Posts Tagged ‘drugs’

Cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease, but it does bankroll an industry. The pharmaceutical industry isn’t giving it to you straight. The public knows what they report, they just don’t know the truth.

They make bold statements designed for the sole purpose of introducing their cholesterol lowering formula. They may create products that win market share, but do nothing to lower the incident of heart disease. They have produced conflicting reports to explain why the drugs lowers risks. There drugs aren’t effective for two reasons: one they target cholesterol, two the side effects are dangerous.

The basics of what cholesterol is and what it does. Cholesterol is multifunctional and protects us in many ways. Cholesterol establishes proper cell membrane permeability and fluidity. This is essential for determining which molecules can pass into the cell and which can not. Cholesterol plays a part in the production of sex hormones. These consists of androgen and estrogen. It is involved in the production of hormones released by the adrenal glands such as: cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, and some others.

Cholesterol is important dfor the manufacturing of bile acids, and converts sunshine to vitam D. It is important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, D, and K. Cholesterol insulates nerve fibers.

We have been conditioned by an industry without a conscience to look at cholesterol as a toxic substance. Cholesterol is produced by the liver to help the body function. Cholesterol is carried by lipoproteins, which is molecule complex or compound containing both lipid (fat) and protein. The three main types are LDL |(low density lipoproteins). HDL (high density lipoprotein) and triglycerides.

The LDL carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells. If too much is carried to the cells to use, the LDL could build up. We on average have about 70% LDL floating around. The liver manufactures and secretes LDL. The liver also removes LDL from the blood by active LDL receptors on the cells surface.

HDL carries the cholesterol away from the cells back to the liver, where it is broken down of expelled as waste.

Triglycerides are the chemical forms in which most fat exists in the body as well as food. Triglycerides in plasma originates from fats in our food, or are created by carbohydrates. Calories we consume which aren’t used right away are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells. This is there for when your body needs energy and there insn’t any food around for this purpose, triglycerides will be released from the fat cells to be used as energy.

So far you can see how this relates to heart disease. The lethal effect of cholesterol comes from the minds of the bureaucratic health care system “experts.” The prime cause of heart disease is inflammation. Cholesterol is there to put out the fire. Blaming cholesterol for heart is like seeing firemen near every fire, and thinking where you see a fireman there will be a fire.

The investigation of cholesterol as a prime suspect in plaque build up led to the wrong conclusions. The test used to measure cholesterol are appealing because they are easy and cheap to give. There is a cloud hanging over the tests.

There are four types of LDL particles, one is a big fluffy form known as large LDL, and three increasingly dense forms know as medium, small and very small LDL particles.  A diet in saturated fat boosts the number of large LDL particles. Where as a diet of low -fat high carbohydrates boosts the smaller forms. The big, fluffy particles are mostly benign (not causing problems), while the smaller ones can become a problem.

The smaller ones are there to fills in the artery cracks and tears, which come from long term inflammation. One of the causes of inflammation is a high carbohydrate low fat diet. It is the smaller particles that will build up plaque while trying to heal the damaged tissue.

The cholesterol theory doesn’t make sense in this context. Where it makes cents is in a $14 billion dollar cholesterol lowering medication. Recently a panel of “experts” urged that every child between the ages of 8 and 11 be tested for high cholesterol. Cholesterol testing is based on poor science, and great marketing.

The real help for MS may be outside the medical model. Medical advances to deal with the condition hasn’t dramatically improved. The medical way is to focus is on high potency drugs. However, just like any of the other so called chronic conditions get ready for one drug after another. So the treatments of choice will be pharmaceuticals. For Multiple Scleroses this means profits for the pharmaceutical industry, and a suffering patient.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and often disabling condition, which attacks the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild or severe, and come or go. The current thinking is that MS is a chronic condition and the only thing a patient can do is find relief.

According to most sources multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are when the body’s immune systems which normally attacks substances foreign to the body such as bacteria mistakenly attacks normal tissue. In MS, the immune system is attacking components of the central nervous system such as the brain and spinal cord along with the optic nerves

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a medical mystery with a few theories on how it develops. It isn’t always easy to diagnose since symptoms can be very mild and transient.  To the medical community this condition like many others is in need of pharmaceuticals.

Medical Solutions

Treating MS follows the trend in managing chronic conditions by using a wide variety of medications to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms. When one medication stops working they look for another drug.

The strategy is to modify the course of the disease (slow it down) treat exacerbations (flare-ups) manage symptoms, improve function. These treatments are symptom control and this is what drives the advances in modern medicine.

The drugs such as Avonex®, Betaseron®, Copaxone®, Extavia®, Gilenya®, Rebif®, and Novatron® come with the hopes that they can reduce disease activity and progression.

