In her kitchen — which is state-of-the-art — every spice, herb, season, whatever is placed in stainless steel containers and she has lots of them. Her kitchen is what inspired me to change and reorganize mine and it has been a big help. What I failed to do in all of my looking around her place was ask her about ingredients and the preparation of food. Not long ago I sat down to have that conversation with her and was I ever informed.

The conversation started with a discussion about salmon. I love salmon but I had run out of ways to prepare it. Since salmon is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, I try to eat it several times a week. She gave me a wonderful recipe that is simple and tasty, so much so I had to beat my dogs off.

The recipe starts with a marinade of pure maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce. She gave me a little history on Worcestershire sauce and said one of the main ingredients — if not the main ingredient — is tamarind. From there she discussed why she keeps tamarind around — it acts as a mild laxative. Yes indeed folks, it does work.

I used smoked sockeye salmon, marinated it in the maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce for about 4 hours in the fridge. On the stove, I prepared the baste for the salmon which consists of maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar — boiling until thick. After the marinade, I placed the salmon in the stove, broiled it while basting with the sauce, and when done, it was a most delicious treat. I will also say the tamarind in the Worcestershire sauce was very helpful.

Tamarind aside, my friend told me about other herbs and spices as well and their medicinal value for digestion, antioxidants, etc. The staples I should have are turmeric, coriander, cumin, raw sugar (not refined white), cardamon (what a beautiful spice), and more. She also cautioned I should buy my spices at a Indian grocery store because I can buy them in bulk and they are cheaper. Basically, she said “buy ‘em in a bag, package them yourself, and stop paying for those beautiful little bottles.”

She was right. After providing me with a list of places to purchase my spices, I found I did better buying them in bulk than buying at my local grocer. For instance, a 7-ounce bag of turmeric — and I could have purchased a huge tub for just as cheap — cost me $1.29. A 2-ounce bottle of turmeric at my local grocery store cost me almost $4.00, and that was a sale. Guess where I’ll be shopping from now on.

India Sweets and Spices is one store in Southern California where you can purchase all sorts of herbs and spices along with pre-made ingredients for various Indian dishes. There is one near me in Duarte.

Down the street from India Sweets & Spices is India Bazaar at 1020 Huntington Dr. It is a small, quaint little store in a shopping center and they too have large selection of spices to chose from. Actually, India Bazaar has become my favorite little store for spices because everything is so nicely laid out. Just walk in, go down the center aisle and grab bags of spices. Everything is right there and easy to see.

What I love about these stores is the ability to purchase masalas as well. Most of what I cook is made with either a pre-made masala (bulk ingredient for Punjabi Masala can be found here) or I will purchase curry powder and start with it because it usually contains most of what I need. These grocery stores also have tandoori masala as well, which is what I use for my Tandoori Chicken recipe.

The conversation I had with my friend was informative and, taking her advice, I now go to Indian grocery stores for all of my spices and I am researching recipes where I can incorporate many of these wonderful and healthy spices.

For a list of herbs and spices for use in Indian dishes see Manjula’s Kitchen. She too offers great recipes (with videos).

So, make a list and visit your local Indian grocer. Allow yourself time to walk the aisles and look, read, and fill your cart.

His is not the only horror story I’ve heard about silver/mercury amalgams, there are others. Add to this the amount of mercury in fish today. Wherever you look, both in our food and environment, you will find mercury.

One astonishing story I read recently was in the Washington Post and it is why I now avoid anything containing high fructose corn syrup. According to the article “Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury” this sweetener, that has now replaced sugar in foods and beverages, also contains a good amount of mercury.

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

When you consider the amount of HCFS consumed a day, the possibility exists we all may be susceptible to autoimmune diseases as a result which leads me to a recent study on mercury and autoimmunity.

According to the Environmental Health News, researchers report that mercury increased levels of key signaling and antibody markers measured in the blood of Brazilian gold miners who use the metal to extract the gold from river sediments. This study shows, for the first time, that mercury affects the immune signaling proteins that are responsible for inducing inflammation.

