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Adding Statins to the Drinking Water? – 4 Natural Ways to Lower Inflammation
In Friday’s issue of Total Health Breakthroughs, I wrote about inflammation – the silent killer. When inflammation occurs on your body – often associated with redness, pain and swelling – it is obvious. When it is associated with a fever or infection in your body, it is obvious then too.
But chronic, subclinical inflammation leaves very few clues. And yet, it is a cornerstone of physical aging and the primary cause for a host of degenerative diseases. That is why it is important to know how much inflammation is in your body – and take measures to lower it.
The best marker for inflammation is C-reactive protein. I recommend that you have your CRP measured the next time you go for a checkup. But there is something you might need to watch out for. More on that below…
The Hidden Danger in Getting Your CRP Tested
This time last year, you could hardly turn on the news or pick up a newspaper without hearing about the benefits revealed in a new drug study. It was called the JUPITER study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study was funded by AstraZeneca to research the effects of their cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor. The trial was intended to last five years. But the company felt that the benefits were so great, that it would be inhumane not to allow the placebo subjects access to the drug too.
Statin drugs are well known to lower cholesterol. But until last year, they were not very well known for lowering C-reactive protein. The purpose of the JUPITER study was to test the effects of Crestor on CRP.
The researchers monitored about 18,000 men and women from 26 countries. These subjects had “normal” cholesterol levels. So they would not usually be considered for statin drug treatment. But they did have elevated CRP levels.
The major headlines for JUPITER centered on the finding that the drug reduced cardiac events (heart attack, stroke and bypass surgery) by 44%. But this number is very misleading. Out of the 18,000 participants, only 400 “events” occurred during follow-up. According to an article in Forbes, that means that 95 patients would have to be treated with the drug for two years to prevent just one cardiovascular event.
The JUPITER study also showed that treatment with the drug reduced CRP levels by 37% compared to those treated with a placebo.
And this is why the drug companies were so excited about JUPITER…
Most doctors would be reluctant to prescribe statin drugs when a patient’s cholesterol is below the range that is considered “normal.” But about half of all heart attacks happen in those whose cholesterol levels fall in this range.
The drug companies have lobbied successfully to get those “normal” ranges lowered. That is a big reason why there are now 20 million Americans on statin drugs. But until the JUPITER study, the drug companies were lacking another measure, besides cholesterol, to justify their use.
After the JUPITER study, however, the pharmaceutical companies had the ammunition they needed to push statin drugs, even when a patient’s cholesterol numbers are considered “normal”.
Now we arrive at the “hidden danger” of getting your CRP levels checked…
If you have your CRP measured by a physician, and the result is anything but “optimal,” there is a good chance your doctor is going to recommend a statin drug. In some cases, this “recommendation” may border on intimidation.
This happened to my uncle. He had always had his cholesterol checked. But after he read an article about the importance of CRP, he asked to have it checked at his next doctor visit.
When the results were high, the doctor pressured him to take a statin drug. “He put on a full court press,” my uncle said. “Wouldn’t take no for an answer. He told me that I could have a heart attack at any time and that he would no longer treat me if I didn’t comply.”
This is not unusual. The drug companies and many doctors have adopted a religious zeal for statin drugs. In fact, some time ago I wrote a critical article on the subject. The next day, I got an email from a doctor who told me he believes, “Statin drugs should be mandatory. They should be added to the drinking water.”
I’m not kidding. And unfortunately, neither was he!
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So what is wrong with statins, if they can cut CRP by 37%?
The drug companies are required to acknowledge the side effects of statin drugs in their literature. But they would have you believe that these side effects are very rare. That has not been my experience.
I have personally received dozens of letters from people, detailing their problems with these drugs. And whenever an article on statin drugs runs in a major publication, there are usually hundreds of comments following the article, where readers share their horror stories. In fact, if you have had an experience with statins, positive or negative, please scroll down at the end of this article and contribute your comments. Closer to home, my mother developed severe leg and foot pain from her use of statin drugs. It took nearly six months to go away after she stopped taking it.
Statin drugs are well known to cause liver damage. They can cause extreme muscle pain. They deplete CoQ10 (an important antioxidant that helps to power your heart). They have been shown to destroy the memory. Over the long term, they can also promote cancer. And even if these side effects did not exist, the drugs are not even necessary.
