The Dangers of Blood Transfusion Reconsidering Needless Surgeries
by Jim Howenstine, MD
Excessive use of blood transfusions is a generally overlooked cause of death that demands greater consideration. Conservative study of blood transfusions estimates that at least 25% are unnecessary.1 Ten percent of all patients entering hospitals are given blood transfusions. Blood transfusions are frequently given for anemia, but their use may cause greater problems than the benefits.
Why Are Blood Transfusions Dangerous?
In the United States, there are about 500,000 heart bypass operations performed each year. Researchers at the University of Michigan studied 9218 persons aged 65 or older who had coronary bypass surgery. They learned that patients who had received blood transfusions were five times more likely to die2 within 100 days of the surgery than patients who were not transfused. More than 66% of the men and 88% of the women having this operation receive blood transfusions. Women had a nine-percent death rate within 100 days of this operation, but only six percent of men die in the same time interval. The primary cause for death in these bypass patients is infection at a site unrelated to the operative procedure.
The odds on developing an infection were three times higher in bypass patients who had received a blood transfusion when compared to patients who were not transfused during the surgery. The more units of blood transfused, the greater the risk of infection. If transfusions are dangerous, it is easy to understand why more women die than men because their smaller blood volume causes them to receive more blood.
Coronary artery bypass operations are a huge stress for an elderly person. The stress of such surgery causes profound immunosuppression in the body. This means that the body will not be able to do a good job fighting off infections and the spread of cancer cells for several months after this surgery.
Of even greater importance are the adverse effects of transfusion itself. What are these transfusions doing to the human body? Some undesirable effects of transfusion include the following:
- The infections seen are not at the operative site but are randomly scattered throughout the body, suggesting the immune system is not capable of preventing serious infections. Something has injured the immune system.
- Blood transfusions are placing an enormous burden on the immune system in patients getting this surgery.
- Every individual's blood is unique. Each person's blood contains dozens of antigens capable of producing adverse responses in the blood recipient (inhaled antigens, poorly digested proteins the bloodstream was unable to absorb, tumor antigens, and antibodies directed against parts of the body perceived as foreign, (auto antibodies to islet cells, bronchial epithelium, synovial membranes, etc.)
Blood may also contain cigarette smoke, pesticides, herbicides, inhalant cleaning substances, chemicals, etc. - We are all constantly fighting off infections. Donated blood may also contain viral, bacterial, spirochetal, parasitic, and fungal organisms the donor was battling. For example, it is estimated that one in every six persons3 in the world is currently infected with Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes. This means the person whose blood is given may have pathogens in this blood capable of causing colds, gingivitis, sinusitis, or even a serious infection for the recipient. All blood can and does transmit infectious agents (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic, spirochetal) present in donated blood. Given to a healthy person this would usually not cause a fatal problem ,but given to an immuno-suppressed patient trying to recuperate from a major operation, a transfusion may become the straw that broke the camel's back.
- The most important pathogen in blood probably is Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb),
which causes Lyme disease. Borrelia is not tested for in donated blood. It is easy to understand how a patient, seriously ill after bypass surgery, could be overwhelmed by the onset of Lyme disease postoperatively. Lyme disease is rampant, because it is easily spread person to person. Most patients with Lyme disease have a silent infection that does not become evident until some serious incident damages their immune system (major surgery, accident, infection, immune injury from alcohol, drugs, insomnia, stress, etc). This means there are millions of persons walking around whose blood would be dangerous to receive because they look okay but have Bb spirochetes.
- It's currently impossible to diagnose Lyme disease accurately, because the two best tests for the disease are no longer available (blood culture [Dr. Lida Mattman], Q-RIBb [Dr. Jo Anne Whitaker]). These tests were foolproof because growing spirochetes out of the blood or visualizing pieces of spirochetes in blood samples constitutes undeniable proof of diagnosis. Remember, one person in six has the Bb spirochetes in their blood, so if you receive six units of blood, you have a very good chance of getting Bb spirochetes. We will never know how many postoperative deaths in transfused patients are caused by undiagnosed Lyme disease, because there are no reliable tests available to diagnose this disease. Chagas's disease (parasitic illness) from Latin America damages the heart and is almost certainly being infused into unfortunate persons getting blood transfusions these days. Neither Chagas's disease nor Lyme is likely to be thought of in the postoperative period.
