over 15,000 visits to The Asian Diet website so far

 The internet is amazing.  I don't know how many of these folks actually bought the book, but our website has been visited by over 15,000 people from 134 different countries and territories in the past 18 months.  Including:

1.	United States	9,446
2.	Canada	789
3.	United Kingdom	609
4.	Brazil	588
5.	Australia	417
6.	Philippines	198
7.	Netherlands	177
8.	France	173
9.	Italy	152
10.	India	148
11.	Mexico	126
12.	Ukraine	107
13.	Malaysia	103
14.	Spain	102
15.	Germany	101
16.	Russia	95
17.	Portugal	80
18.	Argentina	72
19.	Sweden	70
20.	Singapore	70
21.	Poland	67
22.	Indonesia	64
23.	Belgium	64
24.	New Zealand	62
25.	South Africa	59
26.	Thailand	54
27.	Denmark	53
28.	Hungary	53
29.	Romania	50
30.	Switzerland	47
31.	Turkey	45
32.	Ireland	36
33.	Czech Republic	35
34.	Chile	35
35.	Norway	35
36.	(not set)	33
37.	Israel	32
38.	Colombia	32
39.	Finland	32
40.	Greece	30
41.	South Korea	30
42.	Bulgaria	28
43.	Venezuela	26
44.	United Arab Emirates	24
45.	Hong Kong	21
46.	Austria	20
47.	Peru	19
48.	Pakistan	19
49.	Japan	16
50.	Vietnam	15
51.	Saudi Arabia	15
52.	Ecuador	13
53.	Malta	13
54.	Puerto Rico	12
55.	Lebanon	12
56.	Estonia	12
57.	Slovenia	11
58.	Taiwan	11
59.	Serbia	11
60.	Croatia	10
61.	Lithuania	10
62.	Uruguay	9
63.	Georgia	9
64.	Costa Rica	9
65.	Egypt	9
66.	Brunei	9
67.	Cyprus	8
68.	Qatar	7
69.	Slovakia	7
70.	Belarus	7
71.	Morocco	7
72.	Sri Lanka	7
73.	El Salvador	6
74.	Macedonia [FYROM]	6
75.	Honduras	6
76.	Bangladesh	6
77.	Latvia	6
78.	Trinidad and Tobago	6
79.	Kazakhstan	6
80.	Nigeria	5
81.	Cambodia	5
82.	Dominican Republic	5
83.	Oman	4
84.	Jordan	4
85.	Mongolia	4
86.	Moldova	4
87.	Kuwait	4
88.	Bahamas	4
89.	Nepal	3
90.	Maldives	3
91.	Iceland	3
92.	Guatemala	3
93.	Luxembourg	3
94.	Kenya	3
95.	Panama	3
96.	Nicaragua	3
97.	Iraq	3
98.	Bahrain	3
99.	Tunisia	3
100.	Algeria	3
101.	Jersey	2
102.	Botswana	2
103.	China	2
104.	Grenada	2
105.	Jamaica	2
106.	Barbados	2
107.	Armenia	2
108.	Ghana	2
109.	Guam	2
110.	Azerbaijan	2
111.	Netherlands Antilles	2
112.	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2
113.	Senegal	2
114.	Tonga	1
115.	Northern Mariana Islands	1
116.	Afghanistan	1
117.	Zimbabwe	1
118.	Antigua and Barbuda	1
119.	French Polynesia	1
120.	Haiti	1
121.	Fiji	1
122.	Montenegro	1
123.	Libya	1
124.	Mozambique	1
125.	Mauritius	1
126.	San Marino	1
127.	Namibia	1
128.	Myanmar [Burma]	1
129.	Kyrgyzstan	1
130.	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1
131.	Greenland	1
132.	Uzbekistan	1
133.	Bolivia	1
134.	Isle of Man	1

I was quoted in a local article

This article appears in the Winnetka-Glencoe Patch, written by Katy Heider

Local Nutritionists Weigh in on Healthy Eating

After my New Year's diet failed, I turned to three local experts for advice on what it means to 'eat healthy' and how to instill good habits in my daughter.

