I don't mean to drone on about this topic, but...

It is incredibly interesting on the propaganda and influence that occurs surrounding vaccines and the vaccine recommended schedule.

Gates' Predictable Plan Is Coming True


Bill and Melinda Gates have been called the world’s greatest philanthropists and the world’s “most generous people.”1 It’s true that, even with his net worth of $87 billion, Bill Gates’ $28 billion in donations is impressive, as are many of his world health goals — at least on the surface.2

If you dig a little deeper into the Gates Foundation’s philanthropy, however, you’ll find questionable alliances and partnerships, such as the one with biotech giant Monsanto, as well as some curious projects, like spending $1 billion on training programs for journalists and research on effective crafting of media messages.3

I have previously stated Bill Gates might be one of the world's most destructive do-gooders. He seems completely oblivious to the fundamental flaws in the science behind genetically engineered (GE) foods, for example.

This oblivion apparently extends to the genetic engineering of other living creatures beyond plants, like the use of GE mosquitoes, which is being increasingly accepted due to the latest public health “emergency,” the Zika virus.

Gates Foundation Funded GE-Mosquito Development


The Gates Foundation has spent at least $20 million to fund the development of GE mosquitoes designed by a biotech company called Oxitec to stop the spread of chikungunya and dengue, tropical diseases spread by Aedes mosquitoes.4

The Oxitec mosquitoes are unlike any that exist in nature. They’ve been genetically altered to carry a “genetic kill switch,” such that when they mate with wild female mosquitoes, their offspring inherits the lethal gene and cannot survive.5

To achieve this feat, Oxitec has inserted protein fragments from the herpes virus, E. coli bacteria, coral and cabbage into the insects, dubbed OX513A. The GE mosquitoes have proven lethal to native mosquito populations.

In the Cayman Islands, for instance, 96 percent of native mosquitoes were suppressed after more than 3 million GE mosquitoes were released in the area, with similar results reported in Brazil.6

The release of GE mosquitoes in the wild has been criticized by many. The potential exists for these genes, which hop from one place to another, to infect human blood by finding entry through skin lesions or inhaled dust.

Such transmission could potentially wreak havoc with the human genome by creating "insertion mutations" and other unpredictable types of DNA damage, for starters.7

WHO Supports Research on the Use of GE Mosquitoes to Fight Zika


Zika virus, which has made headlines for supposedly increasing rates of microcephaly in Brazil in recent months, is also spread by Aedes mosquitoes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called mosquito control “the most immediate line of defense” against its spread and is encouraging further testing of GE mosquitoes for this purpose.8 According to a WHO statement:9,10


“Given the magnitude of the Zika crisis, WHO encourages affected countries and their partners to boost the use of both old and new approaches to mosquito control as the most immediate line of defense.

… For genetically modified mosquitoes, the WHO Advisory Group has recommended further field trials and risk assessment to evaluate the impact of this new tool on disease transmission.”

There has been chatter on the Web that the Gates Foundation has been involved in promoting the spread of Zika virus via the development of GE mosquitoes — but the GE mosquitoes cannot promote Zika’s spread (at least not intentionally, as some people have suggested).

There remain serious potential problems with their use, however.

Why GE Mosquitoes’ ‘Kill Switch’ May Fail


These GE mosquitoes were designed to die in the absence of tetracycline, which is introduced in the lab in order to keep them alive long enough to breed. They were designed this way assuming they would NOT have access to that drug in the wild.

Brazil, however, is the third largest consumer of antibiotics for food and animal production and, according to a 2009 analysis, an estimated 75 percent of the tetracyclines administered to farm animals end up being excreted in waste.11

The use of manure and sewage sludge as fertilizers is a major route of spread of antibiotics in the environment.

According to Oxitec documents, in the presence of tetracyclines the survival rate of the GE mosquitoes' offspring may be as high as 15 percent, which means they may not decimate the mosquito population as efficiently as intended.

15 Companies Racing to Develop Zika Vaccine


WHO has reported that at least 15 companies and academic groups are in the process of developing a lucrative Zika vaccine.

One of them, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, announced in February 2016 that mice exposed to their Zika vaccine developed antibodies and generated a response from T-cells, which suggest the vaccine may be working.

They have plans to test the vaccine in non-human primates and then begin Phase I testing in humans before the end of 2016.12

Bharat Biotech of India, which somehow got a head start and began working on two Zika vaccines in November 2014, also has plans to start pre-clinical animal trials of its experimental Zika vaccine.13,14

Sanofi and the U.S. National Institutes of Health are also working on Zika vaccines of their own. WHO estimates it will be at least 18 months before any of the vaccines enter into large-scale clinical trials.15

Ring Vaccination Suggested for Zika Virus


At the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual meeting, held in February 2016, researchers from WHO and the University of Florida shared how their experimental Ebola vaccine trial may be relevant to the so-called Zika outbreak.

