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# Hugo Rodier, M.D.

The Latest on Integrative Health

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## Posts

- [Soda Pop Taking on Water](https://hugorodier.com/blog/soda-pop-taking-on-water/) - Are you still drinking soda and using artificial sweeteners, despite the torrent of articles documenting how bad they are for you? Reference Sucralose (Splenda) Damages DNA, Linked to Leaky Gut Lisa O'Mary, WebMD Health News. June 01, 2023 A new study reveals health concerns about the sugar substitute sucralose so alarming that researchers said people
- [Dreams for Diagnosis](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dreams-for-diagnosis/) - I recommend dream interpretation to my patients. The evidence for doing so is strong. Dreams have helped me with health issues, guidance through tough times, clarification of beliefs and confirmation of monumental decisions. A good start could be to join a dream club, and read CG Jung. Reference How Dreams Reveal Brain Disorders: Examining
- [The Peptide Prescription](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-peptide-prescription/) - Navigating peptide hype vs. evidence. Matrixyl, GHK-Cu, Argireline & longevity. Systemic safety warnings. Expert dermatologist insights.
- [The Way to a Man's Heart (and Woman's)](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-way-to-a-mans-heart-and-womans/) - Prevent heart disease via epigenetics: prioritize gut health, diet, and lifestyle changes. Avoid processed foods; nurture your microbiome for a healthier heart.
- [Volume 27 • Number 3 • July-September 2026](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-27-number-3-july-september-2026/) - Prevent Alzheimer's: prioritize Omega-3s, vitamin D, gut health, and real food. Avoid pesticides, artificial sweeteners, and unnecessary antibiotics.
- [AI Echo](https://hugorodier.com/blog/ai-echo/) - A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS J. Science Volume 391, Issue 6792; 26 Mar 2026 New research shows that artificial intelligence (AI) models overly affirm and validate users, even when users propose harmful or illegal actions. The resulting effect on users is notable: Receiving advice from affirming AI made people more self-centered and less able
- [Rheumatology Enters the Gut](https://hugorodier.com/blog/rheumatology-enters-the-gut/) - Inflammation Provenance Simple: the microbiome, which is 2/3 of our immune system. If you want to cut back on rheumatologic problems or risk, feed your microbiome better. It will also lead to improved metabolic performance (read lose weight and chronic problems like diabetes, obesity and heart disease. And yes, even cancer and mood disorders.) The
- [Volume 27 • Number 2 • April-May 2026](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-27-number-2-april-may-2026/) - Starting in the fall, 53 medical schools will implement at least 40 hours of nutrition education or a competency equivalent. They will be getting $5 million from Health & Human Services to help them develop nutrition education. Hopefully this is the “beginning of a beautiful friendship.” While doctors don’t need to be nutritionists, they could
- [Skin-Deep Skin Care](https://hugorodier.com/blog/skin-deep-skin-care/) - Still looking for a quasi-magic gel, ointment or cream that will rejuvenate your skin? No harm in that, but the benefits are not likely to be as good as protecting your skin from the sun AND A DIET HIGH IN ANTIOXIDANTS. Skin health comes from within our body. REFERENCES ‘Glowing skin’: The plant-based ingredient that
- [WHO Likes Integrative Medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/who-likes-integrative-medicine/) - Over 25 years ago, the National Institute of Health stated that by the year 2020, medicine would work hand in hand with practically ALL evidence-based disciplines that deal with our health (nutrition, public health, acupuncture, etc.) Last December, the World Health Organization (WHO) made it official: Integrative Medicine is now mainstream, as long as it
- [Volume 27 • Number 1 • January-March 2026](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-27-number-1-january-march-2026/) - The Nobel Prize-winning research on the bacteria H. pylori causing ulcers is widely accepted, even though it downplays the role of diet and stress, and the delicate balance of the microbiome, that is, ALL microorganisms in the gut. As a consequence, a significant number of patients struggle not only with those untreated factors, but also
- [Lactose Intolerance, the Microbiome and Postbiotics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/lactose-intolerance-the-microbiome-and-postbiotics/) - If you have been told that your lactose intolerance symptoms are due to genetics, you may try reducing the amount of dairy you eat, AND load up on leafy veggies. The latter will improve your microbiome, which will then be able to tolerate and better digest dairy. It’s worth a try. You may also read
- [Volume 26 • Number 4 • October-December 2025](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-26-number-4-october-december-2025/) - Remember the “French Paradox?” Decades ago, it described the health benefits of moderate alcohol drinking. More specifically, wine drinking. It was based on the French habit of irrigating their meals with wine, which is rich in antioxidants. But so is their mediterranean-like diet. Now we know that the latter is one of the reasons why
- [Don’t Be Like Sisyphus](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dont-be-like-sisyphus/) - Sisyphus is condemned by the Gods to roll a stone up a hill. It rolls right back down, starting the exhausting torture, again. And for eternity. One of many modern interpretations of this myth is summarized by the adage “it is madness to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.” When it
- [Volume 23 • Number 3 • March 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-3-march-2022/) - Are you thankful when your doctor tells you your cough, sore throat, ear and sinus pain don’t need an antibiotic? You should be. Their side effects go way beyond antibiotic-resistant bacteria—they mess with our microbiome/immune system. The consequences may be far reaching including cancer. See below. Hugo Rodier, MD Antibiotics Use and Subsequent Risk
- [Microbiome Update](https://hugorodier.com/blog/microbiome-update/) - No comments. Hope you study the references below Study Reveals a Healthy Gut May Help Protect Against Infections—Here's How to Boost Yours Through Diet By Simon Spichak Health Newsletter. Published on January 30, 2025 People with higher levels of a “good” bacterium called Faecalibacterium in their guts also have lower levels of potentially harmful gut bacteria, a new
- [Volume 26 • Number 3 • July-September 2025](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-26-number-3-july-september-2025/) - This edition is devoted to the simple fact that improving our diet helps, if not cure, all chronic health problems. Hopefully, you have the patience and long-term vision required to see results. Unfortunately, most people don’t, which is why they end up addressing the symptoms of their diseases, not the real cause. Hugo Rodier, MD
- [Be Thankful Your Child Was Not Prescribed an Antibiotic](https://hugorodier.com/blog/be-thankful-your-child-was-not-prescribed-an-antibiotic/) - Just read the articles. Don’t be lazy. References Ainonen S, et al. Timing of early antibiotic exposure and the risk of overweight and obesity in children. Presented at: Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting; April 24-28, 2025; Honolulu. HONOLULU — The results of a large observational study provided more evidence that receiving antibiotics in the first 2
- [Volume 26 • Number 2 • April-June 2025](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-26-number-2-april-june-2025/) - “Do you have a sweet tooth?” may need to be changed to “do you have a sweet bug?” You may have gotten your gut bacteria used to so much sugar that now they may be sending you “sweet chemical messages” for you to keep feeding them that diet. Those chemicals are making you crave sugar
- [Treating Fibromyalgia Breakthrough](https://hugorodier.com/blog/treating-fibromyalgia-breakthrough/) - HEALIO MINUTE, April 10, 2025 The hidden culprit behind fibromyalgia’s agony — could diet be the key? For millions suffering from fibromyalgia, the relentless cycle of chronic pain, fatigue and inflammation can feel like an unbreakable loop. While pharmaceutical treatments offer partial relief, a groundbreaking new study sheds light on a critical and often overlooked
- [Volume 26 • Number 1 • January-March 2025](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-26-number-1-january-march-2025/) - When I was in medical school at the University of Utah, I made it a point to read all of the books written by Dostoyevsky, Tolstoi, Henry Miller, Victor Hugo, and Asimov. I also read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. I went to the library on lower campus to check out the reel-to-reel
- [More chocolate for 2025!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/more-chocolate-for-2025/) - Best wishes for 2025. Start the year celebrating the article below. Notice it has to be dark, not milk chocolate, so put away the M&Ms and Hershey bars. ‘Not all chocolate is created equal’: New data imply the dark variety lowers diabetes risk Healio Minute, December 5, 2024. Data derived from: Liu B, et al. BMJ.
- [Volume 25 • Number 12 • December 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-12-december-2024/) - Despite a preponderance of articles vindicating the need to supplement some nutrients, we still see negative studies that plant doubt and confusion in people less informed. Such studies tend to be sponsored by pharmaceuticals. They often choose the wrong cohorts to minimize the salutary effects of supplementation. Fortunately, positive articles are readily available. See below.
- [Volume 25 • Number 11 • November 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-11-november-2024/) - The National Health Institute famously documented awhile back that it takes 20 years for new health information to be incorporated into mainstream, orthodox practices. Well, they were wrong—it takes longer than that. Take for example the science behind Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC). I began finding articles about them in the 90s (NEJM 1992;327:319). But don’t
- [ELECTRIC BRAIN](https://hugorodier.com/blog/electric-brain/) - The chemical paradigm has served us well. Incredible advances in pharmacology and industry have made our lives better. But there have been significant side effects like pollution, negative/unexpected reactions, and even cancer and deaths. At the same time, the advent of modern physics, in particular relativity and quantum physics, have pointed to new way of
- [Volume 25 • Number 10 • October 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-10-october-2024/) - It is likely you have heard about the Brain-Gut connection. It comes to no surprise to those who have learned to rely on “gut feelings.” But let science be our main guide: articles on this vital topic are found on practically every medical journal. I will never forget the one I read decades ago alerting
- [The Dark Side of Antibiotics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-dark-side-of-antibiotics/) - Very sad article on the overuse of antibiotics. As you know, some doctors tend to overprescribe them when they sense you will not take NO for an answer to your cough, sore throat, and or upper respiratory infection. But the saddest part of this article is that it doesn’t address the negative impact of antibiotics
- [Dairy Dilemma](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dairy-dilemma/) - Who doesn’t love cheese? And Ice cream? Read the article below and weep. It is one of many pointing out the dark side of dairy. Unfortunately, these types of articles don’t see the light of day often. If they do, they get ridiculed by a powerful dairy lobby. The dairy industry has planted so many
- [Volume 25 • Number 9 • September 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-9-september-2024/) - “Anti-aging” is an understandable hot topic for baby boomers contemplating the rapid decline we begin to experience in middle age (see below). However, any intervention, diet, or supplement peddled to reverse the process, albeit well intentioned, is bound to eventually fail as we reach the end of our telomeres. This is why the main “anti-aging”
- [Trump Genetics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/trump-genetics/) - No, this is not about politics, but I am glad you clicked on the blog. This is about EPIGENETICS, or “above genetics.” We may decrease the risk genetic so-called programming to manifest itself by managing stress, health diets, and exercise. References Patients can overcome genetic risk for type 2 diabetes through healthy diet, regular exercise
- [Volume 25 • Number 8 • August 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-8-august-2024/) - Artificial sweeteners have a bad track record. We do well to replace them with more natural sweeteners like stevia and xylitol. They can also help us to cut back on the ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup. Unfortunately, the latter just got a bad report. See below. Hugo Rodier, MD Sugar substitute xylitol associated with increased
- [The Brain of ADD Kids](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-brain-of-add-kids/) - 11.3% of children have ADD. Some consider ADD to be part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder. Most of them are treated with pharmaceuticals and nothing else. A plant-based diet and curtailing processed foods do help. Here is an article with other useful suggestions. Neurodivergent Kids Flourish When They’re Taught How Their Brains Work When teachers
- [Volume 25 • Number 5 • May 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-5-may-2024-2/) - If we live long enough, we begin to see cyclical changes in society. Yes, hang on to those outdated, old ties and skirts: they will be coming back. Medical/health issues are no different, especially when it comes to diet. Are eggs good or bad for you? What about Intermittent fasting? Well, after enthusiasm for it
- [Volume 25 • Number 6 • June 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-6-june-2024/) - Our culture is obsessed with youth. Most people will do anything to live longer, except the only thing that has a significant impact on our longevity—get rid of ultra-processed foods. (See article below) Ironic, isn’t it? It gets more ironic when we see that most people who want to live longer fear getting older! Hugo
- [Volume 25 • Number 7 • July 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-7-july-2024/) - This issue is dedicated to the microbiome. Studies pointing to its central role in health and disease are ubiquitous in our medical and nutritional journals. The microbiome’s impact is far reaching, even when it is not specifically mentioned. This is the missing point in the article below. See if you can deduce the microbiome’s involvement
- [Gut Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/gut-health/) - Fifteen percent of adults suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Most of them get a prescription to treat the gas, the pain and the inflammation. Most of them don’t get much better. The question should be asked, what is irritating your intestines? The answer is rooted in common sense: your diet! Refined, high sugar and meat
- [A Well-Oiled Mind](https://hugorodier.com/blog/a-well-oiled-mind/) - Our brains are 80% fat (we all know people shoes brains are 100%). They do better when we supply them with plant-based oils. Here is more evidence to refute the occasional article saying supplementing omega oils does not have any benefits. Study finds consuming spoonful of olive oil daily lowers risk of dementia-related death CNN (5/6/24, Rogers)
- [Volume 25 • Number 5 • May 2024](https://hugorodier.com/uncategorized/volume-25-number-5-may-2024/) - If we live long enough, we begin to see cyclical changes in society. Yes, hang on to those outdated, old ties and skirts: they will be coming back. Medical/health issues are no different, especially when it comes to diet. Are eggs good or bad for you? What about Intermittent fasting? Well, after enthusiasm for it
- [Nutrition/Weight Update](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nutrition-weight-update/) - The data on how “milk does a body good” is mixed. I suspect the milk industry pays for the studies that favor their marketing. Even the data on how good diary is for strong bones is not that solid. Should you stop dairy? Not necessarily. But you may want to cut back. I know—it’s hard
- [Who To Believe](https://hugorodier.com/blog/who-to-believe/) - A significant number of patients do not trust the medical profession. Their numbers increased after the epidemics. If you are not sure who to believe, here are your main choices: science vs conspiracy theories. Granted, both have their dark side, which adds to the confusion. I am afraid you will need to do your homework
- [Our Microbiome Is at the Root of Most Diseases](https://hugorodier.com/blog/our-microbiome-is-at-the-root-of-most-diseases/) - I see the microbiome lurking in a significant number of medical studies. For example: Patients with prior sinusitis at increased risk for rheumatic diseases Healio (3/26/24, Cooper) reports, “Patients with prior sinusitis demonstrate an increased risk for many rheumatic diseases, including antiphospholipid syndrome, Sjögren’s disease and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, according to data published in RMD Open.”
- [Volume 25 • Number 4 • April 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-4-april-2024/) - This newsletter covers the microbiome in depth once a year. The excellent article highlighted herein is comprehensive, and a great resource for those who wish a primer on this pivotal subject. Hugo Rodier, MD Gut microbiome influences food allergy risks Healio Minute, February 28, 2024 The gut microbiome has gained attention for its critical role
- [Gut-Brain Axis and Probiotics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/gut-brain-axis-and-probiotics/) - Kerry BeesonBSc (Nut. Med.) Nutritional Therapist What is the Gut-Brain Axis? DISCLOSURE: this is a very good infomercial from Optibac. The Gut-Brain Axis is currently a hot topic, and it's only getting bigger. This idea of a gut-brain connection is nothing new: ‘Go with your gut feeling’ is a very old saying. But over the
- [‘Patients demand it’: Integrative medicine increasingly important in rheumatology](https://hugorodier.com/blog/patients-demand-it-integrative-medicine-increasingly-important-in-rheumatology/) - Healio News, February 21, 2024 COMMENT: great article, but it leaves out the microbiome, the source of the inflammation that besets rheumatologic disorders. “SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Incremental changes in diet and exercise habits are the cornerstone of a comprehensive wellness regimen for rheumatology patients, noted a speaker at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the
- [Volume 25 • Number 3• March 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-3-march-2024/) - Artificial sugars were hailed as a major breakthrough in the battle of the bulge. Unfortunately, the data pointing out the side effects has been poorly disseminated. Can you guess why? Ardent defenders of sweeteners cannot continue to defend these products. In short, the problem is that artificial sweeteners are toxic to our cell membranes, which
- [Putting Humpty-Dumpty Together Again](https://hugorodier.com/blog/putting-humpty-dumpty-together-again/) - Articles linking disparate health problems appear in leading medical journals on a daily basis. It is interesting to read about attempts to see the big picture. Unfortunately, most of those articles seldom do not address the roots of those problems—nutrition, the microbiome, and epigenetics. Instead, researchers venture timid “maybes” about potential links between diseases. Could
- [Volume 25 • Number 2 • February 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-2-february-2024/) - Prostate and breast problems (including cancer,) menstrual irregularities and assorted hormonal problems are common in our society. Generally, our own natural hormones and genetics are blamed. I don’t agree: I believe the main cause is our polluted environment. About 800 chemicals have been dubbed Endocrine Disruptors, or Xenoestrogens. The worst are plastics and pesticides. Other
- [Volume 25 • Number 1 • January 2024](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-25-number-1-january-2024/) - I hope you start 2024 with a new mindset—that of enriching your microbiome to protect not only your brain, but your whole body. Below you will find several articles to motivate you to maximize the connection between your gut and brain by eating more vegetables and eschewing processed foods, especially sugars. Hugo Rodier, MD Four
- [Volume 24 • Number 12 • December 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-12-december-2023/) - Many women need hormonal replacement to cope with The Change. Most of them would have a much easier time if they ate their veggies and got off processed foods, especially when we consider the potential side effects of those drugs. If you go that route, find a reputable practitioner that will be as conservative as
- [Volume 24 • Number 11 • November 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-11-november-2023/) - OBESOGENS are chemicals that disrupt our hormones. They are also known as Endocrine Disruptors. As the names imply, they contribute to metabolic problems, including obesity and diabetes. They do it by altering our microbiome and by causing cell membrane toxicity, which leads to insulin resistance, among many other problems. There are over 800 chemicals in
- [Food Is Medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/food-is-medicine/) - A “Food Is Medicine” Approach to Disease Prevention. Limitations and Alternatives Alyssa J. Moran, ScD, MPH, RD1; Christina A. Roberto, PhD2 JAMA. Published online November 30, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.24472 During the past 5 years, “food is medicine”—the provision of free, nutritious food through the health care system—has received an astounding amount of intellectual attention and financial investment.1 Food is medicine was a
- [Putting Humpty-Dumpty Back Together Again](https://hugorodier.com/blog/putting-humpty-dumpty-back-together-again/) - The #1 problem my patients bring to my office is that they are rushed through when they go see their insurance-covered doctors. Most of my patients like their doctors, but resent the little time their doctors spend with them, forced by bean counters to complete cumbersome digital notes to document the patient’s visit. A significant
- [Long COVID—Chronic Fatigue 2.0](https://hugorodier.com/blog/long-covid-chronic-fatigue-2-0/) - But it is still about the microbiome After 4 decades dealing with Chronic Fatigue patients, I came to the conclusion that patients so affected have a poor immune-detox system, most of which is found in the gut and liver. In other words, those with a poor microbiome are more likely to experience a wide gamut
- [Nutrition-Deficient Docs?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nutrition-deficient-docs/) - Don’t shoot the messenger Reference: GI Docs Nutrition Education Deficit May Shortchange Patients Jennifer Lubell. Medscape Medical News, October 23, 2023 Yevgenia Pashinsky, MD, has seen her share of patients who have bounced from one gastroenterologist to the next after becoming frustrated when food elimination, supplements, or medications don't alleviate their gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. In most cases,
- [Volume 24 • Number 10 • October 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-10-october-2023/) - My first book was titled “Leaking Sweet Death.” Pretty dramatic, but that is exactly what many authors began calling the insidious, corrosive effects of sugar clear back in the 90’s. The field of Glycobiology has amply vindicated the term. Each week, we get more evidence to encourage you to “lick” sugar. See below. Link between
- [When to Exercise](https://hugorodier.com/blog/when-to-exercise/) - The best time is when it fits in your schedule. If you are not able to get it done otherwise, then get it done when you can. But, if you are able to rearrange your schedule, the best time is in the morning and afternoon. And if work is too demanding, at least walk up
- [Skin: The Canary in the Mine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/skin-the-canary-in-the-mine/) - You get a prescription for a steroid or antibiotic cream for any skin condition. The skin seems to improve, but have you really solved the problem? No. The skin is the tip of the iceberg. Look deeper, like bowel-deep. Your unbalanced microbiome is the problem because of your diet, antibiotics and chemicals like pesticides.
- [Volume 24 • Number 9 • September 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-9-september-2023/) - Is Ozempic right for you? Ozempic-like drugs are the weight loss regimen du jour. Most doctors and patients are raving about it, with reason—losing weight has many health benefits. Let’s hope the sure-to-come backlash is not too severe. If you have lived long enough, you have seen weight loss fads come and go, leaving in
- [Constipation and Parkinson’s Disease](https://hugorodier.com/blog/constipation-and-parkinsons-disease/) - Most people who suffer from constipation are content with just taking a laxative. They don’t change their diet. I hope you take this common problem a bit more seriously after reading the reference below. Constipation is a sign that your microbiome is not in optimal balance due to your diet high in meat and sugar,
- [Cancer’s Sweet Tooth](https://hugorodier.com/blog/cancers-sweet-tooth/) - Cancer’s Sweet Tooth Dr. Warburg won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1931 for his work on sugar feeding cancer. Very few people paid attention then. And now: articles like the one below come out each month, but hardly anyone cares. I hope you do. High daily intake of sugar-sweetened beverages linked to
- [Driven to exercise…](https://hugorodier.com/blog/driven-to-exercise/) - By your gut bacteria. Surprising? Not when you consider that their DNA outnumbers our body’s DNA 150:1. So who is running the show? A sobering question for our inflated egos to ponder. Reference A microbiome exercise CHRISTOPH A. THAISS. H. J. SCIENCE 6 Jul 2023, Vol 381, Issue 6653 “Exercise is arguably the most potent and attainable lifestyle factor
- [Create Good Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/create-good-health/) - “We create our own reality.” We hear that a lot, don’t we? Well, the main thing about our reality is our health. Being active, having good relationships, and feeding our minds and bodies good fuel is the best way to create good health. References Those who engage in creative activities report better mental health
- [Volume 24 • Number 8 • August 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-8-august-2023/) - The Brain-Gut connection is now a well-established fact. Yet, most people, despite fearing approaching senility, still eat poorly. The worst brain offender are refined sugars and pesticides. See “more food for thought “blog. Hugo Rodier, MD Growing body of evidence links microbiomes to brain health “NBC News (7/19/23, Camero) reports, “New research presented Wednesday at the
- [More Food for Thought](https://hugorodier.com/blog/more-food-for-thought/) - Articles on the Brain-Gut connection are ubiquitous, now. I hope you are paying attention and that you resolve to improve your diet. References Probiotics may help slow cognitive decline Healio Minute, July 24, 2023 “The probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, when taken for three months, was associated with changes in the gut microbiome and improvements in cognition.
- [Confused About Hormonal Replacement?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/confused-about-hormonal-replacement/) - Some practitioners would have you believe that Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) is the fountain of youth, a panacea. Sure, there are benefits to HRT when used prudently when a woman is going through menopause. But there are also side effects that may stress your brain and your bank account. Reference Menopausal hormone therapy and
- [Unhealthy Health Care](https://hugorodier.com/blog/unhealthy-health-care/) - I left the system in 2015. I should have done it a long time ago. I am sure you would like to do the same. So would half of doctors. And to be clear, it is a “Disease Care System,” not health. Reference I studied 5 countries’ health care systems. We need to get more
- [Volume 24 • Number 7 • July 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-7-july-2023/) - It took years, many lives and millions to be saddled with chronic symptoms for our society to achieve heard immunity against COVID (97% of people are positive for Antibodies). We could have done it the easy way—80% vaccination rates. Unfortunately, the whole issue of vaccines got politized by people who chose to ignore science. They
- [If You Love an Afternoon Nap](https://hugorodier.com/blog/if-you-love-an-afternoon-nap/) - Still Resisting A Rest? I still see articles demonizing naps written by very misguided people. Let me tell you something: millennia of human experience, plus solid modern science tells us it is good to snooze in the afternoon!!!!! References If You Love An Afternoon Nap, We’ve Got News For You Habiba Katsha. HuffPost UK,
- [Hakuna Matata](https://hugorodier.com/blog/hakuna-matata/) - We worry too much. Yet, 98% of the things we worry about never happen. Here is a great article to help us cope with catastrophic thoughts. What doctors wish patients knew about stopping catastrophic thoughts MAY 26, 2023, AMA Rounds. Sara Berg, MS; Senior News Writer For many people, stress and anxiety escalated
- [Volume 24 • Number 6 • June 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-6-june-2023/) - What do you call someone who speaks two+ languages? Bilingual, multilingual. What do you call someone who speaks only one language? American. The article below may motivate you to learn a new language as you age. Hugo Rodier, MD Bilingualism may be associated with improved memory in later life “According to the New York Times (4/28, A20, Padmanabhan),
- [Are We Dead, Yet? Post-Vaccine Rants](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-we-dead-yet-post-vaccine-rants/) - A while back, a patient told me all those who got the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine would be dead in a year. Well, a year has passed and all of us who got the vaccine are still kicking. I wonder what that patient is saying now. I’m guessing she believes we are not out of the
- [Pop Bad for Poop](https://hugorodier.com/blog/pop-bad-for-poop/) - The first step towards improving your diet Get off soda pop Artificial sweeteners linked to ‘marked effects’ on small intestinal microbiome Healio Minute, May 12, 2023 CHICAGO — Greater consumption of artificial sweeteners, specifically those that do not contain aspartame, resulted in “marked effects” on the duodenal microbiome profile, according to data presented at Digestive Disease
- [Are You Lonesome Tonight?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-lonesome-tonight-2/) - Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking U.S. surgeon general declares public health epidemic to raise awareness, won’t yet unlock federal funds to combat the issue. By AMANDA SEITZ | The Associated Press; May 1st 2023 Washington (AP); Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing
- [Volume 24 • Number 5 • May 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-5-may-2023/) - Is Ozempic right for you? If you think so try “Gulliblex;” it will solve any problem you may have. OK, it may be the only thing that will help lose weight, so, it may ok to try, but I recommend you consider that it is not covered by insurance, it can have gastrointestinal side effects,
- [Fried, Frayed Feelings](https://hugorodier.com/blog/fried-frayed-feelings/) - Surely by now you have heard about the Brain-Gut connection. More details keep coming out. In an article just published, authors correctly identify fried foods as inflammatory to the brain. Unfortunately, they do not address the effect of such foods on the microbiome. When it is unbalanced by processed foods and fried foods, it sends
- [Are You Addicted to Sugar?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-addicted-to-sugar-2/) - I got a lot of grief for back in the 90s by quoting articles that at that time sounded the alarm on this wide-spread addiction. The article below has faired better. But it still falls wide of the mark: it does not bring up a powerful driver of this ubiquitous addiction: the microbiome, or the
- [Change One Funeral at a Time](https://hugorodier.com/blog/change-one-funeral-at-a-time/) - See the article below. Ironically, the NIH reported on this fact over 20 years ago… It Takes an Average of 17 Years for Evidence to Change Practice—the Burgeoning Field of Implementation Science Seeks to Speed Things Up JAMA. Published online April 5, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.4387 Colorectal cancer screening with an at-home stool test is more
- [Volume 24 • Number 4 • April 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-4-april-2023/) - “As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.” Pythagoras. Add my name to it. Also
- [Laughter Is the Best Medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/laughter-is-the-best-medicine/) - Don’t take aging too seriously Many patients come to see me in quest of the fountain of youth. This is understandable, but the search often hides a pathologic misunderstanding of life and death. Sure, we do well to eat our veggies, exercise regularly and cultivate loving relationships to increase longevity. But, to live in constant
- [Are You Addicted to Sugar?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-addicted-to-sugar/) - The first step to overcoming an addiction is to own up to it. The second is to look at emotional/psychological wounds that have not healed properly. The third is to work on your microbiome and diet—they feedback on each other. The more sugar you eat, the more you mess up your microbiome, which leads to
- [Bittersweet Soda](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bittersweet-soda/) - Are you still addicted to soda? What else could explain drinking that poison despite the evidence outlining its toxic effects? Are you brain-washed by all the commercials pushing soda? I am reading HOW MINDS CHANGE by David McRaney. It may help you quit. So would digging deep into your soul. Looking for unhealed emotional/psychological wounds
- [Wondering about Wine?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/wondering-about-wine/) - Remember the French Paradox? The benefits of wine are now being questioned. Some articles condemn it outright, stating that no amount of wine is safe. But this issue is more nuanced and grayer, rather than black and white. Enter the Microbiome—and POSTbiotics. It turns out that the ultimate arbiter on how any substance ingested will
- [Volume 24 • Number 3 • March 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-3-march-2023/) - A while back, the New England Journal of Sugar highlighted the toxicity of refined sugars by dubbing the problem “Sweet Death.” Not too many people paid any attention, so our society has continued to sugarcoat the problem, despite mounting evidence to support the need to curtail our sweet tooth. Hugo Rodier, MD “Free sugars” linked
- [Take Nobody’s Word for it](https://hugorodier.com/blog/take-nobodys-word-for-it/) - Horace. Royal Society’s motto A picture paints a thousand words
- [Braindroppings](https://hugorodier.com/blog/braindroppings/) - I was delighted to be invited to listen to Malila, the youngest Nobel Prize winner for her advocacy of education for girls throughout the world. Education is indeed the best way to solve the problems that bedevil any society, especially the education of the hands that rock the cradle. Consider two vexing problems: obesity and
- [Filling the Void](https://hugorodier.com/blog/filling-the-void/) - Loneliness and obesity are arguably the most common sources of unhappiness. They are related: when we are lonely, we tend to fill the void with comfort food, which will give us momentary relief, only to exacerbate our angst later. More often than not, we need help to overcome these problems. Don’t be shy about seeking
- [The State of Our Health Care System](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-state-of-our-health-care-system/) - I left it in 2015 for many reasons. Some of them are mentioned in the excellent articles included below Doctors Aren’t Burned Out From Overwork. We’re Demoralized by Our Health System By Eric Reinhart, New York Times, February 5, 2023 Doctors have long diagnosed many of our sickest patients with “demoralization syndrome,” a condition commonly
- [Beyond Skin-Deep Therapies](https://hugorodier.com/blog/beyond-skin-deep-therapies/) - If you have had any skin problem, you were very likely prescribed a cream to put on the problem. It may result in enough improvement. BUT it would be better if you worked on the source of the problem: a microbiome (gut bacteria) imbalance. This is most often due to poor diets, antibiotics and chemicals.
