If You Want To Feel Younger

[taxexile]

If you want to feel younger, forget your statins

By James LeFanu, Sunday Telegraph

Last Updated: 11:20pm GMT 17/03/2007

A doctor accused of wittingly prescribing useless or possibly lethal drugs would vehemently - and understandably - deny it. This makes it rather difficult to oppose the prevailing medical consensus on statins - the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to four million people in Britain at a cost of £1 billion a year.

That's quite a sum. It could pay the salaries of 700,000 nurses or build two spanking new teaching hospitals.

An even bigger sum is £15 billion. That is the profit the pharmaceutical industry made last year from this, the most profitable class of drugs ever invented. They are so profitable that the latest statins to reach the market came with a £600 million promotion budget, to "promote" the notion to family doctors and policymakers that the lower the cholesterol the better, and that at least half the population would benefit from the drugs.

But it is not so. Statins are useless for 95 per cent of those taking them, while exposing all to the hazard of serious side-effects. Hence my ever-growing file of letters from those who regrettably have had to find this out for themselves, illustrated by this all-too-typical tale from Roger Andrews of Hertfordshire, first prescribed statins after an operation for an aortic aneurism (that he had cleverly diagnosed himself).

Over the past few years Mr Andrews had become increasingly decrepit -what can one expect at 74? - with pain and stiffness in the legs and burning sensations in the hands so bad that when flying to his son's wedding in Hawaii he needed walking sticks and a wheelchair at the transfer stops. However, he forgot to pack his statins, and felt so much better after his three-week holiday that when he got home he decided to continue the inadvertent "experiment" of not taking them. Since October most if not all of his crippling side-effects have gone. Several friends can tell a similar story, and they have friends too\u2026

The take-home message is that statins are only of value in those with a strong family history of heart disease or men with a history of heart attacks. For everyone else they are best avoided as they seriously interfere with the functioning of the nerve cells, affecting mental function, and muscles.

This is all wittily explained in a recent book by a Cheshire family doctor, Malcolm Kendrick, The Great Cholesterol Con (John Blake Publishing, £9.99). There are, I suspect, many out there, like Mr Andrews, wrongly attributing their decrepitude to Anno Domini, when the real culprits are statins. I would be more than interested to hear from anyone who finds that "giving them a rest" effects a similarly miraculous transformation.

[email protected]

i have been taking them for three years now , due to high cholesterol. my cholesterol levels were reduced within 6 months , but i still take the buggers , on the advice of my quack back in the uk.

has anybody noticed any side affects due to statins , or noticed any reduction in effects when stopping them?

[Luckydog]

If you want to feel younger, forget your statins

By James LeFanu, Sunday Telegraph

Last Updated: 11:20pm GMT 17/03/2007

A doctor accused of wittingly prescribing useless or possibly lethal drugs would vehemently - and understandably - deny it. This makes it rather difficult to oppose the prevailing medical consensus on statins - the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to four million people in Britain at a cost of £1 billion a year.

That's quite a sum. It could pay the salaries of 700,000 nurses or build two spanking new teaching hospitals.

An even bigger sum is £15 billion. That is the profit the pharmaceutical industry made last year from this, the most profitable class of drugs ever invented. They are so profitable that the latest statins to reach the market came with a £600 million promotion budget, to "promote" the notion to family doctors and policymakers that the lower the cholesterol the better, and that at least half the population would benefit from the drugs.

But it is not so. Statins are useless for 95 per cent of those taking them, while exposing all to the hazard of serious side-effects. Hence my ever-growing file of letters from those who regrettably have had to find this out for themselves, illustrated by this all-too-typical tale from Roger Andrews of Hertfordshire, first prescribed statins after an operation for an aortic aneurism (that he had cleverly diagnosed himself).

Over the past few years Mr Andrews had become increasingly decrepit -what can one expect at 74? - with pain and stiffness in the legs and burning sensations in the hands so bad that when flying to his son's wedding in Hawaii he needed walking sticks and a wheelchair at the transfer stops. However, he forgot to pack his statins, and felt so much better after his three-week holiday that when he got home he decided to continue the inadvertent "experiment" of not taking them. Since October most if not all of his crippling side-effects have gone. Several friends can tell a similar story, and they have friends too\u2026

The take-home message is that statins are only of value in those with a strong family history of heart disease or men with a history of heart attacks. For everyone else they are best avoided as they seriously interfere with the functioning of the nerve cells, affecting mental function, and muscles.

