Educating people on absolute v. relative risk is very hard to do. And the oldest trick in the book is using one or the other, or both, selectively, “reduces Covid 95%”.
Statins of course are a funny one. As they increase risk of diabetes, cause calcification of the arterial walls, and muscle deterioration that is irreversible. And the actual all cause mortality difference is zero. At best.
Absolute risk reduction is the only number of value, relative risk reduction is a fake-out statistically manipulated number to make people think a drug is far more effective than it actually is, using statistical lies. Older studies put the ARR for statins at 1%, while patients were only advised the RRR of 30%.
The side effects of statins are incredibly severe, including muscle pain and wasting (the heart is a muscle) major cognitive decline and general loss of energy. This is particularly bad for elderly people. I know several people with these terrible side effects ho could not work out and had memory issues on statins, who stopped taking the prescribed drugs and their health improved dramatically with strength and thinking ability vastly improved.
If the only reason for giving a statin is elevated cholesterol, a constantly changing ‘marker’ reduced to an ever lower standard so the drug can be subscribed to more and more people. Statins are the most successful drugs in history with the highest profits for Big Pharma. Do doctors receive incentive or bonus payments for prescribing them to more people, as pediatricians do for having a high percentage of patients on the CDC schedule?
Monetary incentives for prescriptions/ ANY meds needs to be outlawed.
From books I have read on this topic, understand that people die of heart issues with low or high blood cholesterol levels, and in elders higher cholesterol can leave you in a better state of overall health and better longevity than low cholesterol. Our bodies make the cholesterol we need and if this increases with age it protects the brain.
At this point, I refuse all vaccines unless and until true inert-placebo safety and efficacy studies are completed. I refuse all statin drugs. I take large quantities of vitamin D3 and my blood level is about 100 ng/ml. I am 75 years old and my BP is 118/ 70 in the doctors office. Total cholesterol about 200 to 210 for many years.
Everyone needs to research all prescription drugs, vaccines, and vitamins on their own. The healthcare system is hopelessly committed to their standard of care protocols, even if it kills you!
One of my friends was 94 a few years ago, little Italian lady and I asked her why she has such good health. She said, I cook and eat real food, I am very active (walking in the pool, dancing, social activities) and I don’t follow doctors advice much...my kids make me go if I am sick and they always prescribe something. The medicines make me sick to my stomach so I throw them out and lie that I took them. She outlived several of her doctors and is now 99 years old, using a walker and spunky as heck!!
Lao, statins reduce co -Q10 necessary for heart health and even cardiologist who put you on statins fail to advise people to take this supplement if on a statin. DISGUSTING!
In a recent discussion with a well regarded cardiologist in my region, he compared his position re statins (utterly inflexible and condescendingly dismissive of any other perspective) to the role a priest plays in advising his congregants on the unavoidable consequence of purgatory for deviating from his absolutist dictums. I was more than a little taken aback, commenting that he was comparing the *rules* of moral behavior defined by a theological belief system to guidelines based on an empirical medical/scientific model. He saw no difference (I kid you not)! That's when I realized what his religion actually is and that he views himself as a high priest in the Brahman class, an infallible holy prelate of allopathic med-pharma orthodoxy. He is far from alone as we all know :o
“Participants were educated about statin benefits and side effects, completed comprehension checks, and then answered iterative trade‑off questions using graphical displays.” I wonder about the bias in that “education.” What information were participants given about alternative preventative measures? What information were participants given about the risks of low LDL?
I found the conflict of interest statement on Conflict of interest statement on PubMed:
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Luo reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and being employed in the Department of Next-Generation Organ Transplantation, The University of Tokyo Hospital, which is an endowed department supported by the N28 General Incorporated Association, outside the submitted work. Dr Kawakami reported receiving personal fees and speakers’ honoraria from Medtronic Japan Inc, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Biotronik Japan Inc, Japan Lifeline Co Ltd, Toa I&E Yokohama Co Ltd, Boston Scientific Japan KK, Pfizer Japan Inc, and Abbott Medical Japan LLC outside the submitted work. Dr Sahker reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science outside the submitted work. Dr Omae reported receiving personal fees from Astellas Pharma, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ono Pharmaceutical, Kyorin Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Nippon Shinyaku, and Kissei Pharmaceutical outside the submitted work. Dr Yamaguchi reported receiving personal fees from Novartis Japan, AstraZeneca KK, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Viatris, Kowa Co Ltd, Mochida Pharmaceutical Plant Co Ltd, MSD, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Amgen Astellas BioPharma, Teijin Pharma, and TOA EIYO Ltd outside the submitted work. Dr Tajika reported receiving personal fees from Eisai and Shionogi outside the submitted work. Dr Furukawa reported receiving personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, DT Axis, Micron, Shionogi, SONY, and UpToDate and receiving grants from DT Axis and Shionogi outside the submitted work and having a patent issued, a patent pending, and a patent for intellectual properties for Kokoro-app issued for DT Axis. No other disclosures were reported.
