Quote:
Originally Posted by Villages PL
Thanks, pooh, that was very helpful. I was wondering about CRP as far as what it was indicating. For anyone who has a high level of inflammation, I think it's usually due to lifestyle. And there are books on this subject. One such book is: "The Anti-inflammation Diet".
The culpret is: "The standard American diet." It's the result of too much sugar, baked goods made with white flour, and too many processed foods in general. This lifestyle issue is something that doctors, and the makers of Crestor, are not likely to pay much attention to. Doctors don't have the time or training for this and the goal of drug companies is to sell more drugs. If the JUPITER trial has bias built in, it may stem from this unwillingness to pay attention to lifestyle issues.
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Our world renowned MD in Boston is convinced based on his evaluation of many studies (not just those noted earlier in this thread) that statin drugs, notably Lipitor, is way overprescribed based on "bad" cholesterol numbers that, according to his research, should rise somewhat as we get older, and that this is perfectly normal. He also believes based on his research that bringing the cholesterol number down to so low is related to an increase in pancreatic cancer. A radical suggestion, perhaps, but we've been in the care of this MD for 32 years and are convinced that he knows what he's talking about.
He also "requires" all his patients and family members (even his young grandsons!) to take a full tablespoon of cod liver oil daily, at first unpalatable but you get used to it. For me, it brought down a very mildly elevated "bad" cholesterol, but more important, it raised my level of "good" cholesterol from well below normal range into the normal range. He also mentioned, for what it's worth, that the fish oil capsules are good too, but you have to take FOURTEEN of them to be the equivalent of the tablespoon of cod liver oil!
How many people know that Lipitor was NEVER tested on women before it was given permission to be released on the market? Standing in line at a local pharmacy, I couldn't help but overhear a man discussing his wife's prescription for Lipitor with the pharmacist, who supported her use of this drug. Granted it's not the place of a pharmacist to second-guess a doctor, but various studies have also shown that pharmacists are considerably more trusted than doctors! When my turn came and I asked the pharmacist if she were familiar with the lack of study of women and Lipitor, she said that, oh yes, she was well aware of it! I found the whole thing very disturbing....
A book that was recommended to me that I in turn recommend is
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan. At least it is an eye-opener; at most it is a shocker....