Omega 3's part 2 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

In the last article we introduced the fact that there is a difference in the origin of omega-3 fats, being either plant derived or animal derived. The animal derived omega-3 fats also have differences in their origin, either being fish based or krill based.

Here, we will further explain the differences, starting with animal versus plant derived omega-3 fats.

Marine animal based fats are sourced from fatty fish such as salmon, anchovies, sardines, herring, fish and krill. DHA is primarily a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) with 22 carbons, and EPA is a PUFA of 20 carbons. Since they are long chain fatty acids, they are more readily available to your body.

The biological effects of EPA/DHA are mostly anti-inflammatory and for communication within cells and between cells. The last article listed many more effects. As much as 30% of the fatty mass of the prefrontal cortex of the brain is DHA and 90% of the omega-3 fat found in the brain is DHA. The development of the fetal brain is entirely dependent on the availability of DHA. Pre-pregnancy should include super doses of EPA/DHA for proper brain development.

Omega 3's part 1 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

I’ve written several times over the years on the benefits of Omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA. They are essential to your overall health and to your heart health particularly.

There are many studies confirming that regular consumption of fish and other omega-3 rich foods may lower your risk of a heart attack by about ten percent. One Italian study showed a 50% reduction in sudden cardiac death.

Omega-3 fats benefit your cardiovascular health in multiple ways. They lower blood pressure and triglyceride concentrations. They improve your ability to grow new blood vessels, which helps in areas that may be damaged.

Vitamin D part 2 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Last week, we talked about vitamin D and its effects on your health.  This week we will explore the effects vitamin D has on cancer and other illnesses.

We know from scientific research that UVB from the sun is not constant wherever you are located.  It is influenced negatively by your latitude, the further north above 30° you are, the less there is available.  The time of year is a huge factor.  In the continental US there is virtually none available from the sun between September and April.  Clouds, pollution and altitude all decrease UVB availability.

Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, hypothesizes that influenza (flu) is merely a symptom of D deficiency.  A study of 19,000 Americans, by Dr. Adit Ginde, finds that “our study supports an important role for vitamin D in the prevention of common respiratory infections such as colds and flu.  Individuals with common lung diseases, such as emphysema or asthma, may be particularly susceptible to respiratory infections from vitamin D deficiency.”

Vitamin D part 1 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

One of the subjects I try to engage most patients in is that of nutrition and nutritional supplementation.  Coming into the winter months, a few words about vitamin D3 seem appropriate.

Did you know vitamin D is not really a vitamin at all?  It is a steroidal hormone precursor necessary to every cell in the body, yet not found in the natural food supply; except in eggs, liver and fatty fish.  Essentially, it affects your entire health condition.  Heart heath, skin health, the aging process, athletic performance, vascular system, immune system, bone health, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and pregnant women all need optimal vitamin D levels.  If you are eating a low fat to no fat diet, you need even more vitamin D.  Dark skinned people need more than normal due to melatonin blocking UVB rays entering the skin.  Vitamin D regulates over 2000 genes in the body!

Cell Phone Radiation?

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Cell phones have become almost as necessary as water for some people. It seems most people use one every day. I’m sure you have heard some information connecting cell phone use to cancerous tumors. The cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared cell phones a class 2B “possible carcinogen” or cancer causing agent in 2011. Now, many things the WHO puts out are not to be relied upon, this may be no different. I can’t opine definitively one way or the other on this topic, but will simply present some food for thought; although it does appear that electromagnetic fields (EMF) and radio frequencies (RF) can damage cells.

There are many studies on the subject of RF-EMF exposure and the biological effects thereof. Cell phones emit this type of radiation. It is a non-ionizing radiation, meaning it does not break chemicals bonds, unlike x-rays which are ionizing radiation with known biological hazards that all would acknowledge. Some studies show no effect, but most of them were sponsored by the cell phone industry. Many other independent studies show all sorts of health problems form headaches to brain tumors, with young children being the most at risk.

