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Purveyor

(29,876 posts)
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:21 PM Nov 2013

US Doctors Urge Wider Use Of Cholesterol Drugs

Source: Associated Press

The nation's first new guidelines in a decade for preventing heart attacks and strokes call for twice as many Americans - one-third of all adults - to consider taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

The guidelines, issued Tuesday by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, are a big change. They use a new formula for estimating someone's risk that includes many factors besides cholesterol, the main focus now. They take aim at strokes, not just heart attacks. And they set a lower threshold for using medicines to reduce risk.

The definition of high cholesterol isn't changing, but the treatment goal is. Instead of aiming for a specific number, using whatever drugs get a patient there, the advice stresses statins such as Lipitor and Zocor and identifies four groups of people they help the most.

"The emphasis is to try to treat more appropriately," said Dr. Neil Stone, the Northwestern University doctor who headed the cholesterol guideline panel. "We're going to give statins to those who are the most likely to benefit."

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_HEART_DISEASE_NEW_GUIDELINES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-12-16-08-43

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US Doctors Urge Wider Use Of Cholesterol Drugs (Original Post) Purveyor Nov 2013 OP
Related: New Guidelines For Preventing Heart Attack, Stroke Purveyor Nov 2013 #1
Just say no. eom Mika Nov 2013 #2
Ditto <eom> catrose Nov 2013 #6
I'm with you. sybylla Nov 2013 #37
My doctor said I should take the meds, or else she would truedelphi Nov 2013 #56
I have heard others say this too--it's bullying, really. MADem Nov 2013 #64
You've "heard?" And then you go with the classic naturalistic fallacy. HuckleB Nov 2013 #103
Doctors are NOT always right. You can scold me all the live-long day, but I will not be MADem Nov 2013 #104
Doctors are not always right. HuckleB Nov 2013 #105
Well, I didn't realize I had to provide a frigging peer reviewed article for your journal, there. MADem Nov 2013 #107
You "heard" is shorthand for BS. HuckleB Nov 2013 #108
Yes, and your answer to anything you don't like is a rude and dismissive "BS." MADem Nov 2013 #111
Blah. Blah. Blah. HuckleB Nov 2013 #114
Ha! I rest my case. MADem Nov 2013 #115
You have no case. HuckleB Nov 2013 #122
Listen to you. MADem Nov 2013 #123
Please read and respond to post#75. Indi Guy Nov 2013 #109
Post 75 is a heckuva Gish Gallop. HuckleB Nov 2013 #110
Word. ronnie624 Nov 2013 #118
Absolutely! ronnie624 Nov 2013 #71
Just like margerine was going to make us healthy. kickysnana Nov 2013 #3
Memory/forgetfulness problems are extremely bad with Statins. JimDandy Nov 2013 #36
So are severe muscle pains and stiffness. Psephos Nov 2013 #50
I had nearly debilitating cramps while on my statin. I stopped them within days. Ed Suspicious Nov 2013 #53
Persons having asymptomatic plaque in the right carotid artery are the real candidates DhhD Nov 2013 #69
How about wider use of better diets? villager Nov 2013 #4
Doctors always push better diet and more exercise. HuckleB Nov 2013 #5
Thank you. Aristus Nov 2013 #9
Exactly. HuckleB Nov 2013 #16
Oh cool! Aristus Nov 2013 #31
Stay FAR away from that junk Iwasthere Nov 2013 #11
Baloney. HuckleB Nov 2013 #14
I agree. No matter what the conditions, most doctors start with conservative approaches, diet, lostincalifornia Nov 2013 #55
Most DR start with Conservative Treatment? My Dr started me on a Statin day one. happyslug Nov 2013 #62
An anecdote does not change the term "most." HuckleB Nov 2013 #89
This is uncalled for. CanSocDem Nov 2013 #65
+1 nt laundry_queen Nov 2013 #86
This from one of the great anti-science conspiracy theorists at DU. HuckleB Nov 2013 #90
You mis-characterize me. CanSocDem Nov 2013 #98
Nice PR attempt. HuckleB Nov 2013 #102
I guess that doesn't make the news the way the drug pushing does? villager Nov 2013 #58
You mean like all the crap NDs push on patients? HuckleB Nov 2013 #106
I meant like all the crap your beloved pharmaceutical companies push on patients villager Nov 2013 #112
but doctors have been wrong so many times demigoddess Nov 2013 #99
Anecdotes are so cool. HuckleB Nov 2013 #100
Exactly my thoughts too. Let's promote fruit and vegetables & end GMOs that are poisoning the mother earth Nov 2013 #8
Doctors already push good diet and exercise. HuckleB Nov 2013 #15
Really? Tell that to the bees that are dying from GMO corn with built in insecticide, and let mother earth Nov 2013 #88
The problem is how to integrate exercise with most people's life styles happyslug Nov 2013 #61
Brilliant writing there, happyslug. Ghost Dog Nov 2013 #124
It needed a good editing happyslug Nov 2013 #129
Good advice Ghost Dog Nov 2013 #130
May help for some enlightenment Nov 2013 #77
Your cholesterol load is only about 10% dietary Warpy Nov 2013 #101
Not just no. Hell no. Xithras Nov 2013 #7
I do take statins ailsagirl Nov 2013 #10
I take Lipitor. Amazingly 840high Nov 2013 #34
Really amazing stuff ailsagirl Nov 2013 #38
157?? I be kicking in the street for that low level happyslug Nov 2013 #63
I confess I am on the maximum dose (80 mg) ailsagirl Nov 2013 #78
I am on the max Dose of Lipitor, Tircor, Zetia and Niacin happyslug Nov 2013 #84
That's odd-- what does your doctor say? ailsagirl Nov 2013 #85
I have the rarest type of high Cholesterol, happyslug Nov 2013 #87
This message was self-deleted by its author ailsagirl Nov 2013 #97
Wasn't there a recent study showing no link between cholesterol levels and heart attack rates? (nt) jeff47 Nov 2013 #12
There have been a few of them. GliderGuider Nov 2013 #44
Aren't those the drugs I see ads for all the time... bobclark86 Nov 2013 #13
"Side effects include cessation of breathing,uncontrollable urge to gamble, increased use of Depends Divernan Nov 2013 #19
There ws a discussion about these meds here at DU some years back. truedelphi Nov 2013 #57
Ask your doctor if Vaxadrone™ is right for you. klook Nov 2013 #24
Dr. Colbert scores again! classof56 Nov 2013 #93
Bob, the drug I would worry about is the one that will give one menstrual pain... Thor_MN Nov 2013 #49
Oh, I'm not worried about that... bobclark86 Nov 2013 #52
I don't suppose it has occurred to them to urge wider use of a low-fat vegan diet....... kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #17
Most patients refuse to make the slightest change in diet and exercise. HuckleB Nov 2013 #23
Most patients are idiots. No wonder this planet is in such trouble. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #26
And they're lucky you're not their doctor. HuckleB Nov 2013 #29
I'd be homicidal if I had become a physician and had to deal with the crap those poor souls do. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #76
Red herring? It's the truth. bitchkitty Nov 2013 #94
It's not the animal fats. It's the high levels of fructose in the processed diet Paulie Nov 2013 #45
False. Saturated fats >>>>> elevated blood cholesterol. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #73
Animal fats are not a problem. Psephos Nov 2013 #51
False. Saturated fats >>>>> elevated blood cholesterol. Refined carbs are also terrible. kestrel91316 Nov 2013 #74
Science has moved on. Psephos Nov 2013 #79
Patents are expiring; so Big Pharma/Med dramatically jacks up the numbers of prescriptions! Divernan Nov 2013 #18
Conspriracy BS is so cool. HuckleB Nov 2013 #22
"The wrong question is being asked." - Dr. Dean Ornish klook Nov 2013 #20
Statins can be dangerous. earthside Nov 2013 #21
You can find any opinion you want to find online or in a book. HuckleB Nov 2013 #25
Well knock me over with a feather. earthside Nov 2013 #35
That's because you're so used to pushing it, and seeing it, and no one bothered to inform you. HuckleB Nov 2013 #39
Condescending to be sure. earthside Nov 2013 #41
And you're pushing anti-science BS on the Internet. HuckleB Nov 2013 #43
Critique the argument then. earthside Nov 2013 #46
You've made no argument. HuckleB Nov 2013 #91
The only way to be open minded JackRiddler Nov 2013 #117
Thanks for mentioning that book. truedelphi Nov 2013 #59
FDA Rosa Luxemburg Nov 2013 #125
With diet and exercise, drugs aren't necessary aristocles Nov 2013 #27
It works for a lot of people. HuckleB Nov 2013 #30
Baloney! Lugnut Nov 2013 #28
No Effing Way!!!!!! VA_Jill Nov 2013 #32
INSANITY grasswire Nov 2013 #33
That's why Sgent Nov 2013 #40
curcumin, coconut oil, fish oil BuddhaGirl Nov 2013 #47
Meanwhile...Ranbaxy stops generic Lipitor production amid recall for tiny glass particles" dflprincess Nov 2013 #42
Zocor made me sick Mz Pip Nov 2013 #48
Business week did an excellent article about this a few years ago arikara Nov 2013 #54
boycott cruelty veganlush Nov 2013 #60
35 years ago my Dad was put on a special diet HockeyMom Nov 2013 #66
Grain Brain RussBLib Nov 2013 #70
Big pharma urges Doctors to Urge wider use...of Lipitor and Zocor from Pfizer and Merck...nt Evasporque Nov 2013 #67
I'm so cynical. leftyladyfrommo Nov 2013 #68
Seems to me that I recall..... llmart Nov 2013 #72
They probably ate a healthier diet and exercised a lot more leftyladyfrommo Nov 2013 #80
Big Pharma has been telling us BIG LIES for decades... Indi Guy Nov 2013 #75
My doctor is very science based goldent Nov 2013 #81
"Roughly half the cholesterol panel members have financial ties to makers of heart drugs" flvegan Nov 2013 #82
NEXT: Doctors recommend putting statins in drinking water. jsr Nov 2013 #83
Yo, some DUers! THe plural of anecdote is not data. (Stop Pretending That It Is.) HuckleB Nov 2013 #92
Worse, some of the "Side affects" is the drug making you "normal" happyslug Nov 2013 #95
Side effects can happen for anything, including food. HuckleB Nov 2013 #96
"Data" is not synonym for truth. JackRiddler Nov 2013 #119
Red herrings don't turn BS into reality. HuckleB Nov 2013 #121
You challenge nothing. JackRiddler Nov 2013 #127
Ok so today I learn that I have LDL of 134 flamingdem Nov 2013 #113
Go to this website and download the calculator (red button on the right). winter is coming Nov 2013 #120
Not really.. sendero Nov 2013 #116
Glad to see the science haters alive and well. ForgoTheConsequence Nov 2013 #126
What about doctors who don't trust other doctors? JackRiddler Nov 2013 #128
I'll stick with consensus ForgoTheConsequence Nov 2013 #132
I don't get medical advice from those sources. JackRiddler Nov 2013 #133
statin drugs should be over the counter and cheap Sunlei Nov 2013 #131
 

