I am sure that whatever my position is on this controversy, it can be refuted from the medical literature. There are literally thousands of medical articles defending or offending either side. This situation is similar to that of cholesterol drugs, steroids, chemotherapy, etc., which also have enormous support and enormous opposition.

So on what do I base my opinion? I base it on the following irrefutable facts:
A. We know radiation produces cancer.
B. We know mammograms produce radiation.
C. We know the damage of radiation is cumulative—it adds up with each exposure.
D. We know the statistics show that screening mammograms do not reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer.

So what do I do when faced with the decision of ordering a mammogram on my patient, or sister, or daughter? I consider the individual case, and go from there.

First, is it a screening mammogram or a diagnostic one? I basically do not order screening mammograms; that is, routine, yearly, with no suspicion of disease. That’s particularly true of women under 50. I believe manual exam, ultrasound and thermography are a better choices.

Diagnostic mammograms, on the other hand, are useful when there is a suspicious lump, particularly on high risk women (family history of breast cancer, hormone treatment, etc.).

I believe that if an experienced physician feels a lump that has cancer-like characteristics, and orders a mammogram, you should have one done. In such a case, a mammogram is really one of the best tests, followed by a biopsy, if mammogram is positive. If I feel a lump on the breast, and if it has suspicious characteristics, I will order a mammogram. Diagnosis, however, is only securely established by biopsy. No imaging technique or physical exam can, with a high degree of accuracy, diagnose a lump under the intact skin.

Please peruse some of the latest literature below.

Dangers of Mammography

Mammography poses a wide range of risks of which women worldwide still remain uninformed. Read “Mammography’s Mixed Blessings” by Seaman and Epstein

(Mercola.com) The Nordic Cochrane Center has put out a leaflet that every woman should read, explaining the potential benefits and potential harms of mammography. They point out that recent studies suggest mammography screening is not effective in reducing your risk of dying from breast cancer. And in fact, screening creates breast cancer patients out of healthy women who would never have developed symptoms.Treatment of these healthy women increases their risk of dying from heart disease and, yes, cancer itself.

For example, after systematically reviewing the randomized trials of mammography, the authors concluded that: “If 2,000 women are screened regularly for 10 years, one will benefit from screening [...]. Since these trials were undertaken, treatment of breast cancer has improved considerably. Women today also seek medical advice much earlier than previously, if they have noted anything unusual in their breasts… Because of these improvements, screening is less effective today and newer studies suggest that mammography screening is no longer effective in reducing the risk of dying from breast cancer.” … Since it is not possible to tell the difference between the dangerous and the harmless cell changes and cancers, all of them are treated. Therefore, screening results in treatment of many women for a cancer disease they do not have, and that they will not get. Based on the randomized trials, it appears that:

If 2,000 women are screened regularly for 10 years, 10 healthy women will be turned into cancer patients and will be treated unnecessarily. These women will have either a part of their breast or the whole breast removed, and they will often receive radiotherapy, and sometimes chemotherapy. Treatment of these healthy women increases their risk of dying, e.g. from heart disease and cancer.”

Radiation Risks
Radiation from routine mammography poses significant cumulative risks of initiating and promoting breast cancer (1– 3). Contrary to conventional assurances that radiation exposure from mammography is trivial— and similar to that from a chest X-ray or spending one week in Denver, about 1/ 1,000 of a rad (radiation-absorbed dose)— the routine practice of taking four films for each breast results in some 1,000-fold greater exposure, 1 rad, focused on each breast rather than the entire chest (2). Thus, premenopausal women undergoing annual screening over a ten-year period are exposed to a total of about 10 rads for each breast. As emphasized some three decades ago, the premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each rad of exposure increasing breast cancer risk by 1 percent, resulting in a cumulative 10 percent increased risk over ten years of premenopausal screening, usually from ages 40 to 50 (4); risks are even greater for “baseline” screening at younger ages, for which there is no evidence of any future relevance. Furthermore, breast cancer risks from mammography are up to fourfold higher for the 1 to 2 percent of women who are silent carriers of the A-T (ataxia-telangiectasia) gene and thus highly sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of radiation (5); by some estimates this accounts for up to 20 percent of all breast cancers annually in the United States (6).

Cancer Risks from Breast Compression
As early as 1928, physicians were warned to handle “cancerous breasts with care— for fear of accidentally disseminating cells” and spreading cancer (7). Nevertheless, mammography entails tight and often painful compression of the breast, particularly in premenopausal women. This may lead to distant and lethal spread of malignant cells by rupturing small blood vessels in or around small, as yet undetected breast cancers (8).

Delays in Diagnostic Mammography
As increasing numbers of premenopausal women are responding to the ACS’s aggressively promoted screening, imaging centers are becoming flooded and overwhelmed. Resultingly, patients referred for diagnostic mammography are now experiencing potentially dangerous delays, up to several months, before they can be examined (9).

REFERENCES

1. Gofman, J. W. Preventing Breast Cancer: The Story of a Major Proven Preventable Cause of this Disease. Committee for Nuclear Responsibility, San Francisco, 1995.
2. Epstein, S. S., Steinman, D., and LeVert, S. The Breast Cancer Prevention Program, Ed. 2. Macmillan, New York, 1998.
3. Bertell, R. Breast cancer and mammography. Mothering, Summer 1992, pp. 49– 52.
4. National Academy of Sciences– National Research Council, Advisory Committee. Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR). Washington, D. C., 1972.
5. Swift, M. Ionizing radiation, breast cancer, and ataxia-telangiectasia. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 86( 21): 1571– 1572, 1994.
6. Bridges, B. A., and Arlett, C. F. Risk of breast cancer in ataxia-telangiectasia. N. Engl. J. Med. 326( 20): 1357, 1992.
7. Quigley, D. T. Some neglected points in the pathology of breast cancer, and treatment of breast cancer. Radiology, May 1928, pp. 338– 346.
8. Watmough, D. J., and Quan, K. M. X-ray mammography and breast compression. Lancet 340: 122, 1992.
9. Martinez, B. Mammography centers shut down as reimbursement feud rages on. Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2000, p. A-1.

Excerpted from “Dangers and Unreliability of Mammography: Breast Examination is a Safe, Effective and Practical Alternative”, in International Journal of Health Services, Volume 31, Number 3, Pages 605– 615, 2001 2001, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc.

