Newsletter v3n19

"It's not what we don't know that harms us; it's what we do know that ain't so." (Eubie Blake)

The DOCTOR YOURSELF NEWSLETTER (Vol. 3, No 19) August 20, 2003 "Free of charge, free of advertising, and free of the A.M.A."

BEAUTIFUL, DETAILED, AUTHORITATIVE, AND WRONG

YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN those framed, golden-gilded replicas of early-Renaissance world maps. They usually portray the twin hemispheres of our globe side by side, in gorgeous and strikingly incorrect detail. Using lots of grandiose names, tiny little numbers, and careful calligraphy, such maps are a freeze-frame representation of ignorance. These old maps generally have nothing to say about most of the interiors of Africa, or the Americas, or Asia. They are also may be entirely missing a continent or two, usually Australia.

These beautiful and unreliable maps are works of art. And Heaven help the explorer who tried to navigate by them.

Earlier maps were even worse. Columbus did not plan on colliding with the Americas on his way to the Indies, but there it was, by golly. Conversely, Australia was later discovered largely because it had been theorized that something should probably be down there, and some bravehearts just had to go and look for it.

I discovered Australia in 1973, when I went to study at the Australian National University for a year. One of the first things I did was get to a bathroom sink and see if the water gurgled the "other" way as it went down the drain. Sure did. I also noticed that the night sky was "wrong," (I mean, no Big Dipper? What kind of a hemisphere was this, anyway?) and that you should not sit on bulldog ants. In 1973, kangaroos were still made into meat pies and the country's immigration policy was openly racist. Much has changed in thirty years, and good on you, mate.

A friend of mine at the university was a vegetarian. I thought he was nuts. But I also noticed he was healthy, and one of the calmest people I'd ever met. As for me, I was still eating meat pies and sausage rolls. My diet was pretty awful back then. And, while theoretically in the very prime of youth, my own health was no better than marginal. Did I immediately change my ways? Of course not. I suffered along, like so many folks still do, in the sure and certain knowledge that vegetarians were extremists and that health is to be obtained by prescription.

I was a fairly straight-laced and serious student, who more-or- less happily went off in a cloud of pre-med pre-occupation to the organic chemistry lab, whiffing benzene and virtually immersed in acetone. Didn't give it a second thought, not even when I touched my glasses with an acetone-dampened finger and it left a little dissolved fingerprint permanently etched on the plastic frame. Skin? Lungs? What, me worry? Nope; chemicals were our friends. But vegetarianism? That was for the hippies, man.

Then it was over to the anatomy and physiology labs, where we sorted through huge, heaped-up piles of various species of fish and cut formaldehyde-soaked specimens with ungloved hands. We hooked up live cane toads' hearts to cardiographs, and dissected a very-dead python. I won't tell you what was done to the pigeons. For a would-be doctor, such was all in preparation for doing this stuff to people someday soon.

I spent a considerable balance of my time observing at the Canberra Hospital. I learned, among other things, that pathologists, those denizens of the hospital basement, have the best sense of humor in whole place. They need it. They get all modern medicine's failures, the people who followed an incomplete map and fell right off the flat earth.

As a student, I also learned something of how bloody and barbaric medicine can truly be. I saw it close and personal. I scrubbed and then hovered over surgeons in the O.R. as they cut things out but put nothing back. Gowned up, masked and conveniently anonymous to patients, I watched and even assisted with some procedures. (Scary, perhaps, but true. More confessions from my sordid past are posted at http://www.doctoryourself.com/howstart.html )

Hospital wards and oncology waiting rooms are a veritable scientific shopping mall, especially if you can discount the fact that these are real people. But even way back then, as a young whippersnapper, I could plainly see that forcing a sharp metal tap into an old lady's ribcage to drain a lung was unmistakably and intensely painful. For reasons unknown, the doctor I was asked to assist did not give her anything close to adequate anesthetic. In an age of analgesics, there is simply no excuse for physician-induced pain.

You want to talk about pain? Then there was that hospital food. The house staff stuck a pager in my shirt pocket and passed me off as one of the interns so I could eat in the hospital cafeteria for free. The food was worth that price. The food patients got was no better, and in retrospect, that may well be why they didn't get better.

A net has been described as a bunch of holes held together by string. Gaps in modern medical knowledge are much like gaps on medieval maps. The body of knowledge represented is considerable, technical, and impressive. Many would agree that what is not yet known is far greater. But what is already known AND NOT UTILIZED is the worst ignorance of all. Nutritional therapy and megavitamin treatments are prime examples of this. It is already well established that high doses of vitamins cure disease. A search from the "search" box at the top of the http://www.doctoryourself.com website will help you confirm this, as will a good look at the websites accessible from my "LINKS" page (http://www.doctoryourself.com/links.html).