In fact, 72% of industry funded studies showed no discernable effects on health, while 67% of independent studies did find biological effects. That’s how the pharmaceutical industry works, too.

Sell By and Use By Dates Explained

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

How many times have the ‘use by’ or ‘sell by’ date on a packaged food caused you to rethink eating or purchasing a product? Does either of those dates say anything about whether the product is safe to eat? Are these dates regulated by the government or backed by any research showing good reason for them?

The average family in America wastes over $1500 worth of food each year. Moldy bread and spoiled produce should be discarded for obvious reasons. Yet many perfectly fine foods are tossed based on the ‘use by/best by’ and ‘sell by’ dates. A recent report from Harvard found that 90% of Americans throw out food prematurely based on a misunderstanding of what these dates really mean.

There is only one processed food in the U.S. that has mandated dating by the federal government, and that is baby formula. These ‘use by’ dates are actually based on scientific evidence. Baby formula must contain the full nutrition listed on the product label. The use by date is the date determined to be the latest date full nutrition is available, before it starts to breakdown or separate. These dates should be followed.

Vitamins and Supplements part 2 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Once we realize that we cannot obtain the essential nutrients we need form food alone, you can then conclude that some sort of supplementation should be added to our diet.

There are good whole food vitamins on the market. I’m not here to sell any of them. Do some research and find them. None of them will be one pill a day. Most will need to have 4 or more capsules taken per day simply because you can’t compress all the ingredients into one pill, it ain’t possible! And that is your first clue to a good supplement. It takes more than one pill to get the needed ingredients.

Vitamins and Supplements part 1 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Do you take vitamins and supplements? Why do you take them? How did you choose what you currently consume? Price? Ingredients? Availability? Recommendation? Why?

I talk supplements with many people in the office, and most are just winging it, hoping it helps their health. Many people have fallen for the “one a day” advertising. Some buy supplements as cheaply as possible. Others look for certain ingredients, but really have no idea what should be in them. It is hard to know what to look for and how to buy when your knowledge and time are limited.

Supplement producers can squeeze a lot of stuff into a capsule these days, but is it stuff worth having? It is highly doubtful that any single pill can pack the essentials needed to make a difference. Most of the one a day pills are chock full of synthetic vitamins and low cost ingredients that aren’t well absorbed by our bodies. Shopping at discount stores and big box retailers will probably let your health short changed in the long run. If you like blowing money on things that have no value, be my guest. The old saying that you get what you pay for certainly applies to supplements.

Zika reprint part 2 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

This is a reprint of the second part of a series on the zika virus from back in March.  America is being hoodwinked by this man made pandemic.  Arm yourself with knowledge and you won’t need to succumb to the scare tactic that is zika this time around.  Avian flu, swine flu and the like are all precursors to this same scare mongering.  Did they ever materialize?  No, and not because we had the cures, but because it was never a real threat.  They were simply a means to an end to sell untested vaccines at a high cost to American taxpayers, among other reasons.  Same here.  Reread these other factors in play for why the zika virus is getting the blame.

In the last article, we dove into the newest epidemic, the Zika virus. We showed you how easily the numbers can be manipulated and reported to show a non-existent crises. In humans, the Zika virus causes mild flu-like symptoms with no previous evidence showing any birth defect association.

Let’s take a bird’s eye view of other factors that could be playing a role in this microcephaly outbreak in Brazil. This outbreak is occurring in a small area in Brazil, mainly a poverty stricken agricultural area, known for its pollution and unsanitary conditions. This same area has had Teratogenic Larvicide added to its drinking water for the last 18 months to kill mosquitos. Brazil lifted its ban on spraying Neonicotinoids in 2012, about the time the outbreak started. In October 2014, the Brazilian government mandated all pregnant women be vaccinated by 20 weeks with Tdap vaccines. And lastly, genetically modified mosquitos have been released in this area since about 2012.