My New Year’s diet failed miserably after a few short weeks. I have a hard time sticking to rules and regimens. I like to shop for and cook what appeals to me on any given day, and I don’t have the energy or patience to make separate meal plans for myself and my daughter.
I haven’t given up on my New Year’s resolution, though, and I’d still like to know: What does it mean to "eat healthy?" How do you sort through all of the conflicting information out there? What’s the best way to help kids to make sensible choices?
I turned to three local nutritionists for advice, and they all agree on some basic points. Proper nutrition for the whole family begins by gradually incorporating changes, having a plan and encouraging kids to help shop and cook.
Healthy eating is a family affair
Winnetka nutritionist Anne Milling suggests getting your kids involved in meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking. If they feel like they have some control over the process, they’re more likely to take an interest in it.
She also advises parents to introduce as many fruits and vegetables to kids as early as possible.
 "A young palate is naturally averse to trying new foods,” Milling says. “If your child is resistant to something for the first time, [you should] have them try it more than once.”
For meal planning, Milling uses “the plate model” for adults and kids. With a 9-inch plate as a guide, half of the plate should contain a nonstarchy vegetable, a quarter should have a starch and the remaining quarter a protein. Make your child’s plate attractive and appealing. Sometimes children will refuse to eat if food doesn't "look right" to them.
“The best way to instill healthy eating habits in kids is to model good behavior,” says Jason Bussell, a North Shore acupuncturist and author of The Asian Diet.  “Psychologists know that our children learn vastly more from what we do than from what we tell them. Teach your children from an early age that we do not just eat for the pleasure of taste.  We have to feed all our organs, not just our tongues.”
Make gradual changes
Extreme diets don’t work, and drastic changes eventually backfire. In The Asian Diet, Bussell writes: “The best way to get into balance is to live a little more in balance today than yesterday, and not to grossly overcompensate for yesterday’s mistakes.”
“Food changes take a long time to play out, so it's important to take the long view and not expect immediate results,” Bussell says. “We didn't get out of shape overnight; we should not expect to get back into shape overnight.
"With slow, sensible change, the pounds will naturally melt off and stay off,” he added.
North Shore nutritionist Karen Raden agrees. “Whether clients come to me for weight loss or dietary adjustments, I tell them to begin where they’re at,” she says. “Huge changes are not right for everyone.”
Milling also advises her clients to make simple adjustments, like doubling up on vegetable servings. “It’s better to tweak and make little changes,” she says.
Have a plan
Finally, it’s important to plan ahead, even just a few days in advance. Milling noted a study she read recently. It found people who were fit spent only six minutes more each week than the average person in planning out their regimen.
“I advise my clients to take that little bit of extra time and think ahead," she says. "It keeps them from stopping at McDonald’s on the way home from work or reaching for the junk food in the vending machine.”
As an example, she suggests packing a healthy snack in the briefcase or the car in case you’re running late after work.
“We lead hectic lives and convenience food is everywhere,” Raden says. “Nutrition takes thinking. Write out grocery lists before going to the store. Read labels. Slow down and take time to educate yourself.”
“Many restaurants post menus and nutritional information on their website,” Raden continues. “This way you can find out what the lower-calorie or lower-fat options are before you go.”
Bussell concludes with some food for thought.
“We have lost the connection between what we put in our bodies and how they function,” he says. “We need to become aware of the importance of how we are nourishing ourselves.”

Acupuncture treats retinitis pigmentosa

(This is taken from healthcmi.com  )

Mounting evidence suggests that acupuncture is an effective treatment for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disorder that may to lead to blindness. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Acupuncture and Moxibustion concludes that acupuncture treatment protects the optic nerve from damage caused by intraocular pressure by alleviating stresses on retinal and optic nerve axonal ultrastructures.¹ The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine published that the use of Chinese medicine improved retinal cone activity for patients with retinitis pigmentosa, even in cases of advanced retinal degeneration. Using electroretinograms for the investigation, the study also concludes that, “TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) treatment could also enhance the bioactivity of (the) nerve network and therefore have a definite significance in retarding the progression of disease and keeping the central vision.”² In another study, injections of She Xiang into acupuncture points UB18 and UB23 helped patients with retinitis pigmentosa. The study concludes that injection of She Xiang into Ganshu (UB18) and Shenshu (UB23) “can improve effectively the function and metabolism of optic cells, promote blood circulation of the retina, enhance the visual acuity, and protect the central vision for the patient of retinitis pigmentosa.”³ Yet another study of retinitis pigmentosa patients receiving acupuncture (ranging from ages 7 – 75 years) showed significant improvement and a halting of deterioration of the visual field.⁴

