I need a placebo replacement for statin drug

[arinryan]

Hi everyone...
My husband was just prescribed simvastatin, and I do not want him to take it. I don't think there is any way I can convince him not to, he is listening to his doctor..I need to find something to replace it with in the bottle. Does anyone know of a very small oval white or beige pill that I could use? It is 10 mg, quite a tiny pill. Looks so innocuous.

 

[tara]

Sounds like a risky proposition to switch medecine without his knowledge. It might not be worth loss of trust that such dishonesty could bring. I would be furious if someone did that to me, especially someone I trusted. Can you find ome easy to follow evidence about statins/cholesterol/whatever, make the information available to him in a way he is most likely to be willing and able to take in, and let him know it's important to you? If he still chooses to go ahead once he has this information, I think that's his right.
Is it for high cholesterol, or a diagnosed cardiovascular condition or previous heart attack? Do you think he has low thyroid function?
I've seen some nice graphs of mortality vs cholesterol relationships, but I don't know that I could find them again.

http://placebo.com.au/

 

[arinryan]

You are right...thanks for giving me such reasonable advice. I am just feeling very overwhelmed. He had an "almost" heart attack and just got out of the hospital. Of course, he is feeling quite scared himself. They put him on statins, blood pressure meds, and told him he has diabetes and has to take metformin. So he came home with three new prescriptions to take probably forever.

He has low thyroid for sure, but I haven't been able to convince him of that. He is willing to take pregnenolone, and eat plenty of saturated fat, sugar, caffeine, and aspirin...but of course, the doctors told him to quit sugar, salt, and caffeine.

I do need some simple reading material for him about thyroid. I actually just read the transcript of RP's Thyroid radio show from 1996, its so excellent-- and that might be a very good thing for him to read.
I get after him about pufas but he does not take that very seriously. He does want to get healthy, but he wants to listen to his doctor. I am afraid their version of "healthy" is going to make him worse.

 

[johns74]

Does he consume vegetable oils?

 

[johns74]

Maybe you can show him the study that vitamin E (gamma tocopherol form) reduces cholesterol.

If I recall correctly, 100 mg daily of mixed tocopherols reduces cholesterol 10% in 5 weeks. 200 mg reduces it 20%. But do not change his medicines without his knowledge.

 

[Such_Saturation]

http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Cholest ... 1592335217

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4746

Philippe Even wrote a book going through every single touted evidence, only in French and Italian however: https://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2013 ... olesterol/

 

[burtlancast]

1. Make him read the Statin's adverse effects written on the notice

2. Buy him one of Shute's books on Vit E for heart disease. One can control/prevent angina pectoris with 800 UI/ day

In any case, 85% of people taking statins suffer from the side-effects, and half quit thereafter by themselves.

Also: google "statins class action lawsuit": Diabetes, Rhabdomyolysis, Cardiomyopathy ...

 

[tara]

Vit-E sounds like a good simple tactic to add.

What I think I have read about statins was that the only subset of people for whom there was statistical evidence of statins reducing mortality was men ~your husbands age with high cholesterol who had already had a heart attack. But I would guess that Peat's ideas would be more effective, with fewer hazardous side-effects, if he's willing to implement some key changes.

I think Peat's articles about PUFAs are pretty convincing - maybe read them yourself and pick the one you think has the simplest summary of all the harms?

Chicken neck or fish head soup is a way to get a little thyroid, if you can work that into meals regularly.

Addressing CO2 with whatever means he can be persuaded to use regularly (bag breathing/Buteyko/pranayama/meditation/other breathing exercises) as a strengthener/preventive measure might make a difference. There is also a Buteyko emergency technique that apparently can be helpful for angina pectoris, if that is the issue, and some other conditions. See Module 4: Emergency procedure from:
http://www.normalbreathing.com/learn.php
Mouth and/or chest breathing tends to involve chronic unaware hyperventilation (excessive CO2 loss). If this is a risk factor for him, it could be addressed fairly simply.

How's his calcium:phosphorus ratio? If not more calcium than phosphorus, can you tweak diet to improve this?

I imagine it is a bit scary for you both. Good luck.

 

[Zachs]

Eat less fat, period.

