Statin treatment may bring down the chance of later dementia by more than 50%, a domestic Finnish report has ascertained.
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Statins Reduce Risk of Dementia
October 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Who Will Alcohol Save And Who May It Kill?
October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Who Will Alcohol Save And Who May It Kill?
Article by Dr. Rick Morris
Thirty years ago, the U.S. government prevented the Framingham Study on alcohol from being published. This major investigation followed thousands of people for 25 years and revealed that those who drank one to two “drinks” per day outlived and had less heart disease then those who completely abstained.
Fearing the publication of these findings would lead to nationwide alcoholism, the government suppressed the study. But over the last 20 years the subsequent research was overwhelming and consistent, and showed four important benefits to one or two “drinks” per day:
1. Raises the good cholesterol (HDL) even better then the statin drugs (such as Lipitor and Navicor) or running a few miles a day
2. Makes the blood move more freely, preventing clots which can lead to heart attacks and strokes
3. Probably prevents Alzheimer’s Disease by preventing “ministrokes” (TIA’s) which occur as we age
4. Decreases the chance of getting type II diabetes and probably helps if you already have the disease by increasing the sensitivity of insulin
“The science supporting the protective role of alcohol is indisputable; no one questions it any more,” says Dr. Curtis Ellison, professor of medicine and public health at Boston University School of Medicine. The initial doubts have been shot down. In fact, two drinks per day were more effective at preventing heart attacks than lowering your total cholesterol by 30 points or reducing your systolic blood pressure by 20 mm Hg..
Which form of alcohol is best is not agreed upon. Dr. Eric Rimm an epidemiologist at Harvard School of Public Health believes “alcohol is beneficial in all three beverages” (wine, beer and hard liquor). The antioxidants that come in a glass of red wine are certainly beneficial, equaling 7 glasses of orange juice or 20 glasses of apple juice. But some white wines and dark beers have the same antioxidant effect.
Once one-two drinks becomes three or more, the risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, cancer, diabetes, liver failure and dementia increases abruptly. The World Health Organization estimates that alcohol abuse kills as many people as measles, malaria, tobacco and illegal drugs.
So alcohol is definitely not for everyone:
1. It hasn’t shown value in men under 40 and women under 50.
2. Pregnant women, people with liver disease and those with a family history of alcoholism are advised never to drink.
3. Teenagers and young adults who drink three or more drinks per day have a death rate twice that of non-drinkers.
Of course there will never be a “final word” on anything. Our knowledge keeps growing and our views will change. Feel free to discuss this information with me and see how it fits into your life.
Alcohol should never be consumed with pain medication or many other types of pharmaceuticals. Always avoid medication whenever possible by using natural treatments first.
About the Author
Dr. Rick Morris is the founder of the The Morris Spinal Stenosis and Disc Center in Santa Monica, Ca. You can read more of his health articles or contact him at his website and find out about his non-surgical treatment of low back pain disorders
Inflammation, Prescription Drugs, and Natural Ways to Reduce Inflammation
October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Inflammation, Prescription Drugs, and Natural Ways to Reduce Inflammation
Article by R.D. Hawkins
Recent research has linked internal inflammation to all kinds of different diseases including many of the most deadly ones including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. Conditions of the brain such as Alzheimer’s and dementia may be linked as well.
This development begs one to ask whether an approach to treating disease through the current batch of harsh prescription medications will over time be proven to be an effective practice, or one that while thought to be effective at the time, was indeed deemed to be infective over the long haul.
When your body become inflamed internally it is a similar process to that seen externally when you have a small cut or scrap that becomes red and irritated.
When inflammation occurs externally the body is using the immune system and its army of white blood cells to kill any invading bacteria and make it possible for the healing process to begin.
When inflammation is occurring internally it is much the same process but the results may turn out entirely different.
For instance let’s look at an example when inflammation takes place inside our arteries.
The interior lining of the artery can become damaged in a number of different ways, such as having excessive amounts of blood lipids (fats) racing through our arteries, smoking, certain amino acids produced by eating too much protein which may scuff up the arteries, and possibly some of the hormones produced by the body during times of stress.
As the arterial inflammation set’s in a blister-like formation forms on the artery wall causing bad cholesterol to seep between the tissue layers and become inflamed. The body quickly responds with an inflammatory response.
