Second Update to Our Statin Drug Story
Each time I prepare a cover photo for one of these articles, I am saddened to think that as the photo was taken, the damage from statin drugs was already taking place in my husband’s body. If only we had known.
If you haven’t read my original post, “A Statin Drug Induced Nightmare”, please read it here first. You will find a link to my first update at the end of that article. The following is the second update to our story. I apologize again for the length of my article, but I didn’t want to leave out anything I’ve learned.
Information about the damage done by statin drugs is broadening. (Statins are prescribed to lower cholesterol.) Each time I research, I find more cases and more reports from experts. Some of the links I have added to this update are dated as far back as 2011 or before, but many are as recent as last year (2016). Nearly everything out there about statin drugs is negative. Even the medical sites that try to put a positive spin on statins end up saying something negative about them. Frustrations are innumerable among those trying to battle this. One frustration that stands out is the lack of understanding in the medical community.
Our personal frustrations are immense. As we struggle daily to improve my husband’s health, we have yet to find a doctor who will admit that his problems are statin related. This is a common theme among statin damage cases. The closest we have come is a doctor of chiropractic (who has been helpful in improving my husband’s health), a physician’s assistant (who gave a simple nod when I asked if he thought this could have been caused by the statins), and a psychologist (who simply didn’t disagree, so I took that as agreement). At one point, I believed our GP was in agreement, but during our last visit, he stated flat out that the statins didn’t cause the problems. He obviously has not done any research to educate himself about the condition. It is much too easy to cling to the standard beliefs which doctors are taught by the pharmaceutical companies. The neurologist we recently saw made the same statement. According to him, my husband has been off the statins long enough that he shouldn’t be having any further ill effects from them.
These doctors, who are so intelligent, can sometimes appear so stupid uneducated when they simplify things that are not simple. It seems that doctors know very little about how the drugs they prescribe actually work. In fact, I am learning that no onereally knows how most of the physiologically altering drugs actually work, including the people who develop them. To me, that is incredibly frightening! It adds new meaning to the phrase “just say no to drugs”. Prescription drugs kill far many more people than recreational drugs! (Not that I’m advocating the latter.)
I am inclined more and more toward natural medicine. Medical science has made great strides in saving lives, but they have become much too reliant on prescribing drugs to treat symptoms rather than getting to the bottom of why the symptoms exist. On top of that, you have the multitudes of people who feel great, experience no symptoms, and yet, their doctors prescribe drugs as “precautionary measures”. Such was the case with my husband. His cholesterol tested high, but he felt great. Voltaire made the statement, “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” In this case, my husband and I are not amused.
Our bodies were designed with the ability to heal themselves. We truly are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. However, we are poisoning ourselves with pesticides and herbicides, junk food, artificial sweeteners and colors, food additives and preservatives, prescription drugs, painkillers: a plethora of things that are making it more difficult, if not impossible, for our bodies to heal themselves.
A couple of the links below explain that if a person’s cholesterol is high, it could be a signal of some damage that the body is trying to heal. In that case, the worst thing to do is to try to lower cholesterol levels artificially. Do you realize that cholesterol is vital in every cell in our bodies? It is used in all processes and functions. At least a quarter of our cholesterol is used in our brains.
There is a strong disconnect between the claims that statins prevent heart attacks and the actual statistics. A UCLA School of Medicine study in 2009 showed that 75% of people who have a heart attack have normal to low cholesterol levels (see Diet Heart News link below). Of course, the experts came to the crazy “logical” decision that the threshold must be set too high.
There is a great deal of evidence that shows that statins dramatically increase the risk for heart failure, which is different from cardiovascular disease. Statin claims about preventing cardiovascular disease are very careful to make the distinction not to include heart failure. Think about it: the most common side effect of statins is muscle damage, and your heart is a muscle. Common sense tells me that statins would not be good for a person’s heart. Besides that, many clinical trials done by drug companies are never published. Can we trust the pharmaceutical industry to be unbiased in their choice of trials to be published?
Now that I have ranted about the statin and medical industries (please excuse me), I can update you on my husband’s progress. As I said in my first post, the process of healing is occurring in baby steps. My husband is now in his third statin-free year. Although he has made progress, he has a long way to go.
First of all, due to my husband’s memory and cognitive problems, we have given up crop farming. We sold one piece of land and our crop equipment and leased the remaining land. My husband continues to raise cattle with help from family members. Like so many others affected by statins and other prescription drugs, our lives have been forever altered.
My husband’s physical health is much improved. He can work outside now until 7 or 8:00 in the evening and not be totally exhausted. Just a few months ago, he would come in at 5 or 6:00 and be completely wiped out. He doesn’t require as much sleep as he did a few months ago. His muscular strength is still not what it used to be (he is disappointed that he can only do a few pushups on a good day), but his muscles don’t appear to be deteriorating any longer. Many statin damage cases I have read about developed ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) which is not only debilitating but also terminal.
Our hopes were that my husband would be able to give up the testosterone supplement by now, but that hasn’t happened yet. It is the only prescription he uses, other than the Finasteride that goes with it. If his next blood workup shows his testosterone levels in the normal range, we will try lowering the dosage again, if not eliminating it entirely. Needless to say, I am not a fan of prescription drugs. Our doctor suggested a prescription for Alzheimer’s (which he believes is my husband’s diagnosis). My response was a question: What are the side effects? He grinned and answered with a long spiel of side effects that he knew were going to cause me to say no, which I did.
My husband’s cognitive ability has improved somewhat. He uses a much broader vocabulary than he was capable of a year ago. I don’t see him struggling to understand what I’m talking about as often as I did before. He is able to plan his work and activities a little better now.
His memory, however, is still a problem. He forgets from one moment to the next where something was put or what was said. He does sometimes remember now that he has already asked a question, but can’t remember the answer. He almost never drops off in mid-sentence like he did before.
Some cases I’ve read about took as long as five years or more for cognitive healing and memory restoration. Some weren’t completely back to normal even after a longer period. We remain hopeful and trust in whatever God is doing through this.
My husband began to see a chiropractor due to some lower back pain. The chiropractor soon had him standing up straighter than he had in years. After his first visit, he appeared to be a couple of inches taller. The chiropractor suggested he take undenatured whey protein to aid in restoring his muscles. He also suggested a good electrolyte drink. Both of these have been helpful. I add raw eggs to his protein shake. Raw egg yolks are evidently good for your brain.
I neglected to mention before that my husband takes niacin every day. From what I understand, niacin is crucial in warding off cardiovascular disease. We have added PQQ (20 mg twice a day for brain health) to my husband’s supplements and increased his CoQ10 to 500 mg during the course of a day. He is also now taking vitamin K2 as well as L-Glutamine (1000 mg three times a day for muscle health). His vitamin C intake is close to 12000 mg during the course of a day. We are increasing his fish oil supplement to at least 1200 mg three times daily. He continues to do the low-dose Benadryl therapy, but he no longer suffers a terrible setback if he misses a dose, as he did just months ago. He also continues to take a long list of other supplements throughout each day.
Much of my research has shown the importance of a high-fat diet in improving brain function. We have incorporated coconut oil and more olive oil into our diets, as well as avocados, whole milk and cream, butter (yes, butter) and other fatty foods. I am no longer concerned about cholesterol levels. Research proves that we need cholesterol for the function of every cell in our bodies, especially the heart, liver, and brain. We are both healthier and have not gained any weight from the extra fat!
Once again, I want to add my disclaimer. I do not encourage anyone to give up a prescription drug on my advice alone. I am not a medical professional. I do, however, encourage you to do the research, read the articles and watch the videos linked below and make an informed decision for the sake of your health. These links arefantastic sources of information. My intent is to help others recognize the adverse effects of statin drugs and the potential dangers. If damage has been done, my intent is to help with the healing process. Be sure to speak with your physician about your decision and about what you have learned. However, don’t expect that he will agree with you.
Please share these articles with others, on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, email, etc. You never know how much you might be helping someone who doesn’t understand what is happening to their health because of a prescription drug. God bless you all. Stay healthy!
http://www.canyon-news.com/the-secret-of-statin-drugs/13027 (part 1 of another personal story)
(part 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8-TT87WLBg (good informative video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry1Z8buyd8I (explains that cholesterol is not to blame)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZk4lEsU140 (a brain surgeon’s take on statins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XykVFMd7S-c (excellent explanation of clogged arteries – sulfate deficiency)
(explains about statin kidney damage and heart failure)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rr2dw3xF6w (three experts on statins)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221430.htm (study showing statins lessen brain function)
