Month: July 2010

by: Kerri Knox, RN

(NaturalNews) The FDA states that only drugs can prevent or cure disease, but fortunately the local medical authorities in areas with low soil selenium levels are taking a more effective path to the prevention and treatment of a serious heart condition. Keshan Disease, a type of heart failure that leads to an enlarged heart, a weakened heart muscle and eventual death, is named after a low selenium area in China where the disease was first discovered. Keshan Disease has been found in many areas of the world that have low soil selenium levels and it is not only prevented, but also cured with the addition of selenium to the diet- a fact that the FDA must despise.

Selenium
Membrane Complex
Heart Syrup

Selenium is a naturally-occurring mineral found in soil, drinking water and plants and is essential to human health in small amounts. The vast majority of selenium is obtained through eating plants, but selenium levels in individual plants vary widely from area to area and depend entirely upon the selenium content of the soil. Areas that have low soil selenium levels naturally have plants that contain low levels of selenium; the people who live in these areas often have overt symptoms of selenium deficiency unless they receive regular selenium supplementation. One area of the world that is known to have low selenium levels is the Keshan province of China where a form of heart failure, subsequently called Keshan Disease, was first discovered. Once it was found that the heart condition was related to selenium deficiency, local medical authorities instituted an inexpensive and extremely effective selenium supplementation program which virtually eradicated this serious and often deadly heart condition.

Here in the US, thousands of mostly elderly people get diagnosed with heart failure every year and must continually manage their condition with drugs that require frequent blood tests in order to avoid the ever present possibility of electrolyte imbalance. Their heart's inability to pump strongly forces sufferers to constantly walk a razor's edge between dehydration and fluid overload- either of which could require a frightening trip to the emergency room. Because most sufferers are elderly and often manage a complicated medication regimen for other health conditions as well, heart failure patients have an extremely high rate of emergency room visits and hospital admissions causing untold emotional and financial costs to the sufferers, their families and society.

Yet despite the fact that selenium deficiency is a known and entirely reversible cause of heart failure, virtually none of these patients will be checked for selenium deficiency even though an accurate blood test is available. Few will even be offered simple multivitamin supplementation despite multiple studies showing that heart failure patients, as a group, are almost always malnourished; even fewer will have selenium supplementation as a part of their treatment regimen. Unless a heart failure patient is diagnosed in a known selenium deficient area and has a cardiologist who is familiar with Keshan Disease, heart failure is considered 'incurable'. In other words, nearly 100% of these mostly elderly patients are doomed to a lifetime of managing a complex, frightening and debilitating heart problem without ever even being evaluated for selenium deficiency with just a simple blood test.

More than 2,500 senior adults took eye exams and completed questionnaires as part of the study, and researchers evaluated the relationship between fish consumption and eye health. Fifteen percent of the participants already had early-to-intermediate stage AMD, and under three percent already had advanced AMD. However, participants who indicated they ate one or more servings of healthy fish a week were determined to be 60 percent less likely to develop advanced AMD than those who ate less than this amount.

The omega-3 fatty acids present in oily fish like salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna, are generally recognized to be the therapeutic nutrients responsible for helping to prevent macular degeneration. These compounds offer eye protection that, when regularly consumed, can prevent degenerative eye disease.

"Fish oil contains DHA, a substance concentrated in the retina of the eye, and the consumption of fish oils has been shown to reduce the risk of macular degeneration," explains Marshall Editions in his book 1000 Cures for 200 Ailments: Integrated Alternative and Conventional Treatments for the Most Common Illnesses.

The Reuters report on the fish study also reveals that high doses of the antioxidants vitamins C and E, beta carotene and zinc, are all effective treatments for macular degeneration, and that many doctors already prescribe this mixture to their patients with the disease.

According to Dr. Steve Blake, author of Vitamins and Minerals Demystified, the retina of the eye contains high levels of zinc, but as a person ages, zinc levels decrease. So supplementing with zinc, among other antioxidants, appears to be a viable treatment method for the AMD.

Researchers are also evaluating the efficacy of treating AMD patients with the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which are present in the retina as well.

by: Ethan A. Huff

(NaturalNews) New research published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research has identified how cranberry juice works at the molecular level to fight virulent E. coli infections in the urinary tract. The team of researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts that conducted the study found that cranberry juice literally stops E. coli cells from attaching themselves to urinary tract cells, preventing infection.

