NOVEMBER 26, 2019 PESTICIDES

There are over 1,000 pesticides used around the world. The United States uses over one billion pounds of pesticides every single year. Worldwide, that number is approximately 6 BILLION pounds. And each one has different applications, properties, and toxicological effects.

Outside of direct occupational contact through agriculture and landscaping, most people expose themselves to pesticides through everyday activities, like eating food and drinking water

These same pesticides in addition to slowly killing us are killing our bees. Not only honeybees are dying but many species . Rudolf Steiner predicted the loss of bees by 2020. If we don’t stop using pesticides this will happen Without bees a third of our crops will not be grown and the grocery store shelves of nuts, vegetables and fruits will be diminished.

Below is an example of some pesticides:

Herbicides kill or prevent further growth of weeds and other unwanted plants. Most herbicides are fairly indiscriminate and will kill any plant they’re sprayed on unless the plant has been genetically engineered to withstand them.

Fungicides target fungi, like mold, rust, and mildew that can be damaging to plants. Biochemical companies designed these to disrupt cell energy production or damage fungal cell membranes.

Insecticides may kill, repel, or otherwise harm various species of insects. Some of them attack the insect’s nervous system, and some of them can damage the insect’s exoskeleton.

Start supporting a pesticide free world.

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 25, 2019 TAKE ASPIRIN OR TAKE NO ASPIRIN

Bayer at the beginning of the 20th century founded aspirin. Today more than 60 million Americans use aspirin daily for the purpose of preventing a heart attack. I was taught this during medical school and further in my fellowship of Cardiovascular Disease. The use of taking aspirin daily is now controversial. I feel every month I read a new article on aspirin to whether it is good or bad.

Derived from the plant, Willow bark ( Salix ssp_)its use as a preventive medicine was solidified in 1982 Physican’s Health Study. This study showed that doctors who took aspirin daily reduced their risk of heart attack by 44 %. There is no argument from me for those taking aspirin daily for secondary prevention The following should take aspirin daily if

he/she

1. ia a heart attack survivor

2. those with coronary heart disease

3. those who have angioplasty or bypass surgery

4. those with unstable angina

5. those who have survived an ischemic stroke

6. those with peripheral artery disease or carotid artery disease

The question is for those who do not have #1 through 6. Should one take aspirin daily for primary prevention if never had those above. I disagree with the new guidelines. I believe that aspirin are needed for heart disease and for those who yet have been diagnosed. This means those with higher risks as diabetes and obesity both of which lead to heart disease. Heart disease is till the NUMBER ONE in America So those taking aspirin now for prevention should NOT STOP

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 23-24, 2019 SLEEP

Do you sleep 6 - 8 hours a day ? In addition to physical activity ( exercise) and a good dietary lifestyle, sleeping 6 - 8 hours per night is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. Longer sleep is considered a healthy habit. I was used to only getting 5 hours or less night sleep from my medical school years and less when in residency training. Today I try to be in bed by 10:30 and sleep till 5:30 a.m. The Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that the optimal duration of sleep for adults is 7 hours per night.

It is not known whether excessive sleep duration or daytime napping expose individuals to a greater risk of death and cardiovascular disease

There are many complaints I hear in the office which are related. Daytime sleepiness and nocturia ( increased urination at night) are the most common complaints. There are studies that sleep greater than 10 hours had a relatively higher prevalence of CV risk factors and higher among those day time nappers. This only proves that we really don’t know the exact amount of hours one should sleep. These studies give us a better idea on the risk of CV mortality and morbidity.

From what I read I interpret this: ‘ Many sleep patterns may predispose to increased CV risk by different mechanisms that we fully do not understand at this point.’

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 22, 2019 SLEEP APNEA

Obstructive sleep apnea with excessive daytime sleepiness was associated with a three fold greater likelihood of having a diagnosis of heart failure and a doubled likelihood of suffering a cardiovascular event.

So if you snore or know someone who snores( possibly your partner) you better get a doctor to write a prescription for a sleep study. At Fratellone Medical in NYC or Connecticut Integrative in Fairfield CT we are diligent about recommending a sleep study to our patients after the initial consultation for patients that snore or have sleep disturbances.

This was studied at great length at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. This study found different sub types of obstructive sleep apnea. These sub types were studied in particular to the long term consequences with respect to cardiovascular heart disease. Clinical subtypes were associated with different risks in the more than 1,207 patients studied.

It was found compared to those without obstructive sleep apnea, that the overall cardiovascular risk was driven by the sub type of obstructive sleep apnea. This was similar to another sleep apnea global study in Iceland.

There are more studies to validate these results.

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 CHOCOLATE

Would you rather eat dark chocolate or a drink a cup of black tea ? Or would you rather eat dark chocolate or have a tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella ?

We do know that dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate. Studies have already proven this. Good milk chocolate might taste better and less bitter but milk cancels the good effects of the antioxidants. Studies have shown that dark chocolate boosts blood antioxidant levels by almost 20 percent.

Dr Joe Vinson at the University of Scranton found that the polyphenols in milk chocolate to be higher than in red wines or black and green tea. Yes, milk chocolate polyphenols NOT dark chocolate. We know of course that the polyphenols n dark would be better than red wine. I never thought that those in milk chocolate would be higher. He even found this to be true when comparing polyphenols of milk chocolate against tomatoes.

So do you eat milk chocolate or eat a tomato?

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 20, 2019 TOMATOES AND STROKE

Tomatoes can reduce your risk of stroke. Who doesn’t love a tomatoe. It may be acidic, but grilled with olive oil it is very health conscious.

Tomatoes are ripe with the antioxidant lycopene.

A recent studied published in Neurology found that people with the highest levels of lycopene in their blood were 55 % were less likely to have a stroke than those with lower amounts. This adds to what is already known that more fruits and vegetables , lower our risk to have strokes.

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 19, 2019 SAFFRON

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried to be used mainly as a seasoning and coloring agent in food

This expensive spice appears to be as effective as the stimulant methylphenidate (MPH) used to treat children with ADHD ( attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). This was published data from a small randomized trial at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran. This group found there was no effective difference in the saffron vs MPH group.

Saffron and its active constituents appear to increase the reuptake inhibition of dopamine and norepinephrine . Saffron is also a GABA alpha agonist. This needs to be studied more

Saffron has been traditionally used for its antispasmodic, antiseptic and anticancer and its anticonvulsant effects.

It makes sense that this study was done in Iran as Saffron is a Persian herb

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 18, 2019 INACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN ORAL MEDICATIONS

I recently read a disturbing study about inactive ingredients found in oral medications. As a prescriber, I was outraged. As physicians, we have lost our rights- medicine is controlled by the pharmaceutical industry as well as the health insurance companies. Yes we have a medical license, a DEA certificate and a prescription pad, but we do not always get to prescribe the medications we want or the test we need to perform on our patients.

Overall 92.8 percent of oral solid medications contain at least one ( if not more) potential allergens. This dats was published in the March 13 2019 issue of the journal, Science Translational Medicine. Data from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston revealed that an average tablet or capsule of 42,052 orals studied had 8.8 inactive ingredients. How is this possible ? Only 12 % of active pharmaceutical ingredients are free of inactive ingredients. This means that 88% of pharmaceutical ingredients have inactive ingredients that are allergens. These allergens cause problems or disease.

This is scary. Does this mean we are getting poisoned by taking prescription medications. Perhaps this is why so many Americans have turned to natural medicines as supplements and herbs. I would rather turn to an herb or plant as a treatment

Until tomorrow…