- Diagnosable transfusion reactions (chills, fever, skin rash) occur in one out of every 100 transfused persons. A major operation like bypass surgery causes a profound immunosuppressive reaction. This damages the body's ability to kill bacteria and cancer cells for several months. The immunosuppressive state in colon cancer surgery can be blocked by the use of Tagamet taken before or started shortly after the colon operation. Patients treated with Tagamet for one year have a significantly higher survival rate4 than controls not receiving Tagamet.
A Closer Look at a Common Surgical Procedure
What Goes on During Coronary Bypass Surgery?
Approximately one-third of coronary bypass operations are done without using a pump to circulate blood to the organs and brain, while two-thirds use a pump during the surgery. Suturing a muscular organ's arteries is not easy to perform with the heart actively beating. When the pump is used, the heart is stopped, which makes the technical aspect of this surgery easier to perform. When the operation is finished, the heart is given an electrical shock to restart normal contractions. In general, bypass of only one coronary artery takes about 45 minutes, while bypass of two or more coronary arteries takes about two hours.
When the pump is used, the first portion of the aorta is cross-clamped. This prevents blood from refluxing into the heart. Careful cross-clamping of the aorta unavoidably does cause some extrusion of small easily fractured pieces of the arteriosclerotic plaque containing ascending aorta. These pieces of plaque may produce signs of small strokes noted in the postoperative period. Heparin is used during the surgery to prevent blood clots from forming. As blood circulates through the pump, there is unavoidable trauma to red blood cells, causing some of them to become ruptured.
During the operation, there is no way to prevent free radicals and cellular waste-products from building up in the portion of the aorta near the cross clamp, because this blood does not circulate freely during the surgery. When the cross-clamping of the aorta is released at the end of the operation, a rapid shower of free radicals and acid wastes is promptly brought to the brain and other sites. These free radicals and wastes are injurious to the very sensitive neurons of the cerebral cortex. Some neurons are certainly lost during this process with every bypass operation. The damage from waste substances and free radicals can be probably prevented by use of propolis5 injected at the same time the clamp is released because of its powerful antioxidant capability.
Bypass surgery thus has three distinct phases during which injury to brain tissue may occur:
Trauma to ascending aorta during cross clamping releases small emboli of plaque tissue that can cause small strokes.
Despite use of heparin, small clots may be formed during the surgery at sites of slower blood flow such as the aorta near the cross clamp. These clots can pass to the brain, causing strokes and damage to other tissues.
Release of the cross clamp allows a flood of relatively stagnant blood to pass to the brain. This poorly oxygenated acidic blood causes death of some neurons.
Survivors of bypass surgery frequently admit they are not as sharp mentally as they were before the operation.
Background: What Causes Arteriosclerosis?
There are four primary causes for arteriosclerosis:
Deposition of toxic metals in the endothelium of the arterioles
Infections in the endothelium produce inflammation leading to scarring and narrowing of narrowing of the lumen of the arteriole
Deficiency of vitamin C
Excessive levels of homocysteine in the blood
Fifty percent of patients having heart attacks have normal cholesterol values. Abnormal cholesterol values play a minor role in the causation of arteriosclerosis despite what pharmaceutical ads would like us to believe. Correction of these metabolic abnormalities with therapies that remove toxic metals (chelation), cure infections, restore vitamin C stores, and correct elevated homocysteine values are more sensible than performing a surgical procedure for what is a degenerative process in arteries.
Endothelial Function of Arterioles
An important new concept about arteries relates to the inner lining of arterial blood vessels adjacent to the flowing blood (endothelium). This lining tissue generates the powerful arterial vessel dilator nitric oxide. The endothelium also produces prostacyclin, which slows the clotting of blood and causes dilating of arteries.
