Well ...it’s official: According to a new U.S.D.A. report, ORGANIC EGGS ARE NO BETTER THAN NON-ORGANIC ...JUST MORE EXPENSIVE.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2002334,00.html

Believe that?? If so, I got some nice swamp-land for sale in Florida for you.

Seriously ...just how STUPID do these people think we are ...Sarah Palin stupid?? Or about as stupid as this so-called “study??” ...read on...

Let’s start with: How do they know they’re no better? Why they used the “Haugh Unit” of course!! “What’s that?” you ask? It’s a “highly specialized egg-quality metric” developed by food technologist Raymond Haugh in 1937, The first clue is that YEAR ...hardly one we’d associate with high-techiness.

Just how “highly specialized” is this Haugh Unit? In 1937, this technique (also called the”Breakout Method”) involved cracking an egg and breaking-it-out on a flat surface and seeing if the albumen (the egg white) was thick or thin. No kidding. Initially done by eye, later a hand-turned micrometer was used. Yeah ...I know...VERY high-tech, and oh-so specialized.

Oh, sure ...back in it’s day, I'm sure it was a reliable method ...back when every egg was “organic” ...as in grain-fed birds in barnyards and coops with no chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, or processed chicken feeds. But today, according to legitimate egg experts, the Haugh Unit is a joke; it doesn’t take into account the size of the egg, the strain of the hen, the diet of the hen, it’s age or weight, it’s feed, it’s chemical load, it’s environment, it’s nutritional value, the vitamin or mineral content, it’s Omega 3 profile, it’s cholesterol, or whether the hen will ever see a Mel Gibson flick again (it won’t).

Are there more accurate ways to measure an egg’s egginess? Of course there are! Go here to see:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Eggs%20chart.pdf (NOTE:just look at the Vit E values alone!)

Some other good stuff here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx

So ....why would the USDA use an outdated 73-year-old testing procedure, you might ask? I think you know why ...to bamboozle you. The USDA --like nearly all government regulatory agencies-- has had key positions filled by ex-employees from the very companies it is supposed to regulate. Sort of like having the wolf guard the hen-house. Couple that with the massive marketing budgets and political contributions of the commercial food industry ...and the outcome is predictable.

Did you notice that there’s no mention of the YOLK in the study? Anybody who has ever cracked an organic egg immediately notices the color of the yolk: instead of an anemic-looking yellow, it’s a glorious dense orange. Also, the yolk stays almost perfectly round and firm instead of flattening out like a commercial one does. Even a non-food technologist like yourself can figure out that’s a good thing, since I’ll bet that you know that most of the nutrition is contained there.

So why such an obviously transparent “study?” They know that most people won’t get past the headline. And they know the weak spot is PRICE. I can hear it now:

“Bertha, did you see that? I told you that there’s no difference between those eggs!” ...as she puts her $1.89 dozen of non-organic eggs next to the Hot Pockets, 128oz Diet Pepsi, and Baconnaise.

REAL eggs are great food. Don’t scrimp on them. In fact ...don’t scrimp on food. Scrimp on other less-important stuff ...like subscriptions to TIME magazine...

Know anybody NOT in the know? Know what? Send them this all-knowing link: http://4pains.com/Fabale/helpafriend.htm

...and remember: HEALTH BEGINS WITH EASE

Dr Lou

The Twisted Truth of Vit D, SPF's & Cancer!

QUICK PROLOGUE: I began writing this story about reports of unusually high Vitamin D deficiencies in children. It ended up ...somewhere else. And it's not good. So please read this entire article. Your questions and feedback would be appreciated. --Dr Lou

A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that 70% of U.S. children have "alarmingly low" levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone weakening, heart disease, and malignant cancers.

What's weird is, for decades now, Vitamin D deficiency was relatively rare in the U.S. However, recent studies have documented a growing problem: cases of rickets --a bone disease in infants caused by low vitamin D levels-- is on the rise, so it's clear now that many children are not getting enough of this essential vitamin.

Thankfully, Vit D not that hard to find: In one of the most unique processes in the body, Vitamin D is produced in the skin when exposed to sunlight ...that stuff out your window. And, in a really nifty piece of biological engineering, that same Vitamin D produced by the sun's rays absorbs and makes harmless the ultraviolet radiation that does the most damage to our skin and our DNA. What a deal!! Our skin MAKES VIT D and PRODUCES ITS OWN CANCER BLOCK to boot!

Not being one to waste precious resources, nature also designed Vitamin D to do some other functions in the body, one of the most important being that it promotes re-absorption of calcium in the kidneys, which enables mineralization of bone. In simple terms that means it helps prevent osteoporosis, which is a growing problem in many elderly.

BUT THERE'S MORE: Vit D also plays a major role in protection against cancers, supporting the production of certain white-blood cells called phagocytes, which are blood-born critters who hunt down and dine on rouge cells including cancer cells, in the body. Just like every society has a few bad eggs, we all have cancerous cells running around inside us trying to set up shop in the burbs. After all, we are 60 trillion cells, and to assume that there aren't any rejects is to assume there are no known sexual predators living in your neighborhood. Luckily, we have Vit D to do the trick. Or did until...

