Below is important information regarding the safety of estrogen replacement in menopausal woman. This article was taken off of the Yahoo Health website:
"Several weeks after a study suggested that women who take estrogen-only hormone replacement to treat menopause symptoms may be at lower risk for developing breast cancer, another, much-larger study finds that when used for longer than 10 years, estrogen-only regimens actually raise a woman's long-term risk for breast cancer.
The new study was funded by the National Cancer Institute, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, whereas the previous one was partially funded by drug manufacturer Wyeth.
Researchers evaluated follow-up data from the Nurse's Health Study collected from 1980 through 2008. The women in the study were 30 to 55 years old in 1976. Overall, the risk for breast cancer was 88 percent higher among women who had taken estrogen plus progesterone for 10 to 14.9 years, compared to women who did not. This risk more than doubled for women who used estrogen-plus-progesterone therapy for 15 to 19.9 years.
Women who used estrogen-only therapy after menopause had 22 percent increased risk for breast cancer if they used it for 10 to 14.9 years, and 43 percent greater risk if they used it longer than 15 years.
There was no increased risk seen among women who took estrogen for fewer than 10 years. Women did not have an increased risk of dying from breast cancer, the study showed.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) fell from grace after the U.S. Women's Health Initiative study was stopped early in 2002 because HRT was shown to increase the risk of strokes and breast and ovarian cancer. Some subtleties have emerged since that time. For example, short-term use of HRT is now deemed fairly safe for some women who have severe menopausal symptoms. Estrogen-only therapy is reserved for women who have had a hysterectomy; women with an intact uterus who use HRT must take the hormone progestin (synthetic progesterone) with estrogen to prevent uterine cancer.
"For combination therapy there is so much data about the dangers that we really tell people that if they must take it to treat symptoms, they should only do so for a year or two at most," said study author Dr. Wendy Chen, an associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an assistant professor in medicine at the Breast Cancer Treatment Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. "For estrogen alone, there is more safety data for someone who wants to take it for five or six years."
Chen is scheduled to present her findings at this week's annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Chicago.
Her advice is for women to think about why they are taking supplemental hormones. "If it is for hot flashes, they don't last forever," she said. If vaginal dryness is the issue, there are vaginal hormone preparations. "You are not going to have the systemic effects that you will from talking a pill," she said.
Dr. Larry Norton, deputy physician-in-chief for breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and medical director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center, in New York City, does not recommend that women take estrogen after menopause.
"The jury is still out on how safe estrogen alone is, but I am not recommending it, and the major reason why is because every drug I know that reduces the risk of breast cancer reduces estrogen," he said. "Saying an estrogen is going to be safe raises an important question mark in my mind," Norton said. "Alternative treatments may help treat the symptoms and risks associated with menopause, so why take the chance?"
Because the new study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal."
Monday, April 2, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
White Rice Increases Incidence of Diabetes.
Eating white rice could increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, Harvard researchers claimed.
Each large serving of white rice was linked to an 11 percent increased risk, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health concluded from an analysis of four studies carried out in China, Japan, Australia and the U.S.
The study authors wrote in the British Medical Journal, "We found that higher white rice consumption was associated with a significantly elevated risk of Type 2 diabetes. This association seems to be stronger for Asians than for Western populations."
The studies followed 350,000 people over 22 years -- during which time more than 13,000 people developed Type 2 diabetes.
The researchers noted that compared with brown rice, white rice has a lower content of many nutrients including fiber, magnesium and vitamins, some of which -- especially fiber and magnesium -- are thought to protect against diabetes.
White rice is the most common type of rice eaten worldwide. The researchers claimed that people in Asian countries eat it an average of three to four times a day, compared with an average of one to two servings a week for people in Western countries.
The Harvard researchers said the study took into account a variety of factors including weight, lifestyle and diet.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/16/white-rice-increases-diabetes-risk-scientists-say/#ixzz1pIMPVgxr
Each large serving of white rice was linked to an 11 percent increased risk, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health concluded from an analysis of four studies carried out in China, Japan, Australia and the U.S.
The study authors wrote in the British Medical Journal, "We found that higher white rice consumption was associated with a significantly elevated risk of Type 2 diabetes. This association seems to be stronger for Asians than for Western populations."
