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Cut open an atherosclerotic artery and you can see the deposits of cholesterol in the vessel wall. To say cholesterol is not involved in cardiovascular disease is ridiculous. Cholesterol is only part of the story, however. Inflammation is also involved, and preventing that is problematic. Statins not only lower cholesterol levels, they also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
The beneficial effect of lowering cholesterol for people who have already had a heart attack or who have high risk of heart attack or stroke is well established. The benefit for people who are low risk may be small but measureable.
No one has to take cholesterol lowering medication who does not want to.
SCAR TISSUE comprises MOST of the plaque. Cholesterol is one ingredient upon MANY, MANY.It forms LAST.
Blaming cholesterol for atherosclerosis is lke blaming firefighters for fires. ANCEL KEYS WAS A FRAUD,.
People - who are these people who post here and really what do they know? I choose to take the advice of our top-notch vascular doctor over some random and very questional advice from some strangers on an internet forum. Our doctor specifially told us that cutting out cholesterol based foods will very probably reverse the blockage in my husband's carotid artery and most importantly there will be no need for surgery. This is the advice I believe because it is from a top vascular specialist. Do be careful not to swallow all the claptrap "advice" given on these forums.
People - who are these people who post here and really what do they know? I choose to take the advice of our top-notch vascular doctor over some random and very questional advice from some strangers on an internet forum. Our doctor specifially told us that cutting out cholesterol based foods will very probably reverse the blockage in my husband's carotid artery and most importantly there will be no need for surgery. This is the advice I believe because it is from a top vascular specialist. Do be careful not to swallow all the claptrap "advice" given on these forums.
Your doctor is dangerously WRONG. There is NO MECHANISM by which this can occur. Blockages are INSIDE THE WALL of the artery and VERY HARD AND FIBROUS. it is NOT-NOT " soft wads of goo" on the lumen like commercials say.
Dietary cholesterol does not affect blood cholesterol much. Even Ancel Keys admitted this. Only saturated fat will - and only in some. Even saturate dfat does not affect much in many.
Furthermore, cholesterol lowering ITSELF has never been shown to reduce CAD mortality or reverse blockages. The plaques are NOT only cholesterol. They are MAINLY VERY HARD FIBROUS SCAR TISSUE.
ONLY A STATIN ( which has 12 OTHER effects) MAY be able to halt or even slightly reverse it- via ANTI INFLAMMATORY properties.Usually, it halts further damage, rather than reverses.
However, THERE IS NO CURE.
Your doctor is speaking from AUITHORITY NOT SCIENCE. WITHOUT SCIENCE, authority can and DOES go far, far astray.
Your doctor is wrong. MUCH of what doctors say is wrong. SCIENTISTS are still unraveling how cells work. Medical dogma has NOT caught up to the world of SCIENCE.
Remember, our best sceintific theories are ONLY APPROXIMATIONS. Many are even wrong.Einstein was wrong on things. He himself doubted a lot of what he did and said it is very possible he is wrong.
Your husband SHOULD most likely be on a STATIN PRONTO. This is BECAUSE he HAS active vascular disease.He needs the ANTI- INFAMMATORY and other 12 effects.
But poeple who have no disease and only a phony cholesterol number do NOT need them, NOR do they do any good. The NCEP sets ARBITRARY NUMBERS NOT BASED ON SCIENCE.
The NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL EDUCATION PANEL IS TOTAL FRAUD- GHOST WRITERS, FALSE CLIAMS, FAILURE TO MENTION DEATHS etc. AND YOUR DOCTORS FOLLOW THIS NONSENSE. TELL YOUR DOCTORS. MANY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS FRAUD.
SEE THE HONORARIA THEY GET HERE. 8 OUT OF THE 9 MEMBERS OF THE PANEL GET PAID $100, 000 AND MORE- SOMETIMES MILLIONS. THEY ALSO HOLD STOCK IN STATIN DRUG COMPANIES.
Your doctor is dangerously WRONG. There is NO MECHANISM by which this can occur. Blockages are INSIDE THE WALL of the artery and VERY HARD AND FIBROUS. it is NOT-NOT " soft wads of goo" on the lumen like commercials say.
