08/23/07
This Week In HealthBeat News:
- Yet More Good Reasons To Stop The Pop Habit – Metabolic Syndrome And Addiction
- This week’s FDA “Warnings”…
- The FDA Is “At It Again”… Keeping Us Safe From Mother Nature
- We Get Letters I – Comments and Questions…
- We Get Letters II – Readers Ask Medical Questions…
- Laughter is Good Medicine: Kids Say The Darndest Things – Part 2
Yet More Good Reasons To Stop The Pop Habit
Dr. Myatt has written and warned and ranted about the dangers of Soda Pop consumption over and over and over – most recently in our HealthBeat article Poisonous Pop . Well, the bad news about pop just keeps rolling in… this article from one of the many medical journals that we read each day for you:
A study suggests that middle-aged adults who drink more than 1 soft drink (diet or regular) daily have a higher risk of developing adverse metabolic traits as well as the metabolic syndrome.
Medscape Medical News 2007
For those who are a little hazy about what is “metabolic syndrome”, the article defines it thusly:
Metabolic syndrome was defined as the presence of three or more of following risk factors: excess waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels, and high fasting glucose levels. [high fasting glucose levels = diabetes]
So, the long and short of this is that Pop drinkers are far more likely to develop “Metabolic Syndrome” and diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Cool, huh? And we let our kids drink this stuff ???
But Wait! There’s More!
This just in from a research paper out of France:
Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward
Yup, you read correctly – according to this study sugar is more addicting than cocaine!
Here is the conclusion of the research (edited slightly for brevity):
Our findings clearly demonstrate that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward, … We speculate that the addictive potential of intense sweetness results from an inborn hypersensitivity to sweet tastants. In … humans, sweet receptors evolved in ancestral environments poor in sugars and are thus not adapted to high concentrations of sweet tastants. The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction.
Here’s the short-course, plain English translation: Because our distant (and not-so-distant) ancestors developed without mounds of sugar available to them we don’t handle sugars well, and sugars turn out to be actually more addictive (in the truest sense of addiction) than cocaine. Further, it is not the sugar, but the intense sweetness that is the addictive thing – the researchers used saccharine as a sweetener as well as sucrose (sugar) and the results were the same. Sweet beat out cocaine for the lab rats in the study.
Yikes! It boggles the mind, doesn’t it!
Read the research paper in it’s entirety here: http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000698
Still gonna go out for that six-pack of soda-pop or that mega-slurpee at the convenience store? Why not try some alternatives? Plain ol’ water has been a perennial favorite since the days of Alley Oop the caveman – I’ve heard it called “Adam’s Ale”… but if water just doesn’t cut it for you, how about iced green tea with a little lemon, or if you really need an energy drink, try some Greens First Berry – 10 Servings of Fruits & Vegetables in One Delicious Drink, with minimal sugar.
This week’s FDA “Warnings”…
Certain Diabetes Drugs to Carry Strengthened Warnings
Manufacturers of certain drugs to treat type 2 diabetes have agreed to add a stronger warning on the risk of heart failure. The information will be included in the form of a “boxed” warning, FDA’s strongest type of warning.
FDA
So… take Big Pharma’s drugs and risk heart failure, or read up on some natural strategies for dealing with Diabetes without drugs and risk improving your health… Tough call, right? Check out our webpage Diabetes – get hip, get healthy, and do it without heart-destroying drugs!
Updated Prescribing Information Approved for Coumadin
FDA has approved updated labeling for the blood-thinning drug Coumadin to explain that genetic makeup may influence how a patient responds to the drug. Manufacturers of warfarin, the generic version of Coumadin, also plan to add similar labeling information.
FDA News
It should come as no surprise that there are some wonderfully effective ways of maintaining healthy blood “viscosity” and normal clotting factors that don’t involve swallowing “rat poison’… you can find plenty of free information with strategies for staying healthy without rat poison – check out our pages on Thrombophlebitis and Heart Health and kick the Warfarin habit before it kicks you!
The FDA Is “At It Again”… Keeping Us Safe From Mother Nature
A recent notice from the FDA warns consumers to not use several red yeast rice products that have been discovered to contain a molecule described as Lovastatin – the molecule synthesized by the Big Drug Companies and marketed to us under a variety of brand names such as Mevacor®, Advicor®, Altocor®,
Altoprev®, and Statosan® (Atos Pharma).