I am actually starting to wonder about you Dr. M. There is so much written about the danger from side effects of statins and I know many people who had to stop them due to negative side effects. This is the second piece of yours that has made me think twice about whether someone/something is whispering in your ear. How I pray I am wrong.
Let's see. We have persons who take statins developing cognitive impairment, pains in their muscles, and death by heart attack. "Studies" show that this is a very lucrative drug for the pharmaceutical industry, doctors who prescribe it, and the pharmacies who dispense it.
Are you still pushing this statin "therapy"??? Disappointing.
People care about 'not dying'. If data were in terms of projected or actual lifespan, it would be easier to understand and more meaningful. I wonder how much of the 'education' talked about risks and alternatives?
I for one over the years have been notified more than once by my local Pharmacist that my Lipitor has been recalled due to heavy metals detected on such and such bottles with serial numbers xxx x etc
And I’m convinced Drs get perks for prescribing Cardio,Blood pressure lowering and Dementia drugs.
I think Dr. McCullough should revisit NATTOKINASE. The readers of this Substack are ready for a little more info - especially with regards to its ability to reduce arterial plaque. My problem with Natto K is the fact that it’s produced by using fermented soybeans - as is the neurotoxin, MSG.
In my opinion, the word STATIN is too close to the word SATAN - a person would necessarily want at least 75% improvement in circumstances before taking the risk. BTW, who trusts Satan/Merck to be honest about the real risks?
"Although clinical guidelines strongly recommend statins to reduce cardiovascular risk, these guidelines are based on expert judgment" it's the "experts" again providing a useful guide on what not to do.
I found the conflict of interest statement on PubMed:
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Luo reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and being employed in the Department of Next-Generation Organ Transplantation, The University of Tokyo Hospital, which is an endowed department supported by the N28 General Incorporated Association, outside the submitted work. Dr Kawakami reported receiving personal fees and speakers’ honoraria from Medtronic Japan Inc, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Biotronik Japan Inc, Japan Lifeline Co Ltd, Toa I&E Yokohama Co Ltd, Boston Scientific Japan KK, Pfizer Japan Inc, and Abbott Medical Japan LLC outside the submitted work. Dr Sahker reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science outside the submitted work. Dr Omae reported receiving personal fees from Astellas Pharma, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ono Pharmaceutical, Kyorin Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Nippon Shinyaku, and Kissei Pharmaceutical outside the submitted work. Dr Yamaguchi reported receiving personal fees from Novartis Japan, AstraZeneca KK, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Viatris, Kowa Co Ltd, Mochida Pharmaceutical Plant Co Ltd, MSD, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Amgen Astellas BioPharma, Teijin Pharma, and TOA EIYO Ltd outside the submitted work. Dr Tajika reported receiving personal fees from Eisai and Shionogi outside the submitted work. Dr Furukawa reported receiving personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, DT Axis, Micron, Shionogi, SONY, and UpToDate and receiving grants from DT Axis and Shionogi outside the submitted work and having a patent issued, a patent pending, and a patent for intellectual properties for Kokoro-app issued for DT Axis. No other disclosures were reported.
“There is a mismatch between population expectations and real benefits of statins”
Is there? Considering the actual number of people on statins, and the fact that heart disease continues to rise, what are the ‘real benefits’??
In the EU, the ‘acceptable’ cholesterol level was 6 at one point, and then, overnight, was reduced to 4, thus pushing millions of people (new patients, of course) over the acceptable threshold. There are no tests given for oxidative LDL, size, etc., but rather, just a number with no detail. For years we heard that diet was paramount regarding cholesterol. Now we hear that diet is not that important. And then we get to the issue of relative risk vs absolute, side effects, etc.
Educating people on absolute v. relative risk is very hard to do. And the oldest trick in the book is using one or the other, or both, selectively, “reduces Covid 95%”.
Statins of course are a funny one. As they increase risk of diabetes, cause calcification of the arterial walls, and muscle deterioration that is irreversible. And the actual all cause mortality difference is zero. At best.
