Why Doctors Think Cholesterol Lowering Drugs Will Solve My Problem and How I Know They Won't

Let's start with the money. Cholesterol lowering drugs are the top earners for the pharmaceutical industries. In 2004 Pfizer netted $10.9 billion in sales from their cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin (popularly known as Lipitor). It beats their other wonder drug - Viagra!

Consider another statin called Crestor costs $1,400 a year for the 20-milligram dose. That is more than $3.80 per day. Now, if you are told that a high cholesterol level means you are about to have a heart attack you will want to pay $3.80 per day - for the rest of your life, even! That is what synthetic drug therapy for high cholesterol and most of these lifestyle-related conditions amounts to anyway. This means big profits for the pharmaceutical industries.

Most patients are "lazy" and unwilling to change their poor habits, and doctors know that. They know that we tend to want to do the same things that make us sick, such as enjoy the high cholesterol foods, neglect exercise and the healthy habits, and not suffer for it. Therefore, pills are great cover-ups. So we eat more cholesterol and stifle our liver - preventing it from functioning normally.

Drug Research and Medical Claims

From a study of 18,000 people using the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor, the report claims that that Crestor reduced heart attacks and strokes by a whopping 50%. However, what does this mean when you translate this into practical meaning for your life?

It means that "Ninety-five people would need to be treated for two years to prevent one event." Drug companies report this as a 50% reduction in heart attacks and strokes! Using this relative risk reduction interpretation is very effective in advertising, but will your doctor tell you about the number needed to treat?

Prescribing these cholesterol lowering drugs pay good kickbacks for pharmacies and medical institutions. There appears to be a strong alliance between the Drug Monitoring agencies and the manufacturers. Notice that a drug is only pulled from the market if the collateral damage (this is a war of sorts) becomes too high. Side effects are considered normal, but any natural remedy or food that intimates a cure of preventative value is labeled as "evil".

With a good diet, regular light exercise (in my own home), and safe health habits, I am able to maintain a total cholesterol level of around 143 mg/dl. We can do better preventing a heart attack or a stroke than the statistical 1 out of every 95. They call that a 50% relative reduction risk, but that looks like a sales gimmick to me. And don't put that in my drinking water either...

One British doctor even suggested that it be made mandatory that statins be put in drinking water...

So it is the money. It is the whole reason why doctors will think that cholesterol lowering drugs are the solution to you high cholesterol situation. In fact, the JUPITER study is trying to prove just that, and one British doctor even advocated that it should be made mandatory that statins be put in drinking water.

You have got to be determined to win the high cholesterol war or you could become just another cholesterol statistic - legally dosed to death!

Copyright ? 2008 by Bentley Thompson

Bentley writes about lifestyle-related conditions such as diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases. He advocates the anti-diabetes diet which he describes on his websites. You may read more of his articles at