Red Yeast Rice - My story continued/gratitude

[Nancy W]

First of all, I want to express gratitude to Dr. Graveline for this site, to the other physicians who have contributed, and to all of you who have supported me over the last four months. To anyone who who is new to the site, I encourage you to spend time with the site and to read the books that have been written by Dr. Graveline and the other physicians. There is such a wealth of information.

I have learned so much about the "downstream" effects of statins. I have learned so much about how traditional "allopathic" physicians are influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. As a practicing physical therapist for nearly forty years, I have nonetheless become more and more wary of "traditional" medicine, and have become more confident about integrative medicine, of open and meaningful dialogue between the humans who are healers. I am better because this group of physicians have bucked the industry to uncover the problems statins are causing.

In my journey through the last four months, I have met with skepticism from the various doctors I have seen. Especially all three doctors in the primary practice we have gone to for six years. they persist in thinking that my lipid numbers are a problem which will only be solved by the use of statins. My cardiologist, while pleased in my lifestyle changes, scoffed at my complaints of neuropathy and told me it wasn't related to the RYR. He was so sure that it was related to "low back issues," that he gave me some samples of Crestor to begin "once the neurologist gave me the correct diagnosis."

I never have gone to the neurologist. I know plenty about neurology, given my own profession.

What I did do was read here and learn from all of you, and from the books.

What I did do was work with my naturopath, a man who has the wisdom and time to listen carefully, and whose goal as a healer is to build health, not fight disease. This paradigm of building health is so critical and is what is missing in the American disease (not health) care system.

Four months after stopping RYR, I am substantially better. Not all better, but, happily, much better. I still have occasional stabs of neuropathic pain...in my toes mostly, but occasionally anywhere: legs, arms, hands, trunk. My fatigue levels are substantially better, too. My activity tolerance has improved to a functional level.

What did I do? After all the reading, after the good advice from some of you, and after sharing Golumb's article and Dr. Graveline's book with my Naturopath, I embarked on a regimen of taking supplements that were roughly the "mitochondrial cocktail" that is discussed here. My naturopath also had me taking naturopathic doses of natural thyroid and adrenal cortex for a time, as well as supplements for my GI system. By the end of October, I was better, so the naturopath cut the high doses in half. About ten days later, my neuropathy was worsening, so I went to the full dose and the pain subsided. A couple of weeks later, having become an "expert" at taking fistfulls of supleements, I swallowd a handful with not enough water, just before eating oats for breakfast. The whole mess stuck in my esophagus and I got a burn from the vitamins as they dissolved in place before finally going down. Ouch!

So the next chapter in my story was one of GI issues. The gastro doc put me on Prevacid, a soft diet and the schedule for an ultrasound and an endoscopy, which I finally had yesterday, several weeks into this issue. He asked me to try and refrain from the supplements. Which I did, given that the GI pain was initially intense (I also ended up in the ER with such intense chest pain which was ruled out as an MI, and agreed upon as esophageal in origin). Whatever had ulcerated, had healed, and I have a hiatal hernia.

The good news is that, no longer on the supplements, my neuropathy is minimal!

So, stay tuned...hope you all have a happy time over these holidays.

Thank you for all your help!

Nancy

[Allen1]

Hi there Nancy,

it is good to see that you are improving with the help of your naturopath but still be vigilant for re-occurrences of symptoms just in case. There have been so many times that a lot of us have felt slightly better, just to be let down when we attempt to do a little chore that needed doing months ago.

That aside it is great to hear of successes and improvements when it comes to any of us :)

All the very best for the New Year and may your health continue to improve to normality, Allen :)

[Nancy W]

Allen,

I rue the day I was talked into taking the RYR. I should have known better. Afterall, I had had muscle problems with Lipitor. I had fiercely stayed away from pharmaceutical grade statins for 10 years, but I succumbed to the "snake oil" sell of the RYR as "very low dose." Low dose indeed!

I am just thankful to have found this forum. And I am definitely wiser.

Nancy

[Allen1]

Hi there Nancy,

at least there is one good outcome from your experience, by posting what happened to you and the problems with Lipitor and later on with the Red Yeast Rice, people will have a chance to read about it and see the danger for themselves and hopefully long before any problems arise.

If only we knew back then, what we know now, Statins would have never got such a foothold and people would not have suffered for no reason the way that they have. The sad thing is that with all the evidence that is around showing the multitude of problems, many doctors and heads of the various health authorities are still in denial, just how stupid some of these people are, is way past "beyond belief!".

People are getting wise to the manipulation that takes place, with folk like Jeff Cable informing various departments, professors, doctors and even newspapers about the problems, there is no way they can deny having any knowledge of the harm being caused.

Thanks also to Spacedoc and the other doctors and members that have made a difference and who started the ball rolling, otherwise we would never have known what was causing our problems.

You really have to wonder what the medical profession are being told about stains and their benefits that make the profession so blind to what is in front of their very eyes, I am stumped to come up with an answer to that one!

All the best,
Allen :)