Many Women Struggle With Uncontrolled Blood Pressure

(HealthDay News) -- Nearly one in three Americans suffers from high blood pressure -- more than 73 million adults.

But half of them -- women -- face unique challenges in controlling their blood pressure.

For instance, women with high blood pressure are more likely to be obese and have high cholesterol levels. They're also less likely than men to meet target goals for their blood pressure. And they're also less likely than men to receive medications such as aspirin, blood pressure-lowering drugs or cholesterol-lowering drugs, compared to men, recent research found.

These findings add greater urgency to the American Heart Association's ongoing "Go Red for Women" campaign, which seeks to change the perception that high blood pressure and heart disease are "male" health threats.

Most people don't know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women -- as well as men. An estimated 480,000 women die of cardiovascular disease every year, more than the total number of cardiovascular disease-related deaths in men, or the next four causes of death combined, according to the heart association.

Unchecked high blood pressure -- also known as hypertension -- can produce terrible systemic damage and disease. It can lead to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney damage, blindness and a host of other medical problems.

Despite this, a large segment of women aren't adequately addressing their hypertension.

"Only about 60 percent of women with high blood pressure are having it controlled," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, medical director of New York University Medical Center's Women's Heart Program, and a spokeswoman for the "Go Red for Women" campaign. "When you bring your blood pressure down, you cut your stroke risk in half and risk of heart attack by 25 percent."

Part of the problem is that women tend to suffer from an increased systolic rate, said Dr. Daniel Jones, president of the American Heart Association.

Blood pressure is the force of the blood against artery walls when the heart beats and then rests. Measurement renders two numbers. Systolic pressure, the top number, is recorded when your heart beats and forces blood out to the body. Diastolic pressure is the bottom number, and is the minimum pressure that occurs when the heart relaxes between beats. The ideal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg, according to the heart association.

But, Jones added, "The systolic rate is more resistant to treatment through medication."

Goldberg believes that some women might be stopping their blood pressure medication without talking with their doctor, after suffering from side effects that can include insomnia, lethargy and depression.

"If the medication is a problem, we have many different medications that help," said Goldberg, author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg's Complete Guide to Women's Health.

Further complicating treatment is the perception of high blood pressure as a "man's disease," which might affect the intensity of care they receive, Goldberg said.

"Sometimes, the woman's needs aren't being met at the doctor's office," she said. "They need to ask the simple question, 'What is my blood pressure?' And if it seems a little elevated, they need to talk to a doctor about what to do to fix it."

Women also shouldn't ignore the lifestyle changes they can pursue that will lower their blood pressure, or help prevent it from rising in the first place, Jones said.

"They're not as easy to do as some things, but they are very powerful," he said.

Diet can have a big impact on high blood pressure. A recent study found that women 45 years old and older who ate low-fat diary foods were at lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

"Those [low-fat diary products] are great, because they have calcium, which is good for our bones, so there's more than one benefit," Goldberg said.

Reducing fat and salt intake is also helpful.

"When you're going to the market and buying prepared foods, purchase those that are grilled, not fried," Goldberg said. "You also should realize many condiments are very high in salt."

Quitting smoking and reducing the amount of alcohol you drink is also important for reducing your overall risk for heart attack and stroke.

On the horizon, researchers are developing a vaccine that could prove successful in moderating blood pressure. It works by inhibiting angiotensin II, a molecule that constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure.

"The potential attractiveness of a vaccine is it might be a more convenient way to manage high blood pressure in some people," Jones said.

Researchers at the 2007 American Heart Association annual meeting discussed some early encouraging results, although Jones cautioned that the vaccine is still years away from use in patients. "People should not be anticipating this is something that would be clinically available anytime in the near future," he said. "It's not anywhere close to being tested by the FDA for use."

Until then, following a healthy lifestyle and sticking with a good medication are a woman's -- and man's -- best bet for beating back high blood pressure.

"We know that a diet that is low in sodium and high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products is very useful in both preventing and treating high blood pressure," Jones said. "I always like to remind people of the importance of simple things in lifestyle that can make a difference."

More information
To learn more about the Go Red for Women campaign, visit the American Heart Association.

Hypertension Takes Huge Toll in Developing Countries

(HealthDay News) -- Roughly 80 percent of high blood pressure-related deaths in the world occur in developing nations, a new study by New Zealand researchers shows.

Once regarded as a problem only in high-income countries, high blood pressure is now a global problem that affects both rich and poor nations, the researchers said.

The researchers calculated that 7.6 million premature deaths (about 13.5 percent of the worldwide total) and 92 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYS) -- 6 percent of the worldwide total -- among people over age 30 were caused by high blood pressure in 2001.

About 54 percent of strokes and 47 percent of heart disease cases were attributed to high blood pressure. About half of those cases occurred in people with hypertension (greater than 140 mm Hg systolic), while the remainder occurred in people with lesser degrees of high blood pressure.

In high-income countries, the proportion of premature deaths due to high blood pressure was 17.6 percent, compared to 12.9 percent in middle- and low-income nations. The proportion of DALYS due to high blood pressure in high-income nations was 9.3 percent, compared to 5.6 percent in middle- and low-income nations.

However, 80 percent of worldwide high blood pressure-related deaths occurred in middle- and low-income nations in eastern Europe and Asia, including China and India. More than one-third of all deaths in lower-income nations in Europe and central Asia were related to high blood pressure.

In high-income countries there were 1.39 million high blood pressure-related deaths; 418,000 stroke deaths; 668,000 heart disease deaths; 109,000 deaths due to hypertensive disease; and 197,000 deaths due to other cardiovascular diseases.

In low- and middle-income countries, there were 6.22 million high blood pressure-related deaths: 2.5 million stroke deaths; 2.68 million heart disease deaths; 598,000 hypertensive disease deaths; and 445,000 deaths due to other cardiovascular diseases.

"Most of the disease burden caused by high blood pressure is borne by low-income and middle-income countries, by people in middle age, and by people with lesser degrees of high blood pressure. Prevention and treatment strategies restricted to rich countries or individuals with hypertension will miss much blood pressure-related disease," wrote the University of Auckland researchers.

The study is published in this week's issue of The Lancet.

"Middle-income countries and low-income regions have a five times greater burden of disease than high-income regions, with access to less than 10 percent of the global treatment resource... This travesty cannot continue to be ignored by those most able to bring about change," Stephen MacMahon, of the George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney in Australia, and his international colleagues, wrote in an accompanying editorial.

More information
The American Heart Association has more about high blood pressure.

Born to Be Obese?

(HealthDay News) -- The brain circuitry that controls appetite might be wired differently in some people, and that could predispose them to obesity, California researchers suggest.

