To be removed from this mailing list, send an email message
with the word "remove" in the subject line to DrRodgerNews@aol.com

June 2005 Message from Dr. Murphree

In this month’s issue, we’ll continue to explore cardiovascular disease. Much of the material in this and last month’s newsletter comes from my book, “What your Conventional Medical Doctor Definitely Won’t tell you about Heart Disease and Hypertension,” due to be released September 2005.

This book originated from research I uncovered while writing a presentation for a healthcare conference this past April. The information on these illnesses is vast and ever-changing. Much of the research is unknown in the public sphere.

A good deal of the information on heart disease is based on medical myths (unproven philosophies, theories, and beliefs) rather than scientific facts. Because the subject matter is so broad and so epidemic (everyone is affected by cardiovascular disease), presenting a one-and-a-half hour workshop to my peers became a real challenge.

In the next few newsletters, I’m going to attempt to shed some light on some of the misconceptions about heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.

Part of the problem in presenting this material is that it breaks away from commonly accepted theories about heart disease. Cholesterol maintenance has become the mantra of traditional medicine. But, as we’ll soon see, blaming cholesterol as the source of all cardiovascular disorders is just simple-minded.

Half of all heart attacks occur in individuals with normal cholesterol levels.

It’s tempting to look for a single cause of cardiovascular disease, especially when that cause (cholesterol) can be effectively reduced through prescription medications: Have a problem? We have a solution. This mentality shows just how little we know about the human body. Just like some of life’s challenges, illnesses are usually more complicated than we first imagine—like the following example.

Simple Quick Fix of Sprinkler System Takes 2 Weeks

This “quick fix” mentality is analogous to my recent naivety in attempting to fix my backyard sprinkler system.

I have two lovable golden retrievers. One, I gave to my wife and daughter as a surprise Christmas present two years ago. The other showed up on our doorstep, courtesy of a friend who I’ve not seen since.

These two dogs have destroyed my backyard! They’ve eaten the bushes, trampled the flowers, dug up the sprinkler system, ate the outdoor lighting, and turned my zoysia Z-52 lawn into a barren wasteland.

After installing an invisible fence to contain my dogs (don’t worry, they still have plenty of room to pillage and plunder) I began to repair the sprinkler system. I erroneously thought it would be an easy task. Simply dig up a few broken sprinkler heads and replace them. I identified the cause of the problem and I had a solution. This should be quick and easy, no worries.

I began digging up the first busted head and found that the hose leading to the sprinkler head was also broken. How can dogs eat through PVC pipe? So I kept digging along this pipe, pulling it up as I went along. Three hours and forty feet of broken pipe later, I started on the next busted head and once again found that the pipe leading to this sprinkler head was also broken. This same scenario repeated itself over and over. My lawn looked like a scene from the movie Caddy Shack where the crafty gopher tunnels through Bill Murray’s golf course!

I also found that the wires connecting the power source to the sprinkler system had been eaten. It’s amazing my dogs didn’t get electrocuted. I hadn’t planned on this project being so complicated. But life’s challenges can be like that.

The human body is far more complicated than a sprinkler system. When we make assumptions about the causes of a particular disease process we should remember that the leading experts of the world agree that we only know one percent of one percent of how the body works. Time and time again many of our medical theories turn out to be far more complicated than we had imagined.

I hope you enjoy this material as much as I’ve enjoyed uncovering it (pun intended).

Cardiovascular Disorders (Part II)

From my upcoming book, What Your Conventional Medical Doctor Definitely Won’t Tell You About Heart Disease and Hypertension.

Cardiovascular Disorders

Cardiovascular disease claims as many lives as the next eight leading causes of death combined, including cancer, accidents, and AIDS. In fact, one person dies every 33 seconds from heart disease. This adds up to 2,600 deaths a day! Heart disease is responsible for 50 percent of all deaths worldwide!

Last month I reported on some of the risk factors associated with heart disease including earlobe creases, bald headedness, and smoking (see May 2005 newsletter).

This month, I’d like to share some information about another risk factor associated with heart disease; cholesterol.

High Cholesterol

A strong body of evidence suggests that high cholesterol increases the risk of death from heart disease. Elevated cholesterol levels are estimated to cause 10-15 percent of all strokes.

