UK ITV programme Heart of the Matter

[Ray Holder]

For those able to have access to ITV from the UK, they are transmitting, this Friday evening, 23rd October, in their 8.0 pm "Tonight" programme entitled "Heart of the matter" a look into the problems with statins.

Terry Yorke, a friend of mine who appeared in a similar programme some while ago, lives in Devon, and another statin damaged man from Cornwall was brought up to Terry's home to appear with him, and I believe someone from Scotland is also involved.

I gave a lot of info to the producer, who seemed to be very sympathetic, but I am unfortunately in no fit state of health to appear myself.

Terry was not very keen about having to appear, but thought someone ought to do so, and we are grateful that he took it up.

Ray

[Allen1]

That's good news Ray,

I am pleased that Terry is strong enough and brave enough to go through with this, there is no way that I could face up to a TV camera, I even hate my photo being took! This program is by far superior to the "One Show" and generally gives a more realist view on things in comparison, I just hope they do not get some puppet of a doctor to attempt to discredit what is said, its partly because of those puppets that we find ourselves in the state we are in and find it difficult to get other doctors to believe the problems that arise from statin therapy.

Wish him all the best for me, I would sooner have another triple bypass than appear on TV I am looking forward to watching it though

All the best,
Allen

[Ray Holder]

What a letdown, !! the program was full of people saying high cholesterol is the problem, they did have Dr LeFanu who writes in the Daily Telegraph about the folly of large scale statination, but Dr Sarah Jarvis (she previously said that anyone who didn't believe cholesterol was the problem thought that the world was flat) said that an extremely small number of statin takers had bad side effects, she should read this Forum.

Terry had only a very small amount of time, and was overcome by the thought of how much statins had damaged his life.

A very unsatisfactory show altogether.

Ray

[Allen1]

Never mind Ray,

the real people like Terry and the others who were affected by statins did a decent job of describing some of the problems that they suffered. The real shame is the way it was biased by people like Dr Sarah Jarvis and another lady doctor who mentioned the amount of supported evidence that statins save thousands of lives in the UK every year. The program did seem to go out of its way to support the "statins are safe for you" line and anyone who has cholesterol levels above 5 (UK) need to do something about it (apart from WHY it is higher ie cause). Most of which was especially nearer the end of the program, there was so much information that should have been said or maybe was said that just never got used.

The program could have done so much more but whoever decided to butcher the final piece for viewing, should hang their head in shame and the lady doctor who mentioned the amount of supported evidence that statins save thousands of lives in the UK every year should be asked to provide that information because if I remember correctly, it does not exist in the real world but only in cherry picked and altered meta analysis of trials which were interpreted incorrectly in the original trials in the first place.

All the victims like Terry, did a decent job, what was edited out or altered to allow Dr Sarah Jarvis to sugar coat the situation IS a real problem though.

Unfortunately I got a phone call half way through the program so I don't know if there was any mention about Dr's getting paid to achieve targets ie give them enough statins and get paid thousands of pounds for achieving the target numbers. If it wasn't mentioned then it should have been and also what Dr's get paid by the drug companies for keeping the public statinised by way of their talks/lectures etc, that would have wiped the smug look off Dr Sarah Jarvis's face.

At the end of the day, what goes out and what gets left behind is down to the program makers (or whoever is paying them), a chance of making a real ground-breaking and factual program was missed by the misguided clowns that produced what finally got aired.

All the best,
Allen.