Purveyor

(29,876 posts)
1. Related: New Guidelines For Preventing Heart Attack, Stroke
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:23 PM
Nov 2013

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology have issued the first new guidelines in a decade for preventing heart attacks and strokes. Among other things, they call for twice as many Americans - one-third of all adults - to consider taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

WHAT'S NEW

The guidelines take aim at strokes, not just heart attacks. They're personalized for men and women, and blacks and whites. They estimate a person's risk in a novel way and change the goal of treating high cholesterol.

ESTIMATING RISK

A new formula includes age, sex, race, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and smoking. People ages 40 to 79 should get an estimate every four to six years. If risk is still unclear, family history or three other tests can be considered. The best one is a coronary artery calcium test, an X-ray to measure calcium in heart arteries.

CHOLESTEROL

High cholesterol leads to hardened arteries, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Most cholesterol is made by the liver, so diet changes have a limited effect, and many people need medicines to lower their risk.

The guidelines don't change the definition of high cholesterol, but they say doctors should no longer aim for a specific number with whatever drugs can get a patient there. The new advice stresses statins such as Lipitor and Zocor; most are generic and cost as little as a dime a day.

WHO NEEDS TREATMENT?

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_HEART_DISEASE_NEW_GUIDELINES_GLANCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-12-16-01-19

sybylla

(8,510 posts)
37. I'm with you.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 08:58 PM
Nov 2013

I'm a huge fan of science, but I think the drug company tail is wagging the healthcare dog way too much when it comes to cholesterol.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
64. I have heard others say this too--it's bullying, really.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 05:50 AM
Nov 2013

I've also heard those things can lower your IQ.

Aren't there "natural" statins out there, spices and what-not?

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
103. You've "heard?" And then you go with the classic naturalistic fallacy.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 10:26 PM
Nov 2013

No, it's not bullying. MDs must have an agreement with their patients. If the patient doesn't agree with the agreement, then the patient needs to find another provider.

It is ridiculous to keep coming back to the doctor saying, X is still hurting. The doctor asks, "Did you do A, B, and C as we discussed?" The patient either pretends to have done so, or says, "No."

Over and over again.

That's not a legitimate relationship. There are plenty of people who need services, and who want to get better.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
104. Doctors are NOT always right. You can scold me all the live-long day, but I will not be
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 10:50 PM
Nov 2013

cowed or bowed by your demands that I sit down, shut up, and do what the "doctor" says-or else.

We're talking about statins, here. Doctors don't prescribe statins because "X is still hurting." They do it to lower cholesterol. It is possible to lower cholesterol without taking them; with diet/exercise modification. I know, because I've done it.

The doctor without a chip on her/his shoulder will listen to what the patient is saying, and will work with that patient for a good outcome. Health care is a two-way street. Patients must have an agreement with their doctors, too, and if the doctor is a didactic ass, the doctor needs to be fired and future potential patients warned (thank GAWD for the internet). The doctor doesn't "give orders" and the patient doesn't "obey, or else." If you think that's the way health care works, you're stuck in the middle of the last century.

If a patient doesn't want to rely on pills and there's another way, maybe not so quick, but just as effective in the long term, why not try that FIRST?

You know, we do have this thing called the internet. As a consequence, patients are better prepared to talk to their doctors armed with a familiarity with their conditions; they don't have to wait for their MD "font of all knowledge" to tell them what they "need" to know. Most doctors--the ones who are not insecure, anyway--not only accept this new paradigm, but many embrace it and encourage their patients to research their conditions and empower themselves.

But hey, you go on ahead, now-- take your Phen-fen, your Vioxx, your Accutane, and your Paxil...and don't ask any questions, because Doctor Knows Best!

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
105. Doctors are not always right.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 10:56 PM
Nov 2013

That doesn't mean your generalization are right either. Nor are your "I heards" worth a dime. Either learn how science and evidence works, and use it, or don't. But if you don't, don't pretend you "heard." That's wrong and unethical. And that's being kind.

BTW, your decision to paint me as something that is easier to argue with than who I actually am shows you for who you are. You tend to belittle others, but not be fond of it when it is returned.

Your entire post is pointless BS. Try again.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
107. Well, I didn't realize I had to provide a frigging peer reviewed article for your journal, there.
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 12:03 AM
Nov 2013

I "heard" is shorthand.

Perhaps you're unaware that your pals at Big Pharma have created a cholesterol lowering drug based on red yeast rice? Or that they "invented" another one based on fish oil?

I'm not "painting" you as anything--you're doing it to yourself, with your nasty, aggressive and needlessly confrontational tone.

And whoever smelt it, dealt it on the "BS" there, buddy.

I don't need to "try again." I got it right the first time.

TTFN.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
108. You "heard" is shorthand for BS.
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 12:08 AM
Nov 2013

You just don't want to clue in to what you can know. You'd rather "BELIEVE."

I get it. Religion is what it is.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
111. Yes, and your answer to anything you don't like is a rude and dismissive "BS."
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 12:21 AM
Nov 2013

Like I said, whoever smelt it, dealt it...and we all can see just what you're dealing.

I see you're eager to mischaracterize me, too. "Religion?" You're just inventing attitudes not in evidence, because you think you know-it-all. Clearly you know nothing about me, so stop pretending you do.

Could it be that you work for Big Pharma? You're so eager to defend them.

I cannot help but notice how much pushback you're getting in this thread from a wide variety of people with differing approaches to this issue, who, like me, think you're behaving badly. It's not just because you really aren't SAYING anything--it's because you're being rude and shitty while not saying anything.

