17 replies to this topic

[stocks]

Few people are aware that coronary heart disease (CHD) was an epidemic of the latter half of the 20th century & is now almost over.

It was a natural epidemic, not caused by lifestyle.

At the peak of the epidemic in 1970 there were 520 deaths per 100,000 per year in England and Wales, 700 in the USA, and an astounding 960 in men in the West of Scotland, the world's highest incidence. Thereafter there was an abrupt and apparently spontaneous decline, by 83% during the next 20 years to 1990. This is an important observation as during this time there was no widespread effective medical intervention.

The decline continues. At present the death rate is about 20 per 100,000 per year and the decline appears to continue. We appear to have experienced a natural epidemic and it is now almost over. The cause of it has not been obvious, but when we realise that CHD has been an epidemic we can start to think objectively about what might have caused it.


http://www.drdavidgr...rt-disease.html

[stocks]

The sun and health inequalities in the UK

The importance of the sun can be illustrated by this map of the variation of sunshine throughout the UK. The variation is striking and the contrast between the south-east of England and the north-west of Scotland is particularly dramatic.

This sunlight map is also effectively a map of various health observations, and these include:

coronary heart disease (CHD)
multiple sclerosis
dental health
lung cancer
cancer survival rates
life expectancy

People living in the south-east are at a considerable advantage & people in the west of Scotland have the greatest disadvantage.The geographical inequality of health has been known for many years.

It is assumed that people living in the south-east are particularly virtuous, having an impeccable lifestyle that includes eating "the right foods". This does not stand up to scrutiny. The reason for the variation lies in the geography itself, not human behaviour. Greater exposure to the sun, mediated by vitamin D and improved immunity, gives rise to better health and greater life expectancy.

Government acceptance of this probability could lead to correction of the geographical inequalities of health. Answers are sometimes simple and obvious, if our eyes are open.



http://www.drdavidgr...ties-in-uk.html

[Rogerdodger]

Very interesting post.
Sunlight, cholesterol, and high fat foods are examples of what we have been taught are evil and carbs are good.

Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. Ayn Rand

Sunlight, cholesterol, and high fat foods are examples of what we have been taught are evil.
Recently those of us who have bucked the conventional wisdom are being surprised by the benefits of lower carb/higher fat diets.

After years of unsuccessful diets, we have eschewed breads, beer and starchy foods in favor of high fats and vegetables.
Weight has literally fallen of without trying, blood pressure has dropped, and blood sugars have normalized.

Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.

High cholesterol is good when you are older

The evangelists of the diet-cholesterol-heart hypothesis would not like this evidence, and it effectively has been suppressed - no-one seems to know about it.

My ancestors ate lots of chicken and eggs and most lived into their 90s!

Edited by Rogerdodger, 14 November 2014 - 10:57 AM.

[stocks]

High cholesterol is good when you are above the age of 60

The obsession of cholesterol during the past half-century has been a triumph of dogma over evidence. There are many aspects to this but one simple but little-known finding is that in people over the age of 60 those with the highest cholesterol level in the blood have the longest survival.

The evidence for this comes from three sources.

The evangelists of the diet-cholesterol-heart hypothesis would not like this evidence and no-one seems to know about it.

The conclusion appears to have been suppressed in the interest of those who benefit from the diet-heart-cholesterol hypothesis - pharmaceutical companies, food manufacturers and the academic departments which derive their funding from them.

There have been no studies published that show anything other than this detrimental effect of a low cholesterol level above the age of 60.


http://www.drdavidgr...en-you-are.html

[stocks]

Taking a pill is not enough. You have to get out in the sun.

There are several advantages from the sun that are not explained by vitamin D.

It has been known for some time that Nitric Oxide (NO) is a normal physiological mediator of arterial function (Nobel prize 1998). The research has now identified that nitric oxide is produced in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet light from the sun. It is this that appears to have the effect of lowering blood pressure.

We find many people with severe vitamin D deficiency resulting from little or no exposure to the sun. These are mainly people who almost completely cover their skin with clothes, very orthodox Muslim and Jewish women in particular. We are giving them vitamin D supplements by mouth to correct their vitamin D deficiency, but this new research from Edinburgh suggests that this is not enough and that there is no real substitute for the effect of the sun on our skin.


http://www.drdavidgr...o-sun-than.html

[stocks]

Mom Was Right: Catching Cold in the Cold

New research published in PNAS shows that colder temperatures may make your immune system more susceptible to rhinoviruses, the most common cause of colds.

Mouse cells infected with rhinovirus produce a weak innate immune response at 33 degrees C. The authors discovered that secretion of interferon-beta, a molecule important in the body's anti-viral response, is much lower at the colder temperature.

