From the Organic Consumers Association:
HEALTH ALERT OF THE WEEK:
PLEASE TELL THE EPA TO BAN THE TOXIC PESTICIDE ENDOSULFAN
The EPA has opened a public comment period on whether a toxic pesticide used on food and cotton in the U.S. should be taken off the market. The pesticide, endosulfan, which is banned in much of the world, harms the hormone system, and low levels of exposure in the womb have been linked to autism, male reproductive harm and other birth defects. The European Union, where it is banned, considers it one of the most toxic pesticides on the global market. The Organic Consumers Association is joining with Pesticide Action Network and other allies in gathering tens of thousands of petition signatures to drive this toxic pesticide off the market now.
Learn more and take action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10124.cfm
Join the Organic Consumers Association and join the fight for good food and a sustainable environment!
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
There's a Better Test for Cervical Cancer!
Ask yourself why most women haven't heard about the Digene HPV test that when combined with a Pap test finds 98% to 100% of women with the virus that can lead to cervical cancer. A Pap test by itself isn't nearly as accurate.
Ask yourself why your doctor isn't pushing for this test and your insurance company isn't insisting that it be used to avoid the human and financial cost of cervical cancer.
Maybe you can figure it out--I can't.
The medical community preaches preventative health care but when someone comes up with a technology that truly enables MDs to identify a potential health problem they seem to take a wait and see approach.
I've read that some doctors don't want women to be overly concerned if it is found that they have the HPV virus because often the woman's immune system gets rid of the virus before cancer appears. So a positive Digene test is not a death sentence. It just means that the virus is there and if it stays long enough cancer could eventually develop. So the test has to be repeated to monitor the virus and Pap tests are used to watch for cancerous cells. Another test called a colposcopy can be performed to rule out cancer if the virus and abnormal cells are found. So the Digene test, whether positive of negative, increases the doctor's level of information about the condition of the cervix and increases the probability that she'll make the right medical decisions.
Here's a link to my article on LesTout.com that discusses this test which has been approved by the FDA since 1999. Please read the article and get the word out to your women friends. Tell them to insist that their doctors become familiar with the test and ask local laboratories to provide it.
Let me point out that the Digene test is performed on the cells of a pap smear, so the woman doesn't have to submit to a second procedure--all she has to do is ask for the Digene test and the lab does the test at the same time as the Pap test.
You have a right to accurate information.
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
Ask yourself why your doctor isn't pushing for this test and your insurance company isn't insisting that it be used to avoid the human and financial cost of cervical cancer.
Maybe you can figure it out--I can't.
The medical community preaches preventative health care but when someone comes up with a technology that truly enables MDs to identify a potential health problem they seem to take a wait and see approach.
I've read that some doctors don't want women to be overly concerned if it is found that they have the HPV virus because often the woman's immune system gets rid of the virus before cancer appears. So a positive Digene test is not a death sentence. It just means that the virus is there and if it stays long enough cancer could eventually develop. So the test has to be repeated to monitor the virus and Pap tests are used to watch for cancerous cells. Another test called a colposcopy can be performed to rule out cancer if the virus and abnormal cells are found. So the Digene test, whether positive of negative, increases the doctor's level of information about the condition of the cervix and increases the probability that she'll make the right medical decisions.
Here's a link to my article on LesTout.com that discusses this test which has been approved by the FDA since 1999. Please read the article and get the word out to your women friends. Tell them to insist that their doctors become familiar with the test and ask local laboratories to provide it.
Let me point out that the Digene test is performed on the cells of a pap smear, so the woman doesn't have to submit to a second procedure--all she has to do is ask for the Digene test and the lab does the test at the same time as the Pap test.
You have a right to accurate information.
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Life as Miracle
I saw this graphic on the web and just wanted to share it with you.
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Fibromyalgia and the Adrenals
These are just my personal thoughts after having studied fibro for a while.
I think fibro is a systemic poisoning the symptoms of which are aggravated by the stress on the other body systems that the fibro itself creates. Of course, if it is a systemic poisoning, it would be really smart to find out what is poisoning you. You could start with diet, plastics and environmental poisons like bug sprays or cleaning products.
The adrenal system produces many of the hormones that people need for a healthy and happy life, estrogen and testosterone for example. It also produces adrenalin and cortisol when the person is under stress. But if the body is under constant stress (like when you have a debilitating illness like fibro) the stress hormones produced will cause even more stress in a further debilitating spiral of dis-ease and more stress.
I think this is why it is so hard for doctors to find a simple cure for fibro--so many of the body systems are involved and are functioning below par as the body reacts to the stress of the disease. Depression from the constant stress can further disrupt the immune system and weaken the body's resistant to other, seemingly unrelated, health problems.