This is all wittily explained in a recent book by a Cheshire family doctor, Malcolm Kendrick, The Great Cholesterol Con (John Blake Publishing, £9.99). There are, I suspect, many out there, like Mr Andrews, wrongly attributing their decrepitude to Anno Domini, when the real culprits are statins. I would be more than interested to hear from anyone who finds that "giving them a rest" effects a similarly miraculous transformation.

[email protected]

i have been taking them for three years now , due to high cholesterol. my cholesterol levels were reduced within 6 months , but i still take the buggers , on the advice of my quack back in the uk.

has anybody noticed any side affects due to statins , or noticed any reduction in effects when stopping them?

I take 20mg of Fluvastatin every night and have done for ages. I must say I feel a bit on the slow side in the morning, which lasts for only a few minutes. But the pain they initially caused in my Calf Muscles has gone.

I wish I didn't have to take them. But I am afraid of Cholesterol furing up my arturies......

[Aujuba]

I've always wondered about these drugs and most drugs. Even though there are so many drugs on the market people seem to be more ill than ever. My cholesterol has been on the moon forever. If anyone should be taking drugs it probably should be me. I got some drugs once and took them for a few weeks but never took them again. I don't trust the drug companies and even the doctors who so willingly follow the what the drug companies say.

I would say that exercising, eating better for your personal situation, living in a healthy environment, and improving your mental state will do wonders. If you these things and then have a problem you might think about other solutions such as drugs.

If you take a tiger from the jungle and drop him in the arctic how long will he live without his food and the environment which is best for him.

We need the same.

By the way how high was your cholesterol. Mine has been up to 340. Can you beat that?

[backflip]

"If you take a tiger from the jungle and drop him in the arctic how long will he live without his food and the environment which is best for him. We need the same."

I think the statins are affecting more than your legs.

[Aujuba]

"I think the statins are affecting more than your legs."

I'm not taking them. I just wanted to point out that no matter what people think sometimes there are obvious factors affecting their health which have more impact than they are willing to admit.

How many people's lives have been saved by statins? Any?

[karenbenn]

I’m not a doctor, but as far as I know the statins may be prescribed only when diet and lifestyle changes failed. All medications have their risks and potential side effects. And they should be used only when benefits overweight possible risks and complications.

On the other hand, meds are often overused and overprescribed. Swallowing the pill is very comfortable and easy, much easier than changing diet and life habbits.

My opinion is that it is a long debate about medications pros and cons.

[endure]

I’m not a doctor, but as far as I know the statins may be prescribed only when diet and lifestyle changes failed. All medications have their risks and potential side effects. And they should be used only when benefits overweight possible risks and complications.

On the other hand, meds are often overused and overprescribed. Swallowing the pill is very comfortable and easy, much easier than changing diet and life habbits.

My opinion is that it is a long debate about medications pros and cons.

Some statins have been available over the counter in the Uk since 2004.

[backflip]

"no matter what people think sometimes there are obvious factors affecting their health which have more impact than they are willing to admit. How many people's lives have been saved by statins? Any?"

If you're trying to articulate "drugs have side effects", you are correct...and there's no secret about what the side effects of the various statins are. You'll also notice that there are several brands of statins, and different dosages, and it might take some time to find the specific drug and dosage to suit a patient. More than one researcher mentioned that statins were so effective, they should be added to the public water supply, just as floride has been. Thousands of lives have been saved by statins, and you're not one of them.

[Aujuba]

I'm not saying don't use drugs but rather I am saying that sometimes living in a different place may do you more good than drugs. Eating healthy foods probably does more good for you than taking drugs. Take statins if you think they'll help you. Backflip you said "Thousands of lives have been saved by statins" Can you prove that? You may be right but I haven't heard of any research supporting that.

Man 1: "You know, the pollution in Bangkok is killing me."

Man 2: "Get a gas mask" (The drug)

Man 3: "Why not move?" (An alternative solution)