Dr. Mercola December 06 2008 197,787 views
Experts predict that as a result of the so-called JUPITER study, which seemed to show that the statin drug Crestor lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes in those with high levels of inflammation, will lead to millions of people being put on statin drugs. But the benefits were actually tiny -- about 0.72 percent of the statin takers in the trial had a heart attack or stroke, compared with 1.5 percent of those taking placebos.
Instead of a statin drug that comes with dangerous side effects, try these six measures instead:
I can’t tell you how pleased I am that the “latest and greatest” study on statin benefits, called JUPITER, has been exposed by even mainstream media as being both deceptive and steeped in conflicts of interest. I commented on this study just last week.
With at least 12 million Americans taking statins, and “experts'” recommending that another 23 million “should” be taking them, it's important to educate yourself on the use of these drugs.
Statins are already one of the most widely prescribed class of drugs, and the JUPITER study’s misleading conclusions about the benefits of Crestor have the potential to push their already vastly inflated usage over the edge.
Don’t fall for it.
The language used to publicize their results has been thoroughly massaged and manipulated to make the drug sound vastly better than it really is. A staggering 5,000 percent better, to be precise. Because whereas headlines are boasting a 50 percent or higher reduced risk of heart attack and strokes, the REAL difference in cardiovascular events between those taking the statin drug Crestor and those taking a placebo was just 1.2 percent.
The REAL “benefit” of Crestor is this: If 100 people are treated with Crestor for one year, only ONE will be spared a cardiovascular event they otherwise might have had.
I for one am underwhelmed by these findings.
Exposing 100 people to the potentially lethal side effects of Crestor, or any other statin drug, to save one person from a cardiovascular event that could have been prevented with lifestyle changes, is not what I call good medicine.
Why are Statin Drugs Prescribed to Otherwise “Healthy” Individuals?
The JUPITER study involved 17,800 people who had high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, which is a good indicator of inflammation, and hence, heart disease risk, even among those otherwise considered healthy.
Statins are now frequently prescribed to individuals who have normal cholesterol levels if they have elevated C-reactive protein levels, to combat inflammation, and presumably reduce their risk of developing heart disease.
But taking a statin in this case will NOT resolve the underlying problem causing the increase in inflammation!
Elevated C-reactive protein levels are due to chronic damage being done to your arteries, which leads to inflammation. This is how your body responds to invaders; it’s your body’s natural and purposeful response to healing.
The REAL problem is what’s causing the damage in the first place, such as having chronically elevated blood sugar. The sugar molecule, in fact, causes far more damage than any other molecule.
If you decide to take cholesterol-lowering drugs instead of addressing the underlying problem of excess sugar in your blood stream, you are not only stopping your body’s natural healing process, you are also exposing yourself to drugs that are loaded with side effects and can deteriorate your health even further.Instead, the CRP screening test could be a handy indicator showing that lifestyle changes are in order to naturally lower your body’s excess inflammation, which will naturally decrease your heart disease risk – no drugs required.
Your Diet – The Most Important Way to Reduce InflammationIt’s important to realize that there are different sizes of LDL cholesterol particles, and it’s the LDL particle size that is relevant, as small particles get stuck easily and causes more inflammation.
Naturally, the drug companies really don’t want you to know this. Statins do not modulate LDL particle size, so if this became widespread knowledge it would severely limit the number of people going on cholesterol-lowering drugs.
The only way to make sure your LDL particles are large enough to not get stuck and cause inflammation and damage is through your diet. In fact, it’s one of the major things that insulin does.
So rather than taking a statin drug, you really need to focus on your diet to reduce the inflammation in your body, which is aggravated by:
Other Lifestyle Changes That Will Naturally Reduce Inflammation
In addition to the six excellent recommendations in the article above, and avoiding the dietary hazards just mentioned, here are a few more recommendations that can have a profound impact on reducing inflammation in your body and reducing your risk of heart disease.
Your best source of vitamin D is through your skin being exposed to the sun. In the wintertime, however, you may need to take an oral supplement. Just make sure you’re taking the right form of vitamin D in the appropriate amounts to reap the benefits, and remember to get your vitamin D levels tested regularly.