- [Volume 24 • Number 2 • February 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-2-february-2023/) - Losing weight bedevils most of us (see blog February 2023). There are many ways to address obesity. The best one is the one that works for you. Still, diet and exercise are the cornerstones. But what if you are not motivated to exercise? What if you are not losing weight despite your best efforts? I
- [Losing Weight](https://hugorodier.com/blog/losing-weight/) - Intermittent fasting—not good now? Intermittent fasting has received a lot of attention from patients and researchers in the last few years. It does seem to work. But, as is usually the case, we are now seeing studies that may dampen our initial enthusiasm. But take courage: the main issue about losing weight is what works
- [Volume 24 • Number 1 • January 2023](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-24-number-1-january-2023/) - The good news about chocolate continues. Now we know that its benefits are greatly mediated through its salutary effect on the microbiome. It should be a surprise to those who have understood the wide impact of nutrition on our gut bacteria. But before rushing to the grocery store, make sure you get dark chocolate, at
- [Wishing You a Spirited Christmas](https://hugorodier.com/blog/wishing-you-a-spirited-christmas/) - You must watch SPIRITED, a silly, but very creative and insightful Christmas musical. It is a magnificent reflection of our society and young people. If you came of age watching CAMELOT, SINGING IN THE RAIN, OKLAHOMA, etc., you may have a view of the world completely different from this generation’s views. The old musicals where
- [Volume 23 • Number 12 • December 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-12-december-2022/) - By the time we reach 80 years of age, half of us will have significant Cognitive Decline. Some will be told we have Alzheimer’s Disease. While I think we are medicalizing “normal” dotage, it is still prudent to do our best to avoid mental decline. How do we do that? We have heard ad nauseum
- [Problematic Pain Pills](https://hugorodier.com/blog/problematic-pain-pills/) - We have known for a while that over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen (NSAIDs) increase the risk of gastrointestinal, renal and cardiac problems. Now we have evidence that they compromise the painful joints we are trying to calm down. What are we to do when we are in pain? First, change your diet and lose weight.
- [For Women](https://hugorodier.com/blog/for-women/) - Hormones are very important for all of us, especially when it comes to reproductive issues. I herein emphasize two significant problems: The indiscriminate use of sex hormones as a fountain of Youth. Beware of the side effects! Endocrine Disruptors, AKA, Xenoestrogens. They disrupt function AND structure. References USPSTF advises against hormone therapy for prevention of
- [Are You Still Sweet on Sweeteners?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-still-sweet-on-sweeteners/) - We have known for a while that they are toxic to our cell membranes, which triggers insulin resistance. This is why they have been associated with metabolic problems such as diabetes and weight gain, and practically all chronic diseases. This should have been a clue that their toxic effects are more widespread. Sure enough, we
- [Volume 23 • Number 11 • November 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-11-november-2022/) - I recently had a patient ask me to prescribe DRYSOL© for her excessive axillary sweating. I felt it my duty to explain to her that the main ingredient in that drug is aluminum, which has been associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) or Dementia. Other heavy metals, pesticides and assorted Endocrine Disruptors like plastics are also
- [Whence Joint Pain?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/whence-joint-pain/) - Our gut Microbiome composes 70% of our immune system. One of the principal functions of the immune system is to produce inflammation as a warning and as a healing mechanism. Said inflammation may be overdone, which may lead to problems throughout the body, including our joints. Think of a “Gut-Joint Axis.” This is why a
- [On Supplements](https://hugorodier.com/blog/on-supplements/) - From time to time, we read about supplements being “expensive urine.” True, some are, but they are still much cheaper than “pharmaceutical drugs, many of which do not work at all and have side effects that are rare in supplements. Studies po-pooing supplements tend to be poorly done and mostly financed by Big Pharma. Often,
- [News for Women](https://hugorodier.com/blog/news-for-women/) - Our reductive health care system, a reflection of our society’s penchant for focusing on the trees, not the forest, has fostered the impression that women’s menses are entirely separate from the rest of their body. Women know this is not true, but few of them apply this knowledge in their daily lives, especially when it
- [Taking antidepressants? Read this](https://hugorodier.com/blog/taking-antidepressants-read-this/) - We have known for decades antidepressants are not as effective as Big Pharma would like you to believe. Negative studies on their effectiveness have been suppressed. However, this doesn’t mean you should stop taking them outright. After you read the article below, I recommend you find an Integrative Doctor to help you decide IF you
- [Volume 23 • Number 10 • October 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-10-october-2022/) - Most of us have to deal with pain, especially as we put on a lot of mileage. An important part of the physiology of pain is how the painful signals from the body are interpreted in the brain. There is plenty of evidence to show that our attitudes determine the severity of the pain. A
- [Why Is It So Hard to Quit Junk Food?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/why-is-it-so-hard-to-quit-junk-food/) - You know junk food is bad for you, yet, you cannot stop eating it. The drive to eat poorly is as strong as any addiction, including opioids, alcohol and tobacco. To overcome the problem, you need to know the biologic AND physiologic mechanisms involved. Our food cravings are due to what our mommies ate when
- [Are You a Sweetheart?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-a-sweetheart/) - I hope not in the sense that you heartily abuse refined sugars. They cause TOIL in our cells: Toxicity, Inflammation, Oxidation and Less than optimal Mitochondrial function. TOIL is more pronounced in the cells of vital organs like the brain, heart and kidneys. The processed food industry has convinced most consumers that artificial sweeteners are
- [Volume 23 • Number 8 • August 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-8-august-2022/) - Are you afraid of cancer? If you are, are you taking steps to reduce your risk by changing your lifestyle, especially your diet? Read the August 1st 2022 blog and the article directly below. Hugo Rodier, MD Charcuterie’s link to colon cancer Blow for industry as government backs WHO data and vows to cut
- [COVID Strikes below the belt](https://hugorodier.com/blog/covid-strikes-below-the-belt/) - Maybe now you will take COVID more seriously… People with long COVID experience wider set of symptoms than previously thought HealthDay (7/25, Thompson) reports, “People with long-haul COVID experience a wider set of symptoms than once thought...British researchers report” in an “analysis of electronic health records for 2.4 million U.K. residents.” The patterns of such “symptoms tended
- [Whence Depression?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/whence-depression/) - We all get depressed from time to time. It’s normal to get depressed when life comes at us hard. We may need help at those times. But most of the time we just need to ride the hard times out, hopefully with the support and understanding of our loved ones. Do we need anything else,
- [Is COVID Making You Crazy?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/is-covid-making-you-crazy/) - We are all tired of it. But it is not going away. We will have to adapt. Some of us will get long-term symptoms driven by inflammation. All organs may be affected. Most concerning are the heart and brain. And according to some, the hydraulics of men (ED). When it comes to the brain, we
- [Volume 23 • Number 9 • September 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-9-september-2022/) - This issue seeks to clear some common misconceptions about nutrition. Despite good research debunking them, they won’t be going away anytime soon. Hugo Rodier, MD Lower dietary calcium, potassium intake are risk factors for kidney stone recurrence “HealthDay (8/12) reported “lower dietary calcium and potassium intake are risk factors for symptomatic kidney stone recurrence, according to
- [Pollution Pain](https://hugorodier.com/blog/pollution-pain/) - Practically all diseases start from poor nutrition, social/financial stress and toxic environments. These factors make genetic tendencies more likely to manifest themselves (Epigenetics). Toxic air has been shown to compromise our immune system, leading to diseases like Arthritis. Not much we can do about air pollution, other than becoming politically active and getting an air
- [Are You Lonesome Tonight?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-lonesome-tonight/) - We have all experienced the PAIN of loneliness. Yes, Pain. fMRI studies have shown that the pain of loneliness is as real as physical pain. I would say it can have even more serious consequences. I cannot add much more to the excellent article below, except quote the famous philosopher, Barbara Streisand: “People who need
- [Microbiome, Diet and Cancer](https://hugorodier.com/blog/microbiome-diet-and-cancer/) - Despite a plethora of studies pointing that cancer is 80% an environmental/nutritional problem, most people still believe cancer is 100% genetic. Why? Modernism, detached from Nature and the Spiritual realm, heavily relies on technology in general and genetics in particular. There is more money involved. Genetic “cures” are more profitable. Nutrition and prevention not so
- [Guns, Politics and Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/guns-politics-and-health/) - As an Integrative Physician, I have a penchant for compromise, for looking for the Middle Ground in all things. My professional and personal lives have reflected this, no doubt with mixed results, but, hey, I’m trying. It all began in grade school when I read the family’s Larousse Encyclopedia twice. I was fascinated by all
- [Volume 23 • Number 7 • July 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-7-july-2022/) - Nutrition/Medical studies are proving the old dictum that “food is the best medicine.” However, researchers are seldom able to transcend their reductionist/pharmaceutical training. Consequently, they view micronutrients in isolation. For example, nuts have been amply demonstrated to lower cholesterol and improve brain function. Period. But a more wholistic view of nutrition shows that nuts’ benefits
- [Volume 23 • Number 6 • June 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-6-june-2022/) - As I grow older, my love of animals grows exponentially. They give us so much, from companionship to a humble example of how to live simply, peacefully and selflessly. Below you will find several articles illustrating their impact on our heath. We owe them much. Let us be kind to them. Consider redoubling your efforts
- [Water and Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/water-and-health/) - Twenty years ago, I xeriscaped my yard to the consternation of my neighbors. I also became active in the community to raise awareness of the drought in the West. It is particularly insidious in Utah where most people act like they have water to spare; no, to waste. Advocating for water conservation at a
- [Bad News for Over-the-Counter Pain Meds](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bad-news-for-over-the-counter-pain-meds/) - Tylenol is implicated in half the cases of liver failure in the USA. NSAIDs like Ibuprofen have been associated with liver, kidney, stomach, gut problems in addition to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Other than that, those drugs are safe. And now we find out they have not been good for pain management!
- [To Nap or Not to Nap](https://hugorodier.com/blog/to-nap-or-not-to-nap/) - From time to time we see studies telling us naps are not good for you. Ignore them. Take the time to read the article below and then take a nap! Here’s How Long the Best Nap Lasts, a Neuroscientist Says (msn.com)
- [Obesity: Food for Thought](https://hugorodier.com/blog/obesity-food-for-thought/) - Obesity is a disease. Period. We must be open to ANY form of therapy, given the vexing, recalcitrant nature of this disease. In my opinion, a psycho-spiritual approach must be part of the treatment. It is best that you study the excellent articles included below. References Genetics, willpower and exercise: Top 10 obesity
- [The new Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Long Haul COVID](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-new-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-long-haul-covid/) - First of all, the new name for CFS is Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I know, ridiculous. The name highlights the sad tendency seen in Medicine to be satisfied naming a disease, without understanding its source or mechanism. Enter “Long Haul COVID.” The root of all the above is an overwhelmed, unprepared Immune
- [Volume 21 • Number 11 • November 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-number-11-november-2020/) - Once a year, this newsletter deals exclusively with the MICROBIOME, even though each issue has articles about it. Its research is exploding. By now I hope you understand your gut bacteria, totally depended on your diet and the chemicals you ingest (pesticides, preservatives, drugs, etc.) greatly influence your Microbiome. An imbalance therein has been documented
- [Sugar, the New Tobacco](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sugar-the-new-tobacco/) - Last week’s blog was about Advocacy Groups as fronts for special interests. One of the worst examples is the Sugar Industry. They are responsible for planting misinformation like the article below. New review discredits advice on cutting sugar intake “The New York Times (12/19, O'Connor, Subscription Publication) reports new research published in the Annals of
- [Volume 13 • Number 11 • November 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-number-11-november-2012/) - The elections are upon us; I hope you get out and vote. However, I have little hope that the candidates on either side of the aisle will fix the mess we are in. In general, I feel they are all in the pocket of corporations and super-bankers. In particular, the health care system will continue
- [MACHO PALEO MAN](https://hugorodier.com/blog/macho-paleo-man/) - The Paleo diet rages on. But, is it really good for you? It is if you like it. End of story. But, if you care to read what the journal Scientific American has to say about it stick around a little longer. The article “How to Really Eat Like a Hunter-Gatherer: Why the Paleo Diet
- [Independence Day and an apple a day: rebellion against statins spreading](https://hugorodier.com/blog/independence-day-and-apple-day/) - The Fourth of July my hometown paper had an article on the fact that the Declaration of Independence was poorly reported at the time. A newspaper in 1776 had a small paragraph after the classified ads. The reason why seems obvious: the Loyalists with all the money and ownership of the media did not take
- [This blog has moved](https://hugorodier.com/blog/this-blog-has-moved-2/) - This blog is now located at https://hugo.ourhealthcoop.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to https://hugo.ourhealthcoop.com/feeds/posts/default.
- [Sugar Industry and Government](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sugar-industry-and-governmen/) - A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS… My book LICKING SWEET DEATH has been updated and simplified NOW it is called SWITCHING OFF CHRONIC ILLNESS (2015) If you want to read more on how the real problem is sugar, not cholesterol, check out my previous blog Cut Sugar Not Cholesterol and the JAMA March 3 2015.
- [Volume 11 • Number 1 • January 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-number-1-january-2010/) - “The current compendia [of chemotherapy] lack transparency, cite little current evidence, lack systematic methods to review and update evidence, and are replete with conflict-of-interest issues… The findings would seem to matter. Up to 75% of all uses of cancer therapies are off label, according to a 2005 estimate by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network”; J.
- [Volume 17 • Number 11 • November 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-number-11-november-2016/) - We all worry about losing our minds. Of course, if you do there is nothing to worry about. In the last newsletter we reviewed how bad diets, toxic environments and inactivity are the main factors contributing to our brains aging poorly. The mechanisms involved are Toxicity, Inflammation, Oxidation and Less Optimal Mitochondrial function (T.O.I.L.)This is
- [The Way to a Man’s Heart is the Gut](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-way-to-a-mans-heart-is-the-gut/) - I recently heard of a patient of mine with no heart disease signs or symptoms die of a heart attack. His cholesterol was normal and his coronaries were shown to be clean—free of plaque—as he slowly deteriorated and died from uncontrollable heart beat irregularities. Interestingly, right before being emergently admitted to the hospital he had
- [To Bee or not to Bee](https://hugorodier.com/blog/to-bee-or-not-to-bee/) - An article in the Scientist on June 29th 2017 showed that the pesticides neonicotinoids are killing our bees. This is hardly news; we have known about this for years. I tried to bring this to the attention of the Utah Medical Association but I was told there was no way doctors would get behind this
- [Volume 19 • Number 1 • January 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-number-1-january-2018/) - I grew up eating a lot of yogurt and fish. I wonder how my brain would have developed without those foods. They have been shown to improve intelligence,[1] fight depression,[2] and reduce the risk of cognitive problems.[3] My mom got fresh fish every morning from the fishermen’s boats still on the beach. Mercury in fish
- [Volume 19 • Number 7 • July 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-number-7-july-2018/) - Early in my career I made a lot of noise about environmental factors in health and disease. All I got for it was derision. I was felt to be a burn out hippie, and a communist. Today we know better, or do we? Evidence is still manipulated to hide the toxic effects of bad foods
- [Volume 19 • Number 8 • August 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-number-8-august-2018/) - I was honored to serve as the Utah Medical Association Environmental/Public Health Committee for 15 years. I have scars to show for it. It was “not easy being green,” like Kermit the Frog well said it. Despite the political battles, we were able to raise awareness about air pollution, chemicals in the environment, and water
- [Volume 20 • Number 4 • April 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-number-4-april-2019/) - Depression will soon become the number one disease in the USA, if it has not already. Sure, we all get a little blue from time to time, but a significant number of people become incapacitated by it. Some even take their lives, unable to escape the darkness that mars their lives. What can we do
- [Volume 21 • Number 7 • July 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-number-7-july-2020/) - The way to a man’s heart is his stomach. How true. It applies to women, too. Read my blogs with that title. They highlight studies that prove this not-so-surprising point. Read below the latest stanza on this old song. If you are not interested in the details (I include them because we still have unbelievers
- [Still Drinking Soda?!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/still-drinking-soda/) - This is not the first time I write about how toxic soda is. Hence the title. BUT we are all free to eat/drink whatever we want. This indisputable fact makes me think of the old, worn out statement, “doc, it hurts when I do this.” Reference Dangerous Side Effects of Drinking Soda Every Day, According
- [Volume 22 • Number 2 • February 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-2-february-2021/) - Patients who focus on nutrition and the Microbiome are increasing their chances of a good outcome through the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember, our gut bacteria constitute a big part of our immune system. Hugo Rodier, MD Intestinal bacteria may affect severity of coronavirus By Yaron Steinbuch, New York Post “The bacteria lurking in COVID-19 patients’ intestines may
- [People of the Corn](https://hugorodier.com/blog/people-of-the-corn/) - The wave of obesity and diabetes began with the advent of High Fructose Corn Syrup. It is now found in practically all processed foods. People have gotten so used to its intense sweetness that they can’t taste anything less powerful. Now you know why Johnny won’t eat his veggies. Our microbiome has suffered. This is
- [Volume 11 • Number 2 • February 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-number-2-february-2010/) - “Until America has learned to love literature not as an amusement, not as a mere doggerel to memorize in college, but for its humanizing and ennobling energy, she will not have succeeded in that high sense which alone makes a nation out of people; that which raises it from a dead name to a living
- [Volume 11 • Number 3 • March 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-number-3-march-2010/) - We knew it was coming; it was only a matter of time. Ever since the New England J. of Medicine published the article that finally addressed the true mechanism of how cholesterol drugs work, I waited for the other shoe to drop: if regulators agree, the pool of people in the United States eligible for
- [Volume 11 • Number 4 • April 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-number-4-april-2010/) - Last month I reported that “probiotaceuticals” are likely going to be the next bubble in pharmaceuticals. Knowing Big Pharma, they will come up with a name like “buggutexx” (I should patent it): “A poorly appreciated truism is that the information contained within the mammalian genome is insufficient for full development of several organ systems, notably
- [Volume 11 • Number 6 • June 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-number-6-june-2010/) - Last month’s issue of the Journal Pediatrics validated what many doctors have been saying for years about a higher risk of ADD with pesticides. The journal is in for a fight with Monsanto-like corporations who have hidden the data showing how toxic pesticides are while attacking anyone who dares oppose their toxic agenda. In fact,
- [Volume 16 • Number 1 • January 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-number-1-january-2015/) - All the references quoted in this issue are leftovers from 2014, except for one, which deals with my home state of Utah where prescription drug abuse is a serious problem. Methamphetamines are widely prescribed "legitimately" to treat ADD and all-too-often to lose weight. These drugs have now been associated with a higher risk of Parkinsonism,[1]
- [Volume 15 • Number 10 and 11 • October-November 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-number-10-and-11-october-november-2014/) - Autism rates continue to climb, a sure sign that it is mostly an environmental problem. My home state, Utah, leads the nation with 1/54 boys affected. This is a moral tragedy of major proportions, accentuated by the fact that we are doing very little, if anything, for the root of the problem. No doubt it
- [Volume 14 • Number 11 • November 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-number-11-november-201/) - EDITOR'S NOTE A well-intended sympathizer of Integrative Health recently reminded me of an insidious issue that causes misunderstandings among skeptics. Her zeal for her companies' Iodine is often seen as unrealistic and not science-based, which tends to confirm their suspicion that the entire field of Integrative Health is suspect. While everyone needs to make a
- [Volume 14 • Number 5 • May 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-number-5-may-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE "Personalized medicine is often described as genomics-based knowledge that "promises the ability to approach each patient as the biological individual he or she is". This is an appealing description, yet unless clinical, social, and environmental features that affect the outcomes of disease are also incorporated, the current approach may be carving a path to "depersonalized"
- [Integrative Approach to Cancer](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-approach-to-cancer/) - Much has been written about how we address cancer. While an aggressive approach as recommended by Oncologists should always be part of the discussion, other ways to handle cancer do not get much publicity, especially its provenance and prevention. A landmark article “Apoptosis by dietary factors” (J. Carcinogenesis 2007;28:233) showed that 2/3 of cancers could
- [Integrative View of Cancer, Diet, and Gut Bacteria](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-view-of-cancer-diet-and-gut-bacteria/) - If you have understood the profound implications of the fact that 2/3 of our Immune/Detoxification system is made up of gut flora then these articles will not surprise you: The Intestinal Microbiome and Estrogen Receptor–Positive Female Breast Cancer JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2016) djw029 doi:10.1093/jnci/djw029 First published online April 22, 2016 “The huge communities
- [Volume 13 • Number 10 • October 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-number-10-october-2012/) - The institute of Medicine reported that each year we waste $765 Billion on Health Care,[1] a figure disturbingly similar to the Corporate Bailout of 2008. These are heady figures, especially while we are debating whether to implement Health Care reforms. It seems to me that as a society we tolerate "Corporate Welfare" a lot more
- [Volume 13 • Number 5 • May 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-number-5-may-2012/) - Recently, the FDA placed 16 pharmaceutical drugs on a "watch list" because of troubling side effects, which are better documented after drugs have been on the market much longer than the limited trials prior to their approval. This may serve as a reminder that one ofIntegrative Health's main tenants, to "Treat underlying causes rather than
- [Volume 12 • Number 11 • November 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-number-11-november-2011/) - Neils Bohr, one of the founders of Quantum Physics,[1] stated that "deep truths are negated by deep truths." He meant that scientific paradigms held as incontrovertible truths eventually are negated or superseded by new science that then is itself held as a "deep truth" until a new scientific truth comes along to replace it. In
- [Volume 11 • Number 10 • October 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-number-10-october-2010/) - Last month you read an editorial from a Psychiatrist opining that his field has become too pharmaceutical. A report appeared in my hometown newspaper shortly thereafter validating that point: in Utah, 1 out of 5 women are taking antidepressants, a nation-leading stat.[1] But, the plot “sickens:” a local Psychiatrist defended the practice of using antidepressants
- [Integrative Pediatrics: three basic points on brain development](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-pediatrics-three-basic-points-on-brain-development/) - Parents understandably worry about their children’s brain development. They will do anything to maximize their child’s IQ for many reasons. Stimulating software, music, expensive schools, tutors, and many other expensive modalities are tried. Soon, gene manipulation will be available, if it is not already. As effective as they may be, they pale in effectiveness to
- [Volume 15 • Number 9 • September 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-number-9-september-2014/) - EDITOR'S NOTE Most of you have lived long enough to see pilot sunglasses and wide ties come back. I am sure the Hula hoop is not far behind. More aware of the ebbs and flows of human thought we do well to take any belief or ideology with a grain of salt; it is sure
- [Now we should not eat plants?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/now-we-should-not-eat-plants/) - “Gluten is just one variety of a common, and highly toxic, plant-based protein called lectin. Lectins are found not only in grains like wheat but also in the “gluten-free” foods most of us commonly regard as healthy, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and conventional dairy products. These proteins, which are found in the seeds,
- [Volume 16 • Number 7 • July 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-number-7-july-2015/) - “Can we stop aging?” The journal Scientific America asks the question this month.[1] Many thinkers like Kurzweil[2] will answer that drugs and Transhumanistic interventions to replace organs with artificial parts is likely to stop aging altogether. Others like Steve Hawkins the physicists feel aging is part of living and that there is wisdom in accepting
- [Bridging the Environmental Gap Between Republicans and Democrats](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bridging-environmental-gap-between/) - Article submitted for publication in the Utah Medical Association Bulletin. Serving as the Chairman of the UMA’s Environmental Committee has been an honor and a valuable learning experience. When I first assumed the position I thought that the data on environmental pollution and its negative effects on human health were evident, clear and irrefutable. I
- [Volume 14 • Number 9 • September 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-number-9-september-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE I hope you have been following the GMO[1] issue (see my blogs.) Despite the Food Industry's and Monsanto's efforts to discredit anyone who opposes them as purveyors of pseudoscience, the public still smells a rat. Connecticut just passed a law requiring the labeling of food containing GMOs. Whether GMOs are toxic or not,
- [Volume 14 • Number 8 • August 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-number-8-august-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE Does anyone still think that science is immune to biases, money, ideologies, and politics? As much as we would like to believe so, we are often reminded that we must follow the money to interpret any fact or statement. Take for instance Dr. Paul A. Offit who has gone on a rampage against nutritional supplements.
