No Money in Prevention
I have been recommending a wide variety of dietary
supplements to my patients for the past 18 years. Needless to say,
this is not the
norm for physicians. The medical establishment as a whole is treatment driven rather the prevention driven. There is much more profit in treating illness and disease
rather than preventing it. As a matter of fact, the healthcare industry,
including the American Medical Association (AMA), medical schools,
hospitals, research institutions and drug manufacturers, have made a concerted effort to
obfuscate the truth about health supplements and their intrinsic value.
What little legitimate research and data, detailing the benefits of
supplementation, that actually reaches the general public is quickly dismissed by the medical community as being
"unsubstantiated" or "preliminary." Whenever I relate to a colleague a
patient's recovery from a chronic condition by simply adjusting their diet
and prescribing the appropriate health
supplements, I often become the recipient of an incredulous laugh or
sarcastic comment. At best, I am summarily dismissed with any one of a
number of explanations to contradict what I know to be empirical evidence of
successful treatment. Supplements can neither treat nor prevent any
serious illness or disease according to the vast majority of healthcare
providers.
"Only highly trained medical professionals are able to
successfully treat chronic illnesses." This is the mantra of the
traditional medical community. The most disturbing aspect of this attitude
is that medical students receive little or no education regarding nutrition,
dietary supplements or any alternative treatments. There is no
curriculum that includes preventative medicine. Similarly, physicians
do not augment their education with post-doctoral fellowships in nutrition
or alternative treatment research. Additional education or training in
this area is non-existent. Again, the primary motivating factor is not
the patient's health and well being, it is treatment. The healthcare
system is reactive, not proactive, to such an extent that physicians do not
recognize they are, in part, responsible for their patients' poor health.
Physicians wait for symptoms, diagnose the symptoms and then attempt to
treat the condition. A more pragmatic and cost-effective approach
would be to administer healthcare systemically and organically.
Ignoring the importance of preventative medicine contributes to the astronomical cost of healthcare
in this country, along with Medicaid/Medicare, frivolous lawsuits and
unlimited tort awards. For all these reasons, the average person is
woefully misinformed about the benefits that proper nutrition and quality health
supplements offer.
Quantifiable Results
Proper nutrition and regular exercise is the cornerstone of any effective
health maintenance program. Again, most people do not appreciate the
tremendous impact their diet has on their overall health and longevity.
There are countless illnesses and diseases that are directly attributable to
vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies. It is crucial for one to learn about the nutrients contained in food
eaten (vitamins, minerals,
amino acids, antioxidants, etc.). The only way to accomplish this is to
read. There is far too much data to impart to
be sufficiently addressed in this article. The Internet is probably the best and easiest
venue for obtaining this type of material. The following are excellent
sources of health and nutrition-related information:
For a nutritionally sound-eating plan, refer to my
"Eating for Health, Happiness and Successful Weight Control" or, for a more structured diet, consider WebMD's weight loss program,
which I highly recommend.
Unfortunately, even the healthiest of diets will be somewhat nutritionally
deficient due to processing, cooking, and mineral deficient soil. Many
food-processing methods, such as pasteurization, destroy essential
nutrients necessary for good health. Cooking food also removes many
nutritional elements. For decades, our farming soil has been virtually
devoid of the 74 minerals necessary to sustain life (see Government
Reports). Consequently, no matter how much healthful food we
eat, without supplementation we are still "starving" for nutrients. Therefore, as part of a comprehensive health maintenance regimen, I
recommend that all my patients take a high-quality multivitamin (ingredients
will differ for men and women), an absorbable mineral complex (either
colloidal or an above-sea coral mineral), a digestion enzyme complex, CoEnzyme Q10, an omega EFA group,
methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM), chondroitin, colostrum and an immune system support supplement (as such
beta-1,3D glucan). It is important to note, however, supplements do
not replace healthful food. Their function is exactly as their name,
"dietary supplements." Patients that have incorporated a varied,
healthful diet coupled with a consistent supplementation program report
notably fewer ailments, with the exception of pre-existing conditions.