Didactic and smug is no way to go through life, there, pal. You don't get converts that way.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
114. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 01:24 AM
Nov 2013

You just repeat the same old nonsense. So what?

Try challenging yourself. It can be helpful. You don't even have to admit that you did it to anyone else.

Just stop buying into preconceived notions. Challenge them. Look at the full evidence base.

It's amazing what you can discover.

And you don't EVER have to let me know what you discovered.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
115. Ha! I rest my case.
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 03:33 AM
Nov 2013

More rude, dismissive, noxious and didactic "nothingness" -- from you.

I'd say challenging a doctor to explore other options besides "take this pill and get lost" is doing something other than "buying into preconceived notions" but that's just me.

And as for the "full evidence base?" The doctor acknowledged that I was able to TCB without the pills, so there's that.

But hey, you like to tell people, doncha?

No wonder you're getting such a great reception in this thread--with comments like "blah blah blah" you're a veritable fountain of that two letter stuff you keep yelling about.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
123. Listen to you.
Sun Nov 17, 2013, 02:14 AM
Nov 2013

And you claim to be working in medicine?

God help your patients! Do you play "nanny nanny boo boo" with them, too?


I love the real world. I've lived in it all my life.

Nice day--you run along and have one, now...!


HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
110. Post 75 is a heckuva Gish Gallop.
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 12:12 AM
Nov 2013

It's also full of claims not supported by the consensus of evidence.

The Internet is full of such things.

That's about all I'm going to say about it.

ronnie624

(5,764 posts)
71. Absolutely!
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 01:07 PM
Nov 2013

Heavily promoting a healthy diet and moderate exercise, would be a far more effective method for reducing cardiovascular disease.

kickysnana

(3,908 posts)
3. Just like margerine was going to make us healthy.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:24 PM
Nov 2013

Too many serious side effects. Doctor's are rated on the number of people who hit a number, not how they feel.

JimDandy

(7,318 posts)
36. Memory/forgetfulness problems are extremely bad with Statins.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 08:34 PM
Nov 2013

Noone should be promoting this class of drugs like that. I think these drugs should be prescribed only for the worst cases.

Falls among the elderly taking statins increase and could be attributed to the drugs side effects. My father has stumbled or fallen so many times since being put on a statin that his body is always bruised somewhere from a fall. He thinks his doctor knows best and won't give it up though.

Can you imagine 2/3 of the population in a fog 24/7 from these drugs?

Psephos

(8,032 posts)
50. So are severe muscle pains and stiffness.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 01:44 AM
Nov 2013

Cholesterol is a building-block material for cell membranes, and hormones, among other things. The latest thinking is that elevated cholesterol is a marker, not a cause of poor outcomes. You can suppress the marker and not alleviate what's causing problems.

There is a lot of controversy raging right now over whether statins produce more harm than good. More research is needed before any major policy decisions are made.

Ed Suspicious

(8,879 posts)
53. I had nearly debilitating cramps while on my statin. I stopped them within days.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:18 AM
Nov 2013

One of the worst experiences I've ever had.

Aristus

(66,348 posts)
9. Thank you.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:33 PM
Nov 2013

Although I'm a Physician Assistant, not a doctor.

I tell my patients these things all the time, and I prescribe medication as conservatively as possible. Whether we treat lavishly with lots of medications, or conservatively, with diet, exercise, and natural remedies, there will always be patients for whom all medical providers are rich assholes who never listen to their concerns.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
16. Exactly.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:04 PM
Nov 2013

I'm an NP (Psychiatric), but I work in a primary care setting, which is an awesome way to go. I just tire of the anti-MD nonsense.

Cheers!

Iwasthere

(3,166 posts)
11. Stay FAR away from that junk
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:40 PM
Nov 2013

Do it naturally. Doctors and big pharma, as well as the FDA are all in bed together, it's all money driven imo. Cancer is another example. 20 years from now we will sadly look back on all the expensive untested bs drugs. Most doctors have blinders on to any natural methods, if they didn't learn it in college it is voodoo. No fault of their own, just the way the system works now. My brother has colon cancer, in full remission. He saw his doc last week and the doc said everything still looks fine, suggested that for good measure they should do another round of chemo. Jesus F*&kin Christ!!!!, Chemo GIVES you cancer. Doc is acting like chemo carries no side effects, he should be trying to build up my brothers immune system right now, not tear it down!!!!

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
14. Baloney.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:01 PM
Nov 2013

Pushing anti-science conspiracy theories, along with the natural fallacy isn't offering anything worth the time of day.

Try challenging your views. It's worth your time.

lostincalifornia

(3,639 posts)
55. I agree. No matter what the conditions, most doctors start with conservative approaches, diet,
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:44 AM
Nov 2013

exercise etc., but there are times they don't work. Statins have saved lives, so has blood pressure medicines. Yes, pharmaceuticals have potential side effects, but believe it or not they actually go through clinical trials, and double blind studies

Anecdotally speaking is not evidence for anything.

 

happyslug

(14,779 posts)
62. Most DR start with Conservative Treatment? My Dr started me on a Statin day one.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 04:48 AM
Nov 2013

I went to my doctor for a skin problem on my Elbow. He told me that it would be a simple operation ot fix the problem on the elbow I showed him. HE then asked if I has similar problems on my other Elbows (I said Yes) and on my knees (I said No). He then ordered blood tests and ask me to come back a week later. We I next saw him, he told me my cholesterol and triglycerides were high, gave me a list of food to avoid, told me to exercise and put my on Niacin and Mevaco. A few months later he put me on Lopid, then Lipitor, then Lipitor and Tricor (and kept my on Niacin). He was happy when my numbers went down to three digits, happier when it went down below 400, my numbers have been holding in the 200s for cholesterol and 400s for triglycerides for the last 10 years. I was on the maximum Dosage of Mevacor. Marginal amount of Lopid for 3-6 months, then the max dosage. I have been on the max dosage foe Lipitor, Tricor and Niacin for about 15 years.

I think some doctors are NOT that conservative in this area.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
89. An anecdote does not change the term "most."
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 11:59 AM
Nov 2013

Also, your data might have been bad enough to warrant it.

 

CanSocDem

(3,286 posts)
65. This is uncalled for.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 09:21 AM
Nov 2013


There is no "anti-science conspiracy" in seeing how the medical industry works. If you think 'science' is the driving component of health care in the USA, it's because you haven't experienced a society where PUBLIC HEALTH is the "driving component of health care". Or you are shilling for your employer....

Once the profit motive is taken out of 'health care', all of the cheap and/or redundant approaches to health care disappear. That's why pharmaceuticals are cheaper in Canada...nobody buys them.

It is you who should further your education.


.


 

CanSocDem

(3,286 posts)
98. You mis-characterize me.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 06:47 PM
Nov 2013


I am anti-business. That your belief system is a "business" is what you keep failing to grasp.


.

demigoddess

(6,640 posts)
99. but doctors have been wrong so many times
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 10:11 PM
Nov 2013

HRT is a prime example. For years it was a "fountain of youth for women" and then "protect your bones, save your heart" and when my time came, I read how the body and HRT works and said No Thanks!!!. Then 5 or 6 years later, the data finally came out and now HRT is not recommended. But it was DECADES that they gave women HRT before they actually saw it caused too many problems. I have had doctors tell me I wasn't pregnant when I was 3mos along, and I had a daughter born with problems who was sick and doctors would not believe me even when they ran tests. Those tests showed clearly she had a Thyroid problem and they would not believe it. I believe in vaccinations but do not believe in chemotherapy. It does cause more cancer and that is an acceptable risk if you are in danger of dying, but not just to chase one or two cancer cells.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
100. Anecdotes are so cool.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 10:13 PM
Nov 2013

Er, not. Yes, science makes mistakes. Oddly, it usually corrects them.

On the other hand, we have pseudoscience which fails to correct anything at all.

mother earth

(6,002 posts)
8. Exactly my thoughts too. Let's promote fruit and vegetables & end GMOs that are poisoning the
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:32 PM
Nov 2013

planet.

