Cadet Pilot (Singapore)
Full/Part Time Full-time
Location Singapore,
Description CADET PILOTS (SINGAPORE)
PLEASE APPLY FOR THIS POSITION IF YOU ARE RESIDING IN SINGAPORE.
- Singapore Citizen, Singapore Permanent Resident or Malaysian Citizen
- GCE ‘A’ level, Polytechnic Diploma or Degree. In addition you must have obtained a minimum of 5 Credits in the GCE ‘O’ level or its equivalent. These must include English, Mathematics and a Science subject, preferably Physics, taken in one sitting.
- At least 1.65 m in height
- Myopia of not more than 500 degrees and astigmatism of not more than 125 degrees, fully correctable with optical aids. Visual acuity of at least 6/60, correctable to 6/6. For candidates who have undergone corrective eye surgery (e.g. Lasik), the pre-surgical visual acuity should also meet the above requirements
- Completed, exempted from, or not liable for National Service
TRAINING
You will spend 15 to 17 months on training to acquire an Airline Transport Pilot’s License (ATPL) with Instrument Rating (IR) at Pilot Training Schools in Singapore and overseas. Full board and lodging will be provided. Upon obtaining the flying license, you will undergo further training for 1 to 2 years to become a First Officer.
REMUNERATION AND SERVICE BENEFITS
A monthly allowance will be provided during training. On appointment as a First Officer, you will be paid a basic salary and various allowances. Fringe benefits, including medical and dental treatment and discounted travel, will also be offered.
BOND
Successful candidates will be required to serve the employer company for the duration of the training and for a period of 7 years from the date of appointment as First Officer.
EMPLOYMENT
Successful candidates will be offered employment with one of the companies in the SIA Group:
- Singapore Airlines
- SilkAir
APPLICATION
If you are applying for the first time, please create your profile and submit an online application at our website: http://www.singaporeair.com/careers
Please apply under the 'Cadet Pilot (Singapore)' position.
We thank all applicants for their applications but regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Cadet Pilot - AirAsia
People are our greatest assets. We believe in empowering even their wildest dreams because we know that nothing is impossible. 4,000 talented, unconventional, determined and very passionate individuals are the reasons why we are Asia’s leading Low Fare Airline. We believe and share one philosohpy – One People, One Culture, One AirAsia, One Family.
So if you’ve always wanted to make a difference, step out now and make that change.
Join us as:
CADET PILOT – Air Asia
Keen to be a pilot with AirAsia? Read on.
We are looking for young, energetic and hardworking people with a healthy attitude and good work ethics to train to be pilots.
Our cadet pilot training programme is among the best in the world.
Requirements:
1.) Malaysian citizen, aged between 18 and 28 as at date of application.
2.) Either:
1. Passed SPM (or its equivalent that is recognized by the Malaysian Government) with at least A2 in English and Mathematics and B3 in Physics taken at one sitting. (Those from the Arts stream should have at least an A2 in General Science); or
2. Possess a Diploma/Degree in Engineering or Science-related disciplines with CGPA 3.0 and above and at SPM level scored at least a B4 in the subjects mentioned above taken in one sitting.
3.) Good command of English and Bahasa Malaysia both written and spoken.
4.) Must be physically and mentally fit with good eyesight (visual acuity of at least 6/60 without optical aid, correctable to 6/6 and not colour blind. Should be able to successfully pass a medical examination up to a Class 1 standard conducted by a Department of Civil Aviation Authorised Medical Examiner (DAME).
5.) Minimum height of 163 cm (5ft 3in).
6.) Be prepared to sign a training bond with a surety.
The Selection Process
The process consists of the stages as follows:
1.) Screening of applications
2.) Written academic tests in English, Mathematics and Science (Physics) with an IQ test. Passing mark of at least 75% required in all subjects.
3.) Aptitude testing
4.) Interview
5.) Medical Examination
6.) Final selection
The Training Programme
Commercial Pilot Licence with a ‘Frozen’ ATPL
ONLY the training cost is sponsored by AirAsia. All other expenses such as accommodation and food plus all other miscellaneous expenditure will be borne by the cadets. All cadet pilots will repay the cost of training through monthly deductions over a period of fifteen (15) years commencing from the time they are employed by AirAsia and commence their line training as Second Officers. In addition to this the cadets will have to sign a training bond for the type-rating course on the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320.
