A new meta-analysis of over 90,000 patients being treated with statin drugs showed that statin use increases the risk of developing diabetes by 9%.  Currently, cholesterol levels out of the "normal range" are routinely treated with statins.  These drugs have many problems including muscle pain, lever problems, increased risk of dementia, and increased risk of sudden cardiac death.  Add a 9% increase in diabetes rates (diabetes already affects 8% of the US population), and the picture is complete: statins are causing trouble.  

Please read my article on Cholesterol--it will explain when to worry about your cholesterol and what to do about it in a way that builds health rather than eroding it!

Read the study here.

If you do a search on vitamin C on my site, or if you read my Antioxidant Article, you will find a great deal of evidence that high levels of supplemental vitamins can be harmful to your health.  A new study adds to this evidence.  The study followed 35,000 women for 9.5 years, and the women that regularly used multivitamins were 19% more likely to develop breast cancer.

We have developed "pill consciousness", and feel that we can pop a pill and get that nutrients we need to stay healthy.  This is just not the case.  We have seen that supplemental vitamin C, especially, increases risk of cancer, heart disease, and fatigue.  The vitamins themselves, in the form of food are health giving, it is the notion that we can manufacture one molecule in high dosages in a lab and have it perform the same as food that is faulty.

If you read my site you will see that I am not anti-supplement (read the vitamin D blog below), but I am against supplements that either don't work or cause harm! 

Read the study here.

An excellent new study was just published demonstrating a nearly 50% reduction in the incidence of the flu in children supplementing with vitamin D.  The study followed more than 300 children for 4 months of a school year.  Half of the students received 1200IU of vitamin D3 daily, and the other half received a placebo.  By the end of the study 18.6% of the placebo group had, at some some point, tested positive for flu, compared to 10.8% of the vitamin D3 group.

It was also of note that in children with a previous diagnosis of asthma, "asthma attacks as a secondary outcome occurred in 2 children receiving vitamin D₃ compared with 12 children receiving placebo".  That is 6 times fewer asthma attacks!

It's a good idea to supplement your child with vitamin D during the winter months.  Also, If you have not had a vitamin D test in the past year I recommend that you get one!  Vitamin D can affect your immune system, your thyroid and energy levels, and your bone health. 

I have an excellent vitamin D product in my office, and kids like it!

Read the article here.

A new study demonstrates the detriments of high-heat cooking.  The study compared the effects of 2 diets--one based on "mild steam cooking", and the other on "high-temperature cooking".  The following was observed after only one month:

In comparison with the mild-steam group, the high-heat group had;

Lower insulin sensitivity (the beginning of the type 2 diabetes process)

Lower blood levels of omega-3's (read my omega-3 paper)

Lower blood levels of vitamins C and E

Higher levels of triglycerides

This study demonstrates that in addition to the quality of ingredients that you buy, how you cook your food makes a HUGE difference.  The authors of the study blame the negative effects of high-heat cooking primarily on "MRP's", which are formed as carbohydrates and amino acids interact; "Upon heat treatment of foods, a characteristic browning and taste compounds are generated by the so-called Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is any reaction between a reducing carbohydrate and an amino acid and occurs in foods during storage and heat treatment, with the rate and diversity of chemical reactions accelerating as the temperature increases. Maillard reaction products (MRPs) are chemically highly diverse and comprise taste- and flavor-active molecules and health-beneficial compounds. In contrast, potent carcinogens are also generated, such as acrylamide or heterocyclic amines."

How do you know if you are producing MRP's?  If your food is browning as you cook it, you're creating them!  Consider having a baked potato or mashed potatoes instead of hash browns, chips, and french fries, consider steaming instead of frying your vegetables, and turn your toaster down so that your bread gets warm without turning brown.

Read the abstract of the study here.

Tamiflu has shown up in rivers and sewage treatment plants.  What this could mean is we've added one more "stressor" to the influenza virus.  Influenza reacts to such stressors by mutating.  The researchers who reported on the study say "The recent increase in OP (the active metabolite of tamiflu) resistance in influenza A virus (H1N1; commonlly called “swine flu”) has raised questions about the widespread use of Tamiflu in seasonal epidemics and the potential ecotoxicologic risk associated with its use in the event of a pandemic."

This quote is scary for two reasons: first, the H1N1 is already resistant to tmiflu, meaning it has mutated due to exposure, and second, the concern regarding possible toxic effects of tamiflu in the envirnment.  Perhaps we should think about supporting the immune system with Andrographis and vitamin D rather than waging chemical warfare against the influenza virus?

Read the study here.

A new study shows that people with high blood levels have a 40% reduction in colorectal cancer risk.  This is a very interesting study because it measured blood levels of vitamin D directly.  This creates several questions; was it just the high levels of vitamin D or was it other factors related to vitamin D such as time outdoors in the sun, exercise, food sources of vitamin D such as fish that are high in other nutrients such as omega-3's. 

Hopefully further research will shed light on these questions.  In the meantime, get a vitamin D test.  I'm surprised at how many of my patients who eat well and are out in the sun regularly have low levels of D.  If you are low be sure that you are getiing exposed to sunlight on a regular basis, and supplement with a high quality vitamin D until your levels are normal.  You may then want to supplement with 2,000IU per day periodically as a maintinance dose.  I have an excellent vitamin D product available at my office.

Read the study here.

I recently wrote a paper summing up the negative effects of vitamin C supplements.  This morning I read a new study on vitamin C and cataracts.  The study found that women age 65 and up who supplement with vitamin C has a 38% increased risk for developing cataracts!

Eat food!  That is the secret to optimum nutrition.  Supplements should be food based.  Taking labratory produced antioxidants to try and substitute for nature's bounty just doesn't work. 

Read the study here.

Leading up to the current health care debate was talk of reducing cost and improving care.  Of the many topics being discussed to achieve those ends, I have not heard any talk of Chiropractic care.  This is mind-blowing, because recent research shows that if Americans use Chiropractors as their primary care doctors quality of care goes up, way up, and cost goes down.  

The study, which I've blogged on before, followed members of an HMO for 7 years--half of the members were assigned a medical doctor as their primary, the other half were assigned a Chiropractor as their primary.  The researchers sum up the results of those seeing the Chiropractors below:

"Clinical and cost utilization based on 70274 member-months over a 7-year period demonstrated decreases of 60.2% in-hospital admissions, 59.0% hospital days, 62.0% outpatient surgeries and procedures, and 85% pharmaceutical costs when compared with conventional medicine IPA performance for the same health maintenance organization product in the same geography and time frame."

Imagine if the country as a whole were to save 85% on pharmaceuticals!  Our national health crisis would be over.  This is in addition to the dramatically better outcomes using Chiropractic care.  Why is the model in this study not on the table in the health care debate?  A big part of it is Chiropractors don't have the pharmaceutical industry behind them.  Pharmaceutical companies have a huge role in health policy, and that is where our system breaks down.  In order to pass any new policy the pharmaceutical industry and the AMA have to get theirs, and in the meantime, Chiropractic is not part of the debate.

Read the study here.

 

A new review published in Lancet reviewed data from 16 studies including 820 patients regarding the use of low level laser for neck pain.  The authors concluded "We show that LLLT (low level laser therapy) reduces pain immediately after treatment in acute neck pain and up to 22 weeks after completion of treatment in patients with chronic neck pain."

This is an important review for two reasons.  First, the authors included only high quality, randomized trials that compared the treatment group against a placebo group.  Second, there was no conflictive funding for the review.  This produces strong evidence for a benefit of low level laser.  I've been using a laser in my office for several years now, and it never ceases to amaze me how such a simple device can bring so much relief!

Read the review here.

A new study did something very interesting--it compared natural medicine (supplements, diet, lifestyle) to psychotherapy for the treatment of anxiety.  The result was:

"Both NC (naturopathic care) and PT (psychotherapy) led to significant improvements in patients' anxiety. Group comparison demonstrated a significant decrease in anxiety levels in the NC group over the PT group. Significant improvements in secondary quality of life measures were also observed in the NC group as compared to PT. The whole system of naturopathic care for anxiety needs to be investigated further including a closer examination of the individual components within the context of their additive effect. "

Why would the naturopathic group do better?  We have an unfortunate assumption in our culture--that mood based problems are "all in the head".  Anxiety and other mood disorders are a whole-person issue!  The crux of holistic medicine is that every system, and indeed every cell in the body exists in a complex coordinated dance with every other system.  You cannot isolate the brain from the body.  In this study the naturopathic treatment consisted of Ashwagandha supplementation, deep breathing exercises, counseling, and a standard multi-vitamin for 6-weeks.  This was a very generic program.  I have seen remarkable improvements in anxiety with a protocol very similar to this, but also including specific treatment directed to the individual's nervous system.  A detailed examination can reveal parts of the nervous system that are under or over-functioning.  Amazing results occur when the dysfunctioning nervous system is corrected through chiropractic.  This and other research is beginning to change the landscape of treating anxiety disorders toward a more holistic approach.

Read the study.