believe that most of us don’t want to die young so that if we discover that our lipid profile indicates that we’re at high risk for heart disease, stroke, and dementia, most of us are more likely to do something about our other risk factors, particularly to stop smoking, to eat smarter, to start being more active, and heavens! maybe even starting to do some real exercise.
..... I also believe, and this is another view that is certainly not held by everyone, that we should be putting lots more people on those cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins (trade names – the names you know rather than the generic names you don’t ever remember - are Pravachol, Lipitor, Zocor, and Crestor), perhaps even allowing their sale, as the Brits have done, as over-the-counter medications. Yes, like all medications, statins can produce side effects and (rarely) even life-threatening complications, which is why, of course, you should educate yourself thoroughly about those by discussing them with your pharmacist. But I believe that used more widely, and especially combined with a stronger emphasis on reducing the other risk factors, statin drugs could lead to even larger reductions in deaths from heart disease and stroke than we’ve already seen.
..... By the way, as with all drugs, statins only work if you take them, and study after study shows that a lot of you stop taking those drugs soon after you fill the prescription. If you are tempted to stop taking your statin because your friend heard a doctor on Oprah say something your friend can’t quite recall but which she does remember sounded bad, then, please talk to your pharmacist before discontinuing the use of those drugs. Your pharmacist is a more trustworthy source of drug information than is your friend, even your “best” friend, and (I know this is hard to believe) but your pharmacist is also a much better source of information than a guy on Oprah.
..... I know that, by the way, because I heard a guy on Oprah say it.
Dr. Art Hister can be heard on CKNW and other Corus Radio Network stations on House Calls on Saturdays at 10 AM, as well as seen on Global TV news on Saturday mornings at 9:20. |
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