For patients with pre-existing conditions or new patients with
previously undiagnosed conditions, I will, in many cases, prescribe
additional supplements based on:
- Dietary deficiency that may be causing the
condition
- Case history
- Medical profile
- Symptomology
- Test results
I consider pharmaceuticals a second tier modality
and surgery and/or hospitalization a final option unless otherwise
indicated. Connective tissue and bone ailments are most easily treated
with supplements and have the most dramatic results. Vitamin K1,
silica, chrondoitin, MSM, minerals, collagen and elastin are all elements
that will facilitate connective tissue and bone (joint) ailment recovery.
I could cite a litany of conditions that were markedly improved.
Suffice to say, there have been very few patients, whether their condition(s)
were minor or
chronic, who did not realize at least some relief after taking the
recommended supplements for an appropriate period of time. To their pleasant
surprise, many patients also experience unexpected ancillary health improvements
beyond that of the targeted condition.
Although I have not
methodically tracked the recovery success rate, I feel confident in
reporting that a significant percentage of my patients have responded well
to a nutrition modality. To the extent that the use of more traditional
modalities were not required.
Dogs Don't Lie
As previously presented, the aforementioned results would routinely be
disregarded as valid by fellow physicians. A common peer response is that the
patient believed there had improvement therefore, the symptoms were being
ignored or psychologically "masked." I wish to relate two cases that
will dispel this contention by presenting definitive evidence that proper
nutrition and dietary supplements can heal.
I am the proud owner of
two, 13 year old, Bichon-mix dogs, both of whom have had serious conditions.
One dog, Mac, had contracted Lyme Disease which I believe went undetected
and undiagnosed for many months due to Mac's stoic nature. Mac's symptoms included severe pain
throughout his body, loss of appetite and an unwillingness to move.
Once his condition had been diagnosed by his veterinarian, Mac was placed
on an antibiotic therapy (Doxycycline). After the antibiotic therapy
had been completed, Mac's symptoms subsided for the next six months.
Thereafter, the symptoms returned with the same intensity as prior to the
Lyme Disease diagnosis. Mac was again placed on Doxycycline. The
six month cycle of reoccurring symptoms and subsequent treatment continued for nearly
two years. Why it had not occurred to me to begin treating Mac as I
would any one of my other patients, I will never know. Fortunately for
Mac, I finally did take control of his treatment and initiated a
daily all-natural supplement therapy that included a multivitamin, beta-1,3D glucan,
Coral Calcium, and colostrum. I also
feed him a higher quality raw dog food along with "healthful raw human food" snacks.
For the past two years, Mac not only has been symptom-free of Lyme Disease,
he has increased energy levels.
Several months after Mac's first reoccurrence of Lyme Disease, my other dog,
Pooh, had developed severe neck and back pain caused by the degeneration of
multiple discs within his spinal column. This condition is endemic to
the breed. His discs had deteriorated to the point were Pooh was
unable to move and cried out whenever touched. Our veterinarian's
initial therapy was to confine Pooh in a small cage in order to restrict his
movement. The objective was to relieve pressure on the discs through
forced inactivity. The therapy produced minimal results. The
veterinarian's only other recommendation was to remove the deteriorated
discs and fuse the corresponding vertebrae. Not wanting to subject
Pooh to this surgery and essentially eliminate any chance for a normal life, I placed him on a daily all-natural supplement
therapy. The therapy consisted of a multivitamin, Coral Calcium,
Joint-EZ (joint support formula), MSM and Genacol (collagen replacement).
Within two months, Pooh was pain-free and remains so one year later.
He also exhibits increased energy
and has regained the puppy-like qualities that I had not observed in him for
many years.
Although I consider Mac and Pooh to be extremely intelligent dogs, they
certainly have no concept of disease or even the source of their pain.
Additionally, they are unaware of the contents of food or that they are
being fed supplements. Their recovery can only be attributed to their
new diet and supplement therapy. Absolutely no other adjustments were
made to their daily routines. I know of no better testimonial to a
successful treatment than the happy (pain-free) faces of my two friends.
I only wish I had realized that dogs also require proper nutrition to
maintain a long and healthy life.
Take Responsibility for Your Health
As a patient, you should always
secure a second opinion. But do not stop there. Physicians should not be your sole source of health-related
information. The Internet is a phenomenal resource for medical
research, clinical studies, alternative treatments and all healthcare products and services.
Educate yourself; it may save your life!
