Without integrity, you're only hurting yourself

Without Integrity, You're Only Hurting Yourself by Dr. Gene Clerkin, D.C.

This morning, just as I sat down to write this article, a telemarketer called and asked, “May I speak to the person in charge of your printer supplies?” I politely replied, “Can you please take us off your list?” He told me if I didn't want to receive phone calls I should just disconnect my phone, and then he hung up without giving me a chance to reply. I had to laugh at his logic though.

I found the incident particularly funny since I was going to write about telemarketing calls for this month's newsletter. Last week, I got a telemarketing call from someone representing a copier company. Since I've received calls from this company before, I recognized the script. It reads something like this: “This is John, yeah, we're sending out the catalog. We just need to check the serial number on your copier, could you check?”

Of course, I don't have a copier, which is what I told them the first several times I got the call. I usually try to be as pleasant as possible, but my mischievous side takes over now and again and I'm likely to say, “Copier, what are you talking about? Who did you say this was? I don't know what you're talking about.” I suppose it wasn't really right for me to have fun at the expense of the person on the other end of the line trying to make a living, but nobody's perfect.

The fact is I really feel disappointment for that person, not because he is making his living telemarketing, but because the script he is required to read leaves him doing it in a dishonest fashion. I imagine that he doesn't realize the significance of being out of integrity, but I have no doubt he experiences its effects.

Integrity is an aspect of wellness we don't often hear about since it is not often discussed.

I recall my good friend and colleague Dr. Wayne Leyshon referring to this many years ago when he said, “Your life doesn't work when you're out of integrity.” It immediately made sense to me even if I didn't understand how it tied into wellness at the time.

People experiencing greater wellness initially feel a more peaceful state of mind, less depression and anxiety, and an increase in positive feelings about themselves. As they progress, they report quality of life changes such as confidence in dealing with adversity, more guidance by their inner voice and, of course, compassion for others. I think it's safe to say that compassion and deceit are incongruent.

But here's the catch — while wellness means ever expanding levels of awareness in your body, your life and the world around you, the more wellness you are experiencing, the more intolerant you will be of things that are incongruent with your body, mind and soul. This concept can be expanded to include all of humanity. When I was a kid, I remember seeing a bumper sticker that read, “As long as there is oppression, no one can truly be free.” While I was certainly not in support of oppression, I didn't realize at the time how it had any effect on me. From a spiritual sense, we begin to realize that we all come from the same Source, and to hurt another is congruent to hurting yourself.

I don't think it's possible for someone to feel true compassion for others and, at the same time, try and trick or deceive them. When you are aware of your body you immediately feel your own physiological reaction to all of your thoughts and actions, positive or negative. When you are living and acting without (or “out of”) integrity, you can't experience a state of inner peace and the physiology indicative of it. When we have a physiology of dis-ease and a relative disconnection from really feeling our body, eventually we will experience some kind of symptom as a way for our body to get our attention.

By sacrificing his integrity in order to boost sales, the telemarketer is unknowingly deteriorating the quality of his own life. I don't know him personally, but I would be willing to bet that it is showing up in some fashion, whether in physical symptoms or life situations. My hope for him and for all of us is that we recognize the symptoms as signals for self reflection and change.

— Dr. Gene Clerkin, D.C.

Image: "Integrity," by Kris Ralph. Used with her kind permission. See her amazing collection of paintings at http://www.makinwhoopee.com.au/pastels.html


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Garlic and lung cancer

This is a reprint of a guest article Dr. Duke gave me last year. It was posted previously on my blog WaveFunctionCollapse.com.

Garlic and Lung Cancer by Dr. Jim Duke, Ph.D.

I’ve had a deep hacking cough in need of an expectorant this month, and garlic is breaking it up very nicely. I’ve never eaten garlic so many ways — cooked, in my soups and stews and bean dishes, a garlic hot-dog-be-gone (like a hotdog with all the trimmings, onion, garlic, mustard, ketchup, pickle relish, but no hot dog), garlic butter on my garlic toast, garlic/olive oil/chile/vinegrette on my salads, garlic-stuffed olives, cooked garlic seed (which look and taste just like miniature garlic cloves, but you don’t have to dig them. They are close to mouth high here in the Green Farmacy Garden. Almost too hot to eat raw, that heat will open the sinuses, if not threaten an incipient cancer. Seeds are quite pleasant after boiling, when I munch on them, 5-10 an hour. And dangerously, I peeled and swallowed a couple whole, medium-sized cloves, knowing that the herbalists always recommend a clove a day. They slipped down pretty easily. (But don’t you bloggers try this.) I have even strung myself a new garlic necklace, to keep the vampires away, if not anthrax and cancer. (I have evidence that it works against all three.)

