I recently attended a seminar focused on recent research and developments related to inflammation, chronic illness and the brain. This information is so important, I wanted to share it with all members of the blog. Part two of this post will be posted later.

Health Care

Dr. Pezzote began the seminar by saying that it is urgent and necessary to put “care” back into the health-care system. Since the advent of the well-intentioned HIPPA mandates for electronic medical data, an unintended consequence has been a decline in the quality of care. Routinely, doctors will be eye-to-eye with their computer screen while talking with the patient. Recent studies are showing that this is degrading patient care. Patients report increasing frustration with doctors and “the system.” Treatment outcomes are more negative. There is an increase in misdiagnosis. The doctor-patient dyad has become fragmented by demands dictated by regulations (HIPPA) and decisions by others (insurance). Medical error is now the third leading cause of death and accounts for more than 10% of all deaths.[2]

Recent studies show that when the doctor interacts face-to-face and eye-to-eye with patients, patients will do better, be diagnosed with less error, and these better outcomes will persist over time. Dr. Pezzote encouraged everyone to insist on being related to in a direct manner by all health care providers.

The Central Importance of Inflammation

Inflammation underlies all chronic illness. However, medical treatment, including the use of drugs, focuses on symptoms resulting from inflammation rather than on treating the causes of inflammation itself. The causes of inflammation involve some degree of exhaustion, malfunction, or breakdown in the immune system. It is the immune system which must be restored to health and kept functioning at optimal levels. Much of modern life works to compromise the immune system. Restoration of the immune system is more an issue of life-style than medical interventions. However, much of what can be done to improve the integrity of the immune system generates little or no profit. In our “profit-first culture,” there is little incentive for promoting what would be most beneficial.

Life expectancy in the United States is 79 years, yet the US ranks only 34^th in the world, while spending the most money on health care and being inefficient to an extreme degree. In contrast to other countries, little or no money is spent in the US on prevention, life-style, meaning and the integration of body-mind-spirit—all factors that have profound effects on inflammation through promoting health and integrity of the immune system.

The US health care system is geared toward profits. There is self-interest in the whole system at all levels for maximizing profit. This is characteristic of all aspects of the culture, not just the health care system. There is much more money to be made from treating the symptoms of illness, than caring for the integrity and vitality of the immune system, most of which can be done in non-medical ways and “for free.” One might say that the health care system in the US is dangerous to your health and well-being. Studies show that 40% of all medical treatments are a result of treatment, through error and factors unrelated to the initial reasons for treatment.

In the United States, seven of the top ten causes of death are due to inflammation-based chronic illness. Twenty percent of all deaths are attributed to inflammation caused by smoking. Twenty percent of all deaths are caused directly by inflammation produced by fat cells resulting from obesity. Obesity is implicated as a factor in seventy percent of all deaths. The obesity epidemic is out of control.

Since 1999, the rate of suicide has increased dramatically. While inflammation is not causally linked to suicide, studies now show that with the rise of the Internet, social media, and economic stress, depression is increasing—despite massive use of anti-depressants. Pain- killer drugs and other drugs are being used as a way to reduce the emotional pain associated with all illness and life difficulties. Alcohol use in relation to this increases the degree of inflammation resulting from all these various factors. Opioid addiction is out of control and is involved in more deaths than guns and automobiles combined.

Stress as a Major Factor in Immune System Risk

Stress is increasing at all levels in our culture and the inflammatory consequences are severe. The emotional pain resulting from stress (just as important as any physical pain) leads to chronic illness via inflammation resulting from the effects of the hormone cortisol. Chronic high levels of cortisol can damage all organ systems, including the brain.

As stress increases, unintended accidents increase. Much of this results from anger that gets out of control, expressing itself in violence, risky behavior, and overdose. The harm to children and domestic partners is extreme and the incidence is rising exponentially. Abuse of various kinds is epidemic.

Stress is promoting addictions at all levels: work, food, drugs, sex, internet, cell phones, TV. The contents and marketing to consumers is directed toward increasing addiction. Nearly 40% of all internet traffic is pornography. People are living to work, rather than working to live. The corporate profit structure contributes to this problem in many ways that are hidden from view and without accountability.

The military provides a good example of the difficulties in dealing with problems. Eighty-seven percent of military personnel report some degree of emotional distress. An equal percentage believes that getting help will ruin their career. As the emotional pain escalates, suicides increase. More military personnel die of suicides than die in battle. Yet, little or nothing is being done about this. Sexual trauma in the military is another result of these pressures. More than 50% of reported rapes are male-male, with 92% of the perpetrators being officers. Only 3% are prosecuted. Of the victims, most are discharged dishonorably, or demoted in rank. Only 15% of reported rapes are against women, but it is estimated that this number is vastly underreported. Rape is mostly an expression of male rage and power and not sexual in nature, though acted out sexually. A third of PTSD cases result from how people are treated in the military rather than from battle-related experiences.

Placebo as Natural Healing Process

For approval, FDA requires only two studies showing stronger results for a drug than for a placebo control. Many studies may be done that do not yield positive results. Once a drug is approved, the FDA sequesters the non-confirming studies in their archives, which remain secret. Some of these studies have been released by court order. In comparing all studies, the effectiveness of the approved drugs has an edge of only 51% to 49%. Considering the alarming side effects of many drugs and the escalating costs, it appears that effective placebo conditions may be a healthy and less expensive alternative than the prescribed drugs. The reason for this is that placebo conditions tend to recruit the body’s natural healing mechanisms, while the prescription medication shifts “belief” to the drug and away from the body itself. It is clear that financial considerations are a primary driver of how drugs get approved and how they get used. There is no money to be made from placebo treatment.

An Interesting Case

Studies show that Ketamine in low doses is having profound effects on severe depression with just a few treatments and with no side effects and no addictive consequences. Insurance will not pay, even though the cost is very low in comparison with anti-depressants. Some special Ketamine clinics are being set up to make this treatment available with safeguards and low cost. Even the American Psychiatric Association cannot ignore these results and has set up a task force on Ketamine use as a treatment for severe depression. Drug companies are rushing to “take over” this use of Ketamine as are other profiteers. Beware of Ketamine scams which are proliferating. Ketamine is a street drug and date-rape drug as well. It is known as “Special K.”

The Key Role of Dental and Oral Health

It is now clear that a primary source of infection that can impact cardiovascular and other systems (including the brain) is the breakdown in the health of teeth, gums and the oral cavity. Poor health and obesity in children is now seen as resulting from poor dental practices and infrequent dental examinations and cleaning. (Most children and adults in poverty cannot obtain good dental care and do not have good habits of self-care. This begins a process of the breakdown of the immune system from early age and insures the development of chronic health problems.) Based on research findings, the recommended protocol for good oral hygiene is to brush upon awakening, brush after each meal, brush before sleep, use a power flosser at least twice a day, and have the teeth cleaned and oral cavity examined by a dental hygienist a minimum of three times a year. The degree of compliance with this protocol is estimated to be 10% at best for the whole population. Insuring proper dental health would reduce overall health care costs by billions of dollars. Much of this can be accomplished by adequate life-style changes involving diet and following the recommended protocol.

[My notes from the second half of the seminar have gone missing. I’ll complete this post when I have found them.]

[1]Notes from a seminar presented by Dr. Angelo Pezzote, Everett WA, May 20, 2016. Dr. Pezzote’s website is available at http://www.doctorangelo.com/SpringAhead.en.html The material summarized here is for educational purposes only and is not intended nor to be construed as medical advice. Consult your health care provider for any questions.

[2]According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).