research
Another Reason to Love Olive Oil

Compound found in extra-virgin olive oil may help prevent Alzheimer’s
By Megan Fellman

This may help explain some of the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.

Review: A Cancer Therapy – Results of Fifty Cases and The Cure of Advanced Cancer by Diet Therapy, by Max Gerson, M.D.

This handy (434 page) book reports on one of the landmark discoveries of modern medicine. When Dr. Gerson had presented testimony on his success before the subcommittee headed by Senator Claude Pepper, he prepared this book to report to the general public on the possibility of healing cancer without conventional medical treatment (surgery, radiation, and chemo). Even today, half a century later, the US medical community has not accepted this work as valid – Senator Pepper was unable to get funding for further research, so Gerson Therapy is still not recognized in the US. A cancer patient wanting the best possible outcome has three choices: self care, or travel to Mexico or Germany where Gerson clinics are available.

Dr. Gerson developed his therapy the hard way – he lived it. Attending medical school with severe migraine headaches, he was advised that he would just have to live with them; they are incurable. He proceeded to cure his own migraines, then went on to find cures for tuberculosis and eventually cancer. The technique he developed was to provide sufficient nutrition to the cells and to remove toxins from the body. That simple approach enabled him to accept patients who had been released as incurable by other physicians. Having nothing to lose, they were willing to accept the severe discipline that Dr. Gerson imposed as the means to effect the cure. Not every patient recovered, but remember that his pool of patients was limited to only the hopeless.

Included in the book are Dr. Gerson's Theory to guide physicians to apply the treatment properly, a few similar cancer theories, some preliminary thought by Paracelsus, and a survey of other authors' attempts to use diet to treat cancer.

One topic which became central to Gerson Therapy is understanding of the liver and its function in wellness and disease. Building on the results of others' research, Dr. Gerson identified the relation of liver function to mineral balance in the body, especially the loss of potassium and potassium-group minerals. Not unrelated is the role of salt in the diet, especially sodium.

Along the way, Dr. Gerson recognizes the impact of insecticides and soil depletion on declining wellness. Modern nutritionists have developed many supplements to offset the declining nutritional value of soil as it is depleted by continuous cultivation. Some physicians have finally recognized that supplementation is vital to wellness.

The diet used in Gerson Therapy is limited primarily to fresh juices of fruits, leaves, and vegetables, large quantities of raw fruit and vegetables, vegetables stewed in their own juice, oatmeal, special soups, and salt-free rye bread. As treatment progresses, some selected animal protein may be included (salt-free and fat-free cottage cheese and yogurt, and buttermilk). The diet is sodium-free and high in potassium to speed up restoration of the mineral balance of the body that is essential for wellness. Along with provision of adequate nutrition, it also is vital to remove toxins rapidly. The main tool for that purpose is enemas, especially coffee enemas. Such treatment has been found very effective for eliminating pain that would be suffered from the toxins that accumulate as proper nutrition forces them out of the cells, as well as stimulating the liver to release the accumulated toxins.

The latter half of the book is primarily devoted to details of fifty of the case histories of patients that Dr. Gerson treated. Considering the advanced state of disease in each of them, the results achieved by Dr. Gerson are astounding, especially at a time when medical practice had few effective treatments to apply. Here are some sample cases:
1) Pituitary tumor, patient unconscious – returned to work in eight months.
11) Testicular cancer metastasized to both lungs and periaortic glands, prognosis hopeless; released to die – within 18 months on Gerson Therapy, feeling fine and working.
15) 8 month-old boy with active neurogenic fibrosarcoma; physician wanted to amputate left arm and shoulder – recovered and grew up normally.
16) Breast cancer with brain metastases – totally recovered with Gerson Therapy.

Review: Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery

This book is neither small nor new, but it is worth its weight in gold. With copyright date 1990, the book reports on the rigorous research conducted by Dr. Ornish and his staff at Presbyterian Medical Center and the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine beginning 1984. Research findings were published in The Lancet in Summer 1990.

