Along with that, they preach this gospel: “If you have high cholesterol, you need to be on a statin drug and low-fat diet.”  Trying to treat heart disease naturally is considered heresy.

Well, sure it is.  Drug companies make big bucks off people taking statin drugs.

It’s refreshing to see a doctor who is trying to get the word out that statins are NOT the answer:

From Dr. Dwight Lundell. . .

The Cholesterol Theory– A Tragedy To Health

We have done a disservice to the American people and it is time to right the wrong.  Let me begin by saying quite emphatically based on scientific fact cholesterol does not cause heart diseaseThe good news is, inflammation is treatable naturally. 

The theory began in 1948 with the Framingham Study, a study that was responsible for good information until 1961 when those early researchers focused on cholesterol and tunnel vision set in.  From then on, cholesterol was deemed evil rather than the vital substance it is to life.

Over the course of 25 years and 5,000 heart surgeries, I’d often look at a patient on my table and wonder why he (or she) was there.  His cholesterol was in check, he was not obese, did not smoke and in fact, had none of the typical risk factors associated with heart disease

I repaired his heart knowing well statistics were high he would be back for surgery again within 10 years with his cholesterol still in check.

Over 25% of the population takes statin medications. 

Now there’s a feverish rush to prescribe statin medication preventatively to otherwise healthy people.  If statins prevented heart disease, why has heart disease soared year after year and is the number one taker of human life?

Just that fact alone should have everyone questioning the validity of the cholesterol theory and taking statin medications. 

Cholesterol does not cause heart disease – inflammation in the arteries does. 

 What is inflammation and where is it coming from?
The answer to that question is both tragic and sad.

 The very dietary recommendations born of the cholesterol theory of no-fat and low fat foods cause inflammation. 

Polyunsaturated Omega-6 oils; packaged and processed foods created for shelf life and not long life; sugars and simple carbohydrates create inflammation.  This is the cause of an epidemic of heart disease, obesity and other chronic illnesses.

Do you have unhealthy levels of inflammation?  If you have been eating the typical American diet with the typical American lifestyle, more than likely yes.

Dr. Lundell has written a book, “The Great Cholesterol Lie” which is one of the most important books written since the cholesterol theory began in 1948. It talks about heart disease and the inflammation running amok throughout your body, cause by the dietary recommendations born of the no fat, low-fat diet foods theory which is now causing an epidemic of heart disease and inflammation.

Now science knows inflammation is linked to obesity from the very foods created from this theory that were supposed to make us slim and trim. Too bad they didn’t figure this out sooner, huh?

Dr. Lundell tells it like it is and shows you how to heal your heart and health naturally without statin medications.

I recommend you grab a copy of this book, “The Great Cholesterol Lie”.

I think you’ll find it an amazingly worthwhile book. It’s now wonder it’s selling like crazy in over 16 countries.

Overusing antibiotics speeds up the process of bacteria mutating to become resistant. We need to be prudent in our use of antibiotics.

At the same time, we need to remember that although we can’t kill off all the bacteria, that’s really a good thing. Not all bacteria cause disease, and some are quite beneficial.

We can wage a smarter war against the bad guys however. To help slow down the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria we need to:

1. Use Antibiotics Only When Necessary!

Don’t walk into the doctor’s office expecting an antibiotic for every sniffle. Face the fact that some things need time to get better, and only time, NOT antibiotics! And if the doctor gives you an antibiotic every time you visit, start asking if it’s really necessary, and what exactly he or she is treating.

2. Take Antibiotics Correctly.

When you do take an antibiotic, take the entire course of treatment as prescribed. To quit taking your pills the minute you start to feel better is a bad idea. Not all the disease causing bacteria are likely gone, just knocked down. If you quit taking your medication too soon, the more resistant little devils will start raising havoc once more, and you’ll be sick again. And this time, you’ve got more resistant microbes to deal with. Not good.

Take only those antibiotics that have been prescribed for you, not someone else’s leftovers. Every antibiotic doesn’t treat every germ. Most have a specific bacteria they target. If you take an antibiotic that targets a different bacteria than the one you have, you’ve wasted your time and delayed getting the right stuff to make you better. The wrong drug won’t be killing off the germs making you sick, and to add insult to injury, you’ll be helping build some of those resistant dudes. You need to take the right antibiotic.

