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Excessive use of blood transfusions
is a generally overlooked cause of death that demands greater consideration.
Conservative study of blood transfusions estimates that at least
25% are unnecessary.1 Ten percent of all patients entering hospitals
are given blood transfusions. Blood transfusions are frequently
given for anemia, but their use may cause greater problems than
the benefits.
Why Are Blood Transfusions Dangerous?
In the United States, there are about 500,000 heart bypass operations
performed each year. Researchers at the University of Michigan studied
9218 persons aged 65 or older who had coronary bypass surgery. They
learned that patients who had received blood transfusions were five
times more likely to die2 within 100 days of the surgery than patients
who were not transfused. More than 66% of the men and 88% of the
women having this operation receive blood transfusions. Women had
a nine-percent death rate within 100 days of this operation, but
only six percent of men die in the same time interval. The primary
cause for death in these bypass patients is infection at a site
unrelated to the operative procedure.
The odds on developing an infection were three times higher in bypass
patients who had received a blood transfusion when compared to patients
who were not transfused during the surgery. The more units of blood
transfused, the greater the risk of infection. If transfusions are
dangerous, it is easy to understand why more women die than men
because their smaller blood volume causes them to receive more blood.
Coronary artery bypass operations are a huge stress for an elderly
person. The stress of such surgery causes profound immunosuppression
in the body. This means that the body will not be able to do a good
job fighting off infections and the spread of cancer cells for several
months after this surgery.
Of even greater importance are the adverse effects of transfusion
itself. What are these transfusions doing to the human body? Some
undesirable effects of transfusion include the following:
- The infections seen are not at the
operative site but are randomly scattered throughout the body,
suggesting the immune system is not capable of preventing serious
infections. Something has injured the immune system.
- Blood transfusions are placing an
enormous burden on the immune system in patients getting this
surgery.
- Every individual's blood is unique.
Each person's blood contains dozens of
antigens capable of producing adverse responses in the blood recipient
(inhaled
antigens, poorly digested proteins the bloodstream was unable
to absorb, tumor
antigens, and antibodies directed against parts of the body perceived
as foreign,
(auto antibodies to islet cells, bronchial epithelium, synovial
membranes, etc.)
Blood may also contain cigarette smoke, pesticides, herbicides,
inhalant cleaning
substances, chemicals, etc.
- We are all constantly fighting off
infections. Donated blood may also contain
viral, bacterial, spirochetal, parasitic, and fungal organisms
the donor was
battling. For example, it is estimated that one in every six persons3
in the world is
currently infected with Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes. This
means the person whose blood is given may have pathogens in this
blood capable of causing colds, gingivitis, sinusitis, or even
a serious infection for the recipient. All blood can and does
transmit infectious agents (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic,
spirochetal) present in donated blood. Given to a healthy person
this would usually not cause a fatal problem ,but given to an
immuno-suppressed patient trying to recuperate from a major operation,
a transfusion may become the straw that broke the camel's back.
- The most important pathogen in blood
probably is Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb),
which causes Lyme disease. Borrelia is not tested for in donated
blood. It is easy to understand how a patient, seriously ill after
bypass surgery, could be overwhelmed by the onset of Lyme disease
postoperatively. Lyme disease is rampant, because it is easily
spread person to person. Most patients with Lyme disease have
a silent infection that does not become evident until some serious
incident damages their immune system (major surgery, accident,
infection, immune injury from alcohol, drugs, insomnia, stress,
etc). This means there are millions of persons walking around
whose blood would be dangerous to receive because they look okay
but have Bb spirochetes.
It's currently impossible to diagnose Lyme disease accurately,
because the two best tests for the disease are no longer available
(blood culture [Dr. Lida Mattman], Q-RIBb [Dr. Jo Anne Whitaker]).
