LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Cholesterol

AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT OF HIGH CHOLESTEROL WITH STATINS

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Muscle Microvascular Dysfunction in Central Obesity Is Related to Muscle Insulin Insensitivity but Is Not Reversed by High-Dose Statin Treatment

Stop the presses!!  You mean that aggressive treatment of high cholesterol with statins that is caused by insulin resistance will make the numbers look better but will not actually affect the insulin resistance?????  I find this very hard to believe.

So, what we’re saying here is that statins do nothing to fix the actual problem, but DO make it look better?  Always helps to place a sticker over your “check engine” light…

Read entire article here

HYPE ABOUT LOWERING CHOLESTEROL

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Honey on Suppression of Human Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Damage

Despite all the hype about lowering your cholesterol, the reality is that cholesterol all by its lonesome does not create problems.  It is only when the cholesterol molecule gets oxidatively damaged that it becomes and oxysterol and subsequent damage to our cardiovascular system.  So obviously, anything that protects the cholesterol molecule is a good thing.

This study finds that the large number of protective compounds in honey actually protect cholesterol.  Remember that the darker and locally grown honeys are always going to be the best bet.

Read entire article here

WHY DOESN’T CHOLESTEROL MATTER TO MY HEART?

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MY DOCTOR TELLS ME MY CHOLESTEROL IS HIGH…WHY DOESN’T THIS MATTER TO MY HEART?  To really understand this, you need to understand how the body processes fats through the liver.  Basically, our body uses proteins to carry fats around the body.

In general, the more protein (thus more dense) one of these carrier molecules has, the safer it is for our blood vessels and heart.  The more fat (and less dense) in the molecule the more it can damage the vessels.  In someone who is prediabetic (and has high triglycerides), the liver makes more of the less dense molecules (VLDL attached to Apo C III).  It is a bad shift from dense HDL to very light VLDL and the use of the protein Apo C III.

Total cholesterol is merely one single value in a sea of these molecules, and what types of molecules we have floating in our blood is more of a reflection of how healthy we are rather than having a single value (like total cholesterol) as an indicator.

So, to REALLY get an idea of what our risk of heart disease is, we need an overall total picture of these molecules.  Looking at the single marker (total cholesterol) is the equivalent of looking through a telescope at the ground in front of you as you walk.  Really kind of pointless….

Read entire article here

IS MY CHOLESTEROL BAD FOR MY HEART?

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IS MY CHOLESTEROL BAD FOR MY HEART?  If you’ve been reading my posts now, you’ve got my feedback on the lack of association between cholesterol and heart disease.  Interestingly, without the drug companies and doctors coming out and saying that their is no relationship, we’ve been seeing a form of backpedaling in the medical research.

What we’re seeing is twofold.  First, looking for other markers (like inflammation and homocysteine) that are related to heart disease.  Second, looking at the wonder class of drugs, the mighty savior of the heart, the bastion of all that is good in medicine, the STATINS (you can almost hear the angels humming….) and their effects on these markers.  It’s been a quiet movement, but it’s there.

This study looked at 10 yr risk factors for heart disease based on the NHANES III data .  Guess what is suspiciously absent?  You guessed it–cholesterol.

WHY DO PEOPLE WITH “NORMAL” CHOLESTEROL STILL HAVE HEART ATTACKS?

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WHY DO PEOPLE WITH “NORMAL” CHOLESTEROL STILL HAVE HEART ATTACKS?  Had a patient come in yesterday who has always had good cholesterol numbers but recently had a stent put in due to 70% blockage in one of his coronary arteries.  His cardiologist told him it was just genetic.  We had a conversation about making sure his cardiologist checked other factors like homocysteine, hsCRP and Lp(a).  I would not be surprised if they haven’t been checked.  Frustrating.  NEVER accept that “it’s just genetic.”  That is the biggest cop out in medicine today.

This study alone finds a massive increase in risk of heart attack (more than triple the risk) in women with higher homocysteine levels.  The sad thing is that homocysteine can be easily lowered with supplementation of B12, folic acid and B6.  If you have a family history of heart disease and normal cholesterol and your doctor has not checked some of the above factors, force the issue with your PCP and find a new one if they refuse to check them.

Read entire article here.

DO I BUY THE EXPENSIVE OR THE CHEAP OLIVE OIL??

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DO I BUY THE EXPENSIVE OR THE CHEAP OLIVE OIL??  This article gives some more info.  Basically, cholesterol, despite all the hype of the statins, does not, all by itself, cause problems.  It is not until it gets oxidatively damaged that it becomes an oxysterol and can begin to damage arteries.  So, less oxysterols = better vascular health.

In this study the researchers looked at levels of phenols (class of protective compounds in olive oil) in those who used virgin olive oil vs refined olive oil and found that the VOO users had higher blood levels of phenols and less oxysterols.  Important thing here–most of the phenols are destroyed by heat!!  Bottom line–expensive olive oil for dips, dressings, sauces, cheap stuff for cooking because the protective compounds in the expensive stuff will just get destroyed.

7 FACTORS FOR HEART DISEASE–ARE YOU IN THE 1%?

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By now we can all accept that heart disease is almost entirely lifestyle in origin.  I’m sure there are a few events per year that were entirely mediated by genetics, but, in general, if you have heart disease, it’s because of the choices you have made.  And likely continue to make.

Everyone out there who is looking forward to their first heart attack please raise your hands.  Great…now everyone who has had a heart attack and wants a second, you can raise your hands now.  Lastly, those of you who just can’t wait to have your sternum cracked open with a spreader, your circulatory system put on a bypass around the heart and veins stripped from your leg to re-plumb your heart, go ahead and send both hands up.

Looking around, there is not a single hand in the air.  Imagine that–not a single person has a desire to experience a cardiac event.  Go figure.  NOW let’s ask the important question…

Who is willing to make changes to their lifestyle to avoid the aforementioned events?

Not so many hands, I’m guessing.

Why is that?  It really is that clear cut.  Does society think that medicines will save us from these outcomes?  If so, think again.  You could not be further from the truth.  Medicine is very, very bad at preventing events.  Sure, we run around telling everyone “our numbers are under control,” but this house of cards soon falls after the first heart attack.

Look at this particular study here.  Researchers looked at 7 cardio-protective behaviors:

  1.  Ideal healthy diet
  2. Physical activity
  3. Ideal body mass index
  4. Non-smoking
  5. Ideal blood pressure
  6. Low total cholesterol
  7. Low fasting blood glucose

That’s it.  7 simple factors.  I could easily add another 10 and tighten up what they consider “healthy diet.”   But, overall, pretty basic guidelines.  So, how many people (out of 14,500, aged 20 and above) had all seven of the factors present?

Are you sitting down?

Less than 1%.  That is flat out sickening and extremely disappointing.  There is a massive disconnect in this society between what WILL happen and what we think will NOT happen to us.

Are you in the 1%?  If not, what will happen to those you leave behind?

STATINS–THE WONDER DRUG THAT ISN’T

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In 1997, Pfizer partnered with Warner-Lambert to release the drug atorvastain calcium, or Lipitor. It quickly rose to become one of the best selling drugs in history. It’s pretty well accepted that statins cut the rate of heart attacks in half. Sounds pretty good at the surface. But when you dig deeper, this 50% number will make you a little heartsick.

The class of statin drugs has reached godly status among drugs used in America, as exemplified by the ridiculous assertion by some cardiologists that statins should be added to the water supply. I would argue that not a single doctor in favor of the use of statins actually understands a shred of statistics. You see, there is a difference between absolute risk reduction and relative risk reduction.

If I told you that 2 people in the US per year got carcinoma of the tip of the pinky finger (fictional…) and someone found a drug that, when given to the entire population of the US would cut that number down to 1 person per year. Just how many would be in line to pop this pretty little pill down their throats, especially if there was a long list of side effects? I’m thinking few of us would.

However, if you are marketing this drug, you would stand proudly in the waiting room of every doctor’s office and proclaim that this drug will reduce the rate of carcinoma of the tip of the pinky by a whopping 50%. Patients, doctors and staff alike would listen in awe, jaws lowered, at how amazing this drug would be. After all–who wants to experience carcinoma of the pinky? The line to get the prescription would remind many of us the 1979 deaths of people crushed to death while attending a Who concert..

But if that same rep stood up on the Today show and stated that this fantastic new drug would cut the absolute risk by 1% when taken by 100 people for 3 years, the yawns and disinterest would be legendary. But this is the consistent data we see with all the statins. Treat 100 patients for 3 years and you’re lucky if one less person has a heart attack. Not death. Heart attack. You can eat a walnut per day and beat this.

So, we have a class of drug that is the best selling in history and, quite frankly, it sucks at preventing a heart attack. What’s worse is that the list of side effects has gotten quite long and include:

  • Potential increase in the risk of cancer
  • Increased risk of chronic muscle diseases
  • Problems with the functioning of the heart
  • Reduction in cognitive function
  • Increases the risk of your muscles melting, a condition called rhabdomyolosis
  • Increases risk of long term muscle damage, even after discontinuation
  • Nullifies–YES, nullifies, the positive effects of exercise on the heart

The list is actually longer. This particular study actually looked at the production of oxidative stress in the muscles of patients taking statins. Overall, the damage was enough to begin to cause the deaths of muscle cells. Not a good thing.