Here is their warning and link for your amusement:
FDA is warning consumers not to buy or eat three red yeast rice products promoted and sold online as dietary supplements for treating high cholesterol. FDA analysis showed the products contained an ingredient found in the prescription cholesterol drug Mevacor. FDA News
In part, their warning states:
This risk is even more serious because consumers may not know the side effects associated with lovastatin and the fact that it can adversely interact with other medications,” said Steven Galson, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Oooh! Spooky frightening words! No mention of course that the FDA approved drug, which is the same stuff that is in the supplements the FDA would ban, might be just as dangerous (or not)…
The FDA goes on to explain:
These red yeast rice products are a threat to health because the possibility exists that lovastatin can cause severe muscle problems leading to kidney impairment. This risk is greater in patients who take higher doses of lovastatin or who take lovastatin and other medicines that increase the risk of muscle adverse reactions. These medicines include the antidepressant nefazodone, certain antibiotics, drugs used to treat fungal infections and HIV infections, and other cholesterol-lowering medications.
Uh, Guys…? You forgot grapefruit juice – grapefruit juice (and grapefruit) inhibits the metabolism of statins which can increase the levels of the statin, and increase the risk of dose-related adverse effects…
But of course the patented drugs are safe – after all, they are FDA approved, and prescribed for you by a FDA approved doctor, and sold to you at great profit by a FDA approved Pharmacy… Surely that FDA approval removes almost all the risk from these drugs, right?
Folks, I have a news flash for you: Mother Nature holds the patent on Lovastatin! Big Pharma may have figured out how to fully synthesize it in their soulless, sterile laboratories, but Mother Nature was there first!
Here is a bit of history about the “discovery” of Lovastatin taken from the on-line reference resource wikipedia: (edited for brevity – full article available at Wikipedia )
Akira Endo and Masao Kuroda of Tokyo, Japan commenced research… in 1971. The first agent isolated was mevastatin (ML-236B), a molecule produced by Penicillium citrinum. The pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. showed an interest in the Japanese research in 1976, and isolated lovastatin (mevinolin, MK803), the first commercially marketed statin, from the mold Aspergillus terreus.
But mankind has known about the properties of this Miracle of Mother Nature for thousands of years – here is an another excerpt from the on-line resource wikipedia: ( full article available at: Red Rice Yeast )
In addition to its culinary use, red yeast rice is also used in traditional Chinese herbology and traditional Chinese medicine. Its use has been documented as far back as the Tang Dynasty in China in 800 A.D. and taken internally to invigorate the body, aid in digestion, and remove “blood blockages”.
This whole silly thing just makes me want to shake my head – for it is nothing new, and the FDA has tried this several times before with Red Rice Yeast. Each time they try it, their ban crumbles under the weight of logic:
- If Lovastatin is a unique, synthesized, patented drug, how could Mother Nature have possibly gotten there first with something as lowly as a fungus?
- If Lovastatin is a new and novel thing (and therefore worthy of patent protection,) what were the ancient Chinese doing with it in 800 A.D.?
- If the natural, less potent (but just as effective) substance is so very dangerous that we must be “protected” from it, how can the synthesized, isolated version be so much safer that it is sold without prescription (O.T.C or Over The Counter) in Britain, with Big Pharma agitating for the same here in the US?
To their credit, the FDA has so far resisted Big Pharma’s call – probably because they are wary of the logic that says if Big Pharma’s brands of statins can be sold O.T.C., then why shouldn’t Mother Nature’s brand also be allowed to be sold?
It will be fun to follow this one, and you can be sure that HealthBeat will keep you updated as this comedy – er, story – unfolds.
And here is a parting thought… is there not a lawyer out there somewhere who would take this case? God and God’s Agent, Mother Nature vs. Big Pharma and Big Pharma’s Agent, The FDA in a lawsuit over theft of intellectual property, plagiarism, counterfeiting, and patent infringement?
What a fun trial that might be! After all, what would happen to you or I if we reverse-engineered one of Big Pharma’s creations and sold the result for billions in profits? Would we not find ourselves in court “quicker than two shakes of a lamb’s tail?”
Learn more about Red Yeast Rice at the Wellness Club website!
We Get Letters: Comments and Questions…
Janet writes to comment:
I have just signed up for your newsletter. Thank you again!
I have personally used medicinal herbs and other natural treatments for 30 years; and now know just enough to realize how little I know! ~Janet
Dr. Myatt replies:
Hi Janet:
An ancient Arab proverb goes something like this:
There are four types of men:
The man who doesn’t know, and doesn’t know that he doesn’t know. He is a fool. Avoid him.
The man who doesn’t know, and knows that he doesn’t know. He is a student. Teach him.
The man who knows, and doesn’t know that he knows. He is asleep. Awaken him.
The man who knows, and knows that he knows. He is a teacher. Learn from him.
