Narrowing of artery walls can be easily avoided without drug use
We’ve been robbed!
Here’s one way to get your doctor to stop pushing you to take a statin drug. It worked for my friend, John.
John’s been reading my e-mails for years (or so he tells me at least!). That’s why he knows the cholesterol drug business is an outrageous scam. So even though he has high cholesterol, for him, that road is closed. Period.
But his doctor did persuade him to get a coronary artery calcium scan (CAC). John was up for that. It would settle any questions about the health of his arteries.
A CAC score of 10 suggests mild to moderate plaque buildup. A score of 500 indicates that plaque is blocking arteries. Scores over 1,000 are not unheard of.
A few days later, John got the call. His score: zero. He has the arteries of a teenager.
John was relieved and surprised. He’s in his 60s. He had no reason to expect a perfect score. Meanwhile, his doctor could only shake her head. And all talk of giving statins a try has vanished.
Biggest con game ever
As Dr. Spreen has pointed out, checking cholesterol is a ridiculously feeble method for determining heart problems. People with low cholesterol can have blocked arteries. And people like John, with high cholesterol, may have no artery problems at all.
But drug companies have done an amazing job of selling the fraudulent dangers of cholesterol. It’s the most successful swindle in drug history. And it’s literally robbed millions of trusting people while putting their health at greater risk.
The real crime is that they believe they’re protected from the serious danger of artery-blocking plaque. And they’re not! But there IS a safe way to guard your arteries and your heart.
In a new study, researchers recruited 65 middle-aged men with CAC scores of 10 or more. For one year, researchers gave the men a placebo, or a combination of CoQ10 and garlic extract.
Results: Arterial plaque progressed four times as much in the placebo group as in the intervention group. C-reactive protein (CRP) went up in the placebo group, and down in the intervention arm.
That’s the key. CRP is a marker of inflammation. And inflammation is one of the primary causes of plaque buildup.
Now, can you imagine if a drug could do that? Drug executives would kill for a product that could get those results.
Too bad for them. They’ll have to rely on natural treatments like the rest of us.
CoQ10, of course, is the super-antioxidant that repairs free-radical damage to the heart muscle. And alternative doctors have known about the heart-health benefits of garlic for eons. More recently, research shows that red blood cells convert garlic components into a molecule that reduces — yep — inflammation.
Forget statins. Reduce inflammation. You may not get a zero on your CAC but I bet you won’t get an Rx either.
Sources:
“Aged garlic extract and coenzyme Q10 have favorable effect on inflammatory markers and coronary atherosclerosis progression: A randomized clinical trial” Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research, Vol. 3, No. 3, July-September 2012, jcdronline.com
“Trial uncovers protective effect for multinutrient supplementation against cancer” Life Extension Update, 10/26/12, lef.org
