Heart Disease: How US Lobby Killed Coconut Oil, Promoted Soy and Statins

Cardiologists, pharma industry and US edible oil joined hands to become a deadly combination that didn’t allow the coconut oil industry to flourish and almost finished them without making any meaningful impact on heart disease.

If you had high cholesterol and high blood pressure you were recommended by cardiologists to take statins (Atorvastatin, Lovastatin, Simvastatin, Rosuvastatin etc). Statin drugs are quite costly and with continued medication it was also taking a toll on the health of patients.  They also recommended you take soybean oil or sunflower oil and avoid coconut oil. Soybean or sunflower oil is polyunsaturated fat while coconut oil is mono-unsaturated and harmful for the heart.

Dr M S Valiathan, renowned cardiac surgeon and founder director of Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences in Trivandrum and also the author of critically acclaimed Charaka Samhita in his retirement years strongly supported coconut oil even when the entire cardiac specialists were against it.

Pharma and Soyoil lobby– a deadly combination
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the US pharmaceutical industry and soyoil industry lobbied hard to promote statins on the medical side and soyoil on the nutritional side with great effect that coconut oil industry focussed on South Asian markets were adversely impacted. The volume of soybean oil and other polyunsaturated oil have shot up so much that they are now able to sell below Rs 100 per litre due to intense competition while coconut oil with double that price is finding fewer takers. The much better Virgin Coconut oil is also being edged out by cheaper Palmoil and polyunsaturated oil.

Despite all this advisory and promotion of cholesterol reduction drugs and polyunsaturated oils, the incidence of heart disease hasn’t come down at all. Our cardiologists lapped up what the pharma industry and soyoil lobby advocated and still continue to do so.

Now Dr Dwight Lundell, past chief of staff and chief of surgery at Banner Heart Hospital, Arizona, a cardiac surgeon with over 25 years of experience and having performed over 5000 open heart surgeries, has come out strongly against the conventional treatment strategies using statins and polyunsaturated oils.

He says the recent discovery that inflammation of artery wall is the cause of cardiac arrests and not high cholesterol should create a paradigm shift in treatment of heart disease worldwide. He says inflammation of arteries caused the cholesterol to build up as plaques which otherwise would have freely moved around the body.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that our liver produces that aids in digestion and hormone production. It binds to our cell walls and nerves. We also get cholesterol from animal foods. While they serve functions in our body, a higher level of cholesterol was considered life threatening. Now Dr Dwight Lundell argues that high cholesterol in our artery walls is due to inflammation and lowering cholesterol levels due to medication will not help.

The prescription of low fat diet didn’t help because people started using processed food rich in carbohydrates, omega 6 fatty acids that is present in Soybean, Sunflower and Corn oil and also high sugar filled foods that caused damage to the arteries.

See this Ideapod link for full explanation: https://tinyurl.com/ydbemccj

Lobbyists Win, Patients Lose
The powerful American Soybean industry and pharma industry thrived through clever propaganda that killed Coconut oil as a marketable edible oil and boosted the prospects of anti-cholesterol drugs and polyunsaturated oils (soybean, corn, sunflower oil etc). The medical industry became a part of it knowingly or unknowingly and patients suffered or continue to suffer.

According to whistle blower Dr Dwight Dundell, the alternative to processed, sugar rich, polyunsaturated rich foods are vegetables and fruits and less cooked raw foods made at home.

Coconut oil supporters including Dr M S Valiathan and several agri-biotechnology scientists were over powered by the strong US lobby and their Indian counterparts with the result we followed the US model of heart disease management without ever questioning it.

But will the medical community take an initiative to reassess their treatment methodologies and advisories or will some consumer rights or medical rights movement take up the cause in the light of recent discoveries?
(Mail to sreekumsree@gmail.com for suggestions or comments)

Kumbalangi:The Exhilaration of Chinese Nets, the Gentle Breeze and Backwaters

Joseph Chettan works in construction sites along with his friends during day time and returns home in Kallanchery in Kumbalangi in the evening. Instead of watching TV or simply sitting idle, he goes to the back of his house facing the backwaters where he has a Chinese net. He spends rest of the evening catching fish. The day we went most of his catch was Chemmeen (prawns).

