Hamilton NEW ZEALAND
Biomedical Therapies for Optimum Health
Hamilton NEW ZEALAND
Biomedical Therapies for Optimum Health
Perhaps the hardest of all to change so its at the top. Most of us who have diseases - disorders of aging, have acquired these consequences by neglecting our health maintenance over a long time from free choice or plain ignorance. There is no doubt that sedentary lifestyles don't improve health for most people.
Poor nutrition is the major determinant; for this encompasses many issues such as:
For 2 decades we have had the Food Pyramid pushed as the gospel. This was based on the relatively flimsy evidence of the Cholesterol/fat cause of atheroma disease. Fat was the bad word and the Western food industry was told to get rid of fat. any did and many didn't. The type of fat left wasn't especially good fat and fats in general were replaced with carbohydrates. The result of this move as well as the huge growth in recreational eating is seen in the pandemic of overweight and obese nations. The fat idea came unstuck as many of us predicted 20 years ago. This doesn't mean eat all the fat you want... because as we've learned, fats can be damaged easily in the body and cause harm.
A major consequence of high carbohydrate as refined foods and sugar loading is the excess sugar produced far beyond the body's capacity to burn it as fuel....so it gets stored as fat. Its far more complex than just that because some people are really genetically bad at handing carb/glucose loads and develop Metabolic Syndrome, diabetes and a host of other disorders.
Harvard University has produced a modified version where the 'eat lots of grains' (read bread, pasta, buns, pizza, cakes, muffins and so on!) bottom layer of the pyramid has taken a lesser role and moved up near the top. More importance is placed on vegetables, fruits and lean proteins (meats). About time, only 20 years too late.
A suitable dietary lifestyle is said to be the Mediterranean diet. Lots of vegetable varieties, some fruits, raw nuts and seeds, some whole grain (i.e. not refined ), fish, lean meats, olives, olive oils.
Sugar and deserts are the evil I'm afraid folks, always have been. As much as we love our sweets, they have to either go or be a total occasional 'treat'. Refer to the Lipids page >>> for in depth table of diet effects on risk factors. Soy also reduces the liver's production of cholesterol.
Carbohydrates or starches are sooner of later converted into blood glucose (the main energy fuel). Some especially the refined (processed) types and confectionery will cause a rapid rise of blood glucose.... that's the measure of the 'Glycaemic Index'. A GI of 100 is the benchmark of white bread or table sugar. The higher the GI, the worse the food and conversely the lower the GI the better. Why is this? Sudden rises in blood glucose put pressure on the pancreas Beta cells to secrete insulin. This key hormone regulates glucose handling biochemistry. With so much constant pressure from diet input of sugar and carbs, we are being swamped with high levels of insulin. It turns out that insulin has a nasty side. It can trigger inflammation, blood pressure even cancer itself.
Not necessarily from choice many don't have the opportunity to have daily physical activity. Options to exercise early or late after work takes considerable self discipline and for many it just doesn't work for them to 'mindlessly exercise'... until the first heart attack then its all on! Research indicates that at least some regular activity to get the heart rate up to prescribed levels IS healthful. Find some activity that you LIKE, then you will do it.
| Vitamin C | Powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory effect on endothelial artery walls. | 3-8gms/day |
| Vitamin E | Anti-oxidant | |
| Vitamin D | ||
| Multi-Vitamin/Mineral | General balanced supplement | |
Vitamin E Alpha tocopherol Gamma tocopherol |
Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory. Reduces CRP. More effective Vit E is a mix of four tocotrienols, - closely related to Vit E family. | 400iu/day |
| Omega 3 marine oil | Anti-inflammatory effects. Well documented studies. 45% reduction in death risk in one study. May reduce CRP especially combined with CoQ10. | 2-6gms/day |
| Magnesium | Reduces cellular hyperactivity and possible arrythmias. | 250-500mg/day |
| Alpha Lipoic Acid | 100-400mg/day | |
| Coenzyme Q10 | 100-400mg/day | |
| Acetyl-L-carnitine | An amino acid. May reduce CRP (inflammation marker). Improves glucose control (metabolic synd) Increases cell energy more on L-carnitine >>> | 1500mg/daily |
| Folic acid | Improves endothelial function | |
| Anti-oxidants | There are many powerful anti-oxidant options | |
| Hormone treatment |
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| Homocysteine Protocol | more on Homocysteine >>> | |
| Lipid Protocol | more on Lipid treatment >>> | |
| Chelation Therapy | more on Chelation >>> | |
| Nattokinase | An enzyme to assist dissolving fibrin. may be useful if high fibrinogen levels - a high predictor of risk of death from heart thrombosis. |
This has been covered in detail on the Lipids and Risk Factors page.
