Tag: cholesterol

Cholesterol-lowering Drugs Most Profitable

Goal of Drug Companies:  To Convince the Healthy They Need Drugs, so that their profits will soar.

If only sick people took medical drugs, then drug companies would not be making the enormous profits that they make today.

Side Effects of  Cholesterol-lowering Drugs: Recent research, published only last week,  shows that many people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs are not benefiting their health at all, and are possibly doing more harm than good by exposing themselves to their side effects.

The thing is, drug companies have convinced much of the Western world into believing that they are prolonging their lives through the taking of certain drugs. Warfarin and statins are examples of the drugs which they promote as being life-savers and prolongers of life.

Almost every second person I know who is over the age of 50 in New Zealand is taking warfarin, or some other cholesterol-lowering drug.  And what is more, they accept that they will take this drug for the rest of their lives.

How has this happened? – Because vast fortunes have, and will be continued to be made, because of the psychological dependence which many people have on prescription drugs.

This state of affairs has been relatively easy to manipulate: Instill a little fear into the people, such as the threat of circulatory disease, tell them that lowering cholesterol will prolong life, and you have it made: They will buy your cholesterol-lowering products by the ton.

All you have to do is to get a bit of ‘research’ done into cholesterol, how lowering cholesterol can prevent heart attacks,  get some articles published, and most people will believe that they need to take a trip to the doctor, get their cholesterol checked, and begin taking a commercial product to lower cholesterol.

An article appeared in the Weekend Herald, 22 January, 2011, written by James LeFanu, via the Telegraph Group Ltd, which is headed:

“Billions to be had convincing healthy they need drugs”: This article has some very interesting information regarding the drug companies’ manipulation of the facts, and the public, in order to make billions of dollars.

It states that Henry Gadsden, who was chief executive of Merck drug company in 1975, had expressed the wish that he could find a market for the sale of drugs to healthy people, because profits were limited whilst the sale of drugs were aimed at only sick people with treatable illnesses.  If you could increase your sales to healthy people, obviously there would be a mint to be made.

Cholesterol Drug Scam
Well, as  James LeFanu says in his article, the dream of this man has come true with the discovery of the ‘most profitable class of drugs ever discovered’.  This most profitable class of drugs is the cholesterol-lowering statins.  This line of drugs, which formerly made around $3billion annually for the drug companies, now makes close to $26 billion American dollars a year.
It makes more now, because the ‘safe limit’ of cholesterol which is written into doctors’ guidelines, has been pushed lower and lower, until it has reached absurdly low levels.  Having such low levels of cholesterol as the guideline for good health means that almost everyone above the age of 40 or 50 now,  who goes to the doctor for a check up, would fit into the category of needing a cholesterol-lowering drug. And THAT benefits the drug companies.

The wide spread use of  the cholesterol-reducing drug Lovastatin began in 1987, when it was launched in America.
The drug companies began grooming the public,  ready for the onslaught:  Great effort was put into “educating” the public about cholesterol and its relationship to heart attacks and strokes.  This was done on a national scale, with all the medical authorities on board the gravy train.
Who Should Take Lovastatin? Now, Lovastatin is a drug  which could possibly be of benefit to people who have a predisposition to heart disease and strokes: Generally speaking, males under the age of 70 who have a history of heart disease and strokes in the family, could benefit from taking this drug, because of its cholesterol-lowering effect.  But this does not mean that EVERYONE should benefit from it. NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOWER THEIR CHOLESTEROL OR REDUCE FATS TO A MINIMUM.
Drug Companies’ Goal of Mass Medicalization: However, drug companies had a goal of “mass medicalization”, and with the discovery of Lovastatin came the idea that they could ‘educate’ the masses into becoming ‘cholesterol conscious’ so that they might be easily convinced that they would benefit from taking statins to lower cholesterol.
Being ‘cholesterol conscious’ would entail  making people nervous about eating any fatty foods, for a start.  Convincing people to go to the doctor for a check-up, to get a cholesterol reading and a prescription for a cholesterol controlling drug if their cholesterol readings were a little high, was the next part of the plan.
Doctors Indoctrinated Too:  Doctors were given ‘incentives’ to get people on these prescription drugs.  Clinical trials of mammoth proportions accompanied this intensive profit-making  project:  Up to 10,000 people at a time were trialled on the grand cholesterol-lowering scheme which purported to be saving people’s lives. This had a tremendous effect on the profile of the drug, and the marketing of it.  James LeFanu says:
“The effect of the inevitably favourable results generated evangelical enthusiasm for the project of “statins for all”.