Many of those who experience Th1 inflammation symptoms have a dysregulated Vitamin D metabolism.
Such people may benefit from having their 1,25(OH)D levels checked as well as their 25(OH)D. When 1,25(OH)D is high, this is an indication of hypervitaminosis-D caused by intraphagocytic metagenomic L-form bacteria.
These bacteria are suspected to be the responsible agents for most Th1 inflammatory conditions, which includes so-called “autoimmune” as well as many other chronic diseases. A presentation given at the world-class 6th International Autoimmunity Conference in Portugal 3 months ago can be viewed here:
http://vimeo.com/1787405
At the same conference, study results of 100 people with various chronic diseases and how they are progressing on a newly developed therapy was presented:
autoimmunityresearch.org/.../ICA2008_Transcript_TomPerez.pdf
This study shows that 81% of the patients with very serious disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and lupus, are reporting improved symptoms all of the time after at least 18 months on this alternative therapy.
A layman’s introduction to the science of molecular genomics that the therapy is based on can be found here:
bacteriality.com/about-the-mp
If you have more questions, you can register and ask them at this site:
http://www.curemyth1.org
Whoa! Hold on just a second there! This is a program that advocates the chronic use of antibiotics for 18 months or longer. That, my friend, is a nonstarter.
Unfortunately, antibiotics cause more disease than any other medication because they lead to yeast overgrowth. Chronic use of those drugs is a disaster in the making.
The drug, Benicar, is being touted by well meaning folks for auto-immune diseases. It a well intentioned but dangerously misguided idea to focus on bacteria when it comes to auto-immune disease. The bacteria is merely a symptom of the yeast overgrowth.
Yes, there is bacterial infestation with auto-immune disease. But it is the result of the yeast. Benecar will PROMOTE yeast overgrowth, especially when it is taken for a minimum of 18 months!
And it doesn't take 18 months to fix the problem when the yeast is addressed...not by drugs...but by food-derived supplements. My recipe for removing food cravings has helped people with autoimmune disorders, including fibromyalgia and geographic tongue. In a month or two, people have seen complete reversals of their problems...all without the real dangers of chronic antibiotic intake.
hubpages.com/.../How-to-Flatten-Your-Tummy-and-End-Food-Cravings-EFFORTLESSLY
The best to you.
Kelley Eidem
Together we can cure cancer - one person at a time!
I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis an autoimmune disease. I have been diagnosed for over 3 years and started out with the standard protocol of chemo therapy (methotrexate) and steroids. Long story short I was in much more pain and had absolutely no energy on those drugs. Finally after 2 years following my Rheumatologists regiment, I went to a Homeopathic Medical Doctor who has put me on Minocycline. I take 100 mgs 3 times a week. Minocycline is least likely to cause yeast problems. This has been confirmed with tests for Candida performed by my Homeopathic doctor. I feel 100% better, I am building my energy back up and have hope of getting into remission one day. I have been on this regime for over a year and my labs show a great improvement. I also follow an anti-inflammatory and gluten free diet and take supplements such as Vitamin D. I will be staying on the antibiotics and diet. There is much evidence that the minocycline works - Please read Dr Brown's research on Rheumatoid Arthritis and MS he successfully used antibiotic therapy on many many patients with autoimmune diseases without them getting Candida. For me this is better (and less dangerous)than any of the other treatments that are commonly given to treat RA. I am not sure what Benecar is that was mentioned in another post but the Minocycline regime has been around for many many years and is effective for me to treat my RA. There are many well respected doctors/Naturopaths that offer this therapy for patients and it works well.
Karen M
Yes, Kelley, we quite agree on your cautions about bactericidal antibiotics like the commonly used beta-lactams such as penicillins and cephalosporins. These work by inhibiting the cell wall of bacteria and are NOT effective against the Cell Wall Deficient (CWD) bacteria that cause Th1 inflammation. We concur that these overused beta-lactam antibiotics are one of the driving forces behind the current epidemic of Th1 diseases, since they have been shown to actually cause CWD bacteria to form from blood-borne bacteria.
