FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Nov 21, 2018

Evading the Venus-Flytrap Scenario

by Tom Taylor

(OMNS Nov 21 2018) I would like to say "Thank You" to all the medical professionals and researchers who have made videos, and written books to explain modern wellness health strategies. The public has benefited greatly. Nearly all these lecturers have MD or PhD degrees. They know their subjects, and they speak from scientific knowledge and/or extensive clinical experience. What they don't have is a promotional budget to saturate you with hundreds of advertisements.

A few weeks ago, my mailbox was deluged with information on Medicare advantage plans. Apparently Medicare Advantage was a significant subsidy that one should take advantage of. Looking at the plethora of alternatives, they looked nearly identical, so what was the big deal? The marketing prose described the stress of finding a plan that allows keeping your doctors, your meds, your pharmacy, as you change from private insurance. Stress? Sorry AMA, I just don't know any medical doctors. Sorry big pharma, I have not been paying attention to your offerings. Sorry pharmacies, I have not been to one for a while.

Consider the more common scenario. Someone who feels "not right" or wants a physical exam goes to a MD who runs tests which result in no definite conclusion except that some measures come back a little high or a little low. Based on the test results, the MD recommends a cholesterol lowering statin drug, a thyroid medicine, and returning in three months. From here you probably know the rest of the scenario as it is so common. This turns into regular visits and more drugs to combat the side effects of the first drugs. These will be the folks who will seek to keep their doctors and drugs when switching insurance plans. I call it the Venus-Flytrap scenario (named after the plant that eats insects by snapping its trap closed).

This article is meant to enable people of all ages to evade the Venus-Flytrap scenario. Thankfully, the medical professionals and researchers listed below will educate you with books or videos, in your own home, for free, about modern proactive wellness strategies. The great benefit and tremendous value is clear to those who investigate proactive wellness.

People and Organizations to Thank for Free Proactive Wellness Education

1. For teaching about vitamin C: Andrew Saul, Thomas Levy, Suzanne Humphries, Steven Hickey, Robert Cathcart (1932-2007), all presented excellent books and/or free lectures on the subject. It took me a few years to accept the truth that vitamin C is good for nearly everything as it was so radically different from conventional old-fashioned medical wisdom. [1-5]

2. For teaching the benefits of magnesium supplements and thus ending all my headaches and 'old man' stiffness, Carolyn Dean. [6]

3. For teaching that most back pain is stress and not structural, John Sarno (1923-2017). John's conviction and university hospital clinical experience presented in books, lectures and testimonials from famous people, convinced me to find the combination of stress reduction and mineral supplements that eliminated all odds and ends of back pain. Recently one of my young employee's said, "Tom, how can you squat on the floor like that for so long? I can't do it for 30 seconds!" [7]

4. For the phrase, "Sugar is poison", I thank Robert Lustig. His great lectures and books clearly make the point that we should eliminate sugars and lighten up on carbs. [8]

5. For educating the public on the devastating but hidden effects of dental infections, Thomas Levy and Jerry Tennant. This is ground-breaking material. Clearly a widely ignored subject that is the source of much suffering. [9]

6. For the sharp mind, anti-aging benefits of essential nutrients, and potentially conditional vitamins such as alpha-Lipoic acid and acetyl L-carnitine, I must thank Bruce Ames for his lecture at Silicon Valley Health Institute. [10]

7. For healthy fats and the ketogenic diet, Eric Westman's presentation of his extensive clinical success at improving energy, stopping the afternoon droop as well as weight loss. [11]

8. For pointing out the iodine-phobia of the medical profession and the current need for iodine in the general population, David Brownstein and Stephanie Buist made an excellent case, and I followed their advice.[12,13]

9. For stopping minor anxiety with niacin or niacinamide (vitamin B-3), Abraham Hoffer and Andrew Saul, sourced on Saul's website doctoryourself.com. I noticed multiple improvements in my motor control and minor nervous habits. [14]

10. For the long-term benefits of boron, Jorge Flechas, lecture at International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) explained how Boron kept a person from shrinking in height with age. [15]

11. For teaching selenium: Gerhard N. Schrauzer has a wide-ranging lecture that explains the multiple subtle benefits of selenium. [16]

12. For making me aware of dust mites in bedding and the resulting sinus congestion, I am appreciative, but unsure who to thank. Jeffery Miller, on YouTube posted the short "Dust Mites under the Microscope", that is memorable. [17] This often-overlooked issue may be a common reason why some therapies just don't seem to work for some people.

13. An unusual item that makes a difference for some, including me, is A2 milk, which is milk from cows that don't make the A1 form of the casein protein and only make the A2 form. Who would have thought that this could be a way to prevent a source of gastro unhappiness. A YouTube presentation by John Whitcomb explains the science and is worth contemplation. [18]

This article focuses on well-known simple vitamins, and basic minerals. While extracts from rare plants may be useful to many, to me their use clouds the analysis of what really works, and I avoid them. I believe that the above list of substances provides most of the benefits of promoted plant extracts and derivatives.