According to updated guidelines set forth by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, women in their 40’s should not get routine mammograms for early detection of breast cancer.

The group’s previous recommendation was for routine screenings every year or two for women age 40 and older. They now recommend that before having a mammogram, women ages 40 to 49 should talk to their doctors about the risks and benefits of the test, and then decide if they want to be screened.

While roughly 15 percent of women in their 40’s detect breast cancer through mammography, many other women experience false positives, anxiety, and unnecessary biopsies as a result of the test, according to data.
The Obama administration distanced itself from the new standards, saying government insurance programs would continue to cover routine mammograms for women starting at age 40.

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

A new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is stirring up controversy in the conventional medical community, where the long-held advice was for women to get a mammogram every year or two after age 40.

Now the Task Force has revised their recommendation, saying that women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms.

The new advice is a small step in the right direction, but many are up in arms, fearing a decrease in mammograms will put women’s lives at risk from breast cancer, or that insurance companies will stop covering the procedure until a woman reaches age 50.

What is being completely overlooked by the majority of media outlets, however, is the reason WHY the Task Force decided to trim their mammogram recommendation. The prior advice was given in 2002, before a host of new research came out showing the problems of overdiagnosis, including false positives.

Back in 2001, around the time that U.S. health officials widened the use of mammograms to included women over 40 (previously it was only women over 50), a Danish study published in The Lancet revealed some startling data.
The study concluded that previous research showing a benefit was flawed and that widespread mammogram screening is unjustified.

That mammograms are still recommended at all speaks volumes about the state of modern medicine.
Decades ago in 1974, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was warned by professor Malcolm C. Pike at the University of Southern California School of Medicine that a number of specialists had concluded “giving a women under age 50 a mammogram on a routine basis is close to unethical.”

Why is Routine Mammography “Unethical”?
For starters mammograms expose your body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray, which poses risks of cancer. Mammography also compresses your breasts tightly, and often painfully, which could lead to a lethal spread of cancerous cells, should they exist.

Dr. Samuel Epstein, one of the top cancer experts, stated: “The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade’s screening.”

Dr. Epstein, M.D., professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, has been speaking out about the risks of mammography since at least 1992. As for how these misguided mammography guidelines came about, Epstein says: “They were conscious, chosen, politically expedient acts by a small group of people for the sake of their own power, prestige and financial gain, resulting in suffering and death for millions of women. They fit the classification of “crimes against humanity.”

Not surprisingly, as often happens when anyone dares speak out against those in power, both the American Cancer Society and NCI called Dr. Epstein’s findings “unethical and invalid.”

But this didn’t stop others from speaking out as well.

• In July 1995, The Lancet again wrote about mammograms, saying “The benefit is marginal, the harm caused is substantial, and the costs incurred are enormous …”
• Dr. Charles B. Simone, a former clinical associate in immunology and pharmacology at the National Cancer Institute, said, “Mammograms increase the risk for developing breast cancer and raise the risk of spreading or metastasizing an existing growth.”
• “The high sensitivity of the breast, especially in young women, to radiation-induced cancer was known by 1970. Nevertheless, the establishment then screened some 300,000 women with Xray dosages so high as to increase breast cancer risk by up to 20 percent in women aged 40 to 50 who were mammogramed annually,” wrote Dr. Epstein.

Mammograms Often Give False Positives
Aside from the radiation risks, mammograms carry a first-time false positive rate of up to 6 percent. False positives can lead to expensive repeat screenings and can sometimes result in unnecessary invasive procedures including biopsies and surgeries.

Just thinking you may have breast cancer, when you really do not, focuses your mind on fear and disease, and is actually enough to trigger an illness in your body. So a false positive on a mammogram, or an unnecessary biopsy, can really be damaging.

Not to mention that women have unnecessarily undergone mastectomies, radiation and chemotherapy after receiving false positives on a mammogram.

What about Breast Self-Exams?
The revised U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations also discourage doctors from teaching breast self-examination (BSE). BSEs have long been recommended as a simple way for women to keep track of anything unusual in their breasts. However, studies have found that such exams do not reduce breast cancer death rates, and actually increase the rate of unnecessary biopsies. So the problem with breast self-exams is that it typically forces women into a conventional, and potentially dangerous, diagnostic model, as if you do find something unusual, you will typically be brought in for a mammogram.

A Safer Breast Screening Option
Most physicians continue to recommend mammograms for fear of being sued by a woman who develops breast cancer after he did not advise her to get one. But I encourage you to think for yourself and consider safer, more effective alternatives to mammograms.

The option for breast screening that I most highly recommend is called thermographic breast screening.
Thermographic screening is brilliantly simple. It measures the radiation of infrared heat from your body and translates this information into anatomical images. Your normal blood circulation is under the control of your autonomic nervous system, which governs your body functions.

Thermography uses no mechanical pressure or ionizing radiation. More men’s lives could also be spared from the disease as mammography is not frequently used on men, which leads to most men with breast cancer being diagnosed at a very late stage

Top Breast Cancer Prevention Tips
Women have a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer during their lifetime. In fact, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women — except for skin cancers — and the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that over 192,000 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed in women in 2009, and over 40,000 will die from it.

While screening tools can help you to detect breast cancer, they obviously do nothing to help prevent the disease, and this latter strategy is the best one for avoiding cancer.

Researchers estimate that about 40 percent of U.S. breast cancer cases, or about 70,000 cases every year, could be prevented by making lifestyle changes.

A healthy diet, physical exercise, optimized vitamin D levels and an effective way to manage your emotional health are the cornerstones of just about any cancer prevention program.

It’s also important to make sure you’re getting sufficient amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats such as krill oil.
Two studies from 2002 offer explanations for how omega-3 fats can protect against breast cancer. BRCA1 (breast cancer gene 1) and BRCA2 (breast cancer gene 2) are two tumor suppressor genes that, when functioning normally, help repair DNA damage (a process that also prevents tumor development).

Earlier research had discovered that women who carry mutated versions of these two genes are at higher risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer than women who do not have these genetic mutations. Currently, women with BRCA1 mutations account for about 5 percent of all breast cancer cases. Omega-3 and omega-6 fats have been found to influence these two genes.

Omega-3 fats tend to reduce cancer cell growth while highly processed and toxic omega-6 fats have been found to cause cancer growth.

