Alternative Medicine

Category : Alternative Medicine

Are You Infuriated?? You Should Be! Lipitor For Ten Year Olds!?

July 8th 2010 Posted at Alternative Medicine, Nutrition
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Infuriating.

Disgusting.

Sad.

Outrageous.

When I heard this news report the only thing that came to my mind were expletives!

EU body OKs chewable Lipitor for older children

And then I continued to read and found out that Lipitor has been approved for use in children age 10 to 17 in the United States since 2002!

Lipitor accounts for a whopping 23% of Pfizer’s total sales! That’s enormous!

But that’s beside the point. The point is that we need to wake up and take responsibility for our children’s health and we don’t do that by putting them on prescription drugs at the age of ten for something that can be fixed by a change in lifestyle.

If a ten-year-old is put on cholesterol lowering medication then what is next? Are they going to live their entire life on a drug without ever being taught about how to eat real food instead of processed, how to take live supplements instead of plastic-coated vitamins? Remember, drugs do NOT solve the problem. They mask the symptom.

I will tell you right now a simple, inexpensive, natural, essential supplement that can lower your cholesterol. Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. This is just one. Do some research and I am sure you will find many options for lowering your cholesterol naturally but for some reason we have turned into a nation that thinks everything requires a drug to fix it.

The drug companies certainly don’t want you to know about it – not with 23% of their cash coming from their drug as you feed it to your children.

And what about the lifestyle that leads to high cholesterol? Take a look at how much processed, packaged, fake food you are eating. Do a candida cleanse. Walk.

And then there are the side effects. If a child is exposed to these drugs so early in life the chances of detrimental side effects must be significant.

I don’t understand what people are thinking sometimes. Here a person like Jamie Oliver is trying to change the way we feed our children and he is being attacked. And then Pfizer is making 23% of their sales from a drug that does nothing more remarkable than a healthy lifestyle will do and no one thinks anything of it.

Shame on PBS – This Doctor Is the Intelligent One

June 15th 2010 Posted at Alternative Medicine, Vaccination
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If you start to do any serious research on vaccination you are bound to come across some heated arguments in the forums or discussion boards.

In most cased these arguments turn into childish, name-calling, unproductive, everyone playing defense, debates.

This is a serious subject that deserves more intelligent debate.

Here is one doctor’s view on ending this “war” and having a serious discussion.

Shame on PBS Frontline, The Vaccine War

by Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP

Last night, PBS aired a show called “The Vaccine War.” I was interviewed at great length and in great depth about vaccines and my point of view and expressed my ambivalence about the polarization of this issue and the need for more calm reasoned discussion about the number one question that new parents have. I told Kate McMahon, the co-producer of the show, that there was a large group of doctors and others who cannot be dismissed with the facile label “anti-vaccine” because we still give vaccines and see a place for them in the practice of medicine, but we do not agree with the current vaccine schedule nor the number of vaccines children receive all at one time.

A few days ago, Ms.McMahon emailed me to tell me that the decision had been made to omit my interview from the show. There would not be one word from me. She didn’t tell me that she had also omitted 100% of Dr. Robert Sears’ interview. And that any other comments from physicians supporting the parents on the show in their ambivalence about vaccines or their decision to refuse all vaccines would also be omitted.

She left this as a show with many doctors commenting very negatively, very frighteningly and often disdainfully and dismissively about vaccine “hesitation” as they called it.

Below is my email response to Kate McMahon.

Dear Kate,

The “Frontline” show was disgraceful. You didn’t even have the courtesy to put my interview or any part of the two hours we spent taping on your web site.

You created a pseudo-documentary with a preconceived set of conclusions: “Irresponsible moms against science” was an easy takeaway from the show.

Did you happen to notice that Vanessa, the child critically ill with pertussis, was not intubated nor on a respirator in the ER? She had nasal “prongs” delivering oxygen. I’m sorry for her parents’ anxiety and very happy that she was cured of pertussis. But to use anecdotal reports like this as science is irresponsible and merely served the needs of the doctor you wanted to feature.

No one pursued Dr. Offit’s response about becoming rich from the vaccine he invented. He was allowed to slide right by that question without any follow up. Dr. Paul Offit did not go into vaccine research to get rich. He is a scientist motivated by his desire to help children. But his profiting tens of millions of dollars from the creation of this vaccine and the pursuit of sales of this and other vaccines is definitely not what he says it is. His many millions “don’t matter” he says. And you let it go.

Jenny McCarthy resumed being a “former Playboy” person and was not acknowledged as a successful author, actress and mother exploring every possible avenue to treating her own son and the children of tens of thousands of other families.

