Statin Side Effects Can Cause
Devastating Function Loss
The frequency of Statin Side Effects, which have been reported in up to 20% of people taking them in some studies, should make ANYONE who is taking these drugs that claim to reduce cholesterol level sit up and take notice. If you are taking any statin drug, you should be aware of the function that these drugs have on your body and which of the many and sometimes dangerous and even deadly side effects of statin drugs should concern you.
Statin drugs are the main type of high cholesterol medication that work by blocking the substances that help to produce
cholesterol in the body. With the end result of lowering cholesterol
levels, these drugs have been hailed as an important step in the
prevention of heart disease and stroke.
However, there is much Research on Statin Drugs that say that while these drugs DO reduce cholesterol levels, the beneficial effects of reduced cholesterol has never been confirmed and may even be harmful. In the meantime, high numbers of people suffer from statin side effects that go unnoticed or ignored by their doctors.
In fact, recent studies from Japan (we'll probably never see such studies in the US) shows that Higher Cholesterol Levels are Correlated to Living Longer, and even that Statin Drugs Stimulate Heart Disease and Heart Failure! One way they do this is through the depletion of selenium-dependent proteins, which I discuss on the Selenium and Heart Failure page.
Other studies have confirmed that women with higher cholesterol levels live longer too. Wow, I'll bet your doctor hasn't told you about that.
While the drug companies and doctors are encouraging more
people every year to take high cholesterol medication, even for people with completely
normal cholesterol, this creates a problem of more people experiencing the devastating effects of these drugs.
Even crazier is that many people put on Statin drugs end up taking drugs for heartburn, such as Omeprazole. And one of the Omeprazole Side Effects is that it raises the risk of heart disease by up to 16%!
Not only that, but most doctors have their patients using Antibacterial Mouthwashes; these ALSO raise the risk of heart disease by killing bacteria in the mouth that produce substances that protect your heart! Talk about contradictions! It's enough to make you wonder if doctors have any idea what they are doing!
Statin Side Effects of
Muscle Pain and Weakness
Arguably the most common of the statin side effects is the occurrence of Statin Drugs Muscle Weakness. This is merely annoying to some, but to others these statin side effects not only devastate the ability to perform day-to-day activities, but can lead to such severe muscle deterioration that it leads to a dangerous medical emergency called Rhabdomyolysis and Statins, a condition which can be increased by the addition of grapefruit juice, just one of the weird Grapefruit Juice Side Effects you should be aware of.
Rhabdomyoloysis is a condition where massive amounts of muscle damage occurs, as indicated by an extremely high CPK Blood Test.
While impartial studies show that muscle problems are VERY real and can
occur in up to 20% of the population, at least one study shows that
doctors DO NOT take these complaints of muscle pain and weakness
seriously. These problems are often merely attributed to old age; or that the muscle pain and weakness is all in the patient's head!
If that is not enough, like the Side Effects of the Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics, Statins Can Lead to Tendonitis and Tendon Rupture. If the elderly who suffer from muscle weakness are still able to perform day to day tasks, they could end up with severe tendonitis, or even rupture their tendons, putting them on the sidelines being prevented from getting much needed exercise, and could even make them end up requiring nursing care or being put in a nursing home.
There are many theories about the cause of Statins and Muscle pain, but all of the theories conclude that a particular cholesterol pathway that is intentionally blocked by statins ends up unintentionally blocking the production of a different substance that is vital for health. Among the many studies on this, several credible theories believe that the specific pathway involved in the production of:
- Selenium
- Coenzyme Q 10
- D Ribose And
- Vitamin D
is blocked. Studies limited success reversing Statin Drugs Muscle Weakness
by replacing each of these nutrients individually.
But what all of these substances
have in common is that they are all responsible for production of energy
inside the 'Powerhouse' of each and every cell of the body called the
Mitochondria. Damage or destroy mitochondria and you can have such
severe consequences that you can end up in a wheelchair.
Amnesia and Neurologic Dysfunction
A lesser known, but equally devastating problem of the statin side
effects are the neurologic (brain, spinal cord, and nerve) problems that can occur with these
cholesterol lowering agents. Former astronaut Dr. Duane Graveline was
one such victim. After being affected with severe memory loss
after taking a statin drug, he went on a crusade to inform the public of
this problem that most doctors dismiss as not being possible.
Another neurologic problem that is often overlooked by doctors is that statins can lead to a painful nerve condition in the feet and legs known as Peripheral Neuropathy. Cholesterol, aside from being the 'bad stuff' in your arteries that
cause heart disease, is also the 'good stuff' that 'insulates' your
brain and spinal cord.
Additionally, Statins May Increase the Risk of Diabetes... something that is definitely NOT healthy for the heart.
Taking high cholesterol medication, when it's STILL not truly known what cholesterol levels are optimal for health, is a 'crap shoot' when the stuff that insulates your brain and spinal cord is made of it and, in fact, RAISING good cholesterol levels with specific synthetic b vitamins is another strategy to reduce heart disease, and Niaspan Side Effects are MUCH fewer and less devastating than the problems associated with statin drugs.
Hormonal Side Effects
Cholesterol is ALSO required as the 'raw material' of
every hormone in the body- the sex hormones, stress hormones, thyroid
hormones, etc. Blocking the production of cholesterol may be the cause
of the Statin side effects such as low sex drive and thyroid
problems that drug makers and doctors just don't want to admit that
these drugs can cause. But if you decrease the production of the NUMBER
ONE building block of hormones, how can you deny the decreased
production of these hormones when both men and women are complaining of
decreased sex drive and hormonal changes in large numbers?
It's debatable as to whether doctors are overstating the benefits of high cholesterol medication or not, what is NOT debatable is that doctors deny the number and the extent of Statin Side Effects. Muscle pain, weakness, mental problems, hormonal imbalances and even cancer are occurring MUCH more frequently than is recognized by health care providers. What is also certain is that you absolutely don't want to experience any of these potentially lifelong disabling problems yet the longer that you take these cholesterol lowering drugs, the more possibility there is to experience them.
Unfortunately, there is no way to predict who will experience these
statin side effects before they are given, and you take the risk of
experiencing devastating and disabling side effects in order to get the
questionable benefit of reduced cholesterol levels.
Even if lowered cholesterol levels ARE shown to be important, these effects can be obtained
much more safely through diet and exercise, or even natural substances such as Alpha Lipoic Acid for Cholesterol.
If you are taking
or have been told that you should be taking statin drugs, I encourage
you to take a look at Dr. Lundell's The Truth About Heart Disease program to get a VERY different perspective on cholesterol from a former heart surgeon turned alternative medicine proponent.
And keep reading to find out why cholesterol may not even be an issue and that the Dangers of Saturated Fats have been overstated...
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Dangers of Saturated Fat
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