***Urgent Warning: Danger in Herbal Medicine Supplies***

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***Urgent Warning:  
Danger in Herbal Medicine Supplies***


As anyone who has been to our practice knows, we are deeply suspicious of all medical interventions and always ask two questions of any medicine, test, X-ray that might be proposed:

1. Does it work?
2. Does it cause more harm than good?

A bad answer to either question leads me to withdraw support for the proposed treatment.

Many suspicions have been raised about pharmaceutical company products, and rightly so.

Many are not effective, and most have harmful side effects.

We spend a lot of our time at Advanced Pediatrics studying what works and what does not, and what problems drugs can cause.

Today, May 26, 2011, the New York Times published a very troubling article describing problems in the manufacture of a category of drug most people believe must be harmless.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/health/policy/26herbal.html?hp

This report makes clear that herbal supplements contain very toxic metals and pesticides, frequently.

The metals include lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium.  Each are dangerous, especially to the developing mind of children.

One very disturbing fact is that nearly every dose of Vitamin C taken in the US is now made in China, and many samples of such supplements were found to contain heavy metals.

Other herbal preparations contain toxic levels of pesticides.

This places herbal supplements in the dire position of failing both simple but central tests:

• With few exceptions, there is little good proof that vitamin and herbal supplements actually help or work.
• Now that we know much of the supply of these items is laced with lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and pesticide, they clearly can cause more harm than good.

About half of all Americans take vitamin supplements.

About one-quarter take herbal supplements.

At least for our children, it is time to stop a moment and really think about why we would give our children unproven remedies that may contain chemicals that could impair brain function.

Let's apply the same wise caution to vitamin and herbal supplements that we now apply to the pharmaceutical industry.

BOTTOM LINE

Advanced Pediatrics recommends that all families cease use of supplemental vitamins and herbal supplements until the safety of the supply of these materials, and proof of them helping, can be assured.

Two exceptions are
1.  The use of folic acid as a supplement to prevent spina bifida in the babies of pregnant women.

2.  The use of pure Vitamin D at 400 IU a day to all children to prevent diabetes and other immune-related disorders.

Be sure, however, that your folic acid and Vitamin D are made by reputable American or European manufacturers.

Dr. Arthur Lavin

*Disclaimer* The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.

A Criminal Hoax is Coming to an End- Autism and Dr. Wakefield

The Hoax of Dr. Andrew Wakefield-

Autism and Vaccines- A Hoax Heard Round the World 

Comes to an End

How did it Work?

Who did it Hurt?

What to Do Now?

In 1998, a Dr. Andrew Wakefield published findings that launched an avalanche of worry.

In 2010, he was exposed as a charlatan, sought by British authorities, fled the United Kingdom,

and just recently stripped of his license to practice medicine in Britain.

He fled to Arizona where he has opened a clinic recently.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100524/ap_on_sc/eu_britain_autism_doctor

What was Dr. Wakefield's hoax?  What impact did he have?  Who did he hurt?

What do we do now?

The Hoax

In 1998 Dr. Wakefield published a paper in which he claimed that the measles virus in measles vaccine caused a chronic, semi-permanent infection in the guts of young children, opening their bloodstreams to toxins that caused autism.

Nearly overnight, the concept that vaccines could cause autism was borne, and spread faster than the hottest forest fire.  Within a few years, immunization rates dropped, as parents became terrified that the autism epidemic threatening them could be caused by shots.  In Denmark, about 20% of children no longer were immunized for any illness.  Measles outbreaks, once thought to be a thing of the past began erupting again in Europe and the US, the main countries that rushed to accept Dr. Wakefield's claims.

What makes Dr. Wakefield a charlatan and his claims a hoax?:

• British authorities have established that his publication contained false data and claims.
• The journal that published his article retracted its publication for reasons of unreliability
• The British authorities have stripped Dr. Wakefield's medical license for the gravity of his deception http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100524/ap_on_sc/eu_britain_autism_doctor
• Dr. Wakefield has been found by British authorities to be paid by lawyers of children with autism
• Not a single reputable scientific investigation has been able to find any proof that Dr. Wakefield's claims were true and many such investigations found them to be false.
• In particular, a Danish study of 500,000 children found that the 100,000 children who got no vaccinations developed autism anyway, at the same rate as the immunized kids.  Not giving immunizations spares no one from autism.

Who Did The Hoax Hurt?

The hoax hurt two groups of people:

Children and Families with Autism

It hurt these many families because it diverted precious time and resource away from finding the real cause autism towards the wasted years of chasing down Dr. Wakefield's pernicious hoax.  Instead of searching for the real cause and preventing thousands of cases of autism, the world chased the empty threat of immunizations causing autism.  And what do we have to show for over 10 years of this pointless chase- ever increasing rates of autism.

So the first victim of Dr. Wakefield were all the children who have developed autism during the years we argued about immunizations instead of finding the cause and ending this epidemic.

Children who Got Measles and Other Preventable Diseases.

Dr. Wakefield's hoax dropped immunization rates in communities across the US and Europe.

Measles and pertussis epidemics began to erupt.  Many children died.  About 0.1% of the children who got measles suffered permanent brain injury.  All thanks to Dr. Wakefield and the hysteria his hoax lit.

What to Do Now?

The most important thing to do now is to stop being fooled.

Dr. Wakefield did unethical research and launched one of the cruelest and most successful hoaxes in history.

The only way to stop the harm he has caused is to first stop believing this charlatan.

Two actions result from waking up from this vicious trance:

1. Have your child immunized against the serious diseases that you approve he or she being protected from.  The immunizations do not cause autism.  The shadow of Dr. Wakefield needs to be cleared away by the welcome exposure to light that is happening now.
2. Fight hard to find the actual causes of autism.  We are in the midst of an epidemic.  It is time to put the harmful and wasteful diversion of the immunization question aside and finally find the real cause for this outrageous epidemic.

Bottom Line

• A Dr. Andrew Wakefield has been exposed as propounding unethical research
• The hoax he launched was that immunizations cause autism.  The exposure of his fraudulence should finally end this hoax.
• This hoax has caused the deaths and disability of many children who would have been protected by immunizations if this false fear had not been ignited.
• This hoax caused a decade or more of delay in finding the real cause of autism, leaving thousands of children afflicted by the unknown cause
• It is time to stop believing the false claims of this now denounced fraud.
• It is time to leave the hysteria around immunizations aside 
• To protect our children from preventable diseases, safely
• To find the real cause of autism ASAP

Dr. Arthur Lavin

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*Disclaimer* The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.

Vitamins and Life

Vitamins and Life:

Once again, good food trumps pills

Vitamins have succeeded in tapping into our fear of illness and death.

Just as Ponce de Leon was drawn into the swamps of Florida in pursuit 

of an illusory Fountain of Youth, over half of all Americans buy and eat 

vitamins packaged as pills, gels, and gummy bears, driven by even the 

faintest possibility that we can avert aging, disease, and death.

This is an ancient and deeply held hope of humanity, and we do not 

minimize its power.  The only question we raise is do vitamins work?

At some point or another Ponce de Leon had to decide whether there 

was a Fountain of Youth to discover.  And so we too, will at some point

see if our pursuit of vitamins actually leads to a boost of health, a longer life,

and/or slower aging.

This turns out to be an easy question to answer.  Simply look at a huge number 

of people who take vitamins and a comparable huge number of people who do not.

And then ask, does one group age more slowly, avoid any diseases, or live longer?

Before presenting the answer let's consider an intervention that does indeed

make people age more slowly, avoid disease, and live longer.  

You might ask, is there really such a Fountain of Youth?  If there is, why doesn't 

everyone flock to it?

Well, it turns out that a very simple intervention grants these wonders.