References:
1 Sun He , Zhang Hu. The Protective Effect of Acupuncture Treatment on Retinal and Optic Nerve Axonal Ultrastructure in Rabbit Eyes with Chronic Elevated IOP. Journal of Clinical Acupuncture and Moxibustion. 2010-05.
2 Wu Xing-Wei; Tang You-zhi. Study on Treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa with Traditional Chinese Medicine by Flicker Electroretinogram. CHINESE JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED TRADITIONAL AND WESTERN MEDICINE. 1996-06.
3 Hao Xiaobo, Wang Guihong, Peng Changxin, et al. (Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of TCM, Nanning 530023, China). Study on treatment of retinitis pigmentosa with acupoint injection of Shexiang Injection. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion. 2003-4.
4 Reddy NS, Fouzdar NM. Role of acupuncture in the treatment of `Incurable' retinal diseases. Indian J Ophthalmol 1983;31:1043-6.

Undergrad University students in Chicago! Earn $10 for a 1-hour acupuncture study

My research project has just been granted approval by the Institutional Review Board of National University of Health Sciences.  Now I need 100 undergraduate University Students as subjects.  Candidates must be between ages of 18-30, be in good health, not be pregnant nor breastfeeding, must not have received acupuncture in the past three months, and must be willing to receive acupuncture for the study.  Subjects will be paid $10 for the one-hour study.  Subjects will fill out self-evaluation questionnaires, perform tests of memory, and may receive acupuncture. 

The study will be conducted at A Center for Oriental Medicine, at 415 1/2 Fourth St. in Wilmette.  Available times are Tuesdays and Fridays 9am-6pm.  The study will also be conducted at the Tiffani Kim Institute, 310 W. Superior, Thursdays from 9am-1pm.  Both locations are 1/2 block from CTA 'L' stations.

All interested candidates should contact lead researcher, Jason Bussell, at 773-480-8920.

 

H1N1 vaccine increases miscarriage

No one is telling you this though, because there are hundreds of millions of dollars to be made selling us the shot. 

This article was forwarded to me by a concerned patient.  It can be found at philipbrennan.net

A shocking report from the National Coalition of Organized Women (NCOW) presented data from two different sources demonstrating that the 2009/10 H1N1 vaccines contributed to an estimated 1,588 miscarriages and stillbirths. A corrected estimate may be as high as 3,587 cases. NCOW also highlights the disturbing fact that the CDC failed to inform their vaccine providers of the incoming data of the reports of suspected H1N1 vaccine related fetal demise.

NCOW collected the data from pregnant women (age 17-45 years) that occurred after they were administered a 2009 A-H1N1 flu vaccine. The raw data is available on the website.

Using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), including updates through July 11, 2010 as a second ascertainment source, capture-recapture statistical methods* were used to estimate the true number of miscarriages and stillbirths following A-H1N1 flu vaccination in the U.S. Typically, even so-called “complete” studies conducted by the CDC have been shown to miss from 10% to 90% of the actual cases because of under-reporting.

The statistical method employed is an expeditious and cost effective method of attempting to ascertain a complete count of all cases when two or more ascertainment sources (VAERS and NCOW survey) have failed to collect all the existing cases. Overall, this approach shows that approximately only 15% of the occurrences of a miscarriage or stillbirth were actually reported.

The corrected estimate for the total number of 2009-A-H1N1-flu-shot-associated miscarriages and stillbirths during the 2009/10-flu season is 1,588 (95% goodness-of-fit confidence interval, 946 to 3587). That is, the lower and upper range-probability of miscarriage and stillbirths due to the H1N1 vaccine was as low as 946 and as high as 3,587.

