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Dangers of Antidepressants

By Mila McManus MD

The CDC estimates that one in ten Americans has depression. Chances are, if you don’t take antidepressant medication, you know someone who does. There are many levels of depression and many causes of depression. The main causes of depression have never been, and never will be, deficiencies of Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Cymbalta, or Lexapro. Causes may, however, be related to diet, gut health, side effects of medications, nutritional deficiencies, negative thinking, emotional trauma, chronic pain, lack of exercise, and hormonal imbalances/ deficiencies. I do believe that sometimes antidepressants are necessary, at least temporarily, but they’ll never correct the underlying cause(s), and they have many potential side effects.

To name a few (or many):

Your risk for type 2 diabetes is two to three times higher if you take antidepressants, according to one study.
Problems with your immune system: SSRIs (e.g. Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft) cause serotonin to remain in your nerve junctions longer, interfering with immune cell signaling and T cell growth. New research indicates that serotonin is also a signaling molecule between immune cells. Certain cells pick up serotonin at inflammation sites and pass it along to T cells (a type of immune cell). This affects T cell growth and division into new cells. One study showed that, when Prozac was introduced at inflammation sites, it blocked this type of serotonin uptake.
Suicidal thoughts and feelings and violent behavior: Your risk for suicide may be twice as high if you take SSRIs; seven out of twelve school shootings were by children who were either on antidepressants or withdrawing from them.
Stillbirths: A Canadian study of almost 5,000 mothers found that women on SSRIs were twice as likely to have a stillbirth, and almost twice as likely to have a premature or low birth weight baby; another study showed a 40 percent increased risk for birth defects such as cleft palate.
Brittle bones: One study showed women on antidepressants have a higher risk of fractures
Stroke: Your risk for stroke may be 45 percent higher if you are on antidepressants
Death: Overall death rates have been found to be 32 percent higher in women on antidepressants.
SSRIs have been shown to increase your risk of developing bipolar depression. Anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of children who take an antidepressant for five years convert to bipolar illness. In adults, about 25 percent of long term users convert from a diagnosis of unipolar depression to bipolar disorder.
Weight gain- this is one of the most common reasons a person will discontinue or change an antidepressant medication
Sexual dysfunction, including decreased sexual desire, delayed ejaculation in men, and the inability to have an orgasm in women.
Sleep disorders, including insomnia, nightmares, and sleepwalking
Sedation (daytime sleepiness)
headache, joint pain, muscle aches, nausea, skin rashes, or diarrhea

In addition, here’s a list of common side effects for the most commonly prescribed classes of antidepressants:

TCAs (e.g. Nortriptyline, Amitriptyline) – dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, and increased pressure in the eye. They are also associated with hypertension, abnormal heart rhythms, anxiety, insomnia, seizures, headache, rash, nausea, and vomiting, abdominal cramps, weight loss, and sexual dysfunction.
SSRIs (e.g. Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft) and SNRIs (e.g. Cymbalta, Effexor) – abnormal thinking, agitation, anxiety, dizziness, headache, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, sedation, tremor, sweating, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, dry mouth, rash, and nausea. SSRIs have also been associated with hyponatremia (low sodium), hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), and seizures.

Have you tried to wean your medication(s) before and failed? There are at least a couple of reasons why that might be.

1. You hadn’t addressed the underlying causes of why you needed the medication(s) in the first place and/or

2. Withdrawal symptoms were too miserable to continue weaning

I took antidepressants for years, and it wasn’t until I discovered holistic functional medicine that I was able to successfully wean off my medication. In our medical training, the name of the game is learning how to bandaid symptoms with drugs. In holistic and functional medical training, the name of the game is correcting the underlying causes of symptoms and disease. This explains why all my previous efforts to wean my medication had been miserable failures. I was an emotional wreck, was dizzy, and had constant ‘brain zaps’. Once I addressed the underlying issues (poor diet, nutritional bankruptcy, hidden food allergies, poor gut health, and hormonal imbalances that weren’t found on typical blood tests), it was only a short matter of time until I successfully weaned off my antidepressant (and 11 other prescription medications). While this has also been the case for countless numbers of my patients over the years, it’s important to note that some patients have more complex issues and may take years to improve their health, physically as well as emotionally. Addressing depression, and many other health issues, requires focusing on mind, body, AND spirit. Here is a list of several things you can do to work towards a successful wean from your antidepressant(s)*:

Click here to read about a few supplements that can naturally alleviate depression and anxiety.
Nutrients that are well known to play a role with mood include Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D**, magnesium, B-6, B12, and folate. These are all very common nutritional deficiencies that we find in my practice. If you suffer with depression, talk to a wellness specialist about proper doses to meet your individual needs.
Exercise, again and again, has shown in studies to be important for warding off anxiety and depression. Too tired or too busy? You can start with a 5 minute walk every day.
Address the mind, body, and spirit with therapy, EFT, meditation, and/or yoga.
Get your hormones balanced by an experienced wellness specialist using nutrition, supplements, and/or bio-identical hormones. Imbalance or deficiency in any number of your hormones (e.g. thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol) can affect your mood, and these issues often won’t be found on typical blood tests. Are your lab results always ‘normal’? Test for hormonal imbalance a better way by completing free symptom questionnaires.
I also recommend a book to many patients called The Healing Code by Dr. Alex Loyd. Read about it here.

*Never attempt to wean your medication(s) without medical supervision.

**One study found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to depression than those with adequate vitamin D levels.

Forward this article to someone you care about!

Resources for the content of this article:

www.mercola.com

www.webMD.com

www.CDC.gov

www.naturalnews.com

By Mila McManus MD|2015-01-06T07:33:18-05:00January 6th, 2015|Articles, General|

Supplement of the Month: Help with Depression and Anxiety

There are a number of supplements that can be very helpful in supporting our mental health and function. Combined with improving the diet, getting regular exercise, balancing hormones, controlling chronic pain, getting adequate sleep, balancing gut flora (microorganisms), and other non-pharmaceutical approaches to treating depression and anxiety, here is a list of several supplements we frequently use at The Woodlands Institute:

L-Theanine is an amino acid compound found in green tea and is noted for its ability to relax and calm, while improving focus without causing drowsiness.

5-HTP is extracted from the seeds of the Griffonia plant, a shrub principally found in West African countries, and is an amino acid derivative that’s an immediate precursor to serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) produced both in the intestinal tract and the brain and is important for promoting calmness and sleep in addition to alleviating depression. It can also be helpful in reducing carbohydrate cravings and supporting healthy eating patterns. 5-HTP should not be taken with antidepressants without medical supervision.

L-Tyrosine is also an amino acid found in the human body that is a precursor for both thyroid hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline. These neurotransmitters are needed to support stress response mechanisms, mood, and our ability to concentrate.

Other important supplements we commonly recommend to support mental/brain health include fish oil or krill oil, vitamin D, magnesium, and B-complex.

Discuss with your healthcare provider which supplement(s) may benefit you. We highly recommend medical supervision for use with all of these supplements.

*The product information provided is for educational purposes and is not intended as either diagnosis or treatment of any disease, nor does it replace professional medical advice. (The FDA makes us say that)

*Warning: Please consult a health care professional before using these products.

By Mila McManus MD|2015-01-03T08:31:45-05:00January 2nd, 2015|Articles, General|

Get a Squeaky Clean Start to the New Year- detox

So January has arrived fresh and new, brimming with possibilities for each of us. Moving forward, putting the past behind us and seeking newness are inherently built into our minds as we move into a new year. Nutritionally, though, you may feel like you are lugging a bit of holiday jolly right along with you into the New Year and not feeling all too jolly about it now. For many it is added pounds, for others it is fatigue and poor digestion and for yet others it is a general malaise, or aches and pains. After all, these are often the effects of the extra indulgences of too much sugar, processed foods, food additives, alcohol, and overeating that are common during the holidays. As Dr. McManus focuses our main article this month on anti-depressants, it is worth noting that our food is a very common source of many anti-nutrients that contribute to depression. So what to do about it?

How about letting your partners in wellness at TWIHW help you get back into gear for a great new year? Whether you want to get help re-vamping your diet, implementing a more formal detoxification program, participating in a weight loss program, finding accountability or starting out the year with a health and wellness check up where goals for your improved health can be identified, we can help! With every one of these approaches, we can offer a multitude of steps that you can take to help detoxify the body employing a wide range of practices from 7 to 21 day detoxification programs, juicing, fasting, cleaning up the diet, utilizing supplements, and promoting weight loss. The good news is that there is a personal plan for you. Not everyone can fast, not everyone wants a strict diet and the same protocol is not right for everyone. Cleansing the body can be done through many avenues and in a way that is achievable for you. Schedule your nutrition appointment today to start fresh, get clean, and feel great for the New Year!

By Mila McManus MD|2021-01-10T08:55:13-05:00January 2nd, 2015|General, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

Dangers of Anti-Acids

by Mila McManus MD

If you have made it a habit of taking anti-acids on a regular basis, whether it’s Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Zegerid, Zantac, Pepcid, Tums, or Rolaids, to name a few, I strongly encourage you to read this article. The FDA cautions against high doses or prolonged use of Proton Pump Inhibitors (e.g. Prevacid, Nexium, and Zegerid) because they’ve been shown to increase the risk of infection, bone fractures, and dementia. Moreover, all anti-acids (e.g. Zantac, Pepcid, and Tums) have 4 main consequences:

1. Increased bacterial overgrowth

2. Impaired nutrient absorption

3. Increased susceptibility to infections

4. Increased risk of cancer and other diseases

You’ve been led to believe that the cause of your heartburn or acid reflux is too much acid. Well, I’m here to tell you that we all have acid and we all need acid for proper processing of the foods we eat. The real problem is dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES is what separates the esophagus from the stomach and its job is to keep foods and liquids from coming back up, and to keep stomach acid in the stomach where it belongs. So when you ask yourself why you have too much acid causing your heartburn, you should really be asking yourself why your LES is failing.

Below are some important facts about causes of heartburn, consequences of acid-reducing drugs, and real treatment options:

LOW stomach acid is the usual initial cause of heartburn and reflux.
Low stomach acid allows for bacteria to flourish, whereas adequate amounts of stomach acid that should normally be present help to prevent overgrowth of bacteria because the acid makes a hostile environment in which to grow. It is well documented that acid-reducing drugs promote bacterial overgrowth.
Since stomach acid stimulates the pancreas to secrete enzymes that digest/process carbohydrates, when there’s a lack of stomach acid, carbohydrates cannot be broken down properly (nor can protein or fat, since that requires stomach acid as well).
When you have unprocessed carbohydrates, they will then be fermented by gut bacteria which in turn help the bacteria to thrive, causing overgrowth of these opportunistic microbes.
This also creates an excess of gas production which increases intra-abdominal pressure, which consequently leads to malfunction of the LES.
If it’s gas produced by maldigestion of carbohydrates, (which causes subsequent fermentation by gut bacteria leading to the production of gas) that causes reflux, then it would make sense that reducing intake of carbohydrates and/or reducing the bacterial load in the gut would help reflux. And by golly, it has been shown that both of these independently can improve or resolve reflux.
Dr. McBride, in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, mentions that there are opportunistic bacteria in the gut that, when allowed to flourish, can produce and secrete substances that relax the LES, thereby causing reflux of stomach contents.
It’s a well-known fact that low stomach acid reduces absorption of important nutrients such as amino acids, iron, B12, folate, calcium and zinc.

-Amino acids are the building blocks for everything from hormones and enzymes to muscles and neurotransmitters. Your body can make some of its own amino acids, while others (aka “essential amino acids”) must be obtained from the diet. One of these is Tyrosine, which is required to make thyroid hormone. (test yourself for low thyroid function here) Tyrosine also plays an important role in supporting neurotransmitters that affect mood and appetite. Since many of the amino acids, such as phenylalanine and tryptophan, play a crucial role in mental and behavioral health, low stomach acid predisposes people to developing depression, anxiety, and/or other mental health issues.

-Iron is vital for oxygen transport and DNA synthesis. Low iron will lead to anemia, low energy, and hair loss.

