Would it surprise you if I said that you might lose your memory if you take an FDA-approved drug? As a reader of Second Opinion, it probably would not surprise you at all. What might surprise you, though, is that this can happen with one of the hottest selling drugs on the market. OK, so maybe that wont surprise a Second Opinion reader either. But this might shock you – the story came out on national television.
The media has long been controlled by Big Pharma. So I was shocked when I heard this story.
On February 13, 2008, a woman came on ABCs Good Morning America who suffered significant memory loss when she started taking Lipitor to control her cholesterol. She could not remember peoples names or what she had for dinner the previous night.
She lost track of her grandchild when she was babysitting. She could not even carry on a conversation because she could not think of the right words to use. Her kids were convinced she had early Alzheimers. They stopped letting her be alone with the grandchildren.
She had tests done and talked to her doctor. Naturally there was no explanation. Then she heard about a possible correlation between memory loss and statins, like the Lipitor she was on. She switched to a doctor who would listen to her and stopped taking Lipitor. She was back to her normal self in less than two weeks. Now she controls her cholesterol with diet and lives a perfectly healthy life.
What a shocking story! But shes not alone.
Dr. Gayatri Devi is an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. Hes seen at least six patients who have had memory loss caused by statins. The changes started to occur within six weeks of starting the statin, and the cognitive abilities returned very quickly when they went off, Devi told the Wall Street Journal. Its just a handful of patients, but for them, it made a huge difference.
Of course the medical mob has countered alleging the benefits outweigh the risks. Well, how do they know what the risks really are? We already know the drug companies lie about their products. They pay off researchers not to publish adverse studies. And simple common sense tells us that it might take years to uncover a huge problem. All you really have to do is look at the biochemistry of a drug, if known, to predict catastrophes. (That is how I was able to warn you years in advance about Vioxxs potential damage to your heart. That class of drugs inhibits the production of lubricating anti-inflammatory compounds in your blood vessels.)
Well, statins inhibit cholesterol production. Until recently, most doctors thought your liver was the only organ that makes cholesterol. But we now know that your brain also makes and uses cholesterol.
In fact, cholesterol is critical to the vast networks of membranes in your brains neurons. Cholesterol to your cell membranes is like 2×4 studs to the walls of your house. Its only logical that if you knock out (or down) production of cholesterol in your brain that it might not perform well for you.
And the evidence supports this as the mechanism behind the memory failure. The reports of memory loss and return suggest it takes time to cause the damage and for the body to repair it.
The benefits of statins are highly questionable. And with more and more risks coming forward, its vital for your health that you avoid this class of chemicals. You can get most, if not all, the cholesterol protection you need from diet and lifestyle changes. If you need more, consider niacin, policosanol, guggul, tocotrienols, and red yeast rice. Ive told you about all of these in past issues — and they are all available to you on this website.
The whole cholesterol scam is beginning to unwind. Big Pharma was forced to release withheld results it was deliberately hiding on the cholesterol-lowering drug Vytorin. It did reduce cholesterol, but it certainly did not reduce plaque buildup or death. We can expect more studies like this in the near future. Stay tuned.