(This is part 3 of a 4 part series. Sorry for the interruption yesterday. But, given the events in Charlston- and the world- I felt no choice but to interrupt the series.)
Continue reading Lowered cholesterol?
For decades, I’ve been telling my clients and friends that they are wasting their money buying vitamins. Because unless you don’t eat properly – or have a very specific condition (like the need for folate by pregnant women, calcium and vitamin D for some post-menopausal women, or those with macular degeneration needing antioxidants and zinc)- there is no value in taking these little pills (except to the manufacturers and vendors).
Continue reading Megavitamins are Megadangerous
OK. I admit it. I have not been diligent in obtaining my flu vaccine every year. My logic is impeccably bad- I haven’t had the flu, so…
Continue reading Flu Vaccine- for more than the Flu
So, we’ve been treating high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure as a means to preclude heart disease and strokes. But, we are not truly sure if that makes the big difference.
Continue reading Stop Heart Disease?
When I turned 50, my friend told me to consider taking an aspirin tablet every day. (Before you react crazily, I should remind you that my friend IS my doctor.) He suggested this routine because aspirin tends to ‘thin the blood’, rendering it more difficult for blood to clot and, therefore, block blood flow to the heart or brain. (Aspirin inactivates platelet cyclooxygenase; this precludes them from producing thomboxane A2. Thromboxane, in turn, is a vasoconstrictor and promotes platelet aggregation. Aspirin also has anti-inflamatory and vasodilation effects.)
Continue reading That aspirin tablet- NOT so fast!!!
ABCC9. No, I didn’t stutter- and I’m not talking television, either. ABCC9 is a specific gene that may explain my habits to you. It affords its ‘owners’ the ability to sleep for shorter periods than those that lack this genetic marker. By the way, the larger a person’s BMI [body mass index], the less sleep that person generally needs- but that characteristic is also associated with diabetes and heart disease. (Given these facts, it is unclear if these maladies are associated with shorter sleep or larger BMI.)
Continue reading It’s my genes- really?