Hospitals by definition are collections of sick people. I need no lectures on how necessary they are. I have seen the good along with the bad. But they could be immeasurably and immediately improved, in just three steps.

1) All hospital patients should receive a multivitamin with each meal.

2) Hospital meals should be vegetarian, fresh and mostly raw. People that temporarily cannot eat raw foods should have theirs juiced or pureed. Health food in a hospital? What a concept!

3) All pre- and post-surgical patients should be given an IV of vitamin C, 10 grams (10,000 mg) per 12 hours.

Don't try and tell me that this cannot be done, or that these measures are not safe, or that they are too expensive. These improvements are the most basic imaginable. They will reduce mortality and shorten hospital stays. They will reduce complications and lower costs. And they are all do-able, this very minute.

If not done by legislation, or by the hospital brass, then done by you.

HOSPITAL REFORM HOW-TO'S First, try to get your doctor on your side. Here's how: http://www.doctoryourself.com/naturedoc.html And here's why: http://www.doctoryourself.com/fire.html

(Incidentally, I do NOT provide referrals to a naturally-minded doctor near where you live. My opinion on the subject is here: http://www.doctoryourself.com/subcontractor.html)

You CAN override the hospital dietician and head off the hospital food cart. Insist on bringing in your own food to your favorite patient, and do it. If you need to offer an explanation, I recommend a religious one. My comments on some legal aspects religious exemption are to be found contained within this article: http://www.doctoryourself.com/vaccination.html

You CAN obtain a vitamin C IV if you fight for it. Here's how to get one ordered: http://www.doctoryourself.com/strategies.html Here's how to have one made up: http://www.doctoryourself.com/vitciv.html

And, if you must, you CAN sneak in vitamins. I've done it myself with a family member or two. It is a bit silly that you'd even have to consider this, but the option remains.

"One of my complaints about psychiatric hospitals is that, on the rare occasion when my patients are admitted, they promptly stop my whole program, place them on other medication, take away their vitamins and when they are discharged and return to me, I have to start them all over again. A few determined patients have had their families smuggle the vitamins to them and a few patients have surreptitiously taken them on their own. One of the patients hid them in his boots so that he could take them when alone." (Abram Hoffer, M.D., from http://www.doctoryourself.com/hoffer_psychosis.html)

Some day, health care without megavitamin therapy will be seen as we today see childbirth without sanitation, or surgery without anesthetic. But can we afford to wait? As we no longer need to navigate by five-hundred year old maps, likewise we no longer need to set our course to the dictates of the pharmaceutical industry. (http://www.doctoryourself.com/future_health.html)

DOCTOR YOURSELF WEBSITE OF THE MONTH http://foodsupplements.homestead.com/index.html This well-done vitamin-friendly website is informative, utterly non-commercial, and I like its positive attitude. Good health maintenance advice, and good computer maintenance advice, too.

FOOD: THE FINAL FRONTEIR As a boy, my personal vision of transportation as it would be in the year 2003 was of personal jets, light-speed rocket ships and Star-Trek transporters. Surely 2003 would be a mobile world evolved far, far beyond the rubber-footed, gasoline- slurping automotive dinosaurs which still dominate the landscape. In my copious free time, I also remember wondering if, like the intergalactic astronauts of my daydreams, we would do away with eating all together and live entirely on supplement tablets.

Predictably, my parents chuckled at that. They also gave my brothers and me a multivitamin every day.

But who would want to give up eating? Problem is, eating is so enjoyable on so many levels that it is sure to be with us long after all petrol has perished. It is eating RIGHT that remains our civilization's great unattainable health goal. Should you eat right? Certainly. Do you know what that means? Of course you do. You know which foods are healthy as well as you know the names of Santa's reindeer (and feel free to refresh your memory at http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1312.html or http://www.night.net/christmas/twas-the-night.html . This really is one full-service Newsletter, isn't it.)

Of course, to many of us, even the government's updated but still modest recommendation for nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day has about the same tangible, everyday reality as do nine flying reindeer. (Hey, you didn't forget Rudolph, did you?) Consistently walking the walk is always harder than occasionally talking the talk. That's why we have to be realists, and, with our friends and relatives, moderates.

One of my grandmother's favorite sayings was, "Do as you want; you will anyway." OK, pobody's nerfect. Can you stay well while eating wrong? Probably not. But you can cut your losses with intelligent supplementation. Here are some utterly shameless ultra-moderate hints to help you stay well even if you are bound and determined to eat wrong now and again. (Details and dosage suggestions are posted at my website and a search by topic will find them fast.)

IF you are going to eat dairy products, drink more water. You'll breathe easier and, if you are dairy sensitive, have fewer headaches.

IF you are going to eat sugar, take chromium, niacin and the B- complex vitamins.

IF you are going to drink alcohol, take a lot of extra vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins. And let someone else drive.

