Bedbug Infestation at the Office?

By On · Add Comment · In bedbugs, German shepherds, infestations, pest control centers

When it comes to bedbugs, “I gave at the office,” has a lot more meaning. That’s because recent reports tell of the little blood-suckers invading our workplaces. Yikes! Call in the German shepherds!

German shepherds?! Achtung baby…that’s precisely what they’re using in Tennessee: bedbug-sniffing German shepherds. Their findings? A 2011 a survey of U.S. pest control centers found that 38% had responded to infestations at office buildings–up from 17% the year before. Ewwww…. And treatments at schools and day-care centers rose to 36% from 10%, with visits to hospitals jumping from 12% of their jobs to almost one-third. Please get this: Hospitals are now some of pest control centers’ best clients.

For those that don’t know, bedbugs are fairly benign blood suckers–that is, they bite people, leaving welts itching and swelling. But they do not carry disease like some other insects. Saying that, they are more than just a little annoying as they can do a number on the poor victim.

In Tennessee, where it was uncertain as to what was causing mince-meat out of office workers, the special-unit canines, trained to sniff out bedbugs, were brought in and the verdict was conclusive: Bona fide Yecccccchhhh!

So here’s the take home as far as I’m concerned: You can get bitten by bedbugs at home. You can get bitten by bedbugs at the office. Your kid can get bitten by bedbugs at school. And even your local hospital ain’t safe. So if you wake up looking like you’ve got the chicken pox, and you’ve already had them: call the exterminator. Or try one of these natural remedies. Remember not to try doing the exterminating on your own, or you might poison yourself and your family–not worth it.

And if you need a bedbug-sniffing German shepherd to confirm your suspicions…well by golly git one. Oh…and just know that bedbugs love sucking on animals too, so hopefully Schultz doesn’t bring any into the house nestled in his coat. Well, that’s all–itch away.

Los Angeles Chiropractic: High Lunges Stretches for Upper Hamstring

By On · Add Comment · In hamstring stretches, hamstring tear, ischial tubes, pulled hamstring, yoga

The hamstrings are important players in low back and pelvic biomechanics. I have shown you a great beginners stretch to start opening these fun muscles (lots of people do not like stretching the hamstrings…I wonder why???), and now I would love to demonstrate a more advanced stretch.

The hamstrings, remember, are attached to the ischial tubes of the pelvis, which is essentially the “sit bones” as discussed in many yoga classes. So when stretching the hamstrings in the beginners stretch, most people feel it in the back of the knees, or the insertion point for the muscles. That’s good–it starts there. As you begin to open and are able to get deeper into the stretch, you will likely then feel it into the belly of the muscle, or the center of the hamstrings at the back of the thigh. Also good.

In the advanced high lunge stretch that I demonstrate in the video, you will feel it more in the origin of the muscle or up into the sit bones. Essentially you will feel it strongly at the point where the hamstrings meet the buttocks. I must reiterate: THIS IS AN ADVANCED STRETCH, so please go slowly. Don’t force anything. If you strain, pull or tear a hamstring, you will feel it for a long time. I tore my hamstring in 1999 and it took many years to get back to normal. Just be careful.

In the video I demonstrate the three different levels of the stretch–each one increasing in difficulty. Because of the depth of the stretch, you will also find this to be a great strengthening exercise for the buttock and the hamstring. If you hold the stretch for thirty seconds to a minute, you will be sore the next day.

Watch the video to learn a great hamstring strengthening workout and stretch for the upper hamstrings. Like I said, though, proceed with caution, as this is a little more advanced stretch. If you haven’t stretched your hamstrings much, definitely do not start here–begin with this first hamstring stretch. Otherwise, if you are ready…have fun.

Propecia Kills Baldness AND Libido

By On · Add Comment · In adverse side effects, ejaculation disorders, finasteride, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), libido disorders, orgasm disorders, propecia
Damned if you do, damned if ya don’t. A new report discloses that Propecia, the anti-baldness drug manufactured by Merck & Co, can leave men who take them hanging limp. Now ain’t that a… You grow the hair for the babes, but then ya got nothing left for them when all’s said and done. Dang that “no free-lunch” junk.

According to a report by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Propecia, along with another Merck drug, Proscar, used to treat enlarged prostates, share the same chemical compound. Finasteride, which is present in a concentration of 1 milligram per dose of Propecia, and 5 milligrams per dose of Proscar, is said to cause sexual problems in men. “Libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug,” to be exact; and the FDA is now requiring Merck to say that on the drugs’ labels.

Although the FDA says the drug has shown “decreased libido that continued after discontinuation of the drug,”  the labels of both drugs will also carry a description of reports of male infertility and/or poor semen quality that clears up or improves after the drugs are stopped.

No definitive causal relationship between the drug and the sexual disorders can be made, but a potential problem exists nevertheless. The FDA says the number of men experiencing adverse sexual effects from either drug is very small, so it still believes the drugs are safe to take for their approved uses. It does recommend that patients and their doctors consider the new information on the revised labels when weighing a best treatment option.

Well gents, here you see the dangers inherent in taking any external agent. It’s not that you should live your life scared, but I personally make it my habit to ask my doctor the following questions:

  • How long has the drug been in use?
  • Will I be using the drug for what it was intended, or are you prescribing it for something outside of what it was approved (don’t take this point lightly)?
  • What are the side-effects?
And even then I wouldn’t solely trust his answers. I then go to the internet and look up the drug, and it’s side-effects. Check out what you’d have found if you did this for either drug over the last three years: Finasteride adverse side effects (you could google this or “Propecia adverse side effects“)

Then I would ask myself: Is the risk of developing the side-effect worth the advertised benefit? If it’s no, then I’m not taking it, period. That’s exactly how I’ve approached my decision to not take statins. And I do this with every drug, herb, vaccination, and so on, for both me and my children.

