JOHN MC CAIN – THE MODERN TEDDY ROOSEVELT

JOHN MC CAIN – THE MODERN TEDDY ROOSEVELT

My hero President has been dead for almost 100 years – Teddy Roosevelt (TR). I have been following politics for 50 plus years now and with the possible exception of Ronald Reagan, I have been waiting for a new TR. He was a man who, when he stormed San Juan Hill, did not command his men to charge. He told them “Follow me!” You just have to admire a man with that kind of “hutzpa.”

When the sculpturer, Gutzon Borlum, who created Mount Rushmore, selected the great heros of our country to place on his mountain, he chose Presidents Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. He fourth choice was TR – a man who died in 1919, just 8 years before Mount Rushmore sculpturing began in 1927.

The presidents were selected on the basis of what each symbolized. George Washington represents the struggle for independence, Thomas Jefferson the idea of government by the people. Abraham Lincoln for his ideas on equality and the permanent union of the states, and Theodore Roosevelt for the 20th century role of the United States in world affairs.

TR was nominally a Republican, but he acted truly as “A man for all seasons.” He touted the republican ideology when he wanted to but acted according to his own council many other times when it was necessary.

I once thought that in my lifetime there would never be another TR, but strange things happen “as time goes by.” It seem that about ever 100 years someone appears upon the scene when needed to get things back on track.

John McCain appears to be that kind of man – a man who touts both the Republican conservative traditional philosophy and his own council when appropriate. He is truly a remarkable man who would do well to lead our country when he is elected president.

I think, and it is my humble opinion, that John McCain can be considered a modern Teddy Roosevelt.

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

MY WORD ON VACCINATIONS

MY WORD ON VACCINATIONS

Today I would like to share MY WORD on vaccinations. First, I believe you should know to appreciate my credentials and whether I can speak on this subject authoritatively. For many years I was a Research Scientist in the field of Virology and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, eventually reaching the position of a Branch Chief of the Laboratory of Virology and Rickettsiology. I had already completed my training as a pediatrician and to this day remain Board Certified in Pediatrics. I practiced General Pediatrics in Frederick, Maryland for 7 years. Following that I founded an Holistic Health Center and ran that for 6 years until the community force me to close my doors. Unfortunately, the medical community of Frederick Maryland remains to this day in the Dark Ages when it comes to non conventional approaches to therapy and prevention of disease. And I am not afraid to say this to my Frederick readers!

So I have been cross trained in several different disciplines of the medical profession. I have mentioned before that my approach to evaluating knowledge employs the disciplines of Logic and application of the principle of Uccum’s Razor. I have prided myself in being able to evaluate the pros and cons of a particular argument and extract what I think might be a position closer to what might be considered “Truth.” Now I fully well realize that this is my own opinion, but the fact that I have some credentials and apply the two principles mentioned above should give some value to my opinions. Well, enough of my credentials. The reader is referred to my Curriculum Vitae in the main body of the web site; www.drtauraso.com.

Let us begin by saying that I do not think most people would want to return to the days when the scourges of smallpox, polio, dysentery, measles, scarlet fever, and even Yellow Fever plagued our country. We are now enjoying the benefits if considerably improved health status both because of public health matters AND vaccines.

When I went to medical school in 1956, it was just after some of the greatest polio epidemics we ever encountered in the US, I was able to observe hospital wards containing left over Iron Lungs which were used in individuals suffering with advanced polio. Within a year of two these Iron Lungs disappeared because they were not needed anymore. Why? Because the polio vaccine completely eradicated polio from the scene. The relative effectiveness and value of the inactivated Salk and the live Sabin vaccines can be the subject of a future Blog. But, we must realize that the polio vaccine eradicated polio from the United States and most of the world.

The smallpox vaccine was very effective in preventing smallpox until the smallpox virus was ENTIRELY eradicated from the entire world.

Yellow Fever was eradicated not because of the Yellow Fever Vaccine but rather from the elimination of the mosquito vector carrying the virus. It may be interesting to note that although most of us do not ever think of Yellow Fever as being a problem in the Northern Hemisphere, in the mid 1850's one of the largest epidemics of yellow fever killing thousands of people occurred in Philadelphia.

Other diseases, such as measles, mumps, whooping cough, and diphtheria, and now chicken pox were eradicated by vaccines. Scarlet Fever which killed so many and left yet another group of people with permanent heart disease was eventually eradicated with the widespread use of antibiotics which killed the streptococcus bacterium causing scarlet fever..

Be that as it may, now we worry about heart disease and cancer when our not-to-distant ancestors were dead by their 20's not getting old enough to get these diseases of older age.

As a result, we have gotten complacent and we in the US are noted for having short memories and attention spans. So since we forget about the scourges of the past, we embark upon protestations to eliminate vaccines because some believe vaccines may cause problems of their own. Although there are some complications of all vaccines, these complications do not reach the level of destruction cause by the diseases which they prevented and cured.

Many are concerned about the use of Thimerosal, a mercury-containing substance used in vaccines as a preservative. These concerned individuals are trying to relate the use of Thimerosal in the increased incidence of ADHD and Autism. The fact that Thimerosal has been used for many years and recently has been removed from most vaccines with the incidence of these diseases continuing to rise appears to elude the critics of Thimerosal. Table 1 lists those vaccines still containing Thimerosal

Table 1. Thimerosal Content of Vaccines Routinely Recommended for Children 6 Years of Age and Younger - (updated 7/18/2005*)
*Since this update, a biologics license application was approved for Rotavirus Vaccine, Trade name-RotaTeq (Merck), that is thimerosal free and never contained thimerosal.

1. Vaccine	Trade name (Manufacturer)	Thimerosal Status Concentration**(Mercury)	Approval Date for Thimerosal Free or Thimerosal / Preservative Free (Trace Thimerosal)*** Formulation
DTaP	Infanrix (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals)	Free	Never contained more than a trace of thimerosal, approval date for thimerosal-free formulation 9/29/2000
	Daptacel (Sanofi Pasteur, Ltd)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
	Tripedia (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc)	Trace( 0.3 µg Hg/0.5mL dose)	03/07/01
DTaP-HepB-IPV	Pediarix (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals)	Free	Never contained more than a Trace of Thimerosal, approval date for thimerosal-free formulation 1/29/2007
Pneumococcal conjugate	Prevnar (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
Inactivated Poliovirus	IPOL (Sanofi Pasteur, SA)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
Varicella (chicken pox)	Varivax (Merck & Co, Inc)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
Mumps, measles, and rubella	M-M-R-II (Merck & Co, Inc)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
Hepatitis B	Recombivax HB (Merck & Co, Inc)	Free	08/27/99
	Engerix B (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals)	Free	03/28/00, approval date for thimerosal-free formulation 1/30/2007
Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate (Hib)	ActHIB (Sanofi Pasteur, SA) OmniHIB (GlaxoSmithKline)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
	PedvaxHIB (Merck & Co, Inc)	Free	08/99
	HibTITER, single dose (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)1	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
Hib/Hepatitis B combination	Comvax (Merck & Co, Inc)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal
Influenza	Fluzone (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc)	0.01% (12.5 µg/0.25 mL dose, 25 µg/0.5 mL dose)2
	Fluzone (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc)3 (no thimerosal)	Free	12/23/2004
	Fluvirin (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Ltd)	0.01% (25 µg/0.5 mL dose)
	Fluvirin (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Ltd) (Preservative Free)	Trace (<1ug>	09/28/01
Influenza, live	FluMist4 (MedImmune Vaccines, Inc)	Free	Never contained Thimerosal

** Thimerosal is approximately 50% mercury (Hg) by weight. A 0.01% solution (1 part per 10,000) of thimerosal contains 50 µg of Hg per 1 mL dose or 25 µg of Hg per 0.5 mL dose.
*** The term "trace" has been taken in this context to mean 1 microgram of mercury per dose or less.
1 HibTiITER was also manufactured in thimerosal-preservative containing multidose vials but these were no longer available after 2002.
2 Children 6 months old to less than 3 years of age receive a half-dose of vaccine, i.e., 0.25 mL; children 3 years of age and older receive 0.5 mL.
3 A trace thimerosal containing formulation of Fluzone was approved on 9/14/02 and has been replaced with the formulation without thimerosal.
4 FluMist is not indicated for children less than 5 years of age.

This Table was updated on 7/18/05 and so it is a bit outdated.

If one is really concerned, one can eliminate those vaccines containing Thimerosal, but my personal belief and scientific judgment does not support the belief that Thimerosal is a problem.

It is my belief that ADHD and Autism a expressions of Cerebral Allergies. Our studies and treatment confirms this. Readers are referred to what is written in the main www.drtauraso.com web site.

It is unfortunate that when groups are formed with one narrow goal that the groups with their vested interests, no matter how unfounded they may be, continue. These groups begin to have a life of their own and all the logic and application of the Principle of Occum’s Razor cannot and, more importantly, WILL not deter them from their goal. Money begins to go into these scientifically deprived projects and they begin to grow as more money supports them.

So I appeal to those who still retain a logical mind to evaluate the importance of vaccines in their lives, especially in the lives of their children. I do not quarrel with the removal of Thimerosal from vaccines because, if we can eliminate the use of a toxic substance – and mercury is a toxic substance – and find a better alternative to make vaccines safer, let us do it.

The few who do not allow their children to get vaccinated are enjoying the benefits of the herd immunity created by all those who do vaccinate. As long as those who refuse vaccination are in small numbers the herd immunity protects them even though they do not contribute to this herd immunity. But, if the majority decide not to vaccinate there will not be the protective herd immunity and we will regress to the times when the diseases we mentioned will again be rampant.

(If the Table does not reproduce in this Blog, email me (drtauraso@drtauraso.com) and I will send you a copy of the Blog with its charts in Word.)

nicola michael ©. Tauraso, M.D.)

Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic

Web site: www.drtauraso.com

Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm

Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

SINGULAIR AND SUICIDE

SINGULAIR AND SUICIDE

When is the public going to learn. Most chemically manufactured medicines are bad because these chemicals are foreign to the body and they are ALL toxins. Any person who goes to a conventional physician and believes all that they say is both foolish and will eventually do harm to his body. When physicians begin to incorporate more natural therapies in their armamentarium, then there might be hope. But the average conventional physician, at least most whom I know personally and at length, only know how to prescribe chemically manufactured medicines.

