Dr France Health Blog

I haven’t been posting lately  as I have been invaded by spam. 702 spam comments only today, I have to solve this problem before I post again.

When I was young, my mother used to rub my throat and chest with Vicks VapoRub. She would do it before bedtime or a few times during the day when I was suffering from a cold or the flu. I thought I was in heaven, I loved it. And the following day I would feel a lot better.

I did the same with my kids as they were growing up. Now that they are adults they still use it.

I also suggest it to my patients.

Lets look at the ingredients.

Camphor: is a tough gummy volatile aromatic compound. In 1983, the FDA  recognized camphor as a safe and effective topical antitussive ( suppress cough), analgesic, anesthetic and antipruritic( stops the itching) agent. It should never exceed 11% of the ingredients. Toxicities happen if ingested, so keep it away from your kids.

I remember wearing a cube of camphor around my neck in the winter months when every one else was sick. My mother knew best and she may have been right, at least to the extant that camphor is an insect repeller!

Menthol: is an organic compound obtained from the oil of peppermint. It has a cooling effect when applied to the skin. It is an analgesic and because of its vasodilation properties it enhances the efficacy of camphor and eucalyptus in VicksVapoRub.

Eucalyptus oil: eucalyptus is a tall evergreen tree native to Australia and Tasmania. Topical ointments containing Eucalyptus oil have been used by traditional Aboriginals to heal wounds and fungal infections. Teas using the leaves were used to reduce fevers. Eucalyptus has strong antibacterial properties, loosens plegm, is an antiseptic and reduces inflammation.

As you can see, putting all three together was a great idea.

Here is my opinion as to why it works. The smell of camphor stimulates the breathing centers and allows the lungs to take in more air and more of the antibacterial eucalyptus.

By applying and rubbing it on the chest the lymph is put into greater motion allowing a better flow and more circulation. In acupuncture, the lung meridian starts on the chest. By rubbing Vicks in, the lungs are stimulated, increasing the circulation and ventilation, this in turn, brings to the lungs the healing agents. So you get them all through the skin and through breathing.

Also, the tender loving care of mommy rubbing your throat and chest with a warming, good smelling oil when you don’t feel too good is probably the real healer!!!!

I hope it helps you survive the winter and its bad colds.

Acai, pronounced Assa-ee ( not Akai!), is a powerful anti-oxydant not a thermogenic product. In other words it will prevent free radical formation, keep you healthy but will not increase your metabolism and make you lose weight.

To promote Acai for weight loss is misleading.

When I was expressing this opinion to my husband he said that just the fact a person is healthier he may have more energy, become more active and lose weight. True!

So you decide!

Just make sure you research the herbs, amino acids and supplements you want to take.

A patient introduced me to Monavie. It’s a berry juice rich in brasilian Acai. It’s an excellent product. I introduced it last November to one of my aunts who has liver cancer and only 6 months to live. Her last report as of last week was that she has more energy, is more active and her liver enzymes have improved. She will go in for more testing in a week.

I hope all of this helps.

Dr France Carpentier

This is the title of a book written by Dr Viera Scheibner. Dr Scheibner has a Phd in Natural Sciences. She has studied some 30,000 pages of medical papers dealing with vaccination and discovered that, in all that material, there was no evidence of  the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.

“Vaccines are highly noxious. They contain formaldehyde, aluminium phosphate,thiomersal (mercury coumpound), foreign proteins (antigens). They also harbor contaminating animal proteins and viruses from the tissues used as growth medium”.

None of these substances should ever be injected into human beings; newborns, babies, toddlers, teenagers or adults.

“They erode the immune system and alter the immunological response to diseases”.

She writes in her introduction:” If you raised the subject of immunisation with any medical doctor they would probably tell you that vaccination is the most effective intervention of modern medecine which prevented more suffering and saved more lives than any other medical procedure”.

They would also tell you that the demise of epidemic diseases like small pox or polio is one of the success stories of mass vaccination programs. However, this claim is totally unsubstantiated.

