Statins and Cholesterol: The Real Score
Have you read the stories proclaiming that the group of statin drugs is saving millions of lives? Recent studies show that the truth could be very different.
If you have any of the following then the odds are that you have had your cholesterol checked: –
- High blood pressure
- Risk of heart attack
- Risk of stroke
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- • Plus many other
Lots of studies over the last few decades have shown a link between raised cholesterol levels and many of these common problems. The traditional theory is that all you have to do is reduce the Cholesterol level and those diseases will miraculously disappear.
Statins were then developed by the drug manufacturers and if their advertising is to be believed, statins help everyone who takes them. This advertising is misleading at best and an absolute con at worst.
Cholesterol Levels
The main flaw in the argument for reducing cholesterol is that cholesterol is an essential constituent in every cell and membrane in the body. It is the catalyst for numerous critical functions – without cholesterol we just wouldn’t be alive! It is produced by the liver and one of its main functions is to help fight against inflammation – the sort of inflammation that creates heart and blood problems. That’s right – if you have damaged arteries then your liver will produce an increased amount of cholesterol to try and repair the damage.
You will have high cholesterol levels for a reason. They aren’t the cause of the heart (or other) problems. They are an indication that all is not well. Removing the symptom does NOT cure the problem. In this case it might even make it worse!
Statins
Even if reducing cholesterol was a good route to take then are statins the way to do it? The manufacturers have produced all sorts of figures to show % reduction in risk and so on. A much clearer picture can be obtained if you consider the “Number To Treat” (NTT). The NTT is rarely published by the manufacturers but a few researchers at Nottingham University (UK) have come up with some remarkable figures. These have recently been published in the British Medical Journal with Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox as the lead author.
They studied data from over 2 million patients, including over 225,000 statin drug users. They found that for every 10,000 women being treated with statins there were only 271 fewer cases of heart disease. Thus the NTT is calculated as 1 fewer case for every 37 patients on the drug.
More importantly, the study looked at the side effects of taking statins. For every 10,000 women taking statins there were an additional 74 cases of liver damage, 23 cases of acute kidney failure, 39 cases of extreme muscle weakness and 307 cases of cataracts. The statins helped 271 people but harmed 443 people.
If you take statin drugs then you have a less than 3% chance of being helped but a greater than 4% chance of being harmed! The other 96% of users are merely helping increase the profits of the drug manufacturers.
Questions are Often More Important than Answers
Unfortunately, it will take many years for mainstream medical opinion to change and react to the latest findings. Your doctor will still want you to take statins. We recommend you ask a few specific questions: –
- What is causing my Cholesterol to be high?
- Will reducing my cholesterol cure that problem?
- If not, how can we cure that problem?
- What is the “Number to Treat” for the statin you want to prescribe?
- What is the incidence of serious side effects for that drug?
- What alternatives are there?
Cure the Problem – NOT the Symptom
You will be surprised at the number of alternative treatments available that get right to the centre of the problem rather than tinkering with cholesterol levels.
Our favourite for heart and arterial related diseases is a new product called Ethozyme. This is a combination of special enzymes and nutrients that gradually dissolve plaque build up on the artery walls, it repairs small cracks and fissures, it helps remove fibrous and fatty deposits and generally improves blood circulation. Two to four capsules daily for 6 months can clear most artery related conditions, dramatically reduce your risk of heart attack and/or stroke but without any side effects.
For more information on Cholesterol see our article – Click Here.
You can find out more about Ethozyme II™ at: ethozyme.com
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