If it was someone you loved, would you be for or against them taking statins after a heart attack? Recently someone I'm very close to had a heart attack…
Have you ever met someone who everyone loves? Men or women, young or old. Mike is that kind of guy. You could be telling him the most boring story in the world, in the most monotonous voice there is, and he would be looking into your eyes, asking questions, and making you feel like he's always been wondering about that very topic. He's got a huge heart and is always ready to help someone; and get this ladies, he's been known to jump up after dinner to help clean up at big family gatherings. (He likes sports, too, so it's not that he's uninterested in heading to the TV like the other guys are, he just comes in to help first!)
Mike had a heart attack recently, and thank GOD his chest pain got him to the ER in time so docs could find and fix some pretty severe blockages before a he had a massive attack. There is some heart disease in his family, so genetics could very well have played into this, but also, I believe his lifestyle led him straight to his new heart disease diagnosis.
What kind of lifestyle you ask?
He smoked for years, but quit about a year ago. He is a Mountain Dew-aholic, and has been known to drink two 2-Liters a day, this is after a typical breakfast of sugar-bomb cereal, and a candy bar for a snack. The only bright spot is that after not eating all day, he goes home to my sister's great home-cooked meals. She's tried for years to get him to eat a decent breakfast and to pack himself a lunch. “Our kids pack their own lunches before school, there's no reason you can't pack a lunch!” He just wasn't in the habit, and he also works too much – it's not easy to be motivated to add new steps to your daily routine when you're tired. I get that, but a body can only take so much. So now we're all praying that this scare will be enough to motivate him to stick with a better diet, so far he seems to be on the right track. (Say a prayer for him, please!)
(I love this picture of Terri & Mike at their 25th wedding anniversary party last year – he's whispering something and cracking her up.)
What to do about the statins?
As you can imagine, he came home with a grocery bag of medicines. Now he's trying to figure out what to do about the statins. I've told him over and over, “Don't listen to ME when I tell you that I don't believe people should take statins, or that you should eat butter and real cream (not to mention plenty of healthy fruits & veggies, no HFCS or trans fats, no vegetable oils, get off processed foods and sugar as much as absolutely possible, reduce stress, etc.), and don't blindly believe everything your doctor says, either. DO THE RESEARCH AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.”
Besides the statin info here on my site, here's another good statin article I sent him, and one more on overall healthy habits: 10 steps to better health 2009.
What do you think? If someone you dearly loved had a heart attack, do you think they should take statins? What would you say to them?
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, do not listen to me, there is a lot I don't know! I only want what you read here to motivate you to research it more for yourself, talk to your doctor, and decide what is best for you.
- Read about Mike's follow-up appointment at the heart doc.
- More on healthy fats.
- Check out this book, Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?!
Susan says
Even though this is an older post, I wanted to share an excellent book about preventing heart disease, “21 Days to a Healthy Heart” by Alan Watson.
I love this book because to me it’s like a compilation of all the info that I’ve researched in other books and online over the years to be healthy. It’s written in normal language that I can understand, and not so technical, which I appreciate.
Heart disease runs in my family, but I can’t seem to get my family members to believe me when I talk to them about high total cholesterol numbers meaning nothing and that low-fat foods are dangerous, etc. I’ve tried to get them to read my copy of the book but they aren’t interested.
If they’d read it, and if I could afford it, I’d buy this book for everyone I know & love.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Isn’t that so hard when you can’t get family to read what you’d like them to or be more interested in saving their lives…..? I think people are also just so confused about who to believe.
Karen says
https://www.medicationsense.com/articles/april_june_04/graveline.html
This link is to a one page article about Lipitor, written by a military doc, who was on it and suffered memory problems. He’s written a whole book on it: I found it quite interesting.
Hi Kelly,
Wow! You surely got a lot of response from this article: it’s so personal and poignant.
I’ve often taken personal polls: why do you research and why don’t you research [and do what the doc says?] We all have our limitations. Yet, I’ve seen so much. I used to have my own perimeters but they’ve expanded over the years.
I’m a fan of prevention. When that doesn’t work, I lean torward alternative solutions that aren’t so “alternative” anymore. My doctor is a Chinese medicine doc.
I believe that allopathic medicine [our traditional medicine] has its place in the emergency room. But scores low when it comes to chronic diseases. i.e. arthritis, heart disease, inflammation.
i hope Michael listens to you….and does his own research. I’d start with the PDR [Physicians Desk Reference] and look up the side effects of statins.
Thanks for writing.
