Dear Health Conscious Reader,
Imagine a mother taking her teenage son to a doctor for ADHD treatment. She trusts his prescription will help him get along better in school. Improve his focus. Function better in the world.
But instead of getting relief from his symptoms after taking the drugs, the unthinkable happens …
He suffers a sudden heart attack.
This tragedy is happening right now. Children – with no previous heart conditions – are suddenly dropping dead after taking ADHD drugs like Ritalin.
A study published by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that healthy kids who take Ritalin have a 500 percent greater risk of sudden death. These aren’t kids with pre-existing heart conditions. The results would have been worse if they were included.1
Another study published recently in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that kids taking stimulants like Ritalin were more than four times as likely to suffer sudden death.2
Ritalin is just one of several drugs that have caused heart attacks in recent years. Drugs like Avandia, Baycol, Bextra and Vioxx all have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths from heart attacks. It’s the ultimate reason to be suspicious of these new drugs.
But let’s just take Ritalin, for example. It’s a stimulant – and acts exactly like amphetamines, such as crystal meth and cocaine. That means it causes the heart to beat faster. But a fast heartbeat can knock plaque from arteries and block blood flow. And that can lead to sudden heart attack.
Then there are Cox-2 inhibitors, like Vioxx and Bextra. They block the Cox-2 enzyme from creating protective fatty acids your body needs. Blocking the enzyme also can cause clotting – which can trigger a heart attack.
And then there’s the case of statins. They’ve been found to decrease
levels of CoQ10 in the blood by 40 percent.3 But CoQ10 is essential for the function of every organ – especially your heart. It fights free radicals in cells and regulates the rhythm of your heart rate. Simply put, the lower your CoQ10 levels, the higher your risk of dying.Drugs treat symptoms, but don’t cure underlying problems. Putting these foreign substances in your body upsets its natural function. And that can lead to unintended consequences – like sudden heart attacks.
The bottom line here is that you need a strong, powerful, energetic heart. Try to avoid prescription drugs, and follow these three simple tips:
1. Challenge Your Heart – Hours of “cardio” will only shrink your heart. To make it bigger and stronger, challenge your heart with short-duration, high-intensity exertion, like I show you in my PACE program. This will increase your reserve capacity – the heart’s ability to pump more blood faster in times of stress – and grow your heart.
2. Feed Your Heart – Get plenty of CoQ10. It’s a super-nutrient for your whole body, and a source of energy for your heart. Grass-fed beef, eggs and cod liver oil are great CoQ10 food sources. Or you can supplement. I recommend taking 50 mg of the “ubiquinol” form of CoQ10.
3. Defend Your Heart – Eat the kinds of foods nature intended for us. That means a variety of proteins, healthy fats, fruits and veggies. Antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies are blueberries, raisins, and prunes, kale, spinach and Brussels sprouts. Stay away from processed grains and sugars. Eat this way and your heart will last a very long time.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
- Jensen et al, “3-Year Follow-up of the NIMH MTA Study.” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2007; 46(8): 989-1002
- Gould, Madelyn S., Ph.D., M.P.H., et al, “Sudden Death and Use of Stimulant Medications in Youths,” Am J Psychiatry June 15, 2009
- Ghirlanda, G., Oradei, A., Manto, A., et al, “Evidence of plasma CoQ10-lowering effect of HMG-COA reductase inhibitors: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study,” Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, March 1993; 33(3):226-229