 Return to E-Zine Archives Index |
YOUR HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE
Vol. 4 - February 2000
http://www.healthyperspective.com
-------------------------------------------
------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
------------------------------
-Happy Valentine's Day
-Heart Health, cont.
-Heart Stories
-Heart Health Special!
-Nicole's Quick Bytes
-Healthy Recipe
-Healthy Kitchen Tip
------------------------------
------------------------------------
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
------------------------------------
Okay, so Valentine's Day is over. But it's a day that reminds us to let those around us know how we feel. And it's a good idea to keep this up the other 364 (or 365) days of the year!
Letting others know you love and appreciate them can never be overdone.
------------------------------
HEART HEALTH, cont.
------------------------------
How did you do on last month's heart health quiz? Did you find areas of your life where some improvement is needed? I think we all did. If you missed last month's quiz, check in with
http://www.healthyperspective.com soon. We are doing some renovating of the site, and soon you'll be able to access archives of all the back issues of Your Healthy Perspective.
We also discussed reducing risk factors last month. The following information, taken from recent medical journals, and appearing here with permission of the AIM Companies (from Partners Magazine, Feb. 2000), highlights the value of assessing our risk factors and acting on that knowledge.
Lifestyle and Cardio Health
The December 1, 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is devoted to cardiovascular disease and states that good health habits are at least as important
as medical breakthroughs. According to the bulk of research, regular exercise, eating right, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight are all recommended to keep cholesterol and blood
pressure low.
Journal of the American Medical Association 282, no 21 (December 1, 1999)
Exercise is Important Now, Not Yesterday
As far as health and exercise goes, it doesn't matter if you have not exercised in the past, as long as you exercise now. Researchers have shown that recent physical activity levels are much
more important than past levels of physical activity.
American Heart Journal 138 (November 1999): 900-907
I especially like that last bit of info about exercise. It makes me think of God's grace: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lam. 3:22-23 (NIV)
------------------------
HEART STORIES
------------------------
Last month, we talked a little about supplements which may increase cardio health. This month, we would like to give more information about a nutrient you have heard much of in the news
lately, CoEnzyme Q10. The following account is found in the February 2000 edition of Partners Magazine, and appears here with permission of the AIM Companies.
Three Stories, Three Hearts, One Solution
Joe Donohue from Brooklyn, New York, was worried. In June 1995, he had a heart attack and underwent an angiogram and an angioplasty. In December 1995, things turned bad again.
He experienced pain while doing something as simple as crossing the street and was short of breath.
Joe went in for more surgery, and the relief he found this time lasted a mere eight months. Then, four months later, he had a cauterization - a process that, as Joe puts it, "is like scraping
out your artery with a roto-rooter." It was now December 1996 - about a year and a half since it all started. Would it ever end?
It would. Also in December 1996, Joe discovered something new. He was sent a product containing coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a substance known for heart health. He took the product,
continued his regimen of rebounding (exercising on a mini trampoline), and hoped for the best. "I didn't really have great expectations," Joe says. "I was hoping for energy and the ability to
exercise."
A number of miles north, in North Dartsmouth, Massachusetts, Chris Greene was also looking for help. Chris, an active 44-year-old, had an irregular heartbeat. This was not really
dangerous, but having your heart occasionally stop does evoke some powerful emotions.
"Women have this problem a lot," Chris says, "and when it happens, you panic. I was often suffering through anxiety attacks."
Chris read some literature on CoQ10 and discovered that it is good for overall cardiovascular health and might provide energy. "I decided to give it a try. I was hoping to help my cardio
health as my family has a history of problems in this respect. I also wanted a little more energy."
A short drive away, in Westport, Massachusetts, Mike Henriques had another problem: bad gums. "I had gone to my dentist and he recommended that I have some periodontal surgery.
The gums were receding along the teeth. When I flossed, they bled."
Mike found the same solution as the others. "I heard that perhaps CoQ10 would be good for periodontal disease."
Three stories with three different roles for CoQ10. How do they end? Although all three of our "characters" were looking for something different, they all had the same result: Success.