Dietary cholesterol does not affect blood cholesterol much. Even Ancel Keys admitted this. Only saturated fat will - and only in some. Even saturate dfat does not affect much in many.
Furthermore, cholesterol lowering ITSELF has never been shown to reduce CAD mortality or reverse blockages. The plaques are NOT only cholesterol. They are MAINLY VERY HARD FIBROUS SCAR TISSUE.
ONLY A STATIN ( which has 12 OTHER effects) MAY be able to halt or even slightly reverse it- via ANTI INFLAMMATORY properties.Usually, it halts further damage, rather than reverses.
However, THERE IS NO CURE.
Your doctor is speaking from AUITHORITY NOT SCIENCE. WITHOUT SCIENCE, authority can and DOES go far, far astray.
Your doctor is wrong. MUCH of what doctors say is wrong. SCIENTISTS are still unraveling how cells work. Medical dogma has NOT caught up to the world of SCIENCE.
Remember, our best sceintific theories are ONLY APPROXIMATIONS. Many are even wrong.Einstein was wrong on things. He himself doubted a lot of what he did and said it is very possible he is wrong.
Your husband SHOULD most likely be on a STATIN PRONTO. This is BECAUSE he HAS active vascular disease.He needs the ANTI- INFAMMATORY and other 12 effects.
But poeple who have no disease and only a phony cholesterol number do NOT need them, NOR do they do any good. The NCEP sets ARBITRARY NUMBERS NOT BASED ON SCIENCE.
The NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL EDUCATION PANEL IS TOTAL FRAUD- GHOST WRITERS, FALSE CLIAMS, FAILURE TO MENTION DEATHS etc. AND YOUR DOCTORS FOLLOW THIS NONSENSE. TELL YOUR DOCTORS. MANY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS FRAUD.
SEE THE HONORARIA THEY GET HERE. 8 OUT OF THE 9 MEMBERS OF THE PANEL GET PAID $100, 000 AND MORE- SOMETIMES MILLIONS. THEY ALSO HOLD STOCK IN STATIN DRUG COMPANIES.
Great post. I myself have done a lot of research, and agree. My own doctor told me dietary cholesterol won't make a difference, the liver makes it for us. I told him after all my own research I did not feel like I had a compelling reason to take a statin, and he agreed and told me he respected my decision. People should really do research before just agreeing to take any medication they are prescribed.
On the clip I linked, Dr. Oz specifically said that he was taught in medical school that high cholesterol caused heart disease.
I really don't care what Dr Oz happened to say or not say, I'm talking about what the scientific establishment (Dr Oz isn't a scientist) has thought.....and over the last few decades nobody has thought that cholesterol is directly the cause of heart disease. Instead that its involved in heart disease and high cholesterol levels can be used to gauge one's likelihood of developing heart disease.
Decades ago they thought that dietary cholesterol was the key reason people had high cholesterol, but they've known otherwise for a long time. Instead high cholesterol are more related to fat intake, especially saturated fat intake, then dietary cholesterol intake (notice that these two usually go hand in hand). Though it is still recommended that those with high cholesterol avoid high cholesterol foods because dietary cholesterol can raise cholesterol levels even if its not the primary reason it occurs.
Furthermore, cholesterol lowering ITSELF has never been shown to reduce CAD mortality or reverse blockages. The plaques are NOT only cholesterol. They are MAINLY VERY HARD FIBROUS SCAR TISSUE.
That isn't true and your conflating two different issues. 1.) Lowering one's cholesterol with medications, 2.) Lowering one's cholesterol naturally with lifestyle changes.
#1 has been slippery, but #2 has been shown numerous times to lower your risk for heart disease. Furthermore #2 has been shown to reverse blockages as well, see the work of Dr. Ornish and Dr. Esselstyn. Both have shown, clinically, that you can reverse blockages with a very low-fat vegan style diet.
If someone is able to lower their cholesterol, blood pressure, etc with diet there is no need to take a statin. Though it may be necessary to take it initially and slowly lower the dose.
Great post. I myself have done a lot of research, and agree. My own doctor told me dietary cholesterol won't make a difference, the liver makes it for us.
