The Great Cholesterol Deception and Statins
Statins, the cholesterol-lowering drug, has once again been given much publicity. Various mainstream media outlets all over the UK have been doing their utmost to tell the public about the claims made from a new study on statins.
Published in the Lancet medical journal, the study claims that the benefits of taking statins; lowered incidences of heart attacks and strokes have been underrated, while the harmful side-effects were not as bad as previously thought.
According to the BBC currently 7 million people are on statins in the UK. Around 2 million of these take the drug because of a history of cardiovascular incidence including heart attacks and strokes. The remaining roughly 5 million take the drug because they are ‘at risk’ for diabetes, blood pressure and age-related factors. These figures proportionally reflect the rest of the Western world.
Supported by a number of health organizations, indeed, all seems quite rosy for statins from this study led by Professor Rory Collins at Oxford University’s Clinical Trials Service Unit. The results were concluded from looking at 10,000 patients who had taken 40 milligrams of the statins daily for 5 years. Further, as a consequence, it was recommended that another 2 million people would benefit if they took statins.
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What is really happening here?
At this point, if you frequent the alternative media I can understand your dubiousness.
Here’s the other side of the story.
Several months ago it was reported that a number of cardiologists and related academics from some 17 different countries carefully examined 19 studies involving 68,000 people as subjects. After examining the studies and its subjects they came to one resounding conclusion: No link could be found between heart disease and cholesterol.
As a result, the cardiologists want to see the guidelines for treating cardiovascular disease re-evaluated and redefined. They want to see statins re-evaluated as claims related to these drugs have been overestimated, they say.
With 7 million in the UK alone given statins, consider the profit margins at stake here for Big Pharma if this study and its revelations got out to the world at large and the reaction it would give. How many people are taking statins unnecessarily?
6 cholesterol myths
Here are 6 cholesterol myths that might make you think twice about statins.
1. Cholesterol is not the monster it has been portrayed to be. It is essential for our body’s metabolism. Sunlight beaming down on our bodies is converted into the dietary essential Vitamin D. Cholesterol is also an important precursor. It is needed for the manufacture of hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
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2. There is no convincing evidence to support the idea that there is bad cholesterol. Blood cholesterol levels can be affected by the mental and physical factors of stress, exercise and body weight. The fact that someone has high cholesterol does not necessarily indicate a heart attack could be on its way.
3. High cholesterol does not necessarily lead to atherosclerosis (narrowing, clogging of the arteries). Whether the cholesterol levels are high or low, atherosclerotic plaques can still form and lead to coronary heart disease.
4. A ‘careful’ diet does not lower cholesterol in the blood. The body produces several times more cholesterol than from the food you eat.
5. The degree of atherosclerosis and cholesterol levels in heart patients is not related to a dietary history of high animal fat intake.
6. Statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs do not change heart mortality or total mortality.
The myths are made as a result of keeping certain media publications exposing the truth away from the public. Because there is so much money at stake for the drugs to get through, doctors and scientists have been misguided. Many contradictory findings have been ignored.
Big Business Rule$ OK?
Multibillion statins sales continue but have caused much health damage to patients. The rocketing sales over the years have much to do with the fact that the pharmaceutical companies have manipulated the National Cholesterol Education committee to change their guidelines on treating people with high cholesterol. In effect more are now being treated.
For example, one guideline has allowed lower cholesterol level individuals to become candidates for treatment. That this alone has been allowed, something like another 40 million people can now be treated! In time to come, there may be more criteria to increase the number of candidates, sought after by companies. Also, with heart disease related problems on the up and the so-called experts advising that more statins should be taken; it has become a very competitive market.
Companies are scrambling to get their slice of the pie. What they don’t want you to know is that the side effects have wrought havoc and devastation on some patients. Sales on drugs to take care of the side-effects such as cancer risk, diabetes, enzyme and vitamin D deficiency, a general weakness, immune suppression, muscle and kidney damage is also a multi-billion industry!
How pathetic can it get? As if they’re not satisfied enough with selling patients a drug that may not do anything for them and it certainly doesn’t treat the root-cause of the problem.
Marketing and Selling Sickness
There are many complaining that drugs cost too much. The defense to this from pharmaceutical companies sometimes goes in the way of them saying that the bill for research and development (R&D) was very high. However, many say this is untrue. A number of doctors insists that the real truth regarding high prices is for marketing and profits. Some marketing techniques used to promote drugs are nothing short of pure genius.
There are some very evil marketing strategies. Take the situation where a non-existent illness is invented. Consequently, the pharmaceuticals offer a highly expensive and profitable solution as a form of so called treatment even though there is nothing wrong with the patient….
Finally
It is up to you to make the appropriate educated choices regarding cholesterol and statins. Learn to discern when misleading research, misguided prescription-pad-happy doctors and deceptive marketing try to influence you into something you’re better off leaving….
Recommendations supporting the above cholesterol myths
You can read more from Paul A. Philips at his site NewParadigm.ws