I sat on the raised wooden bench used by him to take rest after lowering the net for a catch, watching him effortlessly move along a narrow coconut wood bridge connecting the land to the fishing net. I dare not venture to take that walk even though my friend Yesudas Kocheri assured the water is not deep. An LED lamp is fixed on the Chinese net frame that is believed to attract fishes to the net. Some nets have a small covered resting place attached for fishermen to seek shelter when there is heavy rain, thunder or lightning.

Joseph Chettan lamented – in the past few days the catch is lower but enough to make fish curry or fry which is a staple diet in this fishing hamlet. Hardly 14 km from the Ernakulam Railway Station, this scenic place has now emerged in the global map as it was declared as the first designated eco- tourism village in India. There are only 108 families in this place and all of them know each other. This place is also popular as the native place of Prof K V Thomas, a former Union Minister.

I cherish the evening I spent with Yesudas Kocheri and his family who were kind enough to offer food and hospitality. All the ethnic dishes were greatly relished by my family and friends group- kappa (Tapioca), chala fish (sardines), appam and chicken curry, rice, salad, mollusc, njandu (crab) - we could get a taste of it all.

Thereafter, I sat on the wooden bench observing Joseph Chettan lift the net and release it again. There were several other fishing nets nearby but only one or two had active people to operate it as catch was quite low. The gentle breeze made us drowsy after a heavy meal and when I listen to Joseph Chettan talk, I was feeling intoxicated without getting drunk.

 

Joseph Chettan relaxing after a catch and very much enjoys what he does every day
________________________________________________________________________________                                                  
I am 64, I have not spent a day in hospital so far. I have gone to the hospital OP only for consultation for fever or minor ailments,” Joseph proudly said. Good quality marine food, physical work, the gentle breeze and the fresh waters all add up to the fitness of Joseph Chettan. He never makes a change in his routine and never tires from repeatedly catching fish.

As it was quite dark, I was not able to capture some good moments with Joseph chettan but I requested my friend Yesudas Kocheri to take some good snaps of him against the back drop of the Chinese nets and the backwaters.

In my journalistic journey of two decades I have often found it enlightening to talk to farmers, traders, fishermen, planters and so on who are down-to-earth, have no pretensions or snobbishness.
I felt the same with Joseph as he described the life of construction worker in the day and fisherman at night. “Sometime back, I stayed up till 12 am in the night, the chemeen catch was good and I earned Rs 8000 the next day at a market auction.”

A few homestays have come up in Kumbalangi some catering to international tourists while some others were of the economy category. However, for a casual visitor finding food to eat is difficult as homestays only prepare food based on order received the same day or a few days in advance. If you get a fishing rod, don’t forego the opportunity to catch live fish.

The clouds were dark, it wasn’t a full moon day but the gentle breeze gave an unforgettable experience for us. It cooled our hearts and mind with memories that last for ever.

Yesudas told me land prices in Kumbalangi have shot up once it became a global tourist destination. Many families sold their land for a good price and bought houses at a cheaper rate elsewhere. However,as you enter the Kumbalangi Village from the main road, the lanes are narrow and tarred roads have developed pot holes and atmosphere gets quiet as you move into Kallanchery.

  Yesudas Kocheri, whose FB posts attracted me to Kumbalangi 
__________________________________________________
                                                                                                             

It was 10 pm when we were called again for a second round of dinner which we finished off fast – the Kanambu (Mullet) fry was yummy. Karimeen was not available that day.                                                                                                                                                                     
None of us wanted to return and would have slept by the side of the backwaters. Such was the charm of Kallanchery.

Why Not a Total Ban on Plastics and Not Just Carry Bags?

Municipalities and corporations have enforced laws to ban plastic carry bags and shops have been directed not to provide such bags to customers to carry the purchased goods. Instead of plastic, jute, cloth or other biodegradable quality bags are to be used.