Over 30 Million People Needlessly Taking These Drugs:  Well, recent research has been revealed this last week,which shows that 3/4 of the people taking these drugs are taking them unnecessarily and are exposing themselves to the danger of their side effects. This is an awful lot of people:  an estimated 40 million people in America alone take these drugs.  If 3/4 of these people are not benefiting from these drugs, and are consequently jeopardizing their health, that’s 30 million people in America, not counting the rest of the people all over the world  who are taking these drugs unnecessarily. Who benefits from this?  The drug companies, of course, and they are all on the bandwagon:  After Merck’s success with their cholesterol-lowering promotions, all the other drug companies followed suit with their own versions of the drug.

Well, according to James LeFanu, his dream has come true with the discovery of the ‘most profitable class of drugs ever discovered’. This most profitable class of drugs is the cholesterol-lowering statins.

In 1987, Lovastatin was launched in America. This is a cholesterol-lowering drug which could be of benefit to people who have a predisposition to heart disease and strokes.

Mass Medicalization:  However, drug companies had a goal of “mass medicalization”, and with the discovery of Lovastatin came the idea that they could ‘educate’ the masses into becoming ‘cholesterol conscious’.

This ‘educating’ of the public took place on a national scale.

Being ‘cholesterol conscious’ would entail going to the doctor for a check-up, to get a cholesterol reading and a prescription for a cholesterol controlling drug.

to be continued

What are Probiotics?

No doubt – acidophilus and other probiotic bacteria do help digestion and strengthen the immunity.

However, an important note to bear in mind: No amount of probiotic supplements or yoghurt will help you if you have an allergy to milk, or wheat and you are still using these products.

This is because the bowels become clogged with mucous if you do not digest these foods, which are often problematic, properly.

The mucous lining the bowel will prevent the probiotics from doing their good job, and the mucous will also harbour intestinal parasites, which will further weaken your digestion and your immune system.

So – I have one major reservation about the value of taking probiotics.  I think that they are generally over-rated.  People often want that quick-fix without making any radical changes to the diet, and so everybody goes overboard about taking probiotic supplements, or probiotic yoghurt.

If you really want to get the full effect from taking probiotics, then give up wheat, sugar and milk.

The word probiotic is derived from Greek roots. Pro means ‘supporting’ or ‘pro’, ‘for’; and ‘biotic’ means life. The word Probiotcs means anything, really, which is supportive of life.

When we talk about food supplements and ‘probiotics’, we usually think about the special brands of yogurt which contain those specific cultures of beneficial bacteria which are probiotic. Or we might bring to mind the various supplements containing probiotics which we see in our favorite health food shop.

Although the term probiotics is one which has only recently been applied to the beneficial cultures used in yogurt making today, and which are found in some other fermented foods, and nutritional supplements, the therapeutic value of  the lactobacillus probiotic has actually been known for centuries.

Yogurt is still, and always has been,  an important part of the diet in many places of the world.  Today, yogurt with added probiotics is also becoming a very popular addition to the Western diet because of the nutritional boosts this gives us.

Note: If you have a sensitivity to dairy products, or you are suffering a candida infection, then you should go to see your health practitioner for advice. Probiotics can be helpful in many conditions, but a professional opinion should be sought.

There are a variety of culures of bacteria which can be added to milk to make yogurt: Of the many and various cultures known by scientists,  we will outline some of the most commonly  used strains, those which have been proven to enhance health, in this article.

Yogurt making is a skill which  will preserve fresh milk in the hot places of the world where the milk would otherwise ‘go off’ very quickly. This is one beneficial aspect of yogurt making, and the lactobacillic organism.

However, the other important factor, which is why yogurt, and other fermented foods like sauerkraut have remained  so popular in many parts of the world, is because these foods which have been fermented with special cultures of bacteria- probiotics –  have definite health giving effects.

What are the Main Benefits of Probiotics?

