Statin Drug Danger

The Vitamin C Foundation's STATIN DRUG ALERT Statins Can Damage Your Health THE HIDDEN ORIGIN OF STATIN DRUGS... Free Downloadable Revised and Expanded E-Book by Shane Ellison. Thanks Shane! "The cholesterol-lowering myth being spread by pharmaceutical companies worldwide could rightfully be considered the deadliest health myth in the history of man." - Shane Ellison, Medicinal Chemist THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOLESTEROL... Cholesterol Lowering Statin Drugs: A Risky Step? The research comes during a time when statins are now being questioned by doctors and patients alike. Dr. Golomb says, "From the reports that come into us, people are experiencing severe muscle weakness, which is also linked to cognitive problems." Those cognitive problems include everything from the inability to recall names or balance a checkbook to forgetting whole episodes. Statins, Calcium a Deadly Mix ... "A three-year follow-up on a study of people taking cholesterol-lowering statins, who had a heart attack, revealed that they had a significant amount of calcium in their coronary arteries... Now even the traditional doctors are questioning the benefits of taking statins." Facts About Coenzyme Q10... ARE YOU RISKING A HEART TRANSPLANT? DOES YOUR DOCTOR EVEN KNOW? "Contrary to various claims, knowledge of the devastating damage that anti-cholesterol drugs can have on human muscle cells is nothing new to the pharmaceutical industry. Quite the contrary: the pharmaceutical industry has known for at least 12 years that anti-cholesterol drugs impair the synthesis in the human body of the vital Coenzyme Q10. This has devastating consequences, and not only for the optimum functioning of cells in human muscle tissue." - Matthias Rath, MD An Epidemic of Congestive Heart Failure ... Heart Failure Epidemic... The Danger Has Been Known For About 13 Years... NSAIDs Cause 1 in 5 Heart Failures ... "The most startling fact about 2002 is that the combined profits for the ten drug companies in the Fortune 500 ($35.9 billion) were more than the profits for all the other 490 businesses put together ($33.7 billion).[12] When I say this is a profitable industry, I mean really profitable. It is difficult to conceive of how awash in money big pharma is." -Marcia Angell, a former editor of the New England Journal Of Medicine Statin cholesterol-lowering drugs are the top selling class of prescription medications and they earn their makers more than $20 billion annually. More than 25 million prescriptions have been dispensed world-wide, yet heart disease is still the leading cause of death in developed countries. Contrary to pharmaceutical-inspired propaganda, claims for artifical statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) are based on questionable science. These drugs are far from "safe." The biggest problem seems to be myopathy, probably caused by depleting the body of Coenzyme Q10 - a vitamin-like substance our bodies make that is required for energy. The heart has the highest concentration of CoQ10. We know from Merck's 1990 patents that the statin drugs interfere with our ability to make CoQ10. We speculate that the recent increase (some would say epidemic) of heart failure and need for heart transplantation is the direct result of overusing statin drugs. Few doctors know that there is a safe and effective alternative to statin drugs: Vitamin C. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) lowers cholesterol by safely inhibiting the same HMG CoA Reductase enzyme. This page compiles evidence showing that the drug companies are either lying or withholding critical information from U. S. doctors. According to the numbers in Merck's own patents (below), more than 125,000 people (world-wide) on these drugs can expect serious, even life-threatening side effects. The higher the dosage, the greater the risk. Avoid becoming a statistic! WHO WOULD RECOMMEND DRUGS TO HEART PATIENTS WHICH MAY INCREASE THEIR RISK OF HEART TRANSPLANTATION - WHEN THERE IS A CLEAR, SAFE AND MORE EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE? . . . Cholesterol Panel Issuing New Aggressive Guidelines Pointing To Wider Use Of Statins Does Not Reveal Ties To Drug Companies Manufacturing Those Drugs... Statins are more dangerous than Thalidomide. We Are Sleep-Walking Into What Could Become A Major Medical Disaster Because Statin Drugs Will Soon Be Sold Over-The-Counter Health Canada Is advising Canadians about a possible association between Crestor® and rhabdomyolysis ... [More Articles] 6-23-04 Lunatic Recommendations For Statin Drug Use 5/8/04 WHISTLEBLOWER FIRED AFTER EXPOSING DRUG COMPANY PAYMENTS TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS... OVER 4,000 DOCTORS FACE CHARGES IN ITALIAN DRUGS SCANDAL... How Could Drug Companies be so Evil? Pfizer Inc. now a convicted felon ... Drug firm threatened us, say MMR families ... ANOTHER LARGE WEB SITE DEVOTED TO POSSIBLE STATIN SIDE EFFECTS (statinalert.org) Warnings found in Canadian NEJM, but NOT required by FDA in US ads for the same Statin! Cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of Heart Transplantation... Myopathy is a rare but potentially severe adverse reaction associated with statins... "Avoiding the concomitant use of drugs with the potential to inhibit CYP-dependent metabolism (eg, amiodarone) or elimination of statins may decrease the risk of statin-associated myopathy. Alternatively, if drug therapy with a potent CYP inhibitor is inevitable, choosing a statin without relevant CYP metabolism (eg, pravastatin) should be considered." Careful examination of the literature on statin drugs reveals false premises, minimal to no benefits, serious side-effects leading to very low adherence rates,[8,21] and safer, low-cost alternatives for prevention of CVD deaths. STATIN DRUGS - A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RISK/BENEFIT CLINICAL RESEARCH... "Many well-funded sources attempt to justify the wide use of the statin drugs to lower TC and LDL (cholesterol) by citing references in support of the claims that high levels of TC and LDL have been correlated with cardiovascular disease. Such claims are unfounded, since high TC and LDL are well-correlated with age, which is a risk factor.