A different take on high cholesterol

Dr. Mercola's article today clearly explained how sugar (in it's various forms, including low quality grains) cause high cholesterol. I'm pasting the excerpt here. To find the entire article, go to http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/22/one-in-four-americans-over-45-take-this-common-drug-that-causes-diabetes.aspx. (Sorry so long...just copy and paste to your browser.)

This is what Dr. Mercola had to say:

How to Optimize Your Cholesterol Levels Without a Drug

It's truly unfortunate that the drug industry's media- and medical industry manipulation has been so successful in brainwashing both doctors and unsuspecting patients into taking these harmful drugs when so few people actually need them. Not to mention the fact that the most effective way to optimize your cholesterol profile and prevent heart disease is via diet and exercise.

It's actually quite simple too. Seventy-five percent of your cholesterol is produced by your liver, which is influenced by your insulin levels.

Therefore, if you optimize your insulin level, you will automatically optimize your cholesterol and reduce your risk of both diabetes and heart disease. As you've just learned, taking a statin drug can actually increase your risk of both of these diseases. And remember the "number needed to treat" that I mentioned earlier; in order to prevent a cardiovascular event in just one person, 155 people must be treated with the drug—all of them taking the risk of experiencing a potentially serious side effect... So, before you agree to take a statin drug, please evaluate the risks and benefits.

What are the chances you will be in the minority who will benefit? And what are your chances of suffering a potentially devastating side effect? Make a conscious, informed decision, and keep track of any side effects once you start taking the drug!

Also know that there are other ways to improve your cholesterol that do not put your health at risk. My primary recommendations for safely regulating your cholesterol include:

• Reduce, with the plan of eliminating grains and fructose from your diet. This is the number one way to optimize your insulin levels, which will have a positive effect on not just your cholesterol, but also reduces your risk of diabetes and heart disease, and most other chronic diseases. Use my Nutrition Plan to help you determine the ideal diet for you, and consume a good portion of your food raw.
• Get plenty of high quality, animal-based omega 3 fats, such as krill oil, and reduce your consumption of damaged omega-6 fats (trans fats, vegetable oils) to balance out your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.
• Include heart-healthy foods in your diet, such as olive oil, coconut and coconut oil, organic raw dairy products and eggs, avocados, raw nuts and seeds, and organic grass-fed meats.
• Exercise daily. Make sure you incorporate peak fitness exercises, which also optimizes your human growth hormone (HGH) production.
• Avoid smoking or drinking alcohol excessively.
• Be sure to get plenty of good, restorative sleep.

Unlike statin drugs, which lower your cholesterol at the expense of your health, these lifestyle strategies represent a holistic approach that will benefit your overall health—which includes optimal insulin levels and a healthy cardiovascular system.

Calcium needs and Osteoporosis

I just got a great biochemistry lesson the other day about bone health and osteoporosis. I will spare you all the details, but the good news is there is an effective calcium supplement that will help increase bone density and a supplement for post menopausal women that will help in bone remodeling to prevent the weakening of bone. I will also tell you why medication like Fosamax and Boniva actually make the problem worse. (This should not come as a big surprise. I think we have all heard of drugs that were FDA approved only to be taken off the market years later because they proved to be dangerous or ineffective. Only by then it's too late for the people that had been taking them.)

Let me briefly and quickly tell you what happens as we age, and especially to women when they begin menopause. Our bones increase in density until about age 22. At this point bone density plateaus, and decreases slightly as we continue to age. (This is true for both men and women.) It is important to build good bone density and maintain it. This can be done through a healthy diet consisting of lots of veggies (especially leafy green vegetables), and weight-bearing exercise. Most of us are lacking in foods that provide enough calcium, and a supplement is highly recommended. Metagenics has a calcium supplement that consists of something called MCHC, which has been shown in controlled studies to increase bone density. Most calcium supplements on the market are not absorbed properly. Dairy is also not an ideal source of calcium. Our bodies do not absorb calcium very well from cow's milk. If osteoporosis runs in your family, you are small-framed, and/or you know you are not getting enough calcium, I would recommend a good calcium/MCHC supplement. If you test positive for low bone density, this is a must, whether you are pre or post-menopause.

