One of pharma’s most profitable scams ever. NNT for statins is 100. That is a ridiculous number that doctors never disclose to patients: 100 need to take statins for a lifetime to avoid 1 heart attack. Meanwhile 15 of those 100 will suffer potential debilitating muscle and other injuries, with many docs refusing to honestly state that they know whence those problems arise. I personally suffered extensive bruising and cramping immediately, left off this poison, and so began to research this pharma fraud myself. Another example of pharma buying out the medical community (for sale cheap long ago), and undermining true informed consent.
I recommend to discuss the matter with Dr A Malhotra .
He has shown (and discussed publicly) how flawed the science/papers on statins are, how their benefit is miniscule and considering that are not worth the risk of side effects etc
Dr. Cohen has 47 years experience and has reviewed the literature and made a lot of significant comments about statins, their side effects, and how they were halved using a low dose statin and ezetimibe. He also discussed in detail supplements. So just because Dr.Malhotra felt the science was flawed and benefits are minuscule, they are not worth the side effects, you would take that as 100% truth even if they lower LDL which is the real culprit? So you can’t open your mind to the idea of another approach with a low dose statin and Ezetimibe? Even with people who have severe cardiac disease? This is what cardiologists do for a living. And not all of them agree, but that is how medicine progresses. Talking to someone you like better may or may not be the objective thing to do.
No idea why you had to make it personal, commenting on how open my mind is or not...
I always try to stay away from writing novels, as there is an information overload as is, so I gave a brief suggestion to look at what Malhotra has to say. That's all. Not more not less.
Maybe you want to open your mind and look at what Malhotra put out before you go after me. Might be more productive overall...
Obsessive focus on cholesterol numbers is like excessive focus on C02 in the atmosphere: unhelpful reductionism leading to simplistic and overwrought solutions.
I would be interested in what trials Dr. McCullough cites as reinforcing the idea that high cholesterol is a problem and statins are helpful to anyone who has not previously had a heart attack. From what I understand, there is no legitimate trial that indicates statins have ever been effective for women, or for men who have not had a previously heart attack.
In the EU, cholesterol levels are indicted with numbers like 4, 5, 6, etc. Some years ago, the ‘normal’ level for cholesterol was 6….if you were above 6, you were considered to have high cholesterol and your doctor would prescribe statins. Approximately 4 years ago, the level of ‘normal’ was suddenly reduced to 4. Overnight, big pharma had diagnosed MILLIONS of new people (as in new customers) as suddenly being ill with high cholesterol and the need to now take statin drugs. Autopsies reveal that actually people with high cholesterol actually live longer. Cholesterol often can be a sign of inflammation, so that perhaps the logical thing would be to find (and treat) the source of inflammation, rather than reduce cholesterol???
Yes, and they have a new edition out which I have perused as well, though not read cover to cover. It's important to be informed and that means hearing both sides, not just one (although the medical industry would prefer that theirs be the only voice you hear.)
love Kendricks sense of humor. 15 years ago I had heart surgery to repair my mitral valve. At that time in my 50's my cholesterol was around 250. Surgeon told me that I had NO sign of CAD.
Notice a key repeated phrase by both doctors: "in patients with heart disease". This is key as statins are now being routinely recommended for ANYONE and EVERYONE if their cholesterol levels are outside the prescribed norms. I know this because a doctor told me to RUN to an internist and get on one. Nope. Hard pass. I went to a naturopath and my levels are coming down sans statins, thank you very much. There are GOOD alternatives out there. It's not a "one size fits all".
They don't agree with me. Many friends have taken them and stopped because of the side effects. Besides the muscle issues is that for many people statins make them stupid. They can't remember anything.
Yes, as I recall, cholesterol is present in great quantities in the brain for brain health. And of course statins take a shotgun to all cholesterol throughout the body, not discriminating on where it comes from or why it's there. Thus people run risks of increased chances of Dementia/Alzheimer's (forget which now) and have memory issues that can be quite severe.
NNT is huge. All cause mortality benefit not demonstrated. Lipid hypothesis never established as the true cause of CAD. The much maligned cholesterol molecule is probably a reactive repair factor and not a pathogenic biochemical. Poisoning HMG Co-A reductase is great for depressing a lab value but probably terrible for cellular health.
I have had this exact question! I was recently prescribed a statin but I don’t have CAD and I have a 0 calcium score so this settles what I want to do!