True, we don’t always have all the information, and most consumers trust their doctors to a tee. Bad idea, folks. It’s not that your doctor is a bad person, or irresponsible, or greedy, or anything like that…but they are busy; and this busyness sometimes means that more than a few doctors get their drug information from the drug reps themselves, and well…they are greedy. Sorry, but I’ve got no other way to put it.

Okay, okay, perhaps they themselves don’t know…maybe even the company doesn’t know…just another reason to continue conducting studies on drugs even after they’ve been approved. So says Dr. Anthony D’Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

[It] “points up the usefulness of post-marketing studies on drugs that have been studied, but not for long enough periods to know what can happen when large numbers of people use them and what happens when they are discontinued.”

Exactly. Just some food for thought, peeps.

Salmonella Outbreak: Recall on Yellowfin Tuna

By On · Add Comment · In Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recall, Salmonella Bareilly, salmonella poisoning, sushi, yellowfin tuna

Okay, fish lovers–more sushi news, and not in a good way. Looks like there’s been a recall on tuna, yellowfin to be exact, due to a salmonella outbreak in twenty states linked to the fish. This is a warning to be cautious if you’re out eating sushi over the next few weeks.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 116 illnesses have been reported, including 12 people who have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

The tuna was sold to groceries and restaurants by the Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, Calif., also known as MMI, and presumably for making sushi, not for individual consumption. The Northern California fish supplier is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of frozen raw yellowfin tuna that was labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA.

Because the fish was sold to groceries and restaurants, many of the people who became ill reported eating “spicy tuna,” said the FDA. The microorganism was Salmonella Bareilly, a rare salmonella subspecies. The illnesses hasve been reported in the following statesand the District of Columbia:

Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (5), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), As Georgia (5), Illinois (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (11), Massachusetts (8), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (7), New York (24), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (5), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (12).

The FDA warns of a 30-day lag time between when people become sick and when cases are reported to health officials. In other words, there could be more people getting sick. Looks like New York, Wisconsin, and Maryland were hit the hardest, with Illinois not far off. The raw yellowfin tuna product may have passed through several distributors before reaching the restaurant and grocery market and may not be clearly labeled.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. The illness can be severe or even life-threatening for infants, older people, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

So stay away from the spicy tuna, peeps–nuff said.

Germany Looks to Ban Baby Boob-Jobs

By On · Add Comment · In breast enlargement, cosmetic surgery, Germany, liposuction, minors, plastic surgery, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (DGPRAC), The German Society of Plastic
A little common sense coming out of Germany this week (leave it to the Germans), as they call for a ban on cosmetic surgery for minors (under 18-years-old). The bid is coming from a number of political groups that argue, “Even with a proper explanation, it is not guaranteed that the young person is aware of the full implication of the decision” to undergo plastic surgery.The move was pushed by groups dealing with health matters, including Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, and was welcomed by medical associations.

They want the ban to be wrapped into new patient-protection legislation, preventing youngsters from getting popular breast enlargements and nose jobs. This a little more than a year following the death of a German adult film star on the operating table during her sixth breast augmentation (as reported on this blog).

But The German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (DGPRAC) warns that the “sweeping ban” might prevent some young people from getting a necessary intervention. Despite their concern, the DGPRAC basically supports the ban.

Hey, and who wouldn’t? Except for a few brain dead parents that gift their children liposuction and boob-jobs for their sixteenth birthday. Although I am certain that banning plastic surgery for minors will only delay the inevitable for those with low self-esteem, I just don’t believe that kids should have access to these procedures while they are still developing (which incidentally continues until about twenty-five years old).

I know some people think cosmetic surgery for kids is no different than getting them braces, but I disagree. How cutting into and out of people’s bodies is anything like structurally modifying with a brace is ludicrous, and I believe that very soon American Medical authorities will get some sense and ban the butchery for babes. So you might be entitled to your opinion, parents for plastic surgery, but at least in Germany, your kid ain’t gettin’ a boob job until she’s eighteen (and I know even more importantly it will prevent children from getting surgical work done without their parents’ consent).

Greece Might be Model for U.S. Sickcare Future

By On · Add Comment · In concierge medicine, emergency rooms, flu, Greece, healthcare, sickcare, unemployment

Future warnings for America from an unlikely source–Greece, the small and broke European nation–acting as an example of what could happen in the U.S. if  healthcare becomes an entitlement program. It appears that the Southern European country, now in its fifth year of recession, is at risk of its medical system becoming a “privilege” to those that can afford the care.

I have been warning of exactly this possibility happening here in the States, and although to some it may seem far fetched, just watching Greece deal with the collapse of its social system shows a small glimpse of what could happen if things go the way the government, and many people, hope it does.
Over one million people are officially unemployed in Greece. And the once thriving economy, now ravaged by recession and budget cuts, faces a government entitlement health care system that can’t handle the demand.
Previously, most Greeks had turned to private care whenever possible–paying nearly 40 percent of total health costs out of their own pocket–one of the highest rates among developed nations. But today demand is up 20-30%, and the state-run system can’t handle the influx. Many people are also trying to “game the system” by using the ER for routine care instead of making appointments and paying up-front. Think that can’t happen in America?
Despite the overflow, Greek hospitals are trying to keep things in check:

“After recent reforms forced us to take money from people who lack healthcare coverage, more and more patients try to avoid making appointments for lack of cash,” says Meropi Manteou, a lung specialist at Sotiria general hospital in Athens.

“They come in with the flu and try to pass it off as an emergency. We do what we can to help the poorest that come but I don’t know how long we’ll be able to turn a blind eye,” Manteou said.

State hospitals are having to make do with reduced funding, doctor salaries cut by a quarter, a chronic shortage of nurses and overtime pay pending since December. The health ministry say that the budget cuts were necessary to rid a system, originally modeled in the 1980s on Britain’s National Health Service, of decades of wasteful practice.
Sound familiar? It should; it’s exactly what U.S. politicians and pundits are saying about “the broken American healthcare system.” 
But my point is not to make a political statement, because I am neither for nor against the current sickcare system as it is. I have said it repeatedly: We have the best medical system in the world, and it costs money, period. But if you want to avoid what the Greek people are going through right now, it’s simple: Change your ways.
The medical system shouldn’t be used as a run-to for every minor illness. I know the flu sucks, but it ain’t a heart attack. Drink lots of water and get rest, and don’t go to your grandma’s house, or your sister’s with the new born baby. And make sure you drink sufficient water before you get the flu. Then you won’t need a dang emergency room. 