Here's a link to an article that discusses the role of the adrenals and an approach to dealing with it that begins with talking to an endocrinologist about adrenal function. Here's another article.
I'm not saying that this is THE ANSWER; I'm just saying it's possibly a tool to manage fibro and reduce the effects to a tolerable level.
I just found a webpage by a fibro sufferer who has worked out what looks like a reasonable approach to managing symptoms. Check it out.
BTW, DHEA supplements are a good idea for almost everyone over 35, but you should get your blood level checked periodically because you don't want too much either. Your endocrinologist can check your DHEA levels for you.
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
I think fibro is a systemic poisoning the symptoms of which are aggravated by the stress on the other body systems that the fibro itself creates. Of course, if it is a systemic poisoning, it would be really smart to find out what is poisoning you. You could start with diet, plastics and environmental poisons like bug sprays or cleaning products.
The adrenal system produces many of the hormones that people need for a healthy and happy life, estrogen and testosterone for example. It also produces adrenalin and cortisol when the person is under stress. But if the body is under constant stress (like when you have a debilitating illness like fibro) the stress hormones produced will cause even more stress in a further debilitating spiral of dis-ease and more stress.
I think this is why it is so hard for doctors to find a simple cure for fibro--so many of the body systems are involved and are functioning below par as the body reacts to the stress of the disease. Depression from the constant stress can further disrupt the immune system and weaken the body's resistant to other, seemingly unrelated, health problems.
Here's a link to an article that discusses the role of the adrenals and an approach to dealing with it that begins with talking to an endocrinologist about adrenal function. Here's another article.
I'm not saying that this is THE ANSWER; I'm just saying it's possibly a tool to manage fibro and reduce the effects to a tolerable level.
I just found a webpage by a fibro sufferer who has worked out what looks like a reasonable approach to managing symptoms. Check it out.
BTW, DHEA supplements are a good idea for almost everyone over 35, but you should get your blood level checked periodically because you don't want too much either. Your endocrinologist can check your DHEA levels for you.
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
More on Environmental Poisons
I heard a touching poem this morning about a woman who died of cancer even though she ate organic fruits and vegetables and lived as natural a life as possible. I don't know why this woman died but I'm thinking more and more about environmental poisons these days.
If you broke out in a rash after using a cleaning product or a pesticide, you would conclude that you had some sensitivity to the product. But if you die of cancer five years later, you don't make the connection. You don't know which of the thousands of chemicals that you're exposed to led to your death.
The long time between exposure and death is the problem with environmental poisons. Let's say that you're a scientist and you're testing a new bug spray. You spray it around some people and six months later you issue your report that there were absolutely no harmful effects from the exposure. Several other scientists repeat your tests and confirm your claim. If many of the exposed people develop fibromyalgia, lupus or cancer years later, their doctors will never connect the disease with the cause.
If a researcher in the future explores the diseases caused by the bug spray you tested and sees the pattern that all the sick people were exposed to the bug spray and publishes a paper, the chemical industry will drag out the old studies that "proved" that the bug spray was harmless.
We need a new methodology for bringing new chemicals into our environment. Maybe the chemical industry needs to prove that a chemical is safe before they are authorized to use it. That would be expensive and slow progress but lives would be saved. The way it is now someone has to prove that the chemical does harm; that's a really hard thing to prove even when you "know" it's true.
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
If you broke out in a rash after using a cleaning product or a pesticide, you would conclude that you had some sensitivity to the product. But if you die of cancer five years later, you don't make the connection. You don't know which of the thousands of chemicals that you're exposed to led to your death.
The long time between exposure and death is the problem with environmental poisons. Let's say that you're a scientist and you're testing a new bug spray. You spray it around some people and six months later you issue your report that there were absolutely no harmful effects from the exposure. Several other scientists repeat your tests and confirm your claim. If many of the exposed people develop fibromyalgia, lupus or cancer years later, their doctors will never connect the disease with the cause.
If a researcher in the future explores the diseases caused by the bug spray you tested and sees the pattern that all the sick people were exposed to the bug spray and publishes a paper, the chemical industry will drag out the old studies that "proved" that the bug spray was harmless.
We need a new methodology for bringing new chemicals into our environment. Maybe the chemical industry needs to prove that a chemical is safe before they are authorized to use it. That would be expensive and slow progress but lives would be saved. The way it is now someone has to prove that the chemical does harm; that's a really hard thing to prove even when you "know" it's true.
Take a deep breath,
Dr. Ron
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
