CONQUER YOUR CHOLESTEROL FEARS WITH CHROMIUM - NOT STATINS
By Greg Ciola
September 27, 2014
NewsWithViews.com
CRUSADOR Interviews Christopher Barr, Health/Nutrition Historian
The National Cholesterol Education Program is a program managed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Its goal is to reduce increased cardiovascular disease rates due to hypercholesterolemia (elevated cholesterol levels) in the United States of America. The program has been running since 1985. Since you willnever hear the real truth from our government, your doctor or the drug companies who all have a vested interest in selling you drugs for cholesterol, we have decided to cut through the lies with the real facts that you needto know.
In the following interview below Crusador Editor Greg Ciola uncovers the facts from Christopher C. Barr, author of the book “Chromium, Sparkling Health For Your Life and Living” on what you need to know about the micronutrient Chromium and its role in managing cholesterol.
Crusador: Chris, heart disease is the #1 killer in this country. You have spent many years doing some amazing research. What pearls of wisdom can you share with our readers and why should someone listen to what you have to say on this subject?
Well, Greg, pearls are formed over time from an irritant. It is through a lifetime of research by way of science, history and journalism that I have come to a variety of pearls of wisdom with inestimable value – considerably by way of my being an irritant to both medical and nutritional mainstreams.
You’ve heard of the proverbial “between a rock and a hard place”? That is where I do my work. The “rock” is modern medi$in and the “hard place” is nutrition. Either of these is filled with erroneous biases and neither of these is open to being challenged due to their “love of money” which as the Scripture notes “is the root of all evil”. I do what I do due to the Scriptural precept of “love of the truth” rather than for “love of money”.
“The proof of the pudding” as they say “is in the eating”. More and more people all the time taste for themselves the proof of my knowledge by way of the interviews provided by me to Crusador over the past year or so.
Crusador: Mainstream medicine’s answer to heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes/blood sugar issues is to treat it with drugs. Why do they have it all wrong?
The simplest answer is that neither heart disease, high blood pressure nor diabetes/blood sugar issues are due to “drug deficiencies”. The reasons for each of these problems are due to complexities of nutritional deficiencies. The most complex of these matters you have mentioned is heart disease. A variety of nutritional deficiencies are what leads to heart disease. These deficiencies come from a few very bad dietary habits that have only become common place over the last 100 years.100 years ago cardiovascular disease was not even among the top ten causes of death. Today it is the number one cause of death and has been number one more than half a century.
Crusador: Some have argued that statin drugs are the biggest scam ever. Where do you stand on this issue and why?
If statin drugs are not the biggest scam ever they are at least right near the top.The whole purpose of statins is to lower cholesterol levels in order – allegedly – to protect the heart. Cholesterol levels are reduced due to statins interfering with normal liver processes. Liver problems are one of the two most common and most serious side effects of taking statins which should not be surprising since statins work by interfering with normal liver processes.
The other most common and most serious side effect of taking statins is muscle damage. Isn’t the heart a muscle? Additionally, cholesterol is not an issue because one has too much cholesterol, but rather because one has too little of the essential trace mineral element chromium.
Chromium manages cholesterol. In the absence of chromium cholesterol is unmanaged and goes haywire. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) increase which are commonly regarded as “bad” cholesterol while high density lipoproteins (HDL) decrease which are commonly regarded as “good” cholesterol.
High HDL levels are so much more important than low LDL levels that even a recently published medical research study noted that if HDL levels are high enough then LDL levels are irrelevant when it comes to heart disease.
Statins are very effective at reducing the “bad” LDL cholesterol but do not increase the “good” HDL cholesterol. Medical options – in other words DRUGS – for increasing the “good” HDL cholesterol are limited both in number of options and in their effectiveness, PLUS they have serious side effects so that they are barely used at all. Of course, statins also have serious side effects but since they are very effective in their targeting of the “bad” LDL cholesterol they are prominently used anyway. The use of statins is so prominent that they are the number one most prescribed class of drugs in the world.
Now back to chromium. Increased chromium does two things; it increases the levels of “good” HDL cholesterol and decreases the “bad” LDL cholesterol. The nutrient option provides the best of both worlds with no side effects as well as numerous other benefits. However, only 100 per cent whole food, grown varieties of chromium are significantly utilized by the body. Meanwhile, the drug options are many though limited in application and with many side effects.
The nutrient answer to the cholesterol question is superior in every way to the multitude of drug answers. Yet, the nutrient answer of 100 percent whole food, grown chromium is too little known and even less addressed.
Dr. Henry Alfred Schroeder received the highest award of The American Heart Association and established the dietary and drug protocols used for high blood pressure. He was one of the greatest researchers of the 20th century – if not the greatest – yet his considerable researches on the mineral chromium were almost entirely ignored.
Dr. Schroeder wrote that “we found that chromium in the aorta was not detected (too low to be found) in almost every person dying of coronary artery disease, one manifestation of atherosclerosis, and was present in almost every aorta of persons dying accidentally.”
How does this happen?