I told this story before and I will tell it again here to illustrate a point. I once went to a 4-day seminar in Dallas, Texas, where I was taught how to treat individuals with allergic conditions. One of the major topics was asthma. We learned how to determine the causes and treat using the approaches of food and substance elimination and vitamin/supplement therapy. All was natural. I went away eager to incorporate the things which I learned, many of which I was already doing in my practice.

Two months later I attended a one-day seminar on the treatment of allergy in Washington, DC, sponsored partly by a local university. I needed additional CME (continuing medical education) credits for re-licensing. This seminar was given by about 6-7 different physicians, all of whom were active in the field of allergy. Every one of these physicians had to give us their fact sheet informing us of their affiliations and who was sponsoring their research. The research of every one of these so-called teachers was sponsored by the drug company whose anti-allergic medical therapy they were touting that day. I was essentially attending a propaganda seminar of a drug company disguised as a professional/medical school sponsored educational venture. Every allergic condition discussed that day had a medicine which was recommended as the treatment modality.

I left that seminar trying to compare it with my experience at the Dallas seminar. In both seminars, educated MD’s were lecturing. However, in the Washington seminar the teachers had already sold their professional souls to the devil. MONEY RULES THE WORLD. Remember this and when listening to something about medicine from any body, always ask: “Who sponsored your research?” When you hear about some research group touting the benefits of coffee, most likely their research is funded by the coffee industry. The same for milk – the Dairy Council – , for chocolate – some chocolate group – and so on. I guess we have to follow the principles expounded from the Watergate scandal – “follow the money.”

Now during the past few years we are encountering the serious side effects of some medicines: suicides in teenagers taking certain psycho-tropic drugs, and now suicides in children taking “Singulair” a drug used in the treatment of asthma. Please do not begin to criticize what I am saying. I know that asthma can be a serious disease which can in itself result in death. But to die from the medication used to treat asthma, this should not happen.

The following is the chemical formulation of on preparation of Singulair:
“Blended granulation. Average Fill Weights: Target 0.500 g / sachet. The composition of Singulair ™ Oral Granule 4 mg is shown below:
Ingredient mg/pouch Source or vendor
Montelukast sodium 4.16* Merck & Co.
Mannitol (Pearlitol SD200) 484.19 Roquette Freres
Hydroxypropyl cellulose LF NF 10.4 Hercules Inc.
Purified water U.S.P. (374)** Merck & Co.
Magnesium stearate NF 1.25 Mallinckrodt
Total 500.0
Pouch foil Algroup Lawson Mardon
* equivalent to 4.0 mg montelukast free acid.
** removed during processing.
In addition to the active ingredient, Montelukast, there are other chemicals, so-called fillers and stabilizers. I looked up the chemical, Hydroxypropyl cellulose. Although it is considered safe by government standards, and in high doses it is toxic to rats, I have always maintained the principle: “Perhaps the true safety of a chemical which nature never intended to enter our food chan is zero rather than an arbitrary one or ten parts per million which some group may set as a safety standard.” It is difficult to argue against this principle.

This principle may be applied to such things as: the safety standard of residual herbicides and pesticides used in the growing of foods; the safety standard of chemicals which find their way into our water supply; I could name more.

The active ingredient is designed to alter the reaction of spasmodic muscles which is the cause of an asthmatic attack. Whether it accomplishes this directly upon the muscle or indirectly upon the nerves which control the muscles is really immaterial to me. It is a chemical which alters function. Many, if not most, of such chemicals affect the nervous system either directly or indirectly by causing something else to happen to affect the nervous system. THESE ARE POTENTIALLY MIND-ALTERING DRUGS.

It is not only drugs which may increase the potential of suicide in children. As a holistically oriented physician we must consider the other two aspects of our being if we are to solve this problem. In a Monogram which I published on “Teenage Suicide” several years ago I coved the contribution of one’s mind and spiritual being which may impact upon the problem. Soon it will be republished on my web site.

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

CONTAMINATED CANTALOUPES

CONTAMINATED CANTALOUPES

Concerning the problem of cantaloupes contaminated with salmonella, an easy and simple way to decontaminate the cantaloupes (or any other fruit for that matter) is to immerse and wash the fruit in 10% Clorox. It would be reasonable to assume that the contamination is not within the fruit itself but on the surface instead.

The 10% Clorox is also a good procedure to wash off any surface contaminated pesticides and herbicides. It would not remove these substances if they are the absorbable types of pesticides and herbicides.

Because I just got the comment: "maybe you can clear this up, but isn't Clorox a toxin that is potentially harmful if swallowed?," I will add as I should have explained the Clorox is completely soluble in water and the fruit must be rinsed thoroughly after the Clorox wash which should be for about 10 minutes.

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

FOOD ALLERGIES – PART III of III

FOOD ALLERGIES – PART III of III

New Concepts with Special Reference to Behavior Problems, Hyperactivity,

Learning Disabilities and Cerebral Allergies

(Part I of III published 03/21/2008, Part II of III published 03/22/2008)

ROLE OF VITAMINS

Table III describes the “Symptoms of Early Vitamin Deficiencies.” We can easily appreciate that vitamin deficiencies, especially the B-complex group, cause symptoms similar to those experienced in cerebral allergies.

TABLE III

SYMPTOMS OF EARLY VITAMIN DEFICIENCY

B-1 (Thiamine)

Loss of appetite, depression, irritability, confusion, lost of memory, inability to concentrate, sensitivity to noise.

B-3 (Niacim)

Anxiety, depression, fatigue, hyperactivity, headache, insomnia, hyperesthesia (increase sensitivity to touch). Later symptoms include: failing vision, hypersensitivity to light and odors, dizziness, dulled sense of taste or salty taste and hallucinations.

B-6 (Pyridoxine)

No specific symptoms. This vitamin is a precursor for at least 50 enzymes necessary for normal body function. It is also required for zinc utilization.

B-12(Cyanocobalamine)

Depression, agitation and hallucinations

Pantothenic acid

Irritability, depression, tension, numbness, dizziness and a sullen disposition. This vitamin is need to prevent stress.

C (Ascorbic Acid)

Listlessness and blood vessel problems. Rats need three times as much vitamin C when stressed. Humans apparently also require additional vitamin C for mental and physical stress.

Although this Blog will not describe in detail the role of vitamins, we should appreciate that prolonged consumption of the empty calories of refined carbohydrates (e.g. sugar, white flour, rice, and alcohol) leads to B-vitamin deficiencies. An example of how this relates is the work of Drs. Lansdale and Shamberger who found that many juvenile offenders were deficient in thiamine (Vitamin B-1), referring to this condition as “sub-clinical beri-beri” (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, February, 1980). To correct this problem, the doctors gave each youth between 150 to 300 mg. of thiamine a day for three weeks, while carefully monitoring when the thiamine levels in the blood would return to normal. The dose of thiamine given was 100 to 200 times the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) of B-1 which is 1.5 mg. It took three weeks before the thiamine blood leaves reached the desired normal. This emphasizes the fact that symptoms may not disappear as immediately as one would expect from symptoms related to simple uncomplicated allergy and sensitivity. The personality traits (e.g., poor impulse control; easily angered; sensitive to criticism; easily irritated; and usually hostile and aggressive) exhibited by the juvenile offenders disappeared over the three-week treatment period.

I will discuss the role of vitamins in preventing hyperactivity, behavior problems, learning disabilities, and delinquency in a future Blog. We will, nevertheless, make specific vitamin recommendations which will provide sufficient vitamins to prevent the symptoms caused by their deficiencies.

ROLE OF ZINC

Several prominent allergists are establishing the relationship of zinc deficiency with sensitivity/allergic manifestations with symptoms similar to those experienced in cerebral allergies.

Zinc is not only critical to the prevention of rare diseases like acrodermatitis enteropathica and Crohn’s disease (regional enteritis), but essential for normal growth, wound healing, resistance to infections, healthy prostate function, keen night vision, and sharp senses of taste and smell. Zinc also seems to reduce inflammation, reduce body odor, and clear up acne.

It has now been established that zinc is also required for learning, memory, and concentration, and for establishing integrity of the immunological system dealing with allergies. Additionally, zinc spurs growth and sexual maturity.

Zinc deficiency can be signaled by loss of weight and appetite, listlessness, rough and scaly skin, poor night vision, dull sense of taste and smell, white spots and fingernails, and eczema.

Acquired immune dysfunctions in humans occur with deficiencies of iron, zinc, vitamin A, B-6 (pyridoxine), B-12, and folic acid, and with excesses of essential fatty acids and vitamin E. (J. American Medical Association, 245:53-58, 1981.)

Generalized sensitivities and allergies have been associated with zinc deficiency. Once corrected with zinc supplementation, the clinical manifestation of the allergy disappears.

Since nutritionally-induced immune dysfunction is generally reversible, it is important to recognize and identify clinical illnesses in which immunologic malfunctions are of nutritional origin. Correction of the malnutrition should lead to prompt reversal of the acquired immune malfunction.

When supplementing with zinc, it is always important to remember that it must be given with pyridoxine (B-6). Zinc requires B-6 for proper utilization in the body.

THE NO-NO LIST OF FOODS

· Sugar and sugar-containing foods (includes honey, fructose, and dried fruits, such as raisins)

· Milk and milk products: cheese, ice cream, yogurt, etc.

· Caffeine-containing drinks and foods: coffee, tea, chocolate, and cola (some of the so-called “uncolas” have caffeine added to them: Mountain Dew and Mellow Yellow)

· Citrus fruits and drinks: oranges, grapefruit, etc.

· Nuts and peanuts

· Eggs and beef

· Food additives: artificial flavors and colors, sweeteners, preservatives

OTHER DIETARY CULPRITS

Be aware that many prescription and non-prescription drugs and medicines (e.g. antibiotics, cough preparations, etc.) contain both sugars and artificial colors and flavors. Such medicines should be used only when necessary to treat severe conditions. Several years ago when it was discovered that red dye #2 was associated with cancer, it was removed as a food additive, BUT it was not removed from children’s medicines and Maraschino cherries which were deemed a non-required food!

RECOMMENDATIONS

Eliminate the above items from the diet completely for at least 6 weeks. Symptoms, which may be expressions of, the result of and/or aggravated by an allergic or sensitivity reaction may be expected to disappear almost immediately in some situations or may take as long as several weeks or months in others. The time factor would depend upon to condition, the organ involved, the time it would take to eliminate the allergen (or toxin) from the system, the ability of the body to repair the damage already done, and the degree to which the body (or organ) has become dependent (addicted) to the toxin or chemical. With some food ingredients such as sugar, the body is not truly allergic to sugar per se but may instead be sensitive or addicted to it.