A third important endothelial product is heparin, a potent substance that helps prevent clots from forming. Excessive deposition of heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, iron, uranium) in the endothelium diminishes the endothelium's ability to produce nitric oxide, prostacyclin, and heparin.6 Chelation may restore the body's ability to create these important substances by removing these metals from the endothelial lining.
Avoiding Needless Bypass Surgery
Chelation Therapy of Toxic Metals
One of the leading authorities in chelation therapy, Dr. Gary Gordon, has developed an oral chelation product Essential Daily Defense (EDD). EDD contains niacin, garlic powder, calcium EDTA, MSM (methyl sulfane methane), malic acid, betaine HCL, carrageenan, papain, silica, dl methionine, beta-sitosterol, crataegus 6x (hawthorne berry), modified cellulose gum, cholesterol-free stearic acid, and gelatin. Dr. Gordon often relates that he has never seen a stroke or heart attack in 30 years of patients taking his long-term oral chelation combined with anticoagulation using the safe, natural, anti-clotting substance (carrageenan [red algae] Natural Cellular Defense).
Iron is now being recognized as a health hazard. The malic acid in EDD derived from apples binds iron and decreases iron stores in the body. This does not proceed to a state where iron deficiency anemia appears but it does lead to decreased production of free radicals, which is, of course, desirable. One of the most important components in EDD is the sulfated polysaccharide derived from red algae. This polysaccharide interacts with EDTA to produce a definite decrease in the clotting tendency of blood (lower viscosity due to heparin).
This decrease in viscosity permits blood to flow more freely, which requires less work by the heart. Additionally, this heparin anti-clotting effect acquired with EDD therapy makes it nearly impossible for a patient to have a heart attack, stroke, or gangrene. In this state of absent clotting and high antioxidant activity from EDTA, atherosclerotic plaques are slowly and steadily dissolved. There is no problem with bleeding. EDD also contains garlic, which binds mercury, facilitating its removal from the body. EDD is proving so effective that many practitioners are switching from intravenous chelation to oral use of EDD. This is simpler and less expensive for patients.
Anyone taking EDD also needs to be taking a good vitamin/mineral supplement, because, over time, EDD can deplete the body of desirable minerals (calcium, magnesium). Yet a good supplement alone is not enough to prevent illness. Half of all Americans are taking a daily multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. The results of this supplementation are less than optimal because our bodies are being steadily poisoned by toxic substances found in our water, food, and air.
Infection and Arteriosclerosis
About 35% of persons who experience a heart attack or stroke have a history of an acute infection in the days immediately prior to the vascular clot. Infections are known to be associated with a tendency for clot formation. A major advance in diagnosing arteriosclerotic heart disease was the discovery that elevation in the sedimentation rates and CRP values are a valuable predictor of an impeding heart attack.
Therapy to treat inflammation gives the clinician the opportunity to stop vascular obstructions before they happen. Both these tests, when positive, strongly suggest there is an inflammatory reaction, probably infectious, somewhere in the body.
Dr. Robert Genko, editor of the American Academy of Periodontal Journal, states that persons with gingival disease are 27 times more likely to suffer a heart attack than are persons with healthy gums. An American Heart Association paper revealed that 85% of heart attack victims had gum disease, compared to only 29% of healthy similar patients.
Narrowing of the carotid arteries in the neck was 50% greater in elderly patients with gum disease when compared to similar patients without gum disease. The cause for this narrowing of arteries in the heart and neck has not been defined but may relate to the adverse effects inflammatory (infectious) conditions have in producing arteriosclerosis. It appears likely that bacteria are being released from diseased gums and other sites of infections into the blood where they lodge in neck, heart, and other arteries.
There are many causes for inflammatory reactions in the body, but when gingivitis is found, it can be healed with Oral Guard. Oral Guard, which is full of valuable nutrients, rapidly reverses gingivitis when sprayed several times daily on the gums. One of the best therapies for reversing inflammation is the herbal product cucurmin (tumeric) found in health food stores. Chronic inflammation in any site (sinuses, bronchi, prostate) should be treated. Root canals are a very important source of infection that has no effective therapy other than removal of the infected tooth.
