Guest guest Posted March 29, 2003 Report Share Posted March 29, 2003 I have been wondering about this for quite some time; and frankly am mystified about it all. I mentioned in a prior post that having witnessed my mother and other family members proceed through all the predictable steps in the progression and inevitable (according to scientific medicine) results of artheriosclerotic disease. I also had all the signs of having the same illness in my early twenties- ie chest pains, shortness of breath on exertion, angina in the neck and arm, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, edematous, and had a cholesterol level of 310, etc. Yet I have not had these symptoms in the main, and have not been victim of heart attack, stroke, or surgery; and have not used the statins, or other medical remedies other than minimal antihypertensive meds off and on. Twenty five years later I am in good health and have no symptoms other than a marginally elevated BP (140/90); and certainly do not go to a physician more than once a year. After having been diagnosed my mother, and others in the family religiously followed the recommended diet- no eggs etc- and yet continued to experience the progression of plaquing etc, and more bi pass operations, defibulator, etc, and death. The only differences in what I do and what they did- other than obviously not relying on scientific modern medicine- was in the choice of supplements and a slight variation in the diet. They all followed the American Heart Associations recommended diet for this. For twenty five years I have followed what amounts to the DASH diet with lots of capsain containing items (peppers) and veggies such as broccoli, lima beans, cabbage, carrots, and fish; have drank loose leaf tea instead of coffee; and have always used Hawthorne, Gingko Biloba, raw garlic, and niacin. I have also always fasted off and on. And I have been a fairly steady donator of blood. My cholesterol has maintained between 167 and 158 all these years. (158 last week- when you donate blood they check this for free) I always wondered whether the key to it all is not so much in avoiding fatty foods and meats as in taking in green unprocessed vegetables- fresh or frozen. My own belief is that there are curative properties to these green vegetables that we destroy with preservatives and processing involved in canning and many types of cooking. I also believe that periodic fasting and “letting” helps the body rid itself of toxins. (Mom used tons of garlic in her cooking; but it was cooked. I use it raw daily) I know that I am doing something right, and that there is a dramatic result. I wish I could be sure what it is so that I cold pass it on to others and prevent the ravages of the disease that seems to affect so many. Michael JoAnn Guest [angelprincessjo] Friday, March 28, 2003 10:07 PM Friendslist; gettingwell Heart Disease Cholesterol: Determining Factor in Heart Disease? JoAnn Guest May 14, 2002 14:53 PDT Our Ancestors have been eating eggs, meat and other good foods for thousands of years and the first mention of heart attacks in scientific literature was in the early 1900s. To blame heart disease on something that had always been part of our diet doesn't make sense to me. It has to be something of more recent origin, such as the refining of flour and the introduction into the diet of processed devitalized foods, sugar, and hydrogenated fats! Heart disease has reached epidemic proportions in our Nation, in spite of our medical sophistication! Every year, millions of people succumb to the ravages of heart attacks and strokes and millions more are left disabled. In the United States, one and a half million people will suffer a heart attack this year, and 300,000 of them will die suddenly before they reach a hospital or receive medical attention! The old adage " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure " has never been so true as it is with heart disease. There is a great deal we can do nutritionally and naturally to enhance the health of the heart, and to prevent instances of heart disease. These measures are all well documented in the medical and nutritional research literature. Only a summary of key conclusions will be included here. Cholesterol in the diet simply does not translate automatically into cholesterol in the blood! Our bodies have a feedback mechanism that decreases the amount of cholesterol we manufacture if we don't need as much! It's the kind of fat!... I certainly am not advocating that you ignore the dietary warnings you hear in the media. Rather you need to monitor closely the types of fats you consume. The renowned biochemist and researcher, Richard Passwater, Ph.D., stated that no clinical study has conclusively shown that dietary cholesterol causes heart disease. He wrote in his book, " The New Supernutrition, " " Although people insist on examining all the diets of the world looking for one component, such as cholesterol, to blame as a cause of heart disease, they would be doing better to look for the absence of one component, such as Vitamin E. It is total nutrition, in fact supernutrition, that should be our main concern! " It seems almost incredible to me that eggs, the most perfect food that God put upon this earth, the food for the embryo, the food associated with New Life, has taken the brunt of the cholesterol scare. Carlton Fredericks, Ph.D., wrote, " Despite all the hue and cry, the case against eggs, which is the case against cholesterol, is in no way proved. " He also observed that eggs are rich in Lecithin, the very substance that prevents cholesterol from working much of the mischief it is supposed to create in the arteries. Eggs are also rich in the B-complex vitamins choline, inositol, pyridoxine (B6), and the amino acid cysteine. These nutrients have all been used successfully in experimental medical treatments for hardening of the arteries! Key Factors: We now know that cholesterol contributes to heart disease ONLY when it is oxidized, or subjected to free radical damage! Cholesterol damaged by free radicals is taken up by white blood cells called macrophages and deposited in fatty streaks on the artery walls. This fosters plaque buildup in the arteries and is key in the development of heart disease. Heart-Smart Nutrients 1.Vitamin E----1,000 mgs 2. Magnesium -400-800 mgs 3. Potassium---99-300 mgs 4. B-complex---B-6, B-12 5. Vitamin C---1,000 mgs daily minimum 1. Hawthorne Berry 2. CO-Q10 3. Omega-3 Fish oils 4. Soy, Beans & Lentils 5. Flax seed oil 6. Cayenne Pepper 7. Garlic Ya Gotta Have Heart Foods... 