We have published elsewhere in our web site (www.drtauraso.com) a more detailed description of our so-called Elimination Diet, but use of this diet to treat a serious health condition requires the supervision of a knowledgeable doctor or nutritionist. We can help you with this (email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com) if you wish.

Care must be exercised in consuming fruits and fruits juices because of the increased amount of sugar (albeit natural) consumed by eating them.

After an individual responds to this Elimination Diet, you may reintroduce a single food at a time to determine the culprit food(s); except perhaps for sugar and food additives, which should be avoided as much as possible.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

The diet should be supplemented with high potency B-complex vitamins and zinc. Capsules or tablets containing the following dosages should be given.

Vitamins:

Thiamine (B-1) 50 mg.

Riboflavin (B-2) 40 mg.

Niacinamide (B-3) 125 mg.

Pyridoxine (B-6) 50 mg.

Cyanacobalamin (B-12) 50 mcg.

Panthothenic Acid 50 mg.

Folic Acid 50 mg.

Biotin 50 mcg.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) 250 mg.

For children under 6 years, give one capsule daily.

For children over 6 years, adolescents, and adults, give two to four capsules daily.

Try to obtain a preparation containing the above vitamins in about the concentrations listed. You will have little difficulty in finding a preparation, which matches fairly well. It does not have to agree exactly.

Some vitamin preparations may cause allergic reactions, so, if symptoms such as headache, flushing, rash, hives, etc. develop, you may wish to discontinue the vitamins to determine whether the new symptoms disappear. You may wish to select another preparation or seek the advice of a holistic physician, nutritionist, chiropractor, or therapist. Some vitamin preparations contain fillers which may cause problems in some people.

Zinc:

Since zinc supplementation in large doses over long periods may in itself cause symptoms, it would be prudent to establish a deficiency state by performing hair mineral analysis. Therapeutic doses of zinc and B-6 can be given followed, by a repeat hair analysis after four to six months of therapy. If the deficiency state has been corrected, the dose of zinc can be reduced to maintenance levels. For conditions such as eczema and severe allergic conditions, a therapeutic high dose of zinc and B-6 may be administered for a trial period of four to six months with out a deficiency demonstrable by hair analysis. A person’s response can determine whether zinc should be continued at high therapeutic or lower maintenance dosages.

For children under 6 years, give 5 to 15 mg. of zinc gluconate (preferred) or zinc in the acetate or sulfate forms, daily in two to three divided doses.

For children from 7 to 14 years, give 15 to 30 mg. of zinc, daily in divided doses.

For adolescents 15 years and older and adults, give 60 to 80 mg. zinc, daily in three divided doses.

B-6 (pyridoxine) can be administered in combination with zinc (some manufacturers already combine zinc and B-6 in a single-tablet form) or as the high-potency B-Complex vitamin preparation described above.

Note: Our advice would be to initiate the dietary first, postponing giving any vitamins. In this way, you will be able to determine which foods may be culprits. Afterwards, vitamins can be added to the regimen.

REFERENCES

Feingold, Ben F., Why Your Child is Hyperactive, Random House, New York, 1975 ($10.50)

Rapp, Doris J., Allergies and the Hyperactive Child, Cornerstone Library, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1979 ($4.50)

Schauss, Alexander, Diet, Crime and Delinquency, Parker House, Berkeley, California, revised 1981 ($4.95)

Tauraso, Nicola M., and Batzler, L. Richard, Awaken the Genius in Your Child, Hidden Valley Press, Frederick, Maryland, 1981 ($9.95)

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)

Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic

Web site: www.drtauraso.com

Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm

Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com
code: 80130

FOOD ALLERGIES – PART II of III

FOOD ALLERGIES – PART II of III

New Concepts with Special Reference to Behavior Problems, Hyperactivity,

Learning Disabilities and Cerebral Allergies

(Part I of III, published 3/21/2008)

CEREBRAL ALLERGIES, BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, LEARNING DISABILITIES

When the shock organ is the brain, headaches might result or any function of the brain and mind might be affected adversely, such as difficulty in concentrating, poor memory, learning disabilities, dyslexia, hyperactivity, depression, emotional instability, anger, hallucinations, schizophrenia, to name a few. Table II, B lists the many potential symptoms which may occur when the brain is the organ where the allergic or sensitivity reaction occurs.

PROBLEMS IN TREATING SOME MANIFESTATIONS OF CEREBRAL ALLERGIES SUCH AS LEARNING DISABILITIES AND DYSLEXIA

Most behavior problems will improve following removal of the culprit food(s). There may be a period of withdrawal when the symptoms will worsen, such as in hyperactivity. But this usually does not last more than 3 or 4 days following complete removal of the culprit food. When we are doing diet eliminations we like to see the symptoms get worse because we then know that we have eliminated a culprit food. We interpret worsening symptoms is a clinical indication that we are on the correct track.

The situation with other manifestations of cerebral allergies, such as learning disabilities and dyslexia, may not be as simple to correct, especially when the condition has existed for years. The real problem is due to the fact that the brain is a learning computer-like organ.

The functioning of all other organs is not learned. The kidney filters out waste products and regulates the retention or release of water and minerals. It does this automatically. When the kidney is normal, it will do what is has to do at five or at 55 years. The same is true for the liver, spleen, intestines, and most other organs.

This, however, is not true of the brain and for the abstract mind, which must function through the physical brain. The mind at 55 is different from the mind at five. And the difference is due to the fact that it learns more as it accumulates more information (knowledge) and experiences. If brain functioning is impaired, the functioning of the mind is also impaired.

If, for instance, a child develops a learning disability from food sensitivity, and this condition is allowed to continue for many years, other factor may affect the ability of the child to respond favorably after removal of the culprit food. A child may develop the feeling or belief that he or she is stupid, dumb, and unable to learn. When the food which caused learning impairment is removed, although the brain is now bio-chemically normal, the child is left with the programmed belief of stupidity and poor learning. To correct the learning disability at this point would require overcoming these negative programmed thoughts and developing a new programming design to develop improved self-esteem, self-image, and the belief that learning can be easy. Many programs dealing with the learning-disabled child are not successful because they fail to appreciate that the brain is a behavior-learning organ, and functions of the mind depend upon the programmed beliefs of the computer-like mind.

Because of the seeming failure of dietary programs to cure learning disabilities, most programs have abandoned a dietary approach and have concentrated solely on behavioral solutions. Behavioral approaches are slow and suffer because these are not usually done in concert with diet alternations. Both are needed simultaneously. Our approach is to include listening to learning and behavior tapes and CD’s to help reprogramming the mind with positive attitudes and suggestions.

HYPERACTIVITY AND DELINQUENCY

Hyperactive children are examples of how diet affects concentration, learning, memory and behavior. The criminal and delinquent individuals are extreme examples of how behavior can be altered.

Pediatrician and author, Lendon Smith, M.D., states that 80% of individuals in prisons today had a history of hyperactivity as children. If the hyperactive child is treated with drugs, symptoms are suppressed and the child has a greater chance of developing a criminal mind because of impaired brain chemistry. Proper dietary therapy, instead, corrects the biochemical disorder. When symptoms disappear, it is a reflection of a true cure.

Criminologist Alexander Schauss describes new breakthroughs in crime in his book Diet, Crime and Delinquency.

CULPRIT FOODS

Dr. Ben F. Feingold (Why Your Child Is Hyperactive), an allergist, was one of the first to suggest that hyperactivity was caused by allergies to food additives. His now famous diet eliminates food colors, dyes, additives, and salicylates.

Other researchers have not completely confirmed Dr. Feingold’s conclusions, probably because they did not eliminate sugar and other potent food culprits. More recent studies demonstrate that the following foods are implicated as causes of hyperactivity and other conditions and delinquency (in decreasing order of importance); sugar, food colors, additives, and dyes, especially red food coloring; caffeine-containing drinks and foods, such as coffee, tea, chocolate and cola; milk and milk products, such as cheese and ice cream; citrus fruits and drinks, eggs, nuts and peanuts; potatoes, soy, beef, pork, apples, chicken and grapes. Sugar is by far the greatest dietary culprit causing nervousness, hyperactivity, and other behavior problems in children and adults.

Sugar tends to increase the metabolic rate and has a tendency to speed up any potential allergic or other sensitivity reaction. In addition, sugar may itself be a direct causative factor in such conditions as hyperactivity, behavior problems, learning disabilities, and other manifestations of cerebral allergies.

An allergy or sensitivity to any food can cause cerebral allergies and behavior problems. It is impractical to eliminate all the foods mentioned at the same time. However, it would be prudent to eliminate first the major culprit listed in bold type. This would result in curing most conditions. Those very few who are not helped will require additional dietary investigations.

MAGNESIUM DEFICIENTY

I should not leave this section without mentioning an important aspect of foods affecting behavior. I have been talking about eliminating culprit foods, but have not mentioned that there is an element of our diet which, if lacking, will result in hyperactivity. That element is magnesium. Most individuals are magnesium deficient because we are not eating sufficient amounts of dark leafy green vegetables. It is these vegetables which have a high content of chlorophyll. Leafy green vegetables, the greener the better, are the best sources of magnesium in our diet. Magnesium is the center of the chlorophyll molecule as iron is the center of the hemoglobin molecule. It is interesting to note that both molecules have an almost similar protein attached to the central magnesium or iron and both have to do with important transport functions: photosynthesis in the plant and respiration in the body of the human. Additionally, magnesium is a natural tranquilizer and counteracts the spastic qualities of calcium. Magnesium deficiency is probably one of the major causes of people being nervous and of constipation.

WTIHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

It is important to keep in mind that withdrawal symptoms may occur after, and because of, removal of a food substance to which the individual is allergic or sensitive.

Individuals may crave the very foods to which they are allergic or sensitive. They actually become dependent and addicted. When the culprit foods are eliminated completely (and we believe in complete removal from the diet), there may occur a worsening of the same symptoms caused by the food. We consider this is a very good diagnostic sign. If withdrawal symptoms occur, then you know that you have found a culprit causing the problem.

Withdrawal symptoms of food sensitivities almost never last more that 3 to 4 days, although the psychological craving may persist longer. The craving can be lessened if the addicted one does not have to view foods he or she craves. Essentially, do not tempt yourself until you are sure you’ve got it licked.