I prefer natural therapies for infections because, unlike all antibiotic drugs, they do not kill the healthy bacteria in our intestines. Loss of these good bacteria damages the immune system. Other valuable therapies to eliminate infections are garlic, essential oil of oregano, and Argentyn 23.
Vitamin C and Arteriosclerosis
Dr. Linus Pauling and his associates were convinced that the arteriosclerotic plaque is formed because of a deficiency of vitamin C. In their explanation of arteriosclerosis, the structural protein (collagen) of arteries is lacking due to vitamin C deficiency. This causes the body to supply lipoprotein(a) to these weak areas in an attempt to patch the weakness. Lipoprotein(a) is very sticky, and when it deposits onto an injured artery's surface, it collects platelets, calcium, fibrin, and cholesterol that cause a deposit (plaque) that narrows the opening in the artery.
These narrowed openings can proceed to clot over (heart attack, stroke, or gangrene) and produce symptoms (angina, leg pain with exertion, brain symptoms from lack of adequate blood flow), and small pieces of fibrin clot may break off the plaque and be thrown to arteries more distant, again producing strokes, heart attack, and gangrene.
In 1994, Dr. Pauling and his associates announced that arteriosclerosis could be cured by a substance important in making collagen (lysine 6 grams daily) and large doses of vitamin C (six grams daily). The Pauling associates have never seen an individual who was taking ten grams of vitamin C daily who had any evidence of arteriosclerosis. Ninety-five percent of patients with advanced arteriosclerosis admitted they took no vitamin C or less than 500 mg daily. This result has been confirmed by the Life Extension Foundation of Hollywood, Florida.
The Pauling associates relate that end-stage arteriosclerosis patients have been completely cured by high-dosage vitamin C and lysine, often within weeks. These individuals' anginal pain disappears, blood pressure drops, arterial blockages disappear, lipid profiles become normal, and energy increases. They can then pass treadmill tests normally. Dr. Julian Whitaker has seen many patients with severe angina, positive treadmills, who received dire warnings about impending death without bypass surgery, and who instead become asymptomatic and so far removed from arteriosclerosis they are able to participate in marathon races and other stressful activities after embarking on a rational program to eliminate arteriosclerosis.
Human beings and guinea pigs are unable to manufacture vitamin C. Depriving guinea pigs of vitamin C leads to the production of arteriosclerotic lesions similar to human arteriosclerosis. No plaque forms in control guinea pigs getting vitamin C. Dr. K. McCulley has shown that guinea pigs depleted of vitamin C get high blood levels of homocysteine, whereas the control guinea pigs receiving vitamin C have normal homocysteine values. Animals other than guinea pigs do not develop arteriosclerosis.
The human arteriosclerosis plaques are located at sites where stress to blood vessels occurs from the impact of the arterial stream of blood rather than in a random fashion – which would be expected to occur if a toxic material in blood – i.e., cholesterol – was the cause of arteriosclerosis. All this evidence makes a strong argument that lack of vitamin C causes arteriosclerosis and that taking large quantities (six grams daily) of vitamin C along with lysine (six grams daily) can heal arteriosclerotic arteries.
Homocysteine Levels Correlate Well with Risk of Death from Heart Disease
A Norwegian7 study discovered that in 587 patients with coronary heart disease, the risk of death within four years was proportional to total plasma homocysteine level. The risk rose from 3.8% with homocysteine below 9 micromols per liter to 24.7% in patients with homocysteine levels above 15 micromols per liter. The only way to be certain that you are getting the proper dosage of folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and trimethylglycine to treat homocysteine excess is to have regular blood homocysteine tests. Each three-unit increase in HC causes a 35% increase8 in the risk of heart attack.
Trimethylglycine (TMG) – also called Glycine Betaine – is the most effective9 agent to lower homocysteine levels. The usual dose is 500 mg three times daily. If HC levels have not fallen adequately, up to 9000 mg of TMG may be needed daily. Folic acid (800 mcg with each meal) and 1000 mcg of B12 daily are necessary. B6 (pyridoxine) reduces homocysteine by a different mechanism than folic acid. The dose of B6 should be 100 to 200 mg daily.
