Dr. Craig Reese, DC, PC
DR.
CRAIG REESE, D.C., P.C.
January 2007 Newsletter
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Hope everyone had a great holiday season and got back safely from all
their travels. It is snowing again today which is very pretty but messy
to get around in. Since we have had so many snow days in the past few
weeks, I have had the TV news on which is something I rarely do. Consequently,
I get to see commercials I would never see normally. I’m always
amazed at the number of drug commercials per hour that we are blasted
with. We teach our kids that drugs are bad and then we indoctrinate them
for ten minutes every hour of TV watching about what drug will make them
feel good or brighten their day or save them from certain death.
Gardasil
The latest ad is aimed right at your daughters who are aged 9-26. It is a new vaccine that is touted as your daughter’s guarantee to prevent them from getting cervical cancer. It is designed to fight infection from four strains of human Papillomavirus (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18). It is a series of three vaccinations given over a six month period. It contains virus-like particles (VLP) made from the L-1 protein of these 4 viruses. It also contains water, yeast and aluminum but no mercury. The package insert can be seen at http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/g/gardasil/gardasil_pi.pdf . It has been studied on about 20,000 women over a four year period with good results so far. There have been no long term studies over 5 years for side effects or continued immunity and no studies done on men that I could find. It was interesting to note that the vaccination and the aluminum containing placebo had similar levels of side-effects but the aluminum-free placebo had about ½ the reaction of the other two.
Dr. Mercola’s View
Since there is a lot of information about HPV and this new vaccine, I’ve copied Dr. Mercola’s whole article so as not to misquote him: http://www.mercola.com
Feds Approve Unnecessary Cervical Cancer Vaccine That Will Make Drug Company Billions
All 11- and 12-year-old girls should receive a new vaccine to prevent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common cause of cervical cancer, according to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The recommendation is geared to reach girls before they begin sexual activity, as HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. However, the vaccine -- Gardasil, made by Merck -- is also advised for females aged 13-26.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil in June 2006. It is licensed for females aged 9-26 and is given in three doses over six months, at a cost of $120 per dose. Critics have raised concerns that states might require the HPV vaccine for school admission, a move that would make "state officials, not parents," in charge of the sexual health of U.S. children. No states are considering making the vaccine a school requirement at this time.
Over 6 million Americans are infected with HPV each year. Most infections clear up on their own, but certain types of HPV can cause cancer.
New
York Times June 30, 2006 (Registration Required)USA Today June 30, 2006
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
Yes, you read it correctly. This vaccine will cost as much as 10 times more than other vaccines. Nearly $400 for the three-dose series.
The panel's vote all but commits the federal government to buy vaccines for as many as 7 million girls at a total price that could exceed $2 billion. Yes folks, $2 billion for an absolutely unnecessary and worthless vaccine.
Let me be more precise, worthless for consumers who will receive it but not so worthless for Merck who will make billions from this vaccine. They have successfully manipulated the government again to transfer even more billions to their pockets.
I haven't had a chance to research it, but my strong guess is that this advisory panel is loaded with physicians connected to Merck and is rampant with conflict of interest just as others have been in the past.
Merck needs this vaccine, as they are losing billions on Vioxx and billions more on Fosamax for all the lawsuits those drugs generated.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just get a shot, or in the future just eat a plant that is reengineered to contain a vaccine, that would rid of us cancer? Of course it would.
Unfortunately, that is not the way our bodies were designed. Cancer prevention is not as simplistic as taking a vaccination. Maintaining a high level of immune integrity is the key, and this is done through the basics of emotional balancing, optimized nutrition, avoidance of toxins, proper sleep, exercise and hydration.
This research is clearly another deceptive ploy by Merck to generate revenue for their vaccine division in exchange for the delusional hope that a vaccine will reduce the risk of cancer.
Cervical Cancer Virtually 100% Avoidable
Cervical cancer is well documented to be caused by an infection acquired through sexual contact. So it is behaviorally avoidable. Many conservatives oppose making this vaccine mandatory, citing fears that it could send a subtle message condoning sexual activity before marriage.
