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Heart Disease…the facts and how to prevent it Women have been concerned about breast cancer for the past 30 years, but there is a silent killer that poses a greater threat. The National Women’s Health Information Center reports: “Among all U.S. women who die each year, one in four dies of heart disease. In 2004, nearly 60 percent more women died of cardiovascular disease (both heart disease and stroke) than from all cancers combined.” Unless women make significant lifestyle changes these harrowing statistics will increase. This condition begins in adolescence and slowly progresses throughout life. Too many think the solution to this is grounded in modern pharmacology. Drug companies are in business to manage and perpetuate disease. Overwhelmingly, lifestyle/nutritional medicine offer healing and curative measures. Sadly, many respected medical journals are under scrutiny for corruption and collusion with the pharmaceutical industry. Rarely do consumers get the full story about risks and benefits, nor does a week go by without a drug re-call. The merry-go-round never ends. Cholesterol has been blamed for an increased risk in heart disease, but the truth is cholesterol is necessary for a number of bodily functions such as building cell membranes and healthy hormone levels. Approximately half of all heart attack and stroke victims have below average cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is not the villain. In fact, our risk to disease increases when levels are too low. Approximately 75% or more of our body’s cholesterol is synthesized in the liver from sugars and refined starches. Only about 15% comes from dietary fat. Statin drugs prescribed for high cholesterol inhibit the liver’s ability to produce cholesterol. They have a history of causing memory loss, muscle weakness, polyneuropathy, depression, sudden heart attacks, Alzheimer's, impotence, suicide and cancers. Additionally, they deplete the body of important vitamins such as vitamin E, selenium, CoQ10 and folic acid. Dr. Paul Dudley White, the first U.S. cardiologist, believed something in our diets, a lack of exercise due to an industrialized nation’s habits, and probably stress were the three great precursors to coronary heart disease (CHD). His recommendations were to return to eating fresh, unprocessed foods and increase exercise. White was ahead of his time. Current research supports proper nutrition for maintaining good heart health. A low-fat diet is not the answer to reducing high cholesterol. Cholesterol reduction requires lowering the intake of sugars and starches that convert to fat in the diet, and increased consumption of grass-fed animals and cold-water fish rather than meats from feedlot animals and farmed fish. Physicians recommend low-fat diets supported by the American Heart Association guidelines and the pharmaceutical industry. These diets are unsuccessful because they ignore the role of sugars, starches and trans-fatty acids. When diets fail to regulate cholesterol levels, physicians feel obligated to prescribe Statin drugs. Research shows patients placed on drugs suffer a higher death rate than those using a placebo. In six randomized prevention trials of cholesterol reduction, two using diet and four using drugs, found there was a 7% increase in net mortality in the treated groups over controls, those using diet. In all trials, despite a modest decrease in cardiac deaths, total mortality was higher in the treated groups than in the controls. (JAMA, 1Jan 1992:627:100) There is no magic bullet. Your risk is determined by diet and lifestyle choices. Balance is the key. Women’s Hormones and HRT It’s assumed that women experience more heart attacks after menopause due to hormonal imbalance. Progesterone levels drop to zero and estrogen levels drop about 40-60%. This is why medicine supports the use of estrogen and progesterone, hoping to replace the diminishing hormones. Unfortunately, hormones are administered in synthetic form, known as PremPro (estrogens/progestin) and Provera (progestin). They are cellular imposters not known to the body that cause problems. Provera is a dangerous drug and should never be prescribed. It has been linked to coronary vasospasm (a sudden constriction of a blood vessel, causing a reduction in blood flow) that causes death. Natural progesterone protects against arterial spasm. Progestins interfere with blood vessel development, blood clotting, how cholesterol is metabolized by cells lining the heart, and the calcium exchange that controls the firing in the heart muscle. Progestins block estrogen receptors, which change how arteries dilate and respond to stimuli. This is why women suffer from coronary arterial spasms versus men who suffer from occlusion (the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery, as by a blood clot or the progressive buildup of plaque). Prior to stopping the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002 that reported a significant increase of heart disease, stroke and breast cancer from the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy there was ample scientific evidence reporting the increased risks and dangers of synthetic hormones (ERT/HRT). Since the 1950’s medical science has been trying to classify women as diseased in order to justify drug therapies that typically involve hormones. The selling point is convenience and modernization with no regard to safety, common sense or scientific evidence. Women have been subjected to dangerous experimentation and increased risks of heart attacks, stroke, ovarian and uterine cancer, osteoporosis, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. One may ask why synthetic hormones are used at all when safer alternatives are available. There are many reasons including the practice of defensive medicine and influence of the pharmaceutical industry. Women’s Hormones and Birth Control Pills Hormone Replacement Therapy is not the only culprit contributing to increased risk of heart disease. In Dr. Ellen Grant’s book The Bitter Pill: How Safe Is the Perfect Contraceptive?, she explains the real story on effects of the birth control pill. The pill is made up of progestin, estrogens only, or a combination. Different pills have varying levels of hormones and are prescribed to women at younger and younger ages. Introducing these synthetic toxins into women’s bodies is a hormonal assault creating hormonal dysfunction that, over time, foments illness and disease. New markets continually appear. Peri-menopause symptoms are treated with birth control pills even though no long term safety data is available. There is, however, evidence of increased cardiovascular risk. The next market, continuing the cycle, is use of HRT after menopause subjecting women to more synthetic hormones. Doctors may think they are liberating women from symptoms of female cycles; really their prescriptions cause more irregularities and dangers while ignoring medical and scientific evidence. Dr. Grant was hired in the 1960’s to work in a London clinic testing varying combinations and dosages of birth control pills. Disappointed, she discovered serious flaws, often with life-threatening side effects. After studying the devastating results, she decided that “the pill” was too dangerous and should not be taken. History reveals that mainstream doctors bought into the idea and the popularity of the pill grew among women. Her ideas no longer welcome, she was shunned by the medical community as an authority on the subject. Dr. Grant’s research consistently uncovered side effects experienced by women on the pill. The list below provides a compelling argument as to why birth control pills can be dangerous to your health:
Since Dr. Grant’s research, multiple studies validated arguments she substantiated in her works. Should we ignore this research and evidence because it conflicts with modern lifestyle behaviors? The research reveals the pill as being an underlying cause of heart disease and many other women’s health issues. Hormones play a fundamental role in women’s health till death so to diminish their importance is dangerous. There is good news, however. The influence of lifestyle on hormone balance is significant. Poor diet, nutritional imbalances, stress, and lack of activity can be controlled. Changing these behaviors will improve health and lower the risk of disease. Women’s hormones are influenced by diet and lifestyle choices in many ways through:
The link between nutrition and health is well documented. Unfortunately, there is a major disconnect the way we look at chronic disease and conditions. What’s worse is the mindset that allows convenience, not only in foods, but everything we do, to supersede common sense and personal responsibility. Creating Balance Hormone balance can be achieved through diet and lifestyle changes with the help of supplements. Balancing hormones will decrease the following symptoms:
Learning to eat healthy and becoming physically active as a new way of life is very different than relying on drugs to suppress symptoms, eating at fast food restaurants, and exclusion of regular activity. The obvious benefits are that they reduce risk of disease and improve quality of life. Nutrition and Lifestyle for a safer and long term solution to heart health
In summary, cardiovascular problems increase when body functions are disrupted by intruders found in the environment, hormones, foods, and stress. They cause blood sugar imbalances, oxidative stress and inflammation, one of the leading causes of ALL disease. Your risk is determined by the way your genes interact with your lifestyle and environment. Working toward balance is the key. Without adequate knowledge, education and access to natural, safe approaches women are easy prey to the powerful influences of drug companies and the medical industry. Women must make educated and informed choices about their well-being. Stay informed, ask questions, trust your instincts and regain renewed health and vitality. Sources Keeping you “in the know”… Fish Oil Woes Those believing supplements are worthless have gained another ally. It is the UK’s National Health Services (NHS). They claim ALL supplements are useless and offer little benefits.The villain this time is fish oil. It seems that with latest research supporting the benefits of fish oil, the U.K. ought to be promoting its use. This government agency is notoriously behind in the latest research. Making my point, the latest study found that regular use of fish oil decreases the risk of sudden cardiac death and the journal Cancer reported that taking 2.2 grams of fish oil each day helped chemo patients keep their muscle mass and weight up through treatment. Fish oil reduces inflammation. This reduces the need for rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Multiple studies show a daily fish oil supplement that contains 1,050 mg of EPA and 150 mg of DHA significantly improved depression. The most impressive research is from the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. They reported fish oil supplements reduced the risk of breast cancer by 32 percent!! So, who will you believe…a bloated bureaucratic governmental agency that supports failed socialized medicine, or respectable journals that remain relatively un-biased? What’s crazier is that the U.K.’s NHS, in the same report that claimed fish oil worthless, reported that EPA and DHA are important nutrients. You can’t have it both ways. Given these contradictions, I suggest the U.K. bureaucrats consume high doses of fish oil to improve their muddled thinking. Stay well. In the News Prostate Health Calling ALL men! Beware of the drugs Proscar, Propecia (really Proscar with a slightly different twist), Avodart and Jalyn prescribed for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). FACTS: these drugs have been reported as having an increased risk of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer. With the popularity of these drugs it’s no wonder the incidence of prostate cancer continues to increase. How can you heal prostate cancer when the treatment increases risk? In typical FDA style they are calling for new warning labels that will do little to prevent these drugs from causing more harm. You’ve heard me say many times that consumers should beware of treatments that are worse than the cure. There are safer and better ways to treat an enlarged prostate that does NOT cause harm. Jonathan Wright, MD, suggests the following in his clinical practice:
Share this information with your doctor when you are faced with making the decision to take these drugs or not. Better yet, share this information with your doctor anyway so he/she will be “in the know”, just like you. Need a speaker to stimulate your group or organization? Contact
Cindy A. Krueger, MPH. Her lectures are engaging, candid, humorous. Edited
by: Thomas Cline, MBA and MAP President of the International Association
of Ethics Trainers and Sandra Cline, Editor in Chief of INTEGRITY TALK,
the official publication of the International Association of Ethics Trainers.
Visit: http://ethicstrainers.com
Health Disclaimer: The information provided on this site should not be considered as personal medical advice. Readers should research and consult with appropriate healthcare practitioners on matters related to their personal health and well-being. The information and opinions on this site are believed to be accurate and scientifically sound, based upon the best judgment available to the author. References are noted where appropriate. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright © 2011, Preservion, Inc. All rights reserved Last Updated - July, 2011
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