Excellent! I am also off my statin (I credit it for giving me gallstones) & have switched to whole foods plant based diet. I also rolled back DMT2, no longer have insulin resistance, my Ha1c was at 5.2 & lost 70lbs. I have heard Dr. Joel Khan I think on the Rich Roll podcast. Eating plants is delicious & fun. Fiber has been the answer for many of my health problems. Thanks for sharing this message!
Currently engaged in the battle looking for alternatives as a statin destroyed the circulation in one leg and severely weakened the other just taking 4 doses.
Thank you so very much Dr. McCullough for risking your life for us.
There is no better regulator of the processes in your body than your own body. Cholesterol testing is almost completely useless. They have no idea how to measure good health. Do not eat the garbage processed foods and almost all problems go away.
Which of these natural supplements interact with blood thinners? My fear of taking these is that it will thin my blood too much. I was hoping you'd talk about interactions. And what about Pomegranate? There is a study on that, and I've been drinking it every day now for months. Thanks for all you do!
When rabbits had their thyroids removed, their cholesterol shot up and more importantly, their arteries became clogged. Giving them dried thyroid gland to eat, their arteries cleared and their cholesterol went down.
Cholesterol does not correlate with heart disease. Cholesterol is highly protective against a low metabolic rate. It rises when we need its protection.
Most people with high cholesterol can lower cholesterol easily through adopting a proper diet of high carbs and low fat, which increases metabolic rate.
Thyroid, in the form of T4 and T3, can be prescibed by a competent doctor and the patient’s cholesterol will reliably fall as their metabolic rate goes up.
Mine was 280 and it is now 215. My waking temperatures after lunch are 98.6F to 99F, which is what a normal functioning person should be at. I have to take T4 and T3 to get it there. I was hypothyroid before.
All this has been completely forgotten for decades, really on purpose. Cholesterol and statins are the biggest scam from Big Pharma today. It is disheartening because 1 out of 10 will experience rhabomyolysis, and 1 out of 50 will become type 2 diabetic, and for no good reason whatsoever.
One of pharma’s most profitable scams ever. NNT for statins is 100. That is a ridiculous number that doctors never disclose to patients: 100 need to take statins for a lifetime to avoid 1 heart attack. Meanwhile 15 of those 100 will suffer potential debilitating muscle and other injuries, with many docs refusing to honestly state that they know whence those problems arise. I personally suffered extensive bruising and cramping immediately, left off this poison, and so began to research this pharma fraud myself. Another example of pharma buying out the medical community (for sale cheap long ago), and undermining true informed consent.
I recommend to discuss the matter with Dr A Malhotra .
He has shown (and discussed publicly) how flawed the science/papers on statins are, how their benefit is miniscule and considering that are not worth the risk of side effects etc
Dr. Cohen has 47 years experience and has reviewed the literature and made a lot of significant comments about statins, their side effects, and how they were halved using a low dose statin and ezetimibe. He also discussed in detail supplements. So just because Dr.Malhotra felt the science was flawed and benefits are minuscule, they are not worth the side effects, you would take that as 100% truth even if they lower LDL which is the real culprit? So you can’t open your mind to the idea of another approach with a low dose statin and Ezetimibe? Even with people who have severe cardiac disease? This is what cardiologists do for a living. And not all of them agree, but that is how medicine progresses. Talking to someone you like better may or may not be the objective thing to do.
No idea why you had to make it personal, commenting on how open my mind is or not...
I always try to stay away from writing novels, as there is an information overload as is, so I gave a brief suggestion to look at what Malhotra has to say. That's all. Not more not less.
Maybe you want to open your mind and look at what Malhotra put out before you go after me. Might be more productive overall...
Obsessive focus on cholesterol numbers is like excessive focus on C02 in the atmosphere: unhelpful reductionism leading to simplistic and overwrought solutions.
Having read the cholesterol myth: https://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol/
I would be interested in what trials Dr. McCullough cites as reinforcing the idea that high cholesterol is a problem and statins are helpful to anyone who has not previously had a heart attack. From what I understand, there is no legitimate trial that indicates statins have ever been effective for women, or for men who have not had a previously heart attack.
