The Boston Globe reported recently that there are no easy answers to heart health. Robert Superko, veteran cholesterol researcher, said, “There’s a huge number of people who are still having heart attacks while on (statin) drugs.” Raising HDL with exercise and niacin might be a bigger factor than lowering LDL, the bad cholesterol, according to the disappointing findings in a study in Circulation. And that doesn’t even consider the frequent nasty side effects with the statins. The best answer is to get a comprehensive evaluation and consider treatment with intravenous chelation therapy from an integrative doc. Somehow that was left out of the 328-page book on the subject just released by the AMA.

You can find a doctor at the International College of Integrative Medicine website.

We have been told for years if you are a diabetic, that the tighter your blood sugar control the fewer the complications. Surprise! The Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH stopped a study in progress that was comparing strigent control of the blood sugar (HbA1C of less than 6.0) to those who had a more standard control of 7.0 to 7.9. The strict control patients had a 20% higher mortality. My guess is that the medications required to get super control were causing the problems. I would still shoot for about 6.5, and I would use more natural means such as diet and supplements to help achieve that control, avoid over medication.
See nih.gov for a search of the "ACCORD study".

The Center of Public Integrity is crying out that the government is blocking the release of a study mandated by Congress about the environmental hazards in the 26 areas of concern around the Great Lakes. The study was supposed to be released 8 months ago, and it is rumored to show high levels of dioxin, PCB’s, pesticides, lead, mercury and other toxic substances. It appears to be a political hot potato, especially since most doctors don’t test for or treat these carcinogenic substances. If you are at all concerned, we can test you for a toxic buildup at Celebration of Health Association in Bluffton, Ohio.
http://www.truthout.org

The wrong kind of calcium causes heart attacks in women. The British Medical Journal reports that women who take plain calcium to treat or prevent osteoporosis have an increased risk of heart attacks, especially at the high doses recommended. My observation is that calcium should be save in the 500-1000 mg a day range as long as it is balanced with at least half that amount of magnesium. Circulation Magazine also pointed out that high doses of vitamin D might protect against heart attacks. I recommend 5000 units a day of Vitamin D3, unless you are getting plenty of sunshine. As an added incentive, a recent study showed that a vitamin D deficiency might decrease the lifespan by up to 5 years.
Online BMJ.2008 (1/15/08) and Online Circulation.2008 (1/7/08) and Am. J.Clin.Nutr. 2007;86:1420-5.

What is the Best Treatment for Low Back Pain?

There is no good evidence to support surgery for most types of back pain. Watchful waiting, chiropractic, and acupuncture can be effective. Only two treatments appear to actually increase the growth of supportive tissue. Decompression therapy, a special type of traction, can rehydrate discs, and is an excellent therapy. Prolotherapy is a series of injections that stimulate the body to lay down ligament tissue and strengthen these structures that support the back. In my experience, prolo is the most effective long-term treatment. Check out http://www.getprolo.com

Stents Fail to Measure Up, Again

A New England Journal of Medicine study showed that bypass surgery had better outcomes than placement of drug-eluting stents. A previous study determined that after a heart attack, patients did better with medicines alone than they did with stents plus medicines, thus disproving the Open Artery Theory. Why not treat with intravenous EDTA chelation therapy instead of any kind of surgery? Our research showed a lot fewer heart attacks and premature deaths in patients with vascular disease when treated with chelation. Check out my web site http://www.healthcelebration.com