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Essential Vitamins for Total Body Wellness

By On · Add Comment · In essential fatty acids, healthy diet, nutrients, nutritional health, nutritional supplements, sports chiropractic, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamins, whole foods

Vitamins are an important part of nutritional health, but they are not meant to stand alone.  Vitamins are to supplement a healthy diet, one rich in whole, natural foods.  However, I believe that receiving all the necessary nutrients from the diet alone, in this day and age, is nearly impossible.  To enjoy optimal health, then, supplementing with good vitamins is essential. 

Watch the video below to find out what I call the basics as far as vitamin supplements go.  You’ll also get a basic understanding of how each vitamin works to bring you optimal nutritional health.

For more on essential fatty acids, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin D, you can check my chiropractic website to get the most up-to-date nutritional information.  And if you are looking for a nutritional consultation, you can call my Los Angeles sports chiropractic office to set one up.

When it comes to great health, your nutrition is vital; and supplementing with essential vitamins is the wisest choice to make.

One Fish Oil Capsule a Day

By On · Add Comment · In cholesterol, essential fatty acids, exercise, heart attack, omega 3s, triglyceride

Have I told you how stellar my blood panel was? Not to brag, but…

I did have exceptional cholesterol and triglyceride levels–you know, the stuff that’s supposed to predict the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. But how can that be? I salt everything; I eat red meat three time a week. Shouldn’t I be the MI poster-boy?

Not necessarily. I exercise regularly and take lots of essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFAs are essential nutrients–that is, they are not produced in the body–so they must be obtained in the diet, or through a supplement. There are two classes of EFAs–omega 3s and omega 6s. We get plenty of omega 6 fatty acids in the typical Western diet. It’s the omega 3 variety that most of us are lacking. You’ll find omega 3 fatty acids, naturally, in fish; but you can also get them from a good EFA supplement (ask me, I carry the best).

Without going into the long list of benefits (you can catch them, here, in the following article), EFAs are important for cells, blood vessels, the brain, the skin, and many, many other tissues, organs, and processes. I’ve been pushing these babies for years. And I’ll keep pushing them here: If you aren’t taking omega 3 fatty acids regularly, what the heck are you waiting for?

Listen to this: According to this recent study, fish oil capsules do an equally good job of enriching the blood and other body tissues with healthy omega 3 fatty acids as fresh fish does. Wow! Get it? You can do just as well with fish oil capsules as you can with gulping down the fishy stuff. Not a big deal for sushi lovers; but for someone like me, who can’t stomach the taste of fish…well, it’s nothing short of extraordinary.

Let me reiterate. You’ve gotta get proper amounts of omega three fatty acids in your body. By doing so, you will do wonders in reducing your risk of heart disease. Trust me, it’ll show in your chem panel over time. However, exercise plays a big part, too; so you’d better get the fever for it, real soon. Omega three fatty acids plus exercise equals good heart health–enough to give you bragging rights.

OTC Statins?

By On · Add Comment · In anti-oxidant, atherosclerosis, cholesterol, essential fatty acids, free radicals, LDL, lipoproteins, Merck, over-the-counter medications, rhabdomyolysis, statins

In an unusual display of rationality, the FDA rejected drug maker Merck and Co.’s bid to make it’s cholesterol lowering statin, Mevacor, available as an over-the-counter medication. Hallelujah! I almost can’t believe it.

Statins lower blood levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) by blocking a key enzyme necessary for the production of these lipoproteins. LDLs, or low density lipoproteins, are known to be precursors of atherosclerotic plaques, which harden the arteries and can lead to such cardiovascular diseases as heart attack and stroke, our leading killers in this country. As a result of this number one killer distinction, modern medical science has championed statin drugs as the savior of American heart health.

But wait, statins are drugs, and all drugs have physiological side effects, some of which can themselves cause illness and disease. To paraphrase 16th century alchemist and physician Paracelsus, “Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy.” Ah, so very true. Should we, therefore, really make what’s currently only obtainable by prescription available to the masses at the local drug store?

Well according to some brilliant and sound-minded physicians (and one altruistic pharmaceutical company), the answer is yes. Proponents believe that everyone, not just people with high levels of LDL cholesterol should be on statins. Statins are today’s aspirin, you know, the drug one celebrity doctor claims we should name a town after. Ha, ha, ha. Oh, the folly of it all.

According to one brilliant mind, the sharp intellect known as Dr. David Nash of Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson Medical College, “You should put this drug in the drinking water.” Whoa! Do you all feel as safe as I do? That’s awesome. I’m so happy to see that some of our nation’s most highly esteemed physicians think that mass medication is the answer to our health woes. Even better that they hold so much influence over public health policy. Effin’ right aye!

But, thankfully, wiser heads have prevailed…for now. In a 10-2 vote, an FDA panel rejected Merck’s bid. The panel felt that “too many of the wrong people would use the drug if it no longer required a prescription.” Uh, yeah. They based their conclusions on a study of nearly 1,500 people, where many wanted to buy the drug although they were poor candidates. I guess the drug companies want to maximize profits by pushing out the middle men–namely, doctors! Call me crazy, but I still think the physician is the best person to evaluate a person’s need for a potent drug–yes, even more than television commercials. I know, I’m so yesterday.

