Medicare Patients Aren’t Taking Advantage Of Some Newly Free Tests
Washington, DC, United States (KaiserHealth) – Despite tough economic times, there are some things the government can’t give away.
Starting this year, seniors enrolled in Medicare no longer have to pay for more than a dozen tests and other services to help prevent or control cancer and other costly and debilitating diseases. These benefits, which also include an annual wellness exam, are part of the new federal health-care law.
But big crowds aren’t lining up for free mammograms or colonoscopies, although early data indicate that the free wellness checkup is luring patients.
Advocates say details about the new benefits haven’t reached enough seniors, and Medicare’s information about it isn’t easily accessible and can be confusing.
“Our hope is that by waiving cost-sharing and making preventive care more affordable, more beneficiaries will get it,” said Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
At a senior center in Reston, roughly 35 people recently attended a “Medicare 101″ meeting that provided information about the free services.
Howard Houghton, director of the Fairfax County senior health insurance information program, said he warned the seniors not to delay calling their doctor. “You want to do it sooner than later because this law might get repealed,” he said. “The law might change, so why take a chance?”
Even doctors have had some trouble figuring out what tests and exams are free and for which patients. Medicare is now paying all costs for most services that earned top ratings from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an advisory group of medical experts. But if patients receive those services more often than recommended or don’t have risk factors to qualify for the tests, they can be charged a co-payment. In some cases, seniors may still have to pay for an office visit, even if the screening or test they receive is free.
To help clear things up, the American Medical Association issued a two-page guide for doctors. That’s in addition to e-mails that Medicare has sent to physicians and their professional associations.
Steven Schwartz, a family physician in Kensington who also teaches at Georgetown University’s medical school, said his group practice developed its own checklist of the preventive services and is contacting Medicare patients who haven’t had a wellness exam.
In 2008, when co-payments were required for many of the tests and screenings that are now free, only a minority of traditional Medicare beneficiaries in the District, Maryland and Virginia received them.
For example:
- Fewer than 4 percent took advantage of the one-time “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam.
- Fewer than 10 percent were tested that year for diabetes.
- Only 36 to 41 percent of women received mammograms.
- Only 12 to 15 percent of women got bone density tests.
- Fewer than 20 percent of men received prostate cancer screenings.
- And even though the flu shot was available for free before 2011, fewer than half got one.
A list of which preventive services are now free and other information are included in the “Medicare & You” handbook (available at www.medicare.gov or at 800-MEDICARE), the user’s manual sent to all 48 million Medicare beneficiaries. A 48-page Medicare guide on preventive benefits is also available online at www.medicare.gov.
But Joe Baker, president of the nonprofit Medicare Rights Center, said seniors usually read the handbook only when they have questions about a benefit. “If they haven’t heard about it, they’re not going to look for it,” he said.
One reason why seniors may not pay attention to the changes is that they have purchased a supplemental insurance policy or a Medicare Advantage managed-care plan that already offers some preventive health services without additional charges.
But cost isn’t the only reason that seniors may not be receiving preventive health services. Some people worry about whether procedures will be uncomfortable, and many are afraid of hearing bad news.
“It’s human nature to put off things that aren’t pleasant,” she said.
Blum thinks that attitude may be changing. In just the first three months of this year, almost 300,000 seniors nationwide received the new free wellness exam.
“Based upon what we’ve seen so far, we are very optimistic that we will have a greater proportion of beneficiaries who will take advantage of the preventive benefits,” said Blum.
– Provided by Kaiser Health News.
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Medical Device Industry Lobbies IRS and Congress To Dodge Health Law Tax
Washington, DC, United States (KaiserHealth) – Like many other interest groups, the medical device industry met with White House officials in the run-up to the health care battle in Congress. But while insurers, pharmaceutical firms and even the American Medical Association made agreements trading their support for specific concessions, the device makers were not able to close a similar deal.
As a result, the final health care reform bill included a 2.3 percent excise tax on device makers that’s expected to produce $20 billion over a decade to help pay for expanded health coverage.
That’s the law, or so it would seem.
But in Washington, it’s never over until it’s over. And like other medical interests who are scrambling to influence the implementation of health care reform, medical device makers are showering cash on friends in Congress and working the halls, hoping that one of five bills that would overturn the excise tax might actually make it into law.