When you rely on the medical system for acne, and blemishes, and the inability to sleep, and hyper-sadness, and hyper-elatedness, and because your back hurts, and because your stomach hurts, yet you don’t really think about your health otherwise…then, yes, we may just tap our already “broken” system. 

And just as the Greeks now may see good medical care become a privilege for those with money, it is happening on another level here in the U.S., with boutique medical services (concierge medicine). So if we get to keep our new socialized sickcare system, be prepared for DMV-like service at your local sick clinic. 
Thank you Greece for showing us what it might be like; and also for the reminder to be careful of what we rely on.

Infected Drugs: Medical Robot’s Hygiene Problem

By On · Add Comment · In Bacillus cereus, da Vinci Surgical System, infectious organisms, medical robots, robotic pharmaceutical dispensers

Ah technology, making life ever so easier. Take drug dispensing for instance: nothing more than a robot needed for this mundane aspect of medical and elderly care. In fact, I am certain that robots will be used in the very near future extensively throughout modern medicine. Heck they already are: from performing surgeries (da Vinci Surgical System most well known) to preparing intravenous medications in a sterile environment, medical robotics is becoming a staple in western medical application. Cool, yes?

But not so fast–it appears that at least one robotic pharmaceutical dispenser had been found to be contaminated with a dangerous bacteria–Bacillus cereus—and although nobody was harmed this time, it does bring to light some areas that need to be addressed before we can put our full trust into robotic arms of the medical industry.

According to a recent report, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center staffers in 2010 found the bacteria in samples of intravenous drugs prepared by robot dispensers, and which were meant to be prepared in a sterile environment. Especially problematic is that B. cereus is a well-known disinfectant-resistant microorganism, and can cause life-threatening bloodstream infections if injected into patients. 

Further investigation traced the contamination to the machine’s washing station and its associated tubing. This washing station is not considered a sterile part of the robot and the manufacturer does not specify a formal cleaning and maintenance procedure, the study authors noted.

The most important take-home lesson in this case–the first ever of it’s kind, say the authors–is for routine screening of robot dispensed drugs, to ensure their sterility. But contamination continues to be a problem in medical settings, and although the industry is doing a good job of improving cleanliness at every corner, it’s just a part of the game: Hospital and other medical settings are breeding grounds for infectious organisms.


I’m all for technology taking its rightful place in modern health care. Technology does make the world more efficient, but it’s not without its challenges. This latest story out of Wake Forest shows us some of the problems we will have to contend with, maybe even taking us a step back in hygienic history. But I feel confident that engineers will work this problem out. We’ve got to know the problems before anything can be improved and perfected. Luckily no one was hurt.

Antidepressants for Every Man, Woman & Child

By On · Add Comment · In antidepressants, children, health care, medical care, National Center for Health Statistics study, Obamacare, psychoactive drugs

I recently posted on some telling “health” statistics in the U.S. It’s so refreshing to know what Americans are really fighting for with regard to health care, because the strong belief of some is that every American has the right to be on as many drugs as their neighbor. For the mass American mentality–that’s health! Awesome.

Americans are fighting for their inalienable right to drug their children. Yes, they are…that’s health, remember? If parents can’t understand their children, and public school officials can’t understand their children, then their good doctors will be there to help. Yes…with anti-depressants. In fact, more children are on psychoactive drugs today than on any other drug ever before in history.

Is it me? Do I just not understand health or health care? Are we blessed–part of the “haves”–if we can get antidepressants for our children? Ohhhhh…maybe I’d better go back to doctor school. I thought health and wellness was something else.

According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics study published in September 2011, antidepressants were the third most common prescriptiondrugtaken by Americans of all ages in 2005–2008.

And from 1988-1994 through 2005-2008, the rate of antidepressant use in the United States among all ages increased nearly 400%.

Isn’t that awesome? Aren’t we so fortunate here in the U.S.? Hope Obamacare brings antidepressant drugging to every citizen in the nation, especially children. It’s our right to NOT be sad. Yay, Obamacare!!!

Here go some more stats for you:

  • 11% of Americans aged 12 years and over take antidepressant medication.
  • Females are more likely to take antidepressants than are males, and non-Hispanic white persons are more likely to take antidepressants than are non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American persons.
  • About one-third of persons with severe depressive symptoms take antidepressant medication.
  • More than 60% of Americans taking antidepressant medication have taken it for 2 years or longer, with 14% having taken the medication for 10 years or more.
  • Less than one-third of Americans taking one antidepressant medication and less than one-half of those taking multiple antidepressants have seen a mental health professional in the past year.

I love these statistics. They show how much healthier we are as a result of the mass antidepressant prescription campaign. Thank you Obamacare, for caring so much that you want me and my children to have as many antidepressants as we need. No more sadness for us. We are so fortunate to have real health care in this country; and so fortunate that we may all get even more courtesy of our federal government and caring medical industry. Truly awesome.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic: Shin Muscle Stretch for Tibialis Anterior Pain Relief

By On · Add Comment · In Beverly Hills sports chiropractic, gait cycle, lower leg pain, martial arts, runners, shin splints, soccer, tibialis anterior, tight calves
Shin splints is a very common malady limping into my Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office. Yes, runners are at a high risk for developing shin splints, but other athletes can become afflicted too. Shin splints is a pain in the lower leg, or shin area. It can be on the front of the leg or sometimes even felt in the calf area.

Shin splints have a number of musculoskeletal structures involved, and I encourage you to read the article I have written on fixing shin splints, but what I would like to show you here is how to stretch one muscle often involved in shin splints: tibialis anterior.

