And if you or someone you love is battling cancer…you would do well to do further research and your own due diligence, but you can’t afford to ignore it!

And you definitely can’t afford to ignore what could very well be the only natural compound that stops this stealth killer in its tracks :

Hydrazine Sulphate a/k/a Hydrazine Sulfate a/k/a “HZ”

Studies from some of the top cancer research facilities in the world, including Petrov Research Institute of Oncology in St. Petersburg, Russia and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, showed that not only is HZ completely safe … but it may very well be the only treatment on earth that gives terminal cancer patients a second chance at life.

Not only does it wipe out cachexia, studies show that HZ:

o Takes control of cancer and keeps it from spreading
o Halts — even reverses — tumor growth. In fact, it…
o Shrinks tumors up to HALF their original size

And it doesn’t subject you to any of the toxic side effects caused by chemo and radiation.

Not not a light read, but here’s a link with a lot of comprehensive information on HZ and cachexia to get you started on your road back to health without cancer :

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Hydrazine.html

The Australian study concluded: “There is now sufficient evidence to accept the proposition that alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer.”

The study notes that several popular mouthwash brands actually have higher alcohol content than beer or wine. The other obvious difference is that beverages are swallowed, but mouthwash is swished throughout the mouth. Lead researcher, Prof. Michael McCullough told The Daily Telegraph that when alcohol permeates the oral cavity, a toxic metabolite called acetaldehyde can accumulate.

Acetaldehyde is the component of alcohol that makes you feel ill after having too much to drink. And far worse, the Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that acetaldehyde is a “probable human carcinogen.”

Prof. McCullough’s review shows that cigarette smokers who use an alcohol mouthwash daily may have as much as nine times greater risk of oral cancer compared to those who don’t use mouthwash. Alcohol drinkers who use alcohol mouthwash daily may also be at considerably greater risk.

Prof. McCullough recommends that alcohol mouthwash should not be used on a regular basis. And better yet: Find a mouthwash that contains no alcohol.

Alternative medicine pioneer William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., recommends using a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution as a mouthwash twice daily. This is an excellent way to neutralize bacteria that develop along the gum line and contribute to periodontitis (gum disease).

If allowed to build up, bacteria can accumulate in the throat. If the immune system is not functioning at optimum levels, these bacteria may trigger respiratory problems such as pneumonia.

A mouthwash of H2O2 solution is easy to make. Mix one ounce of 35 percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide with 11 ounces of water. For flavoring, a few drops of liquid chlorophyll can be added.

But a word of caution: Do not allow undiluted hydrogen peroxide to come into contact with your skin while mixing the solution.

The most recent whole food casualty: raw almonds.

Studies have shown that eating almonds with a meal can impede glycemic and insulin responses – a welcome benefit for diabetics. In addition, almond intake protects proteins from oxidative damage while delivering vitamin E and other antioxidants, magnesium, calcium, folate, protein, fiber and living enzymes.

But : “Would the benefits of almonds also be true of pasteurized almonds?”

Previous studies, as recently in 2006, used raw California almonds at a time when a raw almond was actually a raw, unprocessed, unpasteurized whole food. Two years later, everything has changed.

More than 200 years ago, Spanish missionaries brought almond cultivation to California where it flourished into an industry that today produces well over one billion pounds of almonds each year – more than 70 percent of the world’s supply. If you eat an almond in the U.S., it came from California.

Two small outbreaks of salmonella – in 2001 and 2004 – were attributed to raw almonds. To reassure the public that almonds are safe to eat, the Almond Board of California (ABC) proposed a mandatory sterilization of all raw almonds produced in California for U.S. consumption. The USDA agreed, and now almonds labeled as “raw” are either irradiated or chemically treated to create a “pasteurized” almond.

This is like burning down a house to solve a mold problem, because both of these pasteurization techniques deplete nutritional value, and might even trigger health problems.

Irradiation exposes food products to extremely high levels of radiation that kill bacteria, parasites and funguses. Animal studies have shown that irradiation may promote chromosome damage, cancer, and other damaging effects.

But the chemical pasteurization process may be even more dangerous.

