When I called statins poison was I overreaching? Did I exaggerate?
Statins are an isolated poison from red rice yeast (Monascus purpurus). When introduced to the body the natural response is to create a chemical lovastatin which changes liver function. This change blocks production of cholesterol and also CoQ10.
Low levels of CoQ10 lead to muscle decline and pain (the heart is just a big muscle folks), amnesia, kidney and liver failure and more.
Since cholesterol is the "bad guy" it seems like a fair trade, but the fact is that people with low cholesterol and CoQ10 levels are approximately twice as likely to die as those with high cholesterol. ( Nicole Schupf.
Rosann Costa. Jose Luchsinger, Ming-Xin Tang, Joseph H. Lee. Richard Mayeux.
Relationship Between Plasma Lipids and All-Cause Mortality in Nondemented
Elderly. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Volume 53 Issue 2 Page 219
- February 2005 doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53106.x)
I must have missed that part when the doctor was telling me about my future without statins.
I also missed the part about how cholesterol is key in fighting off infections.
So what is the point Paully? The point is that there is a healthy middle ground. Your body produces cholesterol whether you eat food with cholesterol or not. You should eat a high fiber diet, and if you don't like broccoli and nuts and beans and whole grains and apples and pears and oatmeal then take a psyllium powder supplement to compensate. I eat all of these but I plan to start the psyllium when it arrives tomorrow.
The research that Merck and their buddies don't want you to know about suggests that the real problem with arterial disease is not cholesterol but chemical and metal poisoning and DIET. I hate to take things away from you but red meat consumption has HUGE correlations with most chronic disease. Certainly heart disease, cancer and diabetes are the ones we all want to avoid. They are also the ones most closely correlated with high animal protein diets - and that includes dairy.
So, in conclusion, I wish there were a stronger word than poison that I could have used to describe statins.
More soon....
"The point is that there is a healthy middle ground."
ReplyDeleteAfter years of trying the extremes, I eventually concluded that this was the best approach to life.
I have a heart arrhythmia that the pharmaceutical industry keeps under control for me, and for that I am thankful, because without that tiny white pill I wouldn't be running marathons, mountain biking, hiking, and generally living the life I want to live.
On the one hand (and as you noted), the industry does some nasty, or at best useless things (do we honestly need new variations of Viagra?). On the other hand, GlaxoSmithKline, working with the Gates Foundation, recently announced the first viable malaria vaccine, and they won't be selling it for profit. All the money they make elsewhere helped fund it, and they're selling it at cost. It could potentially save millions of lives in some of the most impoverished parts of the globe. As usual in this world, you have take the bad with the good.
But as you say, diet and exercise are the true keys. And there again you get into moderation. A steak now and again is a nice treat, a daily Big Mac is a recipe for an early death. Stick to what is known in Buddhism as the Middle Way, and you'll probably do alright.
But I ramble. Good to hook up with you, Paul. I grew up with Pam, always thought the world of her, am very happy to see the two of you getting out there and grabbing life head on, and enjoy hearing about your adventures.
Dave J.