New Study Shows Fish Oil Supplement Aids Heart Failure Patients

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 by: Richard Stossel
Tags: fish oil, health news, Natural News

(NewsTarget) An Italian study recently confirmed what previous observational studies have also shown, that taking a daily supplement of Omega-3 fish oil helped to reduce deaths and hospitalizations of people with heart failure.

Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, said of the fish oil trial: "There is a benefit of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for heart failure patients."

According to a yahoo news article;

"The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) study, done by a consortium of 357 Italian cardiology centers, enlisted more than 7,000 people diagnosed with heart failure, which is the progressive loss of the heart's ability to pump blood. Half took a daily capsule containing omega-3 PUFA, the other half took a capsule with a placebo. The death rate in the PUFA group was 27 percent, compared to 29 percent in the placebo group."

There were two earlier trials done that also showed similar results, but these were not the double blind, placebo controlled studies as this one was. This means that neither the patient nor the physician knew which participants were getting the fish oil or a placebo.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote an editorial accompanying the journal report which stated that this doesn't mean that patients with heart failure can start taking fish oil supplements on their own because a very specific formulation was used in the study.

Dr. Fonarow also said; "Heart failure is a very high-risk condition. It is absolutely critical for patients, whether it is a prescription medicine or modification of diet or a supplement, that they consult their physician."

Dr. Fonarow said that the negative results of the statin were a surprise. The study consisted of more than 4,500 people with heart failure, half of whom took the statin rosuvastatin (Crestor), with the other half taking a placebo. He said the death rate was 29% in the statin group and 28% in the placebo group. The result doesn't necessarily mean however that there is never a reason to prescribe a statin drug according to Dr. Fonarow as the drug was well tolerated, but that heart failure by itself should not be an automatic reason to start a person on a statin.

Of course most NaturalNews and alternative health proponents are usually aware that statins are so over prescribed and are the number one prescribed drug in the world, and the most profitable too. Also that 60% of those who have a heart attack have normal cholesterol levels as well. There are many alternatives that work as well and often better and are far safer than any drug.

Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian said, "The study doesn't shut the door on the use of statins for heart failure, but it closes it partly. Maybe another statin would have a benefit. It definitely makes us question the benefit of statins in heart failure, but it doesn't close the door completely."

Just as this study and so many others have discovered, along with decades of experience from naturopathic and alternative doctors, not to mention the millennia of experience from Chinese medicine and other cultures around the world, natural methods are nearly always safer and just as effective as any drug or chemical if not more so. The only time drugs are often better than herbs and other natural medicines is when there is acute illness or trauma or the life of the patient is in immediate risk, such as during emergency medicine or an illness where the person is in serious or critical condition. Then drugs can be better than herbs because they work faster and can illicit a more severe reaction in the body which is what is often needed in such a circumstance.

Of course the drug companies and media try to paint the picture that drugs are always safer and more effective than natural cures or nutrients when in fact the opposite is nearly always true if not true 100% of the time.

I'm reminded of a recent news story where it was said that a childhood disease (Measles I believe) was making a come back this year. Although there were only 135 cases reported so far they fear that it could get worse. The report made sure to state however that half of those who got measles were those who were not vaccinated, trying to make it seem as though they were risking everyone by refusing vaccinations. Of course if we think outside of what they're trying to say, then we'll easily see that the other half did get vaccinated and also got the disease. So what does that actually tell you about vaccinations' effectiveness if those who got vaccinated and those who didn't both got the disease at the same rate? It tells us how truly worthless most vaccinations are since the vaccinated people's immune systems were no better than those who were not vaccinated at all.

Point is that this is another example of how drugs, vaccinations and other chemical medicines are no better and often worse than what nature itself has given us. I've often taught people as part of my regular protocols and nutrition advice to add fish oils and Cod Liver oil in particular to their nutrition and supplementation regimen. This helps to ensure that they're not only getting enough vitamin A and D in their diets, though recent studies show we need more vitamin D than previously thought, but it also helps to make sure that we're getting enough vital EFA's in our diet or "Essential Fatty Acids" Since fatty acids are a critical part of the makeup of the walls of all your cells and they're the type of fuel that the heart prefers to use, they are indeed a critical part of our regular dietary needs and it's very important to make sure that we're getting enough of it. Of course as the article states, if you have heart failure or another heart condition, it's especially important to make sure you speak with your doctor first before adding fish oils to your diet.

Taking Cod liver oil and other nutrients are just one of the things that I talk about in the nutrition segment of my Chinese Health and Fitness video which will likely be on sale by the time you read this article. You can take a look by visiting my website below for more information on the video and other important health info. as well.

Source article link:

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20080831/hl_hsn/...)

About the author

Richard is a network engineer and longtime practitioner of Chinese martial arts, medicine and chi-gung for over twenty six years. Having learned many Chinese health and healing arts from old world gung-fu and healing masters and practitioners, he has helped many people to overcome their health issues and achieve their fitness goals. Through diligent study and experience he has taken this knowledge even further over the years including reading scores of books on Chinese medicine, health, chi theory, science, physics, nutrition, supplements, meditation, martial arts, and many other subjects. Utilizing the web, health and fitness videos, newsletters, articles, teachings and lectures, Rich is passionate about spreading the true knowledge of health, healing, fitness and spiritual truths. I'm proud to be writing articles for NaturalNews.com You can read many articles, hear audio interviews, and learn more about the highly praised Chinese Health and Fitness video by visiting Chinese Health and Fitness.com