Statin drugs - Not a cure?
Just recently had a close family member contact me saying he had been diagnosed with myocarditis or a heart infection and there was nothing the medical profession could do for him. He wanted help on his diet, which was much better than the average male, in fact he was eating in ‘normal’ terms a very good diet, which included lot of fresh vegetables, some fruit, salmon and other fish only 1-2 cups of coffee a day. He had also been competing in triathlons, doing swimming, cycling and running.
His symptoms when he went to the doctor were muscle weakness, nausea, headaches, memory loss, heart palpitations, extreme tiredness and dizziness.
I told him basically to follow option 2 in The Natural Way (see Perfect Health – chapter 4), and be strictly vegan until his was completely recovered. He duly did this and I never thought to ask if he was on any medication. It was only a week or two later when he was not improving that it slipped out that he was on 3 different types of meds;
Crestor – to lower cholesterol – less than 1 year – that’s when he noticed the most dramatic effect on his health as he began to slowly deteriorate.
Pariet – for hiatus hernia – 2 years
Allercept – antihistamine – 2years
Well it turns out that all three of these have side effects that include those he originally presented with but looking at some of the research below it is clear that statin drugs (used to lower cholesterol and very widely used) can be extremely harmful to your health.
(PLEASE I AM BEGGING ALL OF YOU - CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE FIRST BEFORE YOU GO THE DRUG & SURGERY ROUTE – THEY SHOULD BE A LAST RESORT – PRAY AND ASK YOUR CREATOR TO GIVE YOU WISDOM TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION AND IF YOU ARE ON MEDS – AT LEAST READ THE SIDE EFFECTS!!)
We need to understand that cholesterol is needed by the body to make cell membranes, hormones, for brain function and for healthy bones and that forcing the liver to make less with drugs without removing dietary sources of cholesterol seems foolish to say the least. Anyway just the introduction of dark green leafy vegetables and flax oil can lower your cholesterol dramatically without any change in diet within 6 weeks! I have seen this in several people who drink barley grass juice and take a flax oil supplement like BarleyLIfe and Aimega. The results have been dramatic!
The interesting thing is that his body sent him warning signs with the allergies, then with the digestive disturbances and finally with cholesterol. If you do not find the cause of your problem and correct it, it will always pop up in some other area when you treat with medication – it has to. Medicine does not cure it merely suppresses symptoms. FIND THE CAUSE!
After being off all medication for about a month or so he gradually started to see his health improve. He followed the guidelines I suggested and his energy is increased, his muscles improved and so did his memory. But it is not an overnight cure, it appears the drugs had done some serious damage and the body was slowly repairing itself. It was in November 2009 that he ask a group of older men in his church to pray for him one night. The next morning for the first time since making the changes his heart rate and activity were completely normal.
Bill’s latest medical exam shows him to be perfectly fit and able to resume his exercise schedule and live a normal healthy life. No sign of the heart or other problems.
Here is what we have found to lower cholesterol levels safely without any side effects;
An alkaline forming diet as promoted in The Natural Way books and the 100 days to health program
Daily exercise – at least 20 minutes a day
Natural sunlight
BarleyLife 2 heaped tsp daily or 4 Capsules twice a day or a generous quantity of dark green leafy vegetables at least at 2 meals each day
Aimega or a flax blend 6 Capsules daily – these essential fats transport Cholesterol out of the blood stream to where they are needed
Herbalfibre blend – 1-2 heaped tsp twice a day – contains valuable water soluble fibre which promotes healthy cholesterol levels
Bear Paw garlic made from the leaves of the wild alpine garlic plant and is known to contain properties that help regulate cholesterol
A vegetarian diet leaning towards vegan if your levels are dangerously high
Stress management – prayer being the most effective in my opinion
The products above can be ordered directly at the wholesale price from Aim by contacting info@naturalway.co.za or from any of the health consultants listed on our website
Anyway here is Bill’s story in his words and if you need to read more on the side effects and details on the products I suggested, click on the highlighted words
BILL’S STORY
Hi Guys
Be careful – I started using a Statin for my cholesterol this year and my fitness went backward gradually despite a very careful and scientific approach and quite a healthy diet, Statins affect muscles, the heart is a muscle. I did suffer from muscle pain and shortness of breath but put this down to asthma.
