The American College of Cardiology announced yesterday that they recommend statins as a first choice over the combination drug Vytorin. A study published last Sunday found that while Vytorin was good at lowering LDL levels in the blood, it did not lower heart attack risk in decreasing plaques in the arteries. All drugs have side effects and even over the counter drugs such as Tylenol have potentially serious side effects. Statins have minor common side effects such as headaches, nausea and fever. More serious statin side effects are extreme muscle pain, muscle disease, liver problems, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, memory loss, irritability and personality changes. With statins you also must understand that they lower LDL only and have little or no effect on HDL and triglycerides in the blood. You must also take CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplements because it is known to decrease the CoQ10 blood supply.
As a chiropractor, my philosophy is to prefer the natural approach before using drugs when possible. As a caveat, you must talk to your medical doctor before changing any prescription or take any natural supplement that may interact with any drugs. According to one study, a low-fat diet resulted in higher cholesterol. The same study showed that a "Mediterranean diet, containing fruit, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains and soy bean oil - resulting in a high intake of alpha-linoleic acid" and a 62.5% lower heart attacks compared to the low-fat diet group. Another study from the University of Toronto in Canada also showed that an animal-free diet or vegan diet "can reduce cholesterol levels as effectively as the latest and most expensive cholesterol-lowering medications." Recently, it has been thought that plant sterols and stanols bind to cholesterol and block its absorption. Phytosterols can be found in Minute Maid Premium Heart Wise orange juice, spreads like Take Control and Benecol and XyliDent Pro gum. Look for more phytosterol sources in your local health food store.
ChiroWorks Care Center
Anthony Tsai, D.C.
Chiropractor in San Jose, CA
ChiroWorksCareCenter.com
Graston Technique Certified
Disclaimer: The content in this blog is for informational purposes only and an opinion for specific individualized circumstances. It is not a prescription for therapy or diagnosis for you. All opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the particular author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Anthony Tsai, Graston Technique®, its employees, providers or affiliates. Any opinions of the author on the site are or have been rendered based on scientific facts and/or anecdotal evidence, under certain conditions, and subject to certain assumptions, and may not and should not be used or relied upon for any other purpose, including but not limited to for use in or in connection with any legal proceeding. If there is any issue with the content or images on this blog, contact us an we will remove it immediately. Please refer to http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/ for more information.
References:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN30342354
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0800742?resourcetype=HWCIT
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?Id=3055
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-22-2003-44502.asp
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/statin-side-effects/80d066263d803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/health/conditions.treatments/cholesterol
Innovations in Wellness Medicine, Nov 2007, Page 5
As a chiropractor, my philosophy is to prefer the natural approach before using drugs when possible. As a caveat, you must talk to your medical doctor before changing any prescription or take any natural supplement that may interact with any drugs. According to one study, a low-fat diet resulted in higher cholesterol. The same study showed that a "Mediterranean diet, containing fruit, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains and soy bean oil - resulting in a high intake of alpha-linoleic acid" and a 62.5% lower heart attacks compared to the low-fat diet group. Another study from the University of Toronto in Canada also showed that an animal-free diet or vegan diet "can reduce cholesterol levels as effectively as the latest and most expensive cholesterol-lowering medications." Recently, it has been thought that plant sterols and stanols bind to cholesterol and block its absorption. Phytosterols can be found in Minute Maid Premium Heart Wise orange juice, spreads like Take Control and Benecol and XyliDent Pro gum. Look for more phytosterol sources in your local health food store.
ChiroWorks Care Center
Anthony Tsai, D.C.
Chiropractor in San Jose, CA
ChiroWorksCareCenter.com
Graston Technique Certified
Disclaimer: The content in this blog is for informational purposes only and an opinion for specific individualized circumstances. It is not a prescription for therapy or diagnosis for you. All opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the particular author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Anthony Tsai, Graston Technique®, its employees, providers or affiliates. Any opinions of the author on the site are or have been rendered based on scientific facts and/or anecdotal evidence, under certain conditions, and subject to certain assumptions, and may not and should not be used or relied upon for any other purpose, including but not limited to for use in or in connection with any legal proceeding. If there is any issue with the content or images on this blog, contact us an we will remove it immediately. Please refer to http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/ for more information.
References:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN30342354
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0800742?resourcetype=HWCIT
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?Id=3055
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-22-2003-44502.asp
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/statin-side-effects/80d066263d803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/health/conditions.treatments/cholesterol
Innovations in Wellness Medicine, Nov 2007, Page 5
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