The Flu was spotted travelling downtown on the 6 train. It was also seen in a cab on 5^th Avenue. If you have listened to the media reports of late, you would think that the flu was literally travelling around Manhattan Island and the surrounding boroughs and suburbs. Well, we are all smart enough to know that this is just plain nonsense right? Oh you got the flu shot, oops sorry. Myself and other wellness advocates warned you of the false reporting delivered as advertising. Even “Oprah’s” doctor got into the marketability of fear. If we scare people enough they will take any action, let alone appropriate action.

“But my doctor told me to get it.” Which doctor? Are we there yet? Are we at the point where the health care professionals arrive at the realization that ultimately good health comes from the body and not from outside the body.

I purposely do not pay a lot of attention to the media; I will check traffic, weather and sports. But since I brought up the media let’s look at how they did with the latest flu stuff. From the NY Times…12/16/2009..Nearly a million doses of swine flu vaccine for infants may have been slightly less potent than required but should work anyway, federal officials said Tuesday in announcing a recall of the shots. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/health/16flu.html… Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu,  —The inactivated flu vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children especially the one with asthma. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519172045.htm

Next time a doctor starts quoting studies and data you should be prepared because the majority of the medical profession uses empirical data that is flawed as its guide.

So what should you do? How do you build a Titanium Immune system? Here it is plain and simple the recipe for Health and Wellness: Proper Nutrition of Fuel for the body, Exercise: Both cardiovascular/aerobic and resistance/muscle training for lean mass, Reduction and Avoidance of all medication, A Balance of stress and sense of Peace well functioning Nervous System

 Now, I eat pretty well and while I am not a vegetarian I do observe a fairly strict manner of eating. Some examples of my eating habits are: Very little sweets, no cow’s milk, mostly green vegetables, and organic grass fed beef when ever possible. I still do not get all of the necessary nutrients that my body needs. It is for this exact reason that everyday I take a multi vitamin( Douglas Labs Ultra Preventative X), Omega 3, pro-Biotic, and Wobenzyme. I also will take specialty supplements as needed.

During the months of November thru March I increase my vitamin C intake to 5,000 mg/day. Studies show that increased physical, chemical and mental stress will require increased Vitamin C needs. I will also periodically undergo an intestinal cleanse. I do not like any of the current so-called energy boosters. Most contain stimulants such as guarana or caffeine. If our energy is so low down, then we most likely are not getting enough rest and eating properly. Co-enzyme Q has proven to be a great energy booster and it actually helps asthmatics and boosts our immune system.  When my body is feeling run down such as when I do not get ample rest, or proper chiropractic adjustment; I will supplement with a reishii mushroom extract and immune formula.

So the obvious answer regarding Vitamins and supplements is we need to take them. If you currently do not supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals or would like to review your current protocol ask us and we will point you in the right direction. You may also see the web site which is now updated so that you may order via the web …   http://thewellnesscenterofny.com/what_is_wellness.html

Poland is the only country known to have refused H1N1 swine flu vaccines due to safety concerns

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wednesday, January 13th 2010, 11:17 AM

Sokolowski/AP

WARSAW, Poland — The decision seemed fraught with risk: a government refusing to import swine flu vaccines amid worldwide warnings of a spreading epidemic.

But Poland did just that, becoming the only country worldwide known to reject the vaccines over safety fears and distrust in the drug companies producing them - concerns international health experts reject as unfounded.

Now that the current outbreak appears to have peaked in much of Europe, many Poles feel their government has been vindicated: Countries with large stockpiles often saw low public interest in the vaccines and face financial loss from unused doses now set to expire. But Poland’s government didn’t spend a cent fighting the epidemic.

All along, the decision by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Health Minister Ewa Kopacz met with broad support. Even with 145 swine flu deaths in Poland to date, many Poles view the rejection of the vaccines as a laudable gesture of defiance against pharmaceutical companies, sentiment shaped by a strengthening anti-vaccine movement and conspiracy theories about the vaccines circulating on the Internet.

“I had the impression that the information about swine flu was manipulated in order to create a panic,” said Barbara Lazniewska, a 38-year-old architect who was among the many Poles to applaud the government’s stance.

Poles take pride in having a strong independent streak and many respect the government for defying the EU, the World Health Organization and other international groups that urged countries to implement vaccination programs - advice that smacked to some of meddling in internal affairs.

The prime minister described Poland as a country with the rare “courage” to refuse a vaccine that he believes has not undergone sufficient testing.

“We are making this decision only in the interest of the Polish patient and the taxpayer,” Tusk insisted in December. “We will not take part because it’s not honest and it’s not safe for the patient.”

The anti-vaccine movement argues it is untested or contains risky ingredients, like the preservative thimerosal. However, there is little difference in the swine flu vaccine’s formulation from the regular flu vaccine, which is available in Poland, and all evidence so far suggests it is safe and effective. The WHO says more than 150 million people have been vaccinated in more than 40 countries and that no unusual or dangerous side effects have been seen.

“The saving grace for Poland is that this swine flu pandemic is so far very mild. It would be a big scandal if this were a virus that would cause many deaths,” said Andrew McMichael, an immunologist and the director of the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at Oxford.

Other conspiracy theories claim the drug companies making the vaccine secretly lobbied the WHO to declare swine flu a global epidemic to fatten their own pockets, a theory unproven but which some Europeans seem inclined to believe. Even the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recently recommended that the EU investigate WHO’s swine flu pandemic declaration to see if the body acted under undue influence.

In an e-mailed statement, WHO said its members “guard against the influence of any vested interests” but declined any other comment on the allegations, saying the group’s flu chief, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, will address them during a news conference Thursday.

WHO spokeswoman Karen Mah said the organization has no reports of other countries rejecting the vaccine outright. Some countries, however, haven’t launched vaccine programs because they lack the money.

Poland’s approach contrasts sharply with steps taken by countries such as the United States - where President Barack Obama and his family got swine flu shots to set an example - and European countries like Austria and Sweden that stockpiled enough for their entire populations.

Other eastern EU members have also embraced inoculation, with Hungary and Romania even producing their own domestic vaccines against H1N1, the official name of the current swine flu strain. Romania has seen a burst of interest in vaccines in recent days following the death from swine flu of a well known TV actor, 37-year-old Toni Tecuceanu, on Jan. 5. Over the weekend, 13,000 people got vaccinated in Bucharest alone, the Health Ministry said Monday - vastly more than previous weekends that saw a few dozen at most ask for the jab.

But no well-known Pole has died, and flu fears failed to take root in the country of 38 million people.

Only one leading official, Janusz Kochanowski, the ombudsman for civil rights, has waged a prominent public fight against the government over vaccines, condemning its stance as irrational and irresponsible. He vowed to sue the health minister for a symbolic 1 zloty (35 U.S. cents/25 euro cents) for what he describes as a human rights offense: unnecessarily risking the health of the population by refusing to make vaccines available or take any other steps to fight the spread of swine flu.

Kochanowski came down with swine flu himself over the Christmas holidays, a turn of bad luck he viewed as deeply ironic. During a recent interview in his office he sneezed into a tissue from time to time, and his voice was raspy as he strongly denounced the government.

“In a normal country the media would attack a government that doesn’t want to buy vaccines and which doesn’t give citizens the right to choose. It’s a basic right,” Kochanowski told The Associated Press. “The constitution obliges the government to counteract and prevent epidemics. But rather than attacking the government, the media are attacking me.”

Though there have been no recent opinion surveys on the matter, Kochanowski and several doctors say there is abundant anecdotal evidence showing that most Poles support the government’s approach.

“Unfortunately most people are on the side of the government,” Kochanowski said.

Kochanowski says he worries that the government’s luck in dodging massive problems with swine flu will only encourage it to ignore future epidemics as well.

“This flu will pass, but there is a new flu every year and the government should prepare every year. However, this government is not only not preparing, but it’s making a special point of not being prepared and then claims glory,” he said.

In Poland, doctors are deeply divided on the matter, but some are clearly critical of the government.