Three additional steps that can lower your breast cancer risk as well include:

• Not drinking alcohol, or limiting your drinks to one a day for women
• Breastfeeding exclusively for up to six months
• Watching out for excessive iron levels. This is actually very common once women stop menstruating. The extra iron actually works as a powerful oxidant, increasing free radicals and raising your risk of cancer.

All you need to do is measure your ferritin level and if it is above 80, donate blood, which will reduce the amount of iron that you have and thereby lower your cancer risk.

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Your doctor isn’t telling you about this painless and non-invasive breast cancer screening test that’s been shown to prevent cancer, not just find it. Instead, your doctor probably advises you to undergo mammograms, despite their known health hazards..

While mammograms are highly touted to screen for breast cancer, there is no solid evidence that they save lives. Plus, they expose you to 1,000 times more radiation than you’d get from a chest x-ray. There is no solid evidence that mammograms save lives. In fact, research demonstrates that adding an annual mammogram to a careful physical examination of the breasts does not improve breast cancer survival rates over getting the examination alone.

Yet, most physicians continue to recommend mammograms for fear of being sued by a woman who develops breast cancer after which he did not advise her to get one. But I encourage you to think for yourself and consider safer, more effective alternatives to mammograms.

The option for breast screening that I most highly recommend is called thermography.

Thermographic breast screening is brilliantly simple. It measures the radiation of infrared heat from your body and translates this information into anatomical images. Your normal blood circulation is under the control of your autonomic nervous system, which governs your body functions.

Thermography uses no mechanical pressure or ionizing radiation, and can detect signs of breast cancer years earlier than either mammography or a physical exam.

Mammography cannot detect a tumor until after it has been growing for years and reaches a certain size. Thermography is able to detect the possibility of breast cancer much earlier, because it can image the early stages of angiogenesis (the formation of a direct supply of blood to cancer cells, which is a necessary step before they can grow into tumors of size).

When we begin accepting new patients again, we’ll announce the news on our website.If you’d like to be notified via email, please click here to join our e-mail update list.

As always, we thank God for you and for your contribution to our success! We are grateful for your referrals and for your trust in us.

Many of these methods have not been accepted by consensus mainstream medicine. As a matter of fact, mainstream medicine, the Texas Medical Board and the Powers That Be consider alternative medicine as QUACKERY and will criticize it and even penalize it.

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Manso and his community. This website contains statements and information not approved by the FDA. The AMA and TMA disagree with many statements found on this website.

Dr. Manso encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. The entire contents of this website are based upon the personal experience and opinions of Dr. Manso, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked.

Some of the characteristic qualities of complementary medicine that are used in Dr. Manso’s practice include:

1. A person’s lifestyle including his or her diet, exercise patterns, sleep habits, stresses and interpersonal relationships are believed to be directly related to the development and maintenance of illness. Complementary medicine evaluates these factors and seeks to help the patient give up negative life style patterns and establish more positive ones regardless of age or type of medical problem.
2. Although prescription and over-the-counter medications are used when the physician believes they are necessary, an attempt is first made to use products that are natural to the body. These include nutritional supplements such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, essential fatty acids and herbs which may not have been studied or accepted by consensus mainstream medicine.
3. Because we look for imbalances in the body and for trends that may result in illness if not addressed, we sometimes order tests that may be considered by consensus mainstream medicine to be either unnecessary or of no value. These may include tests for nutritional status, such as blood levels or functional vitamin or mineral tests, hormonal levels or tests for allergies.
4. We believe that environmental factors may play a major role in health and disease. Some of the diseases of unknown cause may be triggered or perpetuated by common environmental substances, many of which are man-made. Individuals may vary greatly in their susceptibility to various substances, so that one individual may be made deathly ill by an exposure to a substance while another is not at all affected. We attempt to identify offending substances and help patients to detoxify from past exposures that are affecting them.
5. We believe in the mind-body-spirit connection in bringing about wellness and preventing and dealing with illness. Consequently, part of our program may involve recommendations for counseling, meditation or psychotherapy.
6. Exercise is extremely important in maintaining health and promoting wellness as well as helping one to recover from an illness. Graded exercise, both aerobic and stretching, is encouraged for most patients.
7. We sometimes use medications that are approved by the FDA to treat a condition for which the FDA has not approved the medication. Perhaps the best example is our use of EDTA chelation therapy to treat conditions other than lead poisoning.

The above represents some of the ways that our practice may differ from other physician’s offices that you have visited.

You should also be aware of the following points:

1. We very much believe in a person being involved in his own health care and encourage questions, exploration and participation in decisions surrounding diagnostic and treatment procedures. We encourage consultations with consensus mainstream medicine practitioners and use of any other means that a person feels he needs to help him decide about health issues.
2. Our practice is exclusively an office-based practice. We do not work in a hospital. Additionally, some patients come long distances to receive care at our office. Consequently, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND that in addition to our care you maintain a relationship with one or more physicians appropriate to your condition and situation. For example, most of you may want to have a relationship with a family physician or a pediatrician in the case of children. Cardiac patients should have either a cardiologist or an internist or both. We are happy to cooperate with any physician who is willing to work with us.
3. In our office, we make available a few nutritional supplements and other recommended products that are difficult to find elsewhere. Generally, we believe the prices are competitive with outside sources. (Please let us know if you find this not to be the case.) Mail order service is also available from our office. YOU ARE IN NO WAY OBLIGATED TO PURCHASE THESE PRODUCTS FROM THIS OFFICE. YOU ARE FREE TO PURCHASE THESE PRODUCTS FROM ANY SOURCE THAT YOU MAY CHOOSE.
4. Most health insurance plans today have clauses which limit coverage to “usual and customary fees for reasonable and necessary services”. Because many of the treatments used in complementary medicine are not recognized by consensus mainstream medicine, we can not guarantee the amount or availability of coverage for our services and treatments under your health care insurance policy. You are responsible for the payment of our invoices without regard to insurance coverage. You are entitled to know the cost of all services and procedures in advance. Please ask if they are not told to you.

We thank you for your patience, and are looking forward to seeing you soon.

To schedule an appointment at The Whole Health Center in Houston or in San Marcos, please call 713.840.9355 or click here to contact us via email.

May God bless you.

When we begin accepting new patients again, we’ll announce the news on our website.If you’d like to be notified via email, please click here to join our e-mail update list.

As always, we thank God for you and for your contribution to our success! We are grateful for your referrals and for your trust in us.

Angry
Confused
Depressed
Deserted by loved ones
Discouraged
Fearful
In doubt about God
In financial trouble
In need of peace
Physically sick
Troubled
 

Angry

Jam 1:19, 20 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Eph 4:26 “In your anger do not sin” [fn]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

Pro 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Mat 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Pro 14:29 A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

Pro 16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Ecc 7:9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Rom 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Pro 25:21, 22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

Hbr 10:30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”  and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

Eph 4:31, 32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Mat 5:22-24 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Ra-ca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Pro 14:16, 17 A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless. A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated.

Col 3:8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Psa 37:8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Confused

1Cr 14:33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints.

2Ti 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self‑discipline.

Jam 3:16-18 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace‑loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Isa 50:7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

1Pe 4:12, 13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Jam 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Pro 3:5, 6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psa 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psa 119:165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Psa 55:22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isa 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Isa 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Phl 4:6, 7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Depressed

Psa 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Psa 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

1Pe 4:12, 13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Isa 61:3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Isa 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

2Cr 1:3, 4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Rom 8:38, 39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, [fn] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Phl 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Psa 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Isa 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1Pe 5:6, 7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Luk 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Neh 8:10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Isa 51:11 The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Deserted

Psa 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psa 94:14 For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.

Psa 27:10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

Mat 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Isa 62:4 No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.

2Cr 4:9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

1Pe 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psa 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Deu 4:31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Isa 41:17 “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

Psa 91:14, 15 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

Isa 49:15, 16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Psa 43:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Deu 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1Sa 12:22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.

Discouraged

Isa 51:11 The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

1Pe 1:6-9 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Phl 4:6-8 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Psa 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

Jhn 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God [fn]; trust also in me.

Jhn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

2Cr 4:8,9 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Hbr 10:35,36 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Phl 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Gal 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Psa 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Psa 27:1-14 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, [fn] when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his [fn] face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Fearful

2Ti 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self‑discipline.

Rom 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. [fn] And by him we cry, “Abba, [fn] Father.”

1Jo 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psa 91:4-7 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

Psa 91:10, 11 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Pro 3:25, 26 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

Isa 54:14 In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.

Psa 56:11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psa 23:4, 5 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [fn] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Rom 8:29, 31, 35-39 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, [fn] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psa 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Jhn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psa 27:1, 3 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

Hbr 13:6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

In doubt about God

Mar 11:22-24 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ”I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Luk 12:29-31 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Rom 4:20, 21 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Isa 46:10, 11 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

1Th 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Psa 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Isa 59:1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

1Pe 4:12, 13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Rom 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Isa 55:10, 11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

In financial trouble

Psa 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Psa 34:10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Psa 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Deu 28:2-8 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

Deu 28:11-13 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

3Joh 2 beloved, I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

Luk 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it

1Cr 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Mal 3:10-12 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. ”Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

2Cr 9:6-8 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Mat 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother [fn] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Jos 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Ecc 2:26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Pro 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

Deu 8:7-14, 18 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

Mat 6:31-33 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Phl 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

In need of peace

Isa 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Jhn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Phl 4:6, 7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we [fn]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isa 26:12 LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

Isa 55:12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Psa 37:37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.

Rom 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Psa 119:165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Isa 57:2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.

Rom 14:17-19 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Psa 37:11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

2Cr 13:11 Finally, brothers, good‑by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Rom 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Physically sick

3 Jo 1:2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Mat 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

Luk 6:19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Hbr 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

1Pe 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Psa 103:3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jer 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

Jer 30:17a for I will restore health unto thee, and I will heel thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD.

Exd 15:26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

Pro 4:20-22 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.

Psa 107:20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Mat 8:8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Jam 5:14, 15 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

Mar 16:17, 18 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Troubled

Nah 1:7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.

2Cr 4:8, 9 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Psa 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

Jhn 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Rom 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Psa 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

Psa 121:1, 2 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Hbr 4:15, 16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1Pe 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Mat 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

2Cr 1:3, 4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Phl 4:6, 7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isa 51:11 The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Despite the fact that more adverse reactions occur in patients 60 or older, the odds of suffering an adverse drug reaction really begin to increase even before age 50. Almost half (49.5%) of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports of deaths from adverse drug reactions and 61% of hospitalizations from adverse drug reactions were in people younger than 60.2 Many physical changes that, affect the way the body can handle drugs actually begin in people in their thirties, but the increased prescribing of drugs does not begin for most people until they enter their fifties. By then, the amount of prescription drug use starts increasing significantly, and therefore the odds of having an adverse drug reaction also increase. The risk of an adverse drug reaction is about 33% higher in people aged 50 to 59 than it is in people aged 40.3

Adverse Reactions to Drugs Cause Hospitalization of 1.5 Million Americans Each Year

An analysis of numerous studies in which the cause of hospitalization was determined found that approximately 1.5 million hospitalizations a year were caused by adverse drug reactions.4 This means that every day more than 9,000 patients have adverse drug reactions so serious that they need to be admitted to American hospitals. Although the rate; of drug-induced hospitalization is higher in older adults (an average of about 10% of all hospitalizations for older adults are caused by adverse drug reactions) because they use more drugs, a significant proportion of hospitalizations for children is also caused by adverse drug reactions. In a review of more than 6,500 admissions of children to five different hospitals, 2.0% were prompted by adverse drug reactions. 5

Adverse Reactions Occur to 770,000 People a Year During Hospitalization

In addition to the 1.5 million people a year who are admitted to the hospital because of adverse drug reactions, an additional three quarters of a million people a year develop an adverse reaction after they are hospitalized. According to national projection, based on a study involving adverse drug reactions developing in almost 800,000 patients a year, more than 2,000 patients a day, suffer an adverse event caused by drugs once they are admitted. Many of the reactions in the patients studied were serious, even life-threatening, and included cardiac arrhythmias, kidney failure, bleeding, and dangerously low blood pressure. People with these adverse reactions had an almost twofold higher risk of death compared to other otherwise comparable hospitalized patients who did not have a drug reaction. Most importantly, according to the researchers, almost 50% of these adverse reactions were preventable. Among the kinds of preventable problems were adverse interactions between drugs that should not have been prescribed together (hundreds of these are listed in Chapter 3 of this book), known allergies to drugs that had not been asked about before the patients got a prescription, and excessively high doses of drugs prescribed without considering the patient’s weight and kidney functions.