The therapy mentioned in my post, however, uses only bacteriostatic antibiotics. These are carefully designed to inhibit protein transcription which uses the bacterial 30S ribonucleic acid (RNA) and 50S ribonucleic acid mediums.
Furthermore these bacteriostatic antibiotics are taken at pulsed intervals and much lower doses than usual. As soon as the patient can tolerate the immunopathology (Herxheimer reactions), 3 different antibiotics are combined, which are symbiotic in their effects. That is, each binds with and blocks a specific and separate site on the ribosomal sub-unit of the CWD bacteria. This makes it practically impossible for the bacteria to engender resistance since 3 separate sites of its ribosome would simultaneously require favorable mutations in order to survive.
Dr. Mercola himself has used and recommended ALL of these bacteriostatic antibiotics. In fact, his modified version of Dr. Brown’s rheumatoid arthritis protocol relies prominently on minocycline. He stated, “Unlike the other tetracyclines, it tends not to cause yeast infections. Some infectious disease experts even believe that it even has a mild anti-yeast activity. Women can be on this medication for several years and not have any vaginal yeast infections.”
Kelley, you may be mistaking palliation for actual recovery. Dr. Mercola also agrees that it takes more time to achieve recovery: “In severe cases...remissions may take up to 3 to 5 years. "
More on yeast to follow..
Karen, thank you for posting your good results with Dr. Brown’s regimen. Your confusion re Benicar is understandable since in Dr. Brown’s day, it was not yet invented!
However, another biomedical researcher has taken Dr. Brown’s therapy to a whole new level. He discovered that Benicar, besides being extremely safe with no side effects for most people, actually POTENTIATES the bacteriostatic antibiotics and makes them much more effective against the CWD bacteria. It does this by re-activating the Vitamin D nuclear receptor, a key component of the immune system.
Karen, please be open to new information that’s been discovered about Vitamin D, which is not a nutrient at all but rather a very potent secosteroid which can have adverse effects for someone with rheumatoid arthritis. Please check out the links in my original post (above) to learn more.
Yeast infections are often misdiagnosed. The biomedical researcher who developed the most effective therapy yet to re-activate the immune system states:
“Maybe you are diagnosing it as a 'yeast problem' when it actually is a problem caused by those tiny, tiny bacteria, smaller even than yeast spores, called Cell Wall Deficient or L-forms. The immune system is not killing yeast co-infections because it is being over-excited by the intra-phagocytic bacteria which are causing the Th1 diseases. As you return to health, these problems disappear.
“The bacterial protein-synthesis-inhibiting antibiotics clear up the condition you are describing as 'yeast'. That does not necessarily mean the condition is a yeast infection secondary to CWD, although it certainly could be. It could be a misdiagnosis of 'yeast'.
“We are dealing with a very complex and interwoven set of issues, and I want to emphasize that they must be looked at as part of a larger 'whole' and that we should not force labels like 'yeast overgrowth' onto them and consider them solved.
“In any case, 'yeast medications' only temporarily help the condition - again a sign of misdiagnosis, IMO. Deal with the CWD and the 'yeast' symptoms disappear. Mine did. Half a century of 'jock itch' disappeared in just a few months."
I have read that the more antibiotics you take in a lifetime, the greater your chance of getting cancer. I do not know if this applies to bacteriostatic antibiotics or not, but since reading that, I have been afraid to take antibiotics unless it is an emergency. I have read that olive leaf extract works as a potent natural antibiotic and germs do not develop resistance to it. Does anybody here have actual experience in using the olive leaf extract?
housemaid203, yes, I took it when I was trying to get over flu some years ago, when it was quite a new product on the market. It didn't help, but that's only my experience.
Dr. Mercola,
Please write an article about this website:
http://www.treat-cancer.nl/
Curcumin is a powrful antiinflammatory. Good job!
That's good to know! I use curry a lot with has a small amount of curcumin in it. I also take a high dose of CoQ10 for nerve pain that really helps me. For almost a year I took 400 mgs of CoQ10. Now 200 mgs works better.
