Dr. Berglund Comments on this article:
Let me get this straight.  So the CDC has tallied the number of measles outbreak in 2011 and the number is 156. Eighty-five percent were apparently contracted from outside the US. 17% of those who were infected were vaccinated. I’m sure one the of the points of the study was “See? We need to get people vaccinated.”

Here is my thought.  Spending time and energy on this is like a man coming to the doctor complaining of acne when half his leg was ripped off and is bleeding from a chainsaw accident.  I realize that in Third World countries malnourished children are dying of measles. But they aren’t in this country. We need to teach parents how to help their kids eat properly and get their immune systems improved so we lower their risk of dying from measles.  The kids will get measles, get natural immunity and never get it again. This would be a better use of money and time.  We have somewhere between 100,000 and 700,000 (depending on whose numbers you look at DYING of preventable iatrogenic causes (that means CAUSED by doctors and hospitals).  I’m not really sure why we’re this concerned with the number of unvaccinated people (when it’s very likely the vaccinations are harming people) when people are bleeding to death through their gastrointestinal tracts because we gave them anti-inflammatory meds without proper followup (the number 1 iatrogenic cause of death) or give multiple drugs to the same patient that we know produce fatal adverse reactions.

Maybe I should just shut up and drink the Kool Aid.

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High Number of Measles Cases Reported in US, CDC Says

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/745167?src=mpnews&spon=34

Mark Crane
Information from Industry
What bacteria are commonly identified as causing pneumonia in the U.S.?
The bacterial causes are discussed here

June 23, 2011 — The United States is experiencing the highest reported number of measles cases since 1996, most of which were acquired during international travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an advisory sent to healthcare professionals yesterday.

From January 1 through June 17 this year, 156 confirmed cases of measles were reported to the CDC. Most cases (136) were associated with importations from measles-endemic countries or countries in which large outbreaks are occurring. The imported cases involved unvaccinated US residents who recently traveled abroad, unvaccinated visitors to the United States, and people linked to these imported cases.

To date, 12 outbreaks (3 or more linked cases) have occurred, accounting for 47% of the 156 cases. Of the total case-patients, 133 (85%) were unvaccinated or had undocumented vaccination status. Of the 139 case-patients who were US residents, 86 (62%) were unvaccinated, 30 (22%) had undocumented vaccination status, 11 (8%) had received 1 dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, 11 (8%) had received 2 MMR doses, and 1 (1%) had received 3 documented MMR doses.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 as a result of high 2-dose measles vaccine coverage, but it is still endemic or large outbreaks are occurring in countries in Europe (including France, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Switzerland), Africa, and Asia (including India).

The increase in measles cases and outbreaks in the United States this year underscores the ongoing risk for importations, the need for high measles vaccine coverage, and the importance of prompt and appropriate public health response to measles cases and outbreaks, the CDC advisory said.

Measles is a highly contagious, acute viral illness that is transmitted by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing. After an infected person leaves a location, the virus remains contagious for up to 2 hours on surfaces and in the air. Measles can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, and death.

The CDC recommends that healthcare providers ensure that all patients are up to date on MMR vaccine and other vaccines. For those who travel abroad, the CDC recommends that all US residents older than 6 months be protected from measles and receive the MMR vaccine, if needed, before departure.

Infants aged 6 through 11 months should receive 1 dose of MMR vaccine before departure. Children aged 12 months or older should have documentation of 2 doses of MMR vaccine (separated by at least 28 days).

Teenagers and adults without evidence of measles immunity should have documentation of 2 appropriately spaced doses of MMR vaccine. One of the following is considered evidence of measles immunity for international travelers: birth before 1957, documented administration of 2 doses of live measles virus vaccine (MMR, MMRV, or measles vaccines), laboratory (serologic) proof of immunity, or documentation of physician-diagnosed measles.

Clinicians should consider measles as a diagnosis in anyone with a febrile rash illness lasting 3 days or more, a temperature of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher, and clinically compatible symptoms (cough, coryza, and/or conjunctivitis) who has recently traveled abroad or who has had contact with someone with a febrile rash illness. Immunocompromised patients may not exhibit rash or may exhibit an atypical rash. The incubation period for measles from exposure to fever is usually about 10 days (range, 7 – 12 days), and from exposure to rash onset is usually 14 days (range, 7 – 21 days).

