Vytorin Cancer Risk

[epfleger]

Folks, we're truly on our own.

**http://news.briefing.com/GeneralContent/Investor/Active/ArticlePopup/ArticlePopup.aspx?ArticleId=NS20080902085155HeadlineHits

Merk & Shering-Plough's stock are being pummeled. Massive lawsuits coming. Proof that there's always a silver lining.

[Ray Holder]

Big front page article here in Daily Mail today, "Cholesterol pill warning, increased cancer risk", apparently copying a NEJM study published yesterday, showing also that Inergy, similar to Vytorin, had no effect in reducing aortic disease in patients with blocked heart valve.

Merck and Schering-Plough of course said it was an anomaly, but they would, wouldn't they. no wonder the shares dropped.

Let's hope the media keep up the pressure on. NICE have advocated ezetimibe for familial cholesterol with the combination as in Inergy in some cases, 300,000 prescriptions have already been filled for it in UK.

A cardiology professor in Innsbruch, Austria said "I would not take it myself"

Ray

[Brian C.]

Inside today's (4th Sept) Daily Telegraph, on the editorial page, there is a piece by "a full-time GP" Mike Ingram headed "We need a change of heart on statins". Of course, it's all the patient's fault for expecting a "magic pill".
Wonder where that idea came from......

Ah well, at least the article recognises the muck is being over-prescribed.

Ray, you mentioned a while back about not taking L-Carnitine late in the day because of possible sleep problems. I was taking it 3 times a day but this past week have been leaving out the early evening dose. So far sleep pattern much improved! Fingers crossed this will now continue.


Brian.

[Ray Holder]

I thought you might like to read this response to the Telegraph statin article mentioned above, copied from their website. I suspect he is from thr west side of the "Pond", and good for him!!!


"Fear of high cholesterol is one of the most amazing example of mass brainwashing every perpetrated on a civilization.

When you consider that arterial plaque is only 3% cholesterol and 50% calcium, why in the world do we care about cholesterol when attempting to remedy cardiovascular disease. [International Journal Cardiology 1991 Nov; 33 (2):191-8]

Considering that arterial plaque has over 16 times more calcium than cholesterol wouldn't we want to be supplementing with a highly assimilatable form of Vitamin D3 instead of all these dangerous cholesterol drugs? It may amaze you to discover that Vitamin D3 is an anti-calcifying agent. [Nephrology 2007 Oct;12(5):500-9]

Studies show the older you are the healthier you will be with elevated cholesterol.

Consider the finding of Dr. Harlan Krumholz of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University, who reported in 1994 that older people with low cholesterol died twice as often from a heart attack as did older people with high cholesterol. [Journal of the American Medical Association 272, 1335-1340, 1990.]

Go do a little research about the role of L-arginine in cardiovascular health. Google Dr. Ignarro and the Nobel Prize in Medicine for 1998.

Google John C. Cooke MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. Read his book.

Find a good liquid L-arginine supplement along with several thousand iu of liquid Vitamin D3 and stop worrying about lowering your cholesterol.

There is not one study that proves that taking statins to lower cholesterol improves your chances of surviving or avoiding a cardiovascular event.

Stop being scammed and living in fear. Fire your statin drug pushing MD, take control of your health and live.
Jim
on September 04, 2008"

Encouraging words!!

Ray

[Brian C.]

Bravo that writer! But the time to celebrate will be when the truth becomes front page news.

May we all live to see it.


Brian.

[Brian C.]

BTW, re l-arginine supplementation. I took l-arginine in therapeutic doses for over a year with no apparent beneficial effect. My experience is therefore in accord with the findings of this study...

*http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/38/2/499

"Conclusion. In men with stable angina and mild hypercholesterolemia, elevating the L-arginine/ADMA ratio with oral L-arginine does not improve endothelium-dependent vasodilation. A decreased L-arginine/ADMA ratio may not be the predominant mechanism underlying endothelial dysfunction in this group of patients. Furthermore, L-arginine does not possess significant anti-oxidant or anti-anginal activities in such patients."

Disappointing and counter expectations. I did not take the liquid form, nor, I believe, was the liquid form used in the trial.

