PREVENTION OF POSSIBLE HEART ATTACKS THAT MAY OCCUR DUE TO HIGH LDL CHOLESTEROL

                                   
PREVENTION OF POSSIBLE HEART ATTACKS THAT MAY OCCUR DUE TO HIGH LDL CHOLESTEROL  

(© Dr.V.M.Palaniappan, PhD: 21 March 2018)

My friend Mr. N. Jayasubramaniam in Kuala Lumpur, also the chief administrator of an interesting WhatsApp Group, became much  concerned about some of our friends confused whether or not to take Lactobacillus plantarum with K2 in the place of Statins for the suppression / prevention of high cholesterol-related heart problems

It occurred to me that I should write on this for the benefit of several such people who are ‘addicted’ to taking statins since several years.

The following information, especially the preventive & curative procedures for the protection against heart attacks, are based exclusively on my own research, and you cannot find them anywhere else than my own publications.

1.    Everybody knows that Statins are pharmaceutical products meant to keep the cholesterol content in the blood within a harmless range, so that one need not fear of an unexpected heart attack  

During the past three decades or so, doctors have been liberally prescribing statins. So much so, the general public has become somewhat overly concerned about a possible heart attack if they avoided taking the drug.

However, nowadays, many appear to be against the use of statins because of the many undesirable side-effects. 

Of course, I am one of those who do not believe in taking Statins for this ‘a bit over-exaggerated’ threat.

There is already a strong belief that the use of statins is bad for people with type-2 diabetes. The drug is said to worsen the condition.

2.      Mayo Clinic (1998-2018) has the following to say: 

(https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013)  

“While statins are highly effective, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people and may rarely cause liver damage.   

Statins include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor).”

    3.    According to Wikipedia (2018): (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus

Acidophilus)

It is common knowledge that the bacteria are recognisable as of two different kinds:

1.    Gram-positive bacteria

2.    Gram-negative bacteria.

Gram-positive bacteria does not have an outer membrane, and therefore, it can be easily destroyed by taking antibiotics.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a bacteria that  is a Gram-positive.

This is naturally present in our saliva, stomach and intestine.

When a living microorganism, when consumed in a living state, gives some health benefits, it is called a Probiotic.

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This word “Probiotic” came into use only since 1980 or so, based on what the Nobel laureate Élie Metchnikoff told the world in 1907, based ib gus observation that the farmers in Bulgari lived a longer life because of taking yoghurt*.   

The English word yoghurt is called “Thayiru” in Tamil. When diluted with water, it called “Moru”.  

In Tamil Nadu, the thayiru has been part of everybody’s lunch-time diet all the time.  

I have been consuming it from my childhood – from the age of two or so, and that was in 1940!  It has been a home-made items all the time.  

The only lacking matter was that, we have NOT been calling it PROBIOTIC in English! However, we have been calling it thus in Tamil language!   

All other Indians too have similar words in their regional languages, for nearly all the Indians have been taking it from time immemorial! *  

(* It is very funny!  

It is said that the Indiansn India, particularly the South Indians, and more so the Tamil Nadu people, called the Tamilians, have been consuming the yoghurt since more than about 10,000 years – the Tamil literature has numerous and clear references on this.   

It has been vividly described in the literature of Siddha medicine (the traditional Tamil System of medicine) that dates back to BC 10,000 to BC4,000 has substantial evidences on this (National Inst. Siddha, 2018:  http://nischennai.org/ siddhamedicine.html).   

The entire situation appears to be in a sad state!   

While it is true that the Tamils have already recognised the value of yoghurt as a probiotic some 10 thousand years ago, it required a Nobel Laureate to inform the same to the world, only a century ago, and that too based on his observation of the lifestyle of people he was aware of.  

The values of, or even the medicinal properties of the yoghurt, has been vividly described in the Siddha literature.

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Lactobacillus acidophilus is a Probiotic. It helps in the digestion of food in the gastro-intestinal tract, and also prevents ‘bad’ bacteria from giving health problems.  

This bacteria turns sugars into lactic ACID - ferments MILK into YOGHURT (i.e, thayiru), which is a PROBIOTIC, and helps in digestion, ulcerative colitis, etc.

If the yoghurt (thayiru) is used for washing the vagina, the disease causing yeast Candida albicans infection (that can even be transmitted to men while having sex with infected women) can get eradicated (Health Guidance, 2018: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15629/1/ Treatment-for-Candida-Albicans.html)

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Lactobacilus plantarum is another species of the same bacteria genus, also present in our saliva, in vagina, and the like (Wikipedia, 2018: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_plantarum )  

This too is a probiotic, and can help protect the gastro-intestinal system, help in digestion, fight against some infectious organisms, and the like.