[1,2] With age removed, there is almost no correlation, and certainly none that allows a worthwhile prediction of risk for a given individual." - Joel M. Kauffman, Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry Emeritus USP CORONARY ARTERIAL CALCIUM WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IN PATIENTS RECEIVING STATIN CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING DRUGS... "Progression of CAC was significantly greater in patients receiving statins who had an MI compared with event-free subjects despite similar LDL control. Continued expansion of CAC may indicate failure of some patients to benefit from statin therapy and an increased risk of having cardiovascular events." EXERCISE FAILS TO SLOW ATHEROSCLEROSIS PROGRESSION IN MEN TAKING STATINS... Statin Adverse Effects: Implications for the Elderly ... Mercola's Page on the science (or lack thereof) behind statin drugs... Statin Drugs' Mind-Boggling Effects... "Researcher Dr. Beatrice Golomb warns the studies generating the bulk of the positive press were funded by the companies that make the statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, like Pfizer, which earns $9 billion a year from Lipitor. Funded by the government and not the drug makers, Golomb is taking an independent look at studies already done on statins, pinpointing severe muscle problems, which Pfizer has disclosed, and cognitive dysfunction -- not mentioned in patient leaflets. "We have people who have lost thinking ability so rapidly that within the course of a couple of months they went from being head of major divisions of companies to not being able to balance a checkbook and being fired from their company," says Golomb, an assistant professor or medicine at the University of California in San Diego. Golomb says statins hamper the brain's performance and trigger other serious problems. She's leading an independent clinical trial to find out what harm statins may be doing. The results should be out in a few months. " Rhabdomyolysis induced by a single dose of a statin... Injuryboard.com: Rhabdomyolysis ... AstraZeneca Cautions British Doctors on High Dose Crestor... FDA reiterates rosuvastatin (Crestor cholesterol drug) warnings. Higher rates of muscle toxicities seen with 40-mg doses ... Group Asks FDA to Ban New Crestor® Cholesterol Lowering Drug... Public Citizen Sites Safety Concerns "A 39-year-old woman has died of a muscle-destroying condition linked to the controversial new anti-cholesterol drug Crestor, a consumer group said Thursday, citing 16 cases of serious side effects in urging a ban of the drug." LIFE AFTER LIPITOR... " Doug has never had a heart attack, and until the onset of the symptoms almost three years ago, was an active skier, biker and scuba diver. Now he is limited to walks on the treadmill. Doug traces his problems to a drug he started taking almost three years before his health began deteriorating - Lipitor. Two other Tahoe City locals have also experienced negative side effects from taking Lipitor or other statins, the name for a family of cholesterol-fighting pills. At first glance, Tahoe City resident Doug Peterson looks like he is recovering from a stroke. His speech is slurred, he has difficulty walking in a straight line, and he can't sign his own name. By afternoon, he is so fatigued he has to sit down for the rest of the day. When asked his age, Peterson says he is 52. His wife Karla, standing nearby, corrects him. He is 53." Cholesterol Drugs Tied to Birth Defects ... "U.S. government study finds an unusually high number of abnormalities in babies of women who took statins during first trimester of pregnancy. " THE BIGGEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL SCAM OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY... ... "While they might be hailed as 'miracle drugs' by the establishment, statins have been shown to cause muscle damage, liver dysfunction, fatigue, impaired mental function, and may even contribute to heart failure and cancer. In this article we will learn why statins are anything but "miraculous". Statins for women: a complete waste of time?... "Because women who take statins are every bit as susceptible to the toxic side effects of these drugs as their male counterparts (if not more so) it is only fair to mention that clinical trials have not provided any convincing evidence that statin drugs will save even one single female life." It's official: Statin proponents have lost their minds!.. Verbatim sample from Merck's 1990 statin Patent Number 4,933,165. "What is claimed is: 1. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a pharmaceutical carrier and an effective antihypercholesterolemic amount of an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and an amount of Coenzyme Q.sub.10 effective to counteract HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor-associated skeletal muscle myopathy. Myopathy: 1. Myopathies are diseases of skeletal muscle which are not caused by nerve disorders. ... 2. A group of disorders characterized by progressive muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue. ... 