These tests were foolproof because growing spirochetes out of
the blood or visualizing pieces of spirochetes in blood samples
constitutes undeniable proof of diagnosis. Remember, one person
in six has the Bb spirochetes in their blood, so if you receive
six units of blood, you have a very good chance of getting Bb
spirochetes. We will never know how many postoperative deaths
in transfused patients are caused by undiagnosed Lyme disease,
because there are no reliable tests available to diagnose this
disease. Chagas's disease (parasitic illness) from Latin America
damages the heart and is almost certainly being infused into unfortunate
persons getting blood transfusions these days. Neither Chagas's
disease nor Lyme is likely to be thought of in the postoperative
period.
- Diagnosable transfusion reactions
(chills, fever, skin rash) occur in one out of
every 100 transfused persons. A major operation like bypass surgery
causes a profound immunosuppressive reaction. This damages the
body's ability to kill bacteria and cancer cells for several months.
The immunosuppressive state in colon cancer surgery can be blocked
by the use of Tagamet taken before or started shortly after the
colon operation. Patients treated with Tagamet for one year have
a significantly higher survival rate4 than controls
not receiving Tagamet.
A
Closer Look at a Common Surgical Procedure
What
Goes on During Coronary Bypass Surgery?
Approximately one-third of coronary bypass operations are done without
using a pump to circulate blood to the organs and brain, while two-thirds
use a pump during the surgery. Suturing a muscular organ's arteries
is not easy to perform with the heart actively beating. When the
pump is used, the heart is stopped, which makes the technical aspect
of this surgery easier to perform. When the operation is finished,
the heart is given an electrical shock to restart normal contractions.
In general, bypass of only one coronary artery takes about 45 minutes,
while bypass of two or more coronary arteries takes about two hours.
When the pump is used, the first portion of the aorta is cross-clamped.
This prevents blood from refluxing into the heart. Careful cross-clamping
of the aorta unavoidably does cause some extrusion of small easily
fractured pieces of the arteriosclerotic plaque containing ascending
aorta. These pieces of plaque may produce signs of small strokes
noted in the postoperative period. Heparin is used during the surgery
to prevent blood clots from forming. As blood circulates through
the pump, there is unavoidable trauma to red blood cells, causing
some of them to become ruptured.
During the operation, there is no way to prevent free radicals and
cellular waste-products from building up in the portion of the aorta
near the cross clamp, because this blood does not circulate freely
during the surgery. When the cross-clamping of the aorta is released
at the end of the operation, a rapid shower of free radicals and
acid wastes is promptly brought to the brain and other sites. These
free radicals and wastes are injurious to the very sensitive neurons
of the cerebral cortex. Some neurons are certainly lost during this
process with every bypass operation. The damage from waste substances
and free radicals can be probably prevented by use of propolis5
injected at the same time the clamp is released because of its powerful
antioxidant capability.
Bypass surgery thus has three distinct phases during which injury
to brain tissue may occur:
- Trauma to ascending aorta during cross
clamping releases small emboli of plaque tissue that can cause
small strokes.
- Despite use of heparin, small clots
may be formed during the surgery at sites of slower blood flow
such as the aorta near the cross clamp. These clots can pass to
the brain, causing strokes and damage to other tissues.
- Release of the cross clamp allows
a flood of relatively stagnant blood to pass to the brain. This
poorly oxygenated acidic blood causes death of some neurons.
Survivors of bypass surgery frequently admit they are not as sharp
mentally as they were before the operation.
Background: What
Causes Arteriosclerosis?
The are four primary causes for arteriosclerosis:
- Deposition of toxic metals in the
endothelium of the arterioles
- Infections in the endothelium produce
inflammation leading to scarring and narrowing of narrowing of
the lumen of the arteriole
- Deficiency of vitamin C
- Excessive levels of homocysteine
in the blood
Fifty percent of patients having heart
attacks have normal cholesterol values. Abnormal cholesterol values
play a minor role in the causation of arteriosclerosis despite what
pharmaceutical ads would like us to believe. Correction of these
metabolic abnormalities with therapies that remove toxic metals
(chelation), cure infections, restore vitamin C stores, and correct
elevated homocysteine values are more sensible than performing a
surgical procedure for what is a degenerative process in arteries.
Endothelial Function
of Arterioles
An important new concept about arteries relates to the inner lining
of arterial blood vessels adjacent to the flowing blood (endothelium).
This lining tissue generates the powerful arterial vessel dilator
nitric oxide. The endothelium also produces prostacyclin, which
slows the clotting of blood and causes dilating of arteries. A third
important endothelial product is heparin, a potent substance that
helps prevent clots from forming. Excessive deposition of heavy
metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, iron, uranium) in the endothelium
diminishes the endothelium's ability to produce nitric oxide, prostacyclin,
and heparin.6 Chelation may restore the body's ability to create
these important substances by removing these metals from the endothelial
lining.
Avoiding Needless Bypass Surgery
Chelation Therapy
of Toxic Metals
One of the leading authorities in chelation therapy, Dr. Gary Gordon,
has developed an oral chelation product Essential Daily Defense
(EDD). EDD contains niacin, garlic powder, calcium EDTA, MSM (methyl
sulfane methane), malic acid, betaine HCL, carrageenan, papain,
silica, dl methionine, beta-sitosterol, crataegus 6x (hawthorne
berry), modified cellulose gum, cholesterol-free stearic acid, and
gelatin. Dr. Gordon often relates that he has never seen a stroke
or heart attack in 30 years of patients taking his long-term oral
chelation combined with anticoagulation using the safe, natural,
anti-clotting substance (carrageenan [red algae] Natural Cellular
Defense).
Iron is now being recognized as a health hazard. The malic acid
in EDD derived from apples binds iron and decreases iron stores
in the body. This does not proceed to a state where iron deficiency
anemia appears but it does lead to decreased production of free
radicals, which is, of course, desirable. One of the most important
components in EDD is the sulfated polysaccharide derived from red
algae. This polysaccharide interacts with EDTA to produce a definite
decrease in the clotting tendency of blood (lower viscosity due
to heparin). This decrease in viscosity permits blood to flow more
freely, which requires less work by the heart. Additionally, this
heparin anti-clotting effect acquired with EDD therapy makes it
nearly impossible for a patient to have a heart attack, stroke,
or gangrene. In this state of absent clotting and high antioxidant
activity from EDTA, atherosclerotic plaques are slowly and steadily
dissolved. There is no problem with bleeding. EDD also contains
garlic, which binds mercury, facilitating its removal from the body.
EDD is proving so effective that many practitioners are switching
from intravenous chelation to oral use of EDD. This is simpler and
less expensive for patients.
Anyone taking EDD also needs to be taking a good vitamin/mineral
supplement, because, over time, EDD can deplete the body of desirable
minerals (calcium, magnesium). Yet a good supplement alone is not
enough to prevent illness. Half of all Americans are taking a daily
multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. The results of this supplementation
are less than optimal because our bodies are being steadily poisoned
by toxic substances found in our water, food, and air.
Infection and Arteriosclerosis
About 35% of persons who experience a heart attack or stroke have
a history of an acute infection in the days immediately prior to
the vascular clot. Infections are known to be associated with a
tendency for clot formation. A major advance in diagnosing arteriosclerotic
heart disease was the discovery that elevation in the sedimentation
rates and CRP values are a valuable predictor of an impeding heart
attack. Therapy to treat inflammation gives the clinician the opportunity
to stop vascular obstructions before they happen. Both these tests,
when positive, strongly suggest there is an inflammatory reaction,
probably infectious, somewhere in the body.
Dr. Robert Genko, editor of the American
Academy of Periodontal Journal, states that persons with
gingival disease are 27 times more likely to suffer a heart attack
than are persons with healthy gums. An American Heart Association
paper revealed that 85% of heart attack victims had gum disease,
compared to only 29% of healthy similar patients.
