Statin drugs – a Gentle Decline

TabletsSo now the medical profession want to put everyone over the age of 55 on statins and blood pressure drugs, whether they need them or not and without examining them for any problems. Supposedly it will cut costs!

My question is: Are the side effects associated with statins worth the risk? Just in my practice I have seen people with such painful leg muscles, so much so that they are struggling to walk….caused by statins!

CoQ10 is an essential heart nutrient. Ironically, one of the most concerning side-effects linked to statins is that they lower your body’s levels of CoQ10, and low levels of CoQ10 increase the risk of heart disease (the very condition statins are supposedly designed to prevent!), in addition to congestive heart failure, chronic fatigue, hepatitis, myopathy, rhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of muscle tissue) and neuropathy (loss of cell wall integrity).

This detox center in Orange County says that there is very powerful evidence to suggest that statin-induced injury to the function of the mitochondria, the body’s energy- producing cells, underlies many of the adverse effects that occur to patients taking statin drugs.

The pharmaceutical companies, like the medical profession, would like everyone to take statins as a precaution. Already there are a staggering seven million people over 40, currently take statins in England. This is in spite of some recent research urging doctors to prescribe statins with care, since there is little evidence that they are cost effective or that they improve the quality of life in those without a history of heart disease.

Infact they are best avoided.

A recent review of several clinical trials has shown that taking statins can increase the risk of diabetes by 13 per cent on average. Another study, published in April, suggests that statins may increase the risk of prostate cancer.

There is infact strong evidence that suggests that cholesterol is critical for the brain to function properly, and that in the long-term cholesterol reduction may be linked to neurological disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

As a population we’re living longer, well into our 80s, and generally speaking, older individuals are more prone to chronic conditions such as heart disease. So there is the possibility for a huge market for statins. However with the side effects that I mentioned is there any benefit in the elderly taking such drugs and not enjoying the last years of their life.

In 2002, the PROSPER study, questioned the use of statin drugs in the elderly because results showed cancer rates were 25 per cent higher in the group of elderly patients that took statins!

So, we can now add cancer to the long list of side effects associated with statins!

Would you take them even if you had a problem?……I wouldn’t. Changing your diet can bring down your cholesterol levels and improve heart disease, but you do have to work on it. Reduce your animal proteins right down to almost none and eat lots of vegetables, fruit and whole grains, then you will reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer…..a quadruple whammy!

Wyndham Health