During the height of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the researchers used a technique known as “ring vaccination,” which was first used in the 1970s during smallpox outbreaks. It involves vaccinating populations in “rings” around those who are already diagnosed.

So in the case of Ebola, close neighbors and family members of victims were vaccinated first, followed by wider “rings” of the community 21 days later. The study found the technique to be “100 percent” effective in preventing Ebola when used via the ring vaccination strategy.16

At the AAAS meeting, the researchers discussed that the strategy would also be useful for testing the experimental Zika vaccine, if and when one becomes available.

Study researcher Ira Longini, Ph.D. a statistician at the University of Florida, told Popular Science, “This approach should work for Zika vaccine if we have one, and I think we will need one.”17 But comparing Zika virus to Ebola is not comparing apples to apples.

For starters, Zika virus is harder to transmit than Ebola, and it’s far from deadly; in most people, it causes no symptoms and when it does cause symptoms, it’s typically mild fever and rash.

The major concern is for pregnant women, among whom the virus has been linked to microcephaly in babies. But vaccinating pregnant women at all is controversial, as is whether or not the Zika virus is to blame for microcephaly at all.

Gates Foundation Linked to Zika Vaccine Makers


If you’re wondering what all of this has to do with Bill Gates, his foundation has close ties with Zika vaccine makers. Bharat Biotech, for instance, received $50 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to research and conduct human trials on a malaria vaccine.18

Merck, Syngenta and Bayer are also partners in the Gates Foundation, as are chemical giants Monsanto and DuPont.19 This unholy alliance is just one of the reasons why I don't trust Bill Gates' philanthropy; he might be one of the most dangerous individual powers on the planet.20

Interestingly, in the summer of 2015, Dr. Kathryn Edwards, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program, received a $307,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study the immune responses of pregnant women receiving the pertussis-containing Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine.

In October 2014, the Brazilian government mandated that all pregnant women must receive the Tdap vaccine, effective as of 2015. The fact that birth defects began rising in Brazil toward the end of 2015 seems more suspicious in light of this mandate than the possibility that Zika infection is solely responsible.

This is especially true when you consider that pertussis vaccine has previously been linked to brain inflammation and brain damage in infants, and the safety of administering Tdap to pregnant women has never been proven.

Global Health Emergency Declared


WHO declared the Zika virus a global health emergency on February 1, 2016 noting that the "main worry" is the virus' potential link to microcephaly and subsequent brain damage. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging pregnant women to avoid traveling to countries with reported transmissions of the Zika infection — about two dozen countries so far.

Meanwhile, even with the increasing releases of GE mosquitoes, increased fogging and spraying for mosquitoes have been recommended even though they're largely ineffective against Aedes aegypti, the species of mosquito in question.

These tiny black and white striped mosquitoes do not fly far — their range being a mere 300 to 600 feet. Since it's so difficult to catch them airborne, insecticidal sprays and foggers are mostly useless for controlling them. Also, they feed during the daytime, not at night, which is typically when the fog-trucks will roll through the neighborhood.

Groups like the Manhattan Institute are even calling for the return of DDT to address the mosquito problem, despite the fact that DDT passes freely through the placenta during pregnancy where it gains direct access to the developing fetus and its brain.21 Moreover, DDT has also been linked to microcephaly!

Of course, the race to develop a Zika vaccine is also on, and it's worth remembering that any pandemic vaccine fast tracked to market in the U.S. during a "public health emergency" is completely shielded from liability for injuries and deaths.

Is Panic Over Zika Virus Warranted?


In Brazil, microcephaly, in which babies are born with unusually small heads, is said to have surged from an average of about 150 cases annually to more than 4,300 cases since October 2015. Of these, fewer than 500 cases have been confirmed, and the Zika virus has only been identified in 41.22 Meanwhile, in the U.S. approximately 25,000 infants are diagnosed with microcephaly each year — without Zika.

As I wrote last month, the evidence suggests implicating Zika virus may be a matter of convenience — leaders of the public-private partnership between industry and government may be quickly blaming the rise in microcephaly on disease-carrying mosquitoes in order to sell more GE mosquitoes, to sell more toxic insecticides, and to have an excuse to develop and sell more vaccines.

All the while, they are keeping hidden some of the most likely culprits of microcephaly, namely poor nutrition and toxic environmental exposures like pesticides, as well as vaccines given during pregnancy when the fetus is most susceptible to harm. By throwing up a convenient veil in the form of Zika-infected mosquitoes, business can not only go on as usual but also grow and expand profits to boot.

article used by permission: Dr. Mercola's original article

Flu Plan Scandal Ahead – An Urgent Warning

I don't really have a better way of saying this or presenting this information, so I'll just put the video and link on here - it's fantastic information regarding the upcoming flu vaccine and the controversy surrounding it...right from the mouth of Dr. Joseph Mercola, M.D. and the National Vaccine Information Center.



Click here to go to Dr. Mercola's page to view the commentary in full!

