Category: Opinion

  • Baby Carrot, Chlorine and More Urban Legend.

    Baby Carrot, Chlorine and More Urban Legend.

    By Dr. Myatt

    Sheesh. Do people really believe everything they read, good and bad, on the internet?

    I received this note from a patient:

    Subject: carrots

    The FDA loves you and me so much!

    Did you know?

    The following is information from a farmer who grows and packages carrots for IGA, METRO, LOBLAWS, etc

    The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small plastic bags are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots – most people probably know this already.

    What you may not know and should know is the following:

    Once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order to preserve them (this is the same chlorine used in your pool). [Dr. Myatt’s NOTE: In all due fairness, it’s also the same chlorine used in your municipal water purification. You’re getting chlorine when you drink tap water and shower, not just when you eat baby carrots!]
    Since they do not have their skin or natural protective covering, they give them a higher dose of chlorine.

    You will notice that once you keep these carrots in your refrigerator for a few days, a white covering will form on the carrots. This is the chlorine which resurfaces. At what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically pleasing vegetables?

    Chlorine is a very well-known carcinogen, which causes Cancer. [Dr. Myatt’s Note: Chlorine by itself is not a known carcinogen. It becomes a carcinogen when it combines with certain organic material. Your municipal tap water is a bigger risk than "baby" carrots.]

    I thought this was worth passing on. Pass it on to as many people as possible in hopes of informing them where these carrots come from and how they are processed.

    I used to buy those baby carrots for vegetable dips. I know that I will never buy them again!!!!

    The patient wrote: "Is anything safe to eat?"

    My answer: yes, but I think most people would do well to stop reading unsolicited junk emails from non-medical sources. There’s a lot of "junk information" on the ‘net, even more than there is junk food in the grocery store!

    Baby carrots are often larger carrots that were too misshapen to sell and have been whittled down. Their chlorine content is no bigger than any other pre-washed vegetables in the store. The chlorine from your tap water, especially if you bathe in it, poses a far bigger risk due to concentration and combination with organic products. (I’m putting the finishing touches on a water quality article for an upcoming HealthBeat).

    Here’s the scoop from Snopes on "baby carrots":
    http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/carrots.asp

  • Help Us Celebrate!

    Help Us Celebrate!

    Nurse Mark Takes Oath of US Citizenship (Yeah!)

    Have a FREE American Flag on US (all puns intended…)

    Mark Ziemann, R.N., of Snowflake, Arizona, took the oath of United States Citizenship on Friday June 19th, 2009.

    Nurse Mark is all smiles as he displays his Certificate of US Naturalization. Mr. Ziemann, known to his patients as "Nurse Mark," has lived in the United States since 2001. He originally came here from his birthplace of Canada on a trade NAFTA visa to serve as a nurse at the Gila Bend Power Plant during its construction.

    During this time he met, fell in love with and married Snowflake resident Dr. Dana Myatt. Nurse Mark has resided in Snowflake since their marriage in 2003 and together they own and operate Dr. Myatt’s Wellness Club, a nationwide nutritional and herbal supplement company and holistic health consultation service.

    "Six grueling years of jumping through flaming hoops" is how Dr. Myatt describes their US naturalization process. But in the end, both agree that the privilege of United  States citizenship was well worth the effort.

    At the ceremony, which took place at the Sandra Day O’Connor Federal Courthouse in Phoenix, Mr. Ziemann was asked to offer his thoughts to fellow immigrants. He told the group:

    "Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen and my fellow American citizens—

    This is for me, as it is for you, the proud culmination of a long journey. You and I are now a part of ‘We The People’!

    The United States gives us many right and freedoms unknown in other places in the world, but Citizenship also carries responsibilities. I gladly accept these responsibilities, as do you. I look forward to serving my new country in any way I can.

    I ask that we remember the words of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy – words that I  remember hearing as a child -  ‘Ask not what your Country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your County.’

    I look forward to working, serving, voting and caring with every one of you as we move forward together in our new role as United States Citizens.

    Together, we will help keep The United states of America strong and free. Thank you."

    Dr. Myatt notes that "Nurse Mark is more an American patriot in his heart and mind than many who were born here. He understands the elegance of the US Constitution and the government it outlines. It was a good call on the part of the US government to approve his citizenship."