The study was conducted in rats, not humans, and yet it could ultimately lead to novel obesity treatments, said Philip Smith, director of the Office of Obesity Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

"It is not just about drugs that modify short-term appetite," he said, "there may be drugs that stimulate development of the appropriate neural pathways. So, it is an exciting, but very early, time in this field."

The study was published in the February issue of Cell Metabolism.

Sebastien Bouret, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California, and his colleagues examined neural circuits emanating from the appetite, hunger and body-weight control center of the brain -- the so-called arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) -- in a series of rats bred to be either prone to, or resistant to, obesity.

The team found fewer neural connections projecting from the ARH in obesity-prone animals than in their leaner counterparts. Surprisingly, Bouret said, this deficiency developed very early in life, before the animals became obese, and appeared to extend into adulthood.

"Somehow, these animals are programmed to become obese," Bouret said. "The obesity is hard-wired into the brain."

When the researchers then looked at why the brains of obese rats differed from their normal-weight counterparts, they found that the neurons from obesity-prone animals were less responsive to leptin, a hormone that controls the development of these circuits, and which also signals the body's energy status and controls metabolic rate.

"This paper presumes to say, these animals must be leptin-resistant, and that is why the pathways are not developing," said Smith.

But that doesn't mean they are doomed to a life of severe obesity, said Dr. Barbara Kahn, chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston. How they live their lives also matters.

"It is important not to 'blame' the obese person or imply that he/she is responsible for being obese," Kahn noted. "Having said that, reasonable, healthy caloric restriction and a safe and sustainable program of physical activity can help limit weight gain and often bring about some degree of weight loss. In addition, healthy eating and regular exercise can reduce the complications of obesity such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."

At the same time, she added, not everyone can wear a size 4.

"There is a certain aspect of genetics that sets somebody in a certain range of possible body weights, and then how that person lives his or her life will determine whether they are at the bottom or top of the range," she explained.

Human obesity has both genetic and environmental roots. The rats used in this study, like most humans, developed obesity when fed a high-energy diet. On a normal diet, they were heavier than normal rats, but not yet obese.

"This is quite an exciting paper," said Smith, "because it links more closely to human behavior than most rodent models we have seen."

The findings also suggest a possible therapeutic approach to combating human obesity. If drugs could be designed to influence the formation of neural circuits during development and targeted to at-risk pregnancies, Smith said, "there is a good likelihood we could have successful interventions that improve the health of the mother, and which have a major impact on disease risk for the infant, during pregnancy."

A related study from Boston University researchers in the same journal found that bulking up muscle mass can lead to a general metabolic improvement in obese individuals. "Interventions designed to increase skeletal muscle mass in at-risk human populations may prove to be critical weapons in the fight against obesity and obesity-related comorbidities, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and cancer," an accompanying editorial stated.

More information
For more on obesity, visit the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Hypertension Linked to Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment

(HealthDay News) -- High blood pressure may be associated with increased risk for mild cognitive impairment, says a study by researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

Mild cognitive impairment, which causes learning and thinking difficulties, has "attracted increasing interest during the past years, particularly as a means of identifying the early stages of Alzheimer's disease as a target for treatment and prevention," the study authors wrote.

They followed 918 Medicare recipients aged 65 and older (average age 76.3) who were assessed every 18 months for an average of 4.7 years. None of the participants had mild cognitive impairment at the start of the study, but 334 of them developed the condition during the study period.

Of those, 160 developed amnestic mild cognitive impairment (which involves low scores on memory portions of neuropsychological tests), and 174 developed non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Hypertension was associated with an increased risk of all types of mild cognitive impairment, especially non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment, the researchers said.

The findings are published in the December issue of the Archives of Neurology.

"The mechanism by which blood pressure affects the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia remains unclear. Hypertension may cause cognitive impairment through cerebrovascular disease. Hypertension is a risk factor for subcortical white matter lesions found commonly in Alzheimer's disease. Hypertension may also contribute to a blood-brain barrier dysfunction, which has been suggested to be involved in the cause of Alzheimer's disease.

Other possible explanations for the association are shared risk factors," including the formation of cell-damaging compounds known as free radicals, the study authors wrote.

"Our findings support the hypothesis that hypertension increases the risk of incident mild cognitive impairment, especially non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment," the researchers concluded. "Preventing and treating hypertension may have an important impact in lowering the risk of cognitive impairment."

More information
The Alzheimer's Association has more about mild cognitive impairment.

Urine Test Results Can Point to Heart Dangers

(HealthDay News) -- Even a small amount of a protein called albumin in the urine of patients with stable coronary artery disease increases their risk of cardiovascular death, say U.S. researchers.

The findings from this study of almost 3,000 patients, age 50 and older, with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) have implications for assessing and perhaps treating patients with vascular disease.

The study was published in the current issue of the journal Circulation.

Albumin is normal and necessary in blood, but its presence in urine indicates leakage in the kidney filtration system and possible damage to cells that line the kidney's blood vessels, according to background information in the study.

"We found that virtually any degree of albuminuria, even albumin below the level we call microalbuminuria, placed a patient at significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events," lead author Dr. Scott D. Solomon, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Noninvasive Cardiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues also found that the hypertension drug trandolapril (an ACE inhibitor) lowered albumin levels in patients' urine.

The findings of this study and previous research by the same team indicate that "we cardiologists need to pay more attention to kidney function in our patients, and we need to look at two aspects -- filtration and albuminuria," Solomon said.

"It is important for cardiologists to understand that these are not patients who will even come to dialysis or even necessarily see a nephrologist," he said. "But they do have mild kidney disease that puts them at increased risk for a cardiovascular event."

More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about protein in urine.
Integrated Medicine
Educational Programs

Weight Loss Can Control Hypertension

(HealthDay News) -- An Italian study has identified overweight as a direct cause of high blood pressure. And it also showed that up to half of overweight people can bring down blood pressure to healthy levels by weight reduction.

But the weight loss has to be achieved before the borderline to outright obesity is crossed, said Dr. Roberto Fogari, professor of medicine at the University of Pavia. He was to present the study findings Friday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research, in Tucson, Ariz.

It's important that the study linked overweight to high blood pressure, which usually is described as "essential," a medical term meaning that the cause is unknown, Fogari said.

"The study suggests that, in many cases, hypertension [high blood pressure] is not essential," he said. "It is secondary to overweight. So, in the first stages of overweight, if we can induce people to reduce overweight, they can also avoid being treated for hypertension."

The study included 210 men and women whose body mass index [a ratio of weight to height] was between 25 and 29.9, indicating overweight but just short of the 30 mark of obesity. Their systolic blood pressure was between 140 and 159, and their diastolic pressure was between 90 and 99, indicating moderately high blood pressure.

