Posts Tagged stroke
Doctors Advising Pregnant Women To Avoid TSA body Scanners
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Cancer, Health, News, TSA on August 8, 2012
via: PrisonPlanet
by: Steve Watson
August 7, 2012
More scientists flag up health risks from x-ray scanners
An article in the New York Times health and science section today carries several revealing details indicating that doctors and scientists are extremely wary of the TSA’s use of full-body “backscatter” X-ray scanners.
The article details an account from pregnant Yolanda Marin-Czachor, a 34-year-old mother and teacher from Green Bay, Wis., who says:
“one of the first things my doctor said was: ‘Do not go through one of those machines. There have not been any long-term studies. I would prefer you stay away from it.’ ”
Explaining that the machines operate a narrowly focused beam of high-intensity radiation very quickly across the body, the article also notes:
David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center, says he worries about mechanical malfunctions that could cause the beam to stop in one place for even a few seconds, resulting in greater radiation exposure.
[...]
John Sedat, emeritus professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, believes that the effective dose could be 45 times as high as the T.S.A. has estimated, equivalent to about 10 percent of a single chest X-ray.
Scrutiny over radiation exposure was heightened recently following apparent efforts by the TSA to cover-up a “cluster” of cancer cases amongst scanner operators at Boston-Logan airport. According to FOIA documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), when Union representatives in Boston discovered a “cancer cluster” amongst TSA workers linked with radiation from the body scanners, the TSA sought to downplay the matter and refused to issue employees with dosimeters to measure levels of exposure.
The documents indicated how, “A large number of workers have been falling victim to cancer, strokes and heart disease.”
Statin drugs: A sweetheart to die for
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Big Pharma & Medical Mafia, Health, News on July 31, 2012
via: NaturalNews
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
By: Craig Stellpflug
[NaturalNews] Statin drugs are a sweetheart alright – a $25 billion a year industry sweetheart that is! Not only are they the best-selling drug class out there, but they provide an almost endless list of side effects that assure the hapless taker a lifetime of expensive medical treatment. Statins are a Big Pharma dream-come-true.
What you get with statin drugs
A review published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs found nearly 900 studies of adverse effects linked to statin drugs. A recent Harvard study reveals a horrific 50 percent increase in the risk for developing diabetes if you are taking statin drugs. They called it a “small” risk increase. Researchers analyzing data on over 2 million Brits found that statin drug users had higher levels of liver dysfunction, kidney failure, cataracts and debilitating muscle weakness. Despite the purported cardiovascular benefits, other adverse effects include: nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headaches, rashes, myopathy, muscle aches or weakness, tendon problems, dementia, depression, chronic fatigue, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, peripheral neuropathies and even fatal rhabdomyolysis (breakdown in muscle).
What are the true benefits of statin drugs?
(stunning silence) *tumbleweed blows across the set*
Statin drugs were brought in with fanfare and a hero’s parade because they were purported to heal the nations of the evil causes of cardiovascular disease. However, a study analysis reported in the Journal of Negative Results in Biomedicine last year concluded that even in spite of a huge rise in statin drug use, the number of people having heart attacks simply has not gone down at all – but rather has risen. Did you know that 50 percent of all heart attacks today are in people with normal cholesterol? Cholesterol is only a marker and not even the cause of the problem here.
Naturally Lower Blood Pressure with Papaya
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Health, News, Vitamins & Supplements on July 17, 2012
via: NaturalSociety
by: Lisa Garber
July 16, 2012
“Let thy food be thy medicine.” If Hippocrates could see us popping pills made in a laboratory for treating the high blood pressure we get from a poor diet, hope would likely be lost. These drugs—like many allopathic remedies—come with side effects, safety hazards, and lighter pocketbooks. Meanwhile, there are numerous ways to naturally lower blood pressure, with food and dietary changes being the most beneficial. One such food that has been shown to be a fantastic hypertension aid is papaya.
Papayas are High in Potassium
We’ve already extolled the natural benefits of papaya leaf extract. It’s anti-inflammatory, breaks down proteins and aids digestion, and strengthens the immune system. An article in an issue of Phytotherapy Research also says that a compound in papayas can also naturally lower blood pressure, and may have a future in an anti-hypertension treatment plan.
About 1 in 3 American adults experience high blood pressure today due to smoking, obesity, salty diets, and other poor lifestyle choices. Hypertension is a major risk factor for stroke, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and heart disease, which is responsible for 1 in 4 deaths in America. The outlook seems bleak.
There are easy (and cheap) solutions, however, for treating high blood pressure. One papaya contains 781 mg of potassium, a mineral and electrolyte that helps control blood pressure. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends we each get 4,700 mg of potassium a day to regulate our blood pressure.
Less time sitting can add two healthy years to your life
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Health, News on July 15, 2012
via: NaturalNews
Saturday, July 14, 2012
By: John Phillip
[NaturalNews] Many people believe they must engage in strenuous physical activity to achieve optimal fitness and prevent illness. While exercise is certainly important to health, new research provides a different perspective about the negative effects of sitting for extended periods and how we can make small changes to potentially increase our natural lifespan.
Researchers gleaning data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) have published the result of a study in the journal BMJ Open, that explains how restricting the amount of time spent seated every day to fewer than three hours might boost the life expectancy of US adults by an extra two years. Additionally, they have found that cutting down TV viewing to fewer than two hours every day might extend life by almost 1.4 years.
