2010.08.02 14:17:05

paul.varnas

We hear a lot about depression and antidepressants. Antidepressants are among the most frequently prescribed medications in the United States, accounting for approximately 14% of the total US outpatient pharmacy costs in 2000, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management. More than 164 million prescriptions were written in 2008 for antidepressants, totaling $9.6 billion in U.S. sales, according to IMS Health. In the decade between 1996 and 2005 the use of antidepressants doubled, going from 13 million patients using the medication to 27 million patients.
Without making comment on the value of the drug therapy, it may be a good idea to come up with some natural strategies that can improve your mood.

1. Smile and look up: Try this little exercise. Look up, pointing your eyes upward and your head slightly elevated. While looking up, put a big grin on your face. While you are doing that, try to feel depressed--you can't. Everyone knows that when you are tired or depressed it shows in your posture and in your facial expression. It is also true that your posture and your facial expression can help to determine your mood. One of the really innovative treatments for depression is Botox. The doctor injects it into the facial muscles--particularly the ones involved with frowning or stress. The muscles become paralyzed and the patient's mood improves. By learning to control your posture and your facial expression, you can improve your mood. Several times each day, stand straight, with your shoulders back, look up and SMILE.
2. Breathe: Just as posture and facial expression can affect your mood, so can shallow breathing. If you do not breathe deeply enough, your tissues do not become well oxygenated. Try the following breathing exercise and see how much it improves your mood and energizes you. Inhale slowly through your nose and count to yourself. When your lungs are full, hold your breath and count, reaching a number that is twice as high as the first count (if you count to 10 breathing in, hold your breath for a count of 20). Exhale very slowly, and count to a number that is four times the number reached during the original inhale (if you count to 10 while inhaling, then count to 40 while exhaling). Repeat this 10 times and see how much better you feel.
3. Move: There have been several scientific studies that show exercise outperforming antidepressants for patients suffering with mild to moderate depression. Much of this research is posted on www.wholehealthweb.com. You don't have to do heavy workouts; just be active. Go for a walk, shoot some baskets, or ride a bicycle.
4. Change your "oil": The kind of oils and fats in your diet have a huge effect on your nervous system. There are many studies that show that taking omega-3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA help with a variety of conditions including depression, anxiety and ADHD. Find a practitioner at www.wholehealthweb.com and ask him or her what kind of essential fatty acids you should be taking. Similarly, there are oils and fats that you should strictly avoid. You don't necessarily want to go on a low-fat diet, but you do want to avoid hydrogenated (and partially hydrogenated) oils and trans fats.
5. Smell a pleasant aroma: The olfactory nerve (the nerve that enables you to have a sense of smell) is literally an extension of your brain. There are studies that show that certain aromas can affect blood circulation, the nervous system and the endocrine system. Some practitioners use scented oils therapeutically--and there is research to back this up. One study showed that patients who smelled lavender before having dental work, experienced less anxiety than patients who were not given the opportunity to smell the essential oil. You can purchase lavender oil and place a tiny drop under your nose.
6. Watch what you say to yourself: We all have an internal dialog. What kinds of things do you say to yourself? Do you focus on positive things, or on negative things? Slowly wean yourself away from negative thoughts. The questions we ask ourselves are very powerful and you should be careful how you phrase them. If something is not right in your life, your internal dialog can help you find solutions rather than just feel bad about the problem. If you are out of work, for instance, you may be tempted to say to yourself, "Why can't I find a job?" Your mind is very powerful and will find answers for you. You will get answers like: "You are too old", "Your skills are out of date" and so on. If you phrase the question differently, your mind can actually go to work on solutions. Ask this question instead, "How can I earn enough money to support myself and my family." Your mind will go to work on the solution--and you will feel better than you did when you were asking the negative question. You could even challenge your mind a little and ask the question, "How can I get rich?" Do a little mental house cleaning. Change your internal dialog, ask better questions and see how MUCH BETTER you feel.
7. Create an anchor: An anchor is like a stimulus response. When Pavlov's dog heard the dinner bell and expected food, the bell was an anchor. If you hear a song that makes you remember an emotional time in your life, that song is an anchor. You can create anchors in a systematic way, to create states, emotions and feelings that you want to feel when you choose to feel them. For example, if you want to create confidence at a moment's notice, create an anchor. Remember a specific time when you felt confidence and/or can you fully associate to the confidence. Breathe the way you breathe when you are totally confident. Say what you say to yourself when you are totally confident. Double those feelings. Triple those feelings. Use your senses of sight, sound and feeling to recreate that confidence. When you are totally, completely in a state of confidence, make a fist with your right hand, squeezing it tight. Later, when you want to feel confident, squeeze your fist in exactly the same way you did during the exercise. We have an anchoring exercise at www.wholehealthweb.com. You can listen to the recording and create positive anchors for yourself. The exercise is on the front page with the MP3 files. It is entitled "How to Change Your State of Mind". Here is the link: How to Change Your State of Mind

2010.04.12 13:50:56

paul.varnas

The Union of Concerned Scientists surveyed 5,918 scientists at the FDA to examine the state of science there. The survey featured one essay question that allowed the scientists to provide a written narrative. Of the 997 FDA scientists that responded to the essay question, 20% stated that they had been asked, “…for nonscientific reasons, to inappropriately exclude or alter technical information or their conclusions in an FDA scientific document.” More than 40% feared retaliation if they expressed safety concerns in public.

There was a great deal of concern about political appointees influencing FDA actions; 61% of the scientists knew of instances when an FDA or HHS political appointee had inappropriately entered into FDA determinations or actions. Commercial interests also influence the FDA’s actions, 60% of the respondents knew of cases where “commercial interests have inappropriately induced or attempted to induce the reversal, withdrawal, or modification of FDA determinations or actions.”

The abuses of science at the FDA have very real consequences. A few instances of this abuse are posted on the website for the Union of Concerned Scientists. In February 2004, the FDA prevented Dr. Andrew Mosholder, one of its top experts from testifying at a public hearing addressing the potential risk of increased suicide rates in children taking antidepressants. The FDA forced Dr. Mosholder to remove information about the risks of antidepressants from records he was submitting to Congress—and to conceal the deletions, according to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

In April 2001 an FDA panel recommended to approve the antibiotic Ketek. The study of the drug was later found to be fraudulent. Doctors were receiving $400 for each patient that they enrolled into the study. Signatures and patient information were forged; 90% of the subjects at one location did not receive the drug. Even after the Annals of Internal Medicine wrote about serious liver problems caused by the drug, the FDA continued to cite the study. The FDA stated that “based on the pre-marketing clinical data it appeared that the risk of liver injury with Ketek was similar to that of other marketed antibiotics.”

The Office of Drug Safety (ODS) found 110 cases of liver problems between the release of the drug in 2004 and 2006—including liver failure and four deaths. ODS found that Ketek caused liver failure four times more frequently than other antibiotics and recommended that the FDA withdraw the drug from the market. In spite of these problems, the FDA allowed pediatric trials of Ketek to take place. The drug was given to children as young as six months old. The FDA ignored congressional requests for files, a briefing, and interviews with agents investigating this matter.

Dr. David Graham, associate science director of the Office of Drug Safety at the FDA alleges that FDA officials tried to suppress and delay the results of his work that came to the conclusion that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attack and stroke. According to Dr. Graham, the FDA was “virtually incapable of protecting America”. He also states that, “…the review and clearance process had been turned into a battleground, full of contention and intimidation because our managers, the people who fill out our performance evaluations, had created a system where it was taking a great risk to stand firm in our scientific beliefs.” His study indicates that between 88,000 and 139,000 people have had heart attacks or strokes and about 55,000 people have died because of Vioxx.

The FDA has a history of distorting scientific information, intimidation of employees and covering up its activities. How are we able to rely on any information that comes from an agency this corrupt?

 

Information obtained from www.ucsusa.org

2010.04.11 13:02:33

paul.varnas

Health care costs in the United States exceed $2 trillion per year, which represents more than 15% of our GDP. Most industrialized nations only spend about 10% of their GDP on health care. The US ranks 15th out of 19 nations with regard to preventable deaths. It is estimated that 115 per 100,000 people die who would have survived if timely and appropriate medical care was administered. France scored highest in this category, with only 75 deaths per 100,000. The US ranks last in infant mortality, with 7 deaths per 1,000 births. The top three countries have 2.7 deaths per 1,000 births—less than half our number. We are at the bottom of the list in life expectancy. American children miss more school for illness than the children from the other industrialized nations. Fewer than half of American adults receive the recommended screening tests appropriate for their age and sex. Preventable hospital admissions for chronically ill patients (e.g.; those with asthma or diabetes) were twice as high compared to the nations at the top of the list. The rate of readmission of Medicare patients ranges from 14-22%.
We spend more on health care and we get much less than other industrialized nations. More utilization of natural health care would reduce this bill. For example, there are a number of studies that demonstrate that asthmatics will have fewer attacks and fewer hospitalizations if they eat a diet that is high in fresh produce and essential fatty acids. Studies have also shown that supplementation with antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium have all benefited patients with asthma. Such recommendations are not given in medical offices. The reasons given ignoring natural health care include, the studies are too small and inconclusive, a cure has not been proven, and "vitamins don't cure disease".
Treatments for diseases are usually singular: we give Ritalin to children with ADD and ADHD--not essential fatty acids, exercise, or a diet that is free of sugar and additives. We don't even augment the drug therapy with natural approaches that are researched and show promise. Large follow-up studies are usually not performed to "prove" the efficacy of the natural treatments. Even though natural health care treatments are low-risk and high-gain; doctors tend to want them to be proven by large studies.
The drug companies buy ads in the medical research journals, they also endow medical schools with money and they sponsor post-graduate education for doctors. They don't necessarily have to suppress any research (although that has been done in the past). What they have been able to do is create this single treatment paradigm--it is an approach favors drug therapies. Doctors don't give vitamin C and fish oil to asthmatics--even if it would improve the health of these patients. It is not a "cure", but it does improve symptoms and reduce hospitalizations. They have been taught not to do this--their entire education, from medical school to the grave, is influenced by the drug companies. CoQ10 can help prevent heart attacks, there are supplements that can speed recovery from surgery and shorten hospital stays, and there are many other natural health approaches that can cut our medical costs. Unfortunately they are largely ignored by the medical community. Supplementation does not fit their paradigm.

2009.10.20 14:08:16

paul.varnas

In sixth grade science class we were told that it was impossible for a bumble bee to fly, according to all of the knowledge available in aerodynamics at the time. When you measured the size of the bumble bee’s wings, computed the speed of the wings and weighed the bumble bee, mathematically it was impossible for the creature to fly.
I knew an old chiropractor who was fond of saying that there were two kinds of people in the world, researchers and bumble bee watchers. There was not much research proving that he, as a chiropractor, could make asthmatics better. Yet his office was full of asthmatics that had gotten better. He would say, “I don’t pay much attention to science; I watch bumble bees.”
It turns out that after some advances in high speed photography new calculations were able to be made. Scientists were able to see that the wings of the bumble bee fill up like a parachute on the down stroke—greatly increasing the surface area of the wing. They were able to plug the new surface area into the calculations and declared that the bumble bee could indeed fly—much to the relief of bumble bees all around the planet.
Working in natural health care is an exercise in following research and looking at bumble bees. In asthma, for example, there is a fair amount of research that shows that a good diet, antioxidants, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids can all help improve symptoms. Many of us are getting results with giving betaine HCl, improving digestion, adrenal support and chiropractic adjustments, even though there is not a lot of research to support it.
My friends who are locked into the medical model are fond of saying things like, “The research just isn’t there; you really need to be more scientific.” That statement is often enough to make many of us feel that we are somehow less than our medical brethren. We shouldn’t feel that way; much of medicine is not very scientific. I usually just respond, “I will if you will.”
Most of the medical journals sell ads to drug companies, so you are not going to see a lot of research that says natural health care is good and drugs are dangerous. Take statins, for example. Statin medication is a $25 billion per year industry. Yet if you look at the research, the drugs really don’t do a lot to prevent heart attacks. In most studies, the death rate in the placebo group and the statin group is about the same. One interesting development is the dramatic increase in the number of people developing heart failure. The drugs destroy coenzyme Q 10, and we know that low coenzyme Q 10 levels are related to heart failure. We also know that one of the side-effects of statins is muscle destruction. Since the heart is a muscle, it is obvious to the bumble bee watcher that the medication is at least contributing to this problem. The researchers just haven’t gotten there yet; it may be unfair to say that the presence of statin ads in the journals keep this from happening. Still, it is not very scientific to ignore this other information.
There is a difference between science and research. Anecdotal information, clinical observations, statistics and other information are part of science. Science forms theories based on earlier observations. If you know that research shows a strong correlation between oxidative stress and asthma symptoms, and you know that poor digestion leads to oxidative stress, it is not much of a stretch to expect that improving digestion will get your asthma patients better. Research is a way of focusing on a single thing and determining if your observations mean anything. Science incorporates lots of sources of information, including (but not limited to) research. Truth is truth, whether the research has caught up or not. Bumble bees flew long before we could prove it was possible.

2009.10.16 00:43:24

paul.varnas

by James Bach; H.E.R.O Fitness (website)

Many exercisers question which is better- use free weights for resistance training or use machines with weights attached? Both have their place in training but both also have their setbacks. The deciding factor as to which modality is right for you, depends on your level of fitness and the goals you’re attempting to attain.

Both modalities are going to increase strength and muscle density while challenging the connective tissues in the body. Increasing muscle density will improve the body’s metabolic rate which will help the body drop fat and burn calories more efficiently when at rest.

Machines are optimal for people who are just starting out. They teach a controlled range of motion and are safer to use because the range of motion is controlled. The weights on the machines are usually easily adjustable and sometimes the machines have diagrams with directions. 

Free weights are a better choice for those who have progressed past the beginner’s stage of weight training. Unlike machines, using free weights forces the user to maintain neutrality and stability in free space, thus stimulating the central nervous system to a greater degree. All free weight movements can be performed in multi-planar, multi-dimensional fashions, so the type of movement can be changed as adaptation occurs. Because of this freedom, the use of free weights is more dangerous than machines where the track of motion is controlled.

When it comes down to it, one needs to properly assess their level of fitness and properly train themselves, increasing the challenges as their level of fitness improves.

2009.08.12 19:57:22

paul.varnas

The cost of health care is on everyone’s mind. The debate has proceeded around how we can get people covered and not about why the costs are so high. I recently came across an interesting piece of research that may illustrate why we spend so much for health care. The pain medication Vioxx was taken off of the market because it increased the likelihood of heart attacks. Vioxx is an anti-inflammatory drug known as a cox-2 inhibitor. It is named for the enzyme it suppresses. The cox-2 inhibitors were popular because they offer effective pain relief without creating the problems with GI irritation caused by other types of pain reliever.  Celecoxib (sold under the brand name Celebrex), which is also a cox-2 inhibitor, also increases the risk for a heart attack. Research appearing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (March 3, 2006) showed that celecoxib can increase the risk of a heart attack by two fold.
Celebrex is commonly prescribed to old folks with arthritis. It makes you wonder if the cost of a trip to the emergency room and some time in CCU may be due to the fact that this drug is still being prescribed.
Our heath care costs are high for many reasons. The system exists to provide a profitable business for drug companies, medical equipment producers, and insurance companies. Care is secondary to these companies making money. Drug companies control a lot of the information received by doctors. Face it, all of the medical journals sell ads to drug companies. One sure way to corrupt your findings is to get money involved. This may be the reason a lot of effective, inexpensive natural therapies are ignored. A lot of the activity that passes for health care is for profit and neither is healthy nor provides care.
As long as we continue along this path, it will not matter whether the government pays the bill or we pay it out of pocket—it will still continue to cripple our economy.

Click here to find a practitioner with a website that is loaded with health information.

2009.08.04 13:16:12

paul.varnas

The race for a swine flu vaccine is on (or call it the N1H1 flu--if you want to avoid offending the pork industry). We are hearing about deaths, about who is vulnerable and concerns about whether a vaccine will be available (and whether there will be enough of it).

I really don't want to get into the controversy about vaccines here. One thing the think of, however, is that vaccines exist to address specific immunity. There are plenty of things that you can do to address general immunity.

• Stress: Stress is a drain on the immune system. There are a number of studies (check our data base) that demonstrate the damage that stress does to the immune system. At the very least you should make sure that you are getting enough sleep, eat breakfast and reduce your stress. Something as simple as a breathing exercise during the day will reduce your stress levels.
• Sugar: Refined sugar is pro-inflammatory and stresses the immune system. Avoid sweets.
• Hydrogenated oil: Trans fats can become incorporated into the cells, making them more vulnerable to bacteria and viruses. Avoid hydrogenated oils and trans fats.
• Fresh produce: Read about carotenoids and bioflavonoids in our data base. These are found in fresh produce. They protect against oxidative stress, provide nutrients that support the immune system and ultimately protect your cells.

Whether you vaccinate or not, you should take steps to improve your general immunity. Supplementation can also be a good idea. Vitamins A, C and arabinogalactan can all work to boost your immune system.

2009.04.21 11:22:43

paul.varnas

How much is $2 trillion? If you could get it in cash, in single dollar bills, you would have enough of them to circle the earth eight times when they were laid end-to-end. The figure represents about 15% of our gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP is the total market value of the goods and services produced by the US economy each year. It includes all final goods and services—that is, those that are produced by the economic resources located in that nation. So $2 trillion is about 1/6 of everything everyone makes in the US for a year. It is also our health care bill.  Our $2 trillion health care bill is more than the entire economies of all but four nations in the world. We spend more on health care than most of the rest of the world spends on everything else!
And the price is going to go up. Government projections put health care costs at more than 17% of the GDP by 2011. If the costs continue at their present rate costs will actually be 23.7% of the GDP by then—nearly one dollar in every four of our entire economy.
When politicians debate about health care, the debate centers around whether the government should pay the bill or we should be responsible for our own health care costs—not why it is so freakin’ much.
According to a report released in September, 2006 by the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, American health care only scored 66 points out of a possible 100 and lagged far behind the rest of the industrialized world. It received low grades on efficiency, access to care and in outcomes. Not only that, most industrialized nations only spend about 10% of their GDP on health care.
Insurance administrative costs in the U.S. were more than three times the rate in countries with integrated payment systems. Nearly one-third of Americans under the age of 65 have trouble paying their medical bills. Unfortunately, the increased spending does not result in better care. The US rated 15th out of 19 nations with regard to preventable deaths. About 115 per 100,000 people die who would have survived if timely and appropriate medical care was administered. France scored high in this category, with only 75 deaths per 100,000.
The US ranks last in infant mortality, with 7 deaths per 1,000 births. The top three countries have 2.7 deaths per 1,000 births—less than half our number. We are at the bottom of the list in life expectancy. American children miss more school for illness than the children from the other industrialized nations. Fewer than half of American adults receive the recommended screening tests appropriate for their age and sex. Preventable hospital admissions for chronically ill patients (eg; those with asthma or diabetes) were twice as high compared to the nations at the top of the list.   
The bottom line is that we do not get very much for our money. One thing that would slash costs is if we started to learn more about natural health care. We spend $3 billion on drugs for reflux, $3 billion on drugs for ADD and about $90 billion per year  for chronic pain, which is the most costly health problem in America. As Senator Everett Dirksen said, “A billion here and a billion there—and pretty soon you are talking about real money.” Natural health care has effective and inexpensive, and can help slash these costs. 

2009.03.19 21:34:06

paul.varnas

With the trying financial times, many of us are under a great deal of stress. It is important to realize that stress is a major health issue and not addressing it can make matters much worse for you. Stress is linked to heart disease, immune system problems, overeating, high blood pressure, digestive problems and even cancer. So no matter how bad your situation, it is important to address stress and to take steps to improve your health.

One of the really big problems with stress is that it makes you crave fatty, sugary and unhealthy foods. Check out the article, "Comfort Foods, the Body's Way to Deal with Stress". Also, there are several articles on the site about how stress affects health, check them out.

If you are worrying about money (or anything else), things will only get worse if you get sick. New health bills and missed work can make a bad situation worse. Fortunately, many of the practitioners in our directory can supply you with strategies to reduce stress and stay healthy. Many offer free reports on handling stress.

One very simple strategy to reduce stress is to do breathing exercises. Count as you slowly and very deeply inhale. Hold your breath for twice as long as it took you to breathe in. Then exhale and take three times as long as it did for you to breathe in. So if you count to five breathing in, count to 10 while holding and to 15 while breathing out. Repeat for several breaths. This will reduce stress and increase your energy.

Our natural health community has so many wonderful ways of dealing with stress. Read all about it here then link to the sites of our practitioners to learn even more.

2009.03.18 16:17:38

paul.varnas

It seems ridiculous to me that our national health care bill is $2 trillion. I have been involved with natural health care all of my life. First as a patient; my parents took me to a chiropractor who was our primary physician. I never saw a medical doctor until I injured myself in junior high school. They didn't even believe in vaccinations. I have been practicing chiropractic in the Chicago area for over 25 years. After having seen my patients and patients who have gone the traditional route, I am convinced that much of the money is wasted.

Anyone who works in natural health care has seen the patient who has been through untold expense and suffering in our medical system, only to have the answer to their problem be so simple it simply could not be believed. It would be funny were it not for all the pain, suffering and expense that the individual had gone through. I am sure that most of you who work in natural health care have this experience on a regular basis.

When I hear that our nation spends $2 trillion on health care I chuckle to myself (or sometimes cry) with the realization that much of the money is wasted?  Chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, nutritionists and other people who work with natural health care have the solution to one of or nation’s biggest problems. Yet so many people still don’t get it. That is why we created this website. There are so many simple solutions to chronic health problems. You just need a little bit of knowledge and the right help--check our our practitioners directory and contact a natural health professional in your area.

In the mean time, enjoy the site. Spend some time and learn about health. Download our free ebook. It is my sincere hope that wholehealthweb.com can help you feel better and enjoy life.