IF you are going to drink caffeine, take extra niacin.

IF you are going to eat fried or fatty foods, eat lecithin granules. They're good on ice cream.

IF you are going to eat meat, then eat extra salads, beans and other major fiber sources.

IF you are going to eat processed foods, then at least drink a lot of water and take a lot of vitamin C.

IF you are going to eat too late in the evening, take multiple digestive enzymes and eat papaya, mangos, kiwi fruits, figs, or fresh pineapple along with your snack attack.

IF you are going to eat too much in general, then get off your duff and exercise. Work out and walk.

And finally, if you will not exercise, then at least eat less.

To keep some fun in your life, consider trying the following DESSERTS THAT ARE BETTER FOR YOU THAN WHAT'S ON STORE SHELVES (Reprinted with permission from the e-cookbook, NATURALLY DESSERTS http://www.ordermill.com/naturally/ecookbooks.asp)

Dessert without sugar? Not quite, but a preference for natural sweeteners, milk substitutes, and good old whole grains makes Naturally Desserts a welcome resource. There are eggs in some of the recipes, but no shortening and therefore no trans- fatty acids. Author Gayle Rogalski (gaylerogalski@mybluelight.com) says, "The recipes in our book are actually my old recipes that I have converted over the years to whole grain and rice syrup sweetened. Never have I used shortening in these conversions, but have always substituted oil. Although the 'rules' say this shouldn't be done it works OK for me."

In that case, let's try some and see.

CAROB 24 HOUR CAKE

1 cup rice milk or soy milk 3/4 cup brown rice syrup 3/4 cup cold pressed sunflower oil 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 1/2 cups spelt flour 3/4 cup millet flour 1/4 cup barley flour 1/2 tablespoon gloutin flour 3/4 cup carob powder 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350∞F. 2. In a large mixing bowl cream together brown rice syrup and 1/2 cup oil. Blend in eggs, carob powder, remaining oil and vanilla. 3. Separately, combine all dry ingredients. 4. Add dry ingredients to wet alternating with milk. Mix well and add chopped nuts. 5. Pour into well oiled or sprayed bundt (tube) pan. 6. Bake for 50 to 65 minutes. Test with long skewer for doneness till it comes out clean. 7. After cake has cooled for 20 to 30 minutes, carefully loosen around the edges of the pan and invert onto plate. 8. Frost with Carob Frosting.

CAROB FROSTING

4 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese 1/4 cup brown rice syrup 2 tablespoons better butter 2 tablespoons carob powder 1/4 cup powdered milk (preferably non-instant) 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) 1. Beat all ingredients until creamy and smooth. 2. Chill for a short time before frosting cake.

BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

2 cups fresh blueberries (if using frozen berries, drain well) 1 cup rice milk or soy milk 1/2 cup brown rice syrup 1/2 cup cold pressed sunflower oil 2 large eggs 21/2 cups spelt flour 3/4 cup barley flour 3/4 cup millet flour 4 teaspoons baking powder pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350∞F. 2. In a large mixing bowl combine oil, brown rice syrup and eggs. Stir in milk. 3. Separately, combine all dry ingredients. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. 4. Carefully fold in blueberries. 5. Spread batter in a greased or sprayed 9 1/2 x 13 inch cake pan. 5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. At about 25 minutes, check with toothpick for doneness. Bake longer if necessary but watch closely as it can overbake quickly.

CHERRY CRISP Cherry Mixture:

6 cups pitted sour cherries (fresh, frozen, or canned) 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown rice syrup 5 tablespoons tapioca 2 tablespoons cherry juice 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping: 1/2 cup "better butter" 1/4 cup brown rice syrup 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1 cup spelt flour pinch of salt 2/3 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 325∞F. 2. In a large mixing bowl combine cherries, tapioca, cherry juice, brown rice syrup and lemon juice. Let stand for 20 minutes. 3. Put cherry mixture into a 9 1/2 x 13 inch cake pan. 4. Separately combine dry ingredients with Better Butter and brown rice syrup. Blend until crumbly. 5. Spread topping mixture evenly over cherry mixture. 6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

NEWS I have recently been appointed Contributing Editor to the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. The Journal has been published for 36 consecutive years. (The Journal's index is posted at http://www.orthomed.org/jom/jomlist.htm)

FLUORIDATION FLAWS Excerpted from an editorial (in the Boca News, Florida) published Wednesday, July 16, 2003. (http://www.bocanews.com/index.php?src=news&prid=5894&category =Local%20Opinion)

William Gralnick's opinion column (July 14th) shows ignorance of current scientific issues in the fluoridation debate, typical of those who have fallen for the relentless 55-year fluoridation promotion which has always consisted of unsubstantiated guarantees of safety and efficacy, meaningless endorsements, and systematic denigration of all opposition. Today, however, anyone can easily access the truth by going to any Internet search engine and typing the words, "Fluoridation Health Effects." One click and you will get to those facts that have been too long hidden from the general public.

