Are You Taking One of the Stain Drugs? Information You Need To Know

From the Wellness Professor: Tim Dannehy

About one out of every four Americans take a statin drug to lower cholesterol.

In February this year, the FDA said that all statins must carry warnings about increased risks of elevated blood sugar and possible transient memory and cognition problems. The label changes apply to Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Fluvastatin (Lescol), Lovastatin (Mevacor), Lovastatin extended-release (Altoprev), Pravastatin (Pravachol), Rosuvastatin (Crestor), and Simvastatin (Zocor).

Despite the additional warnings, the FDA said that it continues to believe that the cardiovascular benefits of statins outweigh these small increased risks.

There is no debate that statins work very well at lowering cholesterol and triglycerides. The debate is whether their risks outweigh the benefits.

My issue with statin drugs is when they are used for the primary prevention of a heart attack, meaning they are prescribed to people with no history of cardiovascular disease, but may have high cholesterol or triglycerides. Statins show some benefit in preventing heart attacks vs. placebo in this population, but do the risks outweigh the benefits?

Take a look at the Lipitor commercial where they boast a 33% reduction in heart attacks when people take their drug. Sounds great, but here is the reality behind the sales pitch. If 100 people take a statin drug, two of them will have a heart attack. If 100 people take placebo, three will have a heart attack. So 100 people need to take Lipitor in order to prevent one heart attack. That means that 99 other people will get zero benefit from taking these drugs. The only thing they get is the possible side effects.

Here is a recent quote from noted cardiologist Dr. Rita Redberg:

"Despite research that has included tens of thousands of people, there is no evidence that taking statins prolongs life, although cholesterol levels do decrease. Using the most optimistic projections, for every 100 healthy people who take statins for five years, one or two will avoid a heart attack. One will develop diabetes. But, on average, there is no evidence that the group taking statins will live any longer than those who don't."

This is essentially trading one disease for another. No heart attack, but now we have one more person with diabetes.  

Statins deplete important CoQ10 levels

One very important side effect of statins not listed by the drug companies is the depletion of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels in people taking these drugs. CoQ10 exists in every cell of the body and is responsible for 95% of the energy production in certain cells.

CoQ10 is an extremely important nutrient that supports vital muscle function. Without sufficient levels of CoQ10, the body's ability to repair and regenerate skeletal muscle is greatly compromised.  

 

CoQ10, according to the Mayo Clinic, is produced by the human body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels are reported to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, and muscular dystrophies. Some prescription drugs (statins) may also lower CoQ10 levels.

Studies have shown that two-thirds of patients without heart problems who were put on a low dose of a statin medication developed problems with the heart filling up with blood normally.  

According to the cardiologist who conducted this study, Peter H. Langsjoen, this abnormality was caused by CoQ10 depletion. He reasoned that without CoQ10, the cell's mitochondria are inhibited from producing energy, leading to heart muscle weakness. The heart is especially susceptible because it requires more CoQ10 than any other tissue in the body. 

The results of nine other controlled studies examining whether statins were responsible for decreased CoQ10 production concluded that 90% of the participants suffered significant depletion of CoQ10.

Dr. Langsjoen believes that taking CoQ10 should be mandatory for anyone taking statins so that the risks and side effects can be counteracted. Here is a quote from one of his lectures. 

"A deficiency of CoQ10 always effects heart muscle function" If you want to view his 40 minute lecture about CoQ10 click here. 

It is already a requirement in Canada. Health authorities there require that statins must carry a precautionary warning regarding CoQ10 depletion. Doctors are also required to talk to their patients about taking CoQ10 when they prescribe statins.

If you are taking a statin medication, you would be well advised to research their side effects and discuss the risks vs. benefits with your doctor.

If you decide to continue statin therapy, it is imperative that you include a CoQ10 supplement to counteract the depletion caused by statin drugs.

