I thought it would be interesting to write today about the only time tested and proven "drug" in the history of modern medicine. This drug is both safe and effective in every circumstance and never gives sides affects.

Admittedly this drug contains no active ingredients yet strangely seems to yield results that are comparable to the "real medicine". This drug is called the placebo.

Scientists realize that the placebo always causes some results.. Strangely some people start to get better when they "think" they are getting medicine by simply swallowing a pill.

This made me wonder if the people who are supposedly getting better by taking the "real medicine" were also getting better because of the placebo effect. I have learned that asking these types of thought provoking questions is suspect. As Americans citizens we are presumed to be "unthinking" by the corporate entities that fill our heads with garbage and our stomachs with things you shouldn't feed the dog.

I have routinely heard people say "don't give that to the dog, its not good for him", yet it is leftover from a meal that you and your family just eaten, was it good for you?

A recent scientific journal stated that 50% of participants for the drug Ritalin exhibited a positive response to the placebo. That result rivaled the one by Ritalin itself, yikes!

Strangely, the sales for Ritalin have only risen, as this pharmacy focused society continues to abandon all the tenets of health such as a healthy diet, exercise and taking care of the bodies and start to take every shortcut that modern medicine offers. Full color adds in Parents and other targeted kids magazines extol the virtues of Ritalin and Adderal. Did you ever wonder how a magazine like Parents could afford to give away thousands of magazines to people who haven't ordered them? Huxley is rolling in his grave.

It has gotten so ridiculous now that I am wondering when the "prestigious intellects"(pun intended) of pharmacy and psychiatry will roll out the Monday pill. You know that feeling that you get on Sunday when you realize that Monday will be here soon and you will have to go back to work. That feeling of dread and terror could be easily eliminated with a simple pill that make you feel "OK" with the idea of returning to work.

Here is the advertising slogan: "since we can't stop Monday from coming then we might as well feel "OK" about it". You may think this is ridiculous but this may be a reality as more and more people are prescribed antidepressants for all sorts of problems that weren't even diagnosable 20 years ago. There are 30 million Americans on anti-depressants. The next blockbuster is here! Ask your doctor if the Monday pill is right for you.

Think of the long-term effect of a nation of people taking mind-altering drugs. Ritalin actually causes physical changes in brain development as well as chemical ones. The Iroquois Indians thought of the impact of present day decisions by attempting to foresee consequences on the next seven generations. Obviously this type of wisdom is as forgotten as the Indians in our society.

Recently the Canadian Medical Journal brought some scary findings to light. Studies showing negative results of anti-depressants for children were swept under the rug. Children taking these medications had more suicidal thoughts and tendencies. The drug manufacturers suppressed the report. Squashing negative information about their products is common, especially if they are the ones sponsoring the research! Caveat Empor is certainly true in medicine.

This is where wisdom comes in, because knowledge is a two-edge sword. Merely knowing that a drug exists for a disorder comes at the price of also being wise enough to realize whether it should be used or not.

The way the placebo works is to stimulate the body's own innate and internal method of healing. All healing comes from the inside out. The tenets of natural health state: the body is self-healing and self-regulating, and provided it is cared for properly, it should stay disease free for a lifetime.

But the idea of what care is needs to be defined. Here is an exaggeration of care that illustrates a point.

Today I decide to eat a diet consisting of only Krispy Crème donuts and abandon all forms of exercise. By making this decision I understand that my body will be forced to make new blood cells, stomach, heart, liver and immune system from my daily intake of Krispy Crème donuts.

After a few days I develop heartburn so I am prescribed Zantac with my donuts to combat heartburn. My joints begin to ache and my body is sore from inflammatory sugars and fats in donuts. My blood sugar begins to elevate, so I take an antidiabetic agent, Glucophage but this doesn't completely control my sugar as my diet of Krispy Cremes continues. I then develop hypertension and I am placed on Accupril, which aggravates my already bad heartburn and high blood sugar. In addition it gives me "sexual side affects".