PART III OF III TOMORROW

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)

Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic

Web site: www.drtauraso.com

Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm

Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

FOOD ALLERGIES – PART I of III

FOOD ALLERGIES – PART I of III

New Concepts with Special Reference to Behavior Problems, Hyperactivity,
Learning Disabilities and Cerebral Allergies

INTRODUCTION

Today I wish to discuss how dietary allergies and sensitivities relate as causative factors in many dis-ease states. It will not deal with allergies and sensitivities to things such as inhalant allergens (animal dander and pollens), toxins (smoke, odors, fumes), and contact-type irritants (poison ivy and oak), although many of these substances may cause symptoms similar to those caused by foods.

TABLE I

TYPES OF SENSITIVITIES
1. Antibody –mediated: immediate-type reaction, mediated through Ig E class of antibodies; reaction occurring usually within one to four hours after challenge; true allergy by definition; conventional allergy test (RAST, cytotoxic) positive; skin tests unreliable; direct challenge test positive.
2. Cell-mediated: delayed-type reaction, mediated through mononuclear lymphoid cells; reaction occurring 24 to 48 hours after challenge; may be called delayed allergy; conventional allergy test negative, except for skin tests which some now believe are useful; direct challenge test positive.
3. Non-antibody, non-cell-mediated; sensitivity not falling in types 1 and 2; can be immediate or delayed; conventional allergy tests negative; direct challenge test positive. Subtypes include:
· Toxic
Example: sensitivity to nightshade solanine toxin.
· Enzyme-lacking
Examples: lactose intolerance; “sloppy” enzyme in Methyl Malonic Aciduria and in a sub-segment of schizophrenic population deficient in serotonin (a brain chemical mediator)
· Metabolic:
Example: sensitivity to sugar and caffeine


Many conventionally trained allergists may take issue with our concepts and approach. There are, however, many New Age avant-garde allergists and nutritionists, such as Doris J. Rapp, M.D. (Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Buffalo) and Dr. Jeffrey Bland (University of Puget Sound in Tacoma) who have had the courage to write of their clinical experience even in the face of criticism from some of their peers. What makes these progressive allergists correct is the fact that their approach has solved many clinical problems not solved by previously held concepts.

What I am discussing today will be based upon the clinical and laboratory experience of the author, and other physicians and allergists.

ALLERGY vs. SENSITIVITY

Before going on, we must first clarify the meaning of the two terms, allergy and sensitivity.

Sensitivity is a general term encompassing reactions which are classified as true immediate-type allergy (cell-meditated), and the non-antibody, non-cell-mediated sensitivities which include the toxic, enzyme-lacking, and metabolic sensitivities. Table I compares these types of sensitivities.

When referring to sensitivity to food such as chocolate, corn or milk, we would best call these “allergies” to chocolate, corn, or milk keeping in mind the allergy might be immediate or delayed.

When referring to symptoms related to foods such as sugar, caffeine, or the lactose sugar in milk, we would best call these sugar and caffeine sensitivities, or lactose intolerance.

HOW ALLERGY AND SENSITIVITY AFFECT VARIOUS DIS-EASE CONDITIONS

To appreciate how allergy and sensitivity may result in various dis-ease states, it would be worthwhile to appreciate what occurs in an allergic sensitivity reaction.

When an allergen (a substance foreign to the body) is introduced into the system, the body responds, by developing antibodies -- special proteins, which combine with allergens to neutralize and eliminate them from the body -- or lymphoid cells, which essentially do the same things. Some antibodies are of the good type, and others are not so good. When these latter bad type antibodies or cells react with foreign antigens, a battle occurs at various sites in the body.

Symptoms and dis-ease conditions vary with the individual, depending upon (1) where the antigen/antibody or antigen/lymphoid cell battle is occurring, that is, depending upon what might be the shock organ for that child or adult, and (2) the degree with which the reaction occurs.

Table II lists the many “Possible Symptoms of Allergy” as these relate to the shock organ and whether the symptoms are acute or chronic. We must keep in mind that acute reactions tend to occur within the first four hours after ingestion of a food or contact with an allergen. Most likely these would tend to represent antibody-mediated true allergy. The chronic symptoms may be true allergy, but they may also represent cell-mediated delayed allergy, which we are now just beginning to understand.

TABLE II

POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS OF ALLERGY AND SENSITIVITY

1. Organ Involvement (Symptoms)
Skin acute: itching, rash, hives, edema, excessive perspiration
chronic: eczema, psoriasis, acne

Gastro/ intestinal tract acute: bellyaches, nausea, vomiting, upset
stomach, bloating, bad breath, gassy stomach, diarrhea,
constispation
chronic: colitis, Crohn’s disease

Kidney and acute: itching and burning on urination, need to rush to
bladder urinate, wetting pants in daytime or in bed.
chronic: possibly nephrotoxic hypertension

Respiratory acute: wheezing, asthma, year-round stuffiness, watery
Tract nose, sneezing, nose-rubbing, increased
production of mucus resulting in increased risk
of upper and lower respiratory infections
chronic: emphysema

Ear acute: ringing in ears, dizziness
chronic: repeated formation of fluid behind eardrums and
chronic middle ear infections

Joints acute: general aches and pains
chronic: arthritis

Muscles acute: aches in the back, neck and other muscles,
“growing pains”, or pain and aches unrelated to
exercise.

Lymphatic acute: swelling of lymph nodes of neck.
System and
Glands chronic: edema of legs.

Face acute: pale, dark eye circle, puffiness below eyes
chronic: acne

Eyes acute: red and itchy eyes
chronic: glaucoma

Head and acute and chronic: head-aches, sinusitis
Sinuses

Systemic acute: low grade fever, hypertension, hypoglycemia
Symptoms

Brain acute: see Cerebral Allergy (Part B)



2. Cerebral Allergy (Symptoms)
· Allergic-Tension-Fatigue Syndrome (Nervous System Symptoms). Hyperactive, wild, unrestrained, delinquency. Talkative (explosive, stuttering, constant). Dyslexia and other reading problems. Inattentive disruptive, impulsive. Short attention span, learning disabilities, difficulty concentrating, poor memory. Restless legs, finger tapping, Clumsiness, incoordination, tremor. Insomnia, nightmares, inability to fall asleep. Nervous, irritable, upset, short-tempered, anger, fear. High strung, excitable, agitated, emotional instability. Moody, tired, weak, weary, exhausted, listless, depressed. Easily moved to tears, easily hurt. Highly sensitive to odor, light, sound, pain and cold.
· Other symptoms
Hallucinations
Manic-depressive states
Childhood autism
Schizophrenia
Convulsions


When the shock organ is the skin, one might experience such symptoms and conditions as itching, rash, hives, acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

When the battle occurs in the lungs, one might experience coughing, wheezing, asthma, increased production of mucus resulting in increased risk of upper and lower respiratory infections. One of the great food culprits causing respiratory symptoms is milk (and milk products) which tend to cause the body to produce mucus. In fact, we take infants off milk when they develop upper respiratory infections because infants have a very small airway and are unable to cough adequately to clear the throat. A small amount of mucus may be the life threatening.

Milk and milk products also produce mucus in the adult. Because the adult has a much larger airway and is able to cough well, this situation does not become a matter of life and death. Instead, the adult experiences a clogged and stuffy nose, sinus problems, and productive cough. All of these contribute to significant morbidity and sickness in the adult.

When the shock organ is the stomach or intestines, the individual might complain of abdominal pain, colic, vomiting, or diarrhea.

When the battle occurs in areas of the kidney and bladder, burning or urination, increased frequency, or bedwetting may result. Other symptoms are listed in Table II.


PART II OF III, TOMORROW

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

MY MARKET SENSE

MY MARKET SENSE
Today I received a comment essentially questioning my ability as an MD to make comments on the market. I responded by saying that because I am an MD this did not make me ignorant in other intellectual areas. I have been interested and studying the market for many years, if anyone is really interested read my Blogs over the past year and a half to see what I have been saying about the so-called sub-prime housing market. Read especially those Blogs on the Market, Greenspan, and Bernanke.
Now I may not be the smartest man concerning financial matters, but I am far from the dumbest. About ten years ago I was not as smart as I am now. I lost three million dollars in the market. I refer you to my book: "How I Lost Three Million in the Stock Market – A Primer on What Not to Do – A Guide to Recovery from Disaster." Now I did not lose three million of perhaps six. I lost three million out of the three that I had. I recovered from that disaster and tried to study the market. I have learned a lot since then. But I admit to not knowing it all. Who does.
I have been suggesting that the sub-prime disaster occurred as a result of three things: First, the rapid decrease in the interest rates engineered by Greenspan. This he had to do to counteract a bad economy; Second, the shenanigans perpetrated by the lenders and banks in offering sub-prime rates to people who did not know any better. In fact, I bought one of these sub-prime loans; Third, the final straw when Bernanke, not realizing what caused the problem in the first place, began to increase rates very rapidly over a period of a year before the market had a chance to respond to changes. I was recommending to decrease rates long before all the so-called experts who were recommending increasing rates which would have made the problems worse -- if it could ever get any worse.
In one of my earlier Blogs I mentioned that two Principles have guided me in my analysis of events – the application of Logic and Occam’s Razor. It seemed to me that if an event was contributing to a problem, it would appear logical to reverse the event. Eventually, Bernanke and the government did, but IT WAS TOO LATE. I have been correct in my analysis and the great experts with all their degrees from Harvard and Wharton’s did not have a clue. I have a Harvard degree in medicine but it is not my Harvard education which allows me to analyze events. It was, rather, the education I received from the Jesuits at Boston College who taught me Logic and Philosophy. If fact, in those days everyone graduating from Boston College majored in philosophy – at least they had more credits in philosophy than in their stated major. This is not the case today as Boston College has abandoned most of their great Philosophy courses.
So I may have my critics who say that I have a medical degree and question my knowledge of Economy. But as I already said, I have been correct during the past year, and this should speak for itself. I at one time vowed not to write on Politics and the Economy, but I admit to breaking my vow. I am interested in both these subjects and I will continue to write about them because it gives me great fun. And why not?
Unfortunately, there are a few individuals who respond to my Blogs with sarcastic jabs, but these do not bother me because sarcasm reflects more the perpetrator of the sarcasm, not I, for I just said: "I am having fun." My advice to those I inadvertently offend is to relax. Life is too short to get upset over politics or the economy. Read my book: "How to Benefit from Stress", by Tauraso and Batzler. (Available in our Online Bookstore.)
Of course, my writings on health and medicine are much more authoritative than are my comments on Politics and Economics.

nicola michael ©. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

COMBINING BANKS AND BROKERAGE FIRMS WAS A MISTAKE

COMBINING BANKS AND BROKERAGE FIRMS WAS A MISTAKE

Several years ago banks and brokerage firms were separate entities. Then banks wanted to get into the brokerage business and vice versa. Each wielded the argument that each would become stronger entities as a result of this new diversification. But what we did not expect – but we should have – is the fact that brokerage firms are in the business of leveraging investments, which is far from the conservative goal of most banks before the diversification. Brokerage houses are essentially gambling houses, and banks should be conservative entities whose goal should be the preservation of capital.