“It should be the patient’s rights to choose - that would be democracy in health care,” said Maria Ciesielska, a family doctor whose disapproval only intensified when her 7-year-old son was laid up for a week with swine flu in November. “Even Hippocrates said it’s not ethical to not offer a cure if you know that one exists.”

Dr. Fishel adds, “It will be interesting to chart the data on Poland and another Country that has a similar population.The data regarding vaccine effectiveness is usually underwhelming as to their success in warding off disease and death. Poland has a population of roughly 40 million people. Spain for example has over 45 million people. It should be noted that Spain and Germany have recently “returned” doses to their manufacturers due to lack of uptake; that is people are not opted to take the vaccines. This is mainly in part to the fact that this vaccine is optional in these Countries. It is optional here in the U.S. as well. Many other vaccines are not  optional.

The International Chiropractors Association (ICA) has issued helpful holiday hints and recommendations to ward off health problems over the holidays. Overeating was of particular interest as it related to physical stress placed on the spine.  According to the release, “A bulging stomach can put pressure on your body support systems, including your spine and spinal nerves.  Every extra pound in the abdominal region could put 10 pounds more stress on the lower back.  This stress can last a short time, such as just after eating a heavy meal or lifting a package improperly.  It may also become chronic, as heavy eating during the holidays may lead to weight gain, and carrying extra pounds can put added strain on the supporting structures of the spine and nervous system.”

The release also notes that additional weight can force the pelvis and torso to shift and cause changes in spinal balance, leading to spinal misalignments (known as subluxations) and malfunction in the entire body.  The ICA has prepared several helpful tips to follow.  They are:

·         When lifting packages, firewood, or your frozen holiday turkey and other heavy items, lift with your legs, not your back.  When lifting, hold objects close to your body; rather than flexing forward, maintain a slight arch in your lower back and bend at the knees before standing up with the object.  That way, the lifting is done primarily with the strong muscles of the legs supporting the load.

·         When cooking or standing for an extended period, elevate one foot with a foot rest or stacked books, about six inches from the floor.  Alternately elevating each foot relieves tired back and leg muscles–similar to the function the foot rest serves for customers standing at a counter–and helps prevent bad posture habits that can lead to abnormal spinal curvatures.

·         When traveling by car or plane, place a pillow or folded towel behind the small of the back to help maintain the arch in your lower back and support the rest of the body properly.  This relieves the discs and joint structures of the spine from unnecessary pressure.

·         In addition to fastening your seat belt for car trips, adjust the head rest to align with your head, at least up to ear level.  This is important to support and protect the head and neck in the unfortunate event of a sudden stop.

·         Get enough rest.  Many health problems that occur with the holidays are simply due to fatigue.  By simply getting adequate rest, you can help prevent structural strain, emotional and cognitive imbalance, and general health problems.

 ON MONDAY DECEMBER 1st   6:15 WE WILL PRESENT NATURAL WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT AND IMPROVE YOUR NUTRITION–115 EAST 57TH STREET SUITE 1420–RSVP 212-980-5444

The number of new cases of type 2 diabetes among middle-aged Americans has doubled over the past 30 years, researchers report.

“There has been tremendous concern, but probably not enough concern, about the emerging epidemic of diabetes,” said Dr. Robert Rizza, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic and president of the American Diabetes Association. “It doesn’t take long to be doubling before the numbers are simply too great to be even conceived of.”

“We’ve got to stop this, and, of course, it’s obesity which is driving it,” Rizza added. “This is a biologic weapon which has been unleashed on our population — its name is diabetes.”

Experts agree that the great increase in obesity over the same time frame appears to be responsible for the growing incidence of diabetes. An estimated two-thirds of adult Americans are now overweight or obese.

“These [diabetes numbers] warrant monitoring, especially if we continue to see increases in the trends of obesity,” said study lead author Dr. Caroline S. Fox, a medical officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study.

In type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin — the hormone that converts blood sugar to energy for cells — or the cells ignore the insulin. Left untreated, the disease can produce complications such as heart disease, blindness, nerve and kidney damage.