That is because there are many natural, easy and inexpensive ways to address the real causes of inflammation and reduce CRP…
In Friday’s issue, I advised you to choose healthy fats (especially omega-3 oils), avoid hydrogenated fats and omega-6 oils, and eat a low-glycemic diet to reduce inflammation. This is the most important step. Stop eating a diet that promotes inflammation!
Here are five more proven ways to lower inflammation and reduce CRP more than drugs:
- Get off your butt and exercise – Research has proven that exercise lowers CRP rapidly and significantly. This is especially true of intense exercise, but even moderate physical activity can help. In one study, people who went from no exercise to a little bit of exercise five times a week cut their CRP levels by as much as 30%.
- Take your vitamin D or spend some time in the sun – Sun exposure and vitamin D are extremely effective for reducing inflammation. In one study performed at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine in London, Vitamin D supplementation significantly lowered three different markers for inflammation, including CRP. In a Belgian study of critically ill patients with high levels of inflammation, just 500 IU of vitamin D (barely enough to prevent deficiency) reduced CRP by more than 25 percent!
- Take your vitamin C – Researchers at the University of California Berkeley found that supplementing with vitamin C lowered CRP as much as the leading statin drugs. In their study of 400 participants, published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, they found that 1,000 mg/day of vitamin C reduced CRP by 25% in those whose levels were elevated.
- Eat more fiber – Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School followed monitored the diet, body composition and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of over 500 subjects. They found that the risk of elevated CRP levels was 63% lower among those who ate the most fiber.
These are just a few of the dozens of activities, foods and supplements that have a beneficial effect on inflammation and C-reactive protein. In respective studies, each one of these on their own was able to reduce inflammation as effectively as any drug.
Just imagine the changes you could make by applying all of these ideas together, combined with an anti-inflammatory diet. Sure beats taking a pill that could damage your liver, steal your memory and make it difficult to walk without pain.
Your body has an amazing blueprint for health. You just have to give it the raw materials it needs.
Reminding You that Nature Heals!
Jon Herring
Editorial Director
Total Health Breakthroughs
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Thanks for an article that gets right to the point, contains solid and useful information. The only thing missing was how to find the original NEJM article.
Started Crestor a few years ago when my MD thought my cholesterol was too high. Worked like a wonder and in two monts my cholesterol was halved.
But then the side effects started to pile up. The most severe being:
• nausea after the first mouthful of certain foods
• muscle cramps in the hamstrings and feet at night
• severe drying of the nasal mucosa in the winter so that I need a steroid nasal spray
• presence of more floaters in my eyes
• sleep dsiturbances and extreme fatigue.
I began a low GI regimen, cholesterol dropped,and after six months I quit taking the drug and gradually stopped taking aspirin, plavix, metoprolol, vasotec,
About a year later (April, 2009) had another heart attack and a stent), and forced to go on Lipitor in the hospital. Same symptoms. Stopped taking the drug.
Now I’m on aspirin, plavix, metoprolol, diovan, triazide.
Statin drugs are “detoxified” mostly in the liver, where they are broken down and rendered into a state for elimination. There is a transport protein responsible for moving statins into the liver. This protein is endoced by a gene, SLCO1B1. There have been several mutations identified in this gene, thus impairing the detoxification/rendering statins inactive after having “wanted effects”. Individuals with this mutation have been found to have levels of statins in their blood from 124% up to 400% HIGHER than normal levels. Seems for many of the individuals who have this mutation and take a statin, they develop severe myopathies/myalgias, prompting them to stop the drug.If dire adverse effects such as severe muscle pain do not prompt one to stop the statin, the levels of statins build up in the blood stream, continuing to exert effects long after they should have been eliminated from the blody. Important fact is that fat soluble statins, including Lipitor, cross the blood brain barrier, affect brain level cholesterol, as well as all other effects statin exert thru interruption of the mavelonate pathway (ie depression of CoEnzyme Q10; interruption of production of brain antioxidant, glutathione thru intereference with selenoprotein production; interference with isoprenylation of small translational proteins, GTPases; etc)
There are 2 mutations that have been identified in this transport protein, SLCO1B1; they are “neighbors”.
EITHER OF THESE MUTATIONS IS FOUND IN 22 TO 38 % OF THE CAUCASIAN POPULATION. (the population genetics study with which I am familiar did not look at other ethnicities). That’s a large number of people out there who potentially could have toxic levels of statins in their blood stream if they take this class of drugs.
