A new study,  published in the journal, The Lancet Oncology, analyzes the results of a host of studies of popular blood pressure medicines and found that these “drugs in the class known as angiotensin-receptor blockers showed patients were 1.2 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a new cancer over four years than others who did not take the drugs.”(1)

“…Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a commentary the findings were ‘disturbing and provocative, raising crucial drug safety questions for practitioners and the regulatory community.’” reports Reuters.

I mean, this does not surprise me. Many times every month we hear that Drug A causes horrible side effects and may have to be removed from the market. Despite this pattern, the cycle repeats itself because people ask the wrong follow-up question. Instead of asking how to get off the drugs, we ask what drug will be developed or what competitor’s drug will fill the void. So then Drug B is marketed as the new and improved Drug A, only to cause a separate series of side effects – shoot, who knows – maybe enough to finally remove that drug from the market.

The sad thing is that society is going to keep repeating the mistake.

Not to get preachy, but when will people realize that DRUGS, all drugs, effect the biochemistry of the body therefore changing a process within the body? By definition, any chemical alteration will have side effects. When we address the symptom of a problem without treating the cause, we will create additional, new, unnecessary problems.

Here is what I, as a patient, would ask: why is my blood pressure high? What can I do to lower my blood pressure? If there is no option other than a pill (which, by the way, is not the case), what will happen if we suddenly lower my blood pressure with a magic pill?

Apparently, the answer is that I increase my risk of cancer.

Wouldn’t you want to know that? Wouldn’t you think twice about the pill if you knew that?

There are other options for addressing high blood pressure: deep breathing, exercise…and…

Chiropractic has been shown to decrease blood pressure within one visit and have lasting effects without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.And it certainly does not increase your risk of cancer.

Why is the media not talking more about this? Could it be that the billions of dollars the pharmaceutical companies pour into television, magazines and newspaper ads might influence the quality of the reporting of non-pharmacological treatments?

So, since the drug options for lowering blood pressure cause cancer and chiropractic lowers blood pressure without the cancer side effects…does that mean chiropractic can reduce your risk of cancer???

A study in the Journal Circulation from October 20, 2009 found: ED was predictive of all-cause death, which consisted of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for heart failure, and stroke.  The medications made not difference in this.  This is a BIG DEAL.

If there is a problem with blood flow to the penis it would make sense there may be a problem with blood getting to the heart tissue, the brain, etc.

Not to to be an alarmist, but I would like to see a similar study with individuals who constantly have poor circulation to their extremities and often complain of cold hands and feet. This once again is an issue of a decrease in the cardiovascular system’s output to provide oxygen to the extremities. Your brain is also an extermity so to speak, is it getting enough oxygen. Are these people at a higher risk, I like to look at this closer rather than simply writing it off as something to live with?

Basically the take home here is never use a medication to hide a problem or simply ignore it before you have gotten to the bottom of it.

(Health.com) — Women who eat more white bread, white rice, pizza, and other carbohydrate-rich foods that cause blood sugar to spike are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease than women who eat less of those foods, a new study suggests.

Men who eat lots of those carbohydrates — which have what’s known as a high glycemic index — do not have the same increased risk, however, perhaps because their bodies process the carbs differently, the researchers found.

Only carbohydrates with a high glycemic index appear to hurt the heart. Carbs with a low glycemic index — such as fruit and pasta — were not associated with an increased risk of heart disease, which suggests that the increased risk is caused “not by a diet high in carbohydrates, but by a diet rich in rapidly absorbed carbohydrates,” says the lead author of the study, Sabina Sieri, of the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, a national institute for cancer research in Milan, Italy.

I really like the first few paragraphs of the CNN article so included it above but I loved the study title more so included the abstract as well (below).

Dietary Glycemic Load and Index and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in a Large Italian Cohort

The EPICOR Study

Sabina Sieri, PhD; Vittorio Krogh, MD, MS; Franco Berrino, MD; Alberto Evangelista, BSc; Claudia Agnoli, PhD; Furio Brighenti, PhD; Nicoletta Pellegrini, PhD; Domenico Palli, MD; Giovanna Masala, MD; Carlotta Sacerdote, MD; Fabrizio Veglia, MD; Rosario Tumino, MD; Graziella Frasca, PhD; Sara Grioni, BSc; Valeria Pala, PhD; Amalia Mattiello, MD; Paolo Chiodini, PhD; Salvatore Panico, MD

Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(7):640-647.