An individualized low-calorie diet was designed for each study participant. Some also were prescribed orlistat, a drug that prevents fat from being metabolized.

After six months, 53 percent of the men and 49 percent of the women in the study achieved normal body weight, and a 5 percent reduction in blood pressure.

"The other 50 percent of those in the study already had abnormal changes in the vascular tree [blood vessel system], so that hypertension was no longer reversible by losing weight," Fogari said.

The implication for practicing physicians who see moderately overweight people with high blood pressure is that their first goal should be weight reduction, he said.

"Only after six months of trying to reduce the patient's weight can a decision be made about drug treatment," Fogari said.

Dr. Daniel W. Jones, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association, said the study finding "is not new news, but it is important news."

There have been a number of previous studies showing that weight loss can reduce blood pressure, Jones said. "But this is an increasingly important problem in societies around the world," he said. "Once you gain weight, you find it difficult to lose weight, which is why we focus so much on preventing obesity these days."

As for drug treatment of high blood pressure, about half of California adults diagnosed with hypertension do not take medication for it, another report presented at the same meeting found.

The study of 11,467 persons given a diagnosis of hypertension found that 49.4 percent were not taking drugs to reduce their blood pressure, said the report by researchers at the California Department of Public Health's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program.

There were some bright spots in the picture. Compliance was more than five times higher for those who had seen a doctor in the past year than for those who had not. And the compliance rate was twice as high for persons with health insurance than the uninsured.

More information
For more on high blood pressure and what to do about it, turn to the American Heart Association.

No Clear Evidence Meditation Can Boost Health: Study

(HealthDay News) -- There's no definitive evidence that meditation eases health problems, according to an exhaustive review of the accumulated data by Canadian researchers.

"There is an enormous amount of interest in using meditation as a form of therapy to cope with a variety of modern-day health problems, especially hypertension, stress and chronic pain, but the majority of evidence that seems to support this notion is anecdotal, or it comes from poor quality studies," concluded researchers Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond of the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Centre, in Edmonton.

They analyzed 813 studies focused on the impact of meditation on various conditions, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and substance abuse.

Released Monday, the report looked at studies on five types of meditation practices: mantra meditation; mindfulness meditation; yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong.

Some of the studies suggested that certain types of meditation could help reduce blood pressure and stress and that yoga and other practices increased verbal creativity and reduced heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol in healthy people.

However, the report authors said it isn't possible to draw any firm conclusions about the effects of meditation on health, because the existing studies are characterized by poor methodologies and other problems.

"Future research on meditation practices must be more rigorous in the design and execution of studies and in the analysis and reporting of results," Ospina said in a prepared statement.

Bond added that the new report doesn't prove that meditation has no therapeutic value, but it can inform medical practitioners that the "evidence is inconclusive regarding its effectiveness."

For the general public, the report "highlights that choosing to practice a particular meditation technique continues to rely solely on individual experiences and personal preferences, until more conclusive scientific evidence is produced," Ospina said.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Bethesda, Md., part of the National Institutes of Health.

More information
The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has more about meditation for health purposes.

New Cholesterol Check Gauges Kids' Heart Risk

(HealthDay News) -- Whether America's fast-food-and-video-game culture, or some other confluence of factors is to blame, there's no denying that adolescents' health is at risk.

Little wonder, then, that one group of researchers has begun to take a serious look at the long-term health consequences of kids' inactivity. And they are using cholesterol levels as a window into these youngsters' futures.

Obesity, inactivity and cholesterol are closely linked, and data from the latest U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) finds that 17 percent of U.S. teens are overweight. Just one in four high school students packs enough physical activity into their day, and 12 percent get little or no daily exercise, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So, measuring kids' cholesterol in a really detailed way may make sense.
"There is growing scientific evidence indicating that cholesterol levels in childhood and adolescence have an effect on the development of plaque in the arteries, which is a clear indication of cardiovascular disease risk," explained study leader Ian Janssen, an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queens University in Ontario, Canada.

"There is also strong evidence indicating that children and youth with high cholesterol will continue to have high cholesterol in adulthood," he added. "Thus, it is important to start treatment and prevention efforts early."

Using data from the NHANES on more than 6,000 kids aged 12 to 20, Janssen and his colleagues developed age- and gender-specific reference points for total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, HDL ("good) cholesterol and triglyceride fat levels. The new tables, published last year in the journal Circulation, take into account fluctuations in cholesterol and fat that occur as a child matures.

The new reference data are meant to improve upon current guidelines, published by the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program, which do not account for age-related fluctuations.
Still, Janssen admits that the guidelines have not yet been routinely adapted into clinical care settings in the United States. "These sorts of changes to clinical practice typically take years to manifest," he said.

Dr. Marc S. Jacobson, director of the Center for AtherosclerosisAtherosclerosis Prevention at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said it's unclear how the new tables will be received in the United States.

"It complicates lives of people like me who treat adolescents with lipid problems because instead of just having one number, you have to have four graphs and plot them out by age," he said.
"Instead of having one cut point," he continued, "you have a graph that you have to plot out a percentile. With each lipid profile, you have to decide which percentile this is for that individual's age. And when it goes up and when it goes down, did it go down because of treatment? Or did it go down because of advancing puberty?"

The challenge, then, is to make sense of that information, he explained. "It argues that you almost have to take it into account because you could say if the LDL changes, is it the treatment or is it a change in puberty?"

Currently, the federal government recommends cholesterol screening for children and teens with at least one parent with high cholesterol or a family history of early heart disease.
"Typically high-risk adolescents should be screened, and probably every year or two," Janssen said. "A high-risk adolescent would be one who's had a parent or grandparent with premature cardiovascular disease or high cholesterol, or a teen with other risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure."

Other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or smoking, also would trigger cholesterol testing in doctors' offices, "and that covers a lot of kids now," Jacobson noted.
The issue is destined to garner greater attention when a U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) panel updates guidelines on cholesterol screening in children and teens. The new guidance is scheduled for release in April 2008, said Dr. Rae-Ellen Kavey, senior medical officer with the Pediatric Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program in NHLBI's Office of Prevention, Education, and Control.

"Stay tuned," Kavey said, "because there really is going to be new information."

More information
Find out more about cholesterol at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Certain ACE Inhibitors Cut Elderly Dementia Risk

(HealthDay News) -- Certain types of ACE inhibitor hypertension drugs may help cut the risk of dementia in older adults, say researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
They analyzed data from the long-term Cardiovascular Health Study of almost 5,900 people over age 65 in the United States.

The researchers found that "centrally acting" ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors may help reduce inflammation that might contribute to dementia.