3. Muscular dystrophy (which is technically a form of myopathy) is far more severe. MISSION Warn Heart Patients About the Hidden Dangers of the Top Selling Statin Cholesterol Lowering Drugs... THE CLEAR ALTERNATIVE Vitamin C Vitamin C is the Original -- A "natural" -- Statin Ascorbic Acid as a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor VITAMIN C 'FANATICS' WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG "According to newly revealed science, the belittled mega-dose vitamin C users may be purchasing the cheapest and most effective health insurance one can buy." Citizen Petitions FDA To Promote CoQ10 For Use With Statin Drugs... Statins: Deplete the ubiquinone (vitamin-like) Coenzyme Q10 Change, weaken, damage or destroy muscle (depending on dose and concomitant use of other drugs) Do not slow atherosclerosis Induce sudden total memory loss Increase eye cataract risk Suppress immune function Are linked to cancer Have been linked for 10-years with Rhabdomyolysis and Myoglobinuria Have been linked with elevated transaminase (indicator of liver and kidney damage) Are linked to nerve damage Induce muscle pain Do not extend life Increase serum Lp(a) concentrations (Increasing odds of heart attack or stroke up to 70% SOURCE: CIRCULATION) Reduce left ventricular function, Elevate the lactate to pyruvate ratio Enhance LDL cholesterol oxidation Would be expected to interfere with any function (e.g. sex hormone production, hair growth, sleep, or proper brain and nerve function) that depends on cholesterol or CoQ10 Are prescribed to 13 million creating a $20b market (Est. 25 million world-wide) Are MORTAL (else will cause predicted 65,000 to 125,000 myopathies. SOURCE: Merck Patents) NOTE: Biopsy only reliable test for statin induced myopathy Should have warning per above Should be banned as useless and dangerous We do have some good news VITAMIN C " Vitamin C is the only vitamin repeatedly proven to increase the human lifespan when taken in doses that exceed dietary levels of this vitamin." -Bill Sardi, The New Truth About Vitamins & Minerals, Here and Now Books, 2003, STATINS: NO CHANGE IN MORTALITY RATES AFTER MILLIONS OF PILLS... LOW BLOOD VITAMIN-C STRONGLY PREDICTS MORTALITY... VITAMIN C PILLS EXTEND LIFE 6-YEARS (USC)... STATIN CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUGS INDUCE HEART FAILURE... VITAMIN C ONLY 1 OF 880 SUBSTANCES TO REGENERATE HEART MUSCLE CELLS... STATIN DRUGS LINKED TO SUDDEN MEMORY LOSS (TGA)... HIGH-DOSE VITAMIN C COMPLETELY PREVENTED DRUG-INDUCED AMNESIA IN MICE... VITAMIN E REDUCES MEMORY LOSS BY 36%... Airline Pilots Should Not Be taking Statins! MIXING STATIN CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUGS WITH ANTIBIOTICS CAN TRIPLE CATARACT RISK... MORE VITAMIN C AS PILLS REDUCE CATARACTS BY 77%... (Canadian ads tell us: "Effect on the Lens Current long-term data from clinical trials do not indicate an adverse effect on the human lense." while U. S. ads warn that antiobiotics can cause statin retention in blood stream up to 40% longer) STATIN DRUGS DAMAGE MUSCLE TISSUE, CAUSING WEAKNESS AND PAIN... SUPPLEMENTAL CARNITINE, ITS BUILDING BLOCKS VITAMIN C AND LYSINE, INCREASE MUSCLE STRENGTH... AMA WARNS STATINS MAY CAUSE CANCER... HALTING CANCER WITH VITAMIN C... LIPITOR® MAY SUPPRESS IMMUNE FUNCTION... VITAMIN C BOOSTS IMMUNE SYSTEM IN AS LITTLE AS 5 HOURS... Persistent Muscle Pain May Be Statin Drug-Induced... Nobelist Has Even Identified Heart Disease as A Vitamin C Deficiency Disease See: Why Vitamin C Lowers Lp(a)... [PDF]CITIZEN PETITION TO CHANGE THE LABELING FOR ALL STATIN DRUGS...9 of 700 pages submitted to FDA BAD NEWS ABOUT STATIN DRUGS... Vitamin C supplement could cut heart disease and diabetes... "Researchers at the University of California say that participants who took about 500 milligrams of vitamin C supplements per day saw a 24 per cent drop in plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels after two months" EXPERT: HALF OF POPULATION WILL BE TAKING STATINS.... "EVEN THOUGH THESE CHOLESTEROL DRUGS ACTUALLY CAUSE HEART DISEASE FEEDING A $300b 'HEART DISEASE INDUSTRY'..." Class Action Lawsuit Brewing Over Pfizer's Lipitor®... Cholesterol Drug Lipitor® Tied to Liver, Kidney Injury Plus: 65,000 U.S. myopathy cases expected (Source: Merck patent 4,933,165) Lipitor Side Effects... Public Citizen Issues DO NOT USE Safety Warning Against Newly Approved Cholesterol Drug Crestor®... "The Health Research Group made a formal presentation before the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee on July 9, 2003 strongly opposing the approval of rosuvastatin because of its unique kidney toxicity." Anyone who questions cholesterol usually finds his funding cut off... Cholestrol Drug Wars... "There is a direct association between falling cholesterol levels over the first 14 years and mortality over the following 18 years." And from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Honolulu Heart Program (an ongoing study that began in 1965 with more than 8,000 men), "Our data accord with previous findings of increased mortality in elderly people with low serum cholesterol, and show that long-term persistence of low cholesterol concentration actually increases the risk of death." STATIN DRUG INDUCES CELL DEATH IN CARDIOMYOCYTES THAT IS NOT REVERSIBLE BY COQ10... Prediction: "Any study that purports to show statins benefit heart patients: Has mischaracterized the data, or eventually, will be proven fraudulent." - Owen Fonorow, Vitamin C Foundation Why Hide the Data if the HPS Statin Benefits are so "Massive"? JAMA finds Association between Funding and Conclusions in Randomized Drug Trials... How to Avoid a Heart Transplant... ...Always read the fine print... ... if you happen to live in CanadaLipitor® depletes coenzyme Q10! Why are the following warnings in Pfizer's Canadian Lipitor® ads (New England Journal of Medicine) but not in the U.S. version? Effect on Ubiquinone (CoQ10) Levels Significant decreases in circulating levels in patients treated with atorvastatin and other statins have been observed. The clinical significance of a potential long-term statin-induced deficiency of ubiquinone has not