The list of possible side effects: depression, anemia, liver abnormalities, allergic reaction, flu like symptoms, anxiety, palpitations, and even chest pains. Some are short lived side effects, and some aren’t common ones. The real problem is the longer you are on them and the more combinations you take the bigger the danger. The documented effectiveness of these drugs isn’t very strong.

Real Answers!

Studies shows that living closer to the equator reduces MS risk. This fits in with research that suggests vitamin D from sun exposure may be protective against MS.  Vitamin deficiencies  play a part in this condition. Just about every chronic condition, which develops comes from inside. The promise of science hasn’t been realized unless you think high dosage medicine is the answer to all health problems.

The one treatment in the medical and pharmaceutical models not used is diet. This has the most implications to both relieve and reverse most of the symptoms. There has been a lack of monitoring diet by the medical community, not just because of ignorance and arrogance, but because this condition can abate and relapse on its own. Most people have to see for themselves what the active ingredients in plant foods can do to. A healthy way of eating is the prototype for any treatment options.

Diet Control

Multiple sclerosis responds to both diet and an exercise programs. The relief from diet and different exercise programs has been chronicled. The appropriate testing comes from the patients who have not just slowed the disease, but reversed much of the condition. In 1948 a Dr. Roy Swank created the first known MS diet. This diet is high in vegetables, fruits and nuts while eliminating saturated fats. To understand this you need a bigger view of this condition. Just about all condition are an inside out occurrence. Specific needs aren’t being met for your body to function properly.

There are thousands of patients that went into remission, and had lesions that decreased in size. The type of exercise is usually light: incorporating yoga and stretching exercises. This helps muscles flexibility and will lessen the chance of becoming stiff or developing atrophy.

There are other diets that include gluten and casein free ones. Flavonoids seem to offer some help and so does food allergy testing.  The notion that dug safety is a safe bet is fading. The future outlook is going to show that one stop answers that come from pharmaceuticals will raise more concerns than answer any questions.

Depression can be stopped in its tracks. Pharmaceuticals aren’t the only or best way to reduce depression. Administrating drugs for what many times is a lifestyle condition is the wrong approach. High potency drugs can cause more problems then they solve. The numbers and variety of legal drugs are increasingly suspected of causing this problem. Some common drugs that are known to cause depression are: barbiturates, amphetamines, pain killers, beta-blockers, high blood pressure medications, heart medications and psychotropic drugs.

Depression Solutions

A good diet has many benefits that help with mood disorders, ADHD, cognitive function, and depression. The biggest barrier to brain health is a poor diet. After decades of of looking at mental disorders as separate from overall health, the tide is turning. There is a relationship between what you eat, how much you exercise, and what you think.

Essential Fatty Acids

Two-thirds of the brain is composed of specific kinds of fats. The two kinds of fatty acids that your body can’t manufacture and needs from food sources are the ones the brain depends on. These are the essential fatty acids (EPAs): Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) the foundation of the ”omega-3″ group of fatty acids, and Liolic acid (LA) the foundation of the “omega-6″ group of fatty acids.

These are the building blocks of brain cells. Food sources of Omega-3 (ALA) are flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, sea vegetables, green leafy vegetables, salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout, olive oil, grass fed beef and dairy. Linolic acid (LA) is found in expelled cold pressed oils, like sesame, primrose, flax, and others. The other sources are pumpkin seeds, avocados, poultry, cashews, acai berry, and spirulina. Many of the foods that have omega 3 contain Linoleic acid.

The brain makes docosehexaenoic acid (DHA) from (ALA) and (LA). Scientist at the National Institutes of Health has associated the increase in depression in North America with the decline of DHA. This is the most important fat for all cognitive functions.

B Vitamins

The B-complex vitamins are essential to both mental and emotional health. The B vitamins can’t be stored they depend on our daily consumption of them. They are destroyed by alcohol, refined sugar, nicotine, caffeine, and stress.

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is used by the brain to help convert glucose into fuel, it is the primary source of energy for the brain. Deficiencies can lead to fatigue, depression, irritability anxiety, and insomnia. Simple carbohydrates such as sugar drains the supply of all B complex vitamins.

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) aids is the processing of amino acids. the building blogs of serotonin, melatonin and dopamine. These are know as the happy hormones.

Vitamin  B12 is important in preventing Anemia, which can cause mood swings, paranoia, irritability, confusion, dementia, and depression.. Folic Acid is need for DNA sysnthesis.

Lifestyle 

With our modern lifestyle many people shouldn’t be a stranger to depression. Depression is more than genetics. This condition is more than minor worries; it is the collapse of our agriculture system. The quality of our food supply is dismal. As our nutritional foundation is giving way our mental illnesses will sky rocket. Just by looking at the rates of autism, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and bi-polar disorders you can see the hair-curling trend. This is unprecedented and is setting the stage for a boon in prescription medications.