3. Eat Antibiotic Free Food.

Read the labels when you go to the grocery store. Buy meats that have been raised organically, or at least look for “Antibiotic Free” somewhere on the label. As consumers are becoming more aware of the problems with antibiotics in their food they are creating a demand for foods that are antibiotic-free.

If you can’t find such foods in your grocery stores, try a local farmer. People growing food sustainably or organically will not be using antibiotics as growth promoters.

Europe has already moved away from using sub-clinical doses of antibiotics in agriculture. We need to make the same shift here in the U.S.

4. Cleanliness For Better Healthcare.

Proper hand washing technique is a good thing. You’ve probably seen the commercials that ran showing people washing their hands while singing a children’s song. Getting clean hands helps prevent spreading viruses such as those that cause colds as well as disease causing bacteria.

However, using antibacterial soap isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee voted unanimously on October 20, 2005 that there was a lack of evidence supporting the benefit of consumer products including handwashes, bodywashes, etc., containing antibacterial additives over similar products not containing antibacterial additives.

Since on one hand, there’s no evidence antibacterial soaps help, and on the other hand, there’s some evidence there’s a link between antibacterial soaps and bacterial resistance, why take the chance? Regular soaps will clean just as effectively without the specter of creating antibiotic resistant bacteria.

5. Go Pro for Better Healthcare

Ever hear of probiotics? Many years ago when I worked as a pediatric nurse, pediatricians routinely prescribed them when giving antibiotics. I think they fell away from that, but maybe it will become another fad in healthcare again.

At any rate, probiotics are defined as microorganisms that “may improve health when taken in sufficient quantities”. The idea behind probiotics is to keep the beneficial bacteria in plentiful supply.

There are a variety of probiotics available. The CDC is monitoring research on their use, but there hasn’t been enough research to meet their criteria to make positive recommendations. However, it would seem prudent to at least take a course of probiotics after taking antibiotics as a way to build back up the good bacteria in your body.

Germ Warfare For Better Healthcare

There isn’t a quick fix to the problem we’ve created by overusing antibiotics. The fact that every antibiotic will eventually become useless as the bacteria become resistant to it isn’t going to disappear just because it’s inconvenient.

The problem is here and now and the problem is real. We need to all take whatever steps we can to protect ourselves from antibiotic resistant bacteria, and to help slow their spread.

No one wants to go back to the FDA’s description of a world “…faced with previously treatable diseases that have again become untreatable, as in the days before antibiotics were developed.”

Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, The Mechanism of Action of Probiotics, Monica Boirivant; Warren Strober

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in antimicrobial resistance. The Journal of Infectious Diseases DOI: 10.1086/533451

Nutrition Action Health Letter, October 2008

www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/
www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/anti_resist.html
www.nih.gov
www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/antimicrobialresistance/

Of course Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) isn’t anything new. In fact, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for drowning victims was first officially recommended by The Paris Academy of Sciences in 1740.

By 1904, Dr. George Crile did the first American case of closed-chest cardiac massage.

The CPR Program

The CPR method was developed in 1960, and the American Heart Association started a program to acquaint physicians with close-chest cardiac resuscitation. This became the forerunner of CPR training for the general public.

Today it’s good to remind ourselves of the importance of knowing how to perform CPR once in a while.

Learning CPR For Better Healthcare

If you’ve never taken a class in CPR, think about doing so. The American Red Cross gives classes in CPR. You can find the phone number and address of your nearest chapter here.

While the best way to learn CPR is to have an experienced instructor show you how to do it, if you just can’t find the time to attend a training course, why not check out one of the on-line training courses? By typing “Red Cross CPR classes” in Google’s search engine, several will pop-up.

One way or another, try to educate yourself on how to do CPR. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to know how to do it, obviously it’s too late to be learning then.

CPR Can Save Lives

Knowing how to do CPR is one piece of the puzzle to better healthcare. By knowing how to perform CPR, you may save the life of a friend or loved one.

Learn CPR. It’s important.

http://www.americanheart.or

http://www.redcross.org/index.html