Prescription Nation?

Everyone knows that heart disease is a serious problem in the United States. It is the #1

killer in our country, as well as the 3rd leading cause of disability. (1,2) The American Heart Association’s recent campaign for improving cardiovascular health by 2020 began by defining ‘ideal cardiovascular health’, or CVH. While these metrics (including smoking status, physical activity, diet, weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose) do appear useful in predicting and improving statistics of disease events, it does little to consider long term health. (3) 

Two examples are it’s focus on a nutrient poor diet (the USDA food pyramid) and lowering cholesterol levels. Several studies show the benefits of nutrient dense diet and higher cholesterol levels. (4,5,6) Women in particular, seem to benefit from higher cholesterol levels. (4) Perhaps this is due to Cholesterol’s role in the body as the building block of hormones.

Recall from our discussion of the endocrine system that cholesterol is essential for creating good testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. As an aside, it is interesting to note that popular cholesterol drugs have now hit 214 MILLION prescriptions per month! (8) What’s even crazier is that as of July 2015 according to the US Census bureau, the population of the US is roughly 322 MILLION!

Those are scary statistics.  They support the above chart. (9)  Notice the US rank for "healthy lives".

Numerous studies point out that Oxidized Cholesterol may be the more accurate culprit in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lupus, and many other auto-immune diseases. (7)

So, what can we do to boost our ANTI-oxidants?  At the risk of sounding like a broken record...How about:

• Exercise that reduces stress and betters your surroundings.
• Better diet.  Whole food, unprocessed diet—closer to the producer
• Hydration.  Water, that is.  Soda and sweet tea don't count!
• Increase your anti-oxidant intake.  Try a low cost anti-oxidant supplement, like Ningxia Red—do your own ‘study’ and see how you feel after you use it as directed on the label.
  

NingXia Red’s essential oil blend is made up of orange, yuzu, lemon, and tangerine. Strategically chosen for their health-supporting benefits and flavor profiles, these oils are 93 percent d-limonene—a powerful antioxidant and marker for bioactivity and contain the flavone tangeritin. Together this blend adds premium, natural flavoring and helps maintain the body’s normal cellular function*.  Highlighting the supporting fruits found in NingXia Red is a patented grape seed extract that contains polyphenolic compounds that may help support a healthy cardiovascular system*. Additionally, blueberry, aronia, cherry, pomegranate, and plum juices introduce additional carotenoids and phytonutrients. These core building blocks supply your body with the resources it needs to maintain good health and overall wellness, allowing you to perform your best every day. NingXia Red is lightly sweetened by natural, calorie-free stevia extract.  NingXia Red replenishes key nutrients; delivers natural, low glycemic energy; and provides essential antioxidants
to combat free radicals. Enjoy 2–4 ounces daily for long lasting health and wellness.

Want to try something that does 3-out-of-4 of these?  (4-out-of-4 if you hydrate while you work!)  Plant some edible perennials.  Read a good book on permaculture to help get a concept of what, where, when, how, and why.  No space is without potential to plant something.  Even apartment dwellers can often make use of patio space in pots or tubs. Often these plantings will bless generations.  Consider:

• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Blueberries
• Elderberries
• Raspberries
• Fruit or nut trees

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.





1. Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: the American Heart Association's strategic Impact Goal through 2020 and beyond.

Lloyd-Jones DM, Hong Y, Labarthe D, Mozaffarian D, Appel LJ, Van Horn L, Greenlund K, Daniels S, Nichol G, Tomaselli GF, Arnett DK, Fonarow GC, Ho PM, Lauer MS, Masoudi FA, Robertson RM, Roger V, Schwamm LH, Sorlie P, Yancy CW, Rosamond WD, American Heart Association Strategic Planning Task Force and Statistics Committee
Circulation. 2010 Feb 2; 121(4):586-613.

2. Brault M. Americans with disabilities: 2005, current population reports Washington, DC: US Census Bureau; 2008.

3. Ideal cardiovascular health: associations with biomarkers and subclinical disease and impact on incidence of cardiovascular disease in the Framingham Offspring Study.
Xanthakis V, Enserro DM, Murabito JM, Polak JF, Wollert KC, Januzzi JL, Wang TJ, Tofler G, Vasan RS
Circulation. 2014 Nov 4; 130(19):1676-83.

4. Is the use of cholesterol in mortality risk algorithms in clinical guidelines valid? Ten years prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT 2 study
Halfdan Petursson, Johann A Sigurdsson, Calle Bengtsson, Tom I L Nilsen, Linn Getz
J Eval Clin Pract. 2012 February; 18(1): 159–168. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x
PMCID:
PMC3303886

5. Age and gender differences in the prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in the older population
José María Abad-Díez, Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga, Antonio Poncel-Falcó, Beatriz Poblador-Plou, José Manuel Calderón-Meza, Antoni Sicras-Mainar, Mercedes Clerencia-Sierra, Alexandra Prados-Torres
BMC Geriatr. 2014; 14: 75. Published online 2014 June 17. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-14-75
PMCID:
PMC4070347

6. High LDL cholesterol and statin use were independently associated with lower eight-year mortality in a cohort free from terminal illness, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes at baseline
Hans Thulesius
Scand J Prim Health Care. 2014 March; 32(1): 1–2. Published online 2014 March. doi: 10.3109/02813432.2014.869410
PMCID:
PMC4137895

7. Oxidized LDL: Diversity, Patterns of Recognition, and Pathophysiology
Irena Levitan, Suncica Volkov, Papasani V. Subbaiah
Antioxid Redox Signal. 2010 July 1; 13(1): 39–75. doi: 10.1089/ars.2009.2733
PMCID:
PMC2877120

8. http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2013/05/29/as-statins-soar-use-of-other-cholesterol-medicines-declines/#40a4c7a61186

9. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2014/jun/mirror-mirror