In the mean time the artery begins to expand under the strain, which reduces the amount of blood available to cycled and recycled through the cardiovascular system. Over time the festering blister is covered by a hard layer of calcium, forming a protective shell. If the inflamed area were to burst and block the artery the ensuing result would be a heart attack or stroke.
But what if similar lesser known forms of inflammation were going on in other areas of the body, what would be the overall impact on our general health. And is it possible that even the prescription medications that so many people are relying on to heal and protect themselves may be stirring up a toxic scenario internally that is resulting in a marked increase in internal inflammation?
Prescription medications and inflammation
Common sense would suggest that prescription medications probably do produce some inflammation internally. After all the whole theory behind most prescription medications is to force the body to perform an action that it would not normally do. For example the best selling statin medications for high cholesterol perform their magic by forcing the liver to produce less cholesterol, thus decreasing the chances of arterial plaque. Other examples would be drugs which modify brain chemical activity to produce or modify behavior.
These medications are concentrated to get the fast results we all are looking for, but at what price? Another anecdotal bit of information that might suggest that the use of certain prescription medications might cause internal inflammation is the long list of possible side effects so often associated with them.
Natural remedies, supplements, foods and inflammation
Most natural herbal and homeopathic remedies work slower thus creating less internal trauma when taken as directed. Others seem to actually reduce inflammation in the body. A couple of examples of this would be omega 3 fatty acids and certain B complex vitamins.
Certain foods such as cold water fatty fish, blueberries, green leafy vegetables, olive oil, flax seeds, and nuts may diffuse the ticking time bomb of runaway inflammation that could be eating us alive from the inside out.
In conclusion, controlling inflammation is about better understanding this stealthy foe and finding ways take away its power to harm us.
In many ways successful management may revolve around balance, since many prescription medications may be necessary.
The bottom line is if a person makes a effort to eat a diet rich in high in anti-inflammatory foods, high in antioxidants, along with implementing daily anti-inflammatory supplements such as fish oil, a maybe throwing in a dash of exercise for good measure, they will be giving themselves an excellent chance of at least controlling inflammation.
About the Author
R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for the use of natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field.To learn more about high cholesterol and triglycerides, along with safe and effective natural remedies for improving cardiovascular healthClick Here
A Ba Aspirin A Day Versus Statin Drugs. Which Works Best For Heart Disease Prevention?
September 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A Ba Aspirin A Day Versus Statin Drugs. Which Works Best For Heart Disease Prevention?
Article by Gary Zalben
What your physician and you don’t know can kill you. Most doctors practicing conventional medicine are comparable to drug company reps giving out statin drugs like home made cookies. Most doctors should be wary of prescribing either one but some prescribe both. Aspirin causes our stomach to erode over time alike a bleeding ulcer and eventually in some cases even surgery is required. But some doctors recommend an aspirin routine for preventing heart attacks and strokes, even though it causes bleeding in the stomach and intestines from the irritation. However new studies reveal if you have colon cancer you may benefit from the aspirin in taking it with other therapies. The good thing is, this common modest little pill is inexpensive. Drug companies own studies reveal this medical bombshell “a penny aspirin is effective as a statin drug.”
When you go to your physicians office if you have even the slightest elevation of cholesterol, you are immediately put on a statin drug. Cholesterol lowering drugs are dangerous and cause serious side effects and complications, like liver damage, memory loss, muscle injury and more. The brain needs cholesterol because it’s critical for the healing process and brain function therefore low levels impairs thinking and interferes with synaptic brain function leading to memory problems as seen in Alzheimer’s and dementia. Synapses are neuron connectors in the brain and provide critical functions to memory and learning processes.
Astonishing new studies reveal up to seventy five percent of the public currently on statins would not have been prescribed to use them if they were tested properly with hsCRP to measure inflammation. In which is a major contributor to heart failure because it causes massive destruction of the heart muscle cells, it harms the heart’s electrical system and coronary blood vessels. Statin drugs are no better than taking an aspirin a day. All the improvements in reducing strokes and heart attacks according to the drug industry’s own studies is almost the equivalent of taking an aspirin routine a day. Cholesterol does play in the development of heart disease, but inflammation is the real villain allowing millions to succumb or drop dead of heart attacks and strokes.
