subject: Lowering Cholesterol, The Statins Parody [print this page] Crestor (Rosuvastatin calcium) is a drug of the statins family. Its purpose is to artificially lower blood cholesterol. Astra Zeneca is the pharmaceutical company producing it. It is designed to be the strongest of the statins available so far. In fact it is so strong that it literally overmedicates patients even at the low doses prescribed at the very beginning of the treatment regime. There have been numerous reports about side effects of Crestor so far, a lot more than the rest of the statins and in a much faster rate too. FDA approved Crestor in 2002 but even at that early moment, there were many concerns about the safety of this drug even at the range of doses used in common clinical practice. Astra Zeneca unleashed a very aggressive and intensive marketing campaign when Crestor came out, convincing most doctors to prescribe it as a first choice statin for lowering cholesterol.
Statins are associated with horrific side effects and the same goes for Crestor. The fact that it is the strongest statin results in the side effects being very obvious at the lowest of the doses such as 5 or 10 mg. The most common side effects are impaired cognitive functions, kidney and liver failure and severe myopathy. One of the targets of statins is the nerves and nerve cells. The brain and nerves need big amounts of cholesterol and this is the reason why the neural system is so greatly affected (memory loss, insomnia, impaired cognitive functions etc) when blood cholesterol is forced to low levels. Also coenzyme Q10 (which is a powerful antioxidant) is depleted which results in leaving mitochondria exposed to mutations caused my free radicals. Q10 is very important for the heart as well so statins can have a play a very significant role in weakening the heart muscle too. Patients' quality of life is severely compromised. Statins affect many systems in the body; it is obvious now that the original speculations for the toxicity of these drugs were not even close to the picture and situation we are facing at the moment. As they have been minimally tested in humans, the full range of side effects will be revealed as time goes by.
The problem with all statins is that they target the wrong molecule and that is cholesterol. Cholesterol is a valuable biomolecule for the human body. It is a molecule found in every single cells cellular membrane in massive quantities. It is a precursor molecule for very important hormones and it is a structural component of the neural cells. Cholesterol plays a significant role in the development of arteriosclerosis but this is a secondary effect. The real mechanism of this debilitating disease was described in detail a few decades ago but the profits and potential of statins were already too big to let go. Statins are a multibillion dollar business for pharmaceutical companies. Current research has been heavily influenced by funds coming from pharma companies. Publications reporting different results than the ones supporting the use of statins are ignored or hidden. Many scientific publications and significant research projects are being ignored consistently.
The truth is that there are so many natural and safe alternatives to fight atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Cheap substances targeting the real root cause of arteriosclerosis are available for everybody but people just dont know about them. Top of the line doctors and researchers verify these findings for four decades now but they are being consistently ignored. There are more options than statins and people must know about them. It is crucial for patients to be able to make an informed decision. It is of massive importance to strive to learn and research. Knowledge is power.
