Was it the medication prescribed by your doctor that made you fat?

Maybe you've sometimes wondered whether it was the medication prescribed by your doctor that made you fat. Check out the prescription drugs mentioned on this page and on this. If you conclude that your weight gain may have been caused by one or more or these drugs, then you can easily reduce that excess weight by cutting down on salt and salty food. - Why not try it? It is a safe, fast, effective way to lose weight, lower high blood pressure, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, of stroke, of heart attack and heart disease, reduce your risk of most cancers and of depression, cognitive decline/dementia/senility, frailty, falls and fractures, and a host of allied health problems. - What's not to like? - You will feel sooo much better!

Anti-depressants increase the risk of falls for elderly people with dementia

BBC News reports that anti-depressants increase the risk of falls for elderly people with dementia. "Many dementia patients also suffer from depression and drugs known as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed. But the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that the risk of injuries from falls was tripled."

Now that's a real shame, because anti-depressants should not be being prescribed at all, since research has shown that Anti-depressants are 'no better than dummy pills'. People who are suffering from dementia have enough to contend with, without having to cope with an increased risk of falling and all the other adverse effects of anti-depressants. - Rather than these unhelpful, harmful meds it would be better to try to improve the nutritional status of dementia sufferers. I suggest, for example, making sure they are not deficient in vitamin D. An adequate level of vitamin D would strengthen their muscles and bones (and immune system) and would render falls from any cause less likely to result in hip fractures and other broken bones. It's well past time that prescribers read the relevant research and acted on it, instead of carrying on in their own sweet uninformed way regardless.

Consumer Affairs lists Kelloggs and Quaker as Worst Children's Cereals

Consumer Affairs reports that Kelloggs and Quaker are the Worst Children's Cereals. It is good to see publicity being given to this important health information. "In a list published by Consumer Affairs, some popular cereals measured between 41.4 and 55.6 percent sugar by weight." - That's a helluvalot of sugar! - I am sure that if a parent were mixing a bowl of breakfast cereal from scratch for their child to eat, it would be a very rare parent who would make half of it sugar. Similarly, I doubt that many parents would add a lot of salt to the bowl. - Yet that is what these breakfast cereal manufacturers routinely do.

As well as the high sugar content damaging children's teeth by causing decay, and both the sugar and salt contributing to child obesity, this unhealthy muck is likely to give children a taste for over-sweetened, salty foodstuffs that will damage their health throughout life. They will be at higher risk of developing hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, weakened bones, depression, breathlessness and a host of other degenerative conditions that will cause them unnecessary suffering, unhappiness and a shortened lifespan.

Just because this crap is convenient, popular, heavily advertised, sold in brightly coloured packs attractive to children, and just because your children clamour for the stuff, it doesn't mean it's healthy or good for children. - It isn't. - And just because it's legal to sell such unhealthy junk, it doesn't mean it's really OK to feed it to children. - It isn't. - Feeding this stuff to your children is good for the profits of the manufacturers; it is not good for your children's health.

One of my webpages is about children and salt. - You may like to have a look at it.

Hypnotic, sleep-inducing drug zolpidem increases risk of nighttime falls, loss of balance and potential injury

Hypnotic, sleep-inducing drug, zolpidem, increases risk of nighttime falls, loss of balance, cognitive impairment and potential injury, reports physorg.com. Zolpidem is a generic drug that is marketed under a number of different brand names, including Ambien, Zolpimist, Edluar, Hypogen, Somidem and Ivedal.

Indian study finds that most hip fracture patients are deficient in vitamin D

A study from New Delhi India has revealed high rates of vitamin D deficiency among hip fracture patients, confirming the conclusions of similar international studies which point to vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for hip fracture.
Read article at physorg.com

Vitamin D is necessary for so many aspects of health and conversely there are a multitude of health problems that result from deficiency of vitamin D. - Worth making sure that you are not deficient in this vital vitamin, which is, unfortunately, the nutrient that research keeps finding most people in the developed world actually are short of.

Are you unsteady on your feet? A bit wobbly? Prone to falling?

Are you unsteady on your feet? A bit wobbly? Prone to falling? - It may well be, that like me, upping your vitamin D intake would bring about a great improvement.

Here is news of recent studies that have found that for older people, taking exercise and taking vitamin D supplements is associated with reduced risk of falls. This was certainly my own experience, coupled with much greater muscle strength that makes it easier to rise from a chair, and much more confident walking. If you decide to take vitamin D supplements, then be aware that Vitamin D3 is the more effective version of this vitamin supplement. You could be saving yourself from a fall and a consequent broken bone or two. - Well worth taking the tablets...(o:

Vitamin D is one of the vitamins that are soluble in fat, so the best way to take Vitamin D supplements is with or after a meal that contains some fat.

