High cholesterol and heart disease kill 1,000,000 Americans
every year. That's why your doctor might be telling you to
take some form of cholesterol-lowering drugs, the class of
drug typically known as statins. While statins do lower
cholesterol, they seem to come with a minefield of severe
side effects, some of them permanent. You must know what
the side effects are so that you can make a proper decision
on how to achieve health; after all, it's your life.
1. Cancer. Research is showing statins to be carcinogenic
in experimental animals in similar dosages as those given
to patients. Some studies are showing a disturbing increase
in breast cancer, though there seems to be a lag time of a
decade or more between exposure to the drug and clinical
detection of the disease.
2. Kidney Failure. Statins have been shown to cause
rhabdomyolysis. This is a condition in which there is a
breakdown of skeletal muscle, which can result in acute
renal failure due to the accumulation of muscle breakdown
products in the bloodstream.
3. Heart Failure. Though it may seem to be a paradox, since
taking statins is supposedly for heart-health, but studies
are showing an increase in congestive heart failure in
people taking statins. One report states that a
cardiologist studied 20 patients with normal heart
function. After six months on a low dose of statins,
two-thirds of the patients had abnormalities in the heart's
filling phase, when the muscle fills with blood.
4. Liver Dysfunction. Even the drug companies own
advertisements acknowledge this!
5. Memory Loss and Cognitive Impairment. Search the web
and you'll find countless reports of people taking statins
and then suffering from mild to severe memory loss and
cognitive impairment. One doctor has found that 15 percent
of statin patients develop some side effects pertaining to
cognitive function. Duane Graveline, a former astronaut,
has written a book, Lipitor: Thief of Memory, in which he
describes incidents of complete loss of memory known as
"global transient amnesia," in which the sufferer can
suddenly forget their own name, where they are, or anything
else for that matter. The episode can occur suddenly and
disappear just as suddenly. Graveline points out that we
are all at risk when the general public is taking
statins--do you want to be in an airplane when your pilot
develops statin-induced amnesia?
6. Nerve Damage and Numbness. Polyneuropathy, also known as
peripheral neuropathy, is characterized by weakness,
tingling and pain in the hands and feet as well as
difficulty walking. Researchers who studied 500,000
residents of Denmark, about 9 percent of that country's
population, found that people who took statins were more
likely to develop polyneuropathy. Taking statins for one
year raised the risk of nerve damage by about 15
percent--about one case for every 2,200 patients. For those
who took statins for two or more years, the additional risk
rose to 26 percent. The damage is often irreversible in
statin patients, even after they stop taking the drug.
7. Miscellaneous Maladies. There are many reports of other
side effects such as depression, pancreatic rot, muscle
stiffness and pain, coenzyme Q10 depletion, and the list
goes on.
If you have high cholesterol you must get it lowered. But
are statins worth the risk? Only you and your doctor can
make that decision.
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Jeff Popick is a leading expert in achieving optimum
wellness. He is a renowned author, passionate speaker,
successful businessman and former radio host. Jeff is
now a dedicated advocate for consumers worldwide. For
more information about cholesterol, statin drugs and heart
health, go to http://www.EradicateHighCholesterol.com .
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