-Vitamin B12 plays a wide variety of roles, including supporting metabolism and nerve function. Symptoms of low B12 include fatigue, memory impairment, depression, anemia, numbness and tingling.

-Folate also has many functions in the body. Low folate can lead to birth defects, heart disease, cancers, and blood disorders.

-Your body uses most of its calcium to keep your bones and teeth strong. The rest of the calcium in your body plays key roles in cell signaling, blood clotting, muscle contraction and nerve function.

-Zinc is another vital nutrient that’s needed for the body’s immune system to work properly. It also plays a role in cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and hormone balance.

Stomach acid is a first line of defense for us. It kills disease-causing microbes that might be hiding in our food, and also prevents bacteria in our intestines from migrating up into the stomach and beyond.
Causes of low stomach acid:

-Anti-Acids, as mentioned above

-Aging

-Auto-immune diseases, particularly of the thyroid and gastrointestinal tract

-Adrenal fatigue (aka adrenal insufficiency)- Cortisol is the main hormone that’s depleted in someone with adrenal fatigue, and cortisol stimulates secretion of stomach acid

-H. pylori, which is a bacterial infection that thrives in the stomach by reducing acid in the stomach (since stomach acid usually prevents growth of bacteria).

Other well-known causes of malfunction of LES—caffeine and alcohol
Treatment options:

-Get evaluated and, if applicable, treated for H.pylori infection
-Get treated for adrenal fatigue by a qualified functional medicine practitioner (click here to test yourself for adrenal fatigue and call 281-298-6742 to speak with a wellness consultant)
-Cut back on or eliminate caffeine and/or alcohol
-Supplement with stomach acid! There are several caveats here, so this is best handled by supervision from a functional medicine practitioner. You can find Betaine HCL supplements with pepsin that provide the stomach acid you need; however, these are best used under supervision to ensure that underlying causes of LES dysfunction are being addressed first, or in conjunction, and that there are no contraindications to using this supplement, such as active stomach ulcers.

Resources:

Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

PubMed

http://chriskresser.com/heartburn

By Mila McManus MD|2014-12-09T20:43:31-05:00December 9th, 2014|Articles, General|

Acid vs Alkaline Diet

Acid vs Alkaline Diet

We call them symptoms. They are pesky problems that prevent us from feeling our best. They can be almost anything from fatigue, headaches, and body pain to heartburn or constipation. Typically our symptoms are a reflection of congestion and/or inflammation in the body. Just think for a moment about these two words: Congestion and Inflammation.

Consider congestion. It always reminds me of the freeway at rush hour. Even though it says the speed limit is 65 mph, there are just too many of us on the road to allow us to drive at the posted speed. Have you ever thought about your bodily functions occurring at a “posted speed”? If you think about symptoms of congestion, you will see that the body is not functioning at the speed that it should. Constipated? Your bowels are not running at posted speeds. Fatigued? Your energy levels are not running at posted speeds. Brain fog? Your brain is not optimally running at the posted speed. Unable to lose weight despite a healthy diet? Your metabolism may not be running at the speed it should.

Now consider inflammation. All you have to do is Google that definition and you will find the words reddened, swollen, painful, and hot or feverish. Achy joints? Headaches? Heartburn? Diarrhea? Swollen hands, feet, knees, and/or fingers? Skin rashes or other irritations? If you have pain, blood, redness, rawness or swelling anywhere, you can bet there’s inflammation.

Together, inflammation and congestion are the instigators for a good many of our lifestyle diseases today including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, obesity, most digestive disorders such as IBS, acid reflux, and many skin conditions. Most of these conditions were not as common 50 years ago before mass numbers of toxins in our foods and before we began following the FDA Food Pyramid and the Standard American Diet.

The human body is an amazingly balanced organism. For every enzyme or hormone in the human body that increases or speeds something up, there is a counterpart that decreases or slows down an activity. The body is balanced. There is a scale in chemistry, which refers to where a substance falls in terms of its acidity or alkalinity. It is called the pH scale and runs from 1 (very acidic) to over 14 (very basic or alkaline). The Human Body averages and optimally functions around a pH of 7.4. That’s right! Right in the middle. Balanced.

