Keep LDL in Check with L-Carnitine
LDL cholesterol is known far and wide as the "bad" cholesterol, but in fact that’s a bad rap. The truth is we need cholesterol, including the LDL kind. But when free radicals in the body oxidize LDL cholesterol it does indeed turn from friend to foe, building up in artery walls -- it is one of the substances that lay the foundation for dangerous plaque.
Recently an Italian study demonstrated that one way to reduce oxidized LDL levels is by supplementation with the amino acid derivative L-carnitine. Researchers randomly assigned 81 patients with diabetes (who are prone to cholesterol problems) to one of two treatment groups. One group received placebo and the other received 2 g of L-carnitine once daily. At the end of three months, the L-carnitine-treated patients showed a decrease of oxidized LDL levels compared with the placebo group. This was just the latest study on L-carnitine.
THE MANY USES OF L-CARNITINE
According to Mark Stengler, ND, regular contributor to Daily Health News, L-carnitine helps with various health problems and its benefits are not limited to people with diabetes. When I spoke with Dr. Stengler, he rattled off an impressive list of benefits, noting that L-carnitine -- or carnitine as it is also called -- helps get energy to the heart muscles and is therefore beneficial to a number of cardiac conditions (angina, ischemia-induced arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure). It has also been used as therapy for myocardial infarction to help minimize muscle damage as a result of the oxygen reduction... it is helpful for chronic fatigue syndrome and kidney and liver disease... and there’s yet more. Studies have shown that carnitine (in the form known as acetyl-l-carnitine) may help ease the discomfort of peripheral neuropathy, a condition often triggered by diabetes or chemotherapy drugs that causes nerves in the feet and sometimes the hands to develop painful burning and stinging sensations. It appears that carnitine may even help peripheral nerves regenerate, though this is a preliminary finding. A variety of small studies have looked at the possibility that carnitine also boosts athletic performance given its role in energy production, but thus far none has shown any positive effect. However, Dr. Stengler told me that several of his patients who engage in endurance sports such as long-distance running seem to benefit from it. Dr. Stengler says people with elevated LDL but who do not have diabetes can also benefit from taking carnitine to help them prevent LDL oxidation from taking place.
Cancer Medication Mistakes
ReplyDeleteCancer patients suffer through treatment in the hope that it will be worth it -- so it’s disconcerting to consider that mistakes may get in the way. A recent study that reviewed the medical charts of nearly 1,500 patient visits from four different cancer clinics around the country found many errors. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study reported that there was a 7% error rate for adult cancer patients receiving medications as outpatients -- and a dismaying 19% error rate for children. (The majority of these pediatric errors occurred at home, mostly due to confusion about administration or dose.)
Kathleen E. Walsh, MD, of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, led an independent team of doctors that reviewed charts from three adult and one pediatric clinic, three of which were community-based clinics that were part of larger medical centers and one run by an academic medical center. The team also reviewed data from in-home treatments as well.
Four different types of errors were identified:
* Drug ordering -- those made by doctors in ordering medications.
* Dispensing -- mistakes made by pharmacy workers in giving out medications.
* Administration -- errors made by nurses giving medicines at the clinic or by patients or family members giving medicines at home.
* Monitoring -- oversights by doctors, nurses or at-home caregivers in checking for physical changes in patients.
For adults, a common source of errors was nurses who were administering medicines in the clinic. For children, a common error that had great potential for harm was in erroneous administration of medication at home. Chemotherapy regimens can be very complex, with lots of different types of medicines being given in varying amounts at different times, especially in children who take liquid medicines or pills. Dr. Walsh told me that parents too often don’t call to find out what to do when problems arise at home, but instead wait until the next appointment.
Overall the outpatient oncology clinics had an 8% medication error rate. These results point very clearly to important advice for people who want to derive the greatest benefit from their cancer treatment. If you or a loved one is being treated for cancer, always-always-always double-check dosing instructions and medications before giving. "Ask, ask, ask," advises Dr. Walsh. Ask the name of the drug... the amount to be given... the name of the doctor who signed the orders... and the date of the orders. And if anything at all seems unclear, ask the outpatient staff to check back with your doctor.
Source(s):
Kathleen E. Walsh, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, University of Massachusetts, Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.