...kids stopped playing in the sun! The study, conducted at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York found low vitamin D levels were especially common in children who were 1) not physically active outdoors, 2) overweight or obese, and 3) spent more than four hours a day watching TV, playing videogames, using computers, or engaged in other visual media. Big surprise, huh?

"We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking," writes lead author Juhi Kumar. What's shocking is that these kids spend so much time INDOORS STARING AT THEIR MILLIONTH MYSPACE HOLDING-MY-CAMERAPHONE-AT-ARMS-LENGTH-JUST-SO SELF PORTRAIT instead of doing normal kid things like running around outdoors playing games, riding a bike, tagging the neighbor's recently painted brick wall, or picking on lower life forms with a BB gun.

BUT THAT'S JUST PART OF THE STORY. NOW THE WEIRD PART: More than any other, today's group of youngsters could be called Generation SPF. Since infancy, they've been coated by their Redbook-educated moms with some sort of goop before they go outdoors. They were sold advert nauseum that the best bet to ensure good skin shelf-life is to cover it with SPF concoctions designed to protect us from damaging rays. Yet several studies done over the last few years show conclusive evidence that no protective effect is seen against cancer from sunscreen use. In fact, as hard as it may be to believe, several separate studies over the years show an increase in skin cancer with such sun-protecting goop.

One of those, published in 2007 in the Annals of Epidemiology, found that people using sunscreens were one and a half times as likely to get cancer than those who did not. And a paper published in the British Journal of Dermatology looked at 17 separate studies on the relation of sunscreen use to melanoma risk. Only three studies showed a decrease in melanoma risk, but a surprising six studies showed an increased risk with use!!

"But I must protect my skin from those harmful rays, Dr Lou!" ...I hear you plead through my computer speakers. FOLLOW ME HERE, IT'S IMPORTANT: Sunscreens were developed to prevent SUNBURN by blocking Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR). Its use has been shown to prevent DIRECT DNA DAMAGE that causes sunburn and maybe the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal-cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, both rarely serious, and almost never fatal. However, studies show that when sunscreen penetrates into the skin (which it does in just a few minutes), it causes INDIRECT DNA DAMAGE by BLOCKING THE FORMATION OF VITAMIN D, which increases the risk of the most lethal form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.

STOP! Concentrate on what you're reading for a second and follow me here: SUNSCREEN USE INCREASES MALIGNANT CANCERS. According to The Skin Cancer Foundation the incidence of many common cancers is falling, but the incidence of melanoma continues to rise significantly, at a rate faster than that of any of the seven most common cancers. That British Journal of Dermatology specifically reports that Vitamin D deficiency from sunblock usage causes 100,000 people to develop cancer each year who wouldn't have, leading to 40,000 deaths per year.

In 1980, an American's lifetime melanoma risk was 1 in 350. Today, it's 1 in 84. BIG DIFFERENCE! What's changed? A hint may be that sunscreen sales exploded from $18 million in 1972 to $500 million by 1996. Now, it's closing in on a billion.

So there's a false sense of security here that has an underlying danger. Sure, slathering SPF 50 may cut down on sunburn, but because of that, many people stay exposed to the sun's MOST LETHAL rays many hours longer than they normally would without sunscreen. One simple reason is that they're not feeling the intense BURN of the sun on their skin, which would normally force then to seek shade or cover up.

So I'm recommending NO sunscreen usage. I know this runs contrary to conventional wisdom on this, but conventional wisdom convinced us that margarine was food. (It's not. And if you still think it is, we need to talk.)

Skin color does factor in skin cancers. Blacks, with their melatonin-rich skin, have 1/6th the skin cancers of whites. That darker pigment often means that they are not diagnosed as early, resulting in a 20% higher higher mortality rate. Knowing that, sunscreen usage among blacks has increased dramatically in recent years. But check this out; melanomas in African Americans, Asians, Filipinos, Indonesians, and native Hawaiians most often occur on non-sun exposed skin with less pigment, with 75% of tumors arising on the palms, soles, mucous membranes and nail regions. These sites are clearly not sun-related, which again points to a possible Vit D deficiency.

So here's the deal: GET OUTDOORS! ...and have some sun-time without any SPF GOOP so your body can make some good old-fashioned, kick-ass Vit D! But if you're out for any length of time, make sure to cover-up ...as in wear some clothes. I'm very active outdoors, and cover up with lightweight, long-sleeve shirts when it's for prolonged periods. I like the SPF rated stuff from Columbia, Northface, and other outdoor clothiers. (see: http://www.columbia.com/mens-long-sleeve-shirts/men-shirts-longsleeve,default,sc.html) They don't have to look all granola. Even regular cotton will do the trick.

