Posts Tagged ‘medication’

Cholesterol Myth

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

stethoscope lying on a ekgWhat You Should Know About Cholesterol Before Taking Medication

By Dr. Osborne

High cholesterol is a household word in America. We have been told that it causes heart disease and stroke. We have been told to eat less animal fat. We have been told to eat more carbohydrates and fiber. We have been told that children as young as 2 years old should have their cholesterol checked. We have been marketed to by cereal companies. They tell us to eat whole grain sugar loaded cereals (i.e. Honey Nut Cheerios and Lucky Charms) to lower our cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Drug companies like Merck and Pfizer have told us that we need to take artificial chemicals to lower cholesterol. Our doctors have told us that we should use these medications for the rest of our lives…

Has anyone stopped to ask why?   Does it sound reasonable to put an 8 year old on cholesterol medication?  It is reasonable to think that a processed cereal with excessive sugar be used as a tool to improve health?  Is it reasonable to believe that we need to avoid eggs and animal protein and take a drug to keep the body functioning normally? What did we do before the medicine?   Statistically speaking, heart disease and stroke are on the rise in spite of the use of preventative cardiovascular medicines.  So the big question is: If taking these medications prevents heart disease, why are people dying from heart disease in record numbers?

Let’s take a look at the scientific facts surrounding this issue:

High cholesterol as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease is a disproven theory.   Many medical experts have refuted this hypothesis for years.(1-2)  Studies using cholesterol medications to lower the risk for heart disease are funded and sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.   Both the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine & Journal of the American Medical Association have admitted that published papers in the two journals are often times fraught with conflicts of interest and that many studies that yield non beneficial drug effects go unreported. Many studies overstate the benefit of medication use by manipulating statistics and reporting relative risk reduction instead of actual risk reduction. For example, a recent study reported a 53% “relative” reduction in heart disease using Crestor, but the actual risk reduction was only 0.9%.

Multiple studies have shown that people with higher cholesterol live longer.(5)   High cholesterol has not been shown to be a risk factor for heart disease in women, diabetics, coronary heart disease patients, or the elderly.(3)  As a matter of fact, several studies have shown that higher cholesterol levels in the elderly population is associated with greater longevity and a reduced risk of dying from cancer and infection.(4-5)

Add the following facts to the above information: Low cholesterol has been linked to an increased risk of stroke, depression, aggressive and violent behavior, and suppression of immunity.

Risk Vs. Benefit
When considering the use of any medication it is important to know what NNT (numbers needed to treat) means. NNT is a value that rates the efficacy of a medication. The NNT for statin drugs is about 100. This means for one person to receive the benefit of the medication, 100 people have to be taking it. That’s a whopping 1% efficacy value. When you take into account the side effects of cholesterol lowering medications the question becomes: Is it worth it?

How can something responsible for so many critical functions be so bad?

1. Cholesterol is a precursor to all sex steroids (progesterone, testosteron, estrogen)
2. Cholesterol allows your body to make vitamin D (deficiency of vitamin D causes heart disease)
3. Cholesterol allows your body to make Coenzyme Q10 (Deficiency of CoQ10 causes congestive heart failure and high blood pressure.)
4. Cholesterol helps fight viral and bacterial infection
5. Cholesterol is necessary for brain cells to form communication synapses.

References: (Not all are listed, but they are available by request.)

1. Rosch PJ. Cholesterol does not cause coronary heart disease in contrast to stress. Scand Cardiovasc J. 2008 Aug;42(4):244-9.
2. Ravnskov U, Rosch PJ, Houston MC. Should we lower cholesterol as much as possible? BMJ2006;332:1330-1332.
3. Ravnskov U. Should medical science ignore the past? BMJ 2008;337:a1681.
4. Krumholz HM, et al. JAMA 1994;272(17):1335-1340.
5. Weverling AW, et al. Lancet 1997;18(9085):1119-23.

Learn More About Cholesterol Drugs and CoQ10…

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Eggs are OK after all!

