Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Side Effects from Statins (Part 2)

“Some people experience memory loss, report an inability to concentrate as well, and feel that they are developing Alzheimer’s disease when taking statin drugs. (Coincidentally, a new study suggests that Simvastatin (Zocor) actually lowers the risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s diseases.) This memory loss may be so extreme as to be amnesia that lasts for 6 to 12 hours.” 


“A systematic review of the cases reported to the FDA determined that approximately half of the memory loss problems occurred within 60 days of starting on statin therapy, although memory problems were reported after taking a statin drug for just 5 days. Fortunately most people return to normal after discontinuing the statin drug. The time until recovery appears to be related to the amount of time before the cognitive symptoms appeared; that is, the longer it took for the symptoms to appear, the longer it took for the person to recover. However, a small group may continue to suffer with cognitive problems, perhaps indefinitely.”


“A recent study raises the possibility that statins increase the risk of delirium in patients after surgery. Researchers at the University of Toronto looked at data from 284,000 people after surgery. Delirium is known to be under diagnosed in these cases, but the researchers estimated that it occurs after 10% of all surgical procedures, and after 13% of procedures in people taking statins. Because delirium can increase recovery time, this is an area of concern. The hypothesis is that the statins cause blood flow to the brain to reduce in favor of flow to the heart, although there is no firm evidence that this is happening. “
http://www.statinanswers.com/effects.htm
“Other potential statin side effects:


Although muscle weakness from statins and liver problems are of the most concern, much research has shown that they can also cause sexual dysfunction and performance problems, as well as memory loss, personality changes and irritability.


Other side effects from long term use of statin drugs:


1) While cholesterol lowering drugs do lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, they have limited effect on HDL (good) cholesterol, and no effect on triglycerides (fats), an equally important heart disease risk indicator.


2) Statins decrease your body's supply of CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an essential nutrient for cardiovascular strength and function.


3) Muscle weakness from using statins:  http://www.healthy-heart-guide.com/muscle-weakness-from-statins.html


4) Low cholesterol levels into the danger zone range, more on the dangers of Low Cholesterol in part 4 of this series. 
We will take a look at How Statins Work in my next post. 


There are natural cholesterol lowering ingredients, some of which have been shown to outperform statins in lowering cholesterol, without the possible 

Cholesterol, Statins, and How They Function in the Body (Part 1)


Side Effects 


“Muscle pain and muscle weakness are two of the main side effects of statin drugs. While muscle pain and muscle weakness sound ordinary enough, due to the manner in which statin side effects can act in the body they are potentially dangerous side effects of statin use. Another is memory loss. Anyone who is taking statin drugs for any reason should be aware of these side effects and their symptoms. The medical establishment recommends that anyone who suspects they are experiencing any of the possible statin side effects consult with their medical professional.” http://www.statinanswers.com/effects.htm


“Rhabdomyolysis (often called rhabdo for short) is the medical term for the breakdown of muscle fibers that results in the release of muscle fiber contents into the bloodstream..


Severe rhabdomyolysis can result in death from acute kidney failure due to overload of the kidneys with deteriorated muscle tissue.”


“For susceptible individuals, the use of a statin drug can interfere with proper functioning of the peripheral nerves.”


“Other symptoms of neuropathy include: numbness, tingling, and pricking sensations; burning pain (especially at night); and/or sensitivity to touch. If left undiagnosed, neuropathy can lead to deterioration of the muscles and paralysis. Remember that we all need throat muscles to swallow, chest muscles to breathe, and that the heart is a muscle. In the extreme, severe neuropathy as a side effect to statin use can lead to death.”
“A famous Danish study of neuropathy as a side effect to statin use concluded that an individual who is a long-term user of statin drugs has anywhere from 4 to 14 times greater risk of developing peripheral neuropathy than a person who does not take statin drugs.”


Think twice before agreeing to take a statin and I will give your more reasons to question your doctor coming up next. 


More to come…..



Meet Debbie Cyrel Nutritionst KarenLangston.com

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Ideas for self-nurturing activities

  • Listen to favorite music 
  • Reflect on “Appreciation and Gratitude”
  • Meditate
  • See a special play, movie or concert
  • Ride a bicycle
  • Make myself a nutritious meal
  • Draw or Paint a picture
  • Think of something that makes you laugh and laugh out loud
  • Count my blessings “Thank you”
  • Tell myself the loving words I want to hear from others
  • Reflect on my success
  • Visit a park, woods, forest
  • Call an old friend
  • Read positive, motivational literature
  • Practice the art of forgiveness
  • Create my own list of self-nurturing activities

Quick, healthy mid-meal ideas to keep you lean:

  • Apple or other fruit with almond butter 
  • Hummus with carrots sticks or sliced red/yellow/orange peppers
  • Guacamole with carrot sticks or sliced red/yellow/orange
  • Ricotta cheese (grass-fed if possible) mixed with cocoa powder, stevia, and vanilla extract (delicious high protein, low carb snack!)
  • Hard boiled egg with carrot and celery sticks,red pepper hummus is my favorite
  • Celery sticks with organic peanut butter or almond butter ( a classic quick snack)
  • Avocado slices wrapped in deli turkey breast (one of my favorite quick snack)
  • A piece of sprouted grain toast (sprouted grain preferred nutritionally over “whole grain” with nut butter
  • Fresh sliced pineapple with a handful of macadamia nuts
  • Protein Shakes
  • Meatballs
  • Egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, turkey salad, or shrimp salad on Nut Thins or cucumber, zucchini, celery, tomatoes or red pepper slices…
  • Turkey jerky, turkey sticks
  • Pumpkin or sun flower seeds
  • Turkey or chicken franks, cut up with or with out dip
  • Olives
  • Omelets

Meat Rollups:
To make one meat rollup:
  1. One lettuce leaf (except head/iceberg lettuce)
  2. Thinly sliced meat (i.e. chicken, bologna (nitrate/nitrite free) beef (free range)
  3. Spread 1 stp Mayo (home made mayo (see recipe) or nut butter)
  4. Roll up lettuce leaf and use a toothpick to hold it together
  5. Can add sliced havarti or provolone if not dairy intolerant

Mayonnaise (home made)
·         1 whole egg (organic only)
·         1 egg yolk
·         ½ tsp celtic salt or mineral salt
·         ½ Tbsp lemon juice (optional)
·         1 ½ cups expeller pressed oil (use a combo of olive and grapeseed and flaxseed oils)
·         In blender or food processor blend egg, salt and lemon juice. Blend for 5 seconds, then SLOWLY add oil by pouring in a thin thread as you blend. Do Not Over Mix. Pour in a glass jar. Additions: if desired :Horseradish, Wasabi, Stevia, Glycerin                                                                                                                                           

Now you have ZERO EXCUSES for resorting to junk food snacks on the road or at the office, when you have all of the delicious and healthy fat-burning snack ideas right here!

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