This trend must be reversed to avoid serious repercussions for the U.S. economy and health-care system, Rizza said.

. “Our health-care system and our nation’s economy cannot tolerate one in three people having diabetes.”

One expert thinks the only way to correct the problem is by making a total lifestyle change.

“This epidemic results, almost entirely, from obesity and sedentary behavior,” said Cathy Nonas, director of the obesity and diabetes program at North General Hospital, in New York City, and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

OUR WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM IS TACKLING THIS PROBLEM HEAD ON- FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS WE WILL HELP SOLVE THIS PROBLEM BY OFFERING FREE WEIGHT LOSS ASSESSMENTS IN OUR OFFICE OR BY PHONE

CALL 212-980-5444 OR LOG ON TO WWW.WELLNESSCENTEROFNY.TSFL.COM

Recently one of our patients approached me with the intent of losing weight. This person had above average health and wellness acumen. They were engaged in their health care. They exercised regularly, avoided medications and they had a great outlook on life. When they asked me about losing the “elusive” 15 pounds. My response was very clear. If we are going to do this then we will reach our goal ok! This was not a question, but a definitive statement. Some teams start their season to reach .500, some want to make the playoffs. We set out to win the championship every time! In order to play at that level, we need a great coach. From here on in when people want to know what I do. When they specifically ask how do you help people? I will share with them my commitment to the goal. I will be relentless in the pursuit of your health and well-being. Recently the LA Times had a story by Janet Cromley that detailed why having an advisor or counselor adds to longterm success. here is the link.

http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/health/la-he-weight17mar17,1,6329749.storyEvery great athlete has a coach. Even Tiger Woods has a coach. The reason why we are having such great success helping people to lose weight is the value of being coached.

We treat each with compassion, knowledge and professionalism. Using the Take Shape For Life Health program we offer long-term solutions to weight management challenges.Each Health Coach thrives on developing trusting relationships that last a lifetime.

The Take Shape For Life program works for so many people because of the clinically proven Medifast products, and also because of the guidance provided by our Health Coaches. Our goal is to help people optimize their health — leading to richer and more fulfilling lives.

Weight Loss Program

Take Shape for Life Success Stories

Different people define success in different ways. At Take Shape for Life, we believe that success occurs when you reach a goal that you have set for yourself.

Whether your goal is a healthier lifestyle, weight loss, financial freedom, or all of these, TSFL can help you strive to reach your goals and achieve success, making Optimal Health a reality.

Take Shape For Life brings to you clinically proven Medifast meal replacements combined with the caring, knowledgeable support of a personal Health Coach.

The opportunity for success on your weight loss and management program is great! Read these stories of people just like you who have used Medifast products through Take Shape For Life to make their health goals a reality.