Veteran Hill watchers say that may be a long shot, so to hedge its bets, the industry is also lobbying the Internal Revenue Service to write rules exempting hundreds of devices from the excise tax — even though the health law says the exemption should be limited to items widely purchased by the public from retailers. The outcome of that under-the-radar battle is far from certain.
The medical device business and its lobbyists have a strong record of winning concessions and at least partially deflecting the costs of health insurance coverage expansion. An early Senate “framework” version of the health bill pushed by Democrat Max Baucus of Montana, for example, would have nailed the industry with a $40 billion excise tax bill over ten years beginning in 2010. Shocked at the price tag, the device manufacturers’ trade group, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), pushed back, aided by industry giants Medtronic Inc., Johnson & Johnson, 3M Co., and others.
With the help of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the device makers succeeded in cutting the tax in half in the final health care law, which also delayed the start date for the tax until 2013, three years later than in the Baucus proposal.
Manufacturers, however, maintain that even the smaller tax in the health care law is catastrophic for them. So the industry is targeting Capitol Hill anew and working the regulatory process, searching for concessions.
Five industry-supported bills currently before Congress would completely overturn the excise tax on medical devices, the most widely supported of which are bills introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn. Hatch’s bill has- Republican co-sponsors. Paulsen’s House bill has 119 co-sponsors, including three Democrats.
Hatch, who has been one of the health care law’s fiercest opponents, says the tax on medical devices will increase insurance premiums and the cost of care. Relying on an excise tax “to fund Obamacare will cripple an important engine of opportunity, job growth and innovation,” Hatch said in a January news release.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM INDUSTRY
In 2009 and 2010, both Hatch and Paulsen were major beneficiaries of medical device industry money.
Hatch was not up for re-election that cycle but received more than $90,000 in campaign donations from the medical supply industry, which made him the trade group’s third largest political beneficiary, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The political action committee of the AdvaMed association alone contributed $10,584 to Hatch’s campaign, and $3,150 to Paulsen’s.
The political action committees of individual companies also chipped in. The PAC of Boston Scientific, a major manufacturer of heart and other medical devices, contributed $7,000 to Paulsen’s campaign and $5,000 to Hatch’s. Medtronic, the world’s largest medical device maker — which is based in Paulsen’s home state — donated $3,000 to Paulsen and $5,000 to Hatch.
Paulsen spokesman Tom Erickson said the bill is a response to job loss fears, not industry campaign donations, and that more than 400 medical device companies are based in Minnesota. A Hatch spokesman said the senator’s bill reflects his political philosophy: “It’s something he has felt strongly about for a long time, that taxes are counterproductive,” spokesman Mark Eddington said.
Hatch and Paulsen are only two of the friends the device industry is counting on for help.
In late March, Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts launched a new Senate medical technology caucus to increase awareness about issues facing the industry. Both represent states with significant medical device manufacturers and have been major beneficiaries of industry money.
Boston Scientific, which in 2010 had $7.8 billion in sales, is based in Brown’s state. In 2010, Brown received more than $30,000 in campaign donations from the medical supply industry, which is dominated by the device makers. Klobuchar received more than $40,000 in contributions.
“These businesses not only spark medical breakthroughs, they save lives,” Klobuchar said in comments released on the day the new caucus was launched. “Every day in every state small medical technology companies are driving the innovation agenda we need to compete in a global economy. I will continue to work to make sure that Minnesota remains a leader in health care innovation by developing innovative products while maintaining patient safety.”
The House medical technology caucus was revamped in February. According to the industry newsletter MedCity, its new website was launched on the same day that Paulsen, who chairs the group together with Anna Eschoo, D-Calif., addressed the Minnesota life sciences trade group LifeScience Alley.
In the halls of Congress, the medical device manufacturers have long pushed the jobs refrain, first to deflect taxes, and second to fend off scrutiny from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates devices. Dr. Josh Makower, the founder of Exploramed, a medical device incubator – who frequently testifies before Congress – said the excise tax will particularly hurt small firms, many of which rely solely on investment capital for years before turning a profit.
“The saddest thing is that these small companies are exactly the ones that are delivering new innovations,” Makower told iWatch News in an e-mail response to questions.
REVOLVING DOOR
In pushing its interests, the device industry benefits from the revolving door connecting K Street with Capitol Hill.
In December, former AdvaMed executive Brett Loper, who lobbied against the excise tax, was named House Speaker John Boehner’s chief policy officer. Elizabeth Kegler, the association’s vice president of government affairs, is a former health policy advisor to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
Advamed spent almost $1.5 million lobbying Congress on behalf of its members in 2010. First quarter lobby disclosure records for 2011 will not be available until late April, but medical device industry activity suggests the industry has likely not slowed its spending.
Despite device industry campaign donations, powerful allies, and support for the Paulsen bill in the House, George Schutzer, a tax lobbyist and attorney at the Washington firm Patton Boggs, said he doubts Congress is ready to overturn the device tax. A win for the medical device industry would “open the flood gates” for challenges to the health reform bill by other parts of the medical industry, Schutzer said, and would most likely result in an Obama veto.
As a result, the medical device industry has taken the fight beyond Congress to the Internal Revenue Service, which will administer the tax.
That part of the struggle appears to be splitting the industry as manufacturers try to protect their market niches. Although the medical device category includes big-ticket items generally sold to hospitals, including artificial hearts, pacemakers, coronary stents and artificial joints, it also includes a wide range of less expensive items ranging from tongue depressors to examination gloves.
The health law exempts from the excise tax eyeglasses, contact lenses, and any device the Treasury Department determines is generally purchased by the general public at retail for individual use. Certain sectors of the device industry, however, contend that devices from wheelchairs and scooters to home oxygen systems fit the exemption criteria.
In written comments to the IRS, which is expected to publish tax guidance for device manufacturers, DJO Global, the largest U.S. supplier of orthopedic devices, asked for an exemption on all items classified by Medicare as durable medical equipment, prosthetics and orthotics, including bone-growth stimulators and electrotherapy devices. The American Association for Home Care, which represents the home medical care industry, wrote that it believes all durable medical equipment, including complex power wheel chairs, should be exempt.
“Durable medical equipment and home medical equipment fit that exemption language to a tee,” said Jay Witter, senior director of government affairs at the American Association for Home Care, in an interview. Witter quoted a 2009 fact sheet released by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi that said wheelchairs would be exempt, and that the excise tax would apply only to sales of medical devices to hospitals and other institutions. The comment period on the exemption ended in late March; the IRS did not respond to questions on when it might decide who gets the exemption and who doesn’t.
Witter said it is unclear whether wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment were included in revenue calculations that projected $20 billion in revenue from the tax over a decade’s time. But since the majority of home health customers are covered by Medicare, which pays set rates, Witter said the cost of the excise tax cannot be passed on to consumers.
Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women & Families, a think tank that focuses on health issues, said the idea that all durable medical equipment should be exempt from the excise tax is absurd and could impair funding for the health care law.
“If they get what they want, the whole health care bill collapses,” said Zuckerman. “There is too much money involved to get rid of the excise tax or to substantially lower it.”
TAX DEDUCTION WINDFALL?
As device manufactures plead for exemptions, hospitals and group purchasing organizations worry that those who remain on the hook for the tax may simply pass it on in higher prices to hospitals and other purchasers. Curtis Rooney, president of the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association, said the excise tax could even wind up being a windfall for medical device manufacturers.
In a letter to the IRS, Rooney’s organization, along with the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the Catholic Health Association of the United States, wrote that device manufacturers should be prohibited from passing on the excise tax to consumers, especially if they are allowed to deduct the excise tax when calculating their federal income tax.
Allowing device manufacturers to write off the tax and pass along the cost, the letter says, would “permit a financial ‘double-dip’ that could leave device companies in a better financial position than before the [health law] was enacted.”
Asked if device manufacturers planned to increase the prices charged to hospitals and other consumers to make up for excise tax, an AdvaMed spokeswoman declined to answer. She instead referred to a comment by David Nexon, the association’s senior executive vice president: “Each AdvaMed member company will have to individually decide how to best deal with the damaging effects of the tax. For some, that might mean cutting R&D, reducing staff or other measures. Those are tough business decisions that will have to be made if this tax goes forward and go to the heart of why we opposed the tax in the first place.”
iWatch News is the investigative news report of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit group focused on investigative journalism.