Zika reprint part 1 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

I am going to reprint a two part series on the zika virus that ran back in March.  I think it is essential we understand that what zika means to us and what it means to big pharmacy and chemical companies are completely different.  The FDA just gave their blessing to release genetically modified (GM) mosquitos in the States.  They are spraying Florida with massive amounts of chemicals that produce the exact small head deformities blamed on zika. Someone is making lots of money on this ginned up pandemic.  It’s big pharmacy and big chemical companies collecting the profits for unproven “cures”. 

Well folks, it appears the vaccine makers need another infusion of taxpayer funds. It’s time for the pandemic outbreak machine, otherwise known as The World Health Organization, to create a justification for mass use of vaccines.

As we’ve seen over just the last few years, outbreaks of Asian bird flu, Swine flu and Ebola have been over hyped killers. They have all died down as suddenly as they arrived, without causing the predicted worldwide carnage.

Frankincense Oil

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

This week we will take a look at a very worthwhile essential oil, frankincense. It is derived from the Boswellia genus of trees. It starts as a milky white sap extracted from the bark. The sap hardens into a resin after a few days. This raw resin is then steam distilled to produce the essential oil.

Frankincense oil is used for many health improvements. Inhaling the vapors has a sedating effect that induces relaxation and decreases stress. This oil promotes healthy skin, treats dry skin, and reduces stretch marks and scars when topically applied. It can help stop wounds from bleeding, speed up healing of cuts, acne, insect bites, and more. I’ve even read it can get rid of ganglion cysts. One can also take the oil internally.

Opioid Drug Use

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

One of the topics seen headlining our local daily newspaper is that of the many heroin or opioid drug overdose deaths in the area. We are not alone. There were over 28,000 deaths in America in 2014 from opioid overdose. The numbers include heroin and prescription opioids, with prescription overdoses being about half. This is an epidemic, as even the CDC terms it.

Since 1999, the number of opioid prescriptions has quadrupled, as have the deaths from such drugs. You would think that with all these meds being pushed by doctors, the overall self-reported pain levels would have decreased in people, but they have stayed steady during that time, according to the CDC.

The majority of overdoses in the young are heroin related, but 12 million Medicare beneficiaries, or 1 in 3, received at least 1 opioid prescription in 2015, or about 4.1 billion dollars’ worth. Of those, most received more than one refill or prescription, and the average was 5 per user!

Diabetes

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Type II Diabetes is a serious disease, which, if not controlled can be life threatening. It is often associated with long term complications that can affect different body systems. It can contribute to eye disorders and blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputation and nerve damage. It makes pregnancy more difficult and can cause birth defects.

But, diabetes is not the hopeless disease most people think it is. It can be a long and losing battle if you blindly listen to your medical provider, and take no responsibility for your own health. The big drug companies do not really want you or your doctor to become aware of the real causes of diabetes. It certainly doesn’t want you to have information that can reverse or prevent diabetes.

There are many benefits to finding ways to reverse diabetes and prevent it. According to the American Diabetes Association, the combined cost of medical care and lost productivity due to diabetes exceeded 174 billion dollars in 2007. People with diabetes pay 2.3 times as much for health care as non-diabetics.

Nutritional Yeast for Health

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

While searching for a topic for this week’s article, I came across a topic I’d never thought of before. Most of us have heard of active yeast used to make bread or beer, but have you ever heard of nutritional yeast and Brewer’s yeast?

Nutritional yeast, known as nooch, is popular with vegetarians and vegans as a source of non-animal protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids usually found in a meat diet. It is a great source of B vitamins, including added B12, which again is mainly found in meat.

This food is neither plant or animal…it is a fungus, like mushrooms. The yeast used for baking and brewing is the same type of yeast (saccharomyces cerevisiae) as nutritional yeast, with one big difference. Baking/brewing yeast is alive or active. Consuming active yeast can actually lead to an overgrowth of yeast in your body or to an infection. Nutritional yeast does not have these effects.

