Must-See Documentary: HOT FLASH HAVOC

A new documentary HOT FLASH HAVOC just came out about women and menopause and hormones. It is funny, insightful, and full of clear, honest information about the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and hormone therapy. The WHI is the monumental study that, in 2002, led to women dropping hormone therapy abruptly when it reportedly showed an increase in breast cancer and cardiovascular events. Women were told that hormones were bad and you should not take them and if you did take them, take them only for the shortest amount of time possible.

The movie is packed with experts, including Joanne Hanson, MD (WHI principle investigator and Professor of Women’s Health and Medicine, Harvard Medical School) and Wulf Utian, MD (President of North American Menopause Society – NAMS) discussing what we now know is a hugely flawed study that seemed to counteract previous years of studies showing benefits of hormone replacement therapy. Why were the results of the study presented so negatively? I have puzzled over this. But as usual, if you follow the money you can find answers. I wonder what kind of economic impact it would have if women did not need to take statins? Antidepressants? Sleeping pills?

Educational and informative, the movie is designed to give you answers regarding menopause, hormone therapy, and what your options are. This could be the most important movie you ever watch. Rent it, buy the DVD, watch for an event in your area, grab a girlfriend and spend an evening learning about this period of life that effects all women. It could save your life.

UPDATE 4/24/13: You can rent the film through this link – pay once & watch it as many times as you’d like during a 5 day rental period:

Give Pu’erh a Chance

Tea cake – Xiaguan Te Ji (Special grade) raw tuocha

I was first introduced to Pu’erh tea in the early ‘90’s when I attended an integrative medicine conference as part of my Integrative Medicine Fellowship with Andrew Weil.  We were introduced to all sorts of delicious “new” foods (at the time, “new” to me and to most).  There were artisan dark chocolate, grains like amaranth and quinoa and of course organically grown fruits and vegetables.  One of the few conferences that I have attended in which the food was not only delicious but nutritious.

HCG Weight-Loss Program Launching at H.E.A.L.

H.E.A.L Medical Corp is now offering an amazing weight-loss system that specializes in detoxification, HCG, and long-term maintenance. Find out how our patients are losing weight at an astonishing rate and keeping it off.

Mark your calendars for our first educational group meeting
February 16th, 2013, at 10 AM, 2134 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco

Please email hcg@marshanunleymd.com for more information about the program.

The HCG diet
What is HCG and is it the Solution for Weight Loss?
HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is the hormone that is secreted in enormous quantities during pregnancy and is essential to a viable pregnancy. HCG can stimulate young or poorly developed sex organs but has essentially no effect on adult sex organs. It has been used in men to increase LH which can increase testosterone if the testes are capable. It has also been used in young boys who have failed to develop sexually with resultant change in body habitus to more masculine and development of secondary sex characteristics.

The HCG diet was originally proposed and developed by A.T.W. Simeons in the 1950’s. He developed a hypothesis that obesity was not the cause but the result of a problem in an area of the brain called the diencephalon (hypothalamus). This part of the brain controls all of our autonomic functions such as breathing, digestion, hunger, satiety, heartbeat, etc. It also controls the pituitary gland which manages our endocrine system. His theory is that the diencephalon because of various hormonal imbalances causes storage of fat that may not be readily accessible to the body. This fat is deposited when there is a surplus of food or energy that the body has to deal with. Because of the hormonal irregularities, when a person tries to lose weight, they end up losing muscle mass and what fat they lose comes from the face, breast, and muscle rather than the belly, hips, and thighs. A dysfunctional hypothalamus is supported by our ever-increasing girths and the direct toll that stress and toxicity have on our health and this part of the brain.

What does HCG do?

HCG appears to help the body lose unwanted fat and maintain muscle mass utilizing a very low-calorie diet. Simeons’ results showed positive effects on the hypothalamus with significant abnormal fat reduction and better muscle mass retention. HCG appears to accumulate in the hypothalamus when injected and likely affects the adipocyte through mediators in the hypothalamus. The adipocyte or fat cell is mobilized and decreased by HCG. The most sensitive fat cells to HCG seem to be the supra and infra umbilical regions.

