Am I in a sci-fi film, or is this headline for real: "FDA
approves implantable medical chip"? The size of a grain of
rice, this small chip, called VeriChip, can be slipped under
your skin and programmed to contain your vital medical
statistics. And, of course, these chips will be read by the free
scanners the chip makers will be giving to hospitals and
doctors. It makes our fretting about HIPAA and other medical privacy
issues seem like child's play.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that any
possible health benefits of inserting this medically
unnecessary foreign object under your skin are far
outweighed by the potential negatives. You don't have to let
your imagination wander very far to come up with some
chilling scenarios.
The most benign use is the one currently being touted.
Emergency room doctors would instantly know your blood
type if you are in a car accident and unconscious. Life-
threatening allergies would be contained in the chip as well.
And if the FDA approved it, well, it must be safe, and
thoroughly tested, and peer-reviewed by a panel of
physicians not on the drug company take, right? All ethics
issues have certainly gotten a good airing during the approval
process and iron-clad safeguards put in place to protect us,
haven't they? C'mon. Do they really expect us to not blink an
eye and just start lining up to get our very own microchip
implant?
Reasonable people like you and me can't forget that we live
in a security-obsessed, post 9/11 world that is willing and
eager to track people by any means necessary. In the name of
terrorism, many of the civil liberties we have taken for
granted have been quickly and easily usurped by a panic-
driven Congress in dangerous times under the guise of the
Patriot Act.
Understandable? Sure. Until you're the one who comes under
suspicion and spends months in a detention center without
being charged with a crime or provided any legal
representation.
If that all sounds a little Big Brother-ish to you -- overly
paranoid and impossible to imagine -- then there's an
implantable chip-maker in Florida that would love to hear
from you.
But if you're interested in preserving not only your medical
privacy, but all of your civil rights, I highly suggest you stick
with the low-cost medical ID bracelet that indicates any
must-know allergies or conditions in case of emergency, and
a card in your wallet with your blood type.
The chip-maker, Applied Digital Solutions, assures that
there's no chance of involuntary tracking, or privacy
infringement. But I know that's just not a risk I'm willing to
take.
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The neuropathy-nixing nutrient
Q: A friend of mine has diabetes, and an old doctor (not his
regular GP, mind you) told him he should take chromium
picolinate to lower his sugar count, which he has, and it has.
The doctor also told him to take liporic Acid – which we
haven't heard of and can't find. Do you know anything about
this?
JVW: I believe the doctor was referring to alpha-lipoic acid -
- and he's right. This would be important for your friend.
Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that can help
prevent and treat a common complication of diabetes called
diabetic neuropathy. This painful condition may be caused in
part by free-radical damage to nerves resulting from poorly
regulated blood sugar (glucose).
Alpha-lipoic acid also improves the glucose-lowering action
of insulin. I include it as part of my recommendations for
diabetes prevention as well as for people who already have
diabetes. For diabetes prevention a dose of 100 milligrams
daily should be fine. To prevent complications of diabetes I
recommend 200 milligrams daily. And if you already have
diabetic neuropathy, increase dose to 200 milligrams three
times daily.
Of course, it is important to consult the doctor who is
managing your care when you start taking anything that can
affect your glucose levels to ensure proper management of
your overall condition.
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What is...alpha-lipoic acid?
Some say that the antioxidant qualities of alpha-lipoic acid
put it right up there with vitamins C and E as an important
defense against free radicals. It converts to dihydrolipoic acid
in the body, and together, they fight peroxynitrate radicals –
especially dangerous free radicals that contain both oxygen
and nitrogen.
Some researchers have started calling alpha-lipoic acid the
"universal" antioxidant. Whereas vitamin C is only water-
soluble, and vitamin E is only fat-soluble, alpha-lipoic acid
neutralizes free radicals in both watery and fatty regions of
cells. It also recycles and extends the metabolic lifespans of
vitamin C, glutathione, and coenzyme 10 directly, and
vitamin E indirectly -- increasing their effectiveness.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
Negrisanu G, Rosu M, et al. "Effects of 3-month treatment
with the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid in diabetic peripheral
neuropathy." Rom J Intern Med. 1999; 37(3): 297-306