	Mary Jane Medlock Lost over 152 lbs and has been able to go off ALL of her medications.Previous Medical Issues: Diagnosed with a fatty liver, among other serious weight-related ailments.
	Nancy Pettit Lost 135 lbs in 28 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 4 1/2 years.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, High Cholestrol Years of Yo-Yo Dieting. Now a size 6!”
	Dominic Tarinelli Lost 70 lbs in 18 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 36 months.Previous Medical Issues: My blood pressure was a little high, I had difficulty sleeping and once in a while had a little difficulty breathing “Once I lost the weight my blood pressure lowered to 110 over 70, I stopped snoring, my breathing is good and I have a lot of energy! Also, my golf game improved as well! My weight at age 47 is the same as it was when I graduated High School at age 18!”
	Josephine Shaw Lost 55 lbs in 13 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 5 years.Previous Medical Issues: Type 2 Diabetic. High Blood Pressure, High Cholestrol. Difficulty regulating blood sugar levels. “Completely off of all blood sugar, cholestrol and HRT medications.”
	Shannon Wollam Lost 63 pounds in 16 weeks - 75 pounds total, and has maintained her weight loss for 2 years.Previous Medical Issues: hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression and anxiety. “All of my medical issues are a thing of the past. I’m off all my medication and my doctor is still amazed! I love being back in my body and love being a health coach more than anything in my life, ever!”
	Dr. Joseph Pecoraro Lost 123 lbs in 32 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 19 months.Previous Medical Issues: blood pressure “Had a weight problem his entire life. The youngest of six children (all overweight), he began to see health problems among them.”
	Rhonda Huskey Lost 65 lbs in 20 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 8 months. “Has energy to run after her three kids. Her final goal is 120 lbs.”
	Ron Goelz Lost 78 lbs in 20 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 2 1/2 years.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, High Cholestrol “Feel GREAT - off Cholestrol High Bloodpressure and Triglycerides Medication - NO MEDICATION AT ALL”
	Denise Brown Lost 65 lbs and has maintained her weight loss for 3 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Cholesterol “Her father died at 38 from a heart attack. Deals with child fatality and sexual abuse. I’m running my first 5K on 9/23/07…it’s a fundraiser for victims of Domestic Violence… UPDATE: I ran a 5K on 9/23/07 and placed 4th in my age division…it’s good to be old! I did it in 32.14!”
	Raymond Velazquez Lost 100 lbs in 20 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 22 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure “Became a marathon runner. Started at 5 shakes a day, down to 1-2 shakes a day. ” I f you want to be a real life success story like these: email me at mailto:drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com  or  call 212-980-5444 or log onto www.wellnesscenterofny.tsfl.com
	Julie VanBelle Lost 143 lbs in 59 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 7 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, Plantar Fasciitis “Tried almost every diet and never lost cravings until Medifast.”
	Ted Hasse Lost 132 lbs in 43 weeks and has maintained his weight loss for 4 months.Previous Medical Issues: High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, Borderline Diabetes, Acid Reflux “He feels almost twenty years younger.”
	Mary Jane Medlock Lost 152 lbs in 25 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 7 years. Previous Medical Issues: acid reflux, Sleep Apnea that required a C-PAP machine, Borderline Diabetic, Bone spurs that required coition shots, BMI was over 50, couldn’t breath or walk due to weight, aches and pains all over, severely depressed which required Prozac, literally a prisoner in my own home “Yes, when I went on maintenance I actually lost more weight and continued to maintain by creating healthier habits. I didn’t think maintaining was possible, but it is. I have not been on any medications for 7 years and it feels great. Seven years ago I could not walk or breath and now I am a certified aerobics instructor and will be a certified nutritionist and personal trainer in 2008. In addition, I am a certified health coach with TSFL and this provides me with a career that I love and financial freedom.”
	Patricia Pangburn Lost 120 lbs in 59 weeks and has maintained her weight loss for 6 months.Previous Medical Issues: Hypertension “Everyone in my small town saw my transformation”. One of my neighbors commented, “Now her body matches her pretty face!”

If you want to be a real life success story like the ones listed above:

email me at mailto:drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com  or  call 212-980-5444

or log onto www.wellnesscenterofny.tsfl.com

February is National Heart Month, but what does that mean to you?

If it means eating excessive amounts of heart shaped chocolates, candle lit dinners, and romantic gifts…congratulations! But this February it can mean more by honoring your heart and your body with new health awareness.

Heart disease is currently the #1 killer of adults in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be if we live consciously and make informed decisions. According to the American Heart Association:Cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of 41.4 percent of the more than 2.3 million Americans who die each year. Cancer follows, killing 23 percent. All other causes of death account for 35.3 percent. www.americanheart.org

Cardiovascular Facts:

• Your system of blood vessels – arteries, veins and capillaries – is over 60,000 miles long. That’s long enough to go around the world more than twice!
• The adult heart pumps about 5 quarts of blood each minute – approximately 2,000 gallons of blood each day – throughout the body.
• Blood is about 78 percent water.
• Blood takes about 20 seconds to circulate throughout the entire vascular system.

In matters of cardiovascular function,We tend to focus on the physiological aspects of the heart. Heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides. They are all objective measures of cardiovascular function. Sometime missed in the equation are the emotional aspects.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors reported how a tragic or shocking event can stun the heart and produce classic heart attack-like symptoms, including chest pain, shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs.Unlike a heart attack, the condition is reversible. Patients often are hospitalized but typically recover within days after little more than bedrest and fluids, and suffer no permanent damage to their hearts.