Cranberry Concentrate

E. coli cells are covered in small, hair-like filaments called fimbriae, which clasp onto healthy cells and spread infection. But the molecules in cranberry juice cause the fimbriae to curl up, effectively stopping them from being able to latch onto urinary tract cells.

The team discovered that, apart from cranberry juice, virulent E. coli is too strong to be eliminated from the urinary tract by the simple flow of urine. But when cranberry juice is present, normal urinary flow is enough to expel most of the E. coli cells from the tract.

The study is different from a typical clinical study, in that researchers have identified the logistical method by which cranberries prevent infection. It is already known that cranberries and cranberry juice help to prevent urinary tract infection, but this research sheds a little bit more light as to why and how it works.

"This is not a clinical study — it's a mechanical study that shows us the direct forces that can lead to infection," explained Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering at WPI, and author of the study.

Though the team used commercial preparations of cranberry juice cocktail, it may be more beneficial to use whole cranberry juice or even fresh-squeezed cranberry juice to obtain maximum benefit.

There are many other benefits to be obtained from cranberries as well.

"Cranberry juice is famous for its antioxidant properties and support of a healthy urinary tract; its organic acids and fatty acids help keep bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells. Cranberry can also decrease the incidence of constipation and urinary incontinence as well, especially in older people. If you don't have extract on hand, you can simply add an ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice (a good one is Just Cranberry) to an 8-ounce glass of water," explains Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith in their book, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps.

by: Kerri Knox, RN

(NaturalNews) Pharmaceutical drugs designed to control abnormal heart rhythms have been used for decades and have been 'presumed' to work without exacting clinical trials to prove this. While it has been taken for granted that these drugs work the way the drug makers claim, recent studies have shown that many of these drugs actually do exactly the opposite. Not only can these drugs cause an INCREASE in some heart rhythm disturbances, but they are also actually increasing the overall rate of death from dangerous heart rhythms.

Membrane Complex
Dr. Christophers Heart Syrup

Most problematic heart rhythms, known in the medical world as 'arrhythmias', are electrical disturbances that can be worsened by electrolyte disturbances, exercise or excessive stress and can be painful and frightening for those who experience them. Some rhythms are dangerous and some are not, but most people who experience these heart problems end up having some form of medical intervention to correct or reduce the frequency of these occurrences. Different forms of 'Anti Arrhythmic' drugs have been around for decades and have been used by cardiologists and even heart surgeons as a 'first line' treatment for heart rhythm disturbances, but new research is showing that taking these drugs may be more dangerous than doing nothing at all.

"In the last decade or so, numerous experimental and clinical studies have
revealed that drugs that act by delaying conduction, while markedly
suppressing ventricular arrhythmias, have the proclivity to increase mortality
in subsets of patients with significant cardiac disease."
'The coming of age of the class III antiarrhythmic principle'

The reason that these drugs are so dangerous is that they can cause a condition called Prolonged QT Syndrome. Unlike other abnormal heart rhythms, prolonged QT syndrome causes no symptoms whatsoever and the majority of people who have it don't know that anything is wrong. But it is EXTREMELY dangerous because it increases the possibility of the heart suddenly going into a fatal heart rhythm with as little stress as the alarm clock going off in the morning. When young people or fit athletes make the news for suddenly having a heart attack and dying when there was no apparent reason, the culprit is very often prolonged QT syndrome. Even more cause for concern is that the heart rhythm caused by prolonged QT doesn't respond to the standard medical care used to restart hearts in the hospital, and the majority of people who experience a lethal heart rhythm caused by a prolonged QT interval will die even when the most advanced medical care is available.

While there are some cases where antiarrhythmic drugs are lifesavers, in many cases heart rhythm disturbances can be corrected with stress management and intensive electrolyte replacement that includes high dose magnesium. Subtle magnesium deficiencies almost always exist in those with heart rhythm problems, but the 'standard' blood test for magnesium is outdated and ineffective for determining whether magnesium would provide a benefit. While there are better and more useful tests for magnesium, the medical community simply does not use them to discover and correct the real underlying cause of these heart problems. Instead, hospitals and doctors prefer to use pharmaceutical drugs that temporarily stabilize the original heart problem while causing an overall increased risk of an even worse problem- one that won't cause any symptoms at all until it kills.

"Mission: Readiness", the non-profit group of over 130 retired military leaders that is calling for healthier federal food for children, is expressing support for new legislation that would outlaw junk food from schools so that more children will qualify to enroll in the military.

The group believes that "national security" is America's top priority, so it is doing everything it can to increase military enrollment, even if that means supporting and passing federal food restriction legislation.

According to the group's report, roughly 75 percent of all young Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 do not qualify for military service because they do not finish high school, have criminal records, or they are not physically fit enough to serve.

According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics, the number of states with 40 percent or more of the young adult population being overweight or obese has jumped from one to 39 in just ten years. Currently in three states, more than half of the young adult population is overweight.

Mission: Readiness is calling on Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Act to include three new policies:

– Permit the USDA to adopt updated nutrition standards that would eliminate high-calorie, low-nutrition junk foods from public schools.

– Provide additional funding to improve the quality of food at public schools and increase the number of children who have access to it.

– Administer school-based programs to teach parents how to teach their children to adopt better eating and lifestyle habits.

Sadly, the motivation for such legislation does not seem to be for the actual benefit of the children themselves, but rather to fuel the endeavors of the military-industrial complex. And while there are some good proposals for switching to healthier food in public schools, threatening proposals to further increase federal control over people also seem to be present in the push.

Supporting healthier food for children is always a good thing, but it's important to lead the charge as a free and independent people, rather than simply grant increased power and control to federal bureaucrats. Remember, if they have the power to give it, they have the power to take it away.

Since the drug's initial approval, the agency has received 42 adverse event reports linking Videx and its delayed release version Videx EC to a rare liver disorder known as non-cirrotic portal hypertension. In four of these cases, patients died from liver failure or severe bleeding. Only three patients were able to fully recover from the condition, and all of those needed a liver transplant. Patients had been undergoing treatment with the drug for anywhere from months to years.

Although it has not yet been proven that the drugs caused the liver disorder, the FDA noted that there is definitely an association between the two.

In non-cirrotic portal hypertension, blood flow through a major vein in the liver becomes constricted, causing blood to back up into the esophagus. Veins in the throat can become so enlarged that they rupture, leading to serious and potentially fatal bleeding.

Although the FDA stated that the benefits for HIV patients still outweigh the risks, it warned that Videx patients should be closely monitored for any signs of portal hypertension. Furthermore, it noted that "the decision to use this drug … must be made on an individual basis between the treating physician and the patient."

Videx was first approved in 1991, and the delayed release version was approved in 2000. The drug is a type of antiretroviral drug known as a nucleoside analogue, and slows the proliferation of HIV to prolong the onset of AIDS and extend the life of patients.

It has previously been linked to other forms of liver damage, especially in combination with other antiretroviral drugs including hydroxyurea and ribavirin.

According to a spokesperson for manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squib, worldwide sales of the drug amounted to $71 million in 2009.

According to the Institute of Medicine, one in three Americans has hypertension and many don't know their blood pressure is elevated, putting them at risk for several deadly diseases. For example, hypertension is blamed for more than one-third of heart attacks. It's also a leading cause of strokes and kidney failure, plays a role in blindness and can contribute to dementia, too.

Scientists have searched for environmental factors that might play a role in the development of high blood pressure — and it appears a big connection to diet has been found. Diana Jalal, MD, of the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, and her colleagues have come up with evidence that the rise in the rate of hypertension over the past hundred years is directly related to the increase in the consumption of fructose.

Dr. Jalal and her research team analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected from 2003 to 2006. Their study involved 4,528 US adults 18 years of age or older with no prior history of hypertension. The research subjects answered questions about their consumption of foods and beverages such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery products, and candy sweetened with fructose (primarily HFCS).

The results, just published in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN), showed that people whose diet contained 74 grams or more per day of fructose — the equivalent of drinking about 2 and a half soft drinks daily — had a greatly increased risk of high blood pressure. A normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg. But for research participants consuming fructose regularly, the risk of a high blood pressure level of 134/85 went up 26 percent and the risk of having a blood pressure reading of 140/90 climbed by 30 percent. However, the risk of very high blood pressure — 160/100 — was 77 percent higher in those consuming fructose sweetened foods and drinks on a daily basis.

According to the scientists, their findings suggest that cutting back on foods and beverages containing a lot of fructose might decrease the risk of developing hypertension. "Our study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor for high blood pressure," Dr. Jalal said in a statement to the media. "However, well-planned prospective randomized clinical studies need to be completed to see if low fructose diets will prevent the development of hypertension and its complications."