Knowing how little you know is the beginning of wisdom!
In Health,
Dr. Myatt
And another Janet writes:
Dear Dr. Myatt,
I have a question regarding castor oil packs. I have read that this is a good treatment for lymphoma….Then, on another website, I read one should not use castor oil packs if there is a malignancy. Your in put would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You, Janet
To which Dr. Myatt answers:
Hi Janet:
I use castor oil packs (COP) for everything, including every type of cancer. I have been involved in several large (unpublished) studies using castor oil packs and have never seen an adverse outcome, and I have never seen any studies which show that a COP is contraindicated in lymphoma. The only time I wouldn’t use a COP is where I wouldn’t use heat, such as in a “hot” appendix.
Please keep in mind that there are MANY other things that should be done in addition to COP’s for cancer. It is difficult for a layman to sort out what will really help because of all the conflicting stories one hears. As you probably know, “everybody is an expert” when you have cancer. The lady next door, your butcher, baker and candlestick-maker, the gal at the health food store — everybody “knows” a cure for cancer that you should be using! The trouble is, 99% of such advice is wrong.
An holistic physician can make specific recommendations based on the individual, and this is much more productive.
Here is a note (which the patient gave me permission to use ) from a Stage 4 ovarian cancer patient. I don’t know if you’re familiar with “staging,” but stage 4 is as high as it gets, and ovarian cancer is usually a death-sentence. She wrote last week after her check-up with the oncologist:
Hi Dr. Myatt –
Well, I’m home now – been a long day. He (oncologist) gave me an internal exam as usual to see what’s growin’ – because the last time I was there (3 mo. ago) he felt stuff growing – Well, guess what – he felt NOTHING!! NADA – NIENTE – 0 growths!! – and he can’t figure it out. So he wants to see me in 3 more months and no scans ordered. How do you like that!
Bye!
Gail
And a note she sent out to friends the next day:
Hi Everyone – I just had another ‘cancer visit’ with my oncologist. I was delighted with the results.
On his examination – he could not feel the cancer that was growing the last time I was there even though my cancer marker was elevated a little. He expected me to be bloated and full of growths, but I wasn’t. He is baffled. I attribute this as a result of working with Dr. Myatt – a nutritionist in Arizona – and sticking with her diet and and supplements.
So, to all my family and friends – Thank you for your support and prayers and kind and healthy thoughts – they are working for me. Don’t underestimate their power and yours
I love you all soooooooo much
Love and Light
Gail
Janet, Gail is not an exception. We have excellent results in achieving remissions in even our advanced cancer patients. And keep in mind that I have never met any of these people in person — this work has all been done by telephone consultation.
Please, if you need solid holistic medical advice, don’t just try and stumble around with a “do it yourself” program. Cancer is a very “worthy adversary,” and I cannot recommend highly enough that you enlist the help of myself or a trusted holistic doctor to help you with this. My telephone consultation information can be found here: Telephone Consultations
Please do keep in touch no matter what and let me know how this lymphoma case turns out. We’ll be praying for the welfare of this patient.
In Health,
Dr. Myatt
Muscular and joint pain is a very common and vexing problem that interferes with the enjoyment of life’s pleasures for most of us at some time or other. There are some excellent natural solutions to this problem – read on:
Dr. Myatt received this letter recently:
Hi!
I am a friend of a patient of yours and he mentioned that you could probably suggest a vitamin/mineral that might help my muscle soreness. Have been to a Dr. who ruled out Fibromyalgia. I am very active with work, motorcycles and horses. Have any suggestions? Thank You, Tanya N.
Hi Tanya,
Thank you for your question. Muscle soreness can result from many things, and combinations of things. The very best way to sort this out would be to arrange an
alternative medicine consultation with Dr. Myatt – this will save you time, money, and uncertainty, and provide you with a very definitive plan for better health.
Here are some general suggestions:
An optimal dose multiple vitamin / mineral / micronutrient formula such as Maxi-Multiis a cornerstone for anyone’s good health. Without optimal nutrition, the cells of your body (including your muscles) cannot function properly.
CoEnzyme Q 10 (CoQ10) is an important energy molecule for the mitochondria (the energy units) of our body’s cells. The body produces CoQ10 naturally, but many people are deficient for a number of reasons, including prescription medication use – particularly the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Without adequate energy supplies your muscles cannot function at their best and may feel tired and achy. CoQ10 is also a powerful antioxidant.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to many processes in the body. They are anti-inflammatory. Deficiencies in Omega-3 fatty acids can contribute to a subtle body-wide inflammatory state. The Standard American Diet is woefully deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids. An excellent source is Max EPA .
