Archive for the Supplements
Statins are America’s best selling drugs as of 11/07–the lastest stat I can find. Lipitor sold $9 Billion worth and Zocor $4.7 Billion. 12 Million Americans take one and more are being fed into the pipeline all the time. According to an ABC news online article from Dec. 2009,” The joke in the world of heart disease is that “they should put statins in the water,” but to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel that has recommended giving statins to “healthy” people, it’s no joke. The panel voted 12 to four with one abstention to recommend that the potent statin Crestor (rosuvastatin) be approved to prevent heart attacks in people who have no history of heart disease and don’t fit the traditional profile of an “at risk” population.”
The results of the trail of about 17,000 people from 25 countries is this, of the half that got Crestor, levels of mortality and morbidity were reduced vs the half that got a placebo.By how much? 70 or so people out of 8901. The reduction in events was tied to reduction of CRP– or C-reactive protein which is a marker of inflammation and an important test for anyone with a history of heart disease or any symptoms of heart problems. Did I mention that this trial was sponsored–that means paid for–by Crestor? And that some cardiologists pointed to the increase in diabetes in the subjects who got the drug vs the placebo group? That last finding was not mentioned by the people who published the findings.
This was not meant to be a diatribe against yet another fatal flaw in the current illness care system but I had to point out some startling and (should be) scary statistics. A statin drug could be coming your way, ill health or no. My point in this post is to tell you about the importance of taking the supplement CoQ10 if you are on a statin–or considering one. (It’s important for cardiovascular health and a supp I recommend even for those of us not on statins but it’s imperative for statin users as you’ll see.)
CoQ10 is the raw material needed for energy production within the cells. (That’s the reader’s digest version) It is also a scavenger of the free radicals produced by this process. Statin drugs not only suppress cholesterol production they suppress production of CoQ10. Muscles are the biggest consumers of energy–the heart is the muscle that uses most because it never rests. Can you see the problem here? Less CoQ10 means less energy being made for the heart which is supposed to benefit from the use of a statin drug.
So what really occurs with too little CoQ10 on board? Let me quote one of the best integrative cardiologists I know. Dr. Steven Sinatra reported in his 2/09 newsletter, “The cascade effect that results from statin therapy goes something like this: lower CoQ10 levels lead to decreased ATP production, (energy production) which leads to diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle, which leads to heart failure.”
That’s heart failure, the very thing the statin is supposed to be protecting you from. In countries like Japan, Germany and others in the EU, statin drugs come with a warning that it is recommended that you supplement with CoQ10 if you are taking this drug. Doctors prescribe it when people are in their offices. Clearly if other countries not so tied to their pharmaceutical behemoths can warn patients of a necessary, safe, and easy to use adjunct to the statin therapy, our government has that option.
Low CoQ10 also leads to muscle pain and weakness and fuzzy thinking. I don’t know about you but at this age I don’t need any help in that area. If you are on a statin, please do not stop it abruptly! If you want to add CoQ10 the best form is ubiquinone according to Dr. Sinatra. That’s because it’s converted, in the body, into ubiquinol, the antioxidant form of CoQ10. And the form you’ll see most often.) You can get a hydrosoluble product or a gel cap type. If you are on a statin, many of the docs I follow suggest 200 mgs per day in divided doses. You can talk to your MD about this but many will be unaware of the statin/CoQ10 connection. Drs. Sinatra, Julian Whitaker, Jim Roberts, and many other integrative cardiologists can be found online with more information.
One last quote, from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, a bastion of all things conservative and Big Pharma focused. They reported a study that proved that higher levels of CoQ10 was related to longer life for heart failure patients. It wasn’t a very well publicized finding. I wonder why?
Yesterday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that the very inexpensive nutritional supplement niacin worked better to clear arteries than the not so cheap and side effect rich drugs Zetia– a drug used in addition to a statin, and Vyotrin– a single pill which combines a statin with Zetia.
Much of the information I’m posting here comes from The Washington Post.
A recent trial gave 200 people one of the drugs or Niaspan, a form of the B vitamin Niacin. They were followed for 14 months. The results showed a decrease in artery clogging plaque in the niacin group but none in the pharmaceutical group. It’s plaque that causes problems and deaths not the cholesterol itself.
Vytorin and Zetia are among the most popular prescription drugs and were introduced with lots of fanfare and expensive advertising. Don’t worry though, Merck made their money back on those expenses. Last year, physicians in the United States wrote a total of more than 29 million prescriptions for them, and worldwide sales totaled $4.56 billion, according to Merck.
Critics of the study complained that it involved just 200 patients, was ended early, and examined what is known as a surrogate marker — the amount of plaque on artery walls — rather than evaluating the rate of heart attacks and stroke.
The study’s author, Allen J. Taylor of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center, said the trial ended early because the results were quickly apparent. “It couldn’t be more clear,” Taylor said. “It would have been unreasonable to continue the experiment because the trial had met its objective — niacin is superior to ezetimibe.”
Because plaque can clog arteries and restrict blood flow to the heart and brain, cardiologists view plaque as a good indication for the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The patients who took Niaspan had less plaque in their arteries and also had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein or HDL. Known as “good” cholesterol, HDL is believed to remove cholesterol from the arteries and carry it back to the liver, where it is passes from the body.