Refined white flour and refined white sugar made up a negligible part of the average American dietary 100 years ago at which time such began to increase in American dietaries. Through the 1920s and 1930s there was a dramatic escalation of these “foods” and cardiovascular disease cracked the Top 10 causes of death. That dramatic escalation continued and cardiovascular disease has been the number one cause of death now for more than 50 years. Refined white flour consumption now averages more than 150 pounds per person per year in America and refined white sugar consumption is about the same.
Whole grain is an abundant source of chromium but refining it into white flour removes 91 per cent of that chromium. Whole sugar cane is also an abundant source of chromium but refining it into white sugar removes 98 per cent of that chromium.
Recent U.S. government figures note that refined white flour is 20 per cent of the typical American diet. That means that refined white flour and refined white sugar now makes up almost half of the typical American diet.
Schroeder wrote of “the typical American diet, with about 60 per cent of its calories from refined sugar, refined flour, and fat”. He noted that this diet “was apparently designed not only to provide as little chromium as feasible, but to cause depletion of body stores of chromium”.
“The result is a prevalent disease, in this case, atherosclerosis,” concluded Schroeder about chromium deficiency.
You do not have high cholesterol and heart disease because of a deficiency of Lipitor! Artificial means (DRUGS) do not fix the problem. They may delay the problem although at what cost in both dollars and cents, and in side effects?
Regarding chromium Schroeder wrote that “the most effective way of avoiding the atherosclerotic-diabetic syndrome is by prevention.” He looked for the day that “this essential micronutrient so necessary to the integrity of arteries” would no longer be removed by refining. Either that “or if the public insists on white flour and white sugar” that chromium would be “restored in sufficient quantities to those foods to ensure their adequate metabolism.”
Schroeder has been gone now for more than 30 years and that day he longed for has yet to arrive.
“Modern man makes many mistakes through lack of knowledge, but there is no excuse for his continuing his mistakes in the face of knowledge,” Schroeder wrote in his writing on chromium more than 30 years ago.
I agree with Schroeder. There is no excuse for modern man to continue removing chromium from his food supply and not add it back.
Crusador: What effect do statin drugs have on the body’s CoQ10 levels?
The artificial means by which statin drugs interfere with the production of cholesterol also interferes with the production of CoQ10 from selenium. So, if you are so brainwashed and/or brain dead as to use a statin drug then you must supplement with the very expensive supplement of CoQ10 because this very important substance for heart health (and so much more) cannot be produced from the more economical selenium due to the interference from the statin drug.
Crusador: Isn’t it true that Merck, the maker of Zocor, originally patented this drug with CoQ10 but never brought it to market?
“Speaking of the devil” to coin a phrase, and speaking of brainwashed and brain dead, yes there is quite a story regarding Merck and the FDA when it comes to statins and CoQ10.
Indeed, the Merck magicians who first opened the cursed Pandora’s Box -- that is statin drugs -- did know from the outset that the Merck black magic of statin drugs – subsequently copied by most every other black magic sorcerer of the pharmaceutical world and the number one most prescribed drug in the world today – prevented the body’s own production of CoQ10.
Please note again that CoQ10 is expensive and Merck chose not to utilize the patent for statins with CoQ10 since there was no demand from the marketplace for it. Of course, how can there be demand if almost nobody knew – other than those at Merck?
Just the normal course of business practices at Merck.
Dr. Julian Whitaker, M.D., is a fairly well-known doctor who has at least attempted to integrate nutrition extensively with his practice of medicine. Sometimes I’m amazed at how much he doesn’t know about nutrition considering how much that he does know about nutrition.
Anyway, Dr. Whitaker spent considerable time and expense preparing and submitting a petition to the FDA regarding statins and CoQ10. He had quite a combination of lawyers, researchers and documentation compiled and submitted on the matter.
Dr. Whitaker was calling for one or more of several options regarding statin drug usage. One option was to require CoQ10 with all statin drug usage. Another was to at least recommend CoQ10 with all statin drug usage. Yet another was to place a black box warning on statin drugs about the interference of these drugs with production of CoQ10.
It took the FDA three years to respond. The FDA did not deny that statins interfere with production of CoQ10. Rather, the FDA denied that the interference of statins with production of CoQ10 warranted any FDA action.
Crusador: One of the big buzzwords that frightens people when it comes to heart related issues is plaque. Should we be concerned about this, how does plaque build-up and is there a nutritional regimen that counters it?
Plaque build-up should be a very great concern to the vast majority of Americans who make Standard American Dietary choices that most Americans do and yes, there is a nutritional regimen that counters it.
First, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” as the old saying goes. Preventing heart problems is easier than countering heart problems.
Dr. Schroeder came to believe and wrote that chromium deficiency is the cause of heart disease. While chromium deficiency is A primary cause of heart problems, it is not THE primary cause of heart problems. This is a very complex matter so the answers are complex.
You can’t blame the late, great Dr. Schroeder for putting his eggs mostly in the chromium basket when it comes to heart disease as some of the other significant factors were very little or practically unknown at the time of his death 30 years ago.
