Heart Stopper

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

 

Heart Stopper

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 08:39:06 -0400

 

Heart Stopper

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

 

September 23, 2004

 

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Dear Reader,

 

 

" It's clearly time for doctors everywhere to rethink antibiotic

usage. "

 

Last winter, I wrote that statement in the e-Alert " Protection Jumps

the Rails " (2/19/04), when I told you about a large, long-term

study that revealed a clear association between elevated breast

cancer risk and the overuse of antibiotics. In that study, the risk of

breast cancer was doubled among women who received 25 or more

prescriptions for antibiotics of any variety over a 17-year-period,

when compared to women who took no antibiotics at all.

 

For many years, antibiotics have been over-prescribed, often for

health problems (such as the common cold) that antibiotics have no

effect on at all. Now a new study shows that a popular antibiotic

that's been widely used since the 1950s may trigger cardiac arrest.

 

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Danger in the mix

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Erythromycin is an antibiotic with a secret.

 

For many years, heart doctors have been aware of a risk of cardiac

arrest when erythromycin is used intravenously. This risk has been

less well known among family practitioners who often prescribe

the same antibiotic in pill form to treat a wide variety of infections.

 

In the New England Journal of Medicine last week, researchers

from Vanderbilt University reported on the first study to examine

the risk of cardiac arrest when oral erythromycin is used alone or

with other medications.

 

The Vanderbilt team followed the medical records of more than

4,400 Medicaid patients, averaging 15 years per patient. About

1,475 subjects suffered cardiac arrest during the study period.

When the complete medication use of each subject was analyzed,

researchers came up with these results:

 

* The rate of sudden death from cardiac causes was twice as high

among patients using erythromycin, compared to subjects that

didn't use the antibiotic

* Two blood pressure medications that are sold generically –

verapamil and diltiazem – were both associated with an additional

increased risk of cardiac arrest when taken with erythromycin

* Other drugs associated with increased cardiac attack risk when

taken with erythromycin include the antibiotic clarithromycin, the

vaginal yeast infection drug fluconazole, and two antifungal drugs:

itraconazole and ketoconazole

 

Researchers believe that blood levels of these additional drugs are

boosted by erythromycin. This can result in a slower heart rate,

which in turn may trigger irregular rhythms, setting in motion a

cardiac arrest. In an interview with The Associated Press, the lead

researcher of the study, Wayne A. Ray, Ph.D., warned that

erythromycin levels may also be increased by drinking grapefruit

juice or by taking protease inhibitors used to treat AIDS.

 

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The big 4

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In addition to the breast cancer/antibiotic association and the

specific drawback to erythromycin use, there's the larger antibiotic

problem: bacterial resistance.

 

Bacteria are highly adaptive because they actually " teach " one

another to resist antibiotics. They do this by passing DNA-

containing organisms called plasmids, from one to another. The

result: Due to the excessive use of antibiotics, virtually all of the

bacterial infections known to scientists are becoming resistant to

even the most powerful antibiotics.

 

But contrary to what most mainstream doctors will tell you, there

are effective alternatives to pharmaceutical antibiotics. In the e-

Alert " Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid - Part II " (10/17/02), Dr. Spreen

told us about four natural anti-bacterial (and anti-viral) agents.

These treatments have yet to be adequately studied, but all of them

have many years of anecdotal evidence behind them.

 

* Vitamin C: Robert Cathcart, M.D. (probably the most

experienced therapist currently using very high doses of ascorbic

acid) has been treating with the nutrient for decades to get AIDS

patients back on their feet. In a published report he describes the

use of oral vitamin C in bacterial infections with doses as high as

200 grams or higher. He includes over 30 references of others who

have used very high doses in disease treatment.

 

* Grapefruit Seed Extract: " Citricidal, " a natural antibiotic made

from an extract of grapefruit seed, was developed from the

observation that something in grapefruit (though not in other citrus

fruits) keeps bacteria at bay for extended periods of time.

Bio/chem Research in California has done extensive research on

the antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties

of this amazing substance.

 

* Olive Leaf Extract: This flavonoid and antioxidant has been

tested as an antimicrobial agent, with sufficient power to achieve a

published status in peer-review journals.

 

 

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Say it with microflora

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For anyone who might try olive leaf extract (OLE), Dr. Spreen

offers this suggestion: " I'd add some acidophilus culture (also

called probiotics) to the mix, during and for a few days after the

use of OLE. The situation here is that OLE is such a good

antibacterial that it can also kill the 'good guy' bacteria that we

need in our gastrointestinal tracts. "

 

When I asked Dr. Spreen if he would also recommend the

acidophilus supplements to protect intestinal microflora in

someone taking pharmaceutical antibiotics, he answered, " Most

definitely - without exception! I go with 1/4 tsp (or capsule-

equivalent) before meals and bedtime, to be used during the

antibiotic therapy and also for one full week after stopping the

antibiotic. "

 

There are times when antibiotics are necessary and can even save

lives. But when they're casually and repeatedly used as insurance

against possible infection, they may end up promoting much

greater harm than good. So if your doctor prescribes an antibiotic,

press him for details, and, if possible, try an alternative.

 

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Sources:

" Oral Erythromycin and the Risk of Sudden Death from Cardiac

Causes " The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 351, No. 11,

9/9/04, content.nejm.org

" Common Antibiotic May Trigger Cardiac Death " The Associated

Press, 9/8/04, msnbc.msn.com

" Health Correlates of Recreational Gambling in Older Adults "

American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 161, No 9, September 2004,

ajp.psychiatryonline.org

" Gambling Linked to Good Health in Elderly " Diane Scarponi,

The Associated Press, 9/14/04, The Associated Press,

story.news.