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Reports of Side Effects Triple for Diabetes Drug Avandia
 In the month after the health risks of Avandia were exposed in the New England Journal of Medicine, the reports of side effects being made to federal regulators tripled.
Avandia, also sold under the name Avandamet, was found to increase the risk of heart attacks by 43 percent. It's used to control blood sugar and is prescribed to more than 6 million people worldwide who suffer from Type 2 diabetes.
Since diabetics are already in the elevated risk category for heart attacks, the idea of a diabetes medication increasing that risk to such an extent is disturbing news.
In the 35 days prior to the release of the study, five heart attacks had been reported, compared with 90 cases in the same period afterward. Heart related hospitalizations went from 11 to 126, and deaths attributed to the medication rose from 11 to 38.
It is believed that the spike in post-market side effect reports was due to..read entire article
Natural Treatments for High Blood Pressure
In most cases of mildly elevated blood pressure, doctors will recommend dietary and lifestyle modification for a period of time to see if this normalizes blood pressure. It is important to work with your primary care provider. Untreated high blood pressure can damage many organs in the body and increases the risk of stroke, brain hemorrhage, heart attack, and kidney failure at an early age.
Diet
Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium – Adequate intake of calcium, potassium and magnesium is necessary for blood pressure control. When the diet lacks these minerals, supplementation may improve blood pressure control. Potassium-rich foods include avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapefruit, nectarines, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, green peas, potatoes and squash. Foods rich in magnesium include nuts, rice, bananas, potatoes, wheat germ, kidney and lima beans, soy and molasses.
Herbs and Nutritional Supplements
Garlic – There have been a number of studies examining the effects of garlic supplements on blood pressure. Garlic appears to lower blood pressure by 5 to 10%. It can also lower cholesterol, reduce triglyceride levels, discourage clot formation and promote blood circulation.
Hawthorne Berry – Hawthorne Berry helps to offset the increased demands made on the heart for those who are overweight. It also helps recondition and tone-up the heart muscle while reducing body weight.
Hibiscus Flower – The use of hibiscus for the treatment of hypertension has a long traditional history. In a clinical trial, those consuming hibiscus showed an 11.2% lowering of the systolic blood pressure and a 10.7% decrease in diastolic pressure 12 days after beginning the treatment.
Other Herbs – Other herbs known to be heart friendly and supportive of heart health include Buchu, Uva Ursi, Juniper Berry and Green Tea Extract. All are safe and don't present any interaction issues with prescription medications.
You will find all these herbs and more in our Healthy Choice Blood Pressure Formula.™ It’s all natural and Each Bottle Contains a 45-Day Supply.
Learn more here.
Mainstream Media Distorts Findings of Vitamin E and C Study
Following last week's announcement of a new study showing the phenomenal benefits of antioxidants for preventing heart disease in women, the mainstream media rallied behind a blatantly false distortion of the study designed to convince the public that vitamins E and C are somehow useless.
The popular press, which maintains an incestuous relationship with the pharmaceutical industry, once again demonstrated it is little more than a mouthpiece for the pro-pharma propaganda machine.
The distortion in question concerns the assessment of women who participated in a nine year trial measuring the effects of vitamins E and C. According to the results published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, women who took these vitamins on a regular basis experienced a remarkable and statistically significant reduction in stroke risk (31 percent) and heart attack risk (22 percent). Not all the women in the study, of course, actually took the vitamins on a regular basis, and when you count the results of those women who never took the vitamins, the study shows no statistically significant benefits for vitamins E and C. In other words, the vitamins didn't work on those who didn't take them. (Is this surprising to anyone?)
The mainstream media has taken hold of this statistical distortion and declared that antioxidants are now useless for preventing heart disease. Utterly ignoring the fact that the vitamins worked remarkably well in those who actually took them, the media seems to be on a crusade to discredit nutritional supplements by lying to consumers. Having abandoned all common sense or scientific scrutiny, the media is now engaged in an organized campaign of disinformation designed to boost the profits of their largest advertisers -- the drug companies -- by spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt about nutritional supplements.
Here are some of the headlines that appeared yesterday in the mainstream media. As you read these, keep in mind that these are stories based on a study that actually found significant protective benefits for those women who took the antioxidants:
WebMD
Antioxidants Don't Lower Heart Risk
FOX News
Study: Antioxidants Do Not Protect High-Risk Women from Heart Disease
What do 5,700 French Men Have to do with Your Heart?
If your heart beats too fast at rest, it can be a powerful predictor of death from heart attack. A study of more than 5,700 French men without known cardiovascular disease found that those with a resting heart rate greater than 75 beats per minute had a 3.5 times greater chance of sudden death from heart attack than those who had a resting heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute.
To determine your resting heart rate, measure it first thing in the morning (before you even rise from bed) with either a heart-rate monitor or by placing your index finger against your carotid artery on either side of your neck. Count the beats for 60 seconds (or for 15 seconds, and then multiply by four).
The stronger and more efficient your heart is, the fewer times it must beat to move blood through your system to sustain bodily functions -- thus, the lower your resting heart rate will be.
Echinacea Really Does Work
A review of more than 700 previous studies concluded that echinacea does have a substantial effect in preventing colds and limiting their duration.
The analysis found that echinacea reduced the risk of catching a cold by 58 percent, and that the duration of a cold was significantly reduced.
The issue of whether or not echinacea is effective in the treatment of colds has wavered back and forth, with some studies showing great effectiveness and others drawing the opposite conclusion. This review took a different approach to the issue and used statistical techniques to combine the results of existing studies, including only randomized and placebo-controlled trials.
—New York Times, July 24, 2007
What are Better Options?
Boosting your own immune system is your first line of defense against cold viruses and other illnesses. The likelihood of you becoming a victim of the cold virus increases if you are overtired, stressed out, or eating an unhealthy diet, as all of these things can weaken your immune system.
We recently added an amazing immune boosting product to our HealthyChoice line of natural health products.
Immune Essentials™ is our powerful, comprehensive immune system formula containing twenty all natural vitamins and herbs. It is scientifically formulated to provide your body with the nutritional support it needs to stay healthy and maintain its defenses.
Immune Essentials will Help your Body:
- Resist Virus and Bacteria
- Speed up Healing
- Combat Allergies
- Protect against Colds & Flu
- Kill Fungus & Parasites
- Destroy Foreign Invaders
- Minimize Lost Work Time and Sick Days
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Proven Factors to Lengthen Your Life
We all want to live long, healthy lives, and a recent article in Psychology Today listed some proven pointers on how to lengthen your life.
Keeping physically active as you age is a vital ingredient for maintaining health and vigor. Whether you're walking, dancing or gardening, you're promoting feelings of well being and improving your health. Physical exercise also helps keep "the blues" at bay.
Other longevity tips listed in the article were:
- Speaking two (or more) languages – Bilingualism enhances the brain vasculature and neural plasticity.
- Living in the mountains – Adapting to altitude helps your body adapt to lower levels of oxygen, and uphill walks provide a more strenuous exercise, which is better for your heart.
- Having a good marriage and a supportive spouse.
- Having a network of good friends.
—Psychology Today, May/June 2007
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