1. Red Grapes & Wine 2. Almonds, Cashews, Brazil Nuts 3. Blackstrap Molasses 4. Blueberries 5. Wheat Germ 6. Oat Bran Prescription Drugs: Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers are the mainstay of conventional treatment for heart disease, angina, and even cardiac arrythmias for millions of people. Calcium channel blockers relax artery walls and lower blood pressure by blocking the entrance of calcium into cells! However, they also block essential functions of the heart and blood vessels. In numerous studies, patients taking large amounts of calcium channel blockers had a 60% higher death rate! One alternative to calcium channel blockers is MAGNESIUM! Magnesium accomplishes essentially the same result as prescription drugs; relaxat ion of the smooth muscles of the arteries and reduced stress on the myocrdium--but in a natural way! I also recommend increasing your daily intake of potassium and potassium-rich foods. Anti-hyperlipidemic drugs are given to lower cholesterol levels. These drugs all have dangerous side effects and again, there is little evidence that they reduce the risk of heart attack! Statin drugs such as Mevacor and Zocor are the the most popular of lipid-lowering drugs. They reduce the production of cholesterol in the liver and alter the way LDL cholesterol enters the cells. According to the " Physician's Desk Reference " (PDR), side effects include liver toxicity, muscle inflammation, gastrointestinal symptoms, and an increased risk of cataract formation. A significant side effect of statin drugs not mentioned in the PDR is a reduction in your body's production of Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is essential to heart health! Colestid and Questran (resins) absorb bile acids from cholesterol in the intestinal tract and cause them to be excreted, lowering cholesterol levels circulating in the blood. Resins have considerable side effects---constipation, nausea, bloating, and, more seriously, reduced absorption of vitamins A,D, E, and K. In the long run, these deficiencies may cause bleeding, disorders and vision problems! Atromid-S actually INCREASED deaths from non-cardiac causes, primarily CANCER! Beta blockers are often given to treat high blood pressure: They work by blocking the ability of your heart to respond to epinephrine and adrenaline, which stimulate your pulse rate and blood pressure, elevating both. They are meant to weaken the heart so that blood pressure is lowered and heart pain reduced. Beta blockers can be beneficial for temporary relief, but that's not how they're used! Virtually every doctor I know prescribes them indefinitely! A Safe Natural Approach: We now know that cholesterol-lowering drugs have dangerous side effects and there is scant research that they lessen the risk of heart attack! There are safe alternatives that address the CAUSES of heart disease, not just the symptoms! They work to prevent and in some cases even reverse heart disease. A low-fat moderate protein diet abundant in fruits and vegetables, a high-potency, antioxidant rich multivitamin regimen, an essential fatty acid supplementation along with moderate exercise greatly reduces your risk. I recommend this program to all patients, not just those with heart disease! JoAnn Guest jogu- Friendsforhea- theaimcompanies The complete " Whole Body " Health line consists of the " AIM GARDEN TRIO " Ask About Health Professional Support Series: AIM Barleygreen " Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future " http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Got Heart Disease? Heart disease is America's number one killer, taking as many lives as almost everything else combined. Every day, 3,000 Americans suffer from heart attacks, and more than 1,200 of them die. Those who don't die often suffer another heart attack later. Because we now know what causes heart attacks, we can prevent them. Since the early 1970s, study after study after study has implicated cow's milk and other dairy products as a cause of heart disease and clogged arteries. One researcher, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn from the Cleveland Clinic (the top-rated heart clinic in the U.S.), makes people " heart attack-proof " by putting them on a vegan diet (check out his groundbreaking paper in the American Journal of Cardiology, August 99). It's not just the fat and cholesterol in dairy products, but also the animal protein and milk carbohydrates that are linked to heart disease, as the following studies show: " International statistics indicate that there is a close correlation between the consumption of saturated fats (dairy fats and meat fats) and the mortality from coronary heart disease, and this conception has been confirmed by many epidemiological studies, " concluded a study published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. " Practically total replacement of dairy fats by vegetable oils in the diets … was followed by a substantial reduction in the mortality of men from coronary heart disease. Total mortality also appeared to be reduced. " (1) In a study published in the International Journal of Cardiology, researchers studied seven countries with a high consumption of dairy products and found that heart disease mortality rose as milk supply rose. (2) In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers wrote, " Much evidence suggests that high consumption of full-fat dairy products is likely to increase coronary heart disease risk " and noted that " there are strong reasons to believe that a causal association does exist. " (3) Researchers who studied dietary links to heart disease in 32 countries found that, of all dietary factors studied, milk carbohydrates played the biggest role in the development of heart disease in men over 35, and nonfat milk played the biggest role in the development of coronary heart disease in men over 45. (4) Researchers studying 19 Western countries concluded that heart disease mortality rises as consumption of milk protein rises. The researchers noted, " Multiple regression analysis confirmed the importance of the milk factor … as a determinant of variation in ischemic heart disease mortality rates. " (5) " Milk consumption is related to arteriosclerosis, " confirmed yet another group of researchers. " Recent landmark studies confirm a previously suspected close correlation between milk intake and arteriosclerotic heart disease. " (6) A study of food consumption and heart disease in 24 countries concluded, " Direct, linear, and reasonably accurate correlation has been found between coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates and the consumption of unfermented milk proteins-namely the protein content of all dairy products with the only important exception of cheese. " (7) " It is clear that saturated fats, mainly dairy fats, are closely associated with the mortality rate from ischaemic heart disease, " wrote researchers in the Journal of Internal Medicine. (8) In a study published in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease, researchers wrote, " a reduction in meat and dairy products … will decrease other cardiovascular risk factors, particularly cholesterol and glucose intolerance. This healthier diet will reduce cardiovascular disease and is similar to the diet now being advocated for the prevention of some forms of cancer. " They also noted, " Diet is by far the most important environmental factor determining our longevity, and for those who wish to live longer, a change in diet as early in life as possible will have substantial effects. " (9) In a study published in The Lancet, researchers comparing heart disease death rates with food intake found that the highest correlation was with milk. " Changes in milk-protein consumption, up or down, accurately predicted changes in coronary deaths four to seven years later. " The researchers noted that their analysis " strongly supports " previous conclusions that milk is the principle dietary culprit in hardened, narrowed arteries and that the problematic portion of milk is its protein, not its fat. (10) A study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology found that butter and milk consumption had a positive correlation with heart disease. (11) A study that compared coronary death rates with food intakes in 21 countries found that the food most highly correlated with coronary deaths was milk. (12) " Both cholesterol and saturated fat in your diet may increase blood levels of cholesterol and increase the formation of plaque (blockages) in your arteries, " says Dr. Dean Ornish of the University of California at San Francisco, who has demonstrated that artery blockages can be reversed with a low-fat vegan diet instead of expensive and invasive surgeries. " [One] might consider switching from nonfat milk to nonfat soy milk, as I have done. This will give you a double benefit: Soy milk has no cholesterol, and soy products may actually lower your blood cholesterol levels. " The world-renowned health advisor to President Clinton, Dr. John McDougall concurs: " The wisest way to prevent tragedies from a defective blood vessel system is to deal with the cause: Your first- line therapy should be a low-fat, no-cholesterol diet. " 1 Osmo Turpeinen, " Effect of Cholesterol-Lowering Diet on Mortality From Coronary Heart Disease and Other Causes, " Circulation, 59, No. 1 (1979), 1-7. 2 J. Segall, " Dietary Lactose as a Possible Risk Factor for Ischaemic Heart Disease: Review of Epidemiology, " International Journal of Cardiology, 46, No. 3 (1994), 197-207. 3 Lawrence Kushi, Elizabeth Lenary, and Walter Willette, " Health Implications of Mediterranean Diets in Light of Contemporary Knowledge: Plant foods and Dairy Products. " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (suppl.), 61 (1995), 1407S-1415S. 4 William Grant, " Milk and Other Dietary Influences on Coronary Heart Disease, " Alternative Medicine Review, 3, No. 4 (1998), 281- 294. 5 R. Popham, W. Schmidt, and Y. Israel, " Variation in Mortality From Ischemic Heart Disease in Relation to Alcohol and Milk Consumption, " Medical Hypotheses, 12, No. 4 (1983), 321-329. 6 P. Rank, " Milk and Arteriosclerosis, " Medical Hypotheses, 20, No. 3 (1986), 317-338. 7 S. Seely, " Diet and Coronary Disease: A Survey of Mortality Rates and Food Consumption Statistics of 24 Countries, " Medical Hypotheses, 7, No. 7 (1981), 907-918. 8 S. Renaud and M. de Lorgeril, " Dietary Lipids and Their Relation to Ischaemic Heart Disease: From Epidemoiology to Prevention, " Journal of Internal Medicine (suppl.), 225, No. 731 (1989), 39-46. 9 G. MacGregor, " Nutrition and Blood Pressure, " Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease, 9, No. 4 (1999), 6-15. 10 F. Alamgir, J. Caplin, J. Cleland, M. Norell, and G. Kaye, " Survival Trends, Coronary Event Rates, and the MONICA Project, " The Lancet, 354 (4 Sep. 1999), pp. 862-863. 11 A. Menotti, D. Kromhout, H. Blackburn, F. Fidanza, R. Buzina, and A. Nissinen, " Food Intake Patterns and 25-Year Mortality from Coronary Heart Disease: Cross-Cultural Correlations in the Seven Countries Study, " European Journal of Epidemiology, 15, No. 6 (1999), 507-515. 12 S. Seely, " Diet and Coronary Heart Disease: A Survey of Female Mortality Rates and Food Consumption Statistics of 21 Countries, " Medical Hypotheses, 7, No. 9 (1981), 1133-1137. http://www.milksucks.com/heartdisease.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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