This technique is called propylene oxide fumigation, which utilizes a chemical compound that the EPA has classified as a probable human carcinogen. And 2008 marks a big year for propylene oxide – exactly 50 years ago food producers began using this chemical to pasteurize nuts, cocoa powder, spices, and other food items. And here’s an interesting note: Propylene oxide was once used in racing fuel, but in 1993 the National Hot Rod Association banned its use because of cancer concerns. And yet this poison is still used to pasteurize foods – EPA and FDA approved!

Could this situation get any worse? Of course.

The FDA has decided that irradiated or propylene oxide fumigated almonds can be labeled as “raw” without notifying consumers that a sterilization process has been used. In other words, we’ve been blatantly betrayed again by the agency that’s supposed to protect us.

There is some good news here, but it’s precious little for most of us.

Just as dairy farmers are allowed to sell unpasteurized milk directly to customers, almond farmers can sell unpasteurized raw almonds at roadside stands. So if you happen to live near a trustworthy small-scale almond farm, you’re in luck.

And there’s an organic loophole. The ABC and USDA allow organic almond growers to use a steam-heat pasteurization method. This technique also depletes nutrients, but has the clear benefit of not causing cancer in lab rats.

And finally, the Almond Board’s pasteurization mandate doesn’t extend to the millions of pounds of raw almonds that California exports each year. So in the interest of preventing infrequent and isolated salmonella incidents, the ABC offers U.S. consumers a nutritionally anemic nut that just might be dangerous, while our neighbors around the world continue to enjoy authentic raw almonds.

I wonder if the FDA will start cracking down on U.S. citizens traveling to Canada to purchase “foreign” raw almonds?

I don’t need a study to tell you where it’s coming from.

It’s coming from Third World countries, and it’s catching a ride to the States with the countless thousands of illegal immigrants that flood across our borders every day.

There have been more than 100 reported cases of Morgellons in San Antonio alone. And unlike our politically correct government, I’m not afraid to tell you that this many cases so close to the Mexican border not only lends credence to the idea that this disease is real, but shows an undeniable correlation between the proximity of the outbreak and that area’s large population of illegal immigrants from south of the border.

The CDC, however, has not yet made the connection between illegal immigrants and Morgellons. They’ve contracted Kaiser-Permanente to conduct a study to get a more precise definition of the disease and to see exactly how common it is. But mark my words: The study is set up to fail.

The tactics of the study are flawed. From 150 to 500 people will be studied – all of them volunteers drawn from Kaiser-Permanente’s 3.4 million customers in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Fresno regions.

So in spite of the fact that there have been 100 reported cases of this ailment in Texas, Kaiser will be looking for this disease hundreds of miles north of the Mexico-California border. And they’ll be looking at people who are already insured and in their records.

But by seeking only insured volunteers for the study, Kaiser-Permanente has effectively barred all illegal aliens from the sample group since they’re not likely to step forward to be recognized for fear of being deported. Subjects will be given blood tests, skin exams… oh, and, psychological evaluations too.

Why on earth would a psych exam be necessary? Because a lot of so-called experts out there think that the whole thing is made-up. It boggles my mind that doctors can pooh- pooh the existence of this disease as psychological … yet there are visible skin lesions that sprout fibers! No doctor seems to be able to explain those away, and last time I checked, no mental disorder had any physical manifestation.

Hilariously, CDC officials actually agree that the study is “limited and won’t give a complete picture of the problem.” SO WHY CONDUCT THE STUDY IN THIS MANNER? You really can’t make this stuff up. These are your tax dollars at work. Does this burn your behind as much as it burns mine?

With this kind of “research” being conducted, it’s unlikely that they’ll ever get to the bottom of Morgellons. To be sure, this disease is a mystery – but the fact that it IS a disease seems difficult to doubt. I’m not sure why there’s such a resistance in the medical community to recognizing this disorder. Though I wouldn’t put it past the arrogance of the medical community to deny Morgellons existence because they like to seem all– powerful: when you project yourself as having the answer to everything, it can be very awkward to have to publicly proclaim, “I don’t know.”

Whatever the reason – the rampant political correctness of the government or the hubris of the medical community – Morgellons will likely continue to spread. Clearly, no one in power feels the need to take it seriously.

Seeing through the CDC,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

This is nothing new, but it bears repeating. I’ve had a particularly crazy week, and so this topic occurred to me as I tried to juggle a nearly impossible schedule. I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.

When I say “stress,” it’s important that I don’t just mean stress with a capital “s” (i.e., losing your job, divorce, major illness, etc.). The little, gnat-like stresses that gnaw at us nearly every day and at every turn of modern life—long lines, minor workplace politics, noisy neighbors, and bad traffic—can be just as brutally devastating to your health. Like lots of bad things, it’s not the ones and twos … it’s that the ones and the twos that add up to fours, fives, sixes, and tens. Stress is cumulative.

Believe it or not, stress and health were linked for the first time back in the 1930s by the scientist Hans Seyle. Seyle was actually the man who first applied the term “stress” to the struggle of all forms of life to adapt to and deal with changes within their environment. Prior to Seyle, stress was little more than an engineering term. But oh, how evocative a term! Anyone who’s experienced stress knows that there’s no better way of describing how it can push you physically, mentally, or emotionally to the breaking point. It’s likely not a coincidence that Seyle conducted his study of stress at what was one of the most trying periods in human history: the era of the Great Depression.

Seyle found that the hormone cortisol – which is linked closely to the adrenal glands that are activated by “fight or flight” responses – has a taxing affect on digestion, reproduction, the immune system and even physical growth. So much so that its long- term presence can have an incredibly negative effect on those functions, even shutting them down. Thus, sustained stress can cause a very real deterioration throughout your body, exposing you to everything from a case of the sniffles to a deadly cancer. Think you’re losing hair because you’re stressed out? Well, you may be right. But as doctors have known for years, stress is most deadly because of its impact on your heart. Depressed? That could be stress, too.

Getting the picture? It’s everywhere, and could be the root cause of so many bad things that it’s impossible to ignore. How often have I told you about supposed wive’s tales being proven to be true by recent studies? It’s not just in your mind that you feel “restored” or “recharged” after a vacation or a weekend getaway. You likely are feeling the restorative effects because your brain and your body are getting that needed break from stress.

So now you’re thinking, “well, no kidding Dr. D – now that you’ve told us that day-to- day life is wearing away at our health, what exactly do you suggest I do about it?”

4 tips for battling stress

In addition to all of the other guidance I give you, take some time to put the following tips into your daily regimen when you can. They won’t make stress go away, and they’re not exactly the equivalent of a two-week Mediterranean cruise, but they’ll help. Remember: it’s important to battle the cumulative effects of stress, and these tips should help.

GET ANGRY!

It’s OK to be annoyed; it’s human. And when you bottle things up, you’re just adding to the pile of cumulative stress. I’m not saying you need to flip out and scream at everyone around you, but when the going gets tough, it doesn’t mean that you should just nod quietly and accept your bad luck. Tell your spouse they’ve upset you. Advise that co- worker that you’re not fond of how they’re behaving or that they’re making your job more difficult. By asserting yourself and your opinion without losing control, you’re actually venting stress. (Hmm…maybe that’s why I’m one of the least stressed out people I know.)

SHIFT YOUR FOCUS

Get a hobby, or don’t be shy about throwing yourself into the one that you already have. Don’t let your schedule deny you the outlet that helps you free your mind. By concentrating your mind on the thing that brings you the most joy – whatever that may be, whether it’s stamp collecting, exercise, dancing, or pottery – you’re actually sloughing off stress, and giving your mind and body the time to recover. It’s like a mini- vacation, and will stop the stress build up.

PUT THE CLOCK TO WORK FOR YOU

Nothing’s more stressful than a deadline, and it only gets worse the closer it gets. If you can turn yourself in a better time manager, even the biggest project can be tackled with less stress. By managing your schedule, you avoid being overworked, which is often one of the most common causes of undue stress.

LAUGH OR CRY

Yup, another cliché. But like so many, it’s true. Both laughing and crying are enormously effective ways to vent stress. If you’ve ever just busted a gut or bawled your eyes out, you know that afterwards there’s often a great rush of good feeling (with a laugh) or a sense of relief (with a cry). You’re human, and emotions are what make you that way. They’re there for a reason: use them. Bottling them up leads to more stress. Not the usual advice I dispense, I know. But something that’s always important to remember.

Taking a “chill pill” as the kids say,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

So now, like an opportunistic infection, the vaccination pushers are seeking another host body to feed on. A new “sobering” report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims that too few adults are getting inoculated. “We really need to get beyond the mentality that vaccines are for kids,” said the CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat. “Vaccines are for everybody.”

Yeah, right.

There are relatively new vaccines that are alleged to protect against shingles, cervical cancer, and whooping cough, but the CDC seems to think that these cure-alls are being underused. According to the study, only 2 percent of the Americans over age 60 have been inoculated against shingles with Zostavax in the first year it’s been on the market. There are two whooping cough boosters – Adacel and Boostrix – yet only 2 percent of adults between 18 and 64 have opted to get the shot. Gardasil, which fights the human papillomavirus (HPV) – an STD that can cause cervical cancer – has been more successful than the others with 10 percent of women between ages 18 and 26 receiving the shot … but the CDC seems to be implying that this isn’t enough.

Schuchat says the CDC “obviously has more work to do” when it comes to spreading the word about these vaccines.

If you ask me, this study has the foul stink of Big Pharma about it.

These vaccines all carry a hefty price tag. The shingles inoculation will set you back $150. The HPV series of shots totals $300. Insurance? Well, as you know coverage varies greatly. And as a culture, we seem to only be gung ho about medical procedures that don’t cost us money out of pocket.

I’m absolutely loving this study – it shows that Big Pharma is taking it on the chin financially – they have these expensive inoculations that just can’t get any traction. Of course, Big Pharma’s got one helluva financial chin, and I’m not under the illusion that this will be a crippling blow. But I’m glad to see that much of the population hasn’t bought into their nonsense. And while I don’t believe that people are avoiding these vaccinations for the reasons that I think they should – primarily because they’re unnecessary, unproven, and potentially dangerous – I’m still happy that they’re staying away.

Of these three vaccines, only Gardasil has the benefit of both an expensive ad campaign and its alleged defense against the dreaded “C” word to help spread the word. But as I’ve said before, you don’t need a vaccination to protect against HPV – you just need to keep your pants on. Let’s be honest: you get HPV when you sleep around, not by walking down the street minding your own business.

As for shingles and whooping cough, these conditions just aren’t common enough to be top of mind in the U.S. The incidence of shingles worldwide is only about three per thousand among healthy adults (a bit higher for those over 65). Whooping cough can be deadly in childhood, but this is largely a disease of the Third World – in the U.S. there’s an average of only about 157 cases per 100,000 people – and 93% of these cases occurred in those under age 10.

So I ask you this: why is anyone surprised that the number of people opting for these vaccines is so low? In fact, it’s a little like getting vaccinated against getting hit by a bus falling out of the sky. Who in their right might would rush right out to the doctor to get a shot – an expensive shot – to defend themselves against a disease they’ll likely never contract in the first place?

Maybe I give Big Pharma too much credit for being evil geniuses … well, at least the “genius” part. I’m sure that they goosed the CDC to help spread the word about all the vaccination goodness the American public is missing out on, but it seems so silly to me. They’ve got to be kidding themselves if they think that some of the obscure vaccinations will catch on among adults. The scare tactics of Merck’s Gardasil campaign give it the best chance to grow in popularity (get this shot or you’re at more risk for cervical cancer!!). But if you ask me the others are doomed. No one likes to get shots, and it’s not like people are going to seek them out at great expense for uncommon ailments.

As I said – people aren’t ducking these inoculations for the reasons that I think they should. But when people say no to vaccinations, I don’t care what their motivation is – it’s still the right decision to keep your sleeves down at all times whenever someone comes around with a needle.

Vaccinating you against inane inoculations,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

Well, here’s some news that could change your mind.

Recently, Orange County celebrated the opening of their Ground Water Replenishment System, which will take sewage water directly from the county bathrooms, filter it through a $490 million purification process and then deposit it back into the county’s water supply where it will, eventually, come out of shower heads and taps. Keep that in mind the next time you see those Botox-addled “real” house fraus guzzling water to maintain their surgically enhanced figures.

Actually, it’s a great idea. And if it grosses you out – and who can blame you if it does – you need to get over it. Whether you realize it or not, we have serious water issues in this country. And recycling sewage water isn’t just safe, it’s also an efficient use of resources to solve an ever-growing problem.

Using recycled sewage water has actually been done for years for landscaping and as irrigation for agriculture to help battle water shortages, but only recently has purification technology advanced to the level where this wastewater can actually be turned into drinking water.

To be clear, the toilet-to-tap water purification systems don’t work exactly like it sounds that they work. I’m sure much of the gross-out factor that’s behind public distrust of these systems comes from the unfortunate and incredibly evocative term “toilet-to-tap.” It’s not quite that direct. It’s not as though what comes out of you on Monday will be cleaned up and potentially going back into you on Friday. The process takes months.

After the toilet water leaves your bathroom, it’s treated and purified through a system of tanks, pipes, and filters. Then it’s allowed to flow into local lakes, where it goes through the same natural filtration system that rainwater goes through – it makes its way through clay, rock, and sand and into underground aquifers where drinking water is drawn from. Of course, once it’s drawn from the groundwater, it’s treated yet again. Make no mistake – that water is as safe to drink.

But that doesn’t mean people are happy about it. According to a survey conducted in San Diego, most people don’t care that toilet-to-tap water is identical to any other kind of treated city water. They don’t want to drink it. Period. In 2000, city officials in water- starved Los Angeles (which, remember, is actually a desert – every ounce of water in that city needs to piped in from someplace else) had to call off a $55 million “toilet-to-tap” project that could’ve solved the water issues for over 120,000 homes.

This public resistance is understandable. But it’s misplaced and groundless fear. In fact, it reminds me quite a bit of the issues of cloned food and genetically modified produce that I’ve written about before. It’s misperception. And we can’t allow misplaced and unfounded public squeamishness to get in the way of something that has the potential to do so much public good.

There are serious drought issues in several parts of the country right now. In Georgia, two years of record-low rainfalls have shriveled up nearly the entire state. Once-thriving lakes have literally turned to vast swaths of muddy puddles. And San Diego is also wrestling with a water crisis. Like L.A., San Diego actually imports 90 percent of its potable water. But the source of this water – the Colorado River – is drying up, too. So of course this begs the question: “Then what?”

The fact is, Orange County is just the first step. You’d better get used to the idea of drinking water that was – at one point, months ago – toilet water. It’s safe and practical and could solve a lot of problems. In fact, those irritating housewives from Orange County could be the perfect spokespeople for toilet-to-tap water treatment – maybe they could help turn it into a status symbol like they do with everything else in their lives. And as long as they only have to say that it “helps fight the effects of drought” rather than having to spell “drought,” they should be OK.

Flushing away more misconceptions,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

So now, like an opportunistic infection, the vaccination pushers are seeking another host body to feed on. A new “sobering” report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims that too few adults are getting inoculated. “We really need to get beyond the mentality that vaccines are for kids,” said the CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat. “Vaccines are for everybody.”

Yeah, right.

There are relatively new vaccines that are alleged to protect against shingles, cervical cancer, and whooping cough, but the CDC seems to think that these cure-alls are being underused. According to the study, only 2 percent of the Americans over age 60 have been inoculated against shingles with Zostavax in the first year it’s been on the market. There are two whooping cough boosters – Adacel and Boostrix – yet only 2 percent of adults between 18 and 64 have opted to get the shot. Gardasil, which fights the human papillomavirus (HPV) – an STD that can cause cervical cancer – has been more successful than the others with 10 percent of women between ages 18 and 26 receiving the shot … but the CDC seems to be implying that this isn’t enough.

Schuchat says the CDC “obviously has more work to do” when it comes to spreading the word about these vaccines.

If you ask me, this study has the foul stink of Big Pharma about it.

These vaccines all carry a hefty price tag. The shingles inoculation will set you back $150. The HPV series of shots totals $300. Insurance? Well, as you know coverage varies greatly. And as a culture, we seem to only be gung ho about medical procedures that don’t cost us money out of pocket.

I’m absolutely loving this study – it shows that Big Pharma is taking it on the chin financially – they have these expensive inoculations that just can’t get any traction. Of course, Big Pharma’s got one helluva financial chin, and I’m not under the illusion that this will be a crippling blow. But I’m glad to see that much of the population hasn’t bought into their nonsense. And while I don’t believe that people are avoiding these vaccinations for the reasons that I think they should – primarily because they’re unnecessary, unproven, and potentially dangerous – I’m still happy that they’re staying away.

Of these three vaccines, only Gardasil has the benefit of both an expensive ad campaign and its alleged defense against the dreaded “C” word to help spread the word. But as I’ve said before, you don’t need a vaccination to protect against HPV – you just need to keep your pants on. Let’s be honest: you get HPV when you sleep around, not by walking down the street minding your own business.

As for shingles and whooping cough, these conditions just aren’t common enough to be top of mind in the U.S. The incidence of shingles worldwide is only about three per thousand among healthy adults (a bit higher for those over 65). Whooping cough can be deadly in childhood, but this is largely a disease of the Third World – in the U.S. there’s an average of only about 157 cases per 100,000 people – and 93% of these cases occurred in those under age 10.

So I ask you this: why is anyone surprised that the number of people opting for these vaccines is so low? In fact, it’s a little like getting vaccinated against getting hit by a bus falling out of the sky. Who in their right might would rush right out to the doctor to get a shot – an expensive shot – to defend themselves against a disease they’ll likely never contract in the first place?

Maybe I give Big Pharma too much credit for being evil geniuses … well, at least the “genius” part. I’m sure that they goosed the CDC to help spread the word about all the vaccination goodness the American public is missing out on, but it seems so silly to me. They’ve got to be kidding themselves if they think that some of the obscure vaccinations will catch on among adults. The scare tactics of Merck’s Gardasil campaign give it the best chance to grow in popularity (get this shot or you’re at more risk for cervical cancer!!). But if you ask me the others are doomed. No one likes to get shots, and it’s not like people are going to seek them out at great expense for uncommon ailments.

As I said – people aren’t ducking these inoculations for the reasons that I think they should. But when people say no to vaccinations, I don’t care what their motivation is – it’s still the right decision to keep your sleeves down at all times whenever someone comes around with a needle.

Vaccinating you against inane inoculations,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

The initial autopsy on Ledger was “inconclusive,” but now the New York City medical examiner’s office has released toxicology reports revealing that Ledger died of “acute intoxication” from a combination of prescription medicines – two kinds of sleep aids, two anti-anxiety drugs, and two different painkillers. The official cause of Ledger’s death is now listed as “accidental overdose.”

It’s sad, of course. But many of the so-called “experts” who are quoted in the news stories are turning Ledger’s overdose into an object lesson on the dangers of mixing prescription medications. And how they’ve reached this conclusion is a little beyond me.

If you’re one of the many people who routinely take a combination prescription drugs under the supervision of your doctor, DON’T PANIC. While a degree of common sense is certainly required when taking multiple prescriptions, I’m here to tell you that it’s not likely that Ledger died because he mixed up his pills. But that’s exactly the spin that’s being put on this story.

A pharmacologist professor from Duke University commented on the overdose by saying, “This is not rock star wretched excess. This is a situation that could happen to plenty of people with prescriptions for these kinds of drugs.”

A medical toxicologist from the NYU School of Medicine said, “If you see one doctor for one thing and you see another doctor for another thing, neither the physician nor the patient may realize they’re getting two similar medications.” And then she followed up with this amazing statement: “Patients should be aware that this happens on a regular basis and it doesn’t just happen to celebrities.”

Yes, Ledger’s death is tragic. Yes, he was only 28. Yes, it’s sad that he leaves behind a two-year-old daughter. I’ll even agree that he was a talented actor. But it seems that the Hollywood spin machine has gotten their hands on this story and twisted it into a case of a patient being killed because he confused his medications. And that’s not only a laughable conclusion, but also an incredibly irresponsible one for ANY doctor to imply. Heath Ledger, like many other substance abusers, imbibed a frightening combination of powerful narcotics in an attempt to get high, and it killed him. Plain and simple.

Let’s all just take a moment and review the facts here. First of all, let’s take a look at the medications in Ledger’s system: The narcotic/painkiller Oxycodone (better known as Perodan and OxyContin); the narcotic/painkiller Hydrocode (also known as Vicodin); the anti-anxiety drug Diazepam (you know it as Valium); and the anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam (that’s Xanax). I’ll spare you the medical names for the prescription sleeping pills he took – Unisom and Restoril.

What did that professor from Duke say? That this “wasn’t rock star wretched excess?” She’s got to be kidding. All you need to do is glance at the entertainment section of any newspaper and you’ll see stories about celebrities battling with addictions to JUST ONE of the drugs that were found in Ledger’s system. But Ledger seems to have popped down a greatest hits line-up of all the most popularly abused prescription drugs.

And yet Newsweek has actually run a story with a headline that reads “A Tragic Lesson: Could Heath Ledger’s overdose have been prevented?” You don’t even have to read the article; I’ll tell you the answer right now: yes. If Ledger wasn’t abusing prescription drugs, he wouldn’t have overdosed and died. Period. And you only need to see one TV commercial for a prescription sleeping pill to realize that they must be taken with great caution. And yet Ledger took TWO KINDS of prescription sleeping pills (and who knows how many of each), and then washed them down with FOUR OTHER KINDS OF NARCOTIC.

Still, the Newsweek article focuses on consumers’ “lack of awareness” about the risks of certain drugs, and mentions that Ledger had told the press that he’d “had difficulty sleeping” last fall. So that somehow excuses taking six narcotics in one sitting? Whatever happened to a warm glass of milk?

There’s an ambiguity to the term “accidental overdose.” It implies a mistake. But the media is using it in a way where that implication puts Ledger in the same category as, say, a grandmother who dies because she somehow misunderstood the directions on her prescription bottle. It’s ridiculous. How many heroin addicts do you think overdose on purpose?

I’m not quite sure why it is that no one seems willing to call a spade a spade in the case of Ledger’s death. And it sickens me that there are people in the medical community so willing to jump on board of the party line and act as though what happened to Ledger could just as easily happen to anyone. It couldn’t. I can’t speculate on whether or not Ledger was trying to commit suicide. A head of forensic Science at John Jay College commented that “this was not a deliberate attempt to kill himself.” Maybe not. But it was definitely a deliberate attempt to get high. What’s even more amazing is that these doctors are pointing to the dangers of multiple prescriptions in spite of the reports that Ledger had been struggling with substance abuse for years.

Are Americans overmedicated? Definitely. Are there potential dangers to taking multiple prescription drugs? Of course. But if you’re patient on two or three prescription medications, should you fear that you’re about to become the next Heath Ledger? Unless you routinely abuse those medications, the answer is a resounding no.

Prescribing common sense daily,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

Until now.

A new study was recently released suggesting that the health benefits of the sun actually OUTWEIGH its risks—specifically the risk of skin cancer. Wow. That might be the closest they’ve ever gotten to getting it right.

Everyone’s worried about developing malignant melanoma, but as I’ve written before, the sun DOES NOT cause melanoma or any other kind of fatal cancer. Dermatologists continually warn that it does, but they have absolutely no scientific basis for this assertion. Of course, if you want to spend hours and hours in the sun, it’ll turn your skin dark and leathery, and you’ll wind up looking like a shriveled prune. But it won’t give you skin cancer.

The truth is that a LACK of adequate sunlight is a strong factor in the development of melanoma. And it’s no wonder. Exposure to sunshine spurs your body to produce vitamin D, and studies continue to prove that an increase in vitamin D helps defend you from certain forms of cancer. That’s right: Exposure to the sun can actually help PROTECT you from cancer—including melanoma.

That’s because vitamin D’s chief benefit is that it helps your body’s immune system work properly, which is what makes it such an effective ally in the battle against cancer.

A reasonable amount of sunscreen-free natural sun exposure is ESSENTIAL to your health. I don’t care that the American Academy of Dermatology maintains that sunscreens are necessary in the fight against skin cancer. That is pure hooey, and there is no scientific justification for it.

A good rule of thumb is to stay in the sun—without sunscreen—until your skin gets just slightly pink, then head back inside. But just because you’re soaking up the sun’s rays doesn’t necessarily mean you’re soaking in all of the vitamin D you need.

The sun’s rays simply aren’t as strong in places that are farther from the equator, like Britain and Scandinavia. The results of this study reaffirmed this when it found that Australians produced 3.4 times more vitamin D than people living in Britain, and 4.8 times more than people who live in Scandinavia—even when they had the same amount of sun exposure.

All the more reason to have your blood level of vitamin D tested. An optimal level is 45 to 50 ng/ml. If you need to supplement with vitamin D, be sure to use the D3 form, and not the D2 form. And wherever you are, try to get a healthy dose of sun as often as you can.

Keeping a sunny disposition on sun exposure,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

p.s. I’ve lived in the tropics for a considerable amount of my life and make sure to get my sun ration every day. I’ve never had a problem with skin cancer or any of the other media-hyped diseases supposedly “caused” by the sun. Don’t let the anti-sun propagandists scare you away from doing what’s really healthy.