    "Despite the challenges the US currently faces, we both still believe that this is the best country on earth to be living in. I am thrilled that my husband can now share in the American democratic process with me." God Bless America!

    FlagPics500WHave a US Flag on US!
    (How to Claim Your Gift)

    Share our joy by letting us send you a 3’ x 5 , weather-resistant American flag that we hope you’ll fly proudly just as we do!

    On any order of any size placed by July 31, 2009, simply say “Congratulations Nurse Mark” or any such greeting in the comments section of your order form OR mention this if you call on the phone and we’ll send your flag with your order.

     

    The US flag flies daily at the Myatt-Ziemann home

  • Protect Your Family From The Flu – Without Drugs Or Shots

    By Nurse Mark

    The Sky Is Falling!

    The CDC, as of this writing in the afternoon of April 29th, 2009, has elevated it’s "warning level" to "phase 5" on it’s scale of one through six.

    The television news networks are gratefully running nonstop "breaking news" coverage of what they are calling an "epidemic". Obviously, REAL news had been a little slow…

    Google, the internet giant, has jumped onto the bandwagon with a map where the truly swine-flu-obsessed can track suspected and confirmed cases.

    Big Pharma, with visions of sugar plums — and major profits — dancing in it’s eyes is rubbing it’s hands with glee and hoping that no-one will notice that out of the one hundred forty eight or so people known to be infected with this influenza worldwide, only one outside of Mexico – a Mexican toddler with "underlying health issues" who was visiting family (or had come seeking American health care) in Brownsville, Texas – has died.

    "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."
    Rahm Emanuel – chief advisor to President Barack Obama

    A public health emergency has been declared in the U.S. to free up resources to deal with the swine flu, Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said at a White House briefing. President Obama has requested $1.5 billion in emergency funding from Congress.

    The government is releasing nearly 13 million doses of antiviral medications to stem the spread of swine flu, Napolitano said.

    "The national stockpile has 50 million courses, and we are releasing 25 percent of the state portion already," Napolitano told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which convened to discuss the federal response to the swine flu outbreak.

    Could enforced vaccination be part of our new reality? Could travel restrictions – both international and even internal – be considered?

    I can certainly envision a scenario where the CDC, the DHS, and Big Pharma combine forces to require that proof of vaccination be shown by anyone wanting to travel… I can’t help but notice that there is an awful lot of fear-mongering going on right now, and a lot of "experts" being called upon to pontificate and "prepare" us for the draconian measures must come next if "our government" is to successfully "battle" the "looming and deadly epidemic" – measures like enforced vaccinations, travel restrictions, perhaps even people rounded up and quarantined en masse.

    Could it really happen here? This is the United States of America, after all you say. I sure hope not, but…

    "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."
    Rahm Emanuel – chief advisor to President Barack Obama

    Is It Really That Serious?

    "Seasonal flu each year causes tens of thousands of deaths in this country — on average, about 36,000 deaths — and so this flu virus in the United States, as we’re looking at it, is not acting very differently from what we saw during the flu season." Dr. Richard Besser, acting CDC chief. (Please note: Dr. Myatt told you this last year in Flu Vaccinations: A Shot in The Dark? )

    So, according to the CDC this particular flu is pretty much like every other flu – many people will get it, most will have the usual ugly week of feeling lousy, some will feel really ugly, and a few more will develop secondary infections and die.

    Thus far we have less than two hundred people sick with this flu around the world, and a handful of people (eight, as of this writing) dead. Despite the panicked reporting of the News Industry and the fervent hopes of a pharmaceutical industry hit by global recession this is not an epidemic.

    So far, the people who have died have been Mexican – in a country with third-world health care and fourth-world sanitation. Yes, I know that the tourist areas are showcases of gleaming modernity and cleanliness – but they are tiny oases in a sea of squalor that is the bulk of that country. Remember, Mexico is a country where people die of simple diarrhea…

    So – What Can YOU Do to Protect Yourself and Your Family?

    Maybe you should stock up on the new wonder-drug Tamiflu, right? Sure – it is said to shorten the duration of an influenza by a whole day or so, and the side effects aren’t all that bad: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, cough… uh, wait a second here – aren’t those the symptoms we are trying to avoid?

