The FDA announced (9.7.11) a new warning for all tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors to include a warning about the risk of “…serious and sometimes fatal infections from two bacterial pathogens Legionella and Listeria.
TNF-alpha blockers (e.g., Humira, Enbrel, and Remicade) are used to treat many autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis, and juvenile arthritis. How could these drugs predispose a patient to becoming ill with a life-threatening infection? This question is not a hard question to answer. One only needs to look at the mechanism of action of TNF-alpha drugs and realize that their use is bound to cause an increased risk of infection.
Patients do not become ill with an autoimmune disorder due to producing too much TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha is a molecule produced in the inflammatory cascade. Inflammation is associated with pain. For example, if you sprain your ankle, the ankle becomes swollen and red. The swelling and red color are both signs of inflammation. In the case of an ankle sprain, the inflammatory response recruits white blood cells and other healing cells to the area of injury in order to start the healing process. Without this inflammatory response, a sprained ankle would not be repaired.
In the case of an inflammatory autoimmune disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis, my clinical experience has shown that the inflammation of the joints is often the body’s response to an infectious agent. I discuss this concept in detail in my book, Overcoming Arthritis. Treating the infectious agent can eliminate the cause of the inflammation and allow the body to repair the damage. The worst thing you can do in this situation is to shut off the body’s inflammatory response with a drug like a TNF-alpha blocker. In the case of an underlying infection, blocking the production of TNF-alpha is bound to cause a dysfunction of the immune system. The end result is a lack of the immune system’s ability to fight or control an infection.
Yes, blocking TNF-alpha can treat the symptoms of arthritis, but keep in mind, these drugs do not treat the underlying cause of the illness. In fact their long-term use is bound to cause problems with the immune system including the development of potentially life-threatening infections.
What can you do if you have an inflammatory disorder? The first step is to ascertain the underlying cause(s) of the disorder. Eliminating inflammatory-provoking foods such as dairy and gluten can help. Furthermore, removing refined sugar is a must. Eating a healthy, whole-food based diet provides the body with nutrients that not only aid the immune system but provide the body with the raw materials needed to promote healing. Next, drinking adequate amounts of water helps the body overcome illness. Finally, correcting nutrient imbalances can further aid the body’s capability to overcome arthritis.
There is a time and a place to use drugs like Remicade and Humira as TNF-alpha drugs can provide symptomatic relief from painful conditions. However, their use should be limited to patients who have failed all other therapies and for those in dire need of relief from pain. Adopting a holistic approach, as outlined above, can minimize or many times eliminate the need for these drugs. TNF-alpha drugs should be used with utmost caution and for the shortest period of time possible.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Blood Sugar 101 FaceBook Page is Where You'll Find Tidbits Too Minor for A Blog Post
Yes, I know FB is the greatest time suck ever invented, and that their entire reason for existing is to steal your personal information. But enough of you asked me to set up a page that I did, and it's getting a respectable number of fans.
I'm posting snippets and links there that don't deserve a whole blog post but which are worthy of your attention.
You can post questions there, too, for other fans of the page to comment on.
The FB page is at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-Sugar-101/194439440617073?sk=wall
I'm posting snippets and links there that don't deserve a whole blog post but which are worthy of your attention.
You can post questions there, too, for other fans of the page to comment on.
The FB page is at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-Sugar-101/194439440617073?sk=wall
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The world is full of people who want to have diabetes
No. I'm not about to rant on about people eating terrible foods that ruin their blood sugar. My topic is something else entirely.
For the past few weeks, for some reason, my email box has been full of letters from people who are desperately hoping that they have diabetes. They don't. In fact, most of them have blood sugar numbers you and I would kill for. When I explain this, they come back saying, "But my mother had diabetes" or "But when I ate an entire chocolate cake my blood sugar rose a whole 30 points. And my fasting blood sugar the next day was 98. That can't be normal!"
Before you dismiss these people as garden variety hypochondriacs, let me explain what's going on.