Also, a New England Journal of Medicine study found the use of condoms reduces the incidence of HPV by 70 percent. By comparison, Gardasil counteracts four varieties of HPV that cause 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts.
According to the CDC, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in America (more than 6 million women contract it annually), yet the immune systems of many women are strong enough to clear up these infections on their own.
Cervical Cancer ReviewCervical cancer, arising in the lining of the cervix, affects about 9,700 women in the United States each year. About 3,700 die. Worldwide, a half million get the disease and 233,000 die.
Back in the 1970s, herpes simplex virus (HSV) was proposed as the sexually transmitted cause of cervical cancer, based mostly on population studies that showed a correlation of the disease with HSV DNA. That approach shifted to HPV in the 1980s, and over the years population studies set the pace for the now well-accepted view that cervical cancer is strongly related to the transmission of HPV.
This is a group of more than 100 viruses, about 30 of which are said to be linked to cervical cancer. Of these 30 or so, HPV-16 is said to be found in 50 percent of cervical cancers. HPV-18 accounts for another 20 percent.
In addition to the population studies that link HPV to cervical cancer, there is, for example, research showing that HPV viral DNA can be found integrated in the genetic structure of cervical cancers.
Back in 1992, however, a question was raised about the dominant and increasingly entrenched theory that HPV causes cervical cancer. It came from Peter Duesberg and Jody Schwartz, molecular biologists at the University of California at Berkeley.
Among the various issues they raised about the acceptance of HPV as the cause of cervical cancer was their fundamental concern that there was a lack of consistent HPV DNA sequences and consistent HPV gene expression in tumors that were HPV-positive. They instead suggested that "rare spontaneous or chemically induced chromosome abnormalities which are consistently observed in both HPV and HSV DNA-negative and positive cervical cancers induce cervical cancer."
In short, Duesberg and Schwartz were pointing to the possibility that "carcinogens may be primary inducers of abnormal cell proliferation rather than HPV or HSV." And here's the key point: "Since proliferating cells [cancer cells dividing wildly] would be more susceptible to infection than resting cells, the viruses would just be indicators rather than causes of abnormal proliferation."
The concept they raised back in 1992 is still relevant today, only science has gone on to assume that causation of cervical cancer has been well established.
Even the National Cancer Institute (NCI) says that "direct" causation has not been demonstrated; however, the NCI and just about everyone else works with the principle that it has been established. Lip service is paid to other possible factors that may be involved in cervical cancer such as environmental conditions, including smoking. Even dietary factors -- particularly low levels of vitamin A and folate -- have been suggested as associated with a risk for cervical cancer.
But once a vaccine to prevent HPV infection is raised as a weapon to prevent cervical cancer, then it's pretty clear that the medical establishment has gone all the way in accepting a theory.
Your Choice
Recently I heard a well meaning but misinformed state senator talk about making this vaccine mandatory for all young girls in Colorado,. Fortunately, this has not happened yet and I don’t know if there is even a bill before the state legislature but you may be hearing more about this in the near future. This vaccine will not kill an infection that you already have and it will not heal up the cervix that is already abnormal. Although HPV is the most common form of sexually transmitted disease, most HPV infections resolve themselves and are not a problem. Recurring infections can cause changes to the cervix and can then lead to cervical cancer. Genital and plantar warts are also caused by some strains of HPV. I have been able to correct an abnormal Pap smear by clearing up yeast and other infections in women and their sexual partners. I’m not fully convinced that HPV is the direct cause of cervical cancer and there are lots of natural anti-viral treatments like Echinacea, garlic, lomatium, aloe vera, etc. that can be tried, as a way to clear up HPV. Check out all the information available and make up your own mind. If you have an abnormal pap or warts, get in and we can help.
Breast Cancer Drop
On a similar note, in July of 2002 a study came out that said synthetic hormones were causing an increase in breast cancer and heart disease. Many women immediately stopped taking these medications. The next year the breast cancer rate fell by 7.2% which was the first time that cancer rate had fallen in decades. There is a great article about it at Raw Story: http://www.rawstory.com
Office News
The only schedule change for January is that I will be out of the office on Thursday January 18. Be careful shoveling all that snow!
