Dr. Frykman’s Vibrant Potential Blog

If you’ve been reading or listening to the news recently, you might have seen the attacks on vitamins and antioxidants and thought they weren’t worth consuming. Headlines have declared antioxidants useless, vitamin C to be dangerous, and vitamin E to be deadly.

It seems that nutrition has been under attack lately. So what’s with all of these scare tactics? Is there any science or truth behind these attacks? To answer this question, let’s look at a few things.

First, let’s look at a recent antioxidant study (vitamins E and C). A 9 year study followed more than 8,000 women to determine the effects of antioxidants in preventing heart disease. The study found a SIGNIFICANT reduction in stroke (31 percent) and heart attacks (22 percent) among the women who actually took the vitamins.

But here’s the problem. If you consider all of the women who originally signed up for the study, and include the THOUSANDS who never took the vitamins, then the results show nothing substantial.

I use this example to illustrate how the media manipulates the facts. The media declares antioxidants to be useless because they are considering the measured results of all of the women, including those who didn’t take the antioxidants. This logic is similar to taking a hundred cars that ran out of gas, filling up 40 of them with gasoline, then declaring that gasoline doesn’t make cars run because 60 of them are still on empty.

It sounds absurd, I know, but it’s only the beginning of this story. Time after time, medical researchers and the mainstream media seem to go out of their way to distort scientific studies and misinform readers about the usefulness of vitamins and dietary supplements. And why would they do that?

Because researchers receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants from the drug companies. Their primary revenue source is from studying the effects of pharmaceutical drugs. And the researchers who don’t consistently find positive effects for the drugs are eventually blackballed and shunned from the industry, and find themselves without a job.

There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on researchers from the drug companies to make sure their findings support their financial interests. As an example, 80% of all clinical trials funded by drug companies produce results that are favorable to the financial interests of those companies.

There’s also a lot of pressure to find something wrong with vitamins, dietary supplements, herbs, and nutrition - because these substances compete with pharmaceutical drugs. The truth is, the more people take nutritional supplements, the less they need pharmaceutical drugs because nutrition actually prevents disease.

So one of the best ways to create a strong market for pharmaceutical drugs is to discredit nutritional supplements and make people think they are dangerous or have no health benefits.

This is all quite laughable, given the fact that prescription drugs are now the 4th leading cause of death in America. Did you know that FDA approved drugs kill over 100,000 people each year right now? That’s more Americans than the number that died in the Vietnam War, and this is every year.

The truth is, nothing kills Americans faster than prescription drugs. Not terrorists, not war, not AIDS, not car accidents, and not drunk driving. And how many people have vitamins killed? No one.

It’s sad that the mainstream media, which receives billions of dollars in advertising from the pharmaceutical companies, is now in the business of misinforming the public. Don’t believe all of the hype. Consider who’s funding the studies that keep inventing the dangers of taking herbs, vitamins, and other natural supplements.

High quality vitamins and nutritional supplements are a great way to get the nutrition your body needs to maintain optimal health.

So keep on taking your vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant supplements. You’ll be healthier for it!

Have a great day,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

Isn’t MN weather funny? 82 degrees one weekend and 28 degrees the next. Makes it hard to plan, eh? Chinese medicine tells us that the change of seasons can be a dangerous time for our health due to the hit that our wei chi, or defensive energy, takes.

I thought this would be a good time to share with you some great pointers that keep my family from falling ill. If you do fall ill, you can recover quicker and with less toxic medicine. That way you won’t have to detox it out later!

All the basics still apply here. Make sure you get enough sleep (7-8 hours, more for children), plenty of water (take your weight in pounds, divide that by two and that’s how many ounces you should drink, more if you exercise), lots of exercise balanced with lots of relaxation.

Oh, did you know that Chiropractic adjustments help keep away the viruses as well? That’s right. Instead of getting a flu shot (look to my post script if you want to see what’s in a flu vaccine) try bringing in your family for regular chiropractic tune-ups this year. The adjustments help the nervous system function more effectively which in turn controls the immune system. It also stimulates white blood cell activity, including natural killer cells, which is what keeps our bodies free of cancer. On another level, when I administer any treatment to you, I’m putting energy into your body. Your body will take that energy and use it for healing, digestion, or whatever it needs!

Check out what one patient had to say this autumn after I adjusted her.

I went in to see Dr. Chris because I thought I had an ear infection. He told me that an adjustment would boost my immune system and help my body fight off any infection. I received and awesome adjustment and I hopped off the table and exclaimed, “I feel like a new woman!” The next day I no longer felt any pain in my ear. Thanks Dr. Chris!
Heather K.

I also wanted to let you know about my “conquer the cold and flu” packages. These are awesome! I have put in just the right amount of antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E. Important immune boosting minerals like selenium and zinc. Herbs like Echanacea, ginger and more. I also have eleven different mushroom extracts that help to increase your wei chi.

Email me at DrChris@VibrantPotential.com if you want to know more about Wei Chi, the “conquer the cold and flu” packages, or anything else. I’d love to discuss any of it.

If you want to purchase a “conquer the cold and flu” package you can email me at DrChris@VibrantPotential.com, call me at 952-224-2909, or just let me know when you’re in for your next appointment. You can pick them up here at the clinic or I can arrange to have them mailed to you.

Helping you reach YOUR Vibrant Potential!

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

P.S. Here’s what’s in the 2007 flu shot. (yuck)

3 strains of viruses
A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1)
A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H1N1)
B/Malaysia/2506/2004

Thimerosal (that’s mercury! - why would you put that in your body?)
Hydrocotisone
Gentamincin sulfate
Ovalbumin (that’s egg protein)
Formaldehyde (no big deal as long as you’re a dead frog in a jar!)
Sodium deoxycholate (basically a laundry detergent!)

Wow, what a great list. You know what? Sign me up for the adjustments and natural remedies instead Doc!

There is some important news I wanted to share with you.

A couple of weeks ago, the FDA reported that infants and toddlers should not be given cough or cold medicines any more. The reason why is because these over the counter medicines not only do not work, but they can also cause the children harm.

Then, on October 11, drug makers pulled their infant and children cold and cough medicines off the market. The drug stores have taken these products off the shelves.

The cold medicines being withdrawn include infant versions of Johnson & Johnson’s Pediacare and Tylenol drops, Wyeth’s Dimetapp drops, Novartis’ Triaminic strips and Prestige Brands Holdings’ Little Colds Decongestant.
I’ve seen several quotes from doctors that have said these medicines were never designed to cure colds, but only to treat cold symptoms. And in children under two there is very little evidence they were effective anyway.

For example, check out the quote from this MD:

“It really is a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Rob Nohle, chief of pediatrics for Group Health in Seattle. “Parents feel compelled to give their kids medicine when they’re sick and the data just isn’t there to show the medicine even works.” Nohle said there also isn’t good information about the proper doses children should receive.

“Nothing makes the viral infections go away any quicker,” Nohle said. “The medications just treat symptoms, and parents really should be skeptical about using cough and cold medications. The under-2-year-old population is the highest risk group.”

So what should you do for all the innocent youngsters you care for? Use homeopathic and natural remedies and humidifiers. I let you know about my “conquer the cold and flu” packages last week. For about $100 you can get natural defense against those nasty bugs for the whole family all season long. With this approach you get side benefits of better health instead of side effects… Good Choice! Also have them get a chiropractic adjustment. Chiropractic care is proven to boost the immune system, so the adjustments help with colds and coughs.

But most importantly, do not give young children cold or cough medications. If the government is having these products taken off the shelves, it’s for a good reason. If you have any questions about this, email me at DrChris@VibrantPotential.com or call my office at (952) 224-2909.

Have a great day!

Helping you reach your Vibrant Potential,

Dr. Chris Frykman