So where does nutrition fit into all of this? All food, when digested, leaves either an acid or alkaline ash in the body. If we eat more acidic foods than alkaline foods, our body becomes burdened with neutralizing the acidity and contributes to inflammation and congestion. If we eat too alkaline a diet, many nutrients cannot be metabolized, our blood would not carry oxygen effectively, and our ability to stay hydrated is impaired. All of this to simply say balance in our food choices really does matter.

Most of our regular readers and patients will not be surprised that balance in our diet comes from consuming plenty of plant food in the form of vegetables, herbs, fruits and water. These are the soothing plant foods that carry the alkalizing side of the equation. They cleanse us, detoxify us and create smooth operations in the human body. To ensure we do not become too alkaline, we also need to eat a selection of meats, eggs, and healthy fats, which tend to be more acidic but bring balance to the diet. Together, this creates a balanced diet, neither too acidic nor too alkaline.

Foods which are highly acidic and have contributed to our inflamed and congested bodies include sugar, grains, grain fed meat, pasteurized dairy products, sugary dairy products, damaged fats, over-the-counter drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, food additives and chemicals. It is not hard to see why we are suffering from symptoms and diseases of inflammation and congestion!

There is no need to over analyze or try to measure all of this. The solution is simple! Eat real, whole unprocessed foods from nature, including plenty of vegetables, drink water, and avoid the acidic foods listed above. Your balanced body will take care of the rest and you may be surprised how many of those pesky symptoms disappear.

By Mila McManus MD|2014-12-02T03:48:51-05:00December 2nd, 2014|General, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Pear, Red Onion, and Walnuts

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Pear, Red Onion, and Walnuts

Makes 4 Large Stuffed Mushrooms

4 Large Portobello Mushrooms (3 inches or more in diameter)
6 small (1 inch) Portobello mushrooms if the above are already stemless
2 organic Bartlett pears
2 small red onions, chopped into chunks
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Grass Fed Butter
Fresh Rosemary and Thyme
Optional: Crumbled Goat Feta Cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Wash the Portobello mushrooms, remove the stems (to use in the stuffing) and pat them dry. Place the mushrooms in a baking dish. (If mushrooms were already stemless, purchase 6 small 1 inch baby Portobello mushrooms to be used in the stuffing).

3. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a pan on low to medium heat. Pour a small amount of balsamic vinegar in a separate small dish or bowl. Using a kitchen brush, lightly brush the mushrooms first with balsamic vinegar and follow with a light brushing of melted butter. Place the baking dish with mushrooms in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the skin of the mushrooms begins to soften.

4. Use the remaining butter in the pan to sauté the red onion with a pinch of salt until lightly caramelized or browned.

5. Take the mushroom stems or 6 small Portobello’s and roughly chop them. Then wash, dry and roughly chop the pears including the skin. Add the chopped mushrooms and pears to the onions and sauté very lightly, just enough to soften them. Remove from the heat and add the walnuts, a pinch of sea salt, finely chopped rosemary and thyme.

6. Remove the mushrooms from the oven, spoon the mixture into the bowl of the mushroom so that the stuffing slightly overflows and then return them to the oven to bake for another 5-10 minutes until fragrant, the stuffing is soft, and the mushrooms are beginning to slightly shrivel. During the last few minutes, sprinkle with goat feta cheese if desired, baking until cheese is melted.

By Mila McManus MD|2014-12-02T03:23:43-05:00December 2nd, 2014|General, Recipes|

Supplement of the month: Digestive Enzymes

Digestive Enzymes

As Nature would have it, many of the enzymes needed to digest our food are living in the food itself! Early man consumed mostly raw, living food. Enzymes are the component of any plant that bring that plant to maturity, ripeness and ultimately spoilage if not consumed. When we chew raw food and our saliva coats it, we are releasing the enzymes in that food that help to break it down for assimilation into the human body.

When we fail to eat fresh, raw food, the human body must take on the full burden of producing digestive enzymes, and scientists are realizing that our enzyme producing organs are not large enough to accommodate the demand created by a significantly cooked and processed food diet.