Mainstream treatment for osteoporosis is not the answer…

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
Mainstream treatment for osteoporosis is not the answer…
Mainstream treatments for osteoporosis shown to cause more
problems than they help.  Recent evidence links taking
bisphosphonate medications such as Actonel and Fosamax to a
number of side effects including, osteonecrosis of the jaw, atrial
fibrilation, gastrointestinal pain, and dyspepsia (indigestion).
References:
Black DM, Delmas PD, Eastell R, Reid IR, Boonen S, Cauley JA, et al.
Once-yearly zoledronic acid for treatment of postmenopausal
osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 2007;356:1809-22.
Bauer DC, et al. Upper gastrointestinal tract safety profile of
alendronate: the fracture intervention trial. Arch Intern Med.2000 Feb
28;160(4):517-25.
Bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw: a retrospective study.
[Endocr Pract. 2007]
Nature and frequency of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of
the jaws in Australia. [J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2007]
Osteonecrosis of the jaw induced by orally administered
bisphosphonates: incidence, clinical features, predisposing factors and
treatment outcome. [Osteoporos Int. 2007
Osteonecrosis of the jaw in cancer after treatment with
bisphosphonates: incidence and risk factors. [J Clin Oncol. 2005]
Outcomes of placing dental implants in patients taking oral
bisphosphonates: a review of 115 cases. [J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008]
Dr. Osborne’s Comment:
Medications for the treatment of osteoporosis are simply band aids
that do not address the true causes or contributing factors for the
disease.   Bisphosphonates prevent your body’s ability to get rid of
old worn out bone.  When your body is unable to remove old bone, it
cannot replace it with new bone tissue.  Although bone density
appears to improve with the use of a bone scanner, the quality of the
existing bone is compromised.  Read my report on osteoporosis to
better arm yourself with knowledge and prevent bone loss from
affecting your health.
Following these simple tips can go a long way in preventing bone loss:
Perform weight bearing exercises on a daily basis.
Eat an abundance of high quality organic or local grown fruits
and vegetables.
Eliminate refined and processed foods from your diet.
Get adequate sunlight for your skin type without the use of
sun screens as they block vitamin D synthesis.
Nutritional deficiencies
Don’t smoke or subject yourself to second hand smoke.
Strongly limit caffeine (less than 100 mg/day) and alcohol
intake.
Avoid medications that effect vitamin and mineral metabolism
such as steroids, NSAIDS, and acid lowering medications.
During your annual check ups, have your doctor perform lab
work to identify nutritional deficiencies.
Have your doctor genetically screen you for osteoporosis risk
early in life so that you can make appropriate lifestyle
modifications.

Mainstream treatments for osteoporosis shown to cause more problems than they help.

Recent evidence links taking bisphosphonate medications such as Actonel and Fosamax to a number of side effects including, osteonecrosis of the jaw, atrial fibrilation, gastrointestinal pain, and dyspepsia (indigestion).

References:

  1. Black DM, Delmas PD, Eastell R, Reid IR, Boonen S, Cauley JA, et al. Once-yearly zoledronic acid for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 2007;356:1809-22.
  2. Bauer DC, et al. Upper gastrointestinal tract safety profile of alendronate: the fracture intervention trial. Arch Intern Med.2000 Feb 28;160(4):517-25.
  3. Bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw: a retrospective study. Endocr Pract. 2007
  4. Nature and frequency of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaws in Australia.  J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2007
  5. Osteonecrosis of the jaw induced by orally administered bisphosphonates: incidence, clinical features, predisposing factors and treatment outcome. Osteoporos Int. 2007
  6. Osteonecrosis of the jaw in cancer after treatment with bisphosphonates: incidence and risk factors. J Clin Oncol. 2005
  7. Outcomes of placing dental implants in patients taking oral bisphosphonates: a review of 115 cases. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008

Dr. Peter Osborne, Diplomate with the American Clinical Board of NutritionDr. Osborne’s Comment:

Medications for the treatment of osteoporosis are simply band aids that do not address the true causes or contributing factors for the disease.   Bisphosphonates prevent your body’s ability to get rid of old worn out bone.  When your body is unable to remove old bone, it cannot replace it with new bone tissue.  Osteonecrosis occurs because the weakened bone in the jaw develops micro fractures.  Although bone density appears to improve with the use of a bone scanner, the quality of the existing bone is compromised.  Read my report on osteoporosis to better arm yourself with knowledge and prevent bone loss from affecting your health.

Following these simple tips can go a long way in preventing bone loss:

  • Perform weight bearing exercises on a daily basis.
  • Eat an abundance of high quality organic or local grown fruits and vegetables.
  • Eliminate refined and processed foods from your diet.
  • Get adequate sunlight for your skin type without the use of sun screens as they block vitamin D synthesis.
  • Don’t smoke or subject yourself to second hand smoke.
  • Strongly limit caffeine (less than 100 mg/day) and alcohol intake.
  • Avoid medications that effect vitamin and mineral metabolism such as steroids, NSAIDS, and acid lowering medications.
  • During your annual check ups, have your doctor perform lab work to identify nutritional deficiencies.
  • Have your doctor genetically screen you for osteoporosis risk early in life so that you can make appropriate lifestyle modifications.