Cholesterol lowering Statins and heart health

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   Rosholisticposted 14 years ago

   I would like to begin this post by saying I am not a doctor nor did I play one on t.v..  That having been said, I am not "legally" qualified to make recommendations concerning presciption medications.
   
   Now that we got that out of the way I would like to share with you what I wrote in my most recent newsletter in regards to statin drugs and their effectiveness.
   
   Heart disease is largely caused by deficiencies of important nutrients including magnesium, coenzyme Q10, chromium, selenium, silicon, vitamin D, and vitamin B6.  Indeed the idea that aspirin helps the heart is a myth.  It has been shown in studies that aspirin alone has no benefits for heart health but only buffered aspirin.  Any guesses as to what they use to buffer aspirin?  MAGNESIUM!!
   Magnesium regulates blood pressure and eases arrhythmia and 80-95% of us are magnesium deficient. 
   Silicon is reponsible for strength and elasticity of cardiovascular tissue.
   Vitamin B6 keeps the body from making homocysteine.
   Now here's the kicker.  Statin drugs can actually make these imbalances worse.  Statins actually interfere with the liver's process of making conzyme Q10.  And remember that the heart is a muscle the next time you read that the common serious side-effect of statins is muscle pain and damage.
   Try a scoop of Super Nutrient instead!
   
   I have decided to come back to this issue because of the outrageousness behind the use of statin drugs.  A recent study published in the British Medical Journal shows that for every person that the drug kept from having a heart attack it caused two or more people to suffer liver damage, kidney failure, cataracts (actually another sign of liver weakness) or extreme muscle weakness.  Out of the 10,000 women that were treated in this study 74 got liver damage, 23 acuted kidney failure, 39 extreme muscle weakness (please remember the heart is a muscle) and 307 catarcts attributed to the drug.
   
   Now that may not mean too much to you, but if you listen to how statin drugs are beng pushed everywhere you turn as miracle drugs that will keep you from a heart attack, and then compare that to the facts, there is a great disparity.  Basically according to this research the drug helps less than 3 people out of 100 and actually harms more than 4 out of 100.  This is horrific!!  Over 90% of the people on the drugs get no results at all!  The unbelievable (not really) thing is that doctors don't seem to know or care any at all about these statistics.  They have been brainwashed by the same media blitz as have we all.  I could have screamed when I read in a recent article that doctors have been talking about dripping these drugs into the water supply.  ARE THEY INSANE?
   
   So, what is the answer then?  How does a natural practitioner approeach this problem?  First, we must expose some misconceptions.  Cholesterol is not the problem.  Triglycerides and homocystein are the problem.  The naturopathic doctor who trained me has been saying for years that if cholesterol gets too low that a person is in danger of cancer.  Now a new study has come out saying that medical researchers are amazed to find that if either HDL or LDL cholesterol, either one, gets too low that one is at a higher risk for cancer.  Now, please reread my newsletter article posted above before reading the following quote:
   
   "Our most effective HDL-raising drug that's currently available is niacin," according to Dr. Richard Karas of the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute at Tufts University in Boston, noting that just 10 percent of people who could benefit from the drug are taking it.
   
   Did you catch that?  Niacin!!  And he called it a drug!!  Are you kidding doc?  For those of you who are new to this alternative health and nutrition stuff, niacin is the proper name of vitamin B3.  As I've told any of my clients who have been concerned about cholesterol, if you take enough B vitamins you will prevent the build up of triglycerides which are the actual enemy of your heart.  And for any of you diabetics who started on metformin, or a similar diabetic medication, and are now taking statins, you should know that those diabetic medications block the absorption of B vitamins and that plays a MAJOR role in why you now have to begin another drug.  Just remember that statins, in my opinion, won't make your cardiovascular system better and are much more likely to make it worse.  In my experience drugs (except in the occasions of emergency medicine) always make you worse and start you on the road to dependence on the pharmeceutical industry.
   
   Stay tuned for more information on related topics and other unrelated topics as well.  Feel free to post a comment, ask a question, or respond with your own personal experiences. 
   
   God Bless and Good Health to you all
   
   Preston Robinson C.N.H.C
   Total Body Analysis Practitioner
   Rose of Sharon Holistic

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      6hotfingers3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Great and informative article. I agree with your position regarding the methods used by main stream medical professionals in controlling heart problems and high blood pressure . Please keep the articles coming.