Now this puts lot of pressure on shops and establishments to conform but this will not reduce plastic consumption unless companies are also directed not to use plastic for packing their edible or non-edible or even consumer durables.

Biscuits, soaps, edible oils, tea, coffee powder, milk, candles, fried foods, consumer durables, even car seats are covered in plastic when it is delivered to the customer,

When companies use plastic to package their goods, it reaches more homes than when a shop keeper provides plastic bags to carry the bought goods. There has been no effort to curb the use of plastics by companies.

Or is it because they have huge backlog of designed plastic wrappers and boxes that would go waste if plastic ban is implemented or is it that extra costs will be incurred in shifting to a biodegradable quality packing?

I think policy makers, consumer activists and regulatory officials should think of a total ban on plastics and not just carry bags.

Psychopathy: How Men Use Sympathy to Lure Women

Charming or handsome looks, good voice, height, muscular body sometimes may not always go well with the fairer sex. But some men employ a killer strategy to lure women. They know very well sympathy can win over a woman quite easily. Whether a woman has given birth to a child or not or whether married or not they have a motherly instinct to protect and care. As such they become sympathetic to someone who opens up their mind to a crisis they are facing.

These men are either psychopaths or sociopaths, the former is more manipulative, cold-blooded the other one is hot headed and less manipulative.

Psychopaths/sociopaths who get introduced to women lock them in an emotional trap by sharing their family problems most probably about a separated wife, unfulfilled relationship and so on. The intention of such person could vary from having sex, getting money or manipulate the behaviour of the woman. They may have attractive traits such as good voice and also good at texting on Whatsapp or Messenger.

Once the relationship strengthens they use various manipulative tactics to destroy the mental peace of the woman. It could be ignoring messages, putting conditions for the relationship to progress such as severing relationship with other boyfriends and insisting on meeting often.  They are capable of maintaining relationship with several women at a time without any of them knowing about the other.

Such relationship can occur between a boss and subordinate, colleagues, or casual acquaintances developing into a relationship. Once the woman starts objecting to his conditions, he may threaten to quit or suggest the same to her. But since she is emotionally trapped, he very well knows it will not happen all of a sudden. Such psychopaths are suspicious of their lovers and keep track of their movements and social media activity.

Most often psychopaths/sociopaths get away from any punishment because their victims can’t expose them easily. They also belittle their wife making them feel small and lack empathy or emotion.

How to Escape from a Psychopath
Many victims ask themselves how I fell for this man. The fact is that they are helpless and feel guilty for being in such a relationship. Whenever she thinks of him, he appears as a thorn in their mind.  And it is not easy to easily forget him and there may be temptation to meet him again or text him.

But it is not entirely impossible to get out of such a relationship. First and foremost is not to feel guilty for having fallen into a relationship. If possible seek counselling or talk to friends, engage in new activities or challenges and soon the thorn in your mind will start disintegrating.

Despite the fact that psychopaths/sociopaths may be silently creating stress in the minds of hapless women victims, the society at large is not able to grapple with the phenomenon,

However, there are certain precautions that women can take in a relationship.

If the man tries to focus more on his family crisis or that of his spouse, better take guard. Normally, men don't open up to even close friends with their family problems so if they are opening up within days of getting introduced to each other, better be cautious.

For a better understanding of Psychopath and Sociopath- here is a link: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/sociopath-psychopath-difference#1

(Comments, Suggestions or queries may be posted here or mailed to sreekumsree@gmail.com)

The Truth Behind the Fuel-Toilet Debate in India

Now social media and electronic media is full of trolls ridiculing the newly appointed Union Minister Mr Alphonse Kannanthanam and his statement about petrol, diesel sales proceeds going towards constructing toilets that did not go well with the masses.

There seems to be lot of misunderstanding about how petrol diesel prices are determined in the country. Oil Minister Mr Dharmendra Pradhan has stated that we follow the most transparent system for daily price determination of petrol and diesel.  Those who follow his Twitter posts can understand very well how misguided the critics of the BJP government are when it comes to fuel prie determination in India.

