HealthBeat News

Author: Wellness Club

  • Dr. Myatt’s Cardiovascular Risk Checklist

    Forward By Nurse Mark:

     

    February was Heart Month. Dr. Myatt wanted to give something to you, her readers to honor Heart Month, and so she began to compile the Cardiovascular Risk Factors that she checks for in to a checklist for you that you could print and take to your doctor at your next visit.

    Well, days passed, and then weeks. What began as a quick, simple project turned into a Medical White Paper because Dr. Myatt is such a stickler for deep research and full references.

    As the end of February approached I suggested to Dr. Myatt that we’d better get this finished and available to you. She grumbled and complained that it wasn’t complete. I agreed, saying that it would never be really complete, and that she would be adding to it forever as she continues to bring you the newest, most cutting edge research and information – that’s just how she is.

    We reached a compromise – she agreed to let me post this as long as I promised to update it whenever she finds new information. So, here, exclusively for you, our HealthBeat News Subscribers, is:

    Dr. Myatt’s Cardiovascular Risk Checklist

     

    A Medical White Paper Presented By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    February is “Heart Month.” Here’s Your Heart-Risk Checklist.

     

    Shocking Facts about Heart Attacks

    February is heart month, and in honor of your heart, I have prepared a special heart-risk assessment and report for you. First, some surprising statistics about heart disease. These “fast facts” will help you know why my heart-risk checklist is so potentially important.

    Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the US. 2,200 people die every day from heart disease.

    As many as 50% of all people who have a heart attack do not have ANY classic risk factors, although one study argues that this number is actually only 20%. “Only” a 20% chance of having a heart attack with no known risk factors? I don’t know about you, but that still sounds like a big risk to me. 

    As many as fifty percent (50%) of all first heart attacks are last heart attacks if you get my drift. Half of all people who have a heart attack die from “sudden cardiac death.” No second chances. No “jump-starting” the heart with a defibrillator. No bypass surgery or stents. Just gone in a heartbeat.

    People with NO conventional risk factors are more likely to die “sudden death” from a first heart attack. Sudden cardiac death is the first and only sign of heart disease in this group.

    You could be a non-smoker with a normal body weight, total cholesterol below 200, LDL below 100, HDL above 50. You don’t smoke, are not diabetic and have no family history of heart disease. Good for you. You doctor has just given you a clean bill of health and told you your heart is fine. And you could die of a heart attack as you leave the doctor’s office. Remember, twenty to fifty percent of all people who have a heart attack do not have ANY conventionally-tested heart risks.

    Emerging Risk Factors: The “Other Risks” No One Is Telling You About

    Routinely screened conventional risk factors include blood fats (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL), blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes. Additional testing might include a cardiac stress test (the “treadmill test”). Overweight/obesity, family history and activity levels should also be considered.

    Unfortunately, 20-50% of people who have heart attacks are “normal” for all of these tests and markers. It’s the folks with “all normal” risk factors who have the greatest likelihood of having a fatal heart attack.

    Conventional medicine acknowledges that there are a number of other risk factors for heart disease. These are called “emerging risk factors” because the information is still “emerging” or coming to light.

    Unfortunately, tests for these “emerging risk factors” are not yet ordered by most conventional physicians nor are they typically covered by insurance. Many of them will be “standard of care” in conventional medicine some day in the future. Will “some day” be soon enough for you or me?

    Good News About “Emerging Risk Factors”

    The good news is many of the most important of these “other risks” can be tested at an affordable price. They are not obscure tests with thousand-dollar price tags.

    The OTHER good news is that there are safe, natural, proven options for correcting abnormalities if and when they are found. After all, what good would it be to know about a risk factor if there was nothing you could do about it?

     

    Download the Full Medical White Paper Here

     

    Nurse Mark Comments:

    Please print this Medical White Paper, including the pages of references, so that you can show it to your doctor / cardiologist. When he / she tells you that 1) he has never heard of some of these tests, 2) you don’t need them, 3) he’s not going to order them for you, and 4) your insurance won’t pay for them anyway, please visit Dr. Myatt’s Wellness Club where Dr. Myatt will make these tests available to you, and at a very reasonable cost.

    Dr. Myatt’s Cardiovascular Risk Profile Lab Testing information.