The studies followed 350,000 people over 22 years -- during which time more than 13,000 people developed Type 2 diabetes.
The researchers noted that compared with brown rice, white rice has a lower content of many nutrients including fiber, magnesium and vitamins, some of which -- especially fiber and magnesium -- are thought to protect against diabetes.
White rice is the most common type of rice eaten worldwide. The researchers claimed that people in Asian countries eat it an average of three to four times a day, compared with an average of one to two servings a week for people in Western countries.
The Harvard researchers said the study took into account a variety of factors including weight, lifestyle and diet.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/16/white-rice-increases-diabetes-risk-scientists-say/#ixzz1pIMPVgxr
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Cholesterol Not The Cause Of Heart Disease??
World Renown Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease
We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong.. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries,today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.
I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled “opinion makers.” Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.
The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
It Is Not Working!
These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.
Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.
Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
Inflammation is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process,a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.
What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well,smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream dietthat is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. Thisrepeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.
Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.
Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed withomega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.
How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works.
When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.
What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.
While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator -- inflammation in their arteries.
Let’s get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6’s are essential -they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell -- they must be in the correct balance with omega-3’s.
If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.
Today’s mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That’s a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today’s food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.
To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer’s disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.
There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.
One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.
Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today.
The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.
What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.
Dr. Dwight Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart Hospital , Mesa , AZ. His private practice, Cardiac Care Center was in Mesa, AZ. Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease. He is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a focus on helping large corporations promote wellness. He is also the author of The Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie.
We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong.. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries,today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.
I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled “opinion makers.” Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.
The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
It Is Not Working!
These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.
Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.
Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
Inflammation is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process,a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.
What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well,smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream dietthat is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. Thisrepeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.
Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.
Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed withomega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.
How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works.
When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.
What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.
While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator -- inflammation in their arteries.
Let’s get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6’s are essential -they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell -- they must be in the correct balance with omega-3’s.
If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.
Today’s mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That’s a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today’s food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.
To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer’s disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.
There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.
One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.
Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today.
The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.
What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.
Dr. Dwight Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart Hospital , Mesa , AZ. His private practice, Cardiac Care Center was in Mesa, AZ. Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease. He is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a focus on helping large corporations promote wellness. He is also the author of The Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Pain Killers Are Actually Killing Patients.
More people die in America every year from prescription drug abuse than die from heroin and cocaine combined. That stunning finding comes in a new report Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC found a fourfold increase in deaths from prescription narcotics over the past decade. Not surprisingly, it coincides with a fourfold increase in the number of prescriptions written for the powerful painkillers.
More and more kids are showing up in the emergency room after accidental poisoning from prescription drugs. One reason could be that children have a hard time telling the difference between medicine and candy. See how a 12-year-old proved this theory
In 2008, the most recent year for which there are statistics, there were 20,044 overdose deaths from prescription drugs. Of those, 14,800 were from narcotic painkillers.
“Prescription overdoses are epidemic in the U.S.”, says Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. Most people who die from prescription drug overdose are taking someone else’s medicines, he says. “Medicines that were left in the medicine cabinet. Medicines that were given to a friend or a relative. Maybe innocently, maybe maliciously.”
Prescription narcotics are being handed out almost like candy by doctors – some of whom are genuinely interested in patient care – others who run so-called “pill mills”, where narcotic prescriptions are traded for cash to feed addictions. The CDC study found that enough narcotics are prescribed every year to medicate each and every adult in America every day for a month.
“It’s astonishing”, says Frieden. He adds that many addictions begin innocently, when patients are given narcotics for a minor injury that could be treated with less addictive medication. “When I went to medical school, we were incorrectly assured – don’t worry – if patients have short-term pain, they won’t get hooked. That was completely wrong, and a generation of doctors, patients and families have learned that’s a tragic mistake.”
Death and abuse rates vary widely across the country and don’t necessarily correlate. New Mexico has the highest death rate, followed by West Virginia, Nevada, Utah and Alaska. The highest abuse rate is in Oklahoma, followed by Oregon, Washington state, Rhode Island and Kentucky. The CDC report also found the highest death rates tend to be in either rural or impoverished counties.
The prescription drug epidemic has created a monumental law enforcement problem. The incoming Sheriff in Florida’s Pinellas County calls it “The most serious public safety issue we face.” Bob Gualtieri admits that despite intensive efforts at enforcement – targeting pill mills and users, they haven’t made a dent in the problem. And he says – unlike the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1990s, which was mostly an inner-city problem, prescription drug abuse is far more widespread. “This problem crosses all walks of life, crosses all socio-economic classes. Crosses all races and gender, national origin, age.”
In fact, the CDC report found the death rate among non-Hispanic whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives was three times higher than among Blacks and Hispanic whites.
Many states have passed new laws to monitor the prescribing of narcotic painkillers. Dr. Frieden says some laws have made a difference. Washington state, for example, has lowered its death rate, though it remains high.
Despite modest inroads, CDC researchers say the epidemic of prescription narcotic overdoses has continued to worsen. In today’s report, they caution doctors to only use narcotic painkillers in patients who are carefully screened and monitored, and for whom non-narcotic medications are insufficient.
That recommendation may help to reduce the number of new patients who inadvertently get hooked. The intentional abuse of prescription drugs among people who may prefer them to illicit substances like cocaine and heroin is another problem altogether, and one experts say can only be attacked through education and law enforcement.
For more information, or for the complete article, go to http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/01/prescription-drug-deaths-skyrocket/
The CDC found a fourfold increase in deaths from prescription narcotics over the past decade. Not surprisingly, it coincides with a fourfold increase in the number of prescriptions written for the powerful painkillers.
More and more kids are showing up in the emergency room after accidental poisoning from prescription drugs. One reason could be that children have a hard time telling the difference between medicine and candy. See how a 12-year-old proved this theory
In 2008, the most recent year for which there are statistics, there were 20,044 overdose deaths from prescription drugs. Of those, 14,800 were from narcotic painkillers.
“Prescription overdoses are epidemic in the U.S.”, says Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. Most people who die from prescription drug overdose are taking someone else’s medicines, he says. “Medicines that were left in the medicine cabinet. Medicines that were given to a friend or a relative. Maybe innocently, maybe maliciously.”
Prescription narcotics are being handed out almost like candy by doctors – some of whom are genuinely interested in patient care – others who run so-called “pill mills”, where narcotic prescriptions are traded for cash to feed addictions. The CDC study found that enough narcotics are prescribed every year to medicate each and every adult in America every day for a month.
“It’s astonishing”, says Frieden. He adds that many addictions begin innocently, when patients are given narcotics for a minor injury that could be treated with less addictive medication. “When I went to medical school, we were incorrectly assured – don’t worry – if patients have short-term pain, they won’t get hooked. That was completely wrong, and a generation of doctors, patients and families have learned that’s a tragic mistake.”
Death and abuse rates vary widely across the country and don’t necessarily correlate. New Mexico has the highest death rate, followed by West Virginia, Nevada, Utah and Alaska. The highest abuse rate is in Oklahoma, followed by Oregon, Washington state, Rhode Island and Kentucky. The CDC report also found the highest death rates tend to be in either rural or impoverished counties.
The prescription drug epidemic has created a monumental law enforcement problem. The incoming Sheriff in Florida’s Pinellas County calls it “The most serious public safety issue we face.” Bob Gualtieri admits that despite intensive efforts at enforcement – targeting pill mills and users, they haven’t made a dent in the problem. And he says – unlike the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1990s, which was mostly an inner-city problem, prescription drug abuse is far more widespread. “This problem crosses all walks of life, crosses all socio-economic classes. Crosses all races and gender, national origin, age.”
In fact, the CDC report found the death rate among non-Hispanic whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives was three times higher than among Blacks and Hispanic whites.
Many states have passed new laws to monitor the prescribing of narcotic painkillers. Dr. Frieden says some laws have made a difference. Washington state, for example, has lowered its death rate, though it remains high.
Despite modest inroads, CDC researchers say the epidemic of prescription narcotic overdoses has continued to worsen. In today’s report, they caution doctors to only use narcotic painkillers in patients who are carefully screened and monitored, and for whom non-narcotic medications are insufficient.