Does anybody you know still think margarine is food, or have any health issues? Send them a FREE consult and exam by clicking on this link: http://4pains.com/Fabale/helpafriend.htm

...and remember: HEALTH BEGINS WITH EASE

Dr Lou

Health Care Reform in the Dr LoUniverse --The High Cost Of Disregard

Dear Friend,

I've been asked many times recently of my views on Health Care Reform, and to be honest, I feel ill-equipped to come up with an good answer. This article is my answer ...it's a bit long, somewhat hard and goes deep, but like many things in life with those attributes ...well worth it. I tried to use my particular brand of Dr LoUniversal humor to get through it ...re-reading it made me laugh to beat the band ...well, parts, anyway.

PART I: Some Facts.

A slew of recent news articles proclaim that the cost of health care is out of control, mostly because of the expanding Super-Size of the average American. A study published in the journal Health Affairs, released at the CDC's "Weight of the Nation" conference in Washington, supplied these swollen figures:

a) U.S. obesity rates rose a hefty 37% between 1998 and 2006, creating a Whopperesque 89% increase in money spent on obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other conditions.

b) On average, these large folk spend $1,429 per year (or 42%) more for medical care than normal weight people, with most of that spent on the prescription drugs meant to offset the damage done by too many Big Mac Attacks.

Medicare spends from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for obese seniors than for the non-huge. And, according to the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, childhood obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1990. Want some extra fries with that with that shocker?

Not surprisingly, the South is the fattest region. Grand Ole Miss led the nation for the fifth year in a row with an adult obesity rate of 32.5%. Also above the 30% mark are three other states south of the Mason-Dixon: Alabama bulking out at 31.2%; West Virginia clocking in a chunky 31.1%; and Tennessee posting a porky 30.2%. Talk about a Big Gulp!

Remember, we're not just talking "overweight" here. Heck ...over 2/3rds of the nation are that now, and clearly okay with it. OBESE is defined as more than 20% of one's normal weight or having a BMI of 30 or more. Ex: a 175lber graduates to obese-class when they tip the scales at a portly 210lbs. And although it's worse there than the rest of the nation, this is not just a Southern problem. In 1991, not one state had more than a 20% obesity rate, and a couple were still in the single digits. Today, the only state that doesn't is Colorado, at 18.9%. Who knew that a "Colorado Rocky Mountain High" didn't include the munchies?

Most disturbing is that Mississippi also had the highest rate of overweight and obese children combined, at 44.4%. It's followed by Arkansas with 37.5% chubby kids; and Georgia with 37.3% shopping in the XXL section. In other words, we're closing in on NEARLY HALF of the nation's kids being Big N' Tasty. The study also mentions that kids are "bombarded" by TV commercials touting sugar concoctions and fast-food franchises. It explains why Ronald MacDonald is the most recognized face for kids age 4-10, just ahead of Miley Cyrus, who I believe now even has her chirpy visage on teen tampon applicators.

But leave it to the aging baby-boomers to lead the pack. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55 to 64 year-olds than any other age group. Let's hear it for the ultimate consumer generation and their addiction to CONVENIENCE over substance! Alabama lumbers into the lead spot with a Boomer obesity rate of 39% ...4 OUT OF 10! Michigan waddles into the #2 spot at a hefty 36%. Colorado also comes in last this category with the lowest rate, 21.8% ...what, not enough Baconnaise being sold there?

President Obama is trying to overhaul a health system literally bursting at the seams treating these diseases caused by --and it ain't rocket science folks-- too many eating too much and moving too little. And yes ...the dangers of manufactured, packaged, processed, de-vitalized foods --in other words DEPLETION FOODS (see: http://drlouniverse.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html) is REAL ...but this data is mainstream now so there's no excuse to be eating even one more Happy Meal.

PART II: Time to "Think Outside The Bun"

Here's the thing: The 68% (and growing) of Americans obsessed with the self-serving fast-food mantra of "Have it Your Way" are destroying not only themselves, they are a burden to the entire planet's resources by using up more than their share; an obese person eats about 250 more calories PER MEAL than a normal weight person. And for those trying to change our relationship to our environment and ourselves, and to reduce our energy usage-- that's where the buck stops. Tens of billions of dollars are spent every year on "diet management" for the McNugget-stuffed, yet some 800 million people in the third world alone are left hungry and undernourished, their next meal in doubt. Is it too much to ask that a person --who can't take a flight of stairs or no longer even sees their own knees-- have a little consciousness with that Hot Pocket? Is it fair that the rest of us pick up the tab for their over-indulgences?

And the current "health care reform?" There is no "health" in this reform; it's just a re-configuration of a system designed to get more drugs into more people. You really think the pharmaceutical companies care how they get there and who makes what on the way?

After deeply contemplating the enormity of these figures, I have come up with a Fair and Balanced (TM, FauxNews) way to dole out health care: I propose that health care be charged ON A RATED, GRADED, PER-USAGE, TIERED SYSTEM, similar to our utilities. That way, those who use it more, pay more, and those who don't pay less.

