Jerry Maguire’s Return to the Blue Lagoon

The big celebrity stink last year involved everyone’s favorite Calvin Klein model, Brooke Sheilds, and everyone’s favorite couch-hopping weirdo, Tom Cruise. The argument centered around the pharmaceutical treatment (or not) of moms with post-partum depression.

Brooke was for it. Tom staunchly against it. And neither one would give an inch.

Brooke’s position was for women’s health and against post-partum depression. Tom labeled her as “pro-drugs”.

Tom’s position was for self-reliance and self-healing, but Brooke labeled him as “pro-depression” and “anti-mothers”.

Tom has a good point: medicating new mothers with powerful drugs can be Risky Business. But Brooke does, too: if a new mother is depressed, how can she truly enjoy the Endless Love of her child?

The situation is usually hopeless when we get stuck in “either/or” thinking. With only two choices (drugs or no drugs), there seems to be no way out. But if we can imagine the problem differently and look for a root cause, we might be able to find a more elegant solution. Could it be possible to find a solution that will make Suddenly Susan and Top Gun both happy (and keep Matt Lauer out of it altogether)?

Well, there is hope. In fact, scientists have found a nutritional cause that may be (at least partly) for post-partum depression.

They noted that DHA levels drop quickly after giving birth. DHA is a polyunsaturated, Omega-3 essential fatty acid that improves the structure and function of your cell walls, found abundantly in fish oil. Studies show that post-partum depression symptoms improve dramatically when the new mother eats more Omega-3 Fatty Acids (specifically DHA). One study showed that a 1% increase in plasma DHA was associated with a whopping 59% reduction in reporting of depressive symptoms.

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003; 12 Suppl:S37. Docosahexanoic acid and post-partum depression— is there a link? Makrides, M, Crowther CA, Gibson RA, Gibson RS, Skeaff CM.

So, if the expectant mother eats more DHA/fish oil before, during and after her delivery, she’ll probably have a much better chance of feeling great and experiencing the joy of motherhood--and Dad would probably get along better as well.

And this is just one of the many health benefits of Concentrated Omega-3 Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil, whether you're a new mom or not. You can check out more benefits at http://www.drvinceonline.com/fishoil.htm

Making this a 'fish story' gives it a happy ending:

Brooke’s happy, ‘cause Mom’s happy.
Tom’s happy, ‘cause Mom’s not taking mind-numbing drugs.

Can you imagine? Next summer’s blockbuster chick-flick: A recently-divorced sports agent crash lands on a deserted island, and meets a shipwrecked damsel in distress.

At least they’ll have plenty of fish to eat.


Live Enthused,
Dr. Vince

Heart Problems from Heart Medicine?

A widely used heart-surgery medicine (Trasylol, standard treatment in many hospitals to stem blood loss in patients undergoing heart-bypass surgery) has been found to carry serious health risks.

A new study of 4,374 patients (published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine) found patients taking Trasylol were at an increased risk of kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes, compared with patients taking alternative drugs or no drugs at all.

After adjusting for the varying risk factors of the patients being compared, the study determined there was a 55% increase in the risk of heart attacks among the Trasylol group and a 181% increase in the risk of strokes.

The study is significant because it was conducted without drug-industry funding at 69 medical centers, including many of the top U.S. hospitals. It raises safety concerns that weren't flagged in company-sponsored research over the course of more than a decade of clinical use.

Read more at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113824252116356643.html?mod=health_home_stories


Dr. V's comment:

A heart surgery drug that causes heart problems? Ironic, but surprisingly common.

Drug safety has been attracting more and more interest lately. Especially in the past several years since we discovered that adverse drug reactions were the 4th leading cause of preventable death.

Along with “How can we make drugs safer?”, we might want to be asking “How can we make our hearts healthier (so we can avoid heart bypass surgery in the first place) ?”

The straight answer is that nearly all heart disease is a product of ‘lifestyle’—what we eat, what we drink, stress, etc. The good news is that dietary changes are the easiest to make and pay big dividends.

The easiest, most beneficial place to start is by supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight inflammation and help the heart stay healthy. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil have been consistently shown to help prevent all kinds of heart problems by:

• keeping arteries clean
• improving circulation
• promoting normal blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels

By feeding your body right, it can heal itself from the Inside. By giving it plenty of good fats, like the ones found in fish oil, you make its job that much easier.

Life is better from the Inside-Out...

Live Enthused,

Dr. Vince

More fluoride=more cavities?

Sink your teeth into this: fluoride may actually cause cavities.

The funny thing is, we've known this for a pretty long time. Back in 1942, Proctor & Gamble’s own studies found a 23% increase in dental caries (cavities) among children who used their fluoride toothpaste “Teel”. How could that be? Ironically, for fluoride to bond to teeth, it has to remove calcium. That’s called “fluorosis”, which leaves white spots on the teeth and makes them weaker and more likely to get cavities. This is a good example of how the “outside-in” approach to health usually backfires, leaving us worse off than we were before.

Even with several other studies showing the ineffectiveness (and even harm) of fluoride, a report today (Jan 24, 2006 Wall Street Journal, “Bottled Water and Tooth Decay: Kids May Not Be Getting Enough Fluoride”) says that some dentists as well as the CDC are concerned that bottled water isn't giving children enough fluoride.