Furthermore, the authors found that other cells are less responsive to the presence of interferon-beta at 33 degrees. In other words, the lower temperature diminishes the host's front-line immune system.

This research hints that keeping your nasal cavity warm might be an effective way to prevent rhinovirus infection. Maybe Mom was right, after all.


http://www.realclear...old_109008.html

[stocks]

Few people are aware that coronary heart disease (CHD) was an epidemic of the latter half of the 20th century & is now almost over.

It was a natural epidemic, not caused by lifestyle.

Micro-organisms, inflammation and heart disease.

When a micro-organism invades the wall of an artery, a defensive inflammatory process takes place. The first line of defence is LDL-cholesterol and it accumulates very rapidly in response to the infection. The second line takes the form of large white cells called macrophages, the "big eaters". They clean up the inflamed tissues and ingest the cholesterol. This development in the walls of the arteries is called "atherosclerosis". Antibody reactions also occur and are very powerful.

As in other parts the body, an inflammatory process is associated with swelling and that is the case with CHD. This is typical of chronic inflammatory and auto-immune diseases.

The activity of macrophages may not keep up with LDL cholesterol deposition. Swollen patches called plaques then develop in the wall of the artery obstruct the flow of blood. In a similar way inflammation in the throat of a small child can cause swelling and obstruction and the illness of “croup”. Also inflammation in the intestine of people with Crohn’s disease will produce swelling, which can cause intestinal obstruction.

In the coronary arteries it is "rupture" of the surface of the plaque with the formation of a blood clot that brings about a total obstruction to the artery. The result of this is a heart attack, myocardial infarction, often with sudden death. Statins can stabilise plaques, thus inhibiting disruption, acting through an anti-inflammaory process and not inhibition of cholesterol synthesis.


http://www.drdavidgr...holesterol.html

[stocks]

Taking a pill is not enough. You have to get out in the sun.

There are several advantages from the sun that are not explained by vitamin D.

Not Just Vitamin D - The Radiation In Sunshine May Be Healthy

It’s important to get the right balance between too much or not enough sunlight.

Benefits may include the impact of sunlight on daily biological rhythms (such as the one governing our sleep cycle), reducing physical stresses on the body’s cells and increasing heat production.

Another important potential effect of sunlight is UV-induced suppression of the body’s immune system. Solar radiation does this by altering the activity of the white cells involved in turning on the body’s defence mechanisms.

At first glance, this may seem to be a bad thing because it could increase the risk of infections and skin cancer. But it can also have a protective role in reducing inflammation and therefore help against some inflammatory diseases.

UVA has also been shown to lower blood pressure, increase blood flow and heart rate, all of which are beneficial to the heart and blood vessels. This is probably the result of UVA causing the release of nitric oxide from skin stores, which promotes widening of blood vessels.


http://www.science20..._healthy-153482

[stocks]

The non-epidemic of stroke - Media headlines vs reality.

Media headlines:

Number of middle-aged sufferers of stroke soars!!
Poor diet and lazy lives send stroke rate soaring!!

Reality:

Since 1960 there has been a progressive decline in the risk of stroke.

The population is getting older - there are more middle-aged and elderly people, and therefore more people at risk of stroke. The prevalence has increased, not the risk.

Contrary to what we are all told, evidence indicates that mild and moderate obesity gives a survival advantage over the thin. There has been no sudden epidemic of obesity that would have led to such a sudden epidemic of stroke.

The excellent BBC Radio 4 programme, "More or Less" is a regular programme that looks at statistical statements and checks them for truth. In the edition of May 15th 2015 (available as a Podcast) Tony Rudd, the National Clinical Director for Stroke NHS England, said there was no epidemic: the incidence of stroke in middle-aged people is continuing to decline after all!


http://www.drdavidgr...p;max-results=7

[stocks]

Lung cancer and the benefit of the Sun

As only 10% of heavy smokers die from lung cancer, there must be co-factors. There must be one or more reasons why these 10% are subject to the bad luck of lung cancer whereas the majority of heavy smokers have managed to avoid this cause of death.

Greece appears to be a location in which the population is somehow protected from the adverse effects of smoking. The gradient of increasing smoking related deaths as we move from southern Europe to northern Europe suggests that this might be an effect of the climate.

If the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer occurs in the summer as opposed to the winter, then the outcome is much better. It is difficult to think of an explanation other than that the sun gives a survival advantage.

If someone smokes cigarettes, then it is advisable to stop. If not, it is advisable to improve vitamin D status by maximising sun exposure (but avoiding sunburn), or taking a vitamin D supplement by mouth, or both.


Perhaps the best plan is to live in Greece


http://www.drdavidgr...t-of-sun-2.html