been established. It has been reported that a decrease in myocardial ubiquinone levels could lead to impaired cardiac function in patients with borderline congestive heart failure (see SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY in product monograph). Entire Canadian ads with warnings not found for the same products in US advertisements. What God Giveth ... CoQ10 BASICS... "Coenzyme Q10 is prescribed in doses exceeding 100 mg per day to help the heart beat stronger and is also known for its ability to prevent cholesterol from hardening." - Bill Sardi, The New Truth About Vitamins and Minerals, 2003 Coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like substance related to the B-vitamins, available in health food stores and written up in the PDR. The following is excerpted from the PDR: "Coenzyme Q10 is an essential nutrient that is a cofactor in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, the biochemical pathway in cellular respiration from which ATP and metabolic energy is derived. Since nearly all cellular functions are dependent on energy, coenzyme Q10 is essential for the health of all human tissues and organs. The involvement of coenzyme Q10 as a Redox carrier of the respiratory chain is well established on the basis of both reconstitution studies and kinetic evidence. ...The Drug Companies/Statin Drugs Take Away.. Canadians know something else that Americans are not being told... Statins such as Lipitor® and Zocor® raise Lp(a) concentrations! More Reasons to Avoid Statin Drugs... " I have observed repeatedly that statin drugs, especially Lipitor, raise Lp(a) above the medical reference range. " More fine print from Lipitor®'s Canadian ads! "Effect on Lipoprotein (a) In some patients, the beneficial effect of lowered total cholesterol and LDL-C levels may be partly blunted by a concomitant increase in Lp(a) lipoprotein concentrations. Present knowledge suggests the importance of high Lp(a) levels as an emerging risk factor for coronary heart disease. It is thus desirable to maintain and reinforce lifestyle changes in high risk patients placed on atorvasatin therapy. (see SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY in product monograph.). WHILE STATIN DRUGS DEPLETE CO Q10 LEVELS... VITAMIN C IS REQUIRED FOR CoQ10 PRODUCTION IN THE BODY "The synthesis of CoQ10 requires several other B vitamins and ascorbate (vitamin C), so not having these cofactors around will interrupt the production of proper amounts of endogenous CoQ10. Symptoms include congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, angina, mitral valve prolapse, stroke, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, fatigue, gingivitis and susceptibility to infection." - Suzy Cohen, RPh THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CoQ10 AND LP(a)? Serum concentration of lipoprotein(a) decreases on treatment with hydrosoluble coenzyme Q10 in patients with coronary artery disease: discovery of a new role... Hypothesis: MORE VIT C -> MORE CO-Q10 -> LOWER Lp(a) MORE STATINS -> LESS CO-Q10 -> HIGHER Lp(a) American heart patients and their doctors should also be aware that people with elevated Lp(a) levels are 70% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. (Source: Oxford meta-analysis of 27 large clinical studies published in the American Heart Association journal CIRCULATION 09/04/2000). According to Twice Nobel Prize winning Chemist Linus Pauling, circulating Lp(a) cholesterol, acting as a surrogate for low vitamin C, leads to atherosclerosis. POSTULATE No Human Who Consistently Consumes 10 or More Grams of Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) Daily Has Heart Disease "Cardiologists are being duped by drug company efforts to expand markets. They love these statin drugs because patients keep coming back, yet the explosive research on vitamin C is being kept from American doctors. Forget malpractice, IGNORING VITAMIN C, WHILE MARKETING AND PRESCRIBING STATIN DRUGS FOR HEART PATIENTS BORDERS ON CRIMINAL!" - Owen Fonorow, Project Leader Artificially Lowering LDL by Depleting CoQ10 and increasing Lp(a) are wrong for heart patients...Heres why: AGGRESSIVE LIPID LOWERING DOES NOT SLOW ATHEROSCLEROSIS... Study: Supplements Halt Progression of Early Coronary Atherosclerosis Documented by Ultrafast Computed Tomography... JAMA: Serial coronary angiographic evidence that antioxidant vitamin intake reduces progression of coronary artery atherosclerosis *Unpublished 2 Year UK study in 200 males showed vitamin C and lysine HALTS atherosclerosis... July 2003 85,000 nurses over 16-year study at Harvard finds vitamin C pills prevent heart disease... A single pill daily might save 300,000 lives per year, yet doctors say they want more studies!?! VITAMIN C HAS BEEN KNOWN TO CURE OVER 30 MAJOR DISEASES FOR OVER 50 YEARS... SURVEY OF THE SCIENCE: PROVEN HEALTH BENEFITS OF VITAMIN C... Professional athletes rarely tolerate statin tre atment because of muscular problems... Yale: Statin Cholesterol Drugs Risks Outweigh CAD Benefits in the Elderly... "We present the case that can be made for not treating octogenarians with statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. This case is built on three points: 1) cholesterol levels are not associated with cardiovascular disease events in octogenarians without overt coronary artery disease; 2) no randomized, controlled trials have assessed the role of statins in reducing events in octogenarians without coronary artery disease; and 3) statins may increase risks of myositis, rhabdomyolysis, and cancer in the elderly. " FOOD FOR THOUGHT TISSUE CONCENTRATIONS OF COENZYME Q10 Tissue CoQ10 Concentration (mcg/gram) Heart 114.0 Kidney 66.5 Liver 54.9 Pancrease 32.7 Brain 13.4 Colon 10.7 - Stephen Sinatra, MD, THE COENZYME Q10 PHENOMENON BMJ META-ANALYSIS: LOWERING CHOLESTEROL DOES NOT REDUCE MORTALITY