Narrowing of the carotid arteries in the neck was 50% greater in
elderly patients with gum disease when compared to similar patients
without gum disease. The cause for this narrowing of arteries in
the heart and neck has not been defined but may relate to the adverse
effects inflammatory (infectious) conditions have in producing arteriosclerosis.
It appears likely that bacteria are being released from diseased
gums and other sites of infections into the blood where they lodge
in neck, heart, and other arteries.
There are many causes for inflammatory reactions in the body, but
when gingivitis is found, it can be healed with Oral Guard. Oral
Guard, which is full of valuable nutrients, rapidly reverses gingivitis
when sprayed several times daily on the gums. One of the best therapies
for reversing inflammation is the herbal product cucurmin (tumeric)
found in health food stores. Chronic inflammation in any site (sinuses,
bronchi, prostate) should be treated. Root canals are a very important
source of infection that has no effective therapy other than removal
of the infected tooth.
I prefer natural therapies for infections because, unlike all antibiotic
drugs, they do not kill the healthy bacteria in our intestines.
Loss of these good bacteria damages the immune system. Other valuable
therapies to eliminate infections are garlic, essential oil of oregano,
and Argentyn 23.
Vitamin C and Arteriosclerosis
Dr. Linus Pauling and his associates were convinced that the arteriosclerotic
plaque is formed because of a deficiency of vitamin C. In their
explanation of arteriosclerosis, the structural protein (collagen)
of arteries is lacking due to vitamin C deficiency. This causes
the body to supply lipoprotein(a) to these weak areas in an attempt
to patch the weakness. Lipoprotein(a) is very sticky, and when it
deposits onto an injured artery's surface, it collects platelets,
calcium, fibrin, and cholesterol that cause a deposit (plaque) that
narrows the opening in the artery. These narrowed openings can proceed
to clot over (heart attack, stroke, or gangrene) and produce symptoms
(angina, leg pain with exertion, brain symptoms from lack of adequate
blood flow), and small pieces of fibrin clot may break off the plaque
and be thrown to arteries more distant, again producing strokes,
heart attack, and gangrene.
In 1994, Dr. Pauling and his associates announced that arteriosclerosis
could be cured by a substance important in making collagen (lysine
6 grams daily) and large doses of vitamin C (six grams daily). The
Pauling associates have never seen an individual who was taking
ten grams of vitamin C daily who had any evidence of arteriosclerosis.
Ninety-five percent of patients with advanced arteriosclerosis admitted
they took no vitamin C or less than 500 mg daily. This result has
been confirmed by the Life Extension Foundation of Hollywood, Florida.
The Pauling associates relate that end-stage arteriosclerosis patients
have been completely cured by high-dosage vitamin C and lysine,
often within weeks. These individuals' anginal pain disappears,
blood pressure drops, arterial blockages disappear, lipid profiles
become normal, and energy increases. They can then pass treadmill
tests normally. Dr. Julian Whitaker has seen many patients with
severe angina, positive treadmills, who received dire warnings about
impending death without bypass surgery, and who instead become asymptomatic
and so far removed from arteriosclerosis they are able to participate
in marathon races and other stressful activities after embarking
on a rational program to eliminate arteriosclerosis.
Human beings and guinea pigs are unable to manufacture vitamin C.
Depriving guinea pigs of vitamin C leads to the production of arteriosclerotic
lesions similar to human arteriosclerosis. No plaque forms in control
guinea pigs getting vitamin C. Dr. K. McCulley has shown that guinea
pigs depleted of vitamin C get high blood levels of homocysteine,
whereas the control guinea pigs receiving vitamin C have normal
homocysteine values. Animals other than guinea pigs do not develop
arteriosclerosis. The human arteriosclerosis plaques are located
at sites where stress to blood vessels occurs from the impact of
the arterial stream of blood rather than in a random fashion –
which would be expected to occur if a toxic material in blood –
i.e., cholesterol – was the cause of arteriosclerosis. All
this evidence makes a strong argument that lack of vitamin C causes
arteriosclerosis and that taking large quantities (six grams daily)
of vitamin C along with lysine (six grams daily) can heal arteriosclerotic
arteries.