The DOCUMENTED TRUTH is that the incidence of and mortality from any infectious diseases which used to decimate populations of Europe only some one hundred years ago, declined by up to 90% BEFORE any vaccination program at all.”

She goes on to say:” The best evidence of INEFFECTIVENESS of vaccines comes from two facts: firstly, such deadly diseases as bubonic plague disappeared without any immunisation programs, simply because of BETTER SANITATION AND NUTRITION…” The second evidence is in the countries where no mass vaccination ever occurred  the diseases were eradicated nevertheless. Good nutrition, clean water and sanitation are the cause of the eradication of deadly contagious diseases.

In her book she adresses each childhood and major contagious diseases. She gives references and  evidences. In the end, I could not come to any other conclusion  than that vaccination is a superstitious practice.

One more  point she is making is that since the 1950’s kids have been receiving more and more vaccines, and nobody knows the long term effects of vaccinated people, generations after generations. Her research shows that there is ample evidence vaccination is connected to leukemia, cancer and AIDS. Even flu vaccines are connected to Legionaire’s disease and Guillain-Barre.

I am recommandind this book now because our country’s children are at risk. There are movements, at state levels, to push mandatory mass immunizations. There are legislative actions being taken to attemp to immunise home schooled kids. There are also attempts to suppress religious wavers.

You can have your kids vaccinated if you want to, but everyone should have the right to refuse vaccination.

Do you remember the story on the media last year? The police was at a school in Maryland and this created a big upset as children were forced to be immunised. I just couln’t beleive it! This was a test to see how far we can be pushed.

If we let big pharma have it’s way, by the age of 15 girls will receive 78 vaccines and boys 75.

I don’t want to see any child receive so much poison, do you?

While I read her book a few questions came to mind. Could this be the reason why so many children have brain tumors, leukemia or cancer? So many young women in their 20s have breast cancer? And could this be the reason why so many people in their 20-30-40 have diseases that used to be seen only in old people?

Here is where you can take action: www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?p=1135

Get the book, it is distributed by NEW ATLANTEAN PRESS, PO Box 9638, Santa Fe, NM 87504. Tel 505-983-1856

I hope this helps you.

First let’s be clear about one thing, post-partum depression is not caused by a deficiency of drugs.

What just happened? We just gave birth!

Since the beginning of the third trimester of her pregnancy her body has been secreting progesterone abundantly. Progesterone is a “feel good” hormone, hence the cliche of the “radiance of pregnacy” expectant mothers experience near childbirth.

Suddenly the secretion of progesterone stops.

She may already have had low levels before she became pregnant, and  now finds herself without adequate levels of the “feel good” hormone.

How about testing her progesterone level and giving her some?

Isn’t this more logical than anti-depressants?

Also, how much blood did she lose? What if she was borderline anemic or anemic just before giving birth?

The quality of her blood may have become poor. Whenever a new mother comes to me feeling rundown and depressed I address her blood first. I suggest a supplement with Iron, B-12, folic acid and B6. Plus a potent B complex and trace minerals supplement.

For her diet, I tell her to eat blood sausage, rare or medium steaks, plenty of greens, sleep when the baby sleeps and take some fresh air.

A third aspect of post-partum depression is a low thyroid function. I refer you to a previous blog I wrote called The Thyroid Connection. You’ll find it as you scroll down.

So, what do we now know that can help us if we are suffering from post-partum depression or trying to help a friend who is?

There’s a  possibility of three organic causes of post-partum depression: low levels of progesterone, poor blood and low thyroid function. All three can be addressed with proper nutrition and supplementation.

You’ll probably think, reading this, of Andrea Yates, the woman who struggled with post-partum depression and eventually drowned her five children. Her problem at that time was beyond post-partum depression,  she may have become psychotic.

Do you know that one of the side effects of anti-psychotic drugs is psychosis? And if one stops taking these suddenly without proper weaning, one of the documented side effects is psychosis.

