Mother Nature has been letting off steam around the world with volcanic activity in both the USA and Iceland. The resulting “Volcanic Atmospheric Pollution” or VOG is creating respiratory health issues which can be very debilitating especially for individuals already suffering from one of the many lung disorders such as asthma, emphysema and allergies.

The following guidelines were developed to reduce exposure and aggravation for those with existing health issues along with some simple self care solutions for all those who may be suffering from the VOG.

1. 1. Avoid strenuous or aerobic activities when VOG levels are high.
2. 2. Do not run or aerobically exercise your animals during high VOG levels, they too have sensitive lungs.
3. 3. If practical, avoid high VOG areas during times of thick VOG.
4. 4. Avoid exposure to other air pollutants on the job and at home.
5. 5. Don’t smoke, and avoid people smoking or burning trash, especially during VOG periods.
6. 6. When VOG levels are high, avoid contact with colds, flu, molds, mildew, pollen, and dust. (Some of the lung clearance and immune functions could be compromised by high VOG.)
7. 7. For very high VOG, stay indoors, close the windows, and run an air purifier or air conditioner. Indoor plants (especially spider plants) may help clean the air. You also can try hanging up sheets that have been soaked in a mixture of one teaspoon of baking soda to one liter of water (which can help trap acid aerosols and gases.)
8. 8. Keep any medications for the treatment of acute respiratory and heart conditions handy. Consult your doctor.
9. 9. If you suffer from lung disease, or find you are not recovering after exposure to VOG you may want to test your baseline lung function (after breathing “clean” air one week or more), then get retested if/when breathing becomes more difficult during high VOG episodes. Have your doctor keep records of both your lung function and approximate VOG levels.
10. 10. Use natural solution when possible to aid in the symptoms related to VOG exposure.

• Huffing menthol crystals: Directions for Huffing Crystal! Take a few of the menthol crystals from the bag and place them in the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together as if you were cold then dump the crystals bag into the baggie. Cup your hands over your nose and mouth and take a few deep breaths through your nose and then again through your mouth. Leave the crystal residue on the palm of your hands for a few minutes to absorb into the skin, after which be sure to wash your hands so you don’t end up rubbing menthol in your eye or putting it in your mouth.
• Drink lots of fluids to loosen mucus and clear lungs. The following herbs can be helpful for acute respiratory symptoms and can be used in capsule or tea forms:
• Grindelia: has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, expectorant, and mild pain-relieving properties. It was formerly included in the United States Pharmacopoeia as an internal remedy for asthma, bronchitis, and other upper respiratory tract ailments. It is often blended with yerba santa, marshmallow root, licorice, and other respiratory herbs.
• Lobelia ( Lobelia inflata ): also called Indian tobacco, has a long history of use as an herbal remedy for respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and cough. Native Americans historically have smoked lobelia as a treatment for asthma. Today, lobelia is considered effective in helping clear mucus from the respiratory tract, including the throat, lungs, and bronchial tubes. Although few studies have thoroughly evaluated the safety and effectiveness of lobelia, some herbalists
• Mullein Leaf: is also used in India for upper respiratory problems. A high content of mucilage and saponins renders this herb ideal for the treatment of respiratory ailments, from coughs and colds to emphysema, asthma and whooping cough. In addition to the soothing effect imparted by the mucilage, Mullein possesses good antibiotic properties. During the Civil War, the Confederates relied on Mullein for treatment of respiratory problems whenever their medical supplies ran out. Several different and unrelated Indian tribes used Mullein for similar purposes.
• Peppermint: contains volatile oils and other constituents that inhibit and kill many kinds of micro-organisms that, among other things, might create severe digestive problems. A few of these bugs need special mention: Influenza A viruses, the cause of Asian flu; herpes simplex, the source of cold sores; Mumps virus; Streptococcus pyogenes, the cause of sore throat, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, otitis media, cystitis, cellulites, etc; Staphylococcus aureus, from which we acquire pneumonia, sinusitis, impetigo and endocarditis; Pseudomonas acruginosa, which produces a great variety of superlative and other infections. Altogether, more than 30 pathogenic micro-organisms have yielded to the influence of Peppermint.

We in the United States have generations of soldiers who have returned from foreign lands where they have been put into situations that completely contradict our human nature, leaving scars physically, emotionally, and psychologically. These men and women return to their lives and try to bury the pain and scars, and hopefully resume “normal” life. If they cannot, their lives are torn apart as are the lives of their family and friends who must pick up the broken pieces.

