Author: Dr. David Brownstein

Since graduating from medical school in 1989, I have come to the conclusion that much of what I was taught was wrong.  In fact, at my medical school graduation, the dean said, “Fifty percent of what we just taught you were wrong, your job is to figure out which part was correct and which was incorrect.” When medical students come to my office, I always encourage them to question everything I tell them and, furthermore, to question what they have been taught. I was taught in medical school that a lowered salt diet was a healthy diet—for everyone. Furthermore, it … Continue reading →

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Is a blood pressure less than 120/80mm Hg healthier than a higher blood pressure?  Scientists randomly assigned 9,361 subjects with systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or higher and increased cardiovascular risk, but without diabetes, to two groups.  The intensive treatment group had a systolic blood-pressure target of less than 120 mm Hg while the standard treatment group had a systolic blood pressure target of less than 140mm Hg.  This study is known as the SPRINT trial.  The end point of the study was the difference in cardiovascular endpoints—heart attacks, stroke, heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes. The … Continue reading →

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The FDA has approved a new flu vaccine—Fluad.  Should we say, “hooray,” or “oy veh”.  I will let you decide. Fluad is the first seasonal influenza vaccine containing an adjuvant called squalene.  Adjuvants in vaccines, such as aluminum, are used to cause a greater immune system response as compared to vaccines used without an adjuvant.  This increased immune system response is hypothesized to result in an enhanced efficacy of the vaccine–in other words, it should make the vaccine more effective.  Therefore, you would think that a flu vaccine with an adjuvant such as squalene would result in a more robust antibody response … Continue reading →

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We take too many prescription drugs.  A study in JAMA(2015:314(17):1818-31. Nov. 3, 2015) was titled, “Trends in prescription drug use among adults in the U.S. from 1999-2012.”  The authors used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which included 37,959 adults.  The authors found an increase in overall use of prescription drugs among US adults between 1999 and 2012. In 1999, 51% of U.S. adults reported using any prescription drugs and 59% reporting use in 2012.  That  is a 24% increase.  The prevalence of polypharmacy (>5 prescription drugs) increased from 9.2% in 1999 to 15% in 2012—a … Continue reading →

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(Note:  I was interviewed for this article which was posted to Newsmax.com.) It’s fall, and health officials are beginning their yearly push to convince Americans to get the latest version of the flu shot. Last year’s vaccine was a tremendous dud — a new strain of H3N2 influenza emerged after the vaccine was formulated, and the shot was a poor match. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admitted it did little to protect against flu. This year’s vaccine has been designed to protect against the new H3N2 strain, and the CDC hopes it will be a good match … Continue reading →

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(Note:  I wrote this blog with my friend, Dr. Lindsey Berkson) We can’t live without hormones. Hormones have much more to do with the body than just controlling reproductive actions.  In fact, hormones control every bodily function, which includes the neurological, cardiovascular systems as well as the kidneys and even our vocal chords. In order to achieve optimal health, we need our hormones properly balanced on all levels.  When hormonal pathways are disrupted, disease and disorder sets in. In our toxic world, hormonal pathways are often disrupted by synthetic hormones, which are found in our food, medicines, and the environment.  … Continue reading →

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It has been 15 months since a senior CDC scientist, Dr. William Thompson, became a whistleblower when he admitted that a 2004 CDC study was falsified in order to show that there was no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. In August of 2014 Dr. Thompson stated, “I regret that my coauthors and I omitted statistically significant information in our 2004 article published in the Journal of Pediatrics.” Folks, we have a whistleblower at the CDC who has admitted, under oath that the CDC falsified data in order to deny a link between vaccinations and autism.  Furthermore, Dr. Thompson … Continue reading →

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(Note:  I was interviewed for this article which was posted to Newsmax.com.) It’s fall, and health officials are beginning their yearly push to convince Americans to get the latest version of the flu shot. Last year’s vaccine was a tremendous dud — a new strain of H3N2 influenza emerged after the vaccine was formulated, and the shot was a poor match. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admitted it did little to protect against flu. This year’s vaccine has been designed to protect against the new H3N2 strain, and the CDC hopes it will be a good match … Continue reading →

I remember when I graduated from medical school, the dean told our class, “What we have just taught you was the most up-to-date information about medicine. Unfortunately, 50% of what we taught you was wrong. Your job is to figure out which 50% was wrong.” I remember feeling stunned  at the Dean’s admission. Now, 26 years later, I think the dean was too conservative. Now I feel that approximately 75% of what I was taught was wrong. In my training, I was taught that high cholesterol was a risk factor for heart disease. Furthermore, I was taught that a high triglyceride … Continue reading →

Americans take too many prescription medications. In 2014, Americans filled 4.3 billion prescriptions while spending a record amount of $374 billion for their medications. 2014 spending on prescription drugs hit the highest level since 2001 according to data from the IMS Institute of Healthcare Informatics. I would not have a problem with Americans taking so many prescription medications if the drugs were improving our health. But, that is not what is happening. In every category of the World Health Organization’s ranking of health indicators, we finish last or near last when we are compared to all the major Western countries. … Continue reading →

As reported in the New York Times (2.20.15), a nutrition advisory panel that shapes U.S dietary advice eased some of the previous restrictions on fat and cholesterol, while at the same time recommending Americans lower their consumption of sugar. Be still my beating heart. For many years, I have been writing and lecturing about the idiotic cholesterol and fat guidelines that the Powers-That-Be have been espousing. Over 30 years ago, we were told to eat less fat and cholesterol in order to lower our risk from dying from cardiovascular disease. During that same time we were encouraged to increase our consumption … Continue reading →

In today’s New York Times magazine (2.8.15), there was an interview with Kid Rock. My wife, Allison, was reading the paper and yelled from the other room, “David, you have to see this.” She read to me part of the interview where Kid Rock was asked, “Do you ever have trouble from night to night, losing your voice?” He replied, “In your 40’s, you can’t go out and hit it hard when you’ve got to do a show. This morning, I ate a tablespoon of Himalayan sea salt and drank a tablespoon of coconut oil.” Be still my beating heart. … Continue reading →

The recent 2015 measles outbreak in Disneyland has sparked an outcry against parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. Over 60 people have been diagnosed with measles in this latest outbreak. The hysteria surrounding this outbreak is beyond me. I have seen the articles stating that parents who choose not to vaccinate should be prosecuted. Parents who choose not vaccinate have been accused of child abuse. I say everyone needs to chill out—easy for me to write that in the midst of a foot of snow falling. Measles is a highly infectious disease. It is very common throughout the … Continue reading →