That recommendation may help to reduce the number of new patients who inadvertently get hooked. The intentional abuse of prescription drugs among people who may prefer them to illicit substances like cocaine and heroin is another problem altogether, and one experts say can only be attacked through education and law enforcement.
For more information, or for the complete article, go to http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/01/prescription-drug-deaths-skyrocket/
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Questions Answered
Below are three questions that patients and others have recently asked. I felt that you may benefit from this information. Enjoy!
Question: Are probiotics different than digestive enzymes? – submitted by Jane Carlson.
Answer: Yes, probiotics and digestive enzymes are different, but they both aid and support healthy digestion. Probiotics are ‘live’ supplemental microorganisms (healthy bacteria) that support the native ‘flora’ in the digestive tract. Digestive enzymes, on the other hand, help to catalyze and breakdown sugars, fats, and proteins to make them more readily absorbable into the bloodstream. – Dr. Gordon
Question: My husband has been suffering with a herniated disc in his lower back for 3 years since he had a lifting injury at work. After speaking with multiple specialists, they tell him that the only thing that they can do is surgery. Are there any other options for him? – submitted by M. Ferring
Answer: Mrs. Ferring, I’m sorry to hear about the suffering that your husband has endured over the past 3 years due to his back injury. Your question is a very common question that I am asked at least 2-3x per week. Without seeing your husband’s MRI and examining him, I can only speak in generalities regarding herniated discs in the lumbar spine. From my experience, I have found that most treatments for herniated discs are focused on treating the symptoms (pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxers, epidural injections, etc…). Unfortunately, to treat the underlying cause of most disc injuries, the treatment options are rather limited. Spinal surgery is definitely one option, and there are multiple types of surgeries depending on the specific disc injury. In my practice, I incorporate the DRX 9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression System to treat disc bulges, protrusions, and herniations. This is a non-surgical alternative treatment for disc injuries which helps to reduce the size and severity of disc herniations, as well as rehydrating the disc so that it can withstand the daily stresses and strains that it must endure. An MRI or CT scan is required to determine if a patient is a good candidate for the DRX 9000, and to rule out contraindications to treatment. – Dr. Gordon
Question: I was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis after having a bone density scan performed on my lower back and hip. My doctor has prescribed Fosamax to improve my bone density. Do I need to keep taking calcium, and if so what kind is best? – submitted by Ruth Parsons
Answer: To answer your question succinctly, yes you need to continue taking calcium. Studies have shown that bone density is optimized in those patients taking Fosamax when they also take adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D. As far as which form of calcium is best, I personally recommend that my patients use calcium citrate, calcium lactate/malate, or calcium MCHC. I also highly recommend taking calcium in a ‘capsule’ rather than a tablet. Many patients not only have difficulty swallowing the large tablets, but also digesting and assimilating the nutrients from the tablets. Remember, calcium requires sufficient amounts of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach to be absorbed and assimilated. Those people who take Tums® with calcium are neutralizing their HCl and thus inhibiting proper absorption. Recommended calcium dosage is 1,000mg – 1,500mg per day depending on the individual needs of the patient. Vitamin D is also important for calcium absorption and metabolism, helping to regulate bone mineralization and blood calcium concentration. There is currently a debate as to the proper supplementation dosage for Vitamin D, as prior recommended dosages have now been found to inadequate. I personally recommend 2,500 – 5,000 I.U. per day to my patients depending on their needs and their blood levels. I recommend testing both calcium and Vitamin D blood levels prior to beginning any supplementation, and I recheck blood levels of these nutrients 6-8 weeks later. – Dr. Gordon
Question: Are probiotics different than digestive enzymes? – submitted by Jane Carlson.