Thus, adding the number of people with adverse drug reactions so serious that they require hospitalization to those in which the adverse reaction was “caused” by the hospitalization, more than 2.2 million people a year, or 6,000 patients a day, suffer these adverse reactions. In both situations, many of these drug-induced problems should have been prevented.

Dangerous Prescribing Outside the Hospital for 6.6 Million Older Adults a Year

Based on the Do Not Use principle we have advocated concerning certain drugs for more than ten years in our Worst Pills, Best Pills books and monthly newsletter, several published studies have examined the extent to which people are prescribed drugs that are contraindicated because there are safer alternatives. One study, whose authors stated that “Worst Pills, Best Pills stimulated this research,” found that almost one out of four older adults living at home–6.6 million people a year were prescribed a “potentially inappropriate” drug or drugs, placing them at risk of such adverse drug effects as mental impairment and sedation, even though the study only examined the use of a relatively short list of needlessly dangerous drugs (fewer than the number listed as Do Not Use drugs in this book).7

Other researchers looked not only at people for whom a contraindicated drug was prescribed, but also at prescriptions for older people involving two other categories: questionable combinations of drugs and excessive treatment duration. The authors categorized all of this as “high-risk prescribing” and limited their analysis to just the three classes of drugs most commonly causing drug-related illness: cardiovascular drugs, psychotropic drugs (ones that act on the mind) such as tranquilizers and antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory drugs. They found that 52.6% of all people 65 or older were given one or more prescriptions for a high-risk drug.8 Thus, more than twice as many older adults were the victims of high-risk prescribing when these two additional categories were added.

Article published in Worst Pills, Best Pills News, November 2010 issue, Vol. 16, No. 11.

For comprehensive, up-to-date drug information, subscribe to www.worstpills.org.

As far as science is concerned, I have only the opinions of the experts. The vice president says to avoid airplanes, and Dr. Mark from New Brownfels says it has crossed the WHO pandemic threshold. Everyone has an opinion.

The truth, however, will set you free. The Word of God is truth, and here is what it says about this pestilence. (For ye of little faith and the ones who hedge bets see “Remedies” at the bottom of the page).

Psalm 91

(red italics are my comments)

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]

2 I will say [b] of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence  (epidemics)

4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terrorists by day nor the arrow that flies by day, (their missiles/weapons) nor the epidemics that stalk in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side, (yes people will die, even your neighbors) ten thousand at your right hand, (many in your country)

8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge —

10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Footnotes: Psalm 91 (New International Version)

• [a] Psalm 91:1 - Hebrew Shaddai
• [b] Psalm 91:2 - Or He says

Remedies

For the worriers, preventive remedies:

• NAC – (available at health food stores or from our office); 600 mg twice a day.
• Oscillococcinum – (available at health food stores); 1 every 2 hours.

For treatment:

• Tamiflu one twice a day. Requires a prescription. (We can call it in for you. The usual $35.00 for phone prescriptions apply).
• Colloidal silver 1 tsp twice a day.
• If you are sick, an IV of hydrogen peroxide is quick and very effective ($100.00) at our offices.

Normally we do a blood food allergy test and a comprehensive stool analysis besides the routine lab to determine the root cause of the problem.

Description
Crohn’s Disease is a severe form of Colitis that involves chronic Inflammation of any part of the Gastrointestinal Tract from the mouth to the Anus — although it usually occurs at the end of the Ileum (where the Small Intestine joins the Large Intestine).  The cause of Crohn’s Disease is unknown but it may be a response to infectious organisms or perhaps genetic — it is now regarded as an Autoimmune Disease.

Chron’s Disease is also known as: Granulomatous Ileitis; IBD; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Irritable Bowel Disease; Regional Enteritis;  Regional Ileitis; Ileocolitis.

Prevalence
There appears to be an hereditary element to Crohn’s Disease. Crohn’s Disease occurs most commonly in people of Anglo-Saxon or Northern European ancestry (particularly in Jews). Most cases of Crohn’s Disease commence prior to the age of 30 (often between the ages of 14 and 24). Crohn’s Disease occurs more frequently in women than in men. Crohn’s Disease occurs at a rate of 1 to 5 persons out of every 10,000.

These Substances Alleviate the Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease

• Amino Acids - Glutamine (1,000 – 4,000 mg per day) improves the condition of Crohn’s Disease patients (primarily by supporting the Intestinal Mucosa).  Crohn’s Disease patients are generally found to have very low Glutathione levels and some researchers speculate that supplemental Glutathione (or its precursors) may improve the condition of Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Carbohydrates - Acemannan alleviates the Inflammation of Digestive Tract associated with Crohn’s Disease. Glucosamine alleviates the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease.
• Enzymes – Supplemental Pancreatic Enzymes are a useful treatment for Crohn’s Disease (many Crohn’s Disease patients are deficient in Pancreatic Enzymes). Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) (when administered via injection) has caused regression in Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Hormones – Supplemental Human Growth Hormone (hGH) reduces the symptoms (especially the abdominal Pain) of Crohn’s Disease by approximately 25%.
• Lipids - Alpha-Linolenic Acid (LNA) helps to counteract the Inflammation associated with Crohn’s Disease (LNA functions as a precursor to Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) which in turn suppresses Leukotriene B4 in the Colon – excessive Leukotriene B4 production in the Colon is associated with the Inflammation that occurs in the Colon during Crohn’s Disease). Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) improves the condition of Crohn’s Disease patients (primarily by reducing the endogenous production of Leukotriene B4 which is implicated in the Inflammation associated with Crohn’s Disease).  Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) improve the condition of Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Microorganisms – Lactobacillus rhamnosis improves the Digestive System’s Immune function in Crohn’s Disease patients. Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) (500 mg per day) alleviates the Diarrhea that occurs as a side effect of Crohn’s Disease.
• Minerals – Crohn’s Disease patients commonly exhibit abnormally low Selenium levels. Crohn’s Disease patients are usually found to be deficient in Zinc and supplemental Zinc (25 – 50 mg per day) helps to restore the integrity of the Intestines in Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Vitamins – Crohn’s Disease patients are usually found to be deficient in Folic Acid and supplemental Folic Acid (800 mcg per day) helps to restore the integrity of the Intestines in Crohn’s Disease patients. Crohn’s Disease patients are generally found to be deficient in Vitamin A (and supplemental Vitamin A (50,000 IU per day) may counteract this deficiency). Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in Crohn’s Disease patients – this does not imply that Vitamin B12 alleviates Crohn’s Disease but does imply that Crohn’s Disease patients may need to supplement with Vitamin B12 (administered by a physician via intramuscular injection) in order to avoid Vitamin B12 deficiency – the sole absorption site for Vitamin B12 is in the Ileum (the same site that is most commonly impaired by Crohn’s Disease). Vitamin C helps to prevent Crohn’s Disease and Vitamin C deficiency is common in Crohn’s Disease patients – this does not imply that Vitamin C alleviates Crohn’s Disease but does imply that Crohn’s Disease patients may need to supplement with Vitamin C in order to avoid Vitamin C deficiency.  Vitamin D deficiency is common in Crohn’s Disease patients and supplemental Vitamin D alleviates the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease.