AND IS UNLIKELY TO PREVENT CORONARY HEART DISEASE... CLINICAL TRIAL: LDL CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DID NOT CHANGE CALCIFIED PLAQUE PROGRESSION... LOWERING CHOLESTEROL DOES NOT REDUCE PLAQUE... CHOLESTEROL IS NEEDED FOR BRAIN CELLS TO COMMUNICATE... BEYOND THE LIPID HYPOTHESIS... Exposing the Fallacy that Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Cause Heart Disease High cholesterol may protect against infections and atherosclerosis - Uffe Ravnskov MD, PhD "Statin-induced CoQ10 depletion has been documented in 15 animal studies in six different animal species and has been shown to correlate with decreased ATP production, increased ischemia reperfusion injury, skeletal muscle injury and increased mortality. There are 15 published trials on statin-induced CoQ10 depletion in humans. Of these 15 trials, nine were controlled trials, eight of which documented significant CoQ10 depletion. Statin-induced CoQ10 depletion has been shown to be associated with a fall in left ventricular function, an elevation of lactate to pyruvate ratio and an enhancement of LDL cholesterol oxidation. The current data on diastolic dysfunction further confirms the clinical importance of this drug-nutrient interaction. Statin-induced CoQ10 depletion is well documented in animal and human studies with detrimental cardiac consequences in both animal models and human trials. Furthermore, this drug-induced nutrient deficiency is dose-related and more notable in settings of pre-existing CoQ10 deficiency such as in the elderly and in heart failure. Finally, statin-induced CoQ10 deficiency is completely preventable with supplemental CoQ10 with no adverse impact on the cholesterol lowering or anti-inflammatory properties of the statin drugs. " DANGER: STATIN DRUGS LIPITOR® AND ZOCOR® DAMAGE INTERNAL ORGANS... MERCK INVENTS, NEVER IMPLEMENTS SOLUTION TO STATIN INDUCED Co-Q10 DEPLETION/LIVER DAMAGE PROBLEM... From the 1990 patent... "In its application to the counteraction of liver damage and, in particular, elevated transaminase levels, the present invention is accordingly to be understood as providing for the avoidance of liver damage and elevated transaminase levels where this may otherwise occur as well as the amelioration of said damage and elevated transaminase. The term counteracting is accordingly to be understood as connecting both a precautionary or prophylactic as well as curative or treatmental function. In accordance with the method of the present invention, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and CoQ.sub.10 can be administered separately at different times during the course of therapy or concomitantly in divided or single combination forms. Thus treatment with CoQ.sub.10 can commence prior to, subsequent to or concurrent with the commencement of HMG-CoA reductase treatment. The present invention is to be understood as embracing all such regimes of treatment and the term "adjunct administration" is to be interpreted accordingly." - U. S. Patent 4,929437. CHOLESTEROL 'THEORY' DEAD WRONG... CHOLESTEROL THEORY WRONG - PART II WHY THE CHOLESTEROL THEORY IS WRONG - PART III... WHY THE CHOLESTEROL-HEART DISEASE THEORY IS WRONG - PART IV... SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT DIETARY FAT... Skeptics: There is no connection between the amount of cholesterol in your blood and your risk of a heart attack!... WHAT IF IT'S ALL HAS BEEN A BIG FAT LIE... "At Framingham, we found that the people who ate the most saturated fat, the most cholesterol and the most calories weighed the least, were more physically active and had the lowest serum cholesterol levels." - William Castelli, M.D., Director of the Framingham Study. The Archives of Internal Medicine, July 1992, Vol. 152, pages 1371-72. WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORT ON STATIN DANGERS... " According to the article, cholesterol is the most common organic molecule in the brain. Some researchers theorize that blocking cholesterol production, as statins do, interferes with the brains performance and causes muddied thinking and memory loss. You take these fragile elderly people, lower their cholesterol in half and deplete them of this essential nutrient and it makes sense they're going to have trouble. I think were going to see some real trouble if were not careful. " Interview with Statin Researcher Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD: Question: What are the common complaints of patients who take statins? Dr. Golomb: The most common problems we hear reported pertain to muscle pain or weakness, fatigue, memory and cognitive problems, sleep problems, and neuropathy. Erectile dysfunction, problems with temperature regulation (feeling hot or cold, or having sweats), are among the other problems reported Question: What advice would you give to elderly people about their cholesterol levels? Dr. Golomb: Among older elderly persons, for instance those over age 75 or 80, higher cholesterol is actually associated with living longer, rather than with dying earlier. Entire Interview with NIH Statin Researcher Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD Statins and the Risk of Polyneuropathy, a disorder that involves the slow progressive (or recurrent) inflammation of multiple nerves The creatine kinase or CK blood test that doctors rely on to diagnose statin-induced myopathy is an inadequate diagnostic tool "The authors of this study found that some patients receiving statins develop myopathy (muscle weakness that can result in acute renal failure and even death), even though they have normal serum CK levels. The authors note that a muscle biopsy might be the only adequate test for those patients who experience muscle pain and weakness while on statins." Furthermore, we found the following information on the Pfizer Canada web site: From our