Posts Tagged side effects of statins

Recently a government agency known as The Institute of Medicine weighed in on the topic of vitamin D. After convening a 14 member panel of researchers …

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In 1918 a horrible pandemic swept the globe and supposedly claimed the lives of 500,000 Americans and 20,000,000 people worldwide. Even though many experts feel that these numbers are likely wildly exaggerated due to poor record keeping of this time period, we will continue as though they are accurate.

This would represent worst case scenario. It is also worthwhile to note that at that time, it was common practice to bathe once a week. Now, it appears that a similar strain of this virus is sweeping the globe again. The CDC has already issued a pre-pandemic alert, readying the government for the possibility of widespread infection to rival the pandemic Spanish flu of 1918.

Congratulations on taking the first step towards health and vitality! This guide is designed to provide you with the basic “next steps” in your journey toward optimal health and vitality.

If you are new to natural healing you likely have one or more of the following complaints: Low to “average” energy levels. Trouble sleeping or you don’t feel rested when you wake. You are taking 2 or more medications and you are tired of the side effects. You have recently been diagnosed with some sort of health condition (most commonly heart disease, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes).

You can’t explain it fully, but you “just don’t feel well”. You are overweight and want to lose weight. Regardless of how or why you got to us, the likelihood is that you have a healthy degree of skepticism and are interested in unbiased information that will help you make major improvements in your health. Remember, our goal is major improvements in your health! We don’t just want your lab reports to look good, we want you to feel energetic, vibrant and healthy.

We have 5 main goals when starting someone on the path of natural healing, we will provide plenty of scientific data and clinical examples throughout your experience with us. Remember the proof is in YOUR EXPERIENCE.

1. Forms of calcium and kidney stones
   
2. Medical Insurance
   
3. Heart rhythm issues and medications
   
4. Auto-immune diseases
   
5. AMA study re: clinical practice guidelines for cardiac issues, standards of medical practice
6. VAP test – practical size of cholesterol
7. Blood pressure medicines
8. Side effects of statin medicines

As this fat builds up it damages the delicate machinery of the cell, ultimately leading to complications and disease. While reading various studies on how this fat gets into places that it shouldn’t, I came across a study that was investigating the impact of high fat versus high carbohydrate intake on the burning of fat. While reading the study I was fascinated and horrified by the method used to block the burning of fat in the healthy subjects who took part in the study. How did they do it? How did they block the healthy participants’ bodies from burning fat?

They gave them a popular blood pressure medication.

That’s right, they gave them a medication called a “beta blocker” that is very commonly prescribed to overweight, obese and diabetic patients with high blood pressure. This class of medication is, more accurately, called a beta adrenergic blocker. This means that the medication blocks certain receptors which bind to adrenaline, a hormone produced by the body which causes the heart to race, the blood vessels to constrict and thus blood pressure to increase. By blocking the beta adrenergic receptors of the body, the heart does not beat as strongly or as fast and the blood vessels relax thus lowering blood pressure. Unfortunately, the beta adrenergic receptors on fat cells get blocked as well and thus a decrease in fat loss occurs as well as an increased propensity to store fat.

Does anyone see a problem with this?

As I mentioned previously, the people who are most prone to high blood pressure are people who already have too much fat in their bodies. These include diabetics, people with pre-diabetes, as well as the overweight and obese. We give these people a medication which further inhibits fat use thus stoking the fire of their metabolic difficulties. Perhaps this is why many studies on these medications have resulted in an increased risk of disease and premature death. That’s right, not only have studies not proven these medications to prolong life, many have even shown them to shorten life.

It never ceases to amaze me how the medical establishment can turn a blind eye to the side effects of their treatments. The use of beta blockers to inhibit fat loss is apparently a standard practice in research studies and yet medicine just brushes it aside and convinces themselves that this class of medication is safe to use in overweight and obese people who are already afflicted with fat-clogged cells.

We need to open our eyes and accept the fact that medications are not nearly as effective as they are made out to be. We need to convince ourselves that the right approach is to take the reins of health into our own hands and although it is not as easy as popping a pill in the morning it is far better than the delusion that there is a medication for every disease…that, ladies and gentlemen, is nothing more than a mirage created by the drug industry.

For those of you who have high blood pressure and may have been prescribed a beta blocker such as propranolol, metoprolol or any other generic medication ending in “olol” I am not recommending that you stop your medication. In fact, to do so may cause a rebound elevation in blood pressure that could put you in the hospital or worse. I am simply saying, perhaps there is a better way to control blood pressure. In our experience, people can start living the right lifestyle can find that the need for the medication decreases or goes away as they get healthier. At this time you can work with your doctor to start weaning yourself from the medication. If you would like to learn more about natural methods for controlling blood pressure, check out our article onHigh Blood Pressure. If you are looking for help developing a healthy lifestyle, learn about First Line Therapy that we offer at our wellness center.

It was discovered that folic acid deficiency was significantly correlated with risk of fall. In fact for every one point drop in blood levels of folic acid there was a 19% increase in risk of fall. Other factors that were correlated to falls was vitamin D deficiency and depression.
(Ann Nutr Metab, 2009; 54(1): 59-66)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:

Is folic acid deficiency to blame for many falls in the elderly? Well, even with this research I could not be sure. Is it possible that people with low folic acid have some other dietary or lifestyle situation that is correlated with the risk? Yes, it is possible.
But…

Why take the risk? Folic acid is inexpensive, free from side effects and beneficial on many levels. Simply make sure that you are getting at least 800 mcg of folic acid in your diet and/or supplements. Every one of the multi-vitamins that I recommend contain at least 800 mcg of folic acid to meet these requirements. These Mutli-vitamins are listed in the Virtual Pharmacist Section of our website.

By blocking this enzyme, the medication decreases the body’s internal production of cholesterol. Unfortunately, a well known and fairly common side effect is muscle pain and weakness that can often be debilitating. In addition to blocking the production of cholesterol, it is well known that these medications also block the production of important nutrients such as coenzyme Q10. We have known that a deficiency of coenzyme Q10 can lead to muscle pain and that supplementation can help to reverse this side effect. A recent study sheds light on another nutrient that is closely linked to muscle pain, vitamin D. We have known that vitamin D deficiency can cause both pain and weakness in the muscles, however, research had not linked vitamin D deficiency to muscle pain induced by cholesterol lowering medications…until now.

In a study of 621 patients who were prescribed statin medications, it was found that those who suffered with the muscle pain were significantly deficient in vitamin D. When the patients who suffered with muscle pain were supplemented with vitamin D, 92% of the patients saw resolution of their pain symptoms.
(Transl Res, 2009; 153(1): 11-6)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:

We have always known about statin’s impact on coenzyme Q10 levels and we commonly recommend coenzyme Q10 supplementation in those who take a statin medication. This study, may explain why some people continue to have pain even after supplementation with high doses of coenzyme Q10 and I am now beginning to recommend vitamin D supplementation for those who are taking statins. This makes perfect sense given the fact that your body produces vitamin D from, you guessed it, cholesterol. When cholesterol drops, it makes good sense that vitamin D levels may drop as well. In this study, the participants were placed on the prescription vitamin D at a dose of 50,000 iu weekly. I would recommend using a natural form of vitamin D on a daily basis rather than a synthetic form in high dose once weekly. For the general population I recommend 2,000 iu daily. If your blood is significantly deficient, you may require higher doses. Have your doctor order a blood test for 25-OH vitamin D with your next cholesterol test and to learn more about vitamin D, read our article 15 Facts You Must Know About Vitamin D.

In addition, 35% of the subjects receiving the thiamine had a normalization of urine protein.
(Diabetologia. 2008 Dec 5)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
Kidney damage is a major complication of diabetes and can result in poor quality of life and ultimately death if left to progress. Conventional medicine uses medications like ACE Inhibitors to slow the progression of kidney damage, however, the medications are only modestly effective and can leave the patient with side effects. Thiamine appears to be effective without causing side effects. In addition to thiamine, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil and activated coenzyme Q10 are also important parts of any kidney protection program.

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Researchers at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recently examined 12 studies that evaluated the impact of exercise on nicotine cravings. All 12 studies found that exercise significantly decreases the cravings. Moderate activity, such as walking, appeared to significantly reduce the urge to smoke for up to 50 minutes, in fact, the acute effects of exercise were as effective as the nicotine patch. (Addiction, 2007;102,4,534-543)

As a side benefit we can not ignore the impact that exercise can have on preventing the weight gain that often accompanies smoking cessation. Exercise and exercise often for success with quitting smoking!