Aspirin Therapy

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

For many years, doctors have been prescribing aspirin therapy as a cheap, effective way to reduce cardiovascular events and improve survival after a heart attack. Neither of these is true.

Even low dose aspirin therapy has serious side effects that, just like statin drugs for cholesterol, overshadow any supposed benefit. The evidence in support of aspirin has always been weak, and over the last decade it has become even weaker.

The benefit purported by medicine for taking aspirin is that of its antiplatelet activity. They say that it helps save lives by reducing deaths from heart attacks.

Alkalinity, Part 2

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

Last week we learned that there is only one state of pH that our bodies can be in…and that is in the alkaline range of 7.35 to 7.45. There is no such thing as acid/alkaline balance, because acid destroys alkali and vice versa; pH is a number, not a ratio.

Now, we will see why the theory of getting your body more alkaline is one, not possible, and two, even if possible, would not rid you of disease as is claimed.

The body’s own immune system kills pathogens with an oxidation process using hypochlorous acid. Here’s how it works:

When a pathogen enters the body, and all systems respond properly, white blood cells, called neutrophils, attack the invader by engulfing it. Next, it produces an oxidant called hypochlorous acid, which is bioselective of certain organic materials, not all, and kills the pathogen immediately.

Alkalinity, Part 1

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

I want to touch on a trending ‘holistic’ fad that seems to be gaining a foot hold locally. It purports to offer positive, healthful, healing benefits; yet defies known, unalterable facts. This is a lesson in human anatomy and physiology facts. I am not talking right vs. wrong or truth vs. lies, just facts.

Today, I will try to explain this notion of body alkalinity vs. acidity. We have such things as alkaline water and alkaline diets being held up as the next great healers of disease. The problem is, there has never been one study done in 30 years of this claim, to show any benefit, or if it can be accomplished at all. I submit, it can not.

It is not my agenda to push a belief. A belief is defined as "a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing.” I believe Jesus walked on this earth. That is statement of belief. I didn't see Him, talk to Him or touch Him. I simply choose to believe others accounts that did. Statements of fact sound like these: The earth has gravitational pull; a loss of oxygen to the brain for mere seconds will kill you; the ph of the body is 7.4, and never varies more than 1% either way, or you will die. Don’t just believe me, check the facts for yourself.

Flu - Here We Go Again!

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

Here we go again, the ‘flu season’ is here. These articles on the flu are a broken record. Every year we hear the same misinformation from our wonderful government agencies, and it’s reported like gospel in the media. The USA is officially in a flu panic right now. The CDC (again) reports the worst flu pandemic in a decade. Didn’t we just hear that about the avian flu a few years ago? They urge any and all living beings to be vaccinated yet again.

How many years of hearing this baloney will it take for people to realize the flu vaccine is becoming quite the laughing stock. The most recent article on Saturday, January 12, 2013, in The Daily Item, says this season’s vaccine is “well matched… and still available.” Jump for joy? The next line says, “It is 62% effective… which is pretty good for a flu vaccine.” What? The gospel message is that if you get the shot, you won’t get the disease, right? So, if 62% is a good year, what is a bad year? In school, that’s a failing grade.

Genetically Modified Foods

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

This week we are going to discuss a relatively hot topic in health conscious circles. The debate over genetically modified foods (GMO’s) is contentious, to say the least.

Here in the good old USA, there are no standards by which companies must adhere when it comes to informing the consumer what a specific product actually contains. In California, Proposition 37 was defeated by big corporations. It would have required truth in labeling, ensuring that consumers were told of any genetically engineered ingredients contained in a product. General Mills donated over 1.1 million dollars to help defeat this common sense requirement.

Fluoride

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

Today we are going to look at a topic that we have been told by certain authorities is good for us and has positive health benefits.   The biggest benefit they give for fluoridating water supplies is for dental health.  Really?  Many of you believe it without ever asking about the safety or efficacy of its use. But, is fluoridation of drinking water really healthful and good for you? Does it have benefits that outweigh the risks to your health? Are there studies to guide us to a particular conclusion?  Luckily, living in the rural areas we do, this isn’t a problem for most of us.  I write this for those who have family and friends in urban areas who need this information, give it to them.

It is an established fact that fluoride has the ability to alter your endocrine function, yet this fact is basically ignored by the agencies and associations that continue to promote the practice of water fluoridation. This altered function involves the thyroid, parathyroid, pineal glands, adrenals, pancreas and pituitary. The thyroid and associated hormones are responsible for maintaining your bodies overall metabolic rate and for regulating normal growth and development.

Stand Up!

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

We all know that smoking, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol and a poor diet all have detrimental effects on our health. We now know that sitting needs to be part of that list.

Look around at those who have completely sedentary jobs. It becomes obvious pretty quickly what can become of you if sitting a lot is your current situation.

From a chiropractors perspective, sitting is one of the most destructive positions for the musculoskeletal system. Sitting reduces activation of the low back muscles and shuts off electrical activity to the legs. When muscle activity shuts off or slows to minimal, other structures of the spine must work overtime. When you sit in a chair with a slight forward slump, the pressure on the low back discs is greater than any other position, without additional load. The stabilizing core muscles become lazy and deconditioned, and the hip flexors become short and tight. These are some of the main causes of low back pain. The multifidi muscles of the lower back atrophy. These muscles are in direct segmental control of each and every motion a particular vertebra can perform.