Hi Karen,
Here is a link to the study published in the NEJM:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0807646
And, Stephen… thank you for your comments. More to follow, I’m sure.
Jon
Several years ago I was on Plavik, Zokor and Ranitadine.
After months of severe pain and taking several pain pills Hydrocodone, I read about the side effects of statins, and just quit all medications.
I started on a regimen of supplements and vitamins. After a short time I was without pain and I was getting stronger and feeling normal for a 67 year old male.
Now after 9 more years I have taken no chemical medicine and only Natural vitamins and supplements and at 76 I feel great.Of course I now eat mostly Organic food also.
You can read about all the do’s and don’ts on my blog.
http://www.my-healthy.info/4u
Excellent article - It came at a perfect time for me. I wish I could get my 87 year old dad off of the Vytorin.
so..the subject line on my e-mail is:
“Adding Statins to the drinking water…”
Made the impression that our government was going to be adding “IT” to the drinking water of “the people” ! How misleading! Sensationalism to equal our news-casters!
*shame on you! Also, nowhere did I see mention that statins do NOT work for women, just men! Dr NanKatherine Fuchs has extensive info/facts re: statins and how they do not work in a woman’s body….
Please do not dramatize your subject! please.
Debbie,
This is not as sensationalistic as you might think. Nor as far-fetches as we would like to believe. The doctor who wrote to me is not alone. The subject of adding statins to drinking water has already been debated in the UK (though not at the government level, to my knowledge).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3931157.stm
http://www.wwdmag.com/Statin-fortified-Drinking-Water-in-the-UK-NewsPiece7532
How can anyone justify blindly following “doctor’s orders” down a one-way path all the way to the grave? With eyes wide open, watching it happen?
Incomprehensible!
Yet it plays out that way all the time, even to otherwise competent and successful individuals at all levels–apparently more so in high-tech cultures–where we specialize in many areas often to the exclusion of our own self-care.
We leave that to the “experts”. We are accustomed to relegating our biggest concerns to people who specialize.
That relieves us of the need to become our own best advocates and decision makers.
Well, here we have it all without the jargon, the mysteries, the little packets of lethal RX leading only to more suffering. And such complications, one after another.
A good life instead of dying too early–but not before going through the inevitable suffering first.
So here we have it down to earth in our own language and manageable, with feedback from our own bodies.
Without toxins, no less.
Good article but left out one of the biggest contributers to increased CPR levels….gum disease. Anytime you have “a little bleeding” while flossing or when brushing that is an indication of infection. For upwards of 85% of the population this would be a large contributing factor! Gums should not bleed when brushed or flossed. You need to see your dentist to help you get rid of your gingivitis or periodontitis (an underlying cronic infection).
Statin drugs caused such pain in my joints and body that it took me more than 15 minutes to turn over in bed, let alone to get out of bed to relieve myself. Knees swelled to grapefruit size and I insisted on seeing an MD from the cardiologist practice to which I am a patient (I’m in atria fib at all times, but have no side effects from same. Didn’t even know I had it. Detected on routine physical after retiring as an airline pilot). Pain was so bad, along with the swelling, that when they said I could come in and see a nurse practitioner, I said “No way, I don’t care if his or her name is Dr. Seuss, I want to see an MD NOW!”
He insisted it wasn’t a side affect from statin drugs, and I subsequently went (the next day) to an MD friend of mine who was head of the rheumatology department at a university hospital. He took fluid from the knee (no infection) and suggested no more statins, a conclusion I had already come to, and haven’t taken any since.
Now, four years later (I’m 67 years old), no statins, no pain, and no swelling. And oh yes, the cardiologist folks are still pushing the statins, but now they are also pushing CoQ10, something they should have been doing for years. And too, they push fish oil, something I had been doing for years after reading that the Italians had been doing it for all patients with any kind of heart problems.
Will DEFINITELY have C-reactive protein checked!
Lori Ann,
That is a good point. There are many things that can temporarily spike CRP levels, including acne breakouts and inflamed gums, that do not necessarily indicate chronic inflammation and increased risk of heart disease.
It is a good idea to get two or even three CRP tests taken over a period of a few weeks. Then average the results.
With that said, gum disease and infections in oral cavities have a high correlation to heart disease. So these things should always be addressed with a doctor and/or dentist when they occur.