The patients who took Zetia had more plaque in their arteries but lower levels of LDL. They also had more heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems than the patients taking niacin.
If you are on Zetia or Vyotrin please find out more about using niacin as a safe alternative. And if you are worried about LDL cholesterol being some form of evil to be avoided at all costs, please stop back here tomorrow and the days following. I’m going to do my best to explain simply why it’s not evil, why HDL and triglyceride levels are much more important to pay attention to, and why low levels of cholesterol is unsafe at any age but especially midlife and beyond.
What’s your plan for living young to a ripe old age?
Never mind old age, what’s your plan for feeling and looking your best at midlife?
Sure, eating well and exercise are important but they are not enough. We are surrounded by toxins in the air, in our food, and in our homes. Stress is at an all time high.
Optimal health and disease prevention require a
smart supplement plan.
Due to popular demand and the limited amount of time we had to cover such a broad subject in May, Patti Milligan, MS, RD has agreed to come back for a second round of Supplements for Vibrant Health at Midlife!
This is not a sales calll, neither of us are going to push a product on you. If you ask Patti will–if she feels it’s important–suggest a brand name of something but only so you know which one works and is a quality product.
Last time we talked weight around the middle and how to tame it
Natural cholesterol management
Hot flashes and what works to cool you down naturally
Since we have so many more questions already for the call on Thursday we are not going to be able to spend time on those subjects. If you’d like the information though–and I encourage you to grab it as if you missed the first call. If you are like 80% of us, you do have questions about puffy middles, flashes, sleeplessness, and would LOVE to know what supps really work and what are a waste of your money. You can pick up an Mp3 and transcript here.
What we’ve planned on for this call is
How To keep your brain functioning and prevent Alzheimers
Can fish oil help with joint pain? What else does it really do?
What is the correct dosage of Vit D and does it really help prevent cancer?
We’ve already got questions on a few other subjects so this call and the great information can really go anywhere.
Even if you can’t make the call I encourage to sign up and pre-order the Mp3 and transcript. Send me an email and ask your question, and I will guarantee you get an answer. How cool is that?
Last time we could have stayed on the call for another hour. That’s why I had to bring Patti back. I got so many emails with people thanking me and telling us how much useful info they got.
This call will be just as powerful. And girls, I want you to get your questions answered. I have my own questions but I also have access to Patti all the time. These calls are your chance to make the most of an expert with vast knowledge and heart–not a combination you find often these days.
So please join us. BTW did I say there is no charge to be on the call Live. If you can’t sign up to get the goods as soon as we’ve got them typed up and formatted for delivery.
Oh and why not get on the call a minute or two early and say Hi.
My flip chart with notes. I ran out of room!
Yesterday’s Power Hour with master nutrition expert Patti Milligan, MS, RD was so full of good information I had to remind myself I was conducting the call and stop taking notes. Thankfully I have a recording!
The subject was supplements for midlife women who want to look and feel better than ever and boy did Patti deliver. Top of mind for many of the participants was managing or eliminating hot flashes and the meno pot–you know sort of like the muffin top but it tends to sit in the front of us, below the belly button? Patti’s research indicates that the first thing we must do is take good care of our liver.What and why? The liver is one of the three primary organs of detoxification; the other two are the skin and the kidneys. In relation to hormones and how they get used in the body the liver is the go to organ.
Without going in to the science of it in detail–Patti is really good at that, me? not so much–suffice to say this, if you take 30 days, implement what I’m about to share, and then check in on your symptoms you may find they have abated entirely or that they are diminished.
I know, everyone wants the instant relief. It’s possible to get that if you want to go the Bio-Indentical Hormone route to start with. Many aren’t ready to think about hormone replacement and really want to transition naturally through this stage of life. If that’s you then grab a pen.
The 30 day Challenge:
1)Look at your consumption of caffeine, sugar and preservatives.Patti pointed out that it’s often not sugar per se that’s bad–though we know that too much of it is not good–it’s the chlorine used in the process of refining it. CHLORINE? OY
2) Include unsweetened cranberry juice into your daily routine. She suggested 16 oz of juice to 32 oz or more of water and sip that throughout the day
3)Add more active fiber such as flax seed meal–2 – 4 TBLS per day or psyllium husk (I use Yerba Prima Daily Fiber Formula every morning. It’s a blend of psyllium, oat bran, apple pectin, and a few other types of fiber. I buy the orange flavored and mix it in some Vit C, water, a wee splash of fresh juice and have that in the morning)
4)Milk Thistle in capsules but only for this 30 days, this is not an every day supplement
Patti added artichoke in the form of tea or capsules as well during this time.
After 30 days you should be less hot and fluffy in the belly. If you still feel you need symptomatic relief then I’d suggest you get your hormones tested to see if you can add some of the good ones back with the help of a physician who specializes in bio identical hormone replacement and functional medicine.
There’s more to come but I wanted to give you this tidbit today because it’s an easy way to start getting relief and improving our health over all. When the liver is happy the whole girl is happy and looks great too.