    OK, so maybe Tamiflu isn’t such a good idea. How about the other wonder-drug, Relenza – you know, the stuff you snort? Well, according to drug-maker GlaxoSmithKline;

    "In studies, the most common side effects with RELENZA have been headaches; diarrhea; nausea; vomiting; nasal irritation; bronchitis; cough; sinusitis; ear, nose, and throat infections; and dizziness. Other side effects that have been reported, but were not as common, include rashes and allergic reactions, some of which were severe." They go on to say: "This list of side effects is not complete."

    Uh, oops, that doesn’t sound like a winner either. In fact, that sounds like "Swine Flu Plus".

    Well, then how about just getting a flu "shot" – a vaccination? Folks, I want you to go back and re-read Dr. Myatt’s recent article Flu Vaccinations: A Shot in The Dark? – this should be required reading for anyone thinking about being subjected to Big Pharma’s foolish experiments, and should probably be required reading for any doctor who is recommending that you be vaccinated. As Dr. Myatt says:

    "Flu vaccines only protect against a small number of viruses, are effective 39% or less of the time and work even less well in people who need it most, the elderly and immune-weakened folks. I’d say the flu vaccine is a real shot in the dark. Worse than ineffective or benign, the influenza vaccine is still preserved with thimerosol (mercury), a known neurotoxin."

    Alrighty then! I need to preserve whatever brain cells I have left – I’ll not willingly be injected with any vaccine, especially one so ineffective…

    So is all hope lost? Are we all doomed to catch swine flu and die?

    Not likely!

    Here’s The Scoop:

    Please re-read Dr. Myatt’s HealthBeat News articles Flu Vaccinations: A Shot in The Dark? and ‘Tis the season… for Colds and Flu! and her webpage The Flu Can Be A Brutal Enemy – where you will find some simple, effective strategies to help you and your family avoid the flu and avoid the drugs and vaccinations that are certain to be pushed upon you.

    As you re-read those articles you will note that Dr. Myatt has made a really crazy money-back guarantee: She guarantees that if you follow her recommendations you will not catch a flu! Will your local doctor promise if you get a flu shot you wouldn’t get the flu or your money back? See Dr. Myatt’s "No Flu for You" Guarantee here Because last year, this year, pseudo-"swine flu epidemic" or whatever, folks, this guarantee still stands!

    Now, here’s the short course, for those who don’t have the time to read those earlier articles:

    How to Make Yourself Flu-Proof:

    1.) Eat an Immune-Boosting Diet. The two major dietary causes of immune suppression are sugar intake and food allergies.

    2.) Practice simple home and hygiene techniques.

    • Wash your hands frequently. You don’t need expensive "hand sanitizers" – simple, pure soap is fine.
    • Cover your mouth and nose — preferably with a tissue — when you sneeze or cough.
    • If you are sick take the day off!
    • Keep your house humid.
    • Get regular exercise – it stimulates the immune system.

    3.) Strengthen your immune system with supplements.

    • Take an optimal potency vitamin/mineral supplement every day.
      Here are the nutrients of particular immune-enhancing importance, and they should all be found in a good multiple nutrient formula:
      * vitamin C
      * vitamin E
      * beta carotene
      * vitamin A
      * vitamin D
      * zinc
      * selenium
      (Please Note: These nutrients and more are found in optimal amounts in Dr. Myatt’s Maxi Multi vitamins)
    • Supplement with additional immune-boosting herbs including Echinacea, astragalus, medicinal mushrooms (Maitake, Shiitake, Reishi), Ligustrum, Goldenseal and Garlic. Learn more about Dr. Myatt’s Immune Support formula .

    If you do catch something, start Dr. Myatt’s Acute Immune Protocol right away.

    For More Information Read Dr. Myatt’s HealthBeat News articles:

    Flu Vaccinations: A Shot in The Dark?

    ‘Tis the season… for Colds and Flu!

    The Flu Can Be A Brutal Enemy

    What’s the Bottom Line?

    We believe, after intense research, that this "new flu" is a complete hoax, no bigger or badder than any other year’s flu (and the acting CDC chief agrees). It’s a money-making opportunity for Big Pharma in cahoots with a spendthrift government eager to flex it’s muscle and advance it’s agendas, as shown by the words of Presidenet Obama’s right-hand man Rahm Emanuel.

