The Cholesterol Question

Is this naturally occurring fat really as bad as we’ve been led to believe? The answer may surprise you

- By Emily A. Kane, ND, LAC

Q It seems like so many people over 40, or sometimes even younger, are taking statin drugs. What is that all about? Will they make me healthier?

While pharmaceuticals can be lifesaving, they rarely promote health. In emergency situations, prescription medication can save lives, but because they are powerful and change your body’s physiology (meaning the way the systems work together), they eventually create unwanted side effects, which often leads to prescribing more drugs, and slowly but surely weakening our innate health.

I’m grateful for emergency medicine, which plays an important role in modern society. But we seem to have lost track of what it takes to actually maintain health—or to promote a return to health if we have neglected our own self-healing potential. It’s exciting to follow the health news where “lifestyle” choices are trending, but it’s kind of silly that this is framed as a new concept that needs more “studies.” We really don’t need studies to prove that getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and making good food choices are the foundations for good health. That’s just common sense.

Our consumer society has been brainwashed into thinking we can eat and drink whatever we want, and later take a pill for the bellyaches, heartburn, constipation, poor sleep, headaches, and other resulting issues. Now that is certainly not common sense.

The Problem With Statins