Take the oil subsidies & subsidize real food.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
15. Doctors already push good diet and exercise.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:02 PM
Nov 2013

Oh, and the science shows that GMOs are safe, and they are not poisoning anyone.

mother earth

(6,002 posts)
88. Really? Tell that to the bees that are dying from GMO corn with built in insecticide, and let
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 09:40 AM
Nov 2013

me know if studies have been done to include the effects it's having on people who are consuming these "food" products.

GMO's are NOT safe, Monsanto wants us to believe otherwise because they profit off of everything they can patent, just like big Pharma, oh yeah the meds are safe too .

Tell that to the millions who are realizing their bodies cannot process "gluten"...because wheat is no longer wheat...it's not even close any more...

It's not a question of "good" diet and exercise, our bodies are not able to process that which is not FOOD. Obesity is also caused by allergic reaction to what the body cannot assimilate....cancer rates be damned, people need to wake up to exactly WHY obesity is such a problem for a nation of "wealth"...it's the food, silly, real food is in short supply.

 

happyslug

(14,779 posts)
61. The problem is how to integrate exercise with most people's life styles
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 04:23 AM
Nov 2013

Last edited Sun Nov 17, 2013, 12:46 PM - Edit history (1)

In the days of olde, before we learned we needed Statins, people use to do PHYSICAL work 6-8 hours a day. That is the level of exercise your body NEEDS. Today most people are no where near that level of exercise.

This difference can be seen in the The National Associations of Letter Carriers (NALC) health insurance policy. Do to the increased level of health of Carriers because the Carriers are walking 6-8 hours a day, the NALC Health program was expanded to include grandchildren who live with grandparents (providing the parents of the child does not live with the Carrier). I have NEVER seen that in any other health insurance plan. The reason for this difference is because the NALC could do the change given the much lower level of health problems of their members who walk their routes 6-8 hours a day (They drive to the routes and drive from block to block, but they also walk those blocks).

You do not see that level of exercise in most other jobs today (and where you do similar low rates come into play). Even the police tend to drive cars NOT walk a beat. Most truck drivers are NOT required to load or unload their trucks (Most do help loading and unloading the truck, but such assistance is NOT what you are paying for when you hire a truck). Given this lack of loading and unloading most truck driving is minimal exercise. Most of the people who unload trucks tend to do so only for 1-2 hours a day, and most of the people who load them tend to use forklifts (I know they are exceptions to this rule, thus my use of the word "Most&quot .

Side note: The above comment on truck driving is for commercial trucks, i.e. tractor trailers. Local delivery trucks drivers do load and unload their trucks. More physical work then over the road truck drivers and for that reason tend to be healthier.

We also drive to and from work. Now they has been a boom in people biking to work, but biking is still lower then walking to work and both COMBINED are still in single digits (and we do not see most people who walk to work for they walk on sidewalks and thus "Commute" from a house in the inner city and to a job in the inner city).

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/10/us-cities-where-fewest-commuters-get-work-car/7390/
http://www.census.gov/hhes/commuting/files/2009/means_of_transportation.pdf

Thus compared to out Great Grandparents of the WWII and prior generation, we do less outside. This reduction in physical work and put our body under the less pressure then bodies of our ancestors were under. Today, we wake up, get in the car, go to work, work by being in one place most of the time (this can be an office or behind a counter), drive back home, eat and go to sleep.

Compared that to a farmer of olde (not of today, even most farmers today use a lot of equipment that only requires them to sit), the farmer woke up, ate then went to the field and did 6 to 8 hours of labor including moving around. That farmer WALKED everywhere he or she had to go. Once they arrived where they were going, they did a quick transaction OR some long term work that required moving around. The closest we get to this today is if you are a retail worker in a store and your job is loading the shelves with heavy can goods all day long. In the days of the Horse, farmers walked behind the Horse when plowing, not as today's farmers who tend to ride in the tractor. This is more true of the larger commercial farms then smaller farms.

Think about it, do you drive to work?, your work?, your drive home?, near anywhere what people did just 60 years ago? (Most people in urban areas prior to WWII, WALKED to work, driving to work is a post WWII movement for most people, you had some people driving to work prior to WWII, but most people did not). People would walk up to an hour to get to work, and most work required manual labor, thus constant movement for eight hours. I do not mean movement of your hands and arms while you work a cash register or a computer, I mean actual physical Labor. No heavy lifting, but constant movement not only of your arms but your legs and the rest of your body. Some jobs required heavy labor, but most even in the 1920s and 1930s did not.

The stay at home mothers were also active, the Automatic Washer was invented in 1948, but took another 20 years before it became the washer used in most households. The older winger washers required a lot of physical labor on the operator to clean the clothes (And did a better job cleaning clothes, thus wives of farmers, miners and steel workers kept using them long after everyone else was using Automatic Washers).'

Furthermore, the "Housewife" of historical fame only really existed in the 1950s, it was NOT the norm after the 1960s and was NOT the norm prior to WWII, for most women worked. Now, for those women who did NOT work outside the home, they had to do a lot of running around for the family (and their husband). In the days before cars (i.e. before the 1950s) that meant walking and if she purchased anything lugging it home. When most people where in the farm, women worked. The family's children may be all around her, but she worked both inside the house and outside the house on the farm, only part of that work was to watch the children.

The above is mentioned for one of the problems we have today is the lack of exercise. You can NOT make exercise a separate activity in your life, for when most people do so, it is the activity that is cut out when it comes in conflict with any other activity. Thus the best way to get exercise is the way our ancestors did, by integrating exercise with the rest of our activities. Walk or ride a bike to work for example (Which may require people to move, for most people today live to far from their work to walk or bike to work) is the best way to integrate exercise into the rest of your daily activities. Walk to another office to talk to someone, instead of using the phone. Opt to do something manually instead of by a machine, just for the exercise (Some employers will not like this, they want the productivity of the machine over the manual method, but in some cases the difference is minor).

The problem with high cholesterol can be tied in with lack of exercise then any other single factor (including diet). Our body is designed to do PHYSICAL LABOR, not type on a keyboard. Our brain is tuned to adjust our thinking to how our body is acting and reacting to what we our doing with our bodies. Our body ASSUMES we will be doing a lot of heavy labor EVERY DAY and is geared to that level of usage and fluid flows. Cholesterol is a quick source of energy when we need it, thus our body makes it SO THE BODY CAN USE IT WHEN NEEDED. We have to use our body so its does use that cholesterol and that requires us to do more the a couple hours of exercise a day.

 

happyslug

(14,779 posts)
129. It needed a good editing
Sun Nov 17, 2013, 12:52 PM
Nov 2013

One writer once wrote, you should write what you want, then edit it at least five times and make sure you do NOT do so right after you first write something (The reason for the latter comment is that you tend to end up reading what you WANTED TO HAVE WRITTEN, not what you actually wrote). A day or two later, it is a lot easier to see the errors in what you had written.

enlightenment

(8,830 posts)
77. May help for some
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:37 PM
Nov 2013

but there are many who have high cholesterol regardless of diet and exercise - it has a genetic component, as well.

Diet and exercise can't cure everything.

Warpy

(111,255 posts)
101. Your cholesterol load is only about 10% dietary
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 10:21 PM
Nov 2013

There is only so much that diet alone can do.

The rest of your cholesterol is manufactured in your liver and having some of it is necessary to keep you alive.

Some people are genetically programmed to produce a huge overabundance of cholesterol. These people used to die of stroke or heart disease in their late 30s. With statin drugs, they're managing to live as long as the rest of us do.

Don't kid yourselves, statin drugs can be lifesavers for people who can tolerate them.

I do have to question their being given to people with high normal cholesterol that would be amenable to dietary changes, especially in the absence of other risk factors like family history and patient smoking.

I also disagree with promotion of wider use of them. I think a hell of a lot more studies have to be done on cardiovascular disease because cholesterol is only one part of a complex system that can go haywire.

Xithras

(16,191 posts)
7. Not just no. Hell no.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:31 PM
Nov 2013

I tried three different statins because my doc was worried about my cholesterol and had the same reaction three times. Extreme forgetfulness, a serious loss of critical thinking skills, and a general "fog". I can say, in 100% honesty, that I felt like I had all of the "bad" effects of being stoned, without all of the "good" effects to make it worthwhile!