Controversies

Many studies were done around Simeons’ protocol but only one actually followed his recommended protocol (Asher and Harper). This involved 40 patients with one group given placebo injections. There was a significant difference in weight loss in those patients on the HCG than those on placebo. Many “fat clinics” opened up eager to utilize this new therapy using various forms of the protocol and having varying degrees of success. Of course, eventually the FDA got involved and after investigation, in 1976, the FDA concluded that HCG was of no use in the management of obesity. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) required that patients be informed of these findings. The FTC ruled that a disclaimer must be included in any advertising. “These weight reduction treatments include the injections of HCG a drug which has not been approved by the FDA as safe and effective in the treatment of obesity or weight control. There is no substantial evidence that hCG increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or “normal” distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restrictive diets”. Well, there are literally thousands of people who beg to differ. Watch this video from Dr. Oz.

While HCG may not be FDA approved for weight loss, it has helped many people to lose weight. The best programs are those that offer a complete program that supports you before, during and after your weight loss. Unfortunately, it is not unusual to regain the weight rather quickly once you go off of the protocol. HCG does not cure obesity, reset the hypothalamus, or allow you to eat anything you want after treatment. HCG, with appropriate medical supervision, offers a safe and reliable method for obesity treatment. People lose fat and not lean mass. Results are fast and long-lasting if you are willing to make changes to your diet and lifestyle that will allow you to maintain your new body.

Thanks to Dr. Beth Golden and her invaluable experiences with the HCG diet and her incredible expertise in helping us to understand and launch our program.

*Results are typical but not guaranteed. The FDA has not approved hCG for weight loss and states there is no substantial evidence that hCG supports better weight loss than with a low-calorie diet.

Bleeding Risks Associated with Pradaxa

Our friends at drugwatch.com want to make sure those of you on Pradaxa are aware of the risks of this drug.  Pradaxa was designed to take the place of warfarin or coumadin as the blood thinner of choice because it does not require blood monitoring through lab draws (it is also a patented drug and costs lots and lots thereby greatly benefiting Boehringer Ingeleheliem).  Pradaxa works by inhibiting thrombin directly and preventing the formation of a clot and is primarily used in patients with atrial fibrillation.  The problem is there is no way to reverse the inhibition and restore the ability to clot in the event of an untoward event and there have been numerous fatalities due to uncontrolled bleeding. Pradaxa is no more effective than coumadin or warfarin (long off patent and dirt cheap), which can be easily reversed by the administration of vitamin K.  Pradaxa costs much, much more than warfarin, is dangerous and no more effective.  If you are on Pradaxa, I suggest you read this article and consider asking your doctor to change you to the much safer warfarin.
Around 2 million people take blood thinners to decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. Blood thinners work by preventing blood clots from forming in the arteries and veins. Unfortunately Pradaxa, a commonly prescribed blood thinner, puts people at a high risk of uncontrollable bleeding accidents and was associated with 3,781 serious adverse events in 2011, including 542 deaths.

Hidden Sugars Fuel Addictions

Guest post by Lillian Sanders

It’s no secret that cakes, cookies, and doughnuts all contain sugar.  People trying to be healthy or lose weight often scold their body to stay away from these obvious sugar-packed treats.  But look at the nutrition label for other foods, and you might be surprised to find that foods like burgers, salad dressings and even soups contain added sugar.  It seems to be lurking in almost every processed food now.  Although the idea of food being addictive is debated, the New York Times explains how new research is revealing that drug addictions and eating certain foods have much in common.

Continuing the Conversation about Hormone Replacement Therapy

Reblogged from Country Fried Choice:

This is the final post in a 7-part series about hormone replacement therapy by Planned Parenthood supporter and guest blogger Hedda Haning, M.D. of Charleston, WV.  Missed the previous post on this topic?  Find it here.

I hope, if nothing else, I made clear in earlier posts that there are many questions and few answers.  As far as I can tell, no one is seriously trying to learn more.

Read more… 708 more words

Final post in the Hormone Replacement Therapy series by Hedda Haning, MD

Hormone Replacement Therapy and the Use of Progesterone

Reblogged from Country Fried Choice:

This is the sixth in a 7-part series about hormone replacement therapy by Planned Parenthood supporter and guest blogger Hedda Haning, M.D. of Charleston, WV.  Missed the previous post on this topic?  Find it here.

For women who still have an intact uterus – never had a hysterectomy—the issue of hormone replacement therapy is particularly tricky.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, with a uterus, using estrogen alone increases the risk of uterine cancer. 

Read more… 436 more words

This is the sixth in a 7-part series about hormone replacement therapy by guest blogger Hedda Haning, M.D. of Charleston, WV.