– Provided by Kaiser Health News.
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Study: Exercise, sex can trigger heart attack, cardiac arrest
Boston, MA, United States (AHN) – Researchers who analyzed previous studies linking exercise and sex to heart attacks and cardiac arrests found that such physical activities can increase the risk of suffering or dying from heart attack.
But the study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, also found that the risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death is lesser in people who regularly exercise.
According to the study’s lead author, Dr. Issa Dahabreh of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, people are 3.5 times more likely to suffer from a heart attack or sudden cardiac death when they are exercising.
A heart attack is also 2.7 times more likely to occur during sexual activity or immediately after sex, the study said.
The time a person is exposed to such risk is short, only from one to two hours during and after exercise or sexual activity, co-researcher Jessica Paulus said.
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Real Cause of Heart Disease Revealed – The Culprits The Fda, Ama or Aha Aren’t Telling You About
You probably know about the terrible statistics on heart disease. It’s the #1 killer in the United States. Heart disease kills one person every 34 seconds in the U.S. alone.
What you may not know is the true cause of heart disease… the real culprits.
Is it cholesterol?
Is it saturated fats?
The AMA (American Medical Association) and the AHA (American Heart Association) as well as the food industry have been telling us so forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but a long time!
If we know what the cause is, why have heart disease escalated into becoming our nation’s #1 killer?
3 Reasons Why Cholesterol and Saturated Fats Are Not the True Causes of Heart Disease
1. How can it be that as the consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol declined sharply from the levels it used to be, heart disease increased proportionately? It appears that the statistics are telling a different story than what the AMA, AHA, and the food industry has been telling us.
2. Just look at significant role that saturated fats and cholesterol play in our bodies. It will probably surprise you to know that saturated fats comprise at least 50% of your cell membranes (every single one of your trillions of cells), giving them stiffness and integrity. Cholesterol also makes up part of the cell membrane, regulating its fluidity (what passes in and out) as well as giving stiffness and stability to the cell membrane. Additionally, cholesterol is a precursor to bile (which is produced in the liver and gall bladder to emulsify fats), Vitamin D, the steroid hormones (that help us deal with stress), and the sex hormones. Cholesterol is also very important for proper development of the brain and nervous system, so mother’s milk is very cholesterol-rich, and contains a special enzyme to help the baby utilize this nutrient. How can saturated fats and cholesterol possibly be the bad guys in light of this information?
3. HDL and LDL are NOT forms of cholesterol! That’s right, HDL and LDL are really lipoproteins, carrier molecules for cholesterol and other fats. Because cholesterol and other fats are not water-soluble, they require a carrier molecule to transport them through the blood stream. Even more interestingly, these carrier molecules have built-in cell-targeting signals, directing them to specific target cells. Don’t you wonder why?
Over Twenty Years of Research Has Established Inflammation’s Key Role in Atherosclerosis
But what’s causing the inflammation?
Is it cholesterol or saturated fats, as the AMA, AHA and food industry has led us to believe? It is NOT. We already proved it above.
The mechanism by which periodontal disease causes inflammation via free radicals produced by the immune system is well-known and accepted. But the role saturated fats and cholesterol play in inflammation is unknown to medical doctors. That’s because something else is causing the inflammation leading to atherosclerotic plaques. That something else happens to be the very polyunsaturated oils touted as “heart healthy” by the AMA, AHA, and the food industry. All of this information is well supported and detailed in my book, Revolutionizing Your Health.
How the Supposedly “Heart Healthy” Oils Are the True Causes of Heart Disease…
Polyunsaturated oils go rancid and become oxidized very easily by heat and light, which mean they become a free radical. Free radicals are very unstable molecules missing an electron. In the body, they try to stabilize themselves by “stealing” an electron from neighboring cells. This continues in a domino effect, wreaking cellular destruction and producing inflammation. In fact, the high heat used in processing these oils often creates free radicals before the oil even leaves the processing plant. Additionally, when these oils are used for cooking, and especially for frying, they produce tremendous amounts of free radicals.