A simple rating system can take into account certain measurable parameters, which will be calculated to come up with a PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY INDICATOR QUOTIENT ("PRIQ") score compiled from:

1) BMI Rating ("BMI" or Body Mass Index is a measure of body fat based on height and weight: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/) For one who is over their normal BMI, the cost of their health care will be higher than for one who is at or below theirs for their age, height, and weight. When they stop over-stuffing themselves, their rate will go down. (This does not include the exceedingly rare conditions of pathological obesity.)

2) MD Office Visit Frequency. A person who sees an MD 3 times a month is obviously doing things differently than one who hasn't seen one in 25 years (like me). There should also be a separate CARELESS MODALITY EVENT ("C-ME") statistic, a numerical value assigned that takes into account how ofter one needs emergency care. A bungee-jumper who forgets to secure his ankle straps, a drunk who repeatedly smashes their face falling down stairs, or a thrill seeker doing sweet jumps on his Quad has to know that they are responsible for the cost their stupidity.

3) Prescriptions Filled. If you consume drugs, you must pay for them. For those who don't, the rates should reflect that. I propose that the cost of drugs should be much higher, and very heavily taxed. I also want ALL research moved OUT of our Universities and funded ONLY by the Pharmaceutical companies themselves, then properly tested by 3 independent research labs. Yes, this will drive the cost of drugs up ...unfortunately, for many people who don't care about their health, cost is the only motivation to cut down on their abuse.

4) Cigarette Smoker. Cigarettes KILL and waste BILLION$ each year, and for those who care about their health, this is a no-brainer. I propose obscenely high taxes on cancer-sticks. Second-hand smoke kills, too ...and I'm still waiting for that one person who murders their smoking spouse, claiming it was "self-defense" because they wouldn't quit.

5) Preventative Holistic Care Credits. For those dedicated enough to want the very best, real cash credits can be earned against possible claims by submitting proof of money spent on Wellness care. It's money in the bank ...literally.

As you can see, those who TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR HEALTH will have the lowest "PRIQ" score and pay the least, while those who disregard their health will have a high "PRIQ" score and pay the most -- as it should be. What I like about this is that it has a built-in reward system for being healthy, and a penalty for being not healthy. Like life itself.

If you're less of a "PRIQ" about YOUR health, and don't look for others to save you, life will be good for all.

Need some health? Lower your "PRIQ" by getting in quick. Know anyone else with too high a "PRIQ"? ...send them here: http://4pains.com/Fabale/helpafriend.htm

Now ...this was a bit tongue-in-cheek (or tongue somewhere), so please don't accuse me of anything rash like espousing Palin's imaginary "Death Panels" or euthanasia. I hope at least that it stimulated some thought process in your brain. The logistics of this type of system is possible, but the big problem is that so many are already so seriously sick that it couldn't be fairly implemented without a massive intermediary plan.

The sad fact of the health care reform debate is that it's neither reforming, nor is it a debate. Have you seen clips of these screaming idiots at Town meetings? How is it that the concept of affordable, reliable heath care for all has become so un-American to them?? Why is it that a certain segment of America won't trust their own Government with their health care, but will trust Corporations?

We've given the so-called 'health insurance' companies plenty of time to prove how utterly wasteful, cruel, and disastrous they can be. Time for Plan B! Their cabal with Big Pharm has bankrupted too many and corrupted the entire system, almost beyond repair.

But repair it we must. Prevention and Wellness are the only real solution ...but that takes time, real foresight, and education. And government legislation to regulate the unethical Pharmaceutical Industry and the out-of-control Processed Food Industry ...both getting away with murder marketing packaged, untested poisons. An interim plan is needed. Will it be an easy solution? No way. Like I wrote ...unfortunately, it seems that most of it is just shuffling ...how to get more drugs to more people.

Do your part. be active ...as in MOVE MORE, EAT LESS. Pass this on.....

GET ADJUSTED, STAY STRONG

Dr Lou

Some INTERESTING and (not so) FUN FACTS!

Welcome to "DR LOU'S (not so) FUN FACTS!" Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, or send you to the bathroom with a dose of projectile vomiting.

Let's start with those "safe" over-the-counter drugs...

Just 1,000 capsules of Tylenol in your lifetime DOUBLES your risk of end stage renal disease. That means your kidneys fail and you die! (New England Journal of Medicine, 1994) Aside: the average American takes about 200 a year ...do the math.

Taking the correct drug for the correct diagnoses in the correct dose will kill about 106,000 Americans per year, making it the 4th most common cause of death in the US. (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1998) Aside: that's from the AMA ...other estimates from outside the medical profession run as high as 225,000 a year. But we'll never know because most that die don't call in to say they did!

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs --like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc-- conservatively causes 16,500 Americans to bleed to death internally each year, making that the 15th most common cause of death in the US. (New England Journal of Medicine, 1999) Aside: again, other sources put it much higher ...but does that really matter? What's important is that millions eat this like candy for the littlest ache or pain.

Consuming those same nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain drugs in recommended doses increases your risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s dementia, by 66%. (Neurology, 2009) "But by-golly-gee, we still don't know where the heck that Old-timers disease comes from." ...said the research clinician paid for by Galaxo-Welcome Pharmaceutical.

Hey! Theoretically, if you take enough of those pills, you won't realize you're shitting blood because ...by-golly-gee ...you won't remember a thing! And does it get any more fun than THAT? Let's do a few FOOD FACTS...

Artificial Strawberry Flavor has 49 chemicals in it! Wanna see? Go here: http://www.feingold.org/strawberry.html Are you sure you want to go to Crackberry's for another scoop of that "healthy" fauxgurt?

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) can cause chronic pain throughout the body, and removing them from the diet for 4 consecutive months can eliminate all chronic pain symptoms. (Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 2002) Good luck ..that crap is in EVERYTHING!

...here's a good one ...and one I didn't know ...funny as all heck, too!

The largest exposure of Americans to neurotoxic mercury is through the consumption of products containing High Fructose Corn Syrup. (Environmental Health, 2009) Marketing idea: "Our Big Gulp doesn't just make you fat ..it makes you fat and stupid, too!

The newest estimate for the incidence of autism is 1 in 91 US children. (Pediatrics, 2009) Just 15 years ago, it was one in 15,000! Pssst! remember ...according to the CDC it's NOT from vaccines, no sir. Must be the weather.

"Oh ...what to do Dr Lou??" No worries...here's some interesting facts to save our sorry asses...

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to be better than 5 times more effective than the above-mentioned nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of chronic neck and low back pain. (Spine, 2003) Na-na-na-na-naaaaa-na!!

Supplementing with Vitamin D3 has the potential to reduce cancer deaths in America by 75%. (Ann of Epidemiology, 2009) Sure you want to slather more of that SPF-75 on ya? What you don't know about THAT story is killing you!

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to significantly lower your blood pressure. (Journal of Human Hypertension, 2007) Unless, of course, you're really fond of how beta-blockers and diuretics make you obese by blocking the “beta-receptors” that burn fat thus increasing your risk of type II diabetes – which can clip a good 11-20 years from your lifespan.

In patients suffering from chronic pain -- degenerative and/or inflammatory-- 59% can eliminate the need for pain drugs by consuming adequate levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids. (Surgical Neurology, 2006) Why do you think I carry the BEST ONES I could find?

...and finally...

A whopping 93% of patients with chronic back pain who have failed medical and physical therapy care reported marked improvement with Chiropractic adjustments. (Injury, 1996) I LOVE those kind of stats!! ...and that's just ONE of the million reasons why I do this stuff!!!

..and that's that!

GET ADJUSTED, STAY STRONG

Dr Lou

FLUE-EE PART 1.5 ...Milk it!

Dear Friend,

So you took tons of Vitamin C, echinacea, cleaned your sinuses with your neti pot, got adjusted, cut out all sugar and ...you still got the flu. You know the old saying: epidemics are made, they don't just happen. But don't panic ...here's my expert advise:

MILK IT

Oh, yeah ...I'm talking the Full Monty. It's a FLU, just like back in the day, no more, no less. So do it old-school: Get all cozy on the couch, wrapped up in your favorite blankie or one of those really cool Snuggies. Have at least 3 boxes of Puffs Plus within reach. Pull on those thick wool socks or those light-weight fleecey ones. Keep a simmering kettle on the stove with a non-stop flow of tea coming your way. Watch tons of stupid TV ...like Oprah giving away free cars to those who can't afford the sales tax. (Stay away from FOXnews ...even your President says you don't need that kind of brain damaging dribble in your weakened state.) And ...whenever possible ...get OTHERS to do things for YOU!

GET INTO IT I'm not kidding! Let EVERYONE KNOW so that your friends, family, and co-workers will send their condolences and concerned Facebook updates ...wondering and even worrying about how you are! Consider posting hour-by-hour Twitter updates. They'll FEEL SORRY FOR YOU while you get to be with your favorite person (YOU!) without any distractions or pesky deadlines. Because here's the best part: When else can you take up to a WHOLE WEEK OFF FROM WORK AWAY FROM ALL THOSE IRRITATING CO-WORKERS with no penalty? It's like you won the lottery!!! Oh, happy days!!! Go on ...pour yourself another steaming cup of Throat Coat!

Don't forget that if someone calls you, bring your best game face; sniffle as much as possible, cough really, really hard a few times to stoke their concern (you'll evoke that great phrase, "Oh my God ...you sound AWFUL!"), and if you can --sneeze huge so they'll feel compelled to leave you the hell alone ...just what you want, and need. (If you can't muster a good sneeze right then ...just grab the cat and rub it under your nose ...100% guaranteed to get you a "God Bless You!" or a "Gesundheit!" followed quickly by a resounding "Good Bye!" ...leaving you like Marlene Dietrich ...ALONE.