In the United States, most people are exposed to mercury – by eating certain species of fish – most notably large predators such as tuna, swordfish and tilefish. Federal fish advisories warn against eating too much of certain species or too much fish caught from contaminated waterways so as to limit exposure to the metal.

Equally so — and going back to the high fructose corn syrup (HCFS) article in the Washington Post — Americans consume a high amount of HCFS as well. Adults, on average, consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS. Teens, on the other hand, are high consumers and can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average. This bothers me because so many young people are being diagnosed with lupus and other autoimmune disease and others are being diagnosed after 50 — could it be from mercury build up?

The Washington Post’s article comes from a study conducted and published in Environmental Health where researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS. Another study conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

Apparently, mercury contamination involves the use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce caustic soda. Knowing which products are and are not made this way is anyone’s guess.

Personally, I’ll take clean sugar to syrupy sweet any day particularly now having discovered that foods containing HCFS cause problems for me, so much so I now take reading glasses with me to the grocery store to ensure I buy nothing containing HCFS.

For me, it all comes back to eat whole foods and reduce the amount of mercury you eat, particularly with fish and foods containing high fructose corn syrup.

Oh Cali how you crack and pop

Oh my God, if it ain’t one thing it’s another. Now Twitterville is gaffing and gasping about some rumor of a 8.5, 8.6 or 8.7 earthquake to happen within the next 24-hours in SoCal. Really? And who is doing this wonderful prediction?

Yes, certainly, there has been an uptick in earthquakes here in California but I just don’t believe such an animal exists — >8.0 mag — for SoCal. I could be wrong and heck, what do I know?

I personally believe we will see a nice sized earthquake in the SoCal area this year but I cannot say when or where. I have been pretty sensitive to earthquakes this year and my heightened sense of awareness started in January. I’m beginning to believe my heightened sensitivity and interest in earthquakes stems more from planetary activity than what’s going on in the world — Haiti, Chile, and recently Baja.

There is enough going on in the universe and at the core of the earth to frighten anyone. At times the earth reacts to these changes — like high tides with full moons — and sometimes it all gets worked out with a little quake here, a tiny quake there, here a quake, there a quake, everywhere a tiny quake.

Quite frankly, SoCal may be overdue for a sizable quake. We’ve been pretty quiet for about a decade or so since 1994 with the Northridge quake. Perhaps we will experience something on the order of a high 6 or low 7 this year. Where is anyone’s guess and who knows the size.

My advice to everyone is be prepared. Get your flashlights ready, have backup batteries, keep lots of water on hand and get a battery operated radio. I keep all of these things and more in my house and both cars. I even have several slimline phones that are not electronic. I have been keeping phones like these around because, in my area, losing electricity is common.

Now, as for the Twitter earthquake predictions, if the seismologists at CalTech can’t tell you don’t believe anyone else. I certainly won’t tell you my predictions. There are, however, numerous sites on the web that entertain predictions and I do mean entertain. Some have been in the ballpark within a day or two while others have been way off base.

As for me, I’ll continue to delve and study but I won’t make any predictions. Actually, with the recent Baja earthquake I discovered something about myself that I thought was true but didn’t want to admit until it happened. I tend to zone out just prior to an earthquake. I did it with the Landers/Big Bear quake, I did it with Northridge and I zoned out just prior to the Baja quake a week ago. With that, don’t look to me for any pre-warning unless you’re sitting next to me and see me actually zone out.

Now, on the 15th you might experience some shaking and shock waves. These will come as big checks are dropped into yonder mail box in payment to Uncle Sam — she said, tongue . . . in . . . cheek.

During those years my diet consisted of whatever I could get my hands on and that was what could be purchased at the window of a drive-thru, fast food establishment. Not good. Adding insult to injury, most of the food I purchased at grocery stores was processed or pre-made dinners full of sodium. Sadly, my stove was retired and became more installation art in my kitchen while my microwave worked overtime. Again, not good.