That's what I was driving at in my comment. Would love to hear a response from the good Dr.
Absolute risk reduction is the only number of value, relative risk reduction is a fake-out statistically manipulated number to make people think a drug is far more effective than it actually is, using statistical lies. Older studies put the ARR for statins at 1%, while patients were only advised the RRR of 30%.
The side effects of statins are incredibly severe, including muscle pain and wasting (the heart is a muscle) major cognitive decline and general loss of energy. This is particularly bad for elderly people. I know several people with these terrible side effects ho could not work out and had memory issues on statins, who stopped taking the prescribed drugs and their health improved dramatically with strength and thinking ability vastly improved.
If the only reason for giving a statin is elevated cholesterol, a constantly changing ‘marker’ reduced to an ever lower standard so the drug can be subscribed to more and more people. Statins are the most successful drugs in history with the highest profits for Big Pharma. Do doctors receive incentive or bonus payments for prescribing them to more people, as pediatricians do for having a high percentage of patients on the CDC schedule?
Monetary incentives for prescriptions/ ANY meds needs to be outlawed.
From books I have read on this topic, understand that people die of heart issues with low or high blood cholesterol levels, and in elders higher cholesterol can leave you in a better state of overall health and better longevity than low cholesterol. Our bodies make the cholesterol we need and if this increases with age it protects the brain.
At this point, I refuse all vaccines unless and until true inert-placebo safety and efficacy studies are completed. I refuse all statin drugs. I take large quantities of vitamin D3 and my blood level is about 100 ng/ml. I am 75 years old and my BP is 118/ 70 in the doctors office. Total cholesterol about 200 to 210 for many years.
Everyone needs to research all prescription drugs, vaccines, and vitamins on their own. The healthcare system is hopelessly committed to their standard of care protocols, even if it kills you!
One of my friends was 94 a few years ago, little Italian lady and I asked her why she has such good health. She said, I cook and eat real food, I am very active (walking in the pool, dancing, social activities) and I don’t follow doctors advice much...my kids make me go if I am sick and they always prescribe something. The medicines make me sick to my stomach so I throw them out and lie that I took them. She outlived several of her doctors and is now 99 years old, using a walker and spunky as heck!!
Lao, statins reduce co -Q10 necessary for heart health and even cardiologist who put you on statins fail to advise people to take this supplement if on a statin. DISGUSTING!
In a recent discussion with a well regarded cardiologist in my region, he compared his position re statins (utterly inflexible and condescendingly dismissive of any other perspective) to the role a priest plays in advising his congregants on the unavoidable consequence of purgatory for deviating from his absolutist dictums. I was more than a little taken aback, commenting that he was comparing the *rules* of moral behavior defined by a theological belief system to guidelines based on an empirical medical/scientific model. He saw no difference (I kid you not)! That's when I realized what his religion actually is and that he views himself as a high priest in the Brahman class, an infallible holy prelate of allopathic med-pharma orthodoxy. He is far from alone as we all know :o
“Participants were educated about statin benefits and side effects, completed comprehension checks, and then answered iterative trade‑off questions using graphical displays.” I wonder about the bias in that “education.” What information were participants given about alternative preventative measures? What information were participants given about the risks of low LDL?
Yes. Papers usually list author affiliations. How about listing who paid for the study?
I found the conflict of interest statement on Conflict of interest statement on PubMed:
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Luo reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and being employed in the Department of Next-Generation Organ Transplantation, The University of Tokyo Hospital, which is an endowed department supported by the N28 General Incorporated Association, outside the submitted work. Dr Kawakami reported receiving personal fees and speakers’ honoraria from Medtronic Japan Inc, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Biotronik Japan Inc, Japan Lifeline Co Ltd, Toa I&E Yokohama Co Ltd, Boston Scientific Japan KK, Pfizer Japan Inc, and Abbott Medical Japan LLC outside the submitted work. Dr Sahker reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science outside the submitted work. Dr Omae reported receiving personal fees from Astellas Pharma, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ono Pharmaceutical, Kyorin Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Nippon Shinyaku, and Kissei Pharmaceutical outside the submitted work. Dr Yamaguchi reported receiving personal fees from Novartis Japan, AstraZeneca KK, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Viatris, Kowa Co Ltd, Mochida Pharmaceutical Plant Co Ltd, MSD, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Amgen Astellas BioPharma, Teijin Pharma, and TOA EIYO Ltd outside the submitted work. Dr Tajika reported receiving personal fees from Eisai and Shionogi outside the submitted work. Dr Furukawa reported receiving personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, DT Axis, Micron, Shionogi, SONY, and UpToDate and receiving grants from DT Axis and Shionogi outside the submitted work and having a patent issued, a patent pending, and a patent for intellectual properties for Kokoro-app issued for DT Axis. No other disclosures were reported.