I know you have a smile on your face! You're thinking, "Damn ...that's sounding good right now with all that's going on in the office ...but I'm not even sick." Well ...not YET, BOYYYEEE!

You see, a cold, flu, or any other type of sinus infection is an adult "time-out" ...where your bodymind has had enough of the kids, your significant other, or that idiot transfer from Cincinnati that's making you look bad. Of course we can't "time out" like we could when we were kids ...so we let nature do her thing by creating a socially acceptable way to pull it off.

LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR: The absolute worst thing you can do is FEEL BAD about being sick! Only a crazy person would do that. I mean ...why in hell would you want to miss an opportunity to be GRUMPY, SLOPPY, INDULGENT, and LAZY all at the same time? And it comes with SYMPATHY!! It's a no-brainer. Plus, negativity will make the illness dig into those dark corners where -- believe me -- you don't want to go.

And here's yet another bonus: If you do it right and follow your instincts, you'll probably lose about 10lbs of toxic waste ...remnants from all the late-summer partying. Why else do you think these flu things come in the fall? And make no mistake ...the detoxing from the flu is a HUGE part of its healing design. So embrace it's grace.

Here's a thought to ponder: Using the logic above, an epidemic is a large-scale wish for many to take a time-out. It's like we all need a break and a re-set to deeply detox from the Bush years, from the great push of the election, the fears of economic collapse, fears of terrorism, global warming, the current political un-civil war, and questions of why on God's good earth didn't Adam Lambert win American Idol.

Well, I hope this helps. As you know I had this thing a few weeks back and went through it bareback ...I took nothing and let it do its magic. I recommend it for those hard-core health crazies like me. It'll go through you faster than if you take symptom relief remedies because you'll be letting your INNATE run the show as it's designed to do. Try to see if you can do it. I'll still love you if you don't ...promise.

Gotta go finish the real PART II!

GET ADJUSTED, STAY STRONG

Dr Lou

FLU-EE II: "Dr Lou, It's The Flu ...What Do I Do?"

Hello Fellow Concerned Human!

It seems Dr. Mehmet Oz, "The Wizard of Oprah" and outspoken shill -- I mean proponent -- of seasonal flu shots isn't going to dose his wife and kids with the H1N1 vaccine he's promoting because, "At home I'm MISTER Oz, not DOCTOR Oz and she said no." As one of my Practice members said, "Seems like something is rotten in Denmark." I'm sure smelling something, 'cause believe me, I'm DOCTOR Lou all the time, not because I'm an egomaniac (ok ...maybe a bit) but because this is my profession and passion and so it's no surprise that I know more about these things than most. In other words, methinks the good doctor is being coy.

It's common knowledge in the health world that when it comes to vaccinating their family, medical doctors talk the talk, but rarely walk the walk. The reason is simple: they know too much about the dangers and don't want their loved ones getting sick, or worse: turning into drooling, blank-stared cretins. I guess they've confused the Hippocratic oath with the Hypocritical oath.

There's lots of questions about this flu, it's 'pandemic' status, and the vaccination that's being rushed to the public as The Great Hope. As you know, my answer to flu shots is a resounding, NOT EVEN IF THEY PUT A #@%!!*! GUN TO MY HEAD. I simply know too much. See my PART I here: http://drlouniverse.blogspot.com/ But you need to make an informed choice. Here's some tidbits that might help:

In at least three studies from Canada (you know, that savage country north of here that has --OMG-- "socialized" medicine) research has shown that those who already received seasonal flu vaccinations showed increased rates of H1N1 infection. In fact, the research found that people who had been vaccinated against last year's flu were about twice as likely as others to catch the pandemic H1N1 strain when it appeared this spring. Dr. Oz and his kids got that shot already and have done so for 10 years. In fact, he did this year's LIVE on TV. I'm sure that this had no role to play in his ...I mean HER decision.

Curiously, just south of the Canadian border in a country whose health care is run by insurance and pharmaceutical companies, government officials and the CDC said such a pattern of increased infections "has not been found." But I'm guessing Dr Oz knows about those studies from yonder northways ...hence the misses' declaration.

Let's move on: Of course, we've been told --bombarded--with info that this is an special, more insidious, uber -evil virus strain that specifically hunts down healthy, younger victims instead of the elderly, as if it doesn't want anybody that over-ripe (can't blame 'em). But that just doesn't make sense to me, and is counter-intuitive to how illnesses work ...so I looked deeper ...deeper....

And guess what I found? A CDC study described the cases of 10 H1N1/Swine Flu patients at a Michigan hospital, 3 of which died. Of the 10 patients, 9 were obese (BMI > 30) and needed to be on ventilators, including seven who were extremely obese (BMI > 40), including the 3 who died. 9 out of the 10 had multiple organ failure, which can be seen in influenza, but 5 had blood clots in the lungs, which had not been previously known to occur in patients with severe influenza virus infections, except in the case of morbid obesity. 6 of the 10 had kidney failure, again common in obesity, but not in the flu.