Mr Pradhan has pointed out that crude oil is just one component that determines the price of petrol and diesel. There are several other components which he hasn’t explained. At current prices of $50 a barrel, per litre cost in India would be Rs 20 based on Rs 64/Dollar exchange rate. Then how come we are paying Rs 70 plus at the retail petrol station?

Here is the break-up?

The oil marketing companies need to incur refining costs, transportation costs and most importantly taxes. Excise duty, state value added tax (VAT) and cess apart from profit margin by oil companies, dealers also have to be factored in.

We must be paying close to Rs 40 by way of taxes which neither the state governments nor the central governments can afford to forego considering the huge revenue they get from it. Minister Pradhan has also indicated in his tweets that petrol and diesel prices are trailing behind international crude oil prices in the past few months. According to him crude oil prices rose 13% in the past three months but petrol prices in India rose only 4%, global petrol prices rose 18% while domestic prices rose only 4% in the past three months.

The Toilet Debate

The statement from Mr Kannanthanam gives the impression that revenue from fuel sales would be utilised for the construction of toilets. What the government has been discussing is how far the tax revenue on account of fuel sales can be used for social welfare purposes including drinking water and sanitation. Now with international crude prices declining, there is opportunity for the government as current account deficit will narrow.

When all taxes go into the consolidated account of the government, how can oil excise duty and taxes be demarcated and used for social welfare activities is still a mystery.

However, no one can doubt the intention of the government which claims to have added 4.837 crore new toilets since 2014. Presently, about 68.21% of the population is under sanitation coverage compared to 38.70% when the government came to power three years ago.

Encourage Public Transport

The government has also stated that the fuel pricing policy provides a disincentive for more use of petrol and diesel for passenger vehicles with the goal of promoting public transport. It will curb traffic, prevent pollution and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The shift from administered pricing mechanism (APM) to prices based on international crude oil was expected to reduce the retail prices of fuel but consumers feel is not happening. The fluctuations in exchange rate and costs of fuel intermediates may have a bearing on the daily price movements of petrol and diesel.

Tailpiece

Politicians, social commentators, analysts and even a civil servant turned minister seem to be lacking knowledge of India’s fuel pricing and therein lies the issue. Secondly, government is now considering bringing fuel prices under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will bring uniform pricing across the country.

Your Home May Be More Polluting Than You Imagine

How often we talk about pollution on the streets and roads whether it is smoke, dust, noxious fumes from vehicles, pungent smell from garbage deposited on the wayside. The other day when some visitors were coming to our house, we re-arranged and cleaned up the home. There was enormous amount of dust on the leaves of fans, behind dressing tables, cupboards that our servant overlooked. Not to speak of dust settled in open book shelves. 

Vacuum cleaners are now very common in households but to clean up inaccessible areas you first need to move the furniture or equipment to clear the dust and other harmful materials.

Dust inside the house can cause lung infections, bronchial asthma, throat infections and several other health issues.

Dust is not the only pollutant that is harmful to us inside our home. These days, mosquito menace forces us to use mosquito coils, liquid mosquito repellants contain harmful chemical allethrin whose exposure for longer hours can cause harm even as it may drive away musquitoes for sometime.

Now air freshners are used in both A/C and Non A/c Rooms to give a fresh odor but they contain harmful substances such as Dichlorobenzene, a known carcinogen. It can as be found on toilet deodorizers, moth balls. It creates an illusion of freshness by destroying our sense of smell, says analysts.

Conventional floor cleaners may contain phenyl and other such chemicals that can cause respiratory problems, skin irritations, dizziness, asthmatic attacks. Insect repellants are chemical intensive and likely to cause harm to the occupants.

Deodorants could also cause damage to skin and respiratory system. They contain carcinogens such as aluminium compounds, triclosan, parabens, propylene glycol among others.

Compared to outdoors, indoors can be more polluting as there is nothing to absorb the release of such substances. Trees, plants and grass can act as natural traps for dust, heat and pollutants outdoors.

How to ensure pollution free interiors

Chemical intensive nature of substances used for cleaning and purification of rooms have a negative impact on our health.

Here are some ways to reduce chemical use and pollution at home.