Unfortunately, these veterans often do not receive the medical and emotional help they need and deserve. This has been particularly true of the terrible mental scars they bring home and that surface after they return displaying symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. The word “disorder” is medical code for “a collection of symptoms we don’t really know the cause of, but something is clearly wrong”.

In response to this situation a group of health practitioners and business people in our local community have organized a program to donate their time and resources to provide help for these brave men and women of our armed services. We call it the Forgotten Soldier Program. Our current focus is on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”. With hundreds and thousands of service people returning from deployment from our ongoing wars, there is no better time to get a program of this nature off the ground.

Our mission, stated simply is to help “Bring the Soul Home.”

This Saturday, we held our first wellness program event at our local fairgrounds. It was a small, but meaningful, beginning that saw veterans receiving a host of free services, and so importantly, saw a community reaching out and recognizing a real host of health problems that are so often ignored and that our veterans are spending the rest of their lives fighting. You can see an artist’s representation of The Forgotten Soldier at clicking here.

We began the program with veterans telling their stories. As a non-military person, I was overwhelmed by the stories that were told by veterans who had suffered and survived terrible injuries and who had returned home only to meet closed doors and brick walls as they searched for help for their Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. No one was unmoved as one Vietnam veteran told his story of torture and terror in a prison camp.

That such men should have to fight for years for the proper medical help and recognition to treat the aftermath of their brave service is a lasting shame on our nation. The military provides basic medical services for the physical injuries, but extremely limited services for the mental and emotional injuries with which so many men and women come home.

My experiences as a practitioner are that not only are mental and emotional issues not treated through the veterans administration, but most dare not even admit they are suffering from mental issues such as PTSD or depression. I have, on a number of occasions, had individuals in my office tell me they are suffering from depression and or anxiety and then ask that I not write it in their records. I recently had a male teen, with the intention of joining the service sit in my office discussing anxiety and possible depression and ask that no records be kept on that subject so as not to risk his future enrollment in the service.

A tragic statistic is that 23% of our homeless are veterans of war.

This seems a crime to me. These men and women have served their country and because mental illness is a dirty word in our society they are abandoned, left without the help and tools they need to help themselves, resulting in so many ending up on the street.

An article in News Today points to the timeliness of this program and the real need for emotional disorders to be brought out from behind closed doors and treated like any other chronic life threatening disease of our time.
The article reads:

“Thousands of U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who were discharged from the military because of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been told they can apply for an expedited review of their cases to determine if they were improperly denied benefits.

The legal notices sent to about 4,300 veterans explain that they have until July 24 to join a lawsuit against the U.S. military in order to be included in the expedited review, the Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit was launched by seven combat veterans who allege the military illegally denied health care and other benefits to veterans discharged because of PTSD during a six-year period that ended Oct. 14, 2008.

Each of the seven plaintiffs was given a disability rating of 10 percent or less when discharged. Since October 2008, the military has given a disability rating of at least 50 percent to those discharged with PTSD, the AP reported.

A higher disability rating ensures lifelong monthly disability benefits for a veteran, free health care for the veteran and his/her spouse and health care for the veteran’s minor children.”

Because of the diligent struggle of veterans at home, the situation has improved some as the reality of PTSD has become more accepted, there is a long way to go. Here are veterans who need help in just about every community across this land. Are there ways you can organize and reach out in your community? Even small things can make a world of difference.

Please visit our website for inspiration forgottensoldierprogram.org, please help for there are veterans near you who can use it.
The video below is well worth watching and speaks to the heart.

Thank You.

One of the most frustrating things I see in my practice is how insurance companies are routinely skimping on blood work thereby short changing the consumer of good preventive health care. This area of medicine becomes another example of how consumers must fend for themselves.

A recent example of this occurred when a patient of mine with a Leukemia diagnosis delivered her yearly labs following a physical, on my desk for review, and I was horrified to see only a CBC with differential. Her MD had only looked at her red and white blood cells.  When we sat down together, I asked when the last time she had had her blood sugar checked, a lipid panel done or her liver enzymes checked, her response was, not for years and certainly not since she was diagnosed with Leukemia. This woman’s health care provider is looking at her through a key hole.

In years past when we have gone for our annual physical certain basic exams were performed as a screening process. If anything were out of order we would return for a deeper assessment of that issue, more blood work a differential diagnostic. Blood tests can be diagnostic in and of themselves for some disorders and for other health issues when correlated with symptoms and more advanced diagnostics they provide a great tracking devise as we return to health. The trend from year to year is fewer and fewer blood tests are performed and ultimately the warning signs of impending disease are being missed.