Suspected measles case-patients should be isolated, and healthcare professionals should immediately report cases to local health departments to ensure a prompt public health response. Providers should obtain specimens for testing, including viral specimens for confirmation and genotyping, the CDC advises.

The CDC advisory updates data reported in the April 8 and May 27 issues of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

(taken from www.dynamicchiropractic.com)
An editorial in the Nov. 11, 2010 issue of USA Today drew a sobering metaphor to the number of patients who die on an average day from medical “adverse events.” Citing a recent survey from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, the op/ed piece pondered our fairly blasé reaction to the estimated 180,000 patients who die every year from those “events.” That’s right: 180,000 deaths per year, 493 deaths per day, 20 deaths an hour.
A fatality literally every three minutes. The HHS survey, in perhaps an even more damning estimate, suggests that roughly 80,000 of the deaths are “caused by errors that could be caught and prevented, such as letting infections develop, giving the patient the wrong medication or administering an excess dose of the right drug.”

The metaphor employed in the USA Today piece was to jetliner crashes. The article postulated that if a 747 airplane crashed every day, killing all 500 people aboard, “there would be a national uproar over aviation safety and an all-out mobilization to fix the problem.” There would simply be no end to the solutions and resolutions proposed on how to fix such a problem.

I’ll repeat the same rhetorical question posed by that publication concerning medical errors: Where’s the outrage? Put another way, what factors contribute to the absence of outrage? It appears to me that the difference is in the psychology of how people view the issue, the comparisons they can draw and the manner in which they can relate to the question. We can all identify with an airliner crash; it is easy to point to something or someone specific to blame and then launch an investigation into reasons why it happened. In medicine, there is no one identifiable individual, corporation, etc., to target or blame for the 180,000 deaths. Another huge difference is the “my doctor is good” theory; it’s those other ones who are causing the “mishaps,” – the “bad” doctors, not mine – similar to Congress, where obvious bad apples are somehow re-elected by their local constituents year after year.

pill warning label But then I started thinking about it from the other direction. What public outcries and news stories are in fact making headlines and creating awareness, fear and manufactured outrage with obviously significantly fewer reported deaths?

The most obvious item that springs to mind is the sensational, albeit incorrect, headline declaring something to this effect: “Chiropractic Manipulation Causes Death or Stroke.” Headlines suggesting that “chiropractic kills” or will harm every patient who walks into a chiropractor’s office have been utilized in scare campaigns from Connecticut to California in the past several years. Of course, objectively looking at the statistics and latest research makes clear that there is simply no “causal” connection between chiropractic manipulation and stroke. Rather, no more than an association is demonstrated; at the very low level of 1 in 400,000 to 1 in 1 million or even 1 in 5 million manipulations, depending on the study being quoted.

The fact remains that the current available evidence at best supports a chance association between chiropractic manipulation and stroke. Yet the attention from the media and certain other targeted groups such as the Victims of Chiropractic Abuse (VOCA) and Neck 911 continues to be disproportionate to what the statistics support.

Let’s move away from health care and look at other examples of disproportionate outrage with fewer fatalities than the medical data demonstrates. Military fatalities come to mind. A quick Google search yields a U.S. military death toll in Iraq from March 2003 through December 2009 of 4,282. That computes to 713 deaths per year or 1.95 deaths per day. Using round numbers, that means almost 250 times more people die every day because of medical errors than in the Iraq war. Yet we are bombarded with “outrage” at the war. What’s the difference? What is the underlying basis for this disproportionate chorus of disapproval from various segments of our society?

The underlying issue in response to war deaths gets pretty tangled up. Politics certainly come into play, as we see the death toll elevated by anti-war activists who argue that what they believe to be the unnecessary taking of life is the most powerful case they can make against war. Many of the underlying reasons for this kind of “outrage” are based on ideological grounds rather than the actual number from the “death toll.” Yet the fact remains that while even one death is significant, it simply pales in comparison to the numbers relative to medical errors.