As usual, if you have questions or comments about this, please feel free to call our office, send me an email, or stop by for an appointment. I'd love to speak with you about this!

In Health,
Dr. Scott

Hilltop Wellness & Chiropractic
www.hilltopwellness.com

'Unintended' statin side-effect risks uncovered

What? "Unintended?" It's headlines like these that make me wonder just how long ago the risks were 'uncovered,' ya know? Did they know about them after the first long-term trial? Did they know about these risks after 5 years? After 10 years?

I like this quote, "On the positive side, the analysis also showed no significant association between the use of statins and the risk of Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, blood clot, dementia, osteoporotic fracture, or many cancers including gastric, colon, lung, renal, breast or prostate."

It basically says they haven't seen a significant risk of parkinsons, R.A, clots, dementia, fracture, or cancers...YET! 6 years is not a very long 'long term study,' especially when you consider that we have patients who have been on statins for 15-20 years (the first FDA approved statin was Mevacor, in 1987).

But what I think is the most interesting is the ratio of benefit to side-effects: In women, there was a reduction of 279 events (esophageal cancer and cardiovascular disease) BUT an INCREASE of 442 side-effects, many causing death. THE MEN FARED MUCH WORSE, with 552 side-effects!

I don't know, do you think I'm off-base in presenting this information? Please don't read me incorrectly - I'm not saying statins are the bane of civilized healthcare, but I am saying that statins are a horrible alternative to simply taking control of your health and diet.

If you have questions about this, please feel free to contact me.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Warning: FDA Says Heartburn Meds Can Increase Your Fracture Risk

So a new "review of studies" has been released by the FDA and it finally reports 'breaking news' on some of the negative side effects I've been talking to patients about for the last 3-5 years! It seems every day there's one new medication in the spotlight receiving its own 'black box' label, or at least increasing the size of their already-lengthy list of additional unintentional side effects.

What's interesting to me, is that most people taking antacids are actually doing the exact OPPOSITE of what would be best for them. That's right. Most people taking antacids are actually acid-depleted. They are making too LITTLE acid and that lack of acid in the stomach is allowing the food to putrify and essentially rot. This rotting food is not pleasant and off-gases quite a bit, which forces air - and usually stomach acid - into the esophagus, giving the individual the sensation of 'heartburn.'

This is self-induced heartburn, though. In taking an acidic supplement, most people would then have enough stomach acid to properly break down the food that is entering the stomach, thereby avoiding the heartburn!

So, onto the FDA's 'scoop:'

The FDA has mandated that proton pump inhibitor heartburn medications must carry a label warning of increased fracture risk. This group of drugs include Prevacid, Prilosec, and Nexium.

The FDA suggests those taking these drugs should consult with their doctors, and those using such drugs over-the-counter limit their use to no more than three 14-day periods a year.

According to the FDA website:

"... [The decision is] based on the Agency's review of several epidemiological studies that reported an increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist and spine in patients using proton pump inhibitors."

If you or someone you know is taking the damaging medications and would like help in getting off of them, please give our office a call. We'd love to help you, just as we have helped so many others!

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Two Arthritis Powerhouses Even Stronger Together

New research shows that omega-3 fats and glucosamine work together to provide additional benefits for people with osteoarthritis.

Scientists gave 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfate to the study participants, but some also received 200 mg of omega-3 fats. Both groups had about the same number of participants who reported a 20 percent or less reduction in pain.

But according to Dr. Christiane Northrup:

“However, when researchers asked those who experienced an 80 percent reduction in pain, those in [the glucosamine plus omega-3 group] reported reduced morning stiffness and pain in the hips and knees by between 48.5 and 55.6 percent, compared to 41.7 to 55.3 percent for those in [the glucosamine only group].”

Advances in Therapy September 2009; 26(9):858-71

If you are one of the millions who suffer from arthritis, please give our office a call - I won't promise that we will cure you of arthritis, but we can help you get back to living a much more pain-free and productive life, and with that comes the ability to participate in hobbies and recreational activities, playing with children and grandchildren, and even going back to work, which may have not been an option because of pain. Please don't settle on taking poisonous drugs to mask the pain - get to the source of the problem.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Five Ways to Help Beat Depression Without Antidepressants

Twenty-plus years of research on antidepressants, from the old tricyclics to the newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) show that their benefit is hardly more than what patients get when they take a placebo.

More and more scientists who study depression and the drugs that treat it are concluding that antidepressants are basically expensive Tic Tacs.

Research has found that patients do improve, often substantially, on SSRIs, tricyclics, and even MAO inhibitors. This improvement is the basis for the ubiquitous claim that antidepressants work.

But when researchers compare the improvement in patients taking the drugs with the improvement in those taking dummy pills, they find that the difference is minuscule.

Nonetheless, the number of Americans taking antidepressants doubled in a decade, from 13.3 million in 1996 to 27 million in 2005.

This is a very important point, folks. In many cases, your beliefs are as or more effective than pills when it comes to achieving health.

The second article linked below frowns on the notion of homeopathy, because some people think it may work as a placebo. But the article shouldn't be so dismissive. The placebo effect is very powerful. Thousands of clinical studies have found that the placebo effect can aid in healing or even cure disease.

What it comes down to is the crucial mind-body connection. Those who have hope and belief in the solutions they try will likely find them working. That's why it is so key to keep your health freedom, and pay attention to the huge corporations that continually discredit alternative methods.

Typically, more natural healing techniques won't harm you, and many of the drugs will. In time, energy medicine will be better understood, and perhaps this placebo element will be utilized in such a way that no pill will ever be necessary -- your mind will be stimulated to heal on its own. Similarly, those who pray or meditate for healing should not be ridiculed either.

Simply labeling something as a placebo and not pursuing it any further misses a key point. The so-called "placebo effect" may very well point the way to the future or medicine.

Newsweek January 29, 2010

New Scientist February 1, 2010

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) January 6, 2010; 303(1):47-53


Depression is tough, and I don't think you will find a reputable doctor arguing that it doesn't exist. There's a lot that goes into being depressed, and, quite honestly, I believe many of the subtle details are overlooked. With that said, I firmly believe there is a way out of all depression, it's just a matter of finding the correct key to the puzzle - it might be more exercise, might be more omega-3s, might be working on less addictive behavior, dealing with the death of a loved one, or it might be coming to grips with abuse you'd rather not face...it could be as simple as realizing there's a greater plan out there - just knowing there is a loving and caring God looking after you and wanting the best for you - that could be your key. Whatever the issue, I urge the struggling to continue the quest and solve the puzzle -

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Why Coke’s New ‘Healthy Front’ Could Be Just a Big Bluff…

Diet Coke and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health have joined forces to raise awareness about women’s risk of heart disease. Diet Coke’s Red Dress Program will take center stage at high-profile events.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest points out that Coca-Cola, whose products are not exactly heart healthy, is a strange partner for the NHLBI.

Are such partnerships a benign win-win? History suggests otherwise.

In 1984, Kellogg cooked up a partnership with the National Cancer Institute to put health claims for fiber on the boxes of All-Bran cereals. In doing so, Kellogg (and NCI) went around the FDA and undermined that agency’s control over health claims on food packages -- leading to problems that the agency is still struggling to fix.

If you are struggling with addiction to pop, or sugar in general, please give our office a call - I would love to help counsel you toward your nutritional goals!

In health,

Dr. Scott

www.hilltopwellness.com

From Dr. Mercola's blog:

Diet Coke teaming up with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to raise awareness for women’s heart health programs is laughable … if it weren’t such a sad testimony to the cozy relationships between corporate giants and U.S. public health organizations

The irony here is that Coke is one of the main retailers of sugar in the U.S. and it is very clear that sugar, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which provides the most food calories in the U.S., is actually leading the charge for increasing heart disease.

Drinking diet soda has been clearly linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors such as excessive fat around your waist, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, all of which can raise your risk of heart disease, not to mention diabetes.

Diet soda, like most all diet foods, also increases your chances of becoming obese, and we all know that obesity in turn raises your risk of heart disease!

And, again, this doesn’t even take into account Coca-Cola’s other mainstay product, regular Coke, which is loaded with high fructose corn syrup --­ the major cause of the obesity epidemic.

Can You Say “Sell-Out”?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the parent organization to NHLBI, is seen by many Americans as a group of neutral government experts who set out to provide the public with honest, reliable, unbiased health information.

In reality, NIH scientists have long been open to partnerships with the “enemy,” so long as the pay-off was lucrative enough. According to records, at least 530 government scientists at the NIH have taken fees, stock or stock options from biomedical companies in recent years.

Sad to say, but I’ve come to expect these kind of underhanded dealings when it comes to federal agencies … but I expected better of the Olympics.

Olympics Sells Out to Coke, McDonald’s

If you watched this year’s winter Olympics, you’ve surely seen the ads from companies like Coke and McDonald’s, both of which were among the most highly visible Olympic sponsors.

Now kids and adults alike have the pleasure of seeing two of the world’s biggest junk-food brands side-by-side with some of the world’s greatest athletes … and are left with the impression that to win Olympic Gold they need only grab a Big Mac and fries, and wash it down with a long swig of Coke.

It’s really incredible that Coke is the official “Beverage of Choice” for the Olympics, while McDonald’s is the “Restaurant of Choice.” You can rest assured that the U.S. would not have topped the world in total medals won if their athletes subsisted on a diet of Coke and McDonald’s!

McDonald’s has even been promoting shameless games encouraging people to guess how certain Olympic athletes eat their McNuggets, while running commercials showing athletes celebrating a victory with McDonald’s value meal!

For an event that prides itself on physical fitness and athletic greatness, what are they teaching the world’s children? Surely we can do better than this.