While I'm at it, here's my "rip 'em over the coals" essay on the Crestor 'study.' It explains what the real dangers Crestor has in store for anyone who might take it. And I tear up the makers of Crestor if you might enjoy that.
itsnotjustforsex.blogspot.com/.../crestor-miracle-not-so-fast.html
Mackamitsu:
For the back try an Inversion table, and exercises designed for the back, as for the breathing problems try one of the breathing exercisers,(Giaiam) or even a Yoga class. Whatever our health problems, there are always natural alternatives. One very big reason why I love this site, I am able to gather helpful information from those who contribute here. I hope this helps you as well.
Great article Doc!
It should be noted that all prescription and OTC drugs will disrupt hormonal balance long term. The body is comprised of a series of interconnected systems which should not be disrupted without a keen awareness of the long term negative consequences.
Almost half of the drugs approved by the Bureau of Chemistry/FDA over the past 50 years have been taken off the marketplace due to their delterious effect on human health.
Statistical contortionism runs amok with big pharma. It has to for their financial survival. The monies devoted to drug development place them under heavy duress to get approval from the government. A brief review of the Bressler report re Aspartame gives some insight as to the lenghts a company will go to for approval.
When the brilliant and prescient Thomas Edison said "The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease", little did we know at the time how accurate his statement would prove to be.
I wish this kind of thinking about finding the cause and not covering it, would go into mental health research. Instead of finding what are you lacking or what is not working, Psychiatrists load you with antipsychotics, anti depressants, anxiolitics , etc. , which only help partially and have a lot of side effects. I m Sure pharmaceutical firms do know, and mimic the needed substance, so they can charge a lot. Except the designed one is never the same as the original. HM
For years psychoanalysis has provided insight into the roots of emotional problems. Contemporary psychoanalysis, which adds relational, intersubjective, self psychology, and object relations theory, to traditional drive and ego psychology, is not your grandmother's psychoanalysis. And research exists showing the value of psychoanalysis. You might want to read Alan Schore's work on neuropsychology and psychoanalysis. At any rate, "talk therapy" is different from psychopharmacology. Psychoanalysis offers the opportunity to rediscover and integrate the disavowed parts of the self -- the feelings, thoughts, memories, desires, fantasies, that are an intrinsic part of who we are and yet have been internally interpreted as forbidden. With integration comes self-acceptance and self-knowledge and choice.
google orthomolecular medicine for theapies to help with mental health problems
What about the substance Serrapeptase then? No mention of it? Surprising! It is an anti-inflammatory and a good one too but not of the statin class; it is an enzyme. It also clears plaque from the arteries and clears lung infection but, more interestingly, it can be purchased OTC at HFSs and it is a benign substance with few, if any, side effects. My sister is convinced that it provides more restful sleep than the sleeping medication she has previously taken so this may be an additional effect.
Some Doctors who recommend Serrapeptase say that there are side affects for some people and that not enough research has been done, so they caution to take half the recommended dose and not to take it every day.
I would not take something, just because it works, with out knowing more about any possible side effects. Good thing we live in a free country so that your sister can.
Doesn't melatonin work for most all sleep issues? Has your sister tried it?
I just checked Wiki - this looks good. Two adverse reactions mentioned - but it seems a very much lower rate than most pharmaceutical goods.
Bless the humble silkworm!
Alan & Heather, I have been taking serrapeptase for around 14 years and have benefitted from its anti-inflammatory feature having had 4 serious falls during this period. What angers me is that in 1990 I had to have a quadruple by-pass yet the medics knew of the advantages of serrapeptase which clears arteries of plaque yet proceded with the operation and chose not to advise me of its potential and availability! I am tempted to suggest that any adverse side-effect is more likely to be directly related to some other, possibly, ill-health feature. It is an amazing substance that deserves more recognition than it has as yet received.
RevAlan, melatonin didn't work for me. I was so disappointed, as I thought it would help with my chronic insomnia.I think I have tried everything now, but not serrapeptase. So the instructions to 'get a good night's sleep' are never helpful.