Answer: Yes, probiotics and digestive enzymes are different, but they both aid and support healthy digestion. Probiotics are ‘live’ supplemental microorganisms (healthy bacteria) that support the native ‘flora’ in the digestive tract. Digestive enzymes, on the other hand, help to catalyze and breakdown sugars, fats, and proteins to make them more readily absorbable into the bloodstream. – Dr. Gordon
Question: My husband has been suffering with a herniated disc in his lower back for 3 years since he had a lifting injury at work. After speaking with multiple specialists, they tell him that the only thing that they can do is surgery. Are there any other options for him? – submitted by M. Ferring
Answer: Mrs. Ferring, I’m sorry to hear about the suffering that your husband has endured over the past 3 years due to his back injury. Your question is a very common question that I am asked at least 2-3x per week. Without seeing your husband’s MRI and examining him, I can only speak in generalities regarding herniated discs in the lumbar spine. From my experience, I have found that most treatments for herniated discs are focused on treating the symptoms (pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxers, epidural injections, etc…). Unfortunately, to treat the underlying cause of most disc injuries, the treatment options are rather limited. Spinal surgery is definitely one option, and there are multiple types of surgeries depending on the specific disc injury. In my practice, I incorporate the DRX 9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression System to treat disc bulges, protrusions, and herniations. This is a non-surgical alternative treatment for disc injuries which helps to reduce the size and severity of disc herniations, as well as rehydrating the disc so that it can withstand the daily stresses and strains that it must endure. An MRI or CT scan is required to determine if a patient is a good candidate for the DRX 9000, and to rule out contraindications to treatment. – Dr. Gordon
Question: I was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis after having a bone density scan performed on my lower back and hip. My doctor has prescribed Fosamax to improve my bone density. Do I need to keep taking calcium, and if so what kind is best? – submitted by Ruth Parsons
Answer: To answer your question succinctly, yes you need to continue taking calcium. Studies have shown that bone density is optimized in those patients taking Fosamax when they also take adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D. As far as which form of calcium is best, I personally recommend that my patients use calcium citrate, calcium lactate/malate, or calcium MCHC. I also highly recommend taking calcium in a ‘capsule’ rather than a tablet. Many patients not only have difficulty swallowing the large tablets, but also digesting and assimilating the nutrients from the tablets. Remember, calcium requires sufficient amounts of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach to be absorbed and assimilated. Those people who take Tums® with calcium are neutralizing their HCl and thus inhibiting proper absorption. Recommended calcium dosage is 1,000mg – 1,500mg per day depending on the individual needs of the patient. Vitamin D is also important for calcium absorption and metabolism, helping to regulate bone mineralization and blood calcium concentration. There is currently a debate as to the proper supplementation dosage for Vitamin D, as prior recommended dosages have now been found to inadequate. I personally recommend 2,500 – 5,000 I.U. per day to my patients depending on their needs and their blood levels. I recommend testing both calcium and Vitamin D blood levels prior to beginning any supplementation, and I recheck blood levels of these nutrients 6-8 weeks later. – Dr. Gordon
Monday, June 27, 2011
Danger of NSAIDS
Many visionary health care providers warned about it. Most laughed it off. Now, the research is really piling up and the evidence is getting too strong to ignore.
Back in July 1998, The American Journal of Medicine reported, "Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone. The figures of all NSAID users would be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is generally under-appreciated."
From the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine: “If deaths from gastrointestinal toxic effects from NSAIDs were tabulated separately in the National Vital Statistics reports, these effects would constitute the 15th most common cause of death in the United States. Yet these toxic effects remain mainly a 'silent epidemic,' with many physicians and most patients unaware of the magnitude of the problem.
Furthermore, the mortality statistics do not include deaths ascribed to the use of over-the-counter NSAIDS."
A New Study Warns
Heart Patients About NSAIDs
According to the Elsevier Global Medical News, “For patients with a history of myocardial infarction, any length of treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs poses an unacceptably high risk for death or recurrent heart attacks, based on findings from a Danish study using hospital and pharmacy registry data and published online May 9, 2011 in the journal Circulation.
The risk elevation began during the first week of therapy and continued throughout the course of treatment, with some differences in the magnitude of risk between NSAIDs.”
The authors stressed the results of the study are not in line with the American Heart Association recommendations regarding NSAID treatment in patients with established cardiovascular disease “because we demonstrate that even short-term NSAID treatment is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with prior MI,”
The article also stated, “Despite some limitations of the study, namely the observational design and the possible effects of information bias, and the need for randomized clinical studies... The accumulating evidence suggests that we must limit NSAID use to the absolute minimum in patients with established cardiovascular disease.”
You Are Probably Taking NSAIDs
And Do Not Even Know It
Estimates say that over 30 billion over the counter tablets and 70 million prescriptions are sold annually in the United States alone.