I am actually starting to wonder about you Dr. M. There is so much written about the danger from side effects of statins and I know many people who had to stop them due to negative side effects. This is the second piece of yours that has made me think twice about whether someone/something is whispering in your ear. How I pray I am wrong.
Let's see. We have persons who take statins developing cognitive impairment, pains in their muscles, and death by heart attack. "Studies" show that this is a very lucrative drug for the pharmaceutical industry, doctors who prescribe it, and the pharmacies who dispense it.
Are you still pushing this statin "therapy"??? Disappointing.
People care about 'not dying'. If data were in terms of projected or actual lifespan, it would be easier to understand and more meaningful. I wonder how much of the 'education' talked about risks and alternatives?
Is Dr. Malhotra's assessment of Statins fair or is there something he has missed?
https://substack.com/@drwojakmd/note/c-217641845?r=o12i0
I for one over the years have been notified more than once by my local Pharmacist that my Lipitor has been recalled due to heavy metals detected on such and such bottles with serial numbers xxx x etc
And I’m convinced Drs get perks for prescribing Cardio,Blood pressure lowering and Dementia drugs.
I think Dr. McCullough should revisit NATTOKINASE. The readers of this Substack are ready for a little more info - especially with regards to its ability to reduce arterial plaque. My problem with Natto K is the fact that it’s produced by using fermented soybeans - as is the neurotoxin, MSG.
I assume you do not agree with these doctors and scientists assessment of benefits of statins.
https://substack.com/@drwojakmd/note/p-187934161?r=o12i0
I would like to know if Dr M has read the book “China RX”
In it they point out how most medications and supplements Americans take are manufactured in China with next to zero oversight
In my opinion, the word STATIN is too close to the word SATAN - a person would necessarily want at least 75% improvement in circumstances before taking the risk. BTW, who trusts Satan/Merck to be honest about the real risks?
"Although clinical guidelines strongly recommend statins to reduce cardiovascular risk, these guidelines are based on expert judgment" it's the "experts" again providing a useful guide on what not to do.
I found the conflict of interest statement on PubMed:
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Luo reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and being employed in the Department of Next-Generation Organ Transplantation, The University of Tokyo Hospital, which is an endowed department supported by the N28 General Incorporated Association, outside the submitted work. Dr Kawakami reported receiving personal fees and speakers’ honoraria from Medtronic Japan Inc, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Biotronik Japan Inc, Japan Lifeline Co Ltd, Toa I&E Yokohama Co Ltd, Boston Scientific Japan KK, Pfizer Japan Inc, and Abbott Medical Japan LLC outside the submitted work. Dr Sahker reported receiving grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science outside the submitted work. Dr Omae reported receiving personal fees from Astellas Pharma, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ono Pharmaceutical, Kyorin Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Nippon Shinyaku, and Kissei Pharmaceutical outside the submitted work. Dr Yamaguchi reported receiving personal fees from Novartis Japan, AstraZeneca KK, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Viatris, Kowa Co Ltd, Mochida Pharmaceutical Plant Co Ltd, MSD, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Amgen Astellas BioPharma, Teijin Pharma, and TOA EIYO Ltd outside the submitted work. Dr Tajika reported receiving personal fees from Eisai and Shionogi outside the submitted work. Dr Furukawa reported receiving personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, DT Axis, Micron, Shionogi, SONY, and UpToDate and receiving grants from DT Axis and Shionogi outside the submitted work and having a patent issued, a patent pending, and a patent for intellectual properties for Kokoro-app issued for DT Axis. No other disclosures were reported.
Ono Pharmaceutical - I'd stay away from that one! : )
🙊🤣
“There is a mismatch between population expectations and real benefits of statins”
Is there? Considering the actual number of people on statins, and the fact that heart disease continues to rise, what are the ‘real benefits’??
In the EU, the ‘acceptable’ cholesterol level was 6 at one point, and then, overnight, was reduced to 4, thus pushing millions of people (new patients, of course) over the acceptable threshold. There are no tests given for oxidative LDL, size, etc., but rather, just a number with no detail. For years we heard that diet was paramount regarding cholesterol. Now we hear that diet is not that important. And then we get to the issue of relative risk vs absolute, side effects, etc.