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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.

 

**************************************************************

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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