The study was not designed to see if obesity posed a special risk factor for flu, and the researchers were "surprised" to see that 70% of the patients were extremely obese. "The high prevalence of obesity in this case series is striking," said CDC virus expert Dr. Tim Uyeki. "What this suggests is that there can be severe complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients."

"SURPRISED?" It's common knowledge that obesity exacerbates ANY illness, and makes the person more susceptible to a virus because the role of a virus is to feed on dead and decaying matter which is in plentiful supply in a body holding onto such excess toxins and weight. But it gets worse: Most people don't realize just how infiltrating the fat is ...just like the marbling on a "prime" cut of beef, it becomes embedded in the very tissues ...and that includes all the organs in the body; kidneys, lungs, heart... all that fat does no work and --because it is rigid and dense-- causes ORGAN STRESS that drastically reduces its efficiency and output. And in this case, the lungs are particularly susceptible because of the greatly reduced lung capacity in the obese which appears to be the overwhelming complication causing these flu deaths. So the sad and AVOIDABLE fact is, like in any illness, those who have let themselves go and become overweight, weak, and health compromised are most likely to be culled by Mother Nature.

Please don't take my word on this. Google "swine flu and obesity risk" yourself ...there's only 719,000 articles (make sure to read them all ...pop quiz next time you come in).

Here's more: French researchers reported on October 17th in an article in the health magazine Eurosurveillance that "There was documented underlying disease in at least 49 percent of documented fatal cases worldwide to date," they added. "Two risk factors are noticeable: pregnancy and obesity." In another report, it was found that "Diabetes and obesity were the most frequently identified underlying conditions and were found in fatal cases over the age of 20 years."

So why are these risk factors so under-reported? You and I both know the answer to that one: MONEY As I wrote in 2008: "In 1994, (seasonal) vaccinations were a $3 billion a year industry. 2008 is expected to be a banner year, with sales topping $15 billion." It was ...and 2009 has already topped $20 billion. Create the panic and fear by jacking up the numbers, make it seems like everybody is at risk, say the vaccine is in short supply, and people will line up like lemmings.

Who's dying? According to the WHO, the fatality rate for H1N1 flu is about 0.4%, just a little higher than the 0.2% reported for your garden-variety seasonal flu. But let's get real here for a moment. Determining how many deaths this flu causes, or even who has caught it, is no simple matter and requires blood-work ...which is rarely done.

According to the CDC website, as of 10/03/09, 1544 deaths have occurred in the US due to H1N1. But only 240 were actually confirmed with lab tests which is the only way to confirm a case ...so how would they know? Many people call it "the flu" anytime they experience a headache, fever, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, etc., but researchers have found that only 7 or 10% of such cases are actually caused by an influenza virus in any given year! Many people who are getting sick are simply assuming it's the H1N1 strain, but odds are ...it ain't. It's even in the mainstream news now. Take a look yourself: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/21/cbsnews_investigates/main5404829.shtml

So are you going to inject an experimental protein grown on decayed animal tissues, preserved with a known neuro-toxin into your blood because ...it MIGHT cure what you probably DON'T have? And we thought Ponzie schemes were creative!

Need more? Most reports coming from the Southern Hemisphere in late August (it's the end of the winter flu season there) suggested that the swine flu is highly infectious, but not particularly lethal. For example, Australian officials report that they finished the flu season with under 1,000 swine flu deaths庸ewer than the usual 1,500 to 3,000 from seasonal flu. Among those who died there, about 70 percent were already suffering from congenital conditions like cerebral palsy or underlying conditions such as cancer, asthma, obesity or AIDS, which make people more vulnerable. Again: pre-existing complications.

What's the risk of this flu shot? The simple answer is, if something happens to you ...it's 100%. And have no illusion, the damage can be serious. How serious? VERY. The woman in the story is the friend of my Practice Member's sister ...no joke: http://www.loudountimes.com/news/2009/oct/12/column-flu-shot-system/

Listen: We're living in some interesting times. Science has given us some amazing things ...like 180 bushels of corn produced in a single acre (up from 20 in 1930) to streaming on-line porn. But I'm a little worried about what they don't know concerning the consequences of genetically modifying plants, cloning animals, combining genes in vaccinations, and attempting to create an atomic particle-generated "mini black hole" to see how the universe was created --which has some scientists VERY, VERY concerned. So much so, they seriously think people from the future are trying to stop it! http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/biology_evolution/article6879293.ece

I'm not sure I answered many questions. Hopefully I brought up a few. Just a few days ago, a happened to look at the ingredients of a pack of Sara Lee hotdog buns. 42 ingredients. Most unpronounceable. I don't eat those, either ...NOT EVEN IF THEY PUT A #@%!!*! GUN TO MY HEAD.