Why are we the consumer the patient having to fight to have this most basic and valuable assessment tool provided to us?

A yearly panel that allows a skilled eye to pick up changes in health should include:

• a fasting glucose
• a lipid panel
• a CBC and differential
• ferritin
• a basic metabolic panel
• liver
• kidney
• thyroid.

With this basic panel we have a good cross section of how our blood chemistry is fairing and how the systems of the body are working independently and together.

Do you have Thyroid dysfunction?

Another frequently told story in my office is the patient, usually female over 30 who has gone year after year and asked for a thyroid screening because she has low body temperature, fatigue, loss of libido, hair thinning, mood swings and can’t seem to lose weight. She believes she has a thyroid issue because she has done her research and she has many of the symptoms.

In this case the practitioner runs a lipid panel to check her cholesterol and a TSH. If the results of the TSH fell into the  normal range even if it was borderline high or low she was dismissed with no thyroid issue and instruction to eat less and exercise more because the test was negative for thyroid.   She may need to work on her health, but what happened to the older more artful method of practicing medicine and screening a patient with all of the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction with a little more thorough testing.

Practicing medicine as an art, not a business

In years past, our personal physicians treated us from birth to death, they knew our family history, our health history and they knew that a complete physical include looking at and correlating subjective symptoms with objective findings through a good case history and looking at the patient as a human being. A thorough exam included a good blood work up and a physical and any other diagnostics related to the individuals condition. I believe this is good preventive medicine. If our physicians could practice medicine more as an art and investigation instead of a business our health care costs would go down not up.

Unfortunately, I can give you example after example of the insurance driven lack of practicing medicine as an art. Everyone of those cases where the patient was a cost containment dollar, was a person you know, a mother, sister, brother or friend. The stories always lead me back to, Doctor Heal Thyself. As a consumer in the present medical climate you must become informed, and be your own advocate. Get copies of your lab work, keep a medical file on yourself; most labs provide your results along with the normal ranges and flag anything out of range. LOOK AT THE LABS, if something is not right, go back for more, if your practitioner is dismissive or disinterested, FIND SOMEONE ELSE.

This is your health, this is your life. Take charge of it.

Learn about Natural Health

The annual flu vaccine scare has reached a new level of  frenzy this year with the media and official fear blitz about the swine flu. The pressure to vaccinate has never been greater. Yet, while the issue is still the same – a flu shot – there are special risks and concerns about the vaccine this year.

Every person and parent must make their own choice on whether to vaccinate.

I do not vaccinate and believe there are many many good reasons for that choice. As a mother of four grown children I faced the decision as a parent, which can be very difficult in our vaccine culture. I have four very healthy children, young adults, who have never been vaccinated. They do not have the allergies, asthma or other chronic diseases that are epidemic in children these days, and they all have terrific immune systems with lifelong immunity to childhood diseases, and yes, once-in-awhile they get the flu and they get over it.  It was my belief, that given the vaccine load placed on children and infants (a still growing load),  the  compositions of the vaccines, and the unknowns, that the risks of vaccines were not worth an arguable benefit.

As you consider your choice to vaccination or not, think on these good reasons not to vaccinate this year.

Mild Flu: The swine flu has not mutated into a virulent and dangerous strain as predicted by so many in the medical industry.  The flu  is mild for all but very small percentage and for people over 60, many may already have a natural immunity from contracting similar strains of flu in the past.  I am now seeing patients with swine flu and the symptoms and severity are often milder than the usual winter flu.  Children and adults are getting the flu and getting over it,  just as millions do every year.

Limited Testing of the Vaccine: Because of the early fear and hype, the vaccine is being rushed to market with  limited testing.   The vaccine has been tested for just a few weeks on a few thousand adults and children, and a very few pregnant women.

Unknowns Mean a High Risk Vaccine: Because of the limited testing of the swine flu vaccine, there are more than the usual unknowns about the true risks of this vaccine.  On open question is how effective the vaccine is in preventing the swine flu.   Of special concern is the potential for vaccine reaction in pregnant women and children.

Children at special risk include those with with chronic illness such as  asthma, allergies, diabetes, or who have had a previous vaccine reaction.