Homocysteine Levels
Correlate Well with Risk of Death from Heart Disease
A Norwegian7 study discovered that in 587 patients with coronary
heart disease, the risk of death within four years was proportional
to total plasma homocysteine level. The risk rose from 3.8% with
homocysteine below 9 micromols per liter to 24.7% in patients with
homocysteine levels above 15 micromols per liter. The only way to
be certain that you are getting the proper dosage of folic acid,
vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and trimethylglycine to treat homocysteine
excess is to have regular blood homocysteine tests. Each three-unit
increase in HC causes a 35% increase8 in the risk of heart attack.
Trimethylglycine (TMG) – also called Glycine Betaine –
is the most effective9 agent to lower homocysteine levels. The usual
dose is 500 mg three times daily. If HC levels have not fallen adequately,
up to 9000 mg of TMG may be needed daily. Folic acid (800 mcg with
each meal) and 1000 mcg of B12 daily are necessary. B6 (pyridoxine)
reduces homocysteine by a different mechanism than folic acid. The
dose of B6 should be 100 to 200 mg daily.
In a patient with previous bypass surgery, angina reappeared along
with new areas of blockage of heart arteries. This man was taking
15,000 mcg of folic acid daily. His blood homocysteine (HC) level
was very high risk at 18. On six grams daily of trimethylglycine,
his HC fell to 4 in one month. Trimethylglycine functions in treating
elevated HC levels by donating methyl groups, which convert homocysteine
to the harmless amino acid methionine.
Concerns About
Bypass Surgery
In 1977, the first extensive evaluation of cardiac surgery for arteriosclerosis
was done. This evaluation of 596 patients treated with bypass surgery
or drug therapy revealed that surgery was no better than drug therapy.
Eugene Braunwald,10 highly respected Chief of Cardiology at Harvard
Medical School, commented 30 years ago that, "an industry is
being built around this operation. It is developing a momentum of
its own, and as time passes, it will be progressively more difficult
and costly to curtail it." In 1984, another large study involving
780 patients again disclosed no advantage for surgery over drug
therapy.
Natural therapies are far more effective than drugs, which are unable
to reverse arteriosclerosis. Knowledge of these therapies, however,
has been systematically suppressed by the Big Pharma-controlled
media in the US. Linus Pauling cured arteriosclerosis and was ignored
in the mass media.
Coronary artery repair by angioplasty, stent placement, and coronary
artery bypass are procedures that have become a huge industry in
the United States. The reason that surgery fails to improve the
long-term results may be that surgery is treating the symptoms of
arteriosclerosis (chest pain, heart attack), but not really reversing
the causes for arteriosclerosis. Aggressive measures using the Mediterranean
diet, nutrients CoQ10, vitamin C, lysine, trimethyl glycine, L-Arginine,
N-Acetyl Cysteine, B complex to control homocysteine, cessation
of cigarettes, blood pressure control in hypertensives, Vitalzym,
nattokinase or Lumbrokinase to prevent clotting, oral chelation
with Essential Daily Defense, and liberal use of essential omega
3 fatty acids have the potential in motivated patients to achieve
far better results than surgery because these therapies reverse
arteriosclerosis.
There is an unrecognized serious mortality from coronary artery
bypass surgery when patients are followed 100 days for the full
morbidity of blood transfusion damage to the immune system to become
manifest (nine-percent deaths in women and six-percent deaths in
men). Between 1.5% and 5.2% of patients have a stroke11 under anesthesia
during coronary bypass surgery. Other patients experience loss of
memory and difficulty focusing attention following coronary bypass
surgery. These problems are probably due to brain cell injury and
death from small emboli and reperfusion acidosis following the surgery.
Reintroduction of blood into the cerebral circulation after the
bypass is completed causes the rapid appearance of oxygen-deprived
free radicals, which can damage the fat-containing brain cells.