All these people do have something wrong with them--usually something quite painful or very disturbing. They've been to doctor after doctor who have given them the usual ten minutes of bored attention and then sent them off with a shake of the head or an order for lab tests that come back, almost invariably, with normal values, usually because they are ordering only the standardized tests that turn up the most common medical problems.
So these people email me because they are desperate. They're in pain. Their symtoms are making it hard to go about their daily lives. They've been trolling the internet, scanning for anything that mentions these symptoms, looking for relief, and invariably they end up reading about diabetes because diabetes causes such a wide variety of symptoms. Tiredness, painful feet, stomach pain, ulcers, blurred vision, kidney pain. You name it, someone with diabetes will develop it and post about it somewhere.
So that is why when these people who need help read that doctors do a very poor job of diagnosing diabetes a light goes off in their minds and suddenly they're filled with hope. Maybe that is what is wrong with them, diabetes, and if it is, then there's hope, because once they have a diagnosis they can treat it.
So they email me and I send them off to test their blood sugar, and almost always, when they respond, I have to deliver the news that their blood sugars are completely normal. Whatever is wrong with them, it isn't an obscure, difficult-to-diagnose case of diabetes. Their fasting sugars are under 100 mg/dl. Their sugars don't go over 120 mg/dl after meals. Diabetes is not likely to be causing their symptoms.
You'd be amazed how many people find this upsetting news. They write back to me begging me to consider this or that extra fact. Maybe it isn't diabetes but pre-diabetes. Maybe they hadn't eaten enough carbs when they tested their sugars to be sure. They went low on their glucose tolerance test, isn't that a sign of something?
When I tell them, no, it isn't. They can get testy. I get tempted to tell them to go away because there are dozens of people with diabetes who also need help, and they are taking up my time, but I don't. Because I've been in their shoes--trying to get help for some devastating symptom that doctors wouldn't take seriously and checking out anything that sounds like it might help. I know what a poor job most doctors do diagnosing anything that isn't one of the 85 common conditions they studied in med school.
But there isn't much I can do for them, and I also tell them that whatever is wrong with them, they should rejoice that they don't have diabetes. Because as most you reading this know, even after they diagnose it, most doctors do a lousy job of treating diabetes.
But taking in all these people's miserable experience with doctors who won't diagnose painful conditions, and adding in my own experience with the same, I have to wonder: Why is it that the most sophisticated artificial intelligence systems in the world are devoted almost exclusively to delivering spam that is tailored to your tastes, instead of helping you find out what's wrong with you so you can fix it?
Don't all answer at once. I know it isn't quite that simple.
But if you are one of the masses of people with uncommon, painful, worrying conditions, don't give up. Keep reading and researching. Eventually you may come up with something that should point you in a good direction, and even if you can't go back to your doctor--or a new one, preferably young, recently trained, still enthusiastic, and hungry for new patients, and demand the tests you need to sort out what is going on with your body.
For the past few weeks, for some reason, my email box has been full of letters from people who are desperately hoping that they have diabetes. They don't. In fact, most of them have blood sugar numbers you and I would kill for. When I explain this, they come back saying, "But my mother had diabetes" or "But when I ate an entire chocolate cake my blood sugar rose a whole 30 points. And my fasting blood sugar the next day was 98. That can't be normal!"
Before you dismiss these people as garden variety hypochondriacs, let me explain what's going on.
All these people do have something wrong with them--usually something quite painful or very disturbing. They've been to doctor after doctor who have given them the usual ten minutes of bored attention and then sent them off with a shake of the head or an order for lab tests that come back, almost invariably, with normal values, usually because they are ordering only the standardized tests that turn up the most common medical problems.
So these people email me because they are desperate. They're in pain. Their symtoms are making it hard to go about their daily lives. They've been trolling the internet, scanning for anything that mentions these symptoms, looking for relief, and invariably they end up reading about diabetes because diabetes causes such a wide variety of symptoms. Tiredness, painful feet, stomach pain, ulcers, blurred vision, kidney pain. You name it, someone with diabetes will develop it and post about it somewhere.