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      SilverGenesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well said! There's some excellent information readily available on YouTube on niacin, presented by the late Dr. Abram Hoffer. Dr. David Brownstein's opinion about long-term pharmaceutical use says it all for me: “you can't block an important receptor for the long-term and expect a good result..."

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      inaniLoquenceposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Coenzyme Q10 is one of the best micronutrients that benefits the heart. My father takes it and to his surprise, his heart condition improved dramatically.
      
      However, there are also natural ways to lower cholesterol (by herbs) and I wrote a hub about it http://inaniloquence.hubpages.com/hub/N … holesterol .
      
      Artichokes, for one, acts like a statin drug that inhibits enzyme and in turn, lower the cholesterol levels. So here's something that is natural and not harmful.

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   Ron Montgomeryposted 14 years ago

   Wow!
   
   That's really... really...........

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   westdrugposted 14 years ago

   Nice article mate! And I would vouch for mainstream medicines, but they seem to be be getting costlier by the day. Wonder whether I would be able to find an affordable pharmacy for heart diseases if I get the blues!
   
   Btwn, you can also check out some of my hubs on my profile!
   
   Cheers,
   Phil.

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   NorwinGalleposted 14 years ago

   A deliciously rich concoction that satisfies the most intense craving.

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      westdrugposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      And the craving leads to more cholestrol..which leads to......

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   seeker2012posted 13 years ago

   Asprin is used to thin the blood. Which helps prevent clot formation. Which inturn can help prevent heart attack.

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   sarahbeth17posted 13 years ago

   Great article! There are natural solutions to almost all (probably all) of our health issues that are so easy to treat.

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   grandma of fourposted 13 years ago

   I only wish I'd read this before the doctor put me on Lipitor.  That horrible drug caused me so many problems and that was only taking it for 3 weeks.
   
   I went back to the doctor and told him I don't care what he says I'll try reducing my cholesterol naturally.  Fish oil, flaxeed oil and changing my diet has done wonders for me. 
   
   Thankyou so much will now add these others to my list of good things for my health routine.

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   Stacie Lposted 13 years ago

   Has anyone noticed that the doctors attitude towards you will change if you dont follow their orders ..especially when they prescribe prescriptions and you want some other natural way?
   I have and it's tiring to find open minded docs.
   Insurance companies wot pay natural paths and other alternative practitioners.

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      couturepopcafeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Sickening, no pun intended. America, a fourth world nation in helping and teaching people to take care of themselves.

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   seeker2012posted 13 years ago

   Are you suggesting stop taking statin drugs and up the nutrients? I am in my sixth month recovery heart attack period. Prior to this I was an everyday (30+ years) gym goer:benching 125kg, squating 250kg, eating healthy,riding my bike, never smoked, never drink alcohol. Today I am on 5 tablets morning and 2 tablets night for the heart. Getting back to the gym slow and steady. I am not one for drugs of any kind however the Doc tells me I will be on these tablets for (the rest of my) life. Other than that I am healthy. Why I had a heart attack - (doctor) don't know, it happens!  At the time of the heart attack my cholestrol was 5.8, now its 2.5. Asking the Doctor about natural alternatives leads to a blank. Persuing natural alternatives leaves me on the outer. Which everway I go it is a risk of life.

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    hinazilleposted 13 years ago

    Although I am a pharmacist,and i regularly hand out these statins, I have to say i agree with you - the Doctors are too trigger happy in prescribing conventional medications to treat health concerns that have many other treatment options available - all of which should be tried BEFORE putting the patient on statins.
    
    the problem we as pharmacists face is that patients are more likely to listen to the doctor in most cases rather than the pharmacist - which means that if the doc prescribed them statins, no matter what you tell them they will still go according to the directions of the doc (even though they are experts in diagnosis not in medications).
    
    i have even had cases where i have advised patients of the side effects of medications, resulting in them calling their doc complaining that i am trying to override the doctor!
    
    great post - very informative, we need more people switched onto the dangers of conventional meds - that is one of the main reasons i am happy to be in this profession - it gives me a chance to reach patients before they begin therapies, allowing me to provide some information (even if sometimes its not welcome!)...

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