Earlier, it was discussed that saturated fats make up at least 50% of cell membranes, along with cholesterol. The trouble is that our bodies don’t distinguish between saturated fats and polyunsaturated oils. A diet high in polyunsaturated oils will then be incorporated into cell membranes in place of the more stable and functional saturated fats. In effect this makes weaker cell membranes that are loaded with free radicals. This produces the inflammation that cardiologists now know to be at the root of heart disease. Cholesterol is simply the “repair substance” the body uses to repair the cellular damage produced by the free radicals in polyunsaturated oils.
Now that you know the true cause of heart disease, you’ll know exactly what to stay away from. You can beat heart disease through diet, nutrition, prevention and natural cures. To learn more, I invite you to check out my new book, “Revolutionizing Your Health”
Lower Your Cholesterol and Increase Your Chance of Stroke
Recently, The New York Times published an article entitled – “U.S. calls for major cholesterol reductions” and which was also printed in numerous local papers.
Sounds like a great way to fight heart disease, right?
Let’s take a look at what the article does not tell you about lowering your cholesterol. Because you must understand the effects of artificially lowering your cholesterol levels without implementing other strategies which are crucial to your health.
Because the fact of the matter is the Framingham Heart study – which has followed people for over 5 decades – proved without a doubt that LDL cholesterol is just one of many misleading factors of heart disease.
In fact, LDL cholesterol levels are only a very minor factor of heart disease and only under certain conditions.
Here is a quote from Christie Ballantyne, M.D., a cardiologist from the Baylor College of Medicine – “The majority of people who end up having heart attacks or stroke don’t have high cholesterol.”
Here is another quote from an article in the Red Flags Daily By Malcolm Kendrick, M.D. who talks about the Framingham Study results as published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“There is a direct association between falling cholesterol levels over the first 14 years and mortality over the following 18 years.”
You guessed it, the mortality rate goes UP.
Scientific research has also proved without a doubt that as people lower their LDL cholesterol level, their chances for stroke go up.
Using cholesterol lowering drugs may artificially lower cholesterol levels, however, they will also increase the death rate from stroke. And because of toxicity to the body, you will also face liver and kidney failure.
You see, your body not only produces cholesterol, it also needs cholesterol for a variety of functions. Cholesterol is an essential part of each and every cell membrane.
Cholesterol also provides the critical starting point and building block for the steroid hormones in our bodies. These hormones include testosterone and estrogen.
As you can see, cholesterol itself is not bad. It is the oxidation of cholesterol which is just one of the factors of developing heart disease.
Oxidation of cholesterol is the more specific problem which would enable the cholesterol to become “sticky” and start to form plaque in the walls of the arteries.
We have all seen an apple cut open and watch as it turns brown – this is oxidation. Your body will oxidize on the inside unless steps are taken to help prevent this.
The way to keep oxidation from damaging your cholesterol is to zap them with antioxidants!
You can keep oxidation of cholesterol in check by eating plenty of food and supplements which are rich in anti-oxidants.
A few of the most powerful anti-oxidants are:
CoenzymeQ10
Vitamin E
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
And the mother of all anti-oxidants – Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA).ALA is produced naturally by your body but, as you age, your body produces less and less.
Low cost food sources which you can easily get, which are high in omega 3′s and the right fats to help keep your cholesterol levels in balance.
Garlic
Ginger
Olive oil
Olives
Almonds
Walnuts
Flaxseed
Eggplant
Okra
Organic Eggs
Fresh fruit
These are easily purchased, safe, proven and natural ways to prevent cholesterol from becoming a problem.
And if you are someone who truly needs to lower their cholesterol, there is an organic plant alcohol from sugar cane which is one of the most powerful ways to reduce bad cholesterol levels. It’s called – Policosanol.
As for the majority of you, focus on raising your HDL cholesterol levels because as you raise your good cholesterol it decreases the concern about your LDL levels of cholesterol and gives you a better total cholesterol profile.
Some of the best ways to improve your “Good” or HDL cholesterol is through:
Exercise.
Vitamin D
Niacin
Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with raising HDL cholesterol levels
Sources:
Framingham Heart Study conducted on healthy people since the 1950s. cholesterol misleading as only one of 240 factors in heart disease.