Notwithstanding the emphasis on the safety of  vaccines in the media and from the medical industry, all vaccines carry risks, which can be devastating.  It cannot be honestly  said  that vaccines are 100% safe.   The risk of a vaccine reaction depends on a number of factors, like; medical history, the vaccine itself, whether one is ill when receiving the vaccine, other vaccines one has recently received, medications one is taking, potentially genetics, and the skill of the person administering the vaccine.  While the medical industry claims they got the  “science”, there is way more not known about how vaccines, with all the toxins, effect the immune system and the body both in the short and long term.   If the immune system was really that well understood,  one might expect we would have a cure for cancer and that vaccine reactions would not happen.

For example, according to a recent small study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota researchers found that children that got the flu “who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. In asthmatic children, there was a significantly higher risk of hospitalization…”

Special Risks This Time: In addition to the limited testing there are other risks this year.

For the first time officials will be pushing the public to take both a seasonal and a swine flu vaccine, possibly administered in as many as 4 shots;  two for the seasonal flu and two for the swine flu.  The risks of this number and combination of shots has never been tested.  Unknown is the impact of this combination on children, or how the new combination will interact with vaccines children are already receiving.   A very new study under review from Canada suggests “that people vaccinated against seasonal flu are twice as likely to catch swine flu.” The study is causing some health officials to rethink  flu shot recommendations in Canada and has “convinced several provincial health agencies to announce hasty suspensions of seasonal flu vaccinations, long-held fixtures of public-health planning.”

Because of the push to mass vaccine, the roll out of non-medical vaccine “clinics” will likely be unprecedented.  The shot could  be give in shopping malls, stores, schools, drug stores,  and perhaps drive-by kiosks.    This leads to greater risk of poor administration of the vaccine.  It goes without saying that correct administration of any medical injection is crucial.  There will be greater  risk of poor screening of children and adults at high risk of reaction.  There will be greater risk of potential dosing problems, particularly if there is a two-shot vaccine.  This places responsibility squarely on the consumer, if your are sick or taking medications, or your child has special health concerns, you must take the initiative on the potential for vaccine reaction.  This cannot be overemphasized.

For the first time this year the FDA allowed mock vaccines for approval of the swine flu vaccine.  This meas that the vaccine distributed may not be the exact vaccine that was tested.  To allow for faster vaccine manufacture, a “mock” vaccine with a similar strain of the virus being targeted is used for approval of the ingredients and manufacturing method.  Shortly before actual manufacture of the vaccine to be distributed, the prevalent virus strain in circulation is added.

Vaccine Toxic Additives: Most people now know that all vaccines contain additives, as preservatives and to help the vaccine boost anti-body response. The first thing to consider about these additives is that they are injected directly into the bloodstream bypassing all the bodies natural safety mechanism when confronting toxins. For children, this happens with every vaccine. While scientist and vaccine manufactures may debate the “safety” of these toxins, ask yourself from a common sense perspective, does injecting them into your body or your the body of your child make sense?   How many times has the public been told that science says some drug or chemical is “safe’ only to find out later that the science has changed, or was wrong, or poorly done,  and opps, it is not safe?

The toxins will depend on the vaccine and there are many of them. For example, the flu vaccines can contain such lovely toxins as ethylene glycol (antifreeze), formaldehyde, phenol (carbolic acid), mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene.

Mercury is one of the most toxic substances known. Aluminum has long been suspected in nerve toxicity and Alzheimer’s Disease. Squalene studies have linked it to arthritis and MS in rats.

No Vaccine Reaction Compensation: Because of the recognized risk of childhood vaccines there is a government compensation fund to pay vaccine victims, with ceilings on potential damages. and to prevent lawsuits.  For the swine flu, Congress has shielded  vaccine manufacturers and any person giving swine flu shots from lawsuits if people are harmed by the vaccine, yet there is no funded government vaccine injury compensation program for the swine flu vaccine.

You Can Do it Better Naturally: The best prevention for the flu is natural. The important thing is to put your body in the best position to allow your immune system to deal with the flu.

The video below is from The National Vaccine Information Center, their website www.nvic.org is a wonderful place to find information on vaccines.

in health
DrL

New and compelling research no longer leaves doubt that sodas, both diet and regular, are a serious health risk, especially for children. The latest research is a large study by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles Center for Health Policy of 4,000 adolescents and 43,000 adults that directly links consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages with obesity. Which can be added to a list that includes diabetes and heart disease. That Americans drink an excess of these drinks, especially children, there is also no doubt. I cringe when I see young mothers come into my office with children drinking sodas, or drinking them themselves. We are a Coke culture. the medical cost of our soda habit (and I include all mass marketed sweet laden beverages) runs in the tens of billions, much paid for through tax dollars.