In addition to the above, I went from a person who drank loads of water daily to a person who drank very little water per week. Add that to a high sodium diet, wall-to-wall stress, and any other environmental hazard and what you have is a mess. I was an absolute mess when I was diagnosed with lupus nephritis in 2005.

I have had to sit down and look at the last ten years of my life while taking a good hard look at what was going on in my life and how I was eating. I will tell you I’m not proud of what I saw. Granted, I was in such deep do-do at the time I could not see the forest for the trees. Truly, when going through life’s challenges we will typically do whatever it is we need to do to get through. Sometimes the decisions made in stressful times are not the best either.

I also took a walk down memory lane, back to my youth, and there I saw a similar problem when poor diet and health problems ran together. Heart problems, pancreatitis, and more were all a result of a high sodium, no nutrient diet. During my pancreatitis period my mother switched me to a bland diet. This helped my condition substantially and from that point on, whenever I felt I was having a health issue, I switched my diet to healthier fruits and vegetables, low or no sodium foods, and I drank plenty of water. Whenever I was in the right frame of mind, knew I was experiencing something awful, I always changed my diet and watched what I ate. I realize now this kept the wolf to a low growl.

It is unfortunate, however, when we find ourselves “balls to the wall” thrown from “pillar to post” or any other cliche you can fathom, the awareness switch goes into the off position. For many, a high sodium, low water, and very few fruits and/or vegetable diet is normal. That diet, particularly if you have lupus, will not serve you well. Actually, it manufactures the wood and nails needed for your coffin. I’ll admit that’s a blunt statement but I believe it is true.

In the early days of my diagnosis, honestly, I did not want to change my diet. I was used to my bad diet, I had spent many years with that diet and it was hard to give it up. I wanted my salty pizzas, cheeseburgers, grilled cheeses, high sodium salads, bacon, sausage, swimming buttery eggs, lots-o-mayo, high sodium soul food, et. al. Prior to my stressful period, I rarely ate this stuff. During and after my stressful period, it became comfort food. It was far easier to think about tasty — ugh!! — fast food I could buy than actually prepare a healthy meal for myself. I learned this behavior was easy, fast, and had less clean-up.

The aforementioned diet also kept me lazy. I did not have to stand around in the kitchen preparing a meal. I did not have to worry about stooping to pull anything out of the oven, or reaching over the oven to lift a pot. I did not have to exert myself by opening the refrigerator, bending, stooping or reaching for anything inside. I did not have to wash dishes, reach to put them in the rack, or extend my arms to put the dishes in the cupboard. I certainly did not have to worry about sweeping or mopping because I never spilled anything because I was not cooking. Oh yes, with very little garbage to dispose of, I did not have to lift heavy garbage bags or take heavy cans out to the curb for garbage pickup.

My greatest strain — if you could call it that — was pushing the lever for the microwave, putting the package inside, closing the door, pushing a series of buttons to get the thing started, and pulling out the package to sit and eat. Basically, all of this non-movement made me a prime candidate for disease.

Speaking of movement, I will add something else. Prior to moving into this house in 1996, out — what I used to think — in the middle of no where, I always chose apartments that had gyms and saunas. That too kept me healthy. I had access to treadmills, bikes and saunas. Exercise is always good for the body. Of course, with no gym close by and no exercise equipment in my house, I put myself in serious trouble with the aforementioned diet and no exercise. Again, not good and it is no wonder I am where I am today.

As a friend once told me, for someone else it might have been cancer; perhaps another, a heart attack; for yet another, a serious health problem; another perhaps high blood pressure or diabetes. Her thesis is an unhealthy diet, combined with no exercise and stress could lead to a really bad health problem.

So, where to begin?  Quite frankly, in our society, fast-food, processed foods, and easy bake (or microwave) meals are the norm.  After getting over my stubbornness, I realized I had to change my diet and that meant staying away from all of the “easy” foods.  This was no easy feat. I needed some serious behavior modification because I was addicted to all of that sodium rich food which, in my opinion, tasted extremely good with easy access.