However, low cholesterol (below 180mg/dL) is associated with a minimum of 7 percent of all strokes.38

The majority of medical authorities are still sold on the idea that high levels of cholesterol are the main cause arteriosclerosis and heart disease. A growing body of research is dispelling this medical myth.

You Need Cholesterol

  • Cholesterol is so important that the body manufactures 800-1500 mg each day.
  • Cholesterol and fats are the very building blocks that make up each and every cell.
  • Cholesterol is an important fat that helps keep cell membranes permeable. This permeability allows the good nutrients to get in and toxic waste products to get out of the cell.
  • Over 8 percent of the brain’s solid matter is made up of cholesterol. Lipids (fat) make up 70 percent of the brain. This fat insulates brain cells and allows neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) to communicate with one another.39
  • Cholesterol is essential for proper brain function and normalizing the brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters (including serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine).
  • Cholesterol is an important part of overall health and doesn't cause (in and of itself) arteriosclerosis. Cholesterol is essential in maintaining proper hormone production. Testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone, estradiol, and cortisol are all made from cholesterol. Cholesterol plays a MAJOR role in brain cell function.40 

Low cholesterol has been linked to certain mood disorders including depression and anxiety, as well as increased risk for heart attack (below 180).

Yes, you read this correctly. Low cholesterol increases the risk of a heart attack.41

Framingham Study

A follow-up study to the now infamous Framingham study shows that our rush to squelch total cholesterol levels may have been in error. In individuals who are over the age of 65, lowering cholesterol can increase the risk of mortality. To cite the Framingham authors: "For each 1 mg/dl drop of cholesterol there was an 11 percent increase in coronary and total mortality.42 

It appears that total cholesterol isn’t a very reliable marker for predicting the risk of a heart attack in men above 65.

In the 30-year follow-up of the Framingham population, for instance, high cholesterol was not predictive at all after the age of 47, and those cholesterol went down, had the highest risk of having a heart attack! 43 

And low levels of cholesterol appear to increase the risk of death from cancer.44

New Cholesterol Guidelines

Recent guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease have advocated further changes in acceptable cholesterol levels. As before, a level of 200 milligrams of total cholesterol per deciliter of blood is the recommended level. But the recommended level of the so-called "bad" form of cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), has dropped from 190 to 160. Those at 130-159 are classified as "borderline high," while an LDL level above 190 now is considered "very high."

Leading researchers in the field of cardiovascular health are now reporting that total cholesterol is less important (maybe even meaningless) than the ratio of HDL to LDL.

Looking at the Numbers

Total cholesterol numbers are derived from adding together the three different cholesterol-carrying proteins, that are known as lipoproteins (HDL, LDL, and VLDL).

Total cholesterol = HDL + LDL + VLDL.

VLDLs = triglycerides (blood fats) divided by 5.

This equation above shows that the higher your HDL, the lower your VLDL will be.45

Some authorities estimate that reducing LDL cholesterol by 7 percent can reduce the risk of heart disease by 15 percent.46

The total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio should be no higher than 4.2, and the LDL to HDL ratio should be no higher than 2.5. Lowering the LDL cholesterol while raising the HDL can reduce the risk for heart disease.

For every one-percent reduction in LDL levels, the risk for a heart attack decreases by 2 percent. And, raising your HDL by just one percent yields a 3 to 4 percent risk for a heart attack.

Focus on your HDL (keep it high) and LDL (keep it low) ratio. This what the leading experts are advocating!

Drug Company Executives Must Be Salivating

Experts predict that the effect of following these new guidelines will mean that prescriptions for statins and other lipid-lowering drugs will triple from 12 million, now, to 36 million. Pfizer (Lipitor) and the other drug companies who are pushing similar lipid lowering (“me too drugs”), must be salivating. But, should those with high cholesterol rush to get their statin prescriptions filled?

Statin medications (Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, etc.)

Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
The drugs most commonly used to lower total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL are the statin drugs including lovastatin (Mevacor®), pravastatin (Pravachol®), simvastatin (Zocor®), and atorvastatin (Lipitor®), otherwise known as statin drugs. 

No doubt, the statins lower the risk of dying from a heart attack, at least in patients who already have had one, but the size of the effect is unimpressive.

Statin Medications Reduces Risk of Having a Heart Attack by a Whopping 1.1 percent

In one of the experiments, for instance, the CARE trial, the odds of escaping death from a heart attack in five years for a patient with manifest heart disease, was 94.3 percent, which improved to 95.4 percent with statin treatment (a 1.1 percent difference). 47

In the scientific papers and drug advertisements these small effects are promoted as major changes that lowered the mortality rate by 25 percent.48 

The disclaimer for the Lipitor TV commercial states that Lipitor has NOT been proven effective at preventing heart attack.

Statins and Potential Side Effects

The acknowledged side effects of statins include headaches, GI upset, joint pain, rash, fatigue, muscle pain, and weakness (the heart is one of the largest muscles in the body), suppression of the body's formation of Co-enzyme Q10, and, rarely, a potentially fatal muscle-wasting disorder called rhabdomyolysis. One statin, Baycol, has been withdrawn because it was linked to 31 deaths from rhabdomyolysis. The other statins still pose a rare risk for this disorder, especially at doses of 80 mg/daily.

The Importance of Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is an enzyme that works with other enzymes to keep the body’s metabolic functions working at optimal levels. Small amounts of CoQ10 are found in the foods (meat and seafood) we eat. However, blood levels of CoQ10 decrease with age, hypertension, statin use, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. CoQ10’s main purpose is to increase the function of the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the little power plants in each cell. 

Statins block the body’s production of CoQ10. A CoQ10 deficiency can lead to muscle pain (a common side effect for those taking statins), angina (chest or heart pain), hypertension, accelerated aging, and heart disease.

The heart is one of the largest muscles in the body. CoQ10 deficiencies can lead to congestive heart failure (CHF).

Coenzyme Q10 lessens the incidence of angina attacks, arrhythmias (irregular heart beats), cardiomyopathy (heart muscle damage), congestive heart failure (CHF), heart valve irregularities, hypertension, mitral valve prolapse, and periodontal disease; protects LDL cholesterol against oxidation; increases exercise tolerance; burns unwanted fat; supports healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels; and is beneficial to smokers.

 (Bliznakov et al. 1988; Hattersley 1994).

CoQ10 has an impressive track record regarding CHF and should be recommended to those suffering from congestive heart failure.

In one study patients were administered a modest 30mg of CoQ10 a day. All of the participants in the study showed improvement and 53 percent were asymptomatic after four weeks.19

The largest study to date on CoQ10 involved 2,664 patients with congestive heart failure and was conducted in Italy. The results showed that individuals who took an average of 100mg of CoQ10 a day for 3 months noticed a drastic improvement in their symptoms.20

Percentage of those with improvement follows:

  • Cyanosis (oxygen deficiency) - 78% improved
  • edema (fluid retention)  - 78.6%
  • vertigo (dizziness) -73%
  • insomnia - 66%
  • sweating - 79.8%
  • shortness of breath - 52%
  • pulmonary edema (fluid on the lungs) - 77.8%
  • enlarged liver - 49%
  • heart palpitations - 75%
  • arrhythmia (abnormal heart beats) - 63%
  • venous congestion (enlarged veins) - 71.8%
  • CoQ10 reduces exercise-induced angina (chest pain) by 53% percent.21

Individuals who wish to take statin medications should replace their CoQ10 by taking a minimum of 100mg a day.

To combat muscle aches and pains, as much as 200mg a day may be needed.

More on CoQ10 in next month’s issue. 

This month only , I have a special price for you on CoQ10

To Purchase Chewable 150mg CoQ10 tablets, click here

To Purchase Chewable 100mg CoQ10 softgel caps, click here

Natural Approaches to Lowering Cholesterol

Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber from fruits, legumes and vegetables has been shown to an effective way to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 

The addition of oat bran to one’s diet seems to offer the most dramatic reduction in cholesterol (typically a 20 percent reduction).55

A study published in the February 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming foods known to help lower cholesterol was comparable to taking a drug in their ability to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Diet Comparable to Drugs in Ability to Lower Cholesterol

Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto compared the effects of a low-saturated fat diet, the same diet combined with 20 milligrams lovastatin (the statin drug Lipitor) per day, or a diet high in soy-protein foods: plant sterols, almonds, okra, eggplant, and fiber from oats, barley, and psyllium on 34 men and women with elevated blood lipids. While the low-saturated fat diet resulted in an average decrease in LDL cholesterol of 8.5 percent after the fourth week, there was a 33.3 percent reduction for those who received the statin drug, and a reduction of 29.6 percent for those who received the cholesterol-lowering foods. Seventy-nine percent of those who received lovastatin and 71 percent of participants who received the cholesterol-lowering foods were able to lower their LDL cholesterol below 130 milligrams per deciliter, compared to 23 percent of those on the low-fat diet.

