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Fears are growing over the side effects of cholesterol-lowering pillsScientists have found the heart disease drug badly affects our stem cells, the internal medical system which repairs damage to our bodies and protects us from muscle and joint pain as well as memory loss. Last night experts warned patients to “think very carefully” before taking statins as a preventative medicine. A GP expert in the field said: “They just make many patients feel years older. Side effects mimic the ageing process.” The new research by scientists at Tulane University in New Orleans has reignited the debate about statin side effects which many doctors...

If you’re taking statin drugs to control cholesterol, you need to read this. From talking to patients, I’ve discovered that many people consider statins to be “miracle” drugs that allow them to eat anything they please without worrying about consequences. No wonder statins are the top selling prescription drugs in the country, with nearly half of the nation’s adults taking them.What many people don’t understand is that statins rob the body of an essential nutrient known as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This vitamin-like substance plays a huge role in our lives, since it is responsible for roughly 95 percent of the...

In addition, prevention is not the main focus of the pharmaceutical industry in the US. The reason is because they don’t make money when we are healthy. The same goes for the politician, i.e. they don’t get contributions when there is no crisis. Also, if the media did its job in reporting about the pharmaceutical industry they would not get the advertising funds from the pharmaceutical interests.

Statins, traditionally known as cholesterol-lowering drugs, may reduce mortality among patients hospitalized with influenza, according to a new study released online by the Journal of Infectious Diseases. It is the first published observational study to evaluate the relationship between statin use and mortality in hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infection, according to Vanderbilt's William Schaffner, M.D., professor and chair of Preventive Medicine. "We may be able to combine statins with antiviral drugs to provide better treatment for patients seriously ill with influenza," said Schaffner, who co-authored the study led by Meredith Vandermeer, MPH, of the Oregon Public Health Division.

New study reveals molecular mechanism promoting the breakdown of plaque by statinsIn a new study, NYU Langone Medical Center researchers have discovered how cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins promote the breakdown of plaque in the arteries... The findings support a large clinical study that recently showed patients taking high-doses of the cholesterol-lowering medications not only reduced their cholesterol levels but also reduced the amount of plaque in their arteries. However, until now researchers did not fully understand how statins could reduce atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fat and cholesterol that hardens into plaque in arteries, a major cause of mortality in Western...

Your right to choose your vitamin, mineral and other supplements may end in June-August of this year (2005). After that U.S. supplements will be defined and controlled by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The CODEX ALIMENTARIUS (Food Code) is setting the supplement standards for all countries in the WTO. They will be enforced by the WTO and will over ride U.S. laws. The U.S. President and Congress agreed to this take-over when the WTO Treaty was signed. Violations are punished by WTO trade sanctions. CODEX drastically restricts vitamins, minerals, herbs and other supplements. CODEX...

Can an over-the-counter vitamin-like substance slow the progression of Parkinson's disease? Rush University Medical Center is participating in a large-scale, multi-center clinical trial in the U.S. and Canada to determine whether a vitamin-like substance, in high doses, can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects about one million people in the United States. "At present, the very best therapies we have for Parkinson's can only mask the symptoms – they do not alter the underlying disease," said neurologist Dr. Katie Kompoliti, a specialist in movement disorders. "Finding a treatment that can slow the degenerative course of...

If Bruce Lipshutz has his way, you may soon be buying bottles of water brimming with the life-sustaining coenzyme CoQ10 at your local Costco. Lipshutz, a professor of chemistry at UC Santa Barbara, is the principal author of an upcoming review, "Transition Metal Catalyzed Cross-Couplings Going Green: in Water at Room Temperature," which will be published in Aldrichimica Acta in September. In it, Lipshutz and post-doctoral researcher Subir Ghorai discuss how recent advances in chemistry can be used to solubilize otherwise naturally insoluble compounds like CoQ10 into water. Never heard of CoQ10? Lipshutz says you're not alone. "If you don't...

Washington (ANI): Cancer-stricken movie star Patrick Swayze is expected to reprise his role in the sequel to the hit 1991 film 'Point Break'. If his health allows, the 55-year-old star would be reliving his character of 'Bodhi' for the film, reports Contactmusic. According to The Sun, the sequel is due to be shot in Singapore and Indonesia, however, the cast for the movie is as yet unconfirmed. Earlier this year, Swazye had confirmed that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. The 'Dirty Dancing' legend has reportedly readied his will, transferring his property worth millions to his wife of 32 years....

I am one who prefers to try an alternative form of treatment as opposed to a presecription. Has anyone had success taking COQ10 vs taking a prescribed blood pressure pill from your doctor?

Research Presented at American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session Reports D-Ribose Improves Ventilatory Efficiency in Congestive Heart Failure Patients MINNEAPOLIS, Mar. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- MINNEAPOLIS, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventilatory efficiency is recognized as an important predictor of survival and disease progression among patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Thus, improving ventilatory efficiency in this population is of prime importance. A research report presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session 2005 in Orlando, Florida, suggests that D-Ribose can play a significant role in this key pursuit.It is well accepted that failing hearts are energy starved...