Artificial Sweeteners

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

In this article on sweeteners, I will present a few acceptable alternatives to the chemical slurries commonly used. There are six sweeteners to consider: stevia, stevia based alternative, xylitol, dextrose or pure glucose, and lastly, sugar and honey in moderation.

We’ll start with my favorite of the bunch, stevia. Stevia belongs in the herb and shrub genus in the sunflower family. It comes from the Central and South Americas. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar, has no calories, no fat, carbs or sugars. It has a negligible effect on blood glucose, so diabetics and low carb dieters can use it without worry.

Diatomaceous Earth Benefits

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Now that gardening season is in full swing, one problem all gardeners deal with is pest control.  The big pests, like groundhogs, are easy to take care of – just shoot ‘em. It's the little munchers that are the problem. I really don't like using pesticides and chemicals at all, so I don't. I have found one chemical-free, nontoxic, edible product to use in controlling most insects, bugs, and worms. It is called Diatomaceous Earth, or DE.

Diatomaceous Earth is naturally occurring rock formed from the skeletons of fossilized diatoms, an alga. This rock is ground into a fine white powder. DE has many uses other than in the garden; more on that later. “Food Grade” DE must be purchased. I ordered mine from the local feed mill in Mifflinburg.  It came in a 40lb bag, which I’ve been using for 3 years, and it cost around $30 at the time.  I just found out that Harry’s repair and Garden center in Hartleton has it in 4lb. bags for about $10.   In the garden, DE works mechanically to destroy pests. The fine powder is as sharp as glass to these pests. It literally cuts through their exoskeletons, desiccating (drying) them to death. DE is a drying agent; it absorbs any moisture. It is very irritating to the eyes, and if you reach into it with your hand, it almost feels like chalk. DE will kill beneficial insects as well, so you must time your applications around when certain plants are being pollinated. For example, you don’t put DE on flowering tomato, potato or strawberry plants. You can use it before and after flowering cycles, and even on the ground around flowering vegetables during pollinations, just not on them directly, or you will harm bees doing their job.

Is the Sun Bad for You?

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

As the calendar appears to be heading towards summer (yet it’s snowing as I write) the loud voices screaming for you to stay out of the sun will soon be heard. Every time you read about summer fun and outdoor activities, the professional criers warn you about the disastrous effects of sun exposure. Most people, when asked, will say the sun is bad for you, it causes skin cancer, sunburns and gives you leather looking skin. Should you avoid the sun? Does it really cause cancer? What are the risks and benefits of sun exposure?

For the past half century, dermatologists have promoted the idea that you should never expose your skin to direct sunlight because it damages your skin and causes cancer. Does it really? Actually the answer is yes…BUT. The skin cancer melanoma is what they are talking about. Over the top sun exposure does damage skin and increases the risk of melanoma, but that does not mean avoiding as much sun as possible is good for you.

Zika Virus part 2 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

In the last article, we dove into the new epidemic, the Zika virus. We showed you how easily the numbers can be manipulated and reported to show a non-existent crises. In humans, the Zika virus causes mild flu-like symptoms with no previous evidence showing any birth defect association.

Let’s take a bird’s eye view of other factors that could be playing a role in this microcephaly outbreak in Brazil. This outbreak is occurring in a small area in Brazil, mainly a poverty stricken agricultural area, known for its pollution and unsanitary conditions. This same area has had Teratogenic Larvicide added to its drinking water for the last 18 months to kill mosquitos. Brazil lifted its ban on spraying Neonicotinoids in 2012, about the time the outbreak started. In October 2014, the Brazilian government mandated all pregnant women be vaccinated by 20 weeks with Tdap vaccines. And lastly, genetically modified mosquitos have been released in this area since about 2012.

Taking each of these one at a time, let’s see how they could all play a role in this ‘epidemic’.