In a patient with previous bypass surgery, angina reappeared along with new areas of blockage of heart arteries. This man was taking 15,000 mcg of folic acid daily. His blood homocysteine (HC) level was very high risk at 18. On six grams daily of trimethylglycine, his HC fell to 4 in one month. Trimethylglycine functions in treating elevated HC levels by donating methyl groups, which convert homocysteine to the harmless amino acid methionine.
Concerns About Bypass Surgery
In 1977, the first extensive evaluation of cardiac surgery for arteriosclerosis was done. This evaluation of 596 patients treated with bypass surgery or drug therapy revealed that surgery was no better than drug therapy. Eugene Braunwald,10 highly respected Chief of Cardiology at Harvard Medical School, commented 30 years ago that, "an industry is being built around this operation. It is developing a momentum of its own, and as time passes, it will be progressively more difficult and costly to curtail it." In 1984, another large study involving 780 patients again disclosed no advantage for surgery over drug therapy.
Natural therapies are far more effective than drugs, which are unable to reverse arteriosclerosis. Knowledge of these therapies, however, has been systematically suppressed by the Big Pharma-controlled media in the US. Linus Pauling cured arteriosclerosis and was ignored in the mass media.
Coronary artery repair by angioplasty, stent placement, and coronary artery bypass are procedures that have become a huge industry in the United States. The reason that surgery fails to improve the long-term results may be that surgery is treating the symptoms of arteriosclerosis (chest pain, heart attack), but not really reversing the causes for arteriosclerosis. Aggressive measures using the Mediterranean diet, nutrients CoQ10, vitamin C, lysine, trimethyl glycine, L-Arginine, N-Acetyl Cysteine, B complex to control homocysteine, cessation of cigarettes, blood pressure control in hypertensives, Vitalzym, nattokinase or Lumbrokinase to prevent clotting, oral chelation with Essential Daily Defense, and liberal use of essential omega 3 fatty acids have the potential in motivated patients to achieve far better results than surgery because these therapies reverse arteriosclerosis.
There is an unrecognized serious mortality from coronary artery bypass surgery when patients are followed 100 days for the full morbidity of blood transfusion damage to the immune system to become manifest (nine-percent deaths in women and six-percent deaths in men). Between 1.5% and 5.2% of patients have a stroke11 under anesthesia during coronary bypass surgery. Other patients experience loss of memory and difficulty focusing attention following coronary bypass surgery. These problems are probably due to brain cell injury and death from small emboli and reperfusion acidosis following the surgery. Reintroduction of blood into the cerebral circulation after the bypass is completed causes the rapid appearance of oxygen-deprived free radicals, which can damage the fat-containing brain cells. As mentioned previously, the propolis from honey can protect12 the brain from this type injury by virtue of its strong antioxidant effects.
Harvard cardiologist Dr. Thomas Graboys believes that 90% of the 740,000 coronary bypass operations and 600,000 angioplasties performed annually in the US are unnecessary. A large population study disclosed that angioplasty (forcible opening of narrowed heart arteries with a balloon) performed three to 28 days after a heart attack failed to prevent death,13 new heart attacks, and heart failure.
Furthermore, in a four-year follow-up of these patients, there were more new heart attacks in the patients who received angioplasties than the group treated conservatively with alternative health therapies (eliminating toxic metals from endothelium with long term oral chelation; treating endothelial infections with turmeric; using high doses of vitamin C and lysine [Linus Pauling]; taking N-acetyl cysteine, L-arginine; lowering homocysteine values with pyridoxine, folic acid, B12 and trimethylglycine; curtailing sugar intake; and following Mediterranean diet. Excessive sugar intake14 is now regarded as the number-one risk factor for heart attacks in women and second-highest risk factor in men.
Often, the sales pitch that encourages patients to have bypass surgery, angioplasties and stent placement is based on fear. (You are a walking time bomb. You could drop dead any moment!!) All decisions based on fear are emotional rather than a rational consideration of scientific truth. Frightened patients readily accept surgical therapies.