When food is heated/cooked in processing, its enzymes are destroyed. Additionally, we know that as we age, our body also produces fewer digestive enzymes. For this reason, it is often helpful to support the digestive process with supplemental digestive enzymes. There are many brands with differing enzyme combinations and doses. For some, it will be necessary to try several brands and combinations to relieve digestive symptoms such as acid reflux, bloating or indigestion of any kind.

At TWIHW, we offer two different choices. One is by Nutrametrix and is a lemon-flavored powder that is mixed with water to drink. Another choice is Complementary Prescriptions Digestive Enzymes in a capsule.

*The product information provided is for educational purposes and is not intended as either diagnosis or treatment of any disease, nor does it replace professional medical advice. (The FDA makes us say that)

*Warning: Please consult a health care professional before using these products.

By Mila McManus MD|2014-12-02T03:09:34-05:00December 2nd, 2014|Articles|

by Nancy Mehlert, MS

Here are the most common Genetically Modified foods. Avoid them by purchasing organic and/or certified Non-GMO.

Corn – 90% of the American corn crop is genetically modified from which most corn flour, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, masa, corn meal and corn processed foods are made.

Soybeans – 93% of the American soybean crop is genetically modified from which soy proteins, soybean oil, soy milk, soy flour, soy sauce, tofu, or soy lecithin are made.

Sugar – 55% of the sugar produced in America comes from sugar beets, 95% of which are genetically modified. Unless the ingredient label says “pure cane sugar”, chances are significant the “sugar” in an ingredient label is genetically modified.

Vegetable Oils – it is safe to assume that canola oil, vegetable oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil and corn oil are all from genetically engineered crops.

Other foods that may well be genetically modified include Hawaiian papaya, zucchini, and yellow summer squash..

Foods under consideration for genetic modification include salmon, flax, plums, potato, radicchio, rice, tomato and wheat.

By Mila McManus MD|2014-11-05T07:26:47-05:00November 5th, 2014|Articles, General, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

Cholesterol and Statin Drugs

by Mila McManus MD

Statin drugs to reduce cholesterol levels are one of the most widely prescribed drugs. The myth that cholesterol is the cause of heart disease has sadly perpetuated over several decades despite much evidence to the contrary. Cholesterol actually plays vital roles in the body, such as:

Cholesterol is critical to the structure of key proteins involved with nerve transmission.
Cholesterol is needed for nerve cells to live longer.
Cholesterol supports serotonin utilization. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in mood. Low serotonin symptoms include depression, anxiety, insomnia, carbohydrate cravings.
Cholesterol is the building block for many important hormones, including hormones that regulate mineral metabolism and blood sugar, hormones that help us deal with stress, and all the sex hormones, such as testosterone, progesterone, and estrogens.
Cholesterol helps fight infections and is important for immune function in general.
Cholesterol is needed for repairing wounds.
Cholesterol is needed for all cell membranes
Cholesterol is needed to make Vitamin D. People with optimal levels of vitamin D have the lowest incidence of flus/colds, cancers, and autoimmune diseases, and vitamin D is also important for heart health, metabolism, and thyroid function.

If you consider the above benefits of cholesterol, then you can look at the following list of side effects linked to statin drugs as they correlate with the above:

Polyneuropathy (tingling and/or pain in hands and feet and difficulty walking)
Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease have been linked to statin drugs
Depression
Mental slowing and memory impairment
Poor immune function
Some studies suggest statins increase risk of cancers. In every study with rodents, statins have caused cancer. Most human trials aren’t carried out long enough to detect any increase in cancer rates, but in one trial, breast cancer rates of those taking a statin were 1500 % higher than those of control subjects.
If you don’t have the building block to make your hormones, then imagine all the symptoms of low testosterone, low estrogen, low progesterone, and deficiency of adrenal (stress) hormones. Click here to test yourself and see symptoms that relate to deficiencies of these hormones.
Muscle weakness, muscle cramps, muscle atrophy, and muscle pain
Joint pain
Liver damage
Studies have shown that statins increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Heart failure (ironic, isn’t it? The enzyme blocked by statin drugs is also the enzyme that makes CoQ10 in the body. CoQ10 is a critical antioxidant, and also is required for energy production in your cells, including heart muscle. When you deplete CoQ10 due to being on a statin drug, your heart muscle weakens along with all your other muscles.)

