A Very Common S.S.S. (Sinister Statin Story)

[ridge24]

After a heart attack (blocked valve) on New Year’s Day ’07, I had a drug-eluted stent inserted. Within moments after the insertion, I felt euphoric. But, that wasn’t acceptable to the doctors, as I was sent home with a wheel barrel full of prescriptions. There were three for blood pressure, one of which (Metotoprol) aggravated my asthma and rendered my Albuterol inhaler, useless. There was Plavix, which at least six different people told me that I had to take for 6-9 months, or suffer the consequences. There were water pills (to aid the BP meds). And, there was Lipitor. I was given an explanation for this drug and it was that “high cholesterol goes hand-in-hand with a heart attackâ€

[cjbrooksjc]

ridge: Great success story and well worth the read. Thanks. Here are two more links to add to your repertoire:

For a PH balanced lifestyle: **http://www.drfostersessentials.com/store/ph_bal.php

For some SCARY but informative info on processed oils and happier info on 'good' oils: **http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.html

REMOVE THE ** before you link

Thanks again for you contribution.

Best,

Brooks

[cjbrooksjc]

Oh, yes. I forgot to say: In the link to the Weston Price write-up, go to the section entitled "Modern Methods of Processing Fats" (It's quite a way down the text) - it will make your skin crawl, and no one who reads it can consume another processed oil without concern.

Brooks

[tomt43402]

Great Post Ridge! You made my day :D

[Brian C.]

May I add Palm Oil. Very stable (i.e. doesn't go rancid) and rich in Vitamin E - the full complex of tocopherols and tocotrienols. We fry our eggs in it.
Just finished eating stir-fry chicken, which I fried in coconut oil. Yum.

Bring on the cheese...

Brian.

[ridge24]

It's been a terrific journey of discovery, but after the link that you gave me on oil processing...I just think I'll stay in my room from now on...

Best of luck to you and I look forward to exploring your entries...

ridge

[ridge24]

The pleasure is all mine...

[ridge24]

I guess that coconut oil and palm oil are two different things? I tried doing eggs in virgin coconut oil and the taste of the oil was too strong, even though I know that virgin coconut oil is good stuff that has suffered a bad rap...much like palm oils (?).

Thanks for the info, Brian...

ridge

[Brian C.]

Yes, although I enjoyed my chicken stir-fry in coconut oil my wife and daughter later confessed that the strong flavour made them feel sick! Oh well, no complaints with the palm oil thankfully.

Natural saturated fats boost "good guy" HDL.

Brian.

[maryp]