Health Sciences Institute e-alert “Cholesterol Cowboys”, August 2nd , 2004, Jenny Thompson
Dr. Al Sears Health Confidential for Men – “Ignore the hype focus on cholesterol that matters” April 4, 2004
Hyman, Mark M.D., Liponis, Mark M.D., Ultra-Prevention, The 6-Week Plan that will Make you healthy for life, New York, Scribner, 2003
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Author: Lee Cummings
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Alternative Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a steroid normally found in all body cells and plasma. It is the most abundant steroid in the body. Gonadal and adrenal hormones are produced from cholesterol.
Do you know the function of cholesterol in your body?
What can you do to lower cholesterol naturally? Are we a society deficient in statin drugs?
Why is your cholesterol high in the first place?
If your cholesterol is too high (a total cholesterol over 230), the problem is not the cholesterol, as your body has raised its levels in order to play some type of ESSENTIAL role(s) for your survival.
The cause of high cholesterol is high starch carbohydrate, hydrogenated fats and low thyroid function. Emotional and physical stress can also influence cholesterol levels.
In general, cholesterol is increased in most endocrine or organ hypofunction and decreased in most endocrine and organ hyperfunction.
New research has revealed that LDL or “bad” cholesterol inhibits the breakdown of fat in adipocytes, or fat cells, suggesting that it is a regulator of fat stores. If a person has elevated cholesterol levels, it is a sign that their body, emotions or intellect are subject to excessive stress.
The majority of excess cholesterol is manufactured in times of psychological stress and dehydration. Elevated LDL can be caused from the body attempting to produce hormones as cholesterol is a precursor to hormone production. In addition, those with low thyroid suffer high cholesterol.
Remember that cholesterol is necessary and healthy because it is involved in cellular repair and reducing inflammation; it is oxidized cholesterol that is unhealthy.
Increased triglycerides, in conjunction with decreased HDL, is a more significant factor for coronary artery disease than elevated cholesterol by itself.
In 1990, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that normal cholesterol was considered around 200. Today normal is considered 160! Individuals with cholesterol levels below 160 cannot make sex hormones.
So much has been written concerning the evils of increased cholesterol, however very little has been reported concerning decreased cholesterol. Decreased cholesterol can be normal for a vegetarian and some people with a genetic predisposition to decreased cholesterol.
In addition, individuals with cholesterol levels below 160 are associated with compromised immune system, ‘ risk of depression, anxiety, respiratory illness, stroke and brain-related deaths such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s. Individuals with low adrenal or hypoadrenic (Addision’s disease) suffer low cholesterol. Low cholesterol is one of the signs of cancer (JAMA, Dec 1980).
Myths:
Cholesterol causes heart disease
Cholesterol is bad
Eating fat is unhealthy
High cholesterol is caused only from eating unhealthy foods
High cholesterol means you’re unhealthy
Lowering your cholesterol is healthy
Cholesterol Tips:
Every hormone in your body requires cholesterol as a precursor
Approximately 80-90% of all cholesterol is made inside your body and does NOT come from the foods you eat.
Elevated cholesterol may be caused from:
” Consumption of too many refined carbohydrates/sugars.
” Congested liver
” Excess amounts of stress either physical, emotional, chemical, electromagnetic, psychological
” Hormonal imbalances
” Inflammation
Cholesterol is vital for:
A precursor to sex hormones, vitamin D, and bile production
A repair substance – repair molecule
Cell membrane integrity helping maintain proper permeability
Child development in mother’s milk
Controlling free radical damage
Digesting the fats you eat
Female hormones. Women with higher cholesterol live longer.
Helping your cells receive serotonin
Side effects from statin drugs include:
Cataracts
Cognitive loss, dementia and memory loss
Deficiencies in fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K
Diarrhea, constipation, gas, nausea
Difficulty breathing or swallowing
Dizziness, fuzzy thinking
Elevation of liver enzymes – Liver damage
Headaches
Increased risk of cancer
Increased risk of suicide
Lack of energy
Muscle weakness
Pain and tenderness in muscles or joints
Rhabdomyolisis (serious degenerative muscle tissue breakdown)
Rashes, hives itching
Robs your body of CoQ10 enzyme which can increase your risk for heart disease
Suppressed immune system
What can you do to lower your cholesterol naturally?
Consume plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef and free-range poultry
Consider supplementing with:
o Biotics Beta-TCP to lower bile viscosity. This is one of the most important steps to take in high cholesterol.
o Biotics LipidSirt
o Omega-3 fish oil – Biotics EFA Sirt Supreme
o Pantethine, the coenzymatic form of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and cysteamine
o Reservertrol, an antioxidant found in red wine
o Tocotrienols – Delta and gamma tocotrienol were found to possess the greatest ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis
o Vitamins C and E
o Vitamin D – BioD Mulsion Forte
Decrease the amount of refined grains, sugar, dairy, fast food and alcohol. These increase inflammation in excess = ‘ triglycerides which = ‘ cholesterol.
To reduce inflammation: eliminate trans fats, sugars, grains, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, stress, overcooked foods, excessive cardiovascular exercise and excessive alcohol consumption
Drink plenty of water. Bodyweight x .7 = the number of daily ounces to be consumed.
Natural products such as plant sterols and green tea extract can be used to prevent the absorption of cholesterol from the intestinal tract. Green tea extracts have a cholesterol lowering effect.
Eat more good quality fats (raw butter, coconut oil, avocados, extra virgin olive oil and wild salmon).
Identify what you feel stressed about. Reduce the amount of stress in your life by adding in daily meditation and create time for yourself to relax every day even if it’s only 5 minutes.
Implement one change at a time. Gradual, consistent progress over time.
Lab testing to see where there may be hidden inflammation, specifically C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine. CRP is a protein that circulates in the blood, especially when there is inflammation in the body, including inflammation of the coronary arteries. CRP is a biomarker for systemic inflammation and a confirmed risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine is an excellent predictor of cardiovascular disease. An elevated homocysteine level is also a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease.
o Doctors are finding that CRP is a far more accurate indicator of a future problem with heart disease than cholesterol levels alone. The simplest way to lower the CRP level is to reduce inflammation in the body.
Turn the lights out by 10pm. Turn the television and computer off by 8pm. Get restful sleep.
Read more about cholesterol in my book, THE POWER OF 4 – Your Ultimate Guide Guaranteed to Change Your Body and Transform Your Life.
Copyright 2007 Paula Owens
Sources
Cholesterolmyths.com
naturalnews.com/025866.html
Westonaprice.org
Anderson RF, et al. Green tea catechins partially protect DNA from hyrdroxyl radical induced strand breaks and base damage through fast chemical repair of DNA radicals. Carcinogenesis, vol 22, no.8, pp 1189-1193, 2001
Skogsberg J, Dicker A, Rydn M, strm G, Nilsson R, et al. 2008 ApoB100-LDL Acts as a Metabolic Signal from Liver to Peripheral Fat Causing Inhibition of Lipolysis in Adipocytes. PLoS ONE. 2008;3(11): e3771 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003771
Author: Paula Owens
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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- Rent to Own Furnishings – A Rip-Off?
- Are Canadian Housing Prices at the Top?
- Low Interest Credit Card Checks
- U.S. lawmakers aim to lure foreigners to buy American homes
- BoE pushes banks to cut bonuses, dividends to improve balance sheets
- No monetary penalty for Fannie, Freddie in proposed settlement
- U.S. to sue big banks over risky mortgages
- Mortgages
- How Much House Can I Afford? Affordability analysis test
- U.S. housing prices show some gains
- Existing home sales fall 3.8% in May to lowest rate in six months
- S&P downgrades China’s property market rating
- Habitats | Clinton Hill, Brooklyn: Adopted by a Brownstone
- How Biweekly Mortgages Protect your Biggest Investement
- Food prices push China’s inflation to 34-month high in May
- Foreclosures Grow in Mortgage Market’s Top Tiers
- Hamilton Heights: Awaiting a Bounce
- The Mysteriously Shifty Interest Rate And Housing Industry
- Business Loans
- Micron CEO Steve Appleton killed in plane crash
- Price Chopper Supermarkets recall shredded taco cheese
- Novartis recalls four popular OTC drugs
- Best Buy cancels some online orders before Christmas
- Two major publishers announce bad news for newspaper industry
- Judge blocks Citigroup’s $285 million SEC settlement over mortgages
- Warren Buffett makes about face on investing in tech firms, acquires 5.5% stake in IBM
- U.S. Supreme Court upholds no limit on patient lawsuits against medical device makers
- Telenor refuses to pay $400M in fines to Bangladesh authority
- Post Office ads go after email
