XTEND-15sec-NEWSt
18th March 2005
Please click on the summary link of interest:
This is an Outrage!n1
A comment from Warren Matthews:
This is something that I believe is important for you to see. I think that it is newsworthy! It is a copy of an email received from a potential customer. The reason why we are publishing it, is not because it is an unusual one but rather that it is typical of many that we receive. Further comments below:
"I am presently taking 25 mg of Toprol daily for blood pressure regulation and no other drugs. Are there any compatibility problems between Toprol and your Cholest-Natural? My Doctor wants to put me on 40mg of Zocor each day. I am almost 75 years old but have no other risk factors for heart problems. My recent blood check-up showed the following results:
Cholesterol, Total - 167 mg/dL
Triglycerides - 93 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol - 41 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol - 107 mg/dL
Do you think that I really need the Zocor or would your supplement work just as well or do I need anything at all?"
I think that many of our readers would be delighted if their lipid profile was this good! The fact is, that rather than this person's total cholesterol being too high, it could be argued that it is actually too low. Cholesterol is an essential substance and is a precursor for essential hormones.
If you would like to know more about cholesterol and why this is so important please click here.
Needless to say, we pointed out to this person that in our opinion he doesn't need to take our cholesterol lowering formula and he should question his Doctor on his rationale about wanting to lower his cholesterol... period... let alone taking a drug which has known risks.
It is this type of drug pushing that really upsets me, and has me pacing around the room in disgust. I see it all the time and have to wonder where these physicians are getting their information from? We constantly hear from people with normal cholesterol levels and no health problems being virtually forced into taking statin drugs when there is no justification.
Sometimes their cholesterol levels are even better than normal because although their total cholesterol maybe high, the ratio of HDL/LDL is excellent. We even have emails from people that have been put on statin drugs who have never even had their ratios checked and in many cases they had no need to take them. (They contact us because of muscle pain or other side effects and are looking for a natural alternative.)
This is legalized drug pushing at the expense of the patient and often the tax payer, not to mention the impact on people who are paying 'health insurance' premiums.
Now, I am not suggesting that all Doctors are engaging in this sort of practice as there are many really good Doctors out there who are prepared to give natural alternatives a go first before subjecting their patients to the risk of statin drugs.
The practices of some physicians as described in the above person's case, should come under severe scrutiny by the Medical Association. The situation is getting out of control...
On one hand you have many physicians freely writing out prescriptions for dangerous drugs whilst another powerful lobby is pushing to crush the natural products industry by limiting choice of ingredients and doses. Double standards don't you think?
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Child Obesity epidemic will cut life expectancy...n2
The explosion in child obesity will shorten life expectancy in the US, write researchers today, reversing two centuries of progress. They called for a fundamental shift in political leadership to back healthier eating. It has previously been assumed that US life expectancy would rise indefinitely, but a new data analysis, published as a special report in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (volume 352, pp1138-1145)... To read the balance of the NutraIngredients article please click here.
Warren Matthews comments: The shortening of the average life span, although certainly not desirable is really the least of the concerns which will arise from this sad state of affairs. Much worse is the poor quality of life that is caused by all the related illnesses due to poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle that many of these children lead. Added to that is the enormous financial burden that all will have to bear in the effort to treat the preventable diseases that these children will be subject to.
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News from Thailand...n3
Last week the Thai Public Health Ministry released some disturbing facts on the health conditions of the nation's children. The most glaring one was that they say that 30% of all school age children in Thailand are now considered obese.
They cite the main causes as excessive sugar and fat, with the emphasis on sugar.
Warren Matthews comments: Credit should go to the Thai Health Ministry for coming out and telling the public that the biggest culprit in the cause of obesity is excess sugar. It's very rare that you hear the authorities in the Western world blaming sugar which is far, far worse than fat when it comes to putting on the pounds and providing the foundation for diabetes 2. Let's hope more governments come out and tell the people the truth such as they are doing in Thailand.
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Child obesity epidemic will cut life expectancy (Full Article)f1
3/17/2005 - The explosion in child obesity will shorten life expectancy in the US, write researchers today, reversing two centuries of progress.
They called for a fundamental shift in political leadership to back healthier eating.
It has previously been assumed that US life expectancy would rise indefinitely, but a new data analysis, published as a special report in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (volume 352, pp1138-1145), suggests that if the current epidemic of child and adolescent obesity continues unabated, life expectancy could be shortened by two to five years in the coming decades.
David Ludwig of Children's Hospital Boston, epidemiologist S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and colleagues based their predictions on data showing the prevalence of obesity from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and previously published estimates of years-of-life lost from obesity.
They say that obesity now reduces average life expectancy by about four to nine months, a conservative estimate.
The long-term consequences of the child obesity epidemic have yet to be seen, says Ludwig, who directs the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children's Hospital Boston. Obesity is known to increase risk for heart disease and cancer, and the surge in childhood obesity has already triggered an unprecedented rise in type 2 diabetes in children.
"The tsunami of childhood obesity has not yet hit the shore - it takes many years for complications to develop," Ludwig said. "If the clock starts ticking at age 12 or 14, the consequences to public health are potentially disastrous - imagine heart attack or kidney failure becoming a relatively common condition of young adulthood."
Two thirds of American adults today are obese or overweight, and the proportion of people with extreme obesity has risen especially rapidly, the investigators note. Thus far, medical treatment has had little success in offsetting this trend.
Ludwig attributes much of the obesity epidemic to environmental factors of the past 40 years. Fast food, junk food, and soft drinks have become a prominent part of the landscape, with a huge increase in food advertising directed at children and ballooning portion sizes have ballooned. At the same time, children are becoming more sedentary, spending more time watching TV and using computers.
Moreover, many insurance companies do not cover obesity treatment, or offer only limited coverage. Nationally, reimbursement is as little as 10 percent, Ludwig notes.
"To tackle obesity we will need unambiguous political leadership at all levels of government, to make clear that public health has to come before private profit," he said.
"This means a fundamental shift in the social environment that will support healthful eating and an active lifestyle. While the campaign must be led by government, it will require the active participation of primary care physicians, nutritionists, schools, and parents."
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