MedicationSense.Com

Your independent, respected source for information about medications and natural therapies.

Medication side effects are the #4 leading cause of death in the U.S. annually (JAMA 1998). Yet, few people receive adequate information when medication is prescribed. This website is dedicated to providing information to help you and your doctor make informed, intelligent choices about medications and natural alternatives to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of treatment. Note: This website is free of drug company or government influence. Jay S. Cohen M.D.

Dr. Jay S. Cohen, M.D.

NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO LIPITOR, ZOCOR, & OTHER STATIN DRUGS

What to Use and Do to Help Lower Your Bad Cholesterol

We all know that doctors are addicted to drugs, by which I mean that 95% of doctors prescribe medications first, second, third and so on when it comes to treating medical conditions. This is especially true for the treatment of elevated cholesterol. For most doctors, the treatment of choice is always a statin drug, and if the drug causes more side effects than the person can tolerate, the doctor will prescribe yet another statin drug. We know this story all too well. And if there are natural alternatives for high cholesterol, most doctors are interested. But informed consumers are. That’s why I wrote this book.

Twenty years after the first statin (Mevacor) was approved in 1987, the FDA finally acknowledged that statin drugs often cause serious side effects. Imagine that? The FDA admitted what we have known for decades. Memory problems such as cognitive dysfunction, impaired memory, impaired word selection can be quite apparent. Dr. Duane Graveline, a medical doctor and trained astronaut, has written about the total amnesia he experienced with Lipitor. His doctor prevailed on Dr. Graveline to try Lipitor again at a lower dosage, and the amnesia occurred again. Amnesia is a serious medical condition. Dr. Graveline was terribly impaired mentally for twelve hours. He thought he was 9 years old. He was lost. Imagine if the amnesia had emerged while he was driving.

Sexual dysfunctions can occur with statin drugs. So can serious neuropathies (nerve injuries) that can cause burning pain or loss of strength for months. A medical doctor, an internist, wrote to me about the neuropathies he developed on statins as did a half dozen of his patients. His neuropathies lasted six months. He was lucky. Sometimes they are permanent.

The FDA also admitted that muscle injury, muscle pain, joint pain are common side effects with statin drugs. Of course, we have long known about this. Some enlightened doctors have also known, but unfortunately they are only a small percentage of medical practitioners. If muscle injury is severe enough, it can cause kidney injury and death. Such cases have been repeatedly reported in the medical literature.

I have published many articles in medical journals and written many books about the epidemic of medication side effects and how we could prescribe medications much more safely. In my book, Over Dose: The Case Against The Drug Companies (Tarcher/Putnam 2001), I explained why drug doses are often too strong for tens of millions of people. The book received rave reviews from all major book reviewers as well as from the Journal of the American Medical Association. My views are unorthodox, but I take great care to ensure that my science is sound.

In my next major book, What You Must Know about Statin Drugs and Their Natural Alternatives (Square One Publishers, 2004), I told people as well as their doctors about how to use statin medications safely. But if you have already decided against drug therapy for your high cholesterol, my 2007 book, Natural Alternatives to Lipitor, Zocor, and Other Statin Drugs, is the book you need. In a concise 110 pages, I cover 10 the effective alternatives. The book also explains about high cholesterol and other important risk factors such as C-reactive protein, homocysteine, triglycerides and others. I have also included informative chapters on the four essential nutrients for cardiovascular health, and on finding the right diet for you.

I think you will find the book well your time.

CHAPTERS
  1. Natural Alternatives vs. Statin Drugs
  2. LDL-C, HDL-C, C-Reactive Protein, Homocysteine, and Other Risk Factors for Heart Disease
  3. Is Your Cholesterol Level Too High? And What to Do about It
  4. Ten Alternative Therapies for Lowering Cholesterol and Other Risk Factors
  5. The Four Essential Nutrients for Cardiovascular Health
  6. Which Heart-Healthy Diet Is Right for You? Your Individualized, Optimum Diet
  7. Your Right of Informed Consent Includes Alternative Therapies

Category: Articles and Reports