The tibialis anterior runs on the front part of the shin, or the anterior compartment, and it dorsiflexes the foot, which is bringing the foot closer toward the chest. It is involved in stabilizing the ankle during the gait cycle, particularly on heel strike, when the foot hits the ground. It then contracts to firm up the foot in the full weight bearing stage when the other leg swings past. In sports that rely on kicking objects like soccer or martial arts, the tibialis anterior locks the foot and ankle in place for a toe kick.

When the tibialis anterior gets tight it can cause pain in front of the shin or ankle area. Shin splints is an extreme version of pain that can be felt to a lesser degree by just about anybody that is active, or even in those that have recently walked a longer distance than they’re used to. In the video below, I demonstrate a simple, yet effective, way to stretch the dorsiflexors of the foot, including the tibialis anterior. Depending on your level of tightness, you may need the help of a yoga block or rolled-up towel, but watch the video for the instruction. Enjoy.

Random? Half Cancers Preventable

By On · Add Comment · In cancer, central obesity, health, healthy behaviors, illness, random, smoking, universe

Some people think we live in a random universe, nothing but probability–a chance for this, and a chance for that. Some also think that health is random. Some people get sick, others do not. A roll of the dice for the most part. In fact, that’s what insurance is for: you purchase insurance hoping that you won’t get sick, but if by chance you do…

This approach to health, however, is foolish. We know that health and wellness are not random. What we do regularly determines whether we will experience health or not. It certainly is about probability when it comes to our health. The more we engage in healthy behaviors, the greater the probability we will remain healthy; and the more we  engage in unhealthy behaviors, the greater the probability we will develop illness or disease. True, it’s never one hundred percent, as Jim Fixx showed that any fitness enthusiast can drop dead from a heart attack, while George Burns smoked cigars into his 100s. Go figure.

But what we do is still the most important determinant of health. Take a recent study that now shows 50% of all cancers are preventable. That’s right folks! And the big C is the second leading cause of death following another preventable condition…you got it–heart disease.

The numbers one and two killers in the U.S. are preventable. Smoking is blamed for 33% of all cancers, while 75% of lung cancers are due to smoking. Shoot, I used to smoke, I get it. I liked smoking, heck yeah…but I quit. Simple as that. My cancer risk went way down. Probabilities.

Here’s another: Obesity is responsible for 20% of all cancers in the U.S. Throw in booze, pollution, poor diet, prescription drugs by the pounds… Why, heck…of course cancer is the number two killer–people are poisoning themselves.

And the political perspective is that these people just don’t have enough resources. State smoking cessation programs are being financially undercut, and people don’t have money, or the insurance, to be treated once they get sick. Random.

But by quitting smoking, eating well, minimizing junk food (like sodas), and exercising regularly actually helps lessen the risk of heart disease and cancer. Not random.

Duh.

West Hollywood Chiropractic: How to Work Out Lower Abs to Relieve Low Back and Hip Pain

By On · Add Comment · In body builders, low back pain, lower abdominals, lower abs workouts, psoas major, tight hip flexors, West Hollywood sports chiropractor

So I’ve showed you now two excellent exercises for the abdominal region–plank pose and abdominal crunches–and hopefully you’ve been doing them, getting sore…but getting stronger too. I would now love to share a phenomenal exercise for the lower abdominals (abs). Although the rectus abdominus is one muscle, we often discuss it in terms of being split into upper and lower sections. So for our purposes here, we’ll consider the lower abs as the abdominals from the belt line down to the pubic bone.

As a sports chiropractor in iron-pumping West Hollywood, I see lots of body builders with low back pain. Now many of them seem perplexed that being in such “great shape” they should have low back pain, but sometimes things we do regularly that don’t seem to be a problem while doing them, actually end up creating problems for us after the fact. Tight hip flexors due to poor low abdominal exercises is one such thing.

When the hip flexors (and I’m primarily talking about the psoas major here) get tight, they can cause low back pain. I find that a popular exercise for the lower abs–leg lifts–is a primary offender. These hip flexor killers stress the psoas major muscle, which can be felt almost immediately as pain and soreness in the anterior, or front, pelvic/groin region.

I do not recommend leg lifts for most people, as more people than not have tight or hypertonic psoas muscles. However, saying that, some people do have weak hip flexors and can use strengthening, but again, it’s not the norm. If uncertain, please visit your local West Hollywood sports chiropractor  for an evaluation.

Watch the video below to learn what I consider the best lower abs exercises. I will also demonstrate the popular leg lift exercises, and explain exactly how they stress the hip flexors, and what you can do to modify even these to get a great lower ab workout.

Low Cholesterol’s Cancer Link Illustrates Innate Intelligence

By On · Add Comment · In cancer, HDL cholesterol, health, heart disease, high cholesterol, innate intelligence, LDL, statins

Oh boy, here we go…so you know that I’m not shy about discussing my health. I’ve got nothing to hide, and I approach my health from a very proactive position. I also have a belief system that is integral to how I care for my health—I know that one day I am going to die, could be tomorrow, but for me to experience my life to the fullest today, I am quite certain that it requires me to care for my body as one of my most valuable assets. So I don’t obsess about “never getting sick,” I just treat my body like I love it, and I trust that it knows—through its innate intelligence–how to run my body, provided I treat it in the right ways. Simple.

So long-time readers of this blog will recall that I have high cholesterol. Have I ever been worried about it? No, never. Not even a little. In fact, I just had my annual physical in February. Once again, stellar health, thank you, thank you…athlete’s numbers…’cept I have high cholesterol.

If you’ve been following my story, you’ll recall that my doc (love him, bless his heart…and I mean that sincerely; he is the greatest) has, of course, recommended I go on statins. Now I’ve got my inner theories about it, regarding liability and stuff like that, but whatever…he knows I’m not going to take them. It’s simple: my HDL levels (“good” cholesterol) are above and beyond excellent. My total cholesterol to HDL ratio is at the “optimum” level. Ha ha ha…I’m in the absolute lowest risk category for heart disease: I’m not taking statins!