experts: "Scroll to page 7, Warnings. Note Lipitor potential for liver damage is increased by alcohol consumption. Also since Lipitor is metabolized by the Cytochrome P450 enzyme system, taking it with grapefruit juice which contains naringen, a Cytochrome P450 antagonist could amplify Lipitor's potential to cause myopathy. Myopathy is any disease or abnormal condition of striated muscle. This is brought about because lipitor reduces ubiquitone levels (page 9). Note that the use of NIACIN may make the myopathy worse. Myopathy leads to congestive heart failure. (The antidote is 60-500 mg of coQ10 and 500 mg- 1500 mg of L-Carnitine daily). All this is missing from the U.S. version. Continuing on page 9 is the Lp(a) warning. The only lifestyle change that could help reduce Lp(a) other than Paulings vitamin C/lysine therapy is to avoid trans fats which increase both LDL and Lp(a) while DECREASING HDL. The only recognized agent by orthodox medicine for lowering Lp(a) is niacin, which is contraindicated with Lipitor." - Foundation technical advisor Ralph Lotz You must have Microsoft Word to download this file. [http://www.pfizer.ca/our%20products/pfizer%20pharmaceutical%20group/lipitor/default.asp?s=1] REPORT: HIGH VITAMIN C LOWERS BAD CHOLESTEROL MORE THAN STATINS... "I've never seen such a drop in cholesterol numbers... If cardiologists knew this, they would be recommending Pauling's vitamin C/lysine therapy to all their patients." [Laboratory Reports]HEART DISEASE AS CHRONIC SCURVY: A COMPLETE UNIFIED VITAMIN-C THEORY AND TREATMENT PROTOCOL PROPOSED BY A TWICE NOBEL PRIZE WINNING CHEMIST... Yet, most cardiologists are completely unaware... THIS VITAMIN C (CO-Q10) THERAPY WOULD COST DRUG FIRMS TENS OF BILLIONS EVERY YEAR... MAYBE ITS TIME TO EMAIL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON AND ASK WHY? RADIO INTERVIEW ON VITAMIN C AND HEART DISEASE...(Requires RealPlayer) THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOLESTEROL... WHY THEY LIE... An Opinion by Owen Fonorow FOOD FOR THOUGHT " Two studies were conducted on the combined cholesterol lowering properties of statin drugs combined with niacin (vitamin B3). The drug/B vitamin combination effectively lowered total and LDL "bad" cholesterol as well as triglycerides. But when supplemental antioxidants such as vitamin C and E were added to the statin drug/niacin regimen, the reduction in cholesterol was blunted. This led researchers to mistakenly claim that supplemental antioxidants simply have no place in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. These studies mischaracterize antioxidants. The statin drug and niacin combination impair liver function, may elevate liver enzyme levels which required repeated testing, can include muscle soreness and muscle disorder that can be MORTAL, whereas the antioxidants were protecting the liver and preventing the toxicity caused by the drugs. " -Bill Sardi, The New Truth About Vitamins & Minerals, Here and Now Books, 2003, Pg. 20. THE SALES OF JUST ONE STATIN DRUG FOR JUST ONE YEAR COULD FUND THE PURCHASE OF 12-15 MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS...OR PERHAPS EVERY MAJOR NEWSPAPER IN THE UNITED STATES... STATIN DRUGS DON'T PREVENT FRACTURES... DANGER: STATIN DRUGS LIPITOR® AND ZOCOR® KILL... MERCK'S CO-Q10 DEPLETION/LIVER & KIDNEY DAMAGE PATENT 4,929,437...NEVER IMPLEMENTED "Although cholesterol-lowering therapy through the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors is generally free of side reactions, it would be of considerable benefit to counteract the increased transaminase levels observed in a small number of patients. " MERCK'S CO-Q10 DEPLETION/MYOPATHY PATENT 4,933,165... NEVER IMPLEMENTED "The Physician's Desk Reference states that myalgia has been associated with lovastatin therapy. Tobert states that in a very small number of patients (0.5 percent or 65,000 of 13 million on statins!) myopathy appeared to be associated with lovastatin therapy. Concomitant therapy with immunosuppressant drugs, including cyclosporine, with gemfibrozil or niacin or a combination, appears to increase the risk of myopathy. The myopathy is reversible upon discontinuance of lovastatin therapy. " Theory was clear for over a decade How Statins Cause Myopathy & Neuropathy More Reasons to Avoid Statin Drugs... " I have observed repeatedly that statin drugs, especially Lipitor, raise Lp(a) above the medical reference range. " The Truth About Cholesterol Lowering Drugs... Letter to the FDA about statins... KNOWN ADVERSE SIDE-EFFECTS OF LIPITOR® AND OTHER "STATIN" DRUGS FROM MERCK'S OWN PATENT... DOCTORS URGE WARNING LABELS FOR STATIN DRUGS... SALES OF TOP SELLING DRUG (STATIN LIPITOR® $6.5B) TRIPLE GLOBAL SALES OF ALL VITAMINS ($2B) SALES OF ONE STATIN CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUG EXCEED $4 BILLION PER YEAR (NOW 6.7B!)... IMPOSTER... /impóster/ n. (also im·pos´tor) 1 A web site for patients and physicians searching for information concerning Statin Therapy and related issues 2 acronym: Is Myopathy Part Of Statin Therapy? Rx COSTS RISING BY MORE THAN 17% PER YEAR... BLOCKBUSTER DRUGS EXCEED $1 BILLION IN SALES... LAWSUIT DOCUMENTS DETAIL DRUG MAKERS PAYING BIG BUCKS ($3 BILLION) TO SWAY SALES... STATIN DRUGS FAIL HALF OF UK HEART PATIENTS... INVESTOR TAKE ON CRESTOR... THE IMPORTANCE OF CRESTOR FOR ASTRAZENECA... SWEDES SHUN CRESTOR... US BLOW TO ASTRAZENECA... PUBLIC CITIZEN WARNS AGAINST NEW STATIN DRUG... HEART DRUG SCARE ROW... STATINS TO REDUCE CHOLESTEROL: THE CANCER CONNECTION Zocor® Ads Claim "Massive" Benefits, Point to Oxford Heart Protection Study... Oxford Researchers Keeping HPS Data to themselves... "Cardiologists are being duped by drug company efforts to expand markets. They love these drugs because patients keep coming back, yet the explosive research on vitamin C is being kept from American doctors. Forget malpractice, MARKETING AND PRESCRIBING STATIN DRUGS FOR HEART PATIENTS BORDERS ON CRIMINAL!" - Owen Fonorow, Project Leader ALERT US TO POSITIVE STATIN REPORTS The news is filled with positive reports about statins. We often hear that these drugs "make people live longer", "prevent Alzhiemers", "improve memory", "reduce CRP", "are the safest drugs known", etc. When you see such a report, please let us know the date, publication, author and synopsis. Thank you. Statin Alert Press Release Complaints/Letters to FDA/FTC[RTF] 13 MILLION ON STATINS... Prediction: The Anti-Statin Class Action Lawsuit Against Merck/Pfizer Will be the Largest in History. Our advice... SELL PHARMACEUTICALS STOCKS! ... And cancel drug company executives's visas! Low Cholesterol Predicts Death in Elderly... 