Centrally acting ACE inhibitors are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain.
"For older adults who are going to take an ACE inhibitor for blood pressure control, it makes sense for their doctors to prescribe one that goes into the brain," lead researcher Dr. Kaycee Sink, an assistant professor of internal medicine/gerontology, said in a prepared statement.

She and her colleagues found that for each year that people took centrally acting ACE inhibitors, they had a 50 percent lower rate of mental decline than people taking other kinds of hypertension drugs.

Mental decline was measured using the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam, which evaluates memory, language, abstract reasoning and other cognitive functions.

"These results suggest that there is more to treating blood pressure than achieving a goal of 140/80," Sink said. "Which drug you choose for blood pressure can have broader implications. We know that ACE inhibitors protect against heart failure and kidney failure, and now there is evidence that some of them may also protect against dementia."

The study was expected to be presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society, in Seattle.

More information
The American Medical Association has more about dementia.

The biggest threat to the health of most Americans is the health-care system itself.

The biggest threat to the health of most Americans is the health-care system itself. More and more people are being drawn into treatment as a result of an astonishing increase in diagnoses, and ever-expanding definitions of what constitutes a disease.

This actually places these "patients" in greater danger than if they were simply left alone.
One problem is the medicalization of everyday life; everyday experiences such as insomnia, sadness, or twitchy legs are now being diagnosed as sleep disorder, depression, or restless leg syndrome. Especially troublesome is the medicalization of childhood, where trouble reading becomes dyslexia and unhappiness is deemed depression.

Another problem is the drive to diagnose disease early. Illnesses are now being identified in those with no symptoms, but who are merely "at risk." However, advanced technologies such as CT scans, ultrasounds, MRI and PET scans can detect subtle flaws that make practically everyone "at risk."

Meanwhile, at the same time, the definitions or diseases are expanding, as experts drop the thresholds for diagnosing diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and obesity. The level of cholesterol deemed "normal" has dropped several times. Merely because of these changes, more than half the population is now "diseased."

This epidemic of diagnoses has in turn led to an epidemic of treatments. And while not all treatments have benefits, almost all of them have harms. While the harms may outweigh the benefits for the severely ill, they can be far worse than the "disease" for those with only mild symptoms.

more informations at: dreddyclinic.com/

References:
New York Times January 2, 2007
Deseret News.com January 2, 2006

Digital Arterial Pulse-wave Analyzer

Digital Arterial Pulse-wave Analyzer
Over 1,000,000 people die each year due to heart disease and related illnesses.
500,000 women die every year from heart disease.

60% of youth are at risk for heart disease
Heart attacks kill more people than the next 9 causes of death combined!

The DPA is FDA approved medical equipment used for measurement and analysis of the pulse waveform. The pulse wave is the arterial pressure change that originates from the heartbeat and transmits through an artery.

The pulse wave is changed with the systolic power of heart and the vascular condition (the arterial elasticity, resistance, etc.), followed by the pulse wave. The information reflects the functional status of cardiovascular circulation. The DPA irradiates IR (infrared) to the fingertip and obtains pulse wave information with the light absorbing characteristics of HbO2 of arterial blood. The medical terminology for this measurement method is Plethysmogram (PTG).

The DPA, performs the automatic analysis of PTG (Plethysmogram), and also delivers secondary differentiated waveform (Accelerated Plethysmogram; (APG) and automatic analysis of it. The Analysis of PTG prepares the information of heart function, arterial elasticity, dilations, resistance, etc. The latest update on the DPA allows the product to analyse heart rate variability (HRV) from EKG data.

The analysis of APG prepares the information of arterial aging and is used for control of arterial-sclerosis and hypertension.

The benefit of the DPA is the ability to provide an early assessment of vascular disease and can profile individuals with respect to their cardiovascular health. Heart disease is a major cause of illness and death in North America. The repercussions cause high personal, community and health care costs.

Read the full story>>

Hydergine: Desire Better Brain-Power?

Q: Hydergine: Desire Better Brain-Power? What do you think of hydergine to boost mental powers?

A: Hydergine has been touted for some time as a "smart" drug for use in enhancing mental abilities and improving intelligence.

It has been around for more than 20 years and is marketed today as a nonspecific cerebral stimulant and prescribed to help relieve symptoms of age-related mental decline. Hydergine has been studied but found ineffective for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Originally developed for the treatment of hypertension, hydergine didn't really help lower blood pressure and is no longer used for that purpose. However, some people who took it soon after its introduction noticed improvements in memory and mood, which they associated with use of the drug. At first, these changes were attributed to increased blood flow to the brain, but later research suggested that hydergine improved brain cell metabolism.

Today, hydergine is FDA approved only for the treatment of people over the age of 60 who show signs of mental decline. I'm told it is more widely used in Europe, and I understand that some in the anti-aging community advocate taking more than the 3 mg daily dose recommended by the FDA.

Frankly, I wouldn't bother. I tried hydergine myself some years ago to see what it could do, but I detected no benefits. While the drug seems safe enough, I don't see the point of using it - especially since it's expensive. I'm unconvinced that it makes good on the promises made for it by its Internet promoters.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Mexican-Americans at Higher Risk for Second Stroke

(HealthDay News) -- Mexican-Americans who've suffered a stroke are 57 percent more likely than non-Hispanic whites to suffer a second stroke, researchers report.

The finding adds to the results of a 1998 study that found that Puerto-Rican American stroke patients face three times the risk of a second stroke as white stroke patients do.

"We found that Mexican-Americans have a higher stroke recurrence risk, but we still don't exactly know why that is," said study author Lynda D. Lisabeth, an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor.
Lisabeth and her colleagues noted that, compared with a single stroke, recurrent strokes were associated with poorer patient outcomes and an increased risk of death.
Reporting in the September issue of the Annals of Neurology, the authors remarked that 700,000 Americans experience a stroke each year, and for 200,000 of them it's a recurrent event.
Prior estimates had put the average risk for experiencing a second stroke within 30 days of a first incident at between two percent and four percent. That risk rose to between seven percent and 13 percent over the course of a year.
In their four-year study, Lisabeth and her team identified all cases of ischemic stroke occurring among adults over the age of 45 in an urban county of more than 310,000 people located in southeast Texas. Mexican-Americans made up more than half the county's population.
Ischemic strokes, which comprise about 90 percent of strokes, are caused by a blockage in an artery.
Of a total of 1,345 stroke cases tallied, 118 patients went on to suffer a second ischemic stroke. Mexican-Americans accounted for 76 of those recurrences, and had a 57 percent higher risk for stroke recurrence compared to non-Hispanic whites, adjusting for other risk factors.

Having a second stroke nearly tripled the risk of death, compared to patients who experienced just one stroke, the researchers found. This added risk did not differ by ethnicity, however.
In fact, Mexican-American stroke patients appeared to have somewhat better survival rate than non-Hispanic whites, regardless of how many strokes they suffered.

