HDL INFUSIONS TO REVERSE ARTERIOSCLEROSIS - Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

A study from the Cleveland Clinic shows that plaques can be removed from arteries in just six weeks. Thirty years ago, researchers showed that a family living in a Northern-Italian town, Limone sul Garda, lived to be very old and were extraordinarily resistant to heart attacks. Lots of people live to be one hundred years old and do not suffer heart attacks, but these people were extremely unusual because they had extremely low blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol that prevents heart attacks. The researchers found that these people had HDL cholesterol that were much denser and had much larger particles than the normal HDL cholesterol.


Subsequent studies showed that large, dense HDL cholesterol is far more effective than other HDL cholesterol in clearing the bad LDL from the bloodstream. So researchers concluded that the large, dense HDL is so much more effective in preventing heart attacks that these people don't need very much to prevent arteriosclerosis.

Before the discovery of this special HDL cholesterol, researchers would not have wasted their time trying to give HDL to prevent heart attacks because they could not patent a biological product and therefore could not make any money from their experiments. However, this special large, dense HDL-Milano is a specific product that can be patented, and if they could prevent heart attacks by giving this special HDL cholesterol, they could make a lot of money. So they were able to copy the gene for large, dense HDL cholesterol from the people living in Milano and by genetically engineering other cells, could produce huge amounts of the large, dense Milano HDL .

The next step was to infuse the HDL-Milano, once-a-week for six weeks, into people with plaques in their arteries and show that the plaques became much smaller. That has been done. It will be more than six years before HDL Milano is available to the public. For now, avoid smoking and being overweight, restrict meat, chicken, whole milk dairy products and partially hydrogenated fats. Eat huge amounts of plants. Exercise regularly and you won't need the HDL -Milano by intravenous infusion.

JAMA, November 4, 2003

Dr.Mirkin's Archive

Four Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk

It’s been a fairly recent development in human history that many of us sit at desks all day and aren’t up performing physical activity. The human body wasn’t designed to just sit around, which is partially why obesity and other health concerns related to physical activity have become such a problem.

The good news is, being strapped to a desk all day doesn’t mean you can’t perform activities to stay healthy. Here are 4 great exercises you can do to stay active without leaving the comfort of your cubicle.

Quick Cardio: In order to keep your heart healthy, you have to elevate your heart rate often. While it’s best to get it up and keep it up for at least 20 to 30 minutes, every little bit counts. If you have 5 minutes free during the day, that’s enough to get the blood pumping.

Here’s a great way to get your blood moving without having to leave your chair. First, pump your arms up and down above your head for 30 seconds. Next, then tap your feet rapidly back and forth like you’re trying to run in place. Now alternate these back and forth for about 5 minutes.

Arm Stretches: Stretching you arms and wrists is a great idea if you sit at a desk all day and type. It can help relieve stress from the repeated actions.

Here are some wrist and arm stretches that can be done quickly and easily. First extend your arm in front of you with your wrist bent back so your palm is facing out. Use the other arm to pull back your hand; you should be able to feel your whole arm stretching out. After repeating this exercise with both arms, press your palms firmly together in front of you. Be sure to keep your elbows bent and lifted. Bend your wrists back and forth, pushing with your hands.

Leg lifts: Constantly staying in the same position all day, whether sitting or standing can be damaging to your legs. This simple exercise will help increase leg circulation and improve the health of your legs.

While sitting in your chair, simply extend one leg until it is straight. Hold, then return it back to the floor. Continue this exercise for a few minutes, alternating legs. Lift one leg a few inches off the floor while keeping your knees bent. Again, you should hold and release, then repeat for a few minutes with both legs.

Back stretches Sitting or standing on your legs all day can not only damage your legs, it can be murder on your back. The best way to relieve back pain at work actually takes no extra time out of your day, it just requires a bit of concentration.

Just make sure you use proper posture throughout the day. Sitting straight up in your chair all day without slouching can cause long term relief of pain. If you need temporary relief of back pain, simply arch your back by pulling your stomach forward and bending your shoulders back.

Another great way to stretch your back is to keep your lower body facing forward in your chair while turning around with your upper body.

While these exercises aren’t going to give you a killer body, they will help you feel better and make you healthier. I know they help me! If you're working at home like I am you can add a set of jumping jacks or dance around to whatever music you're listening to!
That'll wake up your brain too!

FDA rejects Merck's Vioxx successor

TRENTON, N.J. - The Food and Drug Administration rejected Merck & Co.'s request to market a successor to its withdrawn arthritis drug Vioxx in the United States, the drugmaker said Friday.

The move was widely expected, after a panel of FDA advisers two weeks ago voted 20-1 against approving the drug, Arcoxia.

Arcoxia is in the same class of drugs as Vioxx, which has become a poster child for drug safety problems.

Merck pulled Vioxx from the market in September 2004 after research showed it doubles risk of heart attacks and strokes. That triggered an avalanche of lawsuits — more than 27,000 so far — and a nosedive for Merck's stock price, which has since bounced back.

Despite the safety concerns in the United States, Arcoxia is on sale in 63 other countries, and Merck officials said as recently as Tuesday that they intend to keep working to get it on the U.S. market.

Merck shares sank 55 cents, or 1 percent, to $51.88 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. They are still trading near their 52-week high of $52.63. Their low over the past year was $32.75.