Re: cholesterol medications

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Ezetrol, which is called Zetia in the US, lowers cholesterol, but the most

recent study conducted by the manufacturer revealed that it didn't decrease

heart disease or mortality rates and that it might, in fact, do just the

opposite. You can search the archives for the article Gretchen posted entitled

" Cholesterol Drug Has No Benefit in Trial " .

If your total cholesterol numbers are good, but your LDL is the only problem,

then you may be able to get back within normal range with fish oil, oatmeal, and

other dietary changes. Here is a helpful site...

http://nhlbisupport.com/chd1/how.htm

[Guest guest]

Hi , thanks for the info. I take Omega-3 twice a day now, maybe I should

up that some more. Thanks again for the web site I will check it out.

I have heard about the statins not helpping heart attack rates and such. I will

talk to the Dr. too about this.

Re: cholesterol medications

Hi ,

Ezetrol, which is called Zetia in the US, lowers cholesterol, but the most

recent study conducted by the manufacturer revealed that it didn't decrease

heart disease or mortality rates and that it might, in fact, do just the

opposite. You can search the archives for the article Gretchen posted entitled

" Cholesterol Drug Has No Benefit in Trial " .

If your total cholesterol numbers are good, but your LDL is the only problem,

then you may be able to get back within normal range with fish oil, oatmeal, and

other dietary changes. Here is a helpful site...

http://nhlbisupport.com/chd1/how.htm

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11:31 AM

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Studies have shown that statins can decrease incidence of heart attacks and

strokes, but there is still a lot of debate about how many people could

potentially be helped vs the amount of medication being prescribed today.

Adding to the confusion is the Zetia issue. Zetia, as you mentioned, is not a

statin. It can lower cholesterol, but it doesn't lower mortality rates. This

indicates that the issue isn't just about lowering cholesterol. There is

something else the statins are doing that has an impact on mortality rates, but

the 'how' isn't completely understood yet. There's a lot of research going on

and there is a lot of information published on the Internet. I've read

conflicting opinions theorizing that the problem is inflammation or the size of

the lipid molecules, etc., etc. It's all very confusing to me and it's hard to

know what information on the Internet can be trusted.

I am currently taking Crestor, been on it for a few months with no issue.

However, I dislike being on it simply because I don't like messing with my body

chemistry and I'm not sure what else the medication might be doing to me. In my

case, both my primary and my neurologist believe the benefit outweighs the risk

based on my personal circumstances. Since there is a lack of complete

information and my doctors understand the issues better than I do, I trust their

judgment, but it still concerns me and I continue to read whatever I can on the

subject. Gretchen does a great job of finding and publishing information for

us, which I appreciate very much!

I think it's a great idea to negotiate with your doctor with the intention of

trying other things to avoid being on any type of statin. Nothing wrong with

trying something for 4 weeks, like increasing your Omega-3's, cutting back on

saturated fats, etc, then getting retested, as long as your doctor agrees it's

safe for you. I've done this myself in the past with many things like niacin, 4

oz of red wine, oatmeal, etc. " Just give me another 4 weeks, let me see if I

can do it! " Unfortunately, I'm not a borderline case and my family genetics are

just too strong to fight. I would literally have to avoid all food to get my

numbers into the normal range and I'm not into starvation.

You may want to ask your doctor about niacin too. It is processed by the liver

and carries it's own risk, something you'd definitely want to discuss with your

doctor first, but it may help as well.

As for the Toxic Lists, they can change in the future with new information. I'm

sure you're not the only person who has had issues with Lipitor. There is still

so much to be learned on this subject. Who knows, years from now, they may

discover that this entire cholesterol numbers game wasn't even necessary.

So...just keep listening to your body! Pursue a healthy lifestyle. Watch out

for stress! And stay tuned for more info...if it's out there, Gretchen will

find it!!!