The Folly of Statins and Their Link with Hormones
Everyone is talking about their cholesterol levels and straining their eyes to read nutrition labels that are more misleading than helpful. They want to make sure they are not eating any egg or meat cholesterol because they figure it will end up in their blood stream. In reality, the liver converts absorbed dietary cholesterol immediately into bile salts before it ever gets into the systemic circulation. These salts are then used for the digestion of other dietary fats. In other words there is no beef cholesterol floating around in beef eaters.

THE CHOLESTEROL CONTROVERSY
Scientific literature reveals many contradictions in the so called “lipid hypothesis”, which claims that elevated blood cholesterol causes coronary heart disease. Scores of studies have found a lack of correlation between LDL and total cholesterol levels and the extent of atherosclerotic plaque.

Cholesterol Lowering Drugs
Anti-cholesterol drugs are moving towards the top of the most widely prescribed drugs in the country list. Doctors love feeling useful, and when they write a prescription for cholesterol lowering drugs after a paltry effort at life style modification has failed, they truly believe they are helping their patient. Most everyone is aware that the acceptable range for cholesterol has been steadily falling over the years. Soon, everyone in the country will be a candidate for this medication. Hmm, I wonder if the National Cholesterol Education Program might have anything to do with the drug companies’ bottom line? Oh well, just a wild thought. But what I wanted to do is review the evidence on which orthodox practitioners base the super-aggressive marketing and prescription of this class of pharmaceutical.

CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND HEALTH
My readers know I am not a fan of statin anti-cholesterol drug therapy. The aggressiveness with which these drugs are being prescribed, and dosed, is actually frightening. Someone at a party I recently attended was bragging about his cholesterol being only 130 on these drugs, and he really believed that such was the desirable level of cholesterol for everyone! It was clear that low number was giving him a false sense of security about his health. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Anti-Cholesterol Drugs
I must say that I am alarmed at the aggressiveness with which anti-cholesterol drugs are being prescribed in our country. To me, this has all the makings of a health crisis so serious that it will make the Vioxx debacle look small in comparison. Here we have a known enzyme-disrupting liver poisoning class of drugs being pushed on our unwary population, while "targets" for safe cholesterol levels keep getting pushed lower and lower. This is a dangerous combination. It really seems that we have gone way past science, and now are simply in the realm of aggressive and unethical marketing practices.

Cholesterol and Niacin
Here’s a recent study you probably didn’t hear about on TV! Both groups of patients were taking statin drugs, while only the group treated with time release niacin showed a dramatic reduction in adverse cardiovascular events, and lack of progression of atherosclerotic thickening of the carotid artery measured by intima-media thickness over the study period of one year.

Insulin Resistance Syndrome
For many years now the pharmaceutical industry has been reaping the rewards of its heavy media budget, and its undue influence over the medical profession. As a result everyone “knows” that cholesterol is the most important risk factor for coronary disease, and prescriptions for anti-cholesterol drugs are skyrocketing. It is not unusual for me to see patients on these drugs whose cholesterol readings are unhealthily low, as in the 125 range! The only problem is that what everyone " knows " is not true in this case.