This microbe takes in Oxygen, and turns it into Hydrogen peroxide.

The latter can kill other undesirable bacteria in its vicinity. In other words, L. plantarum can help us by destroying other harmful bacteria in our gastro-intestinal tract.

This L. plantarum is present in PICKLES* (and that is good for us), cheese, and several such fermented products.

(* That is why, again, the south Indians have been taking pickles made of a wide variety of vegetables with their yoghurt-mixed rice, called “Thayir Choru”. 

Whether the pickles are made in the traditional way, or they are prepared using Vinegar (synthetic or from fruits such as apple cider) as they do it in the restaurants for instant consumption, they are still good as probiotics!

The pickles have the capacity to kill the unwanted bacteria present in the intestinal tract!

At this, it may be of interest to know that garlic pickles and mango pickles are the best for this purpose, while all the others too possess such beneficial properties.)

This species works on several proteins, and produces ACETIC ACID (we often call it vinegar) through a fermentation process. Many undesirable organisms will get eliminated by this end-product. 

Some people may get severe SKIN ITCH due to some ALLERGIES*

(* This can happen because of the production of histamines in the body when one consumes OLD protein-rich food (cooked a day or more earlier, and 'spoilt' by other bacteria), often treated with some anti-histamine tablets)

This L. plantarum can help in ‘curing’ it to some extent. It is the Acetic acid that is produced by this bacteria that helps.

In other words, even Vinegar (i.e., the acetic acid that is made from fruits, or in a synthetic manner that can be purchased from supermarkets, or in your grocery shops), should also be able to help overcome such allergic reactions or skin itches for a while.

It is said that L. plantarum can also help in correcting the problem of Irritable Bowel Syndrom (IBS) (Wikipedia, 2018: (https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Lactobacillus_plantarum)

However, L. plantarum is said to spoil the IRON mineral, and therefore, may not help build haemoglobin / red blood cell.

When it comes to the use L plantarum in the place of statins, I don’t think that has the ability to work on fats – it works only on proteins.

HOWEVER, since recent times, people have started believing that THIS bacteria L plantarum, in combination with Vitamin K2 as supplement CAN PREVENT the build-up of cholesterol in the blood.

Eupedia (vBulletin Solutions  2018) elaborates much on the production and beneficial effects of Vitamin-K https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads /31972-Beneficial-gut-bacteria-that-produce-vitamins-B2-B9-B12-and-K2.

Vitamin K₂ is known to prevent and even reverse arteriosclerosis.

Can the above statement be true?

YES! IT CAN BE TRUE, INDIRECTLY, for the following reasons:

The CHOLESTEROL as such may NOT get destroyed or reduced, by taking Lactobacillus plantarum + Vitamin K2, for this bacteria works only on PROTEINS, and produces ACID – ACETIC ACID, also known as Vinegar!

When people have a HIGH BUILD-UP OF CALCIUM in their body, essentially due to TWO reasons:

(1) UNDER-URINATION, and

(2) Calcium re-absorption from FAECES when people defecate SLIME (shapeless, a bit watery-kind of faeces),

their BLOOD VESSEL WALLS (both outside and inside the HEART) get THICKENED (i.e., aretrio- or atherosclerosis + blockages develop), and the CHOLESTEROL, if it happens to be too much in the blood, THAT can give HEART ATTACK!

These TWO substances (i.e., end-product of the bacteria and K2 vitamin), being ACIDs, they will REMOVE very effectively the CALCIUM ACCUMULATIONS within the body, as well as within the BLOOD VESSELS & HEART*. 

(* Such calcium accumulations form the main culprits that cause the blood vessel thickening and heart blockages)

THAT (i.e., the removal of calcium) will prevent heart attacks. Therefore, one need not take STATINS.

In other words, the answer to the question asked, whether or not taking L. palntarum + Vitamin K can replace the intake of Statin, is ‘YES, IT WILL HELP’*.  

(* Law in several countries, including Malaysia, require that you get the approval of an MBBS-qualified doctor, even if he has qualified with a third-class degree only yesterday, and registered to practice today, legally, he can approve your stopping of statin, and I cannot! So, it would be better for you (or any reader of this article) to get such an approval before listening to my observations!)

If I were the person with high cholesterol, I would PREVENT the formation of cholesterol in the body by some easy-to-follow PREVENTION methods.

If I have high cholesterol in my body, I would EAT pickles (preferably made the Indian way by the Tamil people) with my RICE mixed with sour MORU / THAYIRU (உப்புச் சேர்த்த புளித்த மோரு / தயிரு) (i.e., yoghurt), DAILY AS PART OF MY LUNCH (and not with dinner).

The bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus is, most probably,  more effective than its sister species L. plantarum.