    We believe there is NO BIGGER DANGER THIS YEAR FROM FLU than any other year. This is a fabricated problem, designed to lure an unsuspecting and uneducated populace into further dependence on "help" from Big Government and salvation from Big Pharma. Forget it. Neither Big Pharma nor Big Government can save us from the flu any more than they can save us from the common cold.

    Forget the flu shot. Follow the simple recommendations given here. Eat well, take supplements to support an otherwise decent diet. Exercise a bit, think good thoughts and pray for the continued survival of our freedoms.

    Yes, this flu is likely to return in the fall flu season as some "experts" are warning.  So don’t stop – keep eating well, exercising, taking your vitamins and immune support and you’ll be just fine.

    That’s how it looks to Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark from Snowflake, AZ, after a hard, critical look into this current "non-crisis."

  • About That "News Flash" From Mercola

    By Nurse Mark

    Most of our readers are certain to be familiar with Dr. Joseph Mercola – whose website, touting itself as "The World’s Most Popular Health Newsletter" gives us this week a "News Flash": "Acid Reflux Caused by Too Little Acid, Not Too Much…" proclaims the top headline, complete with accompanying webcam video  of Dr. Joe explaining just how serious a problem he feels this to be.

    Well, we have to agree – Joe is absolutely right! A lack of healthy levels of stomach acid is a huge problem, that is being made worse by the willy-nilly prescription of ever-more-powerful "acid blockers" – drugs designed to reduce or eliminate or neutralize the stomach’s production of hydrochloric acid.

    This leads to all sorts of problems – from bacterial or candidal overgrowth in the stomach and gut, to malabsorption of foods, food "sensitivities", immune and auto-immune disorders, and outright malnutrition.

    So, did we learn all this by watching Dr. Joe’s gesticulating webcam video? Heck no! Dr. Myatt has been telling her patients, Wellness Club members, and HealthBeat News subscribers about this for a decade or more! Let’s hope that this is not "new news" to Dr. Joe – because if it is, while we must applaud him for recognizing the seriousness of America’s addiction to "the little purple pill" we must wonder why it has taken him so long to "wake up" to something that Dr. Myatt has been preaching about for so many years.

    Dr. Myatt has a page dedicated to the discussion of Gastric Acid Function and offers a simple, easily performed at home Gastric Acid Function Self Test Kit that allows anyone to quickly and accurately determine their level of Gastric Acid function.

    Here is a link to Dr. Myatt’s most recent HealthBeat News article about acid reflux and GERD:

    What’s Burning You? The REAL Cause of Heartburn, Indigestion and GERD (and How To Correct It)

    Dr. Myatt’s HealthBeat News article, in addition to being a lot more brief and to the point that Dr. Joe’s (in my opinion, anyway), is also complete with scientific references and citations from peer-reviewed medical journals for those who wish to study this subject further or who just want to know where this information came from – references that Dr. Joe’s article seems to be lacking…

    So, stay tuned to your HealthBeat News newsletter – we promise that we’ll do our best to give you this kind of important information ‘way before all the others do – Dr. Myatt told you about hsCRP testing as a marker for cardiac risk long before conventional medicine ever thought to order this simple and inexpensive test, she pioneered hormone suppression therapies in the treatment of prostate cancer long before this came to be accepted as "Standard of Care" in conventional medicine, she warned of the dangers of synthetic hormone replacements for women long before the Premarin scandal exploded, she has been warning of the dangers of conventional cardiac "care" and helped patients "By-pass bypass surgery" for years, and more.

    Cutting edge? You bet! We hope you are subscribed to HealthBeat News Dr. Mercola – we’ll keep you hip!

  • Is There Any Wonder That People Become Confused?

    Dr. Myatt is currently deep in research for an upcoming paper on an increasingly common modern disease, hepatitis C. In this research she reviews hundreds of papers and references and studies – some of them big name scientific studies, some of them anecdotal reports, some of them promoting natural therapies, many more promoting allopathic Big Pharma drug offerings.

    There is a lot of misinformation out there – much of it promulgated by Big Pharma and Big Medicine who really don’t have a workable solution for hepatitis C, but don’t want to give any ground to the possibility that there might be natural alternatives to their often-toxic drug treatments.

    As an example, Dr. Myatt came across this article in the government’s National Library of Medicine PubMed service – the place where your allopathic doctor goes for his information (if your doctor bothers to research at all). This study was published under the heading of "Hepatology" (the study of diseases of the liver) and titled Herbal product use by persons enrolled in the hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial.

