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223 of 229 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smoke & Mirrors about Drug benefits - another Example, May 4, 2004
This review is from: Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol (Paperback)
A must read for anyone who is even remotely interested in how our sickness care, billed as health care, system works. Dr. Graveline, like many, obviously a very conscientious doctor, was suddenly faced with a number of dilemmas when he experienced transient global amnesia (memory loss) induced by Lipitor (one of the statin cholesterol lowering drugs). Interestingly the manufacturer even proclaims that there is no connection with its use to prevent heart disease or heart attacks yet the use use of this useless drug continuers through slick marketingThis short eminently readable work discusses, among other issues, what Transient Global Amnesia (TGA) is, how the statin drugs work, the myth of the Cholesterol/Modified Low Fat Diet etc. of special interest is the role of cholesterol particularly in the brain. It is shown how statins can transverse the blood brain barrier and interfere with the normal functioning of the brain. This is most important in those who have a dramatic reduction when using statins ..."abrupt, major decreases of serum cholesterol from statin drug therapy should be taken more as a warning than as an indication of success, for cognitive side effects seemed more likely to occur in these cases."... Mention is made of a ..."recent PROSPER trial published in Lancet, that statin therapy increased the incidence of cancer deaths , completely offsetting the SLIGHT decrease in deaths from cardiovascular disease and further complicating interpretation of reported benefits from statin therapy." Not to mention other significant side effects of liver/kidney damage, muscle pain/injury, Coenzyme 10 (CQ10) depletion essential for heart health and continued deficiency of heart essential Vitamin Bs and other nutrients. Their is a cogent discussion between correlation of good diet and disease. This alone is worth the price of the book. No one, but no one, has ever had a drug deficiency yet our medical system continues to discourage the use of nutrients in lieu of generally toxic drugs! They never even look at the underlying causes which these drugs sadly mask - much to the detriment of the patient. Given the benefits of cholesterol lowering borders more on speculation then in fact (mostly from manipulated statics) it is surprising that there is a need to reduce cholesterol at all. Yet both Drs. Graveline and Cohen (in the forward) still seem to feel the need to do so indicates how ingrained the cholesterol lowering mantra has taken hold in the medical community. Should your doctor suggest statins or for that matter any other cholesterol lowering drug just say "here take this (book) and call me in the morning...."
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177 of 182 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-read for those who like eye-openers, April 18, 2004
This review is from: Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol (Paperback)
Dr. Graveline's book is an absolute gem. The information contained in relatively few pages is astounding and will open the eyes of many readers.
In a personal account as a victim of serious side effects of Lipitor Dr. Graveline describes the frightening experience he had when first using the drug. No one believed that his symptoms (total cognitive amnesia) were anything other than some cerebral problems such as a stroke and the ordeal must have been devastating to say the least.
The good doctor, having been an upstanding physician and scientist of mainstream medicine all his professional life was cruelly and unexpectedly turned into a victim, then a rebel.
A skeptic at heart, this Astronaut and physician was left to his own devices to find answers to his dilemma, a dilemma that was threatening to finish his career, his marriage and his life.
Specialists he consulted made hasty decisions, put on their know-it-all facial expressions and expressed heartfelt sympathy to all concerned about the obvious sad situation that saw a brilliant mind being cut down in its prime.
Dr. Graveline describes many other cases of people who suffered similar side effects and he elaborates in sufficient detail on the misguided war on cholesterol. He shows that ample proof exists that cholesterol as the bogeyman behind heart and blood vessel disease is the product of a very faulty hypothesis. He points out the flaws in the original theory by Dr. Ancel Keys in the fifties and cites study after study that does not support the prevailing dogma but, in most cases, clearly shows the opposite.
He enters controversial -and possibly dangerous- territory when he explains some of the reasons why apparently sane and caring physicians keep prescribing these statin drugs when they must know that there is no proven need to lower cholesterol and that the side effects of the medication are serious.
He wonders whether it is all about money, a thought he appears to have difficulty accepting.
Dr. Graveline does not want to fly in a plane piloted by a statin taker. He knows that there is a possibility -no matter how remote- that the pilot will suddenly fall ill and have no memory whatsoever of having had flight training.
This book ought to be a must read for anyone on statins . Anyone taking any medication ought to do so only after being informed about possible side effects. Any doctor, as Dr. Graveline points out, being lax in this regard is practicing under false pretenses.
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121 of 125 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
YOU'RE ONLY AS YOUNG AS YOUR ARTERIES, February 14, 2004
This review is from: Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol (Paperback)
Here we have a must read for anyone with an over active doctor who likes dispensing "Cholesterol Pills". Dr. Graveline first describes some rare and not so rare side-effects of cholesterol lowering drugs on the mind [memory loss, poor fuzzy thinking]. Then there are some of the more debilitating physical effects of these drugs from the reduction of CoQ10, the vital energy producer and "catalytic converter" of every nerve and muscle cell. Then there is more cancer in older people ..As statins lower cholesterol, they also lower in lock-step some truly vital body chemicals [CoQ10, squalene and other important products]. Being aware of such side effects may prevent damage that can result. Graveline then suggests that this may all be worth it IF THERE WOULD BE A BENEFIT in survival from taking statin drugs like Lipitor or Zocor, but there is no such clear benefit. In fact, all statins trials combined may NOT have extended the life of a single woman! [British Medical Journal, Oct. 18 2003:933] Three of the latest massive trials either showed no heart disease benefit [ALLHAT] or no improved survival in anybody [ASCOT, PROSPER, and again ALLHAT]. The author gives important warnings, but the book goes further in describing what really underlies the decline of artery health [and you're only as young as your arteries]. He debunks the CHOLESTEROL MYTH and presents SIMPLE PREVENTION STRATEGIES with B vitamins that lower the "natural blood toxin" homocysteine. He then proposes to leave the "low fat and cholesterol" high starch and refined junk flour products on the shelf and to eat less refined products, even if they are higher in fat and cholesterol in their natural state [high nutrient products]. Buy this book if you're on a statin [it's cheaper than a week's worth of Lipitor] and then give it to a doctor since they are the ones that either prescribe the drugs, or propose sensible alternatives. Drugs are NOT the underlying cause of heart disease and there is little evidence they can fix arteries after they are damaged -and long-term harm to the mind, to muscle [weakness], to nerves and from cancer may well await those not paying attention to the side effects. This book may help you prevent such harm.
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