Guest guest Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 Tue, 2 Sep 2003 14:36:31 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Borrowing From Peter... Borrowing From Peter... Health Sciences Institute e-Alert September 2, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, You may remember Susan Powter, the 90s exercise " guru " who liked to scream, " Stop the madness! " That was me last week, yelling, " Stop the madness! " when I read about Paul - a security guard in Peterborough, Scotland - who had his first heart attack at age 29. At the time, Paul smoked 60 cigarettes a day, and he weighed well over 400 pounds. And in spite of the fact that he ate a massive amount of food every day (his breakfasts typically included fried bread, a pound of bacon, a pound of sausage, tomatoes, baked beans, eggs, and mushrooms), he was shocked to discover that someone so young could have a heart attack. So Paul got a wake-up call and a quick education in dietary restraint. But when I read further details of Paul's story in an article in the online version of the UK's Evening Telegraph, I couldn't figure out what was worse: his diet before his first heart attack, or his post-heart attack weight loss plan, which included the use of an anti-obesity drug called Xenical (also known as Orlistat). Paul has lost a considerable amount of weight, but his health is still a ticking time bomb. ----------------------------- Misused as directed ----------------------------- Xenical actually inhibits the absorption of fat in the intestinal tract, so it's a drug that's custom-made for the mainstream tunnel-vision view that a low-fat diet is the " correct " way to lose weight. And Xenical offers a built- in incentive to avoid foods with high fat content. When too many fatty foods are consumed while taking the drug, side effects include diarrhea, gas, and stomach pains. In other words: the drug inflicts physical punishment when the user strays from a low-fat diet. Xenical is not designed to be an aid for the average dieter. It's intended to help obese people lose weight when exercise and dietary changes have little or no effect. But according to the BBC News, prescriptions for Xenical in the UK have jumped by a third over the past year, and since the drug was first approved in 1999, sales are up by 300 percent. So the question is: at this steep rate of increased usage, is Xenical being restricted only to obese subjects who are unable to lose weight? Or are doctors prescribing the drug as a diet pill for patients who are simply overweight? It's hard to ask these questions with a straight face. We know that there are plenty of doctors out there who are firmly fixed on the low-fat diet mindset, and also unwavering in their opinion that medication is the answer to most health problems. And there will always be plenty of patients willing to take a pill rather than exercise. ----------------------------- Case in point ----------------------------- Paul's case is a good example of Xenical used outside of the guidelines. Here's a seriously obese guy, whose idea of modifying his diet included, " three or four chops with my main meal and lots of potatoes. " And he admits that he didn't start going to the gym until after he started taking Xenical. So it appears that Paul's doctor didn't press him very hard on changing his exercise and eating habits before prescribing Xenical. But do the ends justify the means? Paul is 41 now. And although he's lost almost 200 pounds in more than a decade, he's still considered obese at 245 pounds. But because Paul's weight loss just might add years to his life, he represents a potential Xenical success story. I say " potential " because Paul has now had a total of 4 heart attacks. And although he's in better shape today than he's been in many years, he suffers from osteo-arthritis and angina (a common symptom of coronary heart disease). Meanwhile, Paul is coping with these health problems without the benefit of several important vitamins, including the valuable antioxidant properties of vitamin E. Because not only does Xenical block the absorption of fats (including types of fats that are good for us), but it also blocks absorption of fat-soluble vitamins E, A, D, K, and beta carotene. ----------------------------- Insert earplugs now ----------------------------- Pardon my yelling, but: Stop the madness! Any drug that purposely tricks the body into rejecting necessary nutrients had better have an EXTREMELY good reason for doing so. If someone is literally being brought back from the brink of death by using such a drug, then by all means, use it. But for those doctors and patients who would use it as a diet pill (for conditions far less severe than Paul's) only one word will do: madness. And yet, Xenical is flying off the shelves of UK pharmacies, and I found at least one web site that promises to supply it without a prescription. It seems that Xenical may be on the verge of becoming a best-selling fad. The sad thing is, most Xenical users will never understand exactly how the drug works, so when the long-term side effects of going without essential nutrients set in, they'll never know what hit them. ************************************************************** ... and another thing Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) may not be right for everyone. I was reminded of this when I received an e-mail from an HSI member named Bertrand who had this to say about the e- alert " Fuhggedaboudit! " (8/21/03): " Shouldn't you mention the possible increase in inside bleeding that may come with GBE, a disturbing side effect not unlike that of aspirin? Especially as you recommend doubling the typical dosage from 120 to 240 mg. Could you comment on this, and also give the amount given to the test patients in the 1997 Journal of AMA article? " The first thing I want to make very clear is that I didn't recommend a dosage for GBE. In fact, I never make any specific recommendations because I'm not a doctor. Nor am I medically trained in any way. The e-Alert is an editorial outlet that gives me an opportunity to provide you with information and research that you'll rarely find in the mainstream. So when I write about ginkgo biloba, for instance, I don't attempt to give you ALL the information available on GBE, but I always try to give you information from a perspective that you won't get elsewhere. Now - in the GBE e-Alert, I said that most herbalists and medical professionals who use alternative treatments agree that the recommended daily dosage of 120 mg of ginkgo biloba is too low. Many suggest that the dosage should be 240 mg or more per day. The amount that's right for any given individual needs to be determined by other health factors, other supplements or drugs being used, and only after consulting a doctor or medical professional. Bertrand is correct about the bleeding that can occur with GBE. But from what I've read, this bleeding is slight, and usually happens when GBE is taken with other agents that are also known to prompt such bleeding, like aspirin or the anticoagulant drug warfarin. So for most people, bleeding shouldn't be a problem. However, there are other side effects of GBE, including headaches and skin irritations. So anyone who begins taking a ginkgo supplement should watch for these conditions. In the Journal of the American Medical Association study report that Bertrand mentions, 309 patients took 120 mg of GBE daily for 52 weeks. And because it was such a long trial, this comment from the researchers gives a good indication of the overall safety of the supplement (which they refer to as EGb): " Regarding the safety profile of EGb, no significant differences compared with placebo were observed in the number of patients reporting adverse events or in the incidence and severity of these events. " Meanwhile, their research concluded that ginkgo biloba is capable of stabilizing and in many cases improving cognitive performance of demented patients. In other words: it was shown to actually stop and even reverse the onset of Alzheimer's in some patients. So for those who tolerate ginkgo well, the advantages may be invaluable. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " In Focus: When Weight is that Difference Between Life and Death " Peterborough Now (Evening Telegraph) 8/6/03, peterboroughet.co.uk " Fat Drug Prescriptions Soar " BBC News, 8/2/03, news.bbc.co.uk " Orlistat " Medline Plus Health Information, nlm.nih.gov " Use of Obesity Drug Increases in Britain " Dr. Joseph Mercola, 8/23/03, mercola.com " A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Randomized Trial of an Extract of Ginkgo Biloba for Dementia " Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 278, No. 16, 10/22/97, jama.ama-assn.org Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please go here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.shtml ************************************************************** ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSID618/home.cfm. ************************************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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