Chromium is rich in both flour and sugar before more than 90 per cent of it is removed, whereas other nutrients important to heart health are abundant only in flour before they are significantly removed.
Crusador: So what’s the truth about cholesterol? Has there ever been a proven link to high cholesterol and heart disease?
Well, Greg, there is a link between high cholesterol and heart disease, but then there is also a link between breathing and heart disease. The key is not whether there is a link but rather whether there is a causative link. There is absolutely no causative link between high cholesterol and heart disease.
This is just one more reason that statin drug use is so absolutely idiotic. The primary function of statins – the number one most prescribed drug in the world – is to reduce cholesterol, which is not a primary cause of heart disease. Neither is cholesterol secondary or even tertiary to heart disease. Yet statins do prevent production of CoQ10 which IS a primary PROTECTOR of the heart!
Crusador: Do you believe that the numbers for high blood pressure and cholesterol have been manipulated to sell drugs instead of health?
Greg, that is not a matter of belief. That is a simple matter of fact for any who are intelligent and honest health researchers and practitioners.Before the advent of statins 20 years ago there was not much that modern mediSin could do about cholesterol. So even though those pholk predominantly believed the phantastic phraud that cholesterol causes heart disease, they pressed somewhat about diet but tended to downplay seriousness of cholesterol levels unless they began to climb above 220 or more.
As statins entered the marketplace suddenly a goal of 200 became common. As that level began to become more commonplace then “less than 200” was the new goal, and with the passing of time more and more doctors are shooting for considerably below 200.
There is even growing talk of statins being given to children. THAT would be child abuse.
Then there is the more recent high blood pressure phraud. Textbook perfect blood pressure has been 120 over 80 for decades, but in just the last few years, that which has always been called perfect is now called pre-hypertension for which it is recommended that drugs should be considered – as if there are not already enough people on high blood pressure drugs. It seems like most adults are on these, and often these people are on more than one type at a time.
Crusador: Should we have a genuine concern if our cholesterol or our blood pressure is high?
If cholesterol is alleged to be high the only concern should be to dramatically reduce or preferably cease refined white flour and refined white sugar products, and start taking a minimum of 100 micrograms of chromium in a 100 per cent whole food form three times daily. I’ve never known a “cholesterol problem” not resolved with that regimen through three decades of experience and usually in short order – a matter of months and sometimes in a matter of weeks.
The most important aspect of utilizing chromium with cholesterol issues – since cholesterol issues ARE actually chromium deficiency issues – is that chromium balances out cholesterol by decreasing truly high “bad” LDL levels and increasing low “good” HDL levels.
Crusador: Is there any evidence that suggests the long-term use of cardiovascular medications actually worsens cardiovascular health?
Any evidence? There is a boat load … no a whole fleet of boats loaded full of evidence. This interview is already lengthier than any other we have had and there are still some very important matters to address so briefly I’ll just cite two dramatic examples starting with a very recent one.
A robust and very active NBC newsman, Tim Russert, just died very suddenly at a young 58 years of age from a heart attack. His own news network reported that he had “been diagnosed with asymptomatic coronary artery disease, but it was well-controlled with medication.” His heart disease “was well-controlled with medication” and he suddenly dropped dead from a heart attack? Sounds like the old adage, “The operation was a success but the patient died.” It is lunacy that an allegedly serious news agency could make such a statement.
The second example is actually many examples. Research studies and several books by Dr. Duane Graveline, M.D. extensively document exhaustive side effects of statins. This is no fringe lunatic, health nut. He has multiple degrees including from Johns Hopkins. He is called “SpaceDoc” because he was a NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeon who additionally practiced as a family practitioner for more than 20 years.
Crusador: What nutrients are the most important for cardiovascular health and why?
The mineral chromium is the most important of all for cardiovascular health and many of the reasons are already covered earlier in this interview. One reason is that all the most important nutrients for cardiovascular health – chromium, silicon, selenium, magnesium and the pyridoxals (vitamin B6) – are significantly stripped from the very common American dietary staple of refined white flour. However, chromium is also 98 per cent removed from sugar cane in which it is abundant to produce the refined white sugar that is about as common an American dietary staple. That – among other things – makes chromium the most important of all for cardiovascular health.
A study late last year in the New England Journal of Medicine noted that the lowest incidence of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems is in those with the highest HDL levels. The medical doctor who authored the study said, “The fundamental important message of the paper is that if you take HDL high enough, LDL doesn’t matter.”Plainly speaking that means the statins are useless even by medical standards if HDL is high enough.
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The same doctor just cited then said, “What we desperately need is a new drug to raise HDL levels.”No drug new or otherwise is needed at all. 100 per cent whole food chromium raises HDL very effectively because that is one of its specialty functions in the body.
Once there is an active heart problem, the role of magnesium is magnified in importance. This was actually documented in Massachusetts hospitals 50 years ago – and there is no magnesium so dramatically most effective as 100 per cent whole food magnesium. Countless numbers of people – including doctors – are amazed at the added improvement they note when switching to 100 per cent whole food magnesium.
� 2014 Greg Ciola - All Rights Reserved
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