In the event the cadet pilot is unsuccessful at any stage of the training the cadet is obliged to repay AirAsia all the training cost that had been expended up to the stage of termination plus any administrative costs.
Phase 1: This phase will take approximately 66 weeks and consist of the following:
Ground School curriculum comprising approximately 1,000 hours of classroom time covering the following:
- Private Pilot Licence (PPL) ground subjects with examinations conducted by DCAM.
- DCA Technical subjects with examinations conducted by DCAM.
- Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) ground subjects with in house examinations approved by DCAM.
- Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) ground subjects with papers set and marked by the UK Overseas Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Examinations. These Examinations will be conducted by DCAM.
- Flight training with 200 flying hours comprising of a minimum of 35 hours on a twin-engined aircraft and the remaining on a single-engined aircraft.
On completion of this the cadet pilots will be issued with a CPL and an Instrument Rating (I/R) with a Frozen ATPL. With this the cadet pilots will be able to progress onto the next stage of the training at AirAsia.
Phase 2: The cadet pilots will carry out their Multi-crew Coordination Course (MCC) before starting their type-rating courses on either the B737 or the A320. This phase includes other regulatory courses conducted to enable them to fly as a crew in an aircraft in the commercial category. Once they have completed their type-rating course they will become Second Officers and commence their line training after having successfully completed their endorsement flight. This whole process in this phase takes approximately 3 to 6 months.
Career Progression
After successfully completing their line training the Second Officers will be employed as First Officers and gain their experience on line. Within a period of 5 to 6 years they would have gained enough hours to be eligible for promotion as a Captain to act as commander. This is of course, subject to their performance, recommendation and any suitable vacancy. With the very fast pace of expansion of AirAsia there is abundant opportunity for all ambitious candidates who are willing to work hard.
Applications to be addressed to:
Cadet Pilot Programme Coordinator
AirAsia Academy
Lot PT25B, Jln KLIA S5
South Support Zone KLIA
64000 Sepang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Please submit ONLY the following with your application:
1.) Resume with your contact numbers (including mobile phone) and a valid email address as all correspondence will be via sms or email. Please do ensure your email inbox is not full.
2.) 1 Passport size recent photograph (NR).
3.) Copy of MYKAD.
4.) Copies of only the relevant educational certificates as per the requirements mentioned above.
All original educational certificates and any other certificates should only be brought when you are called to appear for the Academic Tests.
Important to note: All applications are to be sent only after the advertisement appears in the STAR and/or New Straits Times newspapers and before the Closing Date. Otherwise, the application will not be considered or acknowledged.
*Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
So if you’ve always wanted to make a difference, step out now and make that change.
Join us as:
CADET PILOT – Air Asia
Keen to be a pilot with AirAsia? Read on.
We are looking for young, energetic and hardworking people with a healthy attitude and good work ethics to train to be pilots.
Our cadet pilot training programme is among the best in the world.
Requirements:
1.) Malaysian citizen, aged between 18 and 28 as at date of application.
2.) Either:
1. Passed SPM (or its equivalent that is recognized by the Malaysian Government) with at least A2 in English and Mathematics and B3 in Physics taken at one sitting. (Those from the Arts stream should have at least an A2 in General Science); or
2. Possess a Diploma/Degree in Engineering or Science-related disciplines with CGPA 3.0 and above and at SPM level scored at least a B4 in the subjects mentioned above taken in one sitting.
3.) Good command of English and Bahasa Malaysia both written and spoken.
4.) Must be physically and mentally fit with good eyesight (visual acuity of at least 6/60 without optical aid, correctable to 6/6 and not colour blind. Should be able to successfully pass a medical examination up to a Class 1 standard conducted by a Department of Civil Aviation Authorised Medical Examiner (DAME).
5.) Minimum height of 163 cm (5ft 3in).
6.) Be prepared to sign a training bond with a surety.
The Selection Process
The process consists of the stages as follows:
1.) Screening of applications
2.) Written academic tests in English, Mathematics and Science (Physics) with an IQ test. Passing mark of at least 75% required in all subjects.
3.) Aptitude testing
4.) Interview
5.) Medical Examination
6.) Final selection
The Training Programme
Commercial Pilot Licence with a ‘Frozen’ ATPL
ONLY the training cost is sponsored by AirAsia. All other expenses such as accommodation and food plus all other miscellaneous expenditure will be borne by the cadets. All cadet pilots will repay the cost of training through monthly deductions over a period of fifteen (15) years commencing from the time they are employed by AirAsia and commence their line training as Second Officers. In addition to this the cadets will have to sign a training bond for the type-rating course on the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320.