"There are interesting differences, and we need to better understand them," said Lisabeth. "So, now we're exploring some of the social determinants of health to see if they have an influence -- things like religion, and beliefs about fatalism, depression, spirituality."
Other potential factors include "the patient's underlying disease pathology, the medications used, and compliance with prescriptions for conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as genetic factors," Lisabeth said. "All of these can perhaps play a role. But at this point, it's all speculation."

But another expert offered up a different reason.
"Secondary strokes are almost always related to the persistence of high blood pressure and the persistence of diabetes, and half of the Mexican-Americans in the study had diabetes, while only 22 percent of the non-Hispanics had diabetes," noted Dr. Norman M. Kaplan, a clinical professor in the division of hypertension at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
"This fact clearly puts the Mexican-American patients at a much higher degree of risk for any vascular trouble," he said.
Other factors may play a role, Kaplan said.
"These results are not unexpected, because I work in a largely Hispanic area, and I know that Mexican-Americans do not get the medical care that other population groups do," Kaplan added. "In part, it may be cultural: A lot of people in Mexico believe in healers, and there's a lot of folk medicine which doesn't work as far as controlling blood pressure. But an even bigger part of it is certainly poverty, because if you look at any poor population, they're going to get less medical attention. So, we have to look at a wide range of things."

More information
For more on stroke risk, visit the American Stroke Association.

Accutane Shows Strong Link to Higher Cholesterol

(HealthDay News) -- About a third of patients who took the anti-acne drug Accutane developed elevated cholesterol levels, and over 40 percent showed raised levels of blood fats called triglycerides, a new report warns.

These side effects were known to doctors, but prior reports had suggested a much smaller number of users might be affected.

"This is a side effect that we have known about all along. We've been monitoring patients since the day the drug came on the market," said Dr. Stephen Stone, president of the American Academy of Dermatology and professor of clinical medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. "The only thing that is different is the number of patients who have elevated cholesterol or triglyceride levels is greater than the number stated in the original package insert."

Stone was not involved in the study, which was published in the August Archives of Dermatology.

Researchers also found that about one in 10 Accutane users develop higher than normal levels of specific liver enzymes.
The risks should not be overstated, however, said lead author Dr. Lee T. Zane, assistant professor of clinical dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco.

"Having abnormal tests results does not necessarily signal a bad medical outcome. It's just lab tests, not heart attacks," Zane said. "Isotretinoin is undeniably the most effective medication we have for treating severe acne. It can truly be life-changing. We can't lose sight of the fact that isotretinoin is the most important revolution in medical dermatology in the last 30 years."
Accutane (generic name isotretinoin) is the most effective acne medication on the market, resolving some 89 percent of cases. But the drug has potential side effects, the most severe of which is birth defects in the babies of moms who are take the medication while they are pregnant. This risk prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to launch a mandatory registry to track all isotretinoin prescriptions.

The drug package insert currently notes that about one-quarter of patients may experience elevated triglycerides and 15 percent elevated liver enzymes. Other studies have found elevated triglycerides in 5 percent to 18 percent of people taking isotretinoin and elevated total cholesterol in 6 percent to 32 percent of patients.

Previous studies had involved much smaller sample sizes than the new trial, however.
For this study, the UCSF team looked at the frequency of abnormal lab tests among nearly 14,000 patients, aged 13 to 50, who took Accutane for acne between 1995 and 2002.
Among individuals whose pre-treatment lab results were normal, 44 percent developed high triglycerides, 31 percent high cholesterol and 11 percent high liver enzymes while taking the drug. These changes were "generally transient and reversible," the authors noted, meaning that blood test results usually returned to pre-treatment levels once patients stopped taking Accutane.

Ninety-two percent of participants with liver enzyme abnormalities returned to normal after stopping the drug, 80 percent of those with high triglyceride levels and 79 percent of those with high cholesterol levels.

However, the elevations could put people at risk for what doctors call the "metabolic syndrome," the researchers warned.
Metabolic syndrome refers to a collection of unhealthy factors, including hypertension, cholesterol abnormalities, a waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women, and hyperglycemia. Studies have shown that people with metabolic syndrome have a 1.5 times increased risk for coronary heart disease.

All of this points to an "added message to do the blood tests," Stone said.
When a patient does have abnormal lab tests, doctors often keep them on the drug but try to manage the cholesterol and triglyceride levels with diet and exercise and, possibly, also with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

What's still unclear is whether kids who take Accutane and experience elevations in their cholesterol and triglyceride levels are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease later on in life. "This could be a marker," Stone said.

For now, however, doctors and patients just need to follow known precautions, he said.
"I don't think this changes our appreciation of the overall safety of the drug," Stone said.
More information
For more on Accutane, head to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Herbs for Hypertension?

Herbs for Hypertension?
Provided by: DrWeil.com

Q: I just read about a new herbal medicine for blood pressure called Mukta Vati. What do you think about it? I am currently having trouble taking a prescription drug for blood pressure. It is really helping my (blood) pressure, but it is causing insomnia. I am having dreams every night, and even if I do get a nap it is not a solid sleep. -- Nick G.

A: Mukta Vati is an Ayurvedic herb used to treat high blood pressure. Although I've seen testimonials from people who say it really has helped lower their blood pressure, I haven't seen any scientific studies confirming its effects.
If your blood pressure is high enough to warrant medication, I would suggest discussing the drug-related problems you've been having with your physician. He or she may recommend another medication or adjust the dosage of the one you're taking in an effort to eliminate the side effects you've experienced. At the same time, consider making lifestyle changes that can help control your blood pressure. Here are some suggestions:
Limit your caffeine intake (caffeine can contribute to high blood pressure).
Limit alcohol intake (Blood pressure increases as your body metabolizes alcohol.)
Avoid processed foods and other sources of salt. Your salt intake should be no more than one teaspoon (2,400 mg) per day.
Watch your weight. (Losing even a few pounds can improve blood pressure.)
Relax. (Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and biofeedback all can help lower blood pressure.)
Don't smoke.
Exercise. (As little as 30 minutes per day of walking can lower blood pressure.)
Make sure that no medication you're taking is contributing to high blood pressure. (Steroids, birth control pills, decongestants, NSAIDS and diet pills can raise blood pressure. So can over-the-counter medications containing licorice root, guaraná, kola nut, yerba maté, ginseng and yohimbe.)
Take calcium and magnesium. (Low intake of both are associated with high blood pressure; women need between 1,000 and 1,500 mg of calcium per day; men no more than 1,200 mg daily from all sources. If you get your calcium from supplements, take half as much magnesium as your calcium dosage.)
Take vitamin C, which has been shown to lower blood pressure in people with mild to moderate hypertension.
In addition, make sure that your daily diet includes eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables, two to three servings of low or non-fat dairy foods, and garlic (it can help lower blood pressure). Include four to five servings of nuts, seeds and dry beans per week and plenty of fish such as wild Alaskan salmon and sardines for the heart-protective omega-3 fatty acids they provide.

