Oh no! Not another Statins story

Just when I thought [hoped] that the Statins story was fading from the public eye along comes another study that says that Statins were linked to reduced risk of prostate cancer. Note that this is only a 'reduced risk' and not an actual treatment or cure, I have to wonder how much of an influence the Sta

Image by erix! via Flickr

tins manufacturers have on these studies.



Am I only being paranoid [irrational fear] about these things or is there a real threat to our health from things which are being pushed on us by the so-called health professionals.



The comments in the BBC News page
[ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8016006.stm ]
are filled with an alarming number of 'could's 'might have's and similar phrases. This, to me, is raising public fears and encouraging the public to be rather more prone to accepting a mass 'medication' of the general populace, even though there is no need for it and there is a hidden [and probably unpublished] risk of other health problems associated with Statins.


A comment from John Neate, chief executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, is rather telling; "It is too soon to say if the results of these studies could lead to a potential breakthrough in the use of statins to reduce the risk of prostate cancer or to slow its development."


I am willing to make a wager that the government would be quite happy to force this, and other, medication on us without allowing any kind of opt-out for the individual. If added to the water supply, as recommended with fluoride, then the consumer will have to take it and suffer.


I will be the first to admit that these posts are somewhat depressing but it is this kind of health issue that matters to me, in that I am in the middle of medication issues myself.


Love to you all, with the wish that you never have to deal with these things on an involuntary basis.


Ainsley

Here we go again - The Statins Issue

The latest news from the BBC says that "Millions more healthy people could be put on cholesterol-lowering drugs." "Under current plans around one in four adults aged over 40 is to be prescribed Statins on the NHS. GPs will begin the risk assessments later this year."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7880555.stm

The research comes from the Maccabi Healthcare Services and Sackler Faculty of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel and the BBC News page doesn't mention any risks involved in taking Statins.

Well here are some information segments from a few other sites, assumed to be responsible in their reporting of any health issues involved in Statins use.

The Mail Online reported in June 2006 (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-392689/Statins-Side-effects-anti-cholesterol-drugs-questioned.html) that taking Statins was causing mental and neurological problems like irritability, memory loss and muscle weakness, leading in extreme cases to muscle cell breakdown and kidney failure. Dr Ravnskov said the reason Statins are considered safe is that trials do not include people who are likely to have problems.

"Cholesterol is vital for the development and functioning of the
brain," says Ravnskov, "so it's not surprising that various
psychological problems show up."

A further comment from that same article stated that for a non-drug approach a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2005) found that omega-3 reduced the chance of dying from heart disease more than Statins.

MedicineNet (http://www.medicinenet.com/statins/page2.htm#toce) reported that the most common side effects are headache, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diahorrea, rash, weakness and muscle pain. More serious but, fortunately rare, effects are liver failure and rhabdomyolysis - a serious side effect in which there is damage to muscles. Starting with muscle pain and progressinsg to loss of muscle cells, kidney failure and eventual death.

I appreciate that these reports are from a few years ago but nothing has really changed and I still wonder if what I asked in a previous blog post is still a valid question. Are Statins an unwanted by-product of some other process and this is a convenient and legal way of dumping this waste material without causing environmental issues?

I have diabetes and as such have to take care of my health, I have fought against taking Statins but my doctor has insisted that Statins are the way to go. I would still love to take something else for the treatment of high cholesterol but the medical professionals seem rather reluctant to take much notice of my requests.

It really worries me that some people, who are actually healthy, are going to be encouraged to take some potentially harmful medication to keep the drug manufacturers in business.

I know that this is yet another rant but I do feel that this is important to bring to the public eye - just because you are over 40 years old you will be screened and probably prescribed Statins.

Is this right?

Yours, in frustration,

Ainsley