My doctor said that it was "to be expected" with some people, and told me that it was a fair tradeoff in exchange for reducing my chances for heart disease. I disagreed, and stopped taking all of them after only four months. It was NOT worth the cognitive loss.

ailsagirl

(22,896 posts)
10. I do take statins
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:37 PM
Nov 2013

because high cholesterol runs in our family and mine was pretty high. So my doctor put me on them (I resisted at first) and I swear, it was amazing! My bad cholesterol fell, my good cholesterol rose, and my triglycerides fell. Now my total cholesterol count is 157 and I am very pleased. It's been that way for years. But to each his own. I found the generic statins weren't very good-- I take Lipitor which is SO pricey, but what price health?

This is just my experience.

 

happyslug

(14,779 posts)
63. 157?? I be kicking in the street for that low level
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 04:59 AM
Nov 2013

I am on the Max dosage of Lipitor, Tricor and Niacin and my numbers have a hard time staying in the 200s (and that is with modification of diet and exercise). High cholesterol does NOT run in my family (What BOTH of my grandfathers ate would harden your arteries and one was killed by drunk driver at 86, the other, about the same age, died of having worked in the Steel Mills BEFORE modern Pollution controls were invented). Both worked hard in their jobs and did a lot of walking even in their old age (neither ever owned an automobile, through I can down load their WWI draft cards).

I still have some Lipitor from before Lipitor patent ran out, but I have also used the generic ones and NOT noticed a difference (Through my most recent blood work indicates an increase in Triglycerides).

ailsagirl

(22,896 posts)
78. I confess I am on the maximum dose (80 mg)
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 04:18 PM
Nov 2013

Last edited Wed Nov 13, 2013, 09:42 PM - Edit history (1)

My doctor started me out lower, but it didn't seem to make much difference.

But everyone is different. I also took Crestor for awhile and it was just as good, but then I had to switch back to Lipitor because my insurance didn't cover Crestor. But they both worked very well.

FYI, my total cholesterol was in the mid-350s when I started the statins. Ouch!!

Good luck!

 

happyslug

(14,779 posts)
84. I am on the max Dose of Lipitor, Tircor, Zetia and Niacin
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 01:43 AM
Nov 2013

Lipitor is the Statin, which works through the liver

The Tircor (Fenofibrate) is a Fibrate, which works in the Liver, generally used on conjunction with a Statin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenofibrate

Zetia does NOT work through the liver, but the small intestine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezetimibe

Niacin is the oldest Cholesterol drug, it is also the only drug known to convert LDL to HDL Cholesterol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin

Yes, I am on all four, and still have high Cholesterol and Triglycerides.

ailsagirl

(22,896 posts)
85. That's odd-- what does your doctor say?
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 02:38 AM
Nov 2013

Thanks for the links-- interesting. I was taking simvastatin and it didn't do much of anything, so back to the pricey Lipitor.

Maybe you just haven't found the right combination?

 

happyslug

(14,779 posts)
87. I have the rarest type of high Cholesterol,
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 05:41 AM
Nov 2013

High Cholesterol, High Triglycerides NOT family related. You can not find out to much about it. Under Fredrickson classification of Hyperlipidemias there are Five Types of Hyperlipidemians and the Type I has three sub types and type II has two subtypes shows that this area is more complex then high cholesterol.

I appear to have HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA Type 1c. Of the Five types of Hypercholesterolemia, Type 1 is the rarest, only one person in a Million has it. That Type I has three sub type and I have the one that is NOT family Related make it even rarer. Furthermore that my numbers are so high, makes it even rarer (Most Type I can be treated by diet, but that was never the case with my numbers).

Response to happyslug (Reply #87)

jeff47

(26,549 posts)
12. Wasn't there a recent study showing no link between cholesterol levels and heart attack rates? (nt)
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:41 PM
Nov 2013
 

GliderGuider

(21,088 posts)
44. There have been a few of them.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 11:05 PM
Nov 2013

Along with studies that show saturated fats are not poisonous.

IMO, Ancel Keys has a lot to answer for.

bobclark86

(1,415 posts)
13. Aren't those the drugs I see ads for all the time...
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 05:53 PM
Nov 2013

that tell me my dick will fall off, I'll have thoughts of suicide and my mother will die if I take them?

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
19. "Side effects include cessation of breathing,uncontrollable urge to gamble, increased use of Depends
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:24 PM
Nov 2013

and Amnesia.

This side effect can also happen with patients who take statins, a class of drugs that are supposed to lower cholesterol. Duane Graveline, a former astronaut, reported coming back from a short walk and not recognizing his wife while he was taking Lipitor. Then he lost memories of any events beyond his high school graduation. Thankfully, the memory loss was only temporary [source: Westphal]. Some researchers theorize that the statins may work almost too well, blocking the creation of cholesterol necessary for neurological function.


http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/10-weird-prescription-drug-side-effect1.htm

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
57. There ws a discussion about these meds here at DU some years back.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 03:09 AM
Nov 2013

The discussion ended up getting over 400 replies.

And of that small a group of people, at least four people reported that their close relatives had been lured into taking the anti cholesterol drugs, and had ended up with ALS. Some of the relatives had rather low cholesterol, to boot, but their doctor acted alarmed, and the person had given in to their demands. (The whole thing seems to me profit-motivated, unless your cholesterol is over the top high.)

And once that diagnosis of ALS is reached, it can't be undone - not even if the person immediately stops taking the statins.

Anyway there is now a whole body of information out there that anyone taking the statins should also take Co Q 10. That without doing that, you could be in trouble.

My experience reading this discussion made me very wary of the drugs. My doctor a few years back was "shocked" my cholesterol was at 160. (And 160 is very normal in post menopausal women - it's almost a given.) I quit seeing that doctor.

 

Thor_MN

(11,843 posts)
49. Bob, the drug I would worry about is the one that will give one menstrual pain...
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 12:51 AM
Nov 2013

I mean, as a male, if I have to worry about that particular side effect, the drug would have to have some amazing benefits to even consider it.

bobclark86

(1,415 posts)
52. Oh, I'm not worried about that...
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 01:55 AM
Nov 2013

My mommie (and by mommie, I mean television) says there's pills for that, too. They cause stomach cramps (lolwut?), nightmares, life-threatening skin death and hepatitis.

(No, I'm not making those up: http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-57774-Menstrual+Pain+Relief+Oral.aspx?drugid=57774&drugname=Menstrual+Pain+Relief+Oral&pagenumber=6 )

However, I have yet to see an ad for a pill to make my penis grow back. If it makes my balls catch on fire, though, it better make it grow back bigger

 

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)
17. I don't suppose it has occurred to them to urge wider use of a low-fat vegan diet.......
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:05 PM
Nov 2013

Nope, keep eating animal fats all morning, noon, and night, and then load up on these here expensive pills.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
23. Most patients refuse to make the slightest change in diet and exercise.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:28 PM
Nov 2013

Please stop with the red herring stuff. Thanks.

 

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)
76. I'd be homicidal if I had become a physician and had to deal with the crap those poor souls do.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:33 PM
Nov 2013

Stupid patients must drive many of them to drink themselves into a stupor nightly.

Psephos

(8,032 posts)
51. Animal fats are not a problem.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 01:48 AM
Nov 2013

Refined carbohydrates are.

Take a look at Gary Taubes' book Good Calories, Bad Calories. The science in that book is based on *lots* of high-caliber, reproducible research.

 

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)
74. False. Saturated fats >>>>> elevated blood cholesterol. Refined carbs are also terrible.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:32 PM
Nov 2013

But there is in incontrovertible link between saturated fats and high cholesterol.

Atkins was a crackpot.

Psephos

(8,032 posts)
79. Science has moved on.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 05:16 PM
Nov 2013

Last edited Wed Nov 13, 2013, 06:05 PM - Edit history (1)

Cholesterol is not unitary. One can have higher cholesterol but lower disease potential, if the increase is due to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Furthermore, cholesterol (a vital substance in a healthy body) only becomes implicated in disease when chronic vascular inflammation is present. With few exceptions, no inflammation = no vascular disease, regardless of cholesterol.

All that said, there is now good evidence that increased saturated fat, in a diet that avoids industrial foods (especially grain products and sugars), actually lowers cholesterol.

Here are a couple of the defining studies in this new understanding of the effects of saturated fats on CV health.

Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91:535-46.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648

Micha R, Mozaffarian D. Saturated fat and cardiometabolic risk factors, coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes: a fresh look at the evidence. Lipids. 2010;45:893-905.