What else can we identify and assess in terms of public outrage relative to death toll? How about highway death rates? While the past few years have shown a decline, in 2009 there were 33,808 traffic deaths in this country: 92 deaths per day. Organizations such as “Mothers against Drunk Drivers” (MADD) have become powerful political forces over the years and has spawned, DADD, SADD, and a high awareness of the dangers of driving and drinking. We have dramatically more strict definition and enforcement of drunk driving laws. Highway and vehicle design are all more safety conscious. Seat belt use is now mandatory by law, and just look at the uproar over cell phone use and text messaging while driving.

With all of the information available about medical errors and deaths, we still do not have a nationwide organization such as PADD (People against Doctors and Drugs) or TADD (Truth About Doctor Deaths). We see loud reactions and high demand for action by organizations formed to stop significantly fewer deaths from auto accidents, firearms and military service than for an aircraft-crash-a-day death toll from medical errors, and yet the voices are silent and the outrage still.

Need another example? Let’s look at firearms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that firearm deaths from 2000-2007 in the U.S. totalled 240,997; that works out to 34,428 per year or 93 per day. So, the number of deaths by guns – almost exactly the same as that from drunk driving – is a mere 20 percent of those killed by medicine. Yet once again, there is no ad campaign stating: “Guns don’t kill people … Doctors kill people” or “We don’t need gun control, we need doctor/hospital control.” And yet in some circles, we have virtual hysteria about the supposed dangers of cervical spine manipulation.

The actual body count from any cause often has very little to do with the real disagreements about our choices to allow handguns, go to war, etc. After all, if we truly cherished human life, we would impose 50 mile per hour speed limits on the interstates, manufacture automobiles out of tank armor and ensure strict regulation of firearms. We have culturally decided that saving a few minutes on our way “over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house” is more important than a few lives, as is going there in a sporty-looking, speedy ride that makes us the envy of the neighbors but may not be as safe as it could be.

The “death toll” argument, when utilized in our public discourse, is often simply a red herring, masterfully manufactured, manipulated and marketed to a ravenous public. Perhaps if we didn’t play the loss-of-life card so often, we wouldn’t be so desensitized to such arguments; perhaps we’d actually pay attention and become outraged when truly warranted. Perhaps then there would be an awareness of the dangers of medicine and a concerted effort made to help minimize the number of deaths attributable to medical errors. After all, we are human and there will always be human error, but there is not enough outrage yet to cause the caregivers to self-police, self-identify and self-assess the failings of a health system out of control.

Chiropractic can learn something from these events; namely that the cultural authority and acceptance of the medical profession enables MDs and hospitals to withstand a death toll from their errors equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every day. The lesson we can take away is simply this: Until we create a comparable climate of “trust,” for lack of a better word, our profession will suffer in every aspect of societal acceptance. Each and every infraction, regardless of how small or seemingly innocuous, will fuel disproportionate outrage against chiropractic and the profession. This underlying cultural bias will continue to be evident in many forms, from denial of chiropractic inclusion in health plans to rejecting chiropractic as a choice of careers. In short, the manner in which our profession is viewed will determine our future.

We must be mindful of the power of predictably irrational thinking and deflect its invidious erosion of our profession by maintaining the highest standards of education, professionalism and ethical behavior. The outrage will come when the population realizes that this information has been available, but suppressed because of economic and competitive forces. Are you prepared to help provide the model for the outrage?

This is a very good research paper done by Science and a fantastic editorial/comment section by Dr. Mercola. The question here is: should we still be fluoridating our water supplies since the chemical fluorine is a poison (neurotoxin) and there is minimal or no benefit, what’s the point? There have been over a 100 studies showing lower IQ levels with humans/animals that have been exposed to fluoride.

It may be a good reason to get a good water purification system. (FYI: Brita and Pur DO NOT remove fluoride or chloride from the water.)

Clips from Mercola.com and Science Daily:

        “The scientists question whether a layer so thin, which is quickly worn away by ordinary chewing, really can shield teeth from decay”.