Jon
Great article please keep up the good work. I told my primary doctor no to Locor when my cholesterol reached 237.
I Have been dealing with brain Cancer GBM since March 06.
5 - brain surgeries, chemo with high dose radiation, total disability. I exercise when I feel up to it and eat as well as I can. I do supplements which my neuro-oncologist
allows me. I would like my doctor to learm more about nutrion and Cancer. I am on a course of Temodar and was told I couldn’t use my COQ10 Ubiquinol.
C.K.
You mention that you are a retired airline pilot. Dr. Duane Graveline is a medical doctor, former Air Force pilot and NASA astronaut.
He wrote a book called, Lipitor: Thief of Memory, about the potential side effects of statins and his experience with periods of almost total memory loss.
Memory loss, to one degree or another is a common side effect of these drugs. Some people experience more frequent episodes of “Why did I walk in this room… I forgot what I came in here for?” Others experience memory loss to the extent that they do not recognize close friends and family.
What do we have, if we don’t have our memories?
And what are the potential ramifications of pilots taking a drug that could cause them these types of problems? Plenty of pilots are on statins, with no knowledge of this potential side effect.
I too suffered from the most incredible pains in my legs and was unable to get out of bed when taking statins of various kinds for high cholesterol. My diet is so clean and pure as far as eating “anti cholesterol” foods. Told by my physcian that I had inherited condition from my father
and was sent to an arthritis specialist. The specialist diagnosed my pain as “polymyalgic rheumatica” and prescribed prednisone. I’ve been on prednisone many times for asthma and the side effects are too great to risk again. I told my family doctor I was not going o take the steroid and was also stopping the statin. She then prescribed a regimen of Zetia along with a low dose, slow release Niacin tablet at bedtime. So far, no negative symptoms, and regular cholesterol tests show a slightly lowered score –far from ideal, but at least I’m not in pain and taking those previously prescribed dangerous pills.
If you want to lower inflammation, stop eating grains. All grains. Even the so called “hearthealthywholegrains”. I just had my cholesterol checked and my lipids went down to 44 after stopping grains. I’ve been off of grains for 2 years now.
There came a time when my doctor put me on statins. After reading about the side affects, I asked her if I could try controlling my cholesterol by just changing my diet. She said no, but would allow me to cut my pills in half and try the diet changes. I started eating a lot of fish and whole grains and green salads. When I had my next check up, my levels were so low she said I could stop taking the drug.
Later, when I wasn’t being as good about my diet, she wanted to put me back on. I refused. Now I take fish oil supplements and vitamins along with trying to eat right. I still have a weakness for sweets, but have found Wellness Bakeries a life saver. I have also been diagnosed with Crohns Disease and am trying to cut wheat out of my diet since I have learned how it can be hard on the digestive tract.
My OD would not listen to me regarding muscle aches…I simply stopped the statins and lied about following her orders. I did my own research which supported my decision to never take statins again. An added benefit to exercise, vitamins, eating for longevity…my blood pressure stabilized. I am perscription free, feeling great.
I wish I could convince my brother to get off statins. His cholesterol is way up there (been measured over 600 in the past). He has three young boys who will suffer. Absolutely no one seems to have a good answer for his remarkably high numbers, and what to do other than fill his system with statins!
Thank you for that great commentary on statins. After having triple bypass heart surgery 3 years ago, I found that I was allergic to all statin drugs that my cardiologist prescribed. I was told that I was in great jeopardy. I did some searching and began treatment with a Nutripathic Doctor with a background in biology. She treated me with homeopathic medicine to get rid of plaque in my blood the natural way. I was tested for food allergies and certain inflammatory foods like wheat were eliminated from my diet. Other dietary changes were made and nutrients prescribed. I began exercising 3 times a week at a local health club. After a year on these protocols, standard blood tests showed a great improvement in HDL/LDL ratio, etc. I no longer live in fear and feel wonderful. So, yes, there is another way–the natural approach to heart health.
Thanks again for exposing the dangers of statins.
While l agree with that there are a sigificant side effects of statin drugs,l still beleive statin is an important drugs in the fight against cardiovascular disease. We all know that liver disease and muscular(myopathy) are the most important sideeffects,but l would not hesitate to recommend these drugs for those who already have coronary or cardiovascular disease especialy crestor who has demonstrated to show reduction in the size of plaques. But l agree wholeheartedly diet,exercise,stopping smoking etc. should be the first one that should be undertaken.
