Pharmacy solutions (7- 2009).pub

Managing Generation Rx …From Toddlers to Retirees
July 2009
Solutions
Cholesterol is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease
Did you know that there are important facts you haven't Cholesterol; Wrongly Accused?
been told about cholesterol, heart disease and commonly prescribed cholesterol-reducing drugs? Cholesterol is not the major culprit in heart disease or any disease. If it becomes oxidized it can irritate/inflame tis- Facts that — if you only knew them — could make all sues in which it is lodged in, such as the endothelium the difference between a long life with an active and vig- (lining of the arteries). This would be one of numerous orous lifestyle . . . and a remaining lifetime of debilitating causes of chronic inflammation that can injure the lining of arteries. However, many good fats are easily oxidized such as omega-3 fatty acids, but it does not mean that you FACT: Yes, it's true that heart disease is the number one
killer in the United States. And men over 40 are particu-larly vulnerable. But, who else will tell you that 50% of Common sense would indicate that we should avoid the all strokes and heart attacks have absolutely nothing to do oxidation (rancidity) of cholesterol and fatty acids and not get rid of important life-giving molecules. Using the same conventional medical thinking that is being used for Certainly not the big drug companies. And probably not cholesterol would lead one to believe that doctors should even your own doctor . . . So why are cholesterol- reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by taking out eve- reducing drugs (or statins, as they're called) becoming as common as aspirin, with commercials running non-stop on primetime TV? In fact, cholesterol is being transported to tissues as part of an inflammatory response that is there to repair dam- FACT: Drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Crestor and
Mevacor carry serious health risks — destruction The fixation on cholesterol as a major cause of heart dis- ease defies the last 15 years of science and deflects from real causes such as the damage (via glycation) that sugars such as glucose and fructose inflict on tissues, including the lining of arteries, causing chronic inflammation and Before we can begin to talk about the real cause and ef- ins like Baycol had to be pulled from the market due to fective treatment for heart and blood vessel disease, we must first look at what is known, or should I say what we How many of the 12 million Americans now taking these think we know. The first thing that comes to mind when drugs for their heart health understand that they are (often one hears about heart disease is almost always choles- dangerously) treating the symptoms and not the cause of
terol. Cholesterol and heart disease has been almost syn- onymous for the last half-century. Cholesterol has been portrayed as the Darth Vader to our arteries and our heart. Ginger Campbell, Pharmacy Benefit Consultant Managing Generation Rx …From Toddlers to Retirees
The latest recommendation given by a so-called panel of Statin Drugs Actually Increase Heart Disease
"experts" recommends that a person's cholesterol be as Indeed, low cholesterol levels have been shown to worsen patients with congestive heart failure, a life- larly the so-called "statins" need to be serious side effects is that they work by inhibiting a vital many children. The fact that this might add to the $26 enzyme that manufactures cholesterol in the liver. How- billion in sales of statin drugs last year I'm sure played no ever, the same enzyme is used to manufacture coenzyme Q10, which is a biochemical needed to transfer energy from food to our cells to be used for the work of staying Expert Conflict of Interests
Statin drugs are known to inhibit our very important pro-duction of coenzyme Q10. Importantly, while many car- Major consumer groups think so. They found out that diologists insist that lowering cholesterol is correlated eight of the nine "experts" that made the recommenda- with a reduction in the risk of heart attacks; few can say tions were on the payroll of pharmaceutical companies that there is a reduction in the risk of mortality (death). that manufacture those drugs. Major scientific organiza- That has been much harder to show. In other words it has tions have chastised medical journals for allowing the never been conclusively shown that lowering cholesterol pharmaceutical industry to publish misleading results and saves lives. In fact, several large studies have shown that half-truths. There is a major push under way to force the lowering cholesterol into the range currently recom- pharmaceutical industry (and others) to publish results of mended is correlated with an increased risk of dying, es- all of their studies, and not just the ones that appear posi- tive. The studies that showed negative results would be forced to be published also. No Such Thing as Good and Bad Cholesterol
It could be that lowering cholesterol might not be as Because the correlation of total cholesterol with heart healthy as we are being told. More and more studies are disease is so weak, many years ago a stronger correlation was sought. It was found that there is so-called "good cholesterol" called HDL, and that the so-called "bad cho- lesterol" was LDL. HDL stands for high-density lipopro- tein, and LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. Notice please that LDL and HDL are lipoproteins -- fats com- bined with proteins. There is only one cholesterol. There is no such thing as a good or a bad cholesterol. Choles- terol is just cholesterol. It combines with other fats and proteins to be carried through the bloodstream, since fat many patients experience on cholesterol-lowering drugs, and our watery blood do not mix very well. however most do not realize that these drugs are to blame. Fatty substances therefore must be shuttled to and from our tissues and cells using proteins. LDL and HDL are forms of proteins and are far from being just cholesterol. In fact we now know there are many types of these fat Ginger Campbell, Pharmacy Benefit Consultant Managing Generation Rx …From Toddlers to Retirees
LDL particles come in many sizes and large LDL parti- So Why Take Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs?
cles are not a problem. Only the so-called small dense LDL The pharmaceutical companies thought that you might ask that. They went back to the drawing board. They did more "research" and found (coincidentally) that statin drugs had anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore we're cur- rently being told to stay on our cholesterol-lowering drugs because now they work by reducing inflammation and perhaps not even by reducing cholesterol, and in fact perhaps in spite of it. Aspirin reduces inflammation for a lot less money. So does vitamin E, and fish oil, and die- tary changes without the dangers of drugs and having than others. Knowing just your total cholesterol tells you very Cholesterol Risk Quiz
Are you at risk? Test your knowledge!
1. Too much LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol—also called the bad cholesterol), can lead
Cholesterol is the Hero, not the Villain
to plaque buildup on artery walls.
It was determined many years ago that the majority of cholesterol in your bloodstream comes from what your liver is manufacturing and distributing. The amount of 2. A total cholesterol level of less than 200mg/dL is desir-
cholesterol that one eats plays little role in determining your cholesterol levels. It is also known that HDL shut- tles cholesterol away from tissues, and away from your arteries, back to your liver. That is why HDL is called the 3. Headaches and weight gain are common symptoms of
"good cholesterol;" because it is supposedly taking cho- high cholesterol.
lesterol away from your arteries. But let's think about 4. Saturated and trans fats are the most unhealthy fats.
Why does your liver make sure that you have plenty Why is HDL taking cholesterol back to your liver? 5. High cholesterol is always treated with medication.
Why not take it right to your kidneys, or your intes- 6. Cholesterol is found in foods obtained from animals
It is taking it back to your liver so that your liver can re- including meat, dairy and eggs.
cycle it; put it back into other particles to be taken to tis- sues and cells that need it. Your body is trying to make and conserve the cholesterol for the precise reason that it 7. Fiber helps lower cholesterol.
is so important, indeed vital, for health. One function of cholesterol is to keep your cell mem- 8. Children don’t get high cholesterol.
branes from falling apart. As such, you might consider cholesterol your cells "superglue." It is a necessary ingre- dient in any sort of cellular repair. The coronary disease associated with heart attacks is now known to be caused Ginger Campbell, Pharmacy Benefit Consultant from damage to the lining of those arteries. That damage causes inflammation. The coronary disease that causes heart attacks is now considered to be caused mostly from chronic inflammation.

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