As mentioned previously, the propolis from honey can protect12 the
brain from this type injury by virtue of its strong antioxidant
effects.
Harvard cardiologist Dr. Thomas Graboys believes that 90% of the
740,000 coronary bypass operations and 600,000 angioplasties performed
annually in the US are unnecessary. A large population study disclosed
that angioplasty (forcible opening of narrowed heart arteries with
a balloon) performed three to 28 days after a heart attack failed
to prevent death,13 new heart attacks, and heart failure. Furthermore,
in a four-year follow-up of these patients, there were more new
heart attacks in the patients who received angioplasties than the
group treated conservatively with alternative health therapies (eliminating
toxic metals from endothelium with long term oral chelation; treating
endothelial infections with turmeric; using high doses of vitamin
C and lysine [Linus Pauling]; taking N-acetyl cysteine, L-arginine;
lowering homocysteine values with pyridoxine, folic acid, B12 and
trimethylglycine; curtailing sugar intake; and following Mediterranean
diet. Excessive sugar intake14 is now regarded as the number-one
risk factor for heart attacks in women and second-highest risk factor
in men.
Often, the sales pitch that encourages patients to have bypass surgery,
angioplasties and stent placement is based on fear. (You are a walking
time bomb. You could drop dead any moment!!) All decisions based
on fear are emotional rather than a rational consideration of scientific
truth. Frightened patients readily accept surgical therapies.
Any therapy based on mechanical repair of narrowed arteries is doomed
to failure because it fails to deal with the root cause for arteriosclerosis,
which is a degenerative metabolic disorder caused by toxic metals,
infections, vitamin C deficiency, and homocysteine excess. There
would be dramatic declines in the death rate15 from cardiovascular
disease if all bypasses, angioplasties, and stents were banned.
In my opinion, bypass surgery should be terminated for the following
reasons:
- Bypass operations have no effect on the primary cause of this
heart
disease(arteriosclerosis).
- Alternative health therapies exist that reverse arteriosclerosis
safely in a few
weeks without the risk of surgery.
- The death rate from bypass surgery at 100 days (nine percent
in women and six
percent in men) would be a serious problem even if this operation
could heal
arteriosclerosis.
- This surgery exposes many persons to the risk of a serious
infectious disease
(Lyme disease), which is nearly impossible to accurately diagnose
at this time and
requires complex therapy to eradicate.
A Serious Concern
for Blood Transfusions: Important Information About Lyme Disease
(Borrelia Burgdorferi Infection)
Lyme disease was originally regarded as an uncommon illness caused
by the spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi (Bb). The disease transmission
was thought to be solely by the bite from a tick infected with this
parasite. The Bb spirochete is able to burrow into tendons, muscle
cells, ligaments, and directly into organs. A classic bulls-eye
rash is often visible in the early stages of the illness. Later
in the illness, the disease can affect the heart, nervous system,
joints, and other organs. It is now realized that the disease can
mimic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Bell's
palsy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, neuritis, psychiatric illnesses
such as schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, heart failure, angina, irregular
heart rhythms, fibromyalgia, dermatitis, autoimmune disease such
as scleroderma and lupus, eye inflammatory reactions, sudden deafness,
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Attention Deficit Disorder
(ADD) and hyperactivity, chronic pain, and many other conditions.
Biology professor and bacteriologist Lida Mattman, author of Cell
Wall Deficient Forms: Stealth Pathogens, has been able to
recover live spirochetes of Bb from mosquitoes, fleas, mites, semen,
urine, blood, and spinal fluid. A factor contributing to making
Bb so dangerous is that it can survive and spread without having
a cell wall (cell wall-deficient [CWD]). Many valuable antibiotics
kill bacteria by breaking down the cell wall. These antibiotics
often prove ineffective against Bb.
Lyme Disease is now thought to be the fastest-growing infectious
disease in the world. There are believed to be at least 200,000
new cases each year in the US, and some experts think as many as
one in every 15 Americans is currently infected (20 million persons).
