Active Life Chiropractic April 2017
Ever heard of acu-stim… a form of acupuncture that uses electricity instead of needles to balance energy meridians? Whether or not you’ve tried it, April is just the right time to come in for one free ear acu-stim treatment this month. Offer good during the entire month of April; give us a call to schedule an appointment.
Statin drugs and Parkinson’s disease… were the subjects of recent research revealing that the cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) are associated with a higher risk for Parkinson’s disease. In another case of “one lies and another one swears to it”, biased research in the past showed a modest reduction in Parkinson’s disease with the use of statin drugs {Archives of Neurology 2012}. Medical professionals were willing to go along with this, for years telling people that statin drugs offer protection against Parkinson’s disease. They also insist that statin drugs prevent heart attack, even though the evidence is to the contrary. The original study used a selective sample of studies in order to skew the results to favor what they wanted to “prove”. A separate, meta-analysis was done that was a study of all the studies and was published in the Journal of Neurology. This meta-analysis showed a significant bias in journals reporting the so-called protective effects of statin drugs against Parkinson’s disease.
These findings prompted another, independently funded (no corporate money) study which was presented at The American Neurological Association 2016 meeting. This unbiased study showed that statin drugs actually raise the risk of Parkinson’s. Physiologically, this data appears logical, because it has long been known that higher cholesterol readings can be associated with lower incidences of Parkinson’s.
Similarly, it has been known for several decades that over age seventy, the higher the cholesterol the longer you will live. In 1995 when my mother-in-law turned seventy, her doctor took her off of statin medications. She was very apprehensive about this. At the time, I was in chiropractic school and happened to be studying cardiopulmonary pathology. I had just learned this little medical fact and was able to reassure her that her doctor was doing the right thing, and saving her money, as well. She lived to the age of ninety-three, and in the end, did not die of a heart attack.
Statin drugs lower other compounds in the body that are needed. One of these compounds is Coenzyme Q10, which is needed by all cells but especially muscle cells. The heart is primarily made of muscle. If you really listen to commercials that sell statin drugs, it is repeatedly stated, “it will lower your cholesterol”. What CANNOT be said is that it will reduce your chances of having a heart attack. Think now, if taking statin drugs lowered the risk of heart attack, why do half the people in the ER with heart attacks have normal cholesterol? Wouldn’t it be logical that at least most of the people in the ER with heart attacks had high cholesterol? It appears to be a scam. Pharmaceutical companies figured out how to lower cholesterol and then sold doctors and the general public on the idea that high cholesterol is associated with heart attacks. The latest statistics I found said that three hundred fifty-five million prescriptions were written for statin drugs world-wide last year. Drug companies are making more than twenty billion annually on these drugs. Yet, heart disease remains the number one killer in America. Statin drugs have been shown only to help if you have already had a heart attack, and the research is showing that other, anti-inflammatory ingredients might be the reason, not the statin drug itself. In response to the findings that statin drugs can raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease, what were doctors told to do? They were told to no longer hint that statin drugs might be protective against Parkinson’s, but also to make no mention that they can increase the risk of Parkinson’s. Imagine the liability that could result from this information.
If heart disease runs in the family, there are good precautions to take and even nutritional products that help the heart to function at its best. Standard Process makes these nutritional products out of good quality food, not fabricated in a laboratory. One of them is Cardio-Plus, which contains B-vitamin complex, real vitamin C (not ascorbic acid), and vitamin E. Some good minerals for the heart are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and trace minerals including iodine, omega oils, flaxseed oils, Coenzyme Q10, and sea salt. Another good heart health regimen is getting thirty minutes of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise every day. If you take a walk outside in the morning before the sun gets too hot you will get all three at once. Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Avoid over indulging - in anything. If overweight, lose the weight. The size of the heart, pancreas, kidneys, and spleen do not get bigger to deal with the extra weight. They stay the same size and must work harder to keep you going. Every five pounds makes a difference. An excellent choice for eating is the Mediterranean diet, which consists of fish, meat, olive oil, and lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Portion control is the most important thing. Restaurants often serve portions that can easily be two meals. Utilize calorie and carbohydrate information to learn what an appropriate, healthy portion consists of, and be prepared to be surprised. Absolutely cut out all refined sugar, as well as artificially sweetened items. So-called “diet soda” has been correlated with weight gain in a portion as little as one can a week.
