Even though pharmaceutical companies are pushing Lipitor on the general population through physicians – and you may have been pressured to take statins by your doctor you can still “just say no”. First of all there is not much compelling evidence that statins actually reduce your chances of getting vascular disease. However, there is clear evidence that statins can reduce your cholesterol levels. So what statins are doing is treating a number, not reducing chances of a functional disease outcome. There is plenty of information out there about the cholesterol myth so I will not repeat it here. You can read it and decide for yourself. Of course, there are cases where statins are necessary but they are just a small percentage of the number of people that are treated with these potentially deleterious drugs.
Back to nutrition therapy…. there was just a great study released that showed by modifying diet, in particular increasing foods that promote methylation, leads to a reduction of cholesterol, body mass index and triglycerides. Far more than a statin can offer with only beneficial side effects!
If you have high cholesterol, then instead of believing the mass marketing of pharmaceutical companies consider seeing a nutritionist to assess your diet as well as other blood markers. There are better predictors for heart disease than just LDL, but unfortunately that is what is most looked at when over-prescribing these dangerous medicines.
In Health,
George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist
Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist
Maynard, MA & Cambridge, MA
