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August 19, 2006   Table of Contents

The Leading Cause of Death in the US

by Joseph Mercola, D.O.
www.mercola.com

At one time the main title of my Web site read: Doctors are the Third leading Cause of Death.

Many of you reading this have read or seen this in many places other than my Web site. This article, available on my home page, was widely circulated on the Internet and was one of the reasons why my Web site was initially popular.

What you may not realize is that I am the one who made this analysis and popularized it. The original study was published by Dr. Starfield, a full professor of public health at the most prestigious hospital in the United States, Johns Hopkins. Her study never had the headline in it, but instead listed the published research documenting the various causes of deaths that doctors contributed to.

I simply added them all up and compared them to cardiovascular diseases and cancer and came up with the above headline, which was widely circulated on the Internet.

Interestingly, when I contacted Dr. Starfield by e-mail she disagreed with the headline I had come up with. She did not feel that doctors were the third leading cause of death, but thought they were the number one cause of death because of their failure to inform their patients about the truth of health.

Now this might be a bit too harsh as even if people understand health truth they have freedom of choice and can choose to use sugar, soda and drugs (legal and illegal) to compromise their health and longevity.

However, JAMA actually published a study a year earlier that could support that doctors may be the leading cause of death in the United States.

This finding is more of a speculation though, so below I have provided some other studies to support this assertion.

    * In 1994, an estimated 2,216,000 (1,721,000 to 2,711,000) hospitalized patients had serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and 106,000 (76,000 to 137,000) had fatal ADRs, making these reactions between the fourth and sixth leading cause of death.

    * Fatal ADRs accounted for 0.32 percent (95 percent confidence interval (CI), 0.23 percent to 0.41 percent) of hospitalized patients. JAMA April 15, 1998;279(15):1200-5 BMC Nephrol. December 22, 2003, Medication-related problems (MRP) continue to occur at a high rate in ambulatory hemodialysis (HD) patients.

·         Medication-dosing problems (33.5 percent), adverse drug reactions (20.7 percent), and an indication that was not currently being treated (13.5 percent) were the most common MRP.

·         5,373 medication orders were reviewed and a MRP was identified every 15.2 medication exposures. Nurs Times. December 9-15, 2003;99(49):24-5.

    * In 2002, 16,176 adverse drug reaction reports were received, of which 67 percent related to reactions categorized as 'serious.' Pharm World Sci. December, 2003;25(6):264-8.

·         Medication administration errors (MAEs) were observed in two departments of a hospital for 20 days.

·         The medication administration error rate was 14.9 percent. Dose errors were the most frequent (41 percent) errors, followed by wrong time (26 percent) and wrong rate errors. Ten percent of errors were estimated as potentially life-threatening, 26 percent potentially significant and 64 percent potentially minor.

Serious and Fatal Drug Reactions in US Hospitals
    * Drug-related morbidity and mortality have been estimated to cost more that $136 billion a year in United States. These estimates are higher than the total cost of cardiovascular care or diabetes care in the United States. A major component of these costs is adverse drug reactions (ADE). Healthsentinel.com

    * The numbers of deaths reported in data sets varied 34-fold and were up to several 100-fold less than values based on extrapolations of surveillance programs. Am J Med August 1, 2000;109(2):122-30

    * About 0.05 percent of all hospital admissions were certainly or probably drug-related.

    * Incidence figures based on death certificates only may seriously underestimate the true incidence of fatal adverse drug reactions. Eur J Clin Pharmacol October, 2002;58(7):479-82

    * In one study of 200 patients, ADRs may have contributed to the deaths of two (one percent) patients. J Clin Pharm Ther October, 2000;25(5):355-61

    * In a survey of over 28,000 patients, ADRs were considered to be the cause of 3.4 percent of hospital admissions. Of these, 187 ADRs were coded as severe. Gastrointestinal complaints (19 percent) represented the most common events, followed by metabolic and hemorrhagic complications (nine percent). The drugs most frequently responsible for these ADRs were diuretics, calcium channel blockers, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and digoxin. J Am Geriatr Soc December, 2002;50(12):1962-8

Dr. Mercola's Comment
As health reporter Nick Regush said last year:

"There is no way to be nice about this. There is no point in raising false hopes. There is no treatment or vaccine in sight. There is no miracle breakthrough on the horizon.