Eileen Dannemann, Director of NCOW, presented the findings for the second time to Dr. Marie McCormick, chair of the Vaccine Risk and Assessment Working Group, during the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) meeting, Sept 3, 2010. Just prior to Ms. Dannemann’s presentation Dr. McCormick, had pronounced that there were absolutely no H1N1 vaccine-related adverse events in pregnant women in 2009/10, directly contradicting the evidence publicly available. “This baseless and fallacious assessment by the CDC assessment group” says, Dannemann, “has given the green light to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to continue their recommendation to give the 2010/11 flu shot to all people, including pregnant women. This upcoming 2010/11 flu vaccine contains the same elements that are implicated in the killing of these fetuses, the H1N1 viral component and the neurotoxin mercury (Thimerosal). Additionally, it contains 2 other viral strains- a 3 in 1 shot for all people”.

The very next week at the Sept 14th National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) meeting Dr. McCormick, (despite having been informed on two previous occasions of the VAERS data) pronounced, once again, that there were no adverse events in pregnant women. At the conclusion of the NVAC meeting, during public comment, Dannemann submitted the data for the 3rd time and concluded with, “Why hasn’t Dr. McCormick looked in the VAERS data base?” “She looked where she knew she would not find”, a disquieting thought, Ms. Dannemann, said in retrospect.

Excerpts and adaptation from speech delivered by Eileen Dannemann, Director, National Coalition of Organized Women Friday, September 3, 2010 to the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) meeting.

“Initially, at the beginning of the H1N1 pandemic consequence management drill there were allegedly 30 maternal deaths. It was these deaths that the CDC used as the basis to initiate a strenuous and aggressive campaign to vaccinate the pregnant population with the untested H1N1 vaccine. The CDC ascertained that there were eventually a total of 56 maternal deaths (assuming the fetuses died with them). Dr. Alicia Siston’s JAMA study (CDC) acknowledged that most of these deaths were ‘unconfirmed’ H1N1 virus caused deaths despite the fact that the CDC had tests that could have verified, for certain, that these were H1N1 related deaths.

Vaccine-related fetal demise reports from VAERS increased 2,440%–from 7 cases in 2007/8 to 178 in 2009/10. Seventy deaths reported from another source had 7 overlapping cases with VAERS, yielding 241 unique cases. Simplistically speaking, it would have been 85 to 192 times safer not to vaccinate from the perspective of the in-utero child.

Considering that the total of 56 maternal deaths in Dr. Alicia’s Siston’s study, allegedly due to the H1N1 virus itself, are unverified and in light of the overwhelming adverse events reported, we emphasize that inoculating pregnant women with another untested vaccine containing a combination of components found in the offending 2009 H1N1 vaccine is insupportable. Thus, it must be argued that the CDC was grossly negligent to fail to inform their vaccine providers of the incoming VAERS data, while providers blindly followed the CDC “standard of care” guidelines to vaccinate every pregnant woman in 2009/10. Furthermore, in the face of these findings and the purposeful withholding of these findings by CDC’s Dr. Marie McCormick and her vaccine risk assessment group, for the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to recommend another iteration of the same vaccine to pregnant women in 2010/11 may be argued as more than gross negligence -but rather- an act of willful misconduct.

We strongly recommend that the CDC withdraws their continued recommendation to pregnant women, instead, strictly adhering to the FDA/manufacturers warning on the insert packages that the flu shot not be given to pregnant women unless clearly needed. As well, we suggest that the CDC advise all Ob/Gyns, vaccine providers and the public this year, of last season’s VAERS reports on H1N1 vaccine-related fetal deaths” despite the fact that it may be contrary to CDC’s vaccine uptake performance goals”.

*Gary S. Goldman, Ph.D, author of various peer-reviewed medical journal publications, has verified the capture-recapture (C-R) figures published in the NCOW report. Dr. Goldman previously worked for 8 years as a Research Analyst for the L.A. County Department of Health Services in an epidemiological study project funded by the CDC.

NCOW Press Release: Contact: Eileen Dannemann [phone: 917-804-0786, e-mail: ncowmail@gmail.com] Sept. 17, 2010

For Immediate Release: Science Contact: Dr. Paul G. King, NCOW Sci. Advisor [phone: 973-997-1321, e-mail: drking@gti.net]

How Blue Cross can save money

I have a patient who submitted a bill from us that had four dates of service on it.   They divided the claim up into four separate claims.  Then they sent both her and me individual letters stating the disposition of each claim.  So instead of sending one or two letters, they paid to mail eight.  Let's consolidate people.