And my doctor knows this. I saw the perplexed look on his face when I pointed out those values to him (I guess that’s not the typical presentation of his high cholesterol patients). Shrugging it off, he still recommended the statins (and has every year for the last four). Sigh…

Okay, here’s the point of this piece: A recent study has shown that low levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, in the absence of cholesterol lowering medications, has a strong link to cancer. What?! That’s right, and although we’ve known of this link for a long time (30+ years), this study was the first ever look at the low LDL-cancer link over an extended period of time (~19 years), and only in patients with no history of taking cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The results showed a couple things. One, the link cannot be due to taking statins since all subjects were statin-free throughout the study, and two, low cholesterol cannot be a byproduct of the cancer itself, since low LDL levels were observed well before any preclinical signs of cancer were present. In other words, statins don’t cause cancer, and cancer doesn’t cause low cholesterol. That we know.

What we don’t know is what the connection is. Hmmm…. Well let me give it a try: I believe that the body has an internal wisdom, an Innate Intelligence, that directs its operation. I believe this system is flawless. The body knows what to do at all times, and provided with the right fuel (whole, natural foods), necessary movement, proper bodywork and tension relief, adequate rest, adequate hydration, full, deep abdominal breath and minimal toxins, it will continue to operate flawlessly until it expires (which it will also do flawlessly).

However, too many people do not observe the natural laws of health—they eat poorly, fail to exercise regularly, ignore bodywork until they are in so much pain they can’t stand it, get little rest, drink too many sodas and not enough water, breathe shallowly from their chest, and take multiple drugs and other toxins, and so, yeah…their Innate Intelligence get severely challenged and fatigued; or it can only do the minimum with the resources it is given and becomes overloaded.

Further, we have a medical science that believes its own limited observations are the whole to the puzzle, and it make erroneous conclusions based on this small, piece-wise information, and yet it still believes it knows how to run the body better than Mother Nature does. And then we find out later that there is, in fact, more to the puzzle. You don’t say…?

But taking all the above points into consideration: Somehow when LDL cholesterol is disrupted from one of its many functions—that is, when it’s in too low of concentration—leads to cell overgrowth or cancer. Thus, not that statins, by lowering cholesterol, will cause cancer, but instead, perhaps this medical campaign to reduce cholesterol at all costs is an erroneous one. Perhaps the body produces what it needs (cholesterol can be both endogenous [created within] and exogenous [recieved from without]), and putting everybody on statins, particularly those with stellar numbers in all other health measurements, is just plain foolish.

No medical doctor or pharmaceutical researcher will ever know human physiology better than the human body does. Why the arrogant medical scientific (?) machine believes that it understands what cholesterol levels should be better than the body does is completely perplexing to me. If we were simply talking about a few hundred thousand people on statins because they have super-dangerously high levels that puts them at severe risk of heart disease, then…okay, I would understand. But to have tens of millions of Americans on these useless and dangerous cholesterol lowering drugs is purely idiotic.

So once again I have to believe it all comes down to three things–money (pharmaceuticals), liability (doctors protecting their asses) and job protection (medical professionals making sure they do not become obsolete). That’s the reality behind the cholesterol-statin push in the western world. I’m sure that’s why my doctor recommends statins to me despite my excellent health, I’m sure it’s why statins are called “the best selling drugs of all time,” and I’m sure it will continue until the next blockbuster drug addressing normal physiology comes along to take it’s place. Shouldn’t be too far off—stay tuned.

Blockbuster Drug Cements Dominance

By On · Add Comment · In AMG 145, bad cholesterol, LDL, LDL receptor, negative regulator, Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
$ Cha-ching $

Read carefully:

“Monthly injections of an experimental drug from Amgen Inc slashed levels of cholesterol by up to an additional 66 percent in patients already taking statins, researchers said on Sunday, making it a potential strong rival to a similar drug being developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.”

That’s right, millions of you reading this will be taking this drug in the very near future. Or maybe it’s 2022, and you’ve been taking the drug for the last few years. Either way, AMG 145 will be the newest wave in the medical industry’s fight against cholesterol.

AMG 145 is a fully human monoclonal antibody to Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9), a negative regulator of the low-density lipoprotein receptor. A recent study shows AMG 145 reduces PCSK9 activity, a protein that reduces the liver’s ability to remove LDL or “bad” cholesterol from the blood. Less PCSK9 = more LDL removal by liver. AMG 145 is called a PCSK9 inhibitor.

The early phase 1 trial was conducted to test the safety of AMG 145. Researchers followed 51 patients who received a shot either once every two or four weeks. They found that some subjects, those already taking high dose statins (popular prescription cholesterol lowering drug), had an average of 63% reduction of their LDL levels. And those on a low dose statin regimen fared even better, with an average 66% reduction of LDLs.

Manufacturer Amgen is rather pleased with the results, and why not? A drug of this magnitude has the promise of dominating a market for ten plus years. I am certain that medical doctors, administrators, federal overseers and the mass medical marketing machine are also ecstatic, as this can darn-near guarantee a “good” decade for medical business interests. Industry analysts says PCSK9 inhibitors, if approved, could generate annual sales approaching $20 billion.

Although insiders caution that bigger trial are needed, they do hope a technicality can get AMG 145 through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hoops and approved for sale. A big question remaining is whether U.S. regulators would approve the drugs without first requiring major studies that evaluate long-term heart attack and stroke risk.

“That’s the subtle wrinkle here,” said Steven Nissen, head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic. He speculates that the FDA might be willing to approve them without such costly outcomes trials because statins were approved without them on the basis of their ability to lower cholesterol. Nice to know. 

Because both statins and the PCSK9 inhibitors, although different classes of medicines, exert their influence on the LDL receptor–a protein that carries LDL cholesterol through the bloodstream–Nissen thinks that it might be enough to construe a similarity argument, getting it passed through the FDA without necessitating additional testing. Just another day at the office for Big Pharma.