  • FDA Puts New Warnings On Cholesterol Drugs

    Are You Still Taking A Statin For Your Cholesterol? Shame On You!

     

    FDA Puts New Warnings On Cholesterol Drugs

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    It’s been all over the news headlines and the television news reports for the last couple of days – the FDA has finally had to acknowledge that statin drugs are far more dangerous than they had ever admitted before.

    But don’t worry the FDA assures us, ever the good little lap-dogs of Big Pharma, the benefits of driving your levels of a natural substance essential to life to dangerously low levels far outweigh any silly little side effects like memory loss or confusion or diabetes…

    I suppose they figure that they can just prescribe another drug for the confusion, and more drugs for the diabetes, and the memory loss – what memory loss? If it was really important you would have remembered it, right? Just as long as you don’t forget to fill that prescription…

    And remember how they used to warn you that there was a danger that these drugs could cause liver damage? It was so well-known that even the FDA recommended that doctors keep an eye on it with regular blood tests. Well, no more! Don’t worry, says the FDA – it doesn’t happen that often, and there isn’t much we can do about it if it does happen, and all those tests didn’t really give us any warning anyway, so just keep on taking your statin drugs and hope there is a liver available for you when yours goes kaput. They really are getting good at those transplants, and besides, what a great opportunity to put someone on a lifetime regimen of expensive anti-rejection drugs!

    Okay, okay, I’ll turn off the sarcasm now… But this really is serious business.

    Here is an excerpt from the “Safety Announcement” at the FDA’s website:

    Monitoring Liver Enzymes
    Labels have been revised to remove the need for routine periodic monitoring of liver enzymes in patients taking statins. The labels now recommend that liver enzyme tests should be performed before starting statin therapy and as clinically indicated thereafter. FDA has concluded that serious liver injury with statins is rare and unpredictable in individual patients, and that routine periodic monitoring of liver enzymes does not appear to be effective in detecting or preventing serious liver injury.

    Adverse Event Information
    Information about the potential for generally non-serious and reversible cognitive side effects (memory loss, confusion, etc.) and reports of increased blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels has been added to the statin labels. FDA continues to believe that the cardiovascular benefits of statins outweigh these small increased risks.

    I don’t know about you, but these little paragraphs frighten me. Just as much as the “small increased risks.”

    It’s just my opinion, but to me any memory loss or confusion or other “cognitive side effects” are serious – even if they claim that they are “reversible.” Can you imagine the conversation? “Golly officer, I don’t remember getting onto the freeway going in the wrong direction – and all those honking horns and flashing lights, well I just didn’t comprehend them. I was a little confused I guess…”

    Remember, the drug companies are pushing doctors to prescribe these drugs to schoolchildren, prophylactically. That is, “just in case they might be at risk to get high cholesterol” – this truly is a conspiracy to keep America dumbed-down, sick, and dependant on Big Pharma!

    We have written about the dangers of statins again and again in these pages. Here is a review:

    The Truth About Cholesterol Pt.I

    The Truth About Cholesterol Pt.II

    Meanwhile, Big Pharma and conventional medicine continue to push these toxic drugs on anyone they can – from toddlers to seniors – despite their proven dangers.

    When will the insanity end?

  • Scientific Conversion Units

    Laughter is Good Medicine: Some Truly Useful Information

     

    We all know that medicine uses a number of different units of measure – ways of measuring and describing things. There are European units of measure, metric units, English units, American units, and other “standard” and “non-standard” units of measure to be found – this is one of the things that gives a careful doctor or nurse headaches!

    Some of the units of measure we work with are familiar to most folks and many know roughly the conversions from one to another – a kilogram is about 2.2 pounds, an inch is about 2.5 centimeters, a liter is just a few drops more than a quart, and so on – others are more esoteric, and in the interest of educating our readers (and ourselves) we are including the following conversion