Dr. Ralph Rowen knows a family where the mother's infection spread
to five of her six children,16 all of whom recovered with appropriate
therapy. It is difficult to believe that these children were all
bitten by ticks and seems more plausible that person-to-person spread
within the family caused this problem. Lida Mattman states, "I'm
convinced Lyme disease is transmissible from person to person."
In 1995, Dr. Mattman obtained positive cultures for Bb from 43 of
47 persons with chronic illness. Only one of 23 control patients
had a positive Bb culture. Dr. Mattman has subsequently recovered
Bb spirochetes from eight out of eight cases of Parkinson's Disease,
41 cases of multiple sclerosis, 21 cases of amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis, and all tested cases of Alzheimer's Disease. The complete
recovery of several persons with terminal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
after appropriate therapy shows the great importance of establishing
the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
Important information has recently become available about the spread
and magnitude of the problem with Lyme disease. The severity of
the disease is related to the spirochete load in the patient. Few
spirochetes produce mild or asymptomatic infection. A study from
Switzerland in 1998 pointed out that only 12.5% of patients testing
positive for Bb had developed symptoms. A German boy developed Lyme
arthritis five years after his tick bite.
Often mycoplasma infections remain without symptoms until the victim
suffers a traumatic event (stress, injury, accident, etc.) These
stressing events enable the mycoplasma to begin consumption of cholesterol
in the neural sheath, and symptoms may begin to present as these
nerve cells die. The mechanism of this deterioration is thought
to be suppression of the immune system secondary to stress. Lyme
disease may have a similar delayed presentation, as many persons
experience the onset of Lyme symptoms after stressful events.
Dr. Jo Anne Whitaker relates that nearly every patient with Parkinson's
disease (PD) has tested positive for Bb. Dr. Louis Romero reports
that three patients with PD are 99% better after TAO-free cat's
claw (Uncaria tomentosa) therapy. When Dr. Mattman cultured 25 patients
with fibromyalgia, all subjects had positive cultures for the CWD
Bb, which causes Lyme disease. She relates that Bb can be found
in tears and could thus easily appear on the hands where touching
could spread Lyme. Several families are now documented where nearly
every family member is infected. How sick the individual patient
becomes relates to their initial spirochete dose, immune system
status, detoxification capability, and stress level.
Transmission of the disease has been clearly documented after bites
by fleas, mites, mosquitoes, and ticks. There is compelling evidence
that Lyme disease (LD) also may be spread by sexual and congenital
transfer. One physician has cared for 5000 children with Lyme. Two
hundred and forty of these children were born with the disease.
Dr. Charles Ray Jones, the leading pediatric specialist on Lyme
disease, has found 12 breast-fed children who have developed Lyme
disease. Miscarriage, premature birth, stillborn, birth defects,
and transplacental infection of the fetus have all been reported.
Studies at the University of Vienna have found Bb in urine and breast
milk of Lyme-infected mothers. Researchers at the University of
Wisconsin have reported that dairy cattle can be infected with Bb,
hence milk could be contaminated. Bb can also be transmitted to
lab animals by oral intake such as food.
The Sacramento, California blood bank thinks that LD can be spread
by blood transfusions. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in
Atlanta, Georgia states that their data indicates that Bb can survive
blood processing techniques used for transfusions in the US.
Not only is Lyme disease considered the fastest-growing epidemic
in the world, it is also grossly underreported, so it's believed
that there are far more than the 200,000 cases reported annually
in the US. Drs. Harvey and Salvato estimate that one billion persons17
in the world may be infected with Lyme, and it is thought to be
a contributing factor in 50% of patients who have chronic disease.
Dr. Jo Anne Whitaker, a Lyme disease victim from childhood, has
developed a reliable test for the presence of Lyme disease. This
test looks for the Bb organism, not antibodies, and is able to identify
the CWD form of the spirochete as well as the actual Bb organism.