So kudos to the mayor of San Francisco for taking a small step in the right direction by proposing a tax on retailers that that sell the beverages. While I think a better approach is to tax the drinks directly, even this small first step is welcome.

While the idea of such a tax, like any new tax, gets people fired-up there are good reasons for this tax, and the chorus for it is beginning to swell. Of course, we can expect the beverage industry to fight with millions against any tax and the ads have already started running.

The reasons for a soda tax are many, and the issue recalls the smoking and trans fats battles, and there are arguable points on both sides.

Here are five good reasons for a soda tax.

Like any sales tax, a tax on soda will hit the poor hardest. Soda is cheap, being mostly a chemical brew of water, preservatives, flavorings, and sweetener. On the other hand, it is the poor who can least afford the empty calories and health results of reliance on soda as a “food”.

There are many unhealthy and sugary non-foods on the market, soda is the most advertised and prevalent, with enormous personal and social costs. Which is why it is well studied. While someone drinking a soda does not impact those around them directly like a smoker does with secondhand smoke, the long term health effects are a huge cost to taxpayers. This is a cost that should be addressed to those making the soda choice.

Back to school, a touch of cool to the evening air and we realize that autumn is on its way and another season of colds, flu and other winter ailments is knocking at our door. This year we have the additional awareness of an impending new flu on horizon and many are very concerned. Continuing on the theme I began last week, I would like to begin addressing pro-active approaches to staying healthy in the change of season and the coming year.

Good health and the prevention of flu start with each of us as individuals. I do not like the vaccine prevention or the “pop a pill” approach to health which many feel absolves them from the personal responsibility to do the basics for their good health.  Just keep in mind that the drug companies are not in business for your health.

I recently had words of wisdom come from the check- out counter at the grocery store when the clerk stated that she was of the opinion that you either pay the cost for a healthy grocery cart up front or, you pay on the back end with poor health and the doctor bills. As she said, “It’s much more fun to pay up front for healthier food.”

Getting sick, contracting the flu or any other virus is part of the human condition.

Modern drug based medicine cannot prevent illness. Our bodies are constantly exposed to invaders that can cause illness. The goal is to have a healthy uncompromised immune system that can fight off the “would be” invader and maintain good health.

We only produce symptoms of illness when a system is compromised by one of the following:

• pre-existing health issues
• dehydration
• lack of sleep
• excess stress
• poor diet
• and poor nutrition.

We have control over all but one of these influencing elements; our health is in our own hands.

We all know that we should drink more water, avoid sodas and sugary drinks, we all know that we need 8 hours of sleep a day, exercise daily reduces stress and healthy meals provide good nutrition. The dilemma remains, how do we follow these basic fundamental principles with our already overloaded lifestyles?

Five Simple Steps That Will Make a Difference

1: Start every day with a large glass of water and never leave home with- out either a glass or stainless steel water bottle. If you start your day with a glass of water you will reset your thirst mechanism and flush the system of toxins that build up over night in the digestive tract.

2: Try to go to bed about the same time every night. Studies show that people who go to bed and get up at the same time every day have healthier sleep patterns and better quality of sleep. Finish your evening with stretching and relaxing music. Shut off the TV, work you have brought home or any other stimulating input to your senses at least one hour before bed. Give your body a chance to shut down for the night so that even if you do not get 8 hours the time you do have will be more restful.

3: Plan a walk into your schedule every day, at lunch, after dinner in a break whenever it will fit. If you walk 20 minutes per day and stretch before bed you will have achieved some exercise every day. Of course, it would be better to get more aerobic exercise every day, but for so many of us that just doesn’t happen. This 20 minutes and daily stretching is a solid foundation for health.

4: Upgrade your diet by planning healthy snacks because so many of us, in this busy word, don’t eat rergulary. This is so important because low blood sugar equals low immunity. Write a shopping list for the week including snacks, buy prewashed vegetables and lettuce, bring your fruit home and wash it before you put it away. Pre-pack raw nuts and snacks to carry in your bag or brief case so that when you are starving you do not make poor choices but instead have a healthy food option available at the moment you need it.

5: Take good quality supplements daily. In the world of supplements you get what you pay for. Just like buying cheap processed food. Don’t waste your money on low quality. Again, pack them for lunch if you are not going to have time in the morning.

Add These 5 Supplements to Your Daily Multiple Vitamins

1. Vitamin D: A recent study found higher vitamin D status enhances your immunity to microbial infections, and that individuals with vitamin D deficiency had significantly more days of absence from work due to respiratory infection. There is a growing body of new research showing the importance of vitamin D in our health.