Here are a couple of good overviews of the new thinking.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267834.php

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/5/1102.full

Is the science settled? No, science is never settled. But the new research shows that the old thinking needs revision.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
18. Patents are expiring; so Big Pharma/Med dramatically jacks up the numbers of prescriptions!
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:18 PM
Nov 2013

Quelle coinky-dink!

The patents on Lipitor, Zocor and other statins have expired, and they are widely available in generic versions for as little as a dime a day. One that is still under patent protection is AstraZeneca's Crestor, which had sales of $8.3 billion in 2012.

Under the new advice, 33 million Americans - 44 percent of men and 22 percent of women - would meet the threshold to consider taking a statin. Under the current guidelines, statins are recommended for only about 15 percent of adults.

The government's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute appointed expert panels to write the new guidelines in 2008, but in June said it would leave drafting them to the Heart Association and College of Cardiology. New guidelines on lifestyle and obesity also came out Tuesday, and ones on blood pressure are coming soon.

Roughly half the cholesterol panel members have financial ties to makers of heart drugs, but panel leaders said no one with industry connections could vote on the recommendations. "It is practically impossible to find a large group of outside experts in the field who have no relationships to industry," said Dr. George Mensah of the heart institute.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_HEART_DISEASE_NEW_GUIDELINES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-12-16-08-43

My family doc has long refused to prescribe statins. I was on other cholesterol meds for a couple of years, but lost 50 lbs., over a 2 year period and have been off cholesterol meds for 3 years now.

All drugs carry some risk, but I'll continue to go with one daily uncoated 81 mg. baby aspirin to prevent stroke, and let the heart docs take their own statins.

klook

(12,154 posts)
20. "The wrong question is being asked." - Dr. Dean Ornish
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:25 PM
Nov 2013

My dr. was concerned about my cholesterol a few years ago, so I immediately made some changes: cut out all soft drinks and most other sugary foods; cut out desserts and fattening snacks; drastically reduced the amount of saturated fat in my diet; greatly increased the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet (they're actually pretty delicious, you know), and began a program of regular cardiovascular exercise. The results were dramatic, and were enough to convince him I didn't need statins. I found Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease very helpful.

The New York Times LTTE below from Dr. Ornish, in reaction to an earlier call for more statin prescriptions, is interesting.

Apparently there are some people who just are not able to get their cholesterol into the healthy range, and for those people maybe statins are part of the solution. But I agree with Dr. Ornish that these drugs are way over-prescribed. Too many Americans just want to pop a pill to correct their health problems, and the pharmaceutical industry is happy to reap the resulting profits.

An Alternative to Statins
Published: April 2, 2010

To the Editor:
Re “Plan to Widen Use of Statins Has Skeptics” (front page, March 31): The wrong question is being asked. It’s not: “Should Crestor be given to reduce inflammation?” It should be: “What is the cause of chronic inflammation, and what can be done to address these causes?” We and others have shown in peer-reviewed research that lifestyle factors like poor nutrition, lack of exercise, chronic emotional stress and social isolation are underlying causes of chronic inflammation.

C-reactive protein and other biomarkers of inflammation are significantly reduced when people make comprehensive lifestyle changes. And unlike the billions of dollars spent on statin drugs, with the attendant known and unknown side effects (including a 9 percent rise in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which is already epidemic), the only side effects of comprehensive lifestyle changes are good ones.

These include reversing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, reductions in LDL cholesterol comparable to what can be achieved with statins, and improvements in gene expression like turning off genes that promote inflammation, prostate cancer and breast cancer.

Dean Ornish
Sausalito, Calif., April 1, 2010

The writer, a doctor, is founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

earthside

(6,960 posts)
21. Statins can be dangerous.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:26 PM
Nov 2013

Use your own research and your own experiences to do what you think is right for you.

But doctors tend to love to prescribe statins -- and, of course, the drug corporations want folks to be put on statins at the slightest hint of high cholesterol.

For a start, this is a pretty good book:

The Great Cholesterol Myth
http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Cholesterol-Myth-Disease/dp/1592335217

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
25. You can find any opinion you want to find online or in a book.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:31 PM
Nov 2013

That doesn't make them good opinions. And when you use the classic conspiracy line about "do your own research," well, you tend to show yourself for what you are representing.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-international-network-of-cholesterol-skeptics/

earthside

(6,960 posts)
35. Well knock me over with a feather.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 08:24 PM
Nov 2013

I really didn't know that "do your own research" was a "classic conspiracy line"!

Wow.

So, suggesting that folks not do any research or checking is, what ... being open minded?

It looks like someone is a bit too cynical if they immediately assume anyone offering an alternative point of view is some kind of conspiracy theorist.

And ... I didn't know I was representing anyone other than myself.
I got interested in statin drugs just about ten months ago when my doctor was on the verge of prescribing one to me just because my bad cholesterol was just a few points higher than normal.

I found the book "The Great Cholesterol Myth" at my local public library branch.
Furthermore, until your smarmy post I didn't even know there was such a thing as 'The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics'.

You know there is constructive cynicism ... which I can appreciate; then there is just snarky, negative cynicism.

Snarky.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
39. That's because you're so used to pushing it, and seeing it, and no one bothered to inform you.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 09:23 PM
Nov 2013

Now you know.

Now stop pushing bad information.

earthside

(6,960 posts)
41. Condescending to be sure.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 10:27 PM
Nov 2013

Well, you are condescending, arrogant and smarmy -- I'm sure plenty have actually informed you of that fact.

Now you know.

Now stop -- just stop.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
43. And you're pushing anti-science BS on the Internet.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 11:01 PM
Nov 2013

Which act is more dangerous to others?

Please cut the crap.

earthside

(6,960 posts)
46. Critique the argument then.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 11:52 PM
Nov 2013

All you are doing is making assertions and casting aspersions.

So, critique the points made by Dr. Sinatra in his book.

I am quite aghast that you are so arrogant that you indicate that you know all by yourself that scientific arguments over the benefits or lack thereof of statins is "anti-science". I am also disappointed that you chose to make personal assumptions about me rather than provide examples to support your point of view.

Frankly, you obviously must not know too much about the scientific method or argumentation.

By the way, Dr. Sinatra maintains that there are circumstances where statins are helpful, perhaps even necessary.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
91. You've made no argument.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 12:01 PM
Nov 2013

Pushing BS assertions without supporting science-based evidence is not offering an argument.

Cut the crap.

 

JackRiddler

(24,979 posts)
117. The only way to be open minded
Fri Nov 15, 2013, 09:54 AM
Nov 2013

is to rigidly close your mind to anything except that which HuckleB announces as science, period.

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
59. Thanks for mentioning that book.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 03:27 AM
Nov 2013

The need to expose the underbelly of the over prescribing doctors who are willing to shill for any new fad of medicine that the Big Pharma reps bring before them - all that are laid bare in the book.

Plus health consequences of taking the drugs. Statins have some rather nasty side effects.

The book asks the important question: is there even a link between cholesterol and heart disease?

In Scandinavia, the thinking population is aware that having milk that is not homogenized is key to being able to have dairy products and a higher cholesterol, with no worries about incurring the heart disease that we see here in the USA due to milk being homogenized.

 

aristocles

(594 posts)
27. With diet and exercise, drugs aren't necessary
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:45 PM
Nov 2013

In April: weight was 240, I was pre-diabetic, cholesterol was high, resting pulse was 80, BP was 160/100

At the end of April I changed my diet. Now, I eat no processed foods, a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean red meat, chicken, and non-fatty fish. No alcohol. No carbs, including bread and pasta. and sugar.

Started riding my bike again. At least 10 miles a day, at least 5 days a week.

Lift free weights 5 days a week for twenty minutes.

I had my annual physical about a month ago: weight is a steady 200, blood sugar low normal, normal cholesterol, resting pulse is 64, BP is 125/65.

The only drug I take is one 80mg aspirin every day.

I know that a regimen of diet and exercise won't work for everybody, but it does for me.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)
30. It works for a lot of people.
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 06:49 PM
Nov 2013

Unfortunately, we've created a culture that makes it difficult to accomplish unless one is superbly motivated.

Good job, by the way! Cheers!