Andrew Weil, M.D. –Author of:
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health
Spontaneous Healing
The Natural Mind
The Marriage of the Sun and Moon
Health and Healing
Natural Health, Natural Medicine
From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)

Missing Out on Meditation?

Missing Out on Meditation?
Provided by: DrWeil.com

Q: What are the benefits of meditation besides the relaxation, serenity, etc. that you can experience while actually in meditation? Are there more subtle changes in the rest of your life? -- Emily

A: Meditation is directed concentration, and involves learning to focus your awareness and direct it onto an object: your breath, a phrase or word repeated silently, a memorized inspirational passage, or an image in the mind's eye. Researchers have documented immediate benefits in terms of lowered blood pressure, decreased heart and respiratory rates, increased blood flow, and other measurable signs of the relaxation response. Even walking or sitting quietly in a natural setting - a simple form of meditation - is an antidote to being too focused on thoughts and emotions.

People who meditate regularly may find that the practice yields many subtle benefits. Over time, meditation may result in a restructuring of the mind that allows you to detach from the thoughts that cause emotional swings. It can even have the effect of leveling out mood cycles, and help you learn to do things more effectively - whether it is cooking, writing or martial arts. Overall, you may find that you become mindful - more aware of everyday aspects of your life - and able to bring more awareness to everything you do.

And of course meditation has beneficial effects on physical health. They include enhancement of immune function, lowering of blood pressure, and relief of chronic pain due to arthritis and other disorders. Results of a study published in the April 2004 issue of the American Journal of Hypertension showed that African-American teenage boys with high normal blood pressure were able to bring their blood pressure down over four months while they practiced transcendental meditation.

The youths meditated for 15 minutes twice a day, and at times during the study wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors. After the study, the teens reported that meditating had benefited them in ways they hadn't expected: they found that they were better able to concentrate, felt less anger and noted improved relationships with others.

Andrew Weil, M.D. –Author of:
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health
Spontaneous Healing
The Natural Mind
The Marriage of the Sun and Moon
Health and Healing
Natural Health, Natural Medicine
From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)

• Dental Blog
• Dental Forum

Cholesterol- Getting Down to the Basics

By Don Ford, M.D.

Blood cholesterol levels have been proven to be a major, modifiable risk factor for the development of heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. The fact that high cholesterol is a modifiable risk factor is important.

Unlike your gender or your age, the cholesterol level in your blood is something you have the ability to change. High cholesterol levels can be treated with lifestyle modifications, supplements and/or prescription medication. Treatment to change blood cholesterol levels have been shown to lower your risk of getting heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol builds up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this buildup causes "hardening of the arteries" so that arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked. You can imagine what that looks like if you think about the pipes under your kitchen sink. As they get clogged with food, grease and hair over time, the drainage of water slows and eventually stops completely.

Since blood travels through these arteries, or pipes, to carry oxygen to your muscles, organs and tissues including your heart, a blockage could reduce enough blood and oxygen to your heart that you may suffer chest pain, called angina. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack. If this blockage occurs in your brain, the result is a stroke.

High blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms; so there are a lot of people that are completely unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. It is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or stroke. Even if you have already had a heart attack or stroke, lower cholesterol will reduce your chance of having second one. Cholesterol lowering is important for everyone--younger, middle age, and older adults; women and men; and people with or without heart disease.

There are different kinds of cholesterol in your blood that can measured through a simple blood test preformed at your doctor’s office. This blood test must be preformed fasting, which means you can not eat or drink anything but water or black coffee for 8-12 hours before your blood test for them to be accurate.

What is LDL?
LDL (bad) cholesterol is the main source of buildup and blockage in the arteries. The majority of LDL is created by your body in your liver. A smaller percentage of it is absorbed through your diet. An easy way for patients to remember LDL is the “bad cholesterol” is to think the L in LDL stands for Lousy cholesterol, or the one you want to Lower.

With this form of cholesterol, studies have shown the lower the better. Babies are born with an LDL of 30-40, so it is hard to lower the LDL too much. Since physicians and various guidelines have different goals for different patients, ask your doctor what your personal goal is for LDL.

What is HDL?
HDL (good) cholesterol helps keep bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries. An easy way for patients to remember this is the good cholesterol is the H in HDL stands for Healthy cholesterol or the one you want to be Higher.

Studies show that with this form of cholesterol, the higher the better. If your HDL is below 40, it becomes an additional risk factor for heart disease. If your HDL is above 60, it actually allows you to subtract one of your other risk factors.

What Is Triglicerides?
Triglycerides are another form of fat in your blood which is often high in patients with diabetes, but can be high in anyone. Some patients may only have high triglycerides while all other cholesterol values remain normal. If you have both high triglycerides and high cholesterol, the condition is called “mixed dyslipidemia”.

What Does Total Cholesterol To HDL Ratio Mean?
Another number that clinical studies have shown to be important in determining your risk of heart disease is the ratio of Total Cholesterol to HDL Cholesterol. In general, it should be less than 4.0. Ask your doctor what your value is, and what your specific goal should be. Again this is a number where the lower it is, the better.

The level of your LDL or “bad cholesterol ” along with the number of other risk factors that you may have for developing heart disease will help your doctor decide not only your individual cholesterol goals, but if necessary what your individual treatment will include.

Other risk factors for heart disease include age, gender (males), cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, HDL levels below 40, and a family history of early heart disease. Even though physical activity (sedentary lifestyle) and obesity are not included on this list, these are conditions that need to be corrected as well.

There are several treatment options for patients depending on individual test results and goals. All treatments should include a diet designed to lower cholesterol intake and an exercise plan. Many treatment plans will include dietary supplements and/or prescription medication(s). There are a variety of prescription medications that can target your specific treatment needs, including but not limited to lowering the amount of LDL created by the liver, lowering the amount of LDL that is absorbed from your intestines, increasing levels of HDL or lowering levels of triglycerides.

Your doctor may put you on one, or a variety of medications to meet your individual treatment goals.

Blood cholesterol levels have been proven to be a major, modifiable risk factor for the development of heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. A modifiable risk factor is something you have the ability to change. High cholesterol levels can be treated with lifestyle modifications, supplement and/or prescription medication. Treatment to change blood cholesterol levels have been shown to lower your risk of getting heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

There are many different types of cholesterol lowering medications that your doctor may prescribe, however these prescriptions can cause certain nutritional deficiencies that may increase your risk for side effects or diminish the risk reduction you would otherwise get from the cholesterol lowering medications.

NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement was designed to work with your cholesterol lowering medications by replacing lost nutrients reducing the risk of dangerous side effects, and promote better health.

Medications for treatment of High Cholesterol:

The three main classes include statins, fibrates, and bile acid sequestrants.Statins include the following medications: Lipitor (atorvastatin) Zocor (simvastatin)Pravachol (pravastatin).
Mevacor (lovastatin) Crestor (rosuvastatin) Advicor (lovastatin + niacin). Caduet (atorvastatin + amlodipine).

The main function of statins is to reduce an individual¡s risk for cardiovascular disease (i.e., heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, and plaque development in arteries) by reducing the total and LDL cholesterol levels as well as by reducing certain plaque promoting factors and increasing artery dilating factors.

Your doctor may prescribe a statin if you have high cholesterol or have had heart attack or stroke in the past. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes but do not have high cholesterol, your doctor may still prescribe a statin to reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Statins help lower cholesterol by blocking it's direct synthesis throughout the body but primarily in the liver, however the action of the medication also blocks the synthesis of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and has a potential negative effect on the synthesis of vitamin D.

* CoQ10 deficiency has been linked to the following diseases and symptoms:
Congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, rhabdomyolysis (muscle break down), muscle and joint pain, and fatigue.

Therefore to achieve maximum benefit from the statin medication and minimize potential side effects of nutrient deficiencies, you should compliment your prescription medication by taking NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement. By doing this you will balance the risk/benefit ratio further in your favor.

Fibrates include the following medications: Tricor, Antara, and Lofibra (fenofibrates) Lopid (gemfibrozil).

The main functions of fibrates are to lower triglycerides and raise HDL (good cholesterol). These medicines also have a mild lowering effect on LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol. Your doctor may prescribe fibrates in combination with a statin or bile acid sequestrants. The down side of fibrates is there ability to increase muscle pain and myalgia (including rhabdomyolysis).

11-15 These medications also have the ability to raise homocysteine levels.
1 1-15 Homocysteine is a chemical (amino acid metabolite) which when elevated is a risk factor for heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and osteoporosis. The only substances known to lower homocysteine levels are the B-vitamins (folate, riboflavin, cobalamin, and pyridoxine).

Therefore to reduce the potential risks while taking fibrates, you should also be taking NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement.

Bile Acid Sequestrants include the following medications:
Questran or Questran Light (cholestyramine)
Welchol (colesevelam HCl).

The main functions of bile acid sequestrants are to lower cholesterol by binding to it in the intestine and preventing its absorption thus allowing its excretion in the feces. Your doctor may prescribe this type of medicine in combination with fibrates and statins.

Unfortunately, bile acid sequestrants will also bind to vitamins A, D, E, and K as well as essential fats in the intestine preventing their absorption into the blood stream thus leading to their deficiencies. A few of the problems which arise from deficiencies of vitamins A, D, E, K, and essential fatty acids include the following: Heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, high triglycerides, cancer, thyroid disease, autoimmune disease, bone disease, arthritis, joint pain, muscle pain, cataracts, skin lesions, allergies, and many other.

Therefore, to reduce potential side effects of nutrient deficiencies you should take NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement as long as you are on bile acid sequestrants.

In summary, cholesterol-lowering medications prescribed by your doctor are necessary to treat your condition; however, you should also be aware that the long term potential nutritional side effects can be just as big a risk factor for your condition as well as other conditions. Put the odds in your favor and maintain your health with NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement.http://www.essential-nutrients.net/
C. Donald Ford, MD, Diplomate of the American Board Internal Medicine.

Dr. Ford has practiced general internal medicine for the past 22 years. He is a native Texan and trained at Baylor University, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and Scott and White in Temple. He is a Clinical Assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. In addition to general Internal Medicine, his practice includes travel medicine, vascular disease prevention, and Integrative Medicine with nutrients. He has been interested in the body’s ability to heal itself since medical school, and has used nutrients throughout his career to help patients use less prescription medication, or avoid it altogether.

While he sees the tremendous value prescription medications can provide, he is also aware of the value and place for nutrients.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Ford,_M.D.

more info at: http://www.dreddyclinic.com/

• cancer

Coenzyme Q10, Muscle Pain and Statins, Are They Related?

By Don Ford, M.D.Millions of Americans are taking medicine to lower their blood levels of cholesterol. Every day you see news stories, magazine articles, and television advertising that speak of the dangers of high LDL (bad) cholesterol and the importance of getting these levels as low as possible. In fact, the world’s best selling medicine is the cholesterol lowering medication, Lipitor. Other drugs in the same class of “statins” designed to lower cholesterol include Zocor, Vytorin, Crestor, Pravachol, Lescol and Mevacor, the latter also available as the generic, lovastatin.One of the side effects many people have heard about is the muscles aches and weakness that sometimes occur with the “statin” class of drugs. If you experience muscle aches or weakness that are not a result of overuse, you should notify your doctor immediately so he or she can rule out more a serious, but very rare condition such as rhabdomyolysis. This condition causes the muscles to leak so much protein that it damages the kidneys leading to kidney failure. The vast majority of the patients with muscle aches and weakness in my practice do not have any indications of rhabdomyolysis. In fact, it is so rare that I have never personally seen a case caused by statin drugs in 25 years as a doctor. When a patient discontinues their “statin”, the muscle aches quickly disappear.There is ample evidence to suggest that many of the muscle related side effects of the statin class could be a result of a statin-induced deficiency in Coenzyme Q10. When you inhibit the production of cholesterol, you also inhibit the production of Coenzyme Q 10. Because CoQ-10 is found in every cell in your body, including muscles like your heart, it is a critical ingredient in the production of energy in your cells. It is what is called an “essential nutrient”. If you have a deficiency of CoQ-10, you are threatening your overall health, and more specifically, your cardiovascular health.Supplements of Coenzyme Q10 have been shown to reduce or prevent many of the muscle related side effects of the statins or other drugs. CoQ-10 supplements have also shown to benefit one’s health when combined with many different treatment regimens for conditions like congestive heart failure, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, gum disease, and even before surgery to improve healing and recovery.Your doctor can run blood tests for your levels of CoQ-10, such as those offered by Spectracell Laboratories. Alternatively, due to the benefits shown in many different studies, you can find a good quality CoQ-10 supplement to add to your treatment regimen for hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes. Since statins and other drugs used to lower cholesterol may have other potential nutritional side effects, consider a supplement that was specifically designed to replace those nutrients that are impacted by specific medications.http://www.essential-nutrients.net/To learn more about the nutrients that are depleted by your cholesterol medication please visit: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/high-cholesterol.htmTo learn more about Coenzyme Q10 and its importance to your boody: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/coenzyme_Q10.htmArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Ford,_M.D.

more info at : www.dreddyclinic.com

Do You Know Your Cholesterol Medication May Be Depleting Your Body of Essential Nutrients?