These Foods/Herbs Alleviate Crohn’s Disease

• Animal-Derived Supplements -Bovine Cartilage may improve the condition of Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Herbs – Aloe Vera (juice consumed orally) alleviates the Inflammation of the Digestive Tract associated with Crohn’s Disease (primarily due to the Acemannan content of Aloe vera). Boswellia alleviates the symptoms and Inflammation associated with Crohn’s Disease (more effectively than many Pharmaceutical Drugs). Cat’s Claw alleviates Crohn’s Disease (according to anecdotal reports). Chaparral may be useful for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease (due to its ability to inhibit the excessive production of (pro-inflammatory) Leukotriene B4 that occurs during Crohn’s Disease).  Ginger may be useful for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease (due to its ability to inhibit the excessive production of (pro-inflammatory) Leukotriene B4 that occurs during Crohn’s Disease). Venus Flytrap (extract) is claimed to alleviate Crohn’s Disease.
• Oils (dietary oils) – Fish Oils reduce the rate of relapses in Crohn’s Disease patients (due to the anti-inflammatory effects of the Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) content of Fish Oils).
• Yeasts – Saccharomyces boulardii (750 – 2,000 mg per day) helps to prevent the (chronic) Diarrhea that affects many Crohn’s Disease patients.

These Substances can Cause Crohn’s Disease

• Carbohydrates - Excessive consumption of Sucrose (in the form of refined table Sugar) has been implicated as a possible cause of Crohn’s Disease and 80% of Crohn’s Disease patients who adopt a Sucrose-free diet achieve an improvement in symptoms after 18 months.
• Immune System Chemicals – Immune Complexes (formed by the combination of Antigens with specific Antibodies) are strongly speculated to initiate the autoimmune reactions that are implicated in Crohn’s Disease.
• Lipids – Excessive production of Leukotriene B4 is implicated in the Inflammation that occurs in Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Microorganisms – Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is strongly suspected of causing Crohn’s Disease in persons susceptible to Crohn’s Disease.
• Pharmaceutical Drugs – It has been speculated that excessive use of Pharmaceutical Antibiotics may be an underlying cause of Crohn’s Disease. Synthetic Estrogens (e.g. those utilized in Oral Contraceptives) increase the risk of developing Crohn’s Disease: Women who use the Oral Contraceptive Pill have 2.6 times the risk for developing Crohn’s Disease.

These Foods may Exacerbate Crohn’s Disease

• Dairy Products – Dairy Products exacerbate the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease in many (20% to 50% of) Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Grains – Wheat exacerbates the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease in many (approximately 70% of) Crohn’s Disease patients.
• Yeasts – Baker’s Yeast exacerbates the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease.

These Ailments can Cause/Exacerbate Crohn’s Disease

• Digestive System – Intestinal Permeability may be an underlying cause of Crohn’s Disease (most Crohn’s Disease patients are found to have Intestinal Permeability).
• Immune System – Food Allergies can exacerbate the condition of Crohn’s Disease patients – removing the offending Foods can result in the remission of some Crohn’s Disease patients. Excessive activity of TH1 Helper T-Cells (known as TH1 Helper T-Cells Dominance) may be an underlying cause of Crohn’s Disease.
• Metabolism - <Free Radicals-generated Oxidative Stress has been implicated as a cause of Crohn’s Disease.

Crohn’s Disease can Cause these Ailments (Symptoms)

• Cardiovascular System – Anemia can occur as a result of Crohn’s Disease.
• Digestive System – (Painful) Diarrhea can occur as a result of Crohn’s Disease. Indigestion can occur as a result of Crohn’s Disease. Intestinal Cramps (including severe abdominal Pain) can occur as a symptom of Crohn’s Disease. Malabsorption of nutrients can occur as a result of Crohn’s Disease.
• Immune System – People who have had Crohn’s Disease for ten years or more have an increased risk of Colon Cancer. Fever can occur as a result of Crohn’s Disease.
• Metabolism – Crohn’s Disease often causes a loss of weight (Cachexia). Crohn’s Disease often causes fatigue.
• Musculoskeletal System – Abscesses can occur as a result of Crohn’s Disease.
• Nervous System – Crohn’s Disease often causes loss of Appetite. Crohn’s Disease causes Pain.

Diagnosing Crohn’s Disease
The usual method that physicians use to correctly diagnose Crohn’s Disease is a Barium swallow or Barium enema. Other methods that are employed to correctly diagnose Crohn’s Disease include:

- Sigmoidoscopy
- Colonoscopy (including tissue biopsy)
- X-Rays of the Large Intestine and Small Intestine

Complete Blood Count is an essential test for almost all patients. It detects anemia, infections, leukemia, mononucleosis, and many other diseases. A complete blood count includes the following tests:

• White blood count: Determination of the number of white cells in a measured volume (usually a cubic millimeter). There are several different types of white blood cells; they all form the first line of defense against disease.
  - High: Infection, leukemia, cancer
  - Low: Low immunity, leukemia, cancer.
• Red blood count: Determination of the number of red blood cells in a measured volume.
  - High: Lung disease, blood cancer kidney disease.
• Hemoglobin: The red coloring material/the oxygen carrying pigment of the erythrocyte (red blood corpuscle). Formed in the bone marrow, it carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissue and carbon dioxide from the tissue to the lungs.
  - High: Same as for red blood count, shortness of breath.
• Hematocrit: The percentage of erythrocytes (red blood corpuscles) to the original blood volume. The count depends mostly on the number of red blood cells, and to some extent on the average size of the red blood cell. Usually the count is about 3 times the hemoglobin value (assuming no marked hypochromia).
  - High: Same as red blood count.
  - Low: Same as red blood count.
• MCV: Mean corpuscular volume is the average measure (volume) of the size of red blood cells.
  - High: Lack of B12, low folic acid, pernicious anemia.
  - Low: Low iron, sickle cell disease.
• MCH: Mean corpuscular hemoglobin is an estimate of the amount of hemoglobin in the average red blood cell.
• MCHC: Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration is an estimate of the average hemoglobin concentration of the average RBC. This depends on red cell size as well as on the actual amount of hemoglobin contained in the cell.
• Platelet count: Disk shaped cell primarily influencial in blood coagulation.
  - High: Blood disease.
  - Low: Bruising, bone marrow disease.
• Lymphocytes: White blood cells which play a major role in immune defenses.
  - High: See white blood cell.
  - Low: See white blood cell.
• Monocytes: A mononuclear leukocyte formed in the bone marrow and transported to tissues such as the lungs and liver. Their function is to aid in antibody production in the event if infection or inflammation.
  - High: Mononucleosis, leukemia, fatigue, fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes.
• Granulocytes: Any cell containing granules especially a leukocyte.
  - High: Bacterial infection, leukemia.
  - Low: Low immunity.

CMP (Complete metabolic panel) or SMAC ( SERUM MECHANICAL AUTOMATED CHEMISTRY ) BLOOD TEST

Is an analysis of at least 29 different chemical elements in the blood. This includes kidney and liver function as well as some minerals, blood sugar, enzyme levels, etc. It includes the following tests:

• Calcium: An essential dietary element. Constant blood Ca is necessary for the maintenance of normal heartbeat, and normal functioning of nerves and muscles. The most abundant mineral in the body, it combines with phosphorus to form teeth and bones. It is also important in blood coagulation and in many enzyme functions.
  - High: Hyperparathyroidism, cancer, bone disease.
• Ionized Calcium: Same as above.
  - High: Same as above.
• Phosphorous: A mineral and a major component of bone, but abundant in all tissue. Essential in almost every chemical reaction in the body. Absorbed from the intestine into the blood and stored in bones and teeth. Absorption is dependent on vitamin D and calcium. Absorption is inhibited by excessive iron, aluminum, and magnesium.
  - High: May be indicative of kidney failure, and/or hypoparathyroid.
  - Low: Can cause arthritis, pyorrhea, rickets, tooth decay, weight loss or gain, irregular breathing, mental and physical fatigue, and nervous disorders.
• Alkaline Phosphatase: A phosphate enzyme active in an alkaline medium such as blood serum or plasma, bone, kidneys, mammary glands, spleen, lung, adrenal cortex, etc.
  - High: Elevations occur in liver and bone disorders and in the third trimester of pregnancy, in osteoporosis, fractured bones, multiple myeloma, etc. Extremely high levels are most often seen in bile duct obstruction, cholestasis, and Paget’s disease of the bone.
• Bilirubin, Total: Bilirubin is a bile pigment, a breakdown product of heme. It normally circulates in the plasma as a complex with albumin and is taken up by the liver. Total is the sum of “direct” and “indirect.”
• Bilirubin, Direct: Accumulates in the blood and tissues and is excreted in the urine.
• Bilirubin, Indirect: Not excreted in the urine. High concentrates may result in jaundice, or indicate severe liver disease.
• AST (SGOT): Serum glutamic oxaliacetic acid is primarily present in the heart, liver, skeletal muscles and in the kidneys.
  - High: Can indicate disease in any of the above areas. Ex. hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, cirrhosis, muscular dystrophy, etc. When heart attack occurs, highest levels of SGOT are roughly proportional to the degree of cardiac damage.
  - Low: Can indicate pregnancy.
• ALT (SGPT): Serum glutamic pyruvic transsaminase is an enzyme normally present in the liver and other body tissues. It is releawsed into the blood as a result of tissue injury or whenever a disease affects the liver, kidney, heart, or skeletal muscles.
  - High: Very high: hepatitis, infectious mononucliosis.
  - Moderately high: cirrhosis and jaundice.
  - Occasional: muscular dystrophy, myocardial infarction, dermatomyositis.
• LDH: Lactic dehydrogenase is widespread in tissues, particularly the kidneys, skeletal muscles, liver, and myocardium.. It is an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of lactate and piruvate, and appears in elevated concentrations when these tissues are injured by disease and/or trauma.
  - High: Tissue injury, blood clots.
• Gamma GT: Confirms the liver origin of elevated alkaline phosphatase. Isolated or disproportionate elevations are found in alcohol abuse.
  - High: Occurs in most types of liver disease.
• Total Protein: Albumins and globulins are the most abundant proteins in the blood. Improper digestion and/or utilization effect total protein concentration. High or low serum protein levels require further diagnostic testing to determine which protein is involved.
• Albumin: Protein found in animal and vegetable tissue. Transports fatty acids, bilirubin, and poorly soluble hormones. Aids in the maintenance of osmotic pressure and binding of toxic metals. Distributed throughout the body, including bone and skin. In normal people dehydration from exercise increases albumin levels, bed rest decreases concentrations.
  - High: Excess protein intake, dehydration.
  - Low: May indicate liver disease which in turn effects the supply of amino acids to the liver. Increases in utilization of albumin by liver, spleen, kidney, and muscles may result in hypoalbuminemia (low albumin), or a large variety of diseases or injuries.
• Globulin: A type protein not soluble in water.
  - High: Pregnancy, hypothyroidism, biliary cirrhosis, obstructive jaundice, hepatitis, nephrosis.
  - Low: Malnutrition

A/G Ratio (Albumin to Globulin ratio)