New York City's drinking water is no longer the "sweetest and purest" described by Gralnick. In January, 2003, the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection suspended fluoridation for at least four months while "critical system repairs" were being done. Hydrofluosilic acid, the main chemical used for fluoridation, has a highly corrosive effect on water supply pipes and equipment and it has taken its toll in New York City.

More than 50 years after the start of artificial fluoridation, we are all overdosed on fluoride, a cumulative poison (read your toothpaste label) rated more toxic than lead and slightly less toxic than arsenic. Fluoride reaches us from water, toothpaste, dental treatments, fluoride air pollution, fluorinated medications and food and beverages containing fluoride pesticide residues and/or processed with fluoridated water.

The Journal of Public Health Dentistry, Summer, l997 reported that 66 percent of children in fluoridated areas have dental fluorosis (permanently spotted or discolored teeth) and over 30 percent of children in non- fluoridated areas also show this visible sign of fluoride overexposure. The American Academy of Pediatrics lowered dosages for fluoride supplementation for all children in 1995 and pediatricians should no longer prescribe fluoride supplements for infants from birth to age 6 months, even in totally non-fluoridated areas. Consequently, infants drinking formula prepared with fluoridated water are overmedicated and are at high risk for dental fluorosis. Government reports state that African-American children are afflicted by dental fluorosis at twice the rates of white American children.

A Congressional Investigation by the House Committee on Science in 2000 revealed there are no federal safety standards for fluoridated water and the silicofluoride chemicals used for 91 percent of fluoridation have never been approved for safety or efficacy by any government agency.

Further, the U.S. EPA admitted to the Committee that there are no safety studies at all for ingestion of the silicofluoride chemicals. (See http://www.keepers-of-the-well.org for Congressional documents.) Silicofluorides are industrial grade waste products that come directly from the chimney scrubbers of the phosphate fertilizer plants in central Florida. They are contaminated with arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium and radioactive elements, all of which end up in our drinking water and add to the health risks of fluoridation. Recently published peer-reviewed studies report that children drinking silicofluoride treated water have significantly higher blood lead levels than children in non-fluoridated areas. This alone is reason to end water fluoridation immediately.

In July, 2000, the cornerstone of the fluoridation program was decimated by the lead story in the Journal of the American Dental Association which revealed that there is virtually no benefit from incorporating fluoride into tooth enamel during the early childhood years and that any alleged benefits from fluoride are primarily from topical exposure after the teeth have erupted. This has been confirmed by U.S. Public Health Service publications and by evidence from Western Europe where tooth decay rates have declined as much as in the U.S. even though less than 2 percent of the population there is fluoridated. In order to salvage the fluoridation program, promoters created a new theory which claims that fluoride's benefits come from continuous "bathing of the teeth" in fluoridated water.

Common sense tells us that brushing the teeth with fluoridated toothpaste, which contains 1,000 or more parts per million of fluoride, is far more effective than "teeth bathing" with fluoridated water that contains one part per million or less. Clearly, there is no longer any rationale for fluoridating drinking water supplies. Please visit http://www.fluoridealert.org for an understanding of the economic motives behind fluoridation as well as documentation of its many harmful effects on human health.

Naomi Flack Co-founder, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation

For more information: New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof http://tinyurl.com/ad9k

Fluoride Action Network http://www.fluoridealert.org

A SEVENTH-INNING STRETCH My father, when he played semipro baseball, was a pitcher on a farm team for the NY Yankees. Dad struck out Bobby Brown twice in one game. Bobby Brown went on to become the president of the American League, not baseball commissioner as I had previously written. Dad went on to become an artist. You can see nearly 200 of my father's drawings and paintings online, for free, at http://www.doctoryourself.com/contentsWES.html . Perhaps baseball's loss was our gain. Privacy Statement: We do not sell, and we do not share, our mailing list or your email address with anyone. We never send out advertisements of any kind. You may notice that there is no advertising at http://doctoryourself.com and no advertising in this newsletter. We have no financial connection with the supplement industry. We do not sell vitamins or other health products, except for Dr. Saul's books, which help fund these free public services.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This newsletter is not in any way offered as prescription, diagnosis nor treatment for any disease, illness, infirmity or physical condition. Any form of self- treatment or alternative health program necessarily must involve an individual's acceptance of some risk, and no one should assume otherwise. Persons needing medical care should obtain it from a physician. Consult your doctor before making any health decision.

Copyright c 2003 and prior years Andrew W. Saul doctoryourself.com/contact.html Permission to reproduce single copies of this newsletter FOR NON-COMMERCIAL, PERSONAL USE ONLY is hereby granted providing no alteration of content is made and authorship credit is given.