Healthy by Nature radio show this week: Something for everyone…Kari Allen is a former drug rep with an inspiring health story. (Today she is the inn keeper at Towering Oaks Resort.)  Mary Ellen Dorey also worked for a giant company. To solve her family’s health issues she became an expert in the interesting field of aromatherapy. Rick Wiastel is a personal trainer who once a week helps me and my husband try to stay fit. I’ve asked him to tell us the value of strength training, common mistakes people make in the gym and what listeners can do at home without joining a gym. Call the show with questions at 1-800-281-8255. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and ways to listen nationwide.
 
Drug Company Fraud

It is well-documented that the government typically enjoys a cozy relationship with drug companies. However, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline took so many highly visible liberties that the regulators were forced to reassert their authority by giving them a public spanking. Time Magazine Healthline describes it this way: “In the largest settlement involving a pharmaceutical company, the U.S. Justice Department announced on July 2 that GlaxoSmithKline LLC will pay $3 billion in fines and plead guilty to marketing drugs for unapproved uses and failing to report drug safety information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).” All though this fine sounds big, given the tens of billions of dollars the drug company made on those drugs over the 10 years before called to task, even that record-setting amount is little more than an affordable cost of doing business. LINK.

  Amazing CoQ10
You could say that the FDA routinely lets drug companies “get away with murder” and not be really stretching the truth much. Medical journals tell us that hundreds of thousands die annually as a result of medications. But that is perceived by the agency as an acceptable risk in trade for the benefits they perceive from the drugs. Yet the agency has a much different attitude about nutritional supplements. Since they see little to no benefit from supplements (because they really don’t look), they don’t want to allow any risk, not even a tummy ache. They also perpetuate a rumor that supplements are “unregulated”. That’s ridiculous. Just ask any legitimate supplement maker. They will tell you they feel quite hamstrung by FDA regulations and expect frequent visits from inspectors to monitor their good manufacturing practices.

One example of FDA’s biased overreach was back in the early 1990’s when the agency wanted to remove CoQ10 from the marketplace. In fact, the Texas Department of Health, acting on FDA guidance, actually did confiscate CoQ10 from the shelves of Whole Foods stores. That absurdity helped to fuel a public uproar that in turn stimulated passage of legislation to reign in the agency a bit. Read below exactly what FDA was “protecting” you from:

CoQ10 (Co-enzyme Q10 or Ubiquinone) is an enzyme present in virtually every cell in the body. It helps generate the energy required by cells to fulfill their particular roles. CoQ10 protects cells from oxidative damage and inflammation. Below are some examples of recent studies showing benefits. Keep in mind that scientists almost never want to call a connection “proven”. And, while some of the studies below used animals and that is not as valuable as studies on people, they are often very predictive. (Human studies are enormously expensive and are too often only funded by drug companies on their unique chemicals that can be patented. Natural nutrients like CoQ10 cannot be patented.) At the very least, this list shows the breadth of research interest in CoQ10 and how fundamental a nutrient it must be.

Alzheimer’s Disease-LINK
Coronary heart disease-LINK
Depression-LINK
Down syndrome-LINK
Exercise tolerance-LINK
Headache of fibromyalgia- LINK
Heart failure-LINK
Liver injury from acetaminophen toxicity-LINK
Lung cancer –LINK
Parkinson’s-LINK

Practical application. Our bodies make CoQ10. Meat and fish are among the better dietary sources. However, we may not make enough (production declines with age) or eat enough for optimum function. We may also be interfering with its production by smoking or taking medications. Statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs are a case in point. They diminish CoQ10. That may explain some statin side effects such as muscle weakness. Also, since CoQ10 is especially critical for the action of heart cells, reducing CoQ10 seems to work against the very cardiovascular protection for which the statins are prescribed. CoQ10 is extremely safe. In the days when the FDA wanted to seize it, CoQ10 was typically sold in 30-60 mg doses. Now 100 mg seems to be the starting point. Higher amounts up to 400 mg are more effective if you are working on a serious health challenge. CoQ10 is absorbed better if taken with a meal that contains some fat. Or, better yet, buy the more advanced form, ubiquinol, because it is absorbed much more completely.

  LAST WEEK
I was excited to talk with Mary T. Newport, MD about her book, Alzheimer’s Disease: What If There Was a Cure? She also had some interesting ideas about coconut oil. Link to her articles.

Please help spread the good word-forward this newsletter to friends and family.

My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book: Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2012 Martie Whittekin, CCN