The Major Cause of the Obesity Epidemic

Getting back to Coca-Cola’s partnership with women’s heart health … it has to be pointed out that soda is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Fructose is actually the number one source of calories in the United States, and it is very clear that it is the primary cause of the obesity epidemic.

If you received most of your carbs from vegetables and fruits as most people did a century ago, you’d only consume about 15 grams per day -- a far cry from the 73 grams per day the typical person receives from their diets today. Sadly another 25% of people consume more than 130 grams of fructose per day.

It isn’t that fructose itself is bad -- it is the MASSIVE DOSES you’re exposed to that make it dangerous.

There are two reasons fructose is so damaging:

• Your body metabolizes fructose in a much different way than glucose. The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on your liver.

• People are consuming fructose in enormous quantities, which has made the negative effects much more profound.

The metabolism of fructose by your liver creates a long list of waste products and toxins, including a large amount of uric acid, which drives up blood pressure and causes gout.

And where as glucose suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulates leptin, which suppresses your appetite, fructose has no effect on ghrelin and interferes with your brain’s communication with leptin. The result is overeating, weight gain and ultimately obesity.

If you’re obese, you’re also at an increased risk of heart disease, which is another glaring reason why Coca-Cola’s partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is so absurd.

I strongly recommend you keep your fructose consumption to below 25 grams per day, and you view some sample fructose contents in fruits here. There are about 40 grams of HFCS per can of soda, so if you drink one a day you’re already way over the limit.

And please don’t be fooled by the myth that diet soda is somehow better than regular. Drinking diet soda is clearly linked to obesity as well!

Keep Your Eyes Wide Open

Deceptive marketing practices, such as those being used by Diet Coke and McDonald’s, can lead you to subconsciously prefer certain foods. If you see enough Olympians with a Coke in hand, for instance, suddenly your daily habit may not seem so bad.

Children, of course, are especially vulnerable to these messages.

So please make an effort to seek out the ulterior motives that are present when health agencies join forces with junk food manufacturers. And, if you’re a parent or teacher, please take the time to explain the realities to your children as well.

We don’t need a generation of kids aspiring to become Olympic athletes by making Coke and McDonald’s their “foods of choice.” And we don’t need to set women up with the false knowledge that drinking Diet Coke is a smart choice for a healthy heart.

If you want REAL tips to keep your heart healthy, I’ve compiled many of them here -- and you’ll notice that not one involves sipping on an artificially sweetened soda of any kind.

FDA Admits to Massive Conflict of Interest

This is a quote from Mercola.com...I couldn't have put it any better myself, so I left well-enough alone. It's nice to see there has finally been some light shed on the corruption. I'm ready for our current medical model to surrender to one based on wellness and, oh I don't know, health! (The introduction is below, and the full article is here. Log in with "hilltopchiro AT gmail.com" if you are prompted.)

"It’s FDA corruption déjà vu.

You’ve had heart attacks from Vioxx and Avandia and contaminated toothpaste from China; E. coli in your spinach, and salmonella in your spinach and peppers. Tainted pet food has killed hundreds, if not thousands, of your pets. And your children have gotten sick from toys painted with leaded paint.

What will be the next ill-fated product “approved” by the FDA?

The agency’s list of corruptions and collusions is now a mile long. And each piece of new legislation aimed to improve its function seems to do just the opposite—making the FDA even more dependent upon financial support by Big Pharma.

Perhaps the fact that the agency is now publicly questioning its own procedures and affiliations is a step in the right direction. But will that be enough?

Unlikely."


In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Appendix Useful?

It turns out all the doctors and "experts" in biology were wrong!

In the last couple years there has been a resurgence in new information about the true purposes of the appendix. Once thought to be pointless, worthless, and an-accident-waiting-to-happen, it appears the appendix has its uses after all:

- Your appendix may serve as a vital safehouse where good bacteria can lie in wait until they are needed to repopulate the gut after a case of diarrhea.
- Past studies have also found the appendix can help make, direct and train white blood cells.

Now, if you're thinking "big deal!" - well, you'd be correct! It's a HUGE deal.

The appendix essentially serves as a “backup factory” for beneficial commensal bacteria, the symbiotic germs that aid digestion and help protect your body against disease-causing germs.

If the good bacteria in your colon dies, which could happen as a result of cholera or dysentery (for instance), it appears your appendix steps up to help recolonize your gut with good bacteria.

Modern society has become so hypervigilant against bacteria that many forget a very important point - the bacteria in your body actually outnumber your cells by about ten to one, and without them you would die.

So work hard to keep your appendix and body healthy...God designed every part for a purpose.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Vaccine More Risk Than Flu?

Well here's an interesting perspective - it's one I never thought I'd hear on television, so it threw me for a loop. Take a look at the video and see for yourself...