You know what I'm saying.

GET ADJUSTED, STAY STRONG

Dr Lou

FLU-EE!! Dr Lou, The Flu, and You!

"I don't want to be a guinea pig and I don't think I should be forced to take something I don't want to take." -- Orne Banks-Hopkins, 55, a clerical worker at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC.

I've been getting some questions about the Swine Flu/H1N1 vaccination debacle and it's possible mandatory status. Let me give you my thoughts, in 2 parts (yes, I read your feedback, already: KEEP IT SHORTER, DR LOU!) ...

First off, nothing has changed in my overall vaccination philosophy; a FLU SHOT, by any other name, is still a SHOT OF THE FLU. Because the fear of a world-wide pandemic has been fostered, this one is being rushed to production (never a good thing) and will contain Thimerosal, a Mercury-based preservative and known neuro-toxin that is in most vaccinations and has been linked to increased rates of childhood Autism. Bad enough.

But there's more to this story, and most of it is well under the radar. This H1N1 is one strange bird ...or pig ...or ...? For some reason not explainable even by many geneticists, H1N1 causes concern because it contains not only human genetic material, but bird and swine genes to boot. Just so you understand ...this bugger has a make-up that does not occur in nature -- it's part human, part pig, part bird.

And this concern isn't coming from some wacko Birther/Tea-Bagger-type splinter group. In fact, one of the world's leading virus experts, Professor Adrian Gibbs, an Australian researcher who -- during his 40-year career -- has authored more than 250 scientific publications and worked with Swiss drug maker Roche to develop the anti-viral flu drug, oseltamivir ..marketed as "Tamiflu" said: "One of the simplest explanations is that it’s a laboratory escape."

POP QUIZ: Okay ...nothing in nature has the Dr Moreauesque genetic makeup described above. But do you know what does? If you guessed Lady Gaga you were close ...but no, it's VACCINATIONS. As you may remember from previous e-mails, vaccinations are attenuated (weakened) strains of a particular virus antigen that is grown on dead and decaying animal tissues including BIRDS and PIGS, then injected into HUMANS.

Just three weeks after the virus was first identified in Mexico, Professor Gibbs stunned the world by declaring that the H1N1 virus could have accidentally evolved in eggs that scientists use to grow viruses and drug makers use while making vaccines. Gibbs was analyzing the genetic blueprint of the H1N1 virus, trying to find out who were the "ancestors" of the H1N1 virus. And his conclusion was that the H1N1 has too many -- and too diverse -- "ancestors" to develop naturally. He was not the only, nor the first person to reach this conclusion. Even before Professor Gibbs' stunning proclamation, it was already known that the H1N1 virus has the genetic codes of: 1) Human influenza 2) Bird Flu from North America 3) Swine flu from Europe and 4) Swine flu from Asia.

Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews, author of many articles on microbiology, genetics and pandemics wrote this about this impossible genetic soup: "it means an infected bird from North America would have had to infect pigs in Europe, then be re-infected by those same pigs with an unlikely cross-species mutation that allowed the bird to carry it again, then that bird would have had to fly to Asia and infected pigs there, and those Asian pigs then mutated the virus once again (while preserving the European swine and bird flu elements) to become human transmittable, and then a human would have had to catch that virus from the Asian pigs — in Mexico! — and spread it to others."

As Vince from those late-night SHAM-WOW! commercials would say when he's not getting arrested for beating up hookers, "You gettin' this camera guy?"

There are a few other novelties to this little H1N1 bugger. Scientist are able to determine where virus strains originate using a technique called "oligonucleotide mapping" ...a kind of viral fingerprinting that can help determine it's ancestral origins. In reading some of the more technical blogs frequented by geneticists and others with high levels of knowledge (NERD ALERT! they're very hard to read!) I found out that: 1) every strain of influenza has an H protein,Hemagglutinin, which allows the virus to attach to human host cells, and 2) an N protein, Neuraminidase, which destroys mucous, hence the H1N1 insignia. BTW: it's still the same "Swine Flu" ...they just went to it's nomenclature name so people would start eating pork again, which had nothing to do with catching the flu.

It seems there is some added concern with the geneti-nerds that this particular "N" component has not been seen since 1977, which is odd enough, but of particular concern is that it's reappearance in 2008 has an added element: it's completely and utterly unchanged, which is impossible. Viruses live very short lives, most less than a few hours, so not seeing any natural mutative changes (nature NEVER stands still) in 31 years simply cannot happen. Unless it was (and I quote one geneti-nerd) "...frozen in a laboratory freezer since 1977, and was released, either by intent or accident. This possibility has been denied by some government scientists, but remains to this day the only scientifically plausible explanation."

The suggestion is clear: THIS VIRUS IS MAN-MADE. The question is ...what to do?

Stay tuned for PART II about "Dr Lou, the Flu, and What to Do!"

GET ADJUSTED, STAY STRONG

Dr Lou