Nice to see a doctor telling people to take a second look at simple ideas
that may help without the drugs. Good for him.

----- Original Message -----
From: "mschild" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 12:45 AM
Subject: Should You Take Statins?


> publication date: Mar 21, 2009
>  |
> author/source: Dr. Forrest Smith
> Download Print Send a summary of this page to someone via email.
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>
> Dr. Forrest Smith
> Crabapple Internal
> Medicine
> If your doctor has prescribed for you a statin drug such as Lipitor,
Zocor,
> and others, you should know a few facts before filling that prescription.
For
> many years we have had mounting studies which seemingly prove the use of
> statins in the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease. Most
of
> these studies are funded by the manufacturers of the very drugs they
study.
> Also important to know is that the studies are time limited. We do not
have
> the data for long-term use of these drugs. Would I prescribe statins to a
60-
> year-old man who has elevated LDL and coronary disease? Yes, absolutely,
but
> there is less evidence for statins as prevention.
>
> In the next two weeks I would like to share some information and concerns
> about the frequent use of this class of drugs for many Americans with
> elevated, and more and more commonly, normal levels of cholesterols. These
> concerns are well researched by the forward thinking cardiologist Stephen
> Sinatra, MD in his book The Sinatra Solution.
>
> The notion that high cholesterol causes heart disease has allowed the
> pharmaceutical industry to saturate us with millions of prescriptions for
> cholesterol-lowering drugs. The truth is that half of the people who have
a
> heart attack don't have high cholesterol. Cholesterol has been perceived
as
> the bad guy. The truth is that LDL cholesterol is needed by every cell in
the
> body to grow and repair itself, and the body uses it to produce hormones -
> including sexual hormones. Scientists do not currently understand what
impact
> lowering cholesterol levels may have long term. Researchers have already
> linked low LDL cholesterol to Parkinson's disease and possibly to Lou
Gehrig's
> Disease. It is known that statins inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol in
the
> brain, specifically by blocking the growth of new synapses between nerve
> cells. This may account for the amnesia, confusion, disorientation and
> dementia reported by some statin takers. Also, by blocking this
biochemical
> pathway, statins inhibit the production of other vital biochemicals,
notably
> heart-friendly Co-Q10.
>
> Before trying a statin drug, consider other interventions for your heart
> health. Exercise! Endurance exercise, such as jogging or cycling, is one
of
> the best ways to lower inflammation and increases beneficial HDL levels.
Aim
> for 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 times a week. Lose that belly
fat!
> Women with waists that measure more than 35 inches (more than 40 for men)
> likely have high inflammation in the body. This greatly increases risk for
> heart disease and diabetes. And quit smoking!
>
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