Trusting Your Heart to Medications

I am sure most of you have seen this ad on T.V. where a middle aged man is so very happy that he has

found a drug to “manage” his cholesterol numbers. What they don’t tell you is that half of the people who have a heart attack never had high cholesterol. And what they are certainly not telling you is although there is a reduction in heart attacks due to specific medications, you now have an increased chance of dying from a multitude of other diseases such as cancer, mental health problems, brain hemorrhages etc.

So where do I begin explaining the deceit the pharmaceutical industry has perpetrated on us, as it is hard to compete with million dollar ads being ran numerous times a day.

Did you know that the pharmaceutical industry is the #1 for profit business in the U.S.? Guess who has the best paid lobbyists in Washington?

I am sure you figure that if it is on T.V. it must be important and in our best interest right? Wrong! And if your doctor is recommending a medication to lower your cholesterol it surely must be in your best interest because he is your doctor and certainly would not knowingly do anything that was detrimental to your health right? Knowingly is the operative word. More on this later.

The fact is that studies show that there is a decrease in heart attacks for those taking medications that reduce cholesterol but at what price? Certain medications poison an enzyme that reduce two of the most important nutrients our body needs, cholesterol and Co Enzyme Q10. Yet how many doctors have ever explained how important cholesterol is to every cell in the body especially the brain, yet even mention Co Enzyme Q10.

Cholesterol is critical to life yet most American’s believe it is a demon substance out to destroy us.

Our bodies produce about 2000 mgs of this nutrient a day providing about 80% of our bodies needs. The rest comes from our food source.

Did our bodies suddenly turn on itself and no longer needs this nutrient? If we need this nutrient why are we poisoning it. And if we need this nutrient how far can we reduce it before other problems arise?

Well we know that answer also. More on that later.

Here is the point, if you have developed high cholesterol, it means you have suddenly stopped metabolizing cholesterol the way your body used to.

And if you are not eating an enormous amount in your diet (it would take a lot in your diet to affect your

blood serum levels as most is made in the liver) then there must be a nutrient deficiency in your enzymes that process cholesterol.

Minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids are the main nutrients that control this process and as we

age our nutrient levels drop for many reasons.

One of the major reasons for low nutrient levels is the amount of processed foods we American’s eat. These foods (if you want to call them food) are notoriously low in trace minerals needed for proper cholesterol metabolism.

Does it not make sense to test for the cause of our problems before poisoning the body with drugs? And if your nutrient levels are low enough to cause high cholesterol, do you realize that this makes you more vulnerable to the nasty and sometimes deadly side effects of the drugs given to you to supposedly help you!

We have become complacent as patients today giving complete trust in a system that medicates instead of diagnosing.

There are many reasons for this and your doctor is not completely at fault as the system requires and demands many of these protocols today. Believe it or not your doctor could lose hospital privileges and his income if he does not follow these.

But this is your health and you must educate yourself today and not totally rely on a system that is streamlined to see as many patients as possible.

There are tests you can ask your doctor about such as a Cardio/Ion Panel. Expensive maybe, but compared to what, a lifetime of more related illnesses and the cost of drugs every month?

There are many natural ways to repair the damage we have inflicted on our bodies but you will not hear about them on T.V. as they do not make the pharmaceuticals any money. And with these natural nutrients you get multiple good side effects not requiring the poisoning of other metabolic pathways with more drugs.

I will be researching and informing you of the many natural ways to address many of the predominant illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems in future articles.

Remember the body is the miracle worker, give it the proper nutrients, add the right amount of effective exercise as recommended in our book 2 Days to Fitness and you will be healthy and strong for all your days.

Vioxx - that is a Cox-2 inhibitor drug, was withdrawn from the market because there were suspicions that it can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The category of Cox-2 inhibitors include also Bextra. Many patients started to worry about on this fact. The question is if the Bextra represents a risk as well as Vioxx.

Many studies revealed that Bextra represent a risk for the patients who had heart surgery. It may occur and heart attacks as well. The producer of Bextra considered irrelevant these studies and began its own investigation.

If you are a Bextra patient and if you observe symptoms like: fatigue, chest pain, breathing difficulties, changes in appetite or persistent coughing you should go to see a doctor as soon as possible. These are signs that show usually heart problems. Here is a list with symptoms for the stroke: disorientation, blurry vision, weakness, coordination, speech problems, confusion and numbness.

If you experience any of the side effects described above, you must see a doctor as soon as possible.

If you take Bextra and you suffered a heart attack or stroke you can search legal advice to obtain some compensation from the company that produce Bextra. It may be best to you to find a lawyer with experience in Bextra cases.

Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex have raised issues regarding the dangerous side effects they can cause after treatment. It is very important to know if the whole class of this drugs - Cox-2 inhibitors raise problems. Regarding Bextra we cannot be sure if it increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

In this article, Suzy Cohen shares her perspective on cholesterol lowering and diabetic medications. Suzy Cohen has been a pharmacist for over 20 years. She’s the author of “24-hour Pharmacist” and “Drug Muggers.”

Kevin: Jan asks, “How do you convince, say your parents, who are on statins,” her

parents are 82 years old she says, “and other drugs are not good and there are alternatives ” This is a big question too.

Suzy: Her parents are in their 80s. This is tough because they grew up with the mentality that the doctor is God complex, the doctor knows everything. So it’s hard for the daughter to convince them, especially because they changed her diapers. What does she know Right I had to battle this with my own parents so I totally get this. I think the best way to approach them is gently and with black and white information. If you appeal to them emotionally you’re not going to get anywhere. But if you appeal to them logically you may get somewhere. So maybe print out a study that is written in good language, or copy chapter four from my book, “Straight from the Heart,” where I talk about why cholesterol drugs can hasten your death. Why they can increase your risk of heart attack. And they can. Studies are now showing that statin drugs can increase your risk for cancer. These are studies that are out there. You can find these by Googling on the Internet.

Print that and show them and say, “I love you but I’ve got to tell you I just saw this article written by America’s Pharmacist,” or written by doctor so-and-so. “I love you and I’m concerned that you’re not going in a good direction with these medications because they can damage your liver, they can cause you to lose your memory, they can cause leg cramps and fatigue. Is any of this happening to you ” If the answer is yes then hand them the article and say, “I know why. It’s because these medications are lowering your cholesterol so much that they’re also lowering a heart-healthy nutrient. It’s not a good thing.”

A lot of people can be sustained and lower cholesterol naturally with things as simple as omega-3 fish oils. It’s very powerful. Co-enzyme Q10, this is very powerful. A lot of people use red yeast rice as well or polycosenol. You can also use things like gugulipid. There’s so many natural things.

Eating a high-fiber diet and cutting out meat is also important. Personally, I don’t think we need to just lower cholesterol to the numbers that they are suggesting to us right now. They want us to lower it so, so much because that way they can get as many people as possible on a statin drug. It’s just gotten crazy. How low do we need to go

You don’t feel well with low cholesterol. You need cholesterol to feel well. If they can convince the American public that it needs to go below this number, below 200 total cholesterol or below 100 LDL, or whatever, then they can get eight year olds on statin drugs, beat that.

Kevin: Wow. So you’re saying that as they’re lowering the cholesterol people are staying on statin drugs.

Suzy: Yeah. They’re getting more and more people on them. Here’s the thing, lowering

cholesterol in someone with heart disease is like blowing the smoke out of a house that’s on fire. It doesn’t matter. You’ve got to stop the fire. You’ve got to blow the fire out. The fact that someone’s cholesterol is high is just basically telling you that their arteries, their veins, their capillaries, are cracked. There’s these microscopic lesions on them. The cholesterol goes there to patch it up. So if you have high cholesterol you’ve find that your arteries aren’t flexible any more. It’s a red flag. It’s something that you should go, “Uh-oh, I need to eat differently. I need to unclog my arteries.” Something like nattokinese would be helpful as well, blood thinner, very helpful for unclogging arteries, in my opinion. Those statements have not been approved by the FDA. [Laughs] My qualifying statement.

Kevin: I think it’s true, you have to.

Suzy: Yeah, but here’s the thing. I don’t care what somebody’s cholesterol is so much as I care what their LPA is. It’s another blood test. But you’re not going to hear about measuring your LPA because there isn’t a drug to lower it, there is only vitamins and amino acids and nutrients that lower it. So you’re not going to hear about LPA. But that’s a blood test that can measure how much gunky-junk is stuck in your arteries. It’s a far better predictor than measuring cholesterol. Measuring cholesterol is useless as far as I’m concerned. Again, it’s a red flag. It’s just saying your arteries need attention, that there’s a lot of cholesterol being made in order to rush to the site where there’s all these microscopic little cracks in the arteries.