So that is why when these people who need help read that doctors do a very poor job of diagnosing diabetes a light goes off in their minds and suddenly they're filled with hope. Maybe that is what is wrong with them, diabetes, and if it is, then there's hope, because once they have a diagnosis they can treat it.
So they email me and I send them off to test their blood sugar, and almost always, when they respond, I have to deliver the news that their blood sugars are completely normal. Whatever is wrong with them, it isn't an obscure, difficult-to-diagnose case of diabetes. Their fasting sugars are under 100 mg/dl. Their sugars don't go over 120 mg/dl after meals. Diabetes is not likely to be causing their symptoms.
You'd be amazed how many people find this upsetting news. They write back to me begging me to consider this or that extra fact. Maybe it isn't diabetes but pre-diabetes. Maybe they hadn't eaten enough carbs when they tested their sugars to be sure. They went low on their glucose tolerance test, isn't that a sign of something?
When I tell them, no, it isn't. They can get testy. I get tempted to tell them to go away because there are dozens of people with diabetes who also need help, and they are taking up my time, but I don't. Because I've been in their shoes--trying to get help for some devastating symptom that doctors wouldn't take seriously and checking out anything that sounds like it might help. I know what a poor job most doctors do diagnosing anything that isn't one of the 85 common conditions they studied in med school.
But there isn't much I can do for them, and I also tell them that whatever is wrong with them, they should rejoice that they don't have diabetes. Because as most you reading this know, even after they diagnose it, most doctors do a lousy job of treating diabetes.
But taking in all these people's miserable experience with doctors who won't diagnose painful conditions, and adding in my own experience with the same, I have to wonder: Why is it that the most sophisticated artificial intelligence systems in the world are devoted almost exclusively to delivering spam that is tailored to your tastes, instead of helping you find out what's wrong with you so you can fix it?
Don't all answer at once. I know it isn't quite that simple.
But if you are one of the masses of people with uncommon, painful, worrying conditions, don't give up. Keep reading and researching. Eventually you may come up with something that should point you in a good direction, and even if you can't go back to your doctor--or a new one, preferably young, recently trained, still enthusiastic, and hungry for new patients, and demand the tests you need to sort out what is going on with your body.
Monday, September 5, 2011
It is getting harder and harder for all of us to maintain our optimal health. Why is obtaining and maintain optimal health becoming more difficult? The answer is simple; our exposure to toxic chemicals is continuing to increase. In our modern world, we are continually exposed to toxins at ever-increasing numbers. In fact I frequently diagnose my patients with toxicity issues which include having elevated amounts of mercury, aluminum, arsenic, bromine, and lead. A proper diagnosis and treatment plan can help the body eliminate toxic substances.
Even our clothing can contain toxic chemicals. In my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, I discuss the widespread problems with bromine toxicity. Bromine is a toxic halide that is used as a fire retardant in many consumer products such as clothing (and food). Bromine is the most common toxic item that I have identified in my patients. In my book, I discuss safe and effective ways to detoxify bromine including supplementing with iodine.
It is not just bromine that we need to be concerned with. Greenpeace reported that samples of clothing from 14 top clothing manufacturers were contaminated with chemicals known as nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE’s). NPE’s break down into nonylphenol which is considered a toxic, persistent organic pollutant. That means it is not easily broken down and it can last in the environment for a long period of time. NPE toxicity comes from its ability to mimic and bind to estrogen receptors in the body. These chemicals have been found to cause the feminization of male fish as well as to disrupt hormones in mammals (including humans).
Greenpeace purchased 78 branded clothing samples from 18 countries including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines in order to complete their study. These clothes were manufactured by 14 different companies including Adidas, Uniqlo, Calvin Klein, H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lacoste, Converse, and Ralph Lauren. (On a side note, I am writing this blog sitting at my computer wearing a Ralph Lauren polo shirt.)
