Re: scarey time BS almost 1600-DEATH BY STATINS?

[Guest guest]

Judith, I just reread your post and wanted to add more about the cholesterol

drugs you (and millions of others) took. The doctors in this group and their

supporters will HATE me for this post.

1) High cholesterol is not a disease, people with high cholesterol actually live

longer. This treatment program to lower cholesterol is the biggest myth

perpetuated in the history of medicine. Cholesterol is crucial for almost every

function of daily life. Cholesterol protects and helps repair damaged and

inflammed arteries, the OPPOSITE of what they would have you believe! (see

" The Cholesterol Myths " a book by Uffe Ravnskov)

2) Statin drugs ironically lower a whole family of body protectors including

Co-Q-10 and other nutrients that, like cholesterol are essential for heart and

vascular health! These drugs basically kill you. MORE heart attacks, strokes,

aneurisms, and more. When you die, the docs say " well, we KNEW they had

high cholesterol, if we could have gotten to them SOONER we probably could

have saved them.... " Read the thousands of horrifying posts on

forum.ditonline.com and www.rxlist.com

3) Even the short period of time you were on them back in April very likely

triggered your recent near-death crisis. I directly quote from a 2003 statin

study: " prescribers of statins (particularly simvastatin and lovastatin) should

take into account the possiblility of acute pancreatitis in patients who develop

abdominal pain within the first few weeks of treatment with these drugs " . The

study goes on to detail numerous grisly DEATHS of people recently put on

statins.

4) No studies have EVER shown statins to lower heart attack or

cardiovascular disease rates. This is actually stated in the small print of the

ads for Lipitor!!! And yet the prescribing goes on and on.

5) Statins horrible potential for impacts on the liver and subsequently the GB

are well-known and yet the prescribing goes on and on!

A BETTER WAY TO PREVENT AND CURE INFLAMMATION WITHOUT

CUTTING THE BODY'S VITAL SUPPLY OF CHOLESTEROL:

(clip and save- pass on to those you love)

1) Avoid Trans-fats

2) Avoid refined sugars especially fructose

3) Talke cod liver oil

4) Eat plenty of good saturated fats

5) Take evening primrose, borage or black currant oil

6) Eat foods hig in copper, especially LIVER

7) Eat coconut oil and coconut products

8) Avoid reduced-fat milks and powdered milk products

( a summary from the Weston A. Price Foundation)

***As a SIDE BONUS this diet will have a major impact in curing and

preventing GALLSTONES! And almost ALL Type II Diabetes!

So Judith, I'm wondering if your current physician is actually someone you

would really want by your side when you are sick in the hospital? " Friendly

face " ? Hummm... Check into who may have put you in the hospital....

Will, chafing in Minneapolis

[Guest guest]

> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 18:48:12 -0000

> From: " Will Winter " <holistic@...>

> Subject: Re: scarey time BS almost 1600-DEATH BY STATINS?

>

> Judith, I just reread your post and wanted to add more about the

> cholesterol drugs you (and millions of others) took. The doctors

> in this group and their supporters will HATE me for this post.

>

> 1) High cholesterol is not a disease, people with high cholesterol

> actually live longer. This treatment program to lower cholesterol

> is the biggest myth perpetuated in the history of medicine.

> Cholesterol is crucial for almost every function of daily life.

> Cholesterol protects and helps repair damaged and inflammed

> arteries, the OPPOSITE of what they would have you believe! (see

> " The Cholesterol Myths " a book by Uffe Ravnskov)

>

> 2) Statin drugs ironically lower a whole family of body protectors

> including Co-Q-10 and other nutrients that, like cholesterol are

> essential for heart and vascular health! These drugs basically

> kill you. MORE heart attacks, strokes, aneurisms, and more. When

> you die, the docs say " well, we KNEW they had high cholesterol,

> if we could have gotten to them SOONER we probably could have

> saved them.... " Read the thousands of horrifying posts on

> forum.ditonline.com and www.rxlist.com

>

> 3) Even the short period of time you were on them back in April

> very likely triggered your recent near-death crisis. I directly

> quote from a 2003 statin study: " prescribers of statins

> (particularly simvastatin and lovastatin) should take into

> account the possiblility of acute pancreatitis in patients who

> develop abdominal pain within the first few weeks of treatment

> with these drugs " . The study goes on to detail numerous grisly

> DEATHS of people recently put on statins.