It is simply eating fruits OR vegetables.  Notice that fruits and vegetables are equally helpful.  And we also know how much works, and what happens when you do this.

The magic number is 80 grams or 2 and 2/3 ounces, five times a day.

If you eat at least 2 and 2/3 ounces of fresh fruit OR vegetable five times a day, 

something rather extraordinary happens:

• You have a 20% drop in the chance of developing cancer
• You have a 15% drop in the chance of having heart disease or stroke
• You drop you chance of dying in any year by 50%

This last point was proven in a study of the rate of dying in a group of 11,000 people

over a 17 year period.  Those who ate 2 2/3 ounces of fresh fruits OR vegetables five times a day had a mortality rate (chance of dying) half that of the rest of the group.

A related, and perhaps, as astounding fact, is that after many years of trying to find

out why this happens, we still have no idea.

In addition to wanting to be healthy, not age, and to live longer, another reason vitamin

supplements have become taken so commonly, is the thought that the reason fruits and 

vegetables grant such good health must at least be in part the fact that they are loaded 

with vitamins.

It sounds reasonable. but is it true?

The answer is clear and proven in countless study after study:  NO.

Consider Vitamin C.  It turns out that Vitamin C is a very powerful molecule with a staggering number of critical roles to play in the human body (actually in nearly every life form that uses oxygen, like us).  Vitamin C is intimately connected to the body's use of oxygen.  It helps the body use oxygen to make collagen, a protein used to make bone, muscle, nearly all tissues, and in fact makes up 25% of all our proteins.  Vitamin C is also central to the creation of critically important neurotransmitters, and the formation of growth hormone.

If some Vitamin C is so good and necessary, why wouldn't a lot be even better?

Because for nearly all biological materials, balance is what works best.  Too little is 

bad, but so is too much.

Vitamin C is such a powerful substance that the body goes to great lengths to make sure we never have too little or too much.  Once the body has enough Vitamin C in it, it closes the door to absorbing more.  Eating more will simply lead to passing it out the stool, and if you eat enough the gut will revert to diarrhea to purge the excess.

But what happens if you take large doses of Vitamin C?  Do you have fewer colds, less cancer, less heart disease, age more slowly, live longer?

These questions have been asked by having huge numbers of people eat massive quantities of Vitamin C over many years and comparing their lives to people who take no extra Vitamin C.

In every study, and there have been many, those who take extra Vitamin C experience no advantage.  They have the same risk of cancer, of heart disease, and die at the same pace and rate.

The same has been found in the case of all the B vitamins and Vitamin E, with one dangerous twist.

For groups that take extra B Vitamins or Vitamin E the rate of dying actually increased!

One study of Vitamin E supplementation had to be stopped in the middle because the group taking was noted to be dying faster, even before the study was completed.

Only two vitamins have emerged as offering any benefit if taken as a supplement:

1. Folate.  400 mg of folate once a day taken by women from their first to last period drops the chance of having a baby with a spinal defect by over 80%.  This is the only actually proven benefit of any vitamin as a pill or supplement.
2. Vitamin D.  The data here are not yet proven, but preliminary studies suggest that getting your Vitamin D (D3) level up to 80 (U/dl) in your blood may reduce the chance of developing a range of illnesses including diabetes, colon cancer, and multiple sclerosis.

BOTTOM LINE

• Eating five servings of fruits OR vegetables, each at least 2 2/3 ounces, every day, can have a profound on living longer, dropping the chance of cancer, heart disease, and stroke
• Taking a supplemental vitamin is not the same thing.  It is a waste of time and money, and may actually prove to be harmful.
• Exceptions are limited to only 2 vitamins:  Folate for women of child-bearing age, and Vitamin D
• Therefore Advanced Pediatrics recommends that you:
• Eat 2 2/3 ounces of fresh fruits OR vegetables daily
• Do not take multivitamins- they may be harmful
• If you have had your first period, take 400 mg of folate daily until your last period
• Children of all ages should be given 400 IU of Vitamin D daily, but not as a multivitamin.