My brother-in-law is in the final stages of cancer. He started going downhill after taking Lipitor - he had every one of the symptoms as a side effect. They gave his Liptior after heart surgery. If he could have researched the symptoms he could have stopped taking the drug and perhaps lived a long life. One of the doctors treating him for cancer commented that it is surprising that no one sues the drug companies for causing so many cancers. As for Q10 - I understand it is nearly impossible for it to get through the digestive track - or you would have to take massive doses to make any difference.
Very informative article. I had heard about the memory problems with taking statins, and stopped. My cousin stopped taking it when she encountered severe leg pains with the memory problems. I am on two blood pressure medications and two bi-polar meds, and the less I take the better. My cholesterol doubled in a month which my nurse practioner said should be impossible so I am having it re-tested, but I was having severe dental problems which have been addressed, so perhaps that was the cause of the cholesterol problems. I’ll never go back on statins again. I think my 85 year old father is on them also, which could be contributing to his dementia.
I was on the lowest dose of Lipitor about 5 years ago. I had no muscle pain, but fell down 3 times in the first 8 months after starting on it. I fell during tennis, during hiking, which was a new and frightening experience. My doctor suggested taking the dose just every other day. I quit falling but felt unsure of myself going down steps or hiking on rocks. So I finally quit completely. I was afraid my doctor would yell at me for quitting but he admitted he’d also stopped taking Lipitor! He said he’d felt like his muscles were turning to mush. I now concentrate on a low glycemic, high antioxidant diet, continue to exercise a lot and quit worrying about my cholesterol. My brother who is slim and runs regularly, is on Zocor and blood pressure meds - he had a heart attack even though the drugs supposedly had all his ‘numbers’ in a healthy range.
I took statins for about 6 years & developed severe muscle fatigue in my arms & also very severe leg cramps. As a result of the aches & pains, my doctor put me on anti-inflamatories. As soon as I stopped taking the Lipitor, (took 4-6 months for symptoms to go away) I was able to discontinue the anti-inflamatory as well.
I could write an entire essay about this mess. I’ll limit it to my current statin experience. Heart ‘events’ (3) in Dec2006. 2 stents in Jan2007 along with the usual drugs. Stopped the BP med (Altace) after three months; found hawthorne works just as good. The Lipitor dropped my LDL like a rock (171->74) but then came the side effects. Weird muscle aches (the top of my head, arches, back of the arms, calves, etc.) and fatigue. Not tired per se but a fatigue of my ‘will’. By the middle of the afternoon i just felt like sitting in a chair and doing nothing. Over the past 3 years I’ve tried Lipitor, Pravacol, Advicor, and Crestor in various doses but all with the same side effects. Also stopped the Plavix about 6 months ago since i thought that might have something to do with it. Stopped the Crestor about 5 weeks ago and at this point I’m continuing with Niaspan (been on it 2.5yrs) and looking to attack the inflammation sources. Still studying and experimenting.
I agree with Natalie. Each of us is responsible for our own health. And to that end we seek those who can assist us when we either can’t or don’t know how to accomplish this. Doctors are not ‘gods’; they are supposed to be ‘health practitioners’. Sadly, most of them have become de facto drug reps. OK, i’ll get off my soapbox now.
Very interesting article, particularly the aspect of big pharma lobbying for changes to “normal” blood tests and the Doctor lemmings that collude with them. I’m sick of the numbers-chasing mode that the medical community engages in.
I also was pressure on numerous occasions to start on a statin regimen, but emphatically told the doctors no!
One progressive M.D. suggested I take red yeast rice. After doing much research into this, I found no side effects listed and started taking two 1 gram caps a day. My total cholesterol dropped from 225 to 175.
I’d like to see a similar article here on THB that addresses red yeast rice.
Can we just send a check to big pharma? then we won’t need to suffer the side effects from their drugs. I took statin drugs for cholesterol and inflammation. Severe back pain and muscle weakness occurred. I no longer take the statin. I exercise, and eat well.
If you are taking red yeast rice, you ARE TAKING A STATIN, albeit a much lower dose one. Red Yeast rice shares the same active substance, mevacolin K, as the first statin drug synthsized by Merck called Mevacor. So if you are taking red yeast rice, you ARE taking a statin.