VA_Jill

(9,966 posts)
32. No Effing Way!!!!!!
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 07:16 PM
Nov 2013

This is more about Big Pharma than it is about actually preventing heart disease. Diet and exercise, NOT drugs, and definitely not poisons like the statin drugs! There have already been studies that show statins not to be effective in preventing heart attacks in people who don't have heart disease. Statins also have some very ugly side effects, one of which can be rhabdomyolysis, or destruction of muscle tissue. You can get leg pain and cramps from taking them--I did--but if you ignore those as some doctors will tell you to do ("Oh, your body will get used to them and the cramps will go away!&quot the drugs can actually cause your muscles to start eating themselves. Yes, really. It took the doctor who did my several surgeries nearly two years to recover from statin poisoning. You think I would touch those things again, or advise anyone to take them? Not in this lifetime! Oh, by the way, before I retired, I was a cardiac nurse. I do know a little bit about how and why these things are marketed and prescribed. I had to keep my mouth shut a lot for a long time. No more.

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
33. INSANITY
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 07:34 PM
Nov 2013

This is so outdated.

We now know that cholesterol does not cause cardiovascular disease.

INFLAMMATION causes it. Inflammation allows plaque to collect in arteries.

And so it is more important to curb inflammation than it is to decrease cholesterol.

Anyone with serious cardiovascular problems should see a metabolic cardiologist who will help tame inflammation and thus decrease chances of an event.

Sgent

(5,857 posts)
40. That's why
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 09:46 PM
Nov 2013

the no longer set hard targets, and recommend it based on risk for heart disease rather than solely on cholesterol levels.

dflprincess

(28,075 posts)
42. Meanwhile...Ranbaxy stops generic Lipitor production amid recall for tiny glass particles"
Tue Nov 12, 2013, 10:59 PM
Nov 2013

[div class = "excerpt"]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57610994/leading-generic-drug-maker-faked-test-results-for-fda-approval/

Leading generic drug maker faked test results for FDA approval

(CBS News) Eighty percent of the drugs prescribed to Americans are generic drugs. They have to be approved by the FDA, usually after years of testing. Many of those drugs are made in India, and it turns out a leading manufacturer, Ranbaxy, often skipped the required steps for approval of its generic drugs.

In 2004, Ranbaxy executive Dinesh Thakur was asked by his boss to investigate allegations of fraud at the company. Thakur quickly uncovered disturbing problems with the data required by the FDA to prove the effectiveness of Ranbaxy drugs.

"The data's important because the FDA or other agencies globally look at that information to give you marketing authorization to sell the drug," Thakur says. "We started getting the files, and, lo and behold, we find that none of that exists in the first place. ... It means that we've gotten approvals from the FDA to sell drugs that were based on no data, or data that was fraudulent."

Thakur found Ranbaxy's drugs for illnesses like AIDS, heart problems and infections had no proof that they were effective. His findings were presented to Ranbaxy executives in 2005. But he says nothing was done.


Related story at the link: FDA stops 11 Indian-made drugs from entering U.S.

Makes me feel real good about anything my doctor might prescribe.

Mz Pip

(27,442 posts)
48. Zocor made me sick
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 12:03 AM
Nov 2013

My doctor did work with me on alternative treatments, Red Yeast Rice, and then Niacin. I could never get enough Niacin in me to make a difference. So I tried Zocor and after 3 weeks I had upset stomach, diarrhea and a weird neuropathy. My torso felt like it had a very bad sunburn. So that was the end of my statin use.

I take a fibrate now and it works fine. In one month the triglycerides dropped over 200 points and my cholesterol dropped almost 90 points. No side effects. Cheap drug, though, so it's probably not pushed much by big Pharma.

For me I am battling genetics. I am not overweight. I exercise and my diet is healthy.

arikara

(5,562 posts)
54. Business week did an excellent article about this a few years ago
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:18 AM
Nov 2013

I took it to my Mr's doctor because I know they don't like to hear the usual internet health information. He actually took the time to read it and commented positively on it the next time we went in because it has the stats to back it up. The result was that the Mr is now on the smallest possible dose of statin to placate the cardiologists, and he no longer has the debilitating side effects of the higher dosage stronger pills that the cardiologists were pushing on him. Yes, he has had several heart attacks, but his cholesterol has always been in normal healthy range. His problem is diabetes and all the damn lipitor or crestor in the world isn't going to help that.


...the drugs can be life-saving in patients who already have suffered heart attacks, somewhat reducing the chances of a recurrence that could lead to an early death. But Wright had a surprise when he looked at the data for the majority of patients, like Winn, who don't have heart disease. He found no benefit in people over the age of 65, no matter how much their cholesterol declines, and no benefit in women of any age. He did see a small reduction in the number of heart attacks for middle-aged men taking statins in clinical trials. But even for these men, there was no overall reduction in total deaths or illnesses requiring hospitalization—despite big reductions in "bad" cholesterol. "Most people are taking something with no chance of benefit and a risk of harm,"

...

The second crucial point is hiding in plain sight in Pfizer's own Lipitor newspaper ad. The dramatic 36% figure has an asterisk. Read the smaller type. It says: "That means in a large clinical study, 3% of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a heart attack compared to 2% of patients taking Lipitor."

Now do some simple math. The numbers in that sentence mean that for every 100 people in the trial, which lasted 3 1/3 years, three people on placebos and two people on Lipitor had heart attacks. The difference credited to the drug? One fewer heart attack per 100 people. So to spare one person a heart attack, 100 people had to take Lipitor for more than three years. The other 99 got no measurable benefit. Or to put it in terms of a little-known but useful statistic, the number needed to treat (or NNT) for one person to benefit is 100.

...

much more at the link

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-01-16/do-cholesterol-drugs-do-any-good


veganlush

(2,049 posts)
60. boycott cruelty
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 04:08 AM
Nov 2013

Go vegan and eliminate dietary cholesterol. If yourdiet requires you to take an antidote, that should be a red flag. If you wont do it for yourself do it for the dogs and your family. (Pigs are dogs too, who are in turn, people after all)

 

HockeyMom

(14,337 posts)
66. 35 years ago my Dad was put on a special diet
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 09:28 AM
Nov 2013

He was given a printed out plan to follow. He was 5'8" and 140 lbs. and not overweight. It worked. I suppose they didn't have all those meds back then?

My husband has been on meds for almost 20 years now. His doctor keeps him on, and keeps changing them, because today his tests indicate "low". So why does he have to keep taking them? Because you must be on pills? Diet won't work? Hello, mine is 110, have never taken meds, and we eat the same dinners. I make at least 3 meatless meals a week since I really don't like meat anyway. I fry NOTHING. There is no junk food in my house. We eat pasta maybe once every couple of weeks, or for a Holiday a few times a year.

Tell me why following a diet worked for my Dad, and obviously me, but doctors keep people on meds FOREVER. You will never be cured????? No $$$ to be made from EATING right.

RussBLib

(9,008 posts)
70. Grain Brain
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 12:48 PM
Nov 2013

Lots of recent research indicates that high cholesterol is not bad for you. Indeed, the human body, and brain especially, needs it. Lots of healthy fats are also good for you.

The entire low-cholesterol, low-fat regimen is wrong.

I will never go on statin drugs.

Read "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter. It's a game-changer.

leftyladyfrommo

(18,868 posts)
68. I'm so cynical.
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 11:27 AM
Nov 2013

How many more pills does this add up to? How much more money are the pharmaceuticals going to rake in?

Didn't I read somewhere that statins can be dangerous?

llmart

(15,537 posts)
72. Seems to me that I recall.....
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 01:43 PM
Nov 2013

one doctor saying that he thinks statins should be in the water supply and that everybody should be on them. What a crock. How the hell did all my ancestors live to their 80's without all the pills?

leftyladyfrommo

(18,868 posts)
80. They probably ate a healthier diet and exercised a lot more
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 05:33 PM
Nov 2013

than we do today.

I wonder if as many people had congestive heart failure back then as people seem to have now? Or strokes. Or cancer.

Food wasn't full of pesticides.

