"The Two Sides of Medicine" by Warren Matthews

could have been averted ... if more people were aware of their risk factors and could correct any abnormalities

before it was too late!

Now back to the point of this story. My friend died of a blockage in his artery. Only takes one! If 15 years ago

the technology for measuring ALL the 'predictors' which indicate your risk of such an event were available AND my friend had understood what they meant he would probably still be showing those young fellows how to

do water-skiing tricks!

How many thousands of people are still dying needlessly because they do not know how to take advantage of current

technology ... or, in some cases are so opposed to mainstream medicine that they do not take advantage of the 'good'parts!

OK... what should you do?

First of all, if you are over 35 and have not had a blood test within the last few years ... arrange one... NOW!

Get a general one, which tests for:

* Cholesterol. Both LDL and HDL

* Triglycerides

* Homocysteine

* Lipoproteins

* Liver Function

* Renal Function

* Plasma Glucose

If you are a man over 40 make sure you also have a PSA. (Prostate Specific Antigen) test) Hint: There is recent

evidence that suggests that if you have had sex within the previous 72 hours your PSA levels could be affected.

Play it safe and abstain for 2 - 3 days before your test.

Irrespective of your gender ask your physician if any other tests are also recommended for you. If each test

is within the normal range, that's great, you can rest easy knowing that you are unlikely to be subject to any

immediate health risk. You can then direct your efforts towards improving the way you feel and slowing down your

aging process.

If any of your tests are abnormal you will need to do something about bringing them back to within 'normal'

ranges ... and possibly be subject to more tests. It is the treatment of any abnormalities from these blood tests

that create a potential conflict between 'Askelepians' and 'Hygeians'.

Here is an example of potential conflict

Let's say your tests show that your cholesterol is 'out of whack', your 'mainstream' physician may first

propose lowering your intake of diet cholesterol. That's unlikely to be successful as ingested cholesterol only

makes up a relatively small percentage of blood cholesterol.

They will next likely propose one of the cholesterol lowering drugs commonly known as 'statins'. These are

drugs that work by blocking an enzyme that your liver needs to manufacture cholesterol. (Up to 80% of your

blood cholesterol is manufactured by your liver, NOT from the ingestion of cholesterol within your diet).

These statin drugs are very powerful and have been known to cause serious side effects including deaths.

In fact Bayers were recently forced to withdraw their statin drug from the market place because of 'unacceptable' levels of fatalities. In spite of these

risks, sales of statin drugs amount to billions of dollars per year and are commonly prescribed.

It's ironic that there are natural alternatives to these statin drugs which can assist in lowering cholesterol, and do it safely, and without side effects. But the general

public hears very little about them as they are not patentable and there is not the financial incentive for

the big corporate's to promote them.

The same principle applies for many different ailments. There can be many legitimate methods of treatments. What

is important is that you seek out the natural alternatives and apply them before agreeing to subject yourself to the negative side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.

Pharmaceutical drugs are 'blockers' whereas natural remedies are 'enablers'

Pharmaceutical drugs are 'blockers' and do not normally heal the underlying ailment. They generally work by suppressing natural functions such as certain enzymes which I mentioned

earlier when giving the 'statin' example. Because of this process, results are often 'instant' and as such there is sometimes a place for these powerful prescription drugs in

the case of life threatening emergencies.

In contrast, natural products such as herbs, vitamins etc are 'enablers'. They work at correcting the cause of the ailment which is often a nutrient deficiency of some sort. The results are not immediate and have to be measured in weeks, or even months.

If you have a serious ailment, work with your physician to try and correct it... by first using natural remedies. If she or he is not familiar with the treatment you would like to try, do some further research and get hold of supporting information so you are in a better position to discuss the options intelligently. If your physician has a closed mind to natural remedies it may be wise to ask around and find another qualified physician with an open mind.

Go to Page 1

BIO:

Warren Matthews is the Editor of XTEND-YOUR-LIFE, a FREE bi-monthly Newsletter who's goal is to show you how to take
better care of yourself. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor by subscribing today.

A Free Subscription is available at ...
http://www.InstantEnergyBoost.com

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

Handmade Soap Facts by Yvonne Takhtalian

Benefit of Whey Protein. by Kevin Doberstein

Tai Chi Chuan – the ancient path to stress free living by Matthew Rochford

Is LASIK Right for Me? by David Snape

The Ayurvedic Approach to Menopause and Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy by Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39