Statin drugs are one of the most popular and profitable drugs of all-time, and also perhaps one of the most unnecessary according to recent studies. Could it be possible that there are better, natural ways to explore? This article is for informational purposes only and should not constitute medical advice. Consult a doctor before making any changes to your drug regiment or health routine. See our full disclaimer here for more information.
A recent study has shown that statin drugs, prescribed for high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease prevention, may actually not be doing much of anything to reduce heart disease risk after all. The study has shown that cholesterol levels have no connection to coronary disease. Instead of positive benefits, patients taking statin drugs often suffer debilitating health issues, such as muscle pain and weakness, liver damage, digestive problems, increased blood sugar and diabetes risk, and memory loss.
But there is more about statin drugs that is misunderstood and that is vital to know. Moreover, there is one particularly powerful remedy that may keep cholesterol levels healthy without the side effects.
Doctor Explains the Dangers of Statin Drugs
“There is so much evidence that [statin drugs] cause so many problems…And it’s not a fair trade off. You never win…Almost under any circumstances taking a statin drug, given all the damage it’s going to cause, compared to the slight chance that you might avoid a heart attack…I think they do prevent heart attacks but in very modest amount. It’s not worth it, in my opinion.”
Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT has focused her recent research on nutrition, and the dangers of statin drugs is one of her main topics of research. Although she agrees that on a rare occasion this type of drug can prevent a heart attack, she explains that too many people will take it without gaining the benefits all while experiencing the side effects before it works for one person. And even for that person, the side effects are unavoidable.
Furthermore, cholesterol is important for the body’s cells to function properly, especially for the neurons in the brain (it is not surprising that statin drugs when lowering cholesterol can cause memory loss and other brain problems!)
“Statins are connected to cognitive disorders and memory problems,” she says in an interview. People have reported things like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and dementia.
Statins also are known to cause muscle weakness and damage. Ironically, most doctors will tell you to take the statin drug and then go and exercise, which Dr. Seneff explains does not work. Exercising would have worked without the statin drug, but may be virtually useless while taking it.
“[Statin drugs] derail your opportunity to improve yourself through other things that are known to be beneficial. They are no longer beneficial because of [them].”
What Do Statin Drugs Actually Do?
“What I think [a statin drug is] doing is pretending to be cholesterol sulfate. It suppresses the same enzyme that cholesterol sulfate suppressed in the cell. It basically turns off the cell. It says to this cell – don’t make cholesterol, we don’t need it…But it does not have cholesterol…Meanwhile you have a huge cholesterol deficiency throughout the body.”
Instead of balancing cholesterol, and making sure the body has healthy levels of it, statin drugs are trying to prevent the body from making cholesterol completely, which is not healthy, as cholesterol is needed for the body to function properly.
It also has no correlation to heart attacks when comparing statistics, says Dr. Seneff. When one looks at the numbers of high cholesterol and numbers of heart attacks, the two do not align, she said.
PHOTO: Wellness Mama
With all of the side effects and barely any benefits (if only minor), it is no wonder static drugs have fallen under scrutiny in the last year. Listen to what else Dr. Seneff has to say about them:
Fortunately, there is a natural remedy that has already worked for many that you can take without worrying about side effects.
The following is a personal story for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. Consult your doctor before trying. Read our full disclaimer by clicking here.
One Remedy Known to Help Balance Cholesterol
I first heard about Gugulipid or Gum Guggul, when working for a chiropractor who had roots in naturopathic medicine. A patient came in, a middle aged man, who was not into natural medicine and had severe cholesterol problems. His doctor and he could not find the answer with the multiple statin drugs and doses they had tried. The man said that at that rate, although skeptical, he would try anything. The Doctor of Chiropractic suggested he tried Gum Guggul. Not even a month passed until the patient came back in with his new test results, joyful that his cholesterol levels were back to normal.
Guggul gum is derived from the Indian bdellium-tree. PHOTO: Vinayaraj CC BY-SA 3.0
Gugulipid is completely natural remedy that first gained popularity in India as a hypocholesterolemic agent. Guggul is taken from the tapped mukul myrrh tree. The tree is native to India, and guggul has an important place in ayurevedic medicine, treating not only high cholesterol, but also high triglycerides (blood sugar), cystic acne, osteoarthritis, and even obesity.
When it comes to cholesterol, clinical trials in India have shown that it lowers total cholesterol LDL-cholesterol, while increasing HDL-cholesterol or good cholesterol. The results were evident in 1-3 months.
Besides reducing cholesterol levels, another study showed that guggulipid can also reduce the risk of heart attacks by reducing the stickiness of platelets in blood, with has been linked to heart disease.
The only minor side effects that have been reported by people who are more sensitive to herbs are nausea, diarrhea, skin rash, and minor gastrointestinal distress. This is rare, and possibly linked to allergies.
Where To Buy Guggul Gum
Guggul can be purchased online or in local health stores in capsulated form. One product from Amazon by Himalaya Pure Herbs has received some very positive reviews.
“I’ve been taking this since 2013, and it helps in more ways than one. Not often can people say that a medicine does exactly what it is supposed to do, but surprisingly this did even more than I expected. …Apparently, Guggul has a component in it that reduces oil production in your skin. Now, my cholesterol is flawless and I don’t have acne,” writes another user Shane Treudt.
Another user named Naga said that their good cholesterol went up but the bad did as well, although they did attribute it to a lack of exercise and healthy eating around the holidays.
This underscores the need to use under the guidance of a quality naturopathic or integrative physician before taking any supplements like these (find more reviews by clicking on this link).
“In 3 months… the HDL [cholesterol] (good) went up from 42 to 48, good. LDL (bad) went up from 130 to 162 mg/dL,” the user said.
Recommended reading:
“Bad” Cholesterol REDUCES Coronary Heart Disease Risk, New Study Finds Statin Drugs are “Useless”
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