Okay, so now the menopause issue complicates things. (Yes, another great thing these lovely hormones do for us women!) When women go through menopause (or if they have had a hysterectomy) it changes the way they remodel bone. So pre-menopause, the cells that build bone actually are produced more than the cells that break down bone. Post-menopause, this process flips. So our bodies produce more cells than break down bone than cells that build bone. It's easy to see how over time, this will weaken and thin the bone, as it is slowly being broken down. Ostera is a supplement that actually balances this process out, so our hormones don't cause our bodies to break down bone. So post-menopausal women should be taking Ostera, and if they already have bone thinning, they can also take the calcium/MCHC and it will re-build and strengthen bone.

Doesn't Fosamax and Boniva build bone? Well, they claim to. But this is how those medications work. They stop the cells that break down bone from maturing. So these cells indeed cannot do their work to break down the bone. But the pre-cursors to those cells are still made, and deposited in the bone. So basically a whole bunch of useless cells are being deposited in the bones, and even though they are being prevented from actively breaking down bone, they still weaken the bone just by being there and building up. These medications do nothing to rebuild bone. Dentists have figured this out, because their patients that are on these medications often have tooth and jaw fractures as the dentist is doing routine work on their mouths! I will not be surprised when these medications are taken off the market. But until then, unfortunately, doctors will still prescribe them and patients will still take them long-term, to their detriment. I would not personally ever take these medications, nor would I recommend that my family take them.

So there you have it. I do not generally like to use my blog to sell products, but this is an issue I get asked about a lot. I am confident in the quality and research that is behind Metagenics supplements, and would highly recommend them to patients who would benefit from a supplement. Please write or call me if you have any questions!

Can I afford regular chiropractic care?

Finances are probably the biggest reason I hear from patients or potential patients for why they cannot get the chiropractic care they need, or why they drop out of care after one or two visits and do not continue with regular maintenance adjustments. I understand this problem too well. It's always the patient's choice if they want to continue care. I do not twist anybody's arm or try to convince them to do something that will not work for their personal schedule or budget. However, I feel like I would be doing everyone and injustice if I didn't explain why chiropractic care is not only affordable, but will save you money in the long run.

Many of my patients are "cash pay" and do not have health insurance. This, too, I understand. We do not currently have health insurance either. That makes it all the more important to take responsibility for my family's health and do whatever I can to prevent problems from arising. This means I spend more on food, as it is usually more costly to eat healthy than to eat processed, boxed foods that have a long shelf life, are often on sale, and have tons of coupons available. I also buy (and try to consistently take) supplements. We also need to make the time to exercise regularly. Many families join a gym to help achieve this goal, which obviously has it's associated monetary costs. We get regular chiropractic care. Obviously, that part is easier for me, since I am a chiropractor. But it still has tremendous value. I drive a half hour each way every week to get adjusted, so that I have a healthy pregnancy and an easier, quicker labor.

Chiropractic is the most affordable form of health care. I have had many patients who have experienced severe back pain and ended up in the ER before coming to my office. They also end up with a huge bill, more expensive for a few hours one day than their whole chiropractic treatment plan over the course of 1-2 months would cost. And unless you fractured your spine, there is not much that the ER can do except give you drugs for pain. That's a high price to pay for a band-aid solution to the problem. Chiropractic care most often results in immediate pain relief, and correction of the cause of the problem, keeping it from perpetuating or returning weeks or months down the road. It's important to stick with your care plan, as this is the most effective way of correcting a spinal problem completely so that it does not return.

So why do people continue to get adjusted after their problem is resolved? This is called maintenance care, and it has many benefits. First of all, most of the time we return to our activities that cause wear and tear on our bodies and subluxate our spine. Over time, this stress can result in pain again. Regular maintenance adjustments take care of these more minor subluxations before they become a big problem, and require more care. A once a month maintenance adjustment is a lot more cost effective than a more intense care plan to correct a more complicated issue. Also, people under regular chiropractic care get sick less often, miss less school and work, and feel better overall. Sickness costs time and money, so it's better to prevent it, if possible!

Many people seem to be concerned that adjustments are "addicting." Is brushing your teeth addicting? How about showering? You do those things every day. And you might as well not bother eating, because in a few hours you need to start all over again with a whole new meal. Obviously, these arguments are ridiculous. We do these things to maintain health and hygiene. You go to the dentist every six months, get your eyes examined every year, and get regular physical exams at your doctor's office. It's time we take care of our spines and nervous system as well. After all, there is no such thing as a spine transplant.