- [Beyond Skin Deep Diagnoses](https://hugorodier.com/blog/beyond-skin-deep-diagnoses/) - Dry skin, eczema and practically all skin conditions are just the tip of the iceberg; they signal an internal imbalance that most often originates in the gut microbiome. This is why these skin conditions have been associated with autoimmune disorders. Remember that the microbiome is 70% of your immune system. Giving a skin rash a
- [Volume 23 • Number 5 • May 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-5-may-2022/) - Studies linking “disparate” health problems appear in medical journals rather frequently. They also appear to confound patients and some doctors. Rather than pursue an integrative view of such results, the latter dismiss them as “controversial.” This is understandable, if we consider their unbalanced left-brain approach. Readers of this newsletter are familiar with the pitfalls inherent
- [Volume 23 • Number 4 • April 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-4-april-2022/) - The patients I see in my office are very self-selected. They tend to eat a lot better diet than the general population. I hope you are taking care of yourself “so when thy summons come to join that innumerable caravan that moves to the mysterious realms where each shall take his/her chamber in the silent
- [Lose Weight in Bed](https://hugorodier.com/blog/lose-weight-in-bed/) - Don’t we all wish it could be done that way… But now that I have your attention, read the article below. It is about sleep deprivation affecting our food choices. It does not cover other mechanisms by which lack of sleep promotes obesity, namely, the negative effects of poor sleep on the microbiome and insulin
- [Add 13 Years to Your Life](https://hugorodier.com/blog/add-13-years-to-your-life/) - The article below explains how. The problem is most people are programmed (yeah, just like a computer,) to eat poorly, especially addicting refined sugars, and trans-fats. The programming is running in the back ground, more specifically in the gut (the microbiome gets used to bad food,) and the satiety center in the hypothalamus. Throw in
- [The Heart is a Lonely Hunter](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-heart-is-a-lonely-hunter/) - That is the title of a 1940 novel by Mccullers. Alan Arkin plays the lead character in the movie. I hope you don’t play the same role in your private life. Remember that it is better to get along than to be right to maintain a relationship. And above all, be quick to forgive and
- [Volume 23 • Number 2 • February 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-2-february-2022/) - Fad diets come and go. The diet du jour is Intermittent Fasting. It is helpful but in moderation and for no more than 1 or 2 months. (Vide Infra). The only sustainable healthy diet is plant-based, Mediterranean. If you must eat meat, at least get rid of red meat. And above all, stop processed sugar,
- [Snake Oil](https://hugorodier.com/blog/snake-oil/) - Why did it sell so well in the Wild West, despite slippery opposition from “learned doctors?” Because it had a lot of obvious benefits for people who seldom ate healthy fats. Today, we still see widely publicized articles po-pooing omega oil’s benefits, even though the weight of the evidence in their favor is considerable. Could
- [Menopause Treatment Breakthrough](https://hugorodier.com/blog/menopause-treatment-breakthrough/) - In our drug-happy society, we lose track of what it really means to be healthy. Often, we resort to drugs that may alleviate symptoms, despite side effects. They do in a pinch, but they seldom address the root cause of illness. Reference Healio Minute, August 16, 2021 Changes in diet reduce hot flashes by 84%
- [Volume 23 • Number 1 • January 2022](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-23-number-1-january-2022/) - Before being dismissed by corporate medicine on the grounds that I took too long seeing patients, I was told that I was a rebel. I took it as a compliment Hugo Rodier, MD Why healthcare needs rebels BMJ 2021;375:n2559 “Rebels are needed elsewhere across healthcare, to spot what’s wrong and champion what’s right, and to
- [Liquid Sugar and Cancer](https://hugorodier.com/blog/liquid-sugar-and-cancer/) - Just following up on the last blog Colorectal cancer begins with tiny polyps. Your gastroenterologist will be more than happy to take them out for you. You may be told that they are driven by inflammation. Inflammation from what? Our diets high in sugar and low in fiber. Those factors are the main challenges to
- [Wishing You a Less Sweet 2022](https://hugorodier.com/blog/wishing-you-a-less-sweet-2022/) - Read this book. It’s a mix of history and how the Nazis contributed to the burial of science concerning sugar, metabolism, insulin resistance and all diseases, including cancer. You will read how the emphasis on the more sexy, lucrative genetic approach to cancer won over a simpler and more rewarding nutritional approach. It is also
- [Volume 22 • Number 12 • December 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-12-december-2021/) - I am thought to be a communist and anti-social because I don’t have a Facebook account. So be it. I do see the good side of it, but I feel the bad outweighs it. Many studies agree. The latest is found below. Hugo Rodier, MD Social media use may increase depressive symptoms “Healio (11/30, Gramigna) reports,
- [Magic Pill for Depression](https://hugorodier.com/blog/magic-pill-for-depression/) - The best treatment for depression is to come to terms with the factors that lead to depression. However, said factors may not be known, or amenable to change or treatment. So, we need to accept other ways to deal with depression. Counselling, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, exercise, diet, vacations may be as effective, if not more, as
- [Volume 22 • Number 11 • November 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-11-november-2021/) - Big Pharma, while claiming complete objectivity, manipulates data. See the article below. It does so to maximize their profits, already ~30%, the highest ever recorded in any industry, other than outright robbery. We still need some of their products. But, like most institutions that start to do good, they end up working to do well.
- [Chemicals Can Make You Gain Weight](https://hugorodier.com/blog/chemicals-can-make-you-gain-weight/) - Most people have trouble losing weight. They resort to fad diets and calorie-counting with mixed results. It is likely that they have not increased activity and decreased stress. They may also have an unbalanced microbiome (see November 2021 newsletter), which compromises metabolism (how we handle calories) AND detoxification of chemicals that cause insulin resistance at
- [Better Living Through Chemistry—Not](https://hugorodier.com/blog/better-living-through-chemistry-not/) - I will never forget the TV commercial showing how safe pesticides were supposed to be. It portrays a family valiantly trying to eat their picnic in their front yard as a fumigating truck drives by. Through the fumes, the actors struggle to smile and chow down. It is true that many chemicals have improved our
- [Don’t get “Old-Timers’” Disease](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dont-get-old-timers-disease/) - By now you have lived long enough to worry about your brain backfiring and to see that new fandangle drugs for this problem don’t work. The best is prevention. See the article below. The only problems with it is that it does not mention the brain-gut connection and it makes it sound like you need
- [Volume 22 • Number 10 • October 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-10-october-2021/) - I highly recommend walking/hiking. We have fantastic trails by the river and up the mountains in SLC. Go with a friend or loved one. If you go by yourself, listen to a good book (classics are free on YouTube) or good music, like Mozart. Rodier, MD Daily steps could lead to longer life “HealthDay (9/3, Mann)
- [Air Pollution Makes Me Mad](https://hugorodier.com/blog/air-pollution-makes-me-mad/) - Literally and figuratively. Below you will find a great article on the toxic effects of air pollution on the brain. If you are polluting your body with refined sugars, we further burden our brains. Correcting these problems is not easy. A good start would be to get an electric car and stop drinking soda pop.
- [Best Diet and When to Eat It](https://hugorodier.com/blog/best-diet-and-when-to-eat-it/) - There is too much complexity and micromanaging in nutritional counselling. Most patients cannot comply because of information overload or unrealistic goals. Best to keep diet simple and enjoyable. And what about intermittent fasting? It is not sustainable, but fasting from time to time is very good for you. Below you will find a very good
- [Downwind Update](https://hugorodier.com/blog/downwind-update/) - Downwind update--a discourse on matters gaseous. That was the title of a medical article I read when I was a resident in training. It noted that the average person toots 15 times a day. I guess I am picking up someone else’s slack… But I have an excuse. I hope it applies to you, too. Read below “Increased
- [Volume 22 • Number 9 • September 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-9-september-2021/) - This issue is dedicated to the brain/mind. As the ancients knew, “mente sana in corpore sano.” Brain health, like everything else, is based on good activity and good food. The latter is critical for the brain-gut connection, which revolves around the health of the microbiome. Hugo Rodier, MD Some key brain functions may improve in
- [Covid vaccine: your money AND your life](https://hugorodier.com/blog/covid-vaccine-your-money-and-your-life/) - Strained analogy, but I got your attention: read article below. Analysis: Don't Want a Vaccine? Be Prepared to Pay More for Insurance. Kaiser Health News. Elisabeth Rosenthal and Glenn Kramon August 04, 2021 Anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers gathered at Indiana University to protest mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations the school is requiring for students, staff and faculty. America's covid-19 vaccination rate is
- [Volume 22 • Number 8 • August 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-8-august-2021/) - Are you worried about developing Alzheimer’s Disease as you age? Were you sad when the new, super-expensive drug to fight AD was exposed for the fraud that it was? If so, read the article below. It is about a very simple way to decrease the odds of losing your mind. Hugo Rodier, MD. Total sugar
- [Masks Again](https://hugorodier.com/blog/masks-again/) - You don’t need these articles to tell you it won’t hurt to mask up a little longer if you have been following the science on COVID. Too bad those who have not will churlishly continue to scream their constitutional rights are being violated. CDC says vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors in some
- [“The Secret I Tell All My Patients”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-secret-i-tell-all-my-patients/) - Great article. Dr. McDonald, going against his infamous name, writes about the bottom line in Integrative Medicine. I hope your doctor agrees. Medscape Blogs. June 30, 2021. Alex McDonald, MD “When I meet a new patient, I often take a moment to get to know them, and I tell them about myself and my personal and professional
- [Volume 22 • Number 7 • July 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-7-july-2021/) - Modern medicine has helped us considerably, but its contributions pale to the salutary effects of good nutrition, a clean environment and fulfilling relationships. Insulin was a major breakthrough alright, but before it and oral anti-glycemic agents, people were often successfully treated with diet alone. Certainly, many patients require all that is available. See article directly
- [Microbiome and COVID](https://hugorodier.com/blog/microbiome-and-covid/) - Articles about strengthening our immune system through the microbiome continue to be published. Below you will find yet another. The researchers conclude that their findings will help the pharmaceutical companies come up with a drug to fight COVID through the Microbiome. Did they think about good food optimizing our microbiome? Researchers identify gut bacterium that
- [Pill Pushers](https://hugorodier.com/blog/pill-pushers/) - I am passing along a treat article. I hope you make time to read it. Prescription overload: More harm than good? The “polypharmacy” phenomenon sometimes is defined as taking five or more meds, as many older people do. By PAULA SPAN © 2021 The New York Times The last straw, for Leslie Hawkins, was
- [The Future of Meat](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-future-of-meat/) - The American Journal of Medicine May 2021;134:569 “Massive animal farming for meat production poses major problems in terms of resource use, environmental impact, and biodiversity. Furthermore, excessive meat consumption has been associated with multiple deleterious health consequences… Novel meat alternatives, such as plant-based (Beyond Meat) and cell-based meats, are much less impactful to the environment
- [Volume 22 • Number 6 • June 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-6-june-2021/) - Most of us would like to slow down the aging process. Some turn to drugs, others to supplements but very few do what is most effective: diet, exercise and minimizing toxic environments and relationships. To maintain cellular and telomere health, we would do well to decrease T.O.I.L.—Toxicity, Oxidation, Inflammation and Less than optimal Mitochondrial function.
- [Volume 22 • Number 5 • May 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-5-may-2021/) - As our lives gradually return to normalcy, we will have more opportunities to associate with loved ones. Their health and ours will thus improve. No man or woman is an island, as we are reminded by the article below. Hugo Rodier, MD Loneliness increases cancer risk among middle-aged men “Middle-aged men who are lonely had
- [Volume 22 • Number 4 • April 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-4-april-2021/) - I am not sure if the health care system will ever realize that health, or balance is just that—a deep understanding that all things are linked, including ourselves, with everything around us. Integrative thinking does not come naturally to people, especially to the overly educated in one field of endeavor. As an inveterate devotee of
- [Volume 22 • Number 3 • March 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-3-march-2021/) - Most people my age worry about getting “All-Timer’s Disease.” Forgetting where we place our keys can be deeply troubling. Understandable. But, are we doing enough to prevent cognitive decline? Don’t forget that once we get AD, it cannot be successfully treated. Prevention is the way to go. And what is the best way to lower
- [Brain Imaging Reveals a Neural Basis for Partisan Politics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/brain-imaging-reveals-a-neural-basis-for-partisan-politics/) - To me, “partisan politics” means an inability to see the world from another’s point of view. I believe this also reflects a difficulty dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity. Finding a rigid system of thought where answers are easier to come by is more comfortable for most people. This leads to a lack of balance and
- [Volume 22 • Number 1 • January 2021](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-22-number-1-january-2021/) - I am very grateful I got the vaccine December 28th. I hope you do when it is available to you. If you are still undecided or downright against it, think about it this way: Does the vaccine threaten your life more than the virus does? Hugo Rodier, MD Does intestinal dysbiosis contribute to an aberrant
- [Brain-Gut Connection](https://hugorodier.com/blog/brain-gut-connection/) - We need all the help we can get through these difficult times. Unfortunately, lots of people cope by eating a lot of sugar. Brain function and mood get worse with refined diets. I hope you take the time to read the article below. Gut microbiota: How does it interact with the brain? Written by Jennifer Huizen.
- [The Way to a Man’s Heart III](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-way-to-a-mans-heart-iii/) - More evidence that what we eat affects our gut bacteria, which in turn impacts our cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, I can think of a few patients who won’t/can’t stop eating poorly, despite deteriorating cardiac health. Reference Reduction of intestinal trimethylamine by probiotics ameliorated lipid metabolic disorders associated with atherosclerosis, J. Nutrition 2020;79/80:110941. Bif. animalis subsp. lactis F1-3-2 could be
- [Volume 21 • Number 12 • December 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-number-12-december-2020/) - Anywhere form 10-20% of our children are diagnosed with ADHD. Most of them are medicated, despite good information that different schooling methods, a cleaner environment AND diets low in refined sugars are often curative. We have to wonder why pharmaceutical treatment is so widespread. Yes, there are cases where it is best to use those
- [Are You Afraid of “Old-Timers’ Disease?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-afraid-of-old-timers-disease/) - If you are long in the tooth like me, you probably are. I hope that fear induces you to eat better. Get off refined foods, especially sugar and trans-fats. They disturb your immune system in the Microbiome (gut bacteria). Also eat as organic as possible. Graduate work: become vegan. References SCFA and lipopolysaccharide as mediators
- [Why You Should Brave the ‘Bad’ Weather](https://hugorodier.com/blog/why-you-should-brave-the-bad-weather/) - OLIVER BURKEMAN Special to the New York Times “The psychological advantages of time spent in nature are well known, and plenty of research demonstrates that in-person interaction brings benefits the digital kind cannot. In one typical study of older Americans, published in 2015, participants with limited face-to-face contacts had nearly double the risk of depression;
- [Not Sorry to Pop Your Bubble](https://hugorodier.com/blog/not-sorry-to-pop-your-bubble/) - When my patients are not sure they can change their sweet diets, I ask if they would at least consider quitting soda pop. Most of them are surprised to hear how toxic it is. Years of sugar coating by the soda industry are not easy to overcome. Good luck to you. Artificially sweetened drinks may
- [A Picture Paints a Thousand Words](https://hugorodier.com/blog/a-picture-paints-a-thousand-words/) - Corollary: if you don’t believe in masks, are you prepared to accept, for you and your grandma, a cot in the hospital parking lot with a nurse’s aide squeezing an airbag to help you/her breathe? You may have pandemic and politics fatigue. I sure do. I will not blog about COVID-19 anymore. If you don’t
- [Pandemic Update](https://hugorodier.com/blog/pandemic-update/) - Pandemic coverage still has many “holes” which allow surprise medical bills The AP (10/11, Murphy) reported that while “many” insurance companies “and the U.S. government have offered to pick up or waive costs tied to the virus, holes remain for big bills to slip through and surprise patients,” and the pandemic has “exposed well-known gaps in a system
- [8 Coronavirus Tips That Doctors Wish Patients Would Follow](https://hugorodier.com/blog/8-coronavirus-tips-that-doctors-wish-patients-would-follow/) - OCT 2, 2020, SARA BERG, MEDSCAPE With the U.S. surpassing the tragic milestone of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, here are some coronavirus tips that physicians wish patients would follow to mitigate the spread. 1. Wear a mask There has been a turning point in the U.S., with many states mandating the wearing of masks to curb the spread of
- [The Only Thing We Cannot Argue About COVID-19](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-only-thing-we-cannot-argue-about-covid-19/) - We may disagree on the number of victims, how to prevent the infection and its seriousness, but there is one thing we cannot argue about: the effect it has on our overwrought health care workers/system. You can drive right now to your nearest hospital. You will find doctors, nurses and ancillary staff on their knees
- [Volume 21 • Number 10 • October 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-number-10-october-2020/) - The brain-gut connection continues to amaze us. The evidence is now overwhelming. If you are laboring under any cognitive or mood issue, it behooves you to investigate the possibility that your diet and gut bacteria are impacting your health. Hugo Rodier, MD More Evidence Links Gum Disease and Dementia Risk Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW,
- [Intermittent Fasting](https://hugorodier.com/blog/intermittent-fasting/) - Losing weight is a tough, deeply psychological/emotional undertaking. Often, the main cause of gaining weight is rooted in our subconscious, and related to childhood trauma at worst, stress as adults at best. So, do whatever it takes to lose weight. But some ways are not sustainable, like counting calories, eliminating food groups, the ketogenic diet
- [WHAT IS THE RISK OF CATCHING COVID-19 ON A PLANE?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/what-is-the-risk-of-catching-covid-19-on-a-plane/) - Brian Davis, MD, Family Medicine News, Doximity September 20th 2020 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to alleviate fears of flying during the pandemic at an event with airline and rental car executives.” The airplanes have just not been vectors when you see spread of the coronavirus,” DeSantis said during a discussion at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE – 09/14/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-09-14-2020/) - This is an editorial published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 9/13/2020. I feel we are vaccinating too much. Our children are pin cushions. We blast them too early in life and there are significant side effects that are often brushed aside for economic and political reasons. And the common flu vaccine is not that
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE – 09/08/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-09-08-2020/) - Experts concerned some businesses are still focused on temperature checks and deep-cleaning as coronavirus safety measures The Washington Post (9/7, Judkis) reported, “Despite initial reports warning people that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted from contaminated surfaces, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told Americans in no uncertain terms that the virus is primarily transmitted
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE – 08/31/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-08-31-2020/) - THEATERS REOPENING I am sure they will take precautions with seating, masks and other social distancing measures. But I am not going, as much as I like movies. It doesn’t make sense to risk my life (I am in the high-risk category) for something I can do safely at home. I miss going to movies
- [Volume 21 • Number 9 • September 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-9-•-september-2020/) - The evidence for the Brain-Gut connection continues to mount. See article below. But it has always been clear that what we eat affects the microbiome AND every organ of the body. Why should the brain be different? Practical advice: if you are afraid of getting Alzheimer’s as you age, stop eating sugar. We now call
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE – 08/24/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-08-24-2020/) - Improving our immune systems through diet has not been mentioned much by the media. Your life may depend on the food you eat in more ways than one. The bottom line is simple: food largely determines how your immune system works. So, stop refined sugars and load up on vegetables. It’s too bad that low-income
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE – 08/17/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-08-17-2020/) - How sick you get may be tied to how much virus you’re exposed to Andy Larsen, Salt Lake Tribune August 16th 2020 “Does the initial amount of the coronavirus you are exposed to matter? Let’s put that question another way: Say two similar people are exposed to different quantities of coronavirus particles. Is one of
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE – 08/10/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-08-10-2020/) - I am often asked about the COVID-19 vaccine. My patients know I find a lot to be desired with vaccinations, and that I have never had the Common Flu vaccine. They are surprised when I answer that I will get the COVID-19 vaccine. There is a big difference between these viruses. COVID-19 is ten times
- [Volume 21 • Number 8 • August 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-8-•-august-2020/) - INTEGRATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION Volume 21 Number 8 August 2020 This month’s editorial highlights the book below. Read it and weep. Hugo Rodier, MD Gut dysbiosis contributes to amyloid pathology, associated with C/EBPβ/AEP signaling activation in Alzheimer’s disease mouse model J. Science Advances 2020;6:eaba0466 “The gut-brain axis is bidirectional, and gut microbiota influence brain disorders including
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE - 08/03/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-08-03-2020/) - Doctor who survived COVID-19 bewildered by public disregard By JAY REEVES. The Associated Press. Salt Lake Tribune July 19th 2020 “Birmingham, Ala. • Dr. Michael Saag spends much of his time treating patients fighting for their lives and working with colleagues who are overwhelmed and exhausted by the relentless battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. But
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE – 7/27/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-7-27-2020/) - Some feel the pandemics is a hoax. They argue that nothing is being said about the regular flu and other diseases taking lives every year. That is so, but those deaths are already accounted for in a for-profit health care system that does not have too much room for unexpected diseases. You may not believe
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE - 7/20/2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update-7-20-2020/) - Sweden did not do anything about the virus. Their mortality is now 30% higher than America’s. Physical distancing measures may reduce spread of coronavirus, study indicates CNN (7/16, Kane) reports “physical distancing measures can help slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus,” according to a study published in the BMJ. The study’s authors “gathered
- [CORONA VIRUS UPDATE ARCHIVE](https://hugorodier.com/blog/corona-virus-update/) - 7/13/2020 A woman not wearing a mask walked up to another wearing one and proceeded to heavily breathe in her face. The victim made the news pleading for people to wear a mask for the sake of vulnerable people, like her immuno-compromised daughter at home. Watching the report, I tried to understand why the perp
- [Volume 21 • Number 6 • June 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-6-•-june-2020/) - It is easy to beat up on greed. I try not to because it is a waste of energy. Yet, its slimy tentacles invade every aspect of our lives. What I find most reprehensible is how Big Pharma colludes to denigrate nutritional therapies, even specific foods. All the while it markets their isolated version of
- [Volume 21 • Number 5 • May 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-5-•-may-2020/) - A boy gets a pile of manure for his birthday. Gleefully, he dives into it, yelling, “there’s gotta be a pony under it!” Two monks wonder if it is OK to smoke and pray at the same time. They decide to separately ask their master about it. The first one comes back dejected, saying the
- [Volume 21 • Number 4 • April 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-4-•-april-2020/) - When I was in medical school, I studied out of journals, not textbooks. I felt the latter were dated. I left them at school so I could read Asimov, Henry Miller, Tolstoy, Hugo, Dostoyevsky, etc. I even read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich along with the PBS TV series. It is the
- [Volume 21 • Number 3 • March 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-3-•-march-2020/) - SPECIAL ISSUE ON WEIGHT LOSS, DAIRY Nearly everyone has tried to lose weight. Often, we fail and/or regain the weight. Why? This issue features two full articles on this vexing problem. If you do not wish to study them, here is a brief summary on why it is difficult to lose weight: decrease in activity,
- [Junk Food Makes Me Mad](https://hugorodier.com/blog/junk-food-makes-me-mad/) - Processed foods do not have micronutrients to support health. This is one of the reasons why we are more prone to inflammatory changes in our body. Alzheimer’s plaques in the brain are a result of inflammation. Do you wish to lower your risk of dementia? Eat your veggies and quit refined foods! Older adults who
- [Volume 21 • Number 2 • February 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-2-•-february-2020/) - Three out of five Americans suffer from loneliness.[1] The negative health consequences are far reaching. Ironically, social media offers no relief. Having been lonely most of my life, I ask my patients about it. What can we do to mitigate it? A lot, but I focus on a few principles. One is an ability to
- [Malnourished Doctors](https://hugorodier.com/blog/malnourished-doctors/) - We can continue to spin our wheels arguing how to finance a broken health care system. But it would be better to fix it. Feeding it the right food would be a good start. I could not argue this point better than the article below. Reference Nutrition education fit for modern health systems J. Lancet
- [Swallowing Camels, Straining at Gnats](https://hugorodier.com/blog/swallowing-camels-straining-at-gnats/) - Were you scared to death over the Ebola virus? How about West Nile? Or the Zika virus? Swine flu? Bird flu? How about Zantac causing cancer? Or SARS? And the flesh-eating bacteria? And now the Corona virus is coming from Wuhan, China. Did you know is not as deadly as the Flu? Each year 40,000+
- [Shameful, Expensive “New Drugs”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/shameful-expensive-new-drugs/) - Big Pharma’s greed knows no limits. Not satisfied with a margin of profits over 30%, the highest of any industry, they are now resorting to shenanigans that are amazingly shameful: combining generic drugs worth a few dollars with each other and with natural things like baking soda to justify prices over $2,000 a month! We
- [Sugar-Plum Fairies Will Keep You Awake](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sugar-plum-fairies-will-keep-you-awake/) - “All the children are tucked in their beds Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads.” We got over Christmas. Have you gotten over your addiction to sugar? Refined sugars have a direct oxidative, inflammatory effect on the brain. Indirectly, they mess up our microbiome, which leads to endotoxemia, or gut toxins in the blood, which end
- [Volume 21 • Number 1 • January 2020](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-21-•-number-1-•-january-2020/) - We all have our favorite philosophers and avatars. I like Calvin & Hobbes, George Carlin and Balsekar. No matter who we are inspired by, the lesson is the same, and quite simple: we are all brothers and we are to love each other unconditionally. No need to look for “the mysteries” or some esoteric knowledge
- [NIH Directors Predictions for 2020](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nih-directors-predictions-for-2020/) - JAMA 1999;282:2287-2288 “As a result of rigorous scientific investigation, several therapeutic and preventive modalities currently deemed elements of complementary and alternative medicine will have proven effective. Therefore, by 2020, these interventions will have been incorporated into conventional medical education and practice, and the term “complementary and alternative medicine” will be superseded by the concept of
- [A Holiday Message: The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow](https://hugorodier.com/blog/a-holiday-message-the-sun-will-come-out-tomorrow/) - I am imprinted with 50’s and 60’s movies. Annie has seen me through the darkest hours of night. So has Julie Andrew’s “favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.” If you are suffering now through the Holidays, belt out those songs as loud as you can as often as possible. Movies and songs
- [Maslow’s Medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/maslows-medicine/) - The top of Maslow’s scale of development is self-actualization. That is what I hope to develop for my patients. Too lofty a goal? Perhaps, but they say to aim for the starts. I do so by aiming for self-actualization myself. A major step in my professional life was to drop out of our toxic, profit-driven
- [Volume 20 • Number 12 • December 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-12-•-december-2019/) - Every week, I get at least one phone call from a patient asking for an antibiotic prescription for a cold, a cough, a runny nose and other assorted respiratory and urinary symptoms. I have never complied with their requests. “My other doctor did it all the time!” “Sorry to hear.” I recommend they come in
- [B is for Breast](https://hugorodier.com/blog/b-is-for-breast/) - Cancer is 85% environmental. Let’s stop blaming our native, natural estrogens and our genes. Best to avoid XENOESTROGENS in the environment (plastics, pesticides, heavy metals, etc.) They overstimulate breast and prostate cells. Since we cannot eliminate them in today’s economies, we must reduce exposure and maximize our ability to detoxify them from our body. We
- [An Apple a Day Keeps the Heart Surgeon Away](https://hugorodier.com/blog/an-apple-a-day-keeps-the-heart-surgeon-away/) - A big study came out showing that stents to open up clogged up coronaries are no better in prolonging life than statins drugs. Let’s take that one step further: statin drugs are no better than an apple a day. I bet Dr. Ornish, the author of REVERSING HEART DISEASE with diet alone is feeling vindicated.
- [Don't Poo-Poo This Treatment](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dont-poo-poo-this-treatment/) - Last week a patient dying from C. difficile, a bacterium that strikes in the intestines, was cured by receiving a stool transplant from a healthy donor. No antibiotic had helped her and her native immune system was not good enough to protect her against this superbug. The focus of the report was the superbug. The
- [Volume 20 • Number 11 • November 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-11-•-november-2019/) - I have to make sense of the forest before I micromanage each tree: I suffer from the Ionian Enchantment. Back around 600 BC, greek philosophers maintained that all knowledge is linked, a concept that Dr. Wilson recently rehashed in his book CONCILIENCE. This is why I became a Generalist, even though that is not where
- [Waste Not Want Not](https://hugorodier.com/blog/waste-not-want-not/) - As we debate health care reform, keep in mind two points: One, fixing the fundamental problem with health care is seldom addressed. Instead, we continue to argue about how to finance a broken system. If we stopped treating symptoms with drugs and surgery, we could help patients more and save enough to pay for those
- [The Art of Racing in the Rain](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-art-of-racing-in-the-rain/) - You need to see this movie or read the book. Get a box of Kleenex. I am surrounded by animals at my house. They teach me a lot, mostly to be still, love more and speak less. I wish the same for you. Reference Research suggests “too much neural activity” may prevent living a longer
- [Moaning About Hormoning](https://hugorodier.com/blog/moaning-about-hormoning/) - I have been warning people about indiscriminate hormone therapy my whole career. They are not the Fountain of Youth. This does not mean they should never be used. If the proper test signals a problem, hormonal therapy is indicated. The problem lies in clinics that use over-sensitive tests to prescribe Thyroid and Sex hormones if
- [A Picture Outdoors Paints a Thousand Healthy Words](https://hugorodier.com/blog/a-picture-outdoors-paints-a-thousand-healthy-words/)
- [Breast Cancer Month (guys, read this, too.)](https://hugorodier.com/blog/breast-cancer-month-guys-read-this-too/) - Let’s get the guys out of the way first: It does happen to guys, too; and it is more likely to be fatal in men. The same factors behind breast cancer affect men’s prostates. If it happens to a woman close to you, it happens to you, too. The following points are generally missed when
- [Volume 20 • Number 10 • October 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-10-•-october-2019/) - Annual Microbiome Issue Most people give up trying to eat healthy because of contradicting information. Take eggs. One year they are OK, but the following year they are not. I am sure you can think of many other examples. What is missing from any discussion on the best diet is the state of your microbiome:
- [Regret Over Treatment of Prostate Cancer: A Patient's Story](https://hugorodier.com/blog/regret-over-treatment-of-prostate-cancer-a-patients-story/) - Medscape, Megan Brooks; September 23, 2019 This report speaks for itself. “For Mr B, a 66-year-old man who in 2006 faced early prostate cancer that was detected on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, radical prostatectomy seemed like the right choice. It was a decision he would come to regret. The case of Mr B speaks to the instability of medical knowledge and
- [Stem Sells](https://hugorodier.com/blog/stem-sells/) - We often hear about miraculous cures from Stem Cells. I am sure some of them are true. After all, the theory behind them is sound. The good results that could stem from using them are tantalizing. So are the financial rewards for their purveyors. I hope Stem Cell therapy progresses to become reliable, affordable and
- [Popping Your Bubble](https://hugorodier.com/blog/popping-your-bubble/) - A while back, an honest dentist published an article about soda pop corroding teeth enamel which led to cavities along with refined sugars. To counteract the problem, he advised patients to drink soda pop with a straw. I guess he did not see a problem in softer tissues down the gullet being impacted even worse!
- [Depressing News About Antidepressants](https://hugorodier.com/blog/depressing-news-about-antidepressants/) - Behavioral therapy, counselling, biofeedback, meditation, Tai Chi, Yoga, good diets, supplements, exercise and a lot of forgiveness help most people overcome depression. Pharmaceuticals only treat the symptoms of underlying problems. Americas lead the world in prescription for antidepressants. Statistics show that less than half of patients find them helpful. They are not likely to stop
- [Volume 20 • Number 9 • September 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-9-•-september-2019/) - If you have been to my little office you will have noticed that literature books are a big part of the décor. Some may agree with my BBF who thinks I am just being pretentions. But there is a method to my madness: literacy has a significant impact on our health and longevity. (See
- [Are You Fatigued II](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-fatigued-ii/) - 2.5 million people are said to suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the USA. About $24 Billion are spent each year seeking relief. Most patients are ridiculed and mollified with a quick prescription for an anti-depressant. Fancy, ridiculous names are pinned on the problem (Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease-Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), as if that explained WHY people
- [Filling Fun Food](https://hugorodier.com/blog/filling-fun-food/) - Four servings of whole fruits. Four servings of whole vegetables. Five servings of high-fiber whole grains. Lean protein (4 ounces of fish, meat, or poultry, for example) per meal. The satisfaction diet is close to the plant-based, no refined foods diet I recommend. Both are simple, do not fuzz with calorie counting (a waste of
- [Hello, Doc. I Can’t Seem to Lose Weight](https://hugorodier.com/blog/hello-doc-i-cant-seem-to-lose-weight/) - After posing the question, the caller suddenly asked me to wait so he could answer his other phone while driving. I could hear him manically talking about stress at work. Nutrition and exercise are the low hanging fruits on maintaining an ideal weight. If we can honestly say those boxes are check, and we still
- [Volume 20 • Number 8 • August 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-8-•-august-2019/) - As my practice and I age, I find that most of my patients worry about “Old Timers’ Disease. I address their concerns two ways: one, I recommend the book NATURAL CAUSES so they may age with wisdom, humor and grace. Two, I review the pillars of brain ageing—diet and exercise. (See first article below). Three,
- [Are You Still Down on Soy?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-still-down-on-soy/) - Sure, Soy is the source of artificial transfats and it is often riddled with pesticides and spoiled by GMO processing. But that does not mean that in its natural, organic, fermented state it is bad for you. To this day, the researcher who dubbed its micronutrients “phyto-estrogens” regrets doing so. It led to serious and
- [KNOW THYSELF—Avoid Extremes in Health Care](https://hugorodier.com/blog/know-thyself-avoid-extremes-in-health-care/) - I loved this book. I hope you read it. The author’s conclusions reflect my attitude, up to a point, about the Health Care System and the Wellness movement. Unlike her, I feel both have good things to offer, like emergent care and a simple plant-based diet and light exercise. Other than that, I was disappointed
- [Hitting Below the Belt](https://hugorodier.com/blog/hitting-below-the-belt/) - Guys may be more likely to eat better after this article. If they are not, they may be shooting blanks before too long. Western Junk Food Diet Linked to Impaired Testicular Function Dana Najjar. Medscape June 28, 2019 “A Western junk food diet — high in processed and red meats, refined grains, chips, and sweets — is
- [Volume 20 • Number 7 • July 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-7-•-july-2019/) - “The pharmaceutical revolution of the 50s and 60s has petered out.”[1] Every week we see articles about some pharmaceutical recall, side effects, overpricing, research hanky-panky and other melodramas. This issue highlights a few of those problems. They do not mean that there is no value at all in drugs, but that it has been overstated,
- [Catching the exercise bug—literally!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/catching-the-exercise-bug-literally/) - Research discovering the wide effects of the Microbiome on our health is growing exponentially, as predicted. Practically ALL health issues are linked to how your gut bacteria is shaped by the food you eat and the chemicals you insult them with. If a particular link between the Microbiome and a health issue has not been
- [Are You Restless?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-restless/) - Do your legs seem to have a life of their own? If so, it is very likely that you also have gastrointestinal problems, like bloating, constipation, reflux, indigestion, etc. This is yet another example of the Brain-Gut connection. Wait! What do your legs have to do with the brain and the gut?! Restless Leg Syndrome
- [The Way to a Man’s Heart II](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-way-to-a-mans-heart-ii/) - The point has been made ad nauseum in this site: it is not the cholesterol. It’s what we eat and how food is altered by the microbiome. Reference TMAO and Heart Disease: the new red meat risk? JAMA 2019:321:2149 “A problem has emerged: saturated fat intake may not be as tightly linked to cardiovascular disease
- [More Food Fights—Chicken as Bad as Red Meat?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/more-food-fights-chicken-as-bad-as-red-meat/) - I don’t believe so. The problem with the recent report is that most people still think cholesterol is bad for people. NO! we need it to make up our hormones, neurons and cell membranes in general. The issue is OXIDIZED cholesterol from a liver laboring under too much sugar (See blog “Could it be Sugar?”)
- [Volume 20 • Number 6 • June 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-6-•-june-2019/) - Diseases are rooted in the gut, a fact I have highlighted my whole career. When we understand the profound ramifications, we stop hacking at the leaves and beating around the bush. Understanding this explains why disparate, seemingly incongruent issues are related. For example, long term antibiotics increase the risk of heart disease. Hugo Rodier, MD
- [Nails in Your Coffin](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nails-in-your-coffin/) - That is what processed foods are. They alter function and structure of cells, in addition to compromising the nature and function of the microbiome. The bacteria in your gut can get used to those foods. They will demand it if you don’t eat it at regular times (see cartoon on my website.) If you are
- [Sweet and Sour](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sweet-and-sour/) - My first book was called LICKING SWEET DEATH. It chronicled how toxic and addicting processed sugars are. The evidence keeps mounting that they are behind metabolic problems and practically all diseases, including cancer. They start by hitting below the belt—the gut and liver. Our gut bacteria get habituated to refined sugars; they will demand it
- [Does Your Expensive Health Insurance Help You Live Longer?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/does-your-expensive-health-insurance-help-you-live-longer/) - Not that much. The Care system is loaded with expensive bells and whistles. Nutrition, lifestyles, environmental toxins and emotional-spiritual issues helping longevity are seldom covered, even though those issues contribute to longevity much more than the system’s expensive, invasive tools. Take a look at the evidence: How Much Does Healthcare Influence Longevity? Medscape - May 13, 2019. “Healthcare is
- [Volume 20 • Number 5 • May 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-5-•-may-2019/) - I am always looking for the root cause of things, particularly illness. As a scientist, I am fully aware nothing has a single cause, but our experiences in childhood loom large in the genesis of diseases. See the first two studies below. Hugo Rodier, MD Childhood abuse may cause physical changes to brain that lead
- [Marianne Williamson’s Platform—the best way to fix our Disease Care System](https://hugorodier.com/blog/marianne-williamsons-platform-the-best-way-to-fix-our-disease-care-system/) - I am begging you to read her platform below. I am not sure about the rest of Marianne Williamson’s presidential platform, but her comments on health care in our country are exactly what I and better qualified people have been saying for years. PLEASE, take the time to read what she has to say. If
- [Social Media’s Dark Side](https://hugorodier.com/blog/social-medias-dark-side/) - A recent survey found that 60% of people approve of modern technology, but only 25% approve of Twitter and 36% of Facebook. It is very telling that 80% feel social media is a waste of time, yet 70% of people still use it. It tells me many of them cannot help themselves—they are addicted. I
- [NUTRITION-BASED MEDICINE: WILLET HAPPEN SOON?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nutrition-based-medicine-willet-happen-soon/) - Doctor Willet is one of my heroes. He has championed Nutrition as the cornerstone of health and medicine. With no further ado, here is his latest salvo. Maybe it will be noted as the turning point towards a more rational, effective and cheaper way to practice medicine. “Nutrition education in medical school, residency training and
- [Blinded by Soda Pop](https://hugorodier.com/blog/blinded-by-soda-pop/) - When I was a child, I was addicted to Coca Cola. I loved those little black bottles. I would sit at my dad’s bistro, get a sandwich or a crêpe, and read the newspaper, a comic book, or study the wallpaper Paris map he had. When rumors began to surface that Coca Cola and all
- [Bacchus Blues](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bacchus-blues/) - The science on the virtues of having a small serving of alcohol a day has been strong for decades. Until now. It seems that ANY alcohol has deleterious effects. The more alcohol the more the damage. This is a resounding vindication for teetotalers, unless further studies swing the pendulum back to the middle. BTW, I
- [To EHR Is Inhumane](https://hugorodier.com/blog/to-ehr-is-inhumane/) - To EHR Is Inhumane—Addressing the Shortcomings of the Interface, Medscape March 26th 2019 That is the title that Peter M. Antevy, MD and Tracey A. Loscar, BA, NRP chose for their excellent article reproduced below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I have written about the factors leading to physician burnout
- [Physician Burnout](https://hugorodier.com/blog/physician-burnout/) - Physician burnout has reached critical proportions. It has been shown to affect more than 1/3 pf doctors. Many of them are depressed and feeling like the profession has not lived to their altruistic, humanitarian expectations. Some feel trapped in a health care system that mistreats them and their patients. What to do? I left the
- [Antiaging and Hormones](https://hugorodier.com/blog/antiaging-and-hormones/) - It does not make sense to me to take hormones indiscriminately to stave off the natural effects of aging. Yet, many practitioners recommend them to their patients. It is best to look at IMPARTIAL, NEUTRAL EVIDENCE before venturing into this field. For example, sex hormones for women are often prescribed to not only deal with
- [Medicare “Available” to All?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/medicare-available-to-all/) - I hope you take the time to study this issue, instead of blindly accepting what CNN and FOX news are telling you. Both lack the WISDOM of finding a middle ground. How well does a bird fly with only a left or right wing? It is not about CAPITAL or LABOR. It is about a
- [Volume 20 • Number 3 • March 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-3-•-march-2019/) - I grew up drinking Mate. My cousin Mac hated it. In those days, he was the only obese kid I knew. I regret to admit I called him Tubby. He also had red hair. Anyway, I just ran into another article saying that Mate, an herb drink, helps improve our metabolism.[1] It probably works through
- [Processed Foods Are Addicting](https://hugorodier.com/blog/processed-foods-are-addicting/) - Does Big Food know this? Hint: the tobacco wars. Reference Processed foods and food reward J. SCIENCE 25 JAN 2019:346-347. “Evidence is amassing that the nutritional content of processed foods is not accurately conveyed to the brain. This raises the possibility that how foods are prepared and processed, beyond their energy density or palatability, affects
- [Sweet Little Lies (No need to comment on the obvious)](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sweet-little-lies-no-need-to-comment-on-the-obvious/) - Sugar: spinning a web of influence BMJ 2015;350:h231 Public health scientists are involved with the food companies being blamed for the obesity crisis, reports Jonathan Gornall. An investigation by The BMJ has uncovered evidence of the extraordinary extent to which key public health experts are involved with the sugar industry and related companies responsible for many of the products
- [Toothpaste Trouble](https://hugorodier.com/blog/toothpaste-trouble/) - The CDC recently reported on the problems associated with swallowing too much toothpaste. What is really hard to swallow is the commentary posted on Medscape. The CDC warns about streaky or splotchy teeth if kids use more than a pea-size amount of toothpaste because of its fluoride content. Medscape does not mention fluoride at all.
- [Volume 20 • Number 2 • February 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-2-•-february-2019/) - Here is a follow up on my recent blog on nutritionally deficient doctors: drugs commonly used for seizure disorders (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital and primidone) raise Vitamin D requirements.[1] This is yet another reason why many of us need to supplement our diets. Hugo Rodier, MD Whole grain-rich diet reduces body weight It also reduces systemic
- [Lifestyle Medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/lifestyle-medicine/) - That’s the new name for the old concept of preventing disease by working on the factors that cause it. I hope it gets a solid foothold. It is the answer to practically all the problems that plague or health care system, including its runaway cost. The public and doctors were not ready for it when
- [“It is Only With the Heart That One Can See Clearly”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/it-is-only-with-the-heart-that-one-can-see-clearly/) - At a fork in the road I read two books. I have tried to live by the more popular one, Its maxims became a guiding light in my life. For example, “It is only with the heart that one can see clearly. What is important is invisible to the eye.” The other book was I
- [Depressed, Disillusioned Doctors](https://hugorodier.com/blog/depressed-disillusioned-doctors/) - Before I entered medical school, I did my Health Administration Master’s Thesis on the time commitments expected of doctors. I killed two birds with one stone: I got a good grade, and I dispelled my reservations about a profession I had started to view as too fuddy-duddy and rigid for me. I found that doctors
- [Nutritionally Deficient Doctors](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nutritionally-deficient-doctors/) - I had no training in nutrition in medical school 1980-1984. Things have not improved since then. While it is great news that a web site has been created by doctors to advise patients on nutrition, it strikes me as Tubby telling Little Lulu how to eat. For example, the site claims that a healthy diet
- [Volume 20 • Number 1 • January 2019](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-20-•-number-1-•-january-2019/) - By lowering “normal blood pressure” below 120/80 an additional thirty million Americans will be prescribed medications to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, the most popular diuretics, Hydrochlorothiazide and Lisinopril, have been associated with diabetes, lung and pancreatic cancer, among other problems. Keep in mind that drugs lower BP by working on fluid volume through the kidneys
- [Longevity Droppping](https://hugorodier.com/blog/longevity-droppping/) - THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE—HOW NEW TECHNOLOGY AND ANCIENT REMEDIES ARE TRANSFORMING HEALTH CARE (National Geographic January 2019) We spend more than any other country, yet, we lag behind in longevity. This issue also has an article on Chinese Medicine. Embracing Mother Nature’s remedies may reverse the drop in life expectancy.
- [Health: Go with the Flow](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-go-with-the-flow/) - Learning to relax and take life’s reverses in stride is certainly one of the keys to health. The article below highlights another key factor, CIRCULATION. It’s only common sense—we need Energy and Information from the food we eat to reach all cells of our body. If your circulation is compromised, cells will not be
- [Turning the Page on the Past](https://hugorodier.com/blog/turning-the-page-on-the-past/) - Most of us have had some form of childhood trauma, either imaginary or real. The consequences can be profound. Specifically, our Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis may take a beating, leading to health problems throughout our body. But the main damage is between the ears, influencing our self-image and thus our relationships, including how we relate to
- [A Green Christmas](https://hugorodier.com/blog/a-green-christmas/) - Integrative Health is about putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. It does by addressing nutrition, relationships, and environmental issues affecting body, mind and spirit. This is why I highly recommend It is a heart-warming true story laced with humor and suffering, as life tends to be. No matter your background, you are likely to see
- [Volume 19 • Number 12 • December 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-•-number-12-•-december-2018/) - When I was in Medical school in the early 80s only one in 2,500 children had Autism. It’s a lot more than that now. Why? Have our genes mutated? Are we better at diagnosing the problem? The answer is the same as every other disease: poor diets, toxic environments, and unrelenting emotional and physical stress.
- [The State of Health Care](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-state-of-health-care/) - The State of Health Care Don’t be shocked—it is not healthy because it has become a big, toxic business. Its leaders, that is some doctors, insurance companies, and pharmaceuticals are presently more concerned about doing well than doing good, a historical tendency we are all guilty of. After all, “the business of America is business.”
- [Could it be Sugar?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/could-it-be-sugar/) - Licking Sweet Death That was the title of my first book. It got me a lot of grief for exposing processed sugar and the politics/money behind its marketing. The main points I made were: Sugar is addicting. There is such a thing as Pre-Diabetes. Artificial sweeteners are worse than sugar. Cholesterol is a benign molecule—it
- [Supplements and Drugs: Follow the Money](https://hugorodier.com/blog/supplements-and-drugs-follow-the-money/) - If you have been around for a while you have noticed the following pattern: a supplement/vitamin, amino acid/antioxidant gets great medical research showing they are effective. After a lot of money is made by the manufacturers, negative studies begin to pop up. “It does no good—it may even be harmful.” Then, studies begin to demonstrate
- [Volume 19 • Number 11 • November 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-•-number-11-•-november-2018/) - Medical School in 1980-1984 let me down on several fronts. For instance, (1) we were not taught to think integratively; (2) we only received one hour of nutrition, and none on environmental issues; (3) the mind-body connection was deemed to be “soft medicine” not worth bothering with, (4) and non-allopathic fields like homeopathy chiropractics, acupuncture,
- [Do You Worry About Forgetting Things?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/do-you-worry-about-forgetting-things/) - Carefully read the title again. The two verbs are related in more ways than one: stress causes us to forget things, and think less clearly. So, stop worrying about getting Alzheimer’s so much, especially if your doctor has not made the diagnosis. Instead, try to manage the unavoidable stresses of daily life in a more
- [Fluoride Fights](https://hugorodier.com/blog/fluoride-fights/) - Fluoride Fights Adding fluoride to our water is a hot issue. I urge you to do YOUR OWN RESEARCH, instead of blindly accepting others’ interpretations, including mine. You may start with the history behind the use of fluoride to prevent cavities. Prenatal fluoride exposure and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children at 6–12 years
- [Pesticides—just following up](https://hugorodier.com/blog/pesticides-just-following-up/) - Higher consumption of organic food linked to lower cancer risk, research suggests In “Science Now,” the Los Angeles Times (10/22, Kaplan) reports that “a study of nearly 70,000 French adults who were tracked for an average of 4.5 years found that those who ate the most organic foods were less likely to develop certain kinds
- [Volume 19 • Number 10 • October 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-•-number-10-•-october-2018/) - Every fall an issue of this newsletter is dedicated to the Microbiome. Advances in this field are difficult to keep up with. Yet, they are vital to our increasing understanding of health and disease. I hope you at least read the titles, comments and highlighted sections of the two articles herein. I would be satisfied
- [Chemicals Can Make You Fat](https://hugorodier.com/blog/chemicals-can-make-you-fat/) - If you google “OBESOGENS” you will see that there are hundreds of chemicals that alter our metabolism, thereby increasing our chances of obesity and diabetes. Most of them appear to negatively impact our gut bacteria, which is where we metabolize the food we eat. (See October 2018 Newsletter.) The latest to be thus categorized are
- [Starving to Life](https://hugorodier.com/blog/starving-to-life/) - Since the dawn of mankind, humans have fasted for health and spiritual reasons, two concepts that the ancients felt were virtually the same. They considered Homeostasis, their word for Balance, Harmony, and Beauty the “Middle Pillar” of Creative Forces in the Universe. Fasting, like any other concept, also requires Balance—it may be overdone. Its virtues,
- [Pesticides Update](https://hugorodier.com/blog/pesticides-update/) - Despite Monsanto’s campaign to discredit anyone who questions their agenda, the public continues to vote with their wallet. For example, GMOs—we no longer hear about the legality or desirability of labelling our food because the food industry itself has seen how much profitable it is to advertise their products as Non GMO. This is particularly
- [Volume 19 • Number 9 • September 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-•-number-9-•-september-2018/) - This is an ambitious issue. Still, it can only scratch the surface of our brains. I chose to focus on brain/mental problems watching seniors finding relief, and improvement, just by singing on the CBS evening news August 31st. I hope you find the articles below helpful. At least read the titles. If you are going
- [UPDATE-Follow the Insurance and Drug Money](https://hugorodier.com/blog/update-follow-the-insurance-and-drug-money/) - A picture paints a thousand words. Throw in insurance companies forcing doctors to spend less and less time, and you have a very explosive mix. What are doctors to do? Quickly prescribe a drug the second they can pin a canned diagnosis on you. Many of you are discovering this is the kind of care
- [Feeding Our Children](https://hugorodier.com/blog/feeding-our-children/) - Our society’s future depends on how we feed our children, intellectually, spiritually, and physically. Let us focus on the last one. There are five points I wish to make about it: One, this is also about adults. However, “you cannot teach old dogs new tricks.” Present readership excluded, most adults are not able to make
- [A Blow Below the Belt](https://hugorodier.com/blog/a-blow-below-the-belt/) - Men worry about ED. Few of them know that this is a reflection of subpar circulation throughout the body. Why would only your hydraulics, highly dependant on good circulation, be the only spot affected? Sure, men think with that yonder region a little too much, but, let us take advantage of this healthy, and understandable
- [Volume 19 • Number 6 • June 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-•-number-6-•-june-2018/) - Outdated information does not go away until the generation that profits from it passes. I hope this is the case with the false dictum “Calories in equal Calories out.” If you have been following this newsletter you know that your Microbiome determines how you handle calories, or your metabolism. Two people may eat the same
- [Check the Prostate? Women, You Need to Read This!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/check-the-prostate-women-you-need-to-read-this/) - Ladies first: prostate and breast cancer are related—they are both triggered by poor detoxification of 800+ chemicals in the environment dubbed xenoestrogens by microbiome and liver. The worst are pesticides, heavy metals and plastics. BTW, quit drinking out of plastic bottles, and do not fear phytoestrogens like soy—it helps lower the risk, and even treat
- [What?! Supplements do not work?!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/what-supplements-do-not-work/) - Articles like the one below rear their ugly head from time to time. They contribute to the confusion the uninformed public is kept under. This state of affairs benefits Big Pharma, and Industrial Agriculture. While it is true that we do best to eat real, organic food, there is a place for supplements to help
- [Opioid Abuse Epidemic—it tolls for thee](https://hugorodier.com/blog/opioid-abuse-epidemic-it-tolls-for-thee/) - You know that being addicted to smoking, alcohol, and drugs like Opioids have serious health consequences. Hopefully, you don’t have to worry about those problems. But, is it possible you may have an addiction to other substances? Most people with a chronic health problem need to look closely to the possibility of an ADDICTION TO
- [Don't Spring a Leak!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dont-spring-a-leak/) - I hope you have taken a look at the April 2018 newsletter. If not, here is a recap of a great article therein about the INTERSTITIUM, the cells that line all organs. It has been upgraded to an organ itself because of its critical function. When those cells TOIL, that is, when they are Toxic,
- [Volume 19 • Number 4 • April 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-•-number-4-•-april-2018/) - I enjoy articles that help us put Humpty-Dumpty back together again. The first two featured this month do just that. One is on cancer survivors being more likely to develop heart problems. If you have been reading this newsletter, then you know why—poor nutrition, stress, environmental toxins, poor detoxification and energy processing in an unhealthy
- [Groundless Coffee Proposition](https://hugorodier.com/blog/groundless-coffee-proposition/) - California would like to put a warning on coffee claiming that one of its roasting byproducts, acrylamide, has been associated with cancer. This misguided step would not be worth commenting on if it were not for a couple of facts: One, eighty thousand chemicals in our environment have not properly tested for their potential carcinogen
- [Breakfast of Champions](https://hugorodier.com/blog/breakfast-of-champions/) - If you have not been eating a hearty breakfast (a bowl of cereal does not count) like your grandma told you, you need to read the references below. In my opinion, it is best to eat breakfast like you eat supper. And make it plant-based. High energy breakfasts may improve diabetes symptoms, help with
- [Crazy About Exercise—And Turmeric](https://hugorodier.com/blog/crazy-about-exercise-and-turmeric/) - The evidence for exercise is so overwhelming you would think we would all be doing it. We have known for decades about its salutary effects on our cardiovascular system. Thinking Integratively, it was predictable that evidence for its positive effects on all organs would follow. Sure enough, exercise is also great for the brain. Given
- [The Growing Problem of Loneliness](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-growing-problem-of-loneliness/) - That is the title of a great article you may wish to read below. I see loneliness in patients all too often. It may have serious consequences. I understand loneliness—I have experienced it many times in my life. It can affect our health in many ways. I have shared with you articles on how the
- [Is a Gluten-Free Diet for You?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/is-a-gluten-free-diet-for-you/) - I often see patients struggling with extreme, unsustainable diets. While they may have good results losing weight quickly, they are too hard to stay on, and often “anti-social.” By the latter I mean they tend to isolate people from loved ones, friends, and work associates. This can have deleterious consequences. By far the best, and
- [Ibuprofen Hits Below the Belt](https://hugorodier.com/blog/ibuprofen-hits-below-the-belt/) - I have been reporting on the side effects of NSAID drugs like Ibuprofen for a while. While many patients cannot live without it, it is still prudent to consider alternatives to pain therapy, especially when these drugs have not been started. The least we could do is warn patients about these drugs readily available without
- [The Startling Link Between Sugar and Alzheimer’s Disease](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers-disease/) - That is the name of an article by Olga Kazan in The Atlantic, January 26th 2018. I attached it below because many of you live in fear of developing “All-timer’s Disease.” We have talked about processed sugars in my office several times. I hope you have eliminated them from your diet. But, you may have
- [Flu Fears](https://hugorodier.com/blog/flu-fears/) - We understandably fear getting the flu, especially this year when mortality is high. Avoiding exposure to the virus, and getting vaccinated are recommended. Both yield mixed results. Here are a few points unfortunately left out of the discussion: “It is not the bug, it’s the terrain.” Pasteur Fear is a powerful motivator, but, striving to
- [Volume 19 • Number 2 • February 2018](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-19-•-number-2-•-february-2018/) - As an Integrative Physician I catch flak from both sides. Last month I reviewed two issues that often raise the hackles of Naturopaths—Soy, and mainstream M.D.s.—pesticides. For the umpteenth time I will tell you Soy is OK for you, provided it is organic, and fermented. See blog “Are plants bad for you.” Here is
- [Are You Fatigued?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-fatigued/) - Stress has been documented to be implicated in practically all diseases. Explaining this to patients requires significant care, and time, least they think they are being told their problems “are all in their head.” The mechanism whereby stress affects all organs are its negative effects on the adrenal glands, and the microbiome. Both imply that
- [Bobos Will Heal Medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bobos-will-heal-medicine/) - Anthropologists have noted that most societies, including our country’s, inexorably end up in the hands of business people. Icons like Lincoln, and Eisenhower have warned us that Democracies ultimately yield power to Plutocracies, or Oligarchies. The government of the people, by the people, and for the people inexorably turns into the government of corporations, by
- [Are You a Wolf?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-a-wolf/) - Are you a wolf? Very unlikely, if you have been enjoying reading these blogs and newsletters. The exhibit pictured below is found in the Modern Art Museum in Bilbao, Spain, where my maternal grandfather’s family came from. Ponder its meaning before reading below. Most people behave as a herd—they blindly follow their culture without questioning
- [Integrative Wine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-wine/) - “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”[1] A significant number of people are waking up to the promise of Integrative Health. They start by looking in the internet
- [An Integrative Health New Year’s Wish](https://hugorodier.com/blog/an-integrative-health-new-years-wish/) - We all wish we could get along better. Respecting each other would be a good start, and a more reachable goal than loving each other. But, how do we get there? I believe respect for others is not possible, unless we develop a TOLERANT attitude. For that to occur, we need to be educated enough
- [Personalized Medicine—The Medicine of the Future](https://hugorodier.com/blog/personalized-medicine-the-medicine-of-the-future/) - One of the most basic problems in our health care system is treating the “average person.” This approach is “Penny wise an Pound foolish.” Fortunately, there is plenty of science ready for prime time, as soon as the generation that now controls the system dies off. Yes, that is the only way societies change. I
- [Should I get the FLU shot?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/should-i-get-the-flu-shot/) - Official advise—short answer: yes, especially if you have a chronic medical issue, such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. BUT, I have never had it, nor will I ever. I am not alone—one half of doctors don’t get it because it is not that effective. I was surprised to see “they” openly admitted it
- [Volume 18 • Number 12 • December 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-12-•-december-2017/) - As we reflect on our lives and our relationships through the Holidays, it is helpful to consider what Mariah Carey tells us— it is “All In Your Mind.” Hopefully, the pejorative meaning behind that sentence has been eliminated with all the scientific research we now have backing up the notion that the Mind and Body
- [Anti Aging](https://hugorodier.com/blog/anti-aging/) - We all think about the ravages of aging after a certain age. In an effort to slow down the unrelenting deterioration of our body we may fall pray to questionable marketing of potentially harmful products. Chief among them are hormones. So-called Anti-Aging practitioners will happily prescribe them by interpreting their tests so that ALL their
- [Seven UP!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/seven-up/) - There is not much good to say about soda pop, except for what they have taken out (see below.) Soda has been associated with diabetes, obesity, mood, and cognitive disorders, migraines, strokes, reflux, intestinal problems, pre-term deliveries, cancer, hypertension, and heart disease. Other than that, it is OK. (Other than that, what did you think
- [Fluoride Revisited](https://hugorodier.com/blog/fluoride-revisited/) - This is not to convince you of anything, for fluoride is one of those deeply emotional issues that tend to divide us, regardless of the evidence. I only wish to motivate you to look into this issue for yourself. Don’t take anybody’s word for it, including mine. Prenatal exposure to fluoride may lead to lower
- [The Brain-Gut Connection Works Both Ways](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-brain-gut-connection-works-both-ways/) - If this were not so it would violate Physics as we know it, because all things flow both ways. This is a concept that has been questioned by those who correctly point out that most, if not all, physical problems stem from our belief systems, or mind-spirit issues. I have agreed with them wholeheartedly, while
- [The Purple Pill Gives Me Heartburn](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-purple-pill-gives-me-heartburn/) - Now we hear that it doubles the risk of stomach cancer. Why? It curtails the absorption of key nutrients, like antioxidants, B vitamins, and minerals, and it messes with your gut flora. The latter determines how anything we put in our mouth will work, including cancer drugs. We have talked about this previously under the
- [Is The Brain on Fire?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/is-the-brain-on-fire/) - Early in my career I read an article with that title. About the same time, I discovered the Brain-Gut connection, and hundreds of articles on the importance of the gut flora, and nutrition. I also discovered that most of what I had been taught in medical school was obsolete. If you are reading this blog
- [Volume 18 • Number 11 • November 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-11-•-november-2017/) - I was clinically depressed in medical school. After running myself into the ground to get there (18 credits per semester, pre-med courses in two years, twenty-hour/week part-time job, and twenty hours/week playing soccer), I was excited, and happy to start medical training. But, finding my dreams of becoming a renaissance, holistic doctor shattered, and being
- [Birth Control Pills Controversy](https://hugorodier.com/blog/birth-control-pills-controversy/) - I write with all due respect for those who will disagree with the conclusion. As you may know, there are those who do not wish to provide insurance coverage for The Pill. Fine, it is their right, particularly when they feel their moral, and religious beliefs back them up. But, following that logic, should they
- [Health and Literature](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-and-literature/) - “Medicine, the arts and the humanities,” J. Lancet 2003;362:93 The Nobel Prize in Literature was recently awarded to Kazuo Ishiguro, one of my most favorite writers. I hope you read one, or more of his books. What does literature have to do with health? Read from the article cited above: “Medicine and scientific developments rely
- [Volume 18 • Number 10 • October 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-10-•-october-2017/) - The gut being central to health and disease is a concept that needs revisiting from time to time. Despite the tsunami of studies corroborating this simple point (good enough to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1908,) I still run into people who find it hard to believe that the answer to their health
- [Simple Answers](https://hugorodier.com/blog/simple-answers/) - “Simplify, simplify, simplify.” Einstein “It is a mistake to imagine that complex disease may not be solved by simple approaches or that their causes are not simple. The grave danger that terms such as ‘multifactorial’ or ‘complex’ is that they may justify the belief that solutions will come only from large and expensive managed projects
- [Caffeine’s Temperature](https://hugorodier.com/blog/caffeines-temperature/) - Recently the LDS Church ended its long-standing ban on caffeinated drinks at Brigham Young University. The change triggered several editorials in Utah’s media; some were a bit condescending and judgmental. This blog presents a few references for you to consider on this issue. My only comment is that faith, and/or facts, are the main factors
- [Uncertainty](https://hugorodier.com/blog/uncertainty/) - I used to debate physicians, health care workers, and patients who did not believe in non-pharmaceutical medicine, or integrative concepts based on nutrition. Some of them called me a quack, decades ago when I showed them the nascent evidence on probiotics, omega oils, vitamin D, and many other solidly proven therapies. But, in my old
- [Drugs You May Want to Quit Taking](https://hugorodier.com/blog/drugs-you-may-want-to-quit-taking/) - Here is a list of drugs doctors have been advised to withdraw patients from, if possible. Consult with him or her about that before stopping them on your own. The problem of polypharmacy (more than five drugs for one patient) needs to be addressed aggressively, especially in the elderly. The drugs listed below are either
- [Volume 18 • Number 9 • September 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-9-•-september-2017/) - All of us having achieved a certain age know that having a purpose in life, a mission, is the best way to live. Younger people may also be aware of this, but, they may not have a living testimony of this truism. My own purpose has been to be “other directed,” to help my family,
- [Scary Health Statistics: Treat the Patient, Not the Paper](https://hugorodier.com/blog/scary-health-statistics-treat-the-patient-not-the-paper/) - I couldn’t say it better than the mother shown in the PBS video below http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/daughter-escaped-scary-health-statistic-heres-learned/ Treating the whole patient not just the lab values, https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15e47d536681a665
- [The Future of Food](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-future-of-food/) - Your children’s future will likely be defined by the articles you will find in this issue. You can read it at your local library. The main three points therein are: The problem of addiction: while the NG does not come out and say processed foods are addicting—particularly refined sugars—food addictions keep a lot of people
- [Galled by Excessive Surgery](https://hugorodier.com/blog/galled-by-excessive-surgery/) - Gall Bladder issues concern all of us, even if you are the paragon of health. Given what is going on in our health care system you would do well to prevent problems that often lead to unnecessary surgery. While it is true that taken it out is the right thing to do in some cases,
- [It's Not the Bug, It’s the Terrain](https://hugorodier.com/blog/its-not-the-bug-its-the-terrain/) - Pasteur, famous for fighting bacteria with vaccines, came to realize that the real problem with infections is the person’s immune system. True, some bacteria are more virulent than others, but even then, those with a healthy immune system do better when infected. This is a key point when fighting ANY infection, even Lyme disease. Ask
- [If you must take a drug let it be Metformin](https://hugorodier.com/blog/if-you-must-take-a-drug-let-it-be-metformin/) - It comes from an herb, the French Lilly, or Galega officinalis. But, being that it has been synthesized it may still cause kidney, liver, and intestinal problems. It helps with acne, pre-diabetes, cancer, aging, circulatory problems, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. Why so many salutary effects? It works through the liver, intestinal flora, and the mitochondria (AMPK)
- [Volume 18 • Number 8 • August 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-8-•-august-2017/) - This month’s newsletter deals with several recent articles on preventing brain aging, a concept that will get more and more attention. The system still emphasizes treatment with ineffective, expensive drugs, but, the only rational approach to cognitive decline is to teach people at a young age that diseases like Alzheimer’s are better prevented than treated.
- [Don’t tell me lies sweet little lies-bitter truth about artificial sweeteners](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dont-tell-me-lies-sweet-little-lies-bitter-truth-about-artificial-sweeteners/) - For decades, I have argued with doctors and dieticians about the toxicity of artificial sweeteners. Most of them take the word of industry-sponsored researchers instead of digging for the truth themselves. The bitter truth is that, being pesticide derivatives for the most part, artificial sweeteners are toxic to the gut flora and to the cell
- [Tour de France Blues](https://hugorodier.com/blog/tour-de-france-blues/) - I am sad every year when the three-week Tour ends. But, this blog is not about that; it’s about how many of the riders usually get more colds, and intestinal problems the last week of the most grueling sports event on Earth. Why, and what does that have to do with you? Whenever my patients
- [Purple Pill Blues](https://hugorodier.com/blog/purple-pill-blues/) - I have been railing against acid blocking drugs for decades because they interfere with proper digestion of foods. When the ones that do it 100% (PPIs) came out in the 80’s I was in Medical School. We were happy with H2 blockers (Zantac, Tagamet, Pepcid) that block acid only partially. Our professors told us to
- [Volume 18 • Number 7 • July 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-7-•-july-2017/) - I hope you read my recent blog on preventing Alzheimer’s disease. If you have not been trying to prevent this vexing problem now would be a good time. Like any organ, the brain depends on good circulation to get the nutrients it needs to function and renew itself.[1] Pharmaceuticals don’t do that, a fact that
- [Preventing Alzheimer’s (AD)](https://hugorodier.com/blog/preventing-alzheimers-ad/) - Do you worry about forgetting things? Do you wonder if you are getting “All-Timer’s?” Of course you do; we all do after a certain age. Hopefully you have run across the studies that show it can be prevented. That is the only rational approach to AD because the expensive drugs pushed by Big Pharma don’t
- [Chemicals](https://hugorodier.com/blog/chemicals/) - I have not made much noise about our toxic environment since I retired as Chairman of the Utah Medical Association’s Environmental Committee in 2015. But, visiting with a couple of patients singularly burdened by the soup of chemicals we are all exposed to, I thought this issue needs to be revisited. Three basic things to
- [The BIG Picture—Energy and Information](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-big-picture-energy-and-information/) - “The doctor of the future will be oneself.” Albert Schweitzer. My job is to help you become your own doctor, outside of serious trauma, or some unexpected health crisis. It’s really easy, once you catch on. To do this you must abandon the complexity (an illusion) of the “Trees of Health” and embrace “the Forest
- [Free Thinking](https://hugorodier.com/blog/free-thinking/) - If you are reading this blog chances are you already possess this rare quality. It is what led you to Integrative Health, probably disappointed with the Health care system. You know that Critical Thinking has blessed your life and that of your loved ones. So, this blog cannot help you much, except to congratulate you
- [Volume 18 • Number 6 • June 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-6-•-june-2017/) - One of last month’s blogs was on the fact that 1/3 of pharmaceutical drugs marketed end up causing more problems than they treat. But, the problem is more complex than that. Big Pharma also engages in many other nefarious stratagems designed to maximize profit, not our health. For instance, it pays smaller pharmaceutical companies NOT
- [American Health Care is an American Sickness](https://hugorodier.com/blog/american-health-care-is-an-american-sickness/) - This is an opinion posted by a doctor on Medscape April 27, 2017. I thought you may enjoy reading it. “Medicine has always been both a business and a profession. Chaucer wrote about it; so did George Bernard Shaw. Balance has always been the key. By 1985, the balance began to tip toward business—a development I chronicled
- [A Bitter Pill to Swallow](https://hugorodier.com/blog/a-bitter-pill-to-swallow/) - Have you woken up to the dark side of pharmaceuticals? While they are life saving in most acute situations, they do little to address the cause of chronic cellular health problems triggered by bad food, toxic environments, and unmitigated psycho-social stress. When they do work they tend to have side effects that all-too-often are addressed
- [Soda pop makes me mad](https://hugorodier.com/blog/soda-pop-makes-me-mad/) - Most people have a hard time quitting soda pop. Despite unending studies highlighting the toxicity of these drinks many choose to ignore the evidence. Here are two articles that focus on the damage it causes on the brain and its circulation. The second one sheds light on the addicting nature of soda. Sugar- and Artificially
- [Eggs are now OK—they always were, along with cholesterol](https://hugorodier.com/blog/eggs-are-now-ok-they-always-were-along-with-cholesterol/) - I know, doctors and the media keep telling you cholesterol is evil. Why would you believe anybody else? You would do best to study the evidence for yourself: Intake of up to 3 Eggs per Day Is Associated with Changes in HDL Function and Increased Plasma Antioxidants in Healthy, Young Adults J. Nutr. 2017 147:
- [How the FDA Manipulates the Media](https://hugorodier.com/blog/how-the-fda-manipulates-the-media/) - J. Scientific American October 2016 I HAVE COMMENTED ON THIS PROBLEM NUMEORUS TIMES. READ MORE EVIDENCE BELOW. OVER FIFTY PERCENT OF THE MONEY THE FDA NEEDS TO OPERATE COMES FROM BIG PHARMA. THE LATTER ULTIMATELY DICTATES HOW OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM SHOULD OPERATE. HOW DID THIS SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS BECOME INGRAINED? “PEOPLE DO NOT
- [Volume 18 • Number 5 • May 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-5-•-may-2017/) - In 2001 the Institute of Medicine published a scathing report on our broken Health Care system. You can read all about it in the book Crossing the Quality Chasm. Before that watershed pronouncement very few doctors believed the system to be dysfunctional and toxic. There are now many opinions why this is indeed the case.
- [Heartburn Treatment Should Give You Heartburn](https://hugorodier.com/blog/heartburn-treatment-should-give-you-heartburn/) - Recently, a Gastroenterologist ordered one of my patients to get back on an Acid Blocker, Prevacid. She had stopped it because her heartburn was gone. He testily asserted that heartburn cannot be cured. “Where did it go, then?” retorted my patient. She did not expect a response, or another consultation with him. Is it possible
- [Volume 18 • Number 4 • April 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-4-•-april-2017/) - As an Integrative Physician I see patients spanning practically all ideologies and beliefs. Some of them prefer a more extremist approach to their health. They tend to reject a middle ground, and are quick to condemn the other end of the spectrum. But, I validate and respect patients’ views and choices. If a patient only
- [What do you think about Transhumanism?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/what-do-you-think-about-transhumanism/) - Transhumanism is The Borg of Star Trek getting closer to Earth. Soon, artificial implants will enhance and prolong life. The possibilities for good are endless. So are the possibilities for bad outcomes. You will be soon called upon to take a stance on Transhumanism. If you believe there is no life after death, then, you
- [Health Care Politics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-care-politics/) - The American Health Care Act was pulled last week. What will happen next? Nothing good will, unless politicians stop catering to the corporations that stand to gain the most from our dysfunctional Health Care system. As a nation we must look for a more integrative solution. The middle ground is more likely to provide answers
- [Calories in Calories Out Has to Go](https://hugorodier.com/blog/calories-in-calories-out-has-to-go/) - Three decades ago I began to question the dogma of “calories in, calories out.” I got nothing but grief from “learned” colleagues and dieticians. But, the evidence was strong—even back then—that our gut flora, our adrenal glands, and the brain-gut connection have much to do with how we process calories. I began telling my patients
- [Fake Health News](https://hugorodier.com/blog/fake-health-news/) - No, this is not about out divisive political landscape, but about powerful groups, corporations and special interests buying influence through fake Advocacy Groups. The biggest offenders are Big Pharma and Big Food. They are responsible for placing articles, and studies singing the virtues of pharmaceuticals while minimizing their side effects, and the wholesomeness of refined
- [Social Media Can Make You Fat](https://hugorodier.com/blog/social-media-can-make-you-fat/) - Stress hormone may be linked to obesity, study suggests USA Today (2/23, Rossman) reports that research suggests “long-term exposure to the stress hormone cortisol” may be linked “to increased levels of obesity and wider waists.” Investigators “collected years of hair samples of about 2,500 people.” The researchers “found obese participants had significantly higher levels of
- [Exercise and the Immune System](https://hugorodier.com/blog/exercise-and-the-immune-system/) - I hope you are exercising 5-6 times a week for a good hour, but not over one ninety minutes a day, although once in a while that is fine. Although not an ideal program, sporadic exercise like that of “Weekend warriors” also has significant benefits—including better memory—especially if they swim, or play racket sports (see
- [Volume 18 • Number 3 • March 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-3-•-march-2017/) - Last month I blogged on the ill-effects of regularly exercising over ninety minutes a day. I hope nobody interprets it—and the report below—as excuses not to exercise. Hugo Rodier, MD Strenuous exercise may dampen libido in men The New York Times (2/22, Reynolds, Subscription Publication) “Well” blog reports on a study published in Medicine &
- [Money Matters in Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/money-matters-in-health/) - Tuesday February 7th CNN has a debate between Senators Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz. The former will advocate for a Single Payer System, and the latter for insurance companies to continue to run the Health Care system. I hope you make the time to watch. When you watch the debate keep in mind these facts:
- [Volume 18 • Number 2 • February 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-2-•-february-2017/) - It’s been a year since I stopped taking health, fed up with a system that forces doctors to treat symptoms and overuse testing and drugs. Every day I read one or more articles about our Health Care system institutionalizing aggressive “standards of care,” and “defensive medicine” leading to more health problems, not less.[1] Excessive and
- [Trump, the media and pharmaceutical ads—an integrative health view](https://hugorodier.com/blog/trump-the-media-and-pharmaceutical-ads-an-integrative-health-view/) - Warning: no matter how you feel about our President you will likely not like this blog. Such is the fate of any article that seeks a middle ground in our polarized society. It is disturbing to have a President so contemptuous of the media. His pronouncements makes many of us fear an escalation of rhetoric
- [Eating These Foods Makes Men More Attractive to Women](https://hugorodier.com/blog/eating-these-foods-makes-men-more-attractive-to-women/) - Women prefer the scent of men who eat diets rich in certain foods—including garlic! J. Scientific American Jan 2017. Many of my female patients have unambiguously told me they would be more attracted—and willing to “you-know-what”—if their Significant Others ate a better diet. Do we need a better reason to stop processed foods?! Well, yes, but,
- [Repealing ACA](https://hugorodier.com/blog/repealing-aca/) - Yes, please, do ASAP. Now that I got your attention stick around long enough to read this: my reasons for disliking it will upset extremists on both sides of the political aisle. ACA has indeed provided relief for many. Some it its features should be retained, such as allowing pre-existing conditions, enrolling young people in
- [Volume 18 • Number 1 • January 2017](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-18-•-number-1-•-january-2017/) - Most people have or have had insomnia at point in their lives. It can be a source of frustration and fatigue. Unfortunately, most resort to some kind of drug to address the problem, even when they may have discovered that they only treat the symptoms, not the roots of insomnia. In previous newsletters we
- [Cholesterol Has Egg on Its Face](https://hugorodier.com/blog/cholesterol-has-egg-on-its-face/) - I have already written about the problems and misinformation the cholesterol hypothesis is built on. Look through my past blogs for more information. Here is an article on a related topic. Eggs, redolent with cholesterol ARE NOT associated with a higher risk of strokes or heart attacks. So, start the New Year with a hearty
- ["How Medicine has Exploited Rationality at the Expense of Humanity: an essay by Iona Heath.”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/how-medicine-has-exploited-rationality-at-the-expense-of-humanity-an-essay-by-iona-heath/) - “How medicine has exploited rationality at the expense of humanity: an essay by Iona Heath.”[1] “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” “Only with the heart one can see clearly; what is important
- [“Support for dietary supplements questioned.” Follow the money!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/support-for-dietary-supplements-questioned-follow-the-money/) - From time to time we get articles like this one: “The New York Times (11/21, Brody, Subscription Publication) surveys the scientific evidence, or lack thereof, in support of dietary supplements. The article notes that “an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health concluded that evidence is lacking for or against the ability of
- [Integrative Pharmaceutical Update](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-pharmaceutical-update/) - These three articles may give you an integrative perspective on prescription drugs. All statements are direct quotes by rather conservative, mainstream doctors who have published their ideas and research in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Reducing adverse drug events-the need to rethink outpatient prescribing,” JAMA 2016;316:2092 “Gains in life expectancy in the USA
- [Volume 17 • Number 12 • December 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-12-•-december-2016/) - From time to time a single medical article encapsulates the simple concepts to which I have dedicated three decades of professional work. At first I got nothing but grief trying to pass on to others what I found in smaller journals. But, now that the best of journals (J. Nature Medicine, J. Science, J. Cell,
- [BAD GENES? DON’T ROLL OVER—TAKE CHARGE! An integrative view of Genetics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bad-genes-dont-roll-over-take-charge-an-integrative-view-of-genetics/) - Weekly, I am asked by fear-driven patients about genetic testing, and if there is something they can do to avert their dim genetic future. These poor patients have been led to believe that their genes are cast in stone and that the same diseases their parents suffered with are most certainly looming in a future
- [Milk-OK If You Are Skin And Bones](https://hugorodier.com/blog/milk-ok-if-you-are-skin-and-bones/) - If you are not eating a proper diet, milk is a good thing. It has a lot of nutrients and a lot of sugar. BUT, be prepared to pay the consequences, from higher risk of allergies to cancer. The most common is ACNE. Stronger bones you say? MOST DEFINITELY NOT. Look at the evidence below.
- [In Defense of Cranberry](https://hugorodier.com/blog/in-defense-of-cranberry/) - An article was published last week saying that Cranberry had been proven not to be effective in the treatment of Urinary Tract Infections. Cranberries may not help prevent UTIs, research suggests The AP (10/27, Tanner) reports that research published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated “cranberry capsules didn’t prevent or cure
- [Study Questions Value of Routine Mammograms](https://hugorodier.com/blog/study-questions-value-of-routine-mammograms/) - A while back the Swiss raised a lot of eyebrows by declaring—with good evidence published in the New England J. of Medicine—that mammograms are not what they are cracked up to be. They don’t recommend them anymore. Abolishing Mammography Screening Programs? A View from the Swiss Medical Board N Engl J Med 2014; 370:1965 Now
- [An Integrative View of Soy](https://hugorodier.com/blog/an-integrative-view-of-soy/) - Despite so many articles rehabilitating soy far too many people still believe it is harmful. The obvious truth appears to escape them: why would a crop enjoyed for millennia without any problems become a problem in the last few decades? The answer is simple: genetic manipulation and its manipulation to produce artificial fats. Otherwise soy
- [An Integrative View on Prostate Cancer Screening](https://hugorodier.com/blog/an-integrative-view-on-prostate-cancer-screening/) - Because the statistics do not show a significant longer lifespan on men who undergo treatment for prostate cancer (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, etc.) many doctors are no longer recommending screening for prostate cancer. This is good news for patients who have stayed away from clinics fearing the dreaded “finger.” But, Urologists still recommend the blood test
- [Volume 11 • Number 7 • July 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-•-number-7-•-july-2010/) - Writing this edition of my health newsletter aboard an all-you–can-eat-and-drink cruise ship seems a bit dissonant, but I was asked to speak about cutting edge medical concepts to a group onboard; should I tell them that chocolate makes depression worse, not better?1 And that limiting alcoholic drinks to 1-2 a day is best while they
- [Volume 11 • Number 8 • August 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-•-number-8-•-august-2010/) - Recently I attended a “Cardiology conference” designed to recruit more business for a local HMO. Sure, there were enough clinical tips to make the experience resemble an educational opportunity for doctors around the area. Predictably, the emphasis was on surgical intervention for serious cardiac problems; no doubt it is a valid and life-saving tool in
- [Volume 11 • Number 9 • September 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-•-number-9-•-september-2010/) - At first blush the cardiologist will make a lot of people angry. His suggestion that Big Macs should be served with a statin drug (to lower cholesterol) on the side may be interpreted as a shameless admission that the pharmaceutical approach trumps good sense and nutrition.1 But, most of us will have to agree with
- [Volume 11 • Number 11 • November 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-•-number-11-•-november-2010/) - Do you worry about Alzheimer disease, AD? If you make it past 85 years of age the chances of getting this dreaded disease are fifty-fifty. Surely you would do anything to prevent it, would you not? Well, get off refined sugars! I amply documented the research on high sugar diets increasing the risk of AD
- [Volume 11 • Number 12 • December 2010](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-11-•-number-12-•-december-2010/) - The USA and Switzerland are the only 2 countries that I know allow direct pharmaceutical to consumer advertising in the media. This controversial approach[1] is being revisited as drug companies advertise on the internet, particularly on Facebook and Twitter.[2] As long as there is money to be made, ads will be a part of American
- [Volume 12 • Number 1 • January 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-1-•-january-2011/) - Any new technology is quickly embraced almost unquestioningly by starry-eyed people; it is only with widespread use that we start seeing the downsides. I am sure you have noticed, as many experts have, some negative effects ofInternet use. The most affected so far seem to be teenagers; the more they surf, the more depressed they
- [Volume 12 • Number 2 • February 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-2-•-february-2011/) - Congress is reviving the debate on Health Care reform. And a federal judge has ruled that forcing people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. In the heat of all the ideologies driving the discussion, one point is not being emphasized enough: Health Care reform changes very little how we provide care; it only improves ACCESS
- [Volume 12 • Number 3 • March 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-3-•-march-2011/) - There are a couple of health providers in my neighborhood who give thyroid hormone and a cocktail of sex hormones to practically everyone who walks in the door. Most of their patients also get Ritalin-like stimulants, new (read expensive) psychoactive drugs and other pharmaceuticals, and if weight loss is an issue, HCG, or Human Chorionic
- [Volume 12 • Number 4 • April 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-4-•-april-2011/) - Once in a while I run across the writings of courageous and cutting edge doctors who dare question our chaotic Health Scare system. Dr. Palfrey revisits the old myth of Vulcan, the God of Technology, raping Minerva, Mother Earth quite well, as the movie AVATAR also does. But, let me get out of the way
- [Volume 12 • Number 5 • May 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-5-•-may-2011/) - In the last issue we discussed excessive medical testing. Now a new study finds that "Physicians Recommend Different Treatments for Patients Than They Would Choose for Themselves."[1] They prefer to forego treatments that may yield longer but poor quality of life, while recommending those very treatments to their patients so that they are not sued.
- [Volume 12 • Number 6 • June 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-6-•-june-2011/) - More on FOOD ADDICTION from last month's issue: the conclusion of a study that looked at food addiction scores (DSM-IV-TR) and the Yale Food Addiction Scale scores and their correlation to the findings of a Functional MRI of the brain. There was greater activation in the anterior cingulated cortex, medial orbitofrontal cortex, and amygdala in
- [Volume 12 • Number 7 • July 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-7-•-july-2011/) - The politics and economics of health care are so dominant that our President had to abandon his plan to push the Single Payer option favored by most doctors and patients (I feel it would be best for each state to have its own version.[1]) Big Pharma and the Insurance Companies preferred a potpourri/mess of regulations
- [Volume 12 • Number 8 • August 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-8-•-august-2011/) - About half of the stents placed in people's coronaries are of questionable value and even inappropriate in some cases.[1] Fortunately, more doctors are emphasizing preventive lifestyle changes much earlier in the course of heart disease. If they need to resort to pharmaceuticals, up-to-date doctors prescribe the oldest, safest and cheapest medications they have: "If patients
- [Volume 12 • Number 9 • September 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-9-•-september-2011/) - One of the worst habits Americans have, due to running around too much and getting to bed too late, is skipping breakfast. With time most people develop insulin resistance, which is why their chances of obesity go up by 400% while those who eat breakfast reduce their chances by 40%, even though they eat more
- [Volume 12 • Number 10 • October 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-10-•-october-2011/) - At a recent meeting of doctors we discussed community issues that impact people's health, such as nuclear and solar power, water conservation, denser housing and a tax on sugar sweetened beverages. A handful of physicians agreed that these issues are part of their calling. But, the majority in attendance did not. One of them went
- [Volume 12 • Number 12 • December 2011](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-12-•-number-12-•-december-2011/) - The pharmaceutical revolution of the 50's and 60's has most certainly helped a lot of people. Prescription drugs will always be a significant tool in doctors' bags. But, ignoring the inherent problems and limitations this symptomatic approach has is not a good idea. Fortunately, many scientists now feel that the "pharmaceutical revolution has petered out."[1]
- [Big Pharma: A Picture Paints a Thousand Words](https://hugorodier.com/blog/big-pharma-a-picture-paints-a-thousand-words/) - We will always need pharmaceuticals, especially for acute, catastrophic conditions treated in the Emergency Department and in The Intensive Care Unit. Dedicated Doctors, Nurses, and Therapists save people from certain death with miracle drugs designed for such conditions. The problem is that many of those drugs, intended for acute conditions, are also used for chronic
- [10 Integrative Points on GMOs](https://hugorodier.com/blog/10-integrative-points-on-gmos/) - GMOs are seeds that have had a pesticide molecule shot into its DNA without a clear idea of where said molecule will land amongst said seed’s genetic material. Most people in the USA wish to have their food clearly labeled so that they may choose to avoid GMOs. What does this mean? That people are
- [5 Integrative Points on Constipation](https://hugorodier.com/blog/5-integrative-points-on-constipation/) - Constipation is often dismissed with a quick laxative prescription. What does that do? Trigger a BM if you are lucky, but, it does not work on the root of the problem: an imbalance of intestinal flora caused by diet, drugs and chemicals. Constipation is the tip of the iceberg. The cause of it may lead
- [10 Integrative Points About Mental Illness](https://hugorodier.com/blog/10-integrative-points-about-mental-illness/) - Pharmaceuticals help about 45% of the time. They often have side effects. They do not address the root of the problem. Counseling and exercise are as effective as prescription drugs Ambient pollution contributes to depression A wholesome diet and optimizing the Brain-Gut connection are helpful Chronic illnesses, lack of sleep and substance abuse contribute to
- [10 Integrative Points on Fatigue](https://hugorodier.com/blog/10-integrative-points-on-fatigue/) - Beware of quick fixes, especially hormones. Too many doctors will use questionable tests to justify their prescribing. You will get a bit of energy AT FIRST. Of course, thyroid and testosterone are stimulant-like hormones, much like Speed. Don’t risk your future health. Hormonal treatment is necessary in some cases. It is best to get it
- [Volume 17 • Number 8 • August 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-8-•-august-2016/) - Americans spend over 9% of total health care expenditures on “complementary health” approaches out of their own pockets. “The NCHS study estimated that one in five Americans aged 4 years and over spent money on at least one type of complementary health approach, which could include message therapy, tai chi, chiropractic manipulation, homeopathic treatment, hypnosis
- [Integrative view of clotting: two big points often missed](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-view-of-clotting-two-big-points-often-missed/) - Many of you may end up on blood thinners that can create a lot of problems. Their side effects may at times be fatal. A careful study of your clotting parameters in the liver and bone marrow are often part of the thorough evaluation needed before starting those drugs. This is all well and good.
- [10 Pros and Cons on vaccines](https://hugorodier.com/blog/10-pros-and-cons-on-vaccines/) - An Integrative Health Opinion PROS Without them numerous plagues would haunt us again Most recipients have no problems Most Medical Doctors recommend them Most of them are fairly priced and easily administered Pharmaceutical companies have done studies documenting their efficacy CONS Too many vaccines too early in life overburdens the immune system not yet
- [Volume 17 • Number 7 • July 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-7-•-july-2016/) - My home state of Utah is wrestling with THC and CBD oil issues. Many here wish to legalize their medical use because there is ample evidence that they can help with some neurologic problems such as seizures. Utah is quite conservative as you know, so for the reddest state in the Union to debate this
- [Integrative Health and Juices](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-health-and-juices/) - “Effects of Montmorency tart cherry (Prunus Cerasus L.) consumption on vascular function in men with early hypertension,” Am J Clin Nutr 2016 103: 1531 Now, hold on! Cherry juice has been documented to help with arthritis, alright. What is it doing helping with arterial issues like hypertension? You would be clear on the answer if
- [Heartburn: It’s not the acid!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/heartburn-its-not-the-acid/) - Integrative Medicine Approach Validated Say you are cutting a bunch of lemons. Juice is all over your hands. Does it hurt? No, unless you have a small cut, or some other skin break. Do you get the analogy? Heartburn is not due to excessive acid in the vast majority of people. It does become a
- [10 things to look for in an Integrative Doctor](https://hugorodier.com/blog/10-things-to-look-for-in-an-integrative-doctor/) - A commitment to evidence based medicine. Is the doctor publishing? Are references to leading medical journals emphasized and freely displayed? Nutrition and lifestyle changes are the cornerstone of Rx Environmental factors are always considered Detoxification is always implemented. Supplements and prescription drugs are not pushed. Hormonal treatment is only prescribed when appropriate testing indicates
- [Volume 17 • Number 6 • June 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-6-•-june-2016/) - The health of our society will improve as its education improves; simple as that. My interest in education has motivated me to read widely. To share my findings with you I will soon publish a pictorial book/slide presentation that will truly be integrative; it will contain practically ALL fields of human endeavor, especially art, literature,
- [High Blood Pressure: treating the cause, not the numbers](https://hugorodier.com/blog/high-blood-pressure-treating-the-cause-not-the-numbers/) - Your blood pressure medication does nothing for the rigidity and muscle spasms of the wall of your arteries that triggers High Blood Pressure. This is why… Blood pressure lowering does not reduce risk of cardiovascular events in patients at intermediate risk BMJ 2016; 353 :i1899 Drugs only shut off said spasms and tell the kidneys
- [Volume 13 • Number 1 • January 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-1-•-january-2012/) - A recent Twitter study reviewed the content of postings over a fixed period of time. It revealed that people are less happy than in years past. This is not surprising, but I choose to look at the doughnut, not the hole. There is much to be unhappy about these days of economic turmoil; yet, these
- [Volume 13 • Number 2 • February 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-2-•-february-2012/) - The battle rages on about soy. Is it going to kill you? Are you going to get breast cancer? Does it mess with your hormones- especially thyroid and sex hormones? You may be just as tired as I am of discussing soy; but, since new research continues to vindicate this natural legume (other than the
- [Volume 13 • Number 3 • March 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-3-•-march-2012/) - Last month we highlighted food allergies and how they are driven by the microbiota or microbes in the intestines. "Bacteria in intestinal tract are not regulating allergic immune response as effectively as they did in the past, so children are reacting to more potential allergens."[1] But, this is just the tip of the iceberg; many
- [Volume 13 • Number 4 • April 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-4-•-april-2012/) - Because of my work in Integrative Medicine I often cross paths with "mind-body" professionals who correctly emphasize the fact that our body is greatly influenced by what we believe in , what we think, and how resilient we are. If we could apply this concept to our Health Care system we would see dramatic results
- [Volume 13 • Number 6 • June 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-6-•-june-2012/) - A recent study showed that osteoarthritis may boost the risk of heart disease.[1] Interestingly, other recent articles, seemingly unrelated and likely ignored, provide a clue: Colchicine, not allopurinol, cuts the risk of heart attacks in half,[2] and Ayurdevic treatment of gut problems alleviates migraines.[3] What is going on? The researchers linking arthritis and heart disease
- [Volume 13 • Number 7 • July 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-7-•-july-2012/) - This special issue may be too technical for some; but, if you have been reading this newsletter on a regular basis you will do fine. It covers a most stunning issue of the Journal Science, a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This journal is widely ranked in the top 5
- [Volume 13 • Number 8 • August 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-8-•-august-2012/) - The last few issues have concentrated on "systems biology,"[1] the science behind our network of interconnected cells working together in a perfect symphony of cell communication: "In the 21st century, researchers have moved beyond the concept that diseases exist independently from one another. Rather, it is now understood that diseases are interconnected through similar pathways,
- [Volume 13 • Number 9 • September 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-9-•-september-2012/) - We have discussed "obesogens," or chemicals that compromise our metabolism in depth in past issues. They do so mainly by interfering with cell membrane function, which leads to insulin resistance, and by compromising how we detoxify said chemicals in the liver. The more compromised we are in liver function (think drugs, alcohol, genetics,) the less
- [Volume 13 • Number 12 • December 2012](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-13-•-number-12-•-december-2012/) - Two hot health issues collided last month: vaccines and women's health. The report that pregnant women getting the Flu shot have twice the risk of bearing children with Autism[1] should have given everyone pause; it did not. This is not to say that we should stop vaccinating, but that we need to discuss excessive immunizations
- [Volume 17 • Number 5 • May 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-5-•-may-2016/) - If you have read my last blog, “Congress of Freedom,” the statement from the Endocrine society advising doctors not to prescribe compounded hormones may be seen in its true light: a selling out to pharmaceutical companies that make synthetic hormones. Despite the fact that 41% of women ask their doctors to prescribe them compounded
- [CONGRESS FOR CULTURAL FREEDOM](https://hugorodier.com/blog/congress-for-cultural-freedom/) - This was a front organization of the CIA established after WWII for the purpose of brainwashing the American public. It promoted, paid and advanced artists, writers, journalists, etc. who “educated” the public on the virtues of businesses and corporations, and on the evils of ANY social program attempting to help the People. A prime example
- [Artificial Sweeteners are “wolves in sheep’s clothing”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/artificial-sweeteners-are-wolves-in-sheeps-clothing/) - Unfortunately, most of Americans do not believe this is the case; they have been brainwashed by the corporations that produced and market artificial sweeteners. Did you know most of them come from pesticides? Did you know Aspartame was launched by Ronald Rumsfeld’s company with hardly any independent testing to prove it safe? Did you know
- [Volume 17 • Number 4 • April 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-4-•-april-2016/) - SPECIAL ISSUE At least once a year I am compelled to dedicate this newsletter to the articles flooding our medical journals reiterating the importance of the gut in health and disease. I WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THIS. VISIT hugorodier.com for more information. In this issue you will find the raw data on how an
- [DHEA: beyond stress](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dhea-beyond-stress/) - Our Adrenal Glands seem to be churning overtime due to many stressors in our lives. Bad food, economic uncertainties, toxic relationships and chemicals in the environment accumulate as we fail to correct or ameliorate these issues. Soon, our Adrenal glands, the glands that handle and/or respond to these stressors, if not overwhelmed, are significantly compromised.
- [Health Politics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-politics/) - The well publicized controversy over extending Medicaid in my home state of Utah has diverted the public’s attention from another health care issue being discussed by the legislature: free health care for the homeless, no doubt a worthy cause. Both issues have an unfortunate common denominator: providing pharmaceutical health care that has been shown to
- [Volume 17 • Number 3 • March 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-3-•-march-2016/) - If you are not eating your veggies and fruits perhaps this will induce you to do so: they help with erectile dysfunction![1] Sources of circulation-promoting micronutrients are anthocyanins, flavones and flavanones; they are found in veggies, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, red wine, apples, pears, cherries and citrus products. Women may also benefit from these
- [SWEET TAXES](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sweet-taxes/) - I used to serve on a State committee to curve Obesity in children. I quit about 10 years ago when I developed stress-induced chest pain. The stress of seeing other doctors ignore the evidence I presented was too much. They could not accept that refined sugar is addictive, that we need to tax it, that
- [DRUG UNDERSCORES NUTRITION’S ROLE IN HEALTH AND DISEASE](https://hugorodier.com/blog/drug-underscores-nutritions-role-in-health-and-disease/) - Here we go again: acid blockers like the purple pill are now associated with Dementia Association of Proton Pump Inhibitors With Risk of Dementia A Pharmacoepidemiological Claims Data Analysis JAMA Neurol. Published online February 15, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.4791 They have already been associated with heart attacks, osteoporosis, brain bleeding, depression, intestinal infections, kidney problems and several
- [Toxic Economics of Health Care System](https://hugorodier.com/blog/toxic-economics-of-health-care-system/) - By now everyone knows it is all about profits, not patients’ health. Sure, they talk pretty, but, we all know the truth. The factors behind this sick system of care cannot be understood without addressing the basic issues perverting the institutions set up by our society to help people. Said issues have shifted the focus
- [Volume 17 • Number 1 • January 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-1-•-january-2016/) - As we begin a new year we reflect upon our health and mortality. Some are thus led to plastic surgery and hormonal therapies that only delay the inevitable. This is understandable, but not healthy. Aging properly and maintaining health as long as possible while we travel through this valley of tears is best accomplished by
- [Volume 17 • Number 2 • February 2016](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-17-•-number-2-•-february-2016/) - Doctor Nestle wrote the book FOOD POLITICS[1] a while back. She recently published an article that, sadly, but, understandably got very little exposure. Its contents are much better than any editorial I could write. It strikes at the root of the health care issues bedeviling our society: “This Viewpoint emphasizes that nutrition researchers and
- [Healthy aging: The ultimate preventative medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/healthy-aging-the-ultimate-preventative-medicine/) - The January newsletter and blog 1 were dedicated to healthy aging. This blog is a follow up to highlight two top flight journals dedicating their covers to aging. Pull up a chair and enjoy direct quotes from the best science (OK, at least read
- [The gut in cancer, brain and heart problems](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-gut-in-cancer-brain-and-heart-problems/) - It is my moral duty to continue to keep you informed on the dramatic effects our diet has on practically ALL organs of the body. This is mostly mediated by the micro-organisms that live in your gut. It is that simple. This blog is to continue to share the dramatic findings that are not getting
- [The Evidence for Natural Healing](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-evidence-for-natural-healing/) - My review of 100 journals for the month of December 2015 was quite fruitful. It is my sincere wish for your 2016 year that you may find a way to apply the simple concepts contained therein. They are a distillation of facts that are revolutionizing the practice of medicine and our understanding of how to
- [Resveratrol for memory problems](https://hugorodier.com/blog/resveratrol-for-memory-problems/) - As you probably know resveratrol, an antioxidant from grapes, has been found to help with cardiac issues. It is marketed as such, and so much so that the public ends up viewing resveratrol, and for that matter all other natural products, as if they were pharmaceutical products: Depression? Take St John’s wort Inflammation? Take Curcumin
- [Coke is not the real thing](https://hugorodier.com/blog/coke-is-not-the-real-thing/) - Earlier this year, this newsletter highlighted the cover of the February 14th 2015 issue of the British Medical Journal. It shows a spider web to illustrate its main point: “How sugar spun its web of influence.” You should read it, especially if you still doubt that most corporations collude with each other, manipulate the media
- [Volume 16 • Number 12 • December 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-12-•-december-2015/) - Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue are diagnoses that trigger emotional reactions from doctors and patients for many reasons, chief among them the lack of understanding of why people are thus afflicted. Unfortunately, this problem is seen to one degree or another in practically ALL diseases, for it is our lifestyles, diets, stresses and polluted environments that
- [Volume 16 • Number 11 • November 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-11-•-november-2015/) - It is interesting how crossing The Pond has a way of distorting facts, especially where money is involved. One of the greatest examples of this phenomenon is Fructose. Here in the USA we are told there is nothing wrong with it. If a study is reported in the news about the toxic effects of processed
- [HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES RIP YOU AND ME OFF](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-insurance-companies-rip-you-and-me-off/) - This blog is a follow up to the previous one. It is taken without any changes or editorials; it speaks for itself. You will find it here: Source Article Medscape Medical News from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) 2015 Annual Conference Medscape Medical News > Conference News Ex Insurance Exec Reveals How He Outbargained Physicians
- [WHY I NO LONGER TAKE HEALTH INSURANCE](https://hugorodier.com/blog/why-i-no-longer-take-health-insurance/) - “Spending your time overcoming corporate resistance to creativity-I just don’t want to do that. The only way a show works is you find people who you think are qualified and talented and you give them a chance to do what they do. Interfering does not increase the odds of success if they are giving you
- [BIG PHARMA LOSES ON RX OF DEPRESSION, MENOPAUSE AND CHOLESTEROL](https://hugorodier.com/blog/big-pharma-loses-on-rx-of-depression-menopause-and-cholesterol/) - Three reports came out this week that may hit Big Pharma hard. I say MAY because I am betting Big Pharma will hire an army of “experts” to discount said reports. Here they are in a nutshell: 50% of patients prescribed a Statin drug for cholesterol don’t need it. They have a clean CAC, or
- [Paxil: an example of a broken system](https://hugorodier.com/blog/paxil-an-example-of-a-broken-system/) - First read the article: “Restoring Study 329: Efficacy and Harms of Paroxetine and Imipramine in Treatment of Major Depression in Adolescence,” British Medical J.2015;351:h4320 “Neither paroxetine nor high dose imipramine showed efficacy for major depression in adolescents, and there was an increase in harms with both drugs. Access to primary data from trials has important
- [Volume 16 • Number 10 • October 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-10-•-october-2015/) - Three decades ago I graduated from Medical School convinced I needed to retrain myself since not one single hour of Nutrition was offered to our class. Soon after I discovered through my reading of many medical journals that the Microbiome, or bacteria in the gut is paramount in the digestion of food and our overall
- [NUTRITIONAL MEDICINE VINDICATED](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nutritional-medicine-vindicated/) - If you have been reading the newsletter and blogs on this page you know we are now in the Golden Age of Nutrition. Scientists have finally come to realize what the Ancients knew very well: AS ABOVE SO BELOW. Their understanding of the Sun’s meaning in our lives and that of the planets is now
- [Volume 16 • Number 9 • September 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-9-•-september-2015/) - The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reprinted an article published in 1965. Its message is even more dramatically needed today: “The proper concern of medicine is people, not things; human life and values, not anatomy and physiology. Practitioners must be guided by the cold light of science; and if they are to do
- [Volume 14 • Number 1 • January 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-1-•-january-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE Having survived the Mayans we look forward with optimism, hoping that next year things will improve in our society. The same applies to my professional life; despite widespread support for what I do (Integrative Health,) occasionally ignorance, fanatism, and intolerance rear their unscientific heads (see January blog.) You be the judge: examine, look up
- [Volume 14 • Number 2 • February 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-2-•-february-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE Interestingly, Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of Reason and Wisdom is symbolized by a dog. Many jokes come to mind at first blush, don't they? But, with a bit of reflection, especially watching my neighbor suffer while he mourns the death of his dog, the reason the ancients associated Iris with a dog makes sense. Dog
- [Volume 14 • Number 3 • March 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-3-•-march-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE Fatty Liver, the main problem highlighted in this issue, is an excellent example of the web-like function of our holistic body, an approach we document monthly in this newsletter. Fatty Liver also illustrates why an integrative approach is necessary to optimally treat it and several other related conditions. This is the wisest, cheapest
- [Volume 14 • Number 4 • April 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-4-•-april-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE Another great article just came out in the JAMA on what we must do as a society to fix our broken Health Care system, "Bridging the divide between health and health care." [1] I hope you look it up. Its main message has been poorly emphasized in the past for "marketing" reasons. Those who
- [Volume 14 • Number 6 • June 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-6-•-june-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE This is a special edition of the newsletter, more specifically a shameless plug for my new book which will soon be printed. Below you have excerpts from the Introduction section. For now you may get it from the "book" folder in digital form. It comes out in book format this summer. In practical
- [Volume 14 • Number 7 • July 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-7-•-july-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE The first few articles presented this month share a common denominator: a lack of emphasis on the root of diseases in our broken health care system. While overemphasizing symptomatic treatment with drugs and surgery, we neglect more important issues like nutrition, and the environment, all the while overemphasizing a deterministic and financial approach
- [Monsanto Bail Out](https://hugorodier.com/blog/monsanto-bail-out/) - If you have been following the debate over GMOs you know that Monsanto has planted a lot of misinformation to paint detractors as charlatans. Independent studies condemning GMOs are thusly said to be “pseudoscience.” It is up to you to study the evidence on your own. Not even blogs like this one are likely to
- [Volume 14 • Number 10 • October 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-10-•-october-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE The cholesterol story leaves out significant facts in order to focus on the treatment of cholesterol with pharmaceuticals. While this is helpful in certain cases, it is not the only way to address arterial problems. One glaring omission is the fact that cholesterol is simply a "messenger" designed to repair the permeability of
- [Volume 14 • Number 12 • December 2013](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-14-•-number-12-•-december-2013/) - EDITOR'S NOTE We have reporting on the brain-gut connection since the inception of this newsletter. Briefly, it means that the food we eat, the toxins generated in the gut and in the environment, and the bacteria that live therein influence brain function, including mood and cognitive issues. The evidence is as overwhelming as it is
- [Volume 15 • Number 1 • January 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-1-•-january-2014/) - EDITOR'S NOTE Best wishes for this New Year. I hope you resolve to work on the 90% of factors (diet, environment, relationships) that affect your health, most of which are not covered by the Affordable Care Act or by our present Health Care system.1 This is one of the reasons why some of you, along with
- [Volume 15 • Number 2 • February 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-2-•-february-2014/) - EDITOR'S NOTE The controversy over the Paleo Diet is gathering more steam. Being an integrative doctor I look for the Middle Road. We have known for decades that some people don't do well with grains and legumes. Wheat in particular is so refined and processed (think GMOs) that just about everyone seems to react to
- [Volume 15 • Number 3 • March 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-3-•-march-2014/) - Have you read a good book lately? Most people sadly answer "No". We all know the reasons for this; it is not worth it to enumerate the excuses, "But, by the neglect of the studies of the humanities, which has been far too general, the profession [and the public] loses a very precious commodity... There
- [Volume 15 • Number 4 • April 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-4-•-april-2014/) - Balance being a central tenant of Integration, I wish to report an eye popping positive development in the Pharmaceutical industry. Glaxo has announced they will no longer pay doctors to promote their prescription drugs. It will also stop requiring their good-looking drug representatives to meet quotas on the number of prescriptions doctors in their territories
- [Volume 15 • Number 5 • May 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-5-•-may-2014/) - There are several issues that make the practice of medicine a bit... trying. One of them is patients demanding prescriptions of antibiotics and controlled substances. Many patients have stopped seeing me because I did not prescribe an antibiotic for their cough. In my opinion they had a viral bronchitis. I will never forget the family
- [Volume 15 • Number 6 • June 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-6-•-june-2014/) - The affordable Care Act is upon us. In my opinion it is the wrong answer: lipstick on a pig. True, it does provide basic care for many people who otherwise would have no access to health care. But, as a “hole” ACA will contribute to a staggering waste of resources and money ($750+ billion a
- [Volume 15 • Number 7 • July 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-7-•-july-2014/) - The Commonwealth Fund report on health care in industrialized nations came out June 17th 2014. It again ranks the USA dead last. All other nations spend an average of $3,406 per patient per year. The US spends $8,508; yet, we have much less to show for. Why is this? If you recall the Journal of
- [Volume 15 • Number 8 • August 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-■-number-8-■-august-2014/) - The Commonwealth Fund report on health care in industrialized nations came out June 17th 2014. It again ranks the USA dead last. All other nations spend an average of $3,406 per patient per year. The US spends $8,508; yet, we have much less to show for. Why is this? If you recall the Journal of
- [Volume 15 • Number 12 • December 2014](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-15-•-number-12-•-december-2014/) - As a reader of this newsletter you are likely to be swimming against the current. A recent New England J. of Medicine article addressed our dysfunctional health care system and how it may be fixed by swimming with you-and this newsletter.[1] "[Since as much] as one third of U.S. health care spending is wasteful.
- [Volume 16 • Number 2 • February 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-2-•-february-2015/) - "There is no place for dogma in Science. The scientist is free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to seek for any evidence, to correct any error. Where Science has been used in the past to erect a new dogmatism, that dogmatism has found itself incompatible with the progress of science; and in
- [Volume 16 • Number 3 • March 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-3-•-march-2015/) - At last! I have been faithfully reading the journal Annals of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology since I was in Medical School 1980-1984. I never gave up hope of finding therein a report on the fact that most of the immune system is in the gut, a concept now well covered in many other peer review
- [Volume 16 • Number 4 • April 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-4-•-april-2015/) - Science is not "an exact science." Any good, honest scientist will admit that every new discovery is only an approximation towards more definite answers that may not even exist. The infallibility of science is a myth that unfortunately causes problems like rigid, inflexible stances that preclude further progress. Consequently, any scientific dogma needs to be
- [Volume 16 • Number 5 • May 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-number-5-may-2015/) - There are many problems with our broken Health Care System.[1] Chief among them is the use of ACUTE care tools like pharmaceuticals to treat CHRONIC health problems (See Article "Too Much Medicine" at the end of newsletter.) While we should use Prilosec IV yesterday when we have an acute bleeding ulcer, those drugs are not
- [Volume 16 • Number 6 • June 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-6-•-june-2015/) - We have known for a while that most back surgeries don’t yield results significantly better than Physical Therapy in most cases. This is also true of shoulders and knees when trauma is not involved. But, surely patients need back surgery if the canal where the spinal cord travels is narrowed, a condition known as Spinal
- [Volume 16 • Number 8 • August 2015](https://hugorodier.com/newsletters/volume-16-•-number-8-•-august-2015/) - Finally! After decades of arguing about the role of nutrition in mental issues we get a bit of validation. The last meeting of the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association had a presentation on “Nutritional Psychiatry!” This is such great news that I have included two quotations below for you to savor. Despite many
- [Chewing the Fat](https://hugorodier.com/blog/chewing-the-fat/) - Many doctors are beginning to see through the fog created by Big Pharma when it comes to cholesterol. As stated in several other blogs herein, cholesterol is a healthy molecule our arteries need to maintain integrity. Without it arteries cannot fix their permeability, seen with ageing, poor diets high in sugars, and environmental toxins. While
- [NUTRITIONAL PSYCHIATRY](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nutritional-psychiatry/) - When I first started practicing medicine I was somewhat “ignored” by the medical profession for applying the nutritional studies I found in the best of journals that I would-and still do-avidly read. Unfortunately, and true to the findings presented by the National Institute of Medicine[1] it takes about 17 years for new ideas to trickle
- [The Purple Pill Increases the Risks of Heart Attacks](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-purple-pill-increases-the-risks-of-heart-attacks/) - THE PURPLE PILL INCREASES THE RISK OF HEART ATTACKS[1] As surprising as this may be it makes perfect sense when you consider the problems that have been associated with the use of over the counter drugs like the purple pill and others like Nexium. They are referred as PPI drugs. We were warned about them
- ["Future Smart?" If You Would LIke Beiing a BORG](https://hugorodier.com/blog/future-smart-if-you-would-like-beiing/) - The book “FUTURE SMART-managing the game changing trends that will transform your world” by James Canton is a must-read. We need to know what most of society is banking on in the future. But, while the author claims to be guided by cutting edge science, he is not above human nature: his biases and background are evident.
- [Ebola - A Simple Integrative View](https://hugorodier.com/blog/ebola-a-simple-integrative-view/) - Despite previous examples of hyped-up viruses and bugs threatening to wipe put the entire human species, the media and the public yet again repeat this history, obviously having failed to learn from the past. This is not to say that Ebola is not a serious disease, but that ignoring some basic facts is causing unnecessary
- [On Generics Increasing Cost - I Smell a Rat](https://hugorodier.com/blog/on-generics-increasing-cost-i-smell-ra/) - Surely you have noticed how suddenly generic drugs’ prices have gone up 5-10 times.[1] Given the history of lying and outright fraud associated with Big Pharma you and I suspect some sordid deal cooking in secretive corporate meeting rooms. Some will cynically maintain that this is how businesses operate in general, as Adam Smith predicted
- [Scary Dairy](https://hugorodier.com/blog/scary-dairy/) - If you like milk it does not matter what science says; you will likely continue to drink it regardless of the harm you may be incurring.It's also likely you will agree that any negative reports about milk is the equivalent of denigrating the American flag, apple pie, motherhood, and maybe a communist conspiracy. But, if
- [Hi, boss, I can’t come to work today!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/hi-boss-i-cant-come-to-work-today/) - “Hi, boss, I can’t come to work today. The inversion was so bad yesterday, that I woke up this morning with my butt too big, so I have nothing to wear.” “Hi, boss, I can’t come to work today. I caught a cold yesterday, I woke up this morning with a huge derrière; plus, I
- [Women and the Caduceus](https://hugorodier.com/blog/women-and-caduceus/) - My last blog was on Hobby Lobby taking their case to the Supreme Court. HL feels it should not be forced to cover birth control pills for their employees. Apparently it is ok for HL to cover Viagra. Now the plot got sicker: HL’s 401K was found to invest in pharmaceuticals making the pills. Hobby
- [US Supreme Court and Brith Control](https://hugorodier.com/blog/us-supreme-court-and-brith-contro/) - Some large for-profit companies are refusing to comply with the Affordable Care Act demand that they provide Birth Control benefits for their female employees. Said companies argue that contraception is against their religious beliefs. Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their religious beliefs. The problem is their unfair, unbalanced minds that does not allow them
- [When We are Ill: Lessons from Nature](https://hugorodier.com/blog/when-we-are-ill-lessons-from-nature-2/) - The Ancients were much more aware than we Moderns of the cycles of Nature. They even worshipped their symbolic representations, like the Sun’s. The energy and Light therefrom was at the very center of their lives, hence the expression “Igne Natura Renovatum Integra,” which means that the Fire of Nature Renovates Everything: their crops, their
- [Wishing for a more tolerant and healthy new year](https://hugorodier.com/blog/wishing-for-more-tolerant-and-healthy/) - One of my patients was recently ridiculed by a physician for acknowledging taking supplements while being seen in her Emergency Room. Perhaps this physician was tired, exhausted from taking care of tough emergency cases all night. Thanks to Emergency Room doctors we are assured of competent care in our times of extreme duress. And as
- [Will the Mayans Get Us?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/will-mayans-get-us/) - The year 2012 is finally here. My guess is that a certain percentage of people reading Integrative (alternative) blogs like this one may also be exposed to disparate ideas and predictions about this much-anticipated point in time. Starting with the understanding that no one can responsibly claim to know the future, I herein venture my
- [We All Egyptians and Cheeseheads](https://hugorodier.com/blog/we-all-egyptians-and-cheeseheads-2/) - From the Play Les Miserables Do you hear the people sing a song of angry men?It is the music of a peopleWho will not be slaves again!When the beating of your heartEchoes the beating of the drumsHere is a life about to startWhen tomorrow comes!Will you join in our crusade?Who will be strong and stand
- [Vitamin D Controversy](https://hugorodier.com/blog/vitamin-d-controversy-2/) - After a flurry of articles singing the praises of vitamin D, we are now seeing the expected backlash of reports urging caution in supplementation. This is as science should behave. As always, I expect “truth” to be found somewhere in the middle. So, if you rushed to supplement high doses of vitamin D and now
- [WICKED meets MEGAMIND](https://hugorodier.com/blog/wicked-meets-megamind-2/) - As a Cold War child, I rebelled against the Black and White world that shaped Baby Boomers’ attitudes and thinking. "Either-Or" thinking has its merits and ardent proponents, to be sure. I do see how some issues require such approach. Some of you no doubt feel that ALL issues are “Black and White.” Well, going
- [“I Need Oxygen!”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/i-need-oxygen-2/) - That is what test pilots would say before passing out due to hypoxia as they pushed their new toys up into the upper layers of the atmosphere in the dawn of aviation. Yeah, I need oxygen, too. As an integrative doctor I continue to be appalled and sometimes angered by the arrogance and cheating ways
- [“Doctor, why can’t I lose weight?"](https://hugorodier.com/blog/doctor-why-cant-i-lose-weig/) - That is a question I hear every day; it is always followed by “I eat a good diet and I exercise.” What is going on with them? How is it that counting calories and working out does not help them shed unwanted pounds? If you scroll down previous blogs, you will see many emerging reasons
- [“Ce n’est pas pas le germ; c’est le terrain”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/ce-nest-pas-pas-le-germ-cest-le-terrain-2/) - Several patients, hoping to have found the magic bullet that will cure their chronic fatigue, have brought to my office an article they feel shows that a retrovirus causes fatigue.[1] First of all, the article merely “links” the virus to fatigue; it does not prove a cause and effect relationship, which is what the authors
- [Wisdom of the Ancients](https://hugorodier.com/blog/wisdom-of-ancients/) - Modern technology has made our lives much easier in many respects. All fields of human endeavor have dramatically benefited from modern scientific miracles. Medicine is no different. Looking back on history one may be tempted to assume that former lifestyles and technologies where “backwards”, or “primitive”. While this would be true in many instances, such
- [“I Know My Thyroid is Not Working”](https://hugorodier.com/blog/i-know-my-thyroid-is-not-working-2/) - I hear this from a lot from a significant number of patients who feel practically all their symptoms (fatigue, hair falling out being the most common) are due to their thyroid, despite normal serum levels. They frequently add that they have been told or they read on the internet that it is common to have
- [Why Health Care Reform, In Any Form, Will Not Fix the Problem](https://hugorodier.com/blog/why-health-care-reform-in-any-form-wi/) - Utah Senator Bennet came to speak to the Utah Medical Association when doctor delegates like me met in bucolic Midway, a little town outside Park City in September 2009. Before he started his address, delegates were given a chance to voice their opinions about health care reform. Fortune had it I was the last doc
- [Vaccine Fights](https://hugorodier.com/blog/vaccine-fights-2/) - Not a clinic day goes by without a worried mom asking my opinion on vaccinations. They are confused and afraid to do anything that may harm their children. I feel badly for them, victims as they are of mixed data on vaccinations and extreme positions taken by doctors who refuse to admit that there may
- [To B or not to B](https://hugorodier.com/blog/to-b-or-not-to-b-2/) - After years of evidence-based research on B vitamins and their effect on the brain and the treatment of depression, dementia and other neuropsychiatric conditions, the pharmaceutical industry has seen the light, and it is green, as in money. Deplin, the newest drug to treat depression is nothing but MTHFR (Methyl Tetra Hydor Folate Reductase, if
- [Running Out of Energy, But Not Information](https://hugorodier.com/blog/running-out-of-energy-but-not-information/) - “Doctors routinely measure chemicals in the body to get health information, such as cholesterol and triglycerides. METABOLOMICS, however, involves measuring hundreds or thousands of chemical processes, such as the breakdown of nutrients from diet, going on in the body at the same time, which could yield a lot of information. [METABOLOMICS] can also account for
- [The State of Science](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-state-of-science/) - Mr. X came in last week to tell me about his sad experience with a medical doctor--a scientist if you wish. Unfortunately, it represents that of many other patients through our country. According to Mr. X his doctor dismissed him from his practice because he refused to take a statin drug. The doctor berated him
- [Seeing Red: The Handicapping of Nutraceuticals](https://hugorodier.com/blog/seeing-red-handicapping-of/) - Followers of Integrative Health know how important cell membranes are to our health. Composed of proteins, fats and sugars, they depend on the food we eat to optimize structure and function. Cell membranes send and receive messages to/from each of the 50 trillion cells that make up our body. Nobel Prizes have been awarded for
- [The best medicine is ready for prime time](https://hugorodier.com/blog/the-best-medicine-is-ready-for-prime/) - The cover issue of the Journal Science (arguably one of the best scientific journals) was on “Disease Prevention.” It features vegetables and fruits. In my opinion, when the journal Science speaks, it is time to listen. Hard to believe, but I have had intelligent, successful doctors tell me that there is no evidence
- [Sugar, Commercials, and ADD](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sugar-commercials-and-add-2/) - A while back I had a discussion with a professor who felt there is nothing wrong with sugar, particularly High Fructose Corn Syrup. I felt she had been watching those commercials on TV paid by the Sugar Association of America, rather than reading the latest medical and nutritional journals. Are you also getting your health
- [Sugar, an addictive toxin: can you hear me now?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sugar-addictive-toxin-can-you-hear-me/) - The cover issue of the journal Science, March 23rd 2001 irrevocably changed my view of health and disease. It illustrates the cell membrane and the macronutrients that compose it: natural fats, proteins and sugars. Inside, one of the best scientific journals in the world published several articles on “Glycobiology,” or the profound effect that sugars
- [Should You Get the Test for Prostate Cancer?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/should-you-get-test-for-prostate-cancer/) - Two years ago the United States Preventive Services Task Force stirred up a bit of controversy by stating, after an intensive review of the medical literature, that Mammograms don’t have a good cost/benefit analysis for women under age 50 (see blog November 2009.) Just as the dust was beginning to settle, the Task Force is
- [Suspicious of C.O.P.s](https://hugorodier.com/blog/suspicious-of-cops/) - As previously reported here, cholesterol is a benign molecule in charge of repairing cell membranes (which are 80% fat) and hence the lining of arteries. Cholesterol is also vital to synthesize hormones. Unfortunately, while busy working to patch up our leaky arteries, cholesterol has gotten a bum rap; it is now erroneously thought to be
- [The Birds and the Bees and the Brain](https://hugorodier.com/blog/birds-and-bees-and-brain/) - We all know that sex relieves stress; we also know that stress hormones cause damage when they remain elevated for prolonged periods of time. What we didn’t know was that sex helps brain cells grow. According to a recent study done at Princeton University and published in the Journal PLoS One, rats who had sex
- [The Middle Way](https://hugorodier.com/blog/middle-way/) - I just got back from China; any typos are due to my jet lag. Most of it is my own fault since I didn’t sleep very much and I had too many toasts with really strong stuff out of a blue bottle. Since I don’t drink at all, some of it went to my head.
- [The Tin Man](https://hugorodier.com/blog/tin-man/) - An understanding of cellular function based on the Energy and Information cells need, which we get from food and relationships, inevitably leads to “combustion;” much like any engine, which also obey thermodynamic principles, our cells generate Free Radicals, or Oxidants. They need to be eliminated, or neutralized, or else, “Free Radicals Can Kill You: Lavoisier’s
- [Still Ignoring New Research on Obesity](https://hugorodier.com/blog/still-ignoring-new-research-on-obesity-2/) - You may have seen the recent study saying that the “increased food energy supply is more than sufficient to explain the US epidemic of obesity” (Am J Clin Nutr 2009 90: 145). If it is frustrating to me, not being overweight, I can imagine how frustrating it must be to all those poor people who
- [Still around…](https://hugorodier.com/blog/still-around-2/) - Sorry I have not had time to blog. I have been too busy studying for my Family Practice Boards (every 7 years.) It’s quite an ordeal for me; I have to memorize a lot of stuff (excessive pharmaceutical treatments taking precedence over nutritional, environmental and emotional issues) I don’t emphasize in my practice. Nevertheless, I
- [The JAMA on Drugs](https://hugorodier.com/blog/jama-on-drugs/) - (Submitted for publication in the UMA Bulletin; I am an Editorial Board member.) “Overdosed America” is a book by Dr. Abramson that documents how doctors are prescribing too many drugs. The Journal of the American Medical Association published an article on February 25th 2009 agreeing with the good doc. Before you assume that I am
- [The Economy and Our Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/economy-and-our-hea/) - Even though I am not an economist I feel the need to say a few things about what is happening in our country. After all, I am a semester short of a master’s in Health Administration and I read voraciously on Economics, Politics, Anthropology, History and other related subjects. As a doctor I feel that
- [Seeing REDDER Now That Kids are Involved](https://hugorodier.com/blog/seeing-redder-now-that-kids-are/) - This morning, July 7th 2008, the American Pediatric Association lost my respect: they announced that in view of the obesity epidemic and pre-diabetes in our children, they now recommend that kids 8 years and older take statin drugs to lower their cholesterol. Before we outline the problems with this recommendation, we must try to understand
- [Seeing RED Rice](https://hugorodier.com/blog/seeing-red-rice-2/) - ABC news reported Monday, June 9th, 2008, that the American J. Cardiology published an article documenting that red rice lowers mortality by 43% in patients who have had a heart attack. Well, this is not news, since there have been many reports that this nutrient works. In fact, the first statin drug to lower cholesterol,
- [The French Paradox and Vytorin](https://hugorodier.com/blog/french-paradox-and-vytorin/) - (Submitted for publication in the Bulletin of the Utah Medical Association, where I am an Editorial Board member.) I just got back from Montreal, Canada, the home of Sir William Osler, M. D., father of modern medicine, where I gave a health talk to my frog cousins, the French Canadians. About the same time, I
- [Sunshine, Laws and the Pharmaceutical Companies](https://hugorodier.com/blog/sunshine-laws-and-pharmaceutica/) - "Sunshine laws and the pharmaceutical companies," JAMA 2007;297:1255 "For-profit industries do not share the same ethical norms to which physicians and other health care professionals must adhere. Their primary commitment is to create shareholder value, not maintaining an altruistic commitment to patients. But at some point the leadership of the pharmaceutical industry and their board
- [The Heart's Code -- A Must Read](https://hugorodier.com/blog/hearts-code-must-read/) - Through a series of "fortunate events," this book, The Heart's Code by Dr Paul Pearsall (Broadway Books, 1998,) ended up in my hands. I highly recommend it to you. I hope it has the same profound impact it had on my life, because you would be healthier for it. It turns out that this matter
- [Starbucks and Your Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/starbucks-and-your-hea/) - Why would a doctor write about coffee, and, about a corporation, to boot? No, I am not addicted to coffee. When I stop drinking my one cup a day, I don’t get a headache. Chances are you are a coffee drinker yourself, if you are bothering to read this braindropping. So relax, get a cup
- [Money Matters in Medicine](https://hugorodier.com/blog/money-matters-in-medicine/) - “Entering” the New Year has renewed my cravings for new visions and new paradigms. This is singularly imperative since the old ones are not serving us well. Finishing the book ENTERING THE SHIFT AGE by David Houle about this time has helped me crystallize these ideas. Houle notes that societies have progressed through these stages:
- [Posting Calories](https://hugorodier.com/blog/posting-calories/) - Soon there will be calorie counts on just about everything you consume, including concession stands at the movies. It won’t work. Sure, we all want to curve the obesity epidemic weighing down our society. But, this is an ill-conceived measure, little more than a PR move from Big Food. No doubt some outside that industry
- [Mammograms: the Swiss find them full of holes, like cheese](https://hugorodier.com/blog/mammograms-swiss-find-them-full-of/) - Quotes from article published recently in the NEJM-No comments necessary Abolishing Mammography Screening Programs? A View from the Swiss Medical Board April 16, 2014DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1401875 In January 2013, the Swiss Medical Board, an independent health technology assessment initiative under the auspices of the Conference of Health Ministers of the Swiss Cantons, the Swiss Medical Association,
- [More GMO Shame](https://hugorodier.com/blog/more-gmo-shame-2/) - Monsanto got approval to market GMOs on evidence presented by its own studies. Our government, instead of insisting on independent researchers providing their own unbiased research, and eager to market new technologies to boost our economy, rushed GMOs to the market. Those in charge of our health and food quality were hoodwinked by Monsanto, who
- [Monsanto, GMOs  and Fascism](https://hugorodier.com/blog/monsanto-gmos-and-fascis/) - Recently, President Obama signed HR 933 which contained a line item he was powerless to veto. Said “line” was written by Monsanto itself. It basically states that Monsanto cannot be sued in the future IF we discover that GMO products were harmful after all. Amazing. Many countries, for example, the European Union, have already determined
- [On the Supreme Court Ruling on the Affordable Care Act (AFA): An Integrative View](https://hugorodier.com/blog/on-supreme-court-ruling-on-affordable/) - Usually “Integrative” means a middle of the road approach. In this case it means both Republicans and Democrats will be equally offended by reading this blog. Since the main goal of any Health Care system should be to serve the public, let us start by contemplating the fact that the top 5 countries in health
- [PSA Test Gets the Finger](https://hugorodier.com/blog/psa-test-gets-finger/) - The US Preventive Services Task Force is at it again. It has not been that long ago that they shook things up by toning down recommendations for mammograms in women 40-50 years of age (See blog.) Now, after years of vigorous campaigns to have men check their Prostate Specific Antigen, a marker for potential prostate
- [Literacy, health, and the 4th of July](https://hugorodier.com/blog/literacy-health-and-4th-of-july/) - “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas’ of man’s concerns, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his experience. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstones of our judgment. The artist becomes
- [More Gut Feelings](https://hugorodier.com/blog/as-you-read-this-blog-many-patients-are/) - As you read this blog, many patients are being told in a polite way that their intestinal problems “are all in your head.” Docs are trained not to say it quite like that; instead they may say “functional” pain, as they often describe psychosomatic issues in their journals.[1] While it is true that the brain
- [Our Media and Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/our-media-and-hea/) - Last week the BBC reported on Curcumin, the herb that has been a pharmaceutical product in India for quite a while, due to its amazing health-promoting properties. Researchers at Sinai Cedars Hospital in Los Angeles showed that Curcumin lowers the risk of strokes and improves the chances of recovering from one. Curcumin thins blood, much
- [Moneymaking](https://hugorodier.com/blog/moneymaking-2/) - Some of you may be struggling having lost your job; your suffering is more troublesome to me when I contemplate why our economy is so messed up. Before you read on I must warn you that I am neither Republican nor Democrat. As an Independent and as a self-professed Integrative thinker, I feel both parties
- [On things that are not visible and science](https://hugorodier.com/blog/on-things-that-are-not-visible-and/) - The fox tells the Little Prince that “What is important is invisible to the eye; only with the heart one can see clearly.” Ever since I was a child I have tried to live by that wise advice, sometimes forgetting those golden words. My first career choice was to be a Jesuit priest so that
- [Let's Drink to Water](https://hugorodier.com/blog/lets-drink-to-water-2/) - Are you drinking 8 glasses of water a day like you have been told? I hope not. Nobody seems to know where this unfounded advice came from; yet, it is held as gospel truth, despite the increasing scarcity of water reaching a crisis point throughout the world. Thanks to sound research by leading academicians like
- [On Autism](https://hugorodier.com/blog/on-autis/) - While I am not an expert on Autism or on Asperger Syndrome, I have been close enough to people with this condition that I am going to venture a few thoughts about it. When I was in Medical School we were told that it was a rare condition; about 1/2000 people seem to be affected.
- [LIGHTNESS OF BEING](https://hugorodier.com/blog/lightness-of-being-2/) - As I grow older I become less serious; is this happening to you, too? My favorite people have been cartoonists and comedians ever since I can remember. Yet, from time to time I revert to being too serious. This is OK; my professional obligations require a straight face once in a while. But, I still
- [On Sports and Movement](https://hugorodier.com/blog/on-sports-and-movemen/) - Hopefully you have already seen the movie “Invictus”. I cannot do justice to the many messages it had for all of us. Suffice it to say that the poem “invictus” sustained me in my youth. As I got older, I came to see it as a bit arrogant but a necessary part of development; after
- [November Books](https://hugorodier.com/blog/november-books-2/) - November books Unaccustomed EarthBy Jhumpa Lahiri She is a great story teller; very touching short stories of family and love relationships. The first one got to me the most, as I become “the old man” to my 2 grown daughters. Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize with her superb writing (“The Namesake”). The fly in the
- [Mammogram Controversy](https://hugorodier.com/blog/mammogram-controversy-2/) - Not surprisingly, the recent statement by the US Preventive Services Task Force that women may not benefit form mammograms until age 50, and then recommending that they be done every other year, has been politicized. This is unfortunate; women are left confused and fearful. I agree with the task force. Keep in mind that it
- [REGULAR and H1N1 FLU](https://hugorodier.com/blog/regular-and-h1n1-flu-2/) - When discussing any infectious issue, the emphasis is generally on the virulence of the organism. While this is a legitimate concern, this approach often creates some fear and apprehension in people. At times, patients may even feel totally helpless. At our clinic, we believe that a preventive approach should be equally, if not more emphasized,
- [October Books](https://hugorodier.com/blog/october-books-2/) - Nocturnes by Kazuo IshiguroI loved it. His writing is so clear and simple. He has amazing benevolent insights into human nature. This book is especially good for music lovers. Ishiguro became well-known with Remains of the Day, which became a movie. That book helped me understand Great Britain better. Decipher by Stel PavlouWhat a waste
- [Medical Biases](https://hugorodier.com/blog/medical-biases-2/) - I recently attended a review course to prepare for the Boards. For 4 straight days we started at 7 AM and finished at 9:30 PM. This intellectual boot-camp took place in Vegas, but the only fun thing I got to do was eat dinner by myself at the Paris buffet; a Japanese tourist and I
- [More on the Economy: Read History](https://hugorodier.com/blog/more-on-economy-read-history/) - If you are reading this blog you are likely to be a baby boomer as I am. People our age read boring blogs like this one, as well as History books, besides watching the History Channel (a.k.a “Nazis 24/7.”) On the average, I read 1-2 history books a month. You may have read a previous
- [Nutritional Economics of Health Care](https://hugorodier.com/blog/nutritional-economics-of-health-care-2/) - My 72- year-old mother cleans toilets at BYU. I cannot get her to retire to live with me. She wants to remain independent as long as she can and carry her own weight like many immigrants like her do. Yet, economic problems crushing them are likely to get significantly worse; I anticipate that this will
- [More “Low Carb” Misunderstandings](https://hugorodier.com/blog/more-low-carb-misunderstandings-2/) - Recently, the New England of Medicine published an article showing that “low carb” diets help people lose more weight than both the Mediterranean and the “low fat” diets. Sure enough, before the ink dried on this study we started seeing the general public react in predictable ways, like wolfing down sausages, red meat, and all
- [More on Drugs to Treat Kids’s Cholesterol](https://hugorodier.com/blog/more-on-drugs-to-treat-kidss/) - I hope you read the blog I posted before this one. Were you upset? Well, the New York Times was (editorial, Sunday July 13th, 2008) and so were a lot of doctors across the country. Yes, about 13% of children have an elevated cholesterol. Yes, some of them have a genetic problem that cause the
- [Machu Picchu and Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/machu-picchu-and-hea/) - If you have not been to Machu Picchu, I hope to inspire you to go there someday, hopefully with someone you love. These braindroppings about health and Machu Picchu might be a bit of a stretch, but hear me out: You have to be in good health to go there, especially if you want to
- [Depression treatment and “Psychobiotics: a novel class of psychotropic.”1](https://hugorodier.com/blog/depression-treatment-and-psychobiotics/) - The Brain-Gut connection is highlighted in medical journals fairly often these days. Unfortunately, it is not getting much discussion in clinics where depression is quickly diagnosed and treated with medications that often have side effects and questionable results. This is not a call to give up on a pharmaceutical approach to depression treatment, but to
- [INTEGRATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION - A monthly review of 100 medical journals - Volume 14 • Number 12 • December 2013](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-health-education-monthly/) - We have reporting on the brain-gut connection since the inception of this newsletter. Briefly, it means that the food we eat, the toxins generated in the gut and in the environment, and the bacteria that live therein influence brain function, including mood and cognitive issues. The evidence is as overwhelming as it is ignored by
- [GMO Wars](https://hugorodier.com/blog/gmo-wars-2/) - It has been reported that present tensions between the US and Russian President Putin is not just over Snowden, but Monsanto and bees die-off.[1] The latter issue is so irritating to Putin that he has stated that the next war maybe over food safety, which he feels is severely threatened by GMOs and their effect
- [Depression: consider this new Rx](https://hugorodier.com/blog/depression-consider-this-new-rx-2/) - I see a lot of depressed patients in my clinic. Many of them seek non pharmaceutical treatment, having become aware that drugs are successful less than 50% of the time and that often their side effects are intolerable. About 70% of teens are depressed, and a good percentage of adults suffer with it, too. Suicide
- [Down with Housecleaning!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/down-with-housecleaning-2/) - I know; we all need to pitch in and carry our load. But, an article just appeared in the Journal Scientific American in April saying that “Men Who Do More Housework Have Less Sex.” Ummmhhhh…. Food for thought. I am not going to speculate why this might be the case, assuming that the article is
- [Health and the Holidays](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-and-holidays/) - Thanksgiving, my favorite Holiday, has passed, again threatened by consumerism, anxious to get started sooner and earlier in the “spirit of Christmas.” But, the true spirit of Christmas, charity, is best expressed by a thankful heart, a sure sign of strength and understanding of our relationships with our fellowman. Understanding how each of us fits
- [Integrative Health Conference at the University of Utah](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-health-at-university-of-uta/) - September 7th and 8th the University of Utah is hosting its inaugural Conference on Integrative Health, thus joining many other Universities, and 1/3 of Medical Schools that offer instructions in this field to the public and/or students. If you are interested, check out the “University of Utah” folder on my website or simply call 801-571-2111. One
- [Don't Cry Over Hyped Milk](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dont-cry-over-hyped-milk-2/) - I know going after milk is foolish and similar to questioning a sacred cow. But, when the weight of evidence compels the New England Journal of Medicine to opine on this matter it is time to listen. Yet, the goodness of milk is so entrenched in our society that merely reading about the evidence that
- [In My Right Mind](https://hugorodier.com/blog/in-my-right-mind-2/) - The “Man of the Century,” Albert Einstein had a brain that was not much different than the ones us regular mortals carry around. His neuronal connections between the right and left brain were more numerous; he could synthesize, or integrate information much better than most people. Even though the brains of most remarkable people have
- [Food Fights: Yogurt](https://hugorodier.com/blog/for-quite-some-time-i-have-been-telling/) - For quite some time, I have been telling my patients that the food industry falsifies information to sell their junk. One of the biggest offenders is the yogurt industry. While yogurt, originally a porridge-like gruel concocted by Russian peasants, is very healthy, in its modern incarnation, it is not. The latter is redolent with preservatives,
- [Freedom](https://hugorodier.com/blog/freedo/) - I just got done reading the book FREEDOM by Franzen, who was featured as a cover story by TIME magazine. The book was a #1 bestseller for a few weeks; but, I am not recommending it, unless you enjoy pain. Rather, let me give you the wonderful pearl in it, or, the “pony under the
- [Health Care Reform](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-care-refor/) - I am not in the 20% of Americans who feel they will be benefitted.[1] Before you jump to conclusions, allow me to explain: I was a republican in school, democrat as a rebellious young man and now, as a middle aged integrative doctor, naturally, I am an independent. A year ago I felt we desperately
- [Doctors Weigh in on Health Care Reform](https://hugorodier.com/blog/doctors-weigh-in-on-health-care-refor/) - Dermatologists feel reform is a rash decisionGastroenterologists are getting heartburn over itInternists feel it is a bitter pill to swallowGynecologists feel it is a bloody issueObstetricians expect changes to be deliveredPlastic surgeons want a new face on itSurgeons wash their hands of itAnesthesiologists think it is a gasPediatricians feel legislators need to grow upPsychiatrists feel
- [Docs on Coke](https://hugorodier.com/blog/docs-on-coke-2/) - The Deseret News reported November 5th 2009 that the American Academy of Family Physicians formed an alliance with Coca-Cola, ostensibly to advise the public about soft drinks and health. Coca-Cola will give the Academy hundreds of thousands of dollars on the deal. This is sick. Many doctors are quitting the Academy over this. If the
- [Health Scare Tactics](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-scare-tactics-2/) - My patient S______ was one of my best friends. We shared the same birthday and much more. S______ lived alone in a local residential care facility for seniors. I was not aware of any other visitors other than myself. She felt I was like a son to her. Often, she patiently listened to my personal
- [Health Reform from Utah: We Must Focus on Health, Not Disease](https://hugorodier.com/blog/health-reform-from-utah-we-must-focus/) - "The following is a wonderful statement put out by a committee organized by the State of Utah to reform health care. I was privileged to be part of this committee." - HR THE CRISIS BEYOND THE HEALTH CARE CRISISA Challenge and a Declaration There will still be an enormous crisis in the health of Utahns
- [Integrative Thoughts on Health Care Reform](https://hugorodier.com/blog/integrative-thoughts-on-health-care/) - Debate on health care reform is raging along predictable party lines. You are probably waiting for me to express the slightest leaning to the left or right to quit reading. Such polarization of ideas is only hurting dialogue and paralyzing our country into inaction. While it is true that a free society needs to have
- [Drugs Down the Toilet](https://hugorodier.com/blog/drugs-down-toile/) - (Submitted for publication in the UMA Bulletin; I am an Editorial Board member) “They have found that a lot of prescription drugs are turning up in our drinking water. People not only pee drugs into in the toilet but they also dump the unused prescriptions in it. They have found hormones, antibiotics and many other
- [Fixing the Economy: Fixing Our Environment’s Health with Green Technology](https://hugorodier.com/blog/fixing-economy-fixing-our-environments/) - We are anxiously plunging into an uncertain future. We watch the news each evening, soaking in every bit of information about the economy. Some of us read the latest books on the subject, including history books that may shed light on what is happening. Even though most experts don’t seem to be of much help
- [Elections 2008](https://hugorodier.com/blog/elections-2008-2/) - Now that we know who the final two candidates for the Presidency are we can start fighting about who is going to be better for our country. Focusing on the health care issue, I feel that the best candidate just lost (Clinton,) and that the second best is Barack Obama. No, I am not a
- [Have a Cup of Joe, or Not](https://hugorodier.com/blog/have-cup-of-joe-or-no/) - I wish I had clear and unambiguous advice for you when it comes to coffee. As you will see, the data are mixed. After reviewing the following articles, you may get a sense that it is likely OK (I do,) if not abused. Coffee reminds me of alcohol. By now you must have been living
- [Diet Soda also Makes You Gain Weight - A Lesson in Sweeteners](https://hugorodier.com/blog/diet-soda-also-makes-you-gain-weig/) - Soda pop is truly an addiction in this country. Many will violently object to my use of the word “addiction,” which I take as proof I am barking up the right tree. The purveyors of this poison have convinced people that “diet pop,” sweetened with artificial molecules is not associated with weight gain. Well, they
- [Forget About It -- Alzheimer's to Increase 285%!](https://hugorodier.com/blog/forget-about-it-alzheimers-to-increase/) - By the year 2050, the incidence of Alzheimer’ disease will have increased by 285% in the USA (J. Alzheimer’s Dementia 2007;3:s168.) Truly “Alzheimer’s is the health care crisis of the 21st century.” (J. Neurology Reviews, volume 15, page 1.) Yet, very little research money is going to this problem, while we spend as a society
- [Getting Screwed](https://hugorodier.com/blog/getting-screwed-2/) - The New York Times reported on December 30th, 2006, that one screw used for spinal fusion costs $1,000. By the time they put in the plates and other hardware, the average cost of this type of surgery gets close to $10,000. The "getting screwed" part gets worse when you find that a significant number of
- [first braindroppings from one more integrative medical doctor](https://hugorodier.com/blog/first-braindroppings-from-one-more/) - Let me go for the jugular as I start my blogging career: [By the way, go to www.hugorodier.com to see where I am coming from. After all, you may think this is more rantings from yet another "quack," which is why I will not use the word "alternative."] Why is it that most medical doctors
- [Big Food, Big Pharma: Is Science for Sale?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/big-food-big-pharma-is-science-for-sale/) - No The present owner is very happy with it…. Here is an article reproduced in entirety. It was written by the Head of Research of the British Medical Journal “We have grown accustomed to allegations of conflicts of interest, biased research, and manipulative marketing on the part of the drug industry. Valentine’s Day is a
- [Cut Sugar Not Cholesterol](https://hugorodier.com/blog/about-20-years-ago-good-studies-began/) - About 20 years ago good studies began to appear in leading journals noting that the real problem with arterial disease is not cholesterol, but sugar. This was at that time and probably still is now, a bit shocking to those who have unquestioningly accepted Big Pharma’s demonizing of cholesterol, [1] a natural molecule needed to
- [Curcumin-Turmeric: A Test of View on Science](https://hugorodier.com/blog/curcumin-turmeric-test-of-view-on/) - The current issue of the National Geographic magazine (March 2015) has an article by Mr. Achenbach, a Washington Post staff writer. He opines that any questioning of “established scientific facts” demonstrates ignorance, denial, and even conspiratorial beliefs. He cites opposition to vaccination, fluoridation and GMOs as examples, issues we have covered in this newsletter. It
- [Bribing Our Sweet Tooth](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bribing-our-sweet-too/) - It is not easy to avoid refined sugars this or any other time of the year. Indulging a bit in the spirit of the Holidays is a healthy tradition that bonds us in friendships and families. But, we all agree that our sweet tooth can get us in trouble. True, we are genetically programmed to
- [Breakfast and Heart Attacks](https://hugorodier.com/blog/breakfast-and-heart-attacks-2/) - It is the same with our body. To “sicken” the plot, a study just came out: “Prospective study of breakfast eating and incident coronary heart disease in a cohort of male US health professionals. J. Circulation 2013; DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.001474. Available at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/. It documents that there is a 27% higher risk of heart attacks and early
- [Bread and Circus, or read my new book](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bread-and-circus-or-read-my-new-book-2/) - The Romans figured it out: to govern a vast Empire made up of different tribes and restless people they only needed to provide them with plenty of "Panem et Circum," Bread and Circus, or cheap food and cheap entertainment. Sounds familiar? You could lay back, grab a diet coke, a few twinkies and some M&Ms
- [42 and Our Country's Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/42-and-our-countrys-hea/) - I hope you get to see the movie about Jackie Robinson’s baseball’s career wearing the only number retired by all teams, number 42.[1] What does it have to do with the health of our country? Let me explain. Robinson was humiliated, ridiculed and grossly abused because of being the first African American to join Major
- [Cells and people behave the same--the Aurora, Colorado tragedy](https://hugorodier.com/blog/cells-and-people-behave-same-aurora/) - Our 50 trillion cells work together and cooperate with each other. Even though the networks appear complex, they are ultimately under a central control,[1] which is based on a few simple concepts: “It is a mistake to imagine that complex disease may not be solved by simple approaches or that their causes are not simple.
- [A Gut Feeling](https://hugorodier.com/blog/gut-feeling/) - ~Hugo Rodier, MDSince graduating from Medical School in 1984 and more so after becoming a member of the MA’s Environmental/Public Health committee over 10 years ago I have studied Energy issues documented in Medical and Physics journals. It has become clear to me and many of my colleagues that not only societal but health issues
- [Ask Young Women](https://hugorodier.com/blog/ask-young-women-2/) - For the past few weeks we have been hearing a lot of posturing about reproductive rights. I would like to focus on only part of it, the birth control pill (BCP) issue. With any issue, each generation needs to find its own answers and fight for what they believe in, not what their foggy predecessors
- [Answers to Questions About Milk](https://hugorodier.com/blog/answers-to-questions-about-milk-article/) - After a review of 56 articles was published in the Journal Pediatrics (the voice of the American Academy of Pediatrics-See below) in March 2005, documenting that milk does not strengthen bones, stunned reporters in Salt Lake City took to the streets to interview people. Just about all the mothers with a mic in their face
- [Cutting-edge Science on Heart Disease](https://hugorodier.com/blog/cutting-edge-science-on-heart-disease-2/) - Another ground-breaking article was recently published in the journal Cardiovascular Disease: The diet–microbe morbid union.”[1] The diet–microbe morbid union.” Its implications are astounding; but also, not new. Sadly, many studies like this one have been consistently ignored, as nutrition in general has been ignored as the most practical, economic and wise approach to health and
- [Christmas, Magic, and Health](https://hugorodier.com/blog/christmas-magic-and-hea/) - We may have reached that sad time in my daughter’s life when she stops believing in Santa Claus. Last Christmas she put us on notice that my handwriting on her presents was suspiciously similar to Santa’s. Her passage away from magic may have been accelerated by Miley Cyrus and her bong. Still, as a father,
- [Cancer? Take 2 Aspirins and Call Me in the Morning](https://hugorodier.com/blog/cancer-take-2-aspirins-and-call-me-in/) - You have probably heard that aspirin now lowers the risk of several cancers. This is all well and good. Unfortunately, the researchers in the Lancet study did not elaborate like an Integrative Physician or any common sense person would. Surely you agree that the fact that aspirin—an anti inflammatory—works, then it follows that cancer, is
- [Breast Cancer? Take an Aspirin and Call Me in the Morning](https://hugorodier.com/blog/breast-cancer-take-aspirin-and-call-me/) - I know; a little callous, but an article just came out showing that aspirin reduces the rate of relapse of breast cancer by 50%.[1] If you have not been reading cutting edge medical literature this may seem odd. Well, you may find this other report even more perplexing: women taking antibiotics for 500 days over
- [20-20 Vision Staring 2010](https://hugorodier.com/blog/20-20-vision-staring-2010-2/) - As we start a new decade, let us see what “2020 vision” may have in store for us, according to a landmark issue in the Journal of the American Medical Association: “As a result of rigorous scientific investigation, several therapeutic and preventive modalities currently deemed elements of complementary and alternative medicine will have proven effective.
- [Are You at Higher Risk for the Flu?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/are-you-at-higher-risk-for-flu/) - Yes, if you are insulin resistant and/or overweight. So says the JAMA November 4th2009 (“Factors Associated with Death or Hospitalization Due to Pandemic 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Infection in California,” JAMA 2009;302:1896). But, this is nothing new. Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1931 by demonstrating that our immune system is less
- [Dealing with Chronic Pain: A Missing Tool](https://hugorodier.com/blog/dealing-with-chronic-pain-missing-too/) - Many of us suffer daily with intractable pain for one reason or another. Doctors try to help with pain medications. Other medical workers concentrate on physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic adjustments, hypnotherapy, etc. These modalities are successful in many cases; yet, chronic pain, particularly arthritic inflammation, is seldom dealt with to everyone’s satisfaction. I believe
- [A Stimulating Blog](https://hugorodier.com/blog/stimulating-blog/) - Recently I saw a patient who was over-treated with pharmaceutical drugs. She was on amphetamines and thyroid hormones to pick her up in the morning (she originally complained of fatigue) and sedatives and sleeping pills to bring her down in the evening. Not surprisingly, this regimen only aggravated the fatigue and on top of it,
- [Autism and Vaccines: Are We Being Objective?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/autism-and-vaccines-are-we-being/) - By now you have heard that some people, mostly mothers of autistic children, feel that vaccines may be the reason, or one of the reasons behind the epidemic of autism we are witnessing. You probably have also heard that just about all docs feel there is no causal relationship between autism and vaccines (American J.
- ["To E or not to E" in Cancer?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/to-e-or-not-to-e-in-cancer-2/) - “To E or not to E” in cancer? Despite lots of evidence through the years that very good diets, and the antioxidants therein are helpful to prevent and treat cancer, poor studies still come out once in a while that not only reflect a very poor understanding of nutrition but what antioxidants really are, and
- [Bees Taking Over the Evening News?](https://hugorodier.com/blog/bees-taking-over-evening-news/) - The ads on TV pushing drugs are getting out of hand. Or, am I the only one about to give up on the National TV news in the early evening? It seems like just about every commercial features a drug. Let me quote from the New England J. of Medicine before proceeding: "Correctly done is
- [Childhood Obesity -- An Ecological Solution](https://hugorodier.com/blog/childhood-obesity-ecological-solution/) - This from “Childhood obesity,” JAMA 2007;298:920: “In addressing this disturbing trend and preventing its spread, physicians are challenged to look to the broader environment. Successful treatment will require improving the health of individual patients and the larger community (an “ecological model.”) For physicians, this means reviving their traditional role as trusted advocates for good health
- [Blaming the bug, again](https://hugorodier.com/blog/blaming-bug-again/) - The battle for, or against a vaccine for the Human Papilloma Virus has begun. It is getting so intense, that it made it to the front page of the New York Times, Saturday, February 17th, 2007. Those who advocate for it focus on the suffering of 9,710 women getting cervical cancer, and 3,700 dying from
- [A surprising secret to a long life](https://hugorodier.com/blog/surprising-secret-to-long-life_02/) - The article “A surprising secret to a long life: stay in school,” New York Times, January 3rd, 2007,) was prominently placed on the front page. Perhaps it struck me with more force than it did most people, because I am the only one in my known genealogy who went to college. No doubt, it is
- ["Salus Populi Suprema Lex" -- The health of the people is the supreme law.](https://hugorodier.com/blog/salus-populi-suprema-lex-health-of/) - “Salus Populi Suprema Lex.” The health of the people is the supreme law[1] “The responsibilities of the physician extend not only to the individual but also to society and demand his cooperation and participation in activities which have as their objective the improvement of the health and welfare of the individual and the community... As
- ["Obama-Care"](https://hugorodier.com/blog/obama-care-2/) - Health Care reform is doomed, because it only seeks to fund an unsustainable system of excessive testing, drugs and treatment of symptoms, while neglecting the root causes of disease (nutrition, stress, toxic environments, poverty, greed, etc.) Ironically, President Obama himself has been victimized by this ideology: he recently had a physical with excessive testing (“The
- ["The Other Secret:" Easter Reflections](https://hugorodier.com/blog/other-secret-easter-reflections/) - In our pursuit of happiness we try anything that promises what we don’t have. Some of us turn to religion, others to humanism and to all kinds of “isms.” Today, it seems fashionable to declare what we want and watch it materialize if we believe in this “secret.” This New Age approach does have support

## Pages

- [A Pioneering Physician with an Integrative Vision](https://hugorodier.com/) - The Latest on Integrative Health
- [Fees](https://hugorodier.com/fees-pricing/) - [Request a form to submit to your insurance for reimbursement]
- [Books and Presentations by Dr. Rodier](https://hugorodier.com/books-by-dr-rodier/) - Short AI Video Overview Ebook will be Emailed Expect Ebook within 24hrs Paperback This book offers an integrative approach to healing your digestive tract through diet and nutrition. Based on cutting-edge research, we now know that the gut is the center of health and disease. When our gut environment is out of whack (inundated with
- [Contact](https://hugorodier.com/contact/) - Appointments are only via Zoom, phone, your home, or community library (within Salt Lake County). Click here for Fees. For More Information: Email: doctorrodier@gmail.com Ph. (801) 898-3317 Fax (801) 930-7965 INSURANCE POLICY Cash, credit cards, and checks are accepted. VENMO preferred; no insurance accepted. Note: You may, of course, bill your insurance company after paying for your office
- [About Dr. Hugo Rodier](https://hugorodier.com/about-dr-hugo-rodier/) - Otherwise, he leads a simple life, enjoying the mountains and deserts of Utah, choosing to run outdoors rather than work out in gyms, reading voraciously, and finding delight in his family, which includes children and the entertaining antics of his cat and dogs. Healthy and paid to do what he loves, he considers himself blessed
- [Top 14 Supplements](https://hugorodier.com/top-14-supplements/) - The research on nutritional supplements continues to impress me each year. That being said, when I start patients on a supplement regime for the first time, I don't want to overwhelm them with dozens of pill bottles. That’s why I compiled this list of my top 14 favorite supplements - to make getting your nutrition in a simple
- [Cellular TOIL](https://hugorodier.com/cellular-toil/) - I use a special term, Cellular TOIL, to help people understand the four core contributors to chronic disease: Toxicity, Oxidation, Inflammation, and Lack of optimal mitochondrial energy at the cellular level. Not such nice stuff, but it’s what I treat every day when seeing patients with chronic disease at my clinic in Utah. Take another look at the illustrated image to
- [COVID-19](https://hugorodier.com/covid-19-2/) - Please, follow standard CDC instructions on hygiene and social isolation. If you believe you are infected with the virus, or wish to optimize our immune system to reduce your chances of a poor outcome, I am available for phone consults for $60, the same amount clinics in Salt Lake City are asking. However, my visits
- [Sample Page](https://hugorodier.com/sample-page/) - This is an example page. It's different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there! I'm a bike messenger
- [University of Utah](https://hugorodier.com/university-of-utah/) - Dr. Rodier maintains a continuing and close relationship with the University of Utah as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition and College of Health. In addition, Dr. Rodier is offering Integrative Health Certificate classes starting this Fall (2015) at the University of Utah College of Health.
- [White Papers and Articles](https://hugorodier.com/white-papers-and-articles/) - Metabolomics and the Caduceus: new science and ancient concepts Hugo Rodier, MD. "Doctors routinely measure chemicals in the body to get health information, such as cholesterol and triglycerides. METABOLOMICS, however, involves measuring hundreds or thousands of chemical processes, such as the breakdown of nutrients from diet, going on in the body at the same time,
- [Switching Off Chronic Disease](https://hugorodier.com/switching-off-chronic-disease/)
- [What to Know Before Your First Appointment](https://hugorodier.com/references/what-to-know-before-your-first-appointment/) - Thank you for seeking out our guidance as your begin the journey to heal your body at the cellular level as naturally as possible. We are very thankful you have decided to partner with us to prevent and treat illness. We have compiled a list of things you should be aware of before your visit
- [References](https://hugorodier.com/references/) - I read over 100 medical journals each month in order to stay up to date on the latest nutritional science research and help my patients understand how they can take control of their health by implementing well-researched lifestyle changes. Below you'll find some research references that I find particularly important when taking a naturopathic approach to healing
- [Public Speaker](https://hugorodier.com/public-speaker/) - Dr. Rodier, a radio talk show host and author, is also a popular public speaker with presentations including: Dr. Rodier is an expert at separating fact from fiction in integrative health. He also has a knack for telling memorable stories and using humor to engage his audiences. If you are interested in having Dr.
- [Integrative Health Principles](https://hugorodier.com/health-principles/) - Dr. Rodier practices integrative medicine with the guidance of the following 10 Integrative Principles. They illustrate a holistic approach that emphasizes prevention, patient understanding & empowerment, and natural modalities of healing & nourishing the body & mind. Integration means that no one modality is placed ahead of another. Emphasizing prevention, nutrition, holistic principles, environmental/public health
- [Dietary and Nutritional Supplements](https://hugorodier.com/supplements/) - Coming Soon
- [Common Questions & Answers](https://hugorodier.com/common-questions-answers/) - Q: What is Integrative Medicine? A: It is a new specialty that deals with healing or restoring health by addressing root issues, not just symptoms. Although pharmaceutical drugs do only the latter, they are still part of an integrative approach which focuses more on social, economic, environmental, nutritional, emotional and spiritual issues impacting human health.
- [Adopt a School Program](https://hugorodier.com/adopt-a-school/) - The Utah Medical Association (UMA) recently passed a resolution spearheaded by the Environmental/Public Health Committee (Dr. Rodier is chairman) entitled Adopt-a-School. This program is designed to allow doctors throughout the state of Utah to "adopt" schools and help students integrate lifestyle changes (nutrition and exercise) to mitigate the devastating effects of obesity. For more information visit www.utahmed.org or call 801-355-7477.
- [Rodier Radio Interview December 2017](https://hugorodier.com/rodier-radio-interview-december-2017/) - The Caduceus & Integrative Health
- [Newsletter](https://hugorodier.com/newsletter/) - INTEGRATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION A monthly review of 50 medical journals
- [Open Letter to My Patients](https://hugorodier.com/open-letter-to-my-patients/) - Dear Patients & Friends: I have decided to leave the Pioneer Clinic in Draper and go out on my own. I will be focusing on a cash-based practice, thus avoiding the pitfalls of an insurance-based reimbursement system, not the least is how little time I can spend with patients. To those of you who already
- [Blog Intro](https://hugorodier.com/blog-intro/) - Dr. Hugo Rodier's Blog

## Testimonial

- [](https://hugorodier.com/testimonial/1502/) - I came to see you in June 2015 at PCM Clinic after a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. You helped me to realize that I had to choose between western medicine drugs (prednisone, methotrexate) or the natural approach of healing my gut. I chose to stay off the drugs and I followed your plan. I have
- [](https://hugorodier.com/testimonial/384/) - As a patient, I appreciate that Dr. Rodier has always been able to explain what is happening in my body, especially after other physicians have just shrugged or referred me out to some new specialist. Dr. Rodier devised a protocol that helped me overcome chronic fatigue, and I feel like myself again. I will always
- [](https://hugorodier.com/testimonial/anonymous/) - Hugo Rodier is a rare clinican in general practice. He studies the scientific literature as thoroughly as an academic researcher. I do my own research, and he never ceases to amaze me with what he knows and can cite from memory.
- [](https://hugorodier.com/testimonial/385/) - Dr. Rodier is a bit of a throwback to a time when medicine was about keeping people well and not so much about the business of making money. I love that he is always looking for the most affordable solutions possible.
- [](https://hugorodier.com/testimonial/386/) - Dr. Rodier was a lifesaver. I had gone to every doctor imaginable and my life kept disintegrating right before my eyes, and I was only in my thirties. Dr. Rodier helped me recover from something I had never heard of - small intestinal bacterial overgrowth - and he taught me how to maintain my health

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