Rant on Big Pharma

Big Pharma To Try Their Hand at the Table

I knew it would happen. The whole world...or "one in five Americans" will probably start running to a new drug for autoimmunity now being researched by Big Pharma. A quick fix seems so much easier than some good, old fashioned, food discipline. So many peeps can change their diet and would essentially have little or no need for a drug that is sure to carry a hefty pricetag. (See the link? That's alot of research dollars...) People seem to be worried about the cost of being/eating healthy. They ask me how much my grocery bill is now that we don't eat grains (and I can say with certainty that it's not as costly as continuing to eat the foods that irritated my system)- but I wonder how many of those same people will pay whatever it costs for a manufactured drug to reduce or remove their symptoms. I really wonder. I heard long ago that you will pay a price your your health... now or later, but you will pay a price. I chose to pay for health now, as opposed to disease later. You?

I also heard Chris Kresser from The Healthy Skeptic speak on a podcast with Robb Wolf. He speaks of another drug coming up- and how it will work. You can listen to that podcast here. It's toward the end of the hour- but there's good stuff up until that point too.

Why did Big Pharma come to the table? Because so many people have been suffering for so long with autoimmunity? Sort-of. "So many people" is pharm-speak for "lots of money."  From the article- "There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders¹, and approximately 50 million Americans, or one in five people, suffer from autoimmune diseases."

Lets multiply "50 million" peeps by the average cost of a highly sought after, new, non-generic drug. Hmmm. The potenial for income is staggering. -So is the strain on our health insurance premium- but that's another rant.
It would be cheaper for our health care system to educate people on grain, dairy, and legume-free eating. But alas, that doesn't make those drug companies money. And if people steered clear of grains, the US would lose money too. So, they try to solve a problem by adding a step, instead of removing one. That way, the money still abounds- for them.

The drug they come up with may help people, granted...this remains to be seen. But I just can't help but think about true health- where your body uses it's God-given ability to heal itself by eating the foods necessary for it's optimal function. Where there is no need for a prescription drug. Wouldn't that be a better option?  If one could be used in place of the other, I'm pretty sure God would rather me simply eat meat and veggies than pop a pill everyday.

Think about a diabetic that eats foods he knows he shouldn't and uses insulin as a crutch. Insulin brings down the high glucose, sure. But meanwhile, behind the scenes, that havoc is still unleashed. The high and low blood glucoses continue to cause problems on his extremities, eyeballs, weight, triglyceriges, you-name-it, etc. The insulin is necessary, but it does not HEAL.
A Paleo-type diet helps HEAL- and without side-effects, too boot.

Parents with autoimmunity- I implore you. Your children unfortunately can follow in your autoimmune footsteps. If at all possible in your particular health issue, don't teach them to rely on Big Pharma. Give them the knowledge and power to choose to eat foods that will help them stay healthy, as well as correct unhealthiness. Show them how important it is for their lives- even when you are not around. They pay attention and (mostly) believe what we say. :-)

Something to think about.

AdrenaCalm Surprise

About AdrenaCalm

Just a quick post to say that I opened up a new AdrenaCalm and was pleasantly surprised!! It has been reformulated! No more B vitamin smell!! It's still yellow, but now has essential oils of lime, grapefruit, and patchouli. It's not strong, just a light favorable scent. So, "Cheers!" to all who have dreaded the B vitamin bleckness.
(Little things make me smile.)

Link to The Healthy Skeptic- Episode 4

Here is a GREAT listen for anyone with thyroid dysfunction- Hashi's or not! Chris Kresser has his act together.
The Healthy Skeptic- Episode 4 Hypothyroid/ Hashimotos

Although I got much more out of his podcast, here is what his site says about the episode:

*Copied from his site*:
This week’s show is focused on hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s, leaky gut and autoimmune disease. Specific topics covered include:

• Do plant goitrogens influence the thyroid?
• Why do I continually need higher doses of my thyroid medication?
• Kelp’s affect on the thyroid
• Synthroid vs. Armour, what is the best thyroid medication?
• Can antibiotics cause autoimmune disease?
• What is the best diet to heal the gut?

Enjoy!!

Questions for the Doctor

As these months are flying by, I've been stirring several questions in my mind regarding things that haven't improved over these weeks/months.