Dr. Arthur Lavin   

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*Disclaimer* The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.

Come join us at the Conference

May 23 and May 24 Siegal College in Beachwood is 

offering a major conference on 

Health Care in America:  What is it and What Could it be?

Details are at this link:

http://www.siegalcollege.edu/component/content/article/25-single-offerings/212-mt-sinai-health-care-symposium

Featured speakers include:

• Congresswoman Marcia Fudge
• Fred Rothstein, President of University Hospitals
• Professor Joseph White, nationally recognized political science scholar, at Case

At 10AM on Monday, May 24th,  Dr. Arthur Lavin will be presenting his perspective on 

health care in America.

So if you are interested, feel free to join us:

http://www.siegalcollege.edu/component/content/article/25-single-offerings/212-mt-sinai-health-care-symposium

 Dr. Arthur Lavin

*Disclaimer* The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.

Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and the McNeil Labs Recall

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Tylenol,  one brand of Acetaminophen
Motrin, one brand of Ibuprofen
Zyrtec, one brand of Cetirizine
Benadryl, one brand of diphenhydramine
and the McNeil Labs Recall


What to Do?


In the spring of 2010, McNeil Labs took all its pediatric formats
of the drugs tylenol, motrin, benadryl, and zyrtec off the market.

Why did they do this, what is the risk to your children, and what should
you do?

Why did they do this?
The manufacturer, McNeil, found that the number of milligrams
in their tablets, syrups, and capsules was not exactly as it should be.
The manufacturer did not find anything toxic or harmful
in these products.
And so McNeil recalled these products to be safe, not because any
harm was imminent.
Here is their link:
http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/new_recall.inc

What is your risk?
The risk in giving the recalled lots of benadryl, tylenol, motrin, or
zyrtec is limited to a dosage error.  We do not know the size of the
dosing error, but clearly one pill or teaspoon of any of these products
cannot cause harm.
Be aware that the problem is limited entirely to these brand names.
So there is no problem beyond the side effects of the drugs themselves
in taking diphenhydramine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or cetirizine made by
someone else than McNeil Labs.

What should you do?

1. Throw away any Benadryl, Tylenol, Motrin, and Zyrtec you have.
2. Do not buy any Benadryl, Tylenol, Motrin, and Zyrtec until your pharmacist says it is OK to do so.
3. Not to worry if your child has taken Benadryl, Tylenol, Motrin, and Zyrtec recently.  The problem is actually a minor dosage discrepancy that should cause no harm.  So if your child took these drugs, they will be fine, but no reason continue giving these brands at this time.
4. Rite-Aide, CVS, Walgreen's, Walmart, Target, etc. do not make any drugs.  So their generic brands may also be made by McNeil Labs.  Do not buy diphenhydramine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or cetirizine, unless you know that the private label did not buy it from McNeil Labs.
5. Diphenhydramine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or cetirizine are perfectly safe to use if not made by McNeil Labs.  For example, Advil is a type of ibuprofen not made by McNeil Labs.  All these medications are available from other manufacturers, you just have to be sure it is not made by McNeil Labs, until your pharmacist can verify that the McNeil Lab products of these drugs are once again OK.

Bottom Line 

• McNeil Labs has found an error in the dosage of 4 pediatric drugs:  Benadryl (a brand of diphenhydramine), Tylenol (a brand of acetaminophen), Motrin  (a brand of ibuprofen), and Zyrtec  (a brand of cetirizine).
• The error is a minor one of dose size.
• Even so, you should toss all your Benadryl, Tylenol, Motrin, and Zyrtec
• You should not buy Benadryl, Tylenol, Motrin, and Zyrtec until your pharmacist can be sure the lots on the shelf are reliable.
• Until then, you can purchase diphenhydramine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or cetirizine, as long as they are made by someone other than McNeil Labs.

Dr. Lavin

*Disclaimer* The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.