>

> 4) No studies have EVER shown statins to lower heart attack or

> cardiovascular disease rates. This is actually stated in the

> small print of the ads for Lipitor!!! And yet the prescribing

> goes on and on.

>

> 5) Statins horrible potential for impacts on the liver and

> subsequently the GB are well-known and yet the prescribing goes

> on and on!

>

> A BETTER WAY TO PREVENT AND CURE INFLAMMATION WITHOUT

> CUTTING THE BODY'S VITAL SUPPLY OF CHOLESTEROL:

> (clip and save- pass on to those you love)

> 1) Avoid Trans-fats

> 2) Avoid refined sugars especially fructose

> 3) Talke cod liver oil

> 4) Eat plenty of good saturated fats

> 5) Take evening primrose, borage or black currant oil

> 6) Eat foods high in copper, especially LIVER

> 7) Eat coconut oil and coconut products

> 8) Avoid reduced-fat milks and powdered milk products

>

> ( a summary from the Weston A. Price Foundation)

>

> ***As a SIDE BONUS this diet will have a major impact in curing and

> preventing GALLSTONES! And almost ALL Type II Diabetes!

>

> So Judith, I'm wondering if your current physician is actually

> someone you would really want by your side when you are sick in

> the hospital? " Friendly face " ? Hummm... Check into who may have

> put you in the hospital....

>

> Will, chafing in Minneapolis

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I'm not taking a position on this because I have NOT investigated

it adequately. However, I've recently saved a few items suggesting

that these drugs might not be so bad. Might even be good. (?!)

Causes regression of atheroscerlotic plaque and improves arterial

flexibility... antioxidant effects... lowers C-Reactive Protein

(inflammatory mediator)... protects the brain... stimulates bone

growth... hmmmmmm! The literature on this stuff surprised me.

What Will says about CoQ10 is very true. That is why the incidence

of myopathy is so high in statin users. HOwever, there may be

another side of this coin. (And However However, it may be better

to use natural " statins " like policosanol. It is for sure

advisable to use high-dose niacin FIRST, before any other

anti-cholesterol med).

All of Will's diet/lifestyle suggestions are good, IMO. Except

maybe #8 (a bit of low-fat milk is no big deal).

-- Alan

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[Note: at the URL -- which is VERY link- and info-dense -- each

one of these items is linked to a full story...]

http://qualitycounts.com/

For high cholesterol - Zocor (simvastatin)

How to Age Well - WebMD, 10/27/03 - " What made them different than

the other half? One thing stands out. Those who stayed healthy had

perfectly healthy hearts. They didn't even have " subclinical "

heart problems, the ones so minor they can only be detected by

testing ... For men, having subclinical heart disease was like

being 6.5 years older. For women, it was like being 5.5 years

older ... refrain from smoking, lower their blood lipids, watch

blood pressure, and avoid obesity through diet and exercise "

Cholesterol Drugs Help Those with Normal Cholesterol - HealthDay,

4/2/03 - " even if your cholesterol is normal or near normal,

reducing it further may be an added benefit ... Those in the

atorvastatin group were 36 percent less likely to suffer heart

attacks and 27 percent less likely to have a stroke than people in

the placebo group. As a result, the trial, initially scheduled to

last five years, was halted at 3.3 years "

Intravascular Ultrasound Depicts Coronary Artery Plaque Regression

With Simvastatin - Doctor's Guide, 11/12/03 - " Lipid-lowering

therapy with simvastatin for 12 months is associated with a

significant plaque regression ... the plaque regression -- about

6.3% from baseline " - I emailed the doctor and the dosage was 40

mg (sold 5mg to 80 mg) except for two patients on 80 mg. However,

see Rxlist.com. There isn't much difference between HDL rise

between the 10 mg and 40 mg doses. As opposed to a 0.4 regression

with 80 mg (sold 10 mg to 80 mg) of Lipitor in 18 months:

Doctors Divided Over Cholesterol Drugs Study - HealthDay, 11/13/03

- " Over the course of the study, 18 months, the Lipitor patients

saw their plaque volume decrease by 0.4 percent, while the

Pravachol patients had an average 2.7 increase "