No one has all the answers all the time, not even the people we trust with our health. I don't expect that Dr. Matthews knows everything about me because not all thyroid cases are the same. I did have some questions for him though...so I called him a few days prior to my appointment to give him a heads-up.

1) Why are my nails peeling worse than before?
2) Why are my hands and feet still cold?
3) My blood sugars have been on the high side despite the initial thinking that I was hypoglycemic. Does this mean I should stop the ProGlyco?
4) If working out causes my blood sugars to rise to the 140s immediately after a workout, is that the same as eating carbs that increase my glucoses to that same level?
5) What hair and skin products should I use? My scalp still gets flaky and itchy- and of course I just recently looked at the bottle- Wheat or oatmeal along with many other unpronouncable words. (I noticed that most curly hair products have wheat and/or oatmeal ingredients in them.)

Well, my appointment was this past Tuesday, and I got some direction.

First- let me say with great glee, that my little visitors are DEAD!!! Take that, parasites!! I win, I win!! It's cool to know that I didn't need a pharmaceutical. Natural products do work. Whooda Thunk?!

To answer my question about my cold hands and feet, we are upping my Nitric Balance dose. (Since I was recently reminded of what this product did, I figured he would say to increase it, so I already upped it a few days prior to my phone conversation with him.) ;-D
I am now taking 2 tsps daily instead of 1. If I don't see an improvement in a week, I will go up to 3 tsps. Maybe I should have complained more about my frigid fingers and toes long ago- and I wouldn't have had to walk around my house in sheepskin boots, and type on the keyboard with fingerless mittens all winterlong. Lesson learned, and I hope this increase works.

I stopped the ProGlyco the day I spoke to him over the phone. My fingerstick blood glucose levels have been higher than expected, so no need to support low blood sugars. Right now we are NOT replacing it with a treatment for the opposite (hyperglycemia)- we will just follow the numbers.

Since stopping this, I have noticed my numbers have not increased to the 160s again. But then again, I am doing better with my fruit/sweet snacks. I will say that Anthony brought home a special treat last week. Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake. A client of his made it for him. I ate a whole piece right after a protein rich dinner with a side of squash- and my blood glucose didn't skyrocket!! It actually only went to 111 one hr. post prandial! I have found heaven on a plate that I can tolerate.



Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake



As far as my workouts are concerned, he believes that the glucose spike that occurs immediately during/after is not as concerning as the complex metabolic process that comes with a high carb intake. Plus- my glucoses drop to their normal level quite quickly during the recovery phase- as all the glucose is being sucked into my thirsty muscles. (I am pretty sure I got that right.) If anyone has any other insight to this, I'd love to hear it!

I did, however, stop drinking my sweet Afterglow Recovery shake, because my glucoses were going up to the 170s, then dropping to the 80s soon after. I didn't like that, workout or not- so I switched to a post WOD meal of ground sausage, sweet potatoes, and cinnamon. Yum.

Dr. Matthews gave me an idea about skin and hair products, and I will be checking into some others too. Arbonne, Zuzu, Afterglow, and Smashbox brands have some gluten-free stuff. It's pretty hard to find acceptable products. For instance, in hair care land I've seen very few curly hair products that are GF, and the ones I have seen are marketed toward our darker complected sista's. Quite unsure how that would turn out on this white girl with the blond 'do- but who knows, I may be trying it... :)  Any suggestions from people who know of a GF hair product line that would work for me? 

He didn't quite know why my fingernails are frail and peeling. I figure it could be a myriad of things- harsh soap at work, cold temperatures, new nailpolish...or the Hashi's/hypothyroid acting up. If I let my mind wander enough, I'm sure I could come up with several more possibilities.

Maybe the labs I had drawn yesterday will shed some light on the subject. I am super excited to see my results. And even a bit nervous, maybe, since we are over 1/2 way through and approaching the end of these 6 months. (Already!?!) 

I have a story I will share soon. It is my biggest "surprise" success in this program to date. I am just a little apprehensive to share it prematurely. It wasn't in my first post, In The Beginning, and I haven't discussed it in any post since. See, I didn't really know that by helping the autoimmunity, I'd be helping this other pesky problem. I am about 6 or 7 weeks into this "win" and I feel wonderful about it...and am really praying that this is the real deal.

I can't wait to share!!

Comments? Post them below!!

Cheers!!