Guggulipid comes from a small, thorny tree native to Arabia and India.  It is a common medicinal supplement used in Indian medicine (Ayurvedic medicine). Gugulipid supplementation reduces total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL, and triglycerides, while raising HDL levels.

In studies comparing guggulipid to statin medication (Mevacor), guggulipd reduced total cholesterol by 24%, triglycerides by 23% and raised HDL by 16 percent, Mevacor reduced total cholesterol 34%, triglycerides by 25% and raised HDL by 8 percent.56

The recommended dose for guggulipid is 500mg (of minimum of 5% gugulsterone) 3 times-a-day.
Guggulipid
Mevacor (statin drug)
Total Cholesterol (% decreased)
24%
34%
Triglycerides (% decreased)
23%
25%
LDL (% decreased)
30%
8%
HDL (% increased)
16%
8%
                                                                                                 

Remember, research is telling us that the most important thing about cholesterol is not the total number but the HDL-to-LDL ratio.

Notice how gugulipd drastically lowers the bad LDL while increasing the good HDL cholesterol?

Mevacor only slight reduces LDL while initiating modest gains in HDL.                                                  

A one-month prescription of Lipitor costs an average $150.

I'm offering a special this month on Gugulipid
A one-month supply of guggulipid for only $12.


Purchase Guggulipid on sale here

Next month, we’ll take a look at other factors that contribute to heart disease, including trans-fatty acids.

Individuals increase their risk of developing coronary heart disease by a whopping 25% for every 2% increase in trans-fatty acids.53

A Harvard study found that women who ate 4 or more teaspoons of margarine a day had a 50% greater risk of developing heart disease compared to those who rarely ate margarine.51

A few announcements

My new book, Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Patient’s Self-Help Manual, has arrived and is already helping many of my patients who can't make it to my office.

I'm so excited about this book that I'm going to give you two FREE GIFTS when you purchase it.

The new book is available for $39.95 and includes the following two free gifts. 1. My first book, Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, plus, 2. My one-hour talk on cassette tape about how to beat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

These two items regularly sell for $19.95 and $12.00 so you are getting over $70.00 worth of products for under $40.00!

Feel free to check out the new book by reading the free chapters using the links below.


Free Chapter 3 in PDF form

Chapter 5 is in this newsletter

Click on the link below for more information about ordering A Patient’s Self-Help Manual.

Here's where you can order the new book and get the two free additional gifts - My first book and a one-hour cassette tape with me talking about how to Treat and Beat FMS and CFS.

NOTE: This new book is not available in book stores yet and can only be ordered through my office by calling toll free 1-888-884-9577 or by ordering online with the above link.

 Upcoming Appearances

August 2005

Irving, Texas
August 4th Thurs 6:30 – 8 pm
Location: TBA 

Dallas, Texas
August 6th Saturday 9am-12pm

Cardiovascular Seminar for healthcare
professionals, and the public. $25 at the door.

“What your Conventional Medical Doctor
Won’t Tell You About Heart Disease and Hypertension”

Radisson Hotel Suites 
2330 NorthWest Highway
214-353-7690

1-888-884-9577 for more information

Dallas, Texas
August 6th Saturday 2-5pm

Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia
and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Seminar
for health care professionals
and the public $25 at the door

(spouses free)

(Plenty of fibro-fog and "fanny fatigue breaks")

Radisson Hotel Suites 
2330 NorthWest Highway
214-353-7690

1-888-884-9577 for more information

Houston, Texas
August 10TH Wednesday 6:30 -8pm

“What your Conventional Medical Doctor
won’t tell you about Heart Disease and Hypertension”

All invited!