2. Zinc: Zinc lozenges—Use lozenges containing zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate-glycine, or zinc acetate, providing 13 to 25 mg every two hours, to help stop the cold virus and shorten the illness.

3. Vitamin C: So good for so many things. A higher-than-normal dose of 1,000 to 4,000 mg per day may make your cold shorter and milder.

4: Echinacea: At the onset of a cold or flu, 3 to 4 ml of Echinacea in a liquid preparation or 300 mg of a powdered form in capsule or tablet can be taken every two hours for the first day of illness, then three times per day for a total of seven to ten days.

5: Homeopathic Remedies: Remedies such as Oscillococcinum can decrease severity and duration of flu symptoms. I use homeopathic remedies both for prevention and for the symptoms of flu virus with great results, when your MD sends you home to suffer through symptoms a homeopathic remedy will take the sting out.

I cannot promise that you are immune from the flu with the information above, but I know that if you do succumb, you will recover more quickly and completely and you will be healthier on the other side because your body will have built a healthy natural resistance to the virus that invaded your body.

In Health
DrL

In this age of high tech medicine, highly specialized physicians and corporate managed medicine, we the patient are left to the mercy and wisdom of a specialist we just met and records that may or may not be following our care and then ultimately are not closely reviewed. The horrifying evidence of this is the new report showing a minimum of 200,000 deaths in the U.S. every year from medical errors. Making medically caused deaths the highest cause of accidentally deaths in the U.S., by far.

If the truth were told we are in fact, “our own doctor”, responsible for our own health and healing.  At some time in history we lost sight of this responsibility and surrendered our power to the medical professionals. Who like ourselves are only human (not the all knowing God they would lead us to believe).  As contradictory as it sounds, in this age of specialized medicine for profit, it is so important that we reclaim our power and become our own doctor. We should not wait until a life threatening illness motivates us into action and research.

A perfect example of this occurred in my office this week when a patient re-tells the story of the medical treatment saga surrounding and acute infection that included a sore throat, fever and swollen glands. Her pediatrician put her on a broad spectrum anti biotic and took a throat culture. While she was in the office the doctor recommended the young women receive her final vaccine for the prevention of HPV, the young women’s mother responded-“whatever you think is best doctor”.  Hearing the story, I was outraged by the indifference shown by the doctor and staff to the prime directive of, “do no harm”.

Besides the issue of some many reports of serious adverse reactions to this vaccine, and it’s questionable usefulness, vaccine packaging contains clear risk warnings to the use of any vaccine, one of these includes an active infection, which this young woman was clearly showing the signs of with the presence of fever and swollen glands.

That the doctor ignored this well known fact about vaccines is, in my opinion,  nothing less than malpractice, especially with a vaccine that can produce serious injury. Unfortunately, this is a story I hear again and again in my office.

We are the most vaccinated country in the world. There is a new vaccine put on the market every year. NO VACCINE IS MANDATORY, in a country where vaccine clinics are set up as drive through or walk by in your local supermarket, it becomes the consumer’s responsibility to do the research on the vaccine, determine the necessity and to avoid the use when suffering from an active infection. A great place to start is at the website of the National Vaccine Information Center.

Sometimes the safest health decision is to “JUST SAY NO” to standard drug-based medicine protocols, and seek treatment information using non-drug based medicine. There are often so many better choices to health than drug-based therapies.

As I thought about my first blog, the basics seemed a good place to start.

This year there has been a great deal of focus on health care. As a health care practitioner I think there is no more important place to put ones energy than in to taking care of your health. For the past 50 years we have been fast tract to convenience by the large food manufacturer and the advertising agencies that promote their products, all concerned looking for financial gain. On a daily basis I remind people that all businesses have one mission-to make a profit. Too often we believe what the advertising company wants us to believe in order to sell a product.

I challenge you to question authority remembering that the companies who make and sell boxed foods are self appointed experts in your health.

I do not believe good health is complicated or particularly difficult; it requires mindfulness and responsibility.
Responsibility to be: Your own advocates, listen to your body, and do the basic common sense elements to health.

Mindfulness that: health is a journey and we each walk a unique path to health.

By taking responsibility for our personal health we connect with and influence a much broader scope as we touch the world by being healthy we affect the broader community health starting with home and family, to workplace, to community and finally the world and environment.

Lofty goals are achieved one small step at a time, set your health intention today.

In Health
Dr L