Banks Curves

Reprinted from Dr K Steven Whiting’s E Journal (details below on how to sign up)

Vol. 3, Issue 9 - July 2007

New Fibromyalgia Drug Only Works For Some and Has Many Side Effects!
The drug Lyrica trade name for pregabalin has been used for those with nerve
damage as in diabetes, for some time. Recently Pfizer, the owner of the drug
patent, received FDA approval to use this drug in the treatment of
Fibromyalgia. The drug company is spending many millions on television com-
mercials in prime time spots as well as doctor education and patient samples
in an attempt to get fibromyalgia sufferers to start taking Lyrica. Unfortu-
nately, they are not mentioning the many side effects of this medication.
The Physician’s Desk Reference lists many annoying side effects, the most
common being dizziness to the point of having to stop using the drug. Other
side effects include dry mouth, indigestion, flatulence, weight gain(!!) water
retention, vertigo, confusion, incoordination, tremors, amnesia, nervousness
and blurred vision.
The sad thing is that in spite of these many side effects, thousands and
thousands of people will try this medication, looking for help and hope. The
reality is that this drug will probably only help a fraction of those suffering
from fibromyalgia since the disorder produces so many different symptoms.
Here at The Institute, we strongly feel that a big part of fibromyalgia is
caused by an excess buildup of toxins in the soft tissues of the body. Why
this happens to those with fibromyalgia we are not sure, but we do know that
by thoroughly and regularly detoxifying the bodies of fibromyalgia sufferers,
we can lower or eliminate the pain and other discomfort they experience.
Through using key nutrients we can change the chemistry of the brain allow-
ing longer and more restful sleep. Our fibromyalgia program is certainly not
the end all to this disorder as there is still so much more to learn about its
causes. We do have hundreds and hundreds of people who have benefited
greatly from our program.

Nutrition News….
Antidepressant drug abuse epidemic in the U.S. In a recent study the
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 2.4 billion
drugs prescribed by doctors and hospitals in 2005. Of those drugs, 118 million
were for antidepressants! This abuse stems from patients complaining and
often demanding drugs to make them feel ‘good’. Depression is a serious
condition no doubt, but what most of these patients need are life-style
changes rather than trying to treat these problems with highly habit forming
drugs. In his book, “Artificial Unhappiness: The Dark Side of the New Happy
Class”, Dr. Ronald Dworkin tells many stories of how drug use quickly becomes
drug abuse and then addiction, ruining thousands of peoples lives every year.
Life-style changes such as better diet, exercise and dietary supplements
focusing on the B complex nutrients can, in many cases achieve the same
results on a much safer and more permanent basis. We have used the Stress
Eze formula from Phoenix Nutritionals with great success, in changing the
body chemistry of those suffering from anxiety and depression.
Increased abdominal obesity leads to early coronary artery calcification.
In a cross-sectional study involving over 2900 black and white young adults, a
direct link between abdominal obesity and the early development of coronary
artery calcification was clearly established. After adjusting for other cofactors
such as diabetes, alcohol intake, smoking, and blood pressure, it was clear
that the individuals waist to hip ratio was directly associated with a higher
prevalence of calcification of the arteries in these young adults. This is sig-
nificant since calcification of the arteries, caused by free radical damage to
the artery walls, is the leading cause of heart disease. This is likely due to
the fact that free radical activity is much greater in those with higher
amounts of visceral fat.

Chronic, Silent Inflammation Is It Keeping You Fat?
In our ongoing research into the many factors that can cause weight gain or
prevent weight loss, the newest culprit to surface is something that many of
us would likely never think of and that is what is called ‘silent inflammation’.
This is inflammation that goes on in your body but does not produce any
noticeable pain or discomfort, which is why it is called ‘silent.’
Many chronic degenerative diseases either produce ongoing silent inflamma-
tion or are caused by silent inflammation to specific tissues. Examples of
inflammatory related illnesses include the obvious such as arthritis, bursitis,
carpel tunnel and other joint and connective tissue disorders. Other examples
of diseases involving silent inflammation include diabetes, respiratory condi-
tions, skin conditions and especially atherosclerosis, the leading cause of
heart disease.
While these are relatively well known problems linked to internal inflamma-
tion, we are learning that this problem can also affect your body’s metabo-
lism. Metabolism is essentially, the rate at which your body burns fuel for
energy. This rate can vary greatly from person to person, which is why some
people can eat seemingly everything in sight and never gain a pound while
others seem to gain weight from simply smelling the fumes from cooking
pasta!!
Many internal factors can affect your body’s metabolic rate such as endocrine
hormones, the sex hormones, the presence of disease, and now we also know
that silent inflammation can play a big role in how your metabolic rate is set.
Ongoing silent inflammation causes the body to produce key hormones, which
have a direct effect on your metabolism, slowing it down. If you have ever
noticed the sluggishness that comes along with an acute cold or flu, you were
witnessing the temporary metabolic effects of inflammation. Silent inflamma-
tion produces this same chemical reaction but constantly, 24 hours a day.

In order to help you determine if chronic and silent inflammation may be
affecting your metabolism and preventing your weight loss, take this short
evaluation quiz.
1. Do you have Type II Diabetes?
2. Have you been diagnosed with atherosclerosis or heart disease?
3. Do you have seasonal allergies?
4. Do you have food allergies or sensitivities?
5. Do you have respiratory problems such as sinusitis, bronchitis or asthma?
6. Do you get frequent colds and infections?
7. Do you have skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema or acne?
8. Do you have arthritis, bursitis or other inflammatory joint conditions?
9. Do you have an autoimmune disease?
10. Do you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
11. Do you work in an environment with poor lighting and/or poor ventilation?
12. Are you exposed to toxic chemicals in your work or living environment?
13. Do you have ADHD, or autism?
14. Are you overweight by more than 30 pounds?
15. Do you consume processed meats and cheeses regularly?
16. Do you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages daily?
17. Do you exercise less than 30 minutes, 3 times per week?
18. Do you consume a diet heavily filled with refined carbohydrates?
19. Do you take prescription medications?
20. Do you have an excess amount of stress in your life?
Add up all the yes answers. If you answered yes to 2 or 3 questions, silent
inflammation may be affecting your chemistry. If you answer yes to 4 or more
questions, it’s almost a guarantee that silent inflammation is affecting both
your health and your metabolism!

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