askthedoctor


Is There an Alternative to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs?


Dear Dr. Erlacher, My doctor wants me to take medicine because my choles-


terol was 204. I don’t have any other health problems, I’m 45, and I’ve heard that these drugs can have serious side effects. Is this really necessary, or is there an alternative?


-JP,Pfafftown


Dear JP, People talk about “cholesterol” like it is a disease. Cho-


lesterol itself isn’t the enemy. Cholesterol, a key component of all cell membranes and a precursor for hormones, is essential to life. Cholesterol in the diet only comes from animal-based


foods. But, even if you don’t eat any cholesterol, the liver will produce one to two grams per day in healthy people. It’s well established that people with high cholesterol levels


are much more likely to have heart attacks and strokes. “Bad Cholesterol”, or LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), has become public enemy number one, an Osama Bin Laden among fat globules. The biggest category of cholesterol drugs is called statins,


like Lipitor, Zocor, and Lescol. After long term trials on tens of thousands of people, it is clear that statins lower LDL, and more importantly, they prevent heart attacks. Recent research shows statins also reduce inflammation at the lining of the blood ves- sels and the damage caused by a heart attack if they are started right away in the hospital. Statins are the darlings of modern medicine. They have a


measurable effect on blood tests and they save lives. Statins are also good for the health of pharmaceutical companies, because


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people take them for years and years, like paying a mortgage at the drugstore.


So, Who Needs a Statin? The National Cholesterol Education Panel (NCEP) has just


lowered the LDL goal once again, from 100 down to 70. This means the number of Americans advised to take statin drugs will increase from 16 million to over 50 million people. Is it coincidence that six of the nine NCEP panelists have ties to drug companies that produce a statin? Some zealots of cholesterol drugs think everyone should be


on a statin, even selling them over the counter. Soon vending machines and school lunch programs will offer magic pills for clogged Americans of all ages.


Drugs and Financial Advice At the local newsstand, you can find financial advice


magazines loaded with articles saying how great mutual funds are. Most mutual funds have been losing money for three years, yet these financial columnists continue to strongly recommend them.


Why would they give that advice? Because every other


page in the magazine is a full page advertisement for a mutual fund company. Of course the editors aren’t going to publish an article that criticizes mutual funds if the magazine’s lifeblood is at stake. In mainstream medical journals, at least half the pages are


slick advertisements for the latest drugs, especially antidepres- sants, stomach acid drugs, and, you guessed it, statins. Top medical journals like JAMA and American Family Physician, proclaiming to be unbiased “peer-reviewed” journals, fre- quently publish articles extolling the virtues of their advertisers’ products. The motto in science is “Publish or Perish”. Scientists know


they have to show positive results for the drug or they won’t get funded. Negative studies are rejected by the editors or sup- pressed by the researcher. Articles on natural treatments are uncommon in medical


journals, and are primarily published to show negative results. Natural treatments like herbs and vitamins don’t have million dollar ad budgets and political lobbyists.


What About Cholesterol?


Reducing the risk for heart disease and stroke is more im- portant than treating cholesterol, LDL, or any other lab result.


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