Here are a few more interesting factoids:

On Pfizer’s own newspaper ad for Lipitor, it boasts that Lipitor reduces heart attacks by 36 percent. But there is an asterisk. And when you follow the asterisk, you find the following in much smaller type: “That means in a large clinical study, 3% of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a heart attack compared to 2% of patients taking Lipitor.”
In 2006, a study reported: While Zetia (a non-statin cholesterol lowering drug) does lower cholesterol by 15 percent to 20 percent, trials did not show that it reduces heart attacks or strokes, or that it reduces plaques in arteries that can lead to heart problems.

-Moreover, the trial by the drugs’ makers, which studied whether Zetia could reduce the growth of plaques, found that plaques grew nearly twice as fast in patients taking Zetia along with Zocor (Vytorin) than in those taking Zocor alone.

Young and middle-aged men with cholesterol levels over 300 are slightly more at risk for heart attacks. Those who have cholesterol levels just below 300 are at no greater risk than those whose cholesterol is very low. For elderly men and for women of all ages, high cholesterol is associated with a longer lifespan.
There is no evidence that saturated fat and cholesterol-rich foods contribute to heart disease.
Sugar and other refined carbohydrates (e.g. breads, pasta) increase insulin levels which are well known to cause plaque in the arteries. This is why diabetics develop cardiovascular disease at a rapid rate (ie high levels of sugar and insulin circulating in the blood). Statin drugs will not protect you from this.

Now that you are armed with all of the above information, you may be asking how to protect yourself from heart disease. Here are a few tips:

Manage your stress. Deep breathing exercises can be done anywhere at any time and don’t cost a thing.
Get moving. Even 5 minutes a day of cardio is better than nothing.
Reduce inflammation, which is at the heart of causing heart disease:

-Take Omega-3s such as krill or fish oil

-Avoid sugar which is inflammatory

-Eat real food and avoid manufactured foods, such as what’s found in boxes and wrappers

-Avoid eating fried foods and other foods cooked at high temperatures. Try to eat a lot of foods in their raw form.

Quit smoking.
Get adequate sleep.
Make sure you are getting adequate intake of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as B vitamins and antioxidants. Vitamins are a good way to ensure this.

*Information obtained from mercola.com and Weston A. Price Foundation.

*Necessary Disclaimer: The above information is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice.

By Mila McManus MD|2014-11-03T20:02:11-05:00November 2nd, 2014|Articles, General|

Supplement of the Month: Lipid Control

A Supplement that helps optimize heart health.

The best news for heart health is that there are a multitude of protocols, nutritional options and supplements that can improve and ensure a healthy heart! So while we are providing one such supplement in this section today, it is far from being the only available option and we encourage you to work with your TWIHW healthcare provider for the best multi-pronged approach to meet your personal needs for optimizing heart health.

Lipid Control is a science-based Complementary Prescriptions supplement which is a powerful and effective combination of nutrients that has been shown to support and manage healthy lipid levels, vascular function, and circulation. This formula includes the nonflush form of niacin (vitamin B3), gamma oryzanol, beta-sitosterol, red yeast rice and guggulipid. Guggulipid contains the active constituents, guggulsterones, which can inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the liver and modulate bile acid metabolism. Gamma-oryzanol, derived from rice bran oil, is another substance that can support healthy lipid levels. Evidence suggests that gamma-oryzanol acts by decreasing cholesterol absorption and increasing cholesterol excretion. Other compounds in Lipid Control known to play a role in lipid health include beta-sitosterol and niacin. Beta-sitosterol, a plant sterol similar in structure to cholesterol, inhibits cholesterol absorption and helps maintain normal levels of cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. Niacin (vitamin B3) also often is used to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Inositol hexanicotinate, which causes less or no flushing seen with other niacin or nicotinic acid supplementation, is therefore preferred by many people.

*Warning: Please consult a health care professional before using these products.

By Mila McManus MD|2014-10-22T11:28:52-05:00October 21st, 2014|Articles|

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