By Sarah A LoBisco, ND
IT’S
BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TIME FOR TOP READS…….
Pull up your laptop, grab your
chamomile tea, click on your classical music, and enjoy my summaries on some of
the biggest headlines in health from August! You can get the full summary here.
HIGHLIGHTS
THE STATIN STORY CONTINUES:
According to Dr. Fryhofer of
Medscape:
As
many as 10% of patients on statin therapy suffer muscle-related adverse
effects. There are several proposed statin-induced mechanisms:
- Decreases in cholesterol content of skeletal muscle
membranes making them unstable and thus more prone to injury; - Depletion of coenzyme Q10 with subsequent deleterious
effects on mitochondrial function; and - Reduced bioavailability of isoprenoids (farnesyl
pyrophosphate and geranyl pyrophosphate), which can lead to cell death in
vitro. [9]
Risk is highest for women, older
patients, patients on high statin doses, people with a family history of statin
intolerance, and patients on multiple medications.
Genetics can also play a role, as
well as which statin:
A recent study
showed carriers of the SLCO1B1 gene polymorphism had increased
risk for muscle-related statin adverse effects. The greatest risk was
seen in patients on simvastatin, whereas the risk for patients on pravastatin
was almost negligible. [11]
Bringing us to highlight number
one:
Simvastatin 80mg: FDA Warning (Medscape)
In early June
2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a drug safety
communication on the 80-mg dose of simvastatin because of an increased risk for
muscle toxicity. Medscape interviewed Amy Egan, MD, MPH, Deputy Director
for Safety in the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products at the FDA,
regarding these warnings and their impact. Doctors are encouraged to use
different brands, not dose past 40mg and consider it’s interactions with other
medications.
References:
Sandra A. Fryhofer, MD. Switching
From Simvastatin 80 mg: How to Shop for Statins: The Simvastatin Saga: Review
of the FDA Drug Safety Warnings. Medscape Today. Accessed August 17, 2011.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/747821_2
Michael O’Riordan. FDA Restricts Use
of Simvastatin 80 mg. Medscape Today. Posted: 06/08/2011
BLOOD SUGAR, STATINS, & DIET
In my July
Top Reads, I gave references to how statins could contribute to
diabetes. (YICKS: achy muscles and blood sugar problems).
This month, a study demonstrated how
diet can affect diabetes, actually, reverse it!
Reversing Diabetes 2 with Diet (diabetologia)
Conclusions/interpretation:
Normalisation of both beta cell function and hepatic insulin sensitivity
in type 2 diabetes was achieved by dietary energy restriction alone.
This was associated with decreased pancreatic and liver triacylglycerol stores.
The abnormalities underlying type 2 diabetes are reversible by reducing dietary
energy intake
DOCTOR SARAH, DO I REALLY NEED
SUPPLEMENTS??? I EAT WELL!!
I’ll refer to an older and wiser
mentor to many:
You don’t need supplements if you eat
a healthy diet? True or false? (Dr. Hyman)
It
is true ONLY if you work and live outside, breathe only fresh unpolluted air,
drink only pure, clean water, sleep nine hours a night, move your body every
day, and are free from chronic stressors and exposures to environmental toxins.
Then you don’t need vitamins.
Today,
even with our “enriched food,” more than 92 percent of Americans are
deficient in one or more vitamins. That
doesn’t mean they are receiving less than the amount they need to get for
optimal health. That means they receive less than the MINIMUM amount necessary
to prevent deficiency diseases. In a study published in the Journal of the
American College of Nutrition, researchers found that 6 percent of those
tested had serious vitamin C deficiency and 30 percent were borderline low. A
USDA survey showed that 37 percent of Americans don’t get enough vitamin C, 70
percent not enough vitamin E, almost 75 percent don’t get enough zinc, and 40
percent don’t get enough iron. I would say that 100 percent of us don’t have
enough of the basic nutrients to create optimal health or give ourselves a
metabolic tune up.
Read more on TOP READS on the value
of supplementing! J
AND, FINALLY….WHAT ABOUT GERD???
TWO (2) things:
A reference on the link between the
use of GERD Medications and Cancer
Relieve GERD, Get Cancer (Arch Surg)
CONCLUSIONS:
Medically treated patients with mild or absent GERD symptoms have significantly
higher odds of adenocarcinogenesis compared with medically treated patients
with severe GERD symptoms. This finding may explain the failure of the current
screening paradigm in which the threshold for primary endoscopic examination is
based on symptom severity.
A few links below under WHAT’S HAPPENIN'” to my responses on Dr. Oz’s
Sharecare relating to GERD.
WHAT’S HAPPENIN’ AT THE
CLINIC????????
A LOT!
1.
NEXT HEALTH FORUM: OCTOBER 6th at 6:15pm
Join me and a community of
like-minded individuals in an interactive and engaging discussion about the
latest topics and issues in integrative, alternative, conventional, and natural
medicine. Find out more here.
2.
SHARCARE: GOT GERD?
Follow my latest answers and blogs
as a featured expert on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare relating to:
· What you should know about PPIs before taking them.
· What to do if your prescriptions aren’t working.
3.
WOMEN AND MEDICINE: PREVENTION HIGHLIGHTED
Click the link on my homepage to learn about new strategies to increase
supportive and preventative care for women. (Issued from the Institute of
Medicine).
4.
W
WHAT ELSE IS ON MY HOMEPAGE?
As usual, I’m always adding new
resources to my homepage, so you all have a one stop shop of referrals. Here
are some highlights:
·
Organic Trade
Association (OTA)
·
Personal Care Products-Don’t
Put that on Your Face
·
Produce: How
Dirty is Yours?
·
Soy Summary 2
VACCINE
RESOURCES:
·
Do Vaccines
Work?(The Atlantic)
·
Flu Vaccine
Pros and Cons
·
Gardasil and
Menctra
·
Hepatitis B
Vaccine Side Effects Study
………UNTIL
WE READ AGAIN! J