The research approach, “Opening Your Heart”, combined dietary modifications, stress reduction, avoidance of smoking, and regular exercise. Preceding studies had considered individual components, but no one had combined them all in the same study. By the end of one year, 82% of the participants who followed the directions (made the comprehensive lifestyle changes described in the book) demonstrated some measurable average reversal of their coronary artery blockage. Overall the average blockage reversed from 61.1 to 55.8 percent; more severely blocked arteries showed even greater improvement. Improvement was measured by a cardiac PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan; there was nothing subjective about it. That measured improvement was in spite of the universal belief of the time that heart disease could not be reversed.

The components of the Opening Your Heart program are
1.Techniques for increasing intimacy and managing stress more effectively,
2.A diet very low in fat and cholesterol,
3.A system to help the participant stop smoking and let go of other addictions, and
4.A program of moderate exercise.
Details of each of the components are included in separate chapters in great detail.

Part Three, a major portion of the book is devoted to recipes used in the program. The diet supplies vibrant colors, rich flavors and textures, variety of fresh vegetables, tangy herbs, pungent spices, wholesome grains, savory beans, elegant pastas, and sweet, enticing fruit dishes. Vegetables, grains, and dried beans are the backbone of the diet.

I can not do justice to a 631 page book of this magnitude and value in a single page. To realize the full worth, you need to study it for yourself. If you will approach the book with an open mind and a willingness to learn, you will come away in better health than you began.

Book Review: Why Christians Get Sick, by Dr. George H. Malkmus

This little (128 page) book helped steer me toward lifetime wellness – or as I've learned to call it, The Stewardship of Wellness. A friend who cared very much about me gave me a copy with his endorsement, and I ran with it.

George Malkmus is a preacher, not a medical doctor, but his teaching has brought new life and extended wellness to many thousands of people who suffered with any number of diseases and didn't know where to turn. Why Christians Get Sick helped them see a way to eliminate the poison that they were putting into their bodies, and to replace it with wholesome, nutritious live food.

Dr. Malkmus faced the same question as many, if not most, Christians: What is the role of sin in illness? Really, why do Christians get sick? I can remember when my sister had some serious health challenges and some do-gooders challenged her, saying that she was sick because of sin. “Better 'fess up and be cleansed of the sin and the disease will go away.” But that view doesn't seem to fit with all the apparently godly Christians that we see getting sick or dying.

Without going through the book point by point, I can see a lot of overlap between the book and my “Wheel of Wellness”. There are a number of factors that can contribute to or undermine our good health. Some are obvious, such as diet and exercise. Others are less obvious but still key contributors, such as stress and negative emotions. No matter how highly you score in some areas, a low score in others may leave you open to serious disease or death. Balance is essential to genuine wellness.

Although many have read Why Christians Get Sick and responded quite positively, others might be put off by the “preachy” style. There are several reasons for that: First, Dr. Malkmus is a preacher. Second, he is passionate about bringing wellness to those who suffer. Third, he wrote this book fairly early in his wellness crusade, so it preceded some of his growth in ability to relate to others. If you read with an understanding of why Dr. Malkmus is so forceful, it may enable you to accept his teaching without having to like his style. If you want to meet the “new” Dr. Malkmus, go to his current website, http://hacres.com.

My View of Health Care Reform

The ongoing debate – no, really it is a squabble – is an exercise in futility. I have yet to hear a serious proposal that will actually improve the state of the health of the American people. The “Safeway Plan” is a big step in the right direction, but it is not included in any of the active proposals.

The problem is one of responsibility. As one of the most personal aspects of life, health care is one of the most personal responsibilities of life. My wellness is MY responsibility. Our national constitution makes no provision for health care, so it is clearly not a federal issue. I don't want my employer snooping in my medical history, so it is not an employment issue. It is my responsibility and I must be willing and ready to take charge of my own wellness.

In my mind, the ideal solution for our future health care is to remove both government and business from any involvement. Let insurers offer their services to all who can afford them. Then the funds currently going into charitable health care might be adequate for those who can not afford to buy insurance, once we individually take responsibility for our individual wellness.