IT WAS A MISTAKE GRANDE EXTRA ORDINAIRE TO HAVE MERGED THE FUNCTIONS OF BANKS AND BROKERAGE FIRMS.

There is no doubt in my conservative mind that Banks must not be allowed to fail because it would result in devastating effects upon every single individual in our society. But for the government to bail out brokerage firms is something else. But when the two are merged then the government is being asked to bail out the gambling house, which it should not do.

I mentioned in an earlier Blog why the sub prime lending shenanigans occurred. It resulted from the following series of events: 1) a lending institution gives a loan to a person to buy a house and the lending institution has the collateral for the loan, and 2) the lending institution collects their loans and sells to a bank the profit which is to be made over the term of the loan and the bank does not have the collateral because they are buying only the profit which is to be made in time. The bank paid good money for a piece of paper with no real value – the promissory note of money which is supposed to be made over time. Essentially, the bank paid for nothing.

Essentially, these institution and the so-called “Market” are ignoring The Laws of Energy and Power described as The Laws of Thermodynamics which are as follows:

1. First Law of Thermodynamics:
Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to another. Another way of stating this is as the Law of Conservation of Energy. The total amount of energy is constant.

2. Second Law of Thermodynamics:
In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state. This is commonly referred to as entropy.

I digress. But the point should be made that when thing are being bought and sold and no assets are being conveyed, both the first two Laws of thermodynamics are being broken. If the people running the Space Program were to ignore such Laws, we would never get a rocket off the ground and other tragedies would result.

These type of machinations also occur in the Oil Market and is the reason why drilling for more oil to increase the supply will NEVER lower the price of oil.

The Market must begin to appreciate these Laws before the Chaos of the Market ceases. I am currently preparing a manuscript describing the Laws of Thermodynamics as these relate to Market Investments.

nicola michael ©. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

SPIRITUALITY AND DISEASE

SPIRITUALITY AND DISEASE

Having been associated with the Holistic movement in medicine and trying to explain some of the cures I have observed I try to apply many approaches when dealing with people who are experiencing ill-health conditions. Although much of my experience would appear anecdotal, some of my experiences where individuals cured themselves in what I would admit are unconventional reach out for an explanation. Because I cannot explain them by conventionally applied logic, these experiences, nevertheless, require explanation.

Basically after having been bitten within my own community of Frederick, Maryland, for running an Holistic Medical Clinic, I vowed never to use the term “holistic” again. But as James Bond has said “Never say never!” I am now prompted to use the term holistic again. After all, we used this term frequently in our book: “How to Benefit from Stress,” by Tauraso and Batzler. And as I reminisce back, there appeared to be some logic then, so why not now?

In a nutshell, the term holistic as it applies to matters of health requires that we look at the human as having a Body, Mind, and Spirit – what we call in our book “The Holy Trinity of Holistic Health.” Factors which would impact Body Health would take into consideration Nutrition, Exercise (which should be play) and Rest. Factors impacting the health of the Mind would include Imagination, Visualization, and one’s Belief System. And the third leg in the triangle, Factors influencing Spiritual Health would include Love (giving and receiving), Understanding and Tolerance, and again one’s own Belief System as it relates to spirituality.

Anecdotal Case Number 1

I am reminded of the lady who was in the last stages of Systemic Lupus Erethematosis. She had been studied at a Washington, DC, hospital and she had a chart which was literally 2 inches thick! All her laboratory tests conformed the fact that she was making antibodies against her own nuclear material, which is the basis of this disease. The conventional doctors had given up on her. She came to me because she heard that I was “doing some unconventional things.”

I took a detailed history to discover she was living under an extremely unhappy marriage situation and “she wanted out.” Now, I do not usually advise patients to give up their marriage. I try to see whether things can be worked out to satisfy the needs of both partners in a marriage relationship.

My recommendation to this lady was to walk away from the abusive relationship and not to look back. With some supportive encouragement from me she was able to do this. Additionally, we worked out a vitamin/supplement/mineral program to try to put her body in chemical balance. She started to improve. Within 6 weeks she was feeling better than she had ever felt. I did not believe the supplement program cured her.

I will tell you what I really think. This lady wanted out of an impossible marriage situation and her body was attempting to achieve this subconscious goal of hers. The body was making antibodies against her own cells, and let us think about this. The antibodies were against the nuclei of her cells – that part of the cell which controls replication of her own tissues. How better a way to kill oneself than to do it without the public condemnation of suicide?

A most interesting aspect was the reaction on the conventional doctors who had been taking care of her for years. Their response was that she really did not have Lupus because Lupus was an incurable disease. But, I now had a copy of THEIR charts which PROVED she had Lupus. How interesting how our limitations in thinking prevent us from SEEING and ACCEPTING something new!

I believe that in some cases, if an individual want subconsciously to die, the body will make the accommodation to cause death to happen. I believe this may be the basis for many of those diseases where the body makes antibodies against its own tissues: Lupus, MS, certain neuropathies, perhaps Parkinson’s, some allergic breathing conditions, etc.

If such a consideration might be possible, it would behoove both the therapist and patient to explore the possibility of getting one’s spiritual house in order. It really doesn’t cost anything and there would not appear to be any contraindication. So, why not try it? In due time, there should be consideration to removing all those harmful prescription drugs which may interfere with the body’s attempt to effect a cure. But, this should be done under the auspices of a nutritionally knowledgeable individual or physician.

There are additional cases which I have experienced and from time to time I will share them.

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

XANTHINE OXIDASE IN HOMOGENIZED MILK

XANTHINE OXIDASE IN HOMOGENIZED MILK


Xanthine oxidase is a metaloflavoprotein enzyme which occurs in high concentrations in cow’s milk. It is postulated that the xanthine oxidase in milk is absorbed from the gut in a biologically active form and that this enzyme reacts with the phospholipid component of the arterial wall to cause a lesion. The body reacts by depositing cholesterol over the lesion to protect further damage. In the base of cholesterol plaques the active enzyme can be found.

There should not be a bovine (cow) protein in the human body. How did it get there? When one drinks cow milk the proteins should be digested within the stomach and should never reach the intestines where it can be absorbed. Besides, a large protein-enzyme such as xanthine oxidase should never be absorbed in the first place. Again the question: “how did it get there?” There are two related events which can explain the reason.

First, in the process of homogenization the fat molecules within milk are disrupted into much smaller particles so that the fat (cream) will not separate so easily. The smaller fat molecules surround protein molecules in the form of a suspension and protect the protein-enzyme xanthine oxidase from digestion by stomach acid and proteolytic enzymes.

Second, we have the general practice of feeding cow’s milk to newborn infants and babies whose digestive tract is very immature allowing inadequate digestion in the stomach and for larger proteins to be absorbed in the intestines where in the maturing adult these larger proteins are not absorbed. So the xanthine oxidase is absorbed and begins its destructive damage within the arterial wall. The cholesterol plaque which eventually results in severe cardiovascular disease is the end result of this insult which began many years previously.

It is hard to quarrel about the process of Pasteurization which many so-called holistic physicians are also against. Before Pasteurization, one of the greatest diseases killing so many people was Tuberculosis (TB) – a disease cause by consuming unpasteurized milk from TB-infected cows. But now the herds must be certified TB-free. It would seem that, if the herds are indeed TB-free, the need for Pasteurization would be lessened. Another aspect of this entire problem is the delivery of food from the farm to the consumer. In the old days milk could travel from a local farm to a consumer. But, today, we have a problem of delivering considerably more food to the masses. So, we can understand the regulations must be tightened in this latter situation.

Pasteurization brings the bacterial content of milk down to a safe-drinking range. And, in fact, Pasteurization kills the TB bacterium. But homogenization is yet another matter. Homogenization only renders the milk more acceptable because one does not need to shake the bottle vigorously to disperse the cream fat throughout the milk. It does not do much else other than the damaging effect of protecting the potentially damaging xanthine oxidase from digestion within the human body.

Another aspect of the immature digestive system of the infant is an explanation why more people are allergic to cow’s milk than any other food. A similar explanation can be made. Undigested cow’s protein gets absorbed by the infant, and this foreign protein sets the individual up for allergic reactions later in life.

It can be argued: cow’s milk for cows; human milk for humans! It is difficult to refute the logic of this statement.

We must also note that, if a nursing mother drinks a lot of milk, the infant will experience similar problems with milk allergy later in life. This has been observed over and over.

In conclusion, do not feed homogenized milk to infants, at least, until 9-10 months of age. It would also be a healthy practice not to drink cow’s milk entirely.

nicola michael ©. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

COMMENTS ON COMMENTS

COMMENTS ON COMMENTS

For those who read my Blog daily, there were three individuals who recently made comments on my Blogs: one on the most recent on Democrats (3/13/08) and two on the Blog on the Kuna Indians (2/24/08). Please go to these blogs for my responses. Thank you.

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

A MESSAGE TO ALL DEMOCRATS: YOU WILL BE KNOWN BY YOUR ACTIONS

A MESSAGE TO ALL DEMOCRATS: YOU WILL BE KNOWN BY YOUR ACTIONS

Today, in the Finance Committee EVERY single Democrat voted against a proposal to get rid of Earmarks. This should tell the public that Democrats are for draining the US Treasury by stealth. The Democrats would have no constituency if they could not buy votes.

Hillary is promising to give every mother with a newborn child something like $10,000 and free health care. The other one is no better. Barrack Obama is offering every person going to college $4,000. The Democratic give away never ceases. The public should not be surprised. Both these candidates KNOW they can never deliver on these promises. But the promises continue. It is all about buying votes. There are very few individuals who will turn down a give away. Many people want to win the lottery. With the Democrats everyone is an instant winner.

If you believe these promises, then you also believe in the Tooth Fairy!

