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Randall Neustaedter OMD

Statin Insanity

Lowering cholesterol is the new Holy Grail, and the statin religion is sweeping the country. This hoax perpetrated on the peoples of the western world by multi-national pharmaceutical giants now steps into a new phase of missionary zeal. The National Cholesterol Education Program released its ambitious recommendations in the journal Circulation of the American Heart Association (2004;110:227-239), urging even more people to lower their LDL levels even further.

Forget that this crusade flies in the face of science and perpetuates a disproven hypothesis. Despite the fact that lowering cholesterol does not reduce mortality, medical pundits have brainwashed consumers and convinced them that lowering cholesterol is a good thing. In fact lowering cholesterol creates imbalances because cholesterol is the building block of hormones. Lowering cholesterol prevents proper cellular function and puts individuals at risk of disease. Nonetheless, an estimated 11 million Americans take statin drugs to lower cholesterol, and medical gurus now advise that 50 million Americans should take statins (Lipitor, Pravachol, Crestor, and more new models to come). The cost of the drugs for this colossal treatment program? At least $40 Billion. As if the levels of cholesterol were not low enough already, the new guidelines call for more aggressive treatment of "people at high risk" (translate: more drugs), and even "people at moderate risk" should lower their LDL level below 100. Do not allow anyone you know to take these dangerous and wrong-headed drugs that have the potential to undermine health and create a hornet's nest of trouble. If you still struggle under the mistaken belief that cholesterol levels are associated with heart disease, I recommend you to the following articles.

Malcolm Kendrick, MD, Why the cholesterol-heart disease theory is wrong

http://www.becomehealthynow.com/ebookprint.php?id=1112

 Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, The dangers of statin drugs

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html

And the following book

Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD, The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy that Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Cause Heart Disease, NewTrends Publishing, Washington, DC, 2000.

Oops, we forgot to tell you

Six of the nine panelists on the government Cholesterol Education panel have received grants or consulting or speakers' fees from companies that produce statin drugs. These companies stand to profit considerably from the panel's recommendations. When the consumer watchdog organization Public Citizen's Health Research Group blew the whistle on this conflict of interest, the coordinator of the panel called the omission of financial disclosures an "oversight."

How about women?

The same week that the US Government decreed that 17 percent of its population should take statin drugs, another study was released that showed lowering cholesterol in women had no effect on mortality. Yet the government would still like men, women, and children to line up for prescriptions.

A study published by the American Medical Association in May examined the results of 13 clinical trials looking at the effect of statin drugs on women. They found that lowering cholesterol with drugs had no effect on mortality regardless of whether they had heart disease or not.

Walsh JM, Pignone M. Drug treatment of hyperlipidemia in women. JAMA 2004 May 12;291(18):2243-52.

Don't forget the kids

Did someone mention children? A study published by the AMA in July evaluated the safety of giving children aged 8 to 18 years a statin drug for two years to lower cholesterol in addition to a low-fat diet. The study found that the drug was successful and did not cause measurable damage to hormones, growth, sexual maturation, or liver tissue. Watch for the next phase of recommendations to include children, thereby continuing the profitable expansion of this lucrative travesty masquerading as preventive medicine.

Wiegman A, et al. Efficacy and safety of statin therapy in children with familial hypercholesterolemia: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2004; 292:331-7.