Dealing with inflammation safely

Almost three weeks ago I sent you an e-Alert (“The Light at the End of the Tunnel Vision” 10/31/02) about the mainstream press bias in reporting on statins – especially since there seems to be a new drive to portray statins as a safe and essential preventive medication for a wide range of cardiovascular health issues. This, in spite of the fact that their preventive qualities have not been fully proven, while their side effects are many and well known.

In response to that e-Alert I received this e-mail from an HSI member named Charles:

“I’m totally in favor of alternative methods of dealing with health issues. We all agree that cholesterol is not the prime factor in heart disease. To prescribe statins wholly on the basis of lowering a patient’s cholesterol profile is not good medicine. But more and more evidence suggests that the real culprit is inflammation, and statin drugs help in overcoming the deep inflammation that damages the arteries and makes them vulnerable to plaque formation and blockage. Therefore, if the medical community would prescribe stains, preferably the weaker ones, for inflammation rather than for high cholesterol, that could indeed save lives if the inflammation theory is correct. So you should try to have a more balanced approach and not automatically rail against the use of any and all synthetic drugs. We all hate the pharmaceutical industry, but some drugs, albeit they all have possible side effects, are very useful and we should not be blind to that truth.”

Charles is right – some pharmaceuticals are useful. And there are certainly cases where the dire need for the positive effects of a drug outweighs the resulting side effects. But before anyone resorts to statins to treat inflammation, consider these natural alternatives.

For instance, omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil capsules have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects on arteries, while also lowering the triclycerides that increase the risk of artery blockages. The EPA in fish oil also helps reduce the tendency of blood platelets to clump together and accumulate in the arteries.

In addition to fish oil, vitamin C also has anti-inflammatory effects, as does evening primrose oil which has been shown to protect arteries as well. Curcumin and ginger are just two more natural anti-inflammatories.

In other words, there are safe measures that can be taken to address inflammation before signing on for an expensive and risky round of statins and their side effects.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute