I started this Blog because I need an avenue to publicize my views about what I believe is the wrong direction that modern medicine is going with regards to the treatment of many chronic diseases like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. This Blog is meant for both doctors and the public.
I had a health column in a Malaysian newspaper for 11 years (2002-2013). I know I had a sizable following because over the years I met many people who confessed to me that they had actually kept copies of many, or most, or even all of my articles. And I am glad that I had empowered many with alternative views on health compared to what they originally believed; influenced many to change their attitudes towards health; and to improve their lifestyle accordingly.
Many of my articles were critical of the non-healing, symptom-reducing, drug-based model that is the gold standard of modern "evidence-based" medicine when it comes to managing many chronic diseases.
I had criticized the universal use of chemotherapy when studies by oncologists themselves revealed that overall, chemotherapy benefited less than 10% of the patients, yet even the 90% who did not benefit had to suffer the debilitating side effects and also shoulder the high costs. Several oncologists were upset with me and two of them co-authored a rebuttal, which I had also promptly replied (the relevant articles are posted in this Blog). The acting president (then) of the Malaysian Oncological Society made a formal complaint against me to the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), alleging that I was promoting "unproven therapies" and was therefore misleading the public. I faced the MMC preliminary inquiry and stood by my opinons. After the first day of hearing, the complainant withdrew the complaint!
I next turned my attention to the what I believe is the bigger scam that most doctors are willing accomplices - that is using statins to reduce cholesterol levels in almost everyone with hypercholesterolemia, and in some cases, even to extremely low levels. We have been presented with numerous studies to justify using statins for primary (ie. no previous heart disease) and secondary (known to have heart disease) prevention such that most doctors will be surprised that I am calling it a scam. But I am not the only one who believe that we (doctors and the public) all have been hoodwinked by the drug companies and the researchers/experts who cooperated with them. Many articles and even books have been written by cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and other experts exposing this scam, but they are largely ignored because the publicity and campaigns by the billion-dollar drug corporations just drowned and overwhelmed the dissenting views. But how can this be so in the age of "evidence-based" medicine? Won't the evidence just speak for itself?
Well, unfortunately, life is not that simple. And when there are billions of dollars at stake, it gets more complicated. Evidence can be tampered with (sounds familiar?). Most of the studies presented to us are supported or funded by drug companies, simply because nobody else has the huge funds required to execute studies which are large enough to qualify and make evidence-based claims. That is acceptable if the funders do not influence or interfere in the studies, or in the presentation of their outcomes.
In July 2015, The British Medical Journal (BMJ) called for an independent review of the dangers of statins. BMJ editor Fiona Godlee said that the data on the side-effects has been seen only by the drug companies and the researchers. What are presented to the doctors in the journals are summaries and analysis of these data according to the company-sponsored researchers.
The BMJ questioned the validity of recommending mass treatment of healthy people (primary prevention) without independent review of the research findings. This is one clue that things are not as clear as they are made to be - that all those with high cholesterol will benefit from statin therapy. Many other experts have also questioned the validity of the studies and/or their analysis which became the basis of the current "evidence-based" treatment guidelines.
I wrote on this subject (cholesterol, statins and the complicity of the drug companies, researchers and doctors) two years ago, but the newspaper refused to publish one of the articles, saying that there was insufficient proof for my assertions. In protest, I stopped writing for my health column (The Art of Healing). My last article (The Cholesterol Controversy) was published on 13/10/2013. The next article (Are Statins Necessary?) examined the use of statins in treating hypercholesterolemia. It was not published. I waited nearly 2 years hoping that my editor would change his mind. However, despite the damning expose by the editors of top medical journals and experts, my article was still not published. Hence this Blog.
Now even the BMJ editor agrees with me that the analysis and conclusions presented to us are suspect. Please read the relevant articles in this Blog. Please note that these articles were written two years ago, and more controversy has arisen since them. I hope to update on the subject soon.
My next subject is the drug treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM, or simply Diabetes. T1DM will be specifically mentioned when necessary). Here again, I see that the model espoused by modern medicine is that which benefits the drug industry and is terribly disadvantageous for the patients. The diabetic patient invariably will be dependent on more and more anti-diabetic drugs from the time of diagnosis, all the while being under the regular care of his/her doctor. Many will develop various complications despite being compliant with the doctors' advice and drug regimen. I know of an elderly gentleman who is now on 5 anti-diabetic drugs (plus many others for heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol...and this is the typical story for many elderly diabetics) and his kidney function is severely compromised. He was started on just one anti-diabetic drug over 20 years ago when his kidney function was perfectly normal. He regularly visited his doctor and took his medicines. Over the years the drugs and the complications of diabetes gradually increased in number, and all his doctor told him is to get ready for dialysis!
Readers are welcome to read and comment on the articles on Cancer/Chemo and Cholesterol/Statin controversies while I keep busy on finding a better solution for Diabetes.
But first, please read The Drugged Society article (also rejected for publication).
Cheers!
DR AMIR FARID ISAHAK
I had a health column in a Malaysian newspaper for 11 years (2002-2013). I know I had a sizable following because over the years I met many people who confessed to me that they had actually kept copies of many, or most, or even all of my articles. And I am glad that I had empowered many with alternative views on health compared to what they originally believed; influenced many to change their attitudes towards health; and to improve their lifestyle accordingly.
Many of my articles were critical of the non-healing, symptom-reducing, drug-based model that is the gold standard of modern "evidence-based" medicine when it comes to managing many chronic diseases.
I had criticized the universal use of chemotherapy when studies by oncologists themselves revealed that overall, chemotherapy benefited less than 10% of the patients, yet even the 90% who did not benefit had to suffer the debilitating side effects and also shoulder the high costs. Several oncologists were upset with me and two of them co-authored a rebuttal, which I had also promptly replied (the relevant articles are posted in this Blog). The acting president (then) of the Malaysian Oncological Society made a formal complaint against me to the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), alleging that I was promoting "unproven therapies" and was therefore misleading the public. I faced the MMC preliminary inquiry and stood by my opinons. After the first day of hearing, the complainant withdrew the complaint!
I next turned my attention to the what I believe is the bigger scam that most doctors are willing accomplices - that is using statins to reduce cholesterol levels in almost everyone with hypercholesterolemia, and in some cases, even to extremely low levels. We have been presented with numerous studies to justify using statins for primary (ie. no previous heart disease) and secondary (known to have heart disease) prevention such that most doctors will be surprised that I am calling it a scam. But I am not the only one who believe that we (doctors and the public) all have been hoodwinked by the drug companies and the researchers/experts who cooperated with them. Many articles and even books have been written by cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and other experts exposing this scam, but they are largely ignored because the publicity and campaigns by the billion-dollar drug corporations just drowned and overwhelmed the dissenting views. But how can this be so in the age of "evidence-based" medicine? Won't the evidence just speak for itself?
Well, unfortunately, life is not that simple. And when there are billions of dollars at stake, it gets more complicated. Evidence can be tampered with (sounds familiar?). Most of the studies presented to us are supported or funded by drug companies, simply because nobody else has the huge funds required to execute studies which are large enough to qualify and make evidence-based claims. That is acceptable if the funders do not influence or interfere in the studies, or in the presentation of their outcomes.
In July 2015, The British Medical Journal (BMJ) called for an independent review of the dangers of statins. BMJ editor Fiona Godlee said that the data on the side-effects has been seen only by the drug companies and the researchers. What are presented to the doctors in the journals are summaries and analysis of these data according to the company-sponsored researchers.
The BMJ questioned the validity of recommending mass treatment of healthy people (primary prevention) without independent review of the research findings. This is one clue that things are not as clear as they are made to be - that all those with high cholesterol will benefit from statin therapy. Many other experts have also questioned the validity of the studies and/or their analysis which became the basis of the current "evidence-based" treatment guidelines.
I wrote on this subject (cholesterol, statins and the complicity of the drug companies, researchers and doctors) two years ago, but the newspaper refused to publish one of the articles, saying that there was insufficient proof for my assertions. In protest, I stopped writing for my health column (The Art of Healing). My last article (The Cholesterol Controversy) was published on 13/10/2013. The next article (Are Statins Necessary?) examined the use of statins in treating hypercholesterolemia. It was not published. I waited nearly 2 years hoping that my editor would change his mind. However, despite the damning expose by the editors of top medical journals and experts, my article was still not published. Hence this Blog.
Now even the BMJ editor agrees with me that the analysis and conclusions presented to us are suspect. Please read the relevant articles in this Blog. Please note that these articles were written two years ago, and more controversy has arisen since them. I hope to update on the subject soon.
My next subject is the drug treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM, or simply Diabetes. T1DM will be specifically mentioned when necessary). Here again, I see that the model espoused by modern medicine is that which benefits the drug industry and is terribly disadvantageous for the patients. The diabetic patient invariably will be dependent on more and more anti-diabetic drugs from the time of diagnosis, all the while being under the regular care of his/her doctor. Many will develop various complications despite being compliant with the doctors' advice and drug regimen. I know of an elderly gentleman who is now on 5 anti-diabetic drugs (plus many others for heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol...and this is the typical story for many elderly diabetics) and his kidney function is severely compromised. He was started on just one anti-diabetic drug over 20 years ago when his kidney function was perfectly normal. He regularly visited his doctor and took his medicines. Over the years the drugs and the complications of diabetes gradually increased in number, and all his doctor told him is to get ready for dialysis!
Readers are welcome to read and comment on the articles on Cancer/Chemo and Cholesterol/Statin controversies while I keep busy on finding a better solution for Diabetes.
But first, please read The Drugged Society article (also rejected for publication).
Cheers!
DR AMIR FARID ISAHAK
Way to go Doc! We r in good company.
ReplyDeleteBut watch yr back. ... u r going against ze big boyz now.
Teruskan !
ReplyDeleteGood on you mate! My respected doctor!
ReplyDeleteGreat job doc! Thank you very much for your kind sharing. May God bless you abundantly!
ReplyDeleteDoc..boleh tak share pemakanan utk patient yg baru transplant bone marrow?
ReplyDeleteDr.Amir!
ReplyDeleteFinally & Thank You!
Jeya
Keep it up Doc!
ReplyDeleteThe mainstream is all about profit....money, money, money!
Thank you!
Good on you. I agree.
ReplyDeleteSalaam Doc....how then shd we treat diabetes patients if the drugs prescribed are not helping...
ReplyDeleteSalaam Doc....how then shd we treat diabetes patients if the drugs prescribed are not helping...
ReplyDeleteSdr Tuan Azahar, I am Dr Amir's patient. I have diabetes Type 2. Also I am heart patient, having had my coronary bypass in 2001. Three years ago when my glucose level was about 10 or so, my heart specialist wanted to put me on insulin jab. I refused. He made the conclusion based on just glucose readings. I stay away from sugary stuff, no sugar in coffee or tea, no donut, and very little rice, but still the glucose level was between 9 to 13. mmol/l. Then Dr Amir suggested a thorough blood analyses, costing me RM1300. That money was well spent, because then I discovered a host of medical problems I was carrying. Also, unlike other people with diabetes, I discovered that I dont have insulin problem. My insulin level is five times more that the highest reference, which is more than enough. Problem is the insulin in my body doesnot do its job to reduce the sugar level. It is something called Insulin Resistance. The cells cannot get the insulin to get rid off the sugar, maybe because of the receptor problem in the cell. From the Wikipedia, there is a long and highly scientific article on Insulin Resistance. Mind you I have been taking the glucose suppressing drugs all these while for a long time (diabetmin (850 mg), Januvia (sitagluptin phosphate, 100 mg), and diamicron, 60 mg). Apparently these drugs also dont do much to cut down my glucose level. Then Dr Amir suggested that I take the Diabetmin and Januvia together after dinner. That was good, my glucose level which I took before sleep went down. And Diamicron ought to be taken about 15 mins before breakfast. Another thing he recommended was to take blood glucose levels four time a day, before breakfast, before lunch, before dinner and before sleep. I did that for three months, daily (the potable one costs less that RM200). What I found is that during the fasting month my blood glucose levels were very low, somethimes even down to 3.5 mmol/l. That means to say, fasting is good and effective if you have diabetes Type 2. But after raya, with all the kueh, dodol,lemang etc, the glucose went up. So now I am back to maintain the glucose levels by watching what I eat, how much I eat and when I eat. Plus I take lots of fruits and vegetables. However, I found out the nangka fruit is not good, at least for me. The best ones are banana, papaya, watermelon, mango (except Indian mango), pomgranate, kiwi fruits. I blend these fruits and make a nice juice, instead of buying the packed fruit juice from the supermarket. I found out that durian and rambutan are not helping, but once in a while we Malaysian have to eat it also, at least a bit. I have limited my carbohydrate intake, so very little rice now, and no more white bread. My glucose levels are still not satisfactory, as far as I am concerned, and I am still on the herbals I got from Dr Amir. I do some exercise, like brisk walking about one hour in the morning and if the weather is good another hour at night, and a bit of weigth lifting. These are good to reduce the Insulin Resistance. With my medical problems, I wish to emphasis, the diabetes Type 2 is really dangerous. I know of people who had gone blind because of diabetes, and had their legs chopped off. But along the way for us men, we may also develop erectyle ysfunction. That will be disasterous.
ReplyDeleteMr Unknown (I know who you are), thank you for sharing. I actually require my patients to do 4x daily glucose checking only for 1 week (initially, plus every time there is major change in therapy) but many like Mr Unknown get hooked on it and continue because they learn what foods and activities do to their readings. I optimize many hormones and stress on nutrition. I prefer herbal to chemical drugs. One major factor not mentioned in this story is that obese diabetics can expect much improvement by just losing weight. Most of the patients who come to me improved their HbA1c by at least 1. Some even by 2, or more, which is a lot. These are patients who were already under long-term care by other doctors and specialists. I insist they still continue follow-up with their own doctors, but not to tell their doctors they have improved after following my advice and therapy.
ReplyDeleteGood work. You have a good reason to be happy. Dr Ungku
ReplyDeleteBrilliant and astonished reading this post
ReplyDeleteDr. Amir, are you connected to KCS Global solution? It seems that your name is linked to some natural/herbal therapy products . My wife seem interested in their products . Ray
ReplyDelete