Kevin: Can someone ask a doctor to get their LPA

Suzy: Yes. If you want to know how well your heart and your circulation is doing, then there are tests that you need to ask your doctor for. You need to insist on these. One of them is measuring your LPA. Another one is high sensitivity C-reactive protein — that’s different than a regular C-reactive protein. You want a high sensitivity one.

Kevin: What’s the difference

Suzy: This measures inflammation. Another thing you want to ask for is testing your fibrinogen level, and others. Again, that’s because I don’t really care so much what your cholesterol levels are. Do you know why Because I don’t make any money or profit from the sale of statin drugs so it doesn’t matter to me what the cholesterol is. The people who care a lot about it are the ones who are making the drugs to lower it. They want that measured and they want that number down.

Kevin: It’s just singular. I think that’s one of the biggest challenges. There’s never a holistic approach when it comes to these medications.

Suzy: Well, some of the better doctors are talking about holistic approaches. I’m making some headway. I’ve been doing this for 11 years and I’m like a gnat in the press. The doctors were just scratching their heads trying to figure me out at first, this was eleven years ago going, “Who is she and why is she saying this ” Now I’m a trusted resource for them. They buy my books. They want to know more. They ask me questions about their patients and email and we correspond. I have doc friends all over the world. The smartest ones are the ones who already know this or if they don’t they’re willing to listen. You’d be surprised. Again, doctors care about their patients. They want them to do better. They’re not all just trying to get through the day harrowed and hurry up. A lot of them really, really care. They just don’t know. They believe what they read. They believe what they hear at their educational seminars. It’s almost like they’re indoctrinated. They don’t realize that the medication they’re prescribing can be harmful

to some of their patients. They’re not right for everybody.

Look at Avandia. Avandia is a popular drug that controls blood sugar, a blockbuster diabetic medicine. It’s been out for several years. What they found out about it is — it’s been under fire before — but in May of 2008 a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found more dangers, particularly heart problems, so blatantly obvious that the FDA forced the makers of Avandia to post a black-box warning. It doesn’t get any worse than a black-box warning, except if they pull the drug and take it off the market. Here’s the part where I fell out of my chair. The scientists ultimately concluded even after the studies about heart problems, they even concluded that it was inconclusive as to whether this drug contributed to these deaths. Are you kidding me

I’m not a brain surgeon but Avandia is a drug mugger for many B vitamins like folate and B12, and co-Q10. We’ve already been talking long enough for you to realize that when you run out of your B vitamins and co-Q10, your muscles suffer. Your heart is the hardest working muscle of all. Your heart suffers. Is it any surprise to anybody that a drug mugger of co-Q10 and B vitamins is going to cause heart trouble Duh.

People who have my book or who have been reading my columns do this. They know that diabetic medicines deplete the body of B12 , a lot of the Bs and also co-Q10. They supplement with those. So they get to enjoy the effects of their medication, if they need it, plus they have a much lower risk of heart disease, heart attack, heart failure and also cancer.

Here are some statistics that underscore this issue:

These statistics, sourced from the US Food and Drug Administration and the National Council on Patient Information and Education, reveal some terrible habits. Spot which ones you share and do something about them.

As many as one in five patients do not fill their prescriptions

One in ten adolescent pregnancies is the consequence of not having complied with birth control pills or other medications

Three of every five patients have trouble identify their own medications.

As many as half of all patients compromise their medication treatments by ignoring the instructions.

About one in five patients admitted to nursing homes arrive there from giving themselves medicine.

As many as one in five people take other people’s medications.

Every year, hospital admissions total as much as $8.5 billion for non-compliant patients.

Here are some of the more common reasons for non-compliance. Read through these and see how many you have used. It’s OK to recognize more fully our reasons to not to perform in this healing partnership.

Be honest with yourself and see how many of these common reasons for non-compliance sound familiar:

Although treatment isn’t over, your symptoms have disappeared or you feel better This happens quite often when people take antibiotics. Although the healing process is not over, it feels over. But just because you feel better doesn’t mean you are. Your doctor didn’t prescribe a certain length of treatment for no reason.

