Dr Chander
It is certainly nice to know that you have no
objection to
statin users taking supplemental CoQ10! Personally,
I think it essential that they
do. Schering-Plough apparently thought so when they
included CoQ10
as part of their patent on Pravachol. However, for
some bizarre reason they
never included CoQ10 in their formulation. I am a
member of the Life
Extension Foundation and have read numerous articles
on the importance of CoQ10
supplementation not only for statin users but also
for seniors whose natural
production of CoQ10 dimishes with age.
I am also an adamant critic of statin drugs. The
side affects
are potentially dangerous and the Framingham studies
demonstrate that lowering
cholesterol has no effect on mortality.
Additionally, there is little
evidence that elevated LDL contributes to heart
disease or even is an
important contributor to plaque formation. I agree
that for high risk patients who
show cardiac calcification, lowering LDL and VLDL
will assist in furthering
the damage. However, I'm fully convinced that
cardiovascular calcification
is due to oxidative damage at the cellular level and
possibly the actions of nanobacteria. Bottom line is
lowered cholesterol (LDL) does not guarantee
you will not die from a heart attack or experience a
blockage. In addition, high
LDL cholesterol will not automatically result in
cardiovascular
calcification. Thus, anyone who is being
considered for a statin drug should
first be given a heart scan to determine their
calcium score. I'm a good case in
point. Since at least 1985 I have had high
cholesterol ranging from between
280-310. In 2001 and again in 2003, CAT Scans have
shown a "0" calcification
score. This score only occurs in 5% of men my age
group (60+). Admittedly, I do take a lot of
supplements, and exercise regularly and do have a
good HDL/LDL ratio. Bottom line, instead of statins
with their
side affect why not concentrate on increasing the
HDL ratio and limiting statins
to those with KNOWN calcification tendencies. An
excellent book I can
recommend is "Malignant Medical Myths by Joel M
Kauffman, PhD. He says: (1)
higher cholesterol is better for older people since
cholesterol is
protective against Parkinsons and Alzheimers, (2)
Blood pressure medicine
is over-prescribed, and (3) EDTA chelation therapy
does reverse cardiovascular
calcification.
Regards
Dennis
Dennis Durost
durostd@earthlink.net
Be An Author. Write
to Us
|
