What You Must Know about Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives: A Consumer's Guide to Safely Using Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Crestor, Mevacor, or [Paperback]

Jay S. Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0757002579 | ISBN-13: 978-0757002571 | Edition: 1

Over 100 million Americans suffer from elevated cholesterol and C-reactive proteins markers linked to heart attack and other cardiovascular disorders. To combat these problems, modern science has created statins. While over 20 million people take these medications, up to 42 percent experience side effects, and up to 70 percent eventually stop treatment. Here, for the first time, is a guide that offers easy-to-follow solutions to the statin dilemma. What You Must Know About Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives begins by explaining elevated cholesterol and C-reactive proteins. It then examines how statins alleviate these problems, discusses side effects, and offers information on both safe usage and effective alternative treatments.

If you have elevated cholesterol and C-reactive proteins, or if you are currently usinga statin, this book can make a profound difference in the quality of your life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jay S. Cohen, M.D., is a nationally recognized expert on preventing medication side effects and using proven-effective natural therapies whenever possible. Dr. Cohen is a university professor whose work has been featured in major magazines, newspapers, TV, and other media.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Square One Publishers; 1 edition (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757002579
• ISBN-13: 978-0757002571
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jay Sylvan Cohen, M.D. is an Associate Professor at the School of
Medicine, University of California, San Diego. He is currently researching
medication development and prescribing methods and their relationship to the
high rates of treatment-related illness.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps sort out the confusing information out there..., February 10, 2006

By 

Meri Levy (Lafayette, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What You Must Know about Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives: A Consumer's Guide to Safely Using Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Crestor, Mevacor, or (Paperback)

I just got this book today, and I am amazed at how much I have learned already. Dr. Cohen provides crucial information about how your doctor may prescribe far too high a dose of statins, and how to recognize and deal with drug side effects.

The book also provides easy-to-understand information about natural alternatives (or complements) to statins, including Co-Q10, Red Yeast Rice, Plant Sterols, Policosanol, Niacin and others. I think this book will help me reduce my statin use and be able to control my cholesterol through other natural alternatives. There are a lot of products out there claiming to lower your cholesterol, and Dr. Cohen provides objective information and study data regarding many of those products, independent of commercial propaganda.

Update six months later - with the advice of this book, I was able to lower my cholesterol from 310 to 192 in two months, using a combination of very low-dose statins, Policosanol (from sugar cane), Co-Q10, Fish Oil and plant sterols, as well as regular exercise. My Ldl is considered "optimal" now, after being "extremely high" just weeks ago. My doctor wanted to give me 40mg of Zocor, and I achieved my ideal Ldl with only 10mg. So, needless to say, I think this book is worth reading if you are considering statin therapy or just trying to get your cholesterol down.

Thanks, Dr. Cohen!

81 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good on "What You Must Know" - Skimpy on "Natural Alternatives", August 2, 2005

By 

jay1000 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What You Must Know about Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives: A Consumer's Guide to Safely Using Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Crestor, Mevacor, or (Paperback)

This is a tough subject. Some people consider statins as the ultimate wonder drug...others consider statins to be the ultimate evil drug. Lots and lots of BS in the newsgroups.

Cohen does an excellent job in explaining how to use statins while minimizing the possibility of adverse side-effects. His approach makes a lot of sense.

Unfortunately, there is no natural alternative "magic bullet". So don't expect to find any natural alternative even close to statins in effectiveness. He does weed out a couple of ineffective natural alternatives.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guidance re: statins; only Fair re: alternatives, September 16, 2006

By 

Ed (Frankfort, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What You Must Know about Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives: A Consumer's Guide to Safely Using Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Crestor, Mevacor, or (Paperback)

This book provides very useful information regarding the average cholesterol reductions based upon specific statin and dose being taken. It also provides interesting information regarding how beginning doses are arrived at and how the drug companies may be encouraging doctors to prescribe dosages that are actually in excess of a patient's needs. Provides both pros and cons and, if one assumes that the information is factual, provides an excellent base for the reader to develop own decisions.

As to alternative treatments, the book does not add a lot of valuable information but that is not why I purchased it anyway. I was most interested in the pros and cons of using statin drugs. For such purpose, it is an excellent source for information.