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Quotes about Statins from the world's top natural health / natural living authors

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"One of the most ominous trends in modern medicine is the widespread prescribing of statins to lower cholesterol. statins work by limiting the action of an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase in the liver, which is also responsible for the manufacture of C0Q10. In our rush to lower cholesterol levels, rather than looking at the cause for elevation, we have created a population with dangerously depleted levels of C0Q10 in muscle cells." - Dr. Steven R. Gundry, Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You - And Your Waistline - And Drop the Weight for Good (Get the book.)

"What concerns me is new research on the statin drugs (drugs designed to lower cholesterol, like Lipitor and Zocor), which shows that they are mitochondrial poisons. statins block the body's ability to produce its own coenzyme Q10.39 We know that statins cause muscle damage,40 but even in people without any symptoms41 or abnormal blood tests,42 muscle biopsy shows cell injury. How does this affect a susceptible population?" - Mark Hyman MD, The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First (Get the book.)

"One of the most ominous trends in modern medicine is the widespread prescribing of statins to lower cholesterol. statins work by limiting the action of an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase in the liver, which is also responsible for the manufacture of C0Q10. In our rush to lower cholesterol levels, rather than looking at the cause for elevation, we have created a population with dangerously depleted levels of C0Q10 in muscle cells." - Dr. Steven R. Gundry, Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You - And Your Waistline - And Drop the Weight for Good (Get the book.)

"We know that statins cause muscle damage,40 but even in people without any symptoms41 or abnormal blood tests,42 muscle biopsy shows cell injury. How does this affect a susceptible population? Or someone already burdened by a load of mitochondrial toxins, inflammation, and other factors that create excess free radicals,which are so common in the twenty-first century? One hundred years ago, heart disease was almost unknown and there were no statins. Some cardiologists now suggest putting these drugs in our water supply." - Mark Hyman MD, The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First (Get the book.)

"This is how the pharmaceutical family of drugs called statins target high cholesterol levels. Red yeast rice is a natural product thought to offer cholesterol-lowering effects much like statins. 5. Limit the amount of cholesterol re-absorbed from the bile in the intestines. Probiotics can help produce enzymes that prevent this reabsorption of cholesterol. The Probiotic Connection Elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease." - Allison Tannis, Probiotic Rescue: How You can use Probiotics to Fight Cholesterol, Cancer, Superbugs, Digestive Complaints and More (Get the book.)

"Relying on statins, however, isn't a fail-safe solution. They can reinforce unhealthy habits (eating processed foods high in saturated fat, salt, and refined sugars) and serve as a disincentive to create a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, there are hidden risks to statins that don't get publicized nearly as much as their touted benefits. For example, in August 2003, the FDA approved a statin drug called Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium)." - Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps (Get the book.)

"Statins deplete CoQIO levels, and supplements help to minimize or avoid altogether many of the side effects associated with statins, including muscle pain and memory problems. In the vast majority of cases, CoQIO supplementation dramatically reduces statin-induced side effects. A potentially very dangerous but rare side effect associated with high doses of potent statin drugs is muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis. If you take statin drugs and experience severe muscle pain or weakness, contact your physician immediately." - Steven V. Joyal, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Diabetes: An Innovative Program to Prevent, Treat, and Beat This Controllable Disease (Get the book.)

"And, although the use of statins in high-risk coronary patients, especially those with inflammatory markers, is good medicine, overuse of these potent pharmacologic agents in otherwise healthy people is likely not justified, given the known and unknown side effects of their long-term use. It is extremely important that physicians be aware of the potential for statins to adversely affect coenzyme Qio levels. This effect certainly has major implications for patients with cardiac disease, and is especially true for patients with congestive heart failure or an overactive thyroid gland." - Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., The Sinatra Solution Metabolic Cardiology (Get the book.)

"If you take a statin, we recommend that you supplement it with CoQIO. statins deplete CoQIO levels, and supplements help to minimize or avoid altogether many of the side effects associated with statins, including muscle pain and memory problems. In the vast majority of cases, CoQIO supplementation dramatically reduces statin-induced side effects. A potentially very dangerous but rare side effect associated with high doses of potent statin drugs is muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis. If you take statin drugs and experience severe muscle pain or weakness, contact your physician immediately." - Steven V. Joyal, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Diabetes: An Innovative Program to Prevent, Treat, and Beat This Controllable Disease (Get the book.)

"High cholesterol runs rampant in the United States—feeding a billion-dollar industry that hawks statins, which are cholesterol-lowering drugs, as miracle drugs. An estimated 12 to 15 million American adults of every age and description depend on these drugs daily. They have become among the most popular prescription drugs in America. Relying on statins, however, isn't a fail-safe solution. They can reinforce unhealthy habits (eating processed foods high in saturated fat, salt, and refined sugars) and serve as a disincentive to create a healthy lifestyle." - Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps (Get the book.)

