Deadly Lies: How Statin Drugs Are Causing Other Diseases And Death
This is the third article in a series. Each article is dedicated to subtopics concerning the issue of statin therapy. The first can be found here.
It was during the industrial boom that heart disease became prevalent and by the 1940's it was ranked the #1 cause of premature death among men, especially those aged 40 – 55. Scientists and researchers began studying artherosclerosis, and formulating a number of theories associated with the pathology of the disease. Then in 1953, Ancel Keys drew attention with a paper he wrote on the subject. It gained him the support of the American Heart Association, as well as a number of food companies. Keys believed that eating dietary fat was THE cause of heart disease, later narrowing it down to saturated fats. His claim was that saturated fats raised cholesterol and therefore, caused heart disease. But his findings were flawed. It would seem that Keys and the others who jumped on the cholesterol bandwagon had forgotten why our bodies produce cholesterol in the first place.
There have been numerous studies showing the folly of Keys' ways; studies that proved no correlation between fat intake and heart disease, no connection between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels, no relationship between certain kinds of fat and blood cholesterol levels. There were also studies that showed an improvement by increasing fat intake, and studies that gave proof of the benefits of consuming saturated fats.
So why are we still trying to lower cholesterol in an effort to control heart disease? Because fear is a powerful tool used by pharmaceutical companies with lots to gain by marketing their cholesterol lowering concoctions. To spread fear, fame and celebrity is necessary. There needs to be lots of talk in lots of places. The public needs to be aware. To make us aware advertisements and warnings are staring us in the face at every turn. Ancel Keys started the fear factory chugging along by landing the cover of Time Magazine. What better way to get the word out than by making the issue a national headline?
If cholesterol isn't bad, what exactly is it good for? Why do we need it?
Every cell in our body contains cholesterol. It's what makes the cell waterproof in order to maintain different biochemistry inside and outside the cell. If cholesterol levels are not maintained, the cell membrane is compromised and becomes porous/leaky which is interpreted by the body as a threatening emergency. Cholesterol is isolated and moved from one part of the body to be transported to the areas it's needed. In layman's terms, cholesterol is a band-aid. It repairs damage to cells. All scar tissue contains high levels of cholesterol, and that includes any scar tissue in the arteries.
When arteries are found to be clogged with cholesterol, it's a warning sign that something is causing damage. The answer is NOT to reduce the very substance attempting to repair the injury, but to discover what has caused the damage in the first place. Removing the cause of injury will reduce the need for cholesterol to gather in specific locations in the body.
Vitamin D is created from cholesterol. Lowering cholesterol interferes with the body's ability to manufacture Vitamin D which regulates over 200 genes in cells throughout the entire body. Those cells include the brain, kidneys, intestines, skin, bones, gonads, prostate, breasts,parathyroid gland, immune system, and yes, the heart. Vitamin D regulates phosphorus levels and calcium levels in the blood. It can either suppress or activate the immune system as needed. It helps to fight conditions like Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, as well as tuberculosis, pneumonia, cancer, and the flu. It also decreases the risk of heart attacks and strokes and prevents diabetes by modifying the release and response to insulin.
Cholesterol is absolutely necessary for proper neurological function. It's a necessary factor in forming memory and the uptake of brain hormones, including serotonin. (Many mood disorders, ie. Bipolar Disorder, are caused by a failure in re-uptake of serotonin and other hormones). When cholesterol levels are too low, the serotonin receptors can't work. Cholesterol is a starring element of the brain with a large portion of it residing in the myelin sheaths which protect nerve cells and the synapses carrying nerve impulses.
Cholesterol is carried through the blood in LDL (lower density lipoproteins) particles. Scientists have discovered that LDL cannot be be deposited on the walls of the arteries unless it has been modified by a free radical to form an oxidized LDL. What this all means is that free radicals in the blood can set off chain reactions that generate oxidized LDL. While those free radicals can be formed by merely breathing oxygen, they are also produced because of chemicals from cigarette smoke and environmental pollution.
The fact that cholesterol acts as an antioxidant to free radicals is a good thing, and probably explains why cholesterol levels increase as we age. And though cholesterol protects us from the free radical damage that leads to heart disease, it can cause a narrowing of the arteries. Instead of lowering cholesterol, the answer is to eliminate the environment which encourages free radicals to form, such as better pollution control and cessation of smoking, etc.