The other key element is education. Especially those in the worst health, the poor, simply do not know how to treat their bodies to enhance wellness. As they learn how to live for better physical health, they may also learn how to improve their financial and emotional health as well. It will take a massive effort – not at the national or even state level, but at the personal level. Change will happen only when there is enough individual involvement to train and equip them to live better. We have proven that giving everything to the poor just keeps them poor; now let's try helping them be responsible for themselves and see what the result is. Because eating is such an integral part of culture, it is a daunting challenge to change the way people eat in order to get them to adopt healthier habits. But we must try.

Is it worth it? Let's count the cost and benefit. In the twenty years I have lived without meat, I have seen my health improve from good to great. I can not imagine that my vegetables have cost nearly as much as the meat I avoided. In the nearly ten years that I have followed my current dietary plan, I have lost my superficial body fat and have gained both energy and alertness. Some of my supplements are expensive, but I continue to save the additional amount that conventional eating would cost. Although I feel some effects of aging, especially in some joints, the effects are the result of activity, not of idleness. I heard yesterday of an 86-year-old man who fell and injured himself – while he was cutting a tree on a steep slope, his safety rope broke. I admire that man and have plans to emulate him (but with a better rope!).

Book Review: The Cancer Conqueror, by Greg Anderson

This is the first book to hand to someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Recognizing that “attitude is everything”, Greg Anderson has presented a positive approach to cancer. Where there is life, there is hope, and Anderson helps the cancer patient see that the brutally frank medical diagnosis of “thirty days to live” (whatever the time period) must not be allowed to become a death sentence or a self-fulfilling prophecy. He helps the reader see that the time period he has been given is a statistical expectation, not a certainty. For every statistic, there are exceptions, and they generally favor the person with a positive attitude. The closing paragraph of the introduction sums up the concept: “Apply the principles you find in The Cancer Conqueror. What you believe about getting well, how you handle emotional conflicts, plus the decision to choose joyful living do make a huge difference. Keep your hope alive. You can conquer cancer and perhaps even cure it.”

Section 1, The Search for Solutions, is intended to help the reader get past the “why me?” stage. It is vital to seek input from someone who has faced a similar challenge and has overcome it.

Section 2, The Perspective of Personal Responsibility, helps one recognize the importance of attitude: “I am in charge of my cancer. My cancer is not in charge of me.” (and more)

Section 3, The Cancer Conqueror Believes, gets to the heart of the matter. Many of us grew up believing that cancer means death, treatment has no value, and the victim is helpless. Anderson helps the reader understand that we can choose our beliefs – though I may have cancer, I am not cancer and I am not a victim of cancer. Cancer is a message to change.

Section 4, The Cancer Conqueror Resolves, teaches that we can change our perceptions of ourselves and our problems. Since hopelessness is a choice, why not choose hope? Cancer comes and goes – it is a reversible disease. Once I recognize that emotionally disruptive events and emotional needs may be factors in the development of cancer, I may be able to choose healthy options that will reduce my support for the cancer. Cancer going into remission is not an accident, but the result of my becoming a new person.

Section 5, The Cancer Conqueror Lives, teaches the power of nonjudgmental, unconditional love to heal. Accepting others as they are removes the great barrier to wholeness and wellness that is formed from our judgments of others. They are not required to change for me to love them, but I may need to change to be able to love them unconditionally. The true goal is not just to cure cancer, but to have peace of mind that is not related to our physical condition. “To LIVE means to move our lives toward our own unique experience of love, joy, and peace.”

Section 6, The Cancer Conqueror Explains, deals with the possibility of recurrence. There are many influences in life that may distract us from the path to wellness., but recurrence does not mean imminent death. I still can influence my destiny; I can choose to live fully as long as I live. I can have peace no matter what.

Section 7, The Cancer Conqueror Benefits, explained to me what happened in my life following my own cancer in 1996. Although my cancer was removed by surgery, I knew that there had to be a better way than what I endured. From 1996 until now, I have been searching for and sharing with others the better way as I find it. I can not promise that all cancer will be eliminated, but I can say with confidence that if you do all that you can find to do to enhance your wellness of body, soul, and spirit, the effect of any cancer will be the least possible. You are in charge of your own wellness, and this little (155 page) book is one of the tools you can use to preserve and protect your wellness.