Joe notes, "I have no more pain, I can breathe, I feel strong, I feel energetic. When I was in the cardiac rehabilitation center, I outperformed people who were there weeks and weeks before I
arrived. The cardiologists were amazed! My mental attitude, which is number one on my hit parade, and my whole philosophy has changed. I chalk a lot of this up to CoQ10."
Chris says, "I did feel increased energy, and my heart started beating normally. Of course, I was doing a lot of different things to help myself, but I'm sure the CoQ10 was part of it. Not
only that, but my panic attacks subsided. I'm not sure why, but they did, and that's important."
Explaining the energy lift more specifically, Chris says, "It is not like having a cup of coffee. It is not something that all of a sudden, bong, and then you crash. It is not like that at all. I
would take it at suppertime and not be awake all night. So it is not a 'speed' type of thing. You just feel better. It is a sense of well-being."
And, as far as the gum problem goes, Mike says that when he went back to his dentist after a few months, "my dentist realized that my gums had healed. Not completely, but the nine- and
seven-millimeter pockets were now five and six millimeters. Now when I floss, I don't have the bleeding gums. Without the CoQ10, if my teeth and gums had continued to deteriorate, I
wouldn't have these pearly whites."
Sound like snake oil? After all, the general rule is that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. However, CoQ10 has a proven track record.
CoQ10 was first discovered in the United States in 1957 by professor E.L. Crane and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Enzyme Institute. In 1958, the chemical structure of
CoQ10 was reported by Dr. D.E. Wolf and a research group at Merck Laboratories led by medical researcher Dr. Karl Folkers.
In 1963, the Japanese began testing the compound, and in 1965, the first clinical studies were performed by Yuichi Yamamura. Because of the positive results of these studies, Japanese
scientists aggressively pursued further studies on CoQ10, and taking CoQ10 daily soon gained wide acceptance in Japan.
As CoQ10 became more available due to more cost-effective processing, research picked up. In 1978, British scientist Peter Mitchell received a Nobel prize for his hypothesis about the
role of CoQ10 and the transfer of energy in the cell. In 1986, Dr. Folkers was awarded the prestigious Priestly Medal of the American Chemical Society for his research on CoQ10.
Initial research focused on the heart and the circulatory system, and today, the bulk of research continues in this area. Of particular interest is the role CoQ10 plays in regard to congestive
heart failure. In stage IV congestive heart failure, there is not only a deficiency of CoQ10 in the blood, but also a deficiency in the heart muscle.
Dr. W.V. Judy, a clinical scientist at the Southeastern Institute of Bio Medical Research in Bradenton, Florida, has been performing CoQ10 research for more than 25 years. He believes
that CoQ10 helps. When speaking of its use for congestive heart disease, he notes, "I think there have been 12 to 15 randomized, double-blind studies worldwide. I've run two and Dr.
Langsjoen in Texas has run two. What we see is that we can raise the blood levels of CoQ10 with supplementation. We can raise the blood level to 2.5 to 3 mg. per milliliter of blood, and
we can raise the heart muscle level up to normal at 4.44 mg. per milliliter of blood. And these people respond."
"We can reduce congestive heart patients from a class IV to class II, or class III to class II. We cannot cure them, but we can decrease the degree of failure, and even more important, we
can extend survival. We have heart failure patients that have been on CoQ10 for 14 years."
The heart is not Dr. Judy's only area of concentration. He has also been involved in sports medicine, where CoQ10 helps with energy. He understands that endurance fades as we age and
that a strenuous workout can result in fatigued muscles. With this knowledge, he has looked at CoQ10 in sedentary subjects, in athletes that are not well-trained, and in well-trained athletes.
There were differences. "At high levels of exercise, an athlete notices that he can work longer, he has better performance, and he has a faster recovery from the exercise because he has little
lactic acid accumulation in his body, and no muscle fatigue and soreness. If you are not a trained athlete and you take CoQ10 on a daily basis, you have more energy. You sleep better, you
are able to go out and exercise longer, and you're not fatigued when you come in. You don't have sore muscles the next day."
