The Secret TRUTH Behind Cholesterol!
The truth about cholesterol is shocking… and very few people know about this truth. THE TRUTH is that cholesterol is nowhere near as big an issue as the big pharmaceutical companies make it out to be. And WHY would they, shall we say, obfuscate the truth in this matter? Well, they have products to sell… and if you knew what I know about cholesterol, you wouldn’t buy their products. So, it is in their best interests to keep this information from you.
Lipitor Ads Spark Congressional Probe
Look at what Dr. Joseph Mercola writes about cholesterol in the above linked article, “Some 30 years ago, hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) was an affliction of middle-aged men with cholesterol over 300 plus other risk factors, such as smoking and obesity. Since then, the massive fear about this non-disease has been created largely by the drug companies. They have done this while simultaneously manipulating the definition of high cholesterol by controlling the government panels that are responsible for the definitions. This combination has led to absolutely spectacular profits of tens of billions of dollars, as their reward for their effective market manipulation. By 1984 anyone (male or female) with cholesterol over 200 could receive the dreaded diagnosis and a prescription for pills. Then it was moved down to 180. Today, we’re down to recommended levels of less than 100 and drugs are prescribed to children as young as 10 years old.”
Notice how the “target number” keeps dropping? The ONLY way a normal person can achieve such drastically LOW (un-natural) numbers is with an artificial, pharmaceutical drug! The drug companies have well known personalities and actors, and some “manufactured” personalities, pushing their drugs to us via commercials. Again, Dr. Mercola points this out in this statement, “Lipitor has been running a series of ads in which a kindly ‘doctor,’ Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart, tells viewers about the benefits of the cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor. These ads, and their use of celebrity endorsers such as Jarvik, are now being investigated by Congress for potentially misleading viewers. In the ads, Dr. Jarvik appears to be giving medical advice, but he has never obtained a license to practice or prescribe medicine. Critics of the drug industry claim that such ads emotionally manipulate viewers and under-emphasize the potential side effects of drugs. The congressional probe focuses on the Lipitor ads, but will likely examine others, such as actress Sally Field’s endorsement of the osteoporosis drug Boniva.”
Statins, like Lipitor, which the kindly Dr. Jarvik is pushing on the air, is actually BAD for those concerned with their heart… again, Dr. Mercola says, “Statins such as Lipitor are a particularly bad choice for diabetics, but they are a poor treatment even if your only worry is your heart health. Now, statins do lower LDL (bad) cholesterol very well. The problem is they lower it too well, because cholesterol is still a necessary and natural chemical that your body needs. Cholesterol:
* Waterproofs your cell walls
* Helps repair cells
* Is vital for digesting fats, regulating hormone levels, and neurological function
Despite cholesterol’s infamous reputation, having too little of it in your body is as dangerous, if not more so, than too much. Therefore, the result of taking statin drugs can be numerous dangerous side effects, including:
* Muscle pain and weakness (most likely due to the depletion of Co-Q10)
* Dizziness and cognitive impairment,
* Depression
* Pancreatitis
* Increased cancer risk
* Heart failure
The last one is rather counter to the whole supposed point of cholesterol-lowering drugs, don’t you think? And there is this additional evidence that it more than doubles your risk of stroke if you are diabetic, in return for no benefits whatsoever — unless you enjoy anything on this list; these are the possible consequences of taking statins in strong doses or for a lengthy period of time:
* Depression of mental acuity
* Anemia
* Acidosis
* Frequent fevers
* Cataracts”
So, this points out that more than ever we need to maintain a critical eye toward the claims of drug pushing doctors, organizations, and commercials. THINK FOR YOURSELF! Even President Bush said in his last State of the Union message, “We must trust patients and doctors to make medical decisions and empower them with better information and better options.”
If you ARE concerned about your cholesterol, what would be a good approach to heading off problems? Dr. Mercola gives this advice, “Make no mistake, Lipitor completely fails to treat the underlying problems causing your high levels of cholesterol. Statins are non-specific inhibitors of a number of very important liver enzymes, including the enzyme that causes your liver to make cholesterol when it is stimulated by high insulin levels. A far more sensible treatment therefore, is to simply shut down the enzyme that makes cholesterol by reducing your insulin and leptin levels, which is the underlying cause of your high cholesterol. By eliminating sugar and most grains, you won’t cause this important enzyme to be blocked, and you also will not block other vital coenzymes such as CoQ10. This is also exactly what you should be doing if you are diabetic. To normalize your cholesterol level naturally, and keep your diabetes under control at the same time, these three primary strategies work well 99 percent of the time if properly implemented:
* Exercise daily
* Eat a low grain, low sugar diet
* Take a high quality omega-3 supplement
The omega-3 fats in krill oil or fish oil will influence your HDL cholesterol levels far more safely and effectively than taking a pill — and for a small fraction of the cost.”
Amen, Brother!