Why get so complicated when post-partum depression is actually easy to treat?

I hope this helps you. Talk to your doctor and insist on the proper lab tests so you can be treated adequately.

I feel compelled today to write about food. Last week I examined this beautiful 14 year old girl who suffers from migraine 2-3 times a week. She had scans, MRIs, lab work and even a spinal tap. She was told there was nothing wrong with her.

This is where the medical profession fails a lot of people. They use the big artillery of diagnoses, don’t find any pathology and then send the patient home with a prescription to hide the symptoms. What happened to taking a medical history? What happened to ” going over daily habits”?

Well if anyone would have bothered they would have found she goes to bed between 1 and 2 am, even on school nights. They would also find she hardly eats during the day, no breakfast, hardly any lunch, but spends the evenings eating macaroni and cheese. No wonder!!!! And she’s always tired!!!

With such a diet and life style her adrenals will start giving her problems, then her thyroid and she’ll put weight on, become anemic, maybe diabetic but for sure depressed as she has no energy.

What did the mom have to say? Not much. Have you talked to a teenager lately? She knew all these habits were bad and told her over and over but sometimes it takes a doctor to talk to these kids. YES!!! KIDS!!

So we worked out a vitamin and mineral program, a diet, a normal sleeping schedule and guess what! No headache this week!!!!

There was a time I had 3 teenagers in the house and I sometimes felt I was a drill-master, but one who loved her soldiers very much. As a parent you know what is good for them, ( if you don’t, you can surf the internet, read books and ask for advice) but basically a person that eats well and sleeps well is healthy.

There will be more blogs on basics.

I hope this helps.

Did you know it is estimated that more than half the american population has some sort of thyroid condition?

Did you know that the american girl could start showing signs of hypothyroid function as early as 14 years old?

The basic cause of thyroid problems is low or no iodine in the diet.

Consuming iodized table salt is not the best recommendation but iodized sea salt is a good way to start an iodine supplementation. Eating fish from salt water, kelp, sea food and seaweed all help. It is rare a person will get enough iodine in the diet, so supplementation is important.

The thyroid problem has been recognized since 1829. The Lugol Solution was then introduced by a French Physician, Dr Jean Lugol. It contains 5% iodine and 10% potassium iodine. The recommended intake is 2 drops a day corresponding to 12.5 mg, you can still get this solution at www.clearwaterherbs.com.

I find it a little hard on the stomach. Standard Process provides Prolamine Iodine, the iodine is bound to a protein making it easier to absorb. This supplement is sold in doctors’ offices only: Chiropractors, MDs, Naturopaths and Acupuncturists. Your adrenals may need some support as well, so it is important to consult and get the correct nutritional progarm.

Here are some of the signs of a slow thyroid:

Tired, always tired, so tired I can’t do anything, overweight, hair loss, brittle nails, gaining weight but not eating that much…any one of these would get any one depressed  and grumpy.

Dr David Perry, in his book “Breast cancer and Iodine” makes the connection between breast cancer and thyroid conditions– a very good read. According to him the following conditions could all be due to a thyroid deficient in Iodine:

-infertility

-fibrotic disease of the breast (FDB)

-anemia

-weight gain

-constipation

- high cholesterol levels

-menopausal hot flashes

-depression

-menstrual cramps

- in children: growth retardation, delayed teething and mental deficiency.

I have found the lab tests not to be relayable anymore. I think the tested persons used to establish the markers for normalcy may have been suffering themsleves of hypothyroidism… a doctor should not only rely on testing but also on observation and the taking of a good medical history.

If you want to know how your thyroid performs here is the test which has been used successfully for decades: your BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE.

Put a thermometer on your night stand before you go to bed, making sure you brought it down to 96.

As soon as you wake up the next morning put the thermometer under your arm, in your armpit. DO NOT go to the bathroom or do anything, it could bring your basal temperature up. Just leave the thermometer there for 10 minutes.

A normal read is between 96.8 -97.8, a lower temperature  indicates a lowered thyroid function.