Indi Guy

(3,992 posts)
75. Big Pharma has been telling us BIG LIES for decades...
Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:33 PM
Nov 2013
This just one of countless reports that show that the cholesterol scare was entirely manufactured out of whole cloth by the drug industry:

[font size="6" color="darkred"]THE GREAT CHOLESTEROL SCAM[/font]
By K.L. Carlson, MBA


[font color="darkblue" size="3" face="ariel"]Cholesterol guidelines have been created to increase pharmaceutical profits, not to improve peoples’ health.  I know from my experience as a pharmaceutical sales representative for a statin drug.  We were trained to emphasize to physicians the new lower LDL guidelines that were ostensibly created by health experts. The truth is the majority of the experts who created the lower guidelines have multiple financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.  One expert was found to have ties to ten drug firms.

There is no research that supports the assumption that lower LDL cholesterol reduces cardiovascular events or death in people who have do not already have heart disease. Statins do not prevent heart disease, but that is the myth that the drug companies have made billions of dollars from for more than 20 years.  The lower guidelines simply created a larger lasso to rope more people into buying statin drugs.

“The diet-heart idea – the notion that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease – is the greatest scientific deception of our times…[font size="4"]The public is being deceived by the greatest health scam of the century[/font],” states George V. Mann, ScD, MD, the co-director of the well-known Framingham Heart Study.  In the study more than 240 risk factors for heart disease were uncovered.

The fact that statins, brand names Crestor, Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, Vytorin, and Zocor, are not the heart disease preventing wonder drugs that drug companies want physicians and the public to believe is not the worst of it. [font size="4" color="darkred"]Both men and women with the lowest cholesterol levels died earlier of all causes, including cardiovascular events...[/font]
[/font]

Full article -- http://diaryofalegaldrugdealer.com/the-great-cholesterol-myth/

Sources:

  • Ray Monihan and Alan Cassels, Selling Sickness, How the World’s Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients (New York:Nations Books, 2005) pp 7-8.

  • “Coronary Heart Disease: The Dietary Sense and Nonsense,” edited by Dr. George V. Mann, M.D., (New York:Veritas Society, 1993)

  • “Cholesterol Skeptics and the Bad News About Statin Drugs,” by Maryann Napoli,
    www.medicalconsumers.org/pages/cholesterol_skeptic.html

  • “Yet Another Study Show Low Cholesterol Increases Risk of Early Death!” by Chris Gupter,
    www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2006/06/08.html

  • “Cholesterol and All-Cause Mortality in Elderly People from the Honolulu Heart Program,” by Irwin J. Schatz,M.D. et al, The Lancet, vol. 358, no. 9279, pp. 351-355.

  • www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/10651_11516.asp

  • Duane  Graveline, M.D. at www.spacedoc.net

  • “Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven’t Been Told About Cholesterol-Lowering Medicines,” by Mary Enig, Ph.D. and Sally Fallon, at www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html

  • “A Call for Caution in the Rush to Statins,” by Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times, Nov. 17, 2008
  • goldent

    (1,582 posts)
    81. My doctor is very science based
    Wed Nov 13, 2013, 09:19 PM
    Nov 2013

    He prescribed weight loss, more exercise, and a low dosage of statin.

     

    happyslug

    (14,779 posts)
    95. Worse, some of the "Side affects" is the drug making you "normal"
    Thu Nov 14, 2013, 04:48 PM
    Nov 2013

    For example all during my youth I heard of people having hunger pains, never had them myself, till I was put on a Statin. Then after not eating for three to four hours I would get hunger pains. Why, one of the affects o high Cholesterols and High Triglycerides is you do NOT get hungry. Your boyd has sufficient amount of both (in fact to many) so the body never thinks it needs more food (Even when it does). Thus the reported side affect of Increase Hunger pains, may just be the body adjusting to what is normal, but the person who first gets these "pains" do not think them as normal, for they nerve had them before (or if they did no where near what "normal" people get).

    One side affect of Statin I do notice is if I miss taking them for three days to a week, my desire to have sex zooms up. I never notice a decline in sexual desire as I took Statin (I am single), but when I get off them I notice the huge increase (I would say woman be careful of me when I miss my pills, but I like sex when the women I am having sex with tell me how well I am doing, rape has no appeal to me even if I have been off my pills for a week or more). Is this a side affect of the Pills? Maybe. Testosterone is derived from Cholesterols and is one of the closest hormone in the body to Cholesterol.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testosterone#Biosynthesis

    Thus when I quit taking Statin, my Testosterone may jump up do to having many more Cholesterol hormones to convert to Testosterone. I may NOT have noticed the increase Testosterone in my teen years for I assumed it was normal for teens are told of sexual desires and sexual changes. Today, I may have become adjusted to lower sex drive and when I am off my pills I just notice the increase sex drive.

    Just pointing out that some of the reported "Side affects" is the pill returning someone to a "Normal" situation. It is something we must watch for when we start to take some of these medications and do not confuse the affect of being returned to normal with a harmful side affect.

    HuckleB

    (35,773 posts)
    96. Side effects can happen for anything, including food.
    Thu Nov 14, 2013, 04:50 PM
    Nov 2013

    If you have them, you get off the medication. If you're doctor doesn't listen to, then you get a new doctor.

    I have no idea what you're post has to do with my post, however.

    HuckleB

    (35,773 posts)
    121. Red herrings don't turn BS into reality.
    Sun Nov 17, 2013, 01:57 AM
    Nov 2013

    I'm sorry that I challenge your preconceived notions.

    Actually, I don't. It's evidence that does the job. You ought to thank the scientific method for that!

     

    JackRiddler

    (24,979 posts)
    127. You challenge nothing.
    Sun Nov 17, 2013, 10:47 AM
    Nov 2013

    The content of your posts is non-existent, you seem to be incapable of making a claim and defending it, so you try to bully by proclaiming "science," "data," "evidence," etc., etc. belong to you, even as you fail to show understanding of any of these. Both arrogant and pathetic, this behavior, and obviously counterproductive to anything you imagine you're for. But probably satisfying to you on a personal level, like masturbation, which presumably is why you do it.

    flamingdem

    (39,313 posts)
    113. Ok so today I learn that I have LDL of 134
    Fri Nov 15, 2013, 01:21 AM
    Nov 2013

    at a doctors appointment.

    She said I'm "borderline".

    Is this something to worry about?

    winter is coming

    (11,785 posts)
    120. Go to this website and download the calculator (red button on the right).
    Sun Nov 17, 2013, 12:59 AM
    Nov 2013

    That's supposedly the new calculator that physicians will be using. If your 10-year risk is over 7.5%, your doctor will probably recommend a statin. If not, eat healthy, exercise, and don't worry.

    http://my.americanheart.org/professional/StatementsGuidelines/PreventionGuidelines/Prevention-Guidelines_UCM_457698_SubHomePage.jsp

    sendero

    (28,552 posts)
    116. Not really..
    Fri Nov 15, 2013, 06:55 AM
    Nov 2013

    .. the panel suggests more carefully targeted use of the drugs. As many people are taking them that don't need them as there are that need them but aren't taking them.

    ForgoTheConsequence

    (4,868 posts)
    126. Glad to see the science haters alive and well.
    Sun Nov 17, 2013, 03:07 AM
    Nov 2013

    Both sides have their science denialists. Personally I don't see much difference between young Earth creationists and conspiracy centered "progressives" who don't trust doctors. Frankly I think this mindset is dangerous, but feel free to get all your medical advice from a blog.

     

    JackRiddler

    (24,979 posts)
    128. What about doctors who don't trust other doctors?
    Sun Nov 17, 2013, 10:49 AM
    Nov 2013

    You should drop the pavlovian rhetoric, which betrays a hatred for thinking in the name of "science," and go sing your story to Dr. Semmelweis.

    ForgoTheConsequence

    (4,868 posts)
    132. I'll stick with consensus
    Sun Nov 17, 2013, 03:40 PM
    Nov 2013

    Hell there are hundreds of nutcase engineers who believe 911 was an inside job. Rand Paul and Paul Broun (evolution is a lie from the pit of hell) are both medical doctors. You can find quacks that believe anything. By all means continue to get medical advice from conspiracy blogs and the 17 year old at the natural health store, its a free country.

     

    JackRiddler

    (24,979 posts)
    133. I don't get medical advice from those sources.
    Sun Nov 17, 2013, 11:22 PM
    Nov 2013

    You're engaging in false binary thinking. It's the opposite of thinking.

    However, "consensus" is often wrong - and it's proving wrong on statins, what a surprise.

    As I said, you just keep hanging Dr. Semmelweis. That was also consensus.

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