High Cholesterol, statins or diet? Covid-19 Update

One of the most common topics that is discussed in my office on a patient to patient basis, is the topic of high cholesterol levels.  Many people have come to me stating that they take cholesterol lowering medications (statins), yet their cholesterol number and HDL/ LDL ratios do not change. 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 40 is currently taking a statin drug hoping that it will decrease their risk for heart disease. Dr. David Diamond is a neuroscientist with a PhD in biology. He's also a Professor of Psychology, Molecular Pharmacology, and Physiology at the University of South Florida and a Research Career Scientist at the Tampa VA Hospital.  He ended up investigating both diet and statins as a result of having to address issues with his own health, and his conclusions are very different from the current status quo in medicine. “Well, the very first paper I looked at indicated that triglycerides are primarily produced from excess carbohydrates, particularly glucose and fructose,' he says.  'And as far as HDL levels, you see an association of low HDL levels in people who have high blood sugar. There was an obvious connection of carbohydrates in the diet to triglycerides and HDL. I was astounded by this. This was the first of many epiphanies I've had while studying cholesterol, diet, and heart disease.  I figured that what I needed to do is not to avoid the fat; I should avoid the carbohydrates! I actually talked to my doctor about this. And of course he said to me, 'Well, you're going to take a bad situation and make it worse, because by going on an Atkins-type diet, you're increasing the likelihood that you'll have heart disease.'  Nevertheless, from a few studies that I read at first – and it has now become a few thousand studies – I've learned of the linkage between carbohydrate consumption, elevated blood sugar, and triglycerides." Counter to his doctor's advice, Dr. Diamond dramatically reduced non-vegetable, processed, starchy carbohydrates.  He substituted the carbs with vegetables, proteins and healthy fats. After stubbornly remaining at nearly 800 for five years, his triglycerides plunged to 150 — without any drugs whatsoever — and his HDL increased dramatically, from 30 to 50.  “Indeed, I've treated many patients with high triglycerides, including people with levels upwards of 1,500-2,000, and I've seen patients' triglyceride levels plunge in as little as five days when cutting out carbs and increasing healthy fat.”   So the really good news about high triglycerides is that you can achieve rapid reversal by changing your diet.  Start a program where you eliminate carbohydrates and sugars and replace them with vegetables, nuts, beans, lean proteins and healthy fats like olive oil, walnut oil, fish oil and coconut oil.

Thought for the Week:  Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork. ~English Proverb

Chiropractic Thought for the Week:  Ancient Egyptians and Greeks knew of the body’s ability to heal itself. During the Renaissance, learned men theorized of “vital forces” within the body that helped it resist disease. The “vital force” they spoke of is what chiropractors refer to as the body’s inborn or innate intelligence.  Chiropractic is based on the natural philosophy that recognizes that there is an innate intelligence that uses the brain and nervous system to control and maintain the body’s internal systems in health. Interference to the nervous system can lead to negative changes most easily seen as decreased health or loss of function. But more than that, this interference can affect performance on multiple levels, some easily observed and others more subtle.

Covid-19 Update:  In an interview published in US News and World Report, Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and editor-in chief of MedPage Today, is concerned about the extremely large push for mass vaccinations and COVID vaccine mandates. According to Dr. Makary, mandating vaccines for “every living, walking American” is not well-supported by science. Makary said that vaccinating everyone in order to control the pandemic is based on the false assumption that the risk of dying from COVID is equally distributed among the population — but it’s not, he said. “We have always known that it’s very hard for the virus to hurt someone who is young and healthy,” Makary said. “And that’s still the case.”  Makary said there is no scientific support for requiring the vaccine in people who have natural immunity — that is, immunity from prior COVID infection. There is zero clinical outcome data to support arguing dogmatically that natural immune individuals “must get vaccinated.”  A recent Israeli study affirmed the superiority of natural immunity. Health Ministry data on the wave of COVID outbreaks which began in May 2021, found a 6.72 times greater level of protection among those with natural immunity compared to those with vaccinated immunity.  In June 2021, a Cleveland Clinic study found vaccinating people with natural immunity did not add to their level of protection.  Makary said instead of talking about the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, we should be talking about the immune and non-immune.  As far as younger adults and children goes, Dr. Makary said, “When it comes to vaccinating healthy kids — and you could argue young people up to 25 — there is a case for vaccination but it’s not strong. The COVID-19 death risk is clustered among kids with a comorbid condition, like obesity.  “Of the more than 330 COVID-19 deaths in kids under age 25, there’s good preliminary data suggesting that most or nearly all appear to be in kids with a pre-existing condition. For kids with concurrent medical conditions, the case for vaccination is compelling. But for healthy kids?”

Atlantic County, NJ and Covid-19:  Atlantic County has 408 new cases of Covid-19 over the last two week period, up from 311 cases the prior 2 weeks. Atlantic County has had 4 deaths in the last two week period, up from 2. On August 6^th 2021, there were a total of 638 people admitted in all of New Jersey’s hospitals for care of Covid-19 infections.  In the USA, 345 million doses of the vaccine have been given out.  35.8 million people have contracted the Covid-19 virus in the USA.

Vaccine Informed Consent Information:   Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System data released 8/6/21 by the CDC showed a total of 545,338 reports of adverse reactions from all age groups following COVID vaccines, including 12,366 deaths. Serious injuries increased by 7000 this week to a total of 70,105 between Dec. 14, 2020 and July 29, 2021. According to the CDC, as of July 24th 2021,  As of July 30^th, 125,000 fully vaccinated people have tested positive for Covid-19 and 1400 have died.  This week’s data for 12- to 17-year-olds show 15,741 total adverse events, including 947 rated as serious and 18 reported deaths among 12- to 17-year-olds.  2,323 cases of anaphylaxis, 406 reports of myocarditis and 77 reports of blood clotting disorders in the 12-17 year old age group. This week’s data for pregnancy /prenatal vaccination shows pregnant women had 2,636 adverse events reported including 912 reports of miscarriage or premature birth. As of July 29th, 344.9  million doses of the vaccine were administered. VAERS is the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S. Reports submitted to VAERS require further investigation before a causal relationship can be confirmed. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database contains information on unverified reports of adverse events following immunization. Reports are accepted from anyone and can be submitted electronically.

Pregnancy, Prenatal Chiropractic Care:  How often should you visit the chiropractor during your pregnancy?  Prenatal chiropractic care begins the first trimester with visits every 2-4 weeks depending on the pregnancy needs.  Once in the 2^nd trimester bimonthly and or weekly prenatal visits are scheduled.  In the third trimester, best prenatal pregnancy visits may be 1-2x per week in a healthy uncomplicated pregnancy.

Pregnancy and Chiropractic Prenatal Care:  My new video on prenatal chiropractic pregnancy care just was released on You Tube.  Search Doc J Zimmerman.  Or use this link for direct access to my pregnancy, prenatal chiropractic video. Best.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhiCFCFfvbM

Smithville, NJ 08205

Author

Dr J. Zimmerman, Chiropractor Dr. Zimmerman is a practicing chiropractor from Galloway, NJ with 30 years of chiropractic practice.