Ridge,

I have had similar reactions from doctors. 8 years ago my GP called me at home one night and insisted that I come into his office the next day and get Lipitor for my high cholesterol. I was 49, female, going through nansty menapause symptoms, hypothyroid and had gone through some major changes in my life in the last several years. Death of both parents and in-laws, my only child went to college 4 hours away from home, I failed in a career I attempted. With so much going on in my life he could only think to throw another drug at me. He also had the nerve to brag to me that he was taking Lipitor so that he could eat anything he wanted.
Like an idiot I took the three weeks of 10mg samples he gave me and tried them. Within a week I was having problems. Within the first week I started developing a rash on my face and hands, I started having trouble with my voice and acid reflux. I went back to him and he insisted that the rash was caused by Herpes Witlow "whatever?". He tore his office apart looking for an illustration in a medical book to prove his point. He never found one.
I took the pills for another week and then stopped. I was getting worse and now I was having major muscle pains and weakness. I went looking for another doctor. After 8 months and 8 different specialists I finally ended up at the Johns Hopkins Rheumatology clinic where I was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis a rare autoimmune disease. I will never be convinced that Lipitor did not cause or at least trigger my disease.
In the last 8 years I have taken thousands and thousands of dollars worth of tests, prescriptions, procedures and physical therapy. THe treatment for my disease that finally worked is Cellcept. It is a drug developed to suppress the immune system for organ transplant patients. It along with predisone and topical cremes were the way I got some of my life back. I have some permanent lung damage, have lost significant muscle mass in certain areas and am now photosensative. I am always in long sleeves and a hat. I was also granted SS DI at the age of 53 because of my disease.
I have developed Atrial fibrillation and have had three stents implanted in my heart. I have had a frozen shoulder and a case of shingles. I changed cardologists because the first one refused to continue treating me if I didn't take some kind of statin drug. He had also been totally unaware of the connection between nutrition and medications etc. He constantly advised me to loose weight and then complained because he constantly had to adjust my warfin levels up. I tried to tell him the only way I could loose weight was to eat a lot of "green leafy vegtables". Green leafy vegtables counteract the blood thinning effect of warfrin. "DUH!!"
I got the general impression that the cardiology practice I was first using intended to make as much money as possible with their fancy testing equipment before it became outdated. I had a yearly stress test for the last 5 years and three different times he insisted that I have a catherization following the test. He insisted that there was some kind of shadow on my test. The fact that each time they tested me they varied their procedure said to me that they were not comparing apples to apples. I am endowed with a more than generous chest. The first time I was tested braless, the second and third time with an underwire bra. While I was always given the nuculear test the amount of time I walked varied with each test.
Aside from two brief hospital stays while they got my heart rythum back to normal I have never had heart related chest pain or even extremely high blood pressure. Durring the early treatment for my disease I was on a significant dose of predisone which plays havoc with blood pressure, triglycerides etc.
When I changed cardo doctors the new one questioned why I had had any tests done in the first place with no history of chest pain. She has also urged me to take statins but accepted my refusal. I recently passed another nuclear stress test that she herself conducted.
I will never again take any medication without first throughly researching the possible side effects etc. There is a forum on the web for other sufferers of mysoitis diseases. A significant number of those posting also believe their exposure to statin drugs may have caused or triggered their diseases.
I believe that after the drug companies recoup their research dollars and make what they consider a fair return on their investments statin drugs will quietly disappear from the market living behind a trail of death and suffering in their wake. Remember the big push for HRT and the wonders of Viox.
I was one of the unlucky ones who will pay the rest of my life because I took Lipitor "samples" for three weeks in the spring of 2000.

Maryp

[ridge24]

Mary...Wow...I'm sorry for all that you had to go through. Like you, I went into this process completely in the dark. My body spoke to me quickly. In my research, I was lucky enough to come across the issue of body pH early in the game.
When, if ever, has a doctor pulled out litmus paper to test out pH level? Never, for me. There is no grey area here. When our bodies are acidic, they breed pathogens. When our bodies are alkaline, they don't. So many of our problems would go away if our alkalinity read at around 7.4. Unfortunately, sugar, artificial sweeteners, High fructose Corn Syrups, Hydrogenated and Partially hydrogenated oils, MSG (regardless of what the FDA allows food companies to call it), stress, chemicals, perfumes, etc are among the reasons we go acidic. "Professional meds" add to the problem, as well. And besides the acidity that they cause, there is no synthetic medication that has no side effects. So, ask yourself, if by the time the average American reaches 65 and they are taking around 15 different meds each day (the first 2 for the original symptoms...not the REASONS for the symptoms...and the rest for the side effects caused by the first 2), is it any wonder why few people reach old age, healthily? Inspite of all of the "treatments", cancers and heart diseases are epidemic. All of this, along with toxic food additives and environmental factors, add to our acidity.
For me, this is my point of focus...keeping things in the alkaline range. So far...so good. The links in my original post are full of great info and here's another one that should be of high value to anyone interested in not going through the medical turnstile and allowing "them" to use our bodies as receptacles for unproven, untested, unmonitored Asian, Indian and Puerto Rican pharmaceuticals:

*http://www.drfostersessentials.com/store/ph_bal.php

Best of luck to you, Mary. I mean it....