Background Dietary glycemic load (GL) and glycemic index (GI) in relation to cardiovascular disease have been investigated in a few prospective studies with inconsistent results, particularly in men. The present EPICOR study investigated the association of GI and GL with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a large and heterogeneous cohort of Italian men and women originally recruited to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

Methods We studied 47 749 volunteers (15 171 men and 32 578 women) who completed a dietary questionnaire. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling estimated adjusted relative risks (RRs) of CHD and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results During a median of 7.9 years of follow-up, 463 CHD cases (158 women and 305 men) were identified. Women in the highest carbohydrate intake quartile had a significantly greater risk of CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.16-3.43), with no association found in men (P = .04 for interaction). Increasing carbohydrate intake from high-GI foods was also significantly associated with greater risk of CHD in women (RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.02-2.75), whereas increasing the intake of low-GI carbohydrates was not. Women in the highest GL quartile had a significantly greater risk of CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.26-3.98), with no significant association in men (P = .03 for interaction).

Conclusion In this Italian cohort, high dietary GL and carbohydrate intake from high-GI foods increase the overall risk of CHD in women but not men.

The American Heart Association published a study today indicating that 100g of sugar for women (6 teaspoons) and 150g (9 teaspoons)  for men.

The study defined added sugars as ” sugars and syrups that are added to foods during processing or preparation, including sugars and syrups added at the table”.

“Although trial data are limited, evidence from observational studies indicates that a higher intake of soft drinks is associated with greater energy intake, higher body weight, and lower intake of  essential nutrients”, which seems to make sense.

All you sugar fiend’s don’t think about taking the easy way out  by switching to artificial sweeteners because they a wide variety of health concerns that have been touched on already on the blog.   Just play it smart and limit the amount of sugars in your diet to 100 or 150g max and remember  one 12-ounce can of cola contains 8 teaspoons of added sugar, for 130 calories, according to the study.

Elasticity of arteries anywhere in the body can be a measure of heart health. But when aggravated over time, a sudden expansion of the artery wall can cause a number of negative health effects, including reduced elasticity, which can cause heart disease or sudden death.

“We’ve explained for the first time how high glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease,” say the researchers. During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries.

Talk to me about healthy snacks and/or alternate bar ideas to better maintain your energy level and your heart health.  For example, there are delicious, fructose-free snack bars that boast nutritious whey, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, glutamine, phosphatidyl choline and antioxidants for immune support and quick, satisfying nutrition – And may support improved blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity with a low carbohydrate load and prebiotic sweeteners like maltitol and xylitol that have minimal blood glucose effects.

Source: The Acute Effect of Various Glycemic Index Dietary Carbohydrates on Endothelial Function in Nondiabetic Overweight and Obese Subjects

ABC Reports Chiropractic Effective for Decreasing High Blood Pressure watch the report here.

A special chiropractic adjustment can significantly lower high blood pressure, a placebo-controlled study suggests.

“This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination,” study leader George Bakris, MD, tells WebMD. “And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems,” adds Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center says WebMD.com

“William Pelham Jr., Ph.D., director of the Center for Children and Families at the State University of New York at Buffalo and not involved with the study, said he thought the findings would establish that, “from a risk-benefit perspective, there is no justification for using stimulants as a first-line treatment [for ADHD].”

“I believe this study will add substantially to recent papers that establish that stimulant drugs, while useful for a minority of ADHD children when needed as a short-term adjunct to psychosocial treatments, have no long-term effects other than serious side effects,” including growth suppression, sudden death, and substance use, he said” according to a recent article in medpagetoday.com.

Ritalin and other ADHD drugs are very similar chemically to cocaine which is one reason it  they are quickly becoming the drug of choice for teens. It’s relatively cheap and accessible for them and is more incognito. And since it’s a prescription drug,  they perceive it to be safe. But if abused by taking at high dosage or by injection or snorting, it can be just as addicting as cocaine according to the U of U.

“The nonmedical use of prescription stimulants among U.S. college students is now at its highest level in 15 years,” said professor Sean Esteban McCabe of the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center according to an article in CCT. Most students contacted at UC Berkeley, Stanford, San Francisco State, Sonoma State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Santa Barbara said Adderall is usually obtained from friends for free or at cheap prices. But some say they have seen people sell the drug to strangers.

Of course, medications are indicated for some but other safer options should be utilized first before you put your child on a drug of this level. At ProActive Chiropractic, we integrate chiropractic care with many lifestyle and nutritional changes to conservatively manage or co-manage ADHD.  For example, too little sleep can increase hyperactive tendencies according to a study in Sleep described here.