Awareness

An excellent example of an awareness changing catalyst medical event is provided by the book, "The Demon Under the Microscope", 2006, Thomas Hager.[19] There is also a YouTube presentation. Hager recounts that in 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., age 22, son of the president, had been in a hospital bed, struggling with a serious infection for weeks, which was not unusual for the day. After his doctors, possibly the best in the country, had tried everything else, his mother Eleanor Roosevelt, agreed to try the new German Sulfa drugs. The result was distinctive and proved a clear turning point in his recovery. This event was front page news for newspapers that had been following the president's son illness story for weeks. It was a catalyst that helped to kick-start the prescription drug industry that is so dominant today. Prior to 1936 only opiates were prescribed, and the FDA was an unknown minor federal agency. I believe that a similar catalyst event will be required to bring wide spread awareness of wellness strategies.

Investment & Reward

In the first 35 seconds of an interview of Dennis Goodman by Joseph Mercola on the subject of vitamin K2, Goodman hits the core of the issue. "Wellness is not the absence of disease. To be well means to be proactive. You have to do something about it and you have to know how to be well." [20]

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that in 2016 US healthcare costs exceeded $10,000 per person per year.[21] Substituting $1000 of wellness care supplements for $10,000 of reactive sick care, that is a net $9000 per person -- but let's be conservative and call it $3000 annual savings. While these numbers can be endlessly played with, it is easy to come up with a savings estimate of $200,000 over a 20-to-30 year period for a household. Financially a no-brainer, however the key action word for wellness is proactive.

What value do you place on just feeling a whole lot better?

Time

Traditional medicine has gotten so specialized. I am fascinated to hear people describe their experiences with medical doctors. It must be time consuming. The time it takes to learn proactive wellness may be equal to several college courses, but you can do it in your own home on your schedule.

Many people feel a little fried by the end of the day and do not want to take on heavy subjects in the evening. However, because you control the video presentations, there is no need to be really alert or take notes. Just start up where you went to sleep the previous night.

Conclusions

Health is the first wealth. Think of the improved satisfaction of life. It is hard to refute the value in time, health, happiness, and money.

• To be well is a proactive thing; you have to know how to be well.
• Learning wellness is not quick but it is an investment with fantastic returns.
• Evade the Venus-Flytrap scenario.
• Quit fearing the future and go buy yourself a yacht with your health savings and new found energy.

Thanks to all the many professionals and experts who have made access to wellness knowledge so incredibly easy.

(Tom Taylor, EE, ME, MBA is an engineer and patent holder. He has no financial interest in the medical or nutrient industry. He currently runs Maskinell.com in Georgia, and is a commercial pilot.)

References

1. Saul AW High-Dose vitamin C therapy for major diseases: a historical perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Bgdqsorg0

2. Levy TE. Vitamin C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRweBPHk1Go .
Levy TE. (2011) Primal Panacea. Medfox Pub. ISBN-13: 978-0983772804

3. Humphries S. Vitamin C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0LLX0sgwAU .

4. Hickey S, Saul AW (2008) Vitamin C: The Real Story: The Remarkable and Controversial Healing Factor. Basic Health Pubs ISBN-13: 978-1591202233

5. Cathcart R. Mega C for Viral & Other Diseases. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkkWDDSti_s

6. Dean C. Big Pharma Scandal - Dr Carolyn Dean Discusses the Importance of Magnesium. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kBzHikig8 .
Dean C (2017) The Magnesium Miracle. Ballantine Books. ISBN-13: 978-0399594441.

7. Sarno JE. The Divided Mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzOBa-t6Vcw
Sarno JE. (2007) The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders. Harper Perennial. ISBN-13: 978-0061174308.
Sarno JE. (1999) The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain.Warner Books. ISBN-13: 978-0446675154.

8. Lustig R. Sugar: the bitter truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM .
Lustig R. A hacking of the American mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhh19cQukfg .
Lustig R. (2018) The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains. ISBN-13: 978-1101982945.

9. Levy TE. Painless Oral Infections Cause Chronic Diseases. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stDDmsOI1l4 .
Kulacz R. Levy TE. (2002) The Roots of Disease: Connecting Dentistry and Medicine. Xlibris. ISBN-13: 978-1401048945.

10. Ames BN. Triage Theory, Longevity Vitamins & Micronutrients. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrfxdtXjXHs .

11. Westman EC. The science behind keto lifestyles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFY10WjUaY .

12. Brownstein D. The importance of iodine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afZg2jzHuCs
Brownstein D. Iodine for thyroid & health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2lylX13h4 .
Brownstein D. (2008) Overcoming Thyroid Disorders. Medical Alternatives Press.

13. Buist S. Iodine Conference Lecture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDM_QLd_Bdw

14. Hoffer A, Saul AW. (2015) Niacin: The Real Story: Learn about the Wonderful Healing Properties of Niacin. Basic Health Pubs. ISBN-13: 978-1591202752 .

15. Flechas JG. Boron and medical health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJp7SW1pY2I .

16. Schrauzer G. Selenium. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnkiTNS9DqM.

17. Miller J. Dust mites under the microscope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vlsxTB9dHg .

18. Whitcomb J. A2 milk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UDxweS8fZU .

19. Hager T (2007) The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug. Broadway Books. ISBN-13: 978-1400082148

20. Goodman D, Mercola JM Vitamin K2 and its benefits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPkRdAfuwjg

21. National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. Health Expenditures for 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-expenditures.htm

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