You must take a high quality CoQ10. There are many junk CoQ10 products on the market that do not get absorbed well and are ineffective. Contact me for more CoQ10 information and I can steer you in the right direction.   

Until next time......

Stay healthy my friends,

The Wellness Professor 

Sources: 

Mayo Clinic Staff, "Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you?

Merck.com, product information for patients

Lipitor.com, "Lipitor side effects"

The Mayo Clinic, "Coenzyme Q10"

Lef.org, "Life Extension Magazine: Innovative Research and Applications for CoQ10"

The Weston A. Price Foundation, "Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven't Been Told About Popular Cholesterol-Lowing Medicines."

Mercola.com, "Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Will Wreck Your Muscles"

Mercola.com, "Statins Cause Muscle Damage"

thennt.com, "Statin Drugs Given for 5 Years for Heart Disease Prevention (With Known Heart Disease)"

AJ Web Marketing offers a great  CoQ10 supplement from Dr. Sears:   "Primal Force ACCEL"

You would have to eat 10 servings of Spanish

Here is another article by Dr. Sears.

You’d have to eat 10 servings of spinach to get the same level of minerals from just one serving about 50 years ago.

 
Producers create “hybrid” forms of your fruits and vegetables – not for their ability to store nutrients but for their color, weight and shelf life. Why? So they’ll look nice and pretty when they sit under the fluorescent lights of your supermarket.

You may think they look nutritious, but “under the hood,” they contain little more than indigestible cellulose, sugar, and water.

To help protect you from this travesty, I created a formula of powerful “green foods” that gives you the nutrient power of over 9 pounds of assorted vegetables – all from drinking a naturally fortified glass of juice or water.

This breakthrough is exciting news.

We first began to know that there was a problem back in 1936. A group of doctors introduced Document No. 264 to the floor of the United States Senate. It was a dire warning that the mineral content of the soil was eroding. Vegetables were losing their power and people were at risk.

Unfortunately Congress did nothing.

Today, we’re feeling the effects…

For instance, just look at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) nutritional values for fruits and vegetables today compared to 1975.

Here’s the loss of vitamins and minerals: Apples: Vitamin A is down 41% Sweet peppers: Vitamin C is down 31% Watercress: Iron is down 88% Broccoli: Calcium and Vitamin A are down 50% Cauliflower: Vitamin C is down 45%, Vitamin B1 is down 48%, and Vitamin B2 is down 47% Collard greens: Vitamin A is down 45%, Potassium is down 60%, and Magnesium is down 85%

According to the USDA’s own numbers, the vitamin and mineral content has dramatically plummeted – in just 30 years!

Notice minerals like iron and magnesium have dropped by more than 80 percent. That’s from commercial farming technology and powerful fertilizers that practically sterilize the soil, leaving it with little to no mineral content.

If the soil doesn’t have minerals, there’s no way for vegetables to absorb them.

And that’s bad news for your health. Magnesium regulates over 300 body functions every day and is critical to heart health and healthy glucose metabolism.*
But the story doesn’t end there…

I wasn’t the only one to realize your fruits and vegetables don’t pack the nutritional punch they used to. A report from the University of Texas in Austin, also tracked the decline of nutrients in produce.

They reported findings at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in St. Louis. They found significant drops in a wide range of produce across the board, including a 20% decline in vitamin C and a 38% plunge in vitamin B2.

What’s worse, fruit and vegetable growers create “hybrids” for the sake of making their produce “look better.” They actually create new versions of all your favorites so they have more water, more sugar, more pith (the indigestible support tissue like the white fibrous netting around an orange section), and less of everything else.

Growers call this the “dilution effect.” For them, more water and more pith helps their produce ship well, look good, and weigh a lot. But it virtually wipes out their vitamin and mineral content.
The plunge in nutrients in your produce over the past 30 to 50 years is bad enough. But it is rapidly getting much worse. Genetic hybrids are pushing nutrient values even lower.
A popular broccoli hybrid called “Marathon” is an alarming example:

By the USDA’s own admission, levels of calcium and magnesium in the Marathon hybrid are 35% lower than other hybrids. The hybrids themselves are 50% lower in calcium and magnesium than “normal” broccoli. And the “normal” broccoli has less than half the calcium and magnesium than broccoli did in 1975!

In less than 50 years, the mineral, vitamin, and antioxidant value native to fruits and vegetables has been virtually “destroyed” – robbing you of the natural vital nutrients you need every day.

But you can take a simple step to get them back.

I’ve created a unique “super food” that gives you back everything you’re missing from your altered food supply.

It has all 71 minerals your body needs everyday – and they’re easy to absorb.
What do I mean by “super foods”?

I’m talking about things like spirulina and chlorophyll, which are packed with the natural vitamins that you need but you’re no longer getting from your produce.

Spirulina is the oldest food on earth, arriving on this planet over 3.5 billion years ago. It’s actually a kind of blue-green algae. After 30 years of clinical study, researchers agree it’s the world’s richest source of vitamins, minerals, iron, protein, and a host of other energizing and detoxifying nutrients.

Scientists at NASA consider it the perfect food for astronauts when they travel into space. In fact, one pound of spirulina has the nutritional power of 1,000 pounds of assorted vegetables.
Barley grass is also very well-balanced. It has the EXACT blend of amino acids, proteins, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that you need for optimum health. Its healing powers are so historic you find it mentioned in the Bible.

I have also added over 40 other nutrients designed to boost your energy levels and give you a single source of total nutrition.* Here’s just a partial list of what you’ll find:

• A Total of 12 Green Super Foods
• 3 Essential Fibers
• 12 Healing Herbs
• 8 Additional Super Foods
• 6 Energy-Dense Sea Vegetables
• Probiotic Growth Factor (Critical for Digestion and Nutrient Absorption)

Taken in combination, they are more than just the sum of their parts. They have a cumulative effect over time. My Wellness Research Foundation has been using my Ultra Greens formula with remarkable results. Reports of accelerated healing and better health are common.*

I’ve been using Ultra Greens with my patients, too. I’ve watched it improve cardiovascular health… repair and detoxify the liver and lymph nodes… turn the tables on fatigue… boost the immune system and revitalize, energize, and rejuvenate the body.

Living in the 21st century affords you many luxuries. High-speed computers… cell phones… air conditioning and plasma TVs… but the chemicals and industrial solvents that make them possible are poisonous. And they’re flowing through your blood as you read this letter.

In 2005, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group published the results of a sobering study. After analyzing the blood of newborn babies from around the country, they discovered 287 chemicals and other toxins.⁴ One of the pesticides that turned up the most was a by-product of DDT – a pesticide banned in 1972.

They also found:

• 76 chemicals that damage cells in humans and animals.
• 94 that are toxic to the brain and nervous system.
• 79 that are toxic to a developing fetus.

At this point in history, we’re being poisoned before we take our first breath. But this is not limited to newborns. Not too long ago, PBS aired a Bill Moyers special called “Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report.” In it, Bill Moyers volunteered to have his blood and urine tested for chemical and toxic threats.⁵

The results were not surprising: 84 distinct chemicals, solvents and toxins that are known to be harmful to your health. These chemical residues – termed the “chemical body burden” – are present in every human being on this planet, regardless of where you live or what you do.
Dr. Michael McCally of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, who led the research team for the Bill Moyers report made this comment: “Current ‘normal’ body burdens of dioxin and several other [chemicals] in humans are at or near the range at which toxic effects occur in laboratory animals.”

The message is clear: Studies on animals show that the average person is carrying enough toxins to cause serious DNA damage.