These are not the only areas in which CoQ10 is under investigation. Some researchers are looking at its role as an antioxidant, and others, at its role in the immune system. There have
also been a number of small studies exploring CoQ10 and breast and other forms of cancer. But whatever role it does play, it deserves an Oscar for being the "best supporting actor" in the
lives of Joe, Chris, and Mike.
____________
For product information about Coenzyme Q10 (AIM CellSparc Q and AIM CellSparc 360) go to
-----------------------------------
And don't forget to check out the WINTER SPECIAL at
---------------------------------
Plus, after being on a chocolate-free vegetarian diet for a only few weeks, I found that a fresh, sweet orange or a plump, juicy peach sounded much more appetizing than any old hard, greasy
chunk of chocolate. But if I ever feel like I'm having a true "chocolate attack," I reach for something that contains carob (It's like chocolate only better), and I often have myself a tall, cold
glass of sweet carob milk (made with soy milk, of course). I'll bet IT has flavenoids swimming in it too.
-------------------------
Great substitute for chocolate milk.
1 heaping tsp. carob powder
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
8 oz. soy milk
In a glass, mix together carob and maple syrup until a well-blended chocolate-syrupy consistency is achieved. Add a little of the soy milk and beat until well blended. Add the rest of the soy
milk and stir. Serves one.
---------------------------------
We're enjoying the wonderful citrus fruits which are in bountiful supply in our grocery stores and produce marts. Especially wonderful right now are the ruby grapefruit and the tangerines.
A dear Asian friend taught me a "secret" to buying sweet and juicy citrus fruit; it must feel heavy. If the fruit is lightweight, it doesn't contain as much juice and will be dry. So when you're
selecting your citrus fruit, "weigh" a few pieces in your hand and select those that feel heaviest.
Enjoy!
See you in cyberspace!
God bless you,
Please feel free to forward, copy, post or share this newsletter (in its entirety only, please) with those who might enjoy or benefit from it.
If such a friend sent this newsletter to you and you enjoyed it, you can have your own free subscription. Simply send an e-mail to
subscribe@healthyperspective.com. Or you may visit the Healthy Perspective web site at http://www.healthyperspective.com/subscribepage.html and follow the simple SUBSCRIBE
directions. We only send this publication to individuals who wish to receive a free subscription, and we do not make this e-mail list available to anyone else for any reason.
HEART HEALTH SPECIAL!
-----------------------------------
When you order AIM CellSparc Q, AIM CellSparc 360, or any of the other heart healthy supplements at http://www.healthyperspective.com/cardio.html, between now and the end of
March, you will receive $5.00 off. When you are placing your online order at
NICOLE'S QUICK BYTES
---------------------------------
Healthy chocolate? In the media recently, chocolate is being touted as a healthy alternative for fighting atherosclerosis and heart disease, because it contains flavenoids. The absurdity of this
claim is revealed when we remember that these tiny flavenoids are accompanied by plenty of saturated and hydrogenated fats, which definitely contribute to heart disease. Darn! But wait!
These wonderful little antioxidant flavenoids are available in greater amounts in fresh fruits and vegetables, and without the fat.
HEALTHY RECIPE
-------------------------
**Nicole's Carob Milk**
HEALTHY KITCHEN TIP
---------------------------------
BUYING CITRUS FRUIT
-------------------
-Rev. Clarence Russell, Kimberly and Nicole
--------------------
___
If you ever wish, for any reason, to discontinue your free subscription, please send an e-mail to unsubscribe@healthyperspective.com.
___
The material in this file is provided for informational purposes only. We do not prescribe nor diagnose. If you use the information in this file without the approval of a health professional,
you prescribe for yourself, which remains your constitutional right, but the author(s) assume no responsibility.
___
Copyright (c) 2000 by Clarence Russell . All rights reserved. As long as this file is left intact, permission is granted for use on web sites or in newsgroups or mailing lists.