Though dietary cholesterol, in itself, doesn't have a big impact on your cholesterol levels your diet as a whole has a huge impact on your cholesterol levels. Yes the liver makes cholesterol, but it doesn't do it arbitrary, instead in response to what you're eating.
High cholesterol levels aren't normal, they are the result of a poor diet and indicate developing heart disease. You don't see high cholesterol levels, like in the US, in other cultures that when they don't eat all the meat, high-fat and refined foods.
Though dietary cholesterol, in itself, doesn't have a big impact on your cholesterol levels your diet as a whole has a huge impact on your cholesterol levels. Yes the liver makes cholesterol, but it doesn't do it arbitrary, instead in response to what you're eating. Cholesterol is used by the body to transport fats, the more fats you eat the more cholesterol is needed.
High cholesterol levels aren't normal, they are the result of a poor diet and indicate developing heart disease. You don't see high cholesterol levels, like in the US, in other cultures that when they don't eat all the meat, high-fat and refined foods.
Dude, you don't know what you're talking about... I think I'll stick with my doctor's advice and continue what I'm doing. My cholesterol is not really high, anyway, just higher than what they "like to see" according to today's charts (if going by 1980's stats I'm perfect)
Dude, you don't know what you're talking about...: I think I'll stick with my doctor's advice and continue what I'm doing.
I don't? Can you point out what I said that is wrong? I'd gladly point out the information so you can read it for yourself.
You can stick with whatever you like, after all, its your health.
The 1980's statistics were just averages, they had nothing to actual health. It was just assumed that the "average" number was okay, today we know otherwise. Today we know that cholesterol levels over 150 are correlated with increased risk for heart disease, the higher over 150 the higher the risk. Of course, that is referring to naturally occurring cholesterol levels and not ones lowered by medicines. Lowering your cholesterol with drugs isn't as effective as lowering it with diet (and exercise), after all, the latter attacks the primary cause the high cholesterol where as the drugs just attack the symptoms.
That isn't true and your conflating two different issues. 1.) Lowering one's cholesterol with medications, 2.) Lowering one's cholesterol naturally with lifestyle changes.
#1 has been slippery, but #2 has been shown numerous times to lower your risk for heart disease. Furthermore #2 has been shown to reverse blockages as well, see the work of Dr. Ornish and Dr. Esselstyn. Both have shown, clinically, that you can reverse blockages with a very low-fat vegan style diet.
If someone is able to lower their cholesterol, blood pressure, etc with diet there is no need to take a statin. Though it may be necessary to take it initially and slowly lower the dose.
Dietary studies which lowered cholesterol HAVE ALSO BEEN FAILURES.
And NO, Esselstyn did NOT USE AN IVUS. HE USED CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY is outated and MISSES A TON OF PLAQUE as Dr. Steve Nissen sghowed in his lecture.
You can have no stenosis ( narrowing) BUT HAVE A DIFFUSELY DISEASED ARTERY .
Esslstyn CANNOT claim he reversed atherosclerosis UNTIL HE PUTS HIS PATIENTS THROUGH AN IVUS.
Also ESSLSTYN USED STATINS.
BOTH ORNISH AND ESSELSTYN USED MULTI-INTERVENTIONS. ESSELSTYN DID USE A LOW DOSE STATIN.
AND NEITHER OF THEM HAD ACCESS TO AN IVUS ( INTRA VASCULAR ULTRASOUND) - WHICH IS THE MOST ACCURATE DIAGNOSTC TOOL WE HAVE.
ONLY IVUS WILL TEL YOU WAHT IS REALLY GOING ON.
SORRYM VEGAN DIETS ARE NOT the answer to heart disease. Dr. Steven Nissen works in the same institution as Esselstn and is VERY CRITICAL OF HIS NONSENSE.
CAD has NO CURRENT CURE. IT IS A COMPLEX DISEASE.
Last edited by RickSantos; 12-30-2012 at 01:21 PM..
Reason: no
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I think I'll stick with my doctor's advice and continue what I'm doing. My cholesterol is not really high, anyway, just higher than what they "like to see" according to today's charts (if going by 1980's stats I'm perfect)