First, a friend introduced me to the elimination diet. I had to eliminate dairy, bread, meats and sodas. I had to drink plenty of water — had to reacquaint myself to the bland stuff — and eat loads of veggies and fruits. I also could not eat out. After a few days (or weeks) I could slowly bring other things back into my diet to see if my body reacted. I was surprised to find my body reacted badly to certain types of breads. I also discovered, though I love sweet rolls or cinnamon rolls, they do not love me. There was more. Beef and I don’t get along and I don’t do well with milk, but I always knew that.

I always liked a certain brand of honey wheat bread but I found that brand does not agree with me. I also found I cannot do certain yogurts. I am now restricted to a certain brand of yogurt that does not upset my system. Anything containing high fructose corn syrup upsets my stomach. Now, I must shop for items — ketchup included — that contain sugar, no high fructose corn syrup. Anything containing aspartame upsets me for days. I don’t know why but it does. What it means is I cannot eat or drink anything that is labeled sugar free because I don’t know what the stuff will do to me. I also discovered anything containing a form of MSG — whether labeled that way or not — causes my blood pressure to elevate.

As for restaurants, sadly, one of my favorite places to eat is now off my list of eateries. For some reason, whenever I eat there not only does my system react badly to the food for days, my blood pressure elevates. Since I cannot see anything, anywhere that lists dietary information about their food or the ingredients — as much as I hate doing this — I can no longer eat anything from the place. There are other restaurants where I have had similar experiences. Boooo Hoooo!!!

Bottom line, it is hard work eating right and what used to come as second nature for me has become one long arduous road to good health. My stove has gotten a workout, my kitchen has been rearranged, my refrigerator is now stocked with fresh fruits and veggies and my spice rack is filled with spices and herbs that are both medicinal and tasty. This has all served me well.

I also have a gym membership and I have equipment at home. Cooking and cleaning affords me a good workout at home. Yes, I still feel the urge to go out and pickup something quick and yes, I have gotten myself into trouble. When I eat well and keep it going, I feel fabulous. Once I fall from the wagon, trust me I pay a heavy price for doing so.

With lupus, or any health condition, it is important to get on that good eating wagon and stay there. The medications alone will not save you or make life better, you need to eat to live. I cannot emphasize it enough. Eat good whole foods, fresh veggies, fruits, and if you can buy organic, do so. Trust me, within days you will feel sooooo good. The less stress you put on your body — particularly with food — the better.

Eat clean, eat well, eat to live.

Artist: Rose Kelly Source: Denver Doc Online - see link below

Two weeks ago I had a most humbling experience, I had to go without prednisone for four days. It was not cute. What made this a humbling experience was knowing my adrenals had been shut down so long my body didn’t know itself.

Why did I end up in this predicament? Well, it was a comedy of errors. First, I meant to (and actually thought I had) call in to the pharmacy to order my prednisone. I forgot. On Monday, I tried to call in to order my meds and could not get through. Didn’t know why I couldn’t, just couldn’t. Because I had one pill left, I thought I would just walk in or call in on Tuesday. Surprise, I could not. The reason why I could not call in the day prior had a lot to do with their system being down. When I called on Tuesday, I was met with the same problem. When I walked in I learned their system was down and I could not get the medication.

To add insult to injury, when the system came up they would have to call my doctor for a new prescription. Oh joy, oh rapture and that too proved to be another comedy of errors. Bottom line, I could not fill the prescription until early Friday morning, just prior to my chemo treatment, and that created another set of problems for me that weekend.

My last dose of prednisone was noon on Monday. My first dose after going without took place at 9:00 a.m. Friday. What happened in between those days was absolute hell.

The first day without prednisone I experienced flu-like symptoms, I was weak, tired and achy all over. The second day (Wednesday) I was in excruciating pain and extreme fatigue. I couldn’t think very well either. On Thursday, even more pain and more fatigue. I will say this though, I slept very well those few days though I felt like crap. I also dropped some weight.

Prednisone is a hateful drug. Not only does it plump you up like those steroid chickens we eat these days, it also shuts down your adrenals. Once off the stuff your adrenals will not take over as quickly as you would like. In fact, mine didn’t appear to do anything. I looked and felt like the living dead.