I am now off the damn stuff and managing my cholesterol via a decent diet and I hope my muscles recover. There was an interesting article in today's Business Day as well as another article below.
US Scientists say statins cause damage structural damage to the muscles. They took biopsies from 83 patients 63 were on statins, 20 had not taken statins. The 20 had no sign on myopathy (persistent muscle pain). Of the 63 – 44 (77%) had myopathy out of the 44, 25 had muscle damage (40% of those on the drugs). Of the 44 – 29 were still on the drug and 15 had discontinued for more than three weeks. They say that the symptoms improve after cessation of the drugs but in some cases they continue. Goes on to say that statins hinder the bodies ability to repair muscles.
The risk factors for myopathy – Old age, high doses of statins, exercising whilst on statins and OTHER DRUGS such as warfarin, cancer treatments, oral medications for fungal disorders and certain antibiotics.
So be alert –
My muscles are still sore with no exercise, I suffered from all the symptoms and it has affected the most important muscle my heart.
If I was living is the US I would be in court fighting the B*&($rds
Cheers
Buffalo Bill
More detail for the fitness fanatics…
In 2008 did very good time on my rides Over December I was doing 2 hour rides, 1 hour run per day right after my ride, with a day off per week. Nice and fit, operating at peak performance. My riding partners had said they had never seen me riding as well. I was on Pariet and Allercet.
In Jan started with Crestor, in Jan and Feb my performances were still good started swimming and went well. My Argus ride was not good due to the wind and in comparison to my mates my time was a bit down. I put it down to the wind, even though at that stage I should have been in really good nick. I am very scientific about my training an incorporate rest during the week as well as every fourth week being an easy week. My volumes were increased gradually and with me using a heart rate monitor to ensure I was training in the right zone.
Started running in April and ran my 1st 21k run in 1:50 in July since then my times have increased. My riding gradually went backwards and I put this down to more running and less riding which should not be the case. I also thought that my asthma was to blame for the lower performance and shortage of breath. I even returned one of my pumps as I thought it was faulty. I did not get sick but felt generally flat, again though of a low grade virus. All the time generally eating well with one cup of coffee per day. Salads, mielies(corn) and lean protein for dinner. I did suffer a bit with muscle pain which was put down to training and possible low electrolytes levels.
On the day I bombed, I was feeling a bit weird at the start of a MTB race and was very sensitive to the sun on my body at 8am. I rode for 50kms and withdrew from the race, as I could feel that I was bloated and I was not processing the water and food I had been eating. Went home and my temp hit over 100 with my heart rate bombing along at 100bpm. Stood in the shower to bring the temp down which just made the fever worse. Lisa and I decided it was heatstroke and that it would go away, I could not sleep that night due to the fever and after 1 the tummy started and continued for a week. The following Sunday I was feeling strong enough for a gentle 2 hour run and felt OK, the next day I was very stiff and flat, I rested till The Thursday and did a 1 hour run, after that I was wasted during the day. I picked up an irregular heart beat and the went to the doc, who confirmed my heart beat issue. A battery of test were done with nothing coming out initially, including the Coxsackie test. No sign of heart issues, my electrolytes were fine as were all the other tests.
On Tuesday more tests and the coxsackie was elevated and cardiologist identified damage to my heart. Interesting. Through this time I have battled with tiredness with muscle fatigue and pain.
Seven weeks later and five off the meds and on a vegan diet, no gluten or coffee and the muscle pains are still here. I manage to stay awake till 9 but my memory and concentration levels are not good. So this is either the coxsackie or the Crestor, apparently the virus takes 10 weeks to subside. Doc says I will either get better or I wont. He is not aware of the power of our God!
Statins May Worsen Fatigue in Heart Failure Patients..But no one's suggesting the drugs should be stopped
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Statins may boost the risk of fatigue and shortness of breath in some patients with heart failure, a new study suggests. But a second report found the cholesterol-reducing drugs reduce the risk of clots in those with cardiovascular disease, and experts think the benefits outweigh the risks.
Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California at Los Angeles, said patients shouldn't reconsider their use of the statins based on the results of the small U.S. study.
"Patients with heart failure who have an indication for statin therapy, such as coronary artery disease or diabetes, should remain on physician-prescribed statin therapy," Fonarow said.
