High Cholesterol – The Silent Killer

Good news and bad news about cholesterol

Without it, your sex life goes to hell.
With it, your heart goes to hell.
With the medicine, your whole body goes to hell.

The metabolic pathway of cholesterol includes hormone and DNA integrity.

High cholesterol exhibits no outward signs – unlike other conditions such as diabetes, or anemia, diseases that manifest telltale symptoms like thirst, or weakness. Hypercholesterolemia requires the services of a physician to detect its presence. Many people who feel perfectly healthy suffer from high cholesterol – in fact, feeling good is actually a symptom of high cholesterol.

• Reduce your LDL
• Drop your triglycerides
• Improve your total Triglyceride – HDL ratio
• Reduce your risk of heart attack

Without side effects.
Without endangering your liver or kidneys.

Chelation

Don’t assume.
Don’t pass the responsibility on to someone else.
Don’t put your life in the hands of someone else.

Side effects of statins

You could end up with problems with your muscles.

If your cholesterol was found high, what are your options?

• If you have been on cholesterol medicine and are suffering side effects?
• Are you aware of the side effects of cholesterol medicine?
• Unless you suffer noticeable side effects, the only way you will know the product is working is to get a check-up.

Some people on medicine never do.

Why your medicine may not be working

Statins:

• Simvastatin
• Zocor
• Atorvastatin
• Statin fibrate

While statins help to reduce the free-flowing LDL in your bloodstream, the real damage could be happening behind the scenes, which your blood tests may not be showing – they don’t stop hardening of your arteries, which may continue, without your knowledge, or consent.

Side effects of statins include:

• Muscle and liver toxicity (Stein, E. A.).
• Gastrointestinal discomfort and insomnia after use (Clausen, P. et al.).
• Serious side effects such as rhabdomyolysis, a life-threatening muscle breakdown.
• Elevated hepatic transaminase generally occurs in 0.5% to 2% of patients on statin therapy (Hsu, I., et al.).

Other Concerns:

• Statin-based drugs may not work effectively for patients on HAART protocols.
• Potential cancer risk linked to long-term use of statins.
• Lack of extended follow-up studies to conclusively rule out risks.

Red Yeast Rice

The popular red yeast rice supplements that tout cholesterol-lowering abilities vary dramatically depending on the brand. Some brands contain much less of the active ingredient proven to be scientifically effective, while others contain contaminants.

Red yeast rice contains lovastatin, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Mevacor. However, its content and safety vary:

• Toxic substance citrinin found in 4 out of 10 tested products.
• Variations in lovastatin content make comparisons impossible.

FDA Warning: Some brands of red yeast rice supplements may contain lovastatin and should not be used. Lovastatin is prescription-only and can dangerously interact with other medications.

Citrinin

Toxicity:

• Acts as a nephrotoxin and causes mycotoxic nephropathy in livestock.
• Implicated in human conditions such as Balkan nephropathy and yellow rice fever.

Produced by fungi including:

• Aspergillus species
• Monascus species
• Penicillium species