Some cultures have great dental health, even without brushing their teeth at all. Imagine that. So, before we start worrying about fluoride, or even better brushing, it might make more sense to look Inside. To see our dental health as an expression of our overall health. The typical American's health is not that great, and our health problems (even dental and mental!) are rooted in our grain-based, super-sized, pre-packaged diet. Teeth are living tissue, and are profoundly affected by your food choices. Believe me, I know this from experience.

When I graduated from Georgia Tech in 1985, I became a vegetarian. My dental health also improved, and I didn’t have another cavity or dental problem of any kind until my last few quarters at Life College in 1994. That’s when I started on my “Quick Trip” diet. I was working as a Senior Assistant, supervising other students during my last year in the clinic, on the road a lot, driving twenty minutes south into Atlanta or north to Canton to work in the satellite clinics between classes. I was usually working at lunch time, so I just stopped at Quick Trip for a snack (Munchos, Diet Coke and a Little Debbie was my usual). After about a year of that, I started having problems with my teeth (not to mention my waistline, but I blamed it on 'sympathy gut' since my wife was pregnant). More cavities, broken fillings and even two root canals. But since I’ve been following my anti-inflammatory eating plan for the past two or three years, I’ve been in great shape, dentally and otherwise.

The key to my renewed health has been Concentrated Omega-3 Pharmaceutical-grade Fish Oil. By reducing the amount of grains and junk I eat (which has lots of harmful, inflammatory Omega-6 fats) and supplementing with fish oil (which has lots of anti-inflammatory Omega-3s), I’ve changed my life (and my choppers) for the better.

You can too. Click here to learn more. http://www.drvinceonline.com/fishoil.htm

To be fair, the dentists acknowledge the dangers of “too much fluoride; ingesting too much toothpaste or taking too many fluoride supplements under the age of 8 years old can leave children with chalky white spots on their teeth--one reason dentists say parents should make sure their kids don't use too much toothpaste…” (Why not save the trouble and just switch to a non-fluoride toothpaste? That’s what I’ve done. I really like my Tom’s GingerMint.)

Even back in 1999 EPA scientists, lawyers and engineers signed a joint resolution to oppose fluoridation because they found that fluoride causes: “gene mutations, cancer, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, bone pathology and … decreases about 5 to 10 I.Q. points in children aged 8 to 13 years.” In fact, Robert Carton, Ph. D., a former president of the EPA professionals union who spent 15 years as a US EPA toxicologist, says, “Fluoridation is the greatest case of scientific fraud of this century, if not of all time.”

According to the article, the CDC says that one out of three children 6 to 19 years old have some fluorosis. Strangely enough, though, “the CDC says it continues to recommend fluoridation”.

(I’ll let you provide your own punchline…)

Live Enthused,

Dr. Vince

P.S. you can find the entire article at
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113806628922854233.html?mod=home_personal_journal_middle

P.P.S. If you want better dental health, better energy, and a better Life, I know you’re chomping at the bit to get on over and check out http://www.drvinceonline.com/fishoil.htm

Why Winnie the Pooh doesn't get Arthritis

(Besides the fact that he's stuffed and doesn't really have any joints)

The latest craze in fighting inflammation may be just that. Craze-y.

Bee venom is being investigated as a treatment for arthritis. According to the Wall Street Journal (Jan 24, 2006 pg D6):

“Interest in venom as an arthritis treatment has intensified since the painkiller Vioxx was found to increase risks of heart attack and stroke and was pulled from the market in 2004. Venom is also used for pain from wounds or scars and for multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease.”

There are two pieces of good news to this story. One, is that more people are starting to understand the relationship between inflammation and degenerative disease. The article also lists ailments such as arthritis, shingles and pain that benefit from the anti-inflammatory effects of bee venom.

Unfortunately, bee venom also carries a chance of deadly anaphylactic reaction for people who are allergic to bee stings—and may not even know it:

“An estimated 0.5% to 1% of the U.S. population has had systemic allergic reactions to bee stings, which can cause the throat to close up, and a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Even people who have never had an allergy before can "out of nowhere have a fully dangerous reaction," says David B.K. Golden, a bee-sting allergy expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He suggests patients might want to get tested by an allergist first -- though a negative result doesn't provide a guarantee that a sting will be safe.”

The second piece of good news, is that there is an easier, safer way to get powerful anti-inflammatory effects without going through the pain and risk of bee stings.

Fish Oil has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and has been shown over and over and over again (more than 5000 studies as I understand it) in scientific research to help prevent and reverse many chronic diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and joint pain…even cancer. By contrast, the research on bee venom is considered “scant”.

And unlike Vioxx, Celebrex and all the rest, there are no harmful side-effects. In fact, fish oil actually helps reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. So, by avoiding the harmful drugs and taking fish oil, you get a wellness double-whammy.

Try some fish oil today and feel the difference for yourself. Check out Concentrated Omega-3 Pharmaceutical-grade Fish Oil at http://www.drvinceonline.com/fishoil.htm Learn more about the health benefits of fish oil and order some today. It has no funny taste, no sting, and you won’t have to climb a tree and cover yourself in honey (unless you really want to.)

Live Enthused,

Dr. Vince

PS. You can read the entire bee venom article here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113805560516354007.html?mod=health_home_inside_today_left_column

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