In the event the cadet pilot is unsuccessful at any stage of the training the cadet is obliged to repay AirAsia all the training cost that had been expended up to the stage of termination plus any administrative costs.
Phase 1: This phase will take approximately 66 weeks and consist of the following:
Ground School curriculum comprising approximately 1,000 hours of classroom time covering the following:
- Private Pilot Licence (PPL) ground subjects with examinations conducted by DCAM.
- DCA Technical subjects with examinations conducted by DCAM.
- Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) ground subjects with in house examinations approved by DCAM.
- Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) ground subjects with papers set and marked by the UK Overseas Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Examinations. These Examinations will be conducted by DCAM.
- Flight training with 200 flying hours comprising of a minimum of 35 hours on a twin-engined aircraft and the remaining on a single-engined aircraft.
On completion of this the cadet pilots will be issued with a CPL and an Instrument Rating (I/R) with a Frozen ATPL. With this the cadet pilots will be able to progress onto the next stage of the training at AirAsia.
Phase 2: The cadet pilots will carry out their Multi-crew Coordination Course (MCC) before starting their type-rating courses on either the B737 or the A320. This phase includes other regulatory courses conducted to enable them to fly as a crew in an aircraft in the commercial category. Once they have completed their type-rating course they will become Second Officers and commence their line training after having successfully completed their endorsement flight. This whole process in this phase takes approximately 3 to 6 months.
Career Progression
After successfully completing their line training the Second Officers will be employed as First Officers and gain their experience on line. Within a period of 5 to 6 years they would have gained enough hours to be eligible for promotion as a Captain to act as commander. This is of course, subject to their performance, recommendation and any suitable vacancy. With the very fast pace of expansion of AirAsia there is abundant opportunity for all ambitious candidates who are willing to work hard.
Applications to be addressed to:
Cadet Pilot Programme Coordinator
AirAsia Academy
Lot PT25B, Jln KLIA S5
South Support Zone KLIA
64000 Sepang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Please submit ONLY the following with your application:
1.) Resume with your contact numbers (including mobile phone) and a valid email address as all correspondence will be via sms or email. Please do ensure your email inbox is not full.
2.) 1 Passport size recent photograph (NR).
3.) Copy of MYKAD.
4.) Copies of only the relevant educational certificates as per the requirements mentioned above.
All original educational certificates and any other certificates should only be brought when you are called to appear for the Academic Tests.
Important to note: All applications are to be sent only after the advertisement appears in the STAR and/or New Straits Times newspapers and before the Closing Date. Otherwise, the application will not be considered or acknowledged.
*Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Pontius Pilate of Malaysia?
www.stancoruche.com
www.trafford.com/07-2912
Dr Mahathir: The Pontius Pilate of Malaysia ?
J. D. Lovrenciear
LETTER Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad easily qualifies for the cloak of Pontius Pilate. And that is no compliment by any means.
There was a time when Malaysians stood by you as you promised a developed world for all of us. We went along with you backing your battering ram against the world.
Your war cry to ‘Buy British Last’ made us believe that we can be counted in the world. Likewise you hammered the Australians and we demanded their subservience.
You tried to pull the carpet under the feet of Singaporeans and we developed despite for them. You thundered your views on world economic and political matters and we believed you even to the extent of rubbishing off George Soros.
Some leaders of neighboring countries even hailed you as their mentor and brother – never mind the fact that one of them is a fugitive today and the other is being critically appraised for having allegiance to military rule.
You bulldozed through mega projects and we despised those who had second thoughts about your plans for all Malaysians. And so with the rakyat backing you all the way we saw the birth of Proton; the rise of Petronas Twin Towers; the hatching of Formula One motor sports; the hacking out for the Bakun Dam – just to name a few.
Most of us senior citizens even remember how we were made to rubbish off Bapa Malaysia and hail you as the Bapa Moden Malaysia. And we all followed you all the way.
Even on that seemingly fateful day you shed tears at the UMNO rostrum announcing your resignation as the PM of Malaysia , your fellow ministers sprung to your side – right and left, pleading that you retract.