There is a need to warn you… about another drug called XELJANZ-XR (pronounced zell-jans). Beware of this pain relieving drug that is currently being prescribed for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The ad states, “More than half of people taking Xeljanz feel an improvement by three months”. This drug is very expensive, partly because it is a new drug. Often, a co-pay savings card is offered to help lower the cost to the patient. Here are the serious side effects that warrant my warnings. First, the immune system is lowered (which most RA drugs do). This weakened immune system makes you more susceptible to tuberculosis, bacterial, fungal, or viral infections that some have even died from. You should not receive vaccinations if taking this drug. People who also have diabetes are at even greater risk. This drug can damage your kidneys, liver, stomach, and small or large intestine. It can increase the risk of certain cancers, such as lymphoma, skin, and intestinal cancers. Tears or perforations in the stomach or intestine have occurred in people taking this drug. Symptoms that indicate you should stop are: feeling tired, little or no appetite, clay-colored bowel movements, chills, muscle aches, skin rash, yellowish skin or eyes, vomiting, fever, or abdominal pain. Hopefully this drug will be taken off the market within a year or two. I happen to know someone personally who had RA and she told me that while Xeljanz helped her pain, after less than six months she had the symptoms of a perforated bowel. One thing led to another and she is now gone from this earth. It is in her honor and memory that I warn you not to take this drug.
Clinic fundraiser… for this month will be on Saturday, April 29th, from 9am until 1pm. Stop by and receive either a chiropractic adjustment or a meridian balancing treatment, in exchange for a donation in the amount of your choice. All proceeds from this month’s fundraiser will benefit The Little Chapel of Divide food pantry.
Statin drugs and Parkinson’s disease… were the subjects of recent research revealing that the cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) are associated with a higher risk for Parkinson’s disease. In another case of “one lies and another one swears to it”, biased research in the past showed a modest reduction in Parkinson’s disease with the use of statin drugs {Archives of Neurology 2012}. Medical professionals were willing to go along with this, for years telling people that statin drugs offer protection against Parkinson’s disease. They also insist that statin drugs prevent heart attack, even though the evidence is to the contrary. The original study used a selective sample of studies in order to skew the results to favor what they wanted to “prove”. A separate, meta-analysis was done that was a study of all the studies and was published in the Journal of Neurology. This meta-analysis showed a significant bias in journals reporting the so-called protective effects of statin drugs against Parkinson’s disease.
These findings prompted another, independently funded (no corporate money) study which was presented at The American Neurological Association 2016 meeting. This unbiased study showed that statin drugs actually raise the risk of Parkinson’s. Physiologically, this data appears logical, because it has long been known that higher cholesterol readings can be associated with lower incidences of Parkinson’s.
Similarly, it has been known for several decades that over age seventy, the higher the cholesterol the longer you will live. In 1995 when my mother-in-law turned seventy, her doctor took her off of statin medications. She was very apprehensive about this. At the time, I was in chiropractic school and happened to be studying cardiopulmonary pathology. I had just learned this little medical fact and was able to reassure her that her doctor was doing the right thing, and saving her money, as well. She lived to the age of ninety-three, and in the end, did not die of a heart attack.