I trusted you by giving you two or three hours of my time for an interview and multiple background discussions. I expressed my heartfelt reservations about both vaccines and the polarizing of this issue into “pro-vaccine” and “anti-vaccine” camps. I told you that there was at least a third “camp.” There are many doctors and even more parents who would like a more judicious approach to immunization. Give vaccines later, slower and with an individualized approach as we do in every other area of medicine.

What did you create instead?

“The Vaccine War.”

A war. Not a discussion or a disagreement over facts and opinions, but a war. This show was unintelligent, dangerous and completely lacking in the balance that you promised me–and your viewers–when you produced and advertised this piece of biased unscientific journalism. “Tabloid journalism” I believe is the epithet often used. Even a good tabloid journalist could see through the screed you’ve presented.

You interviewed me, you spent hours with Dr. Robert Sears of the deservedly-illustrious Sears family and you spoke to other doctors who support parents in their desire to find out what went wrong and why it’s going wrong and what we might do to prevent this true epidemic.

Not a measles epidemic, not whooping cough. Autism. An epidemic caused by environmental triggers acting on genetic predisposition. The science is there and the evidence of harm is there. Proof will come over the next decade. The National Children’s Study will, perhaps by accident, become a prospective look at many children with and without vaccines. But we don’t have time to wait for the results of this twenty-one year research study: We know that certain pesticides cause cancer and we know that flame retardants in children’s pajamas are dangerous. We are cleaning up our air and water slowly and parents know which paint to buy and which to leave on the shelves when they paint their babies’ bedrooms.

The information parents and doctors don’t have is contained in the huge question mark about the number of vaccines, the way we vaccinate and the dramatic increase in autism, ADD/ADHD, childhood depression and more. We pretend to have proof of harm or proof of no harm when what we really have is a large series of very important unanswered questions.

Source: DrJayGordon.com

I urge you to go to this site and read the entire article as well as the other things this doctor offers. Doctor’s like this are few and far between.

Vaccination is a subject that requires you to do intelligent research, not argue on a forum. Look for independent information from unbiased sources that have not been bought out by the pharmaceutical industry.

Here We Go Again…Another Tylenol Recall…Do You Need Any More Reason to Stop Using These Products?

May 11th 2010 Posted at Alternative Medicine, Babies and Health
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According to CNN, more than 40 over-the-counter children’s drugs are being recalled due to the fact they don’t meet quality standards. Those drugs include Tylenol and Motrin among others. The recall was issued after Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNEIL-PPC consulted with the Food & Drug Administration and determined the OTC drugs didn’t measure up in terms of quality.

According to the Consumer Healthcare organization, the recall is not due to any reported “adverse medical events” but rather as a precautionary measure. Parents shouldn’t use the recalled products for their kids. These include Tylenol Infants’ Drops, Children’s Tylenol Suspensions, Children’s Tylenol Plus Suspensions, Motrin Infant Drops, Children’s Motrin Suspensions, Children’s Zyrtec Liquids in Bottles and Children’s Benadryl Allergy Liquids in Bottles. The drugs were manufactured in the United States and distributed to other countries – Canada, the Dominican Republic, Dubai, Fiji, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and Kuwait.

Source:Tylenol recall 2010 – CNN reports 40 plus OTC childrens drugs recalled By Matt Clark

I don’t use over-the-counter medicines for my son because I don’t believe that the medicine itself is safe but now on top of that we have new concerns. Keep reading.

According to CNN reports, the FDA conducted an inspection is April that concluded in a lapse of quality and security.

To begin, McNeil (manufacturer) did not take “corrective and preventative action” during the 2009-2010 complaints about black specks being seen within the medication.

The lab was also cited for not following quality control and maintaining adequate lab conditions.

To make your stomach turn even more, McNeil purchased raw materials that were infected with a bacteria, which had not been identified by the FDA. McNeil is on the defense saying this raw material did not reach the finished products – that’s questionable considering what we are learning about their work, safety and health ethics.

Factory workers are not given proper training on good manufacturing practices and written procedures.

And to top of the poor quality and low ethics at McNeil, “tiny particle” found in the children’s medicine line may be manufacturing residue such as tiny metal parts!

Source: UPDATE Tylenol Recall 2010: Shocking Factory Conditions (FULL RECALL LIST) by Charissa Woodrow

Here is a full list of the RECALLED ITEMS

Please realize that there are alternatives to these despicable products put out by big pharma.