Karen
Rita says
Kelly, everyone concerned about statins and heart disease should check out William Davis MD’s blog and website.
https://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
https://www.trackyourplaque.com/
He has a lot of ideas for reversing arterial plaque and is very critical of mainstream cardiology.
Kelly says
I just emailed Mike asking if he’s following this – you’ve all given some great food for thought (and great links, too) – thanks everyone, and keep ’em coming!
Alyss says
Thank you for this timely post! My dad was hospitalized last weekend with a heart attack (65+, type-A personality, moderate eating habits but lots of ciggarettes and whiskey for many years) and came out of the hospital with a prescription for statins. I’m very worried about his health – he has some chronic issues but in general is still active and happy. I just don’t want to see him get sicker or be forced to stop working/playing. I’m going to pass on this post and other links, but I think he’s just going to follow what the doctors say. Ugh.
Alyss
Anna says
Kelly,
So sorry to hear about Mike. I’m sure you are a great resource for him and source of support for him. From what you have said, I would say that the sugar (Mt Dew & candy bars, indeed!) and the resultant insulin response is a huge factor in the development of his disease, though I’m sure there are other factors, too. Low carb will help him tremendously.
I like the Track Your Plaque approach for managing heart disease, based on the coronary artery calcium scan scores, which measure the location and amount of plaque that have potential to rupture, clot, and cause a cardiac event. Ideally, people should get a CCS *before* they have a cardiac event, so they can then work to *stabilize or even regress* their artery plaque, but it’s never too late.
Dr. William Davis, the main cardiologist at the TYP and Heart Scan Blog takes a strong nutritional approach to managing coronary artery plaque, with statins only used if diet, exercise, and proven nutritional supplements aren’t enough (he is great about the research and the drugs). He also bases his program on a more detailed lipoprotein testing (NMR or VAP) to figure out exactly why they plaque is forming, so that the treatment matches what is out of balance instead of generically just lowering cholesterol. Sometimes that’s exactly the opposite of what should be done. These lipoprotein tests are far more detailed and informative than the basic cholesterol panel that most people get, which are often very inaccurate and only indicate a very small part of what is happening biochemically.
Dr. Davis has a great blog, The Heart Scan Blog, which I have read for almost two years. Over that time, while I don’t see eye-to-eye with him 100%, I’ve grown to respect his advice and integrity very much. he’s not afraid to take on the establishment, yet he isn’t an establishment outsider. He is moving towards not fearing saturated fats, too, and he understands quite well what builds and what regresses coronary artery plaque. He has great results with raising Vit D levels, using supplements like niacin and other vitamins, as well as amino acids, to stablization/regress coronary plaque to reduce the risk of future cardiac events.
I have his book, Track Your Plaque, which is very good, but due for an update, esp in regards to fats. There are some publishing barriers to a new edition, though, so I recommend his blog and TYP as well for updates.
Dr. Davis also has a Track Your Plaque membership website (yes, there is a subscription fee, but I think it is well worth it) where members can talk with each other and share what is working or not working in their TYP program, read articles and info, and get advice on their TYP program from the TYP experts. One of those experts is Dr B G of the Animal Pharm blog (another favorite).
Last December my husband and I got coronary calcium scans. My score was 0, which means no plaque at all in my coronary arteries. That’s what one wants.
My husband, though, had a score of 282, which means not only that there is plaque in his coronary arteries, but it is more than found in other men of his age (the scores are calculated by gender and percentile for age). I wasn’t surprised he had coronary plaque, though I actually expected a worse score, but nonetheless, this wasn’t something to ignore. If one has any coronary plaque at all, it will grow about 20 % a year if nothing is done. My husband has smoked for years (outdoors, not near us), doesn’t get enough exercise (especially strength exercises, he’s definitely lost lean muscle mass the past few years), and he’s under a *lot* of stress lately. His scan score really scared him, though, so he’s been a lot more compliant with my “health” plans and suggestions. He’s also had borderline high BP for a long time. He eats very well at home, but has to dine out often for work dinners, too, and when traveling. TYP is the first thing I thought of when I realized we would need to be very aggressive about this situation, to at least make sure he doesn’t continue to accumulate plaque. But now he’s paying more attention and using the TYP program instead of a statin. The smoking is the big issue, though, and so far, he’s only cut back. That’s his battle. My domain is the kitchen and getting him to exercise, so far so good.
You might take a look at Dr Davis, the Heart Scan blog, and the Track Your Plaque program, and then maybe it would interest Mike, too. Good luck!