The treatment makes you feel worse than the illness.

Medications can sometimes bring about uncomfortable side effects. And when treatment is for something like high blood pressure, the patient may begin to feel poorly from the medication, making it difficult to see the benefits of the treatment if it is making them feel worse.

“It won’t happen to me.” Despite potential health problems like heart attack or stroke, patients believe it can’t happen to them … until it actually does.

Lifestyle changes are difficult and inconvenient Exercising, or quitting smoking (get quit smoking support here), altering your diet … these changes are hard, but if your health or life relies on doing it, shouldn’t you give it all you’ve got

You identify the treatment with the sickness. The sense of having to rely upon medication rubs some people the wrong way. So they stop taking it, having seen the treatment as the enemy, especially when the drugs have side effects.

You make adjustments to your medication without talking to your doctor. Often people with chronic illnesses want to try and take control of their treatment by changing their dosage. This is especially dangerous when patients are taking addictive medications such as opiate painkillers.

Treatment costs too much. Therapy sessions, prescription drugs, medical devices can add up, so ask for more cost efficient alternatives.

Outside demands take priority over your treatment. Busy schedules, stressful lives, demands of others-these issues and more make it hard for some to maintain a treatment plan.

Here are some tips to help maximize your health care experience and stack the odds in your favor for a good outcome in your healing process. Communication is often at the center of this issue. The following tips should help you keep lines of communication between you and your doctor open thereby maximizing your medical treatment.

Tape record or write down what your doctor says.

Be fully certain you understand how to take your medication. Don’t hesitate to call your doctor or pharmacist with any additional questions.

Find out what to do if you miss a dose. Sometimes we forget, sometimes things get in the way. Find out what to do if you miss a dose, or a rehab class of a therapy session.

Tell your doctor about any past experiences with his prescribed treatments, especially if they didn’t work before of if you’re being treated for something else.

Learn about the side effects you might experience with this treatment, what’s normal and what isn’t and what you should tell your doctor about.

Request information about support groups that deal with the same illness as you. Support groups fill a lot of needs; should your therapy change, or your lifestyle, they can help you cope.

Ask questions, and lots of them. Sometimes doctors speak in medical terminology and we have trouble following. If he or she acts impatient, tell them it’s important for you to understand your treatment. If they continue to seem impatient, consider finding another doctor.

Panic attacks disorder is a condition where people sometimes feel extremely fearful without any valid reason. The panic attack may come all of a sudden even if there is no real danger lurking nearby.

A person who experiences panic attack may fear another such attack and may start avoiding places or situations in which the first attack occurred. People may get panic attacks only occasionally and some may have more frequent attacks.

Also the time duration of these attacks may differ widely. For some people, the attack may just last a few seconds while for others it might last for an hour or more.

In most cases, the attacks last for a few minutes. However the shock and nervousness that people feel may continue for a much longer time even when the attack is over. Sometimes the after effects of it may stretch for a couple of days or more.

The usual symptoms are extreme fear, sweating, pounding of heart, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, feel as if you are dying or having a heart attack. Since most people experience such things moderately some time or the other, it is difficult to diagnose whether you actually had a panic attack or not.

Many of the above symptoms might also be caused due to other factors like stress, weakness, some illness, disease, medications etc. So you have to consult your doctor before you conclude that you are facing a panic disorder. Your doctor may also take some time before reaching a final conclusion.

Typically people face atleast 2 or more panic attacks without any valid reason before it can be successfully concluded after thorough diagnosis that the patient indeed is suffering from panic disorder.

If you are wondering - can a panic attack last for hours - then the answer is that usually it doesn’t last for so long. However some of the feelings will stay with you for hours after the attack which might make you think that you are still experiencing the panic fit.

If it is your first attack and you had no clue what was happening, then chances are that you got worried and hence the attack seemed to carry on for longer duration. Once people get a few such attacks and they try to learn and implements steps to minimize such attacks, then they will be better equipped to handle it when it occurs. In such cases, the panic fit may last for a shorter time.

It is best to consult a qualified doctor as you may need immediate attention. It is not advisable to delay or neglect consulting a doctor.