"Aspinall explained that 30 to 70 percent of patients get no benefit from taking statins, which are designed to reduce cholesterol. As many as 50 percent of patients, she said, are not helped by antidepressants. Often it is the most heavily marketed drugs that perform the worst. For example, researchers have struggled to see any improvement at all in patients with Alzheimer's disease who take drugs like Aricept, which was promoted in 2005 with an ad showing a healthy grandmother playing and laughing with her grandchild. The ad's tagline: "Helping people be more like themselves longer." - Melody Petersen, Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs (Get the book.)

"Several human trials are under way but have not so far demonstrated a consistent positive effect. statins can, however, cause serious muscle damage. There are scores of medical stories in all forms of media that indicate a breakthrough is right around the corner. The overexaggerated promises made in headlines and on the evening news may be grandiose and comforting, but we must read with caution and learn to analyze these promises by sifting out the pertinent information from the pabulum." - Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George, The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis (Get the book.)

"The side effects of statins are numerous; they include kidney failure, liver disease, and yes, heart disease (for more information on statins see Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation)." - Andreas Moritz, The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse: An All-Natural, At-Home Flush to Purify and Rejuvenate Your Body (Get the book.)

"AstraZeneca was developing a new cholesterol-lowering medicine, which would be the seventh entry in the class of drugs called statins. Executives at GlaxoSmithKline were talking about the company's new asthma drug called Advair, which was nothing more than a combination of two of the company's older medicines. The drugs had a new name and a fresh marketing campaign, but patients still had the same two drugs. Then there were the companies that tried to extend their rich monopolies by introducing what they said were new and improved versions of products that had become wildly successful." - Melody Petersen, Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs (Get the book.)

"In anyone taking statins, I prescribe coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine, and now D-ribose just in case a hidden genetic anomaly exists. Finally, I want to report the benefit of ribose therapy in a genetic disorder called adenylosuccinase deficiency. This condition is rare and seldom seen in clinical practice, but its symptoms are so severe they warrant mention. Adenylosuccinase deficiency is an inherited disease that does not allow the body to make certain enzymes needed for energy metabolism, promoting the buildup of toxic intermediates in the cell." - Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., The Sinatra Solution Metabolic Cardiology (Get the book.)

"In serious cases, the condition can cause paralysis and death as the kidneys shut down. All statins had been found to cause rhabdomyolysis in rare cases. But some Bayer executives began to worry that the risk for patients taking Baycol was higher than for those taking the other drugs. The company's drug safety office was soon deluged with injury reports. On December 30, 1999, employees wrote that they had received sixty reports of patients hit by rhabdomyolysis in the United States in the last two months. " - Melody Petersen, Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs (Get the book.) "They needed a new bestseller and were excited by the fast-rising use of statins by Americans, who were reminded every day to watch the levels of cholesterol in their blood. Thanks to the marketers of the first statin pills, "Know your numbers" had become a mantra of the fifty-and-older set. There was something about Baycol, however, that made it stand out from the others. Clues to its distinction began to appear almost as soon as Bayer began selling it." - Melody Petersen, Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs (Get the book.)

"Soluble fiber (psyllium—given as Metamucil supplement) appears to have an additive cholesterol-lowering effect when combined with statins. In a randomized clinical trial of hyperlipidemic subjects, 10 mg simvastatin plus 15 g psyllium decreased TC by 66 mg/dl (26%) and decreased LDL-C by 63 mg/dl (36%) [269]. The NCEP ATP III recommends that dietary supplementation with viscous soluble fiber is an effective therapeutic option to lower LDL-C. On average, an increase in viscous fiber of 5-10 g/day is accompanied by an approximate 5% reduction in LDL-C [270, 271]." - Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey, Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (Get the book.)

"Moreover, there are hidden risks to statins that don't get publicized nearly as much as their touted benefits. For example, in August 2003, the FDA approved a statin drug called Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium). But because high amounts of it can cause muscle destruction that may lead to kidney damage (and failure), it can be prescribed only in small doses and requires doctors to monitor a patient's muscle enzymes and kidney and liver functions every three months. (For more about toxins and pharmaceutical drugs, see Appendix C." - Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps (Get the book.)

"It is recommended that niacin (1-3 g/day) be used to increase HDL-C levels, typically in patients with low HDL-C levels; they are also often prescribed with statins to treat patients with hypercholesterolemia or dyslipidemia. Although the use of niacin in clinical practice has been limited because of adverse side effects such as cutaneous flushing and hepatic toxicity [256], recently, dyslipidemia has been treated through the development of new niacin formulations that elicit less flushing and hepatic toxicity [257, 258]. B." - Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey, Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (Get the book.)

"Cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins can cause such a profound metabolic shift, resulting in muscle discomfort in susceptible individuals. These genetic conditions are difficult to diagnose and are frequently left untreated by physicians who cannot pin down the cause of muscle soreness and long-lasting fatigue in their patients. Several studies have shown that high-dose ribose therapy is effective in reducing symptoms and improving the exercise tolerance and quality of life of afflicted patients." - Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., The Sinatra Solution Metabolic Cardiology (Get the book.)

"Nonetheless, he was hypertensive, had an enlarging aorta, very low HDL {"good") cholesterol, and high triglycerides—despite being on statins and antihypertensives. He came to me after his own doctor had diagnosed diabetes. In our first meeting, he still couldn't get over the irony. "I'm doing everything right! How come everything is going wrong?" I explained to Thomas that the lack of quality fats and greens in his diet, along with his daily jogging, were signaling his genes that he was an unsuccessful animal, working too hard for inferior food. His killer genes were activated." - Dr. Steven R. Gundry, Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You - And Your Waistline - And Drop the Weight for Good (Get the book.)

"Sponsor and perform research on how statins cause neuropathy. 3. Sponsor and perform clinical research on how to cure and reverse the neuropathy caused by statins. 4. Perform clinical research and recommend the best drug treatments to mitigate the pain and make other symptoms of statin-induced neuropathy more tolerable. 5. Proactively offer reparation to statin users who have suffered neuropathy." - Mark Sircus, Transdermal Magnesium Therapy (Get the book.)

"As a general precaution, anyone who takes more than 2 g of niacin daily or more than 500 mg at the same time as statins should undergo periodic liver function tests.) Nicotinic acid may also worsen glycemic control. Nicotinamide may be effective in supporting blood sugar levels and may prevent the development of diabetes in certain high-risk groups, although trial results so far have been mixed. Inositol hexaniacinate is less likely to cause flushing, but it does not have the potent lipid-regulating qualities of nicotinic acid." - Steven V. Joyal, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Diabetes: An Innovative Program to Prevent, Treat, and Beat This Controllable Disease (Get the book.) "The best argument for the use of statins to reduce the risk of heart disease in diabetes can be seen in the results of the double-blind, placebo-controlled Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS), in which more than 2,800 men and women participated. Daily treatment with a statin reduced major cardiovascular events by 37 percent compared with a placebo. Of great importance, the benefit to patients was observed independent of their LDL-cholesterol or triglyceride levels at the start of the study." - Steven V. Joyal, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Diabetes: An Innovative Program to Prevent, Treat, and Beat This Controllable Disease (Get the book.)

"Recently, researchers have shown that people taking a class of drugs called statins, which lower the levels of cholesterol in the blood, were less likely to have Alzheimer's disease. These studies were done by comparing large numbers of people, some taking statins and some not. The next step will be to treat people ahead of time and see if statins make any difference. Such studies are in the planning phase. We do not know enough yet to recommend statins to people with normal cholesterol levels." - Guy McKhann, and Marilyn Albert, Keep Your Brain Young: The Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health and Longevity (Get the book.)

"Red yeast rice is a natural product thought to offer cholesterol-lowering effects much like statins. 5. Limit the amount of cholesterol re-absorbed from the bile in the intestines. Probiotics can help produce enzymes that prevent this reabsorption of cholesterol. The Probiotic Connection Elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Results from early studies suggest that the consumption of yogurt, a natural source of probiotics, contributes to a reduced cholesterol level in the blood." - Allison Tannis, Probiotic Rescue: How You can use Probiotics to Fight Cholesterol, Cancer, Superbugs, Digestive Complaints and More (Get the book.) "Drugs used to treat this condition, e.g., statins or bile acid sequestrants are often expensive and can have unwanted side effects. Yogurt consumption has been found in studies to beneficially affect cholesterol levels. The probiotics in yogurt are thought to cause these cholesterol-lowering health benefits. Probiotic supplementation may play a role in reducing cholesterol according to preliminary research. Many probiotic species found in North American probiotic supplements and dairy products are known to have bile salt hydrolase, which is an enzyme thought to help lower cholesterol." - Allison Tannis, Probiotic Rescue: How You can use Probiotics to Fight Cholesterol, Cancer, Superbugs, Digestive Complaints and More (Get the book.)

"The bottom line is that statins can work for you or against you. Everyone is unique and has to weigh the potential risk/reward ratio. If you have a family history of high lipids, early heart attacks, and premature death, you may opt to be more aggressive. But suppose you are a young male or female in your forties with no history of heart disease. Your laboratory evaluation reveals normal blood sugar, low CRP, and elevated cholesterol. Your physician wants to prescribe a statin to lower your cholesterol. If it works, he or she will keep you on it for the rest of your life. Should you go for it?" - Stephen Sinatra, M.D. and James C., M.D. Roberts, Reverse Heart Disease Now: Stop Deadly Cardiovascular Plaque Before It's Too Late (Get the book.)

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