ANH-Intl e-Alert

ANH-Intl e-Alert: What have prostate cancer, Crohn’s disease and whooping cough got in common? This week’s eAlert focuses on three important health issues that are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, over-diagnosed or mistreated. They are also often exploited for the sake of profit and to the detriment of those diagnosed or treated. The health issues – prostate cancer, Crohn’s disease and whooping cough (pertussis) – may be seemingly unrelated. But that’s only on the surface. Common threads There are several common threads running through all of this week’s stories. Firstly, they all suggest that the shrine at which the medical establishment worships – one called ‘evidence-based medicine’ – has yielded precious little to avert the human suffering associated with the diseases. Secondly, all three diseases reflect weaknesses in our immune system, something mainstream medicine, especially at the primary care level, is poor at addressing, And thirdly, we need to address our diet and lifestyles to reduce our chances – or those of our loved ones – of suffering from these diseases. As Plato so aptly put it, well over 2000 years ago: "We have made of our bodies living cesspools, and driven doctors to invent names for our diseases." The must-see documentary for men over 40 I want to provide a special plug for Peter Starr’s amazing documentary, Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery, Drugs or Radiation. It may be only directly relevant to the male readers among you, but given how difficult it is to get information about this subject, absolutely anyone may find the information invaluable to help their loved ones. UK subscribers who have read the Daily Mail today will know that low vitamin A levels are associated with greater incidence of prostate cancer. But, of course, there’s much more to it than that. And I’d excuse you if you were confused, because the very same newspaper told its readers back in May that vitamin A supplements, among others, could be dangerous. But this is the same circulating data from the same old misleading studies, repeated ad nauseam. Around 14% of men suffer from benign prostate enlargement (hypertrophy) during their 40s, rising to over 40% in their 60s. In the UK every year, 41,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and 10,000 die from the disease. In the USA, 20 million men are affected by prostate issues in one form or another. You could say it’s an ideal business model for the drug companies and the medical establishment: a disease that affects a vast number of people, but generally kills people only slowly, thereby giving a nice, big window of morbidity in which you can diagnose and treat – making lots of money in the process. Whooping with joy over profits Our whooping cough (pertussis) story also reveals the way in which data are being twisted for the sake of corporate profit. The problem is rampant, and it’s particularly disappointing when you see pregnant women and babies being the target, especially when efficacy rates are proven to be so low. Crohn’s disease – is junk food really the best option in the long-term? When it comes to autoimmune disorders, especially ones affecting the gut like Crohn’s disease, recent science is telling us over and over again that it’s our gut microflora that need addressing. You’ll remember that we support around 10 times more bacterial cells in our gut than we have human cells in our body — and these bacteria play a vital role in helping us to detect foods that are friends or foes. Well, find out how some people are forced to deal with the issue and make your own mind up as to what makes more common sense.