If You're Taking Statin Medication, Please, Read This!

For some twenty years I have been telling patients (and, anyone who would actually listen) about the potential dangers of cholesterol-lowering drugs, the primary group being Statins.  Over thirty years ago a cardiologist told me that it was not the cholesterol in foods that was dangerous, but cholesterol that was produced in response to stress that we had to worry about.  Now, we also know that it's sugar, not cholesterol, that is the primary culprit that causes inflammation, which, we know leads to vascular damage,  (We talked about that in my blog about depression and inflammation.) or atherosclerosis.

The latest information that cardiology studies, published in peer review journals, show is that just having your LDL levels tested is not enough.  Total cholesterol levels should never be used as the reason for prescribing medication.  Cholesterol is comprised of three different types of lipids:  HDL, LDL and VLDL.  If you have an unusually high level of HDL-2 lipids, that can skew the total cholesterol level results.  HDL-2 lipids are protective of the entire cardiovascular system and, the higher, the better. A new cholesterol test, now, appears to show how likely you are to develop heart and vascular problems.  It's called, "LDL particle size test."  Simply put, the smaller the LDL particles and the greater the number of these small particles, the greater the chance that these will burrow into the vessels and cause clot formation and atherosclerosis.

We know that some of the side effects of Statin drugs may be heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and increased blood clot formation (that will eventually cause strokes).  This is especially true in women, who appear more susceptible than men to develop those disease states.  We also know that we need to strengthen the heart and its vasculature as our primary goal instead of just prescribing medications that have not been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease.  Just read the disclaimers about the effects of Statin drugs on the inserts and on the TV advertisements.

The idea that fat in the diet causes fat deposits in our body as well as cholesterol in the diet causes high cholesterol levels may be intuitive, but it is, in fact, just plain wrong. Truly, you don't have to believe me, but I would recommend you believe the cardiologists who have found this to be true.  Go onto Dr. Oz's website and read about what he learned from fellow doctors about this subject.  He's a pretty famous cardiologist and he didn't know about these problems with the Statin drugs.  That's why we doctors all need to keep abreast about the latest valid, peer reviewed research.  I know that's why I do so much reading.  I want to keep people informed about the facts.  I want people to question and read and learn so they can be in charge of their health.  Insist that your doctor run the LDL particle size test.  It's fairly inexpensive and just might save your life.

Did you know that vegetables and fruits contain over 4,000 phytochemicals that are known to protect your heart, decrease inflammation and protect you from the ravages of aging?
That's what I encourage people to think about.  We have been scared into "needing" drugs to prevent heart attacks or strokes, although there are no studies that show that these medications prevent anything. The most that can be said about some of these drugs is that they lower cholesterol levels to a certain degree.  The problem is that it's not cholesterol that is causing the vascular disease, it's a particular lipid constituent that is causing it.  And, the Statin drugs do not affect the small LDL particles...diet does.  I believe it's time to be proactive about your health and learn how to heal your way into wellness.

There's a book called, "Heart 411," written by two cardiologists who say that most of the medications that doctors are prescribing that claim to prevent heart attacks, have no basis in scientific fact.  They do not recommend Statin drugs and do not recommend the taking of an aspirin a day. 


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