Simvastatin Increases HDL-C And Apo A-I More Than Atorvastatin in

Patients With Hypercholesterolemia - Doctor's Guide, 11/10/03 -

" Simvastatin appears to increase high-density lipoprotein

cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein (apo) A-I significantly

more than does atorvastatin in patients with hypercholesterolaemia

.... Liver toxicity occurred in significantly fewer patients

treated with simvastatin compared to atorvastatin "

Statins Used to Treat High Cholesterol and Osteoporosis - Doctor's

Guide, 9/30/03 - " simvastatin acts as a double therapeutic weapon

by blocking the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate. Not only does

this action increase new bone formation via the stimulation of

osteoblasts, but it also prevents the production of cholesterol "

Statins Decrease Aortic Stiffness in Hypertensives With High

Cholesterol - Doctor's Guide, 9/30/03 - " Most significantly, while

the PWV remained unchanged in the pravastatin and non-statin

group, it was moderately decreased in the simvastatin group and

remarkably reduced in the fluvastatin group ... Dr. Ichihara

theorized that lipophilic statins, such as fluvastatin, reduce

aortic stiffness via three mechanisms -- decreasing serum total

cholesterol levels without reducing serum high-density lipoprotein

levels, providing powerful scavenging reactive oxygen species, as

well as reducing serum levels of low-density lipoprotein and

C-reactive protein "

Simvastatin May Retard Progression of Severe White Matter Changes

- Doctor's Guide, 5/26/03 - " Simvastatin may slow down the

progression of severe white matter changes in the brain, and may

therefore retard cognitive decline ... The most common type of

vascular dementia is due to the hardening of the arteries deep

inside the brain which causes white matter changes... and its been

shown that this can lead to executive dysfunction "

Simvastatin Therapy Slows Coronary Disease Progression in Patients

With and Without Cardiovascular Risk Factors - Doctor's Guide,

5/22/03 - " simvastatin/enalapril therapy versus placebo resulted

in decreases in mean coronary artery diameters ... and minimum

diameters ... study results support the contention that the

therapeutic effect of statin lipid lowering drugs on

angiographically seen coronary atherosclerosis is linked to the

reduction of coronary events without regard to the presence of

known cardiovascular risk factors "

Can Statins Do More Than Cut Cholesterol? - ABC News, 5/19/03 -

" Although much more research is needed, there is some preliminary

evidence that suggests that statins may benefit people with

conditions other than high cholesterol, such as those with high

blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis and multiple

sclerosis "

Statins May Cut Alzheimer's Risk - HealthDay, 4/21/03 - " taking

statins lowered their brain cholesterol levels by 21.4 percent.

Brain cholesterol contributes to the formation of waxy buildups

called amyloid plaques -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease --

that damage brain cells ... the three statin drugs reduced brain

cholesterol levels by at least 20 percent, while the

extended-release niacin reduced brain cholesterol levels by 10

percent "

Statins May Decrease Alzheimer's Risk by 79% - Clinical Psychiatry

News, 6/00 - " Taking a statin was associated with an adjusted 79%

reduction in risk of developing Alzheimer's disease "

Statins May Inhibit Calcium Growth on Aortic Valve in Elderly -

Doctor's Guide, 3/29/02 - " People who take statins may have at

least 60 percent less aortic valve calcium than people who do not

take statins "

Risk of Fracture Reduced in Women Using Statins - Doctor's Guide,

3/19/02 - " Fracture risk is reduced by 60 percent in women using

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors

(statins) ... This substantial risk reduction is greater than

might be anticipated from increases in bone mineral density (BMD)

alone "

Statins May Be Effective For Controlling Blood Pressure - Doctor's

Guide, 6/21/01 - " statin treatment caused a significant (p<0.05)

lowering of ambulatory systolic blood pressure (SBP) on the

24-hour (-4 mm Hg), daytime (-5 mm Hg), and nighttime (-3 mm Hg)

measurements compared to baseline "

Statins Appear To Have Favourable Impact On Psychological

Conditions - Doctor's Guide, 4/2/03 - " the longer people are on

the statins the more their symptoms of depression, anxiety and

hostility decrease ... When people stop taking statins or can not

tolerate the medicine, their depression, anxiety and hostility

returns to pre-statin levels "

Hearing Study Reveals Surprises - Intelihealth, 10/6/02 - " If

preventing heart disease also saves hearing, it might offer

another reason to take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins "

Note: Red yeast rice is a none prescription statin. Also, a new

statin, Crestor (rosuvastatin), may be better than Zocor and other

statins in raising HDL, reducing ApoB and raising ApoA-I. I'm

waiting for more data on its safety.

