Lipitor pro and con...
There are three thousand lawsuits against lipitor in the United States due to its side effects which include transient global amnesia, and muscle wasting. The muscle wasting part is not small change as the liver enzymes that lipitor depetes are fundamental to cell metabolism. Some of the changes it makes may be irreversible. It is not known at this time if some of the people invalided by lipitor will recover fully. It is fair at this point to say that these serious side effects are rare, perhaps rarer than penicillin allergies.
Unless a person was over 55, suffering from arrythmia, had a family history of early death from HA or stroke, or had a previous incidence of stroke, or heart attack, taking lipitor given its wide range of serious side effects amongst a small minority of people is not that "advised" just to reduce a high cholesterol reading.
There are natural well known cholesterol reducers that have significant advantages in terms of raising HDL, lowering LDL, reducing death from all causes, and increasing longevity. In addition one of these substances, inositol hexanicotinate, or vitamin B3, has the longest post-therapy effect. The benefits of a period of niacin, or B3 therapy may last ten years or more, whereas as soon as one quits lipitor its benefits vanish quickly.
What lipitor does far more than reduce cholesterol and its chiefest benefit is that it stabilizes the membranes of the artery. This effect was unknown when it was first developed and contributes significantly to abating the recurrence of stroke or heart attack. This might be fairly important for previous HA vicitims and stroke sufferers. It the patient had an event or a serious event was threatening that could have disability implications, a statin may well be indicated. I would not take lipitor just to reduce cholesterol.
However if lipitor was indicated there are seven things I would do. You can think of them as the seven undeadly unsins of CV therapy.
1. take inositol hexanicotinate to raise my HDL, strengthen capillaries -- 2000 mgs per day divided dose.
2. take vitamin C, 3 gms, b1, 150mgs b6, 150 mgs b12, 2000 mcgs folic acid, 2000 mcgs, - methionine 500 mgs, arginine 4000 mgs, -- Vit D 400 IU, and Vit E from AOR.CA called Total E, 400 IU's or mutlibasics 3 from AOR.CA, 3 a day; zinc, copper, and magnesium -- Magmesium 2000 mgs. dose, zinc and copper take 30mgs & 2 mgs. respctlvy.
3. Take COQ10. 180 mgs per day. replaces liver enzymes needed by cells for energy, replication. good for heart and cholesterol.
4. Exercise for 1/2 hour moderately twice a day. walking is good.
5. lose weight. eat better. lower fat and processed carbohydrate intake. Eliminate trans fat and hydrogenated oils. See this thread -- mining cholesterol. Lots of diet advice. oats, purslane, parsely, garlic, onions, unsweetened chocolcate, tea black or green, fruit, celery, oranges, apples will all reduced cholesterol very effectively and in the absence of drugs may do the job well enough.
6. Take bioflavonoids and the fruit that contains them, rutin, reveratol, hesperidin to strengthen capillaries. These are the C complex substances sometimes called vitamin P, which work synergistically with the anti-oxidants vitamin E, and C to help the arteries and capillary system function and repair itself.
7. Read a lot about diet, aminos, vitamins and organic food. Some of this stuff has been known for 70 years. I guarantee you that you were never taught it.
Niacin, or inositol hexanictoinate may interfere with lipitor or other statins. If that turns out to be the case, I would stop taking the statin, and look for another statin that does not interfere. If you cannot find one don't panic, the inositol hexanicotinate can be upped to 3000 mgs per day with no side effects. Since 1955 B3 or niacin was been the most prescribed Heart Medication second to magnesium, potassium and diuretics, and it has the greatest success rate of prolonging longevity and well being. The people who used to drop out of niacin therapy sometimes did so from nausea and sometimes from facial flushing. If they took ginger for the nausea that would have been a non issue. If they took inositol hexanictinate the facial flushing would disappear. IH6 is also nown as no-flush niacin. It is widely prescrined in Germany to this day and was one of the chief weapons of Dr. Cooper's revolutionary heart clinic in Omaha that featured statins, niacin, and exercise as the big three to defeat HD. He was very successful.
A note. The fellow that invented "juicing" in North America, Dr. Walker, died at 118. Obviously carrot juice must be ultimately deadly. thepowerofjuicing.com
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