The Massive Cholesterol Scam
I have long said that just because cholesterol is at the scene of the crime, it does not necessarily mean that cholesterol caused the crime. It only takes a little digging on the internet to discover that there is so much more to the cholesterol story and its relationship to heart disease. Frankly, it is a tale that has really started to aggravate me…
The cholesterol story is really just a big scam. At least Bill Sardi over at LewRockwell.com seems to think so, and so do I. Bill notes,
The current cholesterol deception is a giant manipulation involving government agencies, the news media (evening TV news is “owned” by Big Pharma), public health agencies like the FDA and professional organizations like the American Heart Association. It is nothing short of racketeering in medicine, with people’s lives caught in the balance. There may be no effective way to reach the masses and warn them of the dangers posed by statin drugs. The masses look toward the news media and their doctors to be their medical referees.
The story should actually make us question the role of government in a supposedly free society. Why exactly does the FDA promote the use of statin drugs to lower cholesterol? Could it be that the FDA is bought and paid for by Big Pharma and the spoils attributed to a multi-billion dollar cholesterol propaganda campaign?
Lots of doctors have also spent many years as propaganda agents, wittingly or unwittingly, for Big Pharma. Now, I know that it can be quite difficult for any expert to admit fallibility, certainly after believing something so fervently and for so long. But really?? In the face of so much mounting evidence to the contrary, it is still that difficult for doctors to say, “We were wrong about cholesterol, and new research now suggests otherwise.”
The next time your doctor tells you that your cholesterol is high and that you should probably take statins, consider asking him or her three questions:
- What is the status of my oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles and Lp(a) ? (Lp(a) < 14 mg/dl is desirable.)
- What is my HDL to total cholesterol ratio? (Above 25% is good.)
- What is my triglyceride to HDL ratio? (Two or lower is ideal.)
If your doctor doesn’t have the answers, then perhaps we should heed the advice of Dr. Frank Lipman:
Press your doctor to review and assess the other often overlooked but possibly more important factors that can shed a brighter light on your unique situation – namely tests which look at hs-C-reactive protein, particle sizes of the LDL cholesterol (sometimes called NMR Lipoprofile), Lipoprotein (a) and serum fibrinogen. These measurable physical clues will help fill in a few more pieces of the puzzle, and enable you and your doctor to develop a more customized program to help manage your risk, with or without cholesterol drugs. If your doc’s not interested in looking under the medical hood, then it may be time to switch to a new mechanic.
I believe Dr. Stephen Sinatra sums it up quite well in a short video explaining a more nuanced and more modern view of cholesterol:
Keep in mind that in the mid-80s if your total cholesterol was under 330, everything was considered normal.
Call me cynical, but shortly after the drug companies figured out how to create statins, the number for recommended total cholesterol started dropping precipitously. We are now at 200, and I’m sure if the drug companies get their way, it will eventually be lower.
For our health’s sake let’s hope not.