Medicine, as we know it, is dying. It's entering a terminal phase.

What began as an acute illness reached the chronic stage about a decade ago and progression toward death has been remarkably swift and well beyond anything one could have predicted.

The disease is caused by conflict of interest, tainted research, greed for big bucks, pretentious doctors and scientists, lying, cheating, invasion by the morally bankrupt marketing automatons of the drug industry, derelict politicians and federal and state regulators - all seasoned with huge doses of self-importance and foul odor."

Currently, the United States spends about 1.5 trillion dollars for healthcare, and the projections are that it will double in less than 10 years.

The sad tragedy is that we are spending all of this money on disease management focused on drugs and surgery, and our return on this investment is profoundly poor. More and more people do not have the energy they need to get through the day while millions of others are suffering with painful crippling diseases because they have violated basic health principles.

Often, negative health and lifestyle choices are made because of a lack of knowledge, and it's my passion to increase the public's awareness of the health tragedies facing the nation. I will give you, the consumer, the tools to become a major force for good health and to alleviate disease and suffering.

Thanks to Dr. Mercola and www.Mercola.com for permission to use this article.

-- Thanks also go to Pam Davis for bringing this article to our attention.

[Raw vegans take a proactive approach to Health and don't wait to get sick!]

Disease vs. Cures

"What is impossible to see from the viewpoint of those who believe in cures is that the very symptoms the good doctors have suppressed and turned into chronic disease were the body's only means of correcting the problem! The so-called 'disease' was the only 'cure' possible!"

- Dr. Philip Chapman, 1981

Free (Electronic) Copies of Why Suffer?

Why Suffer?: How I Overcame Illness & Pain Naturally
by Dr. Ann Wigmore, DD, ND. An Inspiring Classic.

This is Dr. Ann's autobiography about growing up with her homeopath Grandmother in Lithuania, healing herself of gangrene as a teenager, and discovering wheatgrass juice and raw living foods as the treatment for her cancer, after the doctors gave up on her. This was the basis of the findings and teachings of the Wigmore Diet Program of Dr. Ann, used by thousands to reverse dis-ease, detoxify and rejuvenate. Paperback, 182 pages.

Thanks to the efforts of Harold Dillard and Donald Haughey, this life-changing book is now available for free via download (you'll have to supply the printer and paper, or read it on your computer): RawLivingFoods.typepad.com/books/whysuffer.pdf.

Though out-of-print, a few printed copies are still available: chiDiet.com/books.htm#Why.

-------------------------------

Hi Jim!

Well, I was reluctant to print all 88 pages of the Ann Wigmore book you posted but I am glad I did! It was great. I'm not done yet but just wanted to pass along the kudos to you all for the knowhow to get it up and on the web so we all can enjoy it. It's great to hear the whole background of Ann. I love hearing the stories about when she was a child. Very enlightening!

Thanks again,
Peace,
Michelle Plucinsky

Backslider's Corner

Backsliding but progressing is NOT about feeling guilty about slipping. Even if you weren't 100% raw this week, how much better are you feeling than when you were on the SAD?

The biggest challenge we face in transitioning to raw living foods is enjoying the food. I remember my first few weeks - indeed, my first year - on a raw foods diet. After a meal I wasn't hungry, but I often didn't feel "full" or "satisfied." Two or three times a week, especially when I was already in town, I'd pick up a cheese pizza, or - once or twice - a rotisserie chicken. I'd been a vegetarian for several years, but suddenly found myself going back to meat upon occasion.

What I had to learn was how to satisfy that feeling of fullness that cooked fooders are used to having. That's where the "transition diet" comes in. In the transition diet we learn to make richer, tastier foods that mimic the tastes our bodies are used to. Mock turkey, mock mashed potatoes, mock pumpkin pie, mock chowder, and so on. There's a lot of use of oil (extra virgin olive oil, of course), honey and other natural sweeteners, and Celtic sea salt. There's also a lot more fruit in the transition diet than in a well-balanced raw food diet.

