I frequently get asked by my patients, “Should I take the shingles vaccine?” Shingles is a consequence of the chicken pox virus which becomes reactivated and causes a rash. Associated with the rash can be a painful condition called postherpetic neuralgia. A vaccine that avoids the onset of postherpetic neuralgia would be a worthy item.
I just returned from a lecture where I was teaching doctors about bioidentical hormones. I presented the data on the Women’s Health Initiative and I was thinking about the results of this study on the flight home. I thought I would share some of these thoughts with you. The Women’s Health Initiative was a large
Should you get x-rays at the dentist? Dentists will tell you that x-rays are necessary for diagnosing cavities at an early stage, before a tooth is severely injured. All x-rays have risk; they damage our genetic material, the DNA. Do dental X-rays cause thyroid problems? A recent report in Acta Oncologica found a direct correlation
I probably do not have to tell you that, as compared to ten years ago, young girls are reaching puberty at a much earlier age. It is readily apparent to any parent of a teenage girl. A study found that breast development began at an average age of nine years and ten months in a
My daughter, Jessica, recently asked me why she wasn’t vaccinated with the HPV vaccine (Gardisil). Jessi told me all her friends have received the vaccine. I told her that there were two major reasons that I felt were important enough to not let her get this vaccine. Number one (the most important one), this vaccine
In my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do, I wrote, “You can’t poison a crucial enzyme or block an important receptor for the long-term and expect a good result.” This statement has led many to criticize me. However, as more and more research comes out about the toxicity of drugs I
Independent researchers (Cochrane Collaboration) have reported that tens of thousands of women who regularly get mammograms are wrongly told that they have cancer and undergo many unnecessary treatments and surgeries. The Cochrane Collaboration is an international network of people helping healthcare providers, policy makers, patients, their advocates make well-informed decisions about human health care. I
I am frequently asked by my patients if they need to detox. Unfortunately, the answer for all of us is a resounding “yes”. We live in a polluted environment. We are exposed to an ever increasing amount of toxic chemicals. One class of toxic items is known as ‘persistent organic pollutants’ (POPs). These are a
I receive letters weekly (sometimes daily) from Big Pharma Cartel promoting their newest drugs. This weeks announcement stated, “Acorda Therapeutics is pleased to announce the availability of AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release 10mg tablets. AMPYRA is the first in new class of approved multiple sclerosis agents indicated as a treatment to improve walking in patients with
Sometimes, I feel like we are living in the movie, Alice in Wonderland, where up is down and down is up. The article in USA Today (4.30.2010) is titled, “Breakthrough cancer therapy is a go-for $93K.” Last week, the FDA approved the first vaccine to treat prostate cancer. The vaccine is named Provenge and costs