Her test is called Q-RIBb, which stands for quantitative rapid identification
of Bb. Dr. Lida Mattman has confirmed that Dr. Whitaker's test is
sensitive and accurate because there has been a 100% correlation
between a positive blood culture of Bb by Dr. Mattman's lab and
a positive Q-RIBb test from Dr. Whitaker's laboratory.
Because 87.5% of patients incubating Lyme disease may not have symptoms,
there is a huge pool of potential blood donors who present serious
danger to any patient who will need to be transfused during a surgical
procedure. There are no reliable tests to screen blood for Lyme
disease at this time. Therefore, potential surgical patients need
to certain that the risks of surgery and transfusion warrant proceeding
with the operation.
What Are the Results of Blood
Transfusions in Other Health Conditions?
Cancer Therapy
Chemotherapy and radiation suppress bone marrow production of red
blood cells. The resulting anemia is often treated with blood transfusions.
These transfusions in cancer patients come with a price. In Holland,
a study of colon cancer patients revealed that only 48% of cases
transfused were alive at five years compared to 74% in non-transfused
patients. The results for head and neck cancers are even worse.
Cancer of the larynx had only 14% survivors at five years in transfused
patients and 65% in non-transfused patients. In cancers of the oral
cavity, the cancer recurrence rate was 31% without transfusions
and 71% with transfusions. A lung cancer study from Europe also
confirmed adverse results18 with transfusions. Thirty-day mortality
rose from 2.4% for patients not transfused to 10.9% for those getting
two or less transfusions and to 21.9% in patients receiving more
than two units of blood. Other studies in patients with colon cancer
have confirmed the more blood transfused,19 the worse the results.
These undesirable results are not limited to cancer patients. All
transfusions are dangerous. The risk of serious infections goes
along with transfusion therapy in general. Patients undergoing hip
replacement who had received transfusions had a 35% greater risk
of a serious bacterial infection and a 52% greater risk20 of developing
pneumonia. Surgeons appear to be giving out transfusions like lollypops
because they have no idea how dangerous they really are.
How to Protect
Yourself from the Danger of Transfusion
Elective surgery often provides sufficient time to place your own
blood in reserve for your surgery. In the Michigan study, those
who banked their own blood and those who avoided transfusions had
the lowest rates of infection and the lowest risk of dying after
hip replacement and bypass surgery.
New surgical techniques save blood. Lost blood can be saved, cleaned,
and recycled back to the patient during the surgery. Lasers and
cryotherapy can instantly stop blood loss in the operating room.
Drops of blood instead of vials can be used to perform lab tests.
Microsurgical techniques minimizes tissue trauma and blood loss.
Hyperbaric oxygen chambers, drugs such as erythropoietin, vitamins,
iron, and hormones can be utilized to increase red blood cells before
surgery.
It is estimated than 75,000 surgeons have now been trained to perform
bloodless surgery in the US. Many hospitals have become equipped
to perform this type of surgery. Check to learn if your local hospitals
can provide this care. Continue to donate blood as properly used
transfusions can be life-saving. Healthy individuals are allowed
to donate as often as every eight weeks.
The danger of blood transfusion is real and not widely appreciated
by the general public and the medical profession. Try to be certain
that the risks of transfusion are exceeded by the benefits before
accepting blood transfusions.
Dr. James A. Howenstine is a board certified
specialist in Internal Medicine who spent 34 years taking care of
hospital and office patients. After four years of studying natural
health therapies, Dr. Howenstine became convinced that natural therapies
were, in general, more effective, safer, and less expensive than
pharmaceutical drugs. This study culminated in writing A
Physician's Guide To Natural Health Products That Work (328
pg.) $17.95. A second edition of this book is completed (709 pg.)
and is currently being proofread. This book and the recommended
products can be purchased from www.naturalhealthteam.info
or by phoning 1-800-416-2806. Dr. Howenstine can be reached by email
at dr.jimhow@gmail.com
and by snail mail at Dr. James Howenstine, C/O Remarsa USA SB 37,
P.O. Box 25292, Miami, Fl. 33102-5292
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