Adverse Effects of Statins & Heart Drugs JoAnn Guest

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Adverse Effects of Statins & Heart Drugs

JoAnn Guest

Sep 17, 2004 21:12 PDT

 

 

We now know that cholesterol 'contributes' to heart disease

ONLY when it becomes 'oxidized', or subjected to free radical

damage.

Cholesterol damaged by " free radicals " is taken up by white blood

cells called *macrophages* and deposited in fatty streaks on

artery walls. This fosters " plaque " buildup in the arteries and is

key in the development of heart disease.

 

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Dangers of Prescription Drugs:

---

Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers are the mainstay of

conventional treatment for heart disease, angina, and even cardiac

arrythmias for millions of people.

 

Calcium channel blockers tend to relax artery walls and lower blood

pressure by blocking the 'entrance' of calcium into the cells!

 

However, they also block " essential functions " of the heart and

blood

vessels. In numerous studies, patients taking large amounts of

calcium channel blockers had a 60% higher death rate!

 

An effective " alternative " to the calcium channel blockers is

MAGNESIUM. Magnesium provides essentially the same effect as popular

prescription drugs...relaxation of the smooth muscles of the

arteries and 'reduced stress' on the myocrdium,

however it works in a much more gentle natural way.

Increasing your daily intake of magnesium, potassium and potassium-

rich foods may also be effective in preventing arterial plaque from

developing.

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Magnesium.html

 

 

" Beta blockers " are often given to treat high blood pressure:

 

They work by blocking the ability of your heart to respond to

epinephrine and adrenaline, which stimulate your pulse rate and

blood pressure, elevating both.

 

They are meant to weaken the heart so that blood 'pressure' is

*lowered*

and heart pain reduced.

 

Beta blockers can be beneficial for 'temporary' relief, but that's

not

how they're used! Virtually every doctor I know prescribes them

indefinitely!

 

 

Anti-hyperlipidemic drugs (Statins) are given

to lower cholesterol levels.

 

These drugs all have dangerous side effects and again, there is

little evidence that they reduce the risk of heart attack!

Statin drugs such as Mevacor and Zocor are the the most popular of

lipid-lowering drugs.

 

They reduce the " production " of cholesterol in the liver

and " alter " the way LDL cholesterol enters the cells.

 

According to the " Physician's Desk Reference " (PDR), side effects of

these drugs include liver *toxicity*, muscle inflammation,

gastrointestinal symptoms,

and an increased risk of cataract formation.

 

A significant side effect of statin drugs not mentioned in the PDR

is a

" reduction " in your body's production of 'Coenzyme Q10'.

 

Co-Q10 is essential for healthy heart muscles.

 

Co-Q10 is more prevalent in your heart than any

other muscle in the body!!

 

 

Colestid and Questran (resins):

absorb bile acids from cholesterol in the intestinal tract and cause

them to be excreted,

lowering cholesterol levels circulating in the blood.

 

Resins have 'considerable' side effects, some of which are

constipation, nausea, bloating, and, more seriously,

reduced absorption of vitamins A,D, E, and K. Over the long term,

these

deficiencies may cause bleeding disorders and vision problems!

 

Atromid-S actually INCREASED DEATHS from 'non-cardiac' causes,

primarily CANCER!

 

A More Safe Natural Approach:

 

We now know that cholesterol-lowering drugs have dangerous side

effects and there is scant research that they lessen the risk of

heart attack!

 

There are safe alternatives that address the CAUSES of

heart disease, not just the SYMPTOMS!

They work to prevent and in some cases even 'reverse' heart disease.

 

A nutrient dense, low protein diet rich in organic fruits and

vegetables, a high-potency, antioxidant-rich multivitamin regimen,

" essential fatty acid " supplementation along with moderate exercise

greatly reduces your risk.

www.udoerasmus.com

 

I recommend this program to all patients,

not just those with heart disease!

--

Researchers: Diet Cuts Cholesterol as Well as Drug

Tue Jul 22, 4:21 PM

 

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A strict vegetarian diet can reduce high

cholesterol levels about as effectively as cholesterol fighting

drugs called statins, Canadian researchers said on Tuesday.