An opposing view:

Reason for concern? - Wellness Insider, 11/25/03 - " Dr. Golomb

feels the potential side effects of statins, which include liver

dysfunction, muscle pain (rhabdomyolysis), and potentially, muscle

breakdown, have been significantly downplayed. She also feels that

statins, especially at higher doses, contribute to memory loss and

to the depletion of coenzyme Q10, a naturally occurring

antioxidant-like nutrient vital to the production of energy "

Simvastatin and impotence - BMJ 1997;315:31 (5 July) -

" Simvastatin may affect the central nervous system directly by

passing through the blood-brain barrier or it may interact with

other agents that might cause impotence "

Possible alternatives - Policosanol, Sytrinol, red yeast rice.

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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Cancer-Statins.html

Anti-Cholesterol Pill May Ward Off Cancer

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: June 7, 2004

Filed at 12:15 p.m. ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- People taking statins to lower their

cholesterol and ward off heart attacks may have even more reason

to keep swallowing their medicine: New data suggests the drugs

also may fight off cancer.

The latest evidence, released Sunday at a large cancer conference,

found that people who took statins for at least five years

appeared to cut their risk of colon cancer in half. Earlier work

has shown reductions in breast and prostate cancer as well as

across-the-board cancer risk.

Experts have other reasons to think the statins might be cancer

fighters. Experiments involving lab animals and cells growing in

test tubes both suggest a possible role for statins.

However, researchers seem unanimous in saying the evidence is

still too weak to recommend taking statins for cancer-prevention

alone, although they acknowledge those on the pills for other

reasons may be getting a big bonus benefit.

The data so far ``fit with what we know from the lab,'' said Dr.

Morrow of Northwestern University. ``But we can't say this

is enough proof for people to go out and take statins.''

To be convinced, doctors say they would need to see a carefully

controlled experiment designed specifically to show that statins

reduce cancer risk. The data so far are based largely on watching

what happens to people who go on statins for reasons that have

nothing to do with cancer.

The latest of these studies, directed by Dr. Gruber of the

University of Michigan, was presented at a meeting of the American

Society of Clinical Oncology.

His team, working in Israel, looked at 1,708 people who had colon

cancer and 1,737 who did not. Those on statins for at least five

years had about a 50 percent reduction in the risk of this

malignancy.

Adjusting for other factors that could possibly explain the

difference, such as better health habits, did not change the

strong link between statins and lowered risk. Also, those who took

other varieties of cholesterol drugs had no cancer protection.

``I think these data are very exciting and potentially good news

for future studies that will allow us to come up with clinical

recommendations,'' Gruber said.

However, experts have been misled by such data in the past. For

instance, based on similar studies, doctors long believed that

taking estrogen supplements after menopause would lower women's

risk heart attacks. A careful experiment eventually proved this

wrong, and it is still unclear why the estrogen users seemed to

have less risk.

If statins do lower the risk of cancer, scientists say it may have

nothing to do with their effect on cholesterol. One theory is that

statins could ward off the disease by lowering inflammation.

Another is that their primary job -- reducing an enzyme called HMG

CoA -- could block the working of some cancer-causing genes.

One concern of suggesting statins to prevent cancer without

definitive proof of their worth is the risk of exposing people to

possible side effects, even when the risk is small. Statins can

cause muscle and liver problems.

``The consensus is yes, this agent does have the ability to reduce

the incidence of breast cancer, but the risk of blood clots needs

to be kept in mind,'' said the study's director, Dr. Silvana

o of the Cancer Institute Medical Group in Santa ,

Calif.

Statins are hardly the first drugs with possible unanticipated

benefits. Aspirin, once just a painkiller, is now a mainstay of

preventing and treating heart attacks, and some evidence suggests

it, too, can lower the risk of colon cancer.

The bone-strengthening drug Evista, or raloxifene, appears to

substantially lower the risk of breast cancer in older women who

are at relatively low risk of the disease. New long-term follow-up

data, presented at the conference, showed a 66 percent reduction

after eight years of use for osteoporosis.

The Evista study also showed the drug doubled the risk of

potentially hazardous blood clots in the veins.

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Medical Editor Q. Haney is a special correspondent for The

Associated Press.

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On the Net:

Society of Clinical Oncology: http://www.asco.org

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