NSAIDs include Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, and Motrin as well as prescription products like Celebrex, Daypro and more.
Is There A Better Pain Solution?
One of the principles of medicine is, “first do no harm.” In other words, make sure the treatment is not worse than the original problem.
That’s why, if at all possible, conservative natural options should always be looked into before more invasive and chemical treatments are used.
Chiropractic care has been helping patients relieve pain naturally, without the deadly side effects of NSAIDs since 1895.
As research and proof piles up – and so do the deaths - Chiropractic care becomes the intelligent, obvious alternative choice. In addition, natural anti-inflammatory products such as omega 3 fish oils and turmeric have potent anti-inflammatory effects and are a great alternative to NSAIDS. (see this month’s insert in the newsletter for 15% off special on our anti-inflammatory supplements Orthomega & Inflammablox.)
Back in July 1998, The American Journal of Medicine reported, "Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone. The figures of all NSAID users would be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is generally under-appreciated."
From the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine: “If deaths from gastrointestinal toxic effects from NSAIDs were tabulated separately in the National Vital Statistics reports, these effects would constitute the 15th most common cause of death in the United States. Yet these toxic effects remain mainly a 'silent epidemic,' with many physicians and most patients unaware of the magnitude of the problem.
Furthermore, the mortality statistics do not include deaths ascribed to the use of over-the-counter NSAIDS."
A New Study Warns
Heart Patients About NSAIDs
According to the Elsevier Global Medical News, “For patients with a history of myocardial infarction, any length of treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs poses an unacceptably high risk for death or recurrent heart attacks, based on findings from a Danish study using hospital and pharmacy registry data and published online May 9, 2011 in the journal Circulation.
The risk elevation began during the first week of therapy and continued throughout the course of treatment, with some differences in the magnitude of risk between NSAIDs.”
The authors stressed the results of the study are not in line with the American Heart Association recommendations regarding NSAID treatment in patients with established cardiovascular disease “because we demonstrate that even short-term NSAID treatment is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with prior MI,”
The article also stated, “Despite some limitations of the study, namely the observational design and the possible effects of information bias, and the need for randomized clinical studies... The accumulating evidence suggests that we must limit NSAID use to the absolute minimum in patients with established cardiovascular disease.”
You Are Probably Taking NSAIDs
And Do Not Even Know It
Estimates say that over 30 billion over the counter tablets and 70 million prescriptions are sold annually in the United States alone.
NSAIDs include Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, and Motrin as well as prescription products like Celebrex, Daypro and more.
Is There A Better Pain Solution?
One of the principles of medicine is, “first do no harm.” In other words, make sure the treatment is not worse than the original problem.
That’s why, if at all possible, conservative natural options should always be looked into before more invasive and chemical treatments are used.
Chiropractic care has been helping patients relieve pain naturally, without the deadly side effects of NSAIDs since 1895.
As research and proof piles up – and so do the deaths - Chiropractic care becomes the intelligent, obvious alternative choice. In addition, natural anti-inflammatory products such as omega 3 fish oils and turmeric have potent anti-inflammatory effects and are a great alternative to NSAIDS. (see this month’s insert in the newsletter for 15% off special on our anti-inflammatory supplements Orthomega & Inflammablox.)
Monday, May 23, 2011
New Vitamin D Study
Vitamin D deficiency study: the latest research from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that from 2001-2004, an alarming 77% of Americans were found to be deficient in vitamin D. This is leading the Institute of Medicine to reassess the RDA for vitamin D.
More vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency is now shown to be related to increased risk for nervous system disorders, diabetes, allergies, cancer, and heart disease. If you haven't had your vitamin D levels checked, it's quick and easy. Call our office at 734-9995 and schedule a vitamin D blood test for only $60.00. It's some of the best preventative medicine that you can do for yourself and your family.
More vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency is now shown to be related to increased risk for nervous system disorders, diabetes, allergies, cancer, and heart disease. If you haven't had your vitamin D levels checked, it's quick and easy. Call our office at 734-9995 and schedule a vitamin D blood test for only $60.00. It's some of the best preventative medicine that you can do for yourself and your family.
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