Statin Drugs Do Harm, Not Cholesterol

Statin drugs (Crestor, Lipitor, etc.) are widely promoted, not for the benefit of patients, but to support the financial interests of the pharmaceutical industry. They are even being prescribed for children. These drugs can be dangerous. And newer studies indicate that, with regard to preventing cardiovascular disease, they don't work!*


The goal in medical settings these days is to get so called "bad cholesterol" (in LDL) as low as possible. Standards for normal levels have been artificially lowered by the drug companies who dictate to doctors.

There is no such thing as bad cholesterol, except when it's oxidized. Cholesterol is cholesterol whether it is carried in the LDL's or HDL's. ( The findings of low HDL's and high levels of small particle LDL's may have significance with regard to heart disease, but is a separate topic and not treatable by statins.).  Cholesterol is necessary for health. It is a component of cell membranes, steroid hormones, bile acids, vitamin D and myelin. It participates in the immune system.  It is normal and desirable for levels to moderately increase as we age.

Extremely high cholesterol levels can be indicative of a rare genetic variant called familial hypercholesterolemia, which is found in about 1 out of 500 people, and is not the focus of this post. Very high serum cholesterol is most commonly a sign of inflammation somewhere in the cardiovascular system. When there is inflammation in the cardiovascular system, cholesterol is one of several components sent by the body to help repair the damage. This can be life-saving in the short term, but unfortunately, when the calcified, cholesterol-containing "plaque patch" sticks around a while it can oxidize, igniting a free radical chain reaction.  An old, calcified plaque patch can eventually break off, leading to a stroke or a heart attack.


The way to prevent a stroke or heart attack is not to reduce cholesterol but to address the cause of very high levels. Otherwise, damage in the arteries proceeds unchecked. Plaque formation may be reduced but the blood vessel continues to deteriorate.  To make matters worse - statins have recently been shown to increase calcification within the blood vessels.


Statin drugs not only don't solve the cause of cardiovascular damage, but the drugs directly damage the muscles, kidneys, liver, heart, lens of the eye, nervous system (including the brain) and endocrine systems. The association with increased calcification of the arteries may be involved with  the dementia often seen as a side effect..  They obliterate the body's synthesis of a very important vitamin-like chemical called Coenzyme Q-10. This is detrimental, especially for the heart, even with supplementation.  Supplements cannot really compensate for wiping out the body's own supply.


In addition to the damage that statins can cause directly, reducing cholesterol levels too much throughout the body is unhealthy, and associated with reduced immunity, cancer, hormonal issues, neuropathies, dementia, and more. The standards of "normal" have been manipulated by the pharmaceutical industry so that they can get everyone on statins.


Extremely high LDL-C levels, especially when concurrent with low HDL's, are a symptom, not a direct cause, of a situation in the body that needs to be addressed by lifestyle, food intake and exercise. Getting the "numbers" down may seem like a victory as far as the doctor is concerned, but addressing a symptom only masks a bigger problem and is not the same as eliminating a disease process.


That is why statin drugs have not been shown, by any well designed and properly analyzed study, to improve cardiovascular health in the long term, nor reduce the rate of death from cardiovascular disease.


*This post is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your personal physician if you are concerned about your condition.

Golumb BA,Evans MA.  Statin adverse effects : a review of the literature and evidence for a mitochondrial mechanism.American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.2008

Our Animal Friends Deserve the Best!

If a food is not pure enough for you to eat, then it is not good enough for your pets either!  So, should you cook for your dog or cat?

Many well-meaning people who love their companion animals have been seriously misled by the pet-food industry.

Commercial dog and cat food is classified as "unfit for human consumption" for a reason. The appetizing savory beef, lamb, or chicken shown on the labels of familiar brands of canned and dried dog food is really nowhere to be found in the product. Most pet food is made from meat by-products which consist of discarded, and often decaying, body parts (like ears, cartilage, hoofs, intestines, etc.) from slaughterhouses, rancid fats, meat from diseased animals (often from sources that you would probably rather not know about), toxic preservatives and other chemicals, synthetic vitamins, inorganic minerals, (plus taurine for cats), and artifical thickeners in place of natural nutrients. In other words, nothing is wasted by the pet food industry if it can make a profit.

This garbage (which this stuff literally is) is then mixed with cheap fillers - GMO soy, and dirty, moldy grains such as corn and wheat - ingredients that are not at all healthful for dogs and cats to begin with, and are, in addition, loaded with pesticides and fungicides.

There are cleaner, organic and more healthful alternatives available that are better than  supermarket brands; but even these foods, especially dry foods, can contain ingredients that are not natural components of a dog or cat's diet.

If you have a parrot, there are a few halfway decent bird seed brands if you know what to look for.  Avoid pellets/extruded grain and soy products, and supermarket brand seeds tainted with mold and pesticides..  However, birds need other foods to supplement their seed intake.

So, yes, you can cook for your pets, and they would be better off for it. But be aware that there are certain foods that, although healthful for humans, can be toxic to your furry/feathered friends.

For example, don't feed your dog or cat grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions. They do usually enjoy, and benefit from, supplementing their meat with greens and carrots.

There are many so-called human foods that are beneficial for birds such as clean organic carrots, lettuce and peppers, but don't feed your parrot/budgie avocado, or vegetables from the cabbage family, including broccoli.