Well, I go back to my original point–be prepared for indoctrination into the newest era of bad cholesterol eradication. The PCSK9 inhibitors are here to stay. Watch them take the world by storm as the new medical blockbuster, all but cementing medicine’s dominance on the health care market. Coming to doctor’s office near you. Ten more years, ten more years…

American “Health” Booming

By On · Add Comment · In antidepressants, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dynamic Chiropractic, health care, medications, National Center for Health Statistics study, prescription drugs

I would love to share some interesting, if not telling, “health” statistics with you. Remember from an earlier post that most people in western society use the term health care to describe medical care, but I’ll let you decide how to define things. A big thank you to Don Petersen and Dynamic Chiropractic for alerting me to these numbers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics study published in September 2011, the percentage of Americans on prescription drugs in a given month has risen from 39.1 percent (1988-94) to 47.2 percent (2005-08). So nearly half of all Americans are on at least one prescription drug!

But wait! It gets better. In the U.S. as of 2008 (you can assume the numbers are even higher today), in any given month:

  • 20.8% of all people are on three or more prescription drugs.
  • 11 %  of all people are on five or more prescription drugs.
  • 25.3%  of children and teens (under the age of 18) are on at least one prescription drug.
  • 52.4%  of all women are on at least one prescription drug.
  • 90.1%  of seniors (ages 65 and older) are on at least one prescription drug.
  • 65%  of seniors are on three or more prescription drugs.
  • 36.7%  of seniors are on five or more prescription drugs.

Nice! And which drugs are Americans popping like Pez?

  • Children (under 12 years of age): asthma (5.7% of children are taking prescription drugs for this), asthma/allergies (3.9% of children), infections (3.7% of children).
  • Teens (ages 12-19): attention deficit disorder (6.1%), asthma (5.4%), antidepressants (4.8%).
  • Adults (ages 20-59): antidepressants (10.8%), pain relief (10.1%), cholesterol-lowering drugs (8.4%).
  • Seniors (60+ years): cholesterol-lowering drugs (44.9%), beta-blockers (26.4%), diuretics (19.9%).
But wait! It gets better. As Don Petersen points out in his article,

“Common over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen (paracetamol) have been found to increase the risk of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in children. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are associated with erectile dysfunction. Early antibiotic use increases the risk of asthma and allergies in children. Antidepressants are associated with an increased risk of stroke. For children and adolescents, 90 percent of office visits are ‘associated with unapproved usage of antidepressant medication.’

Finally, a recent study found that expectant mothers who take antidepressants within the year before their babies are born increase the likelihood that the babies will be born with autism. The study found that the risk of a baby being born autistic more than doubled if the mother took antidepressants within a year of the child’s birth. For those mothers who took antidepressants during their first trimester of pregnancy, their babies were almost four times more likely to be born autistic compared to babies of mothers who did not take antidepressants.”

A couple of thoughts before directing you to Don Petersen’s Dynamic Chiropractic video explaining these recent findings. First, let me address the bright side: There are still ~10% of older Americans  (ages 65 and older) on NO drugs! That’s a darn-near miracle considering the massive pressure older people are on to take medications from their doctors, the mass media propaganda, and the inevitable aches, pains and illnesses they encounter (like we all do).

Second, although about half of all Americans are on one medication or another, half are not. Yes, I believe that medications are useful and necessary under certain circumstances, but these numbers tell me that either Americans are sicker than ever before in history (a distinct possibility considering the foods they routinely eat, the amount of soda they ingest, and how many drugs they currently take), OR they are just so indoctrinated by the the medical “health” paradigm that to the American psyche this is health.

In any case, 50% of all Americans are drug free in any given month, so they are experiencing, and hopefully, caring for their health. I guess in today’s pharmaceutical climate that’s something to be grateful for. Watch the video below to get more of an understanding on the current medication stats–forgive me, health stats–for Americans in 2012.

Exotic Insect Delicacies of the Future (Not for the Squeamish)

By On · Add Comment · In Explorers Club, food, Gene Rurka, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Tasmanian leatherwood honey
How do Madagascar hissing cockroaches soaked in whiskey with a hint of citrus sound as an appetizer? Python patties with applewood smoked bacon? How about stir-fried jellyfish, or scorpions, or alligator; how about kangaroo?

One NY chef thinks this is the food of the future. And why not? As the planet’s resources dwindle beneath the pressures of an ever-booming population, we may be forced to dine on these arthropodic–and other exotic–delicacies.

Chef Gene Rurka is serving just these dishes at the famed Explorers Club annual dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City tonight. The black-tie affair hosts world explorers, modern-day adventurers and their wealthy patrons. More than a few guests have climbed Mount Everest, walked on the moon, and visited the deepest depths of the ocean–a small entrance requirement necessary to indulge in tarantula fritters.

Rurka believes his dishes represent the food of the future. He points out that not only may it become a future necessity, but that insects and other exotic fare are already common foods in many cultures. True that.

And chef believes that it’s all in the presentation anyway. He uses a distinct method to ensure that the roaches look alive as they are served, by freezing them to death; then he soaks them in whiskey to bring them back to room temperature. He then injects them with Tasmanian leatherwood honey and a bit of soy sauce for a sweet-salty kick. Nice.


Hey, who can argue with that? Watch the video below to enjoy some of chef Rurka’s concoctions. I especially enjoy the woman who proclaims, “I just had the pork testicles, cooked in blood.” Right. Bon Appetit.

Los Angeles Chiropractic: Rectus Abdominus Exercises for Core Strength

By On · Add Comment · In abdominal core, abdominal crunches, low back pain, low back stretches, martial arts, MMA fighting, plank pose, ripped abs, six-pack abs, Ultimate Fighting

We’ve been talking a lot about low back pain, and I’ve showed you some great stretches that might help relieve your low back pain, particularly if the source is muscular. Tight low back muscles can be a major, if not the primary, source of low back pain. But sometimes tight low back muscles are only part of the equation–the muscles of the abdominal core may also be weak, causing instability of the lower back and pelvic regions.

