Dangers of Statin Drugs

“Good health, good luck, and happiness are for today and every day.” Irish Saying

Although most of the information we receive about cholesterol is through mainstream media, much of it originates from the pharmaceutical industry, and they’ve been quite successful at leading us to believe that the majority of the population is at risk for heart disease. This has gotten so out of hand that cholesterol lowering medication is even being prescribed to children!

Based on the shocking number of people currently taking cholesterol medication and the drug ads that downplay the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, it seems as if a large percentage of the population is genetically dysfunctional and is producing too much cholesterol. It also suggests that nature has made a major mistake. Do you honestly believe that such a significant flaw exists in our evolution? More likely, this is just another case of greedy corporations disregarding the inherent intelligence of nature.

Cholesterol medication is a $29 billion dollar industry that is keeping many families fed, putting many kids through college, and is providing many executives with big houses and fancy cars. As such, there is tremendous incentive for the pharmaceutical industry to have you believe that your cholesterol level puts you at risk for heart disease. Naming cholesterol as the root cause of heart disease is like blaming a fire truck for starting a fire, but despite the power of this logic, there’s little hope of it generating even a fraction of the revenue that cholesterol medication generates.

The pharmaceutical industry has significant influence on politics, medical schools and doctors. As such, many of the doctors that prescribe you cholesterol lowering medication are products of this influence. Current guidelines suggest that anyone with a total cholesterol level above 200 mg/dl, or about 5 mmol/L, is at risk for heart disease and should be on medication. Based on more recent recommendations, some doctors are even prescribing medication for anything above 185 mg/dl or 4.8 mmol/L.

An honest analysis of the heart disease research shows some populations to have a low incidence of heart disease with cholesterol levels averaging around 250 mg/dl. Another revealing piece of evidence that can be found from a close look at the research is that in many cases, low cholesterol levels can be more dangerous than high levels, particularly in the elderly, and particularly when the low cholesterol levels are a result of medication.

The pharmaceutical industry is literally turning millions of healthy people into patients and customers with their questionable guidelines. If you’re one of these people, take responsibility and do something about it!

With a good understanding of cholesterol’s role in the human body, it should be quite clear that high levels are much more of a symptom than a cause. As such, taking cholesterol medication is merely chasing the symptoms, which is a temporary solution at best, and is completely neglecting the lifestyle factors that are causing the cellular damage and inflammation in the arteries.

Statins, the most popular type of medication prescribed for lowering blood cholesterol, are often quite dangerous and create more risk than they reduce. Modern cholesterol-lowering drugs act by inhibiting an enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) needed for the formation of cholesterol in the liver. These HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, called statins, are sold as Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravacol, Zocor, etc. These drugs inhibit production of Co-Q10 in the heart.