At issue is treatment for heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart fails to beat properly. An estimated 5.7 million people in the United States suffer from heart failure, which can cause fatigue, shortness of breath and fluid build-up in the lungs and legs.
"Approximately two-thirds of patients with heart failure have coronary artery disease," Fonarow said. "In these patients, statins, while not improving overall survival, have been shown to lower the risk of a cardiovascular event and decrease the likelihood of being hospitalized. In patients with heart failure but without vascular disease, neither benefit nor harm has been demonstrated in clinical trials of statin therapy."
Researchers at Northeastern University and Massachusetts General Hospital looked at the medical records of 136 patients with heart failure. They wanted to see how statin use, mainly of the drug atorvastatin (Lipitor), affected two types of heart failure -- systolic and diastolic.
Fonarow explained that the heart fails to contract normally in people with systolic heart failure. In those with diastolic heart failure, the heart may not relax properly or be abnormally stiff, he said.
The study findings were to be released this week at the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting, in San Diego.
Those who had diastolic heart failure and took a cholesterol drug had almost half as much exercise tolerance as those with the condition who didn't take the drugs, the researchers found.
"Some patients with diastolic heart failure may be more prone to the adverse effect of statins on muscle. It may be that patients with particular preexisting factors will experience unfavorable results from statin therapy, including exercise intolerance, dyspnea [shortness of breath], and fatigue," study author Lawrence P. Cahalin, a researcher at Northeastern University, said in a statement.
"Not all statins are alike, and not all patients are alike. Some statins are stronger than others and are likely to act differently, given particular patient characteristics, and produce different degrees of wanted and unwanted effects," Cahalin said. "In our continuing study, we hope to identify patient characteristics that are associated with favorable and less than favorable results from statin therapy."
For now, Cahalin said tests are in order if heart failure patients taking statins suffer from fatigue, shortness of breath and inability to exercise for very long.
In another study to be released at the meeting, researchers report that statins may help prevent blood clots in people with cardiovascular disease.
Previous research has linked atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty material builds up along artery walls, and venous thrombosis (VTE). Researchers from Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, who were investigating the association between statin use and incidence of VTE, reviewed data on 593 patients who were hospitalized for heart attack or ischemic stroke.
"In our study, statin therapy demonstrated a protective effect on this group of patients, reducing their overall incidence of developing VTE," said study author Dr. Danai Khemasuwan.
Patients in the non-statin group were three times as likely to develop VTE as patients receiving statins, they found.
Given the good news/bad news conclusions of these two reports, patients should not panic, experts said. Statins provide significant benefits for patients with cardiovascular disease, Dr. Kalpalatha Guntupalli, president of the American College of Chest Physicians, said in a statement. However, as for any new medication prescribed, clinicians should closely monitor the effects that different types of statins have on individual patients.
Muscle Weakness From Statins
Muscle weakness from statins can be a sign of a serious side effect, and should be brought to the attention of your doctor right away. In fact, due to severe muscle breakdown and even deaths, a popular statin called Baycol was recalled several years ago.
Muscle weakness is one of the most documented side effects from long term use of statin medications, with about 1 in 1000 patients experiencing the condition, known as myositis. This could lead to total muscle cell breakdown, called rhabdomyolysis, which could cause kidney failure and in some cases, death.
What are some of the other statin side effects?
In addition to muscle weakness from using statins, side effects from long term use of statin drugs may include severe liver problems due to the medication's effect on liver enzymes. Therefore, anyone with liver disease or prior liver issues probably should not take Lipitor, Zetia, Zocor and other cholesterol drugs... all of the manufacturers actually warn against it.
Other potential statin side effects:
Although muscle weakness from statins and liver problems are of the most concern, much research has shown that they can also cause sexual dysfunction and performance problems, as well as memory loss, personality changes and irritability.
Other side effects from long term use of statin drugs:
1) While cholesterol lowering drugs do lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, they have limited effect on HDL (good) cholesterol, and no effect on triglycerides (fats), an equally important heart disease risk indicator.
2) Statins decrease your body's supply of CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an essential nutrient for cardivascular strength and function.
3) There are natural cholesterol lowering ingredients, some of which have been shown to outperform statins in lowering cholesterol, without the possible muscle weakness from using statins.
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