A RP diet at its core is low fat, fruit and dairy based diet. I suggest he stick to that. High fat, even saturated, causes a lot of negative issues and can have a big negative impact on CVD.

 

[Such_Saturation]

he is listening to his doctor..

 

[arinryan]

Vitamin e is a great idea, and also the Cholesterol Myths book. The breathing exercises would probably be good too. At first the doctor was going to prescribe nitroglycerin to him in case of the same kind of attack again, but he never did. Just a bunch of "get healthy" drugs.
I just came to Ray Peat's ideas from such a different angle (hormones)--finding a good entry in terms of heart/cholesterol issues is completely different. Thanks so much for the replies and advice!

 

[HDD]

The transcript of the interview "Sugar Myths" has quite a bit on cholesterol and how the myths started about cholesterol and sugar. It is quickly and easily read.

 

[tara]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/fda-ap ... cebo,1606/

 

[burtlancast]

Also, another tool which has proven very useful against angina pectoris is CHELATION therapy.
Morton Walker's book is a good intro.

Yet another therapy is Vit c + lysine, as devised by Linus Pauling. ( book: "Practicing medecine without a licence). But here we touch the problem of Vit c' purity...

 

[aguilaroja]

In the short term, IMNHO, please think about having him start CoQ (aka Coenzyme Q, ubiquinol, etc.) This nutrient is substantially depleted by statin drugs. I am neither an advocate for statins or CoQ generally.

Years back, Dr. Peat had concerns about CoQ quality and I have not heard him recommend this nutrient recently or remotely. There are newer forms of CoQ claiming better absorption. Inconveniently, it is generally expensive. Anecdotally, CoQ product quality seems to vary, no matter what price.

http://www.toxinless.com/coenzyme-q10

I can only say that in my family and friends, I have often seen some major statin side effects-some not reported in "medical literature". CoQ has often reduced the side effects when people continue on statins that they and their doctors insist on.

 

[LucyL]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/fda-approves-sale-of-prescription-placebo,1606/

That's great. I might also add there is such a thing as an "adherer" effect, in which people who follow their doctors' instructions, faithfully to the letter, no matter what they are, live longer than people who are haphazard. Go figure. The fact your husband is committed to changing is very good. I would suggest trying to influence his new health practices gradually, with the goal that he remains committed to change.

 

[arinryan]

Thanks so much aguilaroja, and burtlancast, your advice is really helpful! :) Last night I asked my hub to read through the side effects pamphlet that came with his statin, and that combined with a story he heard today from a co-worker, made him decide to quit taking it already

He already feels horrible on it, after less than a week. He doesn't like his blood pressure med either--verapamil...says his hands are freezing.

If I could just convince him thyroid would help.... He says "I wish there was some homeopathic treatment" but to him thyroid just sounds too scary and serious.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Thanks so much aguilaroja, and burtlancast, your advice is really helpful! :) Last night I asked my hub to read through the side effects pamphlet that came with his statin, and that combined with a story he heard today from a co-worker, made him decide to quit taking it already

He already feels horrible on it, after less than a week. He doesn't like his blood pressure med either--verapamil...says his hands are freezing.

If I could just convince him thyroid would help.... He says "I wish there was some homeopathic treatment" but to him thyroid just sounds too scary and serious.

Nice. You can do anything and everything you need with vitamins such as E and B and some simple amino-acids. Haidut could tell you some nice combinations.

 

[burtlancast]

I know Ray doesn't recommend niacin, but it's a well known fact it prevents against heart attacks ( and the Framingham heart study proves it, if you read "the cholesterol myths")

Also, if one wanted to lower the cholesterol ( if it's at 270 or under, i personally wouldn't even bother) one can use the association niacin + bile sequestrant, which is way more powerful at lowering cholesterol than any other statin on the market.

 

[Such_Saturation]

I know Ray doesn't recommend niacin, but it's a well known fact it prevents against heart attacks ( and the Framingham heart study proves it, if you read "the cholesterol myths")

Also, if one wanted to lower the cholesterol ( if it's at 270 or under, i personally wouldn't even bother) one can use the association niacin + bile sequestrant, which is way more powerful at lowering cholesterol than any other statin on the market.

Doesn't niacin release arachidonic acid?