Statin drugs lower other compounds in the body that are needed. One of these compounds is Coenzyme Q10, which is needed by all cells but especially muscle cells. The heart is primarily made of muscle. If you really listen to commercials that sell statin drugs, it is repeatedly stated, “it will lower your cholesterol”. What CANNOT be said is that it will reduce your chances of having a heart attack. Think now, if taking statin drugs lowered the risk of heart attack, why do half the people in the ER with heart attacks have normal cholesterol? Wouldn’t it be logical that at least most of the people in the ER with heart attacks had high cholesterol? It appears to be a scam. Pharmaceutical companies figured out how to lower cholesterol and then sold doctors and the general public on the idea that high cholesterol is associated with heart attacks. The latest statistics I found said that three hundred fifty-five million prescriptions were written for statin drugs world-wide last year. Drug companies are making more than twenty billion annually on these drugs. Yet, heart disease remains the number one killer in America. Statin drugs have been shown only to help if you have already had a heart attack, and the research is showing that other, anti-inflammatory ingredients might be the reason, not the statin drug itself. In response to the findings that statin drugs can raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease, what were doctors told to do? They were told to no longer hint that statin drugs might be protective against Parkinson’s, but also to make no mention that they can increase the risk of Parkinson’s. Imagine the liability that could result from this information.
If heart disease runs in the family, there are good precautions to take and even nutritional products that help the heart to function at its best. Standard Process makes these nutritional products out of good quality food, not fabricated in a laboratory. One of them is Cardio-Plus, which contains B-vitamin complex, real vitamin C (not ascorbic acid), and vitamin E. Some good minerals for the heart are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and trace minerals including iodine, omega oils, flaxseed oils, Coenzyme Q10, and sea salt. Another good heart health regimen is getting thirty minutes of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise every day. If you take a walk outside in the morning before the sun gets too hot you will get all three at once. Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Avoid over indulging - in anything. If overweight, lose the weight. The size of the heart, pancreas, kidneys, and spleen do not get bigger to deal with the extra weight. They stay the same size and must work harder to keep you going. Every five pounds makes a difference. An excellent choice for eating is the Mediterranean diet, which consists of fish, meat, olive oil, and lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Portion control is the most important thing. Restaurants often serve portions that can easily be two meals. Utilize calorie and carbohydrate information to learn what an appropriate, healthy portion consists of, and be prepared to be surprised. Absolutely cut out all refined sugar, as well as artificially sweetened items. So-called “diet soda” has been correlated with weight gain in a portion as little as one can a week.
There is a need to warn you… about another drug called XELJANZ-XR (pronounced zell-jans). Beware of this pain relieving drug that is currently being prescribed for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The ad states, “More than half of people taking Xeljanz feel an improvement by three months”. This drug is very expensive, partly because it is a new drug. Often, a co-pay savings card is offered to help lower the cost to the patient. Here are the serious side effects that warrant my warnings. First, the immune system is lowered (which most RA drugs do). This weakened immune system makes you more susceptible to tuberculosis, bacterial, fungal, or viral infections that some have even died from. You should not receive vaccinations if taking this drug. People who also have diabetes are at even greater risk. This drug can damage your kidneys, liver, stomach, and small or large intestine. It can increase the risk of certain cancers, such as lymphoma, skin, and intestinal cancers. Tears or perforations in the stomach or intestine have occurred in people taking this drug. Symptoms that indicate you should stop are: feeling tired, little or no appetite, clay-colored bowel movements, chills, muscle aches, skin rash, yellowish skin or eyes, vomiting, fever, or abdominal pain. Hopefully this drug will be taken off the market within a year or two. I happen to know someone personally who had RA and she told me that while Xeljanz helped her pain, after less than six months she had the symptoms of a perforated bowel. One thing led to another and she is now gone from this earth. It is in her honor and memory that I warn you not to take this drug.
Clinic fundraiser… for this month will be on Saturday, April 29th, from 9am until 1pm. Stop by and receive either a chiropractic adjustment or a meridian balancing treatment, in exchange for a donation in the amount of your choice. All proceeds from this month’s fundraiser will benefit The Little Chapel of Divide food pantry.