The Lancet online has published the results of a large Italian study aimed at weighing the effects of Omega 3 Fatty Acid supplementation versus statin (a class of cholesterol lowering drugs) therapy for patients with heart failure. Surprise. The drugs lower cholesterol... but don't prevent recurrence of heart attacks or death. (Omega 3 Fatty Acid supplementation has a modest but statistically significant effect in reducing illness and mortality)
"Tognoni said that the prescription of rosuvastatin or any statin to patients with heart failure should not be considered because the use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs does not translate into any clinically meaningful benefit for heart-failure patients." Source
I've long been suspicious of 'numbers drugs'. Those are the ones like cholesterol lowering, blood pressure lowering etc., that treat the numbers in a lab test, not real symptoms. As research progresses, we often find that things thought to be simple equations, like high cholesterol=heart failure, therefore low cholesterol=less heart failure turn out to be far more complex than that. High cholesterol is a created disease. It has no symptoms, can only be detected in a lab, and no one is actually certain of what it leads to. Except that it leads to taking expensive and side effect laden drugs. I am gratified by the results of this study, and reaffirmed in my respect for my profession: TCM sees the person as a whole, and disease and wellness as processes, not a mathematical equation.
Showing posts with label western med. Show all posts
Showing posts with label western med. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Monday, March 19, 2007
What? Antibiotics don't work for sinus infections?
That's right folks. The results of a new survey of millions of doctor visits show that most people receive antibiotics for sinus infections, which not only don't help most cases, but actually make things worse by creating antibiotic resistant bacteria. Read more about the study here.
Sinus pain, congestion, pressure and infections are something I see in the clinic all the time. Patients who suffer regularly come in begging for a few needles in the face:" give me the cat whiskers!" Acupuncture certainly gives rapid relief to the acute pain of a sinus headache and pressure. But what can one do in the long term to ease the often debilitating symptoms?
1. Regular acupuncture. No surprise that I am recommending this! But aside from relieving the acute stage, regular treatments can keep your immune system strong and your system at its best. Your Chinese Medicine practitioner can also provide herbal formulas for both acute and chronic stages.
2. Limit dairy foods, cold and raw foods and sugar. These all create 'damp' in the body, the pathogenic agent associated with phlegm, mucous and stagnation: recipe for congestion and pain. Other people find specific foods such as wheat sometimes aggravate their symptoms.
3. Sinus flushing. Even the staid voice of Western medicine is beginning to see the incredible power of this ancient Ayurvedic technique. Dr. Don Leopold, chair of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Department of Otolaryngology who worked on the sinus survey I mention above, suggests it as an alternative to antibiotics: one that actually works. A doctor might recommend something fancy in a package, but I send my patients to the healthfood store to buy a neti pot. The idea might take some getting used to, but if you have suffered with sinus problems and especially the toll chronic infections take on your life, you will get over it when you notice you have gone weeks, and then months, without an infection.
Tomorrow is the vernal equinox. Celebrate spring without fear of pollen: Breathe easy with the wisdom of Chinese medicine!
Kirsten
Sinus pain, congestion, pressure and infections are something I see in the clinic all the time. Patients who suffer regularly come in begging for a few needles in the face:" give me the cat whiskers!" Acupuncture certainly gives rapid relief to the acute pain of a sinus headache and pressure. But what can one do in the long term to ease the often debilitating symptoms?
1. Regular acupuncture. No surprise that I am recommending this! But aside from relieving the acute stage, regular treatments can keep your immune system strong and your system at its best. Your Chinese Medicine practitioner can also provide herbal formulas for both acute and chronic stages.
2. Limit dairy foods, cold and raw foods and sugar. These all create 'damp' in the body, the pathogenic agent associated with phlegm, mucous and stagnation: recipe for congestion and pain. Other people find specific foods such as wheat sometimes aggravate their symptoms.
3. Sinus flushing. Even the staid voice of Western medicine is beginning to see the incredible power of this ancient Ayurvedic technique. Dr. Don Leopold, chair of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Department of Otolaryngology who worked on the sinus survey I mention above, suggests it as an alternative to antibiotics: one that actually works. A doctor might recommend something fancy in a package, but I send my patients to the healthfood store to buy a neti pot. The idea might take some getting used to, but if you have suffered with sinus problems and especially the toll chronic infections take on your life, you will get over it when you notice you have gone weeks, and then months, without an infection.
Tomorrow is the vernal equinox. Celebrate spring without fear of pollen: Breathe easy with the wisdom of Chinese medicine!
Kirsten
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