For centuries, doctors have known that emotional shocks can trigger heart attacks and sudden deaths. Broken heart syndrome, technically known as stress cardiomyopathy, is a different phenomenon.

The Johns Hopkins doctors documented how a dayslong surge of adrenaline and other stress hormones can cause a decline in the heart’s pumping capacity. The researchers theorized that the hormones probably cause tiny heart blood vessels to contract, but other explanations are possible.

Until now, doctors “were trying to explain it away, but the pieces never quite fit,” said Dr. Hunter Champion, an assistant professor. “By our ability to recognize it, we’ve saved people from getting unnecessary (heart) procedures.”

Champion and colleagues treated 19 emergency room patients with the syndrome between 1999 and 2003. For reasons that are not entirely clear, nearly all of them were postmenopausal women.

Many were grieving over the death of a husband, parent or child. Other triggers included a surprise party, car accident, armed robbery, fierce argument, court appearance and fear of public speaking. MRIs and other tests showed they had not suffered heart attacks.

Other doctors have since told Champion that they have seen the same thing, and researchers in Japan and Minnesota have reported similar cases.

“This is probably something that happens all the time,” but most people do not seek treatment, Champion said.

According to Dr. Daniel Shindler, director of the echocardiography lab at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., “The researchers’ conclusions make sense, given the well-known link between the brain and heart, and offer the first explanation he has heard for the phenomenon.

Here is another study relating the brain and blood pressure:

March 16, 2007 — A special chiropractic adjustment can significantly lower high blood pressure, a placebo-controlled study suggests.

“This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination,” study leader George Bakris, MD, tells WebMD. “And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems,” adds Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center.

Eight weeks after undergoing the procedure, 25 patients with early-stage high blood pressure had significantly lower blood pressure than 25 similar patients who underwent a sham chiropractic adjustment. Because patients can’t feel the technique, they were unable to tell which group they were in. To see full study: Chiropractic Cuts Blood Pressure

To learn more about heart health and natural approaches to improving your cardiovascular function log onto www.thewellnesscenterofny.com.

Dr. Craig Fishel is a leading Wellness Expert. He can be reached at drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com.

You have seen the advertisements that say: “earn money by enrolling in a medical study.” Would you sign up or maybe even enroll your child in the tests? No parent in their right mind sign a child up to be in one of those tests. It would be difficult to do because the federal government does not allow it even if you wanted to. However once a medication has been used on adults and tested by the Pharmaceutical company that makes it eventually certain including OTC, receive FDA approval for use on children. The dosages are adjusted for children. Children are not just small adults.

While medications continue to show us that they have a great place in health care, they are too heavily relied upon and used way too early as a mode of treatment.

If the medication were free I still would not want it, would you? I mean you could fill up a bag with the entire aisle that says colds and cough medication and just walk out of the pharmacy. A lot of people would jump at that offer. However, according to the Associated Press, two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration warned parents that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines were too dangerous for children younger than 2.

Cough and cold medicines send about 7,000 children to hospital emergency rooms each year, the government said in its first national estimate. About two-thirds of the cases were children who took the medicines unsupervised. But about one-quarter involved cases in which parents gave the proper dosage and an allergic reaction or some other problem developed, the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Well then what should we take for: a cough, a cold, the flu, headaches, stomachaches, acid reflux, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, back aches, swollen glands, bone loss, and flatulation syndrome( I made that one up)? Sometimes nothing is the best thing, unless there is a crisis. It is 2008 and the best path to health is inside of the body, not outside of the body.
A medication may be necessary in a time of crisis. Only a patient and their doctor can help make that choice. The best doctor is the human body. The best way to keep the body healthy is to remove the interferences. Pick your area to work on. It may be the physical aspects of your health, fitness or posture. You may need to add exercise to your routine. It could be the emotional aspects of your health. Maybe some spiritual time or meditation. It can even be as simple as deep breaths. Chemically we could all stand to eat better, drink more water and remove the chemicals.