Garlic Pickles and Mango pickles are better than any other.  Reason being, garlic and unripe mangos are ACIDS in themselves, and therefore, they should be more effective than others.

If you ask me, which one of these is best among the two, I would go for GARLIC PICKLES, for it has many more medicinal values as well!

Do you know another amusing fact?

The normal Assam Jawa (in Malay), PuLLi ( புளி in Tamil), Tamarind (in English) added while cooking some vegetables and ‘kuzhambu, especially FISH GRAVY, is another very BEST ANTI-HEART ATTACK ‘medicine’*.

(* It is sad that the Western medical fraternity still does not know much about the South Indian diet and the medicinal properties of each of the items consumed.

However, it is pleasing to know that, since recent past, the Westerners have started realising the benefits of the traditional diet of South Indians.)

When it comes to the avoidance of cholesterol build up in the blood, I normally tell my patients NOT to resort to statins, but to PREVENT the excessive formation of the ‘bad’ cholesterol (Low Density Lipids – LDL) within the body.

THE TRUTH REMAINS THUS:

Step-1: Avoid the build-up of cholesterol in the blood, by preventing trans-fatty acids that are present in cooking oils that are repeatedly used. (Avoid eating oil-fried eatables from street stalls and restaurants)

Step-2: Eat YOUGURT (Thayiru or Moru) mixed with RICE, at lunch time, daily. Along with it, also take pickles of some kind, preferably garlic or mango ones. It will make a delicious combination.

The L. acidophilus has also been reported to have the property of reducing lignin cellulosic tissues (Wikipedia, 2018).

That can be taken to mean, that it can protect the feet from forming very thick and hardened corn-like horny tissues. However, this requires more verification.

This bacteria L. acidophilus is said to convert oxygen into hydrogen peroxide, as said earlier,  and that would keep away all other food spoiling bacteria.

That is why Thayir Choru (i.e., a blend of rice with yoghurt and salt) does NOT get spoilt for a long duration even outside the fridge *.

(*  Again, that is why, in the past, prior to the introduction of automobiles, when people in Tamil Nadu, India, travelled in bullock carts that took a few days to reach remotely located destinations, they took with them this Thayir Choru in a container, and ate them until they reached  their destination. This was so because, there were no restaurants of the modern-kind at that time in history. 

As a reminder of this cultural tradition, even today, the Chettiars of Tamil Nadu (or wherever they are) prepare this Thayir Choru, calling it Katti (i.e., packed) Choru, and give it to a newly married couple prior to their ‘departure’ to the bridegroom’s home. This has been so because, the Thayir Choru keeps its good quality without getting spoiled by air-borne bacteria.)

Step-3: Also include some / any pickle that tastes sour, while eating Thayiru Choru or Moru Choru (i.e., rice with yoghurt), daily.

Step-4: Eat gravy (kuzhmbu) made with Tamarind / Assam jawa / PuLLi. This can be consumed twice or thrice a week.

(Fish curry is made with tamarind. So, you can eat this curry, however, remember, the rich calcium content in the fish will nullify the good effects of tamarind to some extent.)

Above all the above, if you are a firm believer of only the Western medicine, don’t trust anything that is oriental, and if you happen to have a lot of money, by all means go ahead taking pharmaceutical products containing “L. plantarum +K2”.

I have published (in English) in my BLOG, an elaborate article on this. If time permits, you should be able to find it in my Website: www.ecohealingsystem.com,

Or, that can also be viewed in my BLOG: http://ecohealingsystem.blogspot.com 

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Well friends,

(a)  I hope the above article is of use to you.

I am aware that most of the Indians, especially many among those  who worked in the plantation industries in Malaysia, appear to have totally forgotten the habit of taking yoghurt/thayiru as an end-part of their daily lunch.

It would be nice if they begin to practice again their ancestral / traditional habit of such a consumption.

One thing that makes me happy is that, nearly all Indians take pickles.

Again, some of the ‘highly informed’  Indians avoid taking pickles because of the ‘threat’ forwarded by their doctors who frighten them saying that the salt content in the pickles would raise their blood pressure which can kill them later.

I take plenty of salt.

I have given an excellent and scientific explanation as how and why salt is NOT the culprit for raising the B/P in people, but it is the abstinence of NOT drinking enough water! (See Palaniappan, V.M. 2001. Heart Problems: Causes, Cure and Prevention.)

(b)  I did not contribute anything to our BLOG for the past 2 months. The reason for that was: I was travelling in India, attending to some patients with liver problems and the like. Hence, it occurred to me that it is high time that I do this, now!

(c)  To know a lot more, you may want to visit my Website: www.ecologicalhealingsystem.com

           With thanks for reading, and with best wishes,

Dr. Palani, Ph.D.

21 March 2018.