I become depressed about my failing health and vitality so I am placed on an antidepressant called Zoloft. Zoloft makes me tired and sluggish and causes me to gain weight and feel worse about myself. I develop high cholesterol, which then needs to be treated with Lipitor. The Lipitor makes my already achy body hurt worse then ever. I add some Advil for everyday aches and pains aggravating my heartburn. Now I need Nexium for my belly which blocks my uptake of minerals from my donuts. Soon I have angina pains for which I am given Nitroglycerine and some beta-blockers for good measure. Eventually I develop congestive heart failure. I am mad about my failing health. I blame medicine for not coming up for a cure of my disease.

The patient has been cared for, yet the care is not the cure. The problem in this scenario is the person's lifestyle and diet and poor choices. Nowhere in this illustration did anyone intervene to correct this persons diet or correct any of the multiple dietary deficiencies that exist that give rise to the disease state. No one addressed the problems at its basis, or examined anything further then which pharmaceutical to try.

It is considered to be quackery to develop a nutritional alternative to medicine. Excuse me as I say "Quack, Quack." Correcting underlying deficiencies helps. Drugs don't fix deficiencies, but people fear vitamins and minerals and they think supplements can hurt them; last year there were no reported deaths from vitamins and minerals while there were 180,000 deaths from prescription drug side affects.

To be healthy and resist disease you must realize the importance of a good diet, exercise, and maintaining the bodies' framework of communication called the spine. This is my focus.

There is no coincidence that we have a growing epidemic of childhood obesity, behavior disorders, diabetes and asthma. Diet is creating this crisis! Do you realize that diet and lifestyle predict disease? Does anyone think that taking shiny colored pills makes up for diet and lifestyle indiscretions? Does merely swallowing a pill make up for my diet of Krispy Cremes? Absolutely not.

It is sad but I see this every day in my practice. People challenge the premise that their diet and behaviors are part of their problems. They continue to make the same mistakes over and over again with repeatedly bad results. There are consequences for behaviors and it is illustrated by this one simple equation: GOOD – BAD = HEALTH.

Diet is the primary factor many disorders including: depression, behavioral disorders, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders, cancer, digestive disorders and nearly everything else.

Has anyone told you that deficiencies of Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in walnuts, fish, flax and green leafy vegetables are responsible for depression, and behavioral disorders in children. Or that vitamin and mineral deficiencies play a huge role in being able to concentrate. Probably not.

Certainly the multibillion-dollar drug companies have a vested interest in you being and staying sick enough to take their drugs. The truth wont fall in your lap. It takes some digging, but it's not too hard if you know where to look or who to ask. I wouldn't read the drug adds or research sponsored by drug companies. Ever heard the cliché about the fox and the henhouse?

Despite the placebo's great effectiveness I have never seen an advertisement for the placebo. If drug companies were truly interested in our health then they would have huge spreads in magazine proclaiming the safety and usefulness of the placebo for every disorder, without side affects.

If you are serious about your health and that of your family then you have to make real decisions that are sometimes unpopular.

As a parent I teach my children how and what to eat, and I am also responsible for what they have available. If I fill my home with candy and pop then I am giving the message that these things are OK to eat.

It starts with you. It's not the doctors, the educators of the pastor's role in teaching your children what is right and wrong, and good for them and not good for them. Children should not be dictating food choices in the household. What if your child decided that they would only eat Krispy Kremes? Would you let them knowing what the consequences might be?

Just knowing that there is a correlation between diet and lifestyle and health is a breakthrough. To have it further defined you might think of attending one of our seminars or workshops that are dedicated to educating our patients and the public on health from a holistic perspective.

We educate that health comes from the inside out, which is exactly how the placebo works. If the capacity for health and wellness were not there to begin with then the placebo would have no effect.

Yours in health,


Anthony Talorico DC
dr.talorico@zoominternet.net
 

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