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Treating High Cholesterol
The Daily Telegraph newspaper of February 10th 2009 announced that “Millions of statins to go to low-risk over 40s” and “millions of healthy people with no obvious sign of illness could be put on cholesterol lowering drugs”.
The author of the report is Prof. Roger Boyle- National Director for Heart Disease and Stroke. What he fails to mention is that there is a great deal of concern, both within and without the medical profession about the serious and common side effects of these drugs. There is also much research that questions their effectiveness.
Statin medications are prescription drugs that lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. As you can see these are now being recommended for patients who don't have high cholesterol as a precautionary meeasure. What this means is the prescribing of Statin drugs is about to increase. While I am sure this is highly profitable to the shareholders of the relevant pharmaceutical companies as a public service I am writing this article to keep the public informed of some facts and research that is being ignored.
Fact One:
While cholesterol lowering drugs do lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, they have limited effect on raising HDL (good) cholesterol, and no effect on triglycerides (fats), an equally important heart disease risk indicator. In fact some researches believe it is actual fact the balance of the two types of cholesterol that is important not so much how high the LDL cholesterol is and therefore more research is needed on the actual effectiveness of statins.
Fact Two:
Statin medications also decrease your body's supply of CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which is an essential nutrient for heart strength and function, this to some extent reduces the advantages of taking them.
Fact three
There are natural cholesterol lowering ingredients, some of which have been shown to outperform statins in lowering cholesterol, without the possible side effects. The most effective one, I mention below. This is sourced from research conducted by the Mayo Clinic in
America. Natural products also thought to lower cholesterol are Garlic, Foods high in soluble fibre, such as oats, Artichoke leaf, Bl;ueberries, and Omega 3 oils (best source foir this is fish). The best natural cholesterol lowering agent is described below in more detail.
Fact four:
Statinbs have alarming side effects. Side effects of statins can be very serious. In addition to the side effects common to most prescription medications such as headaches, nausea and fever, other problems with statins can be much more serious.
In fact, in the U.S, an FDA approved statin called Baycol was recently pulled off the market due to serious side effects and even deaths.
Two of the most troubling potential side effects of some statins include extreme muscle pain and muscle disease (statin induced myopathy), and serious liver problems.
In fact on the Lipitor (one of the more popular prescription statins) web site it states:
"Lipitor is not for everyone, including those with liver disease or possible liver problems". "Your doctor may do simple blood tests to monitor liver function before and during drug treatment."
"Tell your doctor about any unusual muscle pain or weakness. This could be a sign of serious side effects."
In addition to serious muscle and liver problems much research has shown that side effects of statins could include sexual dysfunction and performance problems, as well as memory loss, personality changes and irritability. Some persons experience severe depression and even suicidal tendencies.
You should consult your doctor about lowering your cholesterol, but don’t count on him being aware of all the research.
Fact Five:
Finally, there is actually a well researched product that is a simple vitamin. It balances the two types of cholesterol and reduces both types of cholesterol in a healthy way. It is called Niacin, otherwise known as Vitamin B6.
The Mayo Clinic website states:
“High cholesterol (niacin)
Niacin is a well-accepted treatment for high cholesterol. Multiple studies show that niacin (not niacinamide) has significant benefits on levels of high-density cholesterol (HDL or "good cholesterol"), with better results than prescription drugs such as "statins" like atorvastatin (Lipitor?). There are also benefits on levels of low-density cholesterol (LDL or "bad cholesterol"), although these effects are less dramatic. Adding niacin to a second drug such as a statin may increase the effects on low-density lipoproteins. The use of niacin for the treatment of dyslipidemia associated with type 2 diabetes has been controversial because of the possibility of worsening glycemic control. Patients should check with a physician and pharmacist before starting niacin"
No scientific testing appears to have been done on Niacin on it's own, or Niacin in combination with other natural products and foods, it would beinteresting top see this.
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