Motherhen68 says
My dad takes statins for high cholesterol, and thank God he’s not had a heart attack or stroke, yet. That being said, if it were me or dh I wouldn’t take the statins. As much as it pains me to see what a horrible diet my dad eats, he is, afterall, an adult. I certainly would be less than impressed if he was telling me to take statins, high blood pressure meds, etc. My parents are convinced that they are doing the right thing. It’s their life, so they need to live it like they see fit.
Debbie, I’ve seen tons of people lower their trig/hdl/ldl by eating low-carb. Try cutting all sugar sources and get retested. (of course, this is my opinion and I am in no way a medical professional…I just play one on tv haha!)
Motherhen68
Cathy says
This is a must read:
Left For Dead by Dick Quinn found at http://www.morethanalive.com
and
Cancer, Step Outside the Box by Ty Bollinger found at http://www.cancertruth.net
The first book deals specifically with heart disease/congestive heart failure. Wonderful must-read written by someone who has been there and been “left for dead”. Became his own physician and has lived to tell about it. The second book is fantastic too. Both are must-reads. No, I would not want my loved one taking statins to answer the question.
TeamBettendorf says
My FIL takes statin drugs even though he has never had a heart attack. Then he was hospitalized with what he thought was a heart attack but was really heartburn. That led to an angiogram and FIL was ready to go in and have stents placed. He was almost giddy about it.
We advised him, sent him links, gave him alternatives and he was just convinced that he was going to have surgery. His angiogram was fine (thank heavens) and he was deemed healthy but he has not changed his diet at ALL.
During his last visit we got to hear all about how he has trigger finger and he’s probably going to have to have surgery on that. I think some people like being a part of the “club”. All of their friends are going through this and they can swap stories. Kinda like women swap birth stories (good and bad) old people like to swap medical stories. ::rolleyes::
But to answer your question NO!! I would never, will never, have never advised or encouraged someone to take drugs that interfere with the body’s normal function. And high cholesterol is a sign of low thyroid. It even says on the insert for statin drugs to make sure you test thyroid first. But do they? No.
TeamBettendorf
Local Nourishment says
I’m with you, Kelly. He and his family have to do their own research. This is a decision they have to come to on their own, for their own reasons, in their own time. I would gather up the very best links, pro and con, the soundest research I could find, a list of keywords to Google, and give it to them wrapped in a bow. Then I’d stand back and pray.
Local Nourishment
Erin says
For a male with a prior history of heart attack…. I’d probably have him take the statins. They may only be treating a symptom of inflammation, but the likelihood that he will turn his diet and lifestyle around (especially in the face of the advice from medical community about margarine/grains/no meat or animal fat) is VERY slim. He could just take them until he can turn around his hsCRP (a very sensitive test for inflammation), which is likely through the roof right now.
The studies for a male AFTER a heart attack are pretty clear – statins really make a big difference in having a second heart attack or worse, stroke. Now, the studies have NOTHING to say about primary prevention of an event or anything about any females, so the way they are being used like candy… that’s a whole ‘nother ball of wax.
Shauna says
I can only speak for myself – I personally will not ever go on a statin. In terms of the “what now” question that Debbie posed…… I, as well, am not a doctor – so I am in no position to “advise”. However – what I have heard other natural practitioners/doctors say is that IF you have high cholesterol, then it is an indication that you have inflammation in your arteries SOMEWHERE. If you just take a statin, then you’re addressing the SYMPTOM of inflammation – you’re not taking care of the real CAUSE of the inflammation. The statin-cure is based on the premise that the cholesterol CAUSES heart/artery disease…….. when, I believe the opposite is true: the purpose of the cholesterol is to HEAL the inflammation in your arteries. Inflammation is BAD – so rather than get rid of the thing that is there to help it, I would want to find the root CAUSE of the inflammation. (Which is most likely diet/unhealthy lifestyle related. SUGAR is a chief cause of inflammation, processed foods are also a chief cause, trans-fats, etc)
Debbie – if it were me, I would find a naturalopath/D.O who is knowledgeable with Weston Price philosophies (my personal bent), and have THEM evaluate me and treat me. I would compare what they have to say with what my MD says. If you haven’t already, you might want to start reading all the articles they have on the WAPF website. (www.westonaprice.org) You can look on the left nav bar of their site and easily find articles on cholesterol, statins, heart disease, etc.
Shauna
Shauna
Debbie says
I will be watching this post closely. My dh and I are both on statins, but also taking CoQ10. I’d love to get off them (and save the $60 co-pay), but THEN WHAT? I went off my statins for 3 months last year and my cholesterol and triglycerides doubled. It was also right when I first “discovered” real milk, butter and CLO. I came back from my endocronologist with a renewed statin rx PLUS something for triglycerides. ugh. So glad you friend is okay!