Any therapy based on mechanical repair of narrowed arteries is doomed to failure because it fails to deal with the root cause for arteriosclerosis, which is a degenerative metabolic disorder caused by toxic metals, infections, vitamin C deficiency, and homocysteine excess. There would be dramatic declines in the death rate15 from cardiovascular disease if all bypasses, angioplasties, and stents were banned.
In my opinion, bypass surgery should be terminated for the following reasons:
Bypass operations have no effect on the primary cause of this heart
disease(arteriosclerosis).
Alternative health therapies exist that reverse arteriosclerosis safely in a few weeks without the risk of surgery.
The death rate from bypass surgery at 100 days (nine percent in women and six percent in men) would be a serious problem even if this operation could heal arteriosclerosis.
This surgery exposes many persons to the risk of a serious infectious disease (Lyme disease), which is nearly impossible to accurately diagnose at this time and requires complex therapy to eradicate.
A Serious Concern for Blood Transfusions: Important Information About Lyme Disease (Borrelia Burgdorferi Infection)
Lyme disease was originally regarded as an uncommon illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi (Bb). The disease transmission was thought to be solely by the bite from a tick infected with this parasite. The Bb spirochete is able to burrow into tendons, muscle cells, ligaments, and directly into organs. A classic bulls-eye rash is often visible in the early stages of the illness. Later in the illness, the disease can affect the heart, nervous system, joints, and other organs.
It is now realized that the disease can mimic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Bell's palsy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, neuritis, psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, heart failure, angina, irregular heart rhythms, fibromyalgia, dermatitis, autoimmune disease such as scleroderma and lupus, eye inflammatory reactions, sudden deafness, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and hyperactivity, chronic pain, and many other conditions.
Biology professor and bacteriologist Lida Mattman, author of Cell Wall Deficient Forms: Stealth Pathogens, has been able to recover live spirochetes of Bb from mosquitoes, fleas, mites, semen, urine, blood, and spinal fluid. A factor contributing to making Bb so dangerous is that it can survive and spread without having a cell wall (cell wall-deficient [CWD]). Many valuable antibiotics kill bacteria by breaking down the cell wall. These antibiotics often prove ineffective against Bb.
Lyme Disease is now thought to be the fastest-growing infectious disease in the world. There are believed to be at least 200,000 new cases each year in the US, and some experts think as many as one in every 15 Americans is currently infected (20 million persons). Dr. Ralph Rowen knows a family where the mother's infection spread to five of her six children,16 all of whom recovered with appropriate therapy. It is difficult to believe that these children were all bitten by ticks and seems more plausible that person-to-person spread within the family caused this problem. Lida Mattman states, "I'm convinced Lyme disease is transmissible from person to person." In 1995, Dr. Mattman obtained positive cultures for Bb from 43 of 47 persons with chronic illness. Only one of 23 control patients had a positive Bb culture. Dr. Mattman has subsequently recovered Bb spirochetes from eight out of eight cases of Parkinson's Disease, 41 cases of multiple sclerosis, 21 cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and all tested cases of Alzheimer's Disease. The complete recovery of several persons with terminal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after appropriate therapy shows the great importance of establishing the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
Important information has recently become available about the spread and magnitude of the problem with Lyme disease. The severity of the disease is related to the spirochete load in the patient. Few spirochetes produce mild or asymptomatic infection. A study from Switzerland in 1998 pointed out that only 12.5% of patients testing positive for Bb had developed symptoms. A German boy developed Lyme arthritis five years after his tick bite.
Often mycoplasma infections remain without symptoms until the victim suffers a traumatic event (stress, injury, accident, etc.) These stressing events enable the mycoplasma to begin consumption of cholesterol in the neural sheath, and symptoms may begin to present as these nerve cells die. The mechanism of this deterioration is thought to be suppression of the immune system secondary to stress. Lyme disease may have a similar delayed presentation, as many persons experience the onset of Lyme symptoms after stressful events.