Location: TBA

1-888-884-9577 for more information

Houston Texas
August 11TH Thursday 6:30-8pm

"Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia
and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"

All invited!

Location: TBA

1-888-884-9577 for more information

Houston, Texas
August 13TH and 14TH 6:30-8pm

For Doctors: 2-Day Seminar
on Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia

Healthcare professionals only please.
12 hours of continuing education credit.

Saturday 9-5pm
Sunday 8-1pm

Radisson Hotel Suites, West Katy Freeway

713-461-6000

1-888-884-9577 for more information

New Orleans Louisiana
Parker College of Chiropractic
Thursday August 18th-21st

New Orleans
Tentative

Thursday evening August 18th

New Orleans Talk on Treating and
Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

All invited

September 2005

Regina SK Canada
Friday September 16th
FiboHugs Get Together Conference

www.FibroHugs.com

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Health Fair

Tentative

www.TetonWellness.org

September 23rd-25th

October 2005

Omaha Nebraska

SORSI International Doctors Conference

Friday, October 21st

Omaha, Nebraska

Public Talk Thursday evening
October 20th
on Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Time and location TBA

www.DrRodger.com

Dr. Rodger Murphree
3401 Independence Drive
Suite 121
Homewood, AL 35209
Toll Free Phone:
1-888-884-9577

Email Dr. Murphree

Footnotes:

38. The American Heart Association 1999 at annual Stroke Conference

39.  Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

R.H. Murphree II, D.C., C.N.S 20O3

40. Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

R.H. Murphree II, D.C., C.N.S 20O3

41. (Horwich TB, et al. Low Serum Total Cholesterol Is Associated With Marked Increase in Mortality In Advanced Heart Failure. J Cardiac Failure 2002;8(4): 216-224.) 

42. [Anderson KM, Castelli WP, Levy D. Cholesterol and mortality. 30 years of follow-up from the Framingham study. JAMA 1987; 257:2176-2180].

43. (Krumholz HM, et al. Lack of association between cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity and all-cause mortality in persons older than 70 years. J Am Med Assoc 1994; 272:1335-40).

44. Zyada LE, Hassan HT, Rees JK, et al. The relation between hypocholesterolemia and degree of maturation in acute myeloid leukemia. Hematol Oncol. 1990 Jan;8(1): 65-9.

45. Wilson PWF. High-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and coronary artery disease. Am J Cardiology 1990; 66:7A-10A.

46. Ginsberg HN, Kris-Etherton P, Dennis B, et al. Effects of reducing dietary saturated fatty acids on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in healthy subjects: the DELTA Study, protocol 1. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1998 Mar; 18(3): 441-9.

47. Sacks FM, Pfeffer MA, Moye LA, Rouleau JL, Rutherford JD, Cole TG et al. The effect of pravastatin on coronary events after myocardial infarction in patients with average cholesterol levels. N Engl J Med 1996; 335:1001-9.

48. The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD

19. Ishiyama T, Morital Y, Toyama S et al. A clinical study of the effect of coenzyme Q10 on congestive heart failure. Jpn Heart J 1976; 17: 32

20. Baggio E, Gandini R, Plancher AC. Italien multicenter study on the safety and efficacy of coenzyme Q10 as an adjunctive therapy in heart failure. CoQ10 Drug Surveillance Investigators. Mol Aspects Med 1994; 15:s287-294.

55. Glore SR et al. Soluble fiber and serum lipids: a literature review. J Am Diet Assoc 1194; 425-436.

56. Murray M, Pizzorno J. Textbook of Natural Medicine Volume 1 Table 78.1 pg 680

71. Prat H, Roman O, Pino E.Comparative effects of policosanol and two HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on type II hypercholesterolemia].Rev Med Chil. 1999 Mar; 127(3):286-94.

51. Harvard School of Public Health 2002

53. Oomen CM, Ocke MC, Feskens EJ, et al. Association between trans fatty acid intake and 10-year risk of coronary heart disease in the Zutphen Elderly Study: a prospective population-based study. Lancet. 2001 Mar 10; 357(9258): 746-51.60.


Copyright © 2005 Dr. Rodger Murphree. All rights reserved.The information provided in this message and Newsletter and on the DrRodger.com site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.