There are videos on YouTube of Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Concert. In those videos I can see MJ is pretty plumped up — I’m thinking from the prednisone — and he has what we call a “preddy tummy”, strangely large around the mid-section. If that man dropped prednisone because he was concerned about his weight, oh my God what manner of mess did he invite for himself? After what I experienced last week, oh heck yeah I too would have become a drug addict. I get it, I really get it.

I am not an entertainer and I am not — at my age anyway — concerned about weight gain or loss. I knew my prednisone was forthcoming and my bad experiences would be short lived. However, if I was concerned about those things I can see and understand the temptation to drop prednisone and self medicate. I get that, I really do.

Without the prednisone I was tempted to go back to a way of life I once lead, coffee (or sodas) all day to combat fatigue, high doses of ibuprofen for pain and melatonin or valerian at night to sleep. This was my life pre-diagnosis. After I was diagnosed with lupus I understood why I experienced the extremes, pain, fatigue and after all of those uppers (sodas or coffee), needing something to help me sleep. Quite frankly, it’s easy to find doctors who will give you pain meds without question and I had a ready supply of high-dose ibuprofen — or anything else I might have wanted.

Thankfully, I did not fall to temptation though I certainly thought about it. Dropping the prednisone was cruel, painful and perhaps one of the worse experiences of my life. Now, back to my 10mg tablets, I feel so much better but I cannot help but think about what my body endured those day without it. I took no stimulants, no pain meds, and I wanted to fall into a hole and die. It was harsh.

I believe everything happens for a reason and I needed to experience what I did that week. The comedy of errors helped me understand why dropping prednisone is not a good idea. Second, it helped me understand why those who do drop the medication may feel compelled to self medicate thinking going without is a better way to go. Unfortunately, it can cause even greater harm to your body. In my case, protein went up instead of down. Not good.

Bottom line, DO NOT DROP PREDNISONE!!! Talk to your doctor and — depending on how long you’ve been on the drug — taper off. When you taper off do not self medicate, that too can take you down another horrible road.

What a humbling experience, one I will not soon forget.

Image Source: Denver Doc Online

Creating chaos is a practice that has been carried out throughout history. It is actually a very useful tool. That notwithstanding, while we cuss and discuss and debate whether the reform bill passed will or will not hurt us in the future, the bottom line is people die or go bankrupt in their quest for health care. It is an awful and vicious cycle.

Today the Dallas News covers a few of those folks who may benefit from the recent bill. The Dallas News asked the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based nonprofit, nonpartisan group that promotes health care improvements, to analyze how the legislation will affect certain Dallas residents. Sara Collins, vice president of the Affordable Health Insurance program at the Commonwealth Fund, took on the task and the article highlights the benefits.

The first family highlighted is the Null Family. When their young daughter was 7-years-old, she suffered acute liver failure. “Her care, which included a liver transplant, has cost more than $1 million. The family’s insurance policy at the time had a $25,000 lifetime maximum per medical event, which was quickly maxed out. The family ended up on Medicaid.”

When the family sought insurance, they actually heard the following: “I had an agent tell me, ‘Don’t waste your time applying; we won’t even review it,’ if the application included Tatum.”

Under the new bill, lifetime maximums and banning a person due to pre-existing conditions are no longer. The father ends with “she doesn’t have to work for a large corporation … to get benefits.” Well, that’s provided they don’t do a background check which a lot of companies are doing these days.

Two entrepreneurs, Gwen and Alan Lummus who run an online book accessories store called BookMateStore.com, are in Texas’ high-risk insurance pool, paying about $750 a month each in premiums with a deductible of $7,500 each. Both believe the health care act as a step in the right direction. Alan has diabetes “so none of his insulin is covered,” said Gwen, 61. “That’s all out of our pocket.” Alan said he’ll likely be on Medicare before many of the money-saving benefits kick in.