Dr. Jo Anne Whitaker relates that nearly every patient with Parkinson's disease (PD) has tested positive for Bb. Dr. Louis Romero reports that three patients with PD are 99% better after TAO-free cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) therapy. When Dr. Mattman cultured 25 patients with fibromyalgia, all subjects had positive cultures for the CWD Bb, which causes Lyme disease. She relates that Bb can be found in tears and could thus easily appear on the hands where touching could spread Lyme. Several families are now documented where nearly every family member is infected. How sick the individual patient becomes relates to their initial spirochete dose, immune system status, detoxification capability, and stress level.
Transmission of the disease has been clearly documented after bites by fleas, mites, mosquitoes, and ticks. There is compelling evidence that Lyme disease (LD) also may be spread by sexual and congenital transfer. One physician has cared for 5000 children with Lyme. Two hundred and forty of these children were born with the disease. Dr. Charles Ray Jones, the leading pediatric specialist on Lyme disease, has found 12 breast-fed children who have developed Lyme disease.
Miscarriage, premature birth, stillborn, birth defects, and transplacental infection of the fetus have all been reported. Studies at the University of Vienna have found Bb in urine and breast milk of Lyme-infected mothers. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have reported that dairy cattle can be infected with Bb, hence milk could be contaminated. Bb can also be transmitted to lab animals by oral intake such as food.
The Sacramento, California blood bank thinks that LD can be spread by blood transfusions. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia states that their data indicates that Bb can survive blood processing techniques used for transfusions in the US.
Not only is Lyme disease considered the fastest-growing epidemic in the world, it is also grossly underreported, so it's believed that there are far more than the 200,000 cases reported annually in the US. Drs. Harvey and Salvato estimate that one billion persons17 in the world may be infected with Lyme, and it is thought to be a contributing factor in 50% of patients who have chronic disease.
Dr. Jo Anne Whitaker, a Lyme disease victim from childhood, has developed a reliable test for the presence of Lyme disease. This test looks for the Bb organism, not antibodies, and is able to identify the CWD form of the spirochete as well as the actual Bb organism. Her test is called Q-RIBb, which stands for quantitative rapid identification of Bb. Dr. Lida Mattman has confirmed that Dr. Whitaker's test is sensitive and accurate because there has been a 100% correlation between a positive blood culture of Bb by Dr. Mattman's lab and a positive Q-RIBb test from Dr. Whitaker's laboratory.
Because 87.5% of patients incubating Lyme disease may not have symptoms, there is a huge pool of potential blood donors who present serious danger to any patient who will need to be transfused during a surgical procedure. There are no reliable tests to screen blood for Lyme disease at this time. Therefore, potential surgical patients need to certain that the risks of surgery and transfusion warrant proceeding with the operation.
What Are the Results of Blood Transfusions in Other Health Conditions?
Cancer Therapy
Chemotherapy and radiation suppress bone marrow production of red blood cells. The resulting anemia is often treated with blood transfusions. These transfusions in cancer patients come with a price. In Holland, a study of colon cancer patients revealed that only 48% of cases transfused were alive at five years compared to 74% in non-transfused patients. The results for head and neck cancers are even worse. Cancer of the larynx had only 14% survivors at five years in transfused patients and 65% in non-transfused patients.
In cancers of the oral cavity, the cancer recurrence rate was 31% without transfusions and 71% with transfusions. A lung cancer study from Europe also confirmed adverse results18 with transfusions. Thirty-day mortality rose from 2.4% for patients not transfused to 10.9% for those getting two or less transfusions and to 21.9% in patients receiving more than two units of blood. Other studies in patients with colon cancer have confirmed the more blood transfused,19 the worse the results.
These undesirable results are not limited to cancer patients. All transfusions are dangerous. The risk of serious infections goes along with transfusion therapy in general. Patients undergoing hip replacement who had received transfusions had a 35% greater risk of a serious bacterial infection and a 52% greater risk20 of developing pneumonia. Surgeons appear to be giving out transfusions like lollypops because they have no idea how dangerous they really are.
How to Protect Yourself from the Danger of Transfusion
Elective surgery often provides sufficient time to place your own blood in reserve for your surgery. In the Michigan study, those who banked their own blood and those who avoided transfusions had the lowest rates of infection and the lowest risk of dying after hip replacement and bypass surgery.
