April 10, 2010 Saturday
"Spiritual transformation doesn't mean seeking refuge from life's problems; it is about facing the chaos of life and your reactions to it head on"
This blog has been sort of a spiritual transformation. It allows me to be more structured. It is about the chaos of life and how I am trying to guide us through lifestyle changes. It is about action, not reaction. Doing something for us.
It is important to remember that the acidic lifestyle causing inflammation will cause disease. The diseases can be cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. Every disease starts with inflammation. For the last three days, I discussed six recipes: two for breakfast, two for lunch and two for dinner. These were anti-inflammatory choices. In other words, alkaline recipes. I will continue to do that but I wanted to integrate how dietary lifestyle changes can help, and even reverse heart disease. It is still the number one killer in the United States far surpassing cancer and HIV disease. It is being seen more and more due to the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes. All are linked together.
Books have been written about reversing heart disease-- through diet, exercise, meditation, chelation and new technology. I do not know how to even start this discussion. Perhaps the best way is to discuss the Cholesterol controversy. The number one drugs prescribed in the United States are the statin drugs--the drugs to lower cholesterol. Some are Lipitor, Crestor, and Pravacol. We do have studies that say statins reduce morbidity and mortality (complications and death) from heart attacks and strokes...but to what expense to other organ systems? The side effects include increased liver enzymes, memory loss (60 reported cases), muscle aches, depression and decreased libido.
You may ask, should I utilize statins? The answer is yes...not out of fear from my medical colleagues, but from the benefit in some patients depending on a case to case basis. However, some health care professionals instill fear into the patient who feels he or she will die if they do not take the drug. You must be your own advocate, however you can also be your own worst enemy by being a health Internet terrorist-- reading and starting treatment based on a newsletter, an article on the Internet or listening to your friend. You should have a discussion with your health care professional.
That being said, you worry about the low density lipoprotein level (LDL), the total cholesterol (TC) and the high density lipoprotein level (HDL). What about the triglycerides (TG)? This is just as or even more important. The triglyceride level varies depending on the amount of simple carbohydrates you consume. Yes, again I am talking about the bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, ice cream, high sugar fruits and candy. It all comes back to the dietary lifestyle change.
Books have been written about reversing heart disease-- through diet, exercise, meditation, chelation and new technology. I do not know how to even start this discussion. Perhaps the best way is to discuss the Cholesterol controversy. The number one drugs prescribed in the United States are the statin drugs--the drugs to lower cholesterol. Some are Lipitor, Crestor, and Pravacol. We do have studies that say statins reduce morbidity and mortality (complications and death) from heart attacks and strokes...but to what expense to other organ systems? The side effects include increased liver enzymes, memory loss (60 reported cases), muscle aches, depression and decreased libido.
You may ask, should I utilize statins? The answer is yes...not out of fear from my medical colleagues, but from the benefit in some patients depending on a case to case basis. However, some health care professionals instill fear into the patient who feels he or she will die if they do not take the drug. You must be your own advocate, however you can also be your own worst enemy by being a health Internet terrorist-- reading and starting treatment based on a newsletter, an article on the Internet or listening to your friend. You should have a discussion with your health care professional.
That being said, you worry about the low density lipoprotein level (LDL), the total cholesterol (TC) and the high density lipoprotein level (HDL). What about the triglycerides (TG)? This is just as or even more important. The triglyceride level varies depending on the amount of simple carbohydrates you consume. Yes, again I am talking about the bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, ice cream, high sugar fruits and candy. It all comes back to the dietary lifestyle change.
The statin drugs are anti-inflammatory but so is ginger and tumeric. The statin drugs have shown to increase Vitamin D. Great...but go back to the blog, The Decade Nutrient. If I had to choose between taking a statin or consuming Vitamin D3, I would choose the later. Also, remember calcium without Vitamin D increases cardiovascular risk in the elderly (BMJ2008). Statins increase nitrous oxide, which is a vasodilator. The amino acid, L-arginine increases nitrous oxide production also. Food sources that contain arginine include nuts, seeds, fish, soybeans, and lean meats. Exercise helps too.
Herbalists do not replace statins with botanical alternatives. I use a coordinated approach to understanding why cholesterol or other lipids are elevated, which may lead to the use of a statin or a cholesterol lowering herb. These herbs are classified as anti-inflammatory, circulatory alternatives and/or adaptogens. These include Dan Shen, ginkgo, garlic, ginger, green tea, tumeric, hawthorne, coleus and ginseng. It is overwhelming even for myself. The amount of knowledge available to each of us is amazing. No one can learn everything. Certainly, I do not want to.
I want to continue to learn, and to spread the word as if this was a grassroots movement. Maybe my blog is the beginning of a grassroots movement. I know the field of integrative medicine started as a grassroots movement. When I get excited about a topic, especially herbs, I could go on and on. I do not want to overwhelm you, so I will stop here. Tomorrow, I will discuss NOT the herbs, but the lipid fractions-- which is more important than the LDL or HDL number. Did you know there are two types of HDL and two types of LDL?
Herbalists do not replace statins with botanical alternatives. I use a coordinated approach to understanding why cholesterol or other lipids are elevated, which may lead to the use of a statin or a cholesterol lowering herb. These herbs are classified as anti-inflammatory, circulatory alternatives and/or adaptogens. These include Dan Shen, ginkgo, garlic, ginger, green tea, tumeric, hawthorne, coleus and ginseng. It is overwhelming even for myself. The amount of knowledge available to each of us is amazing. No one can learn everything. Certainly, I do not want to.
I want to continue to learn, and to spread the word as if this was a grassroots movement. Maybe my blog is the beginning of a grassroots movement. I know the field of integrative medicine started as a grassroots movement. When I get excited about a topic, especially herbs, I could go on and on. I do not want to overwhelm you, so I will stop here. Tomorrow, I will discuss NOT the herbs, but the lipid fractions-- which is more important than the LDL or HDL number. Did you know there are two types of HDL and two types of LDL?
The needlework above is in the process of being completed. A pillow, framed with glass or without, who knows? It is being worked on a hoop. It is serene and peaceful. Perhaps we are blessed by the healing colors of the canvas, or the favorite time of the flowers as the current of the solar sun approaches imperceptibly from the silence of the space, finally bursting upon us in a symphony of radiance. I do not honestly know where that came from. It is as if I didn't type it...it just came from within.
Photo credit: Rick Byrd
Until tomorrow..
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