Zika Virus part 1 of 2

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Well folks, it appears the vaccine makers need another infusion of taxpayer funds. It’s time for the pandemic outbreak machine, otherwise known as The World Health Organization, to create a justification for mass use of vaccines.

As we’ve seen over just the last few years, outbreaks of Asian bird flu, Swine flu and Ebola have been overhyped killers. They have all died down as suddenly as they arrived, without causing the predicted worldwide carnage.

This year, the Zika virus is being blamed for increased microcephaly cases in Brazil. Microcephaly is generally diagnosed in a newborn whose head circumference is less than 32 cm; notably smaller than normal. This condition is said to have gone from about 150 cases annually to over 4780 cases since October 2015.

Why Laser Therapy?

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

In my practice, I utilize many types of treatments to achieve the best possible outcome for any particular condition. Obviously adjusting the spine and many other affected joints is our primary treatment. Exercises, stretches and use of rehabilitation protocols are also an integral part of getting sick people well.

Today, I want to introduce you to my favorite modality in the quest for healing at the cellular level, Laser Therapy. LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It is simply another form of energy that can be used to create physiologic changes to tissue. Albert Eistein provided the basic science and theory for laser.

We’ve all heard of lasers being used for things like surgery, eye repair, teeth whitening, steel cutting, and military weapons.  But how many of you have heard of healing lasers which treat musculoskeletal conditions as well as post-surgical wounds and pain, skin conditions, or strains and sprains?

Avoid and Cure the Common Cold

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Here we are in the midst of cold and flu season. I’ve written many articles on why you should shun the flu vaccine for good health. But, as life would have it, there are times we all succumb to the common cold virus. The old coughing, sneezing, stuffy head, sore throat and chest congestion complex is no fun at all.

If you are already taking the necessary immune building precautions, like taking extra vitamin D3 and K2, reducing sugar intake and washing your hands regularly, what else is there to do? Well, the only thing left is to boost the immune response to an even greater level.

At the first signs of a cold immediately avoid all sugars, grains, artificial sweeteners and processed foods.

Thyroid part 5 of 5

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

In the last four columns we’ve gone through the anatomy of the thyroid, it’s functions and dysfunctions.  In this last article of the five part series, we will look at what treatments are available once you have a diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction.  Treating low thyroid function is fairly straight forward. First you must find out where the problem is with proper lab testing and get a useable diagnosis.

If you find out that your body has elevated heavy metals by using the reverse T3 testing, the majority of those people can be treated with chelation therapy with EDTA and DMPS. These draw out the heavy metals and allow the thyroid to return to normal function.

Thyroid part 4 of 5

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Now that we’ve covered the anatomy of the thyroid, the possible disruptors of thyroid function and the multitude of symptoms a dysfunctional thyroid can produce in the past three articles, we are now ready to review the testing necessary to diagnose a low functioning thyroid.

The traditional diagnosis of thyroid function is done by assessing how much thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) the pituitary gland produces. This is kind of an indirect measure of thyroid function. Normal levels should be between 1.0 – 1.5 milli-international units per milliliter. As the name thyroid stimulating hormone suggests, the pituitary gland produces more TSH in response to low thyroid function. This action stimulates the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormone. Hence the higher the TSH production, the more likely you are to have hypothyroidism. However, while this is the primary test, it simply may not be adequate enough in many cases.

Thyroid part 3 of 5

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

Continuing our series of articles relating to the thyroid, we will identify symptoms associated with low thyroid and factors associated with higher risk of hypothyroidism.

Identifying hypothyroidism is not a cut and dried technique. Many of the symptoms are vague and overlap with other disorders. Doctors often miss a thyroid problem by relying on traditional testing. Many times people with hypothyroid can diagnose themselves by listening to your own body. Who knows you better than you? People often times have an idea something is wrong, but they can’t put their finger on what it is. They end up at the doctor, who runs the traditional tests, which all come back normal.