Bromelainis nature’s premier anti-Inflammatory herb, useful for all types of infection, injuries, inflammation, sinusitis, cardiovascular disease, rheumatic disease, autoimmune disease, and cancer. It is very effective at reducing swelling and inflammation, thereby reducing pain and discomfort of muscle soreness.
Cox-2 Support is a new product that many of Dr. Myatt’s patients and Wellness Club members have reported excellent results with. This herbal blend was created to help support normal healthy Cox-2 levels. You are no doubt familiar with the Cox-2 inhibitor drugs such as Vioxx and Bextra and others which have earned a reputation for being dangerous. Cox-2 support was formulated to give similar pain relief by helping the body to produce normal, healthy levels of Cox-2 compounds instead of creating artificially high levels of these compounds in the body by preventing their normal metabolism as the discredited Cox-2 inhibitor drugs are designed to do. It is well worth a try for relieving all kinds of muscular and joint discomfort.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Nurse Mark
We Get Letters II – Readers Ask Medical Questions…
Q.) Hello Dr. Myatt,
I would be interested in information regarding high cholesterol (my LDL is 314!!), halting or REVERSING coronary artery disease (several 40% blockages), and osteoporosis (severe—I’m trying strontium now after refusing Forteo), lowering blood pressure in a healthy way (I’m 53, 5′ tall and weigh 100 pounds on a good day!) and fibromyalgia (Yep, that too). The laundry list goes on and on, so at this point just about anything you talk about would be of interest to me or a family member!
Trying to avoid as many pharmaceuticals as possible, but have tried all the ‘naturals’, and I still haven’t found the solution….
Your site is great. I look forward to your newsletters!
Best regards, Eliz
A.) Hi Eliz:
Welcome aboard! As I’m sure you know, I can’t really respond personally to every complaint you have (I don’t have NEARLY enough information). To do so would require a telephone consultation. But there are plenty of highly informative pieces to help answer these questions on our main website ( DoctorMyatt.com ) and on this site.
This should get you going: High Cholesterol .
And be sure to see these HealthBeat articles:
- LDL Cholesterol: Another Big Fat Lie
- Heart Attack and Stroke: What are Your Real Risks?
- Rejuvenate Your Heart In 9 Simple Steps
- Heart Health Breakthroughs
- The Bacon and Egg Cure for High Cholesterol .
And this whitepaper: (which will be pulled from the site soon and made into a white paper for purchase, so grab this while you can for free) Lower Cholesterol Naturally
See our information about Osteoporosis: and our HealthBeat article Strontium: The Missing Mineral for Osteoporosis Prevention and Reversal:
Fibromyalgia: that’s a “case by case” basis; I recommend a phone consult. And I’ll work on a general information page for this topic and post it to the main website.
There’s a problem with a “do it yourself” approach to natural health, especially when you have some serious medical concerns. You wind up buying all of the “best-hyped” supplements (and natural manufacturers can be every bit as “hypey” as Big Pharma!), waste a lot of time and money, and you still haven’t done anything specific for your case.
There’s a reason why naturopathic medical doctors spend 4 years in medical school after 4 years of pre-med. That’s because a precise understanding of the patient’s complaints, and targeted recommendations, takes a lot of knowledge and understanding. The “do it yourself” approach to medicine is, for most people, a waste of time and money and can even be dangerous. Get some professional assistance! I’m here if you need me….
P.S. to all HealthBeat News Subscribers: Remember that you’ll find a boat-load of free, no-hype holistic health information at DoctorMyatt.com.
You can also look up past articles from HealthBeat at our new HealthBeat Archives page.
All the links above were taken from our free-to-access websites.
In Health,
Dr. Myatt
Laughter is Good Medicine: Kids Say The Darndest Things – Part 2
When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, ‘It’s no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.’
When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, ‘I’m not sure.’ ‘Look in your underwear, Grandma,’ he advised. ‘Mine says I’m four to six.’
A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, ‘Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today.’ The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. ‘That’s interesting,’ she said, ‘How do you make babies?’ ‘It’s simple,’ replied the girl. ‘You just change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.’
‘Give me a sentence about a public servant,’ said a teacher. The small boy wrote: ‘The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.’ The teacher asked, ‘Do you know what pregnant means?’ Sure,’
said the young boy confidently. ‘It means carrying a child.’
A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog’s duties. ‘They use him to keep crowds back,’ said one youngster. ‘No,’ said another, ‘he’s just for good luck.’ A third child brought the argument to a close: ‘No, they use the dogs to find the fire hydrant.’