---

 

The diet containing natural plant sterols found in plants,

organic vegetables and fruits, almonds, cold-pressed unrefined oil,

and viscous fibers found in oats, barley and psyllium, was credited

with reducing " bad " cholesterol levels by 29 percent over four weeks

in a group of 16 subjects.

 

Another group of study participants who took a daily dose of 20

milligrams of the drug *lovastatin* lowered their cholesterol levels

by a comparable 31 percent over four weeks, and a third group on a

low-fat diet cut their cholesterol by 8 percent.

 

The findings suggested that patients with high cholesterol try a

dietary approach for six to 12 weeks before turning to cholesterol-

lowering drugs,

Dr. James Anderson, of the University of Kentucky in Lexington,

wrote in

an editorial accompanying the study published in

the Journal of the American Medical Association

(news - web sites).

 

" Dietary management is an essential part of the treatment for lipid

disorders, although adherence to strict and intensive dietary

interventions requires motivation by patients, encouragement by

physicians, and, perhaps, counseling by dietitians and nutrition

experts, " Anderson wrote.

 

High cholesterol is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease,

and statins reduce the risk of mortality from heart-related

illnesses by

up to one-third. Unfortunately however, there are many documented

dangers involved in taking statin drugs.

 

Study author David Jenkins wrote:

" Using the experience gained,further development of a more natural

dietary approach may provide a potentially

valuable dietary option for cardiovascular disease risk reduction in

primary prevention. "

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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:01 pm

Post subject: Carcinogenicity of lipid-lowering drugs.

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Carcinogenicity of lipid-lowering drugs.

Newman TB, Hulley SB.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=8531288 & dopt=Abstract

 

Department of Laboratory Medicine,School of Medicine,

University of California,

San Francisco, USA.

 

OBJECTIVE--To review the findings and implications of studies of

rodent carcinogenicity of lipid-lowering drugs.

 

DATA SOURCES-

Summaries of carcinogenicity studies published in the 1992 and 1994

Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR),

 

additional information obtained from the US Food and Drug

Administration, and published articles identified by computer

searching, bibliographies, and consultation with experts.

 

STUDY SAMPLE--We tabulated rodent carcinogenicity data from the 1994

PDR for all drugs listed as " hypolipidemics. "

For comparison, we selected a stratified random sample of

anti-hypertensive drugs.

 

We also reviewed methods and interpretation of carcinogenicity

studies in rodents and results of clinical trials in humans.

 

DATA SYNTHESIS--All members of the two most popular classes of lipid-

lowering drugs (the fibrates and the statins)cause cancer in rodents,

in some cases at levels of animal exposure

close to those prescribed to humans.

 

CONCLUSIONS--Extrapolation of this evidence of carcinogenesis from

rodents to humans is an uncertain process.

Longer-term clinical trials and careful postmarketing surveillance

during the next several decades are needed to determine whether

cholesterol-lowering drugs cause cancer in humans.

 

In the meantime, the results of experiments in animals and humans

suggest that lipid-lowering drug treatment,

especially with the fibrates and statins,

should be avoided except in patients at high short-term risk

of coronary heart disease.

 

Publication Types:

Review

Review Literature

 

PMID: 8531288 [PubMed

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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:06 pm

Post subject:

Calcified Plaque burden remains unchanged by Statin drugs

---

 

Relation of aggressiveness of lipid-lowering treatment to changes in

calcified plaque burden

by electron beam tomography.

 

Hecht HS, Harman SM.

 

Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York 10003, USA.

hhe-

 

The comparative effects of more versus less aggressive low-density

lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering (to </=80 vs >80 mg/dl) on

calcified coronary plaque progression by electron beam tomography

were evaluated in 182 consecutive asymptomatic patients after 1.2

years of treatment with statins alone or in combination with niacin.

 

Despite the greater improvement in lipids in the </=80 versus >80

mg/dl groups, there were no differences in 'calcified plaque'

progression (9.3%/year vs 9.1%/year).

 

We conclude that, with respect to LDL cholesterol lowering with

Statins, the " lower is better " theory is not supported by changes

in calcified plaque progression.

 

Publication Types:

Clinical Trial

 

PMID: 12888149 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest