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Beware...the Drug Companies strike again!

Once again a concerted, coordinated approach to mislead the public into believing in the existence of a miracle pill in the form of a statin drug is underway. Don’t fall for it!

What is all this about?

Over the last few days there have been headlines all over the world about what I am going to tell you. If you haven’t seen them yet, it won’t be long before you do, or, hear about them. Here are a few examples.

“Statin cuts stroke risk in healthy folk: Study”

"It's a breakthrough study, it's a blockbuster. It's absolutely paradigm-shifting."

"A highly anticipated study has produced powerful evidence that a simple blood test can spot seemingly healthy people who are at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke and that giving them a widely used drug offers potent protection against the nation's leading killers."

“Heart attack risks cut by 50%”

These headlines are not limited to the USA. They are world wide. I was on an airplane between New Zealand and Singapore a couple of days ago and I picked up newspapers from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia and they were all singing the same tune and obviously had been receiving the same news releases from the public relations firms coordinating the ‘assault’.

Well, you are probably thinking, “what’s wrong with this?” After all if a risk of a heart attack could be cut by 50%, then surely that is good!

Agreed…but, is it really that good or just a manipulation of figures which are technically correct but misleading if only part of the picture is painted.

I’ll explain.

The study (discontinued after two years) sponsored by the manufacturers of Crestor, (a potent statin drug that was originally rejected by the FDA because of its many dangerous side effects) found that compared to a placebo the statin drug reduced the level of C-Reactive Protein in the blood which in turn resulted in a reduction of the number of patients over a 2 year period who either died, suffered a heart attack or stroke.

The reduction was 50%. Sound good doesn’t it until you put it into perspective.

Of all those who were not taking the statin drug 1.8% of them suffered from one of the above events over the two year period. But…the number of those patients taking the drug and who suffered from one of the above was less at 0.9%...a reduction of 50%.

This is where the 50% reduction of risk comes from.

To put this into a clearer perspective! The volunteers had a 1.8 chance in 100 of suffering from one of the above ‘events’ if they did nothing…but, if they took the statin drug their odds improved to a 0.9 chance in 100 of having an ‘event’.

Doesn’t look so impressive when you look at it that way does it?

I would hazard a guess that if the people on the placebo had substituted it with an Omega 3 capsule every day that the results may well have been balanced out…and if I may dare say so if they added Total Balance to the Omega 3 that they may have been 50% better than the statin drug!

Added to this they would not run the risk of CoQ10 depletion, possible muscle damage, liver damage, possible impotency and memory loss. Instead their overall health would improve markedly.

Interestingly the study was abruptly stopped after two years. The reason…it was not fair on the people taking the placebo! Or, could it have been that the side effects were starting to take its toll?

What is C-Reactive Protein all about?

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) has long been known to be a marker of a potential ‘heart event’ and interestingly I have been writing about it for the last eight years and urging readers to have it tested when they have their cholesterol and triglycerides checked.

However, it has been largely ignored by the medical industry as there was not a suitable drug to deal with it. And…there was no need for one either as there is plenty of natural options for dealing with inflammation in the blood.

For example, the correct form of a broad spectrum Vitamin E has been shown to reduce inflammation by 32% which is only marginally less than what the statin drug at 37% achieved on this study.

Other natural substances may even be more effective in reducing inflammation, particularly if taken synergistically…such as Omega 3 fish oil and a number of other natural substances. For more info on inflammation please click here.

If you study more about inflammation you will become incensed at the audacity of this study but even more annoyed at those supposedly knowledgeable people in the medical industry and the authorities who allow this type of nonsense to become mainstream media events and thus contribute to irrevocable harm to the health of our nations people, not to mention the ultimate economic costs.

In good health,

Warren Matthews

Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 06:17PM by Registered CommenterWarren Matthews in | Comments7 Comments

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Reader Comments (7)

I am always amazed at how Big Pharm gets away with these fraudulent studies and claims. Worse is that Big Media happily propagates these "spinned" results. It's too bad that big business has hijacked the truth from the hoiploi.
November 16, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterRick
I'm really don't know much on the topic of Statin, but that 1.8% versus .9% doesn't seem totally insignificant to me. Now maybe I'm missing something crucial here, but assuming this "chance of death" is static, if you tried to live 40 years, your chance of survival would rise from 69.4% to 83.5% on this drug.

Of course, your probability of getting a heart attack increases as you age, which would mean those numbers wouldn't be static, the gap between the two would likely be far greater than what was represented in my two figures. Especially if that 50% less likely to die held true in our growing growing death rates(obviously we can't expect it be a perfect 50%, that was just one study.)

Again, its entirely possible that I've missed something, but I think the perspective you put it into wasn't exactly conducive to better understanding the effectiveness of the drug. Not because it wasn't true, but because I'm fairly sure that most of aren't just trying to live 2 more years. If we were, you're correct, the .9% decrease is negligible. However, for those of us trying to live another, say, 40 years, the difference in survival rates is significant.

I am certainly not advocating the use of this drug, but merely based off the data you've given, the product doesn't seem completely devoid of merit.
November 17, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterAlex
Hi Alex,

One of the points that I was trying to convey is that the way the figures are being spun many people will be misled into thinking they are much better than they really are.

BUT...the main point is that the news releases completely ignore the very real dangers of this drug. Rather than helping someone live longer in the long term there are much greater odds that it will shorten peoples lives.

Just one area alone over the long term that will do that is the depletion of CoQ10. The statin manufacturers do not warn consumers of this, and neither do most Doctors because it is not in the brief from the drug companies.

What about the liver damage this drug can cause...how about the muscle wasting...or the impotence that it is responsible for causing in men.

There is one side effect which may help save some people who are using it is that it can cause memory loss which means that they may forget to take it.

Seriously though...if you study the damaging side effects why risk it. There are many, many safe natural ways to reduce C-Reactive Protein and in the process of doing so strengthen and improve the health of your body.

The reduction in CRP was not spectacular and is easily achieved without risky drugs.
November 17, 2008 | Registered CommenterWarren Matthews
I'm not an expert when it comes to Statin drugs, but I do believe that it had something to do with my grandfathers death. I hope to avoid ever having to take them by eating healthy and taking my TB Premium. I believe this with moderate exercise will help me live a long life.
November 18, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterAlex M
That is very likely Alex. Just the shutting down of the livers production of CoQ10 alone could prove to be fatal to many people over a period of time.
November 20, 2008 | Registered CommenterWarren Matthews
a good diet can help provide the raw ingredients to enable your liver to produce an ample supply.
November 23, 2008 | Unregistered Commentercop car
Cop car said:
a good diet can help provide the raw ingredients to enable your liver to produce an ample supply.

IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING that as we age (naturally) our bodies make less and less of this much needed substance, so external means - SUPPLEMENTATION is necessary.

In my humble opinion it is almost a criminal act the pharmaceutical companies have foisted upon us by inferring everyone (including children) should be taking statin drugs. IF there is anyone who might benefit from these drugs (IF) then they should have been informed by the PHARMA Corporations of the dire need to supplement with Q10 due to the dangers caused by statin drugs in the depletion of this essential enzyme. ESSENTIAL means we cannot do without it.... and they knew this when they took out their drug patents many eons ago.... yet they have never 'fessed up' or informed doctors about this.

Follow the dollar people.... statins deplete Q10.... which is essential for healthy normal functioning bodies... folks become deplete and get ill.... necessitating more drugs from BIG PHARMA which implies more $$$$$ in their banks..... CYNICAL? who me? YES!
December 4, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterClare in Tassie

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