Go to your local health food store and talk to the owner. Browse around the quality online stores that I have recommended over and over. You will find safe, effective products for any ailment you can possibly think of and you will never have to worry about side effects. Homeopathic and herbal remedies are easily available for us and our children if we only just take the time to find them.

Better yet, learn how to support your child’s immune system so they have less of a need for any medications at all.

While we are on the subject let’s discuss the reason for giving these medicines to begin with. I think that most parents use Tylenol and Ibuprofen to lower a fever, which in most cases is unnecessary.

Yes, I said unnecessary. A fever is the body doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing, killing the offender. When you give fever reducing medicines you are interfering with the body’s natural defense system and even prolonging the illness.

The most brilliant yet common sense thing my doctor ever told me was ‘the body will never elicit a fever high enough to harm itself ‘. Just think about it. The body creates a fever in order to defend itself from the invader, it is not going to harm itself in the process.

Now certainly this is different for children who have conditions such as febrile seizures or serious illnesses like meningitis or even poisoning or heat stroke that can cause dangerously high fevers. That is an artifically caused fever and not a natural response of the body. And you should absolutely discuss this with your doctor to determine if fever reducing medicine is really necessary. In most cases doctors only recommend these drugs in order to appease worried parents, not because it is necessary.

What I am referring to is the everyday cold or flu that sparks a natural bodily response in the form of a mild or moderate fever causing parents across the continent to run for the Tylenol. If your child is relatively comfortable and can power thru the fever then why risk giving repeated doses of a drug that has monumentally proven itself unsafe?

A Shortage of Pediatric Specialists? Is That the REAL Problem???

May 11th 2010 Posted at Alternative Medicine, Natural Immunity, Random Ramblings
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I was just reading an article from a popular parenting magazine….

Let me digress. This is not a magazine I would pay for, as it is completely funded by the pharmaceutical industry, loaded with ads for prescription and over-the-counter drugs and I wouldn’t trust one word of medical advice that comes out of it.

The subscription was free with the purchase of a toy drum set for my son so I get the magazine in the mail, throw it in the magazine rack in the bathroom and read it for a few minutes a day to pass the time.

So, back to the point. This article was highlighting the devastating shortage of Pediatric Specialists such as dermatologists, allergists, cardiovascular surgeons and so on.

The article started out by telling one woman’s story of how her child had to wait six weeks to get an appointment with a dermatologist. In that six weeks time, without a prescription drug from this dermatologist her son’s simple eczema advanced into painful, bleeding eczema.

Really? I mean, really? There was no other alternative on God’s green earth besides a prescription drug from the dermatologist?

What causes one mother to pursue every alternative medicine possible and leave the conventional doctor as a last resort while another mother cannot think outside of that dermatologist appointment even when her son’s lesions are painful and bleeding?

What causes one mother to question everything while another mother just accepts the fate that both of her children, from birth, have suffered from recurrent bouts with eczema and a doctor’s prescription is the only thing that will stop it?

Has that mother ever asked what causes this and what can I do to support my children’s immune systems so that we can stop this vicious cycle instead of masking it with drugs over and over and over?

Would that doctor even know how to answer those questions?

Don’t get me wrong, my heart goes out to parents with seriously ill children but I still think the wool is being pulled over our eyes with articles like this.

So, I challenge that a shortage of pediatric specialists is not the real problem. The real problem is the devastating state of our children’s health and the even more devastating lack of knowledge and responsibility for the fact that we can do something to save our children’s health. Knowledge and responsibility on the part of our doctors and our parents.

What do you think?

‘Over-the-Counter’ Does Not Mean Safe!

April 28th 2010 Posted at Alternative Medicine
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In 2005, a national database of poisoning cases recorded more than 85,000 calls regarding reactions from the overdosing of young children with over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines or cough and cold medicines.

And an FDA review of deaths among children between 1969 and 2006 found reports of 54 deaths from decongestants and 69 deaths from antihistamines, mostly in children under age 2.

The pharmaceutical companies themselves are beginning to show concern about this. On October 11, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association announced that,”out of an abundance of caution,” the makers of several leading over-the-counter cold medications voluntarily withdrew their products sold for infants.

Source:By Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D. Read the full article at Yahoo Health

Every day a parent does what they think is best for their child when they hand over a dose of over-the-counter medication. It’s true that the majority of children have no immediate or obvious negative effects from those medications. It is also true that not all of the effects of these drugs can be seen on the outside. No matter how common or seemingly harmless these OTC medications may seem the fact is they are drugs that must be metabolized by the internal organs. The internal organs of a young child are still developing. Why would we want to stress their organs with a toxic substance if we don’t have to?

