Such scans in the video are referred to as CTCA.
Posted in Heart Disease
I’ve noticed that many of my type 2 diabetic patients have knee osteoarthritis, aka degenerative joint disease. That’s why I’m sharing my experience here.
I had considered this therapy for myself a couple years ago but didn’t try it after reading that it had to be applied four times daily and that it may take 2-3 weeks to take effect, with no guarantee it would work. That just seemed like too much hassle. The hassle/benefit equation changed for me recently so I decided to give it a go.
The active ingredient in Voltaren gel is diclofenac, which is a non-steroid antiinflammatory drug (NSAID). NSAIDs can wreak havoc on the GI tract, causing ulcers and gastritis. It can also damage the kidneys. Topical application to the problematic joint should prevent those adverse effects, assuming there is negligible, if any, systemic absorption.
My wife picked up a tube for me so I don’t know how much it cost. The 150-gram tube has enough gel for 33 doses to a knee. The dose for a smaller joint like a wrist is half as much, so the tube would hold 66 doses. The package insert says it may take up to seven days to work. “Use Voltaren Arthritis Pain 4 times a day every day for up to 21 days for treatment of arthritis pain or as directed by your doctor.” “If no pain relief in 7 days, stop use.”
I resolved to try it for a week, which just about used up the entire tube.
I think it worked somewhat. Could have been a placebo effect, or just the effect of massaging my knee four times daily, or the knee just improved spontaneously. It didn’t work so well that I wanted to run out immediately and get another tube of it. In fact I haven’t used it again in the subsequent three months. My other knee is bothering me now so I got a 100-gram tube of the generic diclofenac (Equate brand) at WalMart today for $12-15.
I’ve used Tiger Balm for immediate relief when the arthritis interferes with my sleep but, man, that stuff is expensive.
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
PS: For a week’s worth of application to a man-sized knee, you’ll need the 150-gram tube.
Posted in Knee Pain
I was watching something at rumble.com recently when up popped and ad informing me that type 2 diabetes is caused by a parasite in the pancreas. Drink a concoction of three common household items and your diabetes is cured in 20 days. Because you killed the parasite.
I did not click through for the details.
Ads like that make me think that maybe I shouldn’t be watching anything at rumble.com.
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
Posted in Causes of Diabetes
John Wilder wrote a funny retrospective on the recent pandemic. Can you believe it started way back six and a half years ago? (I had occasion to order tocilizumab recently for a cancer patient and had forgotten it was part of our armamentarium against COVID-19.)
I thought that I had done my last post on COVID. I really did.
Then, that pisspot troll smugboi Fauci went before Congress and put on the most pathetic, weasel-like performance I’ve ever seen. As perhaps is his right, he pled the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering any question asked, including revealing such secrets as the color of the carpet or the color of his tie.
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
PS: Comedienne Leonarda Jonie remembers the pandemic.
PPS: Dr. John Campbell reports on a former senior NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) official who pled guilty to concealing federal records during the pandemic. The charges were related to conspiracy to evade Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and the Federal Records Act in connection with communications about coronavirus research grants. The conspirator is David M. Morens, 78. There is mention of an unnamed co-conspirator. Could that be Fauci?
Posted in Uncategorized
I recently started taking an omega-3 fish oil supplement with hopes of preserving cognitive function as I age. Cold-water fatty fish are a natural source of omega-3s and I haven’t been eating much lately. My supplement contains 1040 mg of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s a large pill that is sometimes difficult to swallow.
Now I’m starting to wonder if I should continue. From Daily Mail:
The [single observational study] researchers compared 273 people who take omega-3 supplements daily, with 546 similar non-users – and found that those taking fish-oil pills appeared to decline faster on several cognitive scores.
However…
…when it comes to omega 3s and cognitive function, in a major [meta-analysis] review published recently in Scientific Reports, analysis of 58 randomised controlled trials from multiple countries suggested that omega-3 supplements may be associated with slightly better cognitive outcomes – or slower decline in some areas, particularly memory.
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
Posted in Dementia, Supplements
You can read about this (or watch the video) at various places. One is TheFocalPoints.com.
“84.4% of Cancer Patients Taking Ivermectin + Mebendazole Reported No Evidence of Disease, Tumor Regression, or Cancer Stabilization After 6 Months”
It just sounds too good to be true. And you know want that usually means. I’ve not done a deep dive into this report but I’m very skeptical. The study lumped a bunch of different cancer types together: breast, pancreas, colon, lung, etc. The uneducated among us may think all cancers are alike. They are not. They behave differently and, traditionally, require different therapeutic approaches for the best outcome. If (and that’s a big IF) there is a unifying underlying chemical or cellular phenomenon that causes all cancers, then a panacea like ivermectin/mebendazole may be an effective treatment. (In case you’re wondering, I was prepared to take ivermectin during the pandemic but never did.)
Just a reminder, I am not a cancer specialist. If I had cancer, I would consult a cancer specialist, typically an oncologist.
Authors of the study at hand do note that “…these findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating. Urgent prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials are warranted to validate these observations and further define optimal dosing strategies.” You may recognize one of the authors, TV celebrity Dr. Drew Pinsky. What a Renaissance man! Other familiar author names are Peter McCullough and Harvey Risch.
Dr. David Weinberg at Science Based Medicine has done a deep dive and concluded:
This is a shoddy research study presented as a quality improvement project. This dubious classification functioned as an excuse for lack of interface with relevant regulatory bodies.
There is validity to the assertion that ivermectin and mebendazole show anticancer activity in preclinical studies. This study provides no meaningful evidence for or against the efficacy of such treatments in humans with cancer.
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
Posted in Cancer
From The Guardian:
Researchers analysed health data for more than 100,000 people between 2004 and 2018, covering several generations of people aged 50 and above across England, the US and Europe.
They found increasing rates of chronic disease, especially when comparing people born between 1936 and 1945 and those born from 1955 to 1959.
Rates of chronic disease rose across successive generations in all regions, with more recently born adults more likely to have cancer, lung disease, heart issues, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol than their predecessors at the same age.
Although prevalence of type 2 diabetes rose at the same rate across all regions, diagnoses of cancer, heart problems and high cholesterol increased the most in England and Europe, with baby boomers and people in their 50s being 1.5 times more likely to have these issues than their predecessors at the same age.
Levels of grip strength, a good measure of overall muscle strength and healthy ageing, decreased across generations in England and the US, but either increased or remained constant in Europe.
Why is health worse?
Pollution? Poor food quality? Increasing rates of obesity? Increasing social isolation? Over-crowding? Loss of religion?
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
Posted in Longevity
It’s also been said that “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its boots.” (Often attributed to Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Jonathan Swift, and others.)
—–Steven Parker, M.D.
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Posted in Quote of the Day
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Posted in Overweight, Weight Loss
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Diabetic Mediterranean Diet Advanced Mediterranean Life