    Conversion Units for the Scientifically Challenged

    • Ratio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi
    • 2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton
    • 1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope
    • Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond
    • Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram
    • Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong
    • 16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone = 1 Rod Serling
    • Half of a large intestine = 1 semicolon
    • 1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz
    • Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower
    • Shortest distance between two jokes = A straight line
    • 453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
    • 1 million microphones = 1 megaphone
    • 2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles
    • 365.25 days = 1 unicycle
    • 2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds
    • 52 cards = 1 decacards
    • 1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 Fig Newton
    • 1000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 literhosen
    • 1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
    • 1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin
    • 10 rations = 1 decoration
    • 100 rations = 1 C-ration
    • 2 monograms = 1 diagram
    • 4 nickels = 2 paradigms
    • 2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University Hospital = 1 IV League
    • 100 Senators = Not 1 decision

  • Root Canals and Painful Dentists

    Root Canals and Painful Dentists

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    There is a similarity between health care providers and politicians that seems to be increasingly missed these days.

    That is, doctors, dentists, and politicians all work for us – not the other way around!

    We seek these people out when we need them, because we need their skills and experience. But none of them are imbued with god-like qualities, and none of them should ever cause us to fear them or cause us to feel that we must blindly follow their dictates.

    Dr. Myatt recently received this note from a fellow who had been reading our information regarding the dangers of root canals:

    Dentists who perform root canals obviously must feel the need to do so because of too much nerve exposure. I’ve had two and because of recent readings I do not care to have any more done. I fear my next visit to the dentist, because of a cracked molar, [since I] may require yet another one.

    What are the options? Should I refuse to have one done I’d expect to be at odds with my dentist. That being said, he could make that visit a very painful one. Let me repeat, A VERY PAINFUL ONE, in cleaning up the tooth to prep it for a crown.

     

    Yikes – I was hurting just reading that note!

    Here is Dr. Myatt’s reply:

    If I thought I had a dentist who would hurt me deliberately just because I refused a root canal, I’d be looking for a different dentist in a heart-beat. And if my dentist ever DID cause me pain or even a little discomfort (I’m a “dental wuss”), I’d have him stop, I’d leave, and find a new dentist. In fact, “been there, done that!”

    Your dentist is your EMPLOYEE. Get that straight in your mind and then find a dentist who will do it your way. There are plenty of competent, gentle dentists in the world. You don’t have to settle for Atilla the Hun.

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

     

    Our correspondent wrote back to say thanks:

    Thanks so much. Perhaps it’s unjustified paranoia on my part. I just dread another root canal, especially if it really isn’t  necessary. I’m just exploring my options.
    Again, thanks.

     

    And Dr. Myatt sent a final note back:

    I agree. I’d skip the root canal.

    But just because you disagree with your dentist doesn’t mean he/she should be Dr. Pain.

    Another option: have the bad tooth pulled and wear a bridge. Root canals are evil, even when done “correctly.”

    A possible exception might be a VERY cosmetically important tooth. Even then, I’d be exploring my other options.

    You can learn More about dental health and the dangers of root canals here: Three Hidden Causes of Disease Lurking in Your Mouth

    And our cautionary article regarding “silver fillings” (mercury amalgam).

  • Seven Silly Health Mistakes Smart People Make

    Seven Silly Health Mistakes That Lots Of Smart People Make

     

    By Nurse Mark and Dr. Myatt

     

    Even Really Smart People make mistakes sometimes – here are some o fthe more common ‘Oopsies” that we see here at The Wellness Club:

    1 – Lots of smart people don’t bother to update their supplement and drug protocol annually. In fact, some go for years and years, taking the same drugs and supplements. Those drugs and supplements might have been right for them way back then when they were prescribed, and who knows – maybe they are right for them now.

    But, and this is a big “but, ” people change, and their needs change. They might need more, or less, or different altogether.

    Heck – you get your car checked over once a year (you do, don’t you!?!), if you have an investment portfolio we’ll bet you review that annually, if you are a pilot your skills are reviewed regularly – so why don’t folks do an annual health and supplement review? We don’t know, but it can be a costly mistake in terms of expensive drug prescriptions that may no longer be needed or have even become harmful, supplement protocols that could be tweaked for maximum benefit or to have supplements removed or added as necessary.

    2 – A lot of otherwise really smart people don’t bother to get updated blood tests every year. Yes, we know, nobody likes needles – but it is all over before you know it, and the information that is gained could literally be a lifesaver. Basic blood tests are inexpensive – even if you pay for them yourself – and your doctor can help you to know what they mean and to spot any irregularities or changes from last year.

    For those using hormones (even “bio-identical’ hormones or hormone precursors,) shame on you if you aren’t getting updated hormone tests each year!

    3 – Why are so many smart people “penny-wise and pound-foolish” when it comes to their supplements? We like a good bargain as much as the next fellow, but sometimes folks work just a little too hard to save a nickel. Remember, the most expensive supplement (or drug for that matter) is the one that doesn’t work!

    So you saved a few bucks on those discount vitamins at Super Bob’s Big Box Discount Emporium – but if they don’t get the job done, or are made with nasty synthetics or chemicals, you really didn’t save anything – you wasted your money on junk.

    Or, lots of folks will see their holistic doctor, get some great advice and recommendations, and then ignore that advice and buy some unproven wonder-product based on it’s marketing claims.

    Which leads us to the next item:

    4 – Lots of smart people like to take some really esoteric stuff and don’t bother to cover their bases with the “essentials” – good, solid, basic vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, and nutritional supplements like fish oil and CoQ10.

    It’s great that they use a wonderful immune-supporting formula, or take the finest of ginseng, or the latest, greatest antioxidant formula, or a super-duper bone-health product – but if they are not getting their daily basics it’s all for naught. If someone is deficient in the basic vitamins and minerals all the ginseng or calcium in the world is not going to make them healthy!

    If you want to see what an optimal daily multiple vitamin should look like, please see the label facts for Dr. Myatt’s Maxi Multi. And to see what an optimal plant-food / phytonutrient formula should look like, see Dr. Myatt’s Maxi Greens.

    Oh, and here’s a money and time-saving trick – don’t buy Dr. Myatt’s vities – print out the label facts and hop on down to your local health food store and find something just as good or better there, and probably cheaper. Really. Go ahead. Good Luck.

    Interestingly, we’ve seen a lot of people who were taking bunches of separate products, each intended to address some need or other, who were able to reduce the number of supplements they took (and reduce the cost too!) by simply covering the basics with some good, solid, daily “essentials.”

    5 – Then there are smart people who get most everything else right, but forget about the really, really basic things that can make-or-break their health: Sleep, food, water – little things that many of us take for granted, but that can turn around and bite you in the health if you don’t pay attention.

    Sleep – are you getting at least eight hours (or more!) of quality sleep each night? With no lights on to disturb your circadian rhythm? Oh, right – you are too busy and there’s just not enough time – we’ve heard all the excuses, and none of them wash. You can do without sleep for a little while, but it will exact a toll eventually – in altered hormone levels, unbalanced neurotransmitters, and more.

    No problem, you say – I can get to sleep any time I want – I just take that really great little sleeping pill my doctor prescribed for me… Um, here’s a dirty little secret for you: drug-induced sleep is not the same as “real” sleep.

    Many of the popular sleep drugs can result in somnambulism – sleep-walking – and people have been known to drive automobiles, eat uncontrollably, even commit serious crimes, all while asleep under the influence of these drugs.

    “But I gotta get some sleep – I need those drugs to make me sleep – I can’t sleep any other way!” you say. Well, that does seem to be a problem for a lot of smart and successful and wealthy people like, oh, say, Michael Jackson… and how’s that working for him?

    Insomnia can be corrected – primary insomnia (“can’t fall asleep”), secondary insomnia (wide awake in the “wee hours”), each responds well to some basic holistic sleuthing and natural remedies. A good naturopathic doctor can help – no spooky drugs required.

    Food – sure, you get plenty to eat, but is it clean, wholesome food? Or is it meat that is filled with antibiotics and growth hormones from the farm, or laced with chemicals and preservatives. Here’s a nasty little secret about preservatives: they work by halting cellular respiration. They stop the cells of the meat from using oxygen and they can do the same for your cells. And those hormones? Do we really think it is a good thing to be dosing ourselves with unknown amounts of hormones with each forkful? Or, howzabout those farm-raised fish, swimming through their own excrement? Mmmm… tasty!