You can see by the above statistics that OTC medications pose a real danger to our children. So, what is a parent to do? Let my child suffer with a runny nose, fever, teething pain, coughing???

No. Absolutely not. I implore you to educate yourself about homeopathic medicines for your child.

I have been using Hyland’s Homeopathic Remedies since my son’s first episode of teething. Many other common childhood illnesses can be relieved with homeopathic remedies. Hyland’s makes products that are specific to children in little dissolveable tablets. Hyland’s is a very well known source of homeopathic remedies so they are very easily found in just about any health food store.

If you are an online shopper you can also check out Native Remedies. This company is very professional and knowledgeable. I order products from them for the adults in the house as well. They carry a huge line of homeopathic and herbal remedies for adults and children.

And lastly, there are some wonderful books that I would not be without…

If you are new to the idea of alternative medicine you may want to consider “Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child” from the above slideshow. It covers every condition and illness you can think of and offers treatments from conventional medicine, acupressure, homeopathy, herbs, you name it. It is a wonderfully well-rounded book and very easy to read and navigate through.

If you are open-minded and looking for alternatives to drugs and doctor’s offices then you may also want to check out my book! I put my passion into this book in the hopes of opening the eyes of parents. Check it out…Brave Parenting eBook Because there are so many other options, why would you take the chance with your child’s health.

Many main stream news sources will try to scare you into thinking that natural medicines are not safe but I think you will find overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Just start reading and educating yourself and make your own decision.

One word of caution however – never give your child herbal or homeopathic medicines if they are on other otc or prescription medications without first contacting your doctor.

Excerpt from my newly released e-book – Brave Parenting …

March 19th 2010 Posted at Alternative Medicine, Babies and Health, Natural Immunity, Nutrition, Pregnancy and Birthing, Toxin Free Living
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Babies and health go hand in hand. A brand new little life with a vibrant, untainted immune system. As parents, we have the opportunity to take advantage of that healthy start by providing baby with every opportunity to keep that immune system strong. It should be easy, but in today’s world it is a never ending battle against chemicals, poor nutrition and misinformation that slowly starts to degrade the perfect immune system and sets your infant up for unnecessary illnesses.

My son is two years old and he has never had an ear infection. As a baby, he rarely lost a meal to spit-up. He has never been on antibiotics or received any over-the-counter medications. He almost never gets diaper rash and when he does it is gone within a day or less. When he gets a common cold it is mild and he is over it within a day. He is smart and beautiful and loves to smile. This is how it should be!

Most parents just accept that it is “normal” for a baby to have constant ear infections and diaper rash and spit up after every single meal. We think nothing of it when the doctor injects a newborn with foreign substances. If the doctor said it’s necessary then it must be, right? In the most extreme cases, we just accept that there is nothing we can do to prevent childhood diseases like leukemia and asthma.

I would like to introduce you to the idea that you do have control. You have the ability to educate yourself and make informed choices about so many things that affect your babies and their health. Do not make the terrible mistake of relying on a doctor or a government agency to protect you and your baby because it won’t happen.

I was blessed to have become a mother for the first time at the age of 36. I was young enough to be healthy yet mature enough to be educated and independent minded. I looked around me and saw so much illness and suffering, cancer and drugs, I knew that this was not normal! I did my homework, I researched, I learned and I made an informed decision about my son’s health.

I am not afraid of a fever- because I am educated.
I know the most important factor in supporting 80% of his immune system-because I am educated.
I know how to stimulate his brain to form neurons-because I am educated.
I know the truth about how to prevent SIDS-because I am educated.
I trust Mother Nature-because I am educated.

Parents please never take your baby’s health for granted.

We should never assume that a baby will be born healthy whether we take our prenatal vitamins or not. We should never trust that our child will glide through life with no lasting effects from the pesticides in their fruit and the chemicals in their snacks. We know all too well that innocent children suffer from lead poisoning, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, cancer all of which can be prevented if only we were proactive about educating ourselves and taking control of our childrens’ health instead of blindly handing it over to the food manufacturers and a doctor that has been educated by the pharmaceutical industry.

Your baby’s health is in your hands. The choices you make will affect your babies health for the rest of their lives. I challenge you to open your eyes, research and educate yourself and then decide how to keep your baby healthy. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t trust me, don’t trust your doctor, don’t trust the government or the pharmaceutical industry, trust your heart and your educated mind. Don’t sit idly by and assume that your babies will be healthy no matter what you feed them or expose them to. That is the ultimate sin of the parent – taking your child’s health for granted.