Statins and Coenzyme Q10

If you are taking a statin drug to lower your cholesterol, you have up to an 18% chance of developing significant myalgia, or muscle pain. That is often due to low levels of Coenzyme Q10 and is corrected by adding this important supplement. Better yet, take about 60 mg of Coenzyme Q10 as a preventative if you are taking a statin. Even if you take red yeast rice, a natural statin with much fewer side effects than the drugs, add CoQ10 as well. Low levels of the coenzyme also decrease heart muscle function. See Family Practice News, May 15, 2013, p. 3. Celebration of Health Association website healthcelebration.com

Depression is Over-diagnosed and Over-treated

Dr. Ramin Mojtabai of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health published his study showing that only 38.4% of patients diagnosed with clinician-identified depression actually met the criteria defined by DSM-IV. Most of those patients were given anti-depressant medications, which incidentally often do not work well. This finding underscores the need to explore non-psychiatric causes of depression-like symptoms, such as yeast imbalance, hypothyroidism, and adrenal fatigue, which are often diagnosed by alternative doctors. When truly needed, anti-depressant medicines and natural products such as SAMe, 5 HTP, and St. John’s wort are important for selected patients, but if an underlying cause can be found, the results will be much better if the whole patient is treated. See mrajaramon frontlinemedcom.com Celebration of Health Association website

The Best Treatment for Torn Meniscus of the Knee

As part 2 of avoiding knee surgery, I want to report on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It compared arthroscopic surgery, which is undergone by 465,000 patients in the U.S. each year, to physical therapy without surgery. There was no difference in the functional status and pain, 6 months after the onset of the study. Once again, Prolotherapy was not included in the study, but the reported results by prolotherapists are better than either of these therapies. See the NEJM, May 2, 2013 issue and go to getprolo.com for more info. Celebration of Health Association website

“Mobility Shoes” Help Arthritis of the Knee

A study by Rush University Medical Center documented an 18% reduction in the load on the knee in patients with osteoarthritis. A questionnaire showed a significant reduction in pain in patients who wore the shoes for 6 months. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common problem that too often leads to joint replacements. Prolotherapy is an alternative approach that can strengthen the ligaments around the knee and often prevent the need for surgery. Google “mobility shoes” and go to getprolo.com for more info. Celebration of Health Association website

FDA Refuses to Recall Common Drug linked to 2367 Hemorrhages and 542 Deaths

Pradaxa (dabigatran) is an anti-clotting drug that has been touted as the replacement for Coumadin (warfarin) in patients with atrial fibrillation and other clotting risks. It has been available for 2 years at a cost of $3000 per patient, which totals about $1 billion per year. Pradaxa does reduce the incidence of strokes due to blood clots, but at the same time increase the risk of brain and GI hemorrhages, which also can be life threatening. Coumadin is not much better. It has the same complications, albeit at a slightly lower rate. Coumadin is more inconvenient because its therapeutic window is so narrow that it is difficult to find and maintain a safe and effective dose. If you do not want to take the risk, supplement combinations such as nattokinase, fish oils, and garlic can be effective with much less risk. But it is important to have a knowledgeable doctor monitor your progress. Posted on AHN-USA on April 2, 2013 in Fight Healthcare Monopolies, Reform FDA. Celebration of Health Association website

Silver Amalgam is on its Way Out

Despite assurances from the American Dental Association that Mercury fillings are safe, their use is declining. The reason is often not concern for people’s health, but rather concern for pollution of the environment. More than 140 nations agreed in January of 2013 to a U.N. treaty calling for decreasing use of amalgam fillings. In the last 5 years, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Finland, Canada, and Germany have restricted the use of amalgams for health reasons. Be careful, though, replacing these fillings can cause toxicity. If you are concerned that you might have elevated mercury levels in your body, the best test is called the “Merc-out” test. You take a couple of pills that pull abnormal amounts of mercury into the urine, which you collect and send to the lab. High mercury levels increase the risk for many diseases. Check with a doctor listed in icimed.com or acam.org to safely treat this problem. See Chicago Tribune article printed in the Toledo Blade, April 15, 2013, section D, p. 1,5. Celebration of Health Association website

High-dose Statin Drugs Lower Cholesterol But Greatly Accelerate Complications

Clinical Guidelines offer the option of using high-dose statin drugs like Crestor to lower the cholesterol as much as possible in high-risk patients. But the guideline does not actually say to prescribe the high dose. Most cardiologists use these high doses routinely. A 6-year study of 8888 patients compared low and high-dose regimens. The high-dose patients actually died slightly earlier than the low-dose patients, and they paid quite a price. The high-dose had more elevated liver enzymes (426 to 186) and stopped treatment due to major adverse events much more often (61 to 7). To be safer yet, you might want to try red yeast rice, a natural statin. See Nutrition and Healing, Vol. 13, Issue 1, February 2006, p.1-2. Celebration of Health Association website