Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Will the 20th Century be the Only Century in history in Which Cardiovascular Disease is the Leading Cause of Death?

The incidence of deaths from heart disease began to rise in the 1920’s, which corresponds to the introduction of processed foods.  Such deaths peaked in the 1960’s and then began a slow decline.  Heart attacks are still the leading cause of death and strokes are third, just behind cancer.  Most of the credit for reducing cardiovascular deaths goes to lifestyle changes.  Only 5% of the credit comes from drugs that have side effects and from surgery that can have complications.  Breakthrough treatments like EDTA chelation therapy will decrease these death rates and their horrendous cost substantially in the not-too-distant future, if we just wake up, smell the roses, and use common sense in treating these diseases.

See The Epidemic of the 20th Century: Coronary Heart Disease in the Am J Med, September, 2014 issue, p.807.


 

 

Thursday, November 20, 2014

A Chronic Lyme Disease Epidemic?

Did you know that the state of Ohio now requires an informed consent just to get tested for Lyme disease?  All such tests have false positives and false negatives.  Mainly, we need to rely on clinical judgment.  If acute Lyme is suspected, a 2-3 week course of antibiotics is surely indicated.  Beyond that, Lyme becomes an autoimmune problem that can affect several systems in the body.  Dr. David Minkoff has reported excellent improvements in several patients treated with ozone therapy.  Dr. Ty Vincent has used the LDA allergy treatment to neutralize the sensitivity to the Lyme organisms with outstanding results.  I have years of experience with LDA, so I prefer that approach.  For a limited time, I would be happy to discuss the treatment with anyone who has tested positive for Lyme.

Contact Terry Chappell, M.D. to set up a free phone consult at 419-358-4627 or email to mail@healthcelebration.com

 

 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

AP dateline 11/18/14

“Study lifts cloud over heart drugs Zetia, Vytorin,” said the headline.  Dr. Christopher Cannon of Harvard described the benefit of the drug combo: “This is the first time that something added to statins has been shown to be beneficial.”  Dr. Cannon is simply wrong.  Vytorin added to statins cut the risk of heart problems by 6% over 7 years.  The number needed to treat for 7 years.  The number needed to treat for 7 years was 5-6 patients.  The 2012 TACT study showed that chelation plus high dose multivitamins reduced the risk of cardiac events over 5 years by 26%.  In diabetic patients the reduction was 51%.  The number needed to treat for diabetes was 6!  All groups in TACT were continued on statin drugs.  IV chelation is much more effective than drugs.  Where are the headlines showing this?

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Running is the Best Medicine for Longevity

A multi-centered study published in the American College of Cardiology Journal followed 55,000 adults for 15 years found that those who ran 15 minutes a day, three days a week, were 45% less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke.  Those who ran only 1-2 times a week still had benefits, as did those who were overweight or continued to smoke.  Running only for 5 minutes a day can add 3 years to one’s life.  A vibrating power plate can produce quality fitness by using it 45 minutes a week.
 
See the Toledo Blade, August 25, 2014 in the Peach section.  Multiple studies have been published in scientific journals.


 

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Bisphosphonates such as Fosamax Might Do More Harm than Good

A correspondence in the New England Journal of Medicine states that such drugs as Fosamax do prevent fractures of the hip and low back in women younger than 80 years of age, but they also can create atypical fractures in the upper leg.  The risk of these additional fractures increases with the duration of taking the drug.  In a separate Taiwan study, one out of 200 long-term users of the drug developed osteonecrosis if the jaw, which can be a devastating problem.  Taking the drug might do more harm than good, especially if it’s taken for the wrong indication or over many years.  In the same issue, deficiency in B12 is linked to osteoporosis.  My suggestion is that many women do better with optimal doses of vitamin D3, along with calcium, magnesium, regular exercise and maybe some natural progesterone and B12.

 

See NEJM, Sept. 4, 2014.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Be Careful of Body-building and other Mixed Herbal Supplements

A report in Hepatology  stated that there has been an increase in liver damage in both body-building and non body-building  related herbal supplements over the previous decade.  Often such supplements are poorly labeled and contain multiple ingredients.  The damage is characterized by jaundice and it can lead to liver transplants and rarely death.  The same problem can occur with regular acetaminophen (Tylenol).  Take such supplements only under a knowledgeable doctor’s care, and get regular blood tests if you do.

See Hepatology, August 25, 2014 issue.

 

 

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Artificial Sweeteners Increase Blood Sugar!

A study published in Nature showed that popular sugar substitutes, such as Sweet n’ Low, Equal, and Splenda can increase the blood sugar and create problems for diabetics and those who are taking them to help lose weight.  Apparently, they disrupt the biofilm, which consists of the good bacteria in the gut.  This leads to an increased risk of insulin resistance and glucose intolerance.  It can actually cause diabetes to be expressed when the gene for the disease is lying dormant in the body.  The article did not mention the neurologic side effects seen by these substances on occasion.  Best advice is to avoid them altogether.

See Nature, Sept. 17, 2014 issue.