In summary:
Cardiologists are even more aggressive than ever in prescribing drugs to lower the LDL and raise the HDL. Refer to the Lipid section to refresh if needed. Why this drive? It is well established by many large scale trials that lowering the LDL and raising the HDL does reduce heart attack risk and most likely deaths. For example, in the Scandinavian Simvastin Survival Study, heart attacks and deaths reduced from 28% in the placebo (dummy pills) group to 19% in the Simvastin (statin) group. Other studies report similar results. It sounds solid enough. 30% reduction.
So why aren't we all on statin drugs? Seriously, many doctors believe we should. The optimum level advised for cholesterol gets lower and lower. Lets look at the case for and against.
We shall deal primarily with the class of fat lowering drugs called 'statins' as they are almost the exclusive cholesterol-lowering drug class prescribed.
Statins, now a $22 billion industry, have various brand names like Lipex, Lipitor, Zocor, Simvastin and so on. They are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors; in simple language, they inhibit an important biochemical process which amongst other things result in very effective reduction of the production of cholesterol by the liver. Of this there is no doubt.
A very informative website which raises more doubts and critiques the major Statin studies, go to website >>>
According to the drug makers, only 1-2 % get serious muscle weakness and pain and liver damage. In practice it seems otherwise - up to 30% have problems. It goes away when the drug is stopped and returns when resumed. Muscle biopsy reveals changes. A key problem is that statins deplete CoQ10; remember from discussions elsewhere on this website, CoQ10 plays a vital role in supplying energy to all cells. If the energy generating mitochondria become depleted, then organs which rely heavily on constant and lots of energy - the heart, muscles and brain - can expect to become disordered. So a heart drug can damage the heart ?! CoQ10 must be taken by anyone on statin drugs. In 80% of cases, the muscle pain will go.
So 28% down to 19% means for every 9 heart attacks prevented, 19 still happen. So lipid lowering is not the full answer for a $22 billion industry. It means we have to treat 100 people to save 9 heart attacks. What about the other 19 that were not saved? Lipid lowering is only part of the total picture - still effective at 30%. But there is more. We must recognise and treat as many other risk factors as possible. Not much use taking Lipex and still eating fast foods, white bread, wrong fats, being very overweight and with a very large abdomen; with blood pressure up from being too fat. That wont work. To be more comprehensive, take a look at the risk factors and tests in depth. Read more >>>
If you do need to take statin drugs and are about to start, there is every good reason why you can take a very low dose initially but follow the natural cholesterol lowering strategy first that can address LDL number and particle size and HDL particle size. There is a very good chance that you can keep your drug use low and have a better lipid profile. If you do have to quit the Statin, don't stop suddenly; there is a small increased risk of plaque activation.
Chelation Therapy (CT) has been used worldwide for over 40 years. It can be very effective for any vascular (arterial) insufficiency. It is given as an intra-venous infusion of a 'chelating agent' EDTA together with other substances. Many patients who are not suitable for surgery, or don't respond to standard treatments benefit, as well as many who choose CT in conjunction with surgery and drug treatment. More information on Chelation >>>
Interventions include CABG (coronary artery bypass surgery) and Stenting procedures (placing expanding collars within small heart arteries to open them). These topics are better covered by other websites and resources.