I recently ran a story  about Pfizer dodging a bullet when its cash cow, Lipitor, was protected from the generic drug market for five more years by a federal judge.

But this astute look at the multi-national pharmaceutical landscape in the Chicago Tribune shows how the soon-to-be-generic status of another statin drug -- Zocor -- will be a boon to the conventional drug paradigm at the end of the day.

With Zocor moving to generic status in June, this statin will cost close to half as much ($2 a pill) at the retail level. And the fact that one statin isn't any better than any other (except, perhaps, some are more dangerous), combined with the looming disaster that is the Medicare drug benefit package, gives a generic Zocor product a huge marketing advantage.

Statin drugs are one of the most unnecessary drugs in medicine. There are a small group of people with genetic enzyme defects that have cholesterols levels above 325-350. These are about the only individuals in my experience, who seem to benefit from statins. In my practice of 10,000 patients there has been a grand total of three patients that required statins to control this genetic problem.

Just about every other person can normalize their cholesterol levels with the Total Health Program. What is really disturbing though is that the standard of care in conventional medicine seems to have evolved into physicians prescribing these drugs for anyone with a heart attack on these dangerous drugs. Even if their cholesterol level is already dangerously low (below 150). 

What nearly all conventional physicians fail to appreciate is that there is a danger of having a cholesterol that is too low.

So avoid statin drug deception -- inexpensive generic or not -- without taking one by making simple lifestyle changes which include modifying your eating habits based on your body's unique nutritional type.

If you truly want to normalize your cholesterol levels:

• First, normalize your insulin levels by eliminating sugar and grains.

• Second, you can take a high-quality fish oil that is chock full of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. It is important to find a fish oil that is independently tested by a lab and found to conform to purity guidelines. This will ensure that the oil is free of mercury and other toxins. One such brand, which I have found to be of superior quality, is Carlson's fish and cod liver oil, and I now offer this exceptional fish oil/cod liver oil to you in my "Recommended Products" section.

• Additionally, if you are a man, or a woman who is in menopause, you should check your iron levels as elevated levels of iron can cause major oxidative damage in the blood vessels, heart and other organs. Excess iron is also one of the major contributing factors of cancer risk.

• Regular exercise is another important tool that may reduce your risk of heart disease.