What you have to first rule out is whether there is some other health problem or is it really a panic problem. Secondly you have to follow some plan or program which may help in overcoming this problem.

The important thing is to start doing something at the earliest to get rid of the problem and keep following the treatment method till you get noticeable results.

Doctors vary in their approach to dealing with high cholesterol; some will prescribe diet and exercise first while others will not hesitate to prescribe high cholesterol medications for their patients. While for many patients this may be the best option because their cholesterol is dangerously high, for others it may be wiser to consider other options before resorting to these drugs and their potentially dangerous side effects.

There are two different classes of high cholesterol medications, statins and bile acid sequestrants. You have most likely heard of the highly popular statins by names such as Lipitor, Crestor or Zocor. The sequestrants are most commonly known by Niacin a common vitamin that is also used to treat high cholesterol in prescription form.

Raised cholesterol can lead to heart attack and stroke and as such perhaps the side effects are a small price to pay to get high cholesterol under control. But you should understand that side effects and alternatives of high cholesterol medications before taking them as some of the side effects can cause more unpleasant problems that could be avoided by taking a different approach.

The most common side effect of high cholesterol medications are muscle weakness and pain, which in its more severe form can lead to more medications that are not necessary. Other side effects include gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, heartburn, vomiting and rashes. Rarely statins can cause liver problems so all patients should be monitored for liver functions.

Perhaps the biggest danger of these drugs is how easily they are prescribed as a fix all, and how few doctors or patients understand the gravity of their use. Instead of working on diet and exercise this drug is used to control something that can be controlled naturally by simply taking good care of yourself. So before you allow your doctor to put you on high cholesterol medications, be sure discuss your alternatives this is a medication that should be a last resort not the answer to every patient poor eating habits.

Everyone knows the feeling of Panic. Anyone who has experience a sudden extreme loss, or a suprising threat knows what panic is… increase in heart rate, sweating, uncontrollable, extreme fear. These are all symptoms of panic.

But what about a panic attack? Well, this is a very common problem for many people around the world, and unfortunatly are usually “brushed off” by the rest of society. The stigma attached to people who suffer panic attacks is that they are “weak minded”, or “overly nervous”. Nothing could be further from the truth. It takes a genuine fear to bring on a panic attack, and it is important to understand the warning signs so the sufferer can help regulate and control them better.

When a panic attack hits, it usually feels like the world, even the body, is caving in suddenly on a person. This is the way the human body responds to extreme danger. The issue here is, the perceived danger isn’t as serious as the person suffering the attack feels it is, but they don’t usually recognize this on a concious level. First, breathing increases, then adernaline is released. The person goes into “fight or flight” mode, and the body gears up to take on a dangerous situation.

The next symptoms of a panic attack are easily noticed. First, a person begins to perspire. This is because the body is heating up due to increased heart rate and faster, shallower breathing. This causes more fear, as a person feels like they cannot breath enough, and they start getting very scared about not getting enough air. Then, symptoms can go on to get much worse, and to the victim, it can start to feel like a heart attack! However, if these first symptoms are noticed and steps taken to slow the onset of the attack, it is possible to stop the attack just as it is getting started.

This is the persons body starting to trigger the “fight or flight” mode as a response to the percevied immediate danger. In the cave man days, it was necessary for our body to “turn on” when danger was around, it was our way of fighting better, or running faster. However, this type of physical response to stress is harmful in the long run to our bodies. Our cardiovascular system is pushed to the limit. Our mind is too focused to think properly. We can become dizzy, exhausted, and even faint if we stay in this mode for too long. The sweat takes water and necessary chemicals out of our body, and we can dehydrate. Continuing exposure to the adrenaline can create numb fingers, toes, hands and feet. If it gets this bad, it is necessary to lie down, and try to relax.

The good news is, if a panic attack is identified by the first signs of sweating and shortness of breath, it can be negated to the degree of “short circuiting” out the fight or flight mechanism, and no panic attack will develop. This will help a person maintain a healthy body, and keep the psychological damage of an extreme panic attack to a minimum. The trick is as soon as you can identify the shortness of breath and the sweating symptoms, you need to sit down, and take deep, slow breathes through the nose if you can. Focus on a relaxing thought.

This will all take some practice, but with time, you can use this calm, deep breathing technique to cut a panic attack short.