Now you have a way to eliminate chemicals, toxins – even heavy metals from your body. It’s like having your own “clean-up crew” that is specially trained to find, isolate and clear out harmful poisons.*

Chlorophyll connects to toxins in the gut and prevents them from being absorbed. Barley grass contains unique amino acids that create a type of cage (chelate) around deadly toxins to carry them out of your body.*

Let me explain…

The word chelate comes from the Greek word meaning “claw.” During the process of chelation, the amino acids in barley grass grab – like a claw – onto toxins like the chemicals and heavy metals flowing through your bloodstream.

These “claws” bind to the toxins and drag them out of your system for elimination.*
And when these powerful green foods are used in combination, the results can be lifechanging.
Spirulina also has this chelating – or “claw like” ability.

Here’s what some of the world’s leading researchers are saying about the detoxifying power of spirulina:

“In an Oregon State University study, laboratory animals were exposed to a potent poisonous substance. The animals given a chlorophyll [spirulina] supplement prior to exposure maintained more normal tissue mass than the animals who were not given the supplement. The researchers believe that chlorophyll may help to remove free radicals and other chemicals that may cause DNA damage.*”6 “Important to note in the area of prevention, spirulina is richly supplied with the blue pigment phycocyanin, a biliprotein which has been shown to support normal cell growth…”7 “Not only has spirulina been shown to improve circulation and maintain healthy blood pressure, but Japanese scientists have discovered that it can also help detoxify the blood and maintain energy levels…”8*

The super foods you’ll find in Ultra Greens invigorate every cell, every tissue and every organ in your body. Over time, its healing power can help balance and reset all your major systems – creating a brand-new body, and a whole new outlook on life.*


Here are just a few of the health concerns that Ultra Greens has relieved or improved:

• Healthy Weight Reduction: When you have toxins in your body, they’re stored in your fat cells. Ultra Greens removes those toxins, “emptying out your fat cells” for dramatic fat loss results.*
• Cardiovascular Health: Ultra Greens helps your body remove LDL (bad cholesterol) and maintain healthy triglyceride levels (blood fat). It also has the remarkable ability to maintain your blood pressure that is already within the normal range.*
• Joint Support: Ultra Greens clears away the chemicals and toxins that cause inflammation.* So far, Ultra Greens is one of the most effective long-term solutions for my patients with joint comfort and mobility concerns.*
• Fatigue and Difficulty Sleeping: Many of my patients report increased energy and athletic performance. Others tell me they’re sleeping better than they have in years. By purifying your blood and increasing the efficiency and output of your brain and other organs, Ultra Greens gives you “power on demand” and a restful night’s sleep.*
• Wrinkles and Sagging Skin: I’ve seen noticeable improvements in skin tone and elasticity in the faces of my own patients. Ultra Greens, being a rich source of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA, provides your skin with age-defying nutrients. The result is smoother, firmer, more radiant skin – with fewer wrinkles and age spots!*
• Muscle Loss: Bodybuilders love Ultra Greens. Its high-quality protein boosts muscle mass and gives them extra strength to push their limits. Even if you’re not interested in weight lifting, Ultra Greens prevents muscle loss and gives you that added kick when you need it.*
• Weakness and Digestion Trouble: The super foods in Ultra Greens mop up sluggish digestion and help promote healthy intestinal flora.* This is critical, especially if you’ve been eating bread all your life. The difference in your energy levels – and your moods – once this is cleared up is worth taking Ultra Greens all on its own.

Ultra Greens wipes your slate clean and brings you back into balance, the kind of health and stability our ancient ancestors enjoyed before the days of dangerous chemicals and our altered food supply.

I take Ultra Greens EVERY morning. After doing the research and seeing the results for myself (and in my patients), I don’t miss a day. And you shouldn’t either.

Experience for yourself what my patients are talking about.  Click on the Banner and go to ULTRA GREENS on the Left Side of the Page.





I hope you find this post helpful as we will continue to bring more natural health tips and information here.
AJ Web Marketing



P.S. – Don’t worry; Ultra Greens doesn’t have a bad aftertaste or unpleasant flavor... It dissolves easily in a glass of your favorite juice.