Here are some of the risks associated with statin drugs: permanent liver damage, rhabdomyolysis (read about this man’s experience here), nervous system damage, neuropathy, kidney damage, erectile dysfunction, temperature regulation problems, and amnesia (careful, you’ll forget to take your statins). For a more comprehensive list of dangerous side effects linked to statins look here.

Why rely on statins when blood cholesterol can be lowered most effectively through sensible diet (read my book, read my book), exercise, and supplementing with essential fatty acids. Furthermore, we know that LDLs alone are not “bad”. Only when they are oxidized (mostly by free radicals) do they become sticky, leading to plaque formation on the arteries. So by taking a good antioxidant (read my book, read my book), you can seriously lower your risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Unfortunately wellness isn’t as hip as mass medication is in the current health (?) paradigm. Summing up this idea is yet another proponent of mass statin consumption, New York‘s Mount Sinai Medical School physician and Merck consultant, Dr. Valentine Burroughs, “We’re still failing to prevent this epidemic (heart disease). It’s time to take bolder action, to try new approaches.”

Yeah, like spiking our drinking water. Sign me up, man.

A Case Against Statins

By On · Add Comment · In atherosclerosis, bad cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, essential fatty acids, good cholesterol, HDL, heart disease, LDL, magic bullets, statins
One of the first things doctors learn in rudimentary physiology class is that, when it comes to preventing heart disease, high HDL or “good” cholesterol is more important than low LDL or “bad” cholesterol. In fact, HDL levels are four times greater than LDL levels in their ability to predict the development of coronary atherosclerosis. Basic, basic, basic physiology.

But an interesting thing happens between doctor school and practicing–it’s called influence from the outside world. In the case of doctors, that influence often comes from pharmaceutical industry. C’mon Campos, not another evil pharmaceutical industry story (hey, I haven’t written one yet, please). No, no–it’s more like another example of how we’ve come to worship outside factors when it comes to our health. Check this one out.

Recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that no matter how much bad cholesterol is lowered in the blood, it’s the amount of good cholesterol that still reigns supreme. Yes, the concentration of your HDLs (high density lipoproteins) plays a vital part in preventing cardiovascular diseases, like heart attacks and strokes.

Yeah, so? Well if you haven’t heard yet, those hyper-pedastalized miracle drugs known as statins are some of the most prescribed drugs of our day. Statins work by lowering LDL (low density lipoproteins) levels in the blood, and this, it has been promised, will lower our risk of heart disease. Great! Prescribe them like crazy. People don’t work out. People don’t eat right. Who cares? Give ’em statins. You’ve got boderline high cholesterol. Statins. You’re almost diabetic? Statins. You’ve seen the cholesterol commercial and you’re concerned? Statins.

Statins. Statins. Statins.

Well I’ve got news for you. You want to lower your risk of cardiovasular disease? You’ve got to watch what you eat and work out, period. Oh yeah…it’ll help if you quit smoking too, but how about just starting with exercise? You see, I’ve got a real problem with the idea of looking for magic bullets. They are illusions, people–ILLUSIONS! They give false security and false hopes. Nothing in life is free. You’ve got to work for everything. Exercise. Diet. That’s the real answer. Not statins.

OK, I’ll be fair. For people who have dangerously high levels of LDLs–if I was their MD–I’d give them statins for a very brief period, and I’d absolutely prescribe heavy doses of lifestyle management (read: nutrition and exercise). But I wouldn’t perscribe statins for people with boderline normal cholesterol levels as some Dr. Idiots are recommending (also read this–effin’ scary).

According to Dr. Philip Barter of the Heart Research Institute in Sydney, one of the lead authors of the study, “Even when LDL is taken down to very low levels, the kind of levels people say should be the aggressive targets, having a low HDL is still associated with a substantial increase in risk. (emphasis mine)” So, basically, you’ve got to work to bring your HDL levels up to par. And here’s the beauty: It’s the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL that really matters (see this brilliant explanation here), where total cholesterol = HDL+LDL. Therefore, HDL+LDL/HDL. So, if you bring up your HDL levels, you don’t need statins. Duh.

OK, here’s how you can raise your HDL levels–exercise regularly, eat wholesome foods, take essential fatty acids, and moderate your smoking and drinking habits. And you can naturally decrease your LDL levels by decreasing saturated fat intake, maintaining good body composition, increasing dietary fiber, and increasing aerobic exercise. Booyah!

But wait…fugdat. Ain’t there a drug I can take, Homey?

Sure Pfizer is working on one. It’s called torcetrapib. Oh wait. It killed people in a large drug trial. Oh well–I guess you’ve gotta work out. Says Barter again: The alternative is to “become lean and become very active. That’s probably as effective as anything we have at the moment. But most people who try don’t succeed,” Barter said. “The biggest frustration is that we don’t have the magic bullet like we do for the LDL.”

Ah yes, the ‘ol magic bullet. Well, keep looking–it’s your time, your money, and your health. If you want to believe, then be my guest. But I’ll just be over here dancing with the Tooth Fairy.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.