Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
But not for the reason most doctors believe. According to some recent research, cholesterol has virtually nothing to do with it, and surprisingly, neither does C-reactive protein. In fact, in this study, compared with controls, subjects taking simvastatin showed an overall reduced risk of death even when they had a low LDL cholesterol level and a low CRP level, so obviously, the benefit of statins do not relate to cholesterol level. Also, statins substantially reduce the risk of stroke, despite the fact that raised cholesterol levels have been shown to be a very weak, or non-existent risk factor for stroke.
So the mystery of how they work, still remains unresolved, but at least now we know for certain that it is not due to cholesterol reduction, (as most doctors claim), nor is it connected with C-reactive protein levels, (as many of us thought).
http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/01/28/new- ... or-health/
Here's an abstract of the article in The Lancet:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance ... 5/abstract
Tex
Do Statins Work? Apparently They Do.
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Do Statins Work? Apparently They Do.
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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MBombardier
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1523
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:44 am
- Location: Vancouver, WA
I know you take a statin drug, Tex, and I don't want to step on your toes. What works for you, works for you, of course. But after reading about all the dangers of statin drugs and after seeing what happened to my husband while taking one, no one could ever talk me into taking one.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Marliss,
You don't have to worry about stepping on my toes, because I don't like statins, either, and I'm certainly not suggesting that they don't carry some pretty significant risks for some people, (like most drugs), but they do indeed reduce the overall statistical risk of death from cardiovascular disease and/or stoke. I've tried and tried to find some evidence that they don't help, but the sad truth is, they work. They don't work for the reasons most doctors attribute to them, but nevertheless, they do work.
Tex
You don't have to worry about stepping on my toes, because I don't like statins, either, and I'm certainly not suggesting that they don't carry some pretty significant risks for some people, (like most drugs), but they do indeed reduce the overall statistical risk of death from cardiovascular disease and/or stoke. I've tried and tried to find some evidence that they don't help, but the sad truth is, they work. They don't work for the reasons most doctors attribute to them, but nevertheless, they do work.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
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MBombardier
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1523
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:44 am
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Dr. Briffa quoting Dr. Spence in the article that Ant posted:
So maybe they work, though not in the way the doctors think, but maybe they don't work as much or for as many people as they think, either.
http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/02/07/doct ... l-practiceThe recent doubling in the use of statins has had no effect in the real world.
So maybe they work, though not in the way the doctors think, but maybe they don't work as much or for as many people as they think, either.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
You're right about that - they have to treat thousands of people, in order to help 1 or 2, and in the process, hundreds suffer from adverse side effects. It is "worth it" to those few that are helped, but it is definitely not "worth it" for all those people who take them for nothing, and it really sucks that so many people end up with adverse side effects, (and no benefits), as a result of all this.Marliss wrote:So maybe they work, though not in the way the doctors think, but maybe they don't work as much or for as many people as they think, either.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Gloria,
They might be effective, but who can possibly tell? I don't know about you, but the doctors at the hospital insist that I take a blood pressure med, (lisinopril), and a second one, which is also supposed to slow down my heart rate, (metoprolol tartrate), plavix, (which probably has the most significant chance of actually doing some good, but is a mighty expensive blood thinner), and, of course, simvastatin.
Since I didn't have high blood pressure to begin with, and my heart rate was just fine, and my cholesterol wasn't high, it's difficult to say whether any of this stuff will actually provide any benefit, and if it turns out that it does, who's to say which ones played a part, and which ones were redundant or unnecessary?
When I see my GP mid-week, to discuss the blood tests, I plan to go over this, because I don't like the way that it seems to be affecting both my memory and my personality.
Tex
They might be effective, but who can possibly tell? I don't know about you, but the doctors at the hospital insist that I take a blood pressure med, (lisinopril), and a second one, which is also supposed to slow down my heart rate, (metoprolol tartrate), plavix, (which probably has the most significant chance of actually doing some good, but is a mighty expensive blood thinner), and, of course, simvastatin.
Since I didn't have high blood pressure to begin with, and my heart rate was just fine, and my cholesterol wasn't high, it's difficult to say whether any of this stuff will actually provide any benefit, and if it turns out that it does, who's to say which ones played a part, and which ones were redundant or unnecessary?
When I see my GP mid-week, to discuss the blood tests, I plan to go over this, because I don't like the way that it seems to be affecting both my memory and my personality.Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