But today, in your vintage years, we are witnessing your diabolic intentions with crystal clarity a you unashamedly continue to divide we Malaysians along race barriers. Your Malay Dilemma is making a full circle indeed.
Your mega structures and projects have only made this nation more vulnerable to changing economic uncertainties. The Proton is today on the verge of collapse without a saviour investor take-over. Imagine where we would be today if only you did not ‘cheat’ on the Asian Car venture then to get your “Mahathir’s Malaysian car” going.
The Bakun Dam has punched a hole so deep into the gorges of our economic resistance that we may never recover – not to mention the damage to the livelihood of indigenous people or the marvels of mother-nature.
The Twin Towers had to be near-salvaged by a telco tycoon and still struggles to draw one hundred percent occupancy.
What about the BMF scandal? The tin ore scam? And many more sins against the rakyat that freely circulates on the World Wide Web.
But what is most hurting is the fact that having been at the helm of this nation for so long, you not only killed all succession plans for the nation leaving us with two PMs who are unable to lead a nation into the twenty first century. Even you have not lent your support but continue to batter at their kinks making them flip and flop.
Worse, during your tenure as a leader, you made us all believe that opposition parties like PAS were nothing but a band of Arab-like camel-riding sword-wielding ultra conservatives. Today we know that the leader of PAS is respected by all races and creeds. He is to many a fine example of a living saint. Ask any Kelantanese Malay, Chinese or Indian and they will tell that to your face without hesitation
You sacked people who are still fighting relentlessly to prove your misdeeds. In wanting to divide and rule you sowed the seeds of deceit, hatred, mistrust and above all suspicion amongst Malaysians.
And now in your sunset years you are not adding any value to the struggle of a single nation. You are still pitting man against man along race-based divisions.
Why? Why Mr Mahathir Mohammad?
Why are you not playing the role of a seasoned and wise politician, leading not just Malaysians but even our neighbors with words of wisdom, inspiration and integrity? What is terribly wrong with you?
Are you not aware that you may be remembered upon your tombstone as the Pontius Pilot of Malaysia – the leader who betrayed his own people.
***** End Quote*****
Friday, September 17, 2010
Malaysia an ailing state
Every right thinking Malaysians must watch and listen to this presentation by Patrick Teoh on how Malaysia is going downhill into a failed state. The signs are all there. Please pass on to your friends and relatives to spread the dark news and act in GE13 before all is lost to these pirates.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Heart Surgeon Admits Huge Mistake!
(Written by: Dwight Lundell, MD)
Without inflammation, cholesterol won't accumulate in blood vessel walls and cause heart disease.
We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.
I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labeled "opinion makers." Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.
The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these Recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
It Is Not Working!
These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.
Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.
Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
Inflammation is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus.
The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition occurs called chronic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.
What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, Stroke, diabetes and obesity.
Let me repeat that. The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the
Overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. You kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.
Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader has arrived, declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.
How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works. When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.
What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall.
This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood Sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking Sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.
While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator — inflammation in their arteries.
Let's get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6's are essential –they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell — they must be in the correct balance with omega-3's. If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.
Today's mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That's a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today's food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.
To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer's disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.
There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state.
To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables.
Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.
One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.
Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated.
Forget the "science" that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak.
Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today. The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation.
Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.
What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Dwight Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart Hospital , Mesa , AZ. His private practice, Cardiac Care Center was in Mesa , AZ. Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease. He is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a focus on helping large corporations promote wellness. He is the author of "The Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie"].
Without inflammation, cholesterol won't accumulate in blood vessel walls and cause heart disease.
We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.
I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labeled "opinion makers." Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.
The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these Recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
It Is Not Working!
These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.
Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.
Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
Inflammation is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus.
The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition occurs called chronic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.
What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, Stroke, diabetes and obesity.
Let me repeat that. The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the
Overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. You kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.
Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader has arrived, declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.
How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works. When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.
What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall.
This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood Sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking Sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.
While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator — inflammation in their arteries.
Let's get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6's are essential –they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell — they must be in the correct balance with omega-3's. If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.
Today's mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That's a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today's food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.
To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer's disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.
There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state.
To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables.
Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.
One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.
Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated.
Forget the "science" that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak.
Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today. The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation.
Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.
What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Dwight Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart Hospital , Mesa , AZ. His private practice, Cardiac Care Center was in Mesa , AZ. Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease. He is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a focus on helping large corporations promote wellness. He is the author of "The Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie"].
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