    Another new study shows that exposure to fluoride may lower children’s intelligence.  In addition to toothpaste, fluoride is added to 70 percent of U.S. public drinking water supplies.  PR Newswire reports:

        “About 28 percent of the children in the low-fluoride area scored as bright, normal or higher intelligence compared to only 8 percent in the ‘high’ fluoride area … in the high-fluoride city, 15 percent had scores indicating mental retardation and only 6 percent in the low-fluoride city.”

    When evaluating the issue of water fluoridation it is also important to understand that fluoride is a drug. You can’t get fluoride without a prescription. Yet it’s being added to your water supply on a mandatory basis at various levels that may or may not be safe for various individuals, especially children, the sick, and the elderly. Water fluoridation is a major assault on your freedom of choice – to be drugged or not.
    Read more at http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/22/does-fluoride-really-fight-cavities.aspx

Statistics for Britain have them about 70% vaccinated for flu/swine flu. Guess what? People who gotten vaccinated are still getting the flu.

What are the experts saying? The reason this flu is bad is that not enough people have gotten vaccinated and people are getting together for the holidays. So their solution, force more people to get vaccinated and keep people isolated? To me, this is the equivalent of that old doctor joke. The patient comes into the office saying “it hurts when I move my arm like this” and the doctor says “stop moving your arm like that.”

Our world is a germ-y place. lots of viruses, lots of bacteria. Instead of trying to create a defense against a SINGLE organisms, why not just generally bolster our defense against ALL organisms.

Take a GOOD multivitamin that’s geared at improving your immune system. Make sure your vitamin D is at proper levels. Make sure your globulin levels on blood tests is greater than 2.9. Eat well. Stop eating all that sugar and processed flour products. If dairy causes mucous production or other issues in your system, eliminate it. Replace it with rice milk or almond milk.

The following clips were taken from www.telegraph.co.uk

Britain on course for flu epidemic 
“He said it was a “great shame” that the Government had taken the decision to axe its annual publicity campaign urging vulnerable people to have their flu jab.”  

 “We don’t know what will happen next – everything is now hanging in the lap of the Gods – and it wouldn’t have been that way if people had been vaccinated,” said the professor of virology.

 Prof Oxford, from Queen Mary University of London said the “massive movements of populations” across the country as families came together for Christmas were likely to be speeding the spread of disease.

Soda Ups Diabetes Risk With or Without Weight Gain

People who drank one or two sugar-sweetened beverages a day, like soda or vitamin water, had a 26% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with those who barely drank any

Part of sugar-sweetened beverages’ contribution to diabetes is via obesity, but there are other pathways as well

sweetened beverages have been linked to increases in serum glucose as well as rapid and dramatic fluctuations in insulin, a cascade linked to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction, and inflammation.

Read more at www.medpagetoday.com
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Soda Ups Diabetes Risk With or Without Weight Gain

People who drank one or two sugar-sweetened beverages a day, like soda or vitamin water, had a 26% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with those who barely drank any

Part of sugar-sweetened beverages’ contribution to diabetes is via obesity, but there are other pathways as well

sweetened beverages have been linked to increases in serum glucose as well as rapid and dramatic fluctuations in insulin, a cascade linked to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction, and inflammation.

Read more at www.medpagetoday.com

I realize this is the time of year that everyone is faced with the decision: to vaccinate against the flu or not. I really can’t answer that question for you specifically. However, I do have to say, the powers that be certainly are a deceptive bunch. If you read this article in the LA Times, you will see that “scientists long have known that as the body ages, the immune system doesn’t respond as vigorously to the typical vaccination.” Have they shared this with the general population? And why do you suppose that is? Could it be that this group of people are having a hard time absorbing nutrients, their organs are not as strong as they used to be, their bodies are in a state of decline? Then why on earth would they go and ask the body to do more work?

The reason the elderly are more prone to infections is that their systems are depleted and tired. The answer is to support their immune systems (and any other systems linked to the immune system) and THEN when their system sees the “germ” it can mount a good defense.  I think that the medical system really has this goal to remove sickness (especially infections) from the face of the earth. They see vaccines as a way to do that.

I don’t believe that’s God’s plan.  We have good and evil here on earth. We have things that build up and things that tear down. We are given the right to choose. We have been put in a world that is full of bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc and we have choices.  We can choose to mount a defense of our own: be strong;  support the body. On the other hand, we can try and trick the body – jury-rig it.  We can keep thinking that our intelligence can find a way to circumvent the need to care for our bodies.  We can allow ourselves to have  junky, fake food (that is void of nutrition) that is more palatable. We can teach people fear so that they must sterilize and use antibacterial everything, or we can be more reasonable (I’m all for proper hand washing) and show people how to learn how their own body works and how to listen to it and help it function the way it was magnificently designed to function.

The goal should not be to see how many years we can live.  The goal should be to live the number of years our body was designed to live and LIVE THEM WELL.  If it was car maintenance and we wanted to see if we could make the car to not only last for 30 years but to also run well, we know exactly what it would take: when to check the fluids, when to change the oil and oil filter, good rotation of the wheels and getting them balanced.  There are no shortcuts. There is no way to use substandard oil and still achieve that goal.  There’s no way to allow the salt to sit for prolonged periods on the car and still manage to avoid the early rust.

We cannot continue to rely on the medical system to take care of us.  They have done a terrible job distracting us over the years.  They’ve led us to believe that margarine would be better than butter and now they’ve recanted that.  They now believe that cholesterol lowering drugs or statins are the answer but studies on death rates don’t validate that at all.  We’re increasing our number of vaccines every single year and still seeing the infections they are supposed to be preventing AND we’re also seeing a rise in asthma among vaccinated populations compared to unvaccinated.  We’re also seeing a DRAMATIC rise in autism that many people believe is from this “fooling the immune system” vaccination program that we believe in.

I think the medical community does things well.  They diagnose problems very well. When people are broken, stabbed, or shot, they are great at putting them back together.  When surgical removal of a tumor or even replacement of a joint is necessary, I think they do fabulously.  However, their methods are TERRIBLE for health and wellness.  For true health and wellness, you need to go to food and nutrition to find the answers.

One of the Answers to Our Health Care Crisis

I cannot believe that there are only 27 states that license midwifery. Pregnancy and childbirth for the majority of women is not a disease and should not be treated as a disease. I think if more licensed/qualified lay midwives were available in all 50 states and they were covered by health care plans, I think you’d see more than the 1% getting home births. I also think you’d see our insurance rates go down. 15 yrs ago, we paid a total of $1,000 for all of our prenatal and postnatal and delivery visits. The total costs of pregnancy in a hospital w/ an OBGYN cost at least 10 times that amount.

Did you see the stat in the Time article? 32% of all hospital deliveries end in caesarian section. YIKES!

It is not for everyone, but being able to deliver a baby in the peace of your own home with all your own comforts around you (and whoever you want to be there) can be an amazing experience.
www.time.com

    Each year, some 25,000 American women like McLaughlin opt to deliver their babies at home. Although that accounts for fewer than 1% of all births in the U.S., the figure is probably on the rise. From 2004 to 2006, the most recent year for which estimates are available, home birthing in the U.S. increased 5% after having gradually declined since 1990, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the recent uptick is not conclusive proof of a trend, home-birth advocates say anecdotal evidence and informal surveys from the field also point to growing demand.

    Largely because women wish to avoid what they deem overmedicalized childbirth. Compared with hospital deliveries, 32% of which end in cesarean section, those taking place at home involve far fewer medical interventions and complications. Some women, like McLaughlin, who have had cesareans in the past, elect to have a home birth because they want to attempt vaginal delivery — what is known as vaginal birth after cesarean, or VBAC, a procedure that most obstetricians and hospitals have banned to avoid liability lawsuits.

    just 27 states license or regulate so-called direct-entry midwives — or certified professional midwives (CPMs)

Flu Shots Reduce Heart Attacks? Now We’re Reaching!!
If I looked at last year’s records and found that predominantly more people driving red cars hit trees, what would you think if I proposed the following: “Based on this study, red cars apparently have a magnetic (or other) attraction to trees!” You’d think I was ridiculous. Why? Just because numbers correlate in studies, doesn’t mean they are true. (Good researchers use the adage: Correlation Does Not Prove Causation.) Are there a significantly high number of people that have heart attacks when they are sick with the flu? I doubt it.

