By lowering “normal blood pressure” below 120/80 an additional thirty million Americans will be prescribed medications to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, the most popular diuretics, Hydrochlorothiazide and Lisinopril, have been associated with diabetes, lung and pancreatic cancer, among other problems. Keep in mind that drugs lower BP by working on fluid volume through the kidneys and relaxing arterial muscles. They do not contribute much to the underlying reason our BP goes up—inflammation of the endothelium, the cells lining our arteries. This is why drug treatment of BP does not necessarily increase life expectancy.[1] The most sensible way to work on high BP is to get off refined sugars, red meats, eat a lot of veggies, manage stress and exercise. Hugo Rodier, MD
Exercise regimen may be as effective as medication for hypertension
“Reuters (12/2718, Carroll) reports that an analysis suggests that “for people with high blood pressure, starting an exercise regimen may lower blood pressure by as much as taking medication would.” Investigators “combined data from nearly 400 randomized trials that assessed the effects of blood pressure drugs or of exercise on blood pressure.” The researchers “found that overall, each lowered blood pressure by nearly 9 mmHg…in patients with hypertension.” The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
Comment: A patient recently told me exercise wasted his heart beats because we only have so many during our lifetime. Our heart rate does go up when we work out, only to drop to a lower average when we are done. It is the same with BP. I bit my tongue and refrained from telling him it is the same with sperm. Not really! I just thought it would have been fun watching him process that information to its illogical conclusion.
Association of phthalates, parabens and phenols found in personal care products with pubertal timing in girls and boys
“In girls, we observed earlier onset of pubic hair development with prenatal urinary MEP concentrations and earlier menarche with prenatal triclosan and 2,4-dichlorophenol concentrations. Regarding peripubertal biomarkers, we observed: earlier breast development, pubic hair development and menarche with methyl paraben; earlier menarche with propyl paraben; and later pubic hair development with 2,5-dichlorophenol. In boys, we observed no associations with prenatal urinary biomarker concentrations and only one association with peripubertal concentrations: earlier genital development with propyl paraben.
“Children going through puberty early may be more likely to use personal care products. The study population was limited to Latino children of low socioeconomic status living in a farmworker community and may not be widely generalizable. This study contributes to growing literature suggesting that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals may impact timing of puberty.”[2]
Comment: Endocrine Disruptors or Xenoestrogens have been brushed under the carpet for decades. Ask yourself why. They also include heavy metals, pesticides and BPA. They are the reason why so many people get breast and prostate cancer. It is also why men now have lower sperm counts and smaller penises. Ouch!
Belly fat linked to higher risk of breast cancer despite “normal” BMI
“NBC News (12/22, Carroll) reported on its website that research indicates “that postmenopausal women who have belly fat, despite having a ‘normal’ BMI, may be at increased risk for developing breast cancer.” The “study, which included only women with normal BMIs, found that those with the highest levels of fat in the truncal area had nearly twice the risk of developing invasive breast cancer compared with those with the least amount of fat.” The research was published in JAMA Oncology.”
Comment: belly fat point to insulin resistance, AKA prediabetes. The 1931 Nobel Prize was awarded to Dr. Warburg for his work on excessive sugar in the diet and cancer, a fact we cannot sugar coat. The problem is worsened by another consequence of too much sugar: Fatty Liver. It has reached epidemic proportions in the USA. A liver so affected cannot optimally detoxify Endocrine Disruptors.
Yoga, Acupuncture Ease Menopause Hot Flashes
“Medscape – Nov 27, 2018. The first study, for example, divided participants into three groups. One group received regular acupuncture, a second received fake acupuncture treatments, and a third did not receive any treatment at all. Women in this study showed a 40% reduction in the number of hot flashes they experienced, whether they were given actual or sham acupuncture treatment – but not if they were in a no-intervention control group. In the second study, women either practiced yoga regularly, attended health and wellness classes, or did not take part in either activity. Women in the yoga group showed a 66% reduction in hot flashes while those in the wellness group showed a 63% reduction. In the third study, half of the women received acupuncture treatments. At 8 weeks, the acupuncture group showed a 33.9% reduction in the frequency of symptoms like hot flashes, while the group that did not get acupuncture treatments showed a mere 3.3% reduction.”
Comment: If a woman is on pins and needles going through her menopause, maybe she should make it official! Menopause symptoms are more intense with refined sugars and Endocrine Disruptors. So, lay off the sweets for comfort.
Heart attack or stroke could be early sign of cancer
“The New York Times (12/21, Bakalar) reported that research published in the journal Blood suggests “a heart attack or stroke may be an early sign of cancer.” HealthDay (12/21, Preidt) reported that investigators “analyzed data from more than 748,000 Medicare beneficiaries, aged 67 and older, who were diagnosed with breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, bladder, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, uterine, pancreatic and gastric cancers from 2005 through 2013.” The researchers found that “overall, the risk of heart attack and stroke surged by 70 percent in the year before cancer diagnosis.” The data indicated that “the highest risk was seen in the month before cancer diagnosis.”
Comment: if you study Integrative Medicine you know why this is the case: both cancer and heart problems are inflammatory conditions. An overwrought immune system in the gut generates said inflammation when we eat poorly. It also compounds Fatty Liver. Poor detoxification of environmental chemicals is behind cancer 85% of the time, not our genes.
Chronic fatigue syndrome—an overactive immune system
“HealthDay (12/17/18, Preidt) reports that investigators “assessed fatigue and immune system activity in 55 patients before, during and after treatment with interferon-alpha.” The researchers “discovered differences between the immune systems of 18 patients who developed long-term fatigue and those who had a normal recovery.” These “18 patients had a much stronger immune response during treatment with interferon-alpha, with a doubling in the levels of immune system messenger molecules called interleukin-10 and interleukin-6, according to the report,” which was published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.”
Comment: this is not news, especially to those who have been reading this newsletter. Remember that our Immune-Detox system is primarily found in the gut, that is, our Microbiome. Guess what else takes place in the gut… Energy and Information (food) processing for every cell in our body. Unfortunately, this simple concept is po-pooed by practitioners who prefer blaming the thyroid and sex hormones through questionable testing. Invariably, they lead to more testing and to hormone treatments that only work for a short while. Strike at the ROOT of Fatigue, not the leaves!
- “Hypertension: empirical evidence and implications in 2014,” BMJ https://openheart.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000048 ↑
- J. Human Reproduction 2019;34:109–117 ↑