Anybody reading this who can truthfully report significant sustained improvement in angina of effort associated with liquid l-arginine supplementation?

Brian.

[adec]

Statins do nothing to prevent atherosclerosis, and yet are cancerous. Double whammy. I welcome those scientists to something of which we are already painfully aware. Most doctors don't even know to test for vitamin D3 status, let alone magnesium deficiency, or PAI-1 or homocysteine etc. Only those who follow current medical science are on their own though.

You could even pay to read a book for the answers, but maybe also take a look at my messages. I've said those same things on this very forum about vitamin D3 and magnesium relating to heart function.... and all my messages are free. Another interesting side-note, vasodilators (such as arginine, gingko, vincopetine etc.) works best in synergy with other supplements. What good is a blood delivery mechanism if there's nothing to deliver.

You can learn from all my stupid failures and eventual successes. I even believe this information saved my mom's life. Vitamin D3 K2 and C, magnesium orotate, and nattokinase = instant prevention for heart disease and stroke. The very same problems statins created. I'd be willing to bet my own life on the entire answer.


.....................................................................................
"Especially the DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) found in Omega-3 oils could help inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis (arterial hardening,) decrease blood viscosity, and assist as a general mood elevator. Instead of aspirin, grape seed extract has been deemed a more safe and effective way to inhibit blood platlet clotting.

You could try amino acids l-lysine and l-proline along with your vitamin C supplementation for general coronary artery disease, as recommended by Dr. Linus Pauling. In combination these three assist the collagen formation necessary for heathy blood vessels, among many other vital organs and structures. I especially like vitamin K2 (as MK-7 or Menaquinone-7) and vitamin D3 (gelcap 2000-4000IU daily) for general arterial calcification. Vitamin D3 and K2 are primarily responsible for regulating calcium metabolism... just as magnesium regulates all smooth vascular muscle cell function, relaxation, energy, and growth.

To literally dissolve blood clots, and reduce inflammation far better than any statin: enteric coated nattokinase/serrapeptase/lumbrokinase or nattozimes/serrazimes are lifesavers. Their greatest role are as a PAI-1 or (plasminogen activation inhibitor-1)... likely the most exacting biomarker currently available of arterial health and inflammation, even more so than C-Reactive protein.

We've pretty much covered everything. You can find all of these supplements online at Vitacost.com. Follow these simple suggestions, and over the next few months, your next ultrasound (and even blood pressure test) might likely show a profound difference. Although, as with any fibrinolytics (including nattokinase and serrapeptase) caution must always be exercised in combination with other medications, but especially any agent acting as a blood thinner. However when used in moderation these supplements are still far safer and more effective than the medication warfarin (coumadin,) basically rat poison when used in ultra-high doses. For starters, coumadin remains active in the body for days vs. hours for nattokinase."

[vicki]

Big front page article here in Daily Mail today, "Cholesterol pill warning, increased cancer risk"


Since I now have 2 cancers and my oncologist thinks by my lab work my CLL came from Statins, I am very interested in this article and can't find it on-line. My bills now run well over $200,000 becasue of Statins.

Also my vit. D3 was very low when they finally tested it 8 years later. Ask your doctor for a D3 test to see where yours is. I have taken 50,000 IU's two times a week just to try and get it back in the normal range. My CLL cancer was not found for 8 years although the lab test showed it. On one of my lab tests, my doctor never noticed, so not all doctors pay attention or read the lab work they get back for us, at the bottom it said CLL? How can a doctor never notice the lab paperwork saying CLL? this usually mean for the doctor to check farther. I also had surgery, the lab work showed they better check farther, no doctor paid attention, nor the hospital, 5 doctors never noticed I had high WBC & Lymphs and check farther.

For my second cancer IDC, invasive ductal carcinoma, 3 mammograms showed nothing, I begged to have a biopsy, I knew something was wrong, what would have happened if I had waited till the next year for another mammogram? The breast cancer was invasive, it spreads to your vital organs.

Everyone when you have lab work done get the results and learn how to read them yourself. If you think something is wrong, push to have it checked, you know your body better then anyone else.