I have showed you a fantastic exercise to strengthen the core called plank pose, and for overall firming and stability it can’t be beat. However, the rectus abdominus muscles are also important, especially for athletes. These abdominal muscles are the ones most hardcore exercisers strive to develop; they are the six-pack of ripped abs fame.

Aside from the aesthetics, however, having strong rectus abdominus muscles are important posturally, and they help maintain the integrity of the internal organs by keeping them fixed firmly in the abdominal cavity. But as muscles of movement, the rectus abdominus flexes the torso–that is, they bring the chest toward the pelvis or vice versa, depending on which end is fixed (or both toward one another if neither end fixed)

How is this important to athletes? Anytime one needs to get up off the ground–as in MMA fighting, wrestling, Ultimate Fighting (PrideFC) or any other martial arts competition–the rectus abdominus is involved. As an endurance muscle, a weak rectus abdominus can fatigue leaving you unable to get up. Think body blows in any fight game. The idea is to wind the opponent. Because the rectus abdominus also assists in breathing, particularly when winded, you can see how important it is for these muscles to be fit.

In the video below, I demonstrate the best exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles. It’s a standard crunch, but with a few critical nuances. Everybody and their mother knows how to do one version or another of the crunch, but so many are rife with biomechanical faults that I encourage you to watch below and refine your crunches–you’ll get the most out of the exercise if you follow the details I demonstrate. You will need to master these two movements–the abdominal hollow and the pelvic tilt–before you start, so give them each up to a week of practice (depending on your fitness level) before starting on the crunches. And then enjoy.

Cutting-Edge Sportswear Improves Posture, Performance and Healing

By On · Add Comment · In Intelliskin PostureCue Performance Apparel, low back pain, martial arts, muscular imbalances, posture, rotator cuff, sports bra, sports chiropractor, sports injuries, sportswear

I love this product: Intelliskin PostureCue Performance Apparel is sportswear that improves posture and athletic performance by positioning your frame into the most biomechanically correct alignment. As a result, your body has a greater chance to heal from injuries, and it develops in proper accordance with your specific sport. Now that’s something to get excited about.

I’ve got the Intelliskin Foundation 2.0 shirt and have been wearing it during my martial arts training. Because I had tweaked my shoulder (subscapularis of the rotator cuff) about a month ago, and it really seemed to be responding slowly, I was merely going through the motions in class. But I finally got smart and donned my Intelliskin Foundation 2.0 shirt and…booyah!…I started seeing amazing results. Here’s how it works:

The shirt is made of 56% nylon and 46% Lycra and is a compression fabric, so it fits snugly, but also expands elastically. It has posture panels, which are strips of material perfectly positioned to pull your shoulders back and expand your chest. The panels are oriented in in specific patterns, similar to the sports taping techniques, developer and designer, Dr. Tim Brown, a sports chiropractor, specializes in.

The shirt design works because it places the body in the correct biomechanical posture–shoulders back, chest expanded, core tightened and compressed. Postural misalignments and muscular imbalances are what often cause overuse injuries–shoulder impingements, chronic neck pain and tightness, and even low back pain–so by helping the body structurally, and neurologically, the Intelliskin PostureCue Performance Apparel helps decrease injuries. But even better, by helping correct the dysfunctions, current injuries do not get exacerbated, and the body can go through an uninterrupted healing process.

Sports chiropractors like myself know how difficult it is to keep athletes from playing through injuries. As a weekend warrior myself, I am no different from your average jock–I’ll only sit for so long. That’s why the Intelliskin was great for me, because I am going to do something…anything…as it’s my way of life. The Foundation 2.0 shirt helps my mechanics when I throw punches or any other upper body movement.

Interestingly, when I first started wearing the shirt I noticed that I’d fatigue earlier, which means I was using muscles that had gotten lazy leading to muscular imbalance. The beauty is that the small stabilizer muscles needing to work during my sport were engaged, fatiguing earlier, yes, but developing along the way. This means the fatigue will not last long as the muscles become conditioned. The increased heat takes a little getting used to, but as the body is the great adapter, it will over time.

Like I said, I love this product. And I recommend it for athletes or anybody trying to heal an injury. Intelliskin has women’s products as well, including a sports bra; and it has its LC-1 Reactivator shorts for lower back and pelvic stability. Check out Intelliskin and get your shirts, shorts and sports bras today–you’ll play longer, and better, in Intelliskin.

Coke and Pepsi to Remove Cancer Causing Ingredient

By On · Add Comment · In 4-MEI, anti-cancerous, birth defects, California, carcinogen, Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo, Proposition 65, sodas, soft drinks

No secret that I am anti-soft drinks. Funny because I am not much anti-anything, believe it or not. But I don’t like sodas–not for me, not for my children, and not for others. It’s garbage. Liquid sugar. No nutritional value whatsoever. Ten teaspoons of sugar per can…need I go on?

Well, it appears as if Coke and Pepsi also contain a cancer causing ingredient, one that I know at least I was unaware of, called 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), a major component of the caramel coloring the sodas sports.

According to recent statements, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have decided to lower the amount of 4-MEI in their soft drinks to comply with California standards that relate to findings that high levels of the chemical are shown to cause cancer in laboratory rats. Nice.

Not that either company actually cares about the health and safety of their customers, but they would have had to place a warning label on their liquid sugar product which discloses that it contains a known carcinogen. And what do you think that might have done to sales?

Both companies are probably resting assuredly that very few of their addicted consumers will ever find out about the cancer causing agent that has been a part of their drinks for decades. Indeed both companies assure shareholders that the changes will go unnoticed by addicts (and those not reading this blog).

“We are NOT changing our recipe; or our formula,” Coca-Cola Company spokesman Ben Sheidler told AFP in an email. No just the toxic coloring. Bravo liquid sugar manufacturers.

“What we did do is direct our caramel suppliers to make a manufacturing process modification in order to reduce the level of 4-MEI in our caramel so as to meet the requirement set by the state of California’s Proposition 65.”