If our clothing contains toxic chemicals, what can you do? I believe the most important thing you can do is to ensure that your detoxification pathways are optimally functioning. How do you accomplish this? The first step to optimizing your detox pathways is to maintain adequate hydration. In other words, drink appropriate amounts of water. Water helps flush out toxins and optimal hydration helps lower the concentration of toxic items in the body. How much water should you drink? Take your weight in pounds, divide by two and the resulting number is the amount of water, in ounces, to ingest per day.
Next, ensure that your detoxification pathways have optimal levels of antioxidants and nutrients. This includes taking vitamins C and E. Both Vitamins C and E help neutralize many toxins as well as aid in the removal of toxins from the body. Alpha lipoic acid is another important nutrient that can not only neutralize toxins but also aids in their removal. I frequently prescribe 300mg/day of alpha lipoic acid to aid in the detoxification process.
Finally, I cannot emphasize the importance of periodically undergoing liver detoxification. One of the liver’s main responsibilities is to neutralize toxins so they can be eliminated in the urine or the stool. In our toxic world, the liver is often overworked and overstressed trying to keep up with the increasing toxic load we are exposed to.
My partners and I have designed a product—Total Liver Care or TLC— which stimulates both phases of liver detoxification. This product took us over 10 years to develop. TLC supplies the liver with the vital nutrients it needs in order to improve its detoxification capabilities. Because we are exposed to multiple toxins on a daily basis, periodically detoxifying the liver can help the liver eliminate many of the toxic chemicals such as those described above.
I generally recommend one scoop of TLC twice per day until the can is finished. Adding in alpha lipoic acid (300mg twice per day) enhances this process. These products can be found at my office website: www.centerforholisticmedicine.com.
One last thought—there is no substitute for eating a healthy diet. Eating unrefined food supplies the body and the liver with the proper nutrients in order to optimize the detoxification pathways.
Even our clothing can contain toxic chemicals. In my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, I discuss the widespread problems with bromine toxicity. Bromine is a toxic halide that is used as a fire retardant in many consumer products such as clothing (and food). Bromine is the most common toxic item that I have identified in my patients. In my book, I discuss safe and effective ways to detoxify bromine including supplementing with iodine.
It is not just bromine that we need to be concerned with. Greenpeace reported that samples of clothing from 14 top clothing manufacturers were contaminated with chemicals known as nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE’s). NPE’s break down into nonylphenol which is considered a toxic, persistent organic pollutant. That means it is not easily broken down and it can last in the environment for a long period of time. NPE toxicity comes from its ability to mimic and bind to estrogen receptors in the body. These chemicals have been found to cause the feminization of male fish as well as to disrupt hormones in mammals (including humans).
Greenpeace purchased 78 branded clothing samples from 18 countries including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines in order to complete their study. These clothes were manufactured by 14 different companies including Adidas, Uniqlo, Calvin Klein, H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lacoste, Converse, and Ralph Lauren. (On a side note, I am writing this blog sitting at my computer wearing a Ralph Lauren polo shirt.)
If our clothing contains toxic chemicals, what can you do? I believe the most important thing you can do is to ensure that your detoxification pathways are optimally functioning. How do you accomplish this? The first step to optimizing your detox pathways is to maintain adequate hydration. In other words, drink appropriate amounts of water. Water helps flush out toxins and optimal hydration helps lower the concentration of toxic items in the body. How much water should you drink? Take your weight in pounds, divide by two and the resulting number is the amount of water, in ounces, to ingest per day.
Next, ensure that your detoxification pathways have optimal levels of antioxidants and nutrients. This includes taking vitamins C and E. Both Vitamins C and E help neutralize many toxins as well as aid in the removal of toxins from the body. Alpha lipoic acid is another important nutrient that can not only neutralize toxins but also aids in their removal. I frequently prescribe 300mg/day of alpha lipoic acid to aid in the detoxification process.
Finally, I cannot emphasize the importance of periodically undergoing liver detoxification. One of the liver’s main responsibilities is to neutralize toxins so they can be eliminated in the urine or the stool. In our toxic world, the liver is often overworked and overstressed trying to keep up with the increasing toxic load we are exposed to.