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

THE US MONEY GESTAPO

THE US MONEY GESTAPO

Having been a lifelong loyal Republican all my life until recently when I bolted the Grande Old Party to become a Libertarian, I never thought I would ever say that the US government practices Gestapo tactics, especially when it comes to what one does with one’s money. If you think, when you work hard all your life and accumulate a modicum of money, that the money is yours, forget it. It does not really belong to you, especially when the government watches how you spend your hard earned money.

Concerning the problem now facing Eliott Spitzer, let us examine how he went down. Now Spitzer has a lot of money – the family estimated to be worth in excess of 500 million dollars. Nevertheless, the money belongs to him, ostensibly so. But the US government watches closely how he spends his money. The fact that prostitution is illegal is besides the point because what is illegal in one state is not illegal in others or even other countries.

What Is Prostitution ?

In the US a man may go into a bar, meet a girl, and buy her dinner. Afterwards, they both go either to her or his place and engage in sex. This is acceptable behavior and happens every day of the week. The fact that the man who might have paid for her dinner has already paid for the sex he received seems to elude us. But offer the girl real money, all of a sudden she is a prostitute and an illegal act has been committed. In the US, it is the transfer of money which makes the sexual encounter an illegal crime and an immoral act.

What Is Immoral?

I am reminded that years ago my mother who was doing a man’s job in a leather factory in Peabody, MA, would bet in what was then called “the nickle pool.” She called me one day asking me to give her numbers assigned to medicines. I told her I did not understand. She proceeded to tell me that the week previously she watched a TV movie about the life of a doctor who discovered a medicine. He assigned a number to the medicine. She played the number in the nickle pool and won 800 dollars. I told her the number was 606. The movie was about the life of Paul Ehrlich, a German medical scientist and winner of a Nobel prize, who in 1910 announced that he had discovered compound 606, which he called Salversan, the first arsenical-containing drug able to treat syphilis. Paul Ehrlich believed that for every disease there was a “Magic Bullet” – a term which he coined – which could be used to treat it. I remember the movie well and Paul Muni played the part of Paul Ehrlich. Unfortunately, I could not provide my mother with more numbers.

I digress. The point of the story was the fact that the churches and the government were preaching the ills of illegal and immoral gambling and how the immoral gangsters were stealing money from the people and ultimately food from their children. Let us now propel ourselves 20 plus years later. Now the State sponsors gambling with their Lotteries. Gambling is no more illegal, but, more importantly, it is not considered immoral. Oh, please save me from this double talk. In fact, in the state of Maryland there is an ad: “You’ve got to play to win.” Morality is absolute. If it is immoral to kill another individual in the 1940's, it is immoral today. If gambling is immoral in the 1940's why not so today just because now it is a state-sponsored operation?

Prostitution is legal in Nevada. Why is it illegal and immoral in New York? It is because the State says it is so. Now when has the State been the authority in matters of morality?

To return to the Spitzer ordeal. He was transferring money to an organization, the Emperor’s Club, who was being investigated by the Federal authorities for illegal prostitution. I am sure that the Emperor’s Club has been added to some list of “bad guys,” probably under the guise of the Homeland Security Act to prevent money going into the hands of terrorists. If you transfer money to that organization, the transfer will be flagged. It is a small matter to trace back from where the transfer came.

Elliott Spitzer should have known that what happened to him would happen, for in his previous job he was the Attorney General and previous to that a Federal Prosecutor in New York investigating and prosecuting similar illegal prostitution rings.

Although I have no love for Spitzer because he himself was a ruthless prosecutor stomping upon potentially guilty people but also innocent individuals to achieve his prosecutorial goals, there is a tragedy here which needs to be addressed. Spitzer’s wife and three beautiful teenage daughters did not ask for this, but they are very much involved. Here you are, a beautiful young girl, basking in the glory of being the daughter of the most powerful man in the state, now waking up facing the world in a shadow of their father’s disgrace. It is truly a personal tragedy and my heart goes out to the real family victims.

nicola michael (c. Tauraso, M.D.)
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
Web site: www.drtauraso.com
Blog site: http://www.drtauraso.com/blog/index.htm
Email: drtauraso@drtauraso.com

MS AWARENESS WEEK – March 10-17

MS AWARENESS WEEK – March 10-17
This is MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Awareness Week from March 10 -17. Yesterday Janice Dean, Weather Forecaster for Fox News, went public with her struggle with this devastating disease – a noble thing for her to do. This being MS Awareness Week affords me the opportunity to share my thoughts about this disease.

Many in the medical research community believe that MS is partly an auto immune process, where the body makes antibodies against its own tissues – in this case antibodies are being made against brain tissue. As with most autoimmune diseases, this would explain why this disease becomes active and remissions are quite common. Although the allergic process is complex, some are beginning to understand and are proposing new concepts and ways of solving the problem. Unfortunately, the new thinking goes counter to some long held beliefs by the conventional community which make acceptance of these concepts difficult. I will do my best in describing these new approaches and hope someone is listening.

When I look at autoimmune diseases I always think about the CONCEPT OF THE TOTAL LOAD – SEE Blogs written on 9/19 & 21, 2007 for more details. Considering this concept, it may not be necessary initially to determine what might be the allergic culprit triggering the autoimmune reaction. If the body is making antibodies against it own tissues, we know the culprit – the body’s own tissue. But knowing this and knowing that we cannot remove one’s own tissue from the equation, considering the Concept of the Total Load, we can approach a cure from a different angle.

In the Concept of the Total Load, it is the totality of the allergic culprits which contribute to the body reaching the level above which symptoms occur. It would not be necessary to remove all of the culprits. Removing only a few culprit allergens might be sufficient to prevent the expression of allergic symptoms because it may take the removal of only a few to lower the totality of the body’s allergic response so that it is below the threshold level above which symptoms occur.

There is much in our environment which can impact the allergic reaction and hence influence the expression of an autoimmune disease. We have the constant exposure to hydrocarbons from the fumes of deodorants, soaps, perfumes, air fresheners, etc. to the more subtle exposure to the ever present fumes emanating from one of my pet peeves, asphalt-paved roads. These hydrocarbons interfere with the body’s healthy production of good antibodies and the production of detrimental antibodies. Although I admit to having little proof for this statement, exposure to such toxic fumes cannot be good for the body. We are now beginning to appreciate the detrimental effects of an individual’s exposure to the many cosmetic preparations being put upon the body. It may not be so much a single substance producing a volatile odor, it is the totality of the exposure to many toxic odorous substances which causes the harm. Look at the myriad of organic chemicals in lipstick, many of which are not known because of proprietary issues. One just has to think of Janice Dean’s exposure to such chemicals in the Green Room as she prepares to go before the TV cameras.

Another toxic chemical which is ubiquitous is our exposure to phthalates, the chemical used in the extraction of plastics to make it soft. I mentioned in an earlier Blog last week my visit to a local supermarket wanting to buy food items not packaged in plastic. Forget it. From breads and cheeses to sauces and milk, everything in plastic. Wine and beer are still in glass bottles made from inert silica. But, there is only so much beer and wine one can drink and stay healthy! Even the Old Fashioned Quaker Oats cardboard box now has a plastic top. I went away from the grocery store depressed thinking about the fact that avoiding phthalates was an impossibility. The meat and fish were wrapped in plastic wrap, then in paper. As soon as I got back to my apartment, I removed the plastic from everything to decrease my exposure. I used to drink diet soda, but no more. It is not so much the artificial sweetener in the soda which is also bad but the fact that the soda is in a plastic bottle. The phthalates are constantly leaching into the soda. Forget about canned soda for the acid nature of most drinks allows for the leaching of aluminum from the cans. The fact the aluminum is found in high concentrations in the brains of people dead from Alzheimer’s Disease seems to be eluding many, even in the medical profession.

Unfortunately, we live in a chemical world. Does anyone remember the ad from Dow Chemical: “Better Living through Chemistry?” It still rings in my ear. Chemistry brought “Better Living to Dow” who makes great profits from their sales of chemical products!

It is almost impossible to avoid exposure to noxious chemicals. The best we can do is to decrease our exposure. Cease buying things in plastic, cease your exposure to noxious chemicals, especially those you put on your skin. If you stop breathing, all your problems will be solved! But I am not suggesting that – YET!

There is one area where we can make a significant impact, and this is with the food we consume. In my clinical practice, I am discovering that increasing numbers of people are allergic to foods or the components of foods. Foods are not simple any more. Not even the fruit we eat is devoid of chemicals. Do you wash your fruit? It may take washing fruit in 10% Clorox and rinsing thoroughly to remove the pesticides on the surface of the fruit. In this case bananas and oranges are good for the external peel can be discarded. But what about the herbicides and pesticides which are absorbed by the plant and enter the fruit. All the Clorox in the world cannot eliminate the chemicals within the pulp of the fruit. I still like bananas and another of my favorites, papaya, for the former is still grown almost in the wild and I do not see anyone spraying papaya trees here in Panama where much of the fruit is still brought to local farmer’s markets from small independent growers.

Just today it was reported that the residue of prescription drugs are being detected in the drinking water of many communities around the country. Albeit the concentrations are low, when one considers how much water we drink over long periods of time, the intake of these drugs may not be so low.

I always was amazed at how well the government tries to protect us from harmful chemicals by determining what the safe limits should be in our environment. I always quipped that perhaps the safe limits of a chemical which nature had never intended for us to consume is actually zero and not one part per million or what other standard the government may set. The body has mechanisms to detoxify many substances found in nature. Over time we can eliminate toxins such as lead and mercury if, of course, the toxic insult is not too great over time. But the body CANNOT detoxify chemicals, such as phthalates. During the evolution of the body and its chemical detoxifying mechanism, we have developed some ability to handle some toxic chemicals found in nature, but can we expect the body to develop mechanisms to handle the new chemicals being introduced by the likes of Dow Chemical?

To get back at the issue about our contaminated water, I see that many people are touting in their hands their bottles of natural water thinking they are doing a good thing drinking bottled water. Should you or I tell them that they are getting their daily dose of phthalates because their water is bottled in plastic? Sometimes one cannot win for losing, so to speak.