California voters passed Proposition 65 in 1986, and the law aims to protect state residents from “chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, and to inform citizens about exposures to such chemicals.” 4-MEI was listed as a known carcinogen under Prop 65 in 2011.
Now mind you, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo deny any health risk whatsoever, despite their products containing up to five times more 4-MEI than California standards. And not without a fight: The companies actually lost a battle against the state of California that dragged on for three years. The soda manufacturer’s argument: Trace amounts of 4-MEI are not sufficient to cause cancer in people. 
So let me get this straight. California has found 4-MEI–a compound used as caramel coloring, not just in soda but in soy sauce, coffee, bread, molasses, gravy and some beers–to be a carcinogen. And these companies have wasted time and money fighting on the grounds that, “It’s just a little cancer causing…and only in lab rats.” Yes, rats are always catching cancer in the lab…dumb rodents. That has nothing to do with you or me. 
Listen up liquid sugar pushers: You know damn well that if the public ever found out that you have a known carcinogen in your product, even if in just trace amounts, not one person would buy it. Not one. That’s why you caved in, because you would have been forced to label it, and there’d go your cash cow. 
Like I’ve said before, I’m a capitalist to the core, but providing a product that has a questionable ingredient, and then trying to be deceitful about it–and that’s what non-disclosure is, deceitful–is atrocious. You can minimize the issue all you want to, but you know that justice is often carried out in the marketplace. And your response speaks volumes.

My Message

By On · Add Comment · In cultural authority, emergency room, good health, health care costs, health insurance, health paradigm, medical doctors, modern medicine, wellness, western medicine, World Health Organization (WHO)
Been getting lots of flak on a recent post about health care costs, and you know how much I love that. But one thing that comes up time and again, because people just can’t seem to see past the political brainwashing, is that my message is NOT about whether people should have, get, or pay (or not pay) for health insurance. No, that’s what the politicians talk about…that’s not my message.

My message is this: Health comes from within. It’s what you do for your body, regularly, that determines whether you will experience wellness or not. Absolutely no medicine will give you health. No organ removal will give you health. Either one may help you get over a hump, but none will provide you with health–only YOU can do that.

The western medical system is necessary for, and outstanding at, saving lives–it’s crisis care, or more aptly, sick care. As far as saving lives goes, nothing is better then western medicine. But let’s not mistake that for health. The reality is that the medical system has been the dominant system for over a century; and in its desire to protect the public (and retain full and absolute power economically, politically and as the cultural authority), it has infused its sick-care paradigm into every facet of the cultural psyche. The predominant view of “health care” is of going to the doctor for a check-up and then getting medication.

Except for one little problem: What medical doctors provide for the public has nothing to do with good health. Now let me explain, because certainly, saving lives preserves health in the most fundamental sense. Yes, I will give you that. But is health merely the absence of illness or disease? No! No logical person believes that today. In fact the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition is just that:

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Duh.

Worse yet, we see now how irresponsible use and/or overuse of the medical system actually makes people sicker. Why the hell are people fighting for more of that? Everybody in the U.S. has access to emergency care, so nobody is ever left out in the street to die because they have no medical insurance–nobody.

Do not fool yourself into thinking that the current health care debates are about that. Nobody gets turned away from crisis care. No, what some people and politicians are so desperately fighting for is for medical care to continue as the predominant form of “health care”, beyond crisis care, in illness or in health.

And the medical industry sits well in the paradigm it has created, with many people never really thinking about their health until it goes awry.

It’s the I-can-neglect-my-health-and-then-be-saved-by-medical-care syndrome; the “just give me the statins, it’s too hard to change my lifestyle” mentality; the “I just can’t get myself to exercise and change my diet, so I think I’ll get a stomach staple” way of thinking, just perfect for the elective-c-section,-run-to the-doctor-for-every-sniffle,-and-undergo-multiple-cosmetic-enhancements crowd.

Yes, today’s medical care has very little to do with health–it’s the sickness paradigm imposed onto the public perceptions of health. And you wonder why the U.S. ranks so poorly in health status for a developed nation that spends a large portion of its economy of medical care? Duh.

No, medical care ain’t health care–it’s sick care. And it’s foolish to so adamantly demand it as an inalienable right. You want the drug addiction and the poor health that comes along with the reliance on modern medicine and it’s prehistoric “health” paradigm? Then be my guest. But not me…I’ll take my chances taking care of my health. And if I have a crisis, well I know the best place to go, insurance or not.

West Hollywood Chiropractic: Lower Back Pain Stretches

By On · Add Comment · In chiropractic adjustment, failed low back surgery, low back pain, low back stretches, quadratus lumborum (QL), West Hollywood sports chiropractor

I’ve recently shown you a great beginners stretch for the quadratus lumborum (QL), which is an oft overlooked cause of low back pain. When this muscle gets tight it can mimic some of the more severe causes of low back pain, and thus many experts, myself included, believe that a number of “failed low back surgeries” might be due to conditions of the QLs. So what to do?

First, it’s crucial that you visit a sports chiropractor. If you are in West Hollywood, you can call my chiropractic office, and I will evaluate the source of your low back pain. You may need a chiropractic adjustment to your lumbar spine, sacrum or pelvis, as each is factor contributing to low back pain. And if your QLs are tight, then you will need to stretch.

Watch the beginners’ QL stretch video here, and if you do not feel like you are getting a sufficient stretch, then try the more advanced low back pain stretches that I demonstrate in the video below. Remember that the QLs are for side bending among other actions, so the advanced stretch is essentially a side bender. Be mindful of your form, as is true with all exercises and stretches, and remember to roll your body back slightly as you stretch, and you should get great results.

Low back pain is never fun, but what complicates things and makes it harder to get relief is not understanding the source of the pain. So, again, get in to see your West Hollywood sports chiropractor for your low back pain relief, exercises and stretches right away. That’s the best way to get back on your feet quickly and feeling good again.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.