By Don Ford, M.D.
Epidemiological studies such as The Framingham Heart Study and landmark clinical trials using cholesterol medications have demonstrated that patients have fewer serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack and strokes when their LDL cholesterol is low.

As a result of these findings, over the last 15 years the national guidelines for treating patients with heart disease, diabetes or even patients with multiple risk factors such as smoking history, diabetes, age, or hypertension have become more stringent. Guidelines now point to the fact that lower LDL is better, yet LDL is still only one part of lowering patients overall cardiovascular risks.

Because of these more stringent national guidelines, and increased number of patients that are being put on drugs to lower their LDL cholesterol, along with diet and exercise, to lower their risk of having a heart attack or stroke. In most cases, patients will be expected to remain on a medication for the rest of their life in order to help control this chronic condition called hyperlipidemia. It is so important to be aware of some of the potential nutritional side effects that many of these medications may have.

The most effective drugs at lowering cholesterol belong to a class of drugs called statins. This class includes drugs such as Zocor (Simvastatin), Lipitor (Atorvastatin), Vytorin (Simvastatin + Ezetimibe), Pravachol (Pravastatin) Crestor (Rosuvastatin), Mevacor (Lovastatin), or Lescol (Fluvastatin),.

These drugs have shown to be very effective at lowering cholesterol and they tend to have relatively few side effects in most people, although you should be sure to do the recommended blood tests for liver monitoring.One important thing to know about this class of drugs is that as you continue to take this type of medication over time, it tends to deplete important nutrients your body needs, like Coenzyme Q-10 and possibly vitamin D.

Coenzyme Q-10 is a very important compound that your body needs and if your medication is reducing your body’s levels of Coenzyme Q-10 you may experience side effects that are caused indirectly by having low levels of Coenzyme Q-10. Your physician can monitor these levels, or you can simple take a daily supplement that will be prevent the levels of these important nutrients from getting too low.

To learn more about the side effects you may experience due to low levels nutrients please visit: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/vitamins_minerals.htm

To learn more about other cholesterol medications and the nutrient depleting side effects please visit: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/high-cholesterol.htm

To learn more about any of the over the counter or prescription medications and how they can deplete your body of vitamins and minerals please visit: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/

Dr. Ford has practiced general internal medicine for the past 22 years. He is a native Texan and trained at Baylor University, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and Scott and White in Temple. He is a Clinical Assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. In addition to general Internal Medicine, his practice includes travel medicine, vascular disease prevention, and Integrative Medicine with nutrients.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Ford,_M.D.

more info at : www.dreddyclinic.com

When Antibiotics Fail this Winter, Try an Bacteria Chaser

NewsReleaseWire.com (press release) - USA

When Antibiotics Fail This Winter, Try A Bacteria ChaserAlternative Health Expert Warns Of The Damage Antibiotics Wreaks On The Body8 Benefits Of Friendly Bacteria“The use of antibiotics has wreaked havoc with the intestinal ecology of humans,” says alternative health expert Loree Taylor Jordan, CCH, I.D.

As the mother of two, including a boy who suffered from a chronic ear infection that antibiotics failed to cure, Jordan sought the help several years ago of natural healers in the form of acidophilus rebuild her son’s intestinal flora and immune system.

Jordan, the author of Detox For Life, explains how antibiotics throw the body out of balance and actually could do more harm than good. “Under the guise of traditional therapy,” says Jordan, “modern medicine can poison your body even when it is trying to heal it.

Antibiotics, for example, exert a powerful negative influence on intestinal bacteria regardless of whether they are the disease-producing kind, or the health-friendly bacteria essential for good health.”This winter promises to see tens of millions of prescribed usages of antibiotics. Jordan wants to educate people that when using antibiotics frequently the balance of friendly bacteria in the body needed for optimal health and a good digestive system is jeopardized.“

Weight Loss Plan Kit $172.80 [ learn more ] Includes: Oxy-Powder, Slimirex (180 Count), Weight Loss Secrets Revealed, Ten Super Secrets for Weight Loss

An imbalance may make the body susceptible to such ailments as digestive problems, skin problems, acne, reduced immunity, arthritis, liver and gallbladder problems, failing memory, hypertension, fatigue, and migraine headaches,” says Jordan.

Friendly bacteria benefit the body in many ways, including:
1. Helps eliminate gas problems.
2. Reduces cholesterol.
3. Removes toxic elements that are found in certain foods.
4. Aids in the production of lactase and helps avoid milk allergies.
5. Helps produce vitamins, which help in bone formation and blood clotting.
6. Improves the immune system and stimulates the formation of antibodies.
7. Normalizes bowel movements and stops diarrhea and corrects constipation.
8. Acidifies the colon against food poisoning and produces a volatile fatty acid which, along with other acids, makes it difficult for fungus and yeast to survive.

Jordan, a certified colon hydrotherapist who has helped thousands of people restore their health naturally and safely, concludes: “The truth is, the friendly bacteria in your bowels have some far-reaching effects.You’ve probably never dreamed of these hard-working organisms producing a variety of substances that can prevent cancerous tumors, inactive viruses and produce natural antibodies and vitamins. But they do a great service to your health.”

About Loree Taylor Jordan, CCH, IDMs. Jordan, 50, is a leading expert in the holistic health field. She has 17 years of practical and professional experience as a colon hydrotherapist and holistic health educator. She is also an iridologist who studied with the world-renowned Dr. Bernard Jensen, D.C.M.D. Ms. Jordan's book, Detox For Life, passionately advocates for the regular cleansing of your colon, landing her the moniker, "Colonic Queen." Her book earned an Irwin Award in Los Angeles. She has detailed her personal battles with weight in a new book, Fat & Furious: Overcome Your Body's Resistance To Weight Loss Now!, presenting evidence that being fat may not be your fault and showing you how to seize control of your health. She shares her own personal struggle with sugar addiction, metabolic dysfunction, Syndrome X, and yo-yo dieting.
For more information consult http://www.loreetaylorjordan.com/

Loree Taylor Jordan (loree@loreetaylorjordan.com)Author 111 So. Milton Ave. Campbell, CA 95008 Phone : 408-379-9488 Fax : 408-379-1152

Ten Super Secrets For Weight Loss $9.95 [ learn more ] Learn the TOP SECRET Ten Super Secrets for Weight Loss "When you have a clean body, strong immune system and a balanced pH level, you have a healthy body, which will prevent, resist and eliminate disease".