Another aspect of the complex foods we consume is that the foods are complex. They are not simple any more. We know that, if you eat a particular food frequently and every day, you most likely will develop an allergy to it. Read labels. If you do you will discover that almost every complex food, such as soups, cereals, sauces, etc. has similar components, such as milk solids, sugars in several forms as sugar, dextrose, corn sweeteners, etc., corn solids, and the myriad of chemicals to preserve freshness and prevent spoiling. Next time read the side of the Cheerios box. Now Cheerios is supposed to be made of oats. But, do you know that Cheerios also contains wheat? Just went to my cupboard. Old Fashioned Oats has “100% Rolled Oats.” There is still hope. But, remember I told you earlier, the cardboard box has a plastic top! It is difficult not to find a prepared complex food which does not contain milk, milk solids, corn, and corn derivatives. Milk is a food to which more people are allergic than any other food. Sorry about this, Milk Institute! We find so many people allergic to milk, corn, wheat, etc. These are staple foodstuffs. But to consume them everyday and in so many foods is extremely detrimental.


CAN ANYTHING BE DONE?

Yes, there is. Our approach to treating allergies and allergic-related disease is to begin by placing an individual on an extremely restrictive Elimination Diet. It is a very difficulty diet, but then the diseases we are attempting to cure are severe: MS, Autism, ADHD, etc., all common diseases. Were it not for the fact that the incidence of all these diseases and many more which may have an allergic component is ever increasing and the treatments thus far have been woefully discouraging.

I know, just as I sit here writing, that I will receive a few comments from my readers that I am a quack and I do not know about which I am writing. But I say to you: are you doing any better applying the same old, same old? Our approach requires determination, fortitude, and perseverance. And, it is non toxic.

After a period of almost total elimination of potential food culprits and practices, foods are reintroduced one by one. If one is allergic to a particular food item, provided it is not peanuts, shellfish, and very few others, one can usually eat that food if it is not eaten more than once every 3-4 days. But, the allergic cycle must be broken first.

Another interesting aspect about food allergies is that people tend to crave the very foods to which they are allergic. This is similar to one’s craving for alcohol or hard and prescription drugs. So one who craves a particular food, such as milk, that person might well be allergic to it. Knowing the foods one craves may be an indication of where we might start.


I welcome comments from my readers.

nicola michael c. Tauraso, M.D.
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
www.drtauraso.com

MISINFORMATION ON THE INTERNET AND TV

MISINFORMATION ON THE INTERNET AND TV
I have written on this subject before and I am going to write about it again here and now: about misinformation on the Internet. The Internet is becoming a great source of information. We know more today about more things than ever before in recorded history, and we are knowing things faster and faster and long before such information is evaluated.

But we also are beginning to know more inaccurate information than ever before. I watch Fox News regularly because here in Panama there are only two US stations on TV. Every day I see more scientific misinformation – what I call “medical garbage.” Within the past year I have discovered such information as: coffee is good for you; chocolate is good for you; and many other foods once thought to be detrimental to your health are now good for you. What most people do not know is that the scientists who say that coffee is good for you are funded by the Coffee Institute. Similarly for those who now promote chocolate. I once saw a program on the benefits of eating papaya and the camera showed mangos instead on the screen. See what I mean.

There are good qualities to all foods as there are bad. To get enough anti-oxidants from chocolate one would soon be 350 pounds and they would have other health problems from that. It is believed that the Kuna Indians here in Panama enjoy great longevity because they consume daily a drink made from fresh chocolate. But the processed chocolate we in the so-called civilized world eat is so far removed from fresh chocolate that there are no more the healthy anti-oxidants once found in the natural product. The short TV blurbs expounding the benefits of chocolate do say that eating modern chocolate does not provide the anti-oxidants they describe.

As a medical man I am concerned about the considerable medical garbage on TV. More people are learning more and more about nothing – at least nothing useful.

The other day TV news described about the great explosion which occurred way out in the Universe, some 800 million light years away, and they were discussing how the particles from this explosion might affect our Planet Earth. Let us, logically perhaps, if I am afforded such luxury, examine this more closely.

If the explosion occurred at a distance of 800 million light years away, since we are seeing it now means that the explosion occurred 800 million years ago. But remember that we are seeing it today and now. If the physical particles from the explosion could travel at the speed of light, which, of course, they cannot because a particle traveling at that speed would most likely disintegrate, these particle would be arriving now. If the particles are traveling at half the speed of light which they also can and are not the particles would arrive in twice that time, perhaps in 1600 million light years. If the particles were to travel at one quarter the speed of light which they also are not they would arrive in 3200 million years. For God’s sake: what are we worried about? TV is discussing the problem as if it were a probability that collision of the remnants of the explosion might affect life on Planet Earth. Some people are going to worry about this. Not I! But some more impressionable people might.

Many people are very impressionable, believe everything they see on TV, but more importantly get upset over what they see, no matter how trivial it might be. This might be a good thing for the drug companies selling tranquilizers, but for the average Joe. What good does it do him.

I am reminded of the time when a mother came into my Pediatric office with her child and she was very upset. I told her I would counsel her, but since I was busy at the time, I asked if she would not mind returning at 5 p.m. She arrived on time and we sat in my private office. I asked her what was troubling her. She was crying because she could not get over the death of a male actor in her favorite TV Soap Opera. As 20 minutes went by, I suspected something was going on which I did not understand. Asking more pointed and detailed questions, I discovered that the actor himself did not really die, but that it was the character in the Soap Opera who had died. This lady was so visibly upset. She was caught up in the fantasy world of the TV Soap that she was not able to separate reality from fantasy. I am sorry. I did not prescribe a tranquilizer. I just told her to “grow up and realize that there is a real world out there” and that she should stop listening to the TV Soaps which were nothing but garbage. Was I insensitive? Perhaps I was, but some ne had to tell her.

This woman had the responsibility of caring for three children, and I was not sure she was mature and healthy enough to perform that very important function. I saw her a month later, and she told me she stopped watching TV Soaps and felt better.

Television, like the Internet, is a powerful force in our lives. Of the five major senses, for the human sight is the most powerful. We know that for the dog, the sense of smell is most powerful and for some birds it is smell and sight. But for humans it is sight. This is why TV is such a powerful mover of our minds. But what do we encounter on TV? Much the same as we encounter on the Internet.

If one has an opinion, no matter how bizarre and untrue it may be, one can find in the Internet some one who would be able to corroborate that piece of misinformation. Every day I have friends who tell me this and tell me that and they give some authority on the Internet to back up their view. But who are these “Internet Authorities?” They are the individuals whose research is funded by the Chocolate Institute backing up some garbage information on chocolate. Need I belabor the point.

TV has no incentive to correct misinformation. They like the outrageous and bizarre because the people running TV think this is what the public likes. Just last week Fox News reported an incident about a crime and some of the sordid details about it. Within minutes of the initial reporting they were corrected by the police investigating the crime on one particular detail of the crime. But this was not good enough for Shepard Smith who once corrected continued to describe the original misinformation about the crime. This man is probably the worst news commentator on TV because he concentrates on the outrageous. He is more of an entertainer, not a serious news broadcaster. To many he might appear cute and funny, but his continuous reporting of misinformation is far from funny. But he has the “power of the mike” as I like to put it.

How about all those people who believe in Global Warming? I credit one man, Senior Alfonso Gore, who has perpetrated the most amazing fraud upon the general public of the world about Global Warming. The fact that he is making so much money with his private company selling so-called “Carbon Credits” seems to elude the rest of the world. He has been able to con the Hollywood-Types who are trained actors not educated thinkers. The entire debate is no more a debate. If you do not believe in Global Warming, you are anathema. They even have the Republicans now believing in it!

The other day on TV I watched an interview of the man who started “The Weather Channel.” He appeared to be an intelligent individual. He is getting together a group to sue Senior Alfonso Gore in court for perpetrating this Global Warming hoax and accusing him of profiting from the venture. The fact that Mr. Gore is in bed with the Canadian, Maurice Strong, who has in the past bilked stockholders in a shady energy deal in Colorado and also the stockholders of a Boston company, Molten Metals, which claimed to be able to neutralize radioactive materials by physical means. After bilking the government of millions of dollars with Gore being a major supporter at the time, the stock of Molten Metals plummeted from the 40's to just single digit values. The company folded. But before it did when the stock was in the high 30's, Maurice Strong who knew beforehand that the government was to withdraw support, sold all his stock making a tremendous profit. Many individual investors lost their shirt. Maurice made a lot of money from the fraud. I believe but not too sure that Gore got out early also.

You know people by the company they keep. This is what my father, who never went to school, told me. Know Senior Alfonso Gore by the company he keeps – Maurice Strong. You can easily evaluate the rest.

I know there are some readers of my Blog who will not like my disparaging comments on Gore, but my advice to them is: “grow up and realize that there is a real world out there.” Funny, this is what I told the mother in my office!

I admit it is very difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to Internet information. As an educated scientist I can usually tell what is misinformation in the fields of science and medicine, but I am not trained in all the intellectual fields. But I do ask questions and I try to search other sources of information about a subject. I analyze the differing points of view, and I apply something the Jesuits taught me – logic.

Two things that have guided me in evaluating bits of knowledge, especially when it comes to things others propose are: logic and the Principle of Occam’s Razor. Although the principles of logic might appear self evident, one must know what these principles are in order to apply them.

The Principle of Occam’s Razor needs explanation. Occam’s Razor is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. The principle is often expressed in Latin as the lex parsimoniae ("law of parsimony" or "law of succinctness"): "entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem", or "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity". – from Wykipedia

Paraphrasing the principle I usually write it as: “when there are more than one explanation to explain a theory or phenomenon, the simplest is usually the correct one.”

These two things have guided me through my intellectual pursuits and they have served me well. Just remember: “Do not believe everything you see and read” – especially if it comes from the Internet or TV.

nicola michael c. Tauraso, M.D.
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
www.drtauraso.com

MODERN DAY PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR CANCER – A RETURN TO THE OLD – THE BASICS OF A WHOLE FOODS DIET

MODERN DAY PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR CANCER – A RETURN TO THE OLD – THE BASICS OF A WHOLE FOODS DIETI, as many others, have been interested in the cure for cancer for many years and have explored the conventional and unconventional, the holistic and un-holistic, the natural and the un-natural, even the value of faith healing and supernatural, almost everything you can imagine. I tried to leave no rock unturned in my quest for the cure(s) of this devastating disease.

There is not a doctor alive who would not like someday to open his front door and exclaim: “I have found THE cure!”

But as I and many others search, the incidence of this disease called cancer continues to rise.

NB: If my readers cannot read the charts, email me at drtauraso@drtauraso.com and I will send a copy of the article in WP. It is not available in Word. AFTER PUBLISHING THIS BLOG WE DISCOVERED THAT THE CHARTS DID NOT TRANSLATE VERY WELL. SO EMAIL ME AND I WILL SEND A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE IN WORD PERFECT ONLY.