If you have questions about this topic, please feel free to give us a call.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Vaccine Marketing 101

Here we go again...the WHO (World Health Organization) is warning everyone that the production of H1N1 vaccine will not be sufficient. If you think you’ve heard this before, it's because you have. Every year, without fail, you will see the following press releases in this order:

“It is going to be a bad flu season”

“If you are at risk (and even if you are not) get vaccinated”

“Flu shots are coming”

“Vaccine production is short”

“Get your vaccines quick, supply is low”

“Oops, we guessed wrong and the vaccine covered the wrong strain - it wasn't nearly as effective as we thought it would be...”

The funny thing is this is called marketing 101 - create a demand or buzz and limit the supply. My question to you: is the WHO simply creating buzz for a product or are they looking out for us?

Pfizer to pay $2.3 billion settlement

Well, this little headline was sort of swept under the radar...at least away from most major news media. A few smaller papers caught wind of it.

So, if you haven't heard, please let me be the one to spill the beans: Pfizer, one of the largest (correction - THE largest) drug company in the world has been found guilty of illegal prescription drug promotions - they "wined and dined medical doctors and sent them on exotic trips to induce them to prescribe its drugs, including the impotence treatment Viagra and cholesterol medicine Lipitor." (for notes on Lipitor, please take a look at one of our previous posts here - you will want to get off cholesterol drugs as soon as possible after reading it).

There's a blog about it here, on the News & Observer website...I can't seem to find a link to one of the published stories (most require a subscription). I'll keep looking, though.
** UPDATE - I found a great article in our very own Columbus Dispatch, viewable here!

So, I guess a lesson to take home from this is this: if you decide it is absolutely NECESSARY to take a prescription drug, ask the doctor to show you paperwork that the drug is FDA approved for the intention it is to be used. If everything is as it should be, the request should not be a problem to fulfill.

Don't be a sheep, blindly following anyone in a white coat - educate yourself on the drugs you and your family are taking...it could save your life.

In Health,
Dr. Scott

www.hilltopwellness.com

Swine Flu Vaccine Makers to Profit $50 Billion a Year!!

Do you feel bombarded with information on the impending doom from the fast-approaching Swine Flu? I say "YES!" (unfortunately)

Do you feel like your body was created with a shortage of swine flu vaccine? I say "NO."

Last question: did you know that Swine Flu Vaccine makers could stand to profit $50 billion a year from the sale of swine flu vaccines? FIFTY BILLION A YEAR! I didn't know that.

Take a look at this article from The Guardian, out of the U.K. It's interesting to point out that Relenza, the vaccine for the swine flu, isn't even marketed to cure or stop the swine flu....in most cases it simply states: relenza is an anti-viral treatment, which can relieve swine flu symptoms. Note that it doesn't say it WILL relieve symptoms.

It's not even addressing the problem (which isn't that big of a surprise to me), but is only covering and POSSIBLY easing the symptoms.

Here's my favorite quote from the article: "In a sign of how quickly GSK is working to make sure a vaccine is available from September, the company said that 'clinical trials will be limited, due to the need to provide the vaccine to governments as quickly as possible.

"Additional studies will therefore be required and conducted after the vaccine is made available.'"

Yes, you read that correctly - from the mouth of the manufacturer directly - "additional studies will...be required...AFTER the vaccine is made available." I would URGE you to thoroughly look into this vaccine before being injected with it - don't let your kids, grandkids, or grandparents get this injection. You will be signing up to be a human test subject.

Please call our office if you have any questions on this topic. I would love to help you find ways to avoid getting this potentially deadly vaccination.

In Health,

Dr. Scott

www.hilltopwellness.com

Gardasil Injuries & Deaths (from this vaccine and others)

It is a modern-day tragedy that millions of women in the U.S. have been scared by Merck’s powerful ad campaign to become “one less” victim to cervical cancer by getting vaccinated with Gardasil. Sadly, now an increasing number of formerly healthy girls are turning into “one more” victim of vaccine adverse reactions.

There have been a total of 47 deaths linked to Gardasil since it was brought to market in 2006, according to a press release issued by Judicial Watch, which says it has obtained records from the FDA. In 2008 alone 28 women and girls died after receiving Gardasil injections (up from 19 deaths in 2007).

In all the FDA documented 6,723 adverse events related to Gardasil in 2008, of which 1,061 were considered "serious," and 142 considered "life threatening,” the group reported.

Further, as Barbara Loe Fisher reported in the video above, by the summer of 2009 Gardasil had already caused more than 15,000 reports of vaccine reactions, including more than 3,000 injuries and 48 deaths.

However, it’s estimated that only between 1 percent and 10 percent of vaccine adverse events are ever reported, which means there could actually be anywhere from 150,000 to 1.5 million vaccine injuries related to Gardasil.

Get the Facts, Not the Fear

Merck has convinced millions of girls to get vaccinated with Gardasil by instilling in them a fear of the sexually transmitted disease human papilloma virus, or HPV. While it’s true that many women get HPV, and in a small number of cases HPV can progress to cervical cancer, this fear-mongering is only revealing a select assortment of facts.

