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Why there's no cure for heart disease
02 September 2005
It's one of the big cons of modern times.
Since the late 1960s and 70s, scientists have been searching for a cure for cancer.
'We're nearly there,' they say every year, 'just give us some more cash.'
And here we are in 2005. Cancer everywhere, and yet still no cure for cancer.
Hmmm...
They say the same about the cure for diabetes, and a host of ailments of the 21st Century.
But could it be that the 'cure' isn't the answer?
There are no pathogens that cause diabetes. You can't put something under a microscope and say, 'Ah, this is what caused diabetes!'
This is because type2 diabetes is actually a result of lifestyle, diet, and consumption of refined sugars.
Neither is heart disease CAUSED by a lack of cholesterol drugs. Nor cancer by a lack of chemotherapy.
Most of our 'diseases' today are caused by the way we live... the way we eat... what we eat...how our food is grown, preserved, stored and delivered... stress...pollution... pesticides... packaging.
It's not a matter of lacking the right drugs.
So rather than putting money in the pockets of big pharmaceutical companies in the search for miracle drugs, why aren't people educated in the root causes of most modern 'diseases'?
Ah... perhaps I've just answered my own question there.
For instance, let's take a look at what's really behind most of the West's heart 'disease'.
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Why heart disease is not really a disease
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Is it a bacterial infection that spreads from person to person? Is it a natural selfdestruct mechanism built into our hearts by a cruel God or clumsy evolution?
No. What happens is that, over time, an unbalanced diet causes homocysteine levels in your blood to rise.
When the levels rise, your arteries harden prematurely... and this leads to heart disease.
It's an easily preventable thing. Simply increase your intake of vitamin B6 and folic acid and you should keep homocysteine levels down.
Natural sources of folic acid include liver, leafy vegetables, beans and fruits. While you can get B6 from fish, kidney, liver, soybeans, peanuts and walnuts.
If, for some reason, you can't eat many of these foods, then look for supplements - although, as you know, I believe the best way to absorb vitamins is through food, not pills.
You can always have a drink, too, of course.
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Drink! Stink! And be healthy!
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In last week's letter I told you about 'flavanoids' - the chemicals you get in wine. They act as antioxidants which keep cholesterol from damaging your artery walls.
So a glass of red wine a day could also help keep heart disease at bay.
And if you don't like red wine, then get hold of some purple grape juice. If you have a juicer, even better, as you will ensure you get all those flavanoids locked inside a fresh grape's skin.
You should also eat at least a clove of fresh garlic each day.
Smelly, but true...
Garlic contains sulphur-containing substances, one of which is allinin. When garlic is crushed, the allinin becomes allicin.
Isn't it strange what swapping a 'n' for a 'c' can do?
Allicin is also thought to reduce the blood's tendency to clot and may help to lower blood pressure.
Similarly to wine, garlic also contains valuable anti-oxidants that may help to lower blood cholesterol levels.
So let's look at your heart protection menu.
We've got plenty of garlic... red wine... fish and leafy vegetables...
Could this be why the French have one of the lowest rates of heart disease in the industrial world?
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The onion cure for heart disease
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There was a time in my life when, if asked what a flavanoid was, I'd have guessed it was one of Dr Who's enemies.
Now I can't stop talking about them.
But they prevent many of those 'diseases' that the big pharmaceuticals waste billions of pounds trying to 'cure'.
For example, a study at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland, found that people who consume foods rich in flavonoids are less likely to suffer from heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, asthma, and type-2 diabetes.
They claim that quercetin is one of the best flavanoids - found in apples wine, onions and green tea.
And that it works best combined with Kaempferol - found in onions and broccoli.
The Finnish scientists discovered that those who consumed high levels of these flavonoids had a 21% lower risk of heart disease than those who consumed low levels.
So it looks like onions, packed with Kaempferol and quercitin, could be the best flavanoid source you could think of.
Just think of that cliched image of the Frenchman cycling down a country path, with garlic and onions draped over his neck and a flagon of red wine in his basket...
He's better equipped against disease than most modern doctors!
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Take a stand against the drug barons
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It's time that we all took a stand against the misinformation pumped out by pharmaceutical companies and all their little helpers.
By 'helpers', I mean those in power who are too afraid to lose big business, or those medical professionals who push drugs they know are ineffective.
The key is to educate ourselves and prevent these modern illnesses through our diet.
According to Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 'Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.'
I couldn't agree more.
Yours, as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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