Why Doesn't Your Doctor Recommend Fish Oil?

October 20, 2006

http://www.mercola.com/2006/oct/19/why-doesnt-your-doctor-recommend-fish-oil.htm

In Europe, patients who survive heart attacks are typically given a prescription for purified fish oil, which is rich in omega-3 fats. Prescription fish oil has been shown to significantly improve the survival rate of heart patients.

One study of 11,000 patients showed a 20 percent reduction in deaths and a 40 percent reduction in sudden deaths for those who took fish oil.

However, in the United States, heart attack victims are not usually given omega-3 fatty acids, although they are routinely given more expensive and invasive treatments. Prescription fish oil is not even approved for use by heart patients by the FDA.

Experts have pointed out that this difference underscores the role that drug companies play in the U.S. health care system. In the United States, it is not even legal to advertise fish oil as a heart disease preventative.

A recent study showed that only 17 percent of U.S. family doctors were likely to prescribe fish oil to patients who had suffered a heart attack.

New York Times October 3, 2006

The Ledger October 3, 2006

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

It's common knowledge how well fish oil protects your heart and health. Innumerable studies have shown that omega-3's:

Counteract or prevent cardiac arrhythmia

Prevent thrombosis (a blood clot within a blood vessel)

Prevent fatty deposits and fibrosis of the inner layer of the arteries from forming

Counteract inflammation (heat, pain, swelling, etc.)

Improve endothelial function: a major factor in promoting the growth of new blood vessels

Lower blood pressure

Lower triglyceride, or neutral fat, concentrations

But most American cardiologists, practicing within the rigid rules of conventional medicine, don't prescribe it. If you lived in Italy, however, leaving fish oil out of a patient's treatment regimen is considered such a huge oversight a doctor could be sued for malpractice.

Of course, American cardiologists won't allow patients to leave the hospital without enduring more than their fair share of treatments, among them implantable defibrillators that can eventually stop working and drugs that may do more harm than good.

The fact is, our diet contains far too much omega-6 fat (found in margarine and vegetable and sunflower oils), and far too little omega-3. Experts looking at the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids suggest that in early human history the ratio was about 1:1. Currently most Americans eat a dietary ratio that falls between 20:1 and 50:1!

The optimal ratio is most likely closer to the original ratio of 1:1. For most of us this means greatly reducing the omega-6 fatty acids we consume and increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

It is true that the American College of Cardiology now recommends that heart patients increase their intake of omega-3 fats to 1 gram a day, but it doesn't spell out how to get them.

That's a major problem folks, because the conventional approach parroted far and wide -- eating fish -- is unfortunately no longer the best option because of the presence of mercury.

Your best bet for getting your omega-3 fats safely: Taking a high-quality krill oil daily. This can go a long way toward helping you improve your health.

But wait, it gets even worse. Not only don't doctors in the United States advise patients to take omega-3, but doctors like me in the United States CANNOT directly sell it to you in this format.

The FDA has very specific rules and has given us warning letters that we have to remove all positive studies about omega-3 fats (like this one) from any pages that sell the product.

So it is NOT just ignorance folks, it is an outright conspiracy facilitated by the very corporations that control the FDA, the drug companies. They have manipulated and controlled the FDA to effectively minimize any competition to their monopoly of the health care system.

The last thing they want you to do is take inexpensive fish oil or krill oil that would improve your health and decrease the market share for their expensive and potentially lethal alternatives.

Yes folks, that is the truth about the FDA.

Please understand they have virtually nothing to do with protecting your health; they are all about protecting the interests of the drug companies.