WHAT TO DO TO HELP YOUR THYROID:

-get some iodine supplementation

-take some essential fatty acids, fish oils

-Vitamin C

-B-complex

-minerals and selenium, it helps your cells accept the iodine

-L-Thyrosine, take it in the morning as it could keep you up, it’s an amino acid

- calcium (1,000 mg) and Magnesium (200-600 mg)  they act as co-factors for many metabolic processes.

FOODS TO AVOID as  they are known to suppress thyroid function:

- broccoli

-cabbage

-soy: soy milk, soy oil, soy nuts

-peanuts: peanut oil, peanut butter, peanut oil

-corn: corn chips, corn bread, popcorn, corn oil.

If your blood cholesterol is high it may be a sign of low thyroid function. No matter how much you exercise, how careful you are with eating fat free, your cholesterol level will never budge. The solution would be to look into your thyroid, not drugs.

ALLERGIC TO IODINE?

A good way to test if you are allergic to iodine is to apply some iodine tincture on your forearm and wait a few hours. If there is no reaction you are safe.

Some people have taken iodine in the past and have had diarrhea, headaches and/ or flu like symptoms. It may be due to a rapid detox not an allergic reaction. Simply stop taking the iodine and tell your doctor.

BOOKS ON THYROID

I beleive in educated decision about our own health. Here is a list of books, I hope will help you to a better health.

“Iodine”  “Why you need it, why you can’t live without it” by David Brownstein MD. Available at www.amazon.com or www.drbrownstein.com

“Breast cancer and Iodine” by Dr David Perry. MD, PhD

“Hypothyroidism-The unsuspected illness” by Dr Barner

“Solved: the riddle of illness” by Stephen F. Ludger MD

“Living well with hypothyroidism. What your doctor doesn’t tell you…that you need to know” by Mary J. Shomon.

I hope this helps you.

Are you confused with all the information and mis-information about the health of your heart? You may not be the only one, after all the research done over the last 50 years and the billion spent heart attacks are still one of the top 3 killers in this country.

The answer resides in prevention. And prevention does not necessarily reside in drugs.

The heart is a muscle, it never rests and must have a constant supply of nutrients. A cramp in your calf muscle may be very painful but the consequences are mild compared to what could happen to your heart.

Even though all the blood from your body flows through your heart, the heart has its own blood supply known as the coronary arteries. We must pay attention to them. If they get blocked the muscle tissue they nourrish will die. The more extensive the death of these tissues the bigger the heart attack.

How could you know if you are at risk for a heart attack?

The first indicator is your family history. If your father, grand father, uncles or aunts died of a heart attack your chances are definitly good you’ll die of one too. Do make changes to your life style and eating habits. We’ll go into this later.

An other good indicator is: how overfed and under nourrished are you? Do you eat too much of poor quality foods?

The next indicator is: do you spend your days at a desk and you evenings in front of the TV?  Does your heartbeat go up over 150 when you go up a flight of stairs?  Can you actually go up a flight of stairs?

I grew up in Canada where we have social medicine. I graduated as an RN there. I remember a class we had on the social impact of social medicine. I remember this data: 80% of the population was paying for the 20% of the population that will not take care of itself through basics sensible good nutrition and hygiene.

Looking at how fat the Canadian women have gotten lately, not as bad as the American women I should say, I cannot but wonder if 40% of the population is paying for 60%. But actually it is the employer that is taxed and pays for social medicine, not the individuals. Michael Moore never mentioned that.

What can we do to help a heart be and stay healthy?

Magnesium is probably the most important mineral for the heart.

Co enzyne Q10 is important for any muscular activity. And we just mentioned that the heart is a muscle. It is an expensive supplement, but worth it.

Vitamin E or any other anti-oxidant are necessary. I like CATAPLEX E from Standard Process as it is a complex E, not just a part of E.

Vitamin C, Vitamin C and Vitamin C: Dr Royal Lee wrote an article in 1943 indicating that all cardiac patients were deficient in Vit C. Get a natural source such as Rosehips.