In the EU, cholesterol levels are indicted with numbers like 4, 5, 6, etc. Some years ago, the ‘normal’ level for cholesterol was 6….if you were above 6, you were considered to have high cholesterol and your doctor would prescribe statins. Approximately 4 years ago, the level of ‘normal’ was suddenly reduced to 4. Overnight, big pharma had diagnosed MILLIONS of new people (as in new customers) as suddenly being ill with high cholesterol and the need to now take statin drugs. Autopsies reveal that actually people with high cholesterol actually live longer. Cholesterol often can be a sign of inflammation, so that perhaps the logical thing would be to find (and treat) the source of inflammation, rather than reduce cholesterol???
Yes, and they have a new edition out which I have perused as well, though not read cover to cover. It's important to be informed and that means hearing both sides, not just one (although the medical industry would prefer that theirs be the only voice you hear.)
I've read that book too. Total agreement here.
See Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's book - The Clot Thickens.
CAD is a a clotting issue from start to finish. High dose fish oil (6000mg EPA/DHA) mitigates the impact of high LP(a).
love Kendricks sense of humor. 15 years ago I had heart surgery to repair my mitral valve. At that time in my 50's my cholesterol was around 250. Surgeon told me that I had NO sign of CAD.
Notice a key repeated phrase by both doctors: "in patients with heart disease". This is key as statins are now being routinely recommended for ANYONE and EVERYONE if their cholesterol levels are outside the prescribed norms. I know this because a doctor told me to RUN to an internist and get on one. Nope. Hard pass. I went to a naturopath and my levels are coming down sans statins, thank you very much. There are GOOD alternatives out there. It's not a "one size fits all".
They don't agree with me. Many friends have taken them and stopped because of the side effects. Besides the muscle issues is that for many people statins make them stupid. They can't remember anything.
Yes, as I recall, cholesterol is present in great quantities in the brain for brain health. And of course statins take a shotgun to all cholesterol throughout the body, not discriminating on where it comes from or why it's there. Thus people run risks of increased chances of Dementia/Alzheimer's (forget which now) and have memory issues that can be quite severe.
NNT is huge. All cause mortality benefit not demonstrated. Lipid hypothesis never established as the true cause of CAD. The much maligned cholesterol molecule is probably a reactive repair factor and not a pathogenic biochemical. Poisoning HMG Co-A reductase is great for depressing a lab value but probably terrible for cellular health.
I have had this exact question! I was recently prescribed a statin but I don’t have CAD and I have a 0 calcium score so this settles what I want to do!
Excellent! I am also off my statin (I credit it for giving me gallstones) & have switched to whole foods plant based diet. I also rolled back DMT2, no longer have insulin resistance, my Ha1c was at 5.2 & lost 70lbs. I have heard Dr. Joel Khan I think on the Rich Roll podcast. Eating plants is delicious & fun. Fiber has been the answer for many of my health problems. Thanks for sharing this message!
Timely!
Currently engaged in the battle looking for alternatives as a statin destroyed the circulation in one leg and severely weakened the other just taking 4 doses.
Thank you so very much Dr. McCullough for risking your life for us.
No greater love than this!
There is no better regulator of the processes in your body than your own body. Cholesterol testing is almost completely useless. They have no idea how to measure good health. Do not eat the garbage processed foods and almost all problems go away.
THANK YOU for this EXCELLENT information!
Which of these natural supplements interact with blood thinners? My fear of taking these is that it will thin my blood too much. I was hoping you'd talk about interactions. And what about Pomegranate? There is a study on that, and I've been drinking it every day now for months. Thanks for all you do!
This was a very helpful discussion for me. Thank you.
When rabbits had their thyroids removed, their cholesterol shot up and more importantly, their arteries became clogged. Giving them dried thyroid gland to eat, their arteries cleared and their cholesterol went down.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2133549/
Cholesterol does not correlate with heart disease. Cholesterol is highly protective against a low metabolic rate. It rises when we need its protection.
Most people with high cholesterol can lower cholesterol easily through adopting a proper diet of high carbs and low fat, which increases metabolic rate.
Thyroid, in the form of T4 and T3, can be prescibed by a competent doctor and the patient’s cholesterol will reliably fall as their metabolic rate goes up.
Mine was 280 and it is now 215. My waking temperatures after lunch are 98.6F to 99F, which is what a normal functioning person should be at. I have to take T4 and T3 to get it there. I was hypothyroid before.
All this has been completely forgotten for decades, really on purpose. Cholesterol and statins are the biggest scam from Big Pharma today. It is disheartening because 1 out of 10 will experience rhabomyolysis, and 1 out of 50 will become type 2 diabetic, and for no good reason whatsoever.