Currently viewing the category: "blood pressure"

Snake Ointment Life-Saver

By On · Add Comment · In amputation, blood pressure, lymph nodes, lymphatic system, nitric oxide, snakebites, toxin, vasodilator, venom
Good news adventurers, campers, hikers and rangers–a new ointment has been developed that can increase survival rates for those suffering snakebites.  The ointment contains nitric oxide, which has been found to delay the entry of snake venom into the blood stream.

Nitric oxide (NO), not to be confused with nitrous oxide (NO2) or laughing gas, is a chemical messenger in mammals.  It acts as a blood pressure and neurological regulator, and has been shown to lower blood pressure in stroke patients.  NO works by dilating blood vessels (vasodilator), slowing blood flow, and thus decreasing pressure.  It has also been found to slow down the pumping mechanism of the lymphatic system, which is the point of entry for many types of snake venom.  Researchers put two and two together, and came up with an ointment they thought should decrease the entry rates of the toxin into the human body.

Bingo!  They were right.  In two experiments they showed that snake venom was slowed significantly in its entry into the mammalian blood stream.  In the first experiment the researchers injected a venom-like substance into one foot of 15 volunteers, and measured the time it took for the toxin substitute to reach lymph nodes in the groin.

They repeated the experiment, but rubbed the NO-containing ointment into the foot of the volunteer within one minute of the injection.  Amazingly, the transit for the venom-like substance went from 13 minutes to 54 minutes–a more than 4x decrease.

The second experiment looked at the survival rates of rats injected with snake venom.  The rats receiving the ointment continued to breathe 50% longer than rats receiving venom injections alone.

These findings are important as 100,000 people die worldwide every year from snakebites, while another 400,000 must amputate limbs that have been injected with poison. Godsend for snake charmers.

Currently, the most common treatment is to immobilize the patient and restrict blood flow as much as possible until medical assistance is available.

“These results point to a new method of snakebite first aid that may also be useful for bites to the torso or head,” the researchers concluded.

Finally, something snake-oil salesmen can be proud of.

I Have High Cholesterol

By On · Add Comment · In blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, health care crisis, LDL, medical paradigm, statins

I want to share with you a personal story about my health, which I think will be a great illustration of the conundrum facing the modern medical paradigm.

I just got my annual physical results from my doctor. He told me that my numbers all came back perfect. All except one: You have high cholesterol. Yawn. OK, how high. 270. This is high despite your HDL being pretty high also. And your LDLs, which are your bad cholesterol are 181. In the absence of other factors–like you are not 40 lbs overweight, and your blood pressure is good, and you don’t smoke–it probably won’t go down with diet and exercise alone, so…you’ll probably want to get that treated.

And my HDLs are at what number? 89.

And my total/HDL ratio? Oh…hmmm….well, that’s actually pretty good. It’s 3.1.

For those who don’t know, HDLs are “good” cholesterol; they remove the so-called “bad” cholesterol (don’t know how a substance produced by the body, and needed to break down and digest fats can be considered bad, but, whatever). HDLs in the 40 range are considered “normal”. 89, might I say, is outstanding…thank you very much.

The total cholesterol to HDL ratio is a good determinant of the risk for cardiovascular disease. Just for a little perspective, 5.0 is “average” risk. Anything under 3.4 is “very low” risk. I’m 3.1.

Here’s the problem: My caring doctor–bless his heart–knows damn well that I’m at a low risk for cardiovascular disease. I’m 41-years-old and in the best shape of my life. I’m 155 lbs, have stellar blood pressure (120/70), don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t do drugs; I’m on no medications; I do not partake in risky behavior. Why the bleep is he recommending treatment* (which is prophylactic statin medication, if you didn’t know)?

I’ll tell you why–for liabilities sake. He knows that if he doesn’t tell me that I have high cholesterol, and he doesn’t recommend “treatment” (frickin’ treatment, lol), and I drop dead of a heart attack, even if it’s because I snort a gram and a half of cocaine! he’s liable. That’s right–tort litigation! Just ask Billy Mays’ doctor. Coroners found cocaine in his system; but nooo, his family insists it was high blood pressure that killed him. Not saying that they are seeking damages; but it’s the potential I’m talking about. Every doctor is afraid of being sued. Medical malpractice insurance is one of the highest costs facing doctors today. So what do they do to keep their premiums down? Order every frickin’ test humanly possible. Cha-ching.