New surgical techniques save blood. Lost blood can be saved, cleaned, and recycled back to the patient during the surgery. Lasers and cryotherapy can instantly stop blood loss in the operating room. Drops of blood instead of vials can be used to perform lab tests. Microsurgical techniques minimizes tissue trauma and blood loss. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers, drugs such as erythropoietin, vitamins, iron, and hormones can be utilized to increase red blood cells before surgery.
It is estimated than 75,000 surgeons have now been trained to perform bloodless surgery in the US. Many hospitals have become equipped to perform this type of surgery. Check to learn if your local hospitals can provide this care. Continue to donate blood as properly used transfusions can be life-saving. Healthy individuals are allowed to donate as often as every eight weeks.
The danger of blood transfusion is real and not widely appreciated by the general public and the medical profession. Try to be certain that the risks of transfusion are exceeded by the benefits before accepting blood transfusions.
Dr. James A. Howenstine is a board certified specialist in Internal Medicine who spent 34 years taking care of hospital and office patients. After four years of studying natural health therapies, Dr. Howenstine became convinced that natural therapies were, in general, more effective, safer, and less expensive than pharmaceutical drugs. This study culminated in writing A Physician's Guide To Natural Health Products That Work (328 pg.) $17.95. A second edition of this book is completed (709 pg.) and is currently being proofread.
This book and the recommended products can be purchased from http://www.naturalhealthteam.info/ or by phoning 1-800-416-2806.
Dr. Howenstine can be reached by email at dr.jimhow@gmail.com and by snail mail at Dr. James Howenstine, C/O Remarsa USA SB 37, P.O. Box 25292, Miami, Fl. 33102-5292
Notes
1. Williams DG. Alternatives. Feb 2007; 11(20);153.
2. Am Heart J. 2006;252(6):1028-1034; Archiv Intern Med. 06;166(4):437-443.
3. Harvey MD, Salvato MD. The History of Lyme Disease Focus Newsletter. Breakthrough in Lyme Disease. Oct 2003:5. Allergy Research Group.
4. The Lancet. Dec 31,1994:1768-1769; The Lancet. July 8, 1995: 115.
5. Selnes OA, et al. Coronary artery bypass and the brain. New England J of Med. 2001,Feb 8;44(6): 451-2.
6. Arnold J. Clean out your arteries –at home, without the needle, and at a fraction of the cost. Health Sciences Institute Members Alert. August 2003:1-4.
7. New England Journal Of Medicine. July 24, 1997.
8. American Journal Of Epidemiology. 1996;143(9):845-859.
9. Disease Prevention and Treatment. 3rd edition. Florida: Life Extension Media; 1986.
10. Braunwald E. Coronary-artery surgery at the crossroads. New England Journal Of Medicine. 1977;297(12): 661-3.
11. Selnes OA, et al. Op cit.
12. Cell Biochem Funct. 2003;21(3):283-9.
13. Hochman JS, et al. Coronary intervention for persistent occlusion after myocardial infarction. New England Journal Of Medicine. 2006 Dec 7;355:2395-2407.
14. Grant WB. Reassessing the role of sugar in the etiology of heart disease. J Orthomolecular Med. 1998;13(2): 95-104.
15. Whitaker J. Coronary artery disease: back to basics. Health & Healing. Feb 2007; 12(2): 1-3.
16. Rowen R. If you have ANY chronic debilitating disease, you could be the victim of a Monster Epidemic! Second Opinion. November 2003; X111(11).
17. Harvey, Salvato. Focus Allergy Research Group Newsletter. Oct. 2003:5.
18. Eur Respir J. 06;Nov 1{Epub].
19. Dis Colon Rectum. 06;49(8):1116-1130.
20. Transfusion. 99;39(7): 694-700.
From Townsend Letter - http://www.townsendletter.com/index.htm
Images - http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/files/imagecache/news/files/20070404_bloodcells.jpg
http://www.dherbs.com/store-images/TheDangersBlood1.gif
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19617.jpg
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