September 14th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

HDL cholesterol is also called the good cholesterol, because it cleans out the arteries, in comparison to LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, which is found in the gunk built up in the arteries.

In my extensive 30 plus years experience as a physician, I have never seen a patient with high HDL cholesterol (more than 80 mg/dl) suffer from a heart attack or stroke. And I continue to see a number of patients with low LDL cholesterol suffer from heart attacks and stroke.

While the whole focus has been on lowering the LDL cholesterol, there has not been much attention on raising the HDL cholesterol. Why? Because almost every major pharmaceutical company has a blockbuster drug to lower the LDL cholesterol, but the drug industry have not found an effective way to raise the HDL cholesterol.

In my experience, drugs such as statins, niacin, fenofibrate and fish oil do not cause any significant increase in the HDL cholesterol.

What I have found really works is a simple change in your diet: Lower carbohydrates (including bread, pasta rice, cereals, oat meal, sugar, juices) and increase monounsaturated fats found in nuts, especially almonds, walnuts, pecan, macadamia and pistachios. Increasing the intake olive oil, avocados and fatty fish such as salmon also helps somewhat. Compared to popular belief, exercise does not help. One easy way to get plenty of almonds is thru my almond muffins.

Click here for the recipe for http://doctorzaidi.com/almond-muffins.html.

September 12th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

True living is like watching a movie – the movie of life, playing continuously around you,  and also realizing you too are in the movie.

September 6th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

Dr. Zaidi’s weekly quote……….http://innerpeaceandlove.com/weekly-quote-stress-management.html

August 30th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

Many people continue to have a low level of vitamin D despite taking vitamin D supplement. They wonder what is happening. In most individuals, the dose is inadequate or absorption of oral vitamin D is poor or the quality of vitamin D supplement is not good. In many cases it is due to poor absorption of vitamin D supplement, especially in people with stomach bypass surgery such as Lap-band. Other patients with poor absorption of oral vitamin D include patients with pancreatic surgery, chronic pancreatitis, anti-convulsant drugs, and cholestyramine.

Solution: Sublingual Vitamin D. Find out more………………. http://onlinemedinfo.com/treatment-of-vitamin-d-deficiency.html

July 24th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

The past and future are mental abstractions, virtual and unreal. The Now is the only real thing. Live in it if you want to live a real life.

Weekly Quote By Dr. Zaidi

July 13th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

Stress is a major factor causing Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/stress-causes-graves-disease-and-other-autoimmune-diseases-5017272.html

June 21st, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

Victoza (Liraglutide) is an antidiabetic drug which was approved by the the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2010. Finally on June 13, 2011 FDA decided to warn healthcare professionals to closely monitor patients receiving this anti-diabetic drug for thyroid C-cell tumors and acute pancreatitis.

What is Thyroid C-cell tumor?

C-cells are special cells in the thyroid gland, which produce a special hormone called calcitonin. Cancer of these cells is called medullary thyroid cancer, a rare but one of the most malignant thyroid cancer.

What is Acute Pancreatitis?

A potentially life-threatening condition which causes acute upper abdominal pain, often accompanied with nausea and vomiting and usually radiates to the back.

Comments by Dr. Zaidi

When Victoza (liraglutide) was first approved and I saw the drug package insert warning about the potential for medullary thyroid cancer, I decided not to prescribe it to any of my patients. My guess is any endocrinologist who have dealt with medullary thyroid cancer patients would have decided along the same line.

I am glad finally FDA is warning physicians especially primary care physicians about these potential but very serious side-effects of this drugs.

It also reminds me of a very wise statement: There is not a problem till there is a problem-solver.

June 15th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

FDA issued a public safety information today ( June 15, 2011) that pioglitazone ( sold under the brand name of Actos) may increase the risk of urinary bladder cancer if drug is taken more than one year and in high doses. These finding are based on the interim 5-year review of an ongoing 10-year epidemiological safety study on pioglitazone. Earlier this week, pioglitazone was taken off the market in France. And In Germany, physicians are advised not to start any new patients on pioglitazone.

In the US, the drug is on the market. Physicians are advised to be more careful about signs and symptoms of potential urinary bladder cancer such as blood in the urine, urgency of urination, low abdominal pain and pain in the low back. The continuation of the use of pioglitazone (Actos) is a decision between patients and their physicians.

Comments by Dr. Zaidi:

I think, France and Germany have over-reacted. To put things in perspective, patients with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of any type of cancer, including urinary bladder cancer, which is a rare cancer. Why? primarily because these patients have underlying insulin resistance with compensatory high insulin level, which causes growth of tissues, benign as well as malignant.

Insulin resistance is the consequence of a number of factors including genetics, aging, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, stress and vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, my treatment approach consists of diet, exercise, atress mangement, vitamins and medications.  As far as medications are concerned, I use metformin and pioglitazone, as these are the only two drugs that treat insulin resistance: metformin treats insulin resistance at the level of liver and pioglitazone at the level of muscle and fat.

With this comprehensive approach, I have seen some amazing results in my patients: an excellent control of diabetes, with very few complications and almost no one  requiring insulin therapy.

In the last 12 years, I have treated thousands of type 2 diabetics with my above mentioned approach. Fortunately, I have not encountered a single case of urinary bladder cancer.

However, we should be careful with any drug and I agree with FDA patient safety information about pioglitazone. 

To view FDA report, please visit www.DiabetesSpecialist.com

May 31st, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

On May 31, 2011, World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the radiation exposure from the use of cell phone may cause glioma, a type of brain cancer.

Over the years, there have been concerns about the use of cell phones causing brain cancer. The new evidence comes from an independent panel of 31 scientists from 14 countries thru WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

These scientists reviewed exposure data, studies of cancer in humans and experimental animal models, and other relevant data, and concluded that cell phone use may in deed increase the risk of brain cancer.

The multibillion dollars cell phone industry obviously does not like this kind of study.

May 6th, 2011 by DoctorZaidi

The Old Approach to Treat Hypothyroidism?

Most physicians use only T4 (Levothyroxine, L. thyroxine, Synthroid, Levoxyl or Levothroid)  to treat an under-active thyroid state, which is also called Hypothyroidism. Why? Because that’s what they have been told to do.

 The rationale given for this old, sub-optimal treatment is that some of this T4 gets converted into T3 inside the body. However, a large number of  patients continue to have symptoms of hypothyroidism despite taking their T4 medicine. This old approach comes from the era when a blood test for T3 was not widely available.

What is the Optimal Treatment of Hypothyroidism?

A normal thyroid gland produces two types of thyroid hormones, Levothyroxine (or T4) and triiodothyronine (or T3). Then, some of T4 gets converted into T3.

Over the last 10-15 years, some endocrinologists, including myself, started to include T3 level in our patients, in addition to T4 and TSH. We were amazed to find that many patients are relatively low in T3 when they receive T4 alone as their thyroid replacement. Therefore, it is plausible to conclude that conversion from T4 to T3 varies from patient to patient and does not take place as efficiently as was presumed in the past.

 Therefore, the most scientific and physiological approach is to give both T4 and T3 to a hypothyroid patient. Check T4 as well as T3 in addition to TSH levels in the blood in order to monitor the adequacy of thyroid hormone replacement.

 T3 is also known as liothyronine.

 Drugs to Treat Hypothyroidism

 Brand name             Generic Name

 Armour Thyroid      Levothyroxine (T4) + Triiodothyronine (T3)

 Synthroid                   Levothyroxine (T4)

 Levoxyl                      Levothyroxine (T4)

 Cytomel                       Liothyronine (T3)