The Medical Advisor

Dental amalgam, misleadingly marketed as "silver fillings," is a risky filling material containing 50% mercury — a neurotoxin. Consumers for Dental Choice, led by executive director Charlie Brown, has a track record of success in fighting these mercury fillings, succeeding in: Abolishing the gag rule that prohibited dentists from discussing amalgam's mercury with their patients Winning back the dental licenses of persecuted mercury-free dentists Convincing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to mandate amalgam waste control measures Getting an amalgam reduction requirement into an international treaty, the Minamata Convention on Mercury But there was always one major barrier to mercury-free dentistry in the U.S.: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For three decades, the FDA had been dodging its duty to classify — that is, issue a rule for — amalgam. Then Consumers for Dental Choice took action. After assembling plaintiffs, Consumers for Dental Choice sued the FDA...

Photo © AdobeStock.com/ Victor Moussa In June 2021, dietary supplements company NOW (Bloomingdale, IL) purchased from Amazon.com 23 non-NOW turmeric/curcumin supplement products, plus two of its own supplement products, and tested them for potency, heavy metals, labeling accuracy, and potential addition of synthetic curcumin. NOW describes the test results of non-NOW brands as “poor.” Most products passed initial potency tests. Of those that performed poorly in potency tests, one product failed and four others tested low-potency, but none were advertised with a specific label claim. Common label claim problems were discovered, however. Many products were mislabeled to infer that there was more curcumin in the product than was actually present. For instance, a product’s front panel might be labeled as “turmeric curcumin 1650 mg,” but in fact the ingredient listing on the side panel revealed that the 1650 mg represented not just the total amount of turmeric/curcumin in the product but al...

What is NAD+ and What is its Function? Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a coenzyme found in all living cells. It exists in two forms: an oxidized form and a reduced form, which are NAD+ and NADH (H for hydrogen). It is central to energy metabolism and maintaining proper cell function. It plays a crucial role for our mitochondria function, which turn food and oxygen into energy for our body to use. NAD+ also supports the function of sirtuins. Sirtuins are proteins that help protect cells from age-related decline, regulate biological pathways and turn certain genes on and off. However, NAD+ levels decline with age which drive the aging process. NAD+ vs NADH The key question is what ratio of NAD+ does your body need compared to NADH. While the optimal NAD to NADH ratio remains elusive, research suggests that a generally higher NAD to NADH ratio is favorable.  When it comes to a plain NAD label, it’s not wrong to be identified as a NAD booster. Generating more NAD+ will natur...

The Food and Drug Administration claims to follow the science. So why is it attacking ivermectin, a medication it certified in 1996? Earlier this year the agency put out a special  warning  that “you should not use ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19.” The FDA’s statement included words and phrases such as “serious harm,” “hospitalized,” “dangerous,” “very dangerous,” “seizures,” “coma and even death” and “highly toxic.” Any reader would think the FDA was warning against poison pills. In fact, the drug is FDA-approved as a safe and effective antiparasitic. Ivermectin was developed and marketed by Merck & Co. while one of us (Mr. Hooper) worked there years ago. William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering and developing avermectin, which Mr. Campbell and associates modified to create ivermectin. Ivermectin is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. Merck has donated four billion doses t...

Information related to the COVID-19 ('CO' stands for corona, 'VI' for virus, and 'D' for disease) pandemic has been overwhelming and confusing as well. Information is all over the place and various groups are giving conflicting statements. How do you make sense from all these fragmented information? As of August 2021, there are more than 6,000 studies that have been launched to investigate various treatments for COVID-19. You can review the details of these trials on  ClinicalTrials.gov . New ones are being added every day. The aim of this article is to organise and summarise relevant information in one place. Below, we look at the most studied categories.         McCullough et al. Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine, 2020 Most doctors know the need to focus now on early treatment as the most immediate and practical way to reduce hospitalisations and death. This is your guide to help you know your options, and to use with your personal physician. Below,...