It's also vital to improve your dietary intake, of course. - Healthy, natural, unsalted food, raw or cooked from scratch, is more likely to reward you with a healthy body than feeding it processed, highly-salted, sugar-laden, chemical-drenched, nutrient-low, denatured junk, isn't it? - Take care of your body! It's the only one you've got. - Saving money by choosing to eat cheap, processed rubbish instead of real food, preferably organic, is the most costly economy measure you could take, because it could cost you your health.

Vitamin D treatment transformed Susan White's life.

Reported in this Northern Echo article. Susan White had osteomalacia, a very painful condition caused by vitamin D deficiency. Bones are weakened by this illness and so there is a greater risk of fractures.

Following two spinal fractures, Susan White's condition was mistakenly attributed to osteoporosis, but fortunately for her she later received the correct diagnosis of osteomalacia, for which the treatment is vitamin D. Like Susan White, I too suffered from osteomalacia many years ago, and like her, was told that it was osteoporosis and in consequence years later was put onto HRT, which caused me very great harm. I should of course have been treated with vitamin D for the osteomalacia, but Dr Nigel Bax actively sought to dissuade me even from taking vitamin D off my own bat. He thus set in train a disastrous accumulation of damage to my health. I'm pleased that Susan White has been spared a lot of unnecessary suffering by having her problem correctly diagnosed.

Increased fracture risk after obesity surgery

BBC News reports that US research suggests that obesity operations, such as gastric bypasses or banding, doubles the risk of suffering fractures. We read that "Chronic vitamin D deficiency and inadequate calcium intake are common with obesity, and bariatric surgery poses a risk owing to malabsorption and decreased oral intake."

If you are obese and considering bariatric surgery, please first consider trying the natural way to lose excess weight, i.e. by avoiding salt and salty food and by increasing your intake of calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D.

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better! See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk

The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free.

In his report, Sunlight Robbery, Oliver Gillie says we need more of the sunshine vitamin, Vitamin D.

See http://www.healthresearchforum.org.uk/reports/sunlightrobbery.pdf

It is very well worth reading. Among the many health problems caused by insufficient vitamin D are weak bones with a tendency to fracture easily.

Researchers Say Vitamin D Might Prevent Disorders, Including Multiple Sclerosis

Newark, NJ (AHN) - Researchers say that people who get plenty of the sunshine Vitamin D may end up preventing certain diseases. Having more of the vitamin that serves as the principal regulator of calcium in the body, may also protect against specific autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS) according to Sylvia Christakos, PhD, of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. In addition, having more Vitamin D in the body might prevent the production of malignant cells, such as breast and prostate cancer in their bodies, Christakos found.
Read article at allheadlinenews.com

The following paper by Oliver Gillie is also very well worth reading:

http://www.healthresearchforum.org.uk/reports/sunlightrobbery.pdf

Its worth considering upping your intake of vitamin D whether by sunshine, by what you eat or by taking supplements. There are clearly many groups of people and individuals who are not getting enough vitamin D and this is a major causative factor in many diseases and disabilities. - Falls and fractures in old age, for instance, would be far fewer if people took more vitamin D and calcium.

Also reduce your salt intake.

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

vulnerable groups

See Sodium in foods

Associated health conditions

Acid reflux drugs may increase risk of fractures

Drugs commonly prescribed to fight acid reflux disease may significantly increase the risk of fractures in people suffering from osteoporosis, a study by Canadian researchers reveals.
Read article in the Globe and Mail (Canada)

Calcium pills reduce risk of fractures in new clinical trial

Daily supplements of calcium may reduce the risk of fractures in a healthy population by 72 per cent, according to results of a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Emphasising the importance of the supplements, researchers from University Hospital Zurich and Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire report that the benefits were no longer observed when supplementation was stopped. The results are published in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Read article at nutraingredients.com

Vitamin D is needed to metabolise calcium, and many people are short of vitamin D, so you may like to make sure that you are getting enough of this vitamin. - Possibly you would find it helpful to take one of those multivitamin/multimineral tablets each day to cover any possible shortages. These only provide small amounts so you do not risk overdosing on any particular nutrient.

If you click on the 'calcium' tag at the bottom of this post, you will be able to read about how calcium helps to reduce fat retention and obesity.