What may be good for the heart could be bad for the brain.
Lowering cholesterol, especially bad, LDL, cholesterol, appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks. But new studies suggest that very low cholesterol might pose unexpected problems for the nervous system.
Researchers have analyzed data from a long-term study of Japanese- American men in Honolulu. Blood samples of healthy men were measured in the early 1990s. During the next decade, researchers noted who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Those with low LDL cholesterol initially were significantly more likely to develop this neurological disorder (Movement Disorders online, March 31, 2008).
This is not the first time low LDL cholesterol has been linked with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease. Other neurological problems also may be associated with low cholesterol. One study uncovered a link between low cholesterol and Alzheimer’s disease (Neurology, Aug. 11, 1999).
Scientists in New Zealand have been monitoring adverse effects of cholesterol-lowering medications. They have noted that statins may be associated with depression, memory loss, confusion and aggressive behavior (Drug Safety, March 2007). The authors point out that “Cholesterol is crucial to brain functioning.”
A new study (Neurology, March 25, 2008) links low LDL cholesterol to worsening of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). In fact, the researchers conclude: “The beneficial effect of hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) on survival of more than 12 months is, to our knowledge, one of the most important documented.”
Probably the most controversial issue hinges on whether lowering cholesterol with statin-type medications is linked to ALS-like syndrome.
The French researcher who conducted the study on LDL and ALS, Vincent Meininger, M.D., Ph.D., was asked in a Neurology journal podcast whether there could really be a statin-related ALS connection. He responded, “I think yes.”
It is very difficult for scientists to determine whether statin- type medicines trigger or worsen ALS. Many people have reported their experiences to www.peoples
pharmacy.com (analyzed in Drug Safety, February 2008).
Here is one example:
“My husband took Lipitor for several years. After a knee replacement, his leg muscle deteriorated, and no amount of exercise could bring it back. Then he developed swallowing problems. He had trouble breathing, but at the emergency room they found nothing wrong.
“He had a lot of pain and no relief even with pain medicine. His muscles weakened so much that he could not eat food unless it was put in a blender. He went from 165 to 113 pounds, losing so much muscle that he fell many times and could only walk with a walker.
“He was an active man before all this happened and exercised every day. He had so many tests to find his problem, but it was not diagnosed as ALS until the morning of the day he died in July 2007. This is a horrible disease and a horrible way to die.”
No one knows whether there truly is a relationship between statin- type cholesterol-lowering medicine and ALS-like syndrome. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating this issue.
Anyone who would like to report serious problems with such medications can do so at the FDA’s Web site (www.fda.gov/medwatch).
I desperately need your help. I was diagnosed with genital herpes three years ago, and this diagnosis has left me full of emotions. I am crying as I write this letter.
For fear of scorn and rejection, I cannot disclose this to anyone. I won’t ask for a prescription because if I got it filled, anyone who works in the store would know, even the kids they hire after school.
Are there any over-the-counter vitamins I can take to help with the discomfort and pain? I feel tremendous pressure to maintain this secret. The only reason I haven’t killed myself is because I have kids. I am afraid I could pass this on to them, so I constantly wash my hands and disinfect the house and car.
You are not alone. It is estimated that one in five Americans (45 million) is infected with genital herpes. Counseling can sometimes help overcome the emotional strain of this infection.
There are effective antiviral medications to prevent outbreaks or shorten the duration of an attack (Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, February 2008). Your doctor could prescribe acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), or valacyclovir (Valtrex).
You should not worry about the pharmacy where you purchase the medication. Your privacy is protected. If you prefer, though, you could use an online or mail-order pharmacy service. That way you wouldn’t even have to go to a pharmacy.
The virus that causes genital herpes is spread primarily by sexual contact, so you won’t infect your children. Of course, during an outbreak, frequent hand-washing is advisable.
I take hormone replacement in the form of bioidentical hormones from a compounding pharmacy. The prescription is a triple-estrogen compound with progesterone. The compounding pharmacist stated that because all three forms of estrogen are used, the risk that accompanies Premarin or Prempro does not exist. Conventional hormone replacement does not contain all three forms of estrogen.
Is this accurate? I have tried conventional hormone replacement in the past and was completely miserable, while I feel great using the bioidentical product.
Conventional hormone replacement therapies such as Premarin and Prempro contain a variety of estrogenic compounds. These are, however, estrogens that horses make, so they may be somewhat different from the estrogens your pharmacist used in compounding your prescription.
There are many claims that compounded hormone therapy is safer than conventional HRT. There are no studies to prove that statement, however. The Food and Drug Administration considers claims that bioidentical hormones are safer or better than conventional therapies to be false and misleading.
To better understand the pros and cons of hormones, we are sending you our Guide to Estrogen: Benefits, Risks and Interactions. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (58 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. W-49, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
I have a history of sleeping problems. I just started taking half an acetaminophen PM tablet (1/4 the adult dose) just before bed. This allows me to sleep through the night. Is this safe?
If pain is not an issue, you don’t need the acetaminophen. The PM part of the pill is diphenhydramine (DPH). This is the antihistamine found in Benadryl, and it makes people drowsy. At the dose you are using, there should be few, if any, side effects.
When I was a kid, I would get very bad nosebleeds. If nothing else worked, my mother would get
out her keys and drop them down the back of my neck. I wish I knew why it worked it so well.
We have heard from many people who have had success stopping nosebleeds with keys or a cold butter knife against the back of the neck. We don’t know why this trick works, but one reader offered the following from his experience as a medic doing water rescue:
“The keys work because of the mammalian dive reflex. Cold hits the nerves in the neck, causing the blood vessels to constrict. You might notice your pulse slowing too.
“The dive reflex is why cold-water drowning victims are not usually pronounced dead until they are ‘warm and dead.’ Cold water only in the face/head area shunts blood to the organs and away from the skin and slows the metabolism for survival. The vital signs are often too weak to detect.”
This hypothesis sounds plausible to us. We can’t offer a better one.
After a cruise, I was upset to find that solid ground felt like it was moving. This was very
annoying, though it did not make me sick. A friend said ginger worked great for seasickness, so I
sliced three pieces of ginger root into hot water and let it steep. The ginger tea made the ground stop moving that same day.
People often don’t anticipate that sensation of solid ground swaying beneath their feet after they have accustomed themselves to being on a boat. We’re glad to hear that ginger tea worked as well for that strange feeling as it does against actual seasickness.
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