It is this unbelievable (and unethical) reach that is a pathetic attempt by the medical system to convince a currently very unconvinced public that flu shots are needed. If they did a bit more analysis of data, they’d probably find out that the people that doctors convince to get the flu shot are also people that have a tendency to also obey other (more healthy) pieces doctorly advice like exercising and keeping weight down.

This bit of research manipulation is similar to the one that says “found out” that flossing prevents heart attacks. YIKES. The dentists are touting that some bacteria in the gums are producing enough inflammation to cause clotting in the coronary arteries. REALLY? How about this? The gums are almost entirely made of blood vessels/capillaries which get inflamed and swell (called gingivitis) and blockages of the heart are caused by inflammation of the coronary arteries (vessels) which gradually get obstructed when irritated and healed and irritated and healed over and over again. The problem is that linking heart attacks and gingivitis as conditions of inflammation destroys 2 core theories of the dental field (gingivitis is caused by bacteria and prevented by flossing) and medical field (blockages are due to excess cholesterol).

I know. I know. I’m such a rebel. But you tell me, what does common sense tell you?
www.webmd.com
    Flu Shots May Reduce Heart Attack Risk
Heart attacks increase during the winter time, and we think that the fact that there are more infections during the winter may be one of the reasons,” says Stephen Nicholls, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

“The findings of the current study are interesting and important,” he tells WebMD. “If you get the flu vaccine, and get it early, you are less likely to get the flu and less likely to have a heart attack.”
   

Last year’s pandemic of swine flu prompted the government to heavily market and promote vaccinations… or else. Well, the or else turned into nothing. In the mean time, several people have new problems because of the vaccinations. Note in this article that Sweden is looking into Narcolepsy with teenagers who received the swine flu vaccination.

Here’s my bottom line… if you care about preventing the flu… bolster your immune system. I use a wide variety of products, but the one I use most for my patients is Biotics Research Bioimmunozyme. Vaccinations are yearly attempts at jury-rigging, tricking the body to “think” it had already been infected. Vaccinations work well with some things, but the flu vaccination has been relatively ineffective.

    Sweden probes swine flu vaccine for narcolepsy

Read more at www.thelocal.se

Deli Meat (Not Unprocessed Meats) Linked to Heart Disease and Diabetes
by Dr. Michael D Berglund

Not to sound arrogant, but they’re finally getting there. I can’t believe that it’s taken this long for researchers to actually separate real meat from the processed and cured meats.

Now the challenge is (and I don’t know the answer) whether it’s actually the meat that causes diabetes or that every hot dog, sausage, salami, pastrami is eaten on WHITE BREAD or with (white flour based) PASTA. Can the researchers separate these out? Let’s look at people who eat the processed meat WITH the bleached flour and compare to those who eat it without? That study will probably come down the pipe in another 30 years. Course, then the next study will look at the difference with meats from grass fed beef compared to grain/corn fed penned up cattle.

If you read the article, you will also see that they have been believing the “meat is evil” argument so long, that they backtrack and warn people against eating a steak every night. I have been saying this for years, meat is not the evil it was made out to be. High fructose corn syrup, refined white sugar, white flour, and even pasteurized milk are the culprits for most of the diseases in the US. We should be eating meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, and legumes. We eat WAY WAY WAY too many grains.

But it’s going to take a while before we see that. It will mess up our pyramid and mess up our country’s farming industry.

The following clips were from the article from www.webmd.com entitled:
Processed Meat Linked to Heart, Diabetes Risks

    A new study shows eating processed red meat — such as hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and cold cuts — is linked to increased risks of heart disease and diabetes.

    But the study, published in Circulation, shows no such link for unprocessed red meat.

    Eating unprocessed beef, pork, or lamb was not linked to a higher risk for heart disease and diabetes.

    Eating one serving a day of processed meat — or the equivalent of a single hot dog or two slices of salami — was associated with a 42% increased risk for heart disease and a 19% increased risk for diabetes in the study, conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health.
    Read more at www.webmd.com