Statins and More

For quite a while I hesitated sharing my cholesterol doubts, thinking it could be perceived as yet another sample of my unconventional and anti-doctors views.

But then, and after the last posting had already been done, I came across an article ‘The Other Drug Problem’ by Pamela Weintraub. It was not only about cholesterol medications but also regarding high blood pressure treatments, anti-acids and more. This article changed my feelings completely:  

First of all, I realized that there is nothing original in my concerns – they are shared by many and are well grounded. According to Weintraub the issue is actually way deeper and is explored there in detail.

For a moment I even regretted my previous posting’s amateur reasoning, I wished, I could’ve simply put a string to this article instead. The problem was, I read it too late, and also – there was no electronic address underneath it in the Experience Life magazine.

Here I must say a few words about this magazine. And I am not encouraged in any way to do so. It is simply good. I paid little attention to it at first, because it started coming for free when we became Lifetime Fitness club members (I even threw several issues into recycling without opening).

But being quite skeptical at the beginning about this ‘auxiliary fitness promoter’ I was pleasantly surprised by sensitive and unbias health-related information I found there.

In this respect the Experience Life is in perfect contrast with the Whole Living - the magazine I‘ve been subscribing for several years. It started out as Organic Living with high standards on the ideas they promoted and products they recommended. But after it was bought by Martha Steward it became just another unscrupulous advertising engine.  

Feeling determined to share the information of the article by Pamela Weintraub I encircled several extracts in it and then surmised to go to the magazine's website. Isn’t it nice that every regular publication has a website nowadays?

I found the article right there!

I decided to copy the encircled extracts anyway, so that my effort and enthusiasm was not wasted. And then if someone is interested, the string to more information is below.

About the side-effects of statins and other drugs:

‘The Statin Study Group, directed by University of California at San Diego (UCSD) physician and scientist Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, who says:

Three common classes of prescription drugs in the United States — statins for reducing cholesterol, angiotensin II antagonists for lowering blood pressure, and proton pump inhibitors for reducing stomach acid — can all cause side effects worse than the problems they aim to treat. And the symptoms caused by one drug may necessitate the use of the others.’

Regarding the so-called 'minor side-effects' of statins (and other drugs) that were never paid much attention to:

‘…reduced energy and a lack of interest in activity, increased fatigue after exercise, erectile dysfunction…’

“In these studies, the decrease in death from heart disease was fully offset by increases in violent death from suicide, homicide and accident,” (Golomb)

‘A 2010 study published in The Lancet Oncology, for instance, reported an increase in cancer diagnoses among ARB users. Other side effects include headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, nasal congestion, back and leg pain, and diarrhea. And, while rare, side effects such as kidney failure, liver failure, allergic reaction, a drop in white blood cells and localized swelling of tissues (angioedema) can all be fatal.’

On the biasness of medical studies financed by the pharmaceutical industry:

‘As Golomb notes, clinical studies designed to prove the efficacy of a certain drug have inherent limitations, particularly as it relates to examining safety.’
‘Underlying their marketing strategy is a host of scientific studies that “exaggerate positive results and bury negative ones,” says Shannon Brownlee, author of Overrated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer (Bloomsbury USA, 2007).’

On high blood pressure:

‘…while doctors routinely treat patients with mild to moderate systolic pressure of 140 to 160, it is only for those with moderate to severe hypertension — people with blood pressure over 160, the top 5 percent of the curve — that “we get a modest bang for our buck. Between 140 and 160 there is no good evidence that the benefits outweigh the harm,” James M. Wright, says.’

On the concept of medical prevention by giving drugs to healthy people:

‘According to internist and clinical pharmacologist James M. Wright, MD, PhD, professor at the University of British Columbia, statins have no proven net health benefit as a preventive.’

The Other Drug Problem

By Pamela Weintraub / April 2011

http://www.experiencelife.com/issues/april-2011/wellness/the-other-drug-problem.php

With the last and so popular concept I had a personal encounter (see Health Advocate Wanted).  Still I think, there is much more to discuss about it. 

Should I Lower my Cholesterol?

A slim and perfectly athletic young woman once told me that she was worried about her high cholesterol numbers in the last test. I laughed the issue off.

‘Labs make mistakes’ – I said – ‘Do you feel well? If yes, forget about it’.

Another 27-year-old ballerina-type was recommended by a doctor to cut down on… egg yolks.

We both found it funny.

But then my doctor called me just to say:
- Your current cholesterol level is not acceptable. You must be put on medications.

I did not feel like laughing. The fact that he did not even consider a non-medical alternative somehow felt especially upsetting.

I received it as the message to stop my 'natural, drug-free' nonsense and become like everyone else – passive and submissive to whatever doctor orders me to do.

When things like this happen, I first panic and think ‘Maybe it is time to change my ways. He (she) sounds so confident, and who am I to dispute a professional?’

But then I eventually calm down and start thinking straight. I ask myself:

-     Is there anything wrong with me (dizziness, fatigue, or pain)? Maybe I   feel weaker than in my 40s or 30s?

-     No; and actually, since yoga, - even better and stronger.

-     But can I trust my body? Every day people are urged to trust nothing but medical tests.  You hear countless stories about perfectly healthy individuals suddenly dropped dead with massive stroke or cardiac arrest.

-     Well, I doubt these stories are accurate.

-     Then why should I be scared of heart attack?

Currently doctors push young and old to lower blood cholesterol though its nature is not exactly clear (some say it depends on the amount of fat you eat; others – that consuming fat is irrelevant). These recommendations are based on the opinion that elevated level of LDL (bad) cholesterol is  one of the factors (family history, obesity, etc.) that in combination might be strong indicators of heart vulnerability. Yet again, many doctors advise to be ‘on the safe side’ and to lower it even if you have no relevant history or weight issues.

Being confused by all this controversy I felt like additionally researching the subject. Having high levels throughout my life and no heart problems ever, I grew a strong suspicion that the role of cholesterol in heart conditions is somewhat overrated. Thus I was looking specifically for the relevant studies that would prove or refute this hypothesis.

As usual, the first round was totally fruitless, though quite educational as I had been flooded with indisputable recommendations to lower cholesterol regardless of anything else.

I changed the inquiry to “cholesterol, study, controversial” and this is what I found:

1 – The clinical study led to a scandal in the medical world had found that an expensive anti-cholesterol drag and a much cheaper one (that included only one of the counterpart’s many components) perform the same. In fact the data for the cheaper one shows even slightly more benefits.

2 – The basic ingredient - statin reliably lowers cholesterol and was proven to bring benefits against heart conditions.  However it is not clear yet if the benefits observed were provided by lowering cholesterol or due to other healing mechanisms.

3 – The recommendations regarding cholesterol by everyone familiar with the results of this and similar studies are extremely cautious.

(The ENHANCE Trial and What It Means, By Richard N. Fogoros, M.D., http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cholesterol/a/statins.htm;

CLEARING UP THE CHOLESTEROL CONFUSION! by Dr. Robert Preston, N.D.,  http://www.vitality-corp.com/)

  

I am thinking about changing the doctor.