• CPK, Total: Creatinine phosphokinase is an enzyme of the skeletal muscle, myocardium, and brain tissue that catalyzes transfer of a phosphate group thus producing creatinine and ATP (adenosine triphosphate), both integral in energy production.
• BUN: Blood urea nitrogin is measurerd to determine kidney function; the count usually parallels creatinine.
  - High: Usually indicates a kidney disorder or too much protein in the diet. Low: Excessive fluid intake
• Creatinine: Final waste product of protein metabolism and is found in the muscles and blood and is excreted in the urine. Measurement of serum creatinine determines renal function.
  - High: Suggests chronic kidney disease.
  - Low: Excessive fluid intake.
• BUN/Creatinine ratio:
  - High: Prerenal or postrenal azotemia.
  - Low: Primary renal disease.
• Glucose: Blood sugar is the end product of carbohydrate metabolism, the body’s chief source of energy. Utilization of glucose is controlled by insulin.
  - High: Generally indicative of diabetes mellitus Low: When combined with high insulin indicates insulinoma, hypoglycemia, etc.
• Uric acid: The major end product of animal protein metabolism, elimated by the kidneys, and a common constituent of kidney stones.
  - High: Excessive protein in the diet, stress related, gout or inflammatory arthritis due to uric acid deposits in the tissues, diabetes, and/or the use of diuretics. Accumulations in the kidneys may lead to stones and kidney failure.
  - Low: May indicate liver disease, over consumption of fluids.
• Sodium: Essential mineral found predominantly in extracellular fluids, vascular fluids, arteries, veins and capillaries, intestinal fluids surrounding cells, and within the bones. Functions with potassium to equalize the acid-alkali factor in the blood, helps regulate water balance in the body, involved in muscle relaxation and contraction, and in nerve stimulation.
  - High: Potassium loss, edema, dizziness, high blood pressure.
  - Low: Treatment with diuretics, overhydration, glandular problems.
• Potassium: Essential mineral found mainly in the intracellular fluid. 5% of the total mineral content of the body. Necessary for normal growth, and stimulation of nerve impulses for muscle contractions. Aids in keeping the skin healthy. Assists in the conversion of glucose to glycogen for storage in the liver. Functions in cell metabolism, enzyme reactions, synthesis of muscle protein from amino acids, normalizes heartbeat, unites with phosphorus in getting oxygen to the brain.
  - High: Kidney failure, severe lack of fluid, hypoglycemia. *Acidosis tissue has a potassium deficit when plasma levels are registering normal or high.
  - Low: Excessive use of salt, inadequate fruits and vegetables, stress, severe malnutrition, nervous disorders, insomnia, constipation, slow and irregular heartbeat, muscle damage, diabetes, excessive cortisone and/or aldosterone, weakness, sagging muscles, acne, dry skin.
• Chloride: Essential mineral mainly in combination with sodium and potassium. Helps regulate acid/alkali balance, stimulate production of hydrochloric acid for protein digestion and for digestion of fiberous foods. Stimulates the liver to function as a filter for waste products. Aids in keeping joints and tendons in youthful condition, and helps distribute hormones.
  - High: Too much salt in diet, kidney failure.
  - Low: Hair and tooth loss, poor muscular contraction, impaired digestion, diuretic use.
• Carbon Dioxide: Gas formed in the tissues and eliminated by the lungs. Assists in maintaining neutrality of body tissues and fluids.
  - High: Lung disease, acidosis
  - Low: Hyperventilation, kidney disease.

Anion Gap: Indicates metabolic acid/base imbalance

• Cholesterol: A lipid or fat-related substance necessary for good health. It is a normal component of most body tissue especially the brain and nervous system, liver, and blood. Necessary to form the sex and adrenal hormones, vitamin D, and bile. It also plays a role in skin lubrication. Lecithin decreases cholesterol in some people.
  - High: Elevated lipids may be present in diabetes, hypothyroidism, nephrotic syndrome, pancreatitis, or alcoholism. Leads to hardening of the arteries, heart attacks, strokes.
  - Low: May indicate severe liver damage, hypothyroidism, malnutrition, or other severe infections.
• Triglycerides: Large fat molecules made from carbohydrate which break down during enzymatic hydrolysis into free fatty acids. Free fatty acids pass from the intestine into the blood. High blood levels produce fat deposits along artery walls. Free fatty acids are increased with consumption of sugar, white flour, refined/processed carbohydrates, alcohol, etc.
  - High: Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, aches, and pains.
• LDL: Low density lipoproteins: The worst type of cholesterol.
  - High: Heart problems, hardening of the arteries.
• Iron: An essential mineral present in every cell. All iron is associated with protein. The major function of iron is to combine with copper and protein in the production of hemoglobin. Iron is also necessaary for the formation of enzymes that facilitate protein metabolism. Absorbtion is from the upper small intestine and is facilitated by ascorbic acid. Iron is stored in the liver, spleen, bone marrow, and blood.
  - High: May indicate cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, pancreas insufficiency, hemolytic or aplastic anemia, Gilbert’s disease. Too much iron can result in siderosis, damage to the heart, liver, and/or pancreas.
  - Low: May indicate hypochromic anemia, GI bleeding, malnutrition, pregnancy.

Urinalysis

• Color: Red  blood.Color should be pale yellow. Brown: blood. Dark orange: bile:
• Appearance: Usually reported only if abnormal.
• Specific gravity: Indicative of renal function. May indicate diabetes insipidus, or severe hyperthyroidism, or sickle cell anemia. It also has an effect on the other aspects of a urine test. If lower than 1010, too much fluid. If higher than 1020, too little fluid.
• Leukocytes: WBC sometimes found in urine. More than 3 indicate infection.
• Nitrite: A salt of nitrous acid sometimes found in urine. Positive in infection.
• Ph: Normal urine is acid. It may be alkaline in alkalosis or in some specific cases of kidney disease. If lower than 6.5, your body is too acid. If higher than 7.0, too alkaline.
• Protein: Indicates the amount and the size of protein molecules. Since there are many types of protein, different types can indicate different problems. Positive in kidney disease, or too much protein in diet, diabetes.
• Ketone: An organic compound found in diabetes, etc.
• Urobilinogen: Appears classically as a secondary product from increased RBC breakdown. May also be present in hepatitis.
• Bilirubin: Conjugated only is excreted in the urine and may indicate cholestasis.
• Red blood cells: Gross urinary bleeding can indicate stones, tumors, tuberculosis, acute glomerulonephritis. Occasional bleeding can indicate bleeding and clotting disorders, blood dyscrasias, renal infarction, malignant hypertension, collagen diseases, various bladder and prostatic conditions.
• White blood cells: Indicates an infection in the urinary tract. Epithelial cells: May indicate infection of the kidney or urinary tract.
• Bacteria: May indicate an infection.
• Casts: Fatty casts, RBC, and WBC casts are always significant.

Thyroid Profile

Includes:

• TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone): The higher this number the slower the thyroid function.
• T3 uptake Thyroxine: (T4) Free thyroxine index