And they “treat” 41-year-old males in great health with statins, otherwise known as, “the best selling drugs of all time.“

It’s not doctor greed, I tell you–it’s attorney greed. And public ignorance. There I’ve said it. Nobody is talking about that part of the health care crisis.

*Just so you know: I’m not taking them.

Billy Mays: Cocaine Backlash

By On · Add Comment · In Billy Mays, blood pressure, cocaine, heart attack, hypertension

This just in: Well known pitchman, Billy Mays, had cocaine in his system that contributed to his death in June. A recent autopsy report concluded that Mays probably used cocaine “a few days before his death,” but whether or not he was a regular user was inconclusive. The 50-year-old infomercial pitchman was found dead in his sleep by his wife, the unfortunate victim of a heart attack, with cocaine being a likely contributor.

According to recent reports, the surviving Mays family is up in arms about the findings. They say that no outward evidence of Mays’ cocaine use is apparent; but the toxicology tests indicate its presence, along with therapeutic amounts of painkillers hydrocodone, oxycodone and , as well as anti-anxiety drugs alprazolam and diazepam. Hmmm…..

I guess the only thing I have to say is fifty-year-old men don’t often drop dead in their sleep. When it does happen (think Danny Gans) suspect drug use right off the bat. Cocaine raises arterial blood pressure, and anybody who has ever done it knows how it affects heart rate. The real kicker is that when you use stimulant narcotics regularly, you don’t have to be doing it on the day it stops your heart–Billy Mays is prime example of that.

The Mays’ family is questioning the coroner’s findings and are seeking an independent evaluation of the autopsy findings. The statement said the family was “extremely disappointed” by the release of the information. They said the report “contains speculative conclusions that are frankly unnecessary and tend to obscure the conclusion that Billy suffered from chronic, untreated hypertension, which only demonstrates how important it is to regularly monitor one’s health.”

I certainly get that the Mays’ family is embarrased by the situation and they want to keep Billy’s name clean; however, it does no one any good to hide the truth and blame hypertension alone. Can chronic, untreated hypertension cause a heart attcak in a fifty-year-old man? Sure. Will doing cocaine while having chronic, untreated hypertension increase your chance of a heart attack? Well, what do you think?

Listen, I ain’t knocking whatever Billy Mays was doing to enjoy or deal with his life. To each their own. But for those of you who like to play, you better understand that you might just have to pay somewhere down the line; and that payment may prematurely cost you your life. That’s all–just thought you should know.

Leave Salt Alone

By On · Add Comment · In blood pressure, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), high fructose corn syrup, hypertension, MSG, processed foods, salt, salt sensitivity
You probably think from the title of this piece that I’m going to push the same old “salt is bad for you” junk. Well I’m not, cuz it just ain’t a fact. As much as we are being brainwashed into believing this myth, the science isn’t there to support it yet. So put this one right up there with “fat is bad for you” and “masturbation will give you hairy palms”.

Unfortunately, the powers that be keep jumping into the act. According to recent reports, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering tightening regulations on salt labeling, especially in processed foods. I’ve got no problem with this except that it doesn’t mean dink. It isn’t the salt in processed foods that’s bad for you, but the processing–that is, the chemicals and sythetic foods (MSG, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, hydrolysed soy bean product, and the like) and the all around poor quality of the food.
These regulations are based on the rationale that lowering salt intake decreases blood pressure in hypertensives—that’s true; it does. However, there is no conclusive evidence that lowered salt intake has beneficial effects in healthy people. This public health fallacy came about when researchers found that some people are salt sensitive. Salt sensitive people do have a dangerous increase in blood pressure when they eat too much salt (i.e. too much for them). Interestingly, public health officials found that it would be a lot easier, and less costly, to recommend salt reduction for all people rather than test the entire population for salt sensitivity. And thus the birth of the low dietary salt fallacy.
Now here’s what I want to get across to you: I couldn’t care less about whether people eat less salt or the government decides to tighten labelling. What I’ve got an issue with is the dissemination of false information. Why should we all direct our lives based on a non-truth? And why should I (or any other salt lover) be forced to eat bland food because of the uninformed public’s desire to be healthy? Get my point? I’m the first one to cheer healthiness…when it’s based on truth. But when somebody tries to feed me bullshot and tells me it’s caviar, I’m sorry, but that shot don’t fly. I’m happy to curb my habits when sound science shows them to be dangerous, but I just don’t like the taste of bland caviar. Now put that in you salt shaker and sprinkle it.
For more on the fallacies of lowered salt intake and lowered blood pressure, please read this great article from Scientific America.
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