In the past, studies have implicated sitting for extended periods and watching too much television with illnesses including diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This study is the first to directly link the sedentary lifestyle habits of more than 167,000 people with relative risk of developing or dying from a chronic illness. Researchers pooled data from five relevant studies to arrive at their startling conclusion.
Walking or standing a few minutes each hour may help extend lifespan in aging adults
The scientists pooled all relevant data to develop a statistical tool known as a population attributable fraction (PAF). The PAF is an estimate of the theoretical effects of a risk factor on a population, rather than an individual marker, necessary to calculate the number of deaths associated with time spent sitting down. The researchers determined the PAFs for deaths from all causes linked to sitting time and TV viewing were 27 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
By extrapolating the PAF statistics, the study team determined that cutting the amount of time spent sitting down every day to under three hours would add an extra two years to life expectancy. In a similar manner, restricting time spent watching TV to under two hours daily would extend life expectancy by an extra 1.38 years.
These results are significant because many aging adults spend extended periods of time sitting or lying down as they watch television. Standing or walking for several minutes each hour may provide protection against vascular and metabolic dysfunction, the underlying processes behind the explosion in new cases of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes in our aging population.
Sources for this article include:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000828
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120709231121.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247603.php
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/ExerciseFitness/33709
Watermelon Extract Lowers Blood Pressure and Hypertension Woes
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Health, News on June 25, 2012
via: NaturalSociety
By: Lisa Garber
June 25, 2012
A healthy diet and regular exercise naturally tops the list of ways to lower blood pressure among obese, middle-aged adults. But this knowledge doesn’t stop many allopathic physicians from over-prescribing expensive and even downright harmful ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers. Those looking for a more natural option to reduce hypertension may find comfort in a recent study finding that watermelon extract supplementation reduces ankle and brachial blood pressure, carotid wave reflection, and overall arterial function.
Watermelon Extract Lowers Blood Pressure
Earlier studies, such as one from Florida State University, found that 4 grams of watermelon extract per day reduced systolic blood pressure but recorded no change in heart rate in adults with prehypertension and hypertension.
A new study, led by Arturo Figuero, recruited 14 adults with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension and the average age of 58. The two groups took 6 grams or a placebo daily for six weeks. A two-week washout period followed before a crossover to the other intervention group.
Researchers cited amino acids l-citrulline and l-arginine in the watermelon extract for the reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the arm of 15.1 and 7.6 mmHg, respectively, compared to the placebo. Diastolic BP reduced by 7.6 and 7.8 mmHg on the same sites.
Conventional Versus Alternative Medicine and Mixing
Many argue that there are times for conventional medicine and times for herbal remedies. If your blood pressure is dangerously high and immediate action is necessary, your physician may insist that those pill-form diuretics and calcium-channel blockers are necessary for a time.
Use precaution when mixing conventional and alternative medicine, however. According to Alternative and Complementary Therapies, “bloodroot, green tea, and hawthorn may raise blood pressure, which would reduce the effectiveness of hypertension drugs.” It’s critical to use common sense and to consult your physician about mixing conventional and natural remedies to lower blood pressure, and needless to say, natural solutions can almost always be the choice of treatment.
Additional Sources:
Watermelon extract lowers blood pressure better than dangerous pharmaceuticals
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Health, Vitamins & Supplements on June 20, 2012
Via: NaturalNews
Tuesday, June 19 2012
John Phillip
[NaturalNews] Heart disease and stroke continue to be the leading cause of death in the US, as vascular deterioration and dysfunction result in hypertension and ultimately, an early demise. Elevated blood pressure results in micro-cracks to the delicate endothelial lining of the blood vessels that must be patched by plaque (formed largely of circulating oxidized LDL cholesterol and calcium particles), beginning the process of atherosclerosis and greatly increased risk of heart attack.
Natural methods of lowering high blood pressure can allow the body to heal damaged vessels and arteries, dramatically lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke. Researchers from Florida State University have published the result of a study in the American Journal of Hypertension that explains how natural watermelon extract helps reduce moderately elevated blood pressure by providing a rich source of the amino acids, citrulline and arginine, both known to relax vascular pressure.
Watermelon extract lowers blood pressure to normal range for many suffering from hypertension
In prior studies, citrulline and arginine have been shown as effective agents to reduce blood pressure, but further research was necessary to validate the results. The scientists recruited fourteen volunteers with an average age of 58 to receive either a concentrated watermelon extract (providing six grams of a citrulline/arginine mixture daily) or a placebo for a period of six weeks. They then observed a two week washout period with no supplementation before crossing over to the other group.
At the end of the study, researchers found that systolic pressure (upper blood pressure number) in the supplemented group was lowered in the arm and ankle by 15.1 and 11.5mmHg respectively, compared to the placebo participants. Diastolic pressure was lowered by 7.6 and 7.8 mmHg. For many participants, this reduction was enough to lower blood pressure from a pre-hypertension state to a normal reading, significantly lowering the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Of greater importance is the fact that the results observed are similar or better to those found with dangerous prescription ACE inhibitors or beta-blockers so commonly prescribed like candy by allopathic practitioners. The study authors concluded “This study suggests that watermelon extract improves arterial function… cardiovascular events were lower by about two-fold in those with normal ankle systolic blood pressure than in those with high ankle systolic blood pressure during a 15-year follow-up.” Researchers found that blood pressure is lowered in a dose-dependent manner with optimal results found with six grams of citrulline/arginine each day.
