Nexus - 0901 - New Times Magazine-pages

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"Animals don't get heart attacks because they produce vitamin Oestrogen excess can impair various physiologic functions. C in their bodies, which protects their blood vessel walls. In It interferes with the uptake of thyroid hormones, thus humans unable to produce vitamin C, dietary vitamin deficiency contributing to hypothyroidism. One side-effect of a sluggish weakens these walls. Cardiovascular disease is an early form of _ thyroid is high cholesterol levels. People with hypothyroidism scurvy. Clinical studies document that optimum daily intake of are also at increased risk of heart disease. Oestrogen is also vitamins and other essential nutrients halts and reverses toxic to the liver, which will raise bad cholesterol levels. coronary heart disease naturally.""' Women using oestrogen are at great risk of developing However, vitamin C is not the only important heart nutrient diabetes, a disease that carries with it a high risk of heart that oestrogen depletes. It depletes the body of vitamin E, the disease. vitamin B family, folic acid, magnesium, selenium, zinc and tyrosine. NATURAL PROGESTERONE AND HEART HEALTH While there have been many studies conducted showing the Synthetic progestins (such as Provera) are another culprit in critical role of vitamin E for preventing heart disease, one of the HRT-heart disease connection. They also increase the inci- the most impressive showed that vitamin E lowered cardiovas- dence of strokes and blood clots. cular risk by one-third, documented in 87,000 participants over Research has also been conducted on the connection between six years.!” Provera and vasospasms—a tightening The family of B vitamins is also of the blood vessels which causes cardioprotective. B3 (nicotinic acid) complete blockage of the artery, and BS (pantothenate) are essential. resulting in death. At London's Also, a well-established marker for A A . National Heart and Lung Institute, Dr cardiovascular risk is high homocys- It Is alarming to realise that Peter Collins conducted a study which teine levels, which cause damage to HRT not only contributes to found that women taking Provera had arterial walls. Homocysteine is an . unrelenting physiologic effects on essential amino acid. However, heart disease but actually their vascular system. This could about 100 studies have concluded i explain why autopsies of post- that excess homocysteine is a major can cause it. menopausal women who died of heart risk factor (more so than high cho- attacks only showed a 30-50% block- lesterol) in causing heart attacks. age.'* Folic acid, B6 and B12 have been The increased risk of cardiovascular shown to convert homocysteine into disease now associated with harmless substances and prevent menopause may not be due to relative- buildup. Depletion of these B vitamins is a recipe for disaster. ly minor cholesterol plaque or to hormone changes per se, but Magnesium, selenium and zinc are crucial minerals for main- to the increased risk of coronary vasospasm caused by synthetic taining healthy heart muscle. progestins, such as Provera, used in HRT. In the book Health Wars, best-selling author and journalist Natural progesterone, which is the bioidentical hormone Phillip Day comments: "So chronic vitamin deficiencies pro- made by the body, plays a significant role in protecting women duce a breakdown of collagen in the arterial walls, leading to from cardiovascular disease. While the synthetic progestins increased artery wall tension, narrowing of the artery diameter, can cause unrelenting vasospasms, natural progesterone has the thickening of artery walls and therefore high blood pressure. totally opposite effect. The result is heart attack, strokes (impairment of arterial flow to Dr Jerilynn C. Prior, Professor of Endocrinopathy at the the brain), high blood pressure, irregu- lar heartbeat (arrhythmia) and heart ” _ failure." i wet RE THE ii In addition, oestrogen increases vita- | UGLIEST ee) min K levels, which can lead to blood \ J'VWE EVER, clot formations. Oestrogen also causes \ SEEN iW e! EA high copper levels, fuelling the inflam- “se tl ial} ic matory process of heart disease. c ae ~ [ane Evidence also suggests that this can trigger a more destructive form of LDL —“~ (bad cholesterol), causing increased { | — ty clotting, plaque deposits, blood vessel | Fi ca a constriction and damage to the inner a vascular lining. eZ J \ = \ —_— Another important marker for heart . . 4 Fol + i ] disease is a high level of C-reactive a ( ( ——s ; protein, which indicates inflammation. __ ee i] = } —_ z Ao Since oestrogen has a known pro- —) } _ NN — —_ _ —— - inflammatory effect, it will increase : | _ : - , inflammation in the body, producing — os _ a1 “ conditions such as allergies, arthritis, _ = asthma, pancreatitis and phlebitis as —_ a — tla well as heart disease. = Oestrogen excess can impair various physiologic functions. It interferes with the uptake of thyroid hormones, thus contributing to hypothyroidism. One side-effect of a sluggish thyroid is high cholesterol levels. People with hypothyroidism are also at increased risk of heart disease. Oestrogen is also toxic to the liver, which will raise bad cholesterol levels. Women using oestrogen are at great risk of developing diabetes, a disease that carries with it a high risk of heart disease. It is alarming to realise that HRT not only contributes to es er | can cause it. now vppENRE THE ( UGLI al A ial NEXUS * 25 heart disease but actually DECEMBER 2001 — JANUARY 2002 www.nexusmagazine.com