While transition foods are satisfying our appetites, our taste buds are slowly and subtly changing. Now, after three years of being more and more raw, I've reached the point that even the smell of most cooked foods disinterest me. I find them totally unappetizing. My diet has also become much simpler as time goes by, and I find myself eating more and more greens and grains, and much less fruit. I also don't need or miss that full and heavy feeling.

The best way I've found to learn a transitional diet is a visit to a hands-on school like Creative Health Institute. Not only do they serve tasty raw gourmet transition foods, they teach how to prepare it with hands-on work in the kitchen, they teach about how and why the body works, the technical reasons that a raw foods diet is better for your body - and the camaraderie and atmosphere of CHI makes it easy to be raw, because the guests and staff are all supporting each other.

Another feature of schools like Creative Health is the interesting people you meet there. In my numerous visits over the last three years I've met people from all over the US, and from Canada, Russia, Malaysia, Holland, France, Australia, Korea, Trinidad, Zimbabwe, Japan, China, England, Luxembourg -- it's like going to an International Summer Camp.

In The News

Raw Food is one of top 3 diets among Celebrities - it makes them feel joyfully lovely, with more youthful years, slim, athletically energized, aesthetically beautiful: http://www.rawfoodsnewsmagazine.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=46.

How your eating habits affect the environment: http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/2006/07/how_your_eating.html.

Inspiration for being a raw vegan can come from many sources. Besides the good it does for your body, consider the animals that are being destroyed for consumption: http://www.peta.org/AnimalLiberation/. (Special thanks to Gerald Perry for sending us this link.)

(Kansas City) Most scientists and environmental experts view livestock grazing as an ecological disaster. For starters, cows and sheep are indiscriminate eaters and tend to remove every piece of grass and shrub in sight, thus eliminating shelter and food for birds and other wildlife, leading to their decline. In drier regions, landscape used extensively and repeatedly for grazing eventually turns into barren wasteland not even suitable for the livestock themselves. Further, the significant amounts of waste that livestock animals leave behind play a key role in the pollution of our freshwater supplies: http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/15622/.

(BBC) US climate scientists have recorded a significant rise in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, pushing it to a new record level. Conclusion: Mankind is Changing the Climate: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4803460.stm.

A preliminary survey of beef and poultry sold in U.S. supermarkets conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found relatively high levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a report presented at the 101st annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. FDA microbiologist Dr. David Wagner reported that investigators found "fairly substantial amounts of resistance to a number of drugs." http://www.organicauthority.com.

The chemical that gives mothballs their smell can also put you at risk for diminished lung function, heart disease, stroke, and cancer: http://www.mercola.com/2006/aug/10/air_fresheners_may_damage_your_lungs.htm.

Your allergy symptoms may be due to dust mites, not pollen. Vacuuming actually stirs up dust mites: http://www.realage.com/news_features/tip.aspx?v=1&cid=16849.

------------------

There's so much interesting health-related material in the news every day that I can't print it all here. For summaried by categories see: RawLivingFoods.typepad.com.

Some Examples:
Cell Phones and Your Health: http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/cell_phones/index.html.

Microwave Ovens and Your Health: http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/microwave_ovens_and_irradiation/index.html.

Raw Living Foods Education at Home

Surrounded, as we are, with increasing toxicity in our food and environment, eating a pure and healthy diet is more important than ever. That's why the Raw Living Foods Movement is growing so fast.

There's a lot more to being a Raw Fooder than eating fruits and veggies. Now you can learn about the Raw Living Foods Lifestyle in the comfort and convenience of your own home. Learn how to detox your body, what to eat, why to eat it, and how to prepare yummy raw food meals that leave you feeling full and satisfied. The home study version of the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods Lifestyle includes over 45 hours of video instruction, and a comprehensive manual.