With Peter Jennings expiring due to lung cancer this month and Dana Reeve coming out of the lung cancer closet, ex-smokers are seeking advice on how they might improve their odds against this quick and dirty killer, lung cancer. It dawned on me as I expired the heat of fresh garlic, that there was no herb better equipped to deliver medicinal power and punch to the lungs. Some garlic chemicals are expired within just a few minutes after ingestion. They can even be detected in the breath of nursing babies whose mothers ingested garlic. I have a 52-page printout of the hundreds of herbs that have folkloric anticancer reputations, and, like a Gatesian magician, my computer has moved the most important of these hundreds of herbs to the top of the 52 pages. And voila, what I would call a dynamic duo of superstar herbs, garlic and green tea. I’d take both if I were genetically or environmentally targetted for lung cancer. And to further improve my luck I’d enjoy three brazilnuts a day to get that chemopreventive 200 micrograms of selenium.

I’ll just talk about the Biblical garlic today, thinking that among those 95% of Americans who pray when ill, thousands may be ex-smokers wishing they had never smoked. But if they believe that the garlic can help them, as prayer can help them, then they have two things going for them. And in this battle you need as many helpers as you can enlist. There are many other reasons that I suggest garlic. Many of its active compounds are moved thru the bloodstream to the lungs, thus getting some anticancer activity to the lungs. Additionally garlic has over a dozen immune stimulant compounds. In a great book by Koch and Lawson [Garlic — The Science and Therapeutic Application of Allium sativum L. and Related Species. 2nd Ed. 1996], we read of clinical trials whereby those who ate raw garlic doubled the immune natural killer cell activity. Diallyl sulfide significantly improved the ability of the macrophages to fight tumor cells. Koch and Lawson also recite epidemiological studies indicating that those people who consume the most garlic and onion have the fewest cancers. And pre-echoing what my Nicobase said above, Koch and Lawson say "The consumption of black or green tea,, as well as of garlic, is known to be a culinary practice which inhibits tumorigenesis in the lung, forestomach and esophagus" (p. 176). At that time they reported only one clinical trial of garlic with cancer, and it was positive though basd on injections. I’m talking food pharmacy. Remember many of the chemicals in ingested garlic go to the lungs for excretion in the breath. I failed when I went to PubMed and searched for clinical trials on lung cancer and garlic.

But again I did find this quote in one of the two abstracts that surfaced. "Among the numerous other compounds and dietary substances purported to have chemopreventive effect, soybeans, garlic, and green tea stand out as having the greatest promise and can freely be recommended to patients." (Kamat and Lamm, 2002 PubMed 12109342). Urge your congressman to urge a mandated garlic arm in future clinical trials of pharmaceuticals for lung-cancer. Garlic is a cocktail of anticancer phytochemcials, dozens of them, some of which may have just the activities needed to turn incipient or developing cancers around.

Chang, HP et al (2005) suggest that garlic oil's anticarcinogenic activities may be due to (1)antioxidant activity; (2)induction of apoptosis; (3)inhibition of DNA-adduct formation; (4)modulation of immune function and/or (5)modulation of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme activities. There are dozens of other phytochemical reasons. For several other useful phytochemical activities in whole garlic, consult the multiple-activity-menu site at the USDA http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/dev/all.html . You’ll be overwhelmed by the 19-page printout you’ll get. I'll not include it in this blog, but I am willing to e-mail it to bloggers who’d like a copy. I’m convinced that this Biblical herb, so well remembered during the desparate desert ordeal, should be clinically tried in the desparate ordeal of lung cancer.

Response to Wall Street Journal's anti-natural op-ed piece 'No Alternative'

Alternative Med: Second Opinion

By Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA

The op-ed piece on August 7 titled “No Alternative” leaves me with no alternative but to critique the selective facts presented. That article does not accurately represent the facts involved in these studies.

The author begins by claiming that rigorous assessments of glucosamine and saw palmetto “failed to show clinical efficacy.” That statement is so over-generalized that it is demonstrably untrue.

In the case of glucosamine, long term studies have shown that it helps to prevent narrowing of the spaces between joint structures. This is an important clinical determination of whether or not a joint is disintegrating or maintaining its cushioning structures. I have been told by leading physicians at Northwestern University’s Medical Center that glucosamine is an important component of their arthritis protocol for this reason, and the scientific evidence is convincing to these professionals.

In the study cited in the article, the author was incorrect in saying that “there was no statistical benefit” for glucosamine. The actual study did note a statistically significant benefit, saying, “For patients with moderate-to-severe pain at baseline, the rate of response was significantly higher with combined therapy (glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate) than with placebo...” In other words, the supplements were effective for those with the worst arthritis pain! This was only a 24 week trial, and although longer term studies show that maintaining joint structure distances is not directly related to reducing joint pain, in this study glucosamine and chondroitin did help those suffering the most from arthritis pain. Other studies have shown the long term joint structure protection for patients given glucosamine.

Another study was cited as proof that the herb Saw Palmetto “failed to show clinical efficacy”. That is not an accurate statement, as the herb was used only on those with more severe forms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), while it has historically only been used on milder forms. One study testing a dietary supplement on the sickest patients, when the herb has not even been previously thought to work on severe cases, is not in any way representative of the body of science that has found this herb to be successful in mild cases of BPH.

Yet another example given was of the herb St. John’s wort. Yes, it was not successful against major depression, a use which no one had ever claimed. The previous science successfully used the herb against mild depression. More telling, a prescription drug –tested and officially approved for use against depression – was equally ineffective against major depression, a fact that was curiously absent in the article, implying a pro-pharmaceutical bias combined with a bias against dietary supplements and other alternative modalities. The study went far beyond known uses of either of these therapies, and no one should use the results as “proof” that the herb (or the drug) is ineffective for typical uses. The journal American Family Physician reviewed the medical literature and reported, “St. John's wort has been found to be superior to placebo and equivalent to standard antidepressants for the treatment of mild to moderate depression.”

I find the unrepresentative samples of negative data used in the article to be extremely misleading, creating a false impression that natural products never work. It calls into question the objectivity of the author that there is no appropriate context to these few examples, and that large bodies of science are ignored in order to make his point. That is unscientific, not the tens of thousands of published studies on nutrition, dietary supplements and complementary medicine that were too unimportant to mention.

It would be unfortunate if people do not consider the well-documented uses of alternative medicine and instead believe that the magic of conventional medicine can cure all. The good doctors at Northwestern are enlightened enough to endorse a science-based complementary care model that seems to work. I urge the Journal’s readers to check the facts for themselves before accepting this prescription for ignorance. Get a second opinion.

www.honestnutrition.com

REFERENCES:

Clegg DO, et al. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 2006 Feb 23;354(8):795-808. PMID: 16495392

Rovati LC, et al. Assessment of joint space narrowing with conventional standing antero-posterior radiographs: relief in mild-to-moderate pain is not a confounder in recent osteoarthritis structure-modifying drug trials. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2006;14 Suppl A:A14-8. Epub 2006 May 5. PMID: 16678450

Pavelka K, et al. Glucosamine sulfate use and delay of progression of knee osteoarthritis: a 3-year, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Arch Intern Med. 2002 Oct 14;162(18):2113-23. PMID: 12374520

McAlindon TE, et al. Glucosamine and chondroitin for treatment of osteoarthritis: a systematic quality assessment and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2000 Mar 15;283(11):1469-75. Review. PMID: 10732937

Wilt T, et al. Serenoa repens for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(3):CD001423. Review. PMID: 12137626

Bent S, et al. Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia. N Engl J Med. 2006 Feb 9;354(6):557-66. PMID: 16467543

Fong YK, et al. Role of phytotherapy in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Curr Opin Urol. 2005 Jan;15(1):45-8. Review. PMID: 15586030

Wilt TJ, et al. Phytotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Public Health Nutr. 2000 Dec;3(4A):459-72. PMID: 11276294

Wilt TJ, et al. Saw palmetto extracts for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a systematic review. JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1604-9. Erratum in: JAMA 1999 Feb 10;281(6):515. PMID: 9820264

Szegedi A, et al. Acute treatment of moderate to severe depression with hypericum extract WS 5570 (St John's wort): randomised controlled double blind non-inferiority trial versus paroxetine. BMJ. 2005 Mar 5;330(7490):503. Epub 2005 Feb 11. Erratum in: BMJ. 2005 Apr 2;330(7494):759. dosage error in text. PMID: 15708844

Lecrubier Y, et al. Efficacy of St. John's wort extract WS 5570 in major depression: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2002 Aug;159(8):1361-6. PMID: 12153829

Kasper S, et al. Superior efficacy of St Johns wort extract WS(R) 5570 compared to placebo in patients with major depression: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial [ISRCTN77277298]. BMC Med. 2006 Jun 23;4(1):14 [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 16796730

Schulz V. Safety of St. John's Wort extract compared to synthetic antidepressants. Phytomedicine. 2006 Feb;13(3):199-204. Epub 2005 Nov 2. Review. PMID: 16428030

Lawvere S, Mahoney MC. St. John's wort. Am Fam Physician. 2005 Dec 1;72(11):2249-54. Review. PMID: 16342849