My partners and I have designed a product—Total Liver Care or TLC— which stimulates both phases of liver detoxification. This product took us over 10 years to develop. TLC supplies the liver with the vital nutrients it needs in order to improve its detoxification capabilities. Because we are exposed to multiple toxins on a daily basis, periodically detoxifying the liver can help the liver eliminate many of the toxic chemicals such as those described above.
I generally recommend one scoop of TLC twice per day until the can is finished. Adding in alpha lipoic acid (300mg twice per day) enhances this process. These products can be found at my office website: www.centerforholisticmedicine.com.
One last thought—there is no substitute for eating a healthy diet. Eating unrefined food supplies the body and the liver with the proper nutrients in order to optimize the detoxification pathways.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
My Second Novel Has Just Been Published
No one likes to be defined by their diabetes, not even me. Though I put a lot of time into dealing with it and sharing what I learn with you and other visitors to this site, I have a whole life outside of diabetes which for the past two and a half years has revolved around writing romance novels, since I was fortunate enough to be offered a contract by one of the "Big Six" publishers. 
So I'd like to let those of you who enjoy Historical Romances know that my second novel, Star Crossed Seduction
is now available.
Based on feedback from people who read the book before publication, Star Crossed Seduction, despite the romance-y title and cover (over which I have no control) also appeals to people who don't usually read romance but enjoy upscale historical fiction, due to the high quality of the writing and the depth of the character development you'll find in its pages. You can learn what it's about, read what reviewers have had to say about it, and find links to where you can buy it online HERE.
Star Crossed Seduction is being stocked in many book stores and some of the larger Walmarts. It is also available in all common e-book formats.
As noted before, my publisher will be contributing a portion of every book sold to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, as part of its "K.I.S.S and Teal" campaign which is harnessing the power of Romance novels to reach women readers to raise awareness of this deadly and increasingly common disease.
To celebrate the release of Star Crossed Seduction, I've put together a contest which gives you a chance to win a prize and me a chance to see my book displayed around the country (and the world), which I enjoy because I live in a rural area with almost no bookstores, so I rarely get to see my books on a store shelf live and in person.
All you need to do to enter it is snap a photo of Star Crossed Seduction and either upload it using the form you'll find HERE, email it to me, or post it on the Jenny Brown's Romance Novels page on FaceBook. The winner, chosen at random will get a $25 gift certificate to their favorite online bookstore.
That's all I'll say about the book here, but if you want to keep tabs on my writing career, just "like" the FaceBook page
So I'd like to let those of you who enjoy Historical Romances know that my second novel, Star Crossed Seduction
is now available.Based on feedback from people who read the book before publication, Star Crossed Seduction, despite the romance-y title and cover (over which I have no control) also appeals to people who don't usually read romance but enjoy upscale historical fiction, due to the high quality of the writing and the depth of the character development you'll find in its pages. You can learn what it's about, read what reviewers have had to say about it, and find links to where you can buy it online HERE.
Star Crossed Seduction is being stocked in many book stores and some of the larger Walmarts. It is also available in all common e-book formats.
As noted before, my publisher will be contributing a portion of every book sold to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, as part of its "K.I.S.S and Teal" campaign which is harnessing the power of Romance novels to reach women readers to raise awareness of this deadly and increasingly common disease.
To celebrate the release of Star Crossed Seduction, I've put together a contest which gives you a chance to win a prize and me a chance to see my book displayed around the country (and the world), which I enjoy because I live in a rural area with almost no bookstores, so I rarely get to see my books on a store shelf live and in person.
All you need to do to enter it is snap a photo of Star Crossed Seduction and either upload it using the form you'll find HERE, email it to me, or post it on the Jenny Brown's Romance Novels page on FaceBook. The winner, chosen at random will get a $25 gift certificate to their favorite online bookstore.
That's all I'll say about the book here, but if you want to keep tabs on my writing career, just "like" the FaceBook page
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