'Ape diet' equals cholesterol drugs ... Sat, 14 Dec 2002 14:40:43 -0500 by Guest, #619 Does Lipitor cause hair loss. I've been on lipitor for about 9 months and have experienced quite a bit of hair loss and continue to lose a lot. It also has quit growing in the front. BMJ: Only 6% of drug advertising material is supported by evidence... ...94% of the information as no basis in scientific evidence... The clinical use of HMG CoA-reductase inhibitors and the associated depletion of coenzyme Q10... " We are currently in the midst of a congestive heart failure epidemic in the United States. Statin-induced CoQ10 deficiency is completely preventable with supplemental CoQ10 with no adverse impact on the cholesterol lowering or anti-inflammatory properties of the statin drugs." STATIN DRUGS - A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RISK/BENEFIT CLINICAL RESEARCH... Potential drug interaction between simvastatin (Zocor®) and danazol causing rhabdomyolysis... Severe polymyositis with simvastatin (Zocor®) use... Artificial statins (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, as a class cause skeletal myopathy, but depletion of CoQ10 may not be the primary cause... Lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug, decreased plasma cholesterol and cardiac tissue coenzyme Q10 levels in guinea pigs given 20 mg per kg body weight twice a day... Coenzyme Q10 values in cardiac muscle and cardiac mitochondria of the treated, older group were decreased 31% and 37%, respectively... Adverse drug interaction between statin therapy in any patient receiving anticoagulation therapy... Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol... High cholesterol may protect against infections and atherosclerosis... WHO AMONG US HAS THE POWER TO ROUTINELY PLANT FAKE HEALTH-SCIENCE NEWS REPORTS IN THE MASS MEDIA?... Drug vs Supplement Dangers ... "..."the marketing budget alone of the drug companies is 50% greater than the total retail sales for every vitamin, mineral, or herbal product sold in the United States... If we put these statistics into monetary figures it is estimated that the cost of drug-related illness and mortality is likely now over $200 billion annually. (3) To put this dollar amount into perspective this amount is more than the total cost of treating diabetes or heart disease in the United States."... Adverse reactions (ADRs) to prescription drugs are estimated to kill over 106,000 Americans every year (These sobering statistics do not include the number of ADRs that occur outside the hospital or the estimated 350,000 ADRs that occur in U.S. nursing homes each year.2), yet all it seems that the media is interested in is inaccurately portraying the dietary supplement industry as dangerous and "unregulated." I think a little perspective is in order.... MONITORING THE BIG PHARMA PROPAGANDA MACHINE Here are some recent propaganda examples that promote the sale of just one class of top selling prescription drugs -- statin cholesterol lowering drugs. These stories all appeared in the past week: Statin Drugs Reduce Strokes...(These are the same researchers who keep their "heart Protection Study" mortality data secret. This stroke result could very well be for statins + antioxidants. They don't (and won't) tell us...) Scientists overturn accepted theory of disease (Tell that to Ames' rats. Why attack antioxidants? Hmmm ... let me think) Statins reduce sepsis in ITU patients...(Huh?) Cholesterol-lowering drug greatly reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack...(Small, one-year study. This report is printed in various forms, designed to look like multiple studies. Apparently news "reporters" care little about persepective.) Heart patient's lives saved by cheap four-drug combo (Don't bet your life on it.) More Potent Therapy Slows Plaque Build-Up.. (These drug companies can afford advertising. But they get these free news stories all the time...) HDL Cholesterol(Must perpetuate the myth that cholesterol causes heart disease...) Atkins diet dangerous for kids. (High fat diets cause public to question the entire cholesterol-caues-heart-disease myth.) Diabetic women heart attack deaths drop dramatically...(Maybe cardiology IS doing something right? Nah.) Sleep Soundly for Heart Health... and Post-Traumatic Stress Boosts Heart Attack Risk... and Walking good for the heartand Eating fiber reduces risk of Heart Disease...