    And your vegetables – were they sprayed with pesticides or chemically treated to prevent spoiling? A lot of that stuff just doesn’t wash off…

    It is well worth spending a little extra for organic produce, free-range eggs and poultry, grass-fed hormone-and-antibiotic-free meats and dairy products and the like wherever possible. But beware: with the increase in demand for these foods, the scammers have been busy. We often see products with phrases like “All Natural” and “Healthy Choice” emblazoned on them that are anything but natural or healthy. Get into the habit of actually reading the nutrition facts box and the fine print – you’ll be amazed at what some manufacturers will try to slip past your notice!

    Now, your water. Yep, plain ol’ water. We take it for granted – but it is vital to life and unfortunately it is often not as healthy and pure as it should be. Many municipal water supplies contain massive amounts of chlorine, or bacteria, or both. Fluoride is still a fact of life in many water supplies despite it’s toxicity. And our water supplies are increasingly tainted with industrial pollutants and even you neighbor’s drugs – after they have passed through your neighbor that is…

    But a lot of smart people buy bottled water to drink (which is often just municipal water put into plastic bottles) or use a water filter for their drinking water (which is probably better than buying bottled water…) So? What about the water (and other chemicals) that they absorb through their body’s largest organ, the skin? Yep, there they are, enjoying that nice, hot  shower with the pores of their skin wide open and soaking up all that chlorine and fluoride and who-knows-what-else…

    A whole-house water filtration system is a great solution, but can be expensive. A shower-head water filter is a lot more economical, and a good drinking water filter in the kitchen will likely not break the bank either. And don’t forget the cooking water! Aquasana is a water filter company that we are familiar with and recommend.

    6 – It seems like a lot of otherwise really smart people (like doctors!) fall for the Big Pharma promise of instant symptom relief instead of thinking their problems through and addressing the cause of the problem. Got a headache? Do you really believe that it’s because you have an Aspirin or Tylenol deficiency? Got high blood pressure? Are you sure that it’s a medicine deficiency? Are you sure that “hyperglycemia” is an Actos (diabetes drug) deficiency?

    We were not born with all these drugs in our body keeping is in normal health – and we do not become deficient in drugs as we age.

    We do become deficient in vitamins and other nutrients when our diet is not optimal, and stress and overweight and even wear and tear can cause our body’s delicate chemical balances to be thrown off – but these are things that can usually be corrected with diet and careful supplementation of things that nourish the body. There is usually no need to hammer on the body’s systems with the brute force of drugs.

    7 – One more mistake that smart people make frequently, probably because they really are smart and they are accustomed to researching and finding information on their own, is that they get their medical advice from a variety of sources.

    Unfortunately, those sources are usually not trained in medicine – they are the proverbial “butcher, baker, and candlestick-maker” who, while experts in their own fields, and filled with anecdotal stories of the miraculous cure experienced by the next-door neighbor to their Aunt Effie’s daughter-in-law, they really have little more to offer than “try XXX – it really helped my friend, and he had something kinda like you do…”

    When you need tax advice do you consult your car mechanic? When you need to diagnose a car problem do you ask your accountant? When you need someone to look after your books do you call on a carpenter? No? Well then, why would you get and follow medical advice from any of those people? Especially when there are highly trained medical people available who would be happy to help you…

    Or, better yet, there are some really smart people who actually go out and earn themselves a medical degree – from the “University of Google.” They plug their complaint into the Google search engine, push the button, and Voila! – instant education!

    Try using the search term “hypertension” – we just did and Google gave “About 65,500,000 results”. For the math challenged, that is sixty-five and a half million results. Everything from scholarly articles from the National Institutes for Health (N.I.H.) to “advertorials” promoting Viagra for hypertension in women. Yikes! How is a person to know what is real and what is hype?

    Then there are the really, really, really smart people:

    These are the people who recognize that they are very smart in whatever field of endeavor they are really smart in, and they know that there is not enough time in a day for them to become really smart in every other subject – especially one as complicated as medicine. These are the people who are smart enough to know that there are other people who are really smart at medicine (though they might not know much about tax law or hotel management) and they seek out those smart medical people when they need medical advice.

    They carefully and faithfully follow the advice that they receive – though there is always some give-and-take, and much discussion about goals and strategies. After all, really smart people want to be actively involved in they medical care and demand to be a part of the decision-making process for their health regimens and strategies.

    Those are the people we like the best, here at The Wellness Club!