L Arginine and Creatine are  important amino acids that will keep your heart strong.

Enzymes: many cardiac patients have had a history of gastric and dibestive problems. They have lost the ability to digest proteins which eventually has weakened their heart. The enzyne to digest protein is protease. The heart contains more creatine than any other muscle. One can deduct then, that taking enzymes and eating beef’s heart could help a weak heart. My mom had a great receipe for beef heart.

Compex vitamin B: a deficiency of Bs could cause much damage to the heart, the primary effect of Bs or B compex is to permit a relaxation of the vascular system.

Foods: stay away from processed foods. Eat as natural and as fresh as possible, eat as organic as possible and never overeat. Eat vegetables, fish, beef, poultry, some fruits and some grains. Juicing vegetables on a regular basis is a very good habit.

 START NOW!!!!! GET UP AND START WALKING!!! Don’t go crazy, do what you can now. Do what your level of unfitness dictates you. I suggest a 5 minute walk outside every day for the very fat and out of shape. For the cardiac patient consult your doctor first. If you want to start an exercise regimen for the fisrt time in a long time and you are overweight consult your doctor too. Use common sense.

If you are on any drugs, consult your physician before you start a supplement program.

I hope this summary will help you get and keep a healthy heart.

Have a good day!

Almost every day I have a patient asking me what type of water they should be drinking.

At home we get the Mountain Valley Spring water and we get it in the glass 5 gal. bottle.

This water has been cleaned of impurities, has naturally ocurring minerals and it tastes great. It is in a glass container so we don’t get leakage from plastic.

Now there is a lot of information out there on alkaline water, distilled water, reverse osmosis and all sorts of filters. I made my decision to get spring water after years of drinking and trying out different filter systems, different types of water. I like the taste of spring water and I feel good drinking it.

The most important point in choosing your water is to know where your water comes from. I would not drink any water from a well if the lands nearby have been covered with fertilizers and pesticides. I live in Florida and we have a well, all our neighbours use those chemicals on their grass and I would never drink this water.  We have a water purifyer system in our house, reverse osmmosis, and I don’t trust it could remove all traces of these chemicals. I had it installed so we woudn’t bathe or shower in those chemicals.

How to drink water?

How many times have I seen my patients carrying their bottle of water around where ever they may go and sip here, sip there and oops an other sip before I get on the chiropractic table. NO! Not the correct way to drink water. The sipping way done 100 times throughout the day will only hydrate your mouth turning off the thirst alarm. As your body is not hydrated, the alarm will turn on again in a few minutes.

The correct way to drink water is to drink 8-12-16 ounces at a time. Get the glass or bottle of water to your mouth start swallowing and keep swallowing. This way your body will be hydrated not just your mouth!

I suggest 2-3 liters of water depending on the amount of sweating done during the day.

This brings me to salt. You also need to replenish your minerals. I’ll cover this in a following  blog.

Enjoy your water.

I was eating lunch tuesday and watching the news at CNN. It was reported that the pharmacies were at their lowest in 10 years on prescription filled sales.

Our clinic which provides chhiropractic care, Vax-D, Ion cleanse, nutritional advices and products has been at one of its highest in delivery and sale.

Could this be a national trend?

Could this be the fact that more poeple realise it is more economical to keep a body health than try to fix it once very sick?

Here are the basics of healthy living:

• good uncontaminated non-chemically treated water, 2-3 liters a day
• natural organic free range eggs, beef, poultry and fish
• plenty of fresh vegetables, some fruits and grains
• eat organic as much as possible
• sleep 7-9 hours a night, children 10-12 hours a night
• have a good posture: chest up and abds tight
• exercise daily
• bathe or shower  as needed daily and brush your teeth after meals
• keep your body free of parasites
• take minerals- they are essential to the absorption of vitamins
• have a positive out-look

The following blogs will adress each and every one of these points.

So here is your first tid-bit for a healthy living.

Enjoy!