Well, I had my tooth extracted yesterday, and am without pain for the first time in several days. I don’t know how you feel, but to me, mouth pain is the toughest to cope with. To get an implant costs $3000.00, unless I go to Mexico, in which case it is ~$1000.00. Hmmm, let me think on that one.
Once again, the ounce of prevention is much better than the pound of cure (and less expensive). I had a period of about 15 years in my life between the ages of 18-33, when I did not seek dental care. I had a traumatic experience as an 11 year-old, and I was afraid to seek out a dentist. I’m sure that didn’t help my teeth any. The prevention thing is the way to go with all aspects of your health. When you have a health issue, whether it be high blood pressure, high blood glucose, or high cholesterol, etc., you don’t have to immediately start on pharma medication, as many doctors are wont to put you on. Start with a healthy diet, exercise, and nutritional supplements and see where that takes you.
On the matter of high cholesterol, the “experts” keep lowering the level at which you are deemed “healthy”. It was 220 for a while, then 200, now it’s 180. I ask why and you should too. Firstly, let’s point out that cholesterol is not bad in and of itself. The body needs cholesterol to maintain proper cell membrane function meaning every cell in your body requires it. Using cholesterol (CHL), your liver makes up bile acids, which are vital in the absorption of fats, oils, and fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin D and the important hormones (sex hormones, adrenal corticosteroids) need CHL, and the skin uses CHL to protect us from the sun, wind, and water. CHL helps damaged skin heal, and prevents infections. It also acts as an antioxidant, and offers protection from certain cancers. Without cholesterol, we would not survive.
The liver makes enough CHL for the needs of the entire body from the breakdown of fruit sugars and protein, as well as from essential fatty acids. The body’s cells make the CHL need in response to it’s daily needs. For instance, when we drink alcohol, it dissolves in and fluidizes cell membranes. In response, cells build more CHL into the membrane to bring it back to a normal state. As the alcohol wears off, the excess CHL is hooked up to an essential fatty acid like omega-3’s, shipped via the blood to the liver to be changed into bile salts for excretion. So why the big scare for high CHL? Can you say pharmaceutical companies?
The high CHL theorywas first advanced over 40 years ago, and has now become dogma. However, despite all of the CHL lowering of the past 40years, heart disease is still on the rise. The evidence suggests that we are barking up the wrong tree. There is no medical substance as widely publicized by the medical profession. “The CHL lowering enterprise threatens to turn a large percentage of the healthy population into patients….” (Dr. Ross Trattler & Dr. Adrian Jones-“Better Health through Natural Healing”).
There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” cholesterol. LDL’s carry CHL, triglycerides, and fat-soluble vitamins to the cells where they are needed, HDL’s take them back to the liver. Consider the following statistics:
* CHL consumption has remained constant over the past 100 years while heart disease rates have skyrocketed.
*The US Framington Heart Study found that there is “no discernible association between the amount of CHL in the diet and the level of CHL in the blood.”
*People in other cultures consume far more CHL than we do, yet have a fraction of the heart disease.
*The Lancet said in June 1931 that heart disease was almost unknown before 1926, before margarine, when butter, lard, tallow and other saturated fats were eaten without fear.
*Drugs that lower cholesterol do not (statistically) reduce heart attacks or deaths from atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. Diet is the major cause of heart disease. The combination of high sugar, high fat, refined white flour is to blame. While saturated fat consumption has only gone up 10% in the last 100 years, the increase in refined carbohydrates and sugar has shot up an incredible 700%! There is a definite link between societies with extremely high sugar consumption and heart disease.
The second major cause of heart disease is lack of demanding activity or exercise! Over the last 100 years, activity levels have decreased dramatically, and heart disease has increased. Although not all of the answers to heart disease are answered, it seems the best cure is preventionin the form of a lifestyle change. Swallowing that little statin pill does not help. There, I feel better now.
Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.