Cholesterol is necessary for the production of all hormones produced in the adrenal cortex including those that regulate blood sugar levels and mineral balance. It's necessary for the production of hormones that promote healing and reduce inflammation. Sex hormones are produced by the adrenal cortex such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. Therefore, low cholesterol disrupts the production of adrenal hormones leading to blood sugar problems (diabetes), edema (water retention), mineral dificiencies, chronic inflammation, difficulty healing, allergies, asthma, and various reproductive problems (infertility, low libido, etc.)
There are no proven benefits to be had through statin drug therapy.
Statin drugs have not been proven to lower cholesterol enough to offer any “supposed” health benefits. However, they have been proven to cause quite a few other serious and life threatening illnesses. The known and reported side effects are anemia, acidosis, sexual dysfunction, cataracts, memory loss, pancreas and liver dysfunction (including an increase in liver enzymes), immune depression, and a plethora of muscle problems such as polyneuropathy (nerve damage in the hands and feet) and rhabdomyolysis (a serious degenerative muscle tissue condition). Let's not forget, the heart is a muscle!
For starters, statin drugs are known to suppress the formation of CoQ10, an enzyme necessary in synthesizing energy. It can be found in every cell for energy production and is involved in producing a molecule known as ATP, which is a cell's main energy source. ATP is necessary for the production of protein and muscle contraction. It is necessary to combat fatigue, obesity, and a weak immune system. It improves exercise tolerance, prevents toxin overload, and may also increase sperm motility.
CoQ10 has an even more important role when considering the issue of heart disease, in that it helps to fight it! Studies have shown that those suffering from heart disease have lower levels of the enzyme than those who are heart healthy. Several studies suggest that it may lower blood pressure and helps to fight some of the heart damage caused by chemotherapy. It's being looked at for other treatment plans such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and diabetes because of its properties as an antioxidant and its ability to inhibit blood clot formation and improve energy production in cells.
Muscle pain and weakness related to statin drug therapy has been the most commonly reported.
While there seems to be a slightly lower incidence of heart attacks, the increased numbers of heart failure has bypassed the decreased incidence. In other words, more heart attacks are causing death. Deaths caused by heart failure more than doubled between 1989 and 1994. Interference with the production of CoQ10 has been attributed to the cause by some researchers. One study showed that just six months after beginning a 20 mg dosage of Lipitor per day, two thirds of the patients had abnormalities during the heart's filling phase of operation. Without CoQ10, the heart cells' mitochondria are inhibited from producing energy.
It's rather frightening that all patients suffering heart failure are put on statin drugs, even if their cholesterol is already low. A study out of Hull, UK followed 114 heart failure patients. There was a 78% survival rate after the first 12 months and a 56% rate at 36 months. The researchers found that for every point of cholesterol decrease, there was a 36% increase in risk of death within three years!
Every statin study ever done has shown statins to cause cancer in rodents. However, there have been very few studies to support that statins cause cancer in humans. Why? Simply because the statin trials never extend beyond two or three years. Human cancer takes a long time to develop. However, the CARE trial proved breast cancer rates of women on statin therapy went up 1500%.
In a study conducted at the Tulane University School of Medicine, electron beam tomography(ebt) was used to measure the plaque buildup in heart attack patients receiving statin therapy. The researchers discovered that the progression of CAC (coronary artery calcium) was significantly more than those who had never had a heart event. The conclusion was that statin therapy may increase the risk of having cardiovascular events.
During the course of the countless hours I've spent pouring over reports and studies and accumulated data regarding the questions and fears surrounding statin drugs, I've not found one piece of evidence that gives even a hint that such drugs are beneficial to humanity. I've found nothing more than a web of deceit built by monetary greed. I've found corruption. I've found lies. I've found statistic manipulation, and astronomical costs paid by us, the victims of such fraudulence. We are being stripped of our health in the pursuit to bilk us out of our hard earn money.
I am not a physician. I am not a trained researcher for medical science. I am not trained in medicine at all. However, I'm a consumer. I'm a taxpayer. I have a right to know what I'm being told to buy. I have a right to know that my tax dollars are going to support the pharmaceutical companies benefiting by selling their poisons to Medicare and Medicaid. I have a right to demand ethical practices from the government officials who are paid by more of my tax dollars to protect us from medical malfeasance, for that is what is happening. A crime is being perpetrated against humanity.