(Ever wonder why there are so many confusing reports about Heart Disease? Deliberate confusion provides cover -- for cardiology and the medical profession. Doctors can later say with a straight face, "How were we to know which claim was real?", especially after the Pauling/Rath heart disease theory and cure becomes public and undeniable... Blame Insulin, Not Cholesterol http://web.indstate.edu/thcme/mwking/cholesterol.html This is awesome stuff. Cholesterol synthesis is supposed to be self limiting . What screws things up is insulin. Insulin activates cholesterol synthesis. Glucagon and epinephrine shut it off. Thus Atkins is right and so is Sears. High consumption of carbohydrates and high insulin levels drive cholesterol production out of wack. Nobody needs statins to control cholesterol. The body has two systems to do it itself. Don't add statins, remove sugar. God bless John Yudkin too! Get this, "Since the intracellular level of cAMP is regulated by hormonal stimuli, regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis is hormonally controlled. Insulin leads to a decrease in cAMP, which in turn activates cholesterol synthesis. Alternatively, glucagon and epinephrine, which increase the level of cAMP, inhibit cholesterol synthesis. The ability of insulin to stimulate, and glucagon to inhibit, HMGR activity is consistent with the effects of these hormones on other metabolic pathways. The basic function of these two hormones is to control the availability and delivery of energy to all cells of the body. Long-term control of HMGR activity is exerted primarily through control over the synthesis and degradation of the enzyme. When levels of cholesterol are high, the level of expression of the HMGR gene is reduced. Conversely, reduced levels of cholesterol activate expression of the gene. Insulin also brings about long-term regulation of cholesterol metabolism by increasing the level of HMGR synthesis." Cholesterol is getting the blame. The villain is insulin. High sugar levels cause scorbutic conditions of the epithelium. (Glucose competes with ascorbate) This is what causes the lesions! Physics dictates that this should happen at the points of highest physical stress-which is exactly what happens.Thus the oxidized LDL theory is also bogus. Normally, high LDL levels should signal the cessation of cholesterol synthesis. The signal is being overridden by insulin. Cardiovascular disease is scurvy! Ralph Lotz MILLIONS INJURED BY PRESCRIPTION DRUG INDUCED DISORDERS... CONVERTING MILLIONS OF HEALTHY PEOPLE INTO PERPETUAL PATIENTS... MEDICAL DOCTORS ARE A (THE?) LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE U.S.... CHRISTIAN COALITION LOBBYING AGAINST CHEAP IMPORTS RECEIVING CLANDESTINE HELP FROM THE DRUG INDUSTRY... PFIZER/PHARMACIA MERGER - THE BIGGEST JUST GOT BIGGER... Federal Prison For Quackbusters? ... We vote Yea! U.S. S722 'EXTREME AND UNNECESSARY EXPANSION OF FDA AUTHORITY OVER DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS'... SUPPLEMENT REGULATION: WHO'S BEHIND IT, AND WHY YOU SHOULD OPPOSE IT... THE RIGHT TO BUY ESSENTIAL SUPPLEMENTS... THE SHOCKING TRUTH BEHIND PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES... Do you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company to obtain the active ingredient in a prescription medication? Life Extension did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA. From Life Extension Foundation WHAT DRUGS REALLY COST BRAND NAME CONSUMER PRICE (For 100 tabs/caps) COST OF GENERIC ACTIVE INGREDIENT (For 100 tabs/caps) PERCENT MARKUP Xanax 1mg $136.79 $0.024 569,958% Prozac 20 mg $247.47 $0.11 224,973% Norvasc 10 mg $188.29 $0.14 134,493% Tenormin 50 mg $104.47 $0.13 80,362% Prilosec 20 mg $360.97 $0.52 69,417% Vasotec 10 mg $102.37 $0.20 51,185% Prevacid 30 mg $344.77 $1.01 34,136% Claritin 10 mg $215.17 $0.71 30,306% Celebrex 100 mg $130.27 $0.60 21,712% Zoloft 50mg $206.87 $1.75 11,821% Keflex 250 mg $157.39 $1.88 8,372% Zithromax 600mg $1,482.19 $18.78 7,892% Lipitor 20 mg $272.37 $5.80 4,696% Zocor 40mg $350.27 $8.63 4,059% Paxil 20 mg $220.27 $7.60 2,898% Zestril 20 mg $89.89 $3.20 2,809% A significant percentage of drugs sold in the United States contain active ingredients that are actually synthesized in other countries. Drug companies import these active ingredients into the United States where they wind up in the expensive drugs you buy at the local pharmacy. While the FDA says you cannot trust drugs from other countries, the facts are that most of the drugs sold in the United States contain active ingredients synthesized in the very countries the FDA says you cannot trust. More Bad News Blockbuster Drug a "Hoax"... "The manufacturer of the seizure medication gabapentin (NEURONTIN) illegally promoted the drug to prescribing physicians for at least 11 "off-label" (unapproved) medical conditions, using their own employees, euphemistically called "medical liaisons." Many of the bases for the safety and effectiveness of gabapentin for these 11 unapproved uses appears to have been fabrications by the corporation. This included paying physicians to appear as the authors of medical journal articles on unapproved uses for gabapentin when the articles had actually been written by others working under the direction of the company's marketing department. " Drug industry eyes whistleblower suit ... WHISTLEBLOWER CHARGES DRUG COMPANY WITH DECEPTIVE PRACTICES... FEDS BACK WHISTLEBLOWER IN LAWSUIT AGAINST PFIZER... Pfizer Working With Federal Prosecutors in Probe of Drug Marketing... FDA SLAPS ANOTHER DRUG MAKER FOR MISLEADING CLAIMS... DO YOU WORK FOR A DRUG COMPANY AND KNOW ABOUT FRAUD OR FALSE CLAIMS? YOU CAN MAKE A LOT OF MONEY AS A WHISTLEBLOWER... " There are many important aspects of filing a potential claim under the False Claims Act. First, be careful to only discuss your information with an Attorney who can assist you in evaluating the merit of your potential claim. Disclosure of the details of your potential claim to the media or other individuals prior to filing suit may prohibit you from sharing in any recovery. Next, being the first to file a potential claim is vital. Only the first individual to file a claim has the right to share in any recovery. Even if your knowledge is greater and you are not the first to file, you may be denied from sharing in any recovery." 10,000 Canadian deaths per year caused by Health Canada's hiding drug reaction information... Vitamin C Foundation TheCureForHeartDisease.com Bolen Report