• Two of the main benefits of probiotics are that your digestion will improve, and your immune system will become stronger. A stronger immune system means that you will have improved resistance to disease.  It has been scientifically illustrated, also,  that lactobacilli work a little like a natural antibiotic because they possess  the ability to kill some unfriendly bacteria which cause certain diseases.
• There are other health-giving attributes  to be had if you use probiotics, or specific fermented foods on a daily basis.  One important benefit from using probiotics is that your digestion of fats and proteins is improved.
• Another is that you have better absorption of  the minerals and vitamins in your food:  Probiotics help to keep your intestinal flora  healthy, and this is why the absorption of minerals and vitamins is improved. Healthy intestinal flora also assists in the manufacture of certain vitamins and enzymes in the bowel.
• Another health bonus from including lactobacillus probiotics in your daily diet, is that your cholesterol levels will most likely be lowered. This cholesterol-lowering effect gained from using lactobacillus in the diet will be enhanced, of course, by the eating of plenty of high fiber foods.
• Certain probiotics enhance the body’s ability to manufacture Vitamin B and Vitamin K in the body, as well as Biotin.
• Some people who are otherwise intolerant to the lactose in milk  find that their sensitivities are reduced when acidophilus/or bifidus or other probiotics are added to the diet. Some people are able to digest yogurt which has been treated with special cultures, whereas they still cannot digest unfermented milk properly.

Now, the benefits of probiotics have been proven scientifically by many researchers. Dr Khem Shahani, Ph.D is one emminent doctor who has devoted his life’s work and his research  almost specifically to the topic of organisms and their effect on health, such as the Lactobacillus acidophilus strain, and the Lactobacillus bifidus, otherwise known as bifidobacterium bifidum. Dr Shahani emphasises that our good health is really dependent upon these two organisms. This is no quackery – Dr Khem Shahani has worked as an advisor to the World Health Organisation.

Khem Shahani’s  latest book  is entitled ‘Cultivate Health From Within’ – Dr Shahani’s Guide to Probiotics. This book gives much detailed  information on the benefits of probiotics to your health and how probiotics help  promote longevity. This book is a fairly recent one, published in 2005 by Vital Health Publishing, Danbury, CT 06811.

The Bifidobacterium bifidum organism lives primarily in the large intestine and colon. The Lacto acidophilus lives mainly in the small intestine, although it is also found in the large intestine and colon, though in smaller numbers. These two work together synergistically in maintaining good digestion and elimination of waste products.

You can help proliferate the Lacto acidophilus bacteria in the small intestines by eating fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, umeboshi plums, tempeh and miso. If you are to get the benefit of  either the Lacto acidophilus, or the Bifidobacterium organism from eating yogurt, though, you have to buy a product which advertises the probiotics on the packaging. Otherwise, you might be eating a yogurt which has been pasteurised, and this means that the beneficial organisms such as the Lacto acidiophilus, or L. bifidus, will have been killed off. These organisms need to be live in the food you eat, or in the supplement which you take, to enable them to proliferate in the intestines.

Why Do We Need To Consider Supplementing Our Diets With Probiotics?

Many things in our environment interfere with our digestion and our body’s ability to keep the intestinal flora in a proper, healthy  balance.

Here are some of the main things which upset the intestinal flora, which in turn affects our immunity and our ability to process food and manufacture vitamins:

• Antibiotics. (Note – sometimes antibiotics are necessary and will save a life. See your health practitioner or your doctor if you have a health complaint)  These are one of the worst things for interfering with digestion. Antibiotics readily kill off the beneficial bacteria in the bowel. The trouble is, that even if you do not take allopathic medications,  antibiotics find their way into our bodies because the animals we eat have been fed antibiotics.
• Milk is contaminated with antibiotics too, as the cows which produce our milk for us are treated regularly with antibiotics.
• Eggs, unless they are certified organic, will have quantities of antibiotics and hormones in them. It is important, for the sake of our health and that of our children, therefore, to find organic sources for our milk and our meats and eggs.
• If you take a probiotic after a course of necessary antibiotics, then your intestinal flora will quickly be restored. A Probiotic will help alleviate the negative side- effects of the antibiotic.

• Drinking too much coffee, alcohol, and smoking, will deplete the supply of healthy bacteria in the bowel.
• Radiation, such as living too close to intense power sources and cell phone towers, or sleeping next to the meter box at your house, or the television, will affect the delicate balance of your intestinal flora.
• Insectides and herbicides also harm your intestinal flora.
• Medications such as the pill, and blood thinners, will affect your intestinal flora.
• Read merrilyn’s other post on probiotics entitled Probiotic Advantage.