Could It Be Genetics?

We can reasonably conclude that genetics can be either a direct or indirect cause because our susceptibility and resistence to all out health conditions are based upon or genetics. Because we are made up of genes from both parents, we inherit their genes, and therefore the genetic propensity for both health and unhealthy conditions. Many cancers, such as breast cancer, run in families. Is this genetic predisposition or is the cancer a result of the foods we eat or do not eat or of environmental exposures to toxins and life styles?

Can the hope lie in the study of some populations of native peoples who do not suffer from cancer: namely the Karakorums of West Pakistan (The Hunzas), the aboriginal Eskimaux of North America, tribes of South Africa and South America, the North American Indian, the Australian aborigines, and there may be others. It should be noted and emphasized that these populations do not experience cancer while living in their native habitats. The Hunzas have been studied for over 60 years and the Eskimaux have been observed under great scrutiny for over 80 years. No cancers have been observed in either of these two populations during this time. With respect to the Eskimaux and others cancer was observed among those who left their aboriginal habitat to assume a Westernized way of life.

Could it be that their genetics protected them from this scourge in their native habitat? This is precluded by the facts of no cancers while in their native habitat and cancer while in a Western culture where cancer is endemic. Although they bring their genetics with them, it does not appear to protect them after they move away from their natural habitat. It would appear that moving to a Western culture exposed them to a number of potentially cancer-inducing causes:

1. The actual diet itself;
2. Exposure to chemicals consumed within processed foods and within the overall environment, such as smoking and breathing noxious carcinogenic fumes and gasses (airborne pollutants) which are everywhere;
3. Exposure to aberrant radio waves, such as microwaves, power cables, and cell phones;
4. Exposure to the toxic elements in clothes, detergents, and fabric softeners;
5. Viruses

Could It Be Environmental?In my opinion, I believe diet contributes considerably to the development of cancer in a particular population. There is little doubt that the diet of aborigine, nomad, and native populations who do not experience cancer is considerably different than what is consumed by westernized peoples. The former eat more natural whole foods consumed close to where these foods grow and more importantly devoid of residual herbicides and pesticides. Although most of these cancer-free populations are vegetarians, the Eskimaux are mainly meat eaters.

Western peoples eat refined foods, such as white rice and flour, refined sugar, sugared drinks, and the ubiquitous chemicals required to preserve and prevent spoiling, etc. They also consume biogenetic fruits and vegetables bred to produce seedless varieties, as in the case of apples, watermelons, other melons, etc. The seeds of many plants, some beans, and other legumes contain the secret of preventing cancer. The eating of these plants has protected the Hunzas and indirectly the Eskimaux from developing cancer.

LAETRILE

Laetrile, Vitamin B 17, a substance extracted from the pit of the almond, was studied extensively as an anti-cancer drug. The original developers, Dr. Ernest T. Crebbs and his son, Dr. Ernest T. Crebbs, Jr., claimed that Laetrile cured many people with all kinds of cancer. But extensive studies by the National Institutes of Health(NIH) and others with NIH grants were unable to confirm their studies. The FDA now bans the use of Laitrile as an anti-cancer drug. Several states allow its use but not as an anti-cancer drug but as a Vitamin without making any claims to its usefulness to treat cancer. One has to go to Mexico and some European countries where it is legal to receive such treatment.

The original developers claim that the Laetrile used in the NIH studies was not prepared properly, and this may be true. Drug companies are reluctant to develop drugs from natural sources because they cannot be patented. Drug companies must see a significant profit down the line before they will pour millions of dollars into research and the subsequent cost of getting FDA approval for it use.

It must be remembered that the Hunzas and other peoples consume the natural product and not a laboratory-purified substance. It is our desire to purify everything that decreases the effectiveness of a particular substance to do what nature had originally intended.

THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION

So what are we to do? It makes no philosophical sense to use a purified by-product of a naturally occurring substance which in its natural state is effective. So why not consume the original natural substance – the seed, vegetable, bean, or whatever?

The active substance which has anti-cancer properties is Amygdalin, Vitamin B 17. Chemically, the active compound is Nitriloside. Within the cancer cell nitriloside is hydrolyzed by the enzyme, beta-glucosidase, into a molecule of a non-sugar or aglycone, a molecule of free hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and one or more molecules of a sugar or its acid. There are about 14 naturally occurring nitrilosides found in over 1200 species of plants. It is the HCN which is selectively released within cancer cells because only cancer cells have the beta-glucosidase. Normal cells do not contain the glucosidase to release HCN. Besides normal cells contain the enzyme, rhodanese (thiocyanate transfurase), which detoxifies HCN into thiocyanate. Cancer cells do not contain rhodanese.

Important to note again is that the beta-glucosidase which hydrolyzes the nitriloside to release the HCN is found in large quantities only in cancer cells, but not in normal cells. Without the beta-glucosidase to release HCN, the nitriloside would not be effective.

Philosophically, it might be one thing to consume a natural product over a lifetime to prevent a disease, yet quite another thing to want that substance to cure a disease once it gets established. If we were to compare the situation with cancer with the development of coronary heart disease, we know that heart disease is the culmination of a lifetime of bad diet and lack of proper exercise. Although heart disease can be cured after it is established, it is much better to have prevented it in the first place. To prevent heart disease requires a lifetime commitment to a lifestyle conducive to preventing the disease – a much more difficult situation.

Likewise cancer might better be prevented than cured. A regular ingestion of Amygdalin would more easily destroy early cancer as it might be developing rather than a hugh amount of cancer cells already developed. An amount of cancer-inhibiting Amygdalin might be less to prevent than what might be required to treat an already existing disease.


PLANTS CONTAINING NITRILOSIDE(NB: The following has been excerpted from: www.worldwithoutcancer.org.uk

Foods Containing B17 (Nitrilosides)Vitamin B17 appears in abundance in untamed nature. Because B17 is bitter to the taste, in man's attempt to improve tastes and flavors for his own pleasure, he has eliminated bitter substances like B17 by selection and cross-breeding. It can be stated as a general rule that many of the foods that have been domesticated still contain the vitamin B17 in that part not eaten by modem man, such as the seeds in apricots. Listed below is an evaluation of some of the more common foods. Keep in mind that these are averages only and that specimens vary widely depending on variety, locale, soil, and climate. SOURCE: The Little Cyanide Cookbook by June de Spain - (former) FDA Toxicologist and Pharmacologist.

Fruits Range Seeds Range Beans Range
Blackberry, Domestic Low Apple Seeds High Black Low
Blackberry, Wild High Apricot Seeds High Black Eyed Peas Low
Boysenberry Med Buckwheat Med Fava High
Choke Cherry High Cherry Seed High Garbanzo Low - Med
Wild Crabapple High Flax Med Green Pea Low
Market Cranberry Low Millet Med Kidney Low - Med
Swedish (lignon)
Cranberry High Nectarine Seed High Lentils Med
Currant Med Peach Seed High Lima, U.S. Low
Elderberry Med - High Pear Seed High Lima, Burma Med
Gooseberry Med Plum Seed High Mung Med - High
Huckleberry Med Prune Seed High Shell Low
Loganberry Med Squash Seed Med
Mulberry Med
Quince Med
Strawberry Med
Raspberry Med

Sprouts Range Nuts (all raw) Range Leaves Range
Alfalfa Med Bitter Almond High Alfalfa High
Bamboo High Cashew Low Beet Tops Low
Fava Med Macadamia Med - High Eucalyptus High
Garbanzo Med Spinach Low
Mung Med Water Cress Low


Tubers Range

Cassava High
Sweet Potato Low
Yams Low

Range

High — above 500 mgs. nitriloside per 100 grams food

Medium — above 100 mgs. per 100 grams food

Low — below 100 mgs. per 100 grams food

Vitamin B-17 is one of the main sources of food in cultures such as the Eskimos, the Hunzas, the Abkasians and many more. Did you know that within these tribes there has never been a reported case of cancer? According to Dr. Krebs, we need a minimum of 100 mg of vitamin B-17 (the equivalent of about seven apricots seeds) too nearly guarantee a cancer free life. Foods that contain vitamin B-17 are as follows:


KERNELS OR SEEDS OF FRUIT: The highest concentration of vitamin B-17 to be found in nature, aside from bitter almonds. Apple, apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, prune.


BEANS: broad (Vicia faba), Burma, chickpeas, lentils (sprouted), lima, mung (sprouted), Rangoon, scarlet runner.


NUTS: Bitter almond, macadamia, cashew.


BERRIES: Almost all wild berries. Blackberry, chokeberry, Christmas berry, cranberry, elderberry, raspberry, strawberry.


SEEDS: Chia, flax, sesame.


GRASSES: Acacia, alfalfa (sprouted), aquatic, Johnson, milkweed, Sudan, minus, wheat grass, white dover.


GRAINS: oat groats, barley, brown rice, buckwheat groats, chia, flax, millet, rye, vetch, wheat berries.


MISCELLANEOUS: bamboo shoots, fuschia plant, sorghum, wild hydrangea, yew tree (needles, fresh leaves).


Two rules of thumb: According to Dr. Krebs, the basic concept is that sufficient daily B-17 may be obtained by following either of two suggestions:

First, eating all the B-17-containing fruits whole (seeds included), but not eating more of the seeds by themselves than you would be eating if you ate them in the whole fruit. Example: if you eat three apples a day, the seeds in the three apples are sufficient B-17. You would not eat a pound of apple seeds.

Second, one peach or apricot kernel per 10 lbs of body weight is believed to be more than sufficient as a normal safeguard in cancer prevention, although precise numbers may vary from person to person in accordance with individual metabolism and dietary habits. A 170-lb man, for example, might consume 17 apricot or peach kernels per day and receive a biologically reasonable amount of Vitamin B-17.

And two important notes: Certainly, you can consume too much of anything. Too many kernels or seeds, for example, can be expected to produce unpleasant side effects. These natural foods should be consumed in biologically rational amounts (no more than 30 to 35 kernels per day).

High concentrations of B-17 are obtained by eating the natural foods in their raw or sprouting stage. This does not mean that moderate cooking and other tampering will destroy the B-17 content. Foods cooked at a temperature sufficient for a Chinese dinner, for example, will not lose their B-17 content.


nicola michael c. Tauraso, M.D.
Director, Tauraso Medical Clinic
www.drtauraso.com