Everyone knows what you eat can kill you. Eating the wrong foods causes advanced atherosclerosis, strokes and heart attacks. Are you on a high-fat diet eating French fries, pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers and you now notice your exercise is getting harder and your short-term memory getting worse and you want to get off of that high-fat hangover? Wow! you’ve been tricked by advertisers. They tell you can be healthy without changing your unhealthy bad habits! If you are taking nutritional supplements on a daily basis, you don’t have to worry about what kind of foods you eat, wrong wrong wrong. Ignore the media spin. This is very unfortunate and expensive when easy and ordinary everyday lifestyle changes usually work. Could vitamin supplements be a hoax and a false hope? This is what the pharmaceutical giants want you to believe. The pharmaceutical companies want to make supplements seem useless, ineffective and harmful that’s why they bombard you with television, internet, radio, magazine and newspaper ads so you’ll run to your doctors for drugs to make you “feel better.”
The truth is scary. The average person doesn’t weigh the consequences about how what they eat could be fatal to their health. Has your family put you on the risk list for a heart attack or stroke? Are you worried about the danger of the surgeon’s knife? If you want to ward off the grim reaper let’s face facts and start eating whole foods and high-quality nutrients to live. Did you know what you don’t eat can also hurt you? Then why do so many people buy processed fast foods, dead food (frozen meals and vegetables), soft drinks, diet sodas, high-fat prepared packaged or canned food? Clearly, they don’t know they should be eating wholesome food, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Above all know your number one enemy is sugar and take-out foods loaded with MSG. The results LDL cholesterol, trans fat, inflammation, abdominal and belly fat. Have you looked in the mirror lately? Are you or your children too heavy to be healthy? If you or your children are then you are at risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis. This is the same as pointing a loaded gun to yourself with assisted suicide as your bullets.
Let’s take a look at the natural way to better health. The first step if you have elevated LDL levels, arrhythmias, heart problems or want to prevent any of these, substitute your omega-6 cooking oils with extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil. Trash and do not buy safflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, peanut oil and do not buy any foods made with them. They quickly oxidize and are absorbed and turn to LDL cholesterol. Why isn’t your doctor warning you to stop using them? Physicians are not trained in “nutrition and health ” in medical school. They are trained on drugs and disease with emphasis on disease and drugs only. Their training does not cover optimal health to prevent disease. Does that worry you? It should, if not it should be. In spite of everything, all we have is one heart. Is your heart ticking like a well-made clock or is it a ticking time bomb?
Look into these supplements as follows to reduce the risk of having a stroke, arrhythmia or a sudden heart attack
Vitamin C: 1000 mg (buffered) three times a day in-between meals will reduce inflammation when taken with vitamin E.
Vitamin E: 400 IU (Mixed Tocopherols only) twice a day taken with Vitamin C.
CoQ10 Ubiquinol: (soft-gel only)150 or 200 mg prevents heart failure especially if you take statin drugs. Omega-3 fish oils: EPA 800 mg with DHA 500mg (Carlson from Norway in liquid or soft-gel form is one of the best brands available.Ubiquinol is better absorbed than ubiquinone but costs more.L-Carnitine Tartrate: 500 mg twice a day on a empty stomach taken with CoQ10 will improve coronary blood flow, prevent arrhythmia, lower blood pressure and improve heart energy.
Magnesium Citramate or Malate/Citrate: 500 mg twice a day with food. Taking this supplement daily greatly reduces your chance of having a stroke, arrhythmia and sudden heart attack.
Zinc Picolinate: 50 to 80 mg protects the heart.
L-Taurine: 1000 mg helps improve heart strength, prevents arrhythmia and reduces risk of atherosclerosis.Hawthorn: natural control for Hypertension.
Melatonin: 1 to 3 mg depending on your age from your late forties on is crucial for sleep.
Policosanols: 20 mg to naturally lower your cholesterol.
Never buy cheap vitamins and always take the exact right combination of them.
We must all educate ourselves on the laws of health, therefore you must become your own doctor, your own psychologist, your own psychiatrist and your own lawyer to understand these laws. Learning will help you avoid a killer diet and excesses. Those who refuse to educate themselves follow the flow like dead fish and never try anything out of the mainstream of thought and insist on doing nothing will one day pay through the nose.
About the Author
Copyright-2009-Gary Zalben – You may reprint this article as long as the author/source is kept intact. For more information about the author and self-improvement writings see http://www.howtoselladeadhorse.com