Merck would like you to hear that 6 million women contract HPV annually -- but they do not tell you that most of those cases are harmless. Your body can clear up HPV on its own, and does so more than 90 percent of the time!

At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives, according to the National Prevention Information Network (NPIN). Most often, the infection causes no symptoms at all, and is easily cleared up by your immune system.

Even the National Cancer Institute says:

"It is important to note, however, that the great majority of high-risk HPV infections go away on their own and do not cause cancer."

In some cases the infection can result in genital warts, and much less often, cervical and other genital cancers. But cervical cancer actually claims less than 3,900 women a year -- most of which are due to not getting regular Pap smears.

So before you even think about getting vaccinated with Gardasil (or having your daughter vaccinated), realize that it’s for a virus that clears up on its own 90 percent of the time.

Further, this infection is sexually transmitted. It is not some big bad hairy virus that will cause you any harm if you are leading a healthy lifestyle. It is 100 percent preventable through lifestyle choices. Talking to your kids about HPV, and how it’s transmitted, is therefore the first step to prevention.

You should also know that Gardasil does not protect against all types of HPV, and you can still get cervical cancer even if you’ve been vaccinated. As the CDC states:

“About 30% of cervical cancers will not be prevented by the vaccine.”

Of course, you will also want to know that the safety of Gardasil has never been proven. As the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) writes:

“Even though Gardasil was only tested on about a thousand young girls before licensure in 2006, CDC officials told doctors to give three doses of the vaccine to millions of little girls at a cost averaging $165 per dose.

Because Merck did not test Gardasil in pre-licensure clinical trials in combination with all other vaccines routinely given to pre-teen and teenage girls, the CDC suggested that safety could be assumed and directed that Gardasil be given simultaneously with other vaccines.”

What this all boils down to is that Gardasil is largely ineffective, potentially very dangerous and a major waste of money.

If you have any questions about this, or any other vaccine, please feel free to give our office a call. I'd be happy to discuss better and healthier options than vaccines.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Muscle Damage Caused by Statins (cholesterol lowering drug)

I would be very surprised if you see this on the front page of the newspapers or the headlining story of the 11 o'clock news: PERMANENT Muscle Damage Caused by Statins! Statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol and have recently been implicated in cases of muscle damage; in many cases this damage was considered to be permanent.

PERMANENT!

Take a look at this article at Forbes.com - if you're a research buff, you can find the original research paper from the Canadian Medical Association Journal here.

If you'd like the cliff-notes summary, here it is: if you are taking a statin drug to lower your cholesterol there is a 53% chance you will suffer muscle damage because of the drug. If you are taking a statin there is an 18% chance you will suffer permanent muscle damage because of the drug!

Yes, you read that correctly, 1 of every 5 people taking a statin will have permanent muscle damage.

Did you know a statin called Baycol was removed from the market because of a high incidence of system-wide muscle destruction? That was in 2001, and it was only one drug. There are 5 other major statin drugs on the market: Zocor, Pravachol, Lipitor, Lescol, and Crestor.

Do you or someone you love take one of these drugs? Chances are good the answer is "Yes" as statins are the highest selling drug in the United States.

Known risk factors for muscle pain include old age, high doses of statins, exercising vigorously while on statins and certain medications (including warfarin (Coumadin), cancer drugs, oral medications for fungal disorders and certain antibiotics, which interfere with the removal of statins from the body). This means if you are taking a statin and exercise to better yourself, you are at a higher risk of damaging your muscles. And if you are taking other medications concurrently with the statin you are at a much higher risk of damage.

If you are currently taking a statin and are experiencing muscle pain or weakness, I would URGE you to consult your medical doctor with this information readily available. Print the Canadian study and bring it to him or her. Let the doctor know you demand a HEALTHY alternative to this garbage.

I get worked up talking about this stuff because it's so easy to prevent high cholesterol in the first place. If you have high cholesterol and would like an excellent alternative recommendation, please give our office a call. I will gladly sit down with you and help you improve your life!

Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

*If you would like to read Dr. Mercola's commentary on this information (I did and the information was invaluable), you can read his article on statins HERE - and please feel free to use my email address if you are prompted to log in - hilltopchiro AT gmail.com)

Bathe Your Pet - How Often?

Good morning! I'm not a veterinarian, but I do like animals, and I found this video very interesting. You might notice that she mentions Omega 3 oil, which we have been talking about quite a bit in Hilltop WellNews and on the blog here.

Take a look at some of Dr. Becker's tips and let me know what you think! (If it asks to register with your email address, feel free to use mine at hilltopchiro AT gmail.com)

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Can Calcium Actually Make Your Bones Weaker?

One of the most common questions I get in the office is this: "what kind of calcium should I be taking?" And, as this video addresses, it's a complicated answer... (if you are asked to register, please feel free to use my email - hilltopchiro AT gmail.com)

First of all, most people aren't aware that MUSCLES need calcium as much as bones, but the TYPE of calcium is very different. That's one of the reasons why this is a tough topic to address quickly - the issue a person is facing (muscle cramps, muscle fatigue, joint pain, osteoporosis, osteopenia, etc...) can correlate to different recommendations of supplementation.