    I’ll include the text of the abstract at the end of this article, but here is the short course:

    • The authors / researchers looked at the herb silymarin (milk thistle) use by hepatitis C patients
    • The authors / researchers found that no beneficial effect of silymarin was found on hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels
    • The authors / researchers conclude that only a well-designed prospective study can determine whether silymarin provides benefit to persons with chronic hepatitis C

    Whew! Heady stuff! Almost anyone quickly reading this brief abstract would be compelled to conclude that milk thistle has virtually no benefit or place in the treatment of hepatitis C. But wait – let’s read the authors words a little more carefully for when we do we begin to recognize a classic example of obfuscation and doublespeak:

    Univariate analysis showed significantly fewer liver-related symptoms and better quality-of-life parameters in users than nonusers, but after reanalysis adjusted for covariates of age, race, education, alcohol consumption, exercise, body mass index, and smoking, only fatigue, nausea, liver pain, anorexia, muscle and joint pain, and general health remained significantly better in silymarin users. In conclusion, silymarin users had similar alanine aminotransferase and HCV levels to those of nonusers but fewer symptoms and somewhat better quality-of-life indices.

    Translation please? Here it is…

    "We found that milk thistle helped patients feel better – so we re-worked the analysis to try to juggle the numbers the way we wanted them to be, and even after working hard to show otherwise we had to admit that it looks like milk thistle has a beneficial effect in hepatitis C patients"

    At no time, in the 2000 years or so of the recorded use of milk thistle has anyone ever claimed it to be an "anti-viral" herb. Immune enhancing, yes. Liver protective, yes. But not antiviral. So why look for an antiviral effect? Perhaps so that they could then say that "it doesn’t work"?

    Folks, if these results had been obtained with a prescription drug Big Pharma would be shouting it from the very rooftops and pressing for it to be added to drinking water like their favorite toxin fluoride. It would be in the nightly news and on the front pages of major newspapers. But it’s just a lowly and unpatentable and unprofitable natural herb that must be discredited at any cost – even if that "cost" is scientific and medical honesty. Even if that "cost" is the quality of life enjoyed by hepatitis C sufferers.

     

    Here is the full text of the abstract – judge for yourself:

    Herbal product use by persons enrolled in the hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial.

    Authors: Seeff LB, Curto TM, Szabo G, Everson GT, Bonkovsky HL, Dienstag JL, Shiffman ML, Lindsay KL, Lok AS, Di Bisceglie AM, Lee WM, Ghany MG; HALT-C Trial Group.

    Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

    Herbal products, used for centuries in Far Eastern countries, are gaining popularity in western countries. Surveys indicate that persons with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) often use herbals, especially silymarin (milk thistle extract), hoping to improve the modest response to antiviral therapy and reduce side effects. The Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial, involving persons with advanced CHC, nonresponders to prior antiviral therapy but still willing to participate in long-term pegylated interferon treatment, offered the opportunity to examine the use and potential effects of silymarin. Among 1145 study participants, 56% had never taken herbals, 21% admitted past use, and 23% were using them at enrollment. Silymarin constituted 72% of 60 herbals used at enrollment. Among all participants, 67% had never used silymarin, 16% used it in the past, and 17% used it at baseline. Silymarin use varied widely among the 10 participating study centers; men were more frequent users than women, as were non-Hispanic whites than African Americans and Hispanics. Silymarin use correlated strongly with higher education. No beneficial effect of silymarin was found on serum alanine aminotransferase or hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels. Univariate analysis showed significantly fewer liver-related symptoms and better quality-of-life parameters in users than nonusers, but after reanalysis adjusted for covariates of age, race, education, alcohol consumption, exercise, body mass index, and smoking, only fatigue, nausea, liver pain, anorexia, muscle and joint pain, and general health remained significantly better in silymarin users. In conclusion, silymarin users had similar alanine aminotransferase and HCV levels to those of nonusers but fewer symptoms and somewhat better quality-of-life indices. Because its use among these HALT-C participants was self-motivated and uncontrolled, however, only a well-designed prospective study can determine whether silymarin provides benefit to persons with chronic hepatitis C.

    PMID: 18157835 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]