For many who are trying to build a business and are years away from medicare, $1,500 per month plus $7,500 in deductibles is out of reach. Instead, they opt to go without insurance and will hit the emergency room if they should need care. This will cost all of us in the end.

For some, the other government program, medicare, provides relief from some of the burdens they have been carrying. For others — particularly the young — the new reforms provide relief with no lifetime maximums and no denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

It’s a good article because it shows who will and will not benefit from the reform.

Source: Dallas News: Health care law becomes personal for Dallas-area families

NPR has an interesting story today on vitamin D entitled “Are We Overselling The Sunshine Vitamin?” I read it and at times I found myself feeling a healthy dose of cynicism falling over me.

The cynicism comes from my personal experiences with doctors over the years, experiences I will not revisit here. As a result, when I hear a doctor say “not so fast” with vitamin D, I can’t help the suspicion that arises. My first question is, are they backed by big pharm and as such they are going to push-back against a cheap little supplement?

I also like a little balance and as mentioned in the article, many years ago everyone was extolling the virtues of selenium and beta-carotene too and they proved to not work as well or as promised. In fact, the studies showed for those taking beta-carotene, they actually had a higher risk of lung cancer. Not good.

Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, points out in the article that the studies on vitamin D are what scientists call “observational,” meaning they compare people with high and low levels of vitamin D and correlate those levels with whether or not the person has a disease.

“We don’t yet have the large-scale, randomized clinical trials showing benefits in terms of prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cognitive decline, depression, autoimmune disease,” Manson says.

Another doctor, Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University, states “there’s overwhelming evidence … that increasing your vitamin D intake can make substantial improvement in your overall health and welfare. And there is no downside to increasing your vitamin D intake. As a result I think that most people are now getting on the bandwagon.”

Let the dueling doctors begin. I have noticed one thing since following my doctor’s advice on vitamin D, my blood pressure has gone down considerably and this happened pre-chemo. I will also admit dropping vitamin D briefly — about four weeks — to see if I noticed anything different. Sans an increase in pain, I found my blood pressure elevated slightly from a typical 117/67 to 140/78, but not enough to be terribly dangerous.

In terms of the increase in pain, Dr. Holick does state in the article he has seen dramatic results in patients he has treated with vitamin D supplements for disorders such as fibromyalgia — muscular aches and pains — and he believes vitamin D supplements lower patients’ risk of cancer and heart disease, although he acknowledges that’s harder to show.

I neither considered, nor did I know vitamin D could reduce or eliminate pain. I did not know this and it’s possible when I conducted my little experiment I experienced an increase in pain. I don’t know. What I do know is my blood pressure did elevate slightly. I was not off the stuff long enough to call it an exact science, I only stopped taking it for about 4 to 4-1/2 weeks. I have since returned to taking my daily dose of D.

Interesting, The National Institutes of Health is devoting $22 million for a five-year study to include twenty-thousand people across the country. Some will take vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid together or alone. Others will take an inert placebo pill. This should be interesting but it will take five years to know the answer.

Until then, I will continue with my daily dose of vitamin D because of the improvements I have noticed with my health. Since the sun can be irritating, it’s probably not a bad idea.

You can read more and listen at NPR.

Are We Overselling The Sunshine Vitamin?

It is important to keep the lines of communication open with your doctor and not Dr. Interwebs and this month’s New England Journal of Medicine includes an article by Dr. Pamela Hartzband and Dr. Jerome Groopman of Harvard Medical School in Boston on how the Internet has helped medical practice evolve. Doctors can now communicate with patients by email or send electronic lab or radiology reports, but, they caution, the internet should never replace a conversation with physicians who are in the best position to weigh information and advise patients.

But many patients have not fared so well. One woman with recently diagnosed lupus told us, “I really don’t want to read what’s on the Internet, but I can’t help myself.” Her condition is currently stable, but she finds herself focusing on the worst possible complications of the disease, such as cerebral vasculitis. Although her doctor gave her detailed information, she cannot resist going on the Web to seek out new data and patients’ stories. “It’s hard to make out what all of this means for my case,” she said. “Half the time, I just end up scaring myself.”

