“ Call your doctor right away if you:
Have unexplained muscle pain or weakness, especially with fever
Have muscle problems that do not go away even after your doctor told you to stop taking CRESTOR
Feel unusually tired
Have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin or eyes.
These could be signs of rare but serious side effects
Elevated blood sugar levels have been reported with statins, including CRESTOR
Side effects: The most common side effects may include headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain, weakness, and nausea. Memory loss and confusion have also been reported with statins, including CRESTOR”
When you see a statin advertised on television, do you listen to the list of side effects at the end of the ad? I pulled this list from the Crestor website, but it is essentially the same for all statins.
A physician told me this drug is prescribed when cholesterol levels run above the norm because the drug is effective in lowering the numbers and preventing heart attack. Despite the side effects, he knows the drug will lower the total number. It is important to note not just the total number, but to look at your HDL, the good cholesterol, and divide it into your total cholesterol to determine your overall risk for heart disease.
That may be true. You may lower your risk for heart attack, but at what cost? What if you looked at your lifestyle and saw some ways to lower your cholesterol naturally?
Here’s what I recommend to my nutrition clients for lowering cholesterol:
eat wild salmon and good fats like olive oil and avocado
eat many fruits and vegetables; fiber absorbs cholesterol
eat 1 tsp. of cinnamon daily
eat walnuts, almonds and seeds
take 2 tsp. of liquid fish oil daily
avoid processed foods
lower consumption of white flour and sugar
eat small portions of hormone and antibiotic free meat
find a way to move that you love and do it regularly
Two Areas Most in Need of Education
When the financial crisis struck in 2008, I realized how helpful a solid understanding of finances really were, yet so little is taught in formal schooling about how one manages money. Having a solid foundation in understanding finances can help us avoid costly mistakes.
The same is true with nutrition, the other area most in need of education. Hippocrates knew this way before there was much science to prove it. ("Let food be thy medicine; et medicine be thy food.") Simply observing dietary habits can tell much about a person's health and energy. Food is a powerful source of ongoing energy, but it also is a key factor in healing what's gone wrong. Elevated cholesterol is directly related to diet. Having dietary knowledge and changing food choices can result in significant health improvements. We have an epidemic of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and poor functioning thyroid in the US, and much of it is diet and lifestyle related.
Here's a view of the top ten monthly prescriptions
Synthroid (levothyroxine), 21.5 million - thyroid
Crestor (rosuvastatin), 21.4 million - heart
Ventolin HFA (albuterol), 18.2 million lungs
Nexium (esomeprazole), 15.2 million digestive
Advair Diskus (fluticasone), 13.7 million
Lantus Solostar (insulin glargine), 10.9 million diabetes
Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine), 10.4 million
Lyrica (pregabalin), 10.0 million
Spiriva Handihaler (tiotropium), 9.6 million lungs
Januvia (sitagliptin), 9.1 million
For an easy but comprehensive start on making changes, I invite you to purchase my book Food Becomes You. In it you'll read about people who improved their health through simple changes in their food. You'll find recipes and menus. Here is an excerpt on healing your body:
Wanda and Heart Health
Wanda is a woman I began working with when she had some concerns about her heart health and cholesterol numbers. She is an active healthy woman and highly motivated to remain healthy in her later years. We looked at her diet and gradually increased vegetables and grains, while decreasing meat. In doing so, Wanda’s energy increased as did her outlook on life. One day I asked her if anything she learned or experienced surprised her. She said “ I’m learning to disregard everything I heard growing up about meat and dairy being good for you.” She could see from her own experience that her health improved when she ate less meat and dairy and added more vegetables and grains. I write about Wanda and others with health challenges in my book
Synthroid (levothyroxine), 21.5 millionCrestor (rosuvastatin), 21.4 millionVentolin HFA (albuterol), 18.2 millionNexium (esomeprazole), 15.2 millionAdvair Diskus (fluticasone), 13.7 millionLantus Solostar (insulin glargine), 10.9 millionVyvanse (lisdexamfetamine), 10.4 millionLyrica (pregabalin), 10.0 millionSpiriva Handihaler (tiotropium), 9.6 millionJanuvia (sitagliptin), 9.1 million
Note: these are lifestyle recommendations and not intended to be medical advice.