Guest guest Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 > " HSI - Jenny Thompson " > <hsiresearch > Who Let the Dogs Out > Tue, 06 Jul 2004 21:31:25 -0400 > > WHO Let the Dogs Out > > Health Sciences Institute e-Alert > > July 6, 2004 > > ************************************************************** > > Dear Reader, > > You have to love synchronicity. Sometimes it > provides good > theater. > > Just a few days ago, for instance, the World Health > Organization > (WHO) let the metaphorical dogs out with the release > of new > guidelines for developing consumer information on > the " proper > use " and regulation of complementary and alternative > medicine > (CAM). > > Meanwhile, the very same week, some unsettling new > information > about the world's best selling prescription drug was > published in > the Archives of Neurology. Too bad WHO didn't offer > some ideas > about the " proper use " of this very popular but > potentially harmful > " miracle " drug. > > - > High drama > - > > My favorite coverage of the WHO guidelines came from > BBC > News, which spruced up the dry WHO language with > lurid > warnings that people may " not only suffer but die " > as a result of > using CAM treatments. I would say, " Spare me the > dramatics, " but > it gets even better. > > The BBC article quotes WHO officials whose comments > make it > clear that they think of the public as naïve > children, in constant > need of bureaucratic protection. For instance, > Xiaorui Zhang (the > WHO coordinator for traditional medicines) told the > BBC that > most countries don't regulate herbal formulas, and: > " More than 90 > countries sell them over-the-counter. " > > I guess this is supposed to sound shocking, as if 90 > countries are > running amok and out of control. And that includes > the U.S., where > you can buy extracts from plants that may be growing > in your back > yard. And, yes, you can purchase them with ease, > over-the-counter > (OTC), just as you can with many drugs, such as > acetaminophen > and pseudoephedrine. > > The BBC article states that this past December, the > FDA issued a > warning about supplements that contain ephedra. > Actually, the > FDA didn't just issue a warning – it issued a BAN of > ephedra, > which took effect in the spring. Meanwhile, you can > still buy > decongestant medication that contains > pseudoephedrine – the > hyped-up pharmaceutical cousin of ephedra, which is > much more > dangerous than herbal ephedra in its unadulterated > form. > > And of course, these decongestants are all available > over-the- > counter in more than 90 countries. > > -------------------------------- > Giving and taking > -------------------------------- > > The same week that WHO officials released their new > guidelines > for regulating dietary supplements, a study appeared > in the > Archives of Neurology with this title: " Atorvastatin > Decreases the > Coenzyme Q10 Level in the Blood of Patients at Risk > for > Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. " > > Atorvastatin is the chemical name for Lipitor, the > cholesterol- > lowering statin drug that's currently the biggest > selling drug in the > world. And this new study is simply confirmation of > what > scientists have known for some time: Statin drugs > may lower levels > of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). > > In the e-Alert " Power to the Powerhouses " (6/28/04), > I told you > that CoQ10 is a superior antioxidant, essential for > the production > of energy in every cell of the body. Through many > years of > research, CoQ10 has been shown to be effective in > protecting the > cardiovascular system and helping to prevent heart > disease. > > Just a little ironic, isn't it? Millions of heart > patients who need > CoQ10 supplements are taking a drug that depletes > CoQ10. Yet if > WHO officials have their way, dietary supplements > will face > stricter regulations. Meanwhile, the UK has decided > to reclassify > Zocor (another best selling statin drug) as OTC, in > spite of the fact > that Zocor may cause muscle pain or weakness, as > well as liver > problems (according to the Zocor web site). > > I would ask, " What's wrong with this picture? " but > the better > question would be: Is there anything that's NOT > wrong with this > picture? > > -------------------------------- > One part harmony > -------------------------------- > > In August 2005, a new European Union (EU) directive > will come > into effect, which will – according to the BBC – > " harmonise " the > regulation of dietary supplement sales within the > EU. (To give you > an idea of how significant this is, all you need to > know is that there > are more citizens in the EU than in the U.S.) > > Harmony. Sounds nice, doesn't it? In this case, > however, this > " harmonising " will severely restrict the sale of > supplements, > putting ridiculously low upper limits on the dosages > of vitamins > and herbal products. This scheme is designed to > " protect " > consumers, as if getting too much vitamin C is a > dire problem that > needs solving. > > That's an idea only a drug company executive – or a > WHO official > – could love. > > ************************************************************** > To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, > visit: > http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopy.html > Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can > sign-up to > receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. > > ************************************************************** > > …and another thing > > Green tea has become one of the Big Kahunas of > alternative health > care in the past few years. But if you love your > black tea and just > don't want to give it up, don't be concerned that > you're making an > unhealthy choice. > > Last month, the American Journal of Cardiology > published a small > study from Japan's Osaka City University, in which > researchers > used ultrasound technology to examine the effects of > black tea on > coronary blood flow. > > Ten male subjects drank either black tea or a > beverage infused with > caffeine. Those who drank black tea had a > significant increase in > coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) about two > hours after tea > time, compared to the men who drank the caffeinated > beverage. > > A good CFVR profile indicates that the heart is > healthy enough to > respond well when increased blood flow is required. > The > researchers believe that black tea flavonoids may > help promote > elasticity in the lining of blood vessels. > > In spite of the modest size of the study, the Osaka > researchers were > confident enough in their findings to state: " Acute > black tea > consumption improves coronary vessel function, as > determined by > CFVR. " > > I'm not sure " acute " was exactly the right word here > – possibly > something was lost in translation. Let's just say > that, until their > results are confirmed by a larger study, it appears > that regular > consumption of black tea may help keep your blood > vessels young > and springy. > > So whether your favorite tea may be black or green, > in the end, > your heart benefits. > > To Your Good Health, > > Jenny Thompson > Health Sciences Institute > > ************************************************************** > > Sources: > " Guidelines on Developing Consumer Information on > Proper Use > of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative > Medicine " World > Health Organization, who.int > " WHO Warns on Alternative Medicine " BBC News, > 6/23/04, > news.bbc.co.uk > " Atorvastatin Decreases the Coenzyme Q10 Level in > the Blood of > Patients at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease and > Stroke " Archives > of Neurology, Vol. 61, No. 6, June 2004, > archneur.ama-assn.org > " Atorvastatin Lowers CoQ10 Levels in Patients at > Risk of > Cardiovascular Disease " D. Dye, Life Extension > Foundation, > 6/23/04, lef.org > " Incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized > Patients " > Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. > 279, No. 15, > 4/15/04, jama.ama-assn.org > " Black Tea Increases Coronary Flow Velocity Reserve > in Healthy > Male Subjects " American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. > 93, No. 11, > 6/1/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov > " Black Tea May Help Get Blood Circulating " Amy > Norton, > Reuters Health, 6/23/04, reutershealth.com > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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