Considering the above, the Internet has caused her more stress which could lead to a flare and then yes, the worse possible thing could happen. That’s neither a good thing, nor is it wise.

Using Internet resources are good for forming questions for your doctor but the information should never be taken as the gospel truth as it relates to your health. On the other hand, if you find a drug is not working for you, you might consult one of the online drug sites (if you don’t have a Physician’s Desk Reference handy) to see if there is something you need to watch for with that particular drug.

As physicians, we are struggling to figure out how best to use this technology in the interests of our patients and ourselves. Although the Internet is reshaping the content of the conversation between doctor and patient, we believe the core relationship should not change. A relative recently asked us, “What can you possibly learn from your doctor that is not available on the Internet?” We suspect we’ll hear such radical sentiments increasingly in the future. Knowledge is said to be power, and some of the past imbalance of power between patient and doctor may be equalized. But information and knowledge do not equal wisdom, and it is too easy for nonexperts to take at face value statements made confidently by voices of authority. Physicians are in the best position to weigh information and advise patients, drawing on their understanding of available evidence as well as their training and experience. If anything, the wealth of information on the Internet will make such expertise and experience more essential. The doctor, in our view, will never be optional.

Bottom line, check in with your doctor. If you feel your doctor is not the right person for you, does not talk with you, gets angry when you ask questions, change doctors.

It is shocking to know that some of the body parts harvested came from people with hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Can you imagine a young woman across town receiving collagen injections in her lips or even periodontal surgery and the stuff used was received from someone with HIV/AIDS, Cancer or someone like myself, with lupus? As a lupus patient I cannot give blood. These folks are paying for future injury and they don’t know it.

Throughout the years I have heard frightful stories involving organ donations, particularly one story of a doctor who told a mother there was nothing they could do for her son so he asked to consider donating her son’s body for body parts. She agreed — again thinking there was nothing they could do — and off she went home while the doctor did his part to kill her son. Another story involves UCLA and their Willed Body Program.

Oh and there are more. If you read this story you will learn of strange disappearances — some near UCLA — and the even more shocking stories of children disappearing along the border between the US and Mexico.

All one needs to do is to consider the fact that, within the past few years, nine people have died as a result of receiving transplanted organs from only two donors infected with a rodent virus known as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV).

If one body can garner you $200,000 in a cadaver “chop shop” outfit, I cannot see this dangerous and deadly greed fest ending anytime soon. Most of these bodies or body parts are for US consumption. Can you imagine the health problems we’ll see in the future? Problem is, you won’t know how you got it or where it came from.

My suggestion, when Uncle Louis hits the mortuary, check him out. Ensure his legs are really there, not pipes disguised as legs. Check his chest to ensure there are no surgical scars because someone removed his heart valves. In terms of cremation, you may never know if the ashes you receive are your loved ones or something or someone else. Unbelievable.

If you missed this documentary last night, it will air again on March 26 (at 10 PM) and March 28 (at 10 PM). This is one you need to see to believe. You can catch some of it on YouTube here.

Links:

How Much Is Your Dead Body Worth – 1/5

According to researchers in this month’s International Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (GUT), exposure to hair dye and smoking were the two most significant environmental risk factors for primary biliary cirrhosis in two separate case-control cohorts, reported Martin Prince, MBBS, PhD, of Manchester Royal Infirmary in Manchester, England, and colleagues.

The study concluded: “We have confirmed that among environmental risk factors, smoking and the use of some cosmetics as well as urinary infections appear important. Among possible genetic risk factors a family history of PBC is a strong association and that a previous history of obstetric cholestasis as another putative ‘genetic’ risk.”

Smoking was responsible for a 60% increase in risk for primary biliary cirrhosis, and hair dye use was associated with a 25% to 30% higher risk, the researchers indicated in the journal Gut.

Other factors such as alcohol consumption and being breast-fed as a child had no influence on risk of the disease.

As reported earlier in another post, hair dyes can cause some pretty serious diseases and smoking, well, we all know the risks there.

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