In the link, Dr. Mercola discusses many related topics, but the key point should be that "a person's diet DIRECTLY affects a person's bone density and health." (increasing omega 3 fats, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2; lowering omega 6 intake). The problem is most food is so void of nutrition, it's an impossible endeavor trying to get all the vitamins and minerals you need in a day's worth of food. I read a study the other day stating something along the lines of, "a person would have to eat 6 (or 9, I forget) apples to get the nutrition from ONE apple in 1960." I may have messed that up, but the point is unmistakable! Our food is depleted of nutrients, because of over-farming the soil, over-use of fertilizers, and over-use of genetic modifications.

Sorry if I'm rambling...I get a little worked up on this topic because people don't get it. We eat more than we have ever eaten and we are getting less nutrients than we have ever received. It's easily summarized as "calorie RICH, nutrient POOR."

Well, I'm off to celebrate our country's independence with about a bazillion other people in Columbus...I wish you all a wonderful holiday weekend!

Give our office a call if you have any questions about this topic, or post a response on the blog.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

ADHD Drug Warning!

Once again, we hear the warning sirens, which ring far too late for many who have been negatively affected - take a look at this link to CBS news: ADHD Drug Warning.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, it's unfortunate that our country lives in this "crisis mentality" - American's prefer to take a pill over other (read: "safer, but involve work") options. I mean, why on Earth would someone want to get all sweaty with exercise when s/he could just sit, like a bump on a log, and pop an "exercise pill" (for those of you who think I'm making this up, take a look at this story from 2008...)?

Although she mentioned "dietary changes" as an option, I'm surprised the CBS doctor didn't mention the benefits of fish oil or restricting sugar intake, which have been shown to have equal, if not greater, benefits as ADHD meds....and that doesn't take into account all the other benefits a person would reap from utilizing these strategies.

Have a question about ADHD or how you or your child could benefit from chiropractic care, as mentioned by the CBS doc? Pick up a book called "Dr. Bob's Guide to Stop ADHD in 18 Days" by Dr. Robert DeMaria. If you have trouble finding it, give our office a call - we have a few copies in our office library, or we might have an extra you can purchase, if you'd like to go that route.

And feel free to give us a call - I love helping people take control of situations that feel out of control at times, and I'd be glad to partner up with you and give you my best.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

$30 Million Dollars to Push Vaccines

What would you do for $1 million? Probably just about anything, if you're like most people. Wasn't that movie Indecent Proposal all about that whole concept...well, that concept and sex? I'm asking because I never saw it - but I think that's what it was about. So, think about what you would do for a million...and then think about what you would do for 30 million bucks.

That's a ridiculous amount of money.

I don't want to know all the things you would be willing to do for that money, but I do want to ask: can you blame this guy (use my email address if it asks for one: hilltopchiro AT gmail.com) for what he did for 30 million? It's articles like this that make me wonder how our population will look 30 years from now...heck, even 10 years from now. People don't think the state of our collective health can get much worse, but I don't think they have any idea how bad it's going to get.

And this is just one of the many many MANY reasons why we chose not to have Jack immunized (I'm going to say 'immunization' is the same as 'vaccination' for the ease of reading). People say, "Well, he won't be able to go to school without his shots!" And those people are sadly mistaken. Do a google search for "vaccination exemption forms" for your state and look at all the ways to avoid letting your children be poisoned by this garbage. And I'm not even going to start talking about all the vaccinations our military are forced to receive...

I could go on and on about this topic, but I need to get back to work. Call our office if you have a question about this topic, or any topic in general. I'll do my best to collect information to help you make smart and informed decisions.

In Health,
Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

Big Pharma and the FDA: Banning Vitamin B!

Yep, that's right...the FDA has officially banned companies selling from selling a vitamin - a form of vitamin B6 called pyridoxamine, to be precise. The original article can be read here, on the website of the American Association for Health Freedom. And, as per usual, Dr. Mercola has some interesting commentary on the issue, it's a little wordy, but push through it (use my email address if it asks for one: hilltopchiro AT gmail.com) - you'll be glad you did. I'm just getting sick of drug companies getting (biasically) everything they want in the United States...

I'm curious to know what on Earth is going to happen with this health care reform. Congress is apparently in quite the pile of poop on trying to get their budget in order - apparently they may cut chiropractic out of the medicaid budget for next year.

That would stink. It' too bad most people on medicaid don't even know chiropractic care is a covered benefit to which they have access. I just recently began seeing medicaid patients and I've found they need chiropractic as much as anyone else...and maybe even more!

I could go on and on, but I'll stop there...if you have a minute, please call your congressperson and let him/her know that you would hate to see medicaid's chiropractic benefits cut next week.

Thank you,
Dr. Scott Gosselin
www.hilltopwellness.com