MCVitamins News

Your Nutritional Education Site

1. Eat Dark Chocolate to "Control Hypertension"
2. The Pain Scale
3. What are Statin Drug Side Effects?
4. Taking Cymbalta for Neuropathy?
5. A Simple Fix for Heartburn

Eat Dark Chocolate to "Control Hypertension"

A team from Sweden has revealed that dark chocolate works on the body in the same way as blood pressure pills -- in fact, researchers have discovered that it inhibits an enzyme that raises blood pressure.

http://www.thehindu.com/health/rx/article886169.ece 

The Pain Scale

Designed by Andrea Mankoski, (c)1995,  This is the best pain scale we've seen to describe severity  (though not necessarily quality) of pain 

Remember, whenever a doctor asks you to rate your pain from 1 - 10, ask for a pain scale so you can be sure you're speaking the same language.

Pain Scale

What Are Statin Drug Side Effects?

Concern about high cholesterol levels has resulted in millions of people being prescribed one or more of a group of drugs called "statin" drugs, such as Lipitor, Zocor, etc., to lower their cholesterol levels.

Statin drugs chemically interfere with the normal operating basis of the body and this often results in serious side effects! Here are a few:

1)  Statin drugs are known to cause muscle pains and inflammation around the muscle cells.

2) People using statin drugs experience muscle weakness and fatigue. In fact, statin drugs have been shown to break down muscle tissue which can be fatal if not caught soon enough.

3) Studies have also shown that patients placed on statins have experienced a measurable decrease in cognitive function (mental awareness and judgment) after only six months.

4) Statin drugs have also been shown to cause nerve damage (neuropathy).

The FDA requires that the pharmaceutical companies tell you about any possible side effects that a medication may cause.  The pharmaceutical companies do this by providing you a booklet which has all this information when you get your prescription. 

When referring to neuropathy, or any of the many terms used to refer to the various forms of this condition (see below), the booklet may read something like, "..possible numbing and tingling" or "...pins and needles."

Please review your prescription information and see whether it may be a cause and/or contributing factor to your neuropathy. 

NEWLY UPDATED LIST OF CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUGS (STATIN DRUGS) KNOWN TO CAUSE NEUROPATHY AS A SIDE EFFECT:

Advicor, Altocor, Atorvastatin, Altoprev, Atorvastatin, Baycol, Caduet, Cerivastatin, Crestor, Fluvastatin, Lescol, Lescol XL, Lipex, Lipitor, Lipobay, Lopid, Lovastatin, Mevacor, Pravachol, Pravastatin, Pravigard Pac, Rosuvastatin, Simvastatin, Vytorin, Zocor.

These are the various terms for neuropathy that are found in the side effects listed for these statin drugs:

paresthesia: an unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking, or burning sensation on the skin.

neuritis: inflammation of a nerve, accompanied by pain, loss of reflexes, and muscle shrinkage.

neuralgia: an intermittent and often severe pain in a part of the body along the path of a nerve, especially when there is no physical change in the nerve itself.

vertigo: a condition in which somebody feels a sensation of whirling or tilting that causes a loss of balance.

dysesthesia: a condition in which light physical contact of the skin causes pain; abnormal sensations on the skin that can include burning, prickling, numbness, or pain.

hypoesthesia: an unusually reduced sensitivity to touch; numbness.  Also called hypesthesia.

hyperalgesia: increased sensitivity to pain or enhanced intensity of pain sensation; excessive sensitiveness to pain.

hyperesthesia: a heightened sensitivity of a part of the body such as the skin, or of any of the senses.

NOTE: If you're taking any of the above medications, you need to speak to your doctor about getting off of them and replacing them with a natural supplement.

Minimally, your doctor should put you on a medication that does not cause neuropathy.

Studies have also shown that patients placed on statins have experienced a measurable decrease in cognitive function (mental awareness and judgment) after only six months.

The trouble with using drugs to lower cholesterol is that they are man-made chemicals that are an unnatural and alien substance in the body.

Now there is a natural and safe way to reduce cholesterol levels without needing additional drugs.

For more information about Neuropathy and what you can do about it  www.mcvitamins.com/neuropathy.htm 

Taking Cymbalta for Neuropathy?

The drug Cymbalta is manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. Here is what author and investigative writer Martha Rosenberg found out about this drug:

"The first antidepressant to be introduced since FDA investigations into suicide/antidepressant links, Cymbalta itself was marred with suicides before it was approved. Five (deaths) occurred during Cymbalta clinical trials.

"Including previously healthy volunteer, Traci Johnson who hung herself in Lilly's Indiana University Medical School lab in 2004."

"Last May, the FDA ordered Lilly to add a black box to Cymbalta warning about suicides and antidepressants in young adults."

Here is a quote from Lilly's Cymbalta web site:

"Patients on antidepressants and their families or caregivers should watch for worsening depression symptoms, unusual changes in behavior, thoughts of suicide, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, restlessness, or extreme hyperactivity. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have thoughts of suicide or if any of these symptoms are severe or occur suddenly. Be especially observant within the first few months of antidepressant treatment or whenever there is a change in dose."

And here is a quote from the FDA's web site and what it has to say about Cymbalta:

"Suicidal thoughts or actions:  Persons taking Cymbalta may be more likely to think about killing themselves or actually try to do so, especially when Cymbalta is first started or the dose is changed.  People close to persons taking Cymbalta can help by paying attention to changes in user's moods or actions.   Contact your healthcare professional right away if someone using Cymbalta talks about or shows signs of killing him or herself.  If you are taking Cymbalta yourself and you start thinking about killing yourself, tell your healthcare professional about this side effect right away."

The investigative writer then went on to state:

"And in October Lilly was told [by the FDA] to "immediately cease" its Cymbalta campaign for diabetic nerve pain --an approved use-- which promises "significantly less pain interference with overall functioning." In a letter, the FDA says the claim "has not been demonstrated by substantial evidence or ... clinical experience" nor do the Cymbalta marketing pieces give precautions about liver toxicity or reveal risks for patients with certain conditions."

Martha Rosenberg is an author and investigative writer that has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Providence Journal, Arizona Republic, New Orleans Times-Picayune and other newspapers.

(If you know of friends or relatives taking Cymbalta, feel free to forward this article to them. You just might save a life!)

For more information about neuropathy and what you can do go to www.mcvitamins.com/neuropathy.htm 

A Simple Fix for Heartburn

"Heartburn" (sometimes called acid indigestion or acid reflux) is a burning sensation, usually centered in the middle of the chest near or above the breastbone (the bone in the center of the chest). If you find you are experiencing heartburn, there may be a remedy that is as simple as changing what foods you eat together at the same meal.

Many people experience the discomfort of heartburn after eating a meal where animal protein and carbs are eaten together.

Protein is digested by stomach acid, carbohydrates begin digestion with the saliva in the mouth, which is alkaline [Definition: the opposite of acid], and continues the digestive process in the intestines, which are also alkaline.

When you combine alkaline and acid in your stomach, they neutralize each other. This slows the digestion, the food sits in your stomach decomposing and gives off gas that pushes back up your esophagus [Definition: the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach] and creates a burning sensation.

So, if you are experiencing this type of pain, try not mixing protein and carbs. Avoid eating bread, potatoes, rice, etc., with meat. Eat salad and non-starchy vegetables with meat, or salad and non-starchy vegetables with carbs. 

Try eating food this way for a while and see if it helps reduce or get rid of these painful symptoms.