1)Have the rooms and walls dusted using a vaccum cleaner regularly

2)Fans, Lamps and interior decoration articles should be periodically cleaned to clear dust accumulated
3) Use mild, less chemical intensive floor cleaners and herbal alternatives to insect repellants.

4) Use mild deodorants, perfumes, air freshners that are not carcinogenic in nature.

5) Ensure walls are repainted every 3-5 years.

6)Keep windows, doors open for some time during the day to enable fresh air inside even if it is an airconditioned room.

7) Use quality paint for doors, windows and walls.  Powder coated materials last longer and hence easy to maintain.

When All is Not Lost in the Hurricane Ophelia

My first experience of a natural calamity was in 1978 when most of Trivandrum city’s low-lying areas were drowned in neck deep water. Water rushed into our home too but only at ankle length. Outside our house, lots of mud pots, utensils from houses were seen floating while some people skilfully swam in the muddy waters. Thatched huts and mud walls fall easily as water rushes in. Schools and colleges are closed. Snakes, frogs all sort of reptiles enter the houses. The elderly and the children easily catch infectious diseases and end up in hospital.

The newspapers and the radio will be filled with news of missing people, drowned, damage to houses, buildings and roads. After the 1978 floods, I saw two other such floods hit Kerala and once we (Me and wife Aswathy) narrowly escaped landslide as we were returning from honeymoon in July 1997 in Munnar.

When you are child you watch all these displacement and destruction with ease, but as you grow up each natural calamity creates fear, panic and a feeling of helplessness.  The large-scale destruction in the Mumbai floods a few years ago and recently in Chennai are stark reminders of how weak mankind is against an unexpected natural calamity that can strike any moment in our lives.

As I read Danielle Steel’s Rushing Waters, I got reminded of all the natural disasters I have heard about and seen. In junior college, we had a poem in Hindi by Harvansh Rai Bachan (father of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan)-Need ka nirman phir phir. The central theme is that destruction and construction keep happening in sequence. Rebuilding is an essential part of nature after a disaster.

In Rushing Waters, Danielle Steel peeps into the lives of a few men and women whose lives change for the better after the destruction unleashed by Hurricane Ophelia. Physical losses are inevitable in those living in downtown areas as proximity to rivers and below sea level elevation makes it vulnerable to destruction.

Ellen, an interior designer in London and Charles Williams, a British investment banker travel to New York for business and to visit their family only to get caught in the Hurricane. Ellen could help her mother Grace shift to a shelter while Charles could be with his separated wife and two daughters. 

Apart from creating an atmosphere of anxiety and stress ahead of the Hurricane Ophelia which is experienced by Ellen and Charles in the flight from London itself, the onset of the hurricane, the sudden rush of waters in downtown area, the darkness, strong winds all bring the reader right into the thick of action.

Even as each of the characters face the Hurricane right before them, an inner turmoil is going on in their lives which has to do with their close relationships with spouse, lovers or for those alone, the longing for friendship.

Then the story of the three musketeers of NYU, Anna, Peter, Ben and his black Labrador Mike. Despite, Anna’s request to come to her uptown home, Peter and Ben chose to stay back and finally they were drowned in the rushing waters and loss of Ben caused a trauma that couldn’t be erased so easily for Anna and Peter.

For the ER Doctor Juliette Dubois, fighting to save thousands of lives amid darkness and no electricity, the hurricane also creates an opportunity to find her soulmate.

The different emotions of people-agony, pathos, shock, disappointment, fear in different situations creates an empathy while each victim find a way out of the tragedy only to emerge stronger. As the author notes lives of some people change for the better after a hurricane no matter it may take several months to bring their homes or property back in shape.

It was a chance visit the author’s FB page that made me search for a Danielle Steel book and don’t regret it. Now understand what makes her the favourite of millions of readers worldwide and why they wait eagerly for each new work. . As is evident from the comments posted in her FB page about her latest book The Duchess. She has written over 90 books most of them bestsellers

( Rushing Waters: Danielle Steel, Penguin India, 2016, INR 599 PP 319)