The Raw Living Foods Lifestyle has been taught by a series of visionaries in the past century. Dr. Ann Wigmore used it to cure herself of colon cancer in the 1950's, and then taught it for decades at Hippocrates Institute in Boston and Creative Health Institute in Michigan, teaching others to heal themselves naturally.

If you can't get into a residential program, then the home study program is for you. There's so much material in the home study program - 15 lessons, 30+ videos, 350+ page handbook - that you'd have to spend at least a month at a place like Creative Health to learn as much.

The First Lesson is Free - Examine the program in your home for 30 days. Even if you don't elect to continue your subscription, the first lesson is still yours to keep.

SPECIAL BONUS

When you order the complete raw living foods lifestyle Home Study Program this week we'll also include over $100 worth of bonus materials:

Personal Raw Coaching: 30 minutes of free coaching and consultation (by telephone) with Hiawatha Cromer, "The Wise Woman of Raw Foods"
Bonus Book: "Green for Life," by Victoria Boutenko (read the Book Review)
Bonus Video: "Greens can Save Your Life," with Victoria Boutenko (2 Tapes or DVDs)
Bonus Video: "Dr. Ann Wigmore's Kitchen," with Dr. Ann and Dr. Flora van Orden III
Bonus Video: "Out of the Ordinary," with Robert Taylor, Steven Gibb and Dr. Jim Carey
Bonus Book: "Finding Health in Hodunk," by Thom Hartmann
Bonus Video: A surprise title.

For purchase information and more details, please visit chiDiet.com/lessons.htm.

What people are saying about the home study program: RawLivingFoods.typepad.com/1/feedback_home_study_program/index.html.

Events

The Regular Meetings and Events page is at RawLivingFoods.typepad.com/1/regular_meetings_and_events/index.html.

[Wow... When I started this service there were only 4 or 5 listings each week! Now the list is so long that by popular demand we include it only as a link - it's been running 12-15 pages. How the movement has grown! - Jim Carey]

Raw Living Foods Information and Resources

Raw Living Foods Blog

For an organized, searchable resource on all sorts of Raw Living Foods Lifestyle information, visit my new blog at RawLivingFoods.typepad.com.

Raw Living Food Recipes

The Basics of a Great Salad Dressing
- from chiDiet.com, Lesson 9

Fat: avocado, extra virgin olive oil, raw Tahini, coconut butter, nuts and seeds.

Acid (sour): lemon juice, raw apple cider vinegar, grapefruit juice.

Sweet: honey, date, mango, apples.

Spicy: garlic, ginger, cayenne, and hot peppers.

Salty: Celtic sea salt, celery, nama shoyu, dulse, kelp, miso.

The basic mechanics of constructing great food is very simple. Start your dressing with a fat and an acid (sour). If you desire a creamy dressing add more fat (avocado, olive oil, nut butters, coconut oil). If you desire a more sour dressing add more acid (lemon juice, raw apple cider vinegar). The key is to start off slow and build. Remember, you can always add more of an ingredient but you cannot take it away.

I tend to always start off with the fat and the acid (sour) first - usually more fat than acid. A 2-1 ratio fat - acid is a good starting point. Once you have combined these two ingredients in your blender taste them to see if you like the balance. If your dressing is too sour add more fat, and if it is to oily add more sour.

Now that you have your fat and acid blended you can add a non-sweet fruit for body. Examples of non-sweet fruits are; bell peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, and zucchini. Once you have achieved the consistency you desire add the rest of the five flavors (sweet, sour, salt, bitter, and spicy). The key to learning is to taste constantly and experiment with your balancing techniques. Add one ingredient at a time and then taste after it is blended.

Tips:

1.) Use raw garlic sparingly. You can always add more, but never take away.
2.) Easy on the cayenne!
3.) Add spices a little at a time and taste continuously.
4.) Sour flavors cut bitter.
5.) The more raw fat you add the creamier your dressing will be.
6